Originating from the great state of Minnesota, Howler have already enjoyed credibility over here in the UK, and their debut album 'America Give Up' was only released two weeks ago in the UK. NME have bigged them up to achieve great things, and named their lead singer Jordan Gatesmith in their pointless list of 'the 50 coolest people of 2011'. Their sound incorporates barre chords, soaring melodies and indie woo's and haa's, and it is no wonder that they are touted as America's answer to The Vaccines, having supported them on recent tours. Howler themselves are currently enjoying a brief tour of British venues. If you have some time, catch them in action.
American post-punk at it's finest, with the guitar sound that I can just tell is from a Fender, it is just that distinct. The fast and furious vocals are a punk rock staple, along with the group vocals, but there is also a catchier side to this band. Their songs seem to at such a quick tempo that they average out to be around the 2 minute mark; again, a punk rock staple. Currently touring in California, 2012 will surely be the year that they pay a visit across the pond, bringing a furious live show.
Self-proclaiming themselves as 'dance music for rock kids', don't pigeonhole these Wolverhampton-based funksters with the dance-rock fusion along the lines of The Prodigy, although after you listen to a few of Shatter Effect's songs, it is clear as to why they define their music like they have. Incorporating dual vocals, two guitars, a bass guitar, drums and a keyboard, it is something that I would call indie-dance, with trails of poppy hooks and big chorus' on tracks like 'Rebecca', uplifting vocals on 'Cold' and noisy guitars on 'The Weekend'. They are currently playing gigs in various venues in Wolverhampton and surrounding areas, but with big ambitions and previous festival experience, there is potential for something exciting here.
BUY: Debut single 'Rebecca' is available via iTunes
FOR FANS OF: Fleetwood Mac, New Young Pony Club, The Zutons
TOUR
25/02 - Wolverhampton, Varsity
That's all for now, I'll write another feature about up and coming bands sometime. Might even make it a regular feature. Anyway, while you're reading this, do yourself a favour and listen to the new Pulled Apart By Horses album for free, because it is meaty, and therefore tasty.
Have you
ever been so genuinely moved by a piece of music that moisture vacates your
tear ducts and you suddenly come down with a temporary case of the sniffles?
No? Really?! Then you must be made of stone.
Definitely
not drawing from personal experience on this one, I have dug through the
archives to find songs that have driven… others to tears. Whether this is down
to the music being so beautiful/bad/melodic/perfect, it doesn’t matter. It may
even be down to a song that takes you back to a time when all you ever did was
cry – it may not even be a depressing song.
Oh, and I
refuse to choose ‘Hero’ by Enrique Iglesias, purely because it would be too
obvious. Other songs that didn’t quite make the cut are ‘Exogenesis Symphony
Part 3 (Redemption)’ by Muse, ‘One Blood’ by Terence Jay, ‘Hoppipolla’ by Sigur
Ros, 'Now We Are Free' from Gladiator, and the ending to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen, yes, the “Oooh yeah, oooh
yeah” part and after.
1) Hard-Fi – Move On Now
I have
always had a fond taste for the piano ballad, but that was not an area of music
that indie-lads Hard-Fi were particularly known for spearheading. Their
Clash-inspired post-punk-indie anthems were accustomed to big stages during
their heydays of 2006-2008, when they had festival crowds in the palm of their
hand. This song though, while not played live on a piano (due to lack of one
onstage), should just be saved for record. A beautiful, moving piece that talks
of a clichéd romance that once was, and no longer shall be.
Taken from
the soundtrack to the hugely successful American Beauty film, the incredibly
talented Newman wrote this specifically for it, but it has since been whored
out to many other television programmes and movies to use in montages, and it
is among the most recognised pieces of film music to this date. Why will it
make you cry? Stick this on your iPod, go outside alone, and listen to this on
a clear autumn day with the leaves blowing in the wind. It made me reminisce,
and made me realise the simple beauties in life (no, really…).
Album:
American Beauty: Original Motion Picture Score
Emerging
from the backbone of American grunge music, Feeder started off as a hard-rock
trio with a vengeance. Dubbed by critics as “Britain’s answer to The Smashing
Pumpkins”, it was clear that on songs like ‘Tangerine’ and ‘High’ that they
weren’t kidding. ‘Suffocate’ however, takes it down a notch with heartfelt
falsetto vocals and clear acoustic melodies. It takes me back to when I bought
their greatest hits album (still, in my opinion, the best compilation album I
own), and would listen endlessly to these songs in the summer during and after
my GCSE’s.
A pioneer
for high-voiced singing men worldwide, Buckley’s premature death left a
saddening stain on the music industry. Grace was without a shadow of a doubt
one of the greatest albums of the 90’s; written with such emotion that Buckley
conveys perfectly. This song sticks out for me though due to the way his voice
works with the guitar chords; it’s brilliant. It may be a cover, but that other
cover that he did (do you really need me to tell you it’s ‘Hallelujah’, the
greatest cover of all time?) could easily be included on this list too. Buy
this album NOW if you don’t own a copy.
It’s a
shame that Radiohead couldn’t stick to what they do best: alternative
Brit-rock. Nowadays I’m not too keen on the In Rainbows/The King of Limbs stuff, but good luck to
them and all that, and I guess Thom Yorke is the type who wants to always
change what he does. The lyrics, a product of Yorke’s thoughts at the current
time, were mostly gibberish. He performed three takes of the song, and then
cried afterwards, according to Jonny Greenwood. I chose this because of how
atmospheric it is, and the way it showcases how this band can swerve away from
their earlier grunge work and play an acoustic song so well. Oh, it can make
you take out your Kleenexes too (take that comment as you wish…).
As a
guitarist myself, I have attempted to extend my boundaries beyond the
comforting realms of modern ballad rock and four-chord punk-pop, and along the
way, I have stumbled upon some of the most trippy, awe-inspiring riffs and
licks to come out of the instrument known as the electric guitar.
Your present day lists shown in the likes of publications such as New Musical
Express, Q and Kerrang! will all be laden with clichéd selections along the
lines of Metallica – Master of Puppets, Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child of Mine,
and the ever-present Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit. Granted, I can’t take
anything away from these masterpieces, and there is a reason why these songs
are so recognisable nowadays; it is because of what their respective guitarists
are capable of. They possess skills that put amateurs (not naming names) to
shame, and inspire others (like me) to grab an instrument and make a racket.
Now, I’m
going to take you into my world and show you five guitar riffs that, in my
opinion, don’t get the recognition they demand, not deserve, DEMAND. These
pieces of music are meant to be loved, not loved in the sense that you can have
some mentally challenged dingbat refer to them as “ok”, or “meh”, or (God help
us) “reem”. These riffs should be looked up to as a benchmark, a pedestal, call
it what you will, they should just be respected, consarn it!
These
selections don’t have to be particularly difficult to play on the guitar (they
might be); they just have to be melodic or heavy enough to make people enjoy
their lives a bit more, and give hope to those who may feel you have to be some
sort of Merlin to be considered an inspiration on the guitar.
1) Radiohead - Just
Known
nowadays more for their spasmodic, electronically-enhanced concoctions, people
of the Noughties need to wake up and take a look into the past, when Radiohead
were a driving force for British alt-rock. With albums like ‘The Bends’ and ‘OK
Computer’ still influencing and changing the lives of many today, there is no
doubting this bands genius. The riff in question would be the one that comes in
straight after the C-Eb-D-F chord sequence at the start – an octave riff that
progresses until the verse, and climaxes at the end of the song in a scratchy
mess of guitar strings and broken fingernails. Jonny Greenwood, you are the man! You are a man
aren’t you? I can’t see past your hair.
Album: The
Bends
The song
you usually find on modern day guitar lists: Creep
2) Rage Against The Machine - Bulls on Parade
Let me set
the record straight: this band is not a one-trick pony. It’s not all about
Killing In The Name y’know? Tom Morello goes down as my favourite guitarist of
all time, no question. He did not particularly influence me to pick up the
guitar, but he made me realise the endless possibilities that I could touch
with the gadgets I had at my disposal. In Bulls on Parade we have a masterclass
in diversity, from the punching, bouncing riff at the beginning, to the
wow-wow-chikka-wow-wow-chikka-chikka-chikka, but why I picked this song, was
for the DJ scratching implemented on the solo. Watch the video of them playing
this live at Reading Festival 2000, one of the bands last gigs before they
split temporarily, and marvel at the mans genius (he’s a Harvard graduate too –
just sayin’).
A band that
a lot of metal fans love to hate, but whether you like it or not, Lostprophets
used to be good, and this song proves that. As fantastic as Last Train Home is,
THIS is the Lostprophets gem. A simple, yet effective, drop C riff that causes
unrivalled carnage at gigs and festivals worldwide, this song has managed to
set the record, albeit unofficially, for creating the biggest wall of death
ever. See a video of that moment here now, and just look at all the people who
couldn’t hack it, and have ultimately ended up on their arses in the middle of
about 50,000 people. The performance of this song at Reading 2007 is just as good, if not better.
Album: The
Fake Sound of Progress
The song
you usually find on modern day guitar lists: Last Train Home
4) Foo Fighters - Stacked Actors
In the 16
years that this band has been around, I have failed to find one person that
dislikes them. Whether this is because Dave Grohl is a breath of fresh air in
this world of odious assholes, or because their music is generally likeable,
not OTT and gets straight to the point, I don’t know, but I for one, LOVE them.
Always a staple on their live shows, resulting in a 14 minute-long prog-metal
freakout, this detuned slab of post-grunge has always had the heads banging of
devoted fans. Clap along to the drums at the start of the song that accompany
the riff if you will, but be prepared to manoeuvre your hands in such a way
that it looks like your wielding your very own Gibson Firebird.
Album:
Nothing Left To Lose
The song
you usually find on modern day guitar lists: Monkey Wrench
5) Muse - Stockholm Syndrome
For those
of you that don’t know me, I am a Muse-enthusiast, a Muser if you will. Picking
up my music taste from my beloved older cousins, and thankfully not my Mum, I
was able to see the light. There are SO many songs from this band that could
have easily adorned this list, from the Prince-funk of Supermassive Black Coc-
oops I mean Hole, to the speed abattoir riff of New Born, to the nu-metal of
Dead Star and so on. Matt Bellamy is an inspiration, and in this song, he has
created something that the word ‘masterpiece’ wouldn’t do justice to. With the
main riff being inspired by System Of A Down, the song is a voyage through an
array of techniques and melodies, all special in their own ways. Keep in mind
that this song is less than 5 minutes long (extended to about 9 minutes when
played live due to crazy, extended riffage), but this song is one of the reasons
Muse are renowned for their gigs – because they can fit so many different
factors into them, from intense light shows, to aerialists dangling from UFO’s,
to ultra-heavy riffs that cause moshes so dangerous it would put Slayer to
shame, but I digress. The riffs and licks throughout this song have caused me
to say that this is my favourite song of all time, and it has a crushing outro
that you can’t help but nod appreciatively to (that is, if you are a moron –
you headbang like a motherfucker). Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some pants
that need changing…
Album:
Absolution
The song
you usually find on modern day guitar lists: Plug In Baby
This was my first ever blog post. Hope you enjoyed it. If you agree with it, share it, and if you disagree, share your opinion.
