Music Review: The Milk Carton Kids

It's official. I have a new music obsession:

The Milk Carton Kids

The Californian folk duo have stolen my heart with their brooding melodies, intelligent lyrics and effortless charm. The duo instantly became a favourite of mine when a friend mentioned them back in July. Hours later, and after swift iTunes purchases of all three of their albums; Retrospect, Prologue and The Ash & Clay, I was sold.

A few weeks after I first heard about them, I felt as if I had struck gold when I found out they were playing at Union Chapel in London just weeks later. That show happened last month. It's safe to say that I've been to quite a few shows over the last few years, but Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale have somehow managed to take the spot of My Favourite Concert to date. There was something so ethereal about them playing their music at Union Chapel, a working church, surrounded by the stained glass windows and candle light. I could have sat there in the pews listening for hours.

If you've never listened to the guys before, here's a few recommendations to get you started:

Michigan: This track, taken from their incredible second album titled Prologue, is one of their classics. The memorable lyrics and lulling melody instantly stops you in your tracks and encourages you to think. My best friend, who only found out about the duo when I 'dragged' her along to their gig last month, is obsessed with this song. For someone who's a brand new fan, The Milk Carton Kids have made a perfect first impression on her. Needless to say, this song is on repeat for both of us!

Honey, Honey: Another classic. This will get your feet tapping to no end. All of their songs bring out the best in their voices, but if you listen closely, some great vocal qualities cane be heard  throughout the course of the song.  

Charlie: One word. Beautiful. This song is taken from their album, Retrospect, which was released under their first names and last names before they were officially The Milk Carton Kids.

Now, I don't think there's anything left to say apart from, Give Them a Listen!

Music Review: Haim - Days Are Gone

The album is finally here. Finally. I don't know about you, but I've been eagerly awaiting the UK release for months. And I'm so glad I can finally hold a physical copy of the CD in my hands whilst listening to the solid musical craftsmanship, or should I say craftswomanship, in its full and everlasting glory.  

 

Falling is the perfect intro into the album and into the siblings' work. It's always interesting to see what a band picks as the song to take the Track Number 1 spot on the album. The first fifteen seconds of Falling entice you into continuing to listen with the undeniable strong sense of direction that's apparent from the use of striking, almost heart-like beats. Haim have managed to capture the build of the song so naturally, yet so effectively, that it puts an already dodgy classic pop boyband "key change after the second chorus" to even more shame.

 

Haim's debut album- Days Are Gone

Can we just talk about The Wire for a minute, please?! I love the fact that Danielle, Este and Alana get to show off their cracking vocals separately during the four minutes and six seconds of the song. Seriously good stuff.

 

The title track on an album can at times be hideously bland and un-thought provoking, but it's safe to say that Haim's title track, Days Are Gone, is refreshing, catchy and fits the album's direction perfectly.

 

After the sensational response the band received after releasing their single, Don't Save Me, last year, it was not a surprise to see that the album went straight to #1 in the UK charts last week. And I think we all know why. We haven't seen a female-led band of this kind who have charisma and genuine music ability of this genre to boot for a long time. They know what they're good at when it comes to making music and I'm happy to say it's exactly what the music-loving public wants to hear. Someone get me tickets to their sold out London shows!

Music Review: Don't Run Away- David Archuleta

He may be serving as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Chile for two years, but that hasn't stopped the talented musician from releasing new music for our listening pleasure!

Since leaving the States to serve as a missionary in South America a year ago, David has already released two incredible albums in that time, with a third record scheduled to be released on 26th March this year, titled No Matter How Far.

Now let's get started on the actual review itself!

Don't Run Away is the ever so catchy first release off the soon to be released album and doesn't disappoint. There's something about the first two seconds of the song that just draws me in. There's also something very reminiscent of his self-titled debut album about it which instantly made me want to pause the song and rewind back to the start again for another sneaky listen.

It is incredibly satisfying to hear the simplicity of the first bridge at about 38 seconds into the song which leads onto a perfectly structured chorus, filled with just enough power and emotion to keep the listener engaged with the ideas and emotions that the song is conveying to the audience.

David's voice is truly captivating throughout the song. It is obvious to any fan that has been supporting since the beginning that his voice has developed and matured over time and has been able to acquire a stronger dimension and tone which allows him to bring new strength to his music.

Don't Run Away had been produced by the incredible songwriting and production duo, David Sneddon and James Bauer-Mein, otherwise known as The Nexus. The production on the song is just right and really adds a great set of dynamics that any music lover could appreciate. I've been a fan of Sneddon's work since his Fame Academy days, so was pleased to see his production skills in action with Bauer-Mein on the song.

With less than a month to wait for the release of No Matter How Far, I'm already expecting great things from everyone's favourite multi-tasking missionary, Elder Archuleta!

Music Review: Bumpy Ride by The Hoosiers

I have been eagerly anticipating this occasion for the last few weeks and am extremely happy to be able to review Bumpy Ride, the latest album by the British pop trio, The Hoosiers. 

Any of you who have read my blog since its creation will have read my first post, titled "Inspirational Albums", where I mention my top three albums of all time. One of those albums just happens to be The Hoosiers debut album, The Trick to Life, which was left on repeat on my ipod and itunes for the majority of 2008! As you can probably already tell, I seem to be able to connect to every song written by The Hoosiers, and the new album certainly doesn't disappoint!

True fans of the band will know that Bumpy Ride contains the original twelve songs from their second album, The Illusions of Safety, but four new tracks have been added to create a fantastic album filled to the brim with every emotion known to man.

One of the stand out tracks on the album has got to be "Unlikely Hero", as I feel as if this could be the anthem for all the underdogs who just haven't been given enough credit in the world today. Another feel-good song on the album is "Glorious". I just love the beat of the song and know this is going to sound absolutely incredible live. Moving on to the new tracks, "Sister Sister" includes a great guitar riff which  has given me the urge to learn how to play the guitar, just so I can play this song!

I may be a little bit biased due to the fact that I have been in love with this band since their first single, but I truly cannot fault this album. "Choices" makes me remember sunny, warm days spent in Cornwall  with my family whilst on holiday in the Summer of 2010 and never fails to lift my spirits on the rare occasion when I find myself stuck in a foul mood!

As far as I'm concerned, this is an album which deserves to be bought and listened to thoroughly. It is not hard to see that a lot of time, effort and hard decisions have been made for this album to be released. Some say that the second album (or the 2nd and a half album in this case!) are always the hardest to sell as people can only compare you to your debut work, but this album is strong enough to hold its own in the highly saturated industry that is the music business in the 21st century.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Bumpy Ride, so feel free to leave me comments below. 

Here is the link to my previous article, Inspirational Albums, in which I mention The Trick to Life.