Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

GF music review club


Carvalho Diablo
 Share

Recommended Posts

3 minutes ago, The-Sir said:

https://youtu.be/cKiti1mM01s

Can't remember how to embed a video on here, but for anyone interested my band released this on Friday, our debut single. See what yas reckon!

A wide range of comments on youtube...

 

Tim Cunningham
This made my gentleman’s region go peculiar.


James Filut
Into the revered dumpster with this! I love it!!!!


Adam Nicely
Mark is a sexy beast.


Lisa Blundell
Love it! x

 

Andrew Davies
Awful music


 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Shooter in the Motor said:

A wide range of comments on youtube...

 

Tim Cunningham
This made my gentleman’s region go peculiar.


James Filut
Into the revered dumpster with this! I love it!!!!


Adam Nicely
Mark is a sexy beast.


Lisa Blundell
Love it! x

 

Andrew Davies
Awful music


 

I'm tempted to agree with all of them. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I'm listening to my jazz on radio 2 tonight I have not had a chance to listen to Blackberry Smoke but that will be listened to before Wednesday of this week, review will be here by then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I love the band - been to a few shows. This recording is alot to go through in this format so I just want to suggest a couple of tracks which I feel are really worth a listen:

One Horse Town - just a great bittersweet alt take on the whole "great to be country" thing. 

Ain't Much Left of Me - as Lee stated - Whippoorwill is a great start -- these tunes are back to back on that record. Tremendous set of bookends from a really great band.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Review : Blackberry Smoke - Leave A Scar (Live in North Carolina)

 

Another band I've never heard before (great band name btw), and thumbs up to Lee for choosing our first live AOW. Looking forward to this...

 

[presses play]

 

The live audience welcomes Shakin' Hands With The Holy Ghost and it leads off with a lovely, dirty guitar riff, nice organ and a good mix, the singer is corny but he's in complete command. Nice little solo, I can certainly dig this on a wet grey day.

 

Sanctified Woman has another nice dirty riff and some tasteful keys, the band is tight and well rehearsed, no surprise cos these southern boys usually display plenty of chops.

 

Testify is a bit slower with that tight as fuck vocal, reminiscent of Shooter's Zac Brown AOW. Again, the keys are the highlight for me.

 

Good One Comin' On Tonight has a familiar feel, more lovely keys and country guitar flourishes. Extra marks for "Redneck mothers". I bet these boys are a lot of fun live.

 

"Oh God bless ya!", ushers in Six Ways To Sunday. It's a bit Battleship Chains but the honky tonk piano is rather nice. Corny but feel good fun.

 

Aint Got The Blues takes it down but is still a merry little caper. The punters are clearly lapping this up, singing along all the way.

 

I feel that this record really shifts up a gear around now, starting with Lucky Seven. "I'm a lucky number 7, I dance to my own tune". Love that plodding bass and nice big chorus.

 

Pretty Little Lie is my favourite song yet, a more laid back vocal, I really like the chord progression, reminds me quite a bit of Freedy Johnson. Love that ride cymbal in the chorus. Really nice song.

 

Restless snakes in next, "Oh yeh" and a Sweet Home Alabama riff, again the band demonstrate their tightness. Love that lead line with the wah / vocoder, more fantastic piano flourishes.

The singer is fine, great voice for this, obviously super confident and right in his element. Lyrics are still corny as fuck though.

 

Bass and drums, Up In Smoke has a great energy and verve, lovely the vocal on the bridge.

 

Crimson Moon starts with a grimey old riff before dropping out to some noncey drivel about home coming queens, almost 18. Almost threw up a bit in my mouth. The keys are still delightful though.

 

Next song on this l-o-n-g album is The Whippoorwill. A welcome change of pace, slower and more soulful / bluesy. Showcasing the keys again and the vocals are more prominent, possibly my favourite song yet.

 

Son Of The Bourbon comes next and picks up the pace amidst tales of whiskey rivers and sons of bitches. A lovely twangy tele break in the middle.

 

Nice bass and keys herald Everybody Knows She's Mine. Another tale of southern belles and Georgia pines, another catchy chorus.

 

One Horse Town's riff sounds familiar, after a few listens I realise this is very similar to that Bryan Adams / Sport Spice song. Not plagarised, just a very similar chord progression in the verse.

 

Old Gene the pisshead requested Lesson In A Bottle, more nice twiddlin' and a twangin'. Another slower track, it's okay.

 

Ain't Much Left Of Me is the divorcee's lament, one of this records longer tracks, more nice riffage and keyboard flourishes, another tidy chorus.

I can dig this. Far more rocky than Zac Brown and I like it more for that, the middle part even tears up When The Levee Breaks, very nice (even without Bonzo's monsterous drums)

 

Leave A Scar is an uptempo jive, not my favourite.

 

At 10:23 Sleeping Dogs is the longest song here (I think?), shagging and ass whipping, showcasing Blackberry Smokes considerable musicianship.

 

Payback's A Bitch is another nice song but I'm suffering from listening fatigue, the record is way too long and the tracks are starting to bleed into each other. Are we nearly there yet dad ?

 

"Lately I can tell you're getting pretty sick of me..." Up The Road is a nice slower number, more tasteful keyboards being my highlight.

 

Shake Your Magnolia is a great somng title, dirty guitars and honky tonk piano leading the way, definitely one of my favourites. Love the guitars on this and the album definitely finishes on a high note.

 

So what can I tell you about Leave A Scar ? I really enjoyed this record, warm and fun and organic, Blackberry Smoke can obviously write and really play. Would love to see them live.

The record is though, just too long and suffers because of that, which is a shame.

 

Still a solid 7.5 / 10 sons of bitches from me.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can't argue about the length. I knew it was a bit on the long side but felt its a bad that comes into their own live rather than in the studio. The sets are normally around hour and forty five to two hours so you do get your monies worth seeing them. I was hoping to get this up pre the tour and they have literally just finished the European leg of the tour. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sun - Cat Power

 

I fancy Cat Power so I may be a bit biased on this review.

 

Having spent most of my allocated time to listen to this, listening to her new album ‘Wanderer’ I’m a bit later than I anticipated with this review.

 

So here goes. 

 

Cherokee - A nice soft and gentle opening. I like Cat’s vocal melodies and overlaying on all her stuff. This is a nice intro track and has a lot, yet subtle, additional elements in it that add the beef to it. I think this would would work just as well as a vocal and piano track.

 

Sun - Album’s title track.  Bit of an acid/techno vibe running softly in the background. Feels a bit of a step into modern Mark Lanegan. Some nice melodies in both the guitar chord progressions with Cat’s (on first name terms me) vocals. Another nice and mellow ideal for a sunset or Sunday late morning early afternoon listening. 

 

Ruin - I like this one. Her vocal layering is great again. I like the pattern she sings too. Again everything is soft and gentle on the ears, even though intention gets ramped up a bit it’s not overbearing. Sounds like a lot of stuff that has preceded and you’ll find on 6Music. 

 

3,6,9 - Another catchy little vocal pattern. One thing I don’t like that Cat uses is that bloody vocal shifter effect. It’s straight out the Victoria Beckham/Dane Bowers book of complete fuckwittery. Besides that small issue, 

 

Always On My Own - Bit of moodier one this. Reminds me of a slower version Lykki Li “I’m Good, I’m Gone” crossed with a tiny bit of Portishead.

 

Real Life - There’s that acid/techno vibe. Listening to this makes me yearn (seriously? Yearn?) for her to do something with Mark Lanegan. I think their voices would compliment each other excellently. 

 

Human Being - A bit of a Joy Division vibe at the start of this. Then she brings in her honey like vocals. Dark feel to this one with a positive spin. One of my favourites off the album. 

 

Manhattan - Got a film soundtrack vibe to it this. Played over of reflection about friendship/love. 

 

Silent Machine - Ooohh a bit of electric guitar. Defo should be doing something with Lanegan. She sounds dead sexy on this one. Got a The Kills vibe going on. Obviously not Alison Mossheart levels of power, more the mellower, quieter sister.

 

Nothin But Time - Electro with some piano start. End of a film being imagined listening to this. 

Bit of a spiritual feeling to it. It’s nice while not mind blowing. 

 

Peace And Love - Boss bit of guitar at the start. And a drummer. Feels like it’s the gentle offspring of ‘Kashmir’ by Led Zep. Her vocal pattern is boss again. Really dig this one. 

 

Overall, it’s a decent album that is very listenable and easy on the ear. I really like her voice and vocal patterns and melodies. One thing that lets her down is that I feel there is another gear/level that she could push herself vocally. More power in the music; it’s all pretty much the same style/tempo/level (which she does well).

 

I’m gonna give it 7.03/10. Enjoyable, easy to listen to, just leaves me wanting a bit more from her at the end especially when Peace And Love comes on.

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blackberry Smoke - Leave a Scar (Live in North Carolina)

 

I like the live album angle, the band clearly know how to play the crowd and are tight musicians, the segues between tracks are seamless and in terms of set list the rhythm of the set overall flows. However, modern country rock is something I have an aversion to, so this was a bumpy ride for me.

 

The guitar solos were good, and the riffs were solid, there's clearly a good deal of craft behind this group. I particularly liked the second half of the album, when the organ began making elongated appearances, giving tunes a '70s Southern rock vibe, tracks like Up In Smoke put me in mind of the Allman Brother Band. 

 

The standout track is Whippoorwill, the slow pace and mellow vibe really struck a chord with me, and it was needed to break things up. It almost feels like an instrumental, particularly with that great organ coming to the fore. I prefer the tracks without the drums, as they seem to frequently fall into the trap of a very generic modern country beat behind the guitar. This track however was more traditional rock than country rock. A really good tune, building in its guitar solo, with surprising restraint.

 

It's tracks like the aforementioned (and Up the Road, with its mellow piano) that highlight my problem with the rest of the album. It's an issue I have with both material and delivery. In Whippoorwill, I feel like I can hear the vocalist’s true voice, with fewer instances of excessive deliberate twang. The rest of the album falls into the good old boys, pick-up truck, look how Southern I am, redneck bumper sticker side of things, that puts me more in mind of Rich Hall's excellent musical comedy of Otis Lee Crenshaw (married seven times, all to women named Brenda).

 

Testify is another high point, though largely because I like the more narrative style of song, and the lyrics pique my interest, as I begin to wonder what they'd sound like delivered in a more traditional country / blues manner - Son of the Bourbon would work well with a slide guitar for instance.

 

The band are slick, with good riffs, some nice organ accompaniment, and clearly know their audience; I just know I'm not it. I prefer old country, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash et al. Southern rock has always set my teeth on edge as I feel it strains for an authenticity through sentimentality and tropes that need dismantling rather than building upon.

 

I really liked The Whippoorwill though, so I'm giving it 4.5 moonshine runs out of 10.

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just finished watching/listening to the Blackberry Smoke live set. I approve of this music in a generous way. It reminds me a fair bit of my first selection (Zac Brown Band) although the rock side of the country music sounds like it has a bit more growl.

 

The vocals seem to occasionally remind me of Kings of Leon's lead singer (although nowhere near as husky) but I can mostly see where the Aerosmith comparisons have come from.

 

I had never heard of this band so as a bit of a Country music fan this band has escaped my attention so it's important I try and put this right.

 

I'm not able to provide a track by track review as it's a long video with a fair amount of interviews in between the live tracks but as an overall score I would give this 7.5/10. It could easily have been a 9/10 but some of the tracks seemed to slow down a little too much but the faster, rockier tracks with all the band members playing their part were most impressive.

 

Good choice for the person who chose this, I will look out for any studio albums they have made.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well then, anybody ready for some new music ? I think it's about time that BabbsBurstNad popped his cherry by selecting his debut AOW.

 

After BBN it'll be Toxteth O'Grady's turn, (probably around Christmas week), but until then, BBN, over to you mate...

 

For those lagging behind with their reviews, better get a fucking shift on.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Skidfingers McGonical said:

I’m only up to track 4445 of Blackberry Smoke. 

Say what? I only listened up to track 4444. Have you found some secret tracks?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Skidfingers McGonical said:

I’ve got it on repeat. Accidentally.

 

 

Truth is you love it and it's being played over and over. High score expected here... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

Well then, anybody ready for some new music ? I think it's about time that BabbsBurstNad popped his cherry by selecting his debut AOW.

 

After BBN it'll be Toxteth O'Grady's turn, (probably around Christmas week), but until then, BBN, over to you mate...

 

For those lagging behind with their reviews, better get a fucking shift on.

 

Right, after much deliberation, and taking into account that we're a bit light on female vocalists, I've gone for...

 

I, Gemini by Let's Eat Grandma 

 

It's experimental pop, I'm sure some will absolutely hate it, but I feel it's full of ideas, so warrants a listen. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

 

Right, after much deliberation, and taking into account that we're a bit light on female vocalists, I've gone for...

 

I, Gemini by Let's Eat Grandma 

 

It's experimental pop, I'm sure some will absolutely hate it, but I feel it's full of ideas, so warrants a listen. 

In keeping with the history of this thread their another band whom I've never even heard of before, but your little preamble has fired me up mate, can't wait to give this a fucking good blast.

 

I'll chuck up the usual linkage once I'm back from work tomorrow fellas. Let's fucking rock n roll n stuff.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share


×
×
  • Create New...