First Sight of the Skyline

Whilst an unflinching throwback to 70s prog rock, First Sight of the Skyline twist the genre into something unique and exciting.

First Sight of the Skyline fall into the category of music where you can close your eyes and get lost in your own world, for the entirety of the track. It gives the phenomenon only moody, ambient albums achieve: where you come out of of listening to it in a totally different mood.

The bands style is hard to describe: They have created an EP jam packed with speedy riffs, high tempo solos and a relentlessness that catches you off-guard and grips you right to the end. But in this intensity, there is an undeniable melancholic ambiance - a delightful dark undertone that permeates through every song. It's a kaleidoscope of psychedelic colours, with a much more bleak, grey message just beneath the surface. It's a true pleasure to listen to, and a feeling that's been lost since the decline of progressive rock. For any prog rock fan, First Sight of the Skyline is a must-listen.

The EP is breathless. Odyssey, for example, is a mammoth 9 minutes of unabating intensity. Whilst the track is undoubtedly epic, it leaves little time to relax and really appreciate what you're listening to. It's brilliant, but does get a little tiresome in the final third.

But, I can't fault the EP much more than that. The follow up to Odyssey, Skyline, is a personal favourite: It's a concoction of psychedelia, progressive and jazz that encapsulates First Sight of the Skyline's desire to take the nostalgia of 70s rock and redefine it into something totally new. It's exciting to see something so unique and experimental. And with this being their first EP, they're only going to get better. First Sight of the Skyline are definitely one to watch.

You can listen to and buy their first EP on bandcamp here: http://firstsightoftheskyline.bandcamp.com/releases

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/First-Sight-of-the-Skyline-753946051315832/timeline/

Let's Talk About 'Inside Llewyn Davis'

Inside Llewyn Davis, the Coen Brother's most recent film, is a masterpiece in the sketchy area of music-based storytelling. You generally come to expect a certain level of quirkiness when it comes to the Coen's, and this film is certainly not an exception to the rule: the movie has come under harsh scrutiny from viewers for not being able to root for the protagonist, or for simply being 'about nothing'. However, the lack of conclusion and the arguably dislikable protagonist shouldn't take away from the experience: the film is thought provoking and excellent, somewhat depressing but musically genius.

Inside Llewyn Davis centres around a folk musician navigating Greenwich Village in the early 60s, and his struggle between staying what he believes to be authentic and selling out. Down on his luck, the film tracks Llewyn Davis' life for a week as he scrounges together enough money for cigarettes, bounces from sofa to sofa and deals with the loss of his previous duet partner. Personally, I thought the film was profound. The criticism is understandable but undeserved: there is no cheesy storyline, no tie-it-all-together conclusions, and I think the Coen brothers did a perfect job of - quite literally - reflecting the week-in-week-out life of a normal musician at the time.

But let's talk more about the soundtrack; this is a music blog after all. I wasn't the biggest fan of folk music, or hadn't given it much thought or attention, before I saw Inside Llewyn Davis a little under two weeks ago. Oscar Isaac, who leads the very musically talented cast (that does include Justin Timberlake: anything you had against the guy will be redeemed after this), is an undoubtedly very good musician. Some argue that the songs in the film aren't strictly folk, but rather a re-imagining of it, but the film truly peaks when he sits with his guitar and unleashes a plethora of immaculate and emotion-inducing classics such as "Fare Thee Well" and "Green, Green Rocky Road". To get an impression of how good he is, check out the youtube link - "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me" - it frames the film and displays Isaac at his very best. In the context of the film, however, the beauty of his songs can often be undermined by the unpleasant nature of his character. The characterisation of Llewyn Davis presents few redeeming qualities for this: he is, for the most part, angry, cynical and wholly resentful. In turn, this can lead to disliking his songs as it reveals a certain falsity and insincerity within the beauty of his music. In terms of the soundtrack, though, we have to put this behind us - we're talking about Oscar Isaac here, not Llewyn Davis. And in this respect, he really is a very talented musician. I look forward to hearing more work from him in the future, if he decides to take his career down the musical route.

The Coen Brothers have scripted the film very well. Aside from Oscar Isaac, who could use this as his audition tape and just about convince anyone, the other folk singers in the film are also musically talented in real life, reflecting itself in the movie. Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake act as a boy-girl duet who are slowly climbing the ladder of popularity within the music industry - unlike Llewyn Davis, who they clearly have a history with, they are known by many within the Greenwich Village scene. We hear them much less often than Llewyn Davis, but their rendition of "Five Hundred Miles" is harmonically beautiful and another example of how the Coen's have perfectly balanced music and storytelling. The humorous "Please Mr Kennedy", a ridiculous protest song where Timberlake's character pleads with JFK not to forcibly send him to space, is also a joy to listen to, and hell, is it catchy.

Inside Llewyn Davis is awesome and so is the soundtrack. I personally think this is one of the Coen Brother's best films for its combination of a different and interesting storyline and its mass of good music. Go watch it, or download it, whatever: This is definitely one to watch (or listen).

The Family Monroe - "Portraits Vol. 1" Review

"Portraits Vol. 1" is available for free on bandcamp.

Often armed with nothing more than a guitar and two sets of lovely vocals, The Family Monroe's noir style is different, emotional and powerful.

The Family Monroe, a duo consisting of Craig Swan and Amy Rose, were formed in Liverpool a little under two years ago. They have recently released their debut EP - Portraits Vol. 1 - for free on bandcamp and boy, are they good.

Their style takes heavy influence from the early 1950's, a time of considerable change for the music industry, and The Family Monroe do perfectly to capture this spirit. The album is minimalistic and yet heart-wrenching, the simplicity of their music only emphasising the haunting and yet beautiful vocals - Rose's voice is particularly unique, and could be likened to that of the Cocteau Twin's Elizabeth Fraser - this is especially evident in Johnny Remember Me. However, Swan's voice does well to harmonise almost perfectly with Rose's, and together they create a vocally confident and dominant piece of work that possesses an eerie atmosphere steeped in nostalgia and melancholy.

Each song on the album is pretty much faultless individually, with songs like Hotel Room and Johnny Remember Me standing out as stunning examples of The Family Monroe's ability, but the album overall does get a little repetitive. The slow and solemn nature of their music, though often beautiful, can become slightly tiresome and is generally heavy listening when listening to the EP from front to back.

Generally, though, The Family Monroe are a breath of fresh air. I haven't heard a band like them before (and I'll bet you you haven't either), and the emotion-filled songwriting and execution is haunting, dark and brilliant. Though not everyone's cup of tea (and admittedly, not one to listen to when you're happy), you'd be horribly missing out if you didn't give them a listen. One of my personal favourite new bands.

8.5/10 - An almost perfectly formed album, let down only slightly by the repetitiveness of their songs.

The Family Monroe's BandCamp: thefamilymonroe.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: facebook.com/TheFamilyMonroe
YouTube: youtube.com/user/bandwidthfilms

Scruffians

Scruffians' first EP is available for free SoundCloud.

Like Alt-J with an indie-rock injection, this Jersey-based band offer something new in their first EP. 

Scruffians are a band that try something new: they take the style of indie-rock legends such as the Arctic Monkeys and The Strokes, and twist it with their own form of fast-paced distortion that, sometimes, works perfectly.

Think of Trapped Underneath, the song that kicks off Scruffians' first EP, as their audition tape. The song establishes the group's style and is nearly flawless in its execution. With a skilfully created melody, excellent guitar and drum work, a great Britpop-esque voice and an incredibly catchy chorus, this song is hard to dislike. Trapped Underneath is the definitive indie-rock article, showcasing Scruffians' undeniable musical talent and originality. This song wouldn't go amiss in any indie or alternative playlist.

The rest of the EP has its ups and downs. Something Unheard Of is an ambitious and raw feat. The song combines an energetic, electronic melody akin to the likes of Two Door Cinema Club, with an overlying almost-hard-rock riff. The combination is intense and unique, and almost works. The melody itself is brilliant, but the song is messy - the vocals don't always match the style. Still, the song is generally good, and well worth having on your iPod.

Rats is a display of wonderful lyricism and vocals from both singers. However, the melody that accompanies the vocals seems like a simple rehash from the previous two songs, and unfortunately becomes tiresome and repetitive after the two minute mark. Shot Down By Starting Guns is much the same: though harmonic, the instrumentals stretch the patience of the listener with their length. Both songs last over 4 minutes and could do with a trimming to maintain their appeal and originality.

Cutting Corners, however, ends the EP on as high a note as it started, introducing a more stripped-down, acoustic Scruffians that doesn't fail to please. The lyrics and the vocals are a little unperfected but are still a joy to listen to, and as catchy as the rest of the EP. The quiet-loud-quiet structure of the song, the chorus kicking in effectively with the indie-rock style that Scruffians dominate throughout, is reminiscent of the Pixies and is executed expertly.

You wouldn't believe this to be Scruffians' first EP: they twist the indie-rock genre with a poignancy that's hard to define, creating brilliant lyrics and good melodies to back it - the EP is ripe with sophistication and bold ambition. Though imperfect, songs such as Trapped Underneath and Cutting Corners showcase Scruffians' true musical talent and flare - this is a band to keep your eye on, for, with some refining, they have the potential for a successful career.

7/10 - They can be sketchy and messy, but some songs smacks of pure brilliance.

Scruffians' Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/scruffians
Facebook: www.facebook.com/scruffians
Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/ScruffiansBand

The Ivory Elephant

Killer solos and riffs that make you want to ride a chopper through a desert, this blues rock 3-piece sound more from the Deep South than Melbourne, Australia.

The Ivory Elephant proclaim themselves as part of "the blues/rock renaissance of bands such as The Black Keys and The White Stripes", and it isn't hard to hear the influence. Hailing from the land of good, relatively unheard music, this Australia-based heavy-blues 3-piece released their raw, lo-fi and plain brilliant EP in January last year (with a new EP on its way). It's available for purchase on the The Ivory Elephant's bandcamp, but all songs can be found for free on their YouTube channel.

Their first and eponymous EP kicks off with 'Election Blues'. Its distorted, desert-stricken guitar riffs defines the sound of the album, its garage-rock influences evident as it pays homage to early Black Keys and of course, Hendrix. In comparison to the rest of the album, the song is tame. The guitar work is good but not the best in the album, and the rough and raw vocals make you think less university-aged boy and more 50-year-old experienced blues singer. The song sets high expectation for the rest of the album, and The Ivory Elephant do not fail to deliver.

As with most new bands, though, they're not perfect. "Here to Stay", though proof of The Ivory Elephant's diversity, is boring throughout, a disappointment to the rest of the EP, with uninteresting guitar riffs and a misuse of Trent Starling's gritty vocals. "Like a Dog" seems to be the same way, but the lengthy and frankly excellent guitar solo towards the end of the song makes up for the boring start.

There are two songs on the album that are pure modern blues masterpieces. "What's Good for You" proves the band's potential, with a cigarette-smoking, whisky-drinking, air-guitar-inducing heavy riff that is not only reminiscent to Hendrix, but of The Ivory Elephant's native hard-rock cousins, Wolfmother. At only 2:44, the song leaves you wanting more.

"Be Bad" reminds us just how sexy blues music can be. The song, contrasting dark, quiet vocals with its loud, filthy guitar riffs that are oh-so evident throughout makes for a brilliant end to a promising debut EP.

Overall, there isn't much to complain about. Imperfections are outweighed by Black Keys-esque simplistic riffs, followed by solos that show real guitar skill. The vocals, though not the best (but since when did it matter in blues?) match the lo-fi sound of the album and is a joy to listen to.

Rough, jagged and relentless, this is a must buy for any blues fan.

9/10 - A great debut EP.

Price: £4.74 ($7.45) on iTunes.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theivoryelephant

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheIvoryElephantband

Bandcamp: http://theivoryelephant.bandcamp.com/