The Killers - Hard Rock Calling, Hyde Park - 24.06.2011

Ticking off another one of the bands I had to see before I die, I caught The Killers at Hyde Park this weekend and here's what I thought:

Not even a miserable London night could sour the mood as The Killers provided the perfect comeback to English soil with a triumphant show. They powered through a greatest hits set at the opening night of the Hard Rock Calling festival, and were in exceptional form throughout.

It was an overcast day at Hyde Park with the warnings of later downpours, so waterproofs and ponchos were out on force as the crowd were treated to the pleasing early sets from Wolf Gang and Michael Kiwanuka. However it was the introduction of James that first got people going, a full-blown version of ‘Sit Down’ and some acid-esque grooving from frontman Tim Booth getting the first jumps from a dampened crowd.

Kaiser Chiefs kept the mood going; with new songs and old classics furthering their return to form. Of the new tracks on show, ‘Kinda Girl You Are’ goes down best, but it’s the well-known tunes that really kick the show off. As the rain started coming down, ‘Everyday I Love You Less and Less’, ‘Ruby’ and ‘I Predict A Riot’ all start up mania, capped off by show-stopper ‘Oh My God’. But whereas Wilson and Co. sounded good, Brandon and Co. sounded phenomenal.

Opening with the jubilant ‘Glamorous Indie Rock ‘N’ Roll’, The Killers were start to finish amazing and treated the adoring crowd to an epic set packed with hits. Superlatives quickly ran out as the high quality was set from the off; Brandon leading mass sing-a-longs as they reeled off the bouncing ‘Spaceman’, indie pop perfection in ‘Somebody Told Me’, rock-fuelled ‘For Reasons Unknown’ and keyboard bliss ‘Smile Like You Mean It’.

In their first UK show in two years and with the four-piece currently involved in individual projects, they showed no signs at all of rustiness as they drove on with their expert performance. It was a pretty even collection as well; five tracks from each album; and it was clear the band were on a mission. ‘Bones’, ‘Bling (Confession of a King)’ and brightly lit odyssey ‘Human’ especially drawing thrilled responses, with the cover of Joy Division’s ‘Shadowplay’ the only possible chance for a toilet break.

But from the snyth-ballad brilliance of ‘Read My Mind’ onwards, there was no leaving your spot as they roared through their biggest songs. Following swiftly after was their calling card, ‘Mr Brightside’, met with a typically euphoric reaction, then it hits almost angelical levels as Brandon leads the heavenly ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. But they are not done just yet; the encore brings the cheery ‘This Is Your Life’, a dirty-bass take on ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ and the final bow of ‘When You Were Young’, complete with fireworks and all. Job done.

It may have been wet and windy throughout, the sound could have been turned up a dash or two, and there were the usual drunken idiots who seem to try to ruin every gig, but it didn’t matter at all. The Killers return was all-conquering; their hits were there for everyone to see, they were on spectacular form and successfully reminded us that on their day, they are one of the most formidable bands around.

NWR

Hard-Fi - Good For Nothing - 20.06.2011

One of my favourite bands from the c2005 indie boom were Hard-Fi, and guess who's back with a new single out this week?

Hard-Fi are a good band, okay? The lambasting that the Staines group got for their second album was unfair; I’ll admit the album artwork was a bit questionable to put it nicely but it still featured some fine songs. ‘Suburban Knights’ and ‘The King’ are two of the best songs Richard Archer has ever written, but the break the band took following ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ has been unfairly viewed as a chastised retreat rather than a well-earned rest.

So finally now, Hard-Fi are back after three years in the musical abyss with new single ‘Good For Nothing’ and it’s very good. Paying homage to their self-proclaimed roots within soul and dance especially with the ‘Crazy In Love’ opening, it’s a moody and heavier track that promises much from up-coming album ‘Killer Sounds’. A catchy riff, easily memorable chantlike chorus and typically industrious Hard-Fi feel, it should appease the fans who so readily criticised the second album.

People are far too quick to write off the band who brought us the exceptional ‘Stars for CCTV’, but it is hard to forget the indie rock four-piece amongst their contemporaries. The likes of Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian have gone from strength to strength, while others such as Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand are now completing their fourth albums. Archer and Co. were one of the biggest casualties of the mid-2000’s indie boom, but this shows much intent and promise to get back to where they belong.

‘Killer Sounds’ will be well worth a listen, as has their back catalogue to this point, and will hopefully put Hard-Fi back towards the top. They have some cracking songs behind them and ‘Good For Nothing’ shows they aren’t done with making them yet. Just stick to a normal photo shoot for the album cover, yeah boys?

A good start to rebuilding their reputation, and here is 'Good For Nothing'.

NWR

Bon Iver - Bon Iver - 20.6.2011

I'm finally back to an album and single a week guys, and here's the first one; Bon Iver's eponymous second record and what I thought of it:

Leaving Emma’s all over the world swooning, Bon Iver’s debut album was a masterfully sombre triumph. Recorded in almost solitary confinement in the woods in Wisconsin, ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ was the document of a bearded soul lost and lonely with just his guitar for company. However, Justin Vernon is not alone this time. Bon Iver’s eponymous second album sees him joined by a whole host of musicians for a different landscape all together.

Whereas the debut’s brilliance was found in its unrefined touching emotion, ‘Bon Iver’ finds a new bolder direction with the same veins of indie folk running underneath thick layers of musical accompaniment. It’s not so much the lone man and his guitar in a miserable winter, but a slowly warming summer morning heralded by lavish percussion and a well-polished atmosphere. But it loses little of the beauty of the first effort, and Vernon is in distinctively exceptional falsetto form.

‘Wash’ is probably the rawest track on the record; slow pianos and simple lyrics make for a exquisite track, backed only by strings and swoons and proclaiming ‘Home, we’re savage high/Come, we finally cry’, but ‘Bon Iver’ as a whole paints a different picture. First track ‘Perth’ is a fine example of the album’s feel; marching drums, floating backing synths and a dreamy atmosphere that encompasses everything.

This is used to both good and bad effect. For the good, you need only look at the meandering yet touching ‘Michicant’, classic Iver with the telling line ‘searching for an inner clout/May not take another bout’. For the bad, note the pleasantly bright but instantly forgettable ‘Towers’, and the unremarkable ambience of instrumental track ‘Lisbon, OH’, but all together it makes for a rich and lavish effort that still tells us of Vernon’s brand of hopeful gloom.

Add in the almost bouncing ‘Minnesota, WI’ and the arching ‘Hinnom, TX’; complete with a joint baritone lead vocal; and it adds up to an elegantly lavish set of songs. The names compliment the feel of the record aswell; from warm Perth, Australia, to cold Calgary, Canada, the track listing reads like a journey and that’s what ‘Bon Iver’ feels like. Ever-changing and inventive, it’s a dreamlike trip with Vernon through his personal melancholy to something a little brighter.

The best example is album highlight ‘Holocene’; Vernon shows he is still the master of melancholy, a soft and poignant delivery, a slow guitar crescendo and the release of ‘And at once I knew I was not magnificent/Strayed above the highway aisle/Jagged vacance, thick with ice/I could see for miles, miles, miles’. Full of emotion and epic in its way, and coupled with the synth-fuelled ballad ‘Calgary’, stands as some of Vernon’s best work. Even the odd 80’s-influenced closer ‘Beth/Rest’, either a charming Phil Collins-esque number or a cheesy sitcom theme tune depending on your taste, fits in with the feel.

‘Bon Iver’ is a musical departure from the debut effort, but is still packs that sombre punch that ‘For Emma, Forever Ago’ triumphed with - as long as you search for it amongst all those sounds. An endless ensemble of weird and wonderful instruments propels the album into new realms, while Vernon’s exemplary and distinguishing voice pierces through the sound to really connect. It may not have the simplistic and raw beauty of the first album, but ‘Bon Iver’ is a first-rate effort.

A very good album, and here's a fantastic live version of my favourite track 'Holocene'. Enjoy.

NWR

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See - 30.5.2011

I've managed to have a sneaky listen to the Arctic Monkey's new album 'Suck It And See' a week early and here's what I thought of it:

Arctic Monkeys are back, but which way have they gone? Last album ‘Humbug’ lost them some of their well-earned fans; the dry, desert rock influenced by Queens of the Stone Age distanced them from the indie tales of dirty nights out in Sheffield. So is the return of the cheeky, awkward Alex Turner of ‘Fake Tales of San Fransisco’ and ‘Still Take You Home’? Or is it a further descent into the mystery and distance of ‘Dance Little Liar’ and ‘Potion Approaching’? Luckily, it’s a little more like the former than the latter.

New album ‘Suck It And See’ is an audible sigh of relief; the sun has risen again on Turner and Co., and they’ve let a bit of light-heartedness seep back into the music. In a high-class twelve songs and forty minutes, Arctics are arguably at their brightest and most melodic, while Turner’s lyrical tumble into Lennon-esque nonsense shows no signs of slowing up just yet. Not that it’s a bad thing.

Opener ‘She’s Thunderstorms’ immediately sets the lighter feeling, a free and jangling performance of the highest order and a sweet melody that leaves the rest of the album to just smoothly run through. ‘Black Treacle’ in its bouncing happiness, ‘Reckless Serenade’ in its soft and almost soppiness and title track ‘Suck It And See’ in its soothing tunefulness all optimise the sunnier outlook. ‘The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala’ is the best of these; as the title suggests, lots of ‘shalalala’s’ within, lots of swagger and is a simple anthem unseen from the four piece since ‘Flourescent Adolescent’.

There’s also opportunity for the band to let their collective hairs down a bit. First taste ‘Brick By Brick’ lifts the record with its sheer spontaneity, and the moody rock ridiculous-ness of ‘Don’t Sit Down ‘Cos I’ve Moved Your Chair’ is the sign of a band looking at the glass-half-full again. They may not have totally abandoned the darker stylings of their previous album (Humbug producer Josh Homme even ghosts in on the harder ‘All My Own Stunts’), but there’s a far more instant affect from this album.

‘Library Pictures’ is the perfect example and the best track on show; fractious, fast-paced, ever-changing and hooking from first listen. Matt Helders, on reserve for most songs, is finally released and only Alex Turner can pull off ‘Give me an eeney, meenie, miney mo/Or an ip dip dog shit rock ‘n’ roll’. ‘Piledriver Waltz’, in its slow dance daze, is another fine example of his now-formidable lyrical prowess.

If there’s one weak link, it’s the brilliantly titled ‘Love Is A Lazerquest’, which despite a dynamic title is static and the only track that slides by without an impact. But, it doesn’t matter, Arctic Monkeys have rediscovered the good side of life and where ‘Certain Romance’ saw them stroll off cheekily into the night on their debut album, ‘That’s Where You’re Wrong’ sees them drive off triumphantly into the sunset.

Humbug was unfairly criticised, but this new effort reminds of how effective Arctic Monkeys now are as a rock group. Effortlessly magnificent musically, lyrically inventive and catchier, Alex Turner may not write about dancing shoes and girls in green dresses anymore but he and his band don’t half know how to make an infectious album, although it’s better on fifth listen than on first. But don’t just take my word for it. Suck it and see.

Great effort from the lads, and here's my favourite track 'Library Pictures', live on Jools Holland no less. Enjoy :)

NWR