Deftones - "Diamond Eyes"

I'm a big fan of the Deftones.

I've got all of their albums, and yes "White Pony" is my favourite; despite this however, "Diamond Eyes" comes a very, very close second. A sort of return to form for the band (although they weren't exactly off form with previous release "Saturday Night Wrist"), "Diamond Eyes" is a perfect place for a newcomer to start off with.

An ethereal echo slowly fades in to a pummelling riff on opener "Diamond Eyes", Chino Moreno as brilliant as ever as his effortless vocals contrast with Carpenter's simple yet brutish guitar work. Heavier still is next track "Royal", with a breakdown similar to that off of "Saturday Night Wrist"'s "Beware", or in other words, head pounding.

"CMND/CTRL" is reminiscent of older material off of "Adrenaline", whilst "You've Seen the Butcher" and "Beauty School" offer the first (sort of) respite from the heaviness. The former contains some haunting percussion, with the latter containing some haunting lyrical content alongside a rather pop-punk drum beat. "Prince", with it's groovy bass line and drawn out vocals, then give way to the most accessible, but no less heavy, tracks off of the album.

"Rocket Skates" is the most straightforward song on the album, but also one of the most enjoyable. The crushing guitars pound down on you whilst Moreno's screech of "Guns, Razors, Knives!", whilst not the most subtle of lyrics, is almost deafening.

"Sextape", my favourite track off the album, is a ballad of sorts; whilst not the type of ballad you may be thinking of, it is certainly the most "relaxing" Deftones track I can think of.

here, the album kind of veers off. "Risk", 976-EVIL" and "This Place is Death" are all good tracks in their own right, but they end the album in a kind of average, yet still satisfying way. "Riverie" off of "Saturday Night Wrist" and "Change in the House of Flies" off of "White Pony" are in my opinion brilliant tracks to end an album with, yet the ones here seem a little... mediocre.

However, this doesn't detract from the fact that this is still a great record, and I recommend you listen to it and the rest of their material.

NOTE: Deftones originally planned to release the album "Eros", but bassist Chi Cheng suffered serious injuries in a car crash whilst the record was in progress. As the rest of the band's fans, I wish Cheng a speedy recovery.

James Blake - "Klaiverwerke"

This is less of an album, and more of an experiment spread across four rather lengthy tracks.

I'm usually quite in to something that's a little different; I listen to plenty of different bands across different genres, but I found this a little to "Niche" for my liking. I'm not saying this after one listen either, I'd say I've played this record a fair amount and, despite my best efforts, I can't get in to it.

There's something decidedly average about this record. I know some people will like it, and I can kind of understand why; it's relaxing in a "your sleepy, I'll help with that" kind of way. It's more of a record that passes you by, rather than demanding your attention, making you listen to it; and in my opinion all records should do that. Never mind the genre, music should make you sit and listen, whether you're lying in bed or sitting on the train, and there are plenty of alternative albums that have me doing that. This, however, floats across the borders of the conscience, and without leaving any kind of impression, floats straight back over them. It might just be me, but even after the four songs that make this album had finished, I sometimes hadn't notice it had finished for a good 20 or 30 minutes.

Maybe after another dozen or so listens it'll make some kind of mark on me; but at the moment, it's more of a collection of sounds that don't leave me wanting more.

Mogwai - "Rock Action"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqh1S87pwlQ

This is one of my favourite albums currently. So much so, I'm not gonna review it as such, but just tell you to click the link above and listen to that song.

For me, it's that one song you sit back, close your eyes and listen to. And I mean properly listen to.

65Daysofstatic - "We were Exploding Anyway"

Long time no post, but I'm back with something totally different from my last post; instead of looking at some heavy Metalcore, I'm going to introduce you to some electro tinged post rock in the form of "We were Exploding Anyway" by 65Daysofstatic.

I love this band, and every time I mention them to, well, anybody, I'm always on the receiving end of a perturbed glance; nobody has heard of these guys. Well, except my Radio tutor. He has good taste.

Well, if you haven't heard of them, this is album to introduce yourself to them with. It's easily their most accessible album, with electronic beats, normal time signatures for the most part and more melody than their previous outings.

The album clicks in to life with "Mountainhead", and I literally mean clicks. The off-beat drums lead into an angular guitar rhythm alongside some subtle sampling. This song perfectly encapsulates what this album sounds like, and it's one of my personal favourites. "Crash tactics" is next; it's pounding drums and spacey guitar sections wouldn't be out of place backing some kind of action scene in a sci-fi movie. "Dance, Dance" is probably one of the livelier tracks on the album, with a beat that will crush your skull coming in after some deceptively soothing electronic organs.

"Piano Fights" is as much delicate as it is rip roaringly fun, and "Weak 4", a single from the album, is as close to Dubstep that this band will ever come. I don't really know what Dubstep is if I'm honest, but it's probably not as good as this track.

Having toured with The Cure, it seems only right that Robert Smith their vocalist makes and appearance on "Come to Me". At just over 8 minutes long, it's the longest track on the album, but the manipulated vocals of Smith and the interesting drum and guitar parts make each second of this dance anthem a great listen.

"Go complex" starts with what sounds like the end of the Earth, eventually exploding in to a Pendulum-esque beat that will have your head bouncing. The album ends with "Debutante" and "Tiger girl", the former a mellow and (almost) calming track with operatic "Ahhhhs" and synths accompanying an off kilter drum beat and scratchy guitar chords, and the latter being a 10 minute all out dance track.

Overall, this album is brilliant listen. Although different to their other material, the album still somehow fits nicely into this band's back catalogue. Once you're done with this album, take a listen to their older stuff; maybe then I won't be the only one in the room to have listened to this great band.

Every Time I Die - "The Big Dirty"

I thought I'd start of with this album as it's one of my personal favourites. Every Time I Die were originally a Metalcore band, but with this full length release they not only build upon their original sound, but they also incorporate new stylistic features too their music such as actual choruses and new instruments such as a cowbell - That's right, a freakin' cowbell!

Yeah this album is a couple of years old, but I never said I'd be reviewing new albums; just the ones I think you should listen too, and this is definitely worth your time.

The album starts with "No Son of Mine", and what fans of the band may notice is that the song, and album in general, is decidedly slower in pace than the more frantic and energy driven albums of time gone by such as "Hot Damn!" and "Gutter Phenomenon". It's still loud, brash and in your face, but in a more rock ' n' roll way; their's a distinct lack of dissonant chords on this album.

After the country rock rhythm of "No Son of Mine", we have "Pigs is Pigs", and all out sucker punch to the gut which never gives in. Keith Buckley's voice is better than ever here, as is the guitar and rhythm sections from the rest of the band.

In my opinion, the first stand out track from this album is "We'rewolf". The tap of the cowbell at the start of the song ushers in the band on top form; the line "I've been bitten by the party animal" perfectly sums up this song. As soon as you hear the tap, tap, tap of that darn cowbell, you just want to get up and boogie. It's that good.

To briefly go over other highlights of the album, "Cities and Years" ends with a bone shatteringly heavy breakdown, "Rendez-voodoo" has a groove that could start an earthquake, and "Imitation is the sincerest form of Battery" is so scathing in it's delivery you'd suspect that if Buckley ever met one of the people he's addressing, he'd have his way with them... and then some.

I can't suggest certain songs over others, because they're all great. "Depressionista" is a personal favourite with it's chorus chant of "'Till Death do we rock, we're so full of sh*t, 'Till death do we rock, you keep buying it!". Alongside that, "InRihab" is pretty damn catchy, whilst "Rebel without Applause" is relentless.

Just give this album a listen, you won't regret it.

Favourite Lyric - "We'rewolf" - "Well I didn't put my hair in a ponytail for nothing, so if I'm going home alone, then I aint going at all"

So here I am.

Because I know I'm pretty much talking to myself right now, I'm just going use this post to let you know what my blog's about.

I have... an eclectic taste in music to say the least. Most of the bands/artists/albums I like seem to be ignored by many people and in my opinion that's a shame; with this blog I hope to bring you lovely people some new and interesting music that, hopefully, you'll enjoy and pass on to others.

I understand not everyone likes the same thing, but there's no harm in trying to broaden people's horizons.

I'm not sure what band/artist/album I'll start with, but I'll try my best to make it vaguely accessible.

See you Soon!