SUMMER ALBUM RELEASES

Summer is dawning upon us the annual question will it, wont it? Will soon be on the minds of all patrons of this wonderful country. Do I dare say I am optimistic of a beautiful, sunny British Summer? To accompany this inevitably amazing summer weather we have many new album releases to look forward too, that will perfectly accompany our high spirits and traditional English BBQ’s. I’ve been having a gander and a cheeky little listen to some of the material already released and have come up with possibly the best guide to the albums you need to listen too. Honestly don’t even bother looking elsewhere on the web for guidance my expertise and hard work is second to none. Here they are in no particular order:

Tame Impala – Currents (17th July 2015) It’s no surprise we are big fans of Tame Impala their first two albums bought us some of the best psychedelic hippy rock since the weird and wonderful bands of Woodstock in the 60’s. Their debut album ‘Innerspeaker’ and follow up ‘Lonerism’ were very highly regarded across the music industry catapulting them to fame and securing high profile shows. Front man Kevin Parker has shared that this new album’s intent was to take something real and warp it until its weird, which is demonstrated in the albums artwork. This artwork is based on a scientific concept that shows the flow of air in its natural and calm state before being surged through an airplanes wind turbine, which effectively distorts and disturbs the natural order of existence creating a warped image for viewers. I think it’s safe to say if you like any of Tame Impala’s previous material you’re in for a treat with this one, prepare to submerge yourself into a world of trippy, confusing and enlightening sounds that will transport you through a journey of colours, feelings and thought.

Slaves – Are You Satisfied? (1st June 2015) I’ve spoken a lot about Slaves since I discovered their excellence a while ago, if still after all my incessant nagging you haven’t checked out this band then leave this page, find yourself a quiet room (preferably covered in pillows), crank up your speakers and prepare to go FUCKING APE SHIT. They are absolutely incredible having single handidly take the UK Punk Rock scene by the scruff of the neck and dragging it from the very grave it has resided over the past decade. Don’t get me wrong they are evidently still on the rise at an early stage in their career and we will have to reassess this position in a few years upon the release of two maybe three albums. But at this point in time I can honestly see them being the catalyst for a UK Punk Revival and we will need to brace ourselves for the shit storm of punk bands we are about to see rise from the shadows. To me their introduction to the music industry has been almost as impressive as Royal Bloods recent rise to stardom; I believe Slaves should receive similar treatment. Anyway I’ve gone off on a tangent really their new album is set to be released on 1st June 2015 make sure you get yourself a copy you will not be disappointed, it’s bound to be as Angry, Energetic and Vibrant as their album ‘Sugar Coated Bitter Truth'.

The Vaccines – English Graffiti (26th May 2015) This gracious Indie Rock band formed in West London in 2010 and soon shot to fame supporting various Rock heavyweights such as The Arctic Monkeys, The Rolling Stones and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. This album will be their third having released debut ‘What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?’ in 2011 and follow up ‘Come of Age’ in 2012. After an initial listen from streamed tracks we can see that the band are embarking along a rather more mature path with this album providing their avid fans with nice slow melodic sounds accompanied by heavy fuzz guitar riffs and the signature indie twang that The Vaccines are loved for. Frontman Justin Young has stated in various interviews that the album is very much about the here and now, with primary aims to make the record sound like 2015. They are not interested in creating an album that will stand through time as a legacy but an album that breaks the rules and pushes boundaries which can be heard through the inclusion of Pop and Hip-Hop dynamics experimented with on this record, definitely one to look out for over the summer months.

Muse – Drones (8th June 2015) Well where do I start really, Muse are incredible, they have undoubtedly established themselves as one of the most popular UK Rock bands of this era. Their reign has been blatant since the band formed in 1994 around 20 years ago, over this time we have been graced with an array of fantastic songs such as: Hysteria, Supermassive Black Hole, Knights of Cydonia, Stockholm Syndrome, Bliss and Newborn just to name a few. However I can’t help but be disappointed with the direction of their albums post ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ onwards, I understand they are moving forward and adapting their sound to fit with the time and trends but I miss the edge they once had. No longer do we hear killer riffs like Plug in Baby or the heavy substance of Stockholm Syndrome, so many of their tracks are of a similar sound and fail to draw my attention let alone excitement. Having said this there may be a light at the end of the tunnel, new album ‘Drones’ shows hints of their former self such as in the catchy and killer riff of ‘Psycho’, this album is definitely one that deserves the attention of music lovers where we hope to see a restoration to their former glory.

The Maccabees – Marks to Prove It (July 31st 2015) The Maccabees have been knocking around for quite a few years now, the Brighton based band released their debut album ‘Colour it In’ in 2007 and since then have only improved leaps and bounds. We are now bracing ourselves for the release of their fourth studio album due in July. What can one expect from this album I hear you asking? You can expect a more simplistic version of previous albums, it appears they aren’t embarking on some sabbatical of discovery with this album but continuing with their winning recipe providing minor changes by stripping back their music with less layers and more piano. Overall a view of more sincerity in which the band are hoping to reconnect with their passion and remember why the band was formed initially playing the music they enjoy. As the others this is one to keep a look out for when it comes along.

Everything Everything – Get to Heaven (June 15th 2015) This will mark the bands third studio album release since they formed in late 2007, what styles this band do not use would be the easiest place to start. It’s extremely hard to place a marker onto what they achieve their music is a congregation of many various music styles and techniques. Best described as ‘Art Rock’ or ‘Math Rock’ Everything Everything combine notions of pop, hip hop, alternative, indie, psychedelic, electronica and glitch pop this very short list does not do the band justice they really do explore the boarders of music. They rely heavily on the use of technology in their creative process using a lot of synthetic and computerized sound effects to accompany the core of their music. The best way to some up their forthcoming album would be to say that they will be providing much of the same anticipated music that so many love.