Album Review: Weapons

C+

Welsh rockers Lostprophets have returned with their fifth studio album, Weapons. Lostprophets are known for their alternative yet radio-friendly rock sound, but with Weapons it seems the band are attempting a grungier, heavier rock image and are trying to shed the pop rock vibe they held throughout the mid 2000’s. The tracks on Weapons are all titled to fit this harder image and you expect the songs to have that real punk, heavy, nearly metal rock sound, but sadly, the album doesn’t quite make it.

The first song on the album and the first song to be released onto the radio is Bring Em Down. It’s a song which seems to be literally about bringing people down. I always feel the first song off the album should point the direction of the overall feel for the record, but Bring Em Down only confused me. It’s like half the song is headed for the darker, grungier look, but the other half is holding on to the remains of the pop rock emo thing of the last decade. And let’s be honest, that look and sound is so 2005.

The darker tunes are given another go with A Little Reminder That I’ll Never Forget and Better off Dead, which do feature a few cool guitar rhythms but are quickly ruined by a few too many distorts and a lead singer who sounds like he is straining his voice to put in that grunge sound. It also seems Lostprophets are trying to remind everyone they are more edgy and darker with song names like We Bring an Arsenal, but you just feel they are trying too hard. 

As I said before, the pop rock isn’t quite shed, and songs such as Another Shot and Heart on Loan show this. These songs feel less forced and it is a shame Lostprophets didn’t work on getting these songs perfect. Jesus Walks (not Kanye West cover) would probably take the top spot for me; it’s the only song on the album that just feels right.

When I heard Lostprophets were coming back with a new album, I got really excited. I wanted to see what they would do and which way their music would head. But overall I’m disappointed. Lostprophets simply do not pull off the darker, grungier look, and without the emo thing going on in mainstream music anymore it seems they have lost their place. I hope this isn’t the end of Lostprophets because I feel they have something to offer the music industry, but they need to sit down and figure out exactly what that something is. 

Concert Review: Nickelback 2009

Nickelback live at Vector Arena, November 2009

For my 2009 birthday a very good friend of mine got me a ticket to Nickelback’s show, who were on the Dark Horse worldwide tour. I was super excited and had to wait four long months between when I got the ticket and when I could actually see the band live. This was it; I was going to a rock concert!

These Four Walls opened and were pretty decent from what I recall, though I didn’t have any desire to rush out and buy their album. I think the buzz of being in Vector Arena meant I didn’t actually concentrate on the band and I didn’t take in any of their music. Sick Puppies, an Australian band, came on second and were much more successful at getting the crowd warmed up, with some cool rock tunes and a well gelled band. I obtained a few of their tracks after the show and still enjoy listening to them. Overall, the two opening acts well surpassed the opening acts at Basshunter.

Nickelback burst onto the stage with Something In Your Mouth, complete with red flame shooters. Okay, so Nickelback get a lot of criticism for their songs, look, sound and overall presence in the music industry, but they sure can rock live. Something In Your Mouth wasted no time in getting the crowd going and, despite some haters on Chad Kroeger’s voice, the guy can sing live. I was stoked when Nickelback did a throwback to their old days with Because of You. This wouldn’t be the last time they did this, with Too Bad, Figured You Out, and, probably my favourite Nickelback song, How You Remind Me. Nickelback kept things Kiwi with Photograph, where they integrated pictures of the band and pictures of Kiwi icons onto the screen behind the band. The stage was T shape, which the band utilised by sitting at the top of the T to sing If Today Was Your Last Day and Rockstar, another one of my favourites. They played most of the songs from Dark Horse, a few covers which went over my youthful head and rounded off the encore with Someday and Animals. There were two letdowns of the night: firstly, I wish they hadn’t played Animals last – I feel one of their older songs or something from Dark Horse would have fit better. Secondly, because they played older songs, I would have loved to see Feeling Way Too Damn Good, and if I was really lucky, Hero, though I suppose there’s only so much you can fit into one show.

Overall, it was an awesome night, and as my first rock concert, it was quite an eye opener. The crowd were great, Chad was entertaining when he wasn’t singing, and I loved the whole atmosphere they gave. Of course, I would come to see better rockers in the future, but for me, Nickelback ticked all the boxes.

Concert Review: Basshunter 2009

Over the past few years I have attended many concerts and loved hearing all the live music, and now I want to put up some kind of review of them all. I’m kicking things off by travelling back to 2009.

Basshunter live at Telstra Clear Events Centre, September 2009

After only seeing the likes of Kingston, Elemeno P and 48 May at various camps and school concerts, I was pumped to finally heading to a ‘real concert’. Despite the above acts being wicked cool to see live, the thought of a ‘real concert’ was so exciting. A group of school mates got together to go see the Swedish sensation and were all buzzing about how awesome he would be live.

Having high expectations, I was bitterly let down by the opening two acts. To this day, my worse opening act was at my first ever real concert: Smashproof. I am a huge fan of Kiwi music, especially when they open for international acts, but Smashproof were just bad. They played pre-recorded backing tracks through their loud speakers, which resulted in the singing being both out of time and a lot quieter than the pre-recorded tracks. This is also the only time I have ever walked out of a live performance, faking a bathroom visit just to not watch the stage. I poked my head back in when I thought Gin Wigmore had made an appearance for Brother, but no, it was more overly loud, pre-recorded tracks which did not sit well with me. And so, my first real concert had got off to a rather bad start.

The second band on were 3OH!3. What a band name. To be fair, these guys are pretty decent, but with New Zealand only having heard about two songs, one which featured Katy Perry and was obviously not in New Zealand with them, they just couldn’t get the crowd going. They played on for half an hour or so, not really failing but not succeeding either.

Basshunter, or Jonas Erik Altberg as he was born, kicked off the show with Angel in the Night, one of my favourite songs. He was on stage dancing and jumping around from the beginning, with six hot tanned ladies behind him. Over the show, these women became less dressed, which pleased the males in my group. All I Ever Wanted and I Can Walk on Water were full of energy and the crowd got going without much convincing, which was great to see after the little movement with the opening acts. I was stoked when he performed Boten Anna and Dota, both of which are in broken Swedish. Basshunter could sing, dance, crack a few jokes and profess his love for New Zealand, which included sending a video message to his mum about how great a time he was having in our country. He rounded of the night with an encore of Now You’re Gone, his chart topping smash hit which young people had on repeat for months leading up to the show.

This concert was a few years ago, and I have no trouble saying the ones I’ve been to since out rate this show by a mile. But it was a nice way to kick off my concert experiences. Even though I had to put up with some silly girls pushing their way to the front (turns out this is a common thing at all concerts), I had a great night with my mates. Basshunter gave a great show and gave me concert fever. 

Album Review: Roses

B

After a ten year hiatus, Irish rock band The Cranberries are back with their sixth studio album, Roses. If you are a fan of the musical style of The Cranberries, which is a mash up of indie rock, pop rock and Irish folk music, then this album is a must have for you.

Show Me The Way is the first single released off the album and the song which brings the band back into the industry following the long break. It won’t blow you away but it is catchy and radio friendly. If you’re anything like me and a sucker for a rock song with a violin, you will find it hard to fault the song. It sets up a nice premise for the rest of the album and, as far as comeback songs go, this ticks all the boxes.

Tomorrow was the second song released from the album, and while it is as catchy as Show Me The Way, it pushes an important message of moving on through life. Lead singer of The Cranberries, Dolores O'Riordan, had this to say about the track said the track is about how we over-escalate small things in our minds, but at the end of the day these things are small and foolish, and we have to move on. It makes you wonder if The Cranberries are talking about moving on from their earlier roots or their ten year hiatus. Either way, the message combined with the tune makes a great song, and I would say it is my favourite off the album.

O’Riordan has always been praised for her haunting voice with the Irish twang, and it is evident throughout the whole album. She raises and lowers her tempo through songs such as Fire and Soul and Losing My Mind, and draws you into going on a journey with her captivating, beautiful voice for the whole album. The song Schizophrenic Playboys is definitely worth checking out, if not for the good rock track, then purely because of the name. The final track on the album is Roses, and rounds off the comeback album nicely.

If you wanted something hard hitting and powerful like the 1994 smash hit, Zombie, you’re out of luck. The Cranberries have returned with music which is radio friendly, pop rock style. I would have been happy if only a few tracks were like this, but with the whole album sounding pop rock, you feel a bit left down. Even the tunes which start off sounding more Irish folk eventually turn back to the pop rock tune by the chorus. If it wasn’t for O’Riordan’s unique voice, it would be hard to differentiate a chart topping band with some of the other fluff which is hanging around charts. While Roses should hold their place in music industry, I hope, The Cranberries will pursue something a little more powerful for their next project.