3 albums in 7 months? Brockhampton are a rap collective who have made the seemingly impossible very much possible. The recent departure of Ameer Vann could have created a chaotic atmosphere in the boy’s camp but the first single off their fourth coming record shows the boundaries they are willing to push.
Kevin Abstract and co invent a soundscape of safaris and exotic wildlife whilst harmonising in a way very similar André 3000 and Big Boi in Outkast classics like ‘Miss Jackson’. The squelchy beat perfectly complements the hypnotic flutes and dreamy guitar rhythms and expresses just how versatile of a group the Texas based group can be.
This is a tune made for the summer. The chorus’ psychedelic guitar breaks emphasises the idyllic tone to the track and makes it one of the most catchy rap songs of the year. Dom McLennon absolutely kills it on this one, his vocals seem best suited to the beat, but you’d be lying if you didn’t say that they all smashed this one.
With the support of Lauren Laverne and 6 music recommends, Bilk’s stunning debut track ‘Give Up’ has racked up a fair few streams on the likes of SoundCloud and Spotify. Hailing from Essex, the trio combine lyrics full of truthful teenage tendencies with bulky basslines and contagious guitar riffs.
Likening Bilk’s sound to early Arctic Monkeys and Jamie T would seem a very credible comparison, their DIY and working class ethos is not dissimilar and makes their lyrics easily chantable for someone my age. Being ‘bilked’ is Essex slang for when someone ducks from a cabbie without paying the fare for their journey. Although where they are from has influenced their name, in a separate interview, they have claimed the music scene in Essex is, for the large part, ‘proper dead’. However you have to say that if Bilk carry on the way they are then success should be imminent, catapulting themselves up festival bills and propelling them onto headline tours all over the country.
Give ‘Spiked’ a listen, it will be in your head for the rest of the week, if not the rest of the month. Or maybe even until they release another single for you to get infatuated with.
It is a fact that Royal Blood are one of the biggest rock bands in the world right now. With only 1 album under their belt, it should be a surprise to everyone just how successful the Brighton Outfit have been since they started out.
Supported by rock gods in the calibre of Dave Grohl, Joshue Homme and Slash, Ben and Michael have now released a new track in the lead up to their new album ‘How Did We Get So Dark?’. If ‘Lights Out’ is a sample of what is to come from the new album then we are in for more tantalising tremors of bass and divine drums; it still baffles me how only 2 people make the racket they do.
Give the new song a listen, it’s destined to be one of the rock anthems of 2017. Whether you like Royal Blood or not, they are impossible to hide from when new material is in the mist so you won’t hear the last of them for a while.
This week has been another great week for music with highly anticipated releases from rock revivalists Royal Blood and even an album from the the Last Shadow Puppets, a project curated by the bromance of Miles Kane and Alex Turner.
1. Inevitable Daydream: ‘Gunblade’
I only found out about this psychedelic/grunge band the other day when I stumbled across their Soundcloud. After a bit of researching I found out that they had released a new single this week, promoted by DIY magazine, and ‘Gunblade’ is a ghastly, sinister follow up to their previous release ‘Brown Acid’.
Starting with twangy guitars and developing into fuzzy carnage, the band could be compared to a hardcore King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard or an even dirtier version of the Wytches. This song is 3 minutes of sheer brilliance and one that has to be checked out this week, you need this in your life.
Luckily this is not a cover of the depressingly popular Justin Bieber track, but yet some new material from one of rock’s biggest hopes. Contaminated with filthy, infectious bass riffs that could be likened to Black Sabbath, ‘Where Are You Now?’ is infested with slamming drums and more obnoxious lyrics than past material.
Expressing no huge change of direction from their self titled debut album, Royal Blood have chosen to stick with their previous sound but it doesn’t really matter as the band’s prominent rock licks are already so perfect that they do not need to be tweaked. With an album sure to come out this year, who can’t be excited for new material from one of the best bands in modern British music?
3. Black Honey: ‘All My Pride’
If ever there was a song that sounded like a scene from a film, this would be it. In fact it’s fair to say all of Black Honey’s releases have been slowly creating what seems like their ideal cinematic experience. More developed than previous tracks, ‘All My Pride’ sounds like the most musically complex song from the band, with subtle lead guitar breaks that Dick Dale would be proud of and an all round heavier sound.
The band from Brighton are on the up that’s for sure, songs such as ‘Madonna’ and ‘Sleep Forever’ cemented some early success for the outfit and they don’t seem done yet. An album is surely in the midst and with so many festival dates they’re only going to get better and better.
4. Beach Baby: ‘Lost Soul’
If Mac Demarco and Only Real’s music had a baby, this is probably what the outcome would be. Loaded with dreamy synth and instantly recognisable guitar hooks, Beach Baby are really making a statement in 2016 with yet again another brilliant single.
Beach Baby have quite a few festival and gig dates coming up in April and May, including a set for the Great Escape in Brighton and some shows as part of their first ever headline tour. Songs like ‘Lost Soul’ will go down a treat at these gigs and they are a band that simply cannot be missed in 2016.
This week has seen a variety of bands debuting music from new projects and albums that are set to drop later this year. I thought I’d share a couple of my favourites from 5 artists that really grabbed my attention.
Bloody Knees- I want it all
Bloody Knees are a grunge/punk band from Cambridge that have released a couple of EPs over the years; ‘Stitches’ is my favourite and expresses 20 minutes of gritty guitar licks and shrilling vocals from frontman Bradley Griffiths. They’re an outfit that could be compared to Birdskulls and Demob Happy – two more alternative punk/grunge bands that are slowly making a name for themselves in the world of music.
This song however sounds more sophisticated than their other releases, with the length of the track being nearer to 5 minutes than their normal short and sharp 3 minute songs. The start of the song has a similar guitar tone to previous releases but the catchy chorus is louder and more in your face than before. Griffiths’ vocals are slightly more tamed too but this doesn’t take away the naturally thrashing sound of the guys.
2. Parquet Courts- Outside
Toning down from previous releases and using more instrumentation rather than focusing on lyrics, Parquet Courts’ short length track ‘Outside’ is extremely infectious and will leave you wanting more. The track uses pianos to back up the rhythmic guitar riffs and, unsurprisingly, it works really well. The album is shaping up nicely with Courts also having released songs ‘Dust’ and ‘Berlin got Blurry’; ‘Dust’ is definitely my favourite but I’m loving all of the new material from the band.
3. SBTRKT- Let Them In
I have been a fan of this electronic artist for a while now and I think SBTRKT is only getting better and better. His music is constantly evolving, becoming more complex and using various synthesisers to open up new soundscapes and different musical parallels.
This song comes from SBTRKT’s new project ‘Save Yourself’ which is Aaron Jerome’s feelings on modern society, whether that is racism or politics. ‘Let Them In’ is one of the darker tracks on the project but its pulsating patterns and contrasting electronic synths merge to create the best track for late night headphone raving ever. It is completely different to earlier track ‘Ready Or Not’ but no song is ever the same with SBTRKT and I guess this shows how broad his thoughts on society are.
4. Kendrick Lamar- Untitled 07 levitate
This song does not feature on Kendrick’s ‘Untitled Unmastered’ album but it is certainly good enough to. I’m new to liking Lamar’s music and this song is certainly the reason why I came around to his musical innovation. Touching on many social issues in his lyrics about his home roots and his rise to success, Kendrick proves to be one of Hip Hop’s biggest lyrical hopes.
‘Untitled 07 levitate’ is undoubtedly depressing and has drill-esque instrumentals but also funky synthesisers whirring around Lamar’s soothing, childlike vocals. I actually prefer this song to any of the tracks on ‘Untitled Unmastered’ so this is a track definitely worth checking out.
5. Abattoir Blues- Tell Me
This track only came to my attention yesterday night but it was way too good to leave off my songs of the week. The psychedelic guitar riffs and screeching vocals make this such a massive, stadium filling song; how this only has around 500 plays on Soundcloud is beyond me. Abattoir Blues are from Brighton and therefore face competition from the likes of Black Honey and The Wytches when trying to claim alternative status in the area but if they keep producing tracks like ‘Tell Me’ then they’ll be up there with the rest of them.
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