Parklife - 7/8th June - Heaton Park, Manchester

Parklife festival is a 2 day music festival held in Manchester, it is the first festival on the summer circuit for most of the performers, unlike most festivals nowadays there is no overnight camping. Parklife 2014 was set to be an incredible weekend from the first line up release, as it features some of the biggest, and most up and coming, artists of the time. Headliners this year were the big Snoop D O double G on the Saturday and indie sensations Foals closing the festival on the Sunday, the rest of the bill was filled with an eclectic mix of indie and dance acts across all 9 stages.

We arrived on the Saturday at about 1 o'clock and got straight through the wristband exchange (VIP tickets really paid off for this) instead of queuing for up to an hour just to get into the arena, apparently there were some problems with the 'early bird' tickets not being recognised, which is pretty disappointing due to the fact that these customers had bought their tickets months in advance only to have trouble getting in and the ticketing staff couldn't do anything about it on the door, they had to re-queue which personally I find very bad. We walked around the site with a beer, from the Real Ale Bar in the VIP section, just to see what was going on and then headed to the main stage to watch Bipolar Sunshine, who were great live and had quite a sizeable crowd for an act billed so early on, they had the crowd on their side and played a good set, however the weather was really against them. We then popped into the Now Wave tent to see the Bondax duo play a set full of chilled out bass and slow beats, the tent was full of a crowd who wanted to get away from the constant huge bass-line sounds and Bondax kept them satisfied the who set. Route 94 were the next act we saw, over at The Colonnade, the crowd were there for the chart topping 'My Love' and when it dropped they really got into it, however the rest of the set was very average. We managed to catch the majority of Foxes on the main stage, who had a great live presence and performed a fantastic version of Clarity, her huge dance hit with Zedd. On the Now Wave stage at this time was Cyril Hahn, who has done two of my favourite remixes ever, he performed a great set, similar to that of Bondax but with a few more of his own versions of songs, the crowd were really into him and he did not disappoint. Straight after that we wondered back to the main stage to catch Annie Mac, I am a huge Mac fan but her set at Parklife was incredibly average, the last few songs she dropped were all top of the charts and the audience happily danced and sang them back to her, but it was hardly special. In contrast the Rudimental performance after that was brilliant, they bring so much energy to the stage and having such great material makes them perfect for a festival main stage, the weather had picked up at this time and they got Heaton Park going, after a few sound issues and having to go off stage as the electrics cut out midsong, they pulled out their big tunes and the crowd rewarded them by evidently having a great time. We then headed to see Duke Dumont, via the Now Wave tent to catch a few tracks of A$AP Rocky, who was a last minute replacement for Kendrick Lamar who had to pull out of the festival, however it was not an issue, the tent was packed, and with reason as A$AP was on form, he belted out his album and his more popular tracks got the whole tent going. Duke Dumont in comparison was very relaxed and played a set full of steel drums and groovy beats, which was expected but was brilliant none the less. It was now time for Snoop to hit the main stage, I have seen him before and he is more a parody of himself than a serious performer, the man is ridiculous and I have to take him for what he is, which is great live! He played his standard set of gangster rap to a crowd of white kids with their hands in the air. He is a comedy genius, but I believe you are a fool if you take him seriously. A big feature of Parklife was the weather, a week before it was forecast to be thunder storms all weekend, which thankfully was not the case, however it rained pretty heavily all of Saturday until about 4 o'clock, the park was a state but didn't put anyone off from having a good time, the organisers did their best to keep the ground in a relatively okay state, but they were fighting a loosing battle, the biggest cheers of the day was when the sun came out.

Feeling a little hungover, very tired and achey all over Sunday arrived, we again arrived at about 1, having already got wristbands we were quickly in and had a burger in the VIP section, I cant discribe haw great this burger was, it was incredible, if you ever see a Solita van get the 'Once in a Lifetime'!

We saw Ella Eyre on the main stage, who did a collaboration with Rudimental on 'Waiting all Night' which got her known, she is soon to drop an EP which should be good as she has a really powerful voice and is fantastic live, obviously enjoying her performance. We went on to the otherside of the arena to catch a few songs from Pusha T, one of the GOOD Music bunch, who dropped New God Flow and Trouble on my Mind which got the crowd fired up, they were absolutely great live and had fans bouncing and chilled out lying on the hill, one to go and see if you're into that music. One of my highlights of the weekend was Clean Bandit, who were now on the main stage performing to a huge crowd, which was expected with Rather Be being the fasted selling single of 2014 so far, and Extraordinary currently being fourth in the charts, they smashed out an unbelievable set with their violins, steel drums and dancey synth sounds all getting the crowd behind them, it was a great set from a relatively new band and I look forward to seeing them again soon. We stayed on to see Warpaint, but they really were dismal, they had no stage presence and although the lead singer has a great voice, it just isn't suited to a big festival stage, so we left and had a sit down for a while before heading back to see Sam Smith, who's set started very slow and his backing band were drowning out his voice, however towards the end he picked it up with 3 of the biggest songs of the last year, Money on my Mind, La La La and Latch, which were incredible live. The crowd were happily singing along and getting into the music, but he had very little empathy with them and he was clearly loving being on stage, just he never really bonded with the audience. Having been a fan of the XX way before they dropped their first album I was expecting a great set from Jamie XX who was playing on the Sounds of the Near Future stage and that is what we got, he played a range of his remixes and other songs and the tent was loving his set. London Grammar, who's album I love, were a huge disappointment, much like Warpaint they are not good on a large festival stage, her voice doesn't hold well and their songs are not what you need when drunk in the sun in a field, the crowd were evidently quite bored. Next up were Bastille, who I have seen 4 times previously so expected great things, so did everyone else as they had easily the biggest crowd of the weekend. The first time I saw them was in a tiny festival tent at about 2 o'clock with 20 other people and Dan's voice was so nervous when talking to the crowd, however each time I have seen them he gets more and more confident and this enhances their performance, they have such a good repertoire of songs, with such a range of styles, they are a phenomenal live band, one of my favourite songs of all time is the Bastille and Ella Eyre version of No Angles, which they performed together live for the first time, another festival highlight for me, they also played some new material which sounded promising as we are due a second album in the near future I would imagine. They ended with Pompeii, their number one single which got the who of Heaton Park singing along and was quite a spectacle. We they popped over to see SBTRKT who performed next to a giant blue inflatable lizard, we saw his drop Wildfire which got the whole tent bouncing and was a great live set based of the few songs we saw. On the main stage Foals were due to come on, which they did about 20 minutes late to a huge cloud of smoke and a massive guitar intro, it was the only delay of the whole festival, apart from that all artists were on stage in good time which was good to see. Foals played to a much smaller crowd than many of the acts throughout the day, but all the people watching were into them, the American group played their hit My Number early in their set and it got the reaction it deserved from the audience. Across the park we saw Disclosure who were closing the stage they put together with a great live show as we are accustomed to when the brothers play live.

Overall the festival was great, the weather was awful but that didn't take away from the overall enjoyment from many of the revellers, and with such a strong line up I was always going to enjoy the weekend. The bar situation at Parklife was very frustrating, as they don't sell pints of lager, only small cans of Heineken, the only other beers offered with Desperatos or Strongbow, all three sold in cans which seems very strange at a music festival, especially when you buy bottled water they take the plastic tops off incase you throw them, but are happy to give you a potentially very heavy metal container. The only place you could buy a proper pint was the Real Ale bar in the VIP section which we luckily had access to. Apart from this, and the stewards having very little knowledge of where anything on the site was, it was a fairly well fun festival.

Pepsi Clothing - Live for Now

Recently street-wear has taken off everywhere, and in light of this Pepsi have jumped on the bandwagon and released their own clothing range, I say their own, all the products in the 'Live for Now' range are collaborations with very established brands, including the likes of Original Penguin and Del Toro.

The prices to all pieces are extortionate, paying up to £56 for a tshirt and £275 for some shoes seems pretty expensive to me, bearing in mind that the brand behind them primarily makes soft drinks. This said however the designs are actually seriously nice, they mainly feature an all over print of the same motif using Pepsi's trademark colours of Red and Blue. The skateboards they have released with Shut have some really clean graphics, I'm a huge fan to say the least! My favourite items in the collection are the Original Penguin shorts, the graphics work really well and with a block colour tee would make a great fit. I am also a fan of the Goodlife Zosen Sweatshirt, in black (as above), as the imagery is really subtle and is so simple.

Overall the collection is pretty cool, however they have some odd looking pieces (the coaches jackets) that I certainly couldn't see myself wearing, but for the start of their 2014 World Cup Campaign it is a great release and I hope to see some more soon.

Head to Colette (check out for a great backing playlist!) and Bloomingdales to view the rest of the collection and to buy products.

La Roux - Let Me Down Gently

So La Roux is back after 5 years. Her new single 'Let Me Down' slowly was played for the first time on May 12th via Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show, it will be released before the rest of her album, Trouble in Paradise, which is available on July 7th. La Roux, or Elly Jackson, keeps the synth-y sounds as we were used to in her first album 'La Roux' however she goes for a lot more laid-back style here as the shrieking high pitched voices are removed for a more relaxed vibe, I was a fan of the first album at the time, but have grown against it, yet this new singles brings a new aspect to La Roux which I do find very appealing. Ben Langmaid has left the band and his influence is really noticed, however not at all missed, if the rest of the album follows on the same path as this single it will be a quality collection of songs.

Supreme x Vans SS14 Collaboration

So today Supreme announces that they will be doing another collaboration with the footwear brand Vans, this doesn't come as a surprise to many as the brands have had a close relationship for some years now. They will be released on Thursday, as with all Supreme drops, and feature two classic styles of Vans shoe; the Era (pictured above) and the Chukka boot (pictured below). Both styles will come in 3 different colour-ways (Blue, Red and Black) with a unique pattern stitched onto the shoe. I expect the shoes to be of superb quality, of which we are used to when these two streetwear giants combine and for the shoes to sell out pretty quickly. Based on previous collaborations, I think, the Eras will retail for a little under £100 and the Chukkas for a little over £100.

Personally I am not a huge fan of these, the Supreme x Vans collaborations are very love or hate for me, I feel if Supreme released the same stitched pattern, with black stitching on black shorts then it would be seriously nice, however these aren't amazing in my eyes. I am sure the quality will be fantastic, as always, and will be in great demand, but I am going to give them a miss.

Released at 11.00AM in store and online on Thursday 15th May.

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (May 17th)

There is nothing here in the catchy vein of Daft Punk's mega hits One More Time and Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, because this is an album that is best listened to in its entirety. That's if you have a spare 74 minutes or so. Because it is a vast and intriguing beast and, indeed, as the title suggests, there are many random moments where you think to yourself, 'what the heck is this?' Like opener Give Life Back To Music, with its epic opening, so unfashionable-sounding it makes you feel kind of weird that you like it, and on Fragments Of Time, where they well and truly get their Hall & Oates groove on.

Yes, there are pure pop moments, such as Get Lucky with Pharrell Williams - which is one of the biggest singles of the year so far (along with Williams' other collaboration on Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines) - but it's one of the weakest tracks here. It's catchy, but in that wash-over-you-easily kind of way.

And besides, on Random Access Memories the French duo of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have come up with an album that's not about the hits.

It's about songs like Giorgio By Moroder, a nine-minute homage to Italian synthesiser great Giorgio Moroder with the great man himself talking about his influential life over the top of some soothing, saucy, stylish electro disco. Then there's Lose Yourself To Dance (also with Williams), an immediate moochy head nodder, with funky Prince-style guitar jams and handclaps done to a P-funk tempo, and Touch takes off into a zany, almost flapper-meets-jazz piano and clarinet jam, before galactic synth beams and calmer piano chords mellow the song out. If anything, it gets a little whimsical and waffly on tracks like Beyond, because there is only so much pensive toe-tapping and hip-swaying one can do during a song.

But it doesn't peter out towards the end, and the spectral ambient electronica of Motherboard, and maddening last track, Contact, will do your head in - but in a good way.

Tracklist:

01 Give Life Back to Music

02 The Game of Love

03 Giorgio by Moroder

04 Within

05 Instant Crush

06 Lose Yourself to Dance

07 Touch

08 Get Lucky

09 Beyond

10 Motherboard

11 Fragments of Time

12 Doin’ It Right

13 Contact

Little Boots - Nocturnes (5th May)

Little Boot’s stunning second album ‘Noctures’ follows up from her 2009 release ‘Hands’. Working under the moniker of Little Boots, musician Victoria Heskerth made a name for herself with her quirky and energetic electronic pop-music. On her latest album, Heskerth shifts what could be described as her normal sound, and divulges in a much more disco-orientated album. There’s a lot of creativity present on the album, and Heskerth seems to have made an album that is an evolution of he previous work. The result on her second album ‘Nocturnes’ is an incredibly impressive effort, that in this day and age of popular electronic music, seems to demonstrate much more versatility and creativity than what is normally heard.

On ‘Nocturnes’, Heskerth seems to indulge in her own style, producing to an extent, a much more darker but equally as enjoyable sound than what was on he previous record. There’s much more electronic treatments on this record, with tracks building up in intensity as more and more layers are added into the mix. The result is usually a rather exciting track, where the many layers each stand out in their own rights, all forming essential layers to the songs. Amongst the electronics are various instruments as well, showing that Heskerth at the very least, understands that electronic layers aren’t always everything. On top of the many layers built up are Heskerth’s vocals, which come in varying intensities in the different songs. At times, it can sound very dark, but there is a dance-element right at the core of the songs. There is something within many of the tracks that simply pumps the blood and gets everything moving, which seems to be exactly what Heskerth is aiming for. She has certainly manged it well, and has easily produced what is her most exciting and fun record yet. ‘Nocturnes’ is simply a great record. It is perhaps a little flawed by the fact that a few of the tracks seem to drag on just a little bit. However, this is barely a problem if it is being played in the right environment It seems these songs were written and produced in this style for the purpose of dancing and clubbing. All the elements are there to make it so, and thus the lengths of the various tracks are therefore unimportant when it is being played in this respective right. The music itself is simply just entertaining and fun to listen too, as well as being creatively interesting. I find within the genre that there are few bands who are actually thinking about how the music will ultimately sound, and in fact, take little pride in their song-writing abilities. Whilst Heskerth may not be the best lyricist in the world (few people are), she is easily a creative song-writer though, and has displayed an enormous amount of talent on this record.

We could find that Little Boot’s ‘Nocturnes’ to be a chart-topper in the coming weeks. There is everything here for people to enjoy, but there is also a very creative element that I find is often absent in a lot of chart-performing music. ‘Nocturnes’ is an incredibly fun record to listen too, with a lot of versatility and variety in the various songs. Heskerth’s creativity oozes out of the songs she has written, as well as her passion for the music itself. I’d say that Little Boots is well on its way to becoming an incredibly popular artist this year, and her latest album ‘Nocturnes’ will certainly make a lot of impact.

Listen to Motorway here and Broken Record here.

Tracklist:

1. Motorway

2. Confusion

3. Broken Record

4. Shake

5. Beat Beat

6. Every Night I Say a Prayer

7. Crescendo

8. Stranger

9. All for You

10. Satellite 

Pheonix - Bankrupt (April 23rd)

Phoenix' breakthrough album, 2009's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is still a headscratcher for me. While it is a really good alt-pop record, there is a huge disconnect with me about it. I loved the singles but the rest of the album left me wanting; it was just a little too quirky, and lacked a certain charm. Even more puzzling is how the band has erupted since then into a festival headlining, SNL guesting, sold out touring juggernaut of epic proportions. So with the release of their new albumBankrupt! I was expecting basically more of the same, but perhaps a little more cleanly polished guitar rock. Imagine my surprise on my first listen to Bankrupt! how gloriously weird it all is. Working with Cassius member Philippe Zdar, Phoenix have ramped up the synths this go around eschewing the sleek guitar pop of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix for a more technicolor/widescreen vision. 

First single "Entertainment" roars out of the gates with bright and shiny Japanese inflected synths, driving rhythms, and enough hooks to land a blue whale.And the hooks keep coming along on the front half of the record. "The Real Thing" bounces old school drum machines and dense analog synths against each other into a swirling mass of hurricane epicness, "Trying To Be Cool" has a summery vibe with glass-like keyboard trails, while standout track "SOS In Bel Air" surges forward like ELO on acid.After this onslaught of brilliant pop moments, the record interestingly takes a more experimental side trip. Title track "Bankrupt" is almost an interlude between the two halves of the record, toning down the bright neon glow of the first half into a somber, contemplative measure of delicately plucked guitars and psychedelic keyboards, merging into an over-the-top prog exploration that keeps changing, chameleon-like to whatever mood it feels like attaching. "Chloroform" mixes up drone keyboards, sludgy beats and Thomas Mars' world weary vocals, creating a gorgeous ballad that soars over the record,while "Bourgeois" creates a melange of synthpop and chamber pop. While the back half of the record is certainly more sonically adventurous, Phoenix never forget that they are first and foremost a pop band, and keep the hooks coming fast and furious. Whether it is the slick K-pop sprinkled keyboards of "Drakkar Noir" or the balls to wall pace of Morodor-esque keyboards on "Don't," these French lads use every trick they have in their pockets, giving Bankrupt! an almost endless string of catchy tracks that are going to be this year's earworms.

Listen to 'Entertainment' here.

For me, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a record that I was supposed to love but just couldn't wrap my arms around. Bankrupt!, however, is a warmer more inviting listen and just feels like a "Big Record." I am sure a lot of people are going to be puzzled by the ambition at play in these tracks, but I was immediately pulled in and enveloped in its buoyant energy. Finally, I get Phoenix, and it certainly was a long time coming.

Tracklist:

01 Entertainment

02 The Real Thing

03 SOS in Bel Air

04 Trying to Be Cool

05 Bankrupt!

06 Drakkar Noir

07 Chloroform

08 Don’t

09 Bourgeois

10 Oblique City

Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart (April 22nd)

Frank Turner has brought 'acoustic punk' to the worlds attention and it is a better place for it. He has never made it into the mainstream, but from supporting to Greenday on one of their stadium tours and working hard on the festival circuit he has got a very big following and is becoming evermore popular.

Tap Deck Heart opens with the album's first single 'Recovery'. This track has a more 'poppy' feel than nearly any track Frank has ever released. Whilst not necessarily a bad thing, I do feel that the track could have been more. The verses show potential that the chorus just doesn't live up to. The third track is called 'The Way I Tend To Be', and is the first stand out song on the album. It's slower than Frank's usual style but this is fitting for the reminiscent lyrics. It's a song about losing the person in your life who you felt made you a better person. It is a beautiful song with Matt Nasir of The Sleeping Souls playing the mandolin throughout to great effect. A must listen. The album continues on strongly with 'Plain Sailing Weather'. A rock song about fucking up, to put it simply. The lyrics are top notch as usual and this is a song that is up there with Frank's best. The Sleeping Souls shine in this track as well. 'Polaroid Picture' is a full band rock song, with a theme of the importance of taking a moment to take in what you have, as everything will come to an end. Personally my favourite song on the album that shows off what Frank can do when he moves away from folk influences and just makes a straight up rock song. 'Fisher King Blues' follows on from this, a song which really shows off Frank's lyrical prowess, with a strong Springsteen-esque vibe throughout. 'Anymore' is a simple track, played just with Frank and his acoustic guitar. It is an uncomfortable listen to be honest, providing a cut down, raw view on breakups. It is nevertheless another highlight of the album, with Frank's vocals taking centre stage.

Overall, 'Tape Deck Heart' is an album that moves away from Frank's roots, yet is all the better for it. It feels as though Frank has made his first ever album that is truly his own, rather than focusing in on influences.The production from Rick Costey is the cleanest I've ever heard on a Frank Turner album, giving the album perhaps a poppier feel than previous albums.

Listen to Plain Sailing Weather here and Recovery here.

Frank Turner is a favourite of mine, his simple messages always come across very heartfelt and are very relatable, his ability to mock politicians and the masses with such ease is really very good and entertaining. Love Ire and Song is packed with standout tracks, yet this new record only has a smattering to say the least, hopefully it will grow with time.

Tracklist:

1. Recovery

2. Losing Days

3. The Way I Tend To Be

4. Plain Sailing Weather

5. Good & Gone

6. Tell Tale Signs

7. Four Simple Words

8. Polaroid Picture

9. The Fisher King Blues

10. Anymore

11. Oh Brother

12. Broken Piano

13. We Shall Not Overcome

14. Wherefore Art Thou Gene Simmons

15. Tattoos

16. Time Machine

Playlist #1

I think I will try and do a post every now and then where I list a few of the songs I have been listening to this week.

1. Red Eye - Kid Cudi ft. Haim (album review here)
2. Wild For The Night - A$AP Rocky ft Skrillex
3. Keep Cool - Major Lazer ft Shaggy and Wynter Gordon (album review here)
4. Colossus - Tyler, The Creator
5. Young Love - Mystery Jets ft Laura Marling
6. Little Blimp - The Joy Formidable
7. Save Rock and Roll - Fall Out Boy ft Elton John (album review here)
8. 110% - Jessie Ware
9. Chocolate - The 1975
10. Plain Sailing Weather - Frank Turner (album review coming soon)

Major Lazer - Free the Universe (April 15th)

Major Lazer have been around since 2009 when they released 'Guns Don't Kill People...Lazers Do,' an album that mixed dancehall with electro to produce an incredible mix of floor-fillers and huge party tunes. Major Lazer was previously a collaboration of UK house DJ Switch and US producer Diplo, Switch has since then left and Diplo recruited the DJ Jillionaire and hype man Walshy Fire.

Free the Universe continues to mashup westen electro and Jamaican sounds to great effect, the single 'Jah No Partial' samples the reggae legend Johnny Osbourne's 'Mr Marshall,' using it's lyrics to build up to the biggest drop on the album, provided by the 'Bass Cannon' boys Flux Pavilion. The song is great if you're pumped up and about too hit a wall, but apart from that not brilliant and certainly doesn't do justice to Osbourne's original. The debut single from Free the Universe, thankfully, is a different story; 'Get Free) features Amber Coffman from Dirty Projectors and is a stunning piece of music, Diplo and co create a subtle backing to Ambers gentle voice and the song really bounces the listener along. It looks like every Major Lazer album has to start with a guest appearance from Santigold, which is no bad thing, she adds her jaunty style and mystic voice to 'You're No Good,' up the same street as that is 'Watch Out For This (Bumaye)' which highlights how good Major Lazer mashup musical genres, it has a stereotypical Jamaican lead backed by a horn section, punchy bass and a head bobbing synth making for a great track and with 1.3 million YouTube views in it's first month of release it is getting the attention it deserves. 'Keep It Cool' features the worlds worst liar (we all know it was him) Shaggy, adding to the list of guest stars from Jamaica, it also has vocals from Wynter Gordon who provides a stunning performance as is faultless throughout the song. The two vocalists and Diplo's massive sound behind this track creates one of the highlights of the album. Unfortunately someone decided that Bruno Mars could enhance a Major Lazer song; they were wrong, it is not a good song and adds to the album as much as 3.47 of silence would have. Thankfully 'Mashup the Dance' is back to Major Lazer's usual standards, an addicting vocal sample is used and the guest features enhance the songs further to produce a piece that will be huge when played live.

The album as a whole is really very good and continues the Major Lazer vibe. This said I do have a number of criticisms, the first being what I have entitled 'Diplo Drums' which feature on almost every song and are a tiresome beat that just gets us through the track, we could have had a bit of variation here. My second criticism is how we are reminded that it's a Major Lazer song throughout almost all songs, with their being a 'Major Lazer' shout out in well over half of the tracks, I get it is supposed to add to the hype and is based around Major Lazer's invented character 'Major Lazer', but not all the time as there is just no need: please don't sink to Jason Derulo's level. The album is full of hit and misses, you will either love it or hate it, for fans of the first album Free the Universe is certainly up your street, and for people who enjoy music there is something for you hidden amongst it all as it really does branch over most genres. 

Listen to 'Jah No Partial' here and 'Watch Out For This (Bumaye)' here.

The album is has a number of phenomenal tracks, and a number of not so brilliant tunes. I am quite a fan of Vampire Weekend and Major Lazer separately, but please keep them that way as 'Jessica' isn't good. Free the Universe has 14 29 featured artist, for an album of 14 songs this seems rather a lot, so the album is more 'Diplo and friends' rather than an individual artist's project. This said it keeps the album fresh and like I said, it covers an incredible number of genres. The album has glimpses of genius, yet this is ruined by a number of songs that should never have been released (much to my disappointment this isn't just Bruno Mars' track) which do take away from how good the album could have been.

Tracklist: 

01 You're No Good [ft. Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim & Yasmin]

02 Jet Blue Jet [ft. Leftside, GTA, Razz & Biggy]

03 Get Free [ft. Amber of Dirty Projectors]

04 Jah No Partial [ft. Flux Pavilion]

05 Wind Up [ft. Elephant Man & Opal]

06 Scare Me [ft. Peaches & Timberlee]

07 Jessica [ft. Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend]

08 Watch Out for This (Bumaye) [ft. Busy Signal & Flexican]

09 Keep Cool [ft. Shaggy & Wynter Gordon]

10 Sweat [ft. Laidback Luke & Ms. Dynamite]

11 Reach for the Stars [ft. Wyclef Jean]

12 Bubble Butt [ft. Bruno Mars, Tyga & Mystic]

13 Mashup the Dance [ft. the Partysquad & Ward 21]

14 Playground [ft. Bugle & Arama]

Kid Cudi - Indicud (April 16th)

Cudi is now entering his 5th year in the music industry and about to release his 3rd studio album. He has just started his own record label entitled 'Wicked Awesome' and recently announced he is ending his time signed to Kanye West's 'GOOD Music'. The rapper's debut single 'Dan 'N' Nite' found itself in the US top 5 in the first week of being released and has managed to create a cult-like following.

The first sight of a new album the public got was at a show in April 2012 (the rapper's first in two years), with him performing a previously unheard verse a cappella, but later it was released with a statement denying that it would be on a forthcoming album. Indicud was officially announced in the summer via the rappers Twitter account, two months after the announcement, the first single 'Just What I Am (feat. King Chip)' was released. It has a classically distinctive 'Kid Cudi sound,' the record has a very trippy hook and eery atmosphere about it, Cudi and King Chip's styles provide a good contrast, Cudi is 'the emo kids rapper' and they won't be disappointed with the first single. The much anticipated track featuring rap's new star Kendrick Lamar 'Solo Dolo Pt II' shows off Cudi's ability to rap too great effect, the single chords and repetitive percussion highlight the vocalists, Lamar is as fresh as ever with his voice sounding very mature for his age, the track is certainly worth the hype that it has been anticipated with. Another relatively new talent A$AP Rocky is also featured on the album, the track 'Brothers' is brought too life by A$AP, with Cudi and the sobre synth sounds adding to a darker mood of the track. The track 'Girls (feat. Too $hort)' is a reminder of why Cudi has the following he does, it is in the style of one of Cudi's huge hits 'Pursuit of Happiness' and is a phenomenal rap track. 'Red Eye' features everyones favourite band made up of three sisters; Haim, and is one of the best tracks on the album, Haim and Cudi suit each other very well and the song is extremely catch and memorable.

The album is consistently brilliant all the way through, their are a few weaker tracks, but as a whole Indiclud is a stunning record. Cudi seems to win over a lot of people who aren't into conventional rap music, and this album highlights why, he has a broad range of sounds and uses them too great effect.

Listen to 'Just What I Am (feat. King Chip)' here and 'Girls (feat. Too $hort)' here.

I am quite a fan of Kid Cudi and this album reinforces why, I enjoyed it start too finish and because of it's range and variability I think it will take a while before it start too bore me. The features work really well, Cudi's voice seems to be able to match everything. Cudi does rap well, he avoid cliches and doesn't shout his name at the start of each track, he is a class act and his features on GOOD Music's 'Cruel Summer' stood out above most of his fellow performers.

Tracklist: 

1. "The Resurrection Of Scott Mescudi"

2. "Unf-ckwittable"

3. "Just What I Am" feat. King Chip

4. "Young Lady" feat. Father John Misty

5. "King Wizard"

6. "Immortal"

7. "Solo Dolo Part II" feat. Kendrick Lamar

8. "Girls" feat. Too Short

9. "New York City Rage Fest"

10. "Red Eye" feat. Haim

11."Mad Solar"

12. "Beez" feat. RZA

13. "Brothers" feat. King Chip & A$AP Rocky

14. "Burn Baby Burn"

15. "Lord Of The Sad And Lonely"

16. "Cold Blooded"

17. "Afterwards (Bring Yo Friends)" feat. Michael Bolton & King Chip

18. "The Flight Of The Moon Man"

Fall Out Boy - Save Rock and Roll (April 16th)

Fall Out Boy are back! After 3 years of hiatus-ing they recorded a record in secret and on February 4th  they officially announced it along with a forth coming tour. Previously Fall Out Boy have released 4 studio albums, including the double platinum 'Take This To Your Grave' selling over 2.8 million copies and 'Infinity on High' which sold 260,000 copies worldwide in its first week of general release.

'My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light 'Em Up)' was released on the day of their comeback announcement and is the first single from 'Save Rock and Roll,' the song features a stunning vocal performance from lead singer Patrick Stump, it really grabs the listeners attention and is incredibly memorable. The first track of the album 'The Phoenix' starts with a stringed crescendo, building the tension and atmosphere, the whole song seems to be packed with references of the hiatus period; 'you know time crawls on when you're waiting for the song to start, so dance alone to the beat of your heart,' the constant message of 'taking the world back' runs throughout the album. 'Where Did the Party Go' is dominated by Pete Wentz's bassline and feels more like a dance-rock song, rather than a usual Fall Out Boy song. The album has a number of guest features, the first being on 'Just One Yesterday' which includes Louis Rose Allen of Foxes, her voice really does compliment Stump's and the song has 'mature emo' elements about it. The second guest performance is from Big Sean on 'The Mighty Fall,' where he does the stereotypical rapper 'shout outs' in the opening few bars and a rap 2.30 minutes in which only takes away from otherwise a sound mid-album track. ''Miss Missing You' is arguably the weakest song on the album, it is very hit and miss, using some seemingly misplaced keyboard sounds. 'Death Valley' brings some life back into Save Rock and Roll, showing off the bands diversity and huge musical capabilities. The album ends with the final guest performance coming from Sir Elton John Save Rock and Roll ends with it's title track and is full of heart, John's piano and voice performance is stunning and works seamlessly with Fall Out Boy.

The album starts well, potentially drifts off towards the middle and is is brought back at the end with a huge song. Featuring some unlikely collaborations (some working, some not so much) the album is full of classic Fall Out Boy sounds surrounded by a range of new ideas. Fall Out Boy have created an album that completely shows off how good they are as musicians and songwriters, they have a great range of diversity and all is used to great effect on Save Rock and Roll.

Listen to 'My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light 'Em Up) here and 'Save Rock and Roll (featuring Elton John) here.

Personally I have never been much of a Fall Out Boy fan, only really being into the big singles of 'Dance, Dance', 'Sugar, We're Goin Down' and 'This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race', however this album completely changes that, Save Rock and Roll is full of musical finesse and I enjoyed it a lot, the track with Elton John is phenomenal and it is a great overall album.

Tracklist:

01 – The Phoenix

02 – My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark

03 – Alone Together

04 – Where Did The Party Go

05 – Just One Yesterday (feat Foxes)

06 – The Mighty Fall (feat Big Sean)

07 – Miss Missing You

08 – Death Valley

09 – Young Volcanoes

10 – Rat A Tat (feat Courtney Love)

11 – Save Rock and Roll (feat Elton John)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Mosquito (April 16th)

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a trio from New York fronted by Karen O, the band have never been frightened to experiment, and the new album, the fourth studio release from the band, is no exception to this with Karen O describing it as their attempt as a soul record.

The first single and first track of Mosquito is 'Sacrilege,' a distinctive Yeah Yeah Yeahs song and a great opener, it has gospel tints and is indeed very soulful. The title track of 'Mosquito' shows why Karen O has evolved into an indie icon with her experimental vocals and Nick Zinner's artful guitar lines add to the overall sound. The album is filled with a very Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound and successfully mixes pop beats with more original vocals and energetic rock sounds. 'Buried Alive' features James Murphy (of LCD Soundsystem) and 'Dr Octagon' (aka fellow New Yorker and rapper 'Kool Keith,' the self-acclaimed inventor of 'horrorcore'), he adds surprisingly well to the song and his style compliments Karen O's to great effect, the song also showcases how the band can vary in their performance and not produce the same sound all the time. The album finishes with the lo-fi 'Wedding Song' where the previous pace of the album is slowed down and comes to a satisfying conclusion. 

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have created another great selection of music, it features a lot of their distint sounds, which due to it's uniqueness and interesting aspects makes for a great album. 

Listen to 'Sacrilege' here.

I have been a Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan from when 'Gold Lion' was released in 2006, since then the band have been getting more and more critical success, with their single 'Zero' being listed as the best track of 2009 by NME and Spin Magazine. 'Sacrilege' is a great album, it has so many ideas intwined in and manages to maintain momentum throughout. Mosquito, in my opinion, is Yeah Yeah Yeahs best album yet.

Tracklist:

01 Sacrilege

02 Subway

03 Mosquito

04 Under the Earth

05 Slave

06 These Paths

07 Area 52

08 Buried Alive [ft. Dr. Octagon]

09 Always

10 Despair

11 Wedding Song

Paramore - Paramore (April 9th)

Paramore have gone from 5 to 3 on this album, the fourth studio album from this pop-punk arrangement. Their previous releases have gone platinum in 5 different countries and their third album 'Brand New Eyes' took the number one spot in 4 countries world wide.

The album is dominated by their lead singer and fiery ginger icon Hayley Williams, she has a very strong voice and the combination of her lyrics mixed with her vocal style is a great combination. 'Paramore' is a lot more upbeat than other Paramore albums. The handclaps on 'Ain't it Fun' shows that the band are in danger of becoming a pop band and away from their 'emo' roots of their first album; 'All We Know Is Falling'. 'Now' (the first single released) has peaked at 13 in the US charts and is a classic Paramore single, the underlying guitar riffs an punchy snare sounds would mean it would fit seamlessly into the tracklist of Paramore's stadium filling shows. The album ends in an epic conclusion entitled 'Future' which wraps up the album incredibly well and really gets across the message that is sung about throughout of the new positive outlook of the band.

Paramore have come out of a shake up within the band very well and released another classic album, moving themselves towards the pop scene, but will also be pleasing to the core fans.

Listen to 'Now' here and 'Ain't It Fun' here.

I'm not a massive fan of Paramore, but this album has opened them up a bit with the more dance-like songs, from the band that brought us 'Misery Business' and 'Ignorance' there is no stand out stadium anthem on this record. From seeing them at Leeds Festival 2012 their set was full of big hitters and catchy songs, which this album is full of and should add well to their live shows. My favourite track of the album is 'Ain't It Fun,' it is extremely memorable and a classic Paramore pop-punk mix and a quality 'jam'.

Tracklist:

1. Fast In My Car

2. Now

3. Grow Up

4. Daydreaming

5. interlude: Moving On

6. Ain’t It Fun

7. Part II

8. Last Hope

9. Still Into You

10. Anklebiters

11. interlude: Holiday

12. Proof

13. Hate To See Your Heart Break

14. (One Of Those) Crazy Girls

15. interlude: I’m Not Angry Anymore

16. Be Alone

17. Future

James Blake - Overgrown (April 8th)

James Blake is a 24 year old musician from London, he came second in the BBC Sound of 2011 poll and his first album was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize. 

Overgrown is Blake's second album, a follow up from his self titled debut album which received great critical acclaim for it's unique sound and a new take on dubstep, it was criticised however for not having any memorable songs and sounds blending into one another, both of which are addressed on the new album. Blake's glitchy piano chords and synth melodies add depth too the songs and his gentle voice with flowing lyrics fit in well with his style. Blake has previously released an EP with Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) and Overgrown includes more collaborations; Wu Tang's RZA is featured on 'Take a Fall For Me' where the artists compliment each other well. Brian Eno adds to 'Digital Lion' where the pair create one of the faster tracks of the album concentrating around the drum beat. 'Retrograde' was the first single released from Overgrown, it starts with a lonely voice sample and builds throughout. 

Overgrown is a solid second album and builds from the first very well, it brings new aspects to James Blake's repertoire and the collaborations work nicely being a good fit in respect to the overall feel of the album.

Listen to 'Retrograde' here and 'Take and 'Fall For Me (Feat. RZA)' here.

Tracklist:

01. Overgrown

02. I Am Sold

03. Life Around Here

04. Take A Fall For Me

05. Retrograde

06. DLM

07. Digital Lion

08. Voyeur

09. To The last

10. Our Love Comes Back