Reactions to the NME awards 2014

It’s a Wednesday night and Brixton academy in London is ready. The stage is set and the musicians are in the building. Who will be winning tonight’s awards then? Will Arctic Monkeys triumph like they did at the Brits? Well, I am now about to tell you so get ready.

First up there were a few special awards given out to legendary musicians. New York punk band Blondie got the prestigious Godlike Genius Award and Damon Albarn received an award for music innovation. Paul McCartney also got a one off special award entitled the Songwriters’ Songwriter award. Personally, I think all of these musicians deserve awards because they have all influenced millions including myself. Blondie managed to bring punk rock to a more mainstream audience, Damon Albarn has inspired a few generations with Blur and Gorillaz. And Paul McCartney, well, where do you begin with Sir Paul? The Beatles practically pioneered modern music so for Paul McCartney to get the Songwriters’ Songwriter award seems highly appropriate.

Remember that question I asked you a little while ago? That one about a certain Arctic Monkeys. The answer to that question is yes, they did indeed triumph because they picked up five awards. These awards included: Best British Band, Best Live Band, Best Album, Best Fan Community and frontman Alex Turner won Hero Of The Year. There’s no denying that Arctic Monkeys have reached dizzying heights lately. Anyone who follows my Twitter would have read my tweet that sums it all up: “Arctic Monkeys success over these past few years has been out of this world phenomenal. Easily the biggest band on the planet at the moment”.

Other awards went out to Haim for Best International Band, Lily Allen for Best Solo Artist, Drenge for best new band and Disclosure for Best Track (White Noise). It was funny seeing the always sassy Lily Allen accept her award, she actually thought that David Bowie should have got the award! The three ladies that make up Haim were charming as usual in their speech and Disclosure were humbled to be in the same room as Paul McCartney. Indie rock duo Drenge were funny when they came up to collect their award. One gave the other a piggyback and they managed to throw a chair in the process! Rock and roll or what? 

This year’s NME awards were a jolly good show and thoroughly enjoyed watching the stream of it online. It’s always interesting to see what’s good according to the NME readers and writers because they are constantly on the ball. I'm already looking forward to next year’s awards ceremony even though it’s roughly twelve months away.  

Oasis announcement: the most anti-climactic piece of music news ever?

Yesterday a teasing video was posted on the Oasis Facebook page and it simply read "26th Feb 9AM". The curious nature of the internet then went rife with speculation at this mysterious post. Are Oasis getting back together? Have Liam and Noel forgotten their differences and made up? These were some of the many questions being asked.

So everyone went to bed and woke up early the next morning. The clock reached 8:55AM and by this point many people had flooded twitter with tweets such as "5 minutes to go" and "oh my god this is so exciting". Suspense was building, young people and old people a like were giddy at the prospect of an Oasis reunion tour.

It finally got to 9AM and nothing had happened yet. Some were complaining that all of Oasis's social media pages weren't working properly. This was hardly surprising seeing as millions of fans were probably trying to see what the huge news was about. Ten minutes had passed and by 9:10AM the moment we had all been waiting for was announced. Oh boy, it was a let down.

This lot are probably laughing at those who thought they were reuniting. Cheeky sods.

The big news was... a remastered version of debut album Definitely Maybe to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the record being released.

Don't get me wrong, I am one hundred per cent looking forward to this remastered album. However, was it really necessary to tease us all with a perplexing post on the internet? The band could've just announced the news normally like any other band. They could've told it to a music journalist or two and they would've whacked straight into their magazines. But then again, it is Oasis and they do like to make a rather large fuss over everything. I mean come on, it's what they're known for!

Honestly, I would've preferred a reunion tour seeing as I've never seen Oasis live before but whatever, c'est la vie. On the other hand, some people will be thrilled to hear these old tunes polished whilst also getting some rarities too, and I'm happy for them. In the end though, I personally felt a bit let down. Oh well, there's plenty of time left on this earth for the band to get back together. Let's hope that it eventually happens sooner rather than later.  

Weird Kids by We Are the In Crowd album review

Pop punk band We Are the In Crowd have mostly drawn comparisons with Paramore through out their career, largely because they have a female for a lead singer. Ignore these naysayers though because they actually switch between male and female vocalists in their songs. Kind of like how Blink 182 switch between the two male singers. This therefore makes them more original than they seem.

Vocal situations aside, "Weird Kids" is the band's second album in five years so obviously they are still fairly new. However, this doesn't affect them in any way, in fact inexperience can usually be interesting. A lot of classic albums have been made by people who were in there twenties once. Now on to the songs. Be warned though, I'm not as hot on pop punk as I used to be so sorry if this review sucks a little bit.

From the starting point, we get an ambitious opener. "Long Live the Kids" starts off with pianos and drum march beats before bursting into guitar chords galore. We then get "The Best Thing" which hits you in the face with it's snarly brat attitude, whilst also delivering "Hey Mickey" style beats. This is an odd contrast but this is also what makes the song so captivating.

The album also has lots of energetic moments too, just take a look at the likes of "Manners", "Attention" and "Dreaming Out Loud". These songs start out great, however you might get a bit bored by the time you reach track six "Dreaming Out Loud". They're all a bit similar, but if your attention span is good then you probably won't mind.

The crown for album highlight has to go to "Come Back Home" though, it's just pure bliss wrapped up in a bitter sweet candy bar. Enjoy the clean choppy guitars and awesome vocals because they really are a treat. "Remember (To Forget You)" has an excellent chorus hook too, so that gets the runner up prize for album highlight. "Reflections" also gets special accolades for closing the album well.

"Weird Kids" also features some that you wouldn't expect at all. "Don't You Worry" has some delightful string parts whilst "Windows In Heaven" is a sadder, milder song. These two tracks certainly stand out in terms of instrumentation and mood.

All in all, this is a decent pop punk record and I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy it that much because of the Paramore comparisons, but this was actually a good listen. Surprised would be a good word to sum up my reaction to this record. Very surprised in fact.

OVERALL RATING: 7/10

BEST SONGS: COME BACK HOME, THE BEST THING, REMEMBER (TO FORGET YOU)
WORST SONG: DREAMING OUT LOUD

Reactions to last night's BRIT awards

To be honest, I missed the first half an hour because I was hanging out with some friends instead. However, I did tune in and the show was all a bit meh overall. There were some cool moments but a lot of it was quite forgettable. Alex Turner's speech on Rock and Roll after Arctic Monkeys picked up best British album was definitely the highlight in my opinion, it was funny yet also kind of true. The genre that first came about in the fifties does indeed keep coming back and yes, you can't get rid of it.

You win a million pounds if you manage to spot the can of beer. Collect your money by sending an e-mail to FakeCompetitions@NotReal.co.uk

Lorde was also particularly interesting too. For a seventeen year old, the New Zealander seems very composed and down to earth. Her speech after winning best international female was short, to the point and she didn't act like some sort of diva. Expect her to keep winning awards in the future because she has a good production team behind her and she doesn't seem to annoy a lot of people. A teen star that isn't a total brat, who would of thought it huh? Justin Bieber could learn a lesson or two from Lorde.

In terms of of the people they got to present awards, Noel Gallagher was certainly the best booking. His presence always gets a lot of people excited because the man is the king of britpop after all. He always comes out with a good quote or two and it was humorous when he said that David Bowie was too cool to come to the BRITS. I don't blame you Mr Bowie, the award show is probably rather tame compared to the Rock and Roll parties you attended in the seventies.

Apart from those few things, this year was a bit of a dull one for the BRIT awards but it could of been a lot worse. Overall it wasn't the best year but it wasn't the worst year either. An incredibly average awards ceremony is what you would call it if you had to sum it up.    

BRIT awards 2014 predictions

British Breakthrough Act: 

Who will win: Bastille
Who should actually win: Bastille

British Female Solo Artist:

Who will win: Ellie Goulding
Who should actually win: Laura Marling

British Group: 

Who will win: One Direction
Who should actually win: Arctic Monkeys

British Male Solo Artist:

Who will win: John Newman
Who should actually win: Jake Bugg or James Blake

British Single: 

Who will win: Let Her Go by Passenger
Who should actually win: Waiting All Night by Rudimental

MasterCard British Album of the Year: 

Who will win: AM by Arctic Monkeys
Who should actually win: AM by Arctic Monkeys

International Male Solo Artist:

Who will win: Bruno Mars
Who should actually win: Drake

International Female Solo Artist: 

Who will win: Katy Perry
Who should actually win: Lorde

International Group:

Who will win: Daft Punk
Who should actually win: Daft Punk

Why I don't like the BRIT awards (but I'll still be watching it anyway)

Anyone who is British (or follows British music) would have obviously heard of the BRIT awards. The annual event has somehow managed to become synonymous with being all rowdy and controversial. Now, I don't know how this has happened seeing as I can only remember two instances where this has happened. I'll admit, I'm no showbiz veteran but you would have thought that there would have been more than two naughty moments in the eighteen years that I've been alive. The ceremony is basically like that kid at school who pretended to act all badass but never actually did anything rebellious.

So Arctic Monkeys got a bit drunk and started swearing. So what? Blur cut Adele's speech short and she stuck her middle finger up. Big deal. Sure you can criticize these artists for acting inappropriately at what is arguably the biggest music awards ceremony in the country. However, there's no need to hype the show up  by saying that something extraordinarily rude is going to happen. Those past moments that were mentioned aren't even that bad anyway. It's not like any explicit sexual activities or drug taking were shown. If the BRIT awards had a film certificate then it would merely be a 12A.

Apart from those two years, the show is usually a bit of a snooze fest. Who can honestly say that they can remember what happened at the BRIT awards in 2009? Because I certainly can't. It's totally forgettable if you want my opinion.

Also, why is James Corden hosting for like the fourth year in a row? I'm no hater of James Corden but surely you should try and spruce up things by getting in someone different. The Gavin and Stacey star was fine the first time but now we'll know what to expect. It's kind of like how a joke stops becoming funny after you've heard it more than once.

It pains me to own up to this, but I'll still be watching the BRIT awards anyway. I'll be making my predictions and I'll be tuning in to see if I was correct. There's something intriguing about trying to guess who's going to win and I can't help but do it. Call me a hypocrite or whatever but I enjoy doing this and that's all that really matters.

Maybe, just maybe we'll actually have a show this year that isn't entirely disappointing. Lucky charms galore will be needed in order for this to happen though probably.

A pre-drinking playlist

Worried about going to that big party? Fear not because this playlist (and some alcohol) will help rattle you up so that you'll be confident enough to shake your tail feathers on that dance floor. These are indeed the most swagger filled songs out there and if they can't get you going then you're probably a robot or a machine or something. You party animals better love these pre-drinking bangers because they'll absolutely one hundred and ten per cent get your energy levels up. Take a listen and have fun everyone!

1. Evil Twin by Arctic Monkeys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwir-pg7WiA&feature=kp
2. 20th Century Boy By T.Rex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB6WZu8IAZg

3. Supersonic by Oasis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p29MG7wn4F8 

4. Baby I can hell by Deap Vally http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2OjVFp54po 

5. My Number by Foals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAsGFnLl2u0

6. Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7rCNiiNPxA

7. My Song 5 by Haim http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6guff9_Ahxg

8. Fell In Love With A Girl by White Stripes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q27BfBkRHbs

9. The Look by Metronomy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFrNsSnk8GM

10. L.S.F by Kasabian http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYYp5-mGQRI 

 

A Valentine's Day playlist

Love it or hate it, there's no denying the fact that you can't get away from Valentine's Day. Yes, the annual event stalks us once every year so I thought why not embrace it in a kind of funny way. I thought I'd go about doing this by making a silly playlist full of love songs that will surely make you chunder by how ummm, lovely they are? Some people may take these songs seriously rather than in a silly way and that's fair enough. However, I have always found these 10 songs cringe worthy and maybe you'll feel the same way about them? Who knows? These songs are in no particular order.

1. What Is Love by Haddaway http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhrBDcQq2DM
2. Bump N' Grind by R Kelly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83j4ICes2i4
3. I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZtcz4WVBGg
4. It Must Be Love by Madness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmezIIrFQmY
5. Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE34cSvZCd8
6. All The Small Things by Blink 182 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ht5RZpzPqw
7. Let's Stay Together by Al Green http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM
8. 2 Become 1 by Spice Girls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA5jsa1lR9c
9. She Moves In Her Way by The Kooks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pquhYpGHrlw
10. I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU

A special one off post

I have probably already said this enough times today but my letter got published in this weeks NME magazine! The letter was about the Super Bowl half time show featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars.

Seeing as this sort of thing only happens every once in a while, I thought why not blog about it? It's music related so I guess it's kind of relevant to Hernon's Harmonies. Anyway, I am very grateful that the letter got published and it has really encouraged me to continue writing for as long as I possibly can. Hopefully I am lucky enough to keep doing this sort of thing as a career and if that happens then I'll be over the moon. No wait, scrap that, I'll actually be over every planet in the universe because that's how much I love writing about music.

You can view the letter in this link here: http://wwwhernonsharmonies.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/a-letter-that-i-wrote-about-super-bowl.html

Why Damon Albarn is a legend

It was revealed yesterday that Damon Albarn will be getting an award for innovation from NME magazine. Therefore I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to talk about why he deserves this particular award. The guy is one of my many musical heroes so why not?

If you had to sum up Damon Albarn in one word it would probably be workaholic. He absolutely loves his music and this is clear because of all the projects he's done. Over his 20 year career he hasn't just stuck with one band, instead he's decided to form several different groups with many different artists. Undoubtedly, he is best known for his stuff with Blur but there is so much more to him than just one Britpop band. Take a look at the three Gorillaz albums he did, they are all marvellous and they all include some kind of collaboration. Personally my favourite collaboration he did has to be the one with Snoop Dogg on "Welcome To The World of The Plastic Beach", that blew my mind the first time I heard it. 

Other projects that Damon Albarn has been in include: Rocket Juice and the Moon, some solo work and another band entitled "The Good, the Bad and the Queen". The man certainly doesn't rest when it comes to making music. Not only that but he's also a pretty good live performer too. Blur's comeback headline set at Glastonbury festival in 2009 is probably one of my favourite Glastonbury headline sets ever. Check out this performance of Tender at Glastonbury below and try not to get goose bumps.It's simply stunning if you ask me.

So there you have it, that is why I think Damon Albarn is a legend. I could go on forever about this but I thought that I would sum it up in a nutshell so that it didn't get a bit boring. Hopefully anyone out there that's reading this who hasn't heard of Damon Albarn will go and check out some of his stuff because it's all rather brilliant. 

Reactions to this year's Isle of Wight Festival headliners

All three headliners for this year's Isle of Wight Festival have now officially been announced and there have been mixed opinions about the news. Personally I think it's a good trio of bands but I can't help but feel that some of them would've been better if they'd been booked a few years ago. The music industry is constantly changing and a bands popularity is always going up and down. Only a handful of artists manage to reach the top and remain there so it's vital that organisers get these acts at their festivals in order to draw in lots of punters.

First up we have Friday night headliners Biffy Clyro who headlined Reading and Leeds festivals last summer. They are obviously newcomers when it comes to headlining major festivals so it'll be interesting to see how they perform at such a special place where legends such as Jimi Hendix have performed. The band do have a great reputation for amazing live performances so I'm sure they'll have no trouble putting on a superb show. I must also say well done to the organisers for getting Biffy Clyro booked because they are arguably one of the hottest live bands since Muse. Expect some memorable moments from this particular set as I reckon it's going to be a rather spectacular one.

These are faces that clearly say: "We don't mess around when it comes to headlining festivals".

Next up we have legendary American funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers. My initial reaction when I first heard about this announcement was that I was excited, but not as much as I would've been had it of been announced several years ago. Their latest album "I'm With You" was incredibly underwhelming and it was a frustrating one seeing as fans had to wait five years for it to be released. The Chili Peppers were at their peak in the mid noughties following the release of epic double album "Stadium Arcadium", and this would've been an ideal time to book them. If you ignore the recent disappointments though, you've still got a huge back catalogue full of hits such as "By The Way", "Under The Bridge" and "Scar Tissue". These songs can win over any crowd so it's certainly a sensible booking. Furthermore, the organisers have actually tried to book the band for years so I guess you can't really blame them for trying to achieve their goals.

Finally we have Nashville rock band Kings of Leon who are well known in the mainstream for their massive hit songs "Use Somebody" and "Sex on Fire". Again, this booking would've been better for a past year but it's still not a bad one. Many people will have fun during their hit songs so I'm sure there will good vibes through out this gig. Personally, I'm not too fussed about Kings of Leon but I'm sure many festival goers will be ridiculously excited for this particular headliner so that's good for them then I suppose.

This is a strong line up though and I reckon it'll sell out pretty quickly. Bring on the summer of 2014 because it looks like it's going to be a brilliant one!

Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey song review

The gangster Nancy Sinatra is back and this time she's released a cover of "Once Upon A Dream". This song was originally in Disney's 1959 version of Sleeping Beauty and Lana Del Rey has covered it for the new Disney film called Maleficent. The song is expected to be on her new album entitled "Ultraviolence" and many people are wondering if there will be similar sounding songs on the new record.

When Lana Del Rey first hit the mainstream back in 2011, many people criticized her first single "Video Games" for being too depressing. Look away now if you were guilty of saying that because this song is a bit of a downer to be honest. "Once Upon Dream" never really picks up to any climactic moments and instead it's generally quite basic. You've got strings, Lana Del Rey's vocals, some choir backing vocals, the occasional timpani drum hit and that's it. There's no big notes in terms of vocals either and it's all rather same-y through out.

However, Lana Del Rey really does make the song her own by making it sound a lot more down beat and you can't really fault her for that. Quite a lot of covers from the past have sounded too similar to the original but this one defiantly isn't.

Hopefully the rest of "Ultraviolence" doesn't sound like this because Lana Del Rey's debut album "Born To Die" was actually really enjoyable even though critics gave it mixed reviews. The album was sleek, silky and seductive yet it was very repetitive in terms of lyrics. Personally though, I think Lana Del Rey will mix it up a bit on the new album because an album full of songs like this isn't going to do very well commercially. Overall this cover song is a decent effort but it really doesn't do anything special and it's actually kind of forgettable. The original song is much better.

OVERALL RATING: 5/10    

So Long, See You Tomorrow by Bombay Bicycle Club album review

Four albums into their career and Bombay Bicycle Club have blossomed into one of the UK's most loved indie bands. First album "I Had The Blues But I shook Them Loose" was a guitar driven record but it was a bit timid sounding, this didn't matter though seeing as the band still managed to build up a decent following. A drastic change then occurred for album two when they went all acoustic and folksy. The third album was then a mixture between the last two records. "So Long, See You Tomorrow" is, however, a lot more loose and free sounding as it sees Bombay Bicycle Club explore new territory rather than go back to their usual indie rock/folk sound.

From the get go it's pretty clear that this is an album that focuses heavily on production. Opener "Overdone" is big, bold and it's reminiscent of something off Primal Scream's album "Screamadelica" (but less trippy). This strong production may frighten people off but fear not, it's used for great effect. Through out the record you've got songs that sound optimistic and carefree. Take for example, "Feel" or "It's Alright now", both have bouncy rhythms galore like a never tiring kangaroo. These rhythms don't sound plain though, there's all kinds of drum effects and percussion going on in these songs.

Not only is the production great but "So Long, See You Tomorrow" is also awesome texturally. Backing musician regular Lucy Rose and newcomer Rae Morris both contribute vocals on quite a few of the tracks. These two may be on the album quite subtlety at times but their parts are never unnecessary because they really give the songs an extra something. This is apparent on numbers such as "Carry Me",  "Luna" and Eyes Off You". Lucy Rose certainly helps to (ahem) carry "Carry Me", and Rae Morris makes the main hook on "Luna" sound even stronger, thus making it more memorable.

Combine the trio of an ambitious Bombay Bicycle Club, a strong production, extra musicians and you've got one remarkable force. There are moments on this album that are simply awe inspiring thanks to the ingredients that have gone into it. "Home By Now" has a blissful piano part with angel like sounds everywhere. You've also got "Whenever, Wherever", which fusions strong beats, gentle melodies and a piano ballad outro all into one five and a half minute package. The highlight of this record though has to be "Come To". It has some massive sounding moments in it yet it still manages to keep a nice gentle tone. After this we then have closing track "So Long, See You Tomorrow" which is a nice finish to the album.

This is without a doubt Bombay Bicycle Club's best work to date and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone. Not only that but it's also the best album I have heard this year (so far) and it's going to be hard for anything to top it. Expect to see this one high up on people's "best albums of 2014" lists.

OVERALL RATING: 9/10

BEST SONGS: COME TO, HOME BY NOW, LUNA.

This week's recently played songs 2 (in no particular order)

This is a list of 10 songs that I have listened to this week. Some of them are old and some of them are more recent. But yeah, I hope you enjoy this list everyone! 

1. Girls by The 1975 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkubQCI4Fxo
2. Fell In Love With A Girl by The White Stripes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STcAUluhVRQ 
3. Drop It Like It's Hot by Snoop Dogg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtUVQei3nX4 
4. Blood On The Leaves by Kanye West http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9os5qNv_RI 
5. My Number by Foals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAsGFnLl2u0 
6. Evil Twin by Arctic Monkeys http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-xsptV1bVg 
7. London by She & Him http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eyu1mpwPnY 
8. Teenage Icon by The Vaccines http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0idSXVOfcw 
9. Rock n Roll High School by The Ramones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQFEo5pj-V8 
10. King City by Swim Deep http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_dIYr1qI7I 

Top 5 Arctic Monkeys Albums

There are five slots in this list and there are five Arctic Monkeys albums. What does this mean then? Well it means that this list was practically made for the four Sheffield lads! Too bad that there aren’t five members though, because that would’ve been a triple whammy of fives which would’ve been cool for me to say (well I said it anyway but it certainly didn’t sound cool). Awkward writing aside though, the band have worked hard since their 2006 debut album and 5 albums in 7 years is definitely an impressive feat. 

5. Favourite Worst Nightmare- For me this is without a doubt their worst album. Many people would probably disagree with me because nearly everyone loves their early raw sound. However this second album just feels like their debut album but more polished. Sure, the guitars have more effects rather than only power chords but the melodies sound similar. Front man Alex Turner is still spitting out words like some sort of post punk poet but you can’t blame him really. He was young and I’m sure his energy made him do this. The lyrics are still good though, album highlight “The Only Ones Who Know” is simply gorgeous but it gets lost in the rockiness that surrounds it.

4. Suck It and see- This was a tough one for me to decide because I love this album but I also love AM too. In the end though, I think that AM barely pips Suck It and See to third place because I feel that there’s a lot more to AM. Suck it and See is a very stripped back, bare bones album in terms of its production so this makes it a bit samey and dull at times. Don’t get me wrong though, it’s still a fantastic album. I listened to it to death when it first came out but I don’t think it holds up well now. I also feel that Alex Turner had quite a lot of input in this album rather than the entire band. Songs such as “Piledriver Waltz” and “Love is a Laserquest” are drenched in his lyricism and it really stands out from the rest of the band. However there are moments where the group play together as a tight unit such as “That’s Where You’re Wrong “and “All My Own Stunts”. Overall, I still love this album though.

3. AM- Latest album “AM” propelled Arctic Monkeys to indie rock superstardom and it’s not surprising really. The record is full of American influences and I feel and that this makes sense seeing as the band spent ages in the USA making this album. “Do I Wanna Know” is pure route 66 music, “Arabella” sounds like Queens of the Stone Age circa Era Vulgaris (but less dirty sounding) and “Knee Socks” has a sassy Destiny’s Child type feel to it. Fear not though, the band stick to their British roots as well and it’s certainly easy to spot. “No. 1 Party Anthem” sounds like John Lennon if he went to Los Angeles rather than New York, “I Want It All” is clearly a homage to British glam rock bands and “Mad Sounds” has really Beatle-esque sounding chord changes. This album has a variety of sounds to it which makes it thoroughly recommended one overall.

2. Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not- Many people would call this the perfect debut album. It’s raw, it’s bursting with energy and it’s very memorable. Yes, Arctic Monkeys burst onto the mainstream back in 2006 when indie rock was huge. Who can forget that classic live performance of “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” on the BBC, where Alex Turner told everyone to “not believe the hype”. Surely this moment will go down as one of the most memorable in British music. Anyway, live performances aside, this album is from a special young band that definitely had something important to say. “Dancing Shoes” is clearly a snarl at rowdy clubbers, “Riot Van” is a melancholic tale of the police being unfair and “When The Sun Goes Down” is about a nasty, rough neighbourhood. Don’t listen to Alex Turner because you should believe the hype surrounding this debut album. It’s simply terrific.

1. Humbug- I’ve gotta admit, many people will find this is a controversial decision but c’est la vie. This purely at number one only because it’s such a bizarrely brilliant album. If you ask most people what their initial reactions were when they first listened to this album then many would’ve been like “what the hell!?”, give it a few more listens though and it’ll grow on you like some sort of weird yet pleasant fungus. This is definitely Arctic Monkeys at their most different, I mean, just look at songs like “Dangerous Animals” and “My Propeller”. These songs are certainly Arctic Monkeys at their most heaviest. Not only that but you’ve also got some quite psychedelic moments too. Take for example “Cornerstone”, “Pretty Visitors” and “Crying Lightning”, these songs are drenched in strangeness yet they can still pass as something easily accessible.  Not only that, but lyrically, it’s also quite unusual. Said lyrics range from “the tramp with a trampoline” to “messing with smoke alarms. Just go buy this album and try not to fall in love with its hypnotising, eerie feel. Humbug is the perfect example of a dark horse album and it should absolutely not be ignored. 

Now let’s all look forward to what is going to be an incredible headlining set at Reading and Leeds festivals! 

Reactions to the latest Reading and Leeds announcements

It’s 7 o clock and Zane Lowe has just come on air for BBC Radio 1’s Reading and Leeds festival announcement. This was the second one in a series of announcements and I must say that the hype for this one wasn’t as big as the first one. Twitter was rife last time with people trying to guess who the headline act would be because it wasn't that obvious. Guesses ranged from Metallica to Paramore, but Blink 182 were eventually revealed to many people’s surprise. This time though, you could kind of tell who was going to be announced as headliners. It was, of course, the mighty Arctic Monkeys who are arguably the biggest band on the planet at the moment. Reading and Leeds have the richest history out of any festival in the world so Arctic Monkeys will go hand in hand with the big event.

"Hey don't listen to this vinyl! Come and listen to us at Reading and Leeds!" Is what Arctic Monkeys are probably saying here. 

Other acts that were announced ranged from dance, indie and even punk pop. Surrey band You Me at Six would have surely got a few people’s pulses racing seeing as they have a massive fan base. In fact, they are probably the biggest British punk pop band of all time. Indie bands Warpaint, the 1975, Royal Blood and Courteeners were also put on the bill and people generally seemed to react well to this. The 1975 get a lot of hate but most of it's just random nonsense that you shouldn't listen to. Personally, I'm glad that Warpaint are on there because I'm a big fan of them and I will definitely be seeing them if I go.

A lot of dance acts were also revealed so it seems that they will be in the appropriately named dance tent. These included acts such as SBTRKT, Netsky, Annie Mac, Pusha T and Krept and Konan. It’s no surprise that these dance acts have been announced early seeing as they the draw punters in. The festival organisers did it last year and fair enough to them for doing it again this year. You can’t really blame them to be honest.

Overall I thought this was a bit of an underwhelming announcement in terms of hype. However, the announcement certainly didn’t disappoint and it was an exceptionally pleasing one. Hopefully tickets won’t sell out until the next few announcements though because I (and many others I know) really want to go to this special festival.  

A letter that I wrote about the Super Bowl halftime show 2014

I had never seen the Super Bowl before so I decided to tune in to see what all the fuss was about. The match was fine, but holy hamburgers the halftime show wasn’t. My first initial thought was why would you pair up Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bruno Mars in the first place? It just looks weird. So anyway, Bruno Mars appears and it’s pretty obvious that he loves himself a bit too much. I mean, what kind of singer comes on stage with a drum solo? Red Hot Chili Peppers then made a pointless appearance for about 4 minutes before pissing off and it left me wondering: was it necessary for them to perform? Bruno Mars was cringeworthy enough and the Chilis didn’t need to stoop to his level. Seems like a bunch of has beens trying desperately to be popular again if you ask me.

BY JOEL HERNON 

Make it Easy by We Are Scientists song review

New York indie trio We Are Scientists revealed a new tune this week entitled "Make It Easy". The song is off their up and coming fifth album "TV en Francais", which is set to come out on the 3rd of March. Information aside, the band are well known for their punchy upbeat songs that really make you wanna get up and have a good time. Earlier singles "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt" and "Nice Guys" are blatant proof of this.

Anyone that has seen the band in YouTube interviews will know that they like to goof about and have fun. This kind of energy then goes into their songs and it's nice to know that the trio probably really enjoyed themselves whilst making new stuff (just picture it, it's a swell thought isn't it?). I actually recently tweeted the band via a Q&A session on Q magazine's Twitter account and I asked them: "Was making new material a fun process?", to which they replied "Not as much fun as lazing in the warm afterglow of self satisfaction that washed over us, upon completion". You've gotta love these guys!

This latest offering from the group is a four and a half minute one so it's a bit of a slow builder. Threat not though, "Make It Easy" has it's moments where it bursts into rapid guitars with bouncy vocal melodies. However, on the other side of the song you've got charming electric guitars that go from plucky to totally gorgeous. Lead vocalist Keith Murray also serves up a great main vocal melody when he sings "You make it easy, and it should be easy". If you liked any of the band's previous stuff then you'll certainly like this latest song, especially if you liked their third album "Brain Thrust Mastery", it's very reminiscent of that album indeed.

Overall this is a very pleasing sign of things to come. I have no doubts that the band will deliver a fantastic record next month and I can't wait to get my grubby hands on it. Hopefully We Are Scientists have made an album that is easy (on the ears that is). And on that terrible joke, I bid you farewell whilst slowly crawling into a dark hole so that I can feel ashamed of my awful comedy talents.

OVERALL RATING: 8/10

https://soundcloud.com/we-are-scientists/make-it-easy-1