Architects - All Gods Have Abandoned Us (Record Review)

Architects don’t even let you get prepared for a single second, the intro song ‘Nihilist’ kicks you instantly off whatever you were sitting on and keeps punching you for the whole of its 3-minute duration with its cutting-edge lyrics. One track in and you already know that Architects have, again, leveled up in comparison to their last record ‘Lost Forever // Lost Together’. While the mood is the same, ‘All Gods Have Abandoned Us’ simply tops up on the foundation these guys have already built with all their previous releases.

‘Deathwish’ taps into the more melodic section of the group while ‘Phantom Fear’ returns with the usual doom spreading darkness that we're to expect from them. With ‘Downfall’, which had gotten released just a week before the full album dropped, Architects give every critic a flawless piece of music to frantically search for mistakes.

A highlight on the record is definitely the song they first teased, ‘A Match Made In Heaven’, which was a perfect choice to represent the entirety of the record, summoning what they do best, squished it into a song and released it onto the world.

Shaking up your emotions, more and more, track by track, Architects pull you into their minds completely with thundering drums, haunting guitar sections, electronic-beats and interludes that smoothly fade from one song to another.

The finishing touch and, definitely, the most eccentric and outstanding track on this piece of art is ‘Memento Mori’. An eight-minute long song that simply shows once more as to why Architects are such a reinventing and unique band and one of the best British exports these days. Astonishing with endless instrumental creativity and lyrical plays that will leave you with your mouth open. Not to mention Carter’s unreal vocal performance throughout the whole record. It only gets more intense than this at their live shows, which are not to be missed as these folks hit the road to promote this new release.

Favorite track(s): Downfall, Memento Mori, Nihilist

Overall: 9/10

Cheerio xx

P.S.: If you’re in the UK, do not miss the band’s upcoming tour, especially their highly anticipated London gig at the Koko. Huge and very well deserved so.

The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It (Record Review)

What a name. What a record. What a band.

Starting off with a new recording of an instrumental piece which had already found a place on their debut record, you get the same vibe off of it at first. But, at latest, if you haven’t followed the band’s recent song releases, once 'Love Me' sets in, it’s more than clear that this is utterly different. With a perfectly chosen vibe of Bowie’s Fame, The 1975 take on society's obsession with celebrities and their standards these days, especially considering social media and the included fake PR friendships people love to show off on platforms such as Instagram. Healy’s openly mocking it just as much as himself though.

Also previously released was the following track ‘UGH!’ in which Healy confronts his own addictive personality and experiences with, specifically, cocaine. What could be taken as a very upbeat and, another, very 80s vibe song, proves itself to be far more interpretive than most music around these days. The subject itself makes you expect a dark setting, but Healy manages perfectly to bring it across in a more than intelligent and bittersweet way. While ‘Change of Heart’ has remained unreleased on the regular platforms, it did receive a play or two on BBC’s Radio1, as well as the band having presented their fans with it during their US / UK tour run back in November / December. Already at this point, it’s more than clear that the further you indulge into this record, the more bizarre it gets and the harder it gets to sort it into a certain genre. With ‘you used to have a face straight out a magazine’, one of many, what Healy loves to call, ‘Easter Eggs’ (such as in video games) reveals itself as a picked up lyric line from their debut record (specifically here, their song 'Robbers'). These can be found all over the album and give most a whole new meaning if you go back to rediscover its roots. In ‘She’s American’ Healy opens up about his problem to connect with the ‘American way of life’ as of recently, taking a piss at the things that have gotten thrown at him by, as indicated, girlfriends as much as critics. ‘If I Believe You’ tones the vibe down even more but excites with a gospel choir perfectly worked into it. With a title such as ‘Please Be Naked’, more present saxophones are to be expected and a lust-drenched creation. But it is quite the opposite with very few, very calming piano notes, staggering up with sounds of nature before ending in plain piano noises again. Slightly distorted guitar riffs introduce ‘LostMyHead’ before Healy silently starts singing a very reoccurring motif of the whole record about his own state of mind. The repeated ‘can you feel it?’ slowly but surely makes you feel as if you were floating if you close your eyes and concentrate on the individual instrumental parts of the song before it elevates you to an even higher level with the more rock-influenced sounds towards the end of it. Another distorted start, with different voices this time, the ‘Ballad of Me and my Brain’ starts, sounding rather easy at first. But as soon as Healy’s raspy vocals kick in, pleading, ‘I think I’ve gone mad, isn’t it so sad?’, and with it, further approaching the subject of his mental health and the struggles of sudden fame. Considering the fact that he taped his vocals in one single take gives it an even more outstanding aura than it already has. It lasts for almost three minutes, but the intensity of it all makes it fly by in no time. An instant second listen is inevitable.
Continuing with a personal favorite, we dive back into the groove-y sounds of ‘Somebody Else’ in which Healy shows his own fear of commitment as he cannot fully engage in such due to being in the position that he is (‘I can’t give you my soul cause we’re never alone’). With ‘I took all my things that make sounds, the rest I can do without’ he declares his undeniable dependence on and love for the band and music as a whole. A whole new turn takes ‘Loving Someone’ with a row of high-pitched yells paired with odd guitar pinches before a verse kicks off in which Healy raps, more than anything, his way through the song, criticizing today’s pressures of society. In an, what seems like an interlude worked into the song, Healy recites a piece called ‘Orange’ he had previously published on Instagram quite some time ago. Finally, the title track of the record comes along revealing itself to be another instrumental track with an immense length of six and a half minutes. Phrases are scattered across the song. Uttered. Whispered. A childish aura surrounding it for the most part, before it turns into something completely different as robotic sounds emerge, but simmering down again in the end. ‘The Sound’ is another one of the more upbeat pieces of it. It’s filled with Healy’s utterly unique way with words, especially in phrases such as ‘sycophantic prophetic socratic junkie wannabe’. Obviously, his style of writing is deeply injected in all of his creations, but sometimes it just shines more in specific moments (such as ‘Karcrashian panache’ in ‘Love Me’, absolute gold). At the beginning of ‘This Must Be My Dream’ it seems as if it has a happier turn, but it quickly becomes clear that the newly discovered relationship was just another mistake. The subject matter for ‘Paris’ stretches from other messed up people Healy meets along his way back over to his own imperfections and struggles. Undermined by the instrumental contribution, it all drowns in melancholy. In the acoustic track that is ‘Nana’ Healy deals with the death of his grandma, which is already enough of a tearjerker, but it gets even more intense with the following ‘She Lays Down’. In this, Healy speaks about his mother’s post-natal depression, sounding more close than ever as it is solely him and his acoustic guitar. Having started out with the joyful motivation of ‘Love Me’ and to end with the heaviness of ‘She Lays Down’ perfectly mirrors the weirdness and variety of sounds of this record. It’s nowhere to be placed. It’s bizarre. Each member presenting their talent in the best imaginable way, creating their very own sound. It’s exactly what The 1975 are and want to be: oddly glorious.

What a name. What a record. What a band.

Favorite songs: UGH!, Somebody Else

Overall: 9/10

Cheerio xx

The Black Queen - Fever Daydream (Record Review)

It has been a very long build up to this particular record. Starting with mystic and cryptic messages from the band itself through Instagram / Facebook / Tumblr and their newsletters. The road to this very piece of music has been long and, which makes it especially outstanding, incredibly intimate. Starting by sending out unique cassettes to the first 33 who signed up for their newsletter, developing into VHS' they randomly added to three orders of merch including even more riddles for the fans to solve, highlighting the importance of their followers by giving them special treatments through early access to their limited merch before the public eye even got as much as a glimpse of it, as well as sending them pieces of their music video 'Distanced' as another 'thank you' for being as loyal as they are and to show and treat them with as much respect as they in reverse treat the band. The bond these guys have created with their followers can only be described as exclusive, intimate and honest. Even more outstanding through the fact that The Black Queen have been involved in every little detail of this release, making it all a huge DIY project for everybody engaged.

In conclusion, the wait for the record to finally be released has challenged their fans' patience a lot. But they stayed sane and supportive and now that the record is finally out, the reactions have been nothing but positive so far.

I, myself, have been a fan of this band from the very beginning, honored to have received one of those cassettes at the start of it all. So to be able to give this piece of art a listen, is rather exciting. Here's what I think of it:

The intro is exactly what is to be expected of these guys, leading to the first proper track, and my personal favorite of the previously released ones, 'Ice To Never' which throws you back to 80s synth-pop. People who know the vocalist, Greg Puciato, from his main project The Dillinger Escape Plan, will be more than surprised as he starts singing. While he has proven often enough that he isn't just the maniacal frontman of Dillinger, but has an immense vocal range and musical talent in other genres. Clear are also the influences of fellow band member Joshua Eustis, who has been involved in bands such as Puscifer or his main project Telefon Tel-Aviv. Smoothly, it transfers into 'The End Is Where We Start' before diving into the smooth 'Secret Screams', which is drained with an erotic and sexual vibe in a way that only Nine Inch Nails' 'Closer' has done before. Another previously released track follows called 'Maybe We Should' tapping into a more dance and groove orientated corner. 'Distanced' on the other hand tones it all down again, dragging the listener to a nostalgic, but calm place. The same vibe continuous with 'Strange Quark' maintaining the previously set mood. 'That Death Cannot Touch' grabs you with its first notes and pulls you up to get back on the levels of 'Ice To Never', transferring into an almost outer-space mood as 'Taman Shud' kicks in. Ending the whole thing with the perfectly chosen track 'Apocalypse Morning', soothingly closing up the record in as much of a smooth way as it needs.

This record definitely received its proper way of marketing and promotional run till its release that it needed and deserved. The intimacy of it all is clear to everybody who listens a little more closely to it and especially the lyrics.

Another interesting aspect will be how they will present this all in a live show. Luckily, the wait for this won't be long since they're scheduled to play in front of a sold-out Complex (Glendale, LA) in just a couple of hours. Bringing it also to European grounds with a show at the Oslo Hackney in London on February 5th. These performances will certainly also be one of a kind and a must-see.

Without a doubt, even considering as early in the year as it is, this will most definitely claim its place in my personal Top 5 records of 2016.

Favorite tracks: Ice To Never, Secret Screams, The End Where We Start

Overall: 10/10

Cheerio xx

Tour of the Year - Parkway Drive / Architects / Thy Art Is Murder - January 23rd, 2016 - Zenith, Munich, GER (Concert Review)

The Zenith is one of the biggest venues in Munich and, especially for bands in this genre, it's one of the greatest accomplishments and verification of success to be able to play it and actually (almost) sell it out. As did Parkway Drive with this one. Just over 5.000 people attended the gig, making it PWD's biggest headine show outside their home country, Australia.

The tension before the start of the first support band, Thy Art Is Murder [7], gets more and more unbearable as the lights dim. Reason for that is the recent departure of the Australian deathcore band's front man and vocalist CJ. His vocals being rather significant for the band's sound, the new live sound would be an interesting experience. Especially since it was only the second time the new singer appeared with the band after the tour's debut in Würzburg a day earlier. 

But the doubts reveal themselves to be unnecessary as the new vocalist, Nick Arthur (Molotov Solution), delivers an outstanding performance. None the less, the most impressive, personally, are still the drum tracks and how well Lee Staton delivers them live.

Next up are one of the UK's best exports these days, Architects [10]. Due to 'only' playing a support slot, the band's setlist remains rather short, and also mostly unchanged from the one they had on their latest festival run in summer 2015, but it none the less gets the crowd moving in every corner of the venue. While their stage show never really includes much apart from a huge banner in the bag and a few light effects (or some special effects for their last headliner show at the Roundhouse in London in March 2015), this time, not even the banner made it onto the stage. But these guys don't need much of a show, their performance itself is enough to fully deliver everything perfectly and with a thundering sound as they're giving it their all. Architects always deliver, no matter their time given or the stage they're presented with.

Finally, the headliner is getting doomingly close and the lights slowly dim as Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen comes to an end. The whole room gets quiet, the stage is tinted dark red, before a few single spotlights show the silhouettes of the band members behind a curtain. A few guitar riffs in and the curtain, gracing the band's latest album cover, drops down to the ground with a boom of the drums and a just as loud bang from two confetti canons at the corner of the stage, drowning the crowd in a red and white menace of paper. Parkway Drive [9] have arrived. It takes some time, but, at latest, as soon as the sounds to Vice Grip (their first released song off of their latest record 'Ire') bellow through the hall, every single person joins the madness. The show is further undermined with special visual effects, as well as different stage set ups getting revealed as another curtain drops behind the band, and, obviously, flames shooting into the sky for the last couple of tracks.

This tour is a circus full of attractions and is not to be missed if you have any chance to attend it.

Overall: 9/10 

Panic! At The Disco - Death of a Bachelor (Record Review)

I know I'm a little late to the new P!ATD party, but it's been busy and I'd still like to add my little something to this new gem of art.

Personally, I've been excited for this baby to be out ever since the glorious 'Hallelujah' got released onto the world. The excitement never died down with each song that got put out. Such as the intro 'Victorious' which instantly throws you off your chair to cheer and dance along to Urie's significant chants, immediately marking itself as one of my personal favorites. It's no secret that Urie has an immense vocal range and certainly likes to show it off, too, which is why in songs like 'Emperor's New Clothes', 'Hallelujah' or 'Golden Days', you might find yourself in utter awe at his talent. Not only that, but the notable fact that Urie plays all the instruments himself, adds to the already over-whelming musical talent with which this record is soaked. 

While in tracks like 'Death of a Bachelor', he shows off the obvious influences of one of his long-time heroes, Sinatra, and gets more jazz-y and groovey, others, such as 'House of Memories', make you move your hips once more. If you want to or not. There's really not much of a choice. 

Lyrically, it's very clear for the most part what he intends to get across. Most obvious e.g. in 'Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time' which covers the nightlife and its temptations, including drugs, alcohol, sex and the consequences it comes with for the next morning, its mood perfectly set instrumentally. 

Apart from the musical aspect of the record, Urie's has also done one hell of a job with all the videos he delivered to the songs so far, especially 'Emperor's New Clothes' probably being the most outstanding of them.

All in all, while the record does have a bit of a low point with 'The Good, The Bad and The Dirty', other than that, it's a rather flawless record, delivered by one of the brightest minds of music these days. 

Having gone through all the member changes, being the only original member left, Urie still lives up to the name and delivers another marvelous record with 'Death of a Bachelor'.

Favorite song(s): Victorious, Impossible Year, Emperor's New Clothes

Overall: 8,5/10

Cheerio xx

The 1975 - November 28th, 2015 - The Academy, Manchester (Concert Review)

Feeling the desire to hop on a plane again, I decided on November 27^th to book a flight and headed off to the airport about 6 hours later at 4AM on Saturday, November 28^th, to get transferred over to Manchester where The 1975 were scheduled to play their sold out hometown show.

After a couple of hours in the city center, exploring the alleys and browsing through the Arndale, I went to check out the sight of the venue and wasn't exactly surprised when I saw a whole lot of people already lining up at the doors of it. Some had even been camping out there since the day before. While I used to do my fair share of waiting in a queue all day for gigs in the past, I will never understand how people manage to actually camp outside the venue, especially during cold winter months. That's dedication, I guess … with a certain amount of insanity. Considering that this certain band has already sold out the Apollo thrice for their future tour in March 2016, the insanity seemed a little more appropriate considering their popularity in their home country.

Doors opened at 7PM and the process went by rather fast to my own fascination. The queue at that point went down Oxford Road, all the way down to the University of Manchester and probably even further. It was mental.

After another half an hour outside, I finally managed to make my way into the Academy and after giving my belongings away at the cloak room, I placed myself rather in the back with enough room around me to dance and a proper view to the stage.

As support act, RatBoy [3] got chosen and while the choice seemed logical, it didn't throw me off the rails. Some songs had rather interesting instrumental parts and arrangements, but I didn't really get into it all that much. Unlike the crowd around me of which quite a percentage even knew the lyrics to the songs that got played.

45 minutes later, the band left the stage again, the crowd got blinded with bright lights instead and the changeover of the stage was happening in disguise.

The tension in the venue got close to unbearable and the screams got louder and louder by the minute. Finally, The 1975 [10] hit the stage with Love Me, their first song to have gotten released from their upcoming record I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It (What a title, guys). The second the track started, the whole crowd exploded with joy. What an unreal moment to experience. But also, the second it all began, the stage light installation (by Tobias Rylander) instantly consumed you and goosebumps rushed all over your body. The combination of this artistic use of lights and the feeling the music by these British fellows gives you is such a unique feeling, it's unexplainable.

There was nobody standing still. Everybody danced. Everybody sang along. Everybody enjoyed themselves to the fullest. It was purely beautiful.

Without hesitation, Heart Out started and the party kept rolling. One of the many highlights of the light show was during The City when the whole setup looked like White Noise on a TV screen and the band members were nothing but mere silhouettes moving in front of the screens, producing one of the most gorgeous images I ever got to see.

(Picture by Phoebe Dalton)

With HNSCC, the band took a short break and the room quieted down to take a breath and fuel up on energy again of what was to come.

The vibe though didn't die down as they hit the stage again with Menswear and then presented the crowd with two of their unreleased songs from ILIWYSFYASBYSAOI (… wow …) called Change of Heart and She's American.

For the next song, frontman Matty Healy asked everybody in the room to put away their phones and just listen and connect with everybody for the next five minutes, to live in the moment and experience it all together, which was an amazing act seeing as 98% of the crowd actually participated and the atmosphere got created perfectly for the heavy and nostalgic Me.

With another ballad called fallingforyou, the band further showed their softer side to the crowd and engaged everybody in their performance as it got more and more hauntingly beautiful.

After thanking the crowd for their consideration and participation in the no-phones-rule, the party opened up again with Somebody Else, another unreleased song, and probably my favorite. With another new song called The Sound, the whole room jumped at the order of Healy when the 'breakdown' of the song kicked in.

Another short interlude, An Encounter, later, the beloved Robbers got its show time and then got closed off with one of their many huge hits called Girls.

The band left the stage for a bit to then reappear with the most gorgeous lighting to guide them through Medicine. Not gonna lie, the pure beauty of it all, visuals and music combined in such a way, made me tear up a bit.

Obviously they couldn't leave the stage without their two biggest songs, Chocolate and Sex, and the room exploded once more. Or as Healy demanded: Go fuckin' mental!

Without any exaggeration whatsoever, the current show by The 1975 is the most gorgeous, all-consuming and enjoyable around these days. There is absolutely no doubt about that. I see about 300 gigs every year, and this one was the best one of 2015. The hometown factor definitely added to it all as Healy talked a lot about Manchester during the show, but even without it, it would have been the most beautiful thing.

Huge, huge shout-out to Tobias Rylander for the creation of this light installation because without it, the gig would still have been amazing, but not as hauntingly beautiful and overwhelming as it is now, incorporating The 1975's old aesthetic with three frames above the stage and the new with the screens in the background.

This is art.

Here's the full setlist:

Love Me

Heart Out

Settle Down

So Far (It's Alright)

The City

You

HNSCC (played from tape)

Menswear

Change of Heart

She's American

Me

fallingforyou

Somebody Else

The Sound

An Encounter (played from tape)

Robbers 

Girls

Medicine

Chocolate

Sex

The 1975 will be back in the UK in March and will tour Europe in April, as well as several festival appearances following that. Check all dates, including for North America in May, on their site: |x|

I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It will be released on February 26^th, 2016, pre-order it now!

Cheerio xx

The Neighbourhood - November 17th, 2015 - Gloria Theater, Cologne (Concert Review)

Long overdue but about three weeks ago, on November 17^th, I spontaneously hopped on a train to Cologne to see The Neighbourhood at the sold out Gloria Theater. Let me tell you one thing straight ahead, they made it worth it all.

When I got to the venue at around 5:30PM, there was already a huge line of girls queueing to get into the venue. Occasional screams echoed down the street whenever the door of the tour bus, parked right in front of the building, opened and someone hopped in or out of it. 

The point the doors opened at 7PM, the girls went utterly mad and started sprinting towards the entrance. It was quite a sight.

Once inside, there wasn't much time left till the support act would hit the stage since going into the venue took ages. If that was due to security staff being overwhelmed with their duty or the girls being too impatient and interfering with their work is hard to tell, it was probably a lot of both.

Tunji Ige [6], a rapper from Pennsylvania, had quite a hard time getting to the crowd who were only interacting with the artist for the most part whenever he mentioned the headliner band. Nonetheless, some of his tracks got the room to jump along and dance for a while, but only for a short amount of time. After about 30 minutes, he and his accompanying DJ leave the stage again to make way for the main act.

As the stage gets prepared, not much has to get changed and it all remains pretty much the same. There's no back drop. No extensive lights. No huge production. All things viewable are the instruments and a couple of mics. Minimalism and simplicity as we know it from The Neighbourhood guys.

The Neighbourhood [9] open with the thundering intro of Ferrari, a new track from their just recently released record Wiped Out! (you can check out my review of it here: |x| ), but don't got further into the song than that and instead smoothly go into What Do You Want From Me.

The show gets played with hardly any talk sequences in between, which is much to my personal liking as the whole performance seems a lot smoother due to that. All tracks flow smoothly into each other and trap you further in their haunting and mezmerizing performance, no matter if they go from a more playful Prey into a slow Baby Came Home, or back from Daddy Issues into a more upbeat Female Robbery.

There's a bigger rumble of dislike going through the crowd as the band gets to the experimental and instrumental part of Wiped Out!, I personally loved that certain part the most as the focus is solely on the music and the track is also one of my favorites off of that new record.

As it has to be, Sweater Weather found a place in the setlist, too, as the second to last song. The crowd goes mental to the band's biggest hit up-to-date. No matter what though, it is a solid track and it is after all what brought them to a bigger audience. It is also clear that the most part of the people that night were only waiting for this to be played.

Despite that, they decided to go out with another bang instead of letting Sweater Weather fade and close up their show with RIP 2 My Youth.

A special shout out at this point to the band's FOH guy and light engineer because the sound and visuals were nothing short of stunning, working perfectly well with the band's concept of minimalism.

Here is the complete setlist:

Ferrari Intro

W.D.Y.W.F.M.

Let It Go

Wires

Prey

Baby Came Home

Afraid

Daddy Issues

Female Robbery

The Beach

Wiped Out!

Warm

Sweater Weather

RIP 2 My Youth

Personally, from their debut I Love You, Staying Up was definitely missing, and as far as their newest record is concerned, I would've loved to hear Cry Baby and Single. But the show was beautiful nevertheless, worth the travel and surely worth experiencing again.

The Neighbourhood will be back in Germany in March 2016 for their Underwatour, check their website for all tour dates: |x|

Listen to their latest release Wiped Out! on Spotify and buy it at a record store near you!

Cheerio xx