Lady GaGa – The Edge of Glory
Every once in a while, a song comes along that makes you remember how important a part music can play in your life: rather than being an amalgamation of rhythms, melodies and sound effects that you just happen to think sounds nice, something comes along that redefines how you listen to music simply because it sounds so good. A song you’ll compare every one you here thereafter to, with nothing after sounding nearly as good as it. Lady GaGa’s The Edge of Glory, the finisher to her latest album Born This Way, is one such song.
Starting off with a heartbeat, the track quickly segues into one of the satisfyingly pounding drum rhythms that define the album, with GaGa lamenting the loss of a man that played a hugely important part in her life. ‘Sounds good so far’, you’ll think as the first verse plays out as a pretty good electro song.
And then the chorus kicks in.
All at once, you’re overwhelmed by the simultaneous attack of thumping drums, buzzing bass, skittering synth and Miss Germanotta’s typically powerful vocals, gelling into one harmonious sound that will rouse something deep down inside you with just how awesome it sounds.
You’ll go through this cycle again before you hit the breakdown in the middle, reducing down to only a few instruments but never losing pace. In a tribute to her past playing in jazz and rock clubs on the New York circuit, ephemeral keys back up a sultry sax solo as the drums beat out a rhythm akin to the heartbeat heard at the beginning of the song, causing its every part to coagulate into one fantastic entity.
And that’s what this song: an entity. It’s the living, breathing embodiment of what music can and should be. It demands your full attention as you let it wash over you, soothing and cleansing something deep within your soul as it does so. Lady GaGa wrote this song as a tribute to her late grandfather and he should be proud to have such a talented granddaughter write such a fantastic and fitting tribute to his memory.
Lady GaGa’s The Edge of Glory is more than a song: it’s an experience. An exercise in what music should be and possibly the greatest track this reviewer has ever heard, the song cements her place as one of this generation’s most important musical talents. GaGa’s current magnum opus, not much gets better than this.
5/5
LCD Soundsystem @ Barrowlands, 17th November 2010
Still amazing.
Emma Bryceland – It Never Happened
Glasgow has long been known as the home for some of the country’s finest singer-songwriter, but a recent glut of mediocre artists has made the scene somewhat stale over the course of the last few years.
It’s with major relief, then, that Emma Bryceland’s debut EP is exactly the kind of refreshing shot in the arm it so desperately needs. It Never Happened consists of four songs which, while each consisting of different themes, have all had major amounts of thought put into them. It Would Be For You is an upbeat little pop song, Torn In Two is an agitated menacing ode to a former lover, Disease is a wandering melody focused on revenge and I’ve Become So Lost is a fantastically cheery mellow ditty.
All the tracks on the EP are fantastic, each managing to be gentle, soothing and moving. Calling Bryceland’s voice dulcet would be an understatement: sweet like honey, it, along with the thoughtful lyrics she writes, imbue each song with emotion thanks to her large vocal range, switching from strong singing to breathy, acerbically-delivered threats.
If you’re bored by the Glasgow music scene (and even if you’re not), It Never Happened will be the kind of refreshing debut that you’ll have been looking for. Emma Bryceland inherently possesses a large degree of talent and is thoroughly deserving of success. it would be a shame to discover that nothing ever happens for her.
You can listen to Emma’s tunes on her MySpace Music profile page.
Sasha is Acoustic – What Every Young Man Should Know
Stow College is renowned as being a hotbed of new talent when it comes to the indie music scene, and so it should: it is the home of Electric Honey, the record label responsible for discovering acts such as Belle & Sebastian, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol. The institution once again offers us another dollop of fantastic acoustic pop in the form of Sasha Is Acoustic, the debut album released on Not Yet Retro Records, the fledgling label started up by one of the college’s student. At the tender age of 18, the young singer-songwriter speaks candidly of loves lost and carrying on even when times are tough. His songs seep emotion, the use of only an acoustic guitar, drums and the occasional bass creating a simultaneous blend of sorrow and defiance. Each song is gentle yet affecting, staying with you long after the album has run its course. Sasha Is Acoustic is one of the most promising young composers on the indie scene today and you’d be well to keep to him on your musical radar.
Download the album on iTunes and check out Sasha and Not Yet Retro Records‘ MySpace profiles.
Pendulum @ Carling Academy, 9th December 2008
Originally written for The Skinny, but never published.
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With the release of the excellent In Silico at the beginning of the year, Pendulum have essentially spent the last twelve months touring endlessly, and it shows at this, their last live performance in Scotland of 2008. Their stagecraft has improved since the beginning of the year, despite them being brilliantly skilful already, and the boys certainly know how to get a crowd going, as their return to the Carling Academy is loud, exhilarating and simply breathtaking. Taking to the stage after the brilliant South Central DJs have set the mood for the night and gotten the crowd pumped up, the band’s setlist is perfect, brilliantly setting the pace of the night with pounding drum ‘n’ bass tunes punctuated by fan favourites such as the western-tinged PlayPropane Nightmares, the pulse-pounding Blood Sugar and the brilliantly defiant Showdown, with a cover of Metallica’s Master of Puppets even making a casual appearance before leading into Slam. The pace is relentless until encore-ender Granite, with their well-deserved second encore consisting of the epic The Tempest, proving that the track is as effective a show ender is it is an album ender. This is definitely a night to remember. Another A-class performance from what is surely one of the greatest live bands of the year.
5/5
Icarus – Monologues
Originally published on The Skinny website on 17th August 2008.
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In a funny twist of fate, this writer has been handed Monologues, the debut album from Edinburgh-outfit Icarus, for review, having just critiqued Deadelus’s latest venture, Love to Make Music to. After having listened to it, however, it’s a pleasure to report that Icarus is just as good as Daedelus. Blending numerous genres of music together, fusing hip-hop, ambient leftfield, rock and even hints of funk and jazz, these guys work in no set genre. After hearing one song, the album fools your brain into anticipating what you’ll hear next, then playing something completely different to what you were thinking was coming up. The group handles every genre they deal with well, however, so no one genre is compromised by another. With sounds akin to Massive Attack, Overseer, and even a little bit of Rage, Icarus have created an album that is both curiously different and immensely gratifying. An excellent debut containing some blindingly good electronic beats and magnificent hip-hop tunes, made all the more appealing by its distinctive and intriguing setup.
4/5
Capitol 1212 – Sampler
Originally published to The Skinny website on 15th Aug 2008.
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You don’t really hear an awful lot about Scottish hip-hop these days, but if the output from Capitol 1212, the production duo consisting of Edinburgh-based DJs Fly-T and Professa Fresh, is anything to go by, that really needs to change. This mix flits between hip-hop and reggae, and while each song fits into its own specific genre, each is incredibly listenable, suitable for urban enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Characterised by steady beats, bassline backbones and neat rhymes, each song exudes style through the instruments and effects used in them, whether it be carribean drums or bassy saxophone, and the smattering of special guests make all of them even better. Apart from a slightly cringey final number, each track on this deserves a listen. These are definitely guys to look out for in the future…
4/5
Plej – Home Is Where Your Heart Was
Originally published on The Skinny website on 25th July 2008.
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Aah, Sweden, the home of many fantastic exports, including, but not limited to, meatballs, little red houses and, of course, IKEA. The country doesn’t do too badly on the musical front either, being home to acts such as ABBA, The Cardigans and, now, Arvid & Erik Niklasson, more commonly referred to as Plej (pronounced Play). With their mission to take the dance genre in a new direction, this album contains two different type of song; low-key instrumentals and catchy lyrical numbers. The Instrumentals are uplifting ambient affairs, with soothing Hammond organ riffs flowing through them, while the songs are bouncy and pleasing, with upbeat drums, syncopated synths, funky basslines and intriguing lyrics contained within them. Both types are at worst relaxing and at best therapeutic. All in all, this is a nice little package, much like the eponymous porridge; it’s not too short,not too long, but just right. All work and no Plej makes dance
4/5
Paul Van Dyk – Cream Ibiza
Originally published on The Skinny website on 14th July 2008.
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This, the latest release from global clubbing super-brand Cream, is designed to show why its resident DJ Paul Van Dyke has been recognised as one of the greatest in the world, and on the whole it does the job well. Spread over two CDs, it’s easy to see how this eclectic mix of most, if not all, genres of dance, spanning dark trance, minimalism and techno house via everything in between, would suit a club atmosphere well. Tracks flow and bend seamlessly, resembling what you’d hear in an actual live set of a DJ of this calibre. However, the song choice isn’t as exciting: the first CD starts off well before slowly descending into monotony, with joyously pounding drums and synth bass sitting next to some annoyingly grating scrapes and cuts. A more euphoric second half rounding off the package, it’s better than the first segment, with its more electronic and melodic beats creating a more uplifting atmosphere. There’s still nothing particularly memorable on either side, however. This compilation is crafted well, technically, but is let down by monotonous and unmemorable song choice. How much pleasure you derive from this depends on how many prolonged repetitive sounds you can stand in one listen. Strictly one for the dancefloor hardcore.
3/5
