David Peach

Tag: Reviews

  • 📂

    Churches by Scarlett Taylor

    On my first hearing of Scarlett Taylor’s music I was reminded of Lana Del Rey and Chrysta Bell – both being artists I adore. But now I have listened to Scarlett’s second album “Churches” a few times, I now enjoy it on its own merits, no longer drawing comparisons to other artists.

    Churches is tagged as being “Sadcore” on Soundcloud and I had to research exactly what that was. Wikipedia’s definition states:

    … [Sadcore] characterised by bleak lyrics, downbeat melodies and slower tempos. The term is an example of use of the suffix “-core”. It is a loose definition and does not describe a specific movement or scene.

    Wikipedia definition of Sadcore

    That seems like an accurate stylistic description, but the resulting feelings I get from the music, especially Scarlett’s, is anything but bleak or downbeat. I find nearly all music gives me a lift of some sort, and this includes “Churches”. From out of the darkness and delivery, the music uplifts and creates in me, the feeling of reflection.

    Let us Pray

    The album’s opening song, “Fucked Up”, was the first one I heard before knowing about this album. The song found its way into a soundcloud playlist and I found myself skipping back to listen to it again and again. Although I can’t pick out a bad song from the album, that opening song is still a stand out one for me.

    “Fucked Up” opens with a drone effect and Scarlett’s voice, which immediately blew me away with both her power and the way she delivers. She manages to weave her voice around a song’s structure, dancing in the darkness of the song’s core, not being held in too tightly to the rhythm.

    The second song “Crazy” stays in the same vein as “Fucked Up” and by now I was fully immersed in the world of “Churches”.

    “Imprisoned” is the album’s third song and it is actually a remix version that has found it’s way on. The song opens with a passage from rapper Zay, who himself is part of a Minnesota-based rap group, “The Truants”. This gives the album a new flavour and dynamic without straying too far from her signature sound.

    At the halfway point of Churches there sits the beautiful ballad “Ignite”. “Ignite” strips away all of the drone effects and electronic backing and presents Scarlett’s voice bare with an accompanying piano. If I was to give you one song to demonstrate her abilities as a singer it would be this one. It’s so great. And its build up towards the end gives the song an equally beautiful climax.

    One of the album’s most haunting songs for me was “Christmas Eve”. Her brooding vocals over a string pedal tone. So emotional and seems to pull me into it every time I hear it. It’s dangerous for me to listen to this one when I’m driving. Also it never fails to give me that Twin Peaks vibe.

    Scarlett Taylor would sound great at the Roadhouse.

    Miss Scarlett in the Ballroom with the haunting voice

    Some people hear emotive music like this and immediately say things like “That sounds depressing” or “Is there anything more upbeat?”. These are people I want to slap.

    I mean, yes, most people wouldn’t get dressed up to go for a night on the town while listening to an album like this. I probably would, but that’s another topic all together. But to dismiss music like this as depressing is, in my opinion, completely closed minded.

    We are lucky to have artists like Scarlett Taylor, who openly bare their souls in their writing and performances; artists who remind us what it is to be human.

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  • 📂

    We don’t do friends round here. Round here it’s Brotherhood

    I have been a big fan of both Kidulthood and Adulthood for a while now. I got really excited when I saw a bus drive past me recently with a big picture of Noel Clarke on the side. The only word I could make out as the bus sped past was “Brotherhood”.

    Realistic and brutal with some tasteful comedy

    Tonight I went to see “Brotherhood” and I was not disappointed whatsoever. This film was terrific – often grimey; always believable; and even occasionally really funny. There is a great scene in the film regarding a phone conversation and Sainsbury’s. That’s all I’ll say, but the whole cinema screen was in stitches at this bit.

    There were other elements of comedy now and again that offset the serious drama really well. Never cheesy or fake, in fact it was like a light cushion to soften the blows of the harsh world that Sam Peel lives in.

    This harsh world of West London gangs and crime was represented really well. I mean, I have zero knowledge of the world that the characters live in, but there were never any points that felt forced or fake. Every scene felt believable and was at times very brutal.

    I left feeling uplifted

    Despite the brutality of some of the film’s scenes and emotional turmoil that the characters went through, I left the cinema feeling uplifted. And speaking about emotional turmoil, Noel Clarke’s performance in particular was impressive. He plays as both vulnerable and as a bad ass during “Brotherhood”, and in both his performance is stand out.

    It’s probably worth mentioning that there were no bad performances here. All were great, I just don’t want this write up to be massive, as it would be if I was to give all praise to where praise was due.

    How this film got a ’15’ certificate I’ll never know. The C-bomb got dropped and I lost count of the amount of times I saw full-frontal nudity – men and women. I guess things have changed since I was a lad…

    … gosh did I just say that?

    Anyway, “Brotherhood” is an awesome film to be enjoyed as both a final chapter to the “hood” trilogy (Kidulthood, Adulthood, Brotherhood), or even as a film on its own. It’s been at least two or three years since I saw the previous two films and I still thoroughly enjoyed this one.

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  • 📂

    Atlas by FM-84

    FM-84 is one of the first artists I heard from out of the New Retro Wave genre of music. And his debut album, Atlas, is already a crowning achievement in his relatively new career.

    Every song has the perfect feel of 80’s Americana, or at least this Englishman’s idea of what that is. Of course my only real notions of 80’s America come from the films and music I grew up on.

    I write sun-soaked 80s inspired cinematic dreamwave and synth pop.FM-84’s Bio from SoundCloud

    FM-84’s Bio from SoundCloud

    Hearing Atlas by FM-84 is like hearing a soundtrack to the best 80’s film I’ve never seen.

    Consistently great feelings track to track

    The album opens with what I can only describe as being similar to those expensive keyboard drumbeats I remember experimenting with when I was at school – only a lot more professional sounding. The drum is clean, hefty and has a fever-inducing beat that makes me imagine what it might be like to drive parallel to the ocean in Los Angeles at sunset.

    Like the opening song “Everything”, half of the songs on this album are electronic instrumentals. Those that do feature vocals are some of the best soundtracks for my own personal montages when I’m driving around.

    Yes I have driven around listening to Atlas, whilst imagining I’m in a similar scene to Rocky Balboa’s flashback montage in Rocky IV.

    Pardon the swearing, but “Running In The Night” is one of the best fecking songs I’ve heard this year. It has everything I love in a song – passion in the vocals; awesome instrumentation and arrangement and the ability for me to pretend I’m in a film’s montage. It’s that good. Also the featured vocalist and co-writer on this song, “Ollie Wride“, has the best sounding voice for this style of music that I’ve heard.

    “Let’s Talk”, another of the albums vocal-led songs – this time provided by Josh Dally, is so powerfully performed. The singing is delivered with a passion you just have to experience. It feel’s like the end credits song to a John Hughes film.

    Each and every one of the songs on Atlas are simply great – they provide a good variety as well as being really well paced. Even the closing song, “Goodbye”, actually sounds like a closing song with it’s slower more reflective words and sound.

    As summer fades away
    Lost in a cloudless haze
    Just hold me and touch a wave
    There’s no more we need to say

    Yet I don’t want to say goodbye
    And I don’t want to see you cry

    Goodbye (feat. Clive Farrington) from Atlas by FM-84

    It’s obvious when listening to Atlas that FM-84 has a deep appreciation for the era he is harking back to. And it shows with every single second of this Album. There isn’t a single song that begs a skip past – instead every song demands multiple listens, each time louder than the last.

    Racing towards the sunset

    Atlas by FM-84 was a complete departure from what I had been listening to up till this point. I don’t even know how to explain how I got on without knowing about this whole musical genre, let alone Atlas.

    I also want to say a huge thank you to FM-84 for making this whole album available on SoundCloud. However you should also be buying it from one of the retailers listed on this page.

    I don’t think we realise just how lucky we are when someone like FM-84 comes along with such a passion for a musical / artistic era, and manages to create something completely fresh and reinvigorating with it. This is both one of my favourite albums of the 80s as well as today.

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  • 📂

    I enjoyed the new Ben Hur film

    It’s always a risky undertaking when trying to re-make a classic film such as Ben Hur. I don’t have many memories of the original, in fact I only watched the first two thirds of it. I guess I never got round to finishing it.

    The original Ben Hur was a full-on epic, clocking in at a little over three and a half hours. Because of this, and the sheer scale of the film for its time, it will always stand out as a classic. The new remake, however, didn’t really have the epic feeling of its original. It didn’t even feel like anything that special. What it was though, was an enjoyable two hour film that will hopefully make you more forgiving to your fellow man / woman.

    This remake has a lot of good messages to take away from it and I thought the acting was pretty good too. Just don’t be expected to be taken on a three and a half hour epic journey. I don’t think most of today’s audiences would have the patience for three and a half hours of film. In fact I’ve found that people can’t go ten minutes without checking their bloody phones.

    Idiots. Rant over.

    If you’ve not seen the 1959 classic I think you’ll enjoy it. If you have seen the original, and have a certain fondness for it, you may leave feeling slightly deflated. But as I always say, go and see for yourself.

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  • 📂

    Life On The Road with David Brent

    Last night I went with a friend of mine to see David Brent : Life on the Road. I think we both had mixed feelings about it initially – on one hand it’s great to see this character again, while on the other it chances hurting the mythology. I am happy to say that this film was everything I hoped it would be and more.

    An Underrated Actor

    I have always thought of Ricky Gervais as being an underrated actor. People always seem to say things like “The Office was good, but that David Brent does make me cringe”. It seems no-one remembers his performance when he was made redundant. Or better yet, Ricky’s monologue in the Big Brother house during the Christmas special of Extras. Both really powerful, and this film he seems to work that magic again.

    The film seemed to highlight the tragedy of David’s character instead of fitting in too many gags. It really did feel like a man’s last ditch effort to make it to what he thinks his perfect life should be. The jokes are often at David’s expense, and while often very funny, still managed to make me sympathetic towards him. This is what good comedy should be – exploring a wide range of emotions with the comedy cleverly weaved throughout.

    Music to back the story up

    Life on the Road is a story of David’s attempt at a music career and tour, and with it there are real songs performed. These aren’t crappy throwaway jokey songs either; they are genuinely well-written from the perspective of a slightly miss-informed Tampon rep. Some songs you will recognise from being mentioned / performed during The Office TV series. Others will be brand new to you, like ‘Lady Gypsy’ and ‘Aint No Trouble’.

    Another great thing to see as well, was how the world around David has drastically changed. I remember hearing Ricky Gervais talking about how it’s the cut-throat, dog eat dog world that David now finds himself in. With people who are influenced by “The Apprentice”, trying to get one over on the next person. David just doesn’t seem to quite fit in that world – and good for him.

    Hats off to the Doc

    I also have to mention Doc Brown’s return to the world of Brent as rapper Dom Johnson. Doc Brown is another one of those genuinely talented people who seem to be able to work in a few different art forms. He features on three of the songs of David Brent’s and performs an original song of his own (Dom’s own) during the film, and absolutely kills it.

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  • 📂

    Down In A Hole by Kiefer Sutherland

    I don’t normally keep an eye on country music album releases, but when I heard that Kiefer Sutherland had an upcoming album, I got excited to say the least.

    After getting over the fact that Jack Bauer was singing to me, and actually listened to the music itself, I found that I was really enjoying it on its own merits. The is a great, solid country album with a tonne of variety.

    Track by Track… Bauer

    I’m sorry, I really couldn’t help the bad pun there.

    “Down In A Hole” kicks off with the overdrive-guitar sound of “Can’t Stay Away”. It’s a solid introduction to the album with some lovely female backing vocals too.

    “Truth in your eyes” is the next song, and is just as solid as the previous. It deals with the theme of lost love, but approaches it with an upbeat tempo and delivery.

    The first single to be released off of this album, “Not Enough Whiskey”, is the fourth song. Aside from my huge man-crush on Kiefer Sutherland, this song was a big reason why I was excited for this album. It encapsulates most of what I thought a lot of country music dealt with – lament for a lost loved one.

    I really like the guitar work on the album too. “All She Wrote” is a thumping, guitar-chugger that takes its time to build itself up, being the album’s longest song at just under five minutes. I love turning this up to full. Another great example of guitar work is “Going Home”, which has a great solo towards the end. This solo really stuck out to me on the first listen.

    On one hand, as the album does have some absolute belters, it also has the beautiful “Calling Out Your Name”. It’s a light acoustic number with some light accompanying waa waa, and does well to showcase Kiefer’s abilities as a singer.

    Headphones on, Jack in

    Before I started branching my musical tastes out, I had two perceptions of what country music was. The first idea I had was a hillbilly style, the other was the stories of jilted lovers who had been driven to drink and depression. Recently, however, I have learnt to appreciate more of the nuances of country music, and “Down In A Hole” explores a variety of them.

    I highly recommend sticking some headphones on, cranking it up to eleven, and rocking out. I think my fellow commuters may want to kill me though… Damn it.

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  • 📂

    Suicide Squad was a lot of fun

    I keep seeing negative reviews of the Suicide Squad, but you know what? I had fun, dammit. Suicide Squad was a lot of fun – there, I said it.

    Don’t go into this film expecting much more than it is – an action-packed, romping, stomping arcade of cinema fun. Because that is what it is. I did however end up caring for most of the characters. I mean, the witch was pushing it a bit, her gyrating to a huge smoke of destruction of some machine or another was a slight downer, but I accepted it as the catalyst for a fun ride.

    In regards to the world of the Suicide Squad, I went into the film having no prior knowledge to most of the characters. I knew Harley Quinn’s background with the Joker but that was about it. So I didn’t have that comic book baggage that I’ve seen people complaining about – about how Harley Quinn and The Joker’s abusive relationship has been down-played.

    There’s a bit of ass going on

    If you’re going to be offended by a lady bending over in hot pants then don’t watch this film. I’m not going to pretend the film’s not flaunting Harley Quinn’s ass quite a bit, it is. However it was good to see her character coming across as more than just a wiggling bum. She had a vulnerability that she masked with the fact that she is just plain mental. Plus I’ve been a fan of Margot Robbie since she played the not-quite-as-mental Donna Friedman in Neighbours.

    Jared Leto was a surprise Joker for me. I actually really liked him as the Clown Prince of Darkness. His portrayal was fresh, as Heath Ledger’s was before him. Not only that but he gave a decent edge of darkness to the character. His darkness came out when dealing with the relationship between him and Harley Quinn. Their relationship is destructive and somehow beautiful at times.

    My favourite scene with them was probably The Joker holding Harley Quinn up in a vat of chemicals, during an origin scene, with paint twisting around them.

    Pacing and Climax

    I found myself interested all the way through the film. There was never a point at which I got bored. There were moments of annoyance as characters made stupid decisions, but I’m finding myself being less critical of a film’s short-comings nowadays. I try to enjoy the ride instead of moaning about one particular turn.

    As climaxes go this film’s was okay. I mean, I wasn’t particularly bothered about the possibility of the end of the world, or the main baddies themselves, but I was bothered about the main characters. I wanted Deadshot to get home to his daughter; for Diablo to find his peace; and of course for Harley Quinn to find her Puddin’.

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  • 📂

    Star Trek Beyond was pretty good

    Today me and my good lady went to see the new Star Trek film, Star Trek: Beyond. I had no expectations for it – I was neither excited or anticipating it to be bad; I just went and watched a film at the cinema. And as it turned out I enjoyed it.

    This film felt like it was intentionally going for a low-key feel. By that I don’t mean it was boring or poorly made – it just felt like they weren’t trying to make a huge blockbuster; just an enjoyable night out at the cinema. And that, it was.

    I especially loved the little twist at the start with Kirk delivering an item to a vicious-looking alien race. I wont spoil it for you but it did make me chuckle.

    So yer, the new Star Trek – pretty good. Take your loved ones for some unapologetic space-roaming fun.

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  • 📂

    Mustang E.P. by Hannah Grace

    This E.p. just exploded into my ears in a way that reminded me of later-era White Stripes. The opening song is hugely-energetic that doesn’t let up for a second. It’s labelled as “pop” on my music subscription but I don’t think that does this E.P. justice. It’s got a chugging, powerful groove that would strangle the life from most modern “pop”.

    “Keep your love”, the E.P’s second song starts calmer than it’s predecessor, but soon builds into a big chorus and fuzz-like-effect riffs. I am loving this E.P. already and am already thinking four songs isn’t enough for my newly-acquired thirst for this music.

    The third song, “Blue with you”, really slows thing down into a comfortable groove that gives more room for Hannah’s voice to come through the song, and a cracking voice it is too. She weaves this blues-style song with an ease of command. This is another one too that builds up to a belter of a climax and she really does give it some whelly with her voice before bringing it back down to the ground before the final song, “Hey You”.

    “Hey You” is a lovely, stripped back acoustic number that shows Hannah Grace is great-sounding with or without her huge arrangements backing her up. As much as she opened the E.P. with force, she closes it with a calm, soothing nature.

    Hannah Grace is an artist I’m going to be keeping an eye on over the coming years.

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  • 📂

    The Bride by Bat For Lashes

    On June the 25th, 2008 I went with some friends of mine to watch Radiohead play in Victoria Park in London. The were touring in support of their album “In Rainbows”, and in support of them was a then little-known artist called Bat for Lashes.

    It is a huge regret of mine now that I didn’t pay more attention to her during her set. At the time I think she was still yet to release her first full-length album so in retrospect this seems to have been a really special show.

    Since that day I have re-discovered her through her first two albums, “Fur and Gold” and “Two Suns”, and then her following album “The Haunted Man”. But it is her latest offering, the recently released “The Bride”, that I am now writing about.

    Dark Hymns

    The songs on this gorgeous album feel like dark hymns – dark and beautiful. They mesmerized me from the get go and I don’t think they’ll be letting go any time soon.

    When singing, her voice reminds me of the late Sandy Denny; while in the spoken poem “Widow’s Peak”, she sparks memories of one of Nico’s first albums. These attributes of her’s plant her firmly in a position that is highly unique in today’s popular music scene.

    More than a concept album

    Indeed this is a concept album. Taken from wikipedia:

    According to The Bride’s press release, the work is a concept album that follows the story of a woman, whose fiancé dies in a car crash on the way to their wedding. The album follows her as she decides to go on the honeymoon alone and her emotions as she deals with the tragedy.[5] Khan commented “the trauma and the grief from the death of Joe, the groom, … [is] … more of a metaphor and it allows me to explore the concept of love in general, which requires a death of sorts.”

    Wikipedia

    But not only is it a concept album, but the concept as a whole has been taken beyond the recorded medium. During initial tour dates in promotion of the album she performed within churches and asked her audience to come dressed in formal wear. This idea of taking a musical idea beyond simply the album has always interested me, since first hearing and seeing “The Wall” by “Pink Floyd”.

    Song by Song

    The album opens with the optimistic “I do”, which is where we meet our heroine, “The bride”. “I do” conjures up imagery of a bride singing to herself with an accompanying harp – the main instrument in the song. However we do get a subtle low string in there which gives that sense of foreboding of the tragedy that is pending.

    The next chapter in the tale is “Joe’s Dream”, which starts us down the dark sound of the album with a sinister 3-note guitar riff and a distant thundering marching-like drum sound. These songs are soundscapes that you can close your eyes and escape into.

    “In god’s house” just keeps upping the stunning arrangements that this album seems to keep presenting. Bat for Lashes always seems to create such unique soundscapes with her music and hearing this third song on the album reassured me that she still has the touch.

    In God’s house I do wait
    For my love on our wedding day
    Dewy eyes and lashes long for my love
    But I’m feeling something’s wrong

    What’s this I see?
    My baby’s hand on the wheel
    What’s this I see?
    Fire
    Fire

    “In God’s House” from the album “The Bride”

    The albums fifth song, “Sunday Love”, takes a slight left turn stylistically. I mentioned earlier about the Radiohead concert I first saw her supporting – well this song’s opening reminded me of something you might hear from Radiohead in their “Amnesiac” / “Kid A” days. Although by this point I am in love with this album’s tone and mythology, this change in pace and sound was a refreshing minor detour.

    The faster pacing of “Sunday Love” brings us perfectly into “Never Forgive The Angels” and “Close Encounters” and their slower paces. The latter of the two has a great display of Natasha Khan’s ability to bring an uplifting feeling out of the Bride’s mourning.

    Two thirds into the album and we come to the spoken word “Widow’s Peak” as mentioned earlier. This choice of having a spoken word section was something I also loved on Lana Del Rey’s album Honeymoon too. This song has one of my favourite pieces of imagery in the album too, the last line of the following:

    There’s a demon loose, a demon loose
    I can’t get home, I can’t get home
    For the road is a snake of mist
    And the shadow of a rebel’s fist
    His jacket on my back, his bones on the shore
    But the secret of dreams is to dream up a door
    A portrait of him, a picture of her
    A keyhole in a Douglas fir

    “Widow’s Peak” from the album “The Bride”

    By the time we get to the closing three songs of the album, our heroine is becoming optimistic about the future with the song “I Will Love Again” and the uplifting feel of the penultimate song “In Your Bed”.

    The Perfect Marriage

    Through writing about this album it has forced me to look deeper into it; into its songs and their words. I am so glad I did choose this album to write about next. “The Bride” is a grand accomplishment and does so much in its 13 songs. At a little under an hour long, this album is the perfect story to listen to when you want to experience more from music than simply the music you hear. If you want to be taken on a story across one woman’s emotional journey from dark beginnings to her destination of acceptance and optimism for the future, then this album is for you.

    “The Bride” is the perfect marriage of storytelling, emotion and great song writing.

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