Album review: Coexist by The xx
| September 9, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
It’s over two years since indie darlings The xx won the Mercury Prize with their debut album xx, yet the storm of hype surrounding them has been maintained as many people questioned how the follow-up would sound. It seems that the answer is pretty much the same. While many expected Coexist to follow the more dance-inspired direction Jamie Smith took with his side project as Jamie xx, the album actually sticks with The xx’s general mantra of less is more. xx demonstrated perfectly that music doesn’t have to be over-the-top to stand out, with understated tracks where minimalist production (consisting of sparse guitar, keyboard and drums) is intricately woven around the dual vocals of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley-Croft. Three years later… more
Album review: Channel Orange by Frank Ocean
| July 19, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
There’s something of an elephant in this review’s metaphorical room, so let’s get it out of the way now. Frank Ocean isn’t heterosexual. You see, just over two weeks ago Ocean posted an extract from Channel Orange’s album inlay on his Tumblr, which described his experience of falling in love with his friend when he was aged 19. Said friend was male. I know, terrifying right? I’m sure your face is twisted into a mixture of despair, fear and shock at this hideous revelation. Well, hopefully it isn’t, but if the world of hip-hop had a communal face then it would have adopted that expression when it found out. You see, the hip-hop community have never taken too kindly to… more
The top 25 tracks of 2012 so far
| July 3, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
I was planning to do my top 50 tracks of 2012 at the end of the year, but I’m pretty sure that would be too long and dull, so I thought to myself, “Why not split the list up into two shorter and hopefully less dull lists spread evenly across the year?” For those interested, this list has two rules: The track must have been released between January and June 2012 inclusive. For those of you who want to be completely pedantic, if it’s been released as a single and on an EP/LP then I’m counting the single release date. The tracks are ordered based upon how much I enjoy listening to each one. That’s it. So, here we go: 25. King Creosote &… more
Album review: Some Nights by Fun.
| May 31, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
Fun.’s break out single We Are Young went to number one in the UK singles chart last weekend, so my instant reaction was to wonder what the album sounded like. Oh Michael, you are a fool. I came into this album having only heard the aforementioned single, and I wouldn’t exactly have considered myself a fan. The chorus is fantastically catchy, yes, but the rest of the song is just plain dull. For a song whose chorus screams out, “Let’s set the world on fire, we can burn brighter than the sun,” it feels disappointingly sombre and monotonous. The guest vocals from Janelle Monáe (creator of one of the best albums of 2010), which caused my original excitement for the… more
Feature: Jack White – Blunderbuss
| May 4, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, features, reviews |
This piece was jointly authored by Michael Smith and Jeremy Dobson. Michael Smith So let’s imagine for a minute that you’re Jack White: singer, guitar player, pianist, songwriter, producer. Hell, you’ve even starred in a few films (at least according to a quick look at Wikipedia, and if it says so there then it must be true). You’ve sold millions of songs and albums worldwide in several different bands; you’re an all-round musical talent, rock star, icon. You might have thought that you’d be quite pleased with yourself, generally content with everything life has brought you. Unfortunately though, money, talent and fame can’t buy you love, which probably helps to explain Blunderbuss. You see, while White’s personal life is infamously difficult… more
Album review: In Time to Voices by Blood Red Shoes
| April 7, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
I’d like to consider myself a fan of guitar music and the various associated genres, but the fact that it has taken five reviews at TSR to actually look at an album by a guitar band may be representative of the state of modern rock music. It’s by no means at its peak and frankly it has been regressing since the middle of the last decade in terms of both popular appeal and musical originality. I wouldn’t say that Brighton-based alt-rock duo Blood Red Shoes are likely to change that any time soon, but their new album In Time to Voices is a pleasant revelation. The opening title track begins with sparse chords and a ghost-like vocal, but gradually builds into… more
Album review: Happy To You by Miike Snow
| March 25, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
Swedish electro/indie pop is a surprisingly cluttered niche. The likes of Robyn, Lykke Li, Avicii and Röyksopp have all enjoyed some form of commercial success in last decade, and Miike Snow are now hoping to achieve something similar. Consisting of producers Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (probably best known for the pop masterpiece that is Britney Spears’ Toxic) and vocalist Andrew Wyatt, Miike Snow made a splash in the indie scene in 2009 with their self-titled début. Miike Snow persists as one of my most overplayed albums; it’s nothing particularly special, but its combination of relaxed sound and catchy hooks mean it’s the perfect for shutting out the stressed atmosphere of an early morning bus journey. Happy To You is stylistically… more
Album review: Making Mirrors by Gotye
| March 8, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
You probably don’t recognise the name Wouter De Backer. You may not have heard of his musical alias, Gotye. One thing I can almost guarantee, however, is that you’ve heard his music, or more specifically his new single: Somebody That I Used To Know, featuring Kimbra. With a YouTube video nearing 100 million views and three weeks at the top of the UK singles chart, Somebody That I Used To Know seemed to appear from nowhere before taking Australasia and Europe by storm. Somebody… isn’t exactly what you’d expect from a modern chart-topper. For one thing, it sounds nothing like the trash David Guetta, Flo Rida or their other generic cronies would produce. It opens to understated guitar chords and a xylophone solo,… more
Album review: Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
| February 24, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
I was planning to review another, more recently released album this week, but after watching Adele’s 21 win best album at the Brits I decided that this would be more worthwhile. Though 21 is not a bad album I couldn’t escape the feeling that, while Adele’s voice and personality shine throughout, musically and lyrically it is really quite weak. This review is therefore dedicated to another nominee with undoubtedly the best album of 2011: PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake. Just 10 seconds in and you hear the first lyrics: “The west’s asleep, let England shake. Weighted down by silent dead.” It’s from this moment on that you begin to realise this is no ordinary album. This isn’t an album of love, filled with… more
Album review: Be Strong by The 2 Bears
| February 12, 2012 | Posted by Michael Smith under entertainment, reviews |
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from Be Strong, the debut album from electro-pop/house revival duo The 2 Bears, consisting of Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell. While I know little of Rundell’s work, Goddard has created some brilliant albums as part of Hot Chip, and one of last year’s best singles in the form of Gabriel featuring Valentina. While this would usually give me high hopes for an album, The 2 Bears seem determined not to take their work seriously. The first track I heard from them, Bear Hug, is repetitive to the point of awkwardness at times: an ode to a sticky, drugged-up embrace which at one point features a sample of Rundell admitting “this is ridiculous.” Their name… more
