Errors Review Published on Sonic South

Their MySpace reads "Four guys without any spark of talent", a very ironic title for four very talented musicians.

A smoke filled stage partly cleared to reveal the band circled around their instruments. The front man, so to speak, stood at the front of the group manning two keyboards in his geeky attire and addressds the crowd to thank them for coming down – pretty much the only time the band were heard speaking.

After kicking off with their song 'A Bridge or Cloud', which had an interesting introduction that included the guitarist 'humming' down his microphone, the crowd immediately livened up and the sheer talent of the 'Errors' became apparent. There was no need for lyrics and vocals with these guys as their unique electro sound juxtaposed with exciting edgy guitar riffs blasted into the crowd causing movement throughout.

Foals came to mind when listening to this band with its exceptionally wacky guitar sounds reminiscent of songs like 'Balloons'. The song 'A Rumour in Africa', from the new album was probably the stand out song and it brought most of the crowd to go from their lazy and casual head nodding and foot tapping to get lose and dance about in exaggerated movements. From young to old, front to back, wherever you looked people were moving about.

As a final treat for the crowd they played 'Salut France', a song which definitely holds more of an electro influence from the band. Similar to the work of Holy Fuck with its heavier synth sounds dragging out underneath the bouncy and snappy keyboard. They drew out the ending, ripping out the synth for as long possible and casually left the stage with the crowd wanting more.


Rating: 5/5



Review by Craig Thomas


To see the published on line article click here : http://www.southsonic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=185&Itemid=68

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Combine James Mercer from The Shins and Dangermouse what do you get? The answer is Broken Bells.

The album starts with “The High Road” where there is a feeling of The Shins with it’s laid back and chilled rhythm. Obviously with James Mercer singing it will still sound like The Shins but this song sounds like it could have been from anyone of his previous albums. It has a splendid feel to it, something for a lazy summer afternoon. Dangermouse’s influence can be heard with the electronic sounds popping up in the background and the whole thing works beautifully.

The same could be said with “Vaporize” where once again this song sounds as if it could be from one of The Shins albums. Another song that just works again though as the instruments mix together to create another joyful song

The real stand out song from this album is “The Ghost inside” where there is a much more upbeat feel and a Michael Jackson –esc high pitch voice. This song wouldn’t go a miss at a party to bring people together in a swaying dance. There is definitely more input to this song from Dangermouse but when combined with James’ voice it works well and creates a catchy song.

Fans of The Shins should be very happy with this album as they still have James’ voice to listen to and it would seem that he gets a lot of say into each song. However they may need a bit of time to adjust to the “newer” electric sounds. Especially with “Mongreal Heart”, the music from this song sounds like something you would here in an 80’s film soundtrack – a good one at that!

Overall this is another great album from James Mercer with help from Dangermouse it creates a new but well worked sound.

I am a big fan of The Shins and this album does enough to keep me interested especially as James does the vocals. Some songs do have a new edge to them but for me it all works and is an album I have found myself “biggin’ up” to my friends.

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

People could be excused for thinking Local Natives may be “just another folk band” but they be sadly mistaken in this instance as Local Natives offer something different. Gorilla Manor is the debut album for this five piece band from L.A who have been tipped for great things this year as the apparent Folk movement continues.

After listening to this album it is easy to see why people have been tipping them for success. “Airplanes” the second track on the album shows a darker side to the band. Lyrics such as “I did not know you as well as my father” and “I want you back” seem to suggest this is a sad song sung about the loss of a loved one. A song which I’m sure lots of people including myself can relate to. The contrast to this darker song can be heard in the next track on the album “Sun Hands” which has a much livelier feel to it with its quirky guitar lines and constant rhythm from the drum beat. This same use of instruments can be found in further songs on the album and there appears to be a continual use of this rhythm.

A lot of people have been comparing Local Natives to Fleet Foxes and it’s plain to see why when you hear the vocals. In songs like “Shape Shifter” there is without doubt a Fleet Fox feel. However if you were to ask me I would say that this band offers a lot more than Fleet Foxes. They also have songs which would be able to get a crowd going and with “Warning Signs” that is definitely the case.

Local Natives are another great folk band to come from the US and I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more of these guys. I am a huge fan of this album and have been listening to it non-stop since I purchased it. Each song has its own individual impact on me for different reasons. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to see them appear at several festivals this summer.

Frightend Rabbit - Nothin Like You (Video)

From Frightened Rabbits new album which I am still waiting for!!!

I like this video :)

Album review

Jose Vanders – Literature Lovers



So I recently purchased an album called Literature Lovers by Jose Vanders, a young, up and coming singer songwriter with a voice which reminds me of Emmy the Great.

Literature Lovers is a beautiful album and the real stand out from it immediately is Jose’s voice. She posses’ an outstanding voice which she uses to express her lyrics and every song is sung with meaning. As well as having a great voice Jose plays the piano and creates a melancholic sound in songs such as “man on fire” which is one of my personal favourites from the album. The piano is also used to a lively manner in songs like “summer” and this creates a song that sticks in your head.

With the album “Literature Lovers” not only are you rewarded with beautiful songs, you also get the lovely album artwork. Each page holds photos from the past and present as well as lyrics to songs – in some cases hand written, this to me makes the album feel that much more personal.

8/10

Some Gigs I have recently been to see.

Hey,

So on my last post I promised I would review Jamie T and other gigs that I was attending. I also said I would have an interview with Cosmo Jarvis but unfortunately that had to be cancelled.

However, I did very recently get a chance to interview Lauren Pritchard who is a new signing to Island Records and that will be played on my radio show which you can catch this Tuesday at 6pm go to www.radiosonar.co.uk.

Heres my reviews hope you enjoy.

Jamie T – Southampton Guildhall

What do you expect when you see Jamie T? It was lively, passionate and crazy! Bottles were constantly thrown to the stage I found myself in a very vulnerable position as I got hit by numerous bottles. The crowd were encouraged to throw more bottles during chaka demus and we saw a surge of bottles flying through the air towards the stage.

I was very impressed by the performance of songs of the first album with songs such as “Salvador” and “Operation” being performed at a much faster pace – something which Jamie said he liked to do to get the crowd moving. It certainly worked and maybe even too much as at the end there was a large fight between about 30 people. Nothing to serious just some over excited fans I guess!







Twin Atlantic – Southampton Joiners

Oh how I love a Scottish accent! These guys didn’t fail to impress. This was an exceptional gig with an extremely powerful performance from all. Twin Atlantic powered through some album tracks and the usual 14 year old mosh pits began. Songs like “Lightspeed” proving to be very popular amongst the crowd and it was plain to see that Twin Atlantic have a good following of fans down in Southampton as the crowd sang along word by word.

Sam announced that it was time for some new songs and im sure no-one really knew what to expect as a cello was brought on to stage. The guitarist carried on head banging whilst playing the cello and the impressive performance continued. By the end the crowd wanted more but there were no more songs left to play.

An exceptional performance from a band that I’m sure will be playing bigger and better things in years to come.






Errors – Southampton Joiners

There MySpace reads “4 guys without any spark of talent” however this is very far from the truth. They are 4 very talented Scots!

They kick off and the music reminds me of when I saw “Holy Fuck” supporting Foals in Bristol. No need for lyrics with this sound. Parts of the crowd started to dance straight away to the quirky guitar and electro keyboard sounds. From the new album “A Rumour in Africa” brought most of the crowd from head nodding and foot tapping to get lose and dance.

By the end of this gig the whole crowd were dancing around as the music grew on us all!

Definitely a band worth checking out and going to see if they are playing anywhere near you. I for one will definitely be returning to see them play again.


Cheers

Craig