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Thought I'd add a new segment for the blog. This segment simply discusses various rock artists and their seclusion from the music industry. Hence the title - 'Where'd They Go?!'. The idea for this segment came to me while I was thinking of the New Zealand born indie musician, Ladyhawke. I was introduced to her quirky, odd style of music when I first began listening to rock music. Made famous by her hit song, 'My Delirium.' and other acclaimed songs such as 'Paris Is Burning', 'Dusk 'Till Dawn' and 'Magic', this Kiwi girl is just getting started.

Ladyhawke's been away from the music scene from quite some time. Ever since she released her debut 2008 album, she's been out of the limelight for a while. It got me to wondering where she went to, and don't you worry music fans, Ladyhawke's planning on making her comeback this year! That's right, Ladyhawke's is planning on releasing her follow-up album on the 19th of March, and us fans can't wait!

If you've been living in a cave all of your life and don't know who Ladyhawke is, you should start by listening to her self-titled, 2008 debut album. Every song on the album is a new burst of synthesiser quirkiness. Check out the video for 'My Delirium' below. A real female equivalent to MGMT, I would say.

★★★★

'Given To The Wild' is the new 2012 release from British indie rock band, The Maccabees. This is the
third studio album release from the London based band. The whole sound of the album was quite a transcendental, eerie sound. The band's first single from the album, 'Pelican' is fast paced, repetitive and just too damn catchy! I personally like the meaning of the song. How I interpreted it as was that we grow older, holding more and more responsibilities on our shoulders until we die. What's your interpretation? Have a go in the comments below!

The album starts off with a two minute instrumental, then immediately carries on into the second song, Child. This song is one of those songs that starts off beautifully harmonious, and continues doing so until it reaches the last minute or so, where it becomes more louder and builds into a crescendo-style instrumental. There's quite a few songs in the album that use this same technique which becomes a sort of motif of the album. The album itself is a much more refined version of the band. If you have a listen to their older stuff on their album 'Wall of Arms', you'll find that it's quite a mish-mash of different ideas and I find they don't work as well as 'Given To The Wild. With better piano melodies on songs such as 'Ayla' and much more experimental, emotional lyrics, it makes for a much more pristine album.

However, there are a few things that didn't really stand out for me. For example, the title of the album is Given To the Wild, and as the album artwork suggests (a picture of a bushfire in a deserted area), you would think the sound would be more similar to the sound of their first album Colour It In, a more 'wild' sound, yet it is more peaceful and toned down. How can you be given to the wild if the sound is completely the opposite?

If you know me well, you'll know that I hate when you can't hear the lyrics of a song properly. With such a good sound, the fact that vocalist Orlando Weeks doesn't make an effort in actually enunciating his words and making sure that they're clear to the listener ruins the experience for me. It's only when I actually research the lyrics that I understand what he is saying fully and therefore enjoy the song a whole lot more. I just don't understand why there is such a style in indie music of having distorted vocals and not singing like a normal person.

Another point is that a lot of the songs have a habit of sounding similar to one another. I know this is bad of me, but it usually takes me a while before I become completely used to an album, and can be trusted to remember the song fully when I haven't listened to it recently. With this album, it took me about 10 listens before I remembered most the album off by heart, which tells you something really. I found that songs like Glimmer and Heave (to name a few), were too similar to one another, and I just hoped that they would have more experimental songs on the album, with it being called Given To the Wild.

So, for the following reasons, I am awarding The Maccabees' Given To the Wild a 4/5 stars! A very good effort, but for me, still needed a but more something. There's potential for more chart-toppers, but there are no actual hits there.

Music Bloggery Recommends: Pelican, Child, Feel To Follow, Glimmer, Go, Slowly One, Grew Up At Midnight

The penultimate day and yet another amazing great Blink-182 song. This song, 'Down' is released from the band's self titled 2003 album, which some people regard their best album (including me). I find the song quite similar to 'Feeling This'. Nevertheless, it is still a great song.

The repetitive singing of the word 'down' as the hook works really well, and doesn't fail to get into the listener's head straight away. According to guitarist Tom DeLonge, the song came from a picture he had in his head about a girl and a boy in a car with it raining outside (hence the repetition of the word 'down' in the chorus). The song is on the same album as 'I Miss You', but I find that it's still a great song and it's too underrated. It did feature on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, but quickly fell off, therefore the song received mixed success. The song begins with a great punk rock riff that is consistent throughout the song.

The video features the actor Terry Crews who you may recognise as playing the father in the TV sitcom 'Everybody Hates Chris' as a policeman entering a backyard party (in which the band are attending), in search of a gang member, resulting in a chase. It's another one for the books, so make sure you give it a watch!

So we've had two of Blink-182's biggest hits, and now it's time to feature an equally good, but less known single. It's taken from the album 'Take Off Your Pants and Shirt' and it's a great rock classic. The video itself is really well done. Although the concept's been done before, it hasn't been done quite like this. It's your typical punk rock skater music video with a twist. Blink-182 get some cash from the record company, and the video is following them around showing us what they do with it.

The chorus, yet again, is catchy and the lyrics are simple yet effective, which is quite synonymous of the band. The fast paced, upbeat tempo will leave you jumping for more (even if you are jumping in your imagination).If you hadn't been on the ball, the song is 'The Rock Show'! Yet another great Blink song that's well worth listening to!

★★★★★

Fool's Gold are a fairly new Los Angeles based indie band emerging to the music scene in 2009, with the release of their debut album 'Fool's Gold'. Then earlier this year saw the release of 'Leave No Trace', one of their stellar achievements to date. Although I have not had a chance to listen to their previous album and therefore cannot compare the two, I believe this album is an amazing array of different musical sounds.

What Fool's Gold are best at doing is creating a great fusion of Western 80's pop styles and African melodies and rhythms. I was lucky enough to see them back in November when they were warming up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and they were brilliant! Their interaction with the audience and clap-forcing beats made every aspect of the concert phenomenal. Also, it surprised me how humble and modest they are, because they acknowledged my constant screaming by waving at me!

When you first listen to this album, you'll be blown away by the amazing variation of their music. From memorable guitar riffs in songs like 'Leave No Trace', to sharp harmonies in songs like 'Street Clothes', it all works so well. The mesmerising riffs of Lewis Pesacov (guitarist) and intoxicating vocals of Luke Top are a force not to be reckoned with. The swerving range of vocals and guitar melodies float away with the listener and as cliche as it sounds, makes you feel at one with the music. Each song is a new melody and rhythm and doesn't sound like it's predecessor.

One of the songs, 'Tel Aviv', is spoken in Hebrew and constantly alternates to English. Personally, I love the fact that Top chose to do this, it just shows how proud he is about his roots and is not afraid to hide it! It offers something new and interesting to the listener and this almost epitomises the meaning of Fool's Gold. The theme of this album is quite an upbeat, lively one. All the songs make you want to get up and dance without even trying. I personally like how there is one exception to the theme. The song 'Lantern' is a peaceful, arms-in-the-air, ballad type song, without going over the top. I think it's a really beautiful song that shows another side of this mysterious band.

From an indie band, you would expect the lyrics to be somewhat inconsistent and of a simple style. However, Fool's Gold create a feeling of meaning that other bands lack. My personal favourite lyric is from the song 'Wild Window', that says: 'No, you have not ruined me yet, despite all your best efforts.' It's a complete 'you won't knock me down' song.

Therefore, for the reasons given, this is why I'm giving Leave No Trace 5/5 stars. This is only their second album, and you can tell that they have got so much more to give, and I can't wait! I'm definitely not psychic, but I can tell that this band are going to achieve fame pretty soon.

Leave a comment to share your views or if you disagree on anything I've said.

Music Bloggery Recommends: Wild Window, Leave No Trace, Narrow Sun, Tel Aviv, Mammal and Balmy

★★★★

Portamento is The Drums' first studio album after the release of self-titled debut album 'The Drums' (2010). No doubt that Portamento is completely different to that of their first release. The album begins with the catchy song, 'Book of Revelations' and the rhythmic bass and the background harmonies are toe-tappingly addictive. As you delve deeper within the album, the theme seems to be one of self-loathing and cynicism. Other critics seem to despise the fact that The Drums have such a downbeat theme when they were expecting 60's style peace and love in this album. Personally, I think these critics are completely wrong. Some artists find contentment in morbidity and they find inspiration in it, so what's wrong in doing so?

The album itself is filled with a lot more memorable hooks and choruses, especially 'Money', one of the first singles released from the album. And what a good decision it was! Although the rest of the album becomes dreary and repetitive, 'Money' stands out from the crowd. It's great guitar and bass melody re-enforce the Morrissey-like vocals of frontman Jonathan Pierce. Another great breakthrough song from the album is 'I Need a Doctor'. The great uplifting, bouncy melody and lyrics give a great sense of a decent into madness and simply re-enforces once again the meaning of the whole song.

However, The Drums' major downfall on this album was the lack of meaning in lyrics. Lyrics such as 'You hit me yesterday, and you made me cry', lack poetic structure and underlying meaning that all the great songs have. Yes, this is part of the attraction to the band, but if they want to gain a wider audience, better lyrics are the way to go. Come to think of it, most of the songs on this album are filled with extended oohs and aahs as opposed to actual lyrics.

Overall, this album is a very good album, but when listening to it, I feel as if there is a void that can only be filled with the joyous merriment of the band's previous album. This, and various other reasons provided, is why I have awarded it 4/5 stars. If you are new to the world of The Drums, I would highly recommend listening to their first album,The Drums, and then move on to Portamento once you have become used to their style

Music Bloggery Recommends: The songs I recommend from the album are 'Days', 'Money', 'Hard To Love', 'I Need a Doctor' and 'How It Ended'.

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Where'd They Go?! [Version One.]

The Maccabees - Given To the Wild - Album Review!

7 Days of Blink-182! [Day Six - Saturday!]

7 Days of Blink-182! [Day Four - Thursday!]

Fool's Gold - LEAVE NO TRACE - Album Review! {☼}

The Drums - PORTAMENTO - Album Review! {⋆}

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