DEAF HAVANA – THE PRESENT IS A FOREIGN LAND – ALBUM REVIEW
The entire career of Deaf Havana has been rather stop/start with vulnerabilities and insecurities often holding back; ironically though it’s also those same traits that have made the band such essential listening in the past.
The band has had many highs but their previous effort, ‘Rituals’ and the touring that followed saw the band perhaps at their lowest. The band clearly had high hopes for the record and hoped the pop direction and polished visuals would contribute to their greatest successes, only to be demoralised when the album fell flat and the bands momentum actually faded instead of escalated.
Watching some of their final UK shows on that album cycle, it was clear there were issues. The passion appeared to be gone and it felt as though the band were simply going through the motions. It was not really a surprise then at the end of last year that James and Matthew Veck-Gilodi revealed that the band had planned to split in early 2020.
Instead the duo announced that they were now the only remaining members but that new music was coming. That new music comes now in the shape of the bands sixth studio album, ‘The Present is a Foreign Land’.
It’s been a turbulent musical journey from their post-hardcore debut, through their folk rock and alt rock albums to the pop sound of ‘Rituals’. The first question for me was, which Deaf Havana would appear on this album, and secondly would whichever version appearing be any good?
LISTEN TO ‘GOING CLEAR’ FROM DEAF HAVANA ON YOUTUBE
The brutally honest lyricism of their finest work presents itself instantly on the opening track, ‘Pocari Sweat’, and their peak ‘Those Countless Nights’ vibe comes out on early highlight, ‘19dreams’. Soon enough some of those folk influences emerge, before the pop sound makes its presence known also.
The answer to that first question clearly being, E. All of the Above! This certainly feels like a fresh start for the band, a new beginning, but one that recognises just where they have come from.
On the second point of quality, this is leaps and bounds ahead of the poorly executed experiment that ‘Rituals’ felt like. This feels more like the band that many tipped for huge success. The pop sensibilities are here to stay but they have been intertwined with the sounds that made you fall in love with the band.
Whereas ‘Rituals’ felt forced, ‘The Present is a Foreign Land’ feels like the natural evolution of Deaf Havana. This band is far too good to disappear, so let’s be glad that they’ve emerged from this latest change still with important things to say!
Shinedown’s stock continues to rise album by album, with their previous effort, ‘Attention Attention’, being the first to crack the UK Top 10. They just performed a huge main stage slot at Download Festival and later this year they will headline Wembley Arena for the first time as part of a UK Tour.
Yes, their trajectory in the UK finally appears to be matching that of their homeland so it would be a good time now for the band to release a top quality album wouldn’t it?
Well, within a couple of tracks it’s pretty clear that their seventh studio album, ‘Planet Zero’ is just that. With 20 tracks, including 7 short interludes, and sitting at just shy of the 50 minute mark, I did have my trepidations, but the album simply breezes by.
Everything that has got Shinedown to this point is present with thronging guitars and soaring vocals met by moments of melancholic captivation. This is also an expansive album however with the band continuing to explore the further reaches of their signature sound.
This means that there is a pleasing familiarity to the album whilst your interest is routinely piqued. The themes on this conceptual release are highly relevant, daring and thought provoking which engages the listener from the beginning with ‘No Sleep Tonight’ and ‘Planet Zero’; all the way through to the records climactic run of ‘Daylight’, ‘The Saints of Violence and Innuendo’, ‘Army of the Underappreciated’ and ‘What You Wanted’.
This is the second album to be produced by bassist Eric Bass following ‘Attention Attention’ and that dynamic appears to work well for a band who have always appeared direct and assured in their self-belief and faith in their artist approach.
‘Planet Zero’ is peak Shinedown and the album does exactly what the band need it to do at this point in their career. They may be seven albums in now, but the future remains very bright for this empowering band.
Welcome one and all to another edition of our weekly music News Report, where we roundup the best news from the past week. We start off this week with the best tour announcements.
Up first are Shinedown who have announced a UK Tour for later this year which will include a date at Wembley Arena. Support comes from Asking Alexandria and Zero 9:36.
Frontman Brent Smith states, “We have always been inspired by the UK and European audiences. Their passion for music is extraordinary. We are beyond excited to be returning as headliners, with our biggest show yet!”
“We are overwhelmed by the love and support of our new album, ‘Planet Zero’ and look forward to sharing our new songs, along with all of your Shinedown favorites!!! Cheers!!!”
Music Venue Trust reveal new wave of #ReviveLive shows
As the music industry continues to strive for a return to pre-pandemic levels of attendance, the incredible Music Venue Trust has announced another wave of #ReviveLive shows.
With support from The National Lottery attendees can bring a friend for free to a plethora of newly revealed shows.
Acts taking part this go around include Everything Everything, Paolo Nutini, The Amazons, The Coral, Baby Dave, Coach Party, Sick Joy, The Goa Express and Thumper!
Inglorious will also be touring later this year with a lengthy trek planned in across the UK. Support comes from A New Tomorrow.
Frontman, Nathan James, comments “I am so excited to get back out on tour with the guys . Over the pandemic we were not able to tour as much as we usually would, but we were able to release albums. So we did! We recorded the We Will Ride album, The Heroine all female covers album and the 1st ever Inglorious live album and dvd. It’s amazing now to be able to pick songs from all of those albums to make the ultimate inglorious set.
On this tour we will be bringing something totally different set wise and we’re really looking forward to playing songs from across all of our albums. Inglorious has always been a strong live act and now more so than ever. Tighter, harder and more determined to show people what we are about.
We hope to see everyone on the “Until We Die 2022 UK Tour” and cannot wait make some noise for you all again.”
Burn It Down Festival takes over Torquay again this September and the event has confirmed their stacked line-up for this year.
Headliners Trash Boat and Deaf Havana will be joined by the likes of Static Dress, Our Hollow Our Home, Haggard Cat, Cassyette, VUKOVI, Tigercub, Salem, As December Falls, Death Blooms, Pupil Slicer and more.
We move our News Report on now to the latest new releases, and we start with Deaf Havana.
As the band gear up to release their sixth studio album, ‘The Present Is A Foreign Land’, on 15th July they have debuted new track, ‘Nevermind’, which you can check out above.
LIFE continue to gear up for the release of ‘North East Coastal Town’ on August 19th. You can listen to their new single, ‘The Drug’, above.
Speaking on the new single vocalist Mez Green says: “The Drug is a love song. I wrote the lyrics in the cold mountains of Italy before taking them into the room with the band. ‘The Drug’ I needed has always been here, the drug I needed has always been near” is, for me, realising that loved ones and those that love you, no matter where you are, can always be present.
I’d never really believed this before and whilst this purity is at the lyrical heart of the song musically the band decided to inject flecks of dance, pop, harmonics, and dirty pulses to give the song drive, repetition and jerk-ability.”
Norway’s Sløtface return with the news that the group’s figurehead Haley Shea will now be leading the band, with Lasse and Tor-Arne leaving to focus on new passions outside the group.
To signal this era beginning they have released a double a-side of ‘Beta’, and ‘Come Hell Or Whatever’. You Can listen to ‘Beta’ above.
“”Beta” was the very first song Mikhael and I worked on together in his studio. It should be listened to while wearing sunglasses, even on cloudy days!
The song is about wanting to connect with people on a deeper level, but feeling like social media sometimes gets in the way, with things becoming somewhat intimidating, shallow and superficial. The song is a confidence booster for myself where I’m trying to be cooler than I am. It was written at a time when I really, really missed the rush of playing live, and I needed to find some of that spark and edge in myself that only really comes out on stage.”
Finally, this week Twister shared their latest single, ‘Own Worst Enemy’, which you can listen to above.
Singer and guitarist Stevie Stoker comments: “Twister are evolving and progressing with every release and the momentum we’re building on the road is really driving us to bigger and better things in the studio. It’s such an exciting time.”
Indie rock band Sunsleeper have shared their newest track, ‘Blemishes’.
“’Blemishes’ is about the slow unraveling of a deeply important friendship, as well as the acceptance of the relationship’s end,” shares vocalist Jeffery Mudgett. “The freedom in letting go of a toxic relationship is underrated. Sometimes there’s no need to mourn the end, but rather we should celebrate leaving that toxicity behind.”
cheerbleederz – ‘notes app apologies’
London indie punk trio cheerbleederz reveal their latest single ‘notes app apologies’.
Commenting on the track and video, the band say: “This song is about letting go of an abusive relationship. There’s a lot of fear and doubt that comes with separating yourself from somebody who manipulates you, and it leaves behind feelings of anger, as well as guilt and doubt.
You end up questioning everything while simultaneously harbouring a lot of resentment for the person who treated you that way. We wanted this song to feel cathartic and unapologetic—it ultimately feels very healing.”
MODES – ‘Infamous’
Kent’s MODES deliver their new single, ‘Infamous’.
MODES frontman Ted Berry reveals that the new single“Infamous is a song we wrote to reflect on anger and past trauma that we have experienced. We wanted to put this into words to help others feel understood and seen. It’s only human to have been in situations that lead to feeling hurt, angry, and even disappointed in how you have been treated by others.”
Nova Twins have been slowly building their fanbase with impressive support slots and festival appearances. In February 2020, you know just before the world stood still, the duo released their debut in ‘Who Are The Girls?’.
Despite the difficulties for music promotion over the next year or so, stock in the band has only risen with their debut album a critical success. The quality of that first album helped to back up the hype that had begun to surround Amy Love and Georgia South.
Now, the duo are unleashing their sophomore album on the world as they continue to lay the groundwork for stardom.
The potential for this band is unlimited with their genre-defying sound making them a true crossover act. Fans of various musical types will find comfort in ‘Supernova’, which sees Nova Twins once again delivering a slice of action-packed, adrenaline-fuelled, electro-punk groove.
Single, ‘Antagonist’, is straight in your face and sets the tone for what’s to come from the rest of the record. ‘Cleopatra’, ‘K.M.B.’ and ‘Fire & Ice’ are highlights but there really isn’t a bad track on ‘Supernova’.
The duo are clearly growing in confidence with every record, and this album is a timestamp of a band transitioning from having potential to delivering the goods.
If you like music with attitude, passion and ferocity then this album and Nova Twins are most definitely for you. ‘Supernova’ really is a half hour of power and it will do nothing but continue to push this incredible band on their upwards trajectory!
With their huge American Stadium Tour on the horizon, Def Leppard have returned with their first new album in seven years. ‘Diamond Star Halos’ is actually only their 12th studio album since their inception some 45 years ago.
The band certainly hasn’t been prolific then, and there has been some mixed results amongst those 12 albums from the sublime and iconic, to the flat and forgettable. How then will this new release stand up?
Well, it starts off very well indeed with ‘Take What You Want’, ‘Kick’ and ‘Fire It Up’. I’d say that ‘Kick’ is up there with the catchiest songs of their career, which is a high compliment indeed.
I’ll note now the length of the album, sitting at just over an hour, and admit straight away that this feels too much. Cutting a few tracks to get the album around the 45 minutes mark would benefit the overall ease of consumption a lot.
Sonically the album is something of a throwback to their past glories and more than just a doff of the hat to their influences. Whilst this leads to some enjoyable moments, it also sees the band linger a little too long in others.
This is a difficult album to review, because there are plenty of high points and not many bad parts to pinpoint; it just feels bloated. It’s around twelfth track, ‘Angels (Can’t Help You Now)’, that I really begin to sap and feel the album needs to wrap up, but I’m daunted when I see that there is another thirteen minutes left!
‘Diamond Star Halos’ is worth your attention and patience, it is a solid album from a band with nothing to prove. I just feel with a few tweaks to the tracklist it could’ve been a great album.
The resurrection of Liam Gallagher has truly been an incredible thing to witness. Anyone placing bets on Liam becoming one of the largest solo acts in the UK following the dissolution of Beady Eye would have gotten more than a few sideways looks.
But… that is exactly what has happened with Gallagher selling out arenas, festivals and huge outdoor shows consistently over the past five years. He has two solo number one albums to his name, and now you’d be a fool to bet against him gaining a third with new record, ‘C’MON YOU KNOW’.
There is no doubting the iconic status that Gallagher holds, but what he has achieved in recent years will change his legacy forever for the better. Out from the shadows of Oasis and his brother, Liam has shocked many with the way he has carried himself musically and personally.
A new generation of fans has discovered his iconic voice, not just for his past successes but also for his current output and that is a beautiful thing.
His first two solo albums have been more than solid, whilst sticking closely sonically to what his has always been known for. ‘C’MON YOU KNOW’, however sees Gallagher opening up musically to incorporate wider influences.
Perhaps not genre-bending in the truest sense, as the album is still rooted in familiar territory, but this is the most diverse collection of songs to feature Liam’s name. Perhaps slightly ironic given his jovial jousting at his sibling, although I do doubt there is any scissor playing present here.
The singles have been well selected and in fact the likes of ‘Everything’s Electric’ and the title track are literally the standout tracks. The rest of the album is once again solid and task achieving but perhaps slightly underwhelming in the grand scheme of things.
What saves this album from mediocrity and raises it to the standards expected is the diversification. This is perhaps the most interesting album of Gallagher’s solo career, if not the best in quality. What is does do is once again prove the critics wrong and demonstrate that Gallagher is a viable solo artist.
More than that he remains one of the biggest names in the industry and somehow retains relevance some thirty years into his career. Gallagher is remarkable and of course iconic!
Flashback almost 10 years ago now and the already well established The Black Keys were on the cusp of real superstardom after the incredible success of ‘El Camino’. Then the disruption began.
Whilst touring follow up album, ‘Turn Blue’, drummer Patrick Carney dislocated his shoulder and several shows were cancelled. Once that tour concluded the band went on an extended hiatus, returning in 2019 with ‘Let’s Rock’ to somewhat of a whimper.
A covers album followed last year, and any momentum the band still had seemed to dissipate. Neither, ‘Let’s Rock’ or ‘Delta Kream’ were bad albums, but neither lived up to the high standards and expectations of the band.
On now to March this year and a fantastic single, ‘Wild Child’ peaked interest again. Could The Black Keys rediscover the magic that established them as one of the biggest and best live bands rock bands on the planet?
Well, here we are in May 2022 and we now have their eleventh studio album, ‘Dropout Boogie’, and thankfully that special touch seems to have returned. ‘Wild Child’ and fellow single, ‘It Ain’t Over’ open the album superbly and remind fans just why they fell in love with the band.
Yes, this truly is a clichéd return to form for The Black Keys, who have seemingly benefitted from returning to basics. This is a simple yet effective hard rock stomp capturing the elements of blues and garage rock that helped define their sound.
Billy F Gibbons featuring track, ‘Good Love’ is another highlight, but really there isn’t a bad song on the album. Carney and Dan Auerbach have their synchronicity back, and fans have The Black Keys back on top form.
London rockers Puppy offered great promise on their debut album, ‘The Goat’, back in 2019. Now the three-piece return with sophomore offering, ‘Pure Evil’, so how does this album hold up against its predecessor?
Well, from the very beginning the bands trademark sound remains intact as they produce a unique crossover of grunge and metal with a pop bow on top. Intro ‘Shining Star’ leads into single ‘The Kiss’ as the album very much picks up where ‘The Goat’ left off.
That’s certainly not to say that there isn’t progress made on ‘Pure Evil’. Somehow the riffs feel meatier yet the melodies sound poppier as the band stretch the differing ends of their rock and roll rainbow.
In doing so the end result may well be a pot of gold. Well perhaps not literal gold, but definitely musical gold. The likes of ‘My Offer’ and ‘…And Watched It Glow’ show that Puppy maintain their power to craft strong singles; but it’s the overall quality on show that cements the band as one of the finest purveyors of new rock music.
As the album comes towards a close, the band deliver more examples of the maturity in sound reached since their debut. ‘Angel’, ‘Shame’ and ‘Glacial’ give ‘Pure Evil’ a stunning ending and leave you ready to hit play again.
Puppy have managed to back up their fantastic debut with another album packed full of sublime alt rock that further establishes the band as amongst the best young rock bands around.
It’s feels like Sunflower Bean have been around forever, yet in fact it was only 2016 when the band arrived with their debut album, ‘Human Ceremony’. It didn’t take long for the band to release their follow up, ‘Twentytwo in Blue’ in 2018, now four years later the band return with album number three.
‘Headful of Sugar’ has been born out of the pandemic in many ways, but it arrives now as the world has largely unlocked and summer is on the horizon. This suits the album well as it really feels like an album to play loud with the windows down, perhaps driving along some coastal roads.
Sonically it’s a delightful album which is a highly digestible mixture of genres which blend into a familiar sound for the band. Lyrically the album tackles both the agony and ecstasy of the world that we live in.
Singles ‘Who Put You Up To This?’, ‘Roll The Dice’ and ‘Baby Don’t Cry’ represent the overall album well. There isn’t much to catch out listeners on ‘Headful of Sugar’ just a band that is very good at what they do.
‘Headful of Sugar’ is an album that you will get lost in, so find the time to escape the world and take an opportunity to appreciate this charming record.
We were recently joined by Nick from Sunflower Bean on The Full Pelt Music Podcast to discuss ‘Headful of Sugar’ and lots more! You can find audio options here, or watch the video edition on Youtube below:
The career of Fozzy is a very unique one, but the trajectory of the band both in terms of quality and professional growth is simple. The group’s career progression has been driven by the continued advancement in quality of their musical output.
2017’s ‘Judas’ took the band to new heights, with major thanks to the success of the title track. Now five years on the band are back with their eighth studio album, ‘Boombox’, and looking to maintain that positive ascent.
The album starts well with the singles ‘Sane’, ‘I Still Burn’ and ‘Purifier’. These tracks had already given a strong inclination of what to expect from the album as a whole, and they provide a fine opening run for listeners.
Over the past 20+ years Fozzy albums have transformed from all covers, to a mix of covers and originals, to originals with a couple of standout tracks, to finally in recent years fully developed pieces of work.
‘Boombox’ continues this trend, and flows well with the bands signature sound taking centre stage with a few ebbs and flows mixed in to keep things interesting. ‘Army of One’ and ‘Ugly On The Inside’ particularly add something a little different into the mix.
Speaking of adding surprises into the mix, the band continues to throw in occasional cover versions and ‘Boombox’ features a surprisingly fun version of ‘Relax’ from Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Fozzy have no doubt proven many doubters wrong over the years, and thankfully for their fans there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. Eight albums in and the band feel like they have reached the peak of their powers, although you wouldn’t put it past them to keep on getting better.
On ‘Boombox’ the band show again that the likes of single ‘Nowhere To Run’ are no longer outlying standouts but they are now the normal standard for Fozzy.