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Album Reviews

The Pale White

The Big Sad

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THE PALE WHITE – THE BIG SAD – ALBUM REVIEW

The Pale White are proud to represent the Northeast of England and much like Newcastle United, the trio have had to overcome a lot of turbulence in order to reach for the stars!

Whilst Eddie Howe’s men have finally lifted a major trophy, The Pale White have focused on creating something memorable themselves in the shape of their sophomore album, ‘The Big Sad’.

Frontman Adam Hope of spoken openly of the brave creative strides taken to muster up what can correctly be described as an eclectic record. It would in fact be easier to list the genres not in scope on this collection then try to pigeonhole this set of songs into any singular pre-conceived genre or style.

Hope, alongside drummer brother Jack and bassist Dave Barrow, has built a musical merry-go-round which will command your attention over the course of thirteen tracks and a solid forty-five minutes of sweet sonic madness.

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The Pale White – Lost In The Moment

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To keep the metaphors coming after that sweet reference, you could liken this to a pick ‘n’ mix bag of goodies. That helps to ensure that this is an interesting and engaging listen but perhaps hampers any real continuity across the record.

You can sense the incredible passion poured into the album however and the results are simply astonishing. For a band who had established something of a signature sound, ‘The Big Sad’ sees them almost completely tear up the rule book and throw everything they have to offer onto a new blank page.

There are still some familiar moments but in general fans of the band will need to enter this experience with an open mind. There are lots of ideas spread across these fascinating tracks… some of them work, and naturally others don’t. You have to admire however the guts of the group to do things their way and bravely forge ahead with their renewed vision for the band.

The Toon Army didn’t win their first cup final of this new era, but the experience pushed them on to become the behemoth that they are now. ‘The Big Sad’ may not be their magnum opus, but it will surely be a key lesson on their way to future successes!

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EP Reviews

newshapes

a conversation with myself

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 81

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Album Reviews

OK Go

And The Adjacent Possible

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OK GO – AND THE ADJACENT POSSIBLE – ALBUM REVIEW

OK Go are something of an anomaly in the music world, in that they are probably more famous for their videos than for their music. In a world that’s now consumed by TikTok and shortform videos, maybe that wouldn’t be such an oddity these days, but OK Go did it twenty years ago!

Yes, the original viral sensations are back with what is only their fifth studio album. This represents pretty lean offerings in what has been a 25+ year career, but for the first time in eleven years we have a new album, ‘And the Adjacent Possible’.

You could say that OK Go are very much a quality over quantity type act and this latest album again follows that mantra. Twelve tracks spread over forty-five sumptuous minutes; this is a record that will resonate well with their fanbase.

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OK Go – ‘Love’

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Easy to digest, these songs pull from across the unique OK Go soundscape and represent therefore a fantastic snapshot into their special musical mix. Alt indie rock with overriding pop pizazz, each track feels like it has its own identify and that only adds to the value of the overall record.

Ben Harper, Shalah Fearing, BEGINNERS featuring pre-release single, ‘A Good, Good Day at Last’ is sublime and fellow focus tracks ‘A Stone Only Rolls Downhill’ and ‘Take Me with You’ also standout. There isn’t a bad track in sight though, on what is a convincing return from the band.

With more fun videos in tow along with this record, the band will again have eyes on them, but again the music will likely to a backseat to the overall package. That’s a shame as the group have proven they have a real knack for this whole music lark!

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 80

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Album Reviews

Air Drawn Dagger

A Guide for Apparitions

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AIR DRAWN DAGGER – A GUIDE FOR APPARITIONS – ALBUM REVIEW

At a time when it can be really difficult to be heard, Sheffield’s Air Drawn Dagger have cut through the noise and garnered much early affection. Now they are ready to take fans on a journey in every sense of the word as they release their debut album, ‘A Guide for Apparitions’.

The album is a passage of the mystic, the macabre and the spiritual which will unwittingly cast a spell on you with its chaotic charm and its atmospheric assault on the sonic senses!

This lyrical book of fables and defiant hymns is soundtracked by a genre-busting noise that embraces a range of musical influences which are all conjured up in an electro-rock cauldron.

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Air Drawn Dagger – ‘Apparitions’ feat. Tobi Duncan

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Legend has it that vocalist Maisie Manterfield and guitarist Lewis Budden began writing songs in the back of a cake shop… well with drummer Ross Dore completing the trio, they’ve certainly found a delicious recipe for their debut album!

There isn’t a bad track on the collection which starts out strong with recent single ‘Sanctifound’ and weaves it way around the senses until the emphatic Toni Duncan featuring ‘Apparitions’ and ‘Bellyaches’ serve as a memorable conclusion.

A stunning modern rock record served with generous slice of pop punk goodness; this debut album is an enormous opening statement from a band with potential of equal magnitude. Expect this to be just the beginning of what promises to be an epic journey for Air Drawn Dagger!

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 79

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Album Reviews

The Darkness

Dreams On Toast

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THE DARKNESS – DREAMS ON TOAST – ALBUM REVIEW

“…We haven’t stopped making hit albums, it’s just that nobody buys them anymore…” says a line in the insanely catchy ‘Walking Through Fire’, the ninth track on the latest album from The Darkness.

Yes, the band who shot to stardom before exploding like a SpaceX rocket continue their second leash of life with their eighth studio record – ‘Dreams on Toast’!

Whilst many still remember then for their outlandishly memorable debut album, the fact is that the band have been consistently releasing great new albums for the past decade or so.

“…I can’t help falling in love with Rock n Roll…’ proclaims the same song and that feels like a statement fitting of this album. Often painted as caricatures, the talent of the band is often passed over due to their unashamed exuberance.

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The Darkness – ‘Walking Through Fire’

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Well, as the squealing ‘Rock and Roll Party Cowboy’ bursts out of the traps, this instantly feels like an album on which the band are embracing that absurdity and turning the thermostat up to full. This does indeed feel like the band falling in love with themselves and embracing what makes them such a thrilling act.

The results are frankly stunning as the quartet produce what is perhaps their best album yet! Whilst nostalgia will always place ‘Permission to Land’ on top of any list ranking their works, the reality is this is a band now who have learnt more than their fair share of lessons and are firing on all cylinders.

Through a range of styles and influences, The Darkness showcase their unique talents through ten superbly crafted tracks that all carry the essence of what makes this band so special. Fans will surely love the Hawkins wit and self-aware humour that adds its charm to this fantastic release.

There is no doubt about it, even after all of this time, The Darkness are indeed still making hit albums!

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Magazine

Full Pelt Magazine

Vol. 78

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Album Reviews

Benefits

Constant Noise

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BENEFITS – CONstant noise – album review

In a relatively short time, incendiary Teessiders Benefits have managed to create quite the buzz, and that clatter is sure to continue as they unveil their sophomore collection, ‘Constant Noise’!

This new album is fifty-one minutes of visceral poetry set amongst a sonic onslaught which is at times is both haunting and euphoric. An essence of Balearic house is given a punk makeover to create a framework for the trademark verse of frontman Kingsley Hall.

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Benefits – ‘Blame’

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This lyricism presents the grim realities of the world with frank and inescapable purity. “…it’s continual, everyday new shit, new shifts, new grifts, promises become lies become promises and then they die, forgotten about, time after time…” scythes Hall.

We all know that feeling, that the shower of brown stuff is just relentless, that there appears to be no relief. The words spoken on this album therefore will reverberate with relativity. This is a sonnet for the beaten, the betrayed and the damned. Benefits at times are providing a voice for the voiceless but more than that they are asking you to think… to care.

A slew of collaborators have helped Hall and electronic maestro Robbie Major to create this record and ensured together that it is a genuine evolution of their art. Of course, there remain similarities to their astonishing debut ‘NAILS’, but on this new album Benefits are a different beast entirely.

‘Constant Noise’ is a horrifyingly accurate assessment of modern life and how if feels to live it. It may be a little too cliched to say that Benefits are one of the most important bands of this time… but what they have to say has a vital necessity to it for damn sure!

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