End of Suffering, Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes

So instead of recommending this to everyone I know individually, as I've been attempting over the last few weeks, it's much easier just to publish my gushing here and make it available to all who care to listen.  I haven't been as excited about an album in a long long time, as I currently am about End of Suffering.

This album is wall-to-wall catchy tunes; every song is a banger, there's not a bad one on it. It's so much fun to sing along to, in the car, the shower, just everywhere throughout my entire life forever really. It's just chunky guitar riffs, snappy drums, stomping bass... 

The spectrum of styles drawn upon ticks almost every box for me: the in-your-face metal of Tyrant Lizard King (penned alongside Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello), the punk rock anthem Crowbar, the bluesy and soulful Love Games and the pure badass Latex Dreams; I was immediately hooked from the moody momentum of the first track to the heart rending beauty of Frank's final ode to his daughter (I'm not crying, you are). All I want right now is to listen to this album back to back constantly, and an album doesn't get better than that.

And the emotion in that voice! The raw pain and passion in Anxiety, Angel Wings and End of Suffering is almost unbearable.  I'm dancing, I'm singing, I'm a bit choked up - basically what I'm saying is this album is flawless and a masterpiece of modern punk rock.

I'd recommend at least one full listen of this album. I may be blinded because it's basically made for me, but I feel like you won't regret it.

As a footnote, I've started following Frank on Instagram and am now a little bit in love. He speaks openly about mental health issues and his experiences with depression in between absolutely killing it on stage at what look like electric gigs.  I mean, as if I didn't love him enough just through his music.

Electrelane: The Power Out

These are a brand new discovery of mine, borne of a throwaway recommendation from someone I follow on Instagram. I listened to their song 'Birds' off the back of that, which is heart-rendingly earnest and makes me feel sad without really knowing why, then - when it kicks up a notch after the reprise - joyous and jiggy.

I decided to listen to their first album 'The Power Out', from which the above song was taken.  When I finished my first listen, I started it all over again.  Since this blogs centres on 'weird' music, I thought a review of this record was definitely appropriate.  Songs range from folk choral epic 'The Valleys', whose soaring vocals put me in mind of Christian hymns and the British countryside, to the springy electronica of 'Only One Thing Is Needed' - as well as a couple of multi-lingual numbers thrown in there for good measure.

The lead singer's voice is haunting, authentic and melancholy; the time signatures are variable and bluesy; every song offers something different.  A lot of the tracks are reminiscent of bands like Warpaint in their subtle and melodic, yet complex compositions.  The fact that the band line-up is English and exclusively female just makes them even cooler in my eyes.

If you're after some soothing yet interesting alternative indie tunes to entertain and intrigue, I'd highly recommend this album.

'The Power Out' was released in 2004 and is the only Electrelane album I've listened to so far, so I can't comment on what direction they went in following this record - but I truly can't wait to find out.

Too Many Zooz

This band have been my fave for like the last three months and my love for them has not waned.  You may have seen the viral video on Facebook, of Too Many Zooz's saxophonist and drummer busking on a New York subway platform (if you haven't you need to).  That was where I first encountered them; turns out there's also a trumpet player and two full albums available on Spotify!

Too Many Zooz play music like I've never heard before.  Most of it is instrumental, athough they enlisted a number of guest vocalists to rap on a few tracks on their album Subway Gawdz.  Sometimes they invoke Latin brass music, reminiscent of the Dexter soundtrack; other times you can definitely hear a heavy jazz influence; but the off key trumpet sections and dramatic crescendos make me think more of contemporary drum and bass or dubstep (is dubstep even a thing anymore?).

The earliest album on Spotify, Fanimals, is only six tracks long but not a single one of them is bad.  I love that album so much right now.  I would probably say Subway Gawdz is the slightly more accessible of the two however, since Fanimals is completely instrumental and I think a lot of people find it difficult to get used to a lack of vocals.

Whichever album you're listening to though, it's loud, it's dirty, it's different, it's in your face, and I think it's bloody fantastic.  I can't get enough, and I can't not dance whenever they're playing.  If you're looking for something new to listen to/obsess over, and are willing to approach with an open mind, you should definitely seek out Too Many Zooz.  Ugh, I can't even convey to you how good they are - seriously, go listen to them.

I was so disappointed to find out that I missed their recent live appearances in London by just a couple of months - hopefully they'll come back in the future, I'll be there in a shot.

Saxophonist Leo P also plays in Lucky Chops, who - from what I've heard - play more traditional big band music, similar to the swing-style work from the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.  I haven't made as much of an effort to listen to their stuff to be honest, they sound good but they're just coming from a different place to TMZ.

I'm always interested in discovering bands who offer something new, and Too Many Zooz are the best example of that I've encountered in a long time.

Constantines

So I wanted to tell you about Constantines because they are kind of my life right now. I’ve had their 2003 album Shine a Light playing non-stop since I discovered them a couple of months ago.

There are a few tracks which, at first listen, might appear a bit pedestrian. The first track is your standard hard rock/punk intro and Young Lions – the only track released as a single from this album – is what you’d expect; a catchy, mellow indie tune, kind of similar in style to the National’s output.

However, delve a little deeper and you find some really great tunes like the title track; a cacophonous delight of smashy guitars and drums. The use of brass instruments in some songs is inspired – particularly in Goodbye Baby and Amen. If you listen to that song and don’t die of heartbreak then, well, I just don’t know anymore. That song is everything to me right now – when the brass kicks in at the 2nd chorus it’s fucking rad man. I even love the experimental jazz-style trumpet tootle which makes me feel like I’m in that episode of The Mighty Boosh, you know the one where the evil jazz cell infects Vince?

Anyway, what this album lacks in structure, it makes for times infinity with amazing songs that make me forgive any issues I had. Insectivora was the song that made me fall in love with the album and that love has only intensified.

Bryan Webb’s voice is brilliant, from Shine a Light's murmured verses, to the inevitable shouty denouement of every song pretty much, to On to You wherein he at times channels the late great Phil Lynott. Some songs sound a bit Foals-y too, in terms of jangly guitar riffs and even vocals. There’s something for everyone!

I just love them, and I’m sure there’ll be some people who read this who’ll love it just as much.

Him & Her

I know a lot of people are already aware of this BAFTA award-winning BBC sit-com, but I still think it is criminally underrated.  Him & Her may have been dismissed by some as being a little uneventful as television goes, but if you stick with it there is so much to enjoy.

Him & Her happens to fall into the exact genre of subtle, character-based comedy I really enjoy so it might not be for everyone - if you like Gavin & Stacey definitely give it a go.

It follows the relationship of Steve and Becky, whose sole aim in life is to stay in their pokey flat, watch telly and have sex - whose isn't? - but a select number of family, friends and neighbours seem intent on sabotaging this plan. Their blindness to the couple's lack of enthusiasm is the source of a lot of humour, particularly Joe Wilkinson's fantastic performance as Dan, their socially inept neighbour who wanders around the flat at the least possible opportune times, sneaking biscuits and swigs of Advocaat.

As brilliant a comedy show Him & Her is, the further into the programme you get the more involved in the characters' lives you inevitably become. The unwavering realism and excellent character development mean that even though nothing much tends to happen, when events like Shelly's outburst in series 3 (and basically every moment of the final series) occur, the viewer is on tenterhooks.

The main catalyst of drama is Becky's sister Laura, played by Kerry Howard, whom I think I hate more than any other fictional character I have ever come across - rivaled only by Professor Dolores Umbridge.

Steve & Becky serve as a beacon of casual and unglamorous, yet aspirational, love. Sarah Solemani is pretty much my hero and Russell Tovey is just great in everything. Yet although they are the eponymous main characters, the real drama comes from the relationships around them. Paul's suppression of his true self and resentment of the hateful Laura; Shelly and Dan's tentative romantic affair; and Laura's relentless bullying of Shelly. On further analysis, the programme reveals itself to be quite a dark, humanistic performance. And the most affecting thing is that these events and feelings are so commonplace. I am always a fan of art which celebrates the nuances of the everyday, and Him & Her embodies that sentiment.

Everything comes to a head in the final series, wherein Becky and Steve's relationship experiences vulnerability for the first time, physically reflected in the fact that this is the first time they are shown as having left their flat. Out in the real world they face challenges and my attachment to the characters made me feel genuinely and quite strongly protective towards them.

In conclusion, I want to be Becky, I want to murder Laura. If you have watched Him & Her, this will seem perfectly reasonable.

Django Django

After another lengthy break (sorry!), I'm going to cover a relatively new band for a change.

I heard Django Django's single Hail Bop on Radio 6 Music last year and immediately wanted to check out their album because it sounded like exactly my kind of thing. And if atmospheric, slow build-up indie with electronic influences is our mutual bag, I'd definitely advise you do the same.

Their self-titled debut is a chilled out, psychedelic roam through the desert, reminiscent of some of my favourite bands growing up. Their harmonies are a bit Beach Boys at times, which was my prevailing impression at first listen, especially in the track Firewater. Their drummer is actually the younger brother of The Beta Band keyboardist John Maclean, which makes a lot of sense if you're a fan of theirs. A lot of parallels are there to be drawn. The sound effects sampled in Zumm Zumm spring to mind for instance.

A very summery album, the robot beats keep it bouncing along nicely and it's really accessible. I loved it from first listen rather than it being a grower, despite the complexities apparent in DD's song writing and playing. You'll also most likely recognise their song WOR from the BT Sport advert.

I'm sure these Mercury nominees have a pretty hefty fan base already, but if you haven't heard them you should think about looking them up, I've become pretty fond of them since first discovering this album and I think most people would enjoy it.

Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next Series

So! After a lengthy hiatus I've got my arse in gear and decided to review what I've read of Jasper Fforde's work, which begins with The Eyre Affair. I was given this book for free by a passer-by, volunteering for World Book Night and was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed it.

It's a little difficult to explain with any kind of brevity the premise of the Thursday Next series. They take place in a parallel universe, essentially quite similar to our own except that steam power prevails over any other technological advancements, the Crimean War is still being fought, time travel is possible and literature is arguably the most important commodity of the human race. It is particularly significant for the protagonist, Thursday, at any rate.  As a law enforcement agent for SpecOps, she works to prevent relatively petty crimes such as forgery -  that is until she becomes swept up by much more bizarre events.

I am currently reading the third of Fforde's seven (and counting, with an eighth to be released soon) book series, entitled The Well of Lost Plots, and although they are not the best written texts in the world - lacking the depth of character that I would count on to make a book really special, and sometimes erring on the side of simplicity, language-wise - I do enjoy them.  Considering how complex some of Fforde's ideas are, including pretty abstract notions such as being able to hear and communicate via footnotes whilst residing within Wordsworth's Daffodils, I personally think that the plainness of his writing is often necessary. If he got too flowery, these books would be very dense and difficult indeed.

On another positive note, the character of Ms Next is extremely likeable. No-nonsense and human, she shoulders the role of a 'strong, independent woman' - clichéd as it sounds - simply by being a regular person. She is funny and competent and caring. She also brings a note of normalcy to the strange, occasionally very far-fetched, world that she inhabits. Being able to relate to the protagonist is the key to my fondness for these books, aided by the elements of science fiction and the supernatural which make appearances throughout.

Finally, I would definitely recommend this series for anyone who considers themselves a bit of a literature geek. As an English graduate, I really appreciated the many references and jokes which rely on a knowledge of literary works, the English language and writing itself. And who doesn't love something that makes you feel smart? I really admire the ability of a writer not to talk down to their readers, and that's another thing Fforde's got going for him.  If you're not into your classics in a big way, it isn't essential to follow the plot or anything, but be warned - you may not enjoy these books as much as the next bookworm. In conclusion, perhaps not the most accomplished saga you will ever read, but some interesting concepts and, above all, a lot of fun.