After what seemed like the untimely demise of Southampton rising pop-punkers Not Advised, the phoenix has well and truly risen in the form of their revived selves: Natives. Offering their first taste of new material this week with the track ‘Big Plans’, the band demonstrate the immense level of progression they have made since their NA days, as the booming soon-to-be rock anthem ignites with a quality seen in some of Britain’s finest modern rock bands such as You Me At Six and Kids In Glass Houses, with sugar-coated hooks sprucing up an altogether meatier and mature sound. With their debut album, produced by the iconic John Feldman, it’s only a simple matter of time before this band join the big contenders and take their pride of place as one of the UK’s finest in the new wave of rock bands.

Label: Fueled By Ramen

Genre: Alternative/Indie/Pop

Artists these days seems to be obsessed with the idea of ‘breaking the boundaries’ of genre or becoming the ‘next big thing’. Recently we’ve seen dubstep sweep (or perhaps ‘wob’ would be a more appropriate verb?) across the world, with alternative poster boy Skrillex grabbing a few Grammys just last weekend. It’s interesting then to see that there are still some artists who instead of lunging into what they think will be the future of music, drawing upon older, arguably more respectable eras when honing their own sound. Such a way of thinking is clearly evident in New York indie-pop band fun.‘s illustrious second album Some Nights.

Some Nights heralds back to the jazz ages of the 1920s – 1930s and marries its conventions with modern production elements, in a fashion not too much different to labelmates Panic! At The Disco‘s wet-dream of a debut A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. Unlike their contemporaries however, who opted for a synth-spruced, Moulin Rogue-esque powerpop sound, fun. utilize a healthy mix of stripped back acoustics and roaring orchestral passages to create a less pace-driven but no less subdued entourage of songs. Fans of the US music reality juggernaut Glee will likely already be familiar with lead single ‘We Are Young‘, featuring budding soul songstress Janelle Monae, but the track is only a small taste of the finesse the band have to offer on Some Nights. The opening combo of ‘Intro’ & title-track ‘Some Nights’ is worthy of sparking off a Broadway musical, with titanic vocal melodies and a full orchestra ensemble setting the album off to a flying start, whilst ‘Carry On’ swoops and swerves much like a sea shanty with one of the band’s most delectable choruses to date. The record hits a quality bump at midpoint with the vocoder-drenched blur of ‘It Gets Better’, which sounds like blink-182 gone hideously wrong, but ironically enough Some Nights picks up steam again with the likes of the booming brass-heavy anthem ‘One Foot’, before coming to a smooth and steady finish in the form of ‘Stars’, a dreamy string-led ballad marred only by the presence of that wretched vocoder again (honestly, it is a rather irksome attribute of the record).

If the BAFTA-winning smash silent film The Artist was to ever warrant the need for a soundtrack, then fun.‘s Some Nights would be an exemplary choice, not only due to the suitability factor, but because of the sheer calibre and warmth the 10 tracks emanate. In a world where music is becoming more homogenous by the second, perhaps a few more musicians should take a leaf out of fun.‘s book. The result might just be something wonderful.

Rating: 8/10

For fans of: Panic! At The Disco, Jack’s Mannequin, The Format

Some Nights will be available on iTunes and most other good digital music retailers on February 21st. You can stream the album in its entirety HERE: http://ournameisfun.com/

If you like the record, make sure to pick up a copy when it’s officially released and support the band!

- Josh

Scottish alt rockers Flood of Red are in my opinion of the most underrated UK rock bands active on the scene to date. Their debut album Leaving Everything Behind was a fine display of musical prowess, with some of the album’s more tender moments such as the track ‘Losing All Balance In Fells Point’ possessing an almost dream-like quality with jangling guitar leads making up the majority of the song’s backbone. The band just today released a tour video for a new track entitled ‘No Lover Of Mine’ which is yet another building block to fall on the band’s already impressive foundations, striking a chord with listeners from its , before exploding into colossal melodies that are bound to be bounced right back by audiences of future shows. Although right now it’s up in the air as to when a new Flood of Red record will emerge, it’s certain that when it does, unlike its predecessor, you’ll be hearing a lot about it.

You can download this song for FREE at: HTTP://TINYURL.COM/NOLOVEROFMINE

Label: Play It Again Sam

Genre: Rock/Alternative

Generally speaking, the British rock scene is currently a thriving and exciting climate right now. Whilst newer bands aren’t quite ascending to stadium heights like they did in the long gone days of hairspray and rock n’ roll, they’re becoming regular staples on primetime radio, a movement perhaps spearheaded by the likes of Zane Lowe and Fearne Cotton, who many a time have expressed a fondness for artists a tad more on the edgy side. Not only is rock being given a supermassive platform for exposure, the quality and integrity of modern day UK rock bands is at an all time high, and budding London-based heroes Young Guns are no exception, as is evident with the boundless greatness that is their sophomore album Bones.

Recorded in the Thailand with SikTh guitarist-turned-producer Dan Weller, also known for manning the reigns on St. Albans electro-hardcore ensemble Enter Shikari‘s new record, Bones is more of an enthralling and cinematic experience than a CD you just pop into the car to soundtrack a mid-afternoon car ride (although I dare say you’ll be wanting to after hearing it for the first time). Stepping into the boldly titled ‘I Was Born, I Have Lived, I Will Surely Die’, you’re instantly hit with the impression that you’re about to embark on a triumphant journey of sonic genius, as the track twists and turns through a catacomb of structures with melody after soaring melody emerging throughout its duration. It’s this aura of that becomes a recurrent theme for the album, whether it be apparent in the sensational, larger-than-life choruses (‘Learn My Lesson’ and the title track ‘Bones’), the film soundtrack-worthy musical escapades (‘Headlights’) or the dark intensity of some of the album’s more sentimental moments (‘Broadfields’ and ‘Everything Ends’). Cohesion is key in creating the record’s brooding atmosphere, and beautifully formulated shorter pieces of music such as ‘A Hymn For All I’ve Lost’ and ‘Interlude’ help maintain the magical feeling one gets when listening to Bones as an entity.

Sure, there are moments on the record that feel perhaps a bit too obnoxious, most notably the second verse on ‘Towers (On My Way)’, which needlessly struts with a party-rock swagger a little too much like Nickelback, but all in all Young Guns have delivered what is sure to be a tremendous landmark in their careers, almost perfectly marrying the gritty sound of raw rock music with alluring and intricate melodic passages. There’s one thing that’s ‘crystal clear’ though: they sure have set the standard high for the leagues of other artists out there gearing up to release albums this year.

Rating: 9/10

For fans of: Lostprophets, Deftones, Bon Jovi (I kid you not. Some of the choruses are really THAT big).

BUY IT HERE: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/bones/id491374959

It’s okay Canada, we’ll forgive you for plaguing us with the likes of Justin Bieber and Nickeback on accounts for blessing us with the furious hardcore rogues that are Cancer Bats. Just a taster of what’s to come before the band’s fourth record Dead Set On Living erupts from the depths of hell to melt our sorry faces off, ‘Old Blood’ is a rib-shaking burst of adrenaline and rage, full to the brim with some of the beefiest riffs you’ll find just about anywhere and topped off with rousing gang vocals and a blistering rhythm section. Look out for the track when they play it live: it won’t start a circle pit, it’ll start four of them.

Already on a genre-defying ascent skyward by racking up support slots with the likes of Gym Class Heroes & You Me At Six, East London reggae/ska quartet The Skints have finally unveiled the video for the lead single off of their upcoming album Part + Parcel. ‘Ratatat’ is a quirky yet cool number, featuring a familiar accented and upbeat ska rhythm accompanied by rapid-fire spoken verses from vocalists Marcia Richards and Josh Rudge which virtually put every chart rapper out there right now to deep shame. Whilst many casual music fans may have dismissed ska as a thing of the past, with bands with as strong and focused a sound as The Skints still flying the flag, it really is quite criminal to carry such a narrow mindset. Expect great things to come in 2012.

‘Ratatat’ will be available to purchase on  http://bombermusic.com on the 27th of February.

The forthcoming album Part + Parcel will be released on the 9th of April.

Oxford pop-punk quartet Evarose have been causing quite the stir over the past two years. Breaking what seems to have become the stereotypical mold of a female-fronted band with an all-female line-up, the group are the definition of ‘girl power’ in today’s rock scene. It’s all quite irrelevant really though, because Evarose are simply a great fucking band, capable of serving up massive slabs of pure pop-rock goodness with crunchy guitars and dazzling melodies, a good example being their latest single ‘Best Left Alone’. The track encompasses all the charisma and charm that was displayed by UK rock megastars You Me At Six on their now classic debut Take Off Your Colours, but also goes the extra mile by featuring a chorus so huge you’ll be struggling not to burst out with it yourselves. With a debut album slated for a release later this year, 2012 looks to be an explosive and exciting year for the four budding rock sweethearts.

PURCHASE ‘BEST LEFT ALONE’ ON ITUNES HERE: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/best-left-alone-single/id485705216

FIND EVAROSE AT: www.evarose.co.uk

www.facebook.com/evaroseband

www.twitter.com/evaroseband

www.evaroseband.tumblr.com

Label: Ambush Reality/Hopeless Records

Genre: Electronica/Post-Hardcore/Dubstep

It stands true a statement that there are few bands out there right now who address the political issues of the world as precisely as Enter Shikari. Whilst they may have started their careers as fresh-faced individuals intent on blurring the boundaries of the genres of electronica and hardcore as we know them, through 2009′s Common Dreads and the subsequent singles which have emerged in the wait leading up to third album A Flash Flood Of Colour, evolution has clearly occurred. Not only have the band fixed their own niche in the hordes of bands which insist on hashing synths together with ‘brutal’ breakdowns, lyrically, they have realised what started as a hobby can be used as a platform to make listeners aware of the political failings of our nations, and in doing so, they have become one of the most potent and culturally relevant bands of the past decade.

A Flash Flood Of Colour erupts into life in typical Shikari fashion: the tw0-pronged attack of poetic opener ‘…System’ and its abrasive follow-up ‘…Meltdown’ should be familiar territory for previous fans of the St. Albans quartet and opens up the door for a series of sonic bursts. Lead single ‘Sssnakepit’ is a brilliantly executed fusion of Jungle-esque break beats and furious hardcore, fronted by an immeasurably powerful wah riff from guitarist Rory Clewlow which is sure to go off like a nuclear bomb in live surroundings. A change of pace is offered mid-way through the album with the delicate track ‘Stalemate’, which features some of the album’s most beautiful melodies and harmonies and addresses the exploitation of war for money by world leaders, before listeners are plunged into the psychotic madness which is ‘Gandhi Mate, Gandhi’. Spearheaded with a ferocious summary of all of frontman Rou Reynolds’ displeasures relating to our world’s current state, the song bursts into a floor-shaking dubstep beat before being accompanied by discordant fret-wankery and a LOT of shouting. This escalates into the fired-up frontman being told to calm down by his bandmates, before he yells the soon-to-be-classic one-liner ‘Yabba dabba do one, son!’. The succeeding tracks ‘Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here’, a sharp jab at the masses of recyclable trash record labels are currently dishing out by the plateful, and ‘Pack Of Thieves’, which hands-down wins the title of ‘Biggest Chorus on The Album’ are slightly less mad than its predecessor but none the less satisfying. It’s a little well-known fact that Enter Shikari often close their albums with something a little different, usually on the softer side, but none of their previous work has been drawn to such a perfect close as A Flash Flood… has with ‘Constellations’. A build-up of tender glock & celesta melodies accompanied by an almost Streets-like vocal line and an emotive hook voyages triumphantly into a cinematic finisher with a mammoth guitar riff that would do Queen proud, the song proves itself to be one of the biggest accomplishments in the band’s discography to date.

It’s not often one can say with utmost honesty that an album is consistently as strong as it is the from start to finish, but in the instance of A Flash Flood…, I can state without doubt that Enter Shikari have not only produced the album of their careers, but one of the best albums of the 21st century. Incomparable to any band out there right, they seriously are in a league of their own.

Rating: 10/10

For fans of: … uh, Enter Shikari. Or good music.

BUY IT HERE: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/a-flash-flood-colour-deluxe/id487218141

1) Could you please introduce yourselves and tell me a little bit about your formation?

Benj (vocals): ”Hey there, this is Benj and Steve (Guitar) from the South Wales band The Calling Card. We have had this line up for about six months now and all kind of came together through mutual friends. There wasn’t any big meeting under the moon or at the crossroads where we sold our soul to the devil. Unfortunately.”

2) If you could describe your band’s sound in a couple of words, what would they be?

Steve: ”Different, Hard Hitting and Classy.”

Benj: ”Punk Rock.”

3) You’ve toured with quite an eclectic range of bands so far. Which band has been your favourite to play with and why?

Steve: ”The Guns, they always put on a good show, get the crowd going and have an excellent stage presence. You know you’re
getting your money’s worth when you go to watch them.”

Benj: ”This changes everyday but today it would be Twenty Twenty. The reason being that they were so bad that it was at this moment I knew I was in a great band and in it for the right reasons. We don’t need to mime or play to backing tracks to get people to get into us.”

4) Wales has definitely made some incredible contributions to the rock scene over the last decade. Why is it do you think that so many Welsh bands are becoming the heavy-hitters of British rock?

Benj: ”I think we just mean it more. Welsh bands always have to fight that little bit harder to reach a bigger audience than if you grow up in London. If you pick any type of music you will find the best artist of that genre in Wales. Obviously we have the big named bands, but if you dig a bit deeper and search for Goodtime Boys, Exit International, Save Your Breath, Hot Damn, The Guns it’s just brilliant. The only reason South Wales isn’t recognised in the same way Seattle and Manchester was is that every South Wales band has their own unique sound.”

Steve: ”There are so many good Welsh bands I could use for this explanation, but The Blackout for example, when they took to the scene you knew about it from their distinct sound. Especially when they bring other great Welsh artists into their music like Ian Watkins from Lostprophets, and this was when ‘Prophets were one of the most talked about bands at the time, not just in Wales but all over. So that broadened their fan base and they listened to their album and realised how good they actually are and passed it on to their friends. I believe promotion and appreciation from other Welsh bands is helping us define our music and grow as artists.”

5) You have a couple of songs uploaded onto your Facebook but no signs of an album as of yet. Is a full-length in the works and if so, how’s it coming along?

Steve: ”Yeah we have a full length album on the way due to start recording at the end of the month, it’s going to be a bit different and there will be a few surprises in there as well so keep an eye out.”

Benj: ”We didn’t want to rush into anything and we kept hold of some of our songs until we know we had them perfect.”

6) What’s the one quintessential The Calling Card song everybody needs to check out and why?

Benj: ”Lets Stay Young’. At first glance it’s just a happy go lucky pop song, but as soon as you dive a little deeper you can easily see the true meaning of that song. I still think its the best song I have ever written.”

Steve: ”For the moment I’d say ‘Weight Of The World’ because it’s quite an easy listening song for any mood but on release of the album keep your eye out for ‘The Underclass’.”

7) What’s the one album that you draw the most inspiration from, collectively or individually?

Benj: ”Personally it’s ‘(Whats the Story) Morning Glory?’ by Oasis. It’s impossible to beat that album. Cast No Shadow, Champagne Supernova and Morning Glory were only album tracks. That shows how brilliant it is. But collectively it would be ‘Worship and Tribute’ by Glassjaw. Every note of that album is played and sung with such passion you can’t ignore it. That’s what we are going to try and take on board for our album.”

Steve: ”For me, H.I.M’s ‘Screamworks’. It’s a brilliant album. They’re incredibly tight as a band recorded and live but there are so many good riffs on the album. As a whole the playability of that album is awesome. I listen to it all the time.”

8) What would be your dream tour and why?

Steve: ”The Blackout, Lostprophets, Limp Bizkit and… The Calling Card. Two of the best Welsh bands out there and Limp Bizkit is self explanatory. You can’t beat a bit of Freddy D.”

Benj: ”The Calling Card, Glassjaw, Taking Back Sunday, Biffy Clyro and U2. Us headlining.”

9) What are your goals for 2012?

Benj: ”To teach Simon (Guitar) to stop getting naked when he dances. And release the best album we possibly can.”

Steve: ”To promote our album the best we can, gig hard. But most of all be ourselves and have fun with it, that’s what being a band is all about.”

10) Finally, is there anything you would like to promote?

Steve: ”Check out our Facebook page if you haven’t already, give us a like, listen to our music and maybe come to one of our shows.”

Enjoy this interview with The Calling Card? Check them out below at:

http://www.facebook.com/thecallingcard

http://www.youtube.com/thecallingcardmusic

Big up Stencil PR for arranging these previous three interviews. None of it would have been possible if it wasn’t for them, so why don’t you go give their Facebook page a cheeky like too?

http://www.facebook.com/stencilpr

#blameYG

We all love someone to blame for every tiny little thing that takes a turn for the worst in our lives. Usually it’s a politician who takes the flak for plunging our countries into recessions, or perhaps you like to blame your nan for getting you a homely, hand-knitted jumper for Christmas instead of the latest high-street fashion trend or that Cannibal Corpse CD that you’ve been literally dying to get for ages. Sean Smith, the devilishly loud-mouthed frontman of Welsh rockers The Blackout however, decided it would be appropriate to blame his London-based compadres Young Guns for a variety of mishaps after a fan of the band pointed the finger at them for cancelling a show , and from there on Twitter users from all over the world decided to blame the hapless lads for everything from failing their exams to the shitstorm of snow that was at the time heaving everywhere up and down the country.

#picofmycock

You’ve gotta hand it to Maryland pop-punkers All Time Low‘s very own comedy duo Alex Gaskarth and Jack Barakat, they sure do know how to grab the attention of the citizens of the interwebs with their outlandish and immature sense of humour. Recorded backstage at a show on their headling jaunt of the Kerrang! tour, the two created a video in which the cheeky singer claims to have taken a few pictures on Barakat‘s computer whilst he was out of the room, before suddenly bursting into a hilarious tune about said pictures of his genitalia. Within minutes the term #picofmycock was trending worldwide, much to the delight of both the band and their fans, before the Twitter police stepped in and banned the trend, ruining everyone’s fun.

#bageltwat

When it comes to thinking of insults, I can’t honestly say that the term #bageltwat has ever sprung to my mind, yet that’s exactly what You Me At Six‘s lad of a singer Josh Franceschi used to describe a fellow he was hanging around with that particular day. He beckoned fans of the band to help trend the ludicrous phrase, and what with the strength of the self-dubbed Sixers behind him, he got his wish. Satisfied by the feat, he went on to encourage fans to insert their own words before ‘twat’, which resulted in the birth of a ridiculous amount of new ‘twat’ insults.

#rumormill

It seems as humans we’re always getting thrills off the latest and craziest hearsay to emerge out of the nether, whether it be the Bieber getting a fan pregnant after a 30-second romp backstage (this was proved false by the way, his erection doesn’t actually last 30 seconds) or . Poughkeepsie’s finest pop-rock act We Are The In Crowd decided to get fans sending rumors via Twitter left, right and centre to coincide with the release of the lead single off their debut album Best Intentions and boy, did it cause some fun. Even I got involved and manage to clear up a few things. For example, did you know that Beau Bokan, the frontman of post-hardcore outfit blessthefall is working tirelessly to get himself sponsored by coffee giants Starbucks? Or perhaps you didn’t know that Front model and alternative music lover Mellisa Clarke and her chum Hannah Martin are part of an Ali G-inspired rap group? They were due to open for You Me At Six last autumn, but sadly they never saw the light of day…

#disneypickuplines

It would be simply silly to just have one of Alex Gaskarth‘s many harebrained Twitter trends in the list, so our final TT is perhaps the most bizarre of them all, combining the sleazy slander of something such as a pick-up line with the innocent and wonderful world of Disney. Some of the cringeworthy yet included ‘Is that Pinocchio in your pants or are you just happy to see me?’, ‘How do you make a fairy moan? You tink’er’bell.’ and the almighty classic ‘Are those B cups of tea cups?’