The Cold Cut

Kanye West- Love Lockdown (Link 2)

I feel relieved. I feel happy. I feel exhausted. Many emotions. First, the good news. I am now able to get back into the swing of things. I have internet. I have lots of stuff to catch up with. I need to burst the bubble around me. The Cold Cut needs to become relevant again. Most of all, I have a blog to run. And run-it I will.

So how does one burst the bubble that's been enclosing you? With difficulty... I must admit, my lack of contact with the internet, TV and news has been a bit of an eye opener. As in, what the hell would we do without it? Now I appreciate it even more- I feel lucky to be connected again.

Anyway, back to the music. I've missed it ever so much, looking through my emails longingly on my phone. Able to see, but not to listen. Out of all the music that has flooded my inbox (about 250 emails and counting from the last few weeks- keep 'em coming), one track stands out. It's so 'now'. Kanye West's new track 'Love Lockdown', from the upcoming album release, '808's And Heartbreak'. A live debut at the VMA's was incredibly promising (watch it), and yet the recorded version falls annoyingly flat.

Disregarding an over-generous bass track that I could listen to all day long, it's hard to like this song, let alone love it. 'Love Lockdown' starts, peaks, starts, troughs, restarts... and finishes. It goes nowhere... Instead, we are treated to 270 seconds of Kanye living out a T-Pain fantasy. Jittery pianos and a vocoder dominate proceedings. There is no Chris Martin this time, though. And no intelligent sampling.

The VMA's were the perfect platform from which to launch the new album. Kanye performed well, his voice fragile, but hidden away behind Autotune. He sings better than you might expect, but will struggle with the live demands of this song. Still, it was a great performance, with strong images through lighting and his performance. Unfortunately, these fixtures cannot be translated onto the studio version.

This song hurts. Where has the genius of 'The College Dropout' gone? The concept is all wrong- Kanye isn't a singer by nature. It's brave, but a whole song of slow vocals is really pushing it. And in using a vocoder, you immediately take the emotion out of a song. I mean, who would attempt to prove that 'Lollipop' is an emotionally affecting song?

'808's And Heartbreak' drops on December 16th. Pre-order it on Amazon. The chips seem stacked against Kanye at this point in time. I'm not even going to mention the whole arrest fiasco. Still, I would never bet against him. Oh, and good luck Kanye. May you shock us all.

Coldplay: 'Viva La Vida...' Review.zip (All mp3's) (Link 2)

Eventually, my review and judgment of this album would be posted. As it should. And after the initial indecision, I'm not afraid to pass final verdict on Coldplay's new album. It's brilliant. Affirming, even.

They might not have realised it, with the money pouring in, but Coldplay had a great deal riding on this album. In recent times, increasing numbers of have turned against them, and even their most stalwart fans were beginning understand that three albums of similar (but quality) music is enough. We want more. And in my honest opinion, we got it.

Coldplay- Death And All His Friends/ The Escapist

To review this album, you really have to examine your stance. I'm not interested in Coldplay bashing, and I don't really give a crap that Chris and Gwyneth named their child 'Apple'. I am (as most of you are) here for the music. So whilst I don't want to come across as attacking the media, publications like The Times and The Guardian need to be careful- they got what they wished for with this album, so why did it receive a rating of 3/5? I will explore that later on.

With Brian Eno at the helm, it comes as no surprise then, that Coldplay are slowly turning into U2. However, thankfully they won't stop at that. They might just do the once over on Bono and his mates. The comparison comes across most convincingly on album highlight 'Lovers In Japan/Reign Of Love'. Using this album as a reference point, they are arguably more famous, with their compositions more stadium worthy. Bono, Edge and crew are getting on, and whilst Chris is also losing his hair, Coldplay's music sounds fresh, with a maturity nurtured over the 12 years since their formation.

Coldplay- Lost! (Live At Brixton)
Courtesy of JP's blog

The attention to detail is impressive, with songs such as 'Lost!' coming together only after being built around a strange sort of tribal beat. Needless to say, the fully fleshed out album version moved on from the acoustic recording that 'leaked' weeks before the album. The small features that at first seem improbable and irrelevant are what makes this an 'album'. Listen to 'Strawberry Swing' and it might strike you as slightly unremarkable at first. Over time, though, it will reveal its tricks.

Songs like 'Fix You' are a mile away (in tone, not stadium potential), and their latest album is more concerned with death, most obviously on 'Cemeteries Of London' and '42': "those who are dead are not dead... they're just living in my head". The latter undergoes a transformation half way through, from an eerie chant to a section which disguises it's melancholy tone with a boosted rhythm section: 'you thought you might be a ghost... you didn't get to heaven but you made it close'.

Coldplay- Cemeteries Of London

Risks are always welcome in modern music, the age of Autotune and GarageBand beats: 'Life In Technicolour' is a strong instrumental opening. It was originally accompanied by vocals, but when the band's close friends highlighted it as a potential first single, they removed them, instead opting for the occasional cheer. We should applaud them for their bravery.

Coldplay- Life In Technicolour (Live At Brixton)
Courtesy of JP's blog

For the first time in their career, Coldplay have markedly changed their image, dressing up as French Revolution soldiers. This image change, however, isn't as intelligent as it comes across. As a commenter pointed out, the album art is completely conflicting with this idea, using a French Painting with one of Frida Kahlo's titles: 'Viva La Vida'. A French painting with a Spanish title? Hang on a minute.

With their new image comes a revamped musical style: their double title motifs allow for a great deal more experimentation. And whilst with the underlying themes of this album you might be wondering about Chris' mental health (especially after walking out of a BBC interview), this new feature gives us twice as many things to love in each song. 'Yes! /Chinese Sleep Chant' flips between a meandering string piece and a guitar section with a boosted tempo. It's brilliant music.

Coldplay- Yes/Chinese Sleep Chant

This is far and away the most musically accomplished album that Coldplay have penned. It also helps that most of the released singles will go top 10, and the album will be found in many 'best of 2008' lists. In 'Viva La Vida', Coldplay have found their first number 1 single, and also a piece of music so perfect that you will learn the words, even if you don't want to.

Coldplay- Viva La Vida (Live At Brixton)
Courtesy of JP's blog

They still have peaks to climb. To convert their critics, album number 5 will have to do something truly special. It appears that between the band and music critics, the power of 'Viva La Vida...' has largely been lost in translation. This fact is saddening, but at the same time empowering; the album debuted at number 1, regardless of press intrusion. Coldplay have an endearing fanbase that will buy their records, on faith alone. I haven't always been complimentary, but it's encouraging to see that NME of all people (some of the most critical people on the block) gifted 'Viva La Vida...' a solid 8/10. The two lost points (in both our reviews) are purely because the album doesn't live up to Brian Eno's quote: that this is the sound of a band “living at the edge of their possibilities”. Not quite... that's for next time.

I would propose an ultimatum for their detractors. Think hard about it: when you think about the simple things, what do Coldplay lack? Are they inferior musicians? No. Is Chris Martin unable to sing? No. Do they write simple, occasionally emotionally stirring music. Yes. And at this point in their career, that it what it comes down to. We should understand if people are unable to appreciate these facts, as music is extremely subjective, but you can learn to love the things you love to hate. Don't compare this album to some milestone which doesn't actually exist. No one writes music that good.

I might be biased, but does that really matter? Sometimes the beauty of music is forged in the relationship between performer and listener. And with Coldplay- arguably the most radio-friendly band of the last ten years- we have most definitely been made a part of their music. 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' is an essential album, whether you love or hate the band. They came, they won some friends/enemies, they changed for the better, and once again, they have conquered.

'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends' can be purchased at Amazon and iTunes.

Watch this band. If you do anything today, make sure you check out Lightspeed Champion. I can tell you now, without a shadow of a doubt, that Dev Hynes is going to be big. As in, he will be remembered as one of 'the great British songwriters'.

Explain? Well, a few months ago at the Paradiso, they blew me away. I've been a fan since Dev's Test Icicles days, but I still wasn't expecting this quality of performance. At around 8 PM, Dev (complete with fur hat) and his band strolled on stage, with no ostentation. None materialised through the set. He had this aura of 'niceness', and was totally chilled: 'so, what have you guys been up to today?' was the opener. Each song was ended with 'thanks everyone'. Here's a clear example of someone unaffected by fame (reassuring, considering there's much more to come). I hope Dev reads this- not an unreasonable expectation considering he commented on one of my earliest posts about Lightspeed Champion.

Thankfully, his stage presence isn't all I have to rave about. The music itself was brilliant. The band- Dev and his band (drums, bass and violin) swept through a well balanced set, with oodles of character and charm. Oh, and just to clarify something, Dev is really, really, really good at guitar. This doesn't come across in the record, and makes the live performance a lot more exciting. His backing band are much the same. With a trio of drums, violin and bass, and Dev himself switching between guitars and piano, the album is fully fleshed out.

The band previewed 3 new songs: although he's still touring the new album, Dev has already finished the follow-up (an inclination of how much music he writes). The set began with 'Happy Birthday', a song similar in sound to Midnight Suprise, with some nice development: the song starts with frantic picking and then settles into a steady rhythm. These news songs help us to form an idea of how good he will eventually be- over the course of the tour, he has already become much more of a showman, and new musical skills are being picked up every day.

Lightspeed Champion- Happy Birthday (Live At Paradiso) (Link 2)

Dev also reproduced the now famous cover of 'Heart In A Cage', which is all the more impressive live. It arrives half way through the 16 song set. Sat alone on the stage, he cuts a sharp profile, and more than matches Julian Casablancas for pathos.

The second new song was 'Marlene' a 'funky' number that a more upbeat backing and some different lyrical topics: 'stick a spoon into your heart, and eat away all your Deutschmarks. Your money don't mean a damn thing. I'm wearing everything I own... Stop being cool'. The song also features a crazy solo by Dev at the end: no joke, he shreds!

Lightspeed Champion- Marlene (Live At Paradiso) (Link 2)

'Madame Van Damme' is another song likely to find it's way onto his new album. I admit I wasn't as blown away by the lyrics of this song as the other new additions, but it's still likely to be a hit when put through the recording process; that was only the fourth time it had been played live. The guitars are very retro, and the refrain has Dev repeating 'kill me, baby wont you kill me'. I'm not going to post it just yet, and final judgment will have to wait until I get my hands on the album version.

The set is full of character; from their rendition of the Star Wars theme (amazing)- which was joined together with a certain 10 minute opus- to the quips between each song,

Lightspeed Champion- Star Wars Medley (Link 2)

During 'Midnight Surprise', their pre-encore song, the band went a little psycho, and the music suddenly stopped. The band looked around, confused: 'Oops, I think we just blew out the power! That, guys, is the power of rock music'. After a few seconds of repairs, the playing resumed, and the band got right back into their breakdown.

Lightspeed Champion didn't have anything to prove to me at this gig. As I've said and will keep on saying: they're on the cusp of huge things, and are going to make a difference, whether or not the general audience admits it. As a band, Lightspeed Champion have it all: versatility (switching between instruments), depth (in the lyrics), impact (Dev), talent and tunes. Now all they need is an audience big enough to appreciate that fact.

'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge' can be purchased at Amazon. Dev's blog is a great read, and his official Myspace often features free Lightspeed Champion downloads. Photos courtesy of Tonie. Visit Fabchannel to watch the concert!

In my short blogging career I have never been quick to jump on the bandwagon. Some might accuse me of being behind the curve, but that isn't always the case. I just feel tainted somehow, writing about a band such as Vampire Weekend or Feist, who have quite literally been blogged to death (and stardom). My thought process is as follows: if 1000 other people have written about them, what else can I add? Sure, I could put my own unique spin on things, but that doesn't alter the feeling I get that those sort of posts are pointless. This is me making up for those lost chances: rather than writing about the great artists I haven't mentioned, this new feature will allow me to post some of their music without boring you. First up, Vampire Weekend:

Vampire Weekend- The Kid's Don't Stand A Chance
Vampire Weekend- I Stand Corrected
Vampire Weekend- Campus
Vampire Weekend- Walcott
Vampire Weekend- A-Punk (Live on SNL)
Vampire Weekend- M79 (Live on SNL)

NB- Normally I would feel terrible posting more than two tracks by an artist in one post, but considering the whole album is on the Hype Machine I think this is acceptable. Enjoy...

Another day in London, another dirt cheap gig to go to. Two days ago, for an unbelievably cheap £5, I went to Club NME at the KOKO, a great night. The format is as follows: some great indie bands (ie New Cassettes and Glasvegas) interspersed between some DJ sets. It starts at 10, and will go on into the early hours of the morning; I only stayed for Glasvegas, but it was well worth it.

This was a band possessing a sound much bigger than the venue, using the patented 'wall of sound' technique, I'm confidently informed. For the uninitiated, this involves a simple backing setup, and vocals low in the mix. The 'wall' is the guitar/bass, which were amped up to the max, and altogether it produces quite a distinctive, impressive sound. Lead singer James Allen's voice is arguably as good as in the studio, and the backing band were all energetic. Take drummer Caroline McKay, a force of nature, who refuses to sit down, whacking her simple kit into submission, and *they* jiggle all over the place- the audience was mesmerised.

The set was short due to their unfair positioning as a support band- they played all the favourites: 'Daddy's Gone', 'Go Square Go' and latest single 'Its My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry', and I was wholly impressed by their performance. I expect to see the four piece filling major festival slots this summer.

At this point, I will point you to their new website, which is a fitting companion to the songs released thus far

Glasvegas- It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry

Image courtesy of bibabidi.com

Update- Unfortunately, many people are beginning to doubt that it was actually Daft Punk at the Grammys, and also that they were playing live. I stand by the fact that it was them (why wouldn't it be?)- see here for 'proof'- and that they were playing live. Their Alive tour set-up was leaked a long while back, and the Lemur screens were on there. So why do people doubt that they were actually performing live? The 'Harder Better Faster Stronger' sample was on a loop, and they each controlled a variety of different filters and pitch modifiers. Okay, so it looked a little bit theatrical, but it was their first ever TV performance. They had to make it look great, didn't they?

I really picked a bad couple of days to go away (went for a friends bday- a great gig, which I will post about later today)- a couple of amazing albums were apparently released, the Grammys took place and more importantly, I missed Daft Punk's first TV appearance, EVER. And it was so ridiculous...

If Kanye ever performed 'Stronger', they were always going to be there. It had to be special... and it was. We saw more of Daft Punk's stage act than ever before, including a close up view of their set up. 4 JazzMutant Lemur's, each of which would set you back a cool £1600 (or approximately $3200 for my US readers) were shown- the Lemurs, a touch sensitive screen used to manipulate audio output, were used with the looping sample to apply different filters and effects. And yes... it was live. This was a never before seen version of 'Stronger', created specially to mark the event.

And Kanye himself? Unbelievable... with his trademark glasses (now lit up), he was really up for it (after winning 4 Grammys), and it was the performance of the evening. Watch it below, immortalised by Youtube...

Kanye West ft. Daft Punk- Stronger (Live At 50th Annual Grammy Awards)

Never in my life has a band tortured me this way... Whilst doing work experience at Comic Relief last week, a little email popped up stating someone in the office was offering two excellently positioned standing tickets to Muse's opening night performance at Wembley Stadium. And the price? £45 each. That might seem expensive to some, but considering the prices for tickets on eBay are £300 a pair they were actually very cheap considering the gigs were literally days away. I was so tempted to ditch going back to school the next day in order to see these guys again; I really thought that the cheap tickets were a bit of a sign.

Well, of course I ended up turning down the tickets and traveling back to boring old Cheltenham the next day. But this hasn't stopped me from watching numerous Youtube videos and listening to live recordings of the two concerts. I've read people's thoughts on the performance and most quotes have been along the lines of "the best gig I've ever seen in my life" or "unbelievable". The thing that makes Muse so different is their sound is no different playing in a small venue of 1000 people as they are playing in stadium venues like Wembley to crowds upwards of 20000; of course stadium performances are more of a spectacle (see image at end of post) but this band is just as comfortable in either situation. I've watched many of the songs featured in their 2-hour long set and I can't wait for some good quality footage to be shown on TV. Anyway, I've included a live recording of Map Of The Problematique during the Saturday performance, which is being released as a single later this week.

Muse- Map Of The Problematique (Live At Wembley).mp3