Author: edwardlayland

David Bowie

Posted on by edwardlayland

“Don’t believe in yourself
Don’t deceive with belief
Knowledge comes
with death’s release”

January 10th 2016 will forever be remembered as the day the world lost David Bowie. He innovated and created to the very end, having just released his (now) final album, barring the retrospectives, re-issues and studio outtakes that are sure to appear in the future. Thankfully, his inimitable work will resound in the collective conscience for generations to come. Few artists have left such an indelible mark on the world of entertainment and even fewer have been as unique or half as influential.

Bowie was always innovative, constantly updating and renewing, never afraid to move on without looking back; though the temptation to resurrect Ziggy Stardust and other such heroes may have been great during more difficult times. Instead he continued to create, up to his dying days, not only influencing his peers but allowing himself to be influenced by the world around him.

“I still don’t know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
And every time I thought I’d got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I’ve never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I’m much too fast to take that test.”

John Peel once said:
“Pop is a car-boot sale, a parade of trinkets, junk and handicrafts, most worthless, some capable of giving a few moments of pleasure with a few glorious items made more glorious by their unexpected appearance in this market. Then in an unpredictable double-bluff, the worthless can, within a few years, take on great worth and the glorious become merely laughable.”
Bowie’s appearance in said market was always unexpected and mostly glorious, with any apparently worthless work standing the test of time and taking on great worth.

“Written in pain, written in awe
By a puzzled man who questioned
What we were here for.”

It’s incredible that one man has had such a profound effect on the human race and left such a massive cultural footprint behind. To say that I am saddened by his passing is not really the best way to put it. I didn’t have the privilege of knowing him, we were not friends, like most people my relationship with David Bowie is one of fan – artist.

Nevertheless, for me, as I’m sure it is for many, it goes much deeper than that; he has been a part of my life for longer than I can remember, his work has always been there, his influence has spread to other artists whose music I also love. It’s kind of strange because that familiar figure, with all his guises, is not there anymore, they’ll be no more interviews with those mismatched eyes and that broad smile on his face and his self deprecating laughter, no more groundbreaking albums and no more parts being played.

His music will live forever though, and the memories we have all created that are intertwined with his incomparable body of work cannot be taken away from us. My earliest are of hearing ‘Ashes to Ashes’ on the radio, Major Tom already known to all. Then there’s my Mum’s copies of ‘Aladdin Sane’ and ‘Pin Ups’ with their striking cover art. Then came all those hits from the 80s, ‘Lets Dance’, ‘Absolute Beginners’ and ‘China Girl’ – someone had a copy, I no longer remember who. And of course the collaborations on ‘Dancing in the Street’ with Mick Jagger for Band/Live Aid and the unforgettable ‘Under Pressure’ with Queen. Which also reminds me of the stunning performance of ‘Heroes’ at Live Aid.

But it was as a young adult that I really discovered Bowie, my best friend introducing me to ‘Hunky Dory’, which along with ‘Space Oddity’ (a.k.a ‘David Bowie’) got played to death in the first home I ever owned. I once tried to get tickets for a “secret” gig at a small London venue but it was such an exclusive (comeback) show that not even the touts could get hold of them; I had to resign myself to never seeing him play live and to being content with ‘Live from Santa Monica’ and ‘At the Beeb’.

With his passing it is this evoking of bittersweet memories of how and when his work touched us that forces us to reexamine our own lives and contemplate our own existences. And therein lies the sadness – I’m not sad that David Bowie has died; he led a full and rich life and was one of the most significant artists in the history of humanity, I’m sad for what his death means to me, to everyone he touched and to our society. It moves me deeply to think that where once there was a constant that could be relied upon to challenge and inspire in equal measure, whilst sound tracking our very existence, now there is an empty space.

“I’m stuck with a valuable friend
“I’m happy. Hope you’re happy, too.”
One flash of light
But no smoking pistol…”

Rest in Peace David Robert Jones, you will be sorely missed.

Six Reasons Guns n Roses Shouldn’t Reunite

Posted on by edwardlayland

I love Guns n Roses. I was 15 when I was first blown away by ‘Sweet Child O Mine’. I was 17 when I first saw them live at Wembley Stadium. I went on to see them three more times; Wembley again, Milton Keynes and Rock in Rio in 2001, which in retrospect wasn’t half as good as I thought at the time (also borne out by radio replays). I still have Appetite for Destruction on vinyl with the original artwork. I wrote an essay about them for my English Literature course work. They were a massive part of not only my teenage but also my adult life, I mean I still listen to them.

Which is precisely why I am NOT in the least bit excited about the “reunion”. Dammit, yet another nail in the coffin of new music as nostalgia continues to dominate.

Let it lie, it’s not going to be the same, Axl is a completely different person and singer, and the hunger that made them just isn’t there anymore. I was there when the Sex Pistols reformed in 1996 and they managed to pull it off; basically because Johnny Rotten’s voice hadn’t changed and given the band’s premature break-up, they still had something to prove. Moreover, they needed the money! GnR don’t need the money, which makes it ugly; have nothing to prove, and are therefore beating a dead horse; and Axl’s voice has changed beyond recognition.

OK, I’m sure it will be fantastic standing in a field reliving your teenage years screaming “whoa – oh – oh – oh sweet child o mai-ee-ii-ee-iiiine” but lets face it, it’s not going to have anything like this kind of passion.

Yeah sure, they’ll play all those tunes that you know and love so well, but they are hardly “The most dangerous band in the world” anymore.

No amount of rehearsing is gonna get them this tight again.

There’s no way they will have this kind of energy, or shorts (thankfully).

Even if there’s a small miracle and Izzy Stradlin joins the fun, no way will it be this cool.

Even if all the planets align and it all comes together and is somehow really fucking good, there is still no way they will ever be this badass again.

Looking back at what this band once was and what made them great just turns the whole circus surrounding this comeback all the more disappointing. Think I’ll stick with the memories.

Forever Still – Tied Down

Posted on by edwardlayland

Forever-Still-Tied-DownThe debut album from Danish power trio Forever Still is a very personal affair sure to strike a chord or two. This conceptual record amalgamates a series of D.I.Y EP’s into one full length album, covering issues like anxiety and depression, whilst also providing a little light at the end of the tunnel. Anyone who’s ever had a tough time is sure to relate.

Stylistically speaking, the Danes are in similar territory to the likes of Evanescence, though lead singer Maja Shining has her own style and a superb range, shifting easily from lullaby tenderness to searing screams. There is a lot to like about this emotionally intense band; they know how to write a riff, they can pull off epic and have some interesting touches along the way.

Opening track ‘Scars’ kicks off with a hard assed rolling riff and a commercial edge to the chorus; but there are some nice stops and it has an intense contemporary feel, cool track. ‘Once Upon A Nightmare’ has a more epic feel and a killer hook, the melody sounds familiar though. Equally epic sounding is heartfelt power ballad ‘Miss Madness’ with its atmospheric piano and some more killer guitar work.

Despite having a signature sound, there is plenty of variety on offer, ‘Awake the Fire’ being a frantic up-tempo rocker, while ‘Breathe In’ shows off some powerhouse riffing that would be great live. There are some synths brooding under the surface on the nicely structured ‘Alone’, while the piano on ‘Break The Glass’ provides an atmospheric contrast to the bass heavy track.

Although in general they manage to pull off the conceptual idea, the emotional torture aspect begins to wear a little thin after a while, as on ‘Your Light’, and personally, I’m also a little reticent about lyrics being almost solely in the first person. Even so, tracks like the monumental ‘Save Me’ with its insistent chorus, and the atmospheric meanderings of album closer ‘Tied Down’ more than compensate.

All in all, this is a very well executed, highly enjoyable debut from Forever Still; there are plenty of good hard riffs and massive choruses on these songs of substance. It would be nice to see them spread their wings a little wider on future releases, but in the meantime ‘Tied Down’ is well worth a spin.

8/10

Tied Down is out on January 15th, in the meantime check out their bandcamp for some free downloads: https://foreverstill.bandcamp.com/

Kapitu

Posted on by edwardlayland

Kapitu

Recentemente escrevi um artigo gigantesco sobre o estado (precário) da cena musical local em Niterói/Rio de Janeiro, comparando-a com a situação de bandas “grass roots” da Inglaterra. Descobri que os países tem muito em comum quando se trata de musica no fim da cadeia alimentar mas, realmente a situação das bandas fazendo musica autoral, especialmente se for “indie” ou rock alternativo, é mais complicada ainda aqui. https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/12/01/rock-in-rio-literally/

O artigo em questão foi escrito baseado em entrevistas conduzidas através de email e pessoalmente, e contei com a participação de membros do Barcamundi, Ambstract, Anxtron e o projeto “On The Rock”, além da grande contribuição do Fabricio Figueiredo do Útero Ruídos e Victor Cunha de A Conspiraçao Produçoes. Porém, uma participação que chegou tarde demais para ser incluída mas é tão interessante que merece publicação, vem do Felipe Viana, vulgo Jahba, guitarrista da banda Kapitu. Ele conseguiu abranger todas as ideias do artigo original de uma forma interessante, especialmente vindo do ponto da vista de uma banda que já conseguiu avançar um pouco mais nas estradas do rock brasileiro.

Kapitu é uma banda que combina aquele som clássico da música brasileira, reminiscente dos anos oitenta, com uns ares de “hard rock” contemporânea. O resultado é mais que agradável; com composições bem pensadas, repletas de uma variedade de “riffs”, refrões marcantes e, de vez em quando, um solo fulminante. Sem medo de misturar os estilos e ritmos, a banda consegue abranger vários aspetos do “rock n roll” e manter uma qualidade invejável.

A seguir estão as respostas profundas do Jahba sobre a cena musical do Brasil:

Quais são as dificuldades mais comuns do cenário musical no Rio?
Acho que a dificuldade maior de se tocar no Rio de Janeiro, fazendo som autoral, é conseguir espaços com boa estrutura de som para tocar. Há um circuito independente no Rio relativamente extenso, mas, no geral, ou são casas underground ou são lugares que não têm shows mas são adaptados pros eventos acontecerem. Isso prejudica muito as apresentações. É ótimo tocar nesses lugares e sempre serão o berço das bandas de rock e nunca devem sair do circuito, mas esses são praticamente o ÚNICO espaço que a cena independente tem.
Se a gente pegar como exemplo nossa cidade, Niterói, quase exclusivamente uma única casa abarca esse tipo de evento, o Convés. Quem é mais das antigas vai se lembrar que existiam outros espaços como o Arab’s Café (em Piratininga) ou a BOX 35 e São Dom Dom (ambos na Cantareira).

A Internet ajuda ou atrapalha as bandas?
Ajuda (e muito!), mas se você souber usá-la. No princípio (ou para sempre), você não vai ter rádio, televisão. Sua vitrine vai ser a internet. Lá é o canal oficial da banda e onde você vai divulgar as primeiras demos, lançamentos de EPs e discos, clipes, vídeos ao vivo. No começo da banda será seu círculo de amigos e companheiros de som que divulgarão seu trabalho.
O erro que muita gente comete é achar que a internet é um local à parte do mundo e que as coisas andam sozinhas, por si só. Primeiro, a internet está o tempo todo em diálogo com as movimentações da “vida real”, ou seja, você precisa estar em conexão com os produtores, bandas, agentes públicos da sua região. É preciso sair de casa e tocar, tocar, tocar, tocar. A internet virá dialogando, complementando e amplificando tudo isso.
Segundo, você precisa divulgar seu material ativamente. As pessoas não vão escutar sua música uma vez e pensar que você é um gênio e automaticamente seu som vai viralizar no mundo inteiro. Tem que tomar a postura de enviar todo o material que estiver produzindo para todas as pontes possíveis. E, de maneira contínua, estar sempre atualizando o material.

O cenário musical aqui do Rio é muito competitivo?
É competitivo no sentido de que tem muitas, muitas bandas de alta qualidade circulando por aí. Só em Niterói sei de cabeça umas seis bandas que já lançaram materiais de alto nível. Facção Caipira, Bow Bow Cogumelo, Parola, Lougo Mouro, Bezouros Verdes, RivoTrio. E teriam outras que nem material lançaram ainda…
Repito: essas são as que eu mais conheço e as de Niterói. Existem muitas, muitas mais.

Kapitu 2

Dá para ganhar dinheiro com música aqui?
Dá sim. Na Kapitu, Marcolino e Yuri, por exemplo, vivem de música. Eles participam de outros projetos, autorais e não autorais, e seguem esse caminho. Mas é importante lembrar que viver de música autoral, é muito difícil. Um caminho que poucos ainda conseguiram traçar, mas que, depois de uma longa estrada, é possível sim.

Em relação a música, quais são seus planos de curto e longo prazo?
Vou responder aqui pelo KAPITU. O plano sempre foi poder fazer nosso som da maneira mais honesta e autônoma possível. Até agora, penso que conseguimos fazer isso. Mas o caminho é longo!

É fácil de se arrumar lugar para tocar aqui, e/ou de se produzir e fazer seu próprio show?
Não… Mas como te disse, desde 2008 estamos circulando de maneira quase frenética. Tocamos em muitos lugares, participamos de festivais, shows coletivos, viajamos, etc. Já temos um público que nos acompanha e sempre recebemos convites para participar de shows e fazer parcerias. Isso não quer dizer que nos acomodamos. Continuamos produzindo nossos shows e produzindo nosso material. Temos de fazer constantes reuniões para planejar as coisas, como produzir vídeos, músicas, compor, dar entrevistas. Acho que quanto mais subimos, mais tarefas, e cada vez mais complexas, vão aparecendo. Nossas últimos desafios foram produzir todas as etapas de confecção do disco, fazer um “crowdfunding” e produzir um clipe!

Com que frequência sua banda ensaia?
Semanalmente, por 3 horas. Mas dependendo da atividade que estivermos mais engajados, concentramos mais nisso. Por exemplo, no começo da banda ensaiávamos até 2 vezes por semana. Antes do primeiro show compomos e ensaiamos durante 10 meses. Na época de gravação do último disco, o “Vermelho” (2015), chegamos a ficar várias semanas tocando quase que diariamente para terminar os arranjos. Em épocas que temos que nos concentrar mais na produção executiva da banda, podemos substituir o ensaio por reuniões também.

Você gostaria de contribuir mais alguma coisa?
Não sei se teria algo mais a acrescentar. Só gostaria de reforçar para galera que está começando: se organizem, toquem em qualquer buraco e façam exaustivos ensaios! Ter controle sobre o que se está fazendo exige muita responsabilidade, humildade e trabalho. Ser roquenrou é arriscar e meter a cara por aí! Então, mãos à obra! Te juro que é compensador.

Muitíssimo obrigado Felipe pelo seu tempo e suas respostas legais. Valeu!

Lemmy

Posted on by edwardlayland

On February 18th, 1991, I had the privilege of seeing Motorhead live, at the Portsmouth Guildhall, on the ‘1916’ tour. Back then, at most rock gigs there was a crush against the barrier, a mosh pit, people jumping and then the static part where people just stood, tapped their feet or banged their heads.

But not at Motorhead.

At Motorhead, nobody stood still. There was no room for a mosh pit because the sea of people ebbed and flowed in great surges, moving as one. The crowd reflected Lemmy and his music; all or nothing, relentless, unforgiving – but together. It was an amazing and strangely moving night that I will never forget.

There was always something about Lemmy. From the position of his microphone to the way he wore his hat. Maybe it was the facial hair, or the gravelly voice, or maybe just the way he dressed – there was something cool, yet somehow unrelenting about the man. You could see it when he was on stage; you could see it from brooding looks in the pages of magazines and you could even see it on film with his cameo in ‘Hardware’.

Lemmy commanded respect, end of story.

R.I.P

5 Great Songs From 2015

Posted on by edwardlayland

There’s been a great deal written here and elsewhere about the best albums of 2015, but in this day and age, more often than not, it is the individual tune that has the greater impact. Albums don’t always get listened to in their entirety – unless of course you happen to be a music critic, which is probably why we bang on about them and make so many lists – so in celebration of the humble single and the killer album track here are five great songs from 2015.

The Echo and The Always were an amazing discovery this year and this track pretty much encapsulates what they are all about. I didn’t actually give ‘Capable Of’ much credit on first listen, there are other more immediate tracks on the album, but it has grown on me and repeated listens have revealed more and more.

I fell in love with Wolf Alice in the middle of 2015 and have been playing them to death ever since. ‘Your Love’s Whore’ was the track that did it for me, don’t know why really, just something about it gets me every time.

‘My Terracotta Heart’ is so wrapped in the history of Blur, and particularly the relationship between Damon and Graham, that it has a significance way beyond the norm. Anyone who loves this band cannot fail to be touched by its stark beauty.

Dave Gahan‘s album with Soulsavers had a tremendous impact on me this year, no song more so than ‘Tempted’. This is a quite sublime performance that gives me goosebumps.

IMHO, ‘Gunga Din’ is quite simply the best thing The Libertines have ever done. Lyrically, it is fantastic, musically, it nails it, but most importantly it has that little extra “I don’t know what” that great tracks need. Killer.

The Best Records of 2015 (IMHO) – Part 3

Posted on by edwardlayland

Going through other end of year lists and also reading reviews from other publications, I can’t help but feel that there is a tendency to celebrate the technically proficient, the groundbreaking or the daring, with little emphasis on how music actually makes you feel, which is surely the most important thing, no? I mean there are things in life that you fall in love with totally illogically, it’s not important how technically good it is, sometimes it’s simply how that thing, person or piece of music makes you feel. Anyway, my so called best records of the year are not necessarily the most technically brilliant, but each and every one of them moved me one way or another. Here’s the third and final part.

Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie
Luckily, Girl Band manage to combine daring with emotion; their music spoke to me in ways I can barely begin to express. Sublime.

Wolf Alice – My Love is Cool
A constant on my headphones since July, this is an album of great songs about friends and lovers with a very cool indie/pop/rock vibe. Its highly listenable, easily relatable and even the filler is killer.

British IBM – Psychopaths Dream in Black and White
A fairly simplistic easy going record with beautiful swathes of cello that turn it into a soothing feast of aural delight. Lovely.

Sam Duckworth – Amazing Grace
A deceptively deep album underpinned by subtle atmospheric touches beneath the folky acoustics; it’s a bit like running into an old friend and being greeted with the warmest of hugs.

Haybaby – Sleepy Kids
Haybaby have a hard edged indie sound described as sludge pop and slop rock, whatever they may be, and they make a mighty fine racket. I absolutely adore their album – buy it!

The Libertines – Anthems for Doomed Youth
Contains song of the year in ‘Gunga Din’ plus a host of other top moments like ‘Barbarians’ and ‘Iceman’. It’s lyrically sharp, musically vibrant and has just the slightest hint of music hall charm. Comeback of the year.

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
Obvious choice I know, but it’s really good; you don’t get eleven Grammy nominations by chance you know. This is the kind of direction hip-hop has been begging for, a little less bling and a lot more substance and with killer tunes like ‘i’, ‘King Kunta’ and ‘Alright’ Kendrick is the Negus right now.

Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love
Quite simply a great album. The veteran Riot Grrls came back with slice after slice of hook filled punk fuelled badass tunes. Every track a winner.

What’s that? Put them in order! Really? You´re sure?
Ok, go on then; counting down from twenty to one here are the top twenty records of the year in my humble opinion.

20 Luna Sol – Blood Moon
19 Blind Wives – Recovery positions
18 The British IBM – Psychopaths Dream in Black and White
17 Romans – – = +
16 Sam Duckworth – Amazing Grace
15 Girl Band – Holding Hands With Jamie
14 Of Allies – Fragments
13 The Libertines – Anthems for Doomed Youth
12 Iron Maiden – Book of Souls
11 Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly
10 Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love
9 Halestorm – Into the Wild Life
8 Haybaby – Sleepy kids
7 Blur – The Magic Whip
6 Placebo – Unplugged
5 Public Enemy – Live from Metropolis
4 D’Angelo – Black Messiah
3 The Echo and the Always – And After That The Dark
2 Dave Gahan & Soulsavers – Angels and Ghosts
1 Wolf Alice – My Love is Cool

So there you have it! Part one of the list is here:
https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/the-best-records-of-2015-imho/
and part 2 here:
https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/the-best-records-of-2015-imho-part-2/

Roll on 2016!

Top 10 Christmas Songs

Posted on by edwardlayland

This is a potential credibility killer, but my guiltiest of guilty pleasures is Christmas music. I guess it’s a nostalgia thing; some of the happiest memories of my childhood are from Christmases – all the rules were suspended, the limits were relaxed and there was a kind of warm glow about everything, oh and we got presents! So Christmas for me really felt kind of magical as a kid, but nowadays, living in a tropical country where its like high summer at Christmas time, there is always this slight disconnection for me in regard to the festive season. Therefore, the music (and the food, obviously!) has become an essential component of the year’s end celebrations, helping conjure up those fuzzy feelings of nostalgia and comfort.
My top ten Christmas tunes.

10) Sister Winter -Tracey Thorn
Tracey made a Christmas album a few years back which basically sums up this nostalgic longing for our childhood Christmases and being English it borders on the melancholy, managing to criticize and celebrate simultaneously. Sister Winter is a quite lovely lesson in song writing.

9) Merry Xmas Everybody – Slade
I know, it’s pretty damn awful because we have heard it so many times, but try doing Christmas without it. “Iiiiiiiittttts Chrrrrrrriiissstmaaaaaaaas!”

8) Stop the Cavalry – Jona Lewie
As kids my brother and I always loved this song, it was probably our favorite on my Mum’s Christmas mix tape (back when mix tapes really were tapes). I guess it was something about the soaring melody contradicting the downbeat longing so wonderfully.

7) Last Christmas
To be honest I never particularly liked the original and my brother and I invented our own alternative lyrics involving such childish delights as farts and poos, but that’s another story; my inner heavy metal child didn’t have much truck for such schmaltz. However, as a mature, ahem, adult I have come to recognize the true pop genius of this song. I’m still no lover of the original but covers by the likes of Manic Street Preachers and Jamelia opened my eyes to the melodic perfection of this pop classic. This version by Florence is spine tingling.

6) All I Want For Christmas – Mariah Carey 
As I was compiling this list I realized that it was almost exclusively British and actually quite serious, but there is one sickly sweet totally pop track that I love and it’s Mariah. Diva.

5) Do They Know It’s Christmas – Band Aid
One of the most significant records in history and the story behind it and the subsequent Live Aid shows, as well as the song’s legacy, is really quite compelling and resonant until today.

4) The Power of Love – Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Technically not a Christmas track, but was appropriated as such after being Christmas number one with its nativity video, and in typically English fashion it is dark and beautiful in equal measure.

3) I Believe in Father Christmas – Greg Lake
Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake and Palmer fame came up with quite a sublime track that even U2 have covered. Again, it’s actually quite serious in its shattering of illusions, but there’s a lovely Christmasness to the melody of the horns that compliments the dark tone to the lyric.

2) Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Tom Jones with Cerys Matthews
It’s just so bombastic with those big band horns and it has Tom Jones on it! I mean, come on, what’s not to like?

1) Fairytale of New York – The Pogues with Kirsty Maccoll
I could actually write an entire article just about this song; the story behind it is not only fascinating, but quite moving in regards to the death of Kirsty Maccoll. The documentary on it makes for mesmerizing viewing and is highly recommended (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUSNzqqLFT0). Regardless of the song’s story though, it is an extremely accomplished piece of work with beautiful layers of textured instrumentation and Shane Macgowan, who was born on Christmas day, at his inimitable best.

– Mariah Carey –

The Best Records of 2015 (IMHO) Part 2

Posted on by edwardlayland

While thinking back on the records I’ve most enjoyed this year, it became obvious that I listen to rather a lot of rock. No shit! Not exactly a shock I know, given that I write for an alternative rock website and run one which, while embracing all kinds of music, has a heavy indie/rock slant. However, a lot of the hard rock/metal that I’ve been getting into as a result has not always been mainstream. Obviously, some things are unavoidably so, but having reviewed, shouted out and interviewed some very small bands I have inevitably played their records over and over, and, would you believe, their music stands up and has made a fan of me. So here goes the hard rocking releases I’ve most enjoyed this year.

Romans – – = + (Less is More)
Despite not being the best production wise, due to the cost of studio time and needing to record live, I really got into Romans’ hook laden riff heavy tunes. For a part-time band confined to the pub circuit they have made a very likeable record with a good positive vibe.

Halestorm – Into The Wild Life
I fell in love with this album quite recently and have had it on heavy rotation ever since. This is what hard rock should be about, badass riffing, wailing solos and immaculate full on vocals from the superb Lzzy Hale.

Iron Maiden – Book of Souls
OK, so Iron Maiden took Iron Maiden to the nth degree with the epic scale of this album, but its the best thing they’ve done since Seventh Son. They certainly sound reinvigorated and ‘Souls’ makes for an enjoyable listen with some really fresh and exciting moments.

Of Allies – Fragments EP
I have played their EP to death since I first reviewed it back in May and will readily admit to having a bit of a soft spot for the band, but that’s only because they are really rather good. Coolly delivered, hard edged and just radio-friendly enough, ‘Fragments’ ticks all the boxes.

Luna Sol – Blood Moon
This was another pleasant surprise that I got to review a few months back. These sinister tales of Rocky Mountain life are given hard stoner rock treatment at the hands of David Angstrom – heavy ass bass lines, blistering guitar breaks and hard driving riffage. Good record. Fucked up video.

Blind Wives – Recovery Positions EP
This was another EP that got a lot of extra plays when I came to interview the band, which is also part-time, but no less accomplished. Recovery Positions has some interesting well constructed tracks; there’s a strong indie/punk influence to their sound, but there are some good heavy riffs, and in Luke Pickering they have a versatile front man who plays some cool guitar and can sure carry a tune.

Part One of my favourite records this year can be seen right here: https://hardpresseded.wordpress.com/2015/12/07/the-best-records-of-2015-imho/
And if you search through the interviews section down in the categories you can find out more about Of Allies, Romans and Blind Wives.

The Best Records of 2015 (IMHO)

Posted on by edwardlayland

I’ve already done a top ten albums of 2015 over at http://www.alreadyheard.com and, to be honest, was not entirely happy with it. I felt like I should include stuff that I had rated highly under review, whilst also excluding some things that weren’t really A.H material. Anyway, the entire music media has gone all end of year, ranking and rating their favourite records, and I can’t help but feel that more often than not it’s an exercise in “I’ve got better taste than you” and they put what is critically acclaimed and what is cool to like, rather than what they actually enjoy. So, what I’ve decided to do is put together a bunch of stuff that I’ve really enjoyed this past year, in no particular order, by way of shout out to the artists who have made my listening life so cool this year. Here goes part one:

Public Enemy – Live from Metropolis
For any band, whatever the genre, this is a lesson in live performance. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, DJ Lord etc quite simply kill it from beginning to end.

The Echo and The Always – And After That The Dark…
Reviewed this for Already Heard and fell in love with it on first listen. It’s jam packed with surprises and there is not a duff tune on the record – sublime vocals, textured layers and killer hooks. This band will be everywhere in 2016.

Placebo – Unplugged
I love Placebo. I love this record, it shows another dimension to the band, every version is sublime and the special guests are just that, special.

D’Angelo – Black Messiah
Technically from 2014 but only because the release date was anticipated to coincide with Ferguson, due to the politically charged nature to some of the songs, like ‘The Charade’. Damn, this is one fine record, multiple listens revealed more and more depth to the beautifully constructed songs – basically its a ‘What’s Going On?’ for the 21st Century.

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers – Angels and Ghosts
Another album of gorgeous depth and texture that has a definite soundtrack feel to it, whilst also being hauntingly dark and moody.

Blur – The Magic Whip
Could’ve been awful, but in true Blur fashion it was well thought out and everything about it feels right. ‘Terracotta Heart’ is, quite frankly, one of the most beautiful things they’ve ever done.