ANDREW CREAM – 'Self Portrait' review

ANDREW CREAM – 'Self Portrait' review

I'd never heard of ANDREW CREAM before this, but his stuff is really pretty wonderful; kind of full band acoustic / folky pop-punk stuff that's really bright and energetic with really catchy vocal melodies and choruses. I had to check that this wasn't the vocalist from the amazing ABOVE THEM because his tone of voice is quite similar, and actually I guess it's not too far off musically either (apart from the acoustic-ness of course), which is never a bad thing. There are some really posi lyrics on here too about finding yourself, becoming who you want to be, and other lovely bits of personal politics, which makes it a really fun and uplifting listen. I've had this on in the car quite frequently for a while now, but I could pretty much listen to it at any time, whether I felt up or down, and that's a pretty rare thing. So yeah, really glad I got asked to review this, and you should totally check it out if you need a lift, or you just like some folky pop-punk!

https://www.facebook.com/andrewcreammusic/

xox

TEGAN AND SARA – 'Love You To Death' review

TEGAN AND SARA – 'Love You To Death' review

Who doesn't love TEGAN AND SARA? They continually change and develop their sound, and consistently write incredible music regardless of what genre their music might fall under. This new album bears more similarity to their last album 'Heartthrob' than anything before that, swapping dark, subtle melodies and emotion of albums like 'The Con' for massive, bright pop songs, and as much as I miss the sound of said album, I really can't complain because this is brilliant. The choruses to some of these songs are so catchy it's just ridiculous; 'Faint of Heart', 'Dying to Know', and 'Stop Desire' will stick to you very quickly, and when they do slow the pace and pull back for the ballad '100x' (one of my faves for sure) it's just beautiful, and shows off their perpetual capacity for writing sensitive, touching songs. I can't really work out what's so great about the sound they have now; it's almost like it combines the best of 80s, 90s, and contemporary pop with their own, irresistible, distinct writing style, but whatever it is, it's phenomenal. If you liked 'Heartthrob', this maybe doesn't quite reach the heights of that masterpiece, but it comes very bloody close, so you should love it. If you don't really know TEGAN AND SARA I urge you to check them out ASAP, especially their newer stuff if you dig stuff like ROBYN, FOXES, and METRIC, but also check out albums like 'The Con' for something darker. Another stunning piece of work.

https://www.facebook.com/TeganandSara/

xox

DOE – 'Some Things Last Longer Than You' review

DOE – 'Some Things Last Longer Than You' review

Before I saw them at Deadpunk in Bristol earlier this year, I liked DOE. After I saw them at Deadpunk in Bristol earlier this year, I Loved DOE. And not just because they did a truly spectacular cover of THE SPICE GIRLS' '2 Become 1' (although that definitely helped). They're a three-piece from London (dual guitar, no bass) who play really awesome garage pop-punk, with ace male-female dual vocal harmonising, plenty of angst, some chuckle-inducing lyrics, and some bloody huge choruses. There are also some great riffs on here ('Respite' has a notably good 'un), and there's a pretty strong 90s vibe coming through (think SONIC YOUTH, THE PIXIES and THE BREEDERS, and also the way TANCRED's stuff has been going lately). There are some great tunes on side A like the opener 'No. 1' and I like 'Monopoly', but I absolutely love side B, which is full of bangers: 'Anywhere' has the energy and intensity of CAVES, 'Last Ditch' gives us one of their most memorable choruses, 'Before Her' is magic from start to finish (those vocal harmonies in the chorus, oh my days!), and the intensity of 'Corin' is fantastic, reminding me of THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS' harder stuff: Nicola's shouting in it gives me goosebumps. A really incredible album by one of the best British bands around at the moment; pick it up now!

https://www.facebook.com/hellowearedoe/

http://www.doetheband.co.uk/

xox