Coming up on Superunknown...

I just thought I'd leave a quick message about what's coming up soon on the blog, to keep you all updated on what's going to be posted and when...

• The next 'Alive in the Superunknown' entry will be posted in the next few days. This week I'm reviewing '45' by The Gaslight Anthem. I know, I know, it was supposed to have been posted days ago. My excuse? I've been here for the past few days...

The image is from Blackpool's official tourism site, www.visitblackpool.com/attractions/blackpool-beach-p275980. The copyright for this image is thus owned by visitblackpool.com, and not by me. If the copyright holder wishes me to remove their photograph from the blog I would be happy to do so, at their request.

• Also this week, I'll be posting an article I promised ages ago, on the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal: What it was, what effect it had on music and why it's still relevant today.
• Quite a while ago I said that I'd be posting a new album review on the blog. That review - on the 'Electronic Earth' album by Labrinth - will be posted at some point in the next few weeks.
• Next month (August) I'll also be writing another 'You Know You're Only In It 'Cause It's Hot Right Now' post, centred around the tracks that are 'Hot Right Now' in my world.

So, as you can see, I have a lot to keep me occupied over the summer, when I'm not chipping away at the mountain of reading and homework given to me by college!

Make sure that you stay tuned to the blog for all of the above content and more,

PsyD

Lower Than Atlantis + Mallory Knox - Thursday 19th July 2012 at The Underground, Stoke - Part 2

Here's Part 2 of the Lower Than Atlantis/Mallory Knox gig review! Part 1 is here, for anyone who hasn't read it yet. Part 2 was written by my friend and fellow music journalist Lauren Ashton. You can follow her on Twitter by clicking here.

PART 2



With their third album ‘Changing Tune’ about to land in stores in September, and with many appearances in music magazines such as Kerrang!, one of Britain’s most underrated yet outstanding rock bands Lower Than Atlantis graced Stoke-on-Trent with a one off gig well worth remembering.

For those of you out there reading this and wondering who Lower Than Atlantis are, well what music have you actually been listening to? But anyway, in a nutshell, Lower than Atlantis were formed in 2007 and have released 2 albums, Far Q and World Record. They are known for their raw punk rock sounds, taking influences from bands such as Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World which is ever apparent in their music. They have also realised 7 singles including Deadliest Catch and If The World Was To End, gaining valuable radio time and finally, they have also played many festivals including Download Festival, Slam Dunk Festival and also featuring on the bill of the infamous Reading/Leeds festival. So yes if you have never heard of LTA, where have you been for the past 5 years!?

Anyway, back to the gig; the support act Mallory Knox set the stage and atmosphere perfectly for Lower Than Atlantis, they got the crowd ready to scream, sing, dance and crowd surf.  As calmly as a band could, the headliners walked out to a packed house at The Underground and bounced straight into (Motor) Way Of Life which caused the crowd to go wild and to let themselves go for the hour they were on stage. Lower Than Atlantis didn’t let anything phase them, including the numerous crowd surfers and stage divers - nothing diverted Mike, Ben, Eddy and Dec’s attention from putting 110% into their performance from the participation between the crowd and the band. During Beech Like A Tree they did the whole ‘Sit down and jump as high as you can’ moment, and the amazingly touching sing-a-long during Another Sad Song encapsulated the fans love for the band as each song lyric was belted out in perfect harmony with Mike’s raw and powerful singing.  Also, the impromptu Foo Fighters Medley during Bug which went down a storm with the 350 fans in the venue!



The setlist, complete with an authentic gig footprint!



The 19^th July also saw the Stoke crowd hear Lower Than Atlantis’ new single Love Someone Else being played live for the second time (The first was at Download Festival which I can assure was an amazing moment!). A few members of the crowd, including myself, sung along to the new song only days after its first airplay on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show. It was an instant hit, proving that the Lower Than Atlantis boys are still creating and providing the rock music scene with music well worth listening too. And last but not least, they closed their set with a hit, an instant crowd pleaser and an epic sing and dance along song - Deadliest Catch – which concluded an hour of pure madness from the crowd and the band, which was apparent from the amount lead singer and guitarist Mike Duce was sweating (Yes it was a lot!). The energy was still at the same high level from the first drum beat to the last melodic chord. The Lower Than Atlantis boys made sure the 19^th of July was a night to remember for many fans, and provided the coincidental ear ringing afterwards which is always a sign of an amazing gig.

Even though Lower Than Atlantis are a relatively established band with 2 albums out, many a festival slot and several headlining gigs performed, they are still heavily underrated in the music industry, and British rock bands need all the support they can get right? So if you do one thing today, listen to a bit of Lower Than Atlantis, maybe pre-order their new album or get yourself down a show because you will not be disappointed, and in turn you’ll be supporting the British rock music industry which is always a bonus!

Lower Than Atlantis’ 3^rd Album ‘Changing Tune’ Is released on 17^th September. You can catch the guys on tour from the 1^st October.

Check out the band online:

http://lowerthanatlantis.com/

http://lowerthanatlantis.tumblr.com/

http://www.facebook.com/lowerthanatlantis

http://www.myspace.com/lowerthanatlantis

Alive in the Superunknown #5 - Shiver by Coldplay

(Images: Coldplay's image and style then and now - A screenshot from Coldplay's 2005 'Shiver' music video, and a screenshot from the 2011 music video for 'Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall', also by Coldplay. © EMI Records Ltd.)

Coldplay is a band that's been around... well, it seems like forever! Like most long-established bands, Coldplay's whole sound has changed considerably throughout their career. Over the past 12 years, the band has attracted new fans and thrilled long-time fans with each single and album release, and in the midst of all of this great, successful music, it's easy to forget the album that started off their rollercoaster career: 'Parachutes'. That is why this week's 'Alive in the Superunknown' will be all about 'Shiver' - a song that never did particularly well in the charts, and is often forgotten today under hits like 'Yellow' and 'Fix You', yet is musically brilliant and deserving of a lot more recognition than it has always been credited with.

The song displays a musical crossover between folk and indie rock music, with the strong pulse and momentum of the former, but the heavy guitar and bass presence of the latter. In addition to this, it has a Radiohead-esque chilled out feel, which presides over a lot of Coldplay's early material. Over this hybrid soundtrack, Chris Martin's consistently high vocal standard is expressed to its full potential. He dips in and out of falsetto with ease, and his natural voice is full of the calming and soothing tones that help to characterise Coldplay's individual sound. In terms of the instruments used - a simple vocal, guitars, bass and drums format - and the relatively low level of technicality in each respective instrument's part, the track isn't particularly complex musically. However, this simplicity and minimalism is just what makes the single, and its parent album, so accessible and so interesting.

Also, just as The Police's 'Every Breath You Take' captured the imagination of a generation despite its rather sinister lyrics, 'Shiver' transcends the grey area between romantic love and obsession. The lyrics seem somewhat stalker-ish at the song's outset - "From the moment I wake, to the moment I sleep, I'll be there by your side, just you try and stop me". However, the soft melodies and chords, the use of counterpoint between the bass, guitars and vocals and contrasting dynamics all work together to lead the listener on a journey of understanding. By the end of the track, after Coldplay have worked their magic with their soulful and placid music, it's easy to sympathise with the song's poor protagonist, suffering from the effects of unrequited love.

So, to sum up, 'Shiver' isn't just a piece of music - it's a work of art. Lyrically, it is thought-provoking and interesting, and musically it's one of a kind. It's definitely a far cry from the material that Coldplay are producing at the moment, but that doesn't make it out-dated or unimportant. That just makes it classic.

And because the song's so awesome, here's the music video embedded, so that you don't have to go anywhere to have a listen! That means you have no excuse not to press play...

PsyD

Next week's 'Alive in the Superunknown' featured track will be...

'45' by The Gaslight Anthem

And remember to stay tuned for Part 2 of the Lower Than Atlantis/Mallory Knox gig review!