The Cold Cut

Rating: The first truly great indie release of 2008

My post today will take a cue from the album it's focussed on. 'Little Death', Pete & The Pirates debut album, is solid proof that simple music can still work. This is a big deal considering the majority of popular music is now designed around the idea that 'bigger is better'. That, whilst generally true, does not mean that simplistic music cannot make an impact, and P&TP (as they will be known) make it look effortless.

The success of this album is bigger than that idea, though, and to be honest, P&TP didn't start off well. They chose one of the worst band names in recent history, and as musicians, appear unremarkable at first. When a band's name references a singular person ('Pete', of which there are two in this band), the general reaction would be to discount the backing band, labeling them session musicians. That, however, is not the case here, and their live performances are notoriously brilliant due to the closeness of the five friends from Reading.

Equal measures intense and light-hearted, 'Little Death' works on many levels, and despite a slow section, the album is never boring. The faster songs are mostly dominated by angular guitar riffs and frantic thrashing from the rhythm section, whereas the more heartfelt songs such as 'Ill Love' are more melodic, with a cleaner different mix. 'Knots', the lead single, on the other hand, leaves things jagged, and it's all the more charming for it, with its infectious hooks and licks. Then we have 'Come On Feet', a tune that, as the band put it, is "a fast, jangly punk-infused pop song about shit relationships, dancing and trying to get home". My personal favourite is 'Mr Understanding', a song has withstood more than 10 consecutive plays before becoming tiresome.

Nevertheless, it's not all genius, and the lyrics occasionally lapse into the grey zone, especially in the plodding 'Song For Today', the only song on the album which is considerably longer than 3 minutes. Its no coincidence that this is also the worst song on the album.

This can be easily forgiven, and barring this low point, the album fully lives up to our expectations. Sticking to what they do best, P&TP have played it simply, and it really pulls off. 'Little Death' is a testament to the fact that sometimes, production and complication can go out the window: all you need for great music is some nice lyrics, solid harmonies and a nice gritty riff.

Pete And The Pirates- Mr Understanding

Buy Little Death. Visit their official site, or Myspace.

'How are you doing London?' were Matt Bellamy's first words as he strolled onto the stage of the Sheperd's Bush Empire in West London last year, followed shortly by Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme, drummer and bassist in the outrageously good band that is Muse. At this point in the gig, I was still slightly shocked that I was even there... A few weeks previously I had headed over to the Muse website to check out their latest tracks from Black Holes And Revelations, and after being forced to enter a competition in order to enter, I listened to some of the new tracks, including Starlight and Supermassive Black Hole. I was unaware at that point that I would be listening to them live only 4 weeks later.

Two weeks after I entered the competition, an unassuming but highly important email popped into my inbox informing me that I had won two tickets to see Muse in their "Supermassive Gig", where they would be playing the new album in full, all of which would be recorded and shown on MTV a few weeks later. It just so happened that I would be in London on the day of the gig, and I ended up going with my sister. We turned up to a scene of chaos: there were a wide range of different people milling around the venue: some goths, some hardcore fans - brandishing their Muse T-shirts and badges-, and some bewildered individuals who had obviously entered without knowing who Muse were. After an hours wait to get our special wristbands and tickets, we were let in, and the gig started promptly. I was, and still am, a huge fan of Muse, and had been informed by my experienced Dad/brother/sister that their live performances were special. I didn't really realise this until Matt Bellamy opened his mouth to sing and began to play his guitar like a man possessed; believe me when I say that watching this band is a spectacle: Matt Bellamy has an exceptionally loud and developed voice for someone so small (he must weigh about 9 stone) and the way he manipulates his guitar is nothing short of amazing. He is backed up by possibly the best rhythm section in the world, with huge, heavy basslines and musically clinical drumming from Wolstenholme and Howard.

I was blown away by the performance: I have seen a fair few bands for someone my age, but never in my life have I heard a band who sounds better live than they do on their albums. I swear there are times during their performances where Muse add in licks and fills that aren't included on their albums, just as an extra: these only help to make their live performances a more rounded experience. This is really down to the fact that all three members of Muse are highly accomplished musicians: Matt Bellamy was a classically trained pianist before he traded in Tchaikovsky for AC/DC as a teenager, and both Wolstenholme and Howard know their way around their instruments. Bellamy must go through guitars quickly, the way he batters, bends and beats them into submission, and the sound produced by this band is encapsulating, loud and completely unique. A regular theme in Muse's albums has been outer space and the supernatural, and their music and live performances are truly out of this world. The music that Bellamy writes seems so effortless: whilst they revel in the huge choruses and pounding rhythms of songs such as Supermassive Black Hole and Map Of The Problematique, they are just as much at home producing lighter sounds such as Starlight and Soldier's Poem. All in all, I really think that Muse should take the mantle as THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD, due to their stellar live shows and brilliant music.

After my gig at Sheperd's Bush Empire, I was lucky enough to see them again a month later at Lowlands Festival in Holland. Their performance was different, but no less brilliant: their sound wasn't diminished by the festival tent containing 5000 people. I let out a huge sigh of relief when I watched them all the big festivals last year, for finally, this hugely talented band had made it to where they deserved to be.