AM

What happens when you open up someone’s head? Well for the most part there is a lot of blood, brains and screaming. But in the case of Alex Turner it’s a far more magical thing than a swift trip to A&E.

The lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys head is actually filled with beauty, wether it be awesome lyrics or just other ways to smirk at a crowd. Alex is the most formidable front man of our generation, and the band’s new EP is all the proof I need to show you.

Now let me just say all the things which aren’t in the album. There isn’t any 2 Chainz features (which is funny, seeing he did like 100 last year). There isn’t any bass drops or Jessie J wails. There are actually hardly any features (well duh it’s a rock album what do you expect). There isn’t any reference to Miley Cyrus, or the dreaded T word. There isn’t even Kanye West breathing deeply halfway through. Hey, there isn’t even Pharrel.

AM (yeah I know- a bit uncreative) is the 5^th studio album by the Arctic Monkeys. And it’s a swimming pool, and you the listener are a little kid learning how to swim. The first track begins ‘Do I Wanna Know?’. A simplistic guitar riff and Alex ‘oh so amazing’ Turner crooning ‘Have ye got colour in yer cheeks’. It escalates quickly into an outer body experience of beautiful sound, it’s so beautiful you pull off those armbands (remember because we are in a swimming pool) and you drown into the album.

Now drowning doesn’t sound too pleasant, but it’s that three-dimensional sound that AM has got that makes you want to stay forever.Turner’s lyrics sound bizzare, out of this world and unintentionally sexy. ‘Arabella’s got them interstellagator skin boots’ “I wanna be your vacuum cleaner’ etc. Telling a girl that you want to be her dyson isn’t exactly that inviting, but in AM anything goes.

From ‘Let it Be’ by The Beatles pianos in ‘No.1 Party Anthem’, to Dr Dre sounding beats, it’s safe to say that Arctic Monkeys have gone a long way from accepting Brits dressed as Wizard of Oz characters.

They’ve gone so far that they now reside in the land of the rich and botoxed- LA. Should we be moaning saying that they’ve lost touch? That Alex is resembling Elvis more and more each Glasto performance? All you’ll see on twitter is that ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ (yeah they’ve never had talent for album names) will always be the best. But if AM is losing touch- let them live on Mars.

FAVOURITE SONG: I WANNA BE YOURS

FVOURITE LINE: I WANNA BE YOUR FORD CORTINA, I WON’T EVER RUST

RATING:10/10

BEST PLACE TO LISTEN: SPACE, or like you know, your room

You've probably heard it by now, No no no not that Bird Is The Word. I'm talking about Kendrick Lamar's verse on Big Sean's Control. And It goes hard, like Eminem in Forever hard. And he goes for every big rapper at the moment. A$AP Rocky, Tyler, Mac Miller, Big Sean etc. It marks a new age in Hip-Hop, enough of the friendly girly Drake stuff. Kendrick means business. For example he says...

He's more important than the pope (The Catholic religion may be a bit touchy feely about that)

He's king of the both New York AND the West Coast (that's quite important and involves juggling btw)

He's a Black Beatle (It was the White Album but nvm)

He's not going to rock anymore designer clothes (sorry Rocky)

He also says alot of other things that people have thought were very controversial and beefy

HIVE

Last night EARL SWEATSHIRT released a new single and video, and I'm not going to lie. It is something quite special. Hive is grimy, dirty and has some great flows. EARLS's new album DORIS (August 20) could be the new MADVILLAINY in terms of clean flows and clever beats.Have a look at the creepy and strange monster filled video...

YEEZUS- The Review

'Soon as I pull up and park the Benz, We get this bitch shaking like Parkinsons' says KANYE WEST on the first track of his wildly anticipated album YEEZUS. This upset members of Parkinsons UK and almost every human being with a soul. Was this wrong?

Is also having a song called 'I am a God' with a special feature from the lord almighty?

Is also rapping 'I just talked to Jesus, we said what up Yeezus'?

Also are you allowed to say 'I'm a rap-lic priest, getting head by the nuns'?

Also are you allowed to sample Nora Jones singing the chilling STRANGE FRUIT?

Lastly are you allowed to beat a man musically to the cold gravel and kick his teeth in till he is just a bloodied mess?

Because KANYE WEST'S new album YEEZUS does all those things. And it seems he has got away with it, mostly.

Out with the old and in with the new they say. And KANYE did that by ditching the ethereal choirs and and strings, and producing an album that sounds like a violent electric fart. Songs like ON SIGHT (produced in part by the most musical robots in history DAFT PUNK) and BLACK SKINHEAD leave you in a dancing mess and wanting to punch people. Themes are revisited in the emotional NEW SLAVES, the story how black people are buying too much and are 'slaves' to the designer label. And BLOOD ON THE LEAVES harks back to the GOLDIGGER days, but with a much darker feel.

However for all the new, there is still too much old. KANYE is still just as arrogant, and still loves himself. Awful songs like IM IN IT and I AM A GOD are laughable mockeries. Perhaps satirical and ironic due to all the negative press Ye gets. But they are poor excuses on an album that had so much potential to be as good as THE COLLEGE DROPOUT.

As usual the production is on top form, the end of NEW SLAVES, BLACK SKINHEADS and BOUND 2 standout to me. And during the album, there is a nice mix of social commentary and brutal truth. BOUND 2 speaks about his relationship with KIM KARDASHIAN, finishing the album of  on a lighter note- stopping me from being super depressed.


FAVOURITE SONG:BOUND 2
FAVOURITE LINEL: IN A FRENCH ASS RESTAURANT, HURRY UP WITH MY DAMM CROISSANTS' perfect Kanye arrogance
RATING: 6/10
BEST PLACE TO LISTEN: Somewhere claustrophobic and dark preferably wearing black.

Kanye Being Kanye/ Awesome/ Idiot/ Douche

New Artists

For those of you who enjoy a bit of Netherlands Psych Baroque playing, listen to JACCO GARDNER. I'm pretty sure that he is the music they play on things like 'Dispatches- The Girl with Seven Legs'

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LIVE- Toro Y Moi and Sunless97

Chaz Oozes Chill and Sunless97 Shine

TORO Y MOI oozed swagger and chill as he performed last Thursday night at the THEKLA in Bristol. At a gig I had been expectant and excited for ages.

The THEKLA isn't really any venue, sure it has a slightly too militarised security on the door, and sure it has those plastic cups for your beer (or coke as I'm underage). But it's a boat. Yes, it's a boat. Full with a deck and all the other things boats have. And it's intimate, smallest venue I have been to. Also It's brilliant. Because every couple of minutes you remember that you're on a boat. And that's cool.

The crowd for TORO Y MOI (CHAZ BUNDWICK) was young, seventeen-ish cool kids. I felt that if you didn't have a tumblr you might of been thrown out. The other half were late twenty-ish cool people. And this one fella, with the greatest ginger afro in history. Who liked to dance, a lot. Actually he liked to dance constantly, even when there wasn't music going on. But he was having a good time/ trip so I let him off.

The support act SUNLESS 97, yeah I've never heard of them either, were great. Three piece sing/DJ  were decked with drum machines and keyboards to the rafters. Despite their obscurity they held their own for the few who arrived early. SUNLESS 97 are like a summer XX, very relaxed and seemed to have a great time performing. Like wine or cheese they'll  mature and should get some well deserved recognition. Seeing as they are only racking up 18,000 views on YouTube.

Then CHAZ came on stage, to enigmatic cheers from the crowd. In summer clobber to match the attitude of tonight he began his performance. Expertly wielding about 5000 pedals and playing the keyboard and singing was a mean feat. And unfortunately his performance skills were maybe a bit lacking, but no one were complaining. Because me and Mr Ginger Afro were dancing away to the chill wave-esque sounds TORO Y MOI was making. The biggest downfall was that he had a sore throat so had to cut SO MANY DETAILS (the lead single from ANYTHING IN RETURN) from his set.

I asked my dad what he thought of it, and he said he enjoyed sitting by the bar one his own. So smiles all round

WOLF- The Review

It's been almost two years since TYLER, THE CREATOR released GOBLIN and Odd Future fans have been waiting patiently for TYLER to unleash his next album to the world. The hype that began after the YONKERS video dropped was unbelievable, and OF got the recognition they desired.

 But anyway back to WOLF.

 Personally I was very excited to hear this album, despite Tyler's anti-promotion. He claimed it was awful and there would be no progression. But boy was he trolling. I heard the rumours and I knew what this record would probably sound like- some jazz and TORO Y MOI influences, so something really light hearted and pleasant. I reckoned that WOLF was going to be a standalone EP, nothing to do with the distorted and insane story lines of BASTARD and GOBLIN which were intense and centered around Wolf Haley- Tyler's evil alter-ego.

 But anyway that's what I thought.

 The 70 minute or so album is both aesthetically pleasing yet at points suicidally dark and truthful. The musical battle between Sam and Wolf must be heard by anyone who loves ODD FUTURE or is fully prepared for something quite 'woah'. The first track WOLF starts as the album means to go on- beautiful chords and dreamlike. Tyler comes in, foul-mouthed as usual with a 'F**k You!' The first song sums up the album in terms of the mix of happy and sad/ beautiful and insane, but you should definitely go on. JAMBA is a real banger, totally insane and throws you into the deep end. HODGY BEAT's verse is top class and better spitting than every part of NUMBERS (MELLOWHYPE's last album)

 TYLER's beats are on top form, and the guitars in some of the songs transport you somewhere really special. AWKWARD and ANSWER are great examples of this, twinned with TYLER's relatable and extremely human rhymes it makes you want to fly over to LA and give the big guy a hug. Far from Mr. Kill People that we heard in GOBLIN.
 COLLOSUS is his attempt at an EMINEM style Stan song, where an OFWGKTA super fan gets mega creepy and gets Tyler freaked out. It's interesting to see not only how TYLER feels about his sudden fame, but how he is fed up of people only talking about YONKERS.

 And he goes on about it, perhaps a little too much. In most of the songs. That cockroach got even more mentions than STEVE HARVEY...

 If I go on anymore there will be no point in you buying the album- which I would recommend.

FAVOURITE SONG: Today it's ANSWER, But I think COWBOY and IFHY and RUSTY FAVOURITE LINEL: 'KIDS MY AGE ARE POPPING MOLLYS IN LEATHER/SITTING ON TUMBLR NEVER ENJOYING THE WEATHER' The Tumblr part sounds a bit like me sadly... RATING: 9/10 BEST PLACE TO LISTEN: Near a lake or something if your lucky to have that near you

Sorry this was really biased and stuff

DJ JD Sports

Started reading the NME last night and read a piece about King Krule and Frank Ocean collaborating on some new music. I was super interested because I'm a huge odd future/ Frank Ocean stan. I love Frank's lyrics and his whole persona is so chill, despite him obviously being really smart. Channel Orange is by far my favourite album of 2012 and I'm looking forward to the album that he has coming up in the pipeline. Which got me interested in this other fella King Krule, who I have heard of once or twice but never listened to any of his music. I thought he was a rapper with such a ostentatious name. So I youtubed him, which is by far the best way to get into new artists nowadays. And I listened to the first couple of songs. And I was just blown away: it was chill, funky and cool. He is like a singer/rapper with a bass guitar that's making some really awesome stuff. King Krule, to my biggest surprise though is actually a 18 year old skinny ginger Brits school graduate. His singing voice is probably not to everyone's taste, it feels too infelcted. But different is good right? In former Zoo Kid's case, yes it certainly is So if you need some cool revision sort of jams to listen to, and you don't mind it coming from a a skinny ginger kid fresh from Urban Outfitters then give him a listen Oh and his real name is Archy Marshall And his DJ name is 'DJ JD Sports'-which is kinda funny