Cougar Microbes

When a band of 20-somethings announce they are releasing a ‘ concept album,’ the proper reaction is generally scepticism. Even Manchester Orchestra’ s loyal fans may have had their doubts. But the ‘ concept’ is not your usual fantasy bus ride through self-indulgent musicianland—it is the searching journey of a 23-year-old songwriter, as he struggles with God, marriage, and life’ s difficult questions.

‘ Simple Math’ is not an album for the faint of heart; there is a gravity and a weight to every song that reaches beyond the typical alt-rock formula. There were hints of this on the band’ s previous two albums—particularly “ I Can Feel a Hot One” from their sophomore release—but this new album seems to perfect the style. The topics tackled on the album range from the spiritual to the everyday, but always in a questioning, thoughtful manner. Maybe it’ s because I’ m 24 and gearing up for a quarter-life crisis, but I was drawn to the vibrant honesty of this admission of youth’ s doubts and discomfort, even when you’ re not quite young anymore.

The first release from ‘ Simple Math’ is the title track, a well-crafted and well-chosen single. If Manchester Orchestra had a recipe for creating this dramatic, forceful song, it would most likely be one part emotive vocals, one part stirring use of a strings ensemble, and two parts honest and skilful songwriting. Lead singer Andy Hull is also the primary songwriter for the band, and this song showcases his talents as a lyricist. True to the album’ s theme, the song is structured around hefty questions and doubts—a series of “ what if…” questions that build gradually into a forceful bridge climax. “ Simple Math” has all the power and intensity of a great Snow Patrol song, but without the ad nauseam radio airplay. The second single, “ April Fool,” is more upbeat and energetic, with the vocals of Motion City Soundtrack and the guitar chops of Biffy Clyro.

After cutting their teeth on tour with top acts like Kings of Leon and Biffy, the boys of Manchester Orchestra head out for a headlining tour through America this month. The album was released on May 10—but you can a;sp unlock and stream it now from the band’ s website by correctly solving a (debatably) simple math puzzle.

—–

Post written by Emily

—–

TRACKS:

Ever since I discovered them I have always had a particular affection for The Kills. Since 2003, the band always managed to release strong and inventive rock albums without ever crossing to the ‘mainstream’ as is done by oh so many bands ( a lesson to be learned Kings of Leon…) . Even if it is likely that guitarist Jamie Hince‘s relationship with Kate Moss has put some added spotlights on the duo they still maintain the same intimate and discreet band aesthetic that they had before fame came knocking.

Often compared to the White Stripes, largely because of their bluesy punk style and boy/girl dynamic, Jamie and Alison are definitely close to the talent Meg and Jack exhume. The Kills‘ previous albums have been critically acclaimed, with unforgettable tracks such as ‘U.R.A Fever‘, ‘Cheap and Cheerful‘ or ‘The Good Ones‘, and now they are back with a new album wholly meets expectations. Never have The Kills been so loud, so controlled, so good at embodying the meaning of a ‘tandem‘, and this album is majestic.

‘Blood Pressures‘ makes a striking entrance with the dramatic ‘Future Starts Slow‘, possibly my favourite song of the album along with ‘Satellite‘, and a perfect illustration of the power, anger and determination in Miss Alison Mosshart‘s voice. On ‘Satellite‘, their first single, Hince once again successfully proves that behind Kate Moss‘ future husband-to-be lies a talented guitarist who manages to make me shiver.

I was consequently surprised by ‘Wild Charms‘, a lovely ballad through which The Kills break up from their usual loud and bluesy sound. ‘Wild Charms‘ which is sang solely by Jamie Hince feels like a flower on a battlefield, a little moment of peace, which you know won’t last long, so you enjoy it as much as you can. It furthermore strangely reminds me of John Lennon‘s ‘Jealous Guy‘. However war ignites again with ‘DNA‘, and Mosshart definitely sounds like she is getting ready for blood.

All along the album, The Kills display an incredible ability to fuse both of their vocal ranges; his soft british accent and her strong sexy cry are like a guitar and its strings, inseparable and made for each other. The Kills are a perfect foil for eachother with the beautiful figure and charisma of Mosshart put forward on stage and Hince‘s discreet almost shy self hidden behind a guitar.

They complement each other perfectly and with subtlety, and the music world should be glad they found each other.

—–

Post by Olivia

—–

TRACKS:

Maps & Atlases set aside their early math-rock tendencies for what an undoubtedly more accessible set of songs in 2010. The resulting album ‘Perch Patchwork‘ proved that the wild percussions and breakneck instrumental interchanges were not being entirely forgone by the band but instead were balanced with a knack for atmospherics and dynamics.

The shift from playing a thousand notes a minute to only revving it up at key segments is surprisingly smooth and frontman Dave Davison booming voice benefits most from the new found spotlight. Imagine Kings Of Leon’s Caleb Followill fronting a more daring Vampire Weekend and you may just begin to scratch the surface.

There is a lot going on on this album and it took me a few listens to digest it all but it is on the live stage that these songs truly begin to soar. With the band seemingly intent on recreating every note they recorded there is genuine tension and excitement in the air.

Add that to the fact they 4-pice are stand up guys and you have yourself a must hear album.

TRACKS:

NEXT: #07 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Emanuel and The Fear – Listen

PREVIOUS: #09 Cougar Microbes Top Albums Of 2010: Best Coast – Crazy For You

Papa Cougar was undecided when he first listened to The Roseville Band, and I could see why. His initial thumbs down turned into indecision on the second try, and perhaps even a guilty trace of enjoyment thereafter. Seeking an expert opinion, or maybe with better things to do, he asked me what I thought.

The album ‘Little Eyes in the Universe’ is the product of 6 talented musicians from Northern Wales, spearheaded by brothers Andy and Steve Jones, and centered on Andy’s very distinctive voice. Like a Welsh Axl Rose on a trip to Nashville, his whiny soulful vocals are choked and twisted, to mixed effect. I suppose you’ll embrace it or feel repulsed. It certainly has grown on me, but to what extent I cannot quantify.  However, before passing judgment I ask you, dear Cougar reader, to abandon your habitual musical pretences and listen with virginal ears…

Dubbed “the Welsh Kings of Leon” by NME, their bluesy Britpop leans towards folk, but is solidly propped against a rock backbone. ‘The Less I Want’ is a brilliant crescendo that starts with tame Mandolin and ends in raucous bliss; the cruising ‘Bring Down the Empire’; or the rocking and catchy “Boxer”; even “Tatters” has an appeal, despite occasionally sounding like the singer is regurgitating a hair from his throat.

In any case, with a debut album out very soon and averaging 100 gigs a year, you might be hearing from The Roseville Band again, so don’t be too quick to dismiss them.

—–

Post written by the D in Dorian

—–

TRACKS:

The Roseville Band – Boxer

Now that the New Year hangover is definitely over the accepted thing for any self-respecting blog is to have a best of the year post around this time and so for the past few weeks I have been contemplating my version. It has to be said that the band Included did not necessarily released anything new in the past 12 months but you don’t have a new “product” out to be relevant. Here we go:

—————————————

Sometime last Christmas, between roast dinners,  numerous presents and copious amounts of alcohol, I decided to watch every Flight Of The Conchords episode during a 3 day marathon. Needless to say, I loved Bret and Jermaine‘s awkward adventures and crazy humour. After a bit of research I uncovered the original BBC radio series that launched the “4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo” on a global scale .  I adored the original British twist the boys gave to their instantly quotable gags. I think its safe to say season 2 is eagerly awaited.

—————————————

There is no arguing that 2008 was the year Kings Of Leon came out swinging. I was  spinning the brilliant Because Of The Times night and day when the band dropped Only By The Night and added a string of shows that established them as live favourites. It has already been discussed on these pages how the new release was slightly disappointing given the expectations set. Despite all that tracks like ‘Closer‘, ‘Manhattan‘ and ‘Sex Is On Fire’ (-by the way Caleb, i’m pretty sure there is a cream for that-) still packed enough punch to appeal to the masses and musos alike. If all else fails I can still spin ‘My Party’ on repeat to remind me of how great the band can be when they hit top form.

“I am flying high over Tupelo, Mississippi, with America’s hottest band, and we are all about to die”

Actually, I’m on a train packed full of sweaty commuters pulling out of London Bridge Station and the fellow next to me obviously had no time for a post-corporate-workout shower. So, nausea more than death, really.

There’s only one way to combat the painful rush-hour crawl home. I have, jammed into my battered up Discman (that’s right, a Discman), a copy of the most hyped release since the 11^th of February 1990 when Nelson Mandela walked a free man; Kings of Leon’s Only by the Night.

I’m expecting to be blown away by a group who have never been afraid to challenge themselves, or their fans, with something new. Armed with ever-maturing, ever-evolving, well crafted song writing and technical prowess, Kings of Leon have earned themselves the tag of ‘Hottest Property in Rock and Roll.’ I’m very, very excited.

The most striking first impressions of the Followill’s 2008 collection are Caleb’s vocals, which effortlessly range from slow lazy crawl to full-steam charge. For an example of this just press play and, as that disc starts whirring, check out ‘Closer’. The cocky front-man shows an ever-maturing understanding of the need for space within melody, which allows for the other three cars of this rock and roll locomotive to roll into platform one.

It’s an offer the others don’t shy away from. The ever-green chemistry between bass player Jared and drummer Nathan just keeps on blossoming. There’s so much to indulge in here for the groove lovers; ‘Crawl’, ‘Sex on Fire’, ‘Manhattan’ and ‘Notion’, to name the most blatant examples. There seems to be an attention to detail with these boys that other folks just don’t get, and it rocks.

However, let us not get carried away with ourselves. Where is the freight of raw guitars and cojones we’re used to hearing from these Tennessee bad-boys? For some reason Matt’s beautifully toned guitar is irritatingly low in the mix on just about every track. With the exception of the aformentioned ‘Crawl’ and ‘Notion’ Caleb’s dirty distortion appears to have been replaced by copied and pasted U2 guitar settings, ‘delay’ being the last word I want to hear right now. As for cojones, they appear to have been replaced by, well, ‘17′ and ‘I Want You’.

Step forward and explain yourselves, producers Jacquire King and Angelo Pietraglia. Both should know better having worked on previous albums. All we can really do is reassess the wisdom of disposing of Ethan Johns who seemed to mature with every Kings of Leon album he worked on.

There are other negatives to be taken from this hotly anticipated album. You find yourself craving the inventive song structures discovered with such delight on ‘Because of the Times‘. The age old ‘verse-chorus-verse-chorus-middle eight-chorus-chorus’ formula, also attributed to the likes of Pete Waterman, is not what I signed up for! Let’s just not get into ‘Cold Desert’ which is a disappointing mudslide to end this journey.

The suspicion that there has been an unprecedented compromise made at some point over the last two years between band and label is a hard one to shake. It wouldn’t be the first time we have seen a huge marketing budget offered in exchange for corporate-rock cleansing of the soul. It is a pop-culture tragedy as this is what won over more than just fashionistas from 2003’s explosive ‘Youth and Young Manhood‘ onwards.

On the whole the album induces a nostalgic longing for the masterful back to back ‘Aha Shake…’(2004) and ‘Because of the Times‘ (2007). These are the releases that should be celebrated more with every polished rock album that hits the shelves of a Tesco superstore. The Kings need to dedicate every last piece of their Southern souls to stun the cynics with something much more legendary. That is, if they wish to live up to their name.

As I step off the train and breathe in the comparatively fresh London air, I slip ‘Because of the Times‘ into my Discman, press play and before I know it I am home, safe and sound.

———————————
This is the first guest post on Cougar Microbes written by Kenny. Hopefully there will be more from him

———————————