I'm still alive!

I know, a couple of weeks ago I said I'd post something each week 'at the very least'. And I know, I haven't posted anything since. But I've had an insane amount of college work over the past few weeks, and I've spent my free time going on university open days, filling in UCAS (university application) forms, and in the case of last Saturday, going to see We Are The Ocean's acoustic set at HMV Manchester (which was absolutely awesome, despite a low turnout. If you haven't heard any of We Are The Ocean's music, go and check them out now, you won't be disappointed!). I've not had anywhere near enough time to sit down and write a blog post, and I have a busy few weeks ahead of me, but I'm going to try my best to post things whenever I get the chance to.

Coming up on the blog:

• Alive in the Superunknown: I'll be reviewing 'Everlong (Acoustic)' by Foo Fighters
• You Know You're Only In It 'Cause It's Hot Right Now: I'll be posting short reviews of my top 5 TV/film soundtracks
• Album review: I bought Canterbury's 'Heavy In The Day' album recently, and it hasn't left my CD player since! I'm definitely going to have to review it on 'Superunknown', so stay tuned for that!

So, in a nutshell, I'm really sorry for the lack of updates, but there are loads of posts that I can't wait to write. Keep an eye on the blog and hopefully I'll be posting something soon!
PsyD

Labrinth: Electronic Earth

I'm so sorry for the immense delay in posting this review! I started back at college on Wednesday, so I spent the first half of last week making sure that all of the college work I'd been set was done, and spent the latter half doing yet more homework and college-y stuff. College does take up a lot of my time, but I'm going to try my best to post something once a week (at the very least) on this blog, so at any one time an update will never be too far away!

The album cover of 'Electronic Earth' by Labrinth, © Syco

Labrinth's 'Electronic Earth' has taken the world of pop and electronic music by storm. An entire 5 tracks from the album have been released as singles so far, with a 6th one in the pipeline. The album has been immensely successful both in terms of radio airplay, and in terms of the support received from music fans. In the first week of the its release alone, it sold over 32,000 copies and entered the UK Albums Chart at number two - a great feat considering that it is Labrinth's first (and only) album. Although 'Electronic Earth' isn't without some weak moments, overall it's an impressive and very innovative effort from a relatively new artist.

Rather than meticulously writing about every single moment of every single track, Twin Atlantic style, I thought I'd pick out a few tracks that seem to sum up the album: The best track, the worst track, and one that sits in between.

Top Track: 'Sweet Riot'

'Sweet Riot' is a song that, surprisingly, hasn't been released as one of the album's many singles. After all, it is undoubtedly one of strongest tracks on 'Electronic Earth'; a song that's just oozing with the creativity and originality that makes Labrinth so popular as a producer. It has everything that you could possibly want from an electronic track: A strong, heavy beat to dance to, prominent synthesizers, lyrics that speak directly to the young target audience - or, to quote the song, "the mosh pit generation" - the list goes on. 'Sweet Riot' even features a (pretty good) guitar solo! It's rare in the world of pop music to find something that sounds totally original and new, but this track defies that rule. If you have 5 minutes to spare, 'Sweet Riot' is a must-listen.

Other Top Tracks on the 'Electronic Earth' album include 'Vultures', 'Earthquake' and 'Last Time'

It's-Alright-I-Suppose Track: 'Express Yourself'

In my opinion, 'Express Yourself' is quite overrated as a track. It does have several strong points - in today's celebrity and perfection-obsessed world, it's great to hear lyrics that give out the message that "it's not what you look like" that matters, for example. Also, like 'Sweet Riot', the track does sound quite unique compared to the material that other artists are producing at the moment. It's instantly identifiable as a Labrinth song.

Compared to tracks like 'Vultures' and 'Earthquake', however, 'Express Yourself' seems distinctly simple and over-commercialised. And although the synthesizers and production of the song sound distinctly Labrinth, the main body of the track is in actuality a cover of 'Express Yourself' by 'Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band' - and Labrinth's version isn't all that different from the original.

The track's still worth listening to, but by no means is it in the same league as the Top Tracks mentioned above.

Similar songs include 'Let The Sun Shine' and 'Treatment'

The 'What Were You Thinking, Labrinth?' Track: 'Sundown'

'Sundown' is, in my opinion, the weakest track on the album. The first 3 minutes and 50 seconds of the song seem to consist only of Labrinth singing crude innuendos and descriptions of a girl who is, apparently, "every man's dream". The track feels slow, lacks a consistent beat, the synths are too subtle and underused, and Labrinth's use of autotune in this slow, quiet song often seems excessive and out of place.

Although the track admittedly increases in pace and vigour (a bit) towards the end, it just seems as though it takes way too long to build up to what is quite an undramatic anticlimax.

Similar tracks include... well, none, because Labrinth is generally an awesome artist, who generally produces much better material than this!

So, that's 'Electronic Earth' in a nutshell. Overall, it's a great, upbeat and fresh album, and one that any pop and/or electronic music fan should definitely have in their record collection! Like any other album, it has some disappointing moments, but it contains an abundance of incredibly exciting tracks like 'Sweet Riot' and 'Climb On Board' that completely outweigh any such lapses in musical judgement.

PsyD

Stay tuned to Superunknown for a review of 'Everlong (Acoustic)' by Foo Fighters! Also, I've already started planning September's edition of 'You Know You're Only In It 'Cause It's Hot Right Now' - this month I'll be posting my top 5 tracks from the world of TV and Film music, so keep an eye out for that article over the next few weeks!

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