Alive in the Superunknown #8 - Godless by Blue Origin

Stoke-on-Trent metallers Blue Origin have been rocking for over half a decade, and that experience really shows in their single 'Godless' from their brand new, independent and soon-to-be-released album 'Somnium'. The song is a 3 minute and 46 second rollercoaster ride showcasing the band's unique blend of "rock, blues and every good album from the past 80 years"*, and a must-listen for anyone who likes heavy rock music, with a bluesy edge.

'Godless' begins with a haunting, lone guitar melody, before the thick, distorted guitar and bass tones, double-bass-pedalled drums and bluesy vocals kick in. The band's approach to metal seems to hark back to rock bands of the '70s, '80s and '90s, in a refreshingly good way, delivering typical heavy metal power chords, melodic vocals and a strong drumbeat. That doesn't mean that Blue Origin aren't innovative musicians - it just means that their take on heavy rock is more in line with AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Soundgarden rather than Cannibal Corpse and Lamb of God. Which, in my opinion at least, definitely isn't a bad thing.

The song isn't just musically great - it's also lyrically interesting. In a world where songs can get to #1 in the charts with lyrics like "What's charming? Just a rapper / Load him up and eat that snapper / I want 16 pints of rum and then I go bom bom" (I'm not even joking. Those lyrics are from 'Bom Bom' by Sam and the Womp, the UK's current #1), the lyrics of 'Godless' yet again provide a refreshing contrast. Listen closely to the track's vocals and you'll hear comments on capitalism, the loss of morality in society and the worship of material goods - the things that have replaced traditional beliefs and made us 'Godless'.

Also, as a guitarist myself, I've noticed that a lot of newer bands struggle to write decent solos. Some guitarists (*cough* Dragonforce *cough*) showcase their technical ability really well, but fail to produce something melodic and in keeping with the song as a whole. Some bands have even resorted to abandoning guitar, bass and drum solos altogether! But in keeping with Blue Origin's traditional blues-metal sound, the 'Godless' solos are, like the song as a whole, refreshing to hear - the technicality is there, but at the same time the solos are packed full of bluesy double stops, slides and pitch bends, so they stay in keeping with the feel of the song as a whole, and sound absolutely awesome.

I could probably sit here typing all day about the track's incredibly catchy riffs, the band's inventive use of dynamics (stripping away the guitars and bringing them back again and again with a powerful, heavy metal kick), and raving about how amazing this song must be live. It's a truly fantastic effort from a local, relatively under-the-radar band - a band that, like all unsigned bands, need as much support as they can get from their fans. So check out 'Godless' if you haven't already (the music video is embedded at the top of this blog post), and if you like it then you can download it via iTunes (search for 'Blue Origin'), Amazon MP3, or buy it through the band's own merchandise store.

 

PsyD

Coming soon on Superunknown -

· This weekend: I'll (finally) be posting a review of 'Electronic Earth' by Labrinth

· Next time on 'Alive in the Superunknown': I'll be reviewing 'Everlong (Acoustic)' by Foo Fighters 

Also, major thanks to We Like Humans, who I reviewed in a 'You Know You're Only In It 'Cause It's Hot Right Now' post just over a week ago, for posting a link to my blog on their official website. (And while I'm on that topic, hello to all of my new readers who found this blog through Blitz Kids' retweet the other day! *waves*)

*From the band's Facebook page

The Blackout + Blitz Kids + Proxies - Thursday 23rd August 2012, Stoke Sugarmill

It's 1:44am right now, but I can't sleep. Why? Because tonight (erm... technically yesterday night) I went to one of the best gigs of my life: The Blackout's Reading and Leeds Festival warm-up gig, at The Sugarmill in Stoke. I'll probably write up a coherent review tomorrow and I'll edit this post to include that, but until then, here are my favourite pictures from the night:   Edit: The review's now up! So, without further ado, here's what I thought of Thursday night's gig...

Proxies - The awesome first support act...

Proxies' set was musically amazing. The band presented a heavy crossover of the electronica and pop-rock genres, and their energy-fueled setlist kicked off the night fantastically! However, the band's performance wavered in only one area - crowd participation. Although they maintained a packed room throughout their set, the audience was generally very still, choosing only to enthusiastically applaud at the end of each song. Overall, the band performed a great set, but it was a set that could've been even better had they made the crowd feel truly involved and immersed in the music, rather than maintaining their position as spectators.

Nonetheless, you should definitely check out Proxies' music! You can download their EP 'Lost Tapes, Volume I' for free via their official website, and trust me, it's a fantastic set of tracks from a very promising band.

Blitz Kids - The absolutely epic second support act...

In contrast to Proxies' set, Blitz Kids got the crowd jumping, singing and clapping from their first song to their last! Whilst lead singer Joe James enjoyed running right up against the barrier to get as close to the ecstatic audience as possible, the rest of the band owned the stage with the energy of a handful of Mexican jumping beans on Lucozade. And on top of the songs that required the audience to go, in the frontman's own words, "a little bit crazy", the quintet also showcased (slightly) slower-paced, more anthemic and melodic tracks like Never Die, proving that they're not a one-trick-pony band only capable of high-octane, hard rock numbers. 

The band put on a truly great set. It's safe to say that the handful of fans in the audience that had come all the way from Nantwich to see Blitz Kids perform (and who sang along to every word of every song with their whole heart and soul) weren't disappointed. Indeed, if Thursday's performance was anything to go by, the band's hardcore fanbase will be continuing to grow fast over the coming months and years. And after that momentous performance, consider me one of those fans.

You can (and I recommend that you do!) check out Blitz Kids' music for free on their official Myspace page. Also, look at this fancy banner I found on their Myspace site! How cool is this?...

The Blackout - The headliners!

And now, the headliners. To be honest, The Blackout's set is all a bit of a blur in my mind - a mass of headbanging, arm-waving, singing along and hoping that the gig would last forever. Before Thursday, I'd heard of The Blackout, and I'd listened to a few brilliant songs of theirs, but I was yet to understand what the massive Blackout-hype was all about in magazines like Kerrang! and NME. Witnessing the band in action showed me what all the hype was about. And then some.

Musically, the band were faultless throughout, and their post-hardcore sound packed a punch with every track. This wasn't the best aspect of their set though - the most memorable part of The Blackout's headlining performance has to be the atmosphere. It was mental. During some tracks, the entire ground floor of The Sugarmill was transformed into a huge mosh pit. The immense heat in the room, coupled with the feeling of mass hysteria, led a handful of fans to literally strip down to their underwear. Frontmen Sean Smith and Gavin Butler had the crowd in the palms of their hands, on one occasion getting the entire audience to sit down, jump back up and dance like there was no tomorrow. Other memorable moments include Butler climbing off the stage and onto The Sugarmill's balcony (see the above images), Smith asking the audience to "remember those less fortunate than ourselves" - which he later specified to mean Avril Lavigne, upon to her recent engagement to Nickleback singer Chad Kroeger - and Smith tying guitarist James Davies' shoelaces whilst casually chatting with the audience (again, see above).

At one point, Sean Smith told the audience that when the band decided to perform a one-off gig at The Sugarmill, "we didn't know if anybody would come" - albeit with a wry smile on his face as he said so. He had nothing to worry about - the band are absolute masters live, and Thursday night's packed-out gig was no exception. It's definitely made its way into my list of all-time favourite gigs. If you ever get the chance to see The Blackout live, take it, because onstage this band deliver everything you would want from a rock concert, and more.

So, hopefully I've given you a bit of an insight into how manically awesome the gig was! 

Stay tuned to Superunknown because coming very soon is my review of 'Godless' by Blue Origin, and next week I'll be reviewing Labrinth's 'Electronic Earth' album. Rock on!

PsyD

You Know You're Only In It 'Cause It's Hot Right Now: August 2012

Here’s my second entry into the unnecessarily long-named ‘You Know You’re Only in It Cause It’s Hot Right Now’ feature, where I pick out the songs that are ‘Hot Right Now’ in my world.



George Gershwin, photographed by Carl Van Vechten

1) George Gershwin – Prelude 2

To kick off the post, here’s something a bit different – a classical piano piece. I know a lot of people probably just switched off at the word ‘classical’, but just hear me out for a second! I too used to be completely averse to this kind of music, but recently it’s seriously grown on me. This piece is one of my favourite classical pieces, and I think it’s a fantastic introduction to classical music if you’ve only heard the typical Mozart and Beethoven material before, because it proves just how versatile and varied the genre is.

I first heard this piece on the radio the other day – I was just about to turn the radio off, this song came on, and I just stopped dead in my tracks and had to listen.

Gershwin’s ‘Prelude 2’ sounds mysterious and suave; it brings to mind a crossover of the atmosphere of blockbuster silent-movie 'The Artist', crossed with the intellectual, confident personality of literary character of Sherlock Holmes - but in music form. It also seems to have a sort of American Western feel to it, creating images of saloon bars and shoot-outs with each unusual harmony and chord. On top of all that, the chord progression reminds me of Radiohead’s ‘Everything In Its Right Place’ for some reason, and I’m a huge fan of that track!

...Whatever it is about this song that captures my imagination and attention every time I hear it, it’s totally addictive - I’ve been listening to it on loop for about a week now, and I'm still not tired of it!

Gershwin’s ‘Prelude 2’ is available to download online (legally, of course!), and available to buy in your friendly neighbourhood music shop as part of one of the many, many George Gershwin albums and compilations.

2) Devlin – Watchtower ft. Ed Sheeran

On a completely different side of the coin, here’s a rock-hip-hop-indie fusion track from Devlin and Ed Sheeran, based on ‘All Along the Watchtower’ written by the legendary Bob Dylan and famously covered by Jimi Hendrix. Just as with any adaptation of a classic track, Devlin’s effort has been controversial (especially with fans of the original!) but personally I really love it! I think that Devlin and Ed Sheeran have done a fantastic job in a) fusing the new sounds of contemporary hip-hop and mainstream music with the classic, guitar-based music of the 60s hippie movement, and b) hopefully bringing the music of Dylan's era to a whole new generation and a whole new audience.

Devlin’s lyrics are deep and contemplative, Ed Sheeran’s vocals are pitch perfect and, as usual, contain his trademark laid-back, tranquil tone, and of course the original track's instantly recognisable guitar lines are prominent throughout. In my opinion at least, this song isn’t just a cover of an old hit – it’s an obvious tribute from two great, exciting artists, to artists that have evidently inspired them (and inspired countless other people) very much.

Devlin’s ‘Watchtower’ (Featuring Ed Sheeran, of course!) was released as a single on 19^th August. You can watch the official music video right here…

3) We Like Humans - Homebound

I first heard about this band a few weeks ago, by stumbling across them on YouTube. They’ve literally been around for a matter of months, but already they have a professionally-produced EP for sale featuring their own, original material, they have their own website (none of this Facebook/Myspace business!) and they’re already developing their signature sound with leaps and bounds. We Like Humans are evidently a band with a clear focus in mind, and the determination to get there. They also have the musical potential for success, with obvious influences in their sound from huge acts like Foo Fighters, Twin Atlantic and even Rage Against The Machine! Their music has a sort of raw honesty about it, but it’s also accessible for a more mainstream audience, sounding like it’d be very at home on the likes of Kerrang! Radio and the Radio 1 Rock show. Keep your eyes and ears out for We Like Humans, because I’m super-confident that we’ll be hearing a lot more from them in the future!

We Like Humans’ debut EP can be bought via their website, www.welikehumans.co.uk. You can listen to a selection of tracks from the EP, including ‘Homebound’, on the website and on their official YouTube channel.

4) Twin Atlantic – Free (Ballad Version)

Regular followers of this blog will probably know by now that I love a mash-up. One of my favourite things about music is the way that certain musical concepts and ideas can transcend genres, and I like to consider myself open minded in terms of musical styles and artists. This remix of ‘Free’ by Twin Atlantic is no exception. ByronJWu has somehow turned what is quite an aggressive, bold song into a calm, chilled-out ballad, which sounds as good as – if not better than, dare I say – the original! Die-hard fans of Twin Atlantic might have to give the remix a few listens to get used to it, but it’s definitely a grower, and a song that I’m completely addicted to at the moment! Who knew that classical strings and pianos would go so well with the emotionally charged vocals of Sam McTrusty? It’s a combo that works together unpredictably well; a really pleasant surprise!

Twin Atlantic’s Free (Ballad Version) is available on YouTube, on ByronJWu’s channel. The original track can be bought as part of Twin Atlantic’s album ‘Free’, and also as a single.

5) Alex Day – She Walks Right Through Me

Generally, I tend to be the sort of music fan that puts music first. Music videos, merchandise, branding etc. come second in my opinion, to the main priority - the sound of the music itself. Usually. But here’s an exception. I don’t particularly hate this track, but its cheesy-Europop vibe doesn’t really appeal to me, and with lyrics like “When she takes off her clothes and I know that it’s only me that knows”, it hardly matches the lyrical genius of bands and artists that I usually listen to. However, here’s the catch – I’m just obsessed with this song’s music video. Namely, the dancing in this music video. I don’t really have any words to describe it – you’d have to watch the video yourself (see below) – but it just makes me laugh so much that since I first saw it a few days ago, I can’t stop watching it! Oh, and the video also features a Karen Gillan look-alike, whose resemblance is so strong to the actress, I’m not entirely sure that it’s not actually her. Any fans of 80s pop, cheese, questionable dancing, Doctor Who, or just general randomness really need to see this video.

‘She Walks Right Through Me’ is available to download (LEGALLY. Don’t you be trying any of this illegal downloading funny business! *patronisingly wags finger*), and you can watch the music video right here…

So, that was ‘You Know You’re Only In It Cause It’s Hot Right Now’ #2! Stay tuned to Superunknown, because next week I’ll be posting the next article in the ‘Alive In The Superunknown’ series (a review of ‘Godless’ by Blue Origin), and the week after I’ll (finally) be posting a review of Labrinth’s ‘Electronic Earth’!

PsyD