No Maintenance Required

The sophomore album by British rockers ‘Nothing But Thieves’ maybe called ‘Broken Machine’ but their music is far from kaput. This month signifies the release of the bands striking new album, a follow up to their highly successful debut album.

From the lead singles and theme of the album as a whole, it is clear that the band have developed both as artists and people. As Connor (vocalist) has described in many interviews the album comes from spending many of the last few years on the road dealing with health issues and relationships. These experiences have led ‘Nothing But Thieves’ to deliver a album full of soul and experimentation. As soon as the album begins on opener ‘I Was Just A Kid’ there is a mindful connection between where the band was when writing the first to where they are now. They are delivering a more mature sound and certainly something that would fit onto a ‘Foo Fighters’ record.

This track leads smoothly into their biggest single to date ‘Amsterdam’ A huge sounding anthem that has already been enjoyed in small club shows, begging to be used in stadiums with the crowd at their feet. As the album progresses through Connors vocals are demonstrated in remarkable quality showing range and passion. Especially on tracks, ‘Sorry’ and ‘Live Like Animals’, which shows the band stepping into new territory. Just like their live shows ‘Nothing But Thieves’ seamlessly move from moody intimate tracks to loud adrenaline filled arenas. ‘I’m Not Made By Design’ and ‘Afterlife’ demonstrate this superbly, possibly showing that they are the Radiohead of our generation if not bigger!

Just like the title track of ‘Broken Machine’, ‘Particles’ and ‘Get Better’ have connected with so many people due to them being based on the issue of mental health. This topic is growing in awareness but should certainly be championed more as young men suffer with this more and more but are afraid to speak of it. I know I have been in that dark place and thankfully came out the other side, it was music (and my wife) that helped me so it is great to see more acts in recent times addressing it.

‘Broken Machine’ is not only a statement about the potential future for ‘Nothing But Thieves’ but a statement representative of our current culture and society. This album is beautiful, from conception to delivery by one of the pioneering bands of this century. No music collection will be complete without this in your life.

Ps Pick up the ‘Broken Machine’ deluxe album as there is many extra treasures to be found, like the acoustic version of ‘sorry’.

Long Live Vista

Vista – Long Live EP review.

This EP breathes life into a fading scene and will certainly assist in giving ‘Vista’ a long lived career as artists. The new EP drops on July 21st so save the date.

‘Vista’ is an American two piece rock act from the east coast, fuelled by the digital age of music. Think of the new band ‘Pvris’ but a 2.0 version which embraces more production. The EP launches into their best work to date, the song ‘Allegiance’ is a sing along gem, perfect for festivals. Likewise their previous single, ‘Henchmen’ & title track, ‘Long Live’ are also high octane tracks on record and exciting to see live. The criticism to come from this EP is that the production use is heavy but not in a hundred percent original way, I would like to see the duo experiment more and go wild with their ideas as it feels a bit reserved.

In a world full of online media it is simple to easy access new music, meaning it is hard for new artists to stand out in a flood of streaming sites. ‘Vista’ is just one of them acts and as a new act still in their infancy they are still finding who they are. With that said their style from music to image is streamline, captivating and feels exciting, as the buzz for this band is growing. This EP is just a tip of their musical voyage, long live ‘Vista’.

Feel The Love This Summer

Clean Cut Kid – Felt album review

Feel the love this summer. After working relentlessly for almost two years, hoping on tours and teasing us with singles, ‘Clean Cut Kid’ has finally released a debut album, ‘Felt’.  Just like the name suggests it is a feel good album bursting with life and colour for people of all ages.

The passion these four “Liverpodlian” musicians have for music can be ‘Felt’ throughout this exciting body of work, as they prove they are more than capable of writing more than one hit. After picking up the album you will realise that ‘Felt’ is a collection of sing-along singles that you have constantly been humming to over the last year, all produced by the same band.  From ‘Vitamin C’ to ‘Runaway’, ‘Make Believe’ to ‘Pick Me Up’ these songs just leave you filled with joy and will certainly put a smile on your face. Just like their live shows, the album never has a dull moment. Even when the tempo drops to the slower ballads of ‘Evelyn’ and ‘Brother Of Mine’, your audio senses are captured into the tracks narratives.  

A stand out track is really hard on this solid piece of work, but the title track of, ‘Felt’ would be up there. Due to it being a master piece of a pop song, showing depth and love backed up by a catchy chorus, as per. If you want to impress a significant other, make sure to check out this super charged debut album as it will help cement anyone’s coolness as “I heard them first”. For fans of ‘The 1975’, ‘Michael Jackson’ &  huge sing-alongs’.  ‘Felt’ is an album full of intertwining musical gems resulting in a smooth standout album, which will be THE debut of the year.