THE DRUMS ARE BACK! That's right, you're reading this correctly! After a three year absence in which guitarist Adam Kessler and drummer Connor Hanwick decided they wanted out, the original line-up are back (Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham) with their new single Magic Mountain. Excuse my French, but this song kicks ass!
The song delves away from their sedated sound as it is much heavier on the guitar. Could this be the start of a more punk-rock angle from The Drums? Frontman Jonny Pierce stated that Magic Mountain 'is a sparkling reflection of our last three years. It's
about shedding off what binds you and protecting what's good, finding a
safe place away from everyone and everything that wants to destroy you' and it feels like it with this track. I like that the band aren't sticking to the same rigid style; they enjoy experimenting and venturing to new territories, which is what all great bands do. The single is a unique marriage of the guttural guitar alongside Jonny's unique vocals and Music Bloggery wants to see more of this! What do you think? Yay or nay? Check out the song below.
Orange Juice was a Scottish post-punk, new wave band, first formed in Glasgow, Scotland. Rip It Up is the second studio album by the band, and it was first released in November 1982. This album features the self-titled song Rip It Up, which was the first and only song to feature in the UK Top 40 (It featured at no. 8).
When you first listen to the album, you'll be confused yet intrigued as I was, simply because of the collaboration of odd, slightly dark vocals with upbeat synthesisers and extended saxophone solos. The modulated vocals of frontman Edwyn Collins work really well with the fast-paced guitar and rhythmic drums. Part of the reason I believe this album works really well, is because of the mash-up of upbeat, constantly changing melodies and almost unrealistic vocals with the poetry of the lyrics. The sound of the band is quite a nonsensical one, however, if you take a look at the lyrics, they are quite poetical in their own way. 'When I first saw you, Something stirred within me, You were standing sultry in the rain'. Yes, it's no Shelley or Poe, but they are beautifully simple in their own way.
The album is a giant boiling pot of completely different songs, yet they all go together perfectly. For example, songs such as Breakfast Time, (a perfect nostalgia song by-the-by) is incredibly slow paced, and literally on the next track, it's the polar opposite and the pace is much faster on I Can't Help Myself and Flesh of My Flesh.
'Rip It Up', is not a quintessentially indie album, so I came to discover. When listening to it fully, it reminded me of the African sounds of the modern American band, Fool's Gold. It seems to me there is some sort of African language being spoken on A Million Pleading Faces and Hokoyo (correct me if I'm wrong), which made the tracks much more interesting and I think it's great how the band are so in tune with other cultures.
In terms of themes, the album is very consistent. The title, derived from the self-titled first track on the album summarises the whole album and what it is inevitably all about, and the title for the track is taken from the lyric in the song 'Rip it up and start again'. Rip what up exactly, I don't know. It could be ripping up the time vortex to start again, or ripping up anything, really. It's all open for interpretation. (So make sure you share your interpretation in the comments section!). But initially, the album is about love and the loss of it. To be honest, I'm quite bored of the topic of love. I understand why people choose to write about it, because it is raw, human emotion, and because of various experiences, but to be honest, I'm tired of artists singing about love. It's a matter of opinion, but I'd like to see more artists talk about death and a completely opposite theme. It's very rare that music artists choose to do so, which is why it would be interesting to see.
However, I did get the feeling that the band were trying too hard to come across odd and quirky when they're not at all. Collins' vocals seemed too staged and slightly melodramatic to me. For example, on the track Turn Away, Collins' vocals sound completely different to his vocals on songs like Breakfast Time, and to be honest, I much prefer his vocals on Turn Away as they sound more natural.
So, for the reasons given, I am awarding 'Rip It Up, a 4/5 stars! Don't get me wrong, Although I did enjoy the album, there were a few negative things that stood out in my mind. The great thing about this album and the band in itself is that there's no one genre that you can define them as. The frequent use of synthesisers on Hokoyo would make you think 'electronica', yet the extended saxophone solos on songs like I Can't Help Myself make you think 'jazz'.
Share your views in the comment box below!
Music Bloggery Recommends: Rip It Up, A Million Pleading Faces, Turn Away, I Can't Help Myself and Hokoyo
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'.
THE DRUMS ARE BACK! That's right, you're reading this correctly! After a three year absence in which guitarist Adam Kessler and drummer Connor Hanwick decided they wanted out, the original line-up are back (Jonny Pierce and Jacob Graham) with their new single Magic Mountain. Excuse my French, but this song kicks ass!
