Review: VV Brown - Travelling Like the Light

VV Brown's success is virtually travelling with the light after the release of her highly anticipated debut album. Vanessa, of course VV is not a real name, offers an intriguing combination of electronica, funk and dance with a few strings of alternative and soul. A debut that easily could be among the best ones for 2009 and deserves your attention. Brown's major plus is the fusion of club friendly rhythms with the vibes of underground, which is brought to life with the distinctive use of various instruments and backing on plenty of styles.

Seen as a refined combination of Grace Jones and Erykah Badu, wrapped up in her own originality and stage presence VV Brown is virtually one of the next-best-things to storm the commercial sphere. Nevertheless, Brown's post-modern influences could be considered as both flaws or advances. To me, "Travelling Like the Light" is a fresh attempt to be apart from the mass and still sound accessible and friendly. Sadly, Brown's determination to swing back to the 50s-70s reminds me painfully too much of Duffy and Adele, exceeding the recommended retro dose.

Although often put somewhere in the indie niche, VV Brown is anything but indie. As soon as Island Records, which is part of Universal Music, becomes an independent label VV and alike can proudly call themselves indie-pop. Island being annoyingly cautious take Brown's promotion step by step that keeps her still criminally unknown. Probably under the label's pressure "Travelling Like the Light" deliberately allowed styles to flow into one another creating an idiosyncratic structure for every taste. Of course, even a fifth grader knows that this is a big load of nonsense. Brown proves to be an excellent funk/doo-woop/R&B singer, but she most certainly lacks that electronica vibe that makes you wanna go to every club eager to boogie to her tracks.

Tracks to hear: "Shark in the Water", "Back In Time", "Travelling Like the Light" and "Crying Blood"

Rating: 7/10

Recommendation Weekly: maNga

It's been a long time since I recommended something particular, but just a couple of days ago had the chance to watch and hear live this quite intriguing Turkish rock band. They were part of Rock the Balkans festival and to be honest they were the best act second only to Limp Bizkit. Despite the fact that they sung in Turkish they managed to impress me and afterward to dig up more of their material.

maNga fuse alternative rock with hip-hop, electronic music and traditional Anatolian tunes. Their songs are quite various spanning from nu-metal to industrial with a fine pinch of World. In Turkey they have been quite successful and I do believe that if they start performing in English this band has the virtual chances of going big. Having seen them live I should say that I am impressed by the frontman's vocal skills and the originality of the songs they performed. Probably, some of you will immediately define them as another Linkin Park wannabes or copycat posers, but actually they managed to bring back in my heart the good old flame of my teen years when I would listen to loads of nu-metal or rock music and have a few laughs and drinks in the park.



Manga - Bir Kadin Cizeceksin



Manga - Iz Birakanlar Unutulmaz



Manga - Bitti Rüya

Review: Regina Spektor - Far

The Queen of anti-folk is back with a classy piano-driven elaborate album named just "Far", which is her fifth studio album and the along awaited continuation of her critically acclaimed record "Begin to Hope". With the soft touch of piano music and the distinctive sharpness of her voice Spektor demonstrates a talent, which is yet to reach its highest.

"Far" is a manifestation of Regina's desire to concentrate more on the validity of social values and on the impact of worldwide issues on the individual themselves and the changing prospects of success and failure. Despite not being as edgy or emotionally diverse as her previous album Spektor goes up the spiral with less commercial material, which may be seen as a step aside from her work up to now. I personally, cannot categorize "Far" as anti-folk due to the lack of the style's typical elements and it has more to do with the newest wave of the indie alt music movement that has taken the States overnight.

Regina Spektor has always been devoted to acoustic music and "Far" is no exception to the rule. Even more, it is an acoustic galore with plenty of tracks freed by any other instrument interference or technical tampering. The talented singer further explores the abilities of her vocal abilities, although if you are not very used to her singing style you might find it kind of annoying. This, of course, should be no obstacle to embracing "Far" to its fullest and spending some quality piano time.

Despite all the praise I should say that this album got just a little bit on my nerves with over the top yelling at certain points, repetitive piano parts and rather disappointing of the lyrical content of some of the songs. The emotional charge is quite chaotic and reaches extremes, which just don't fit in the same album tracklist. Regina knows piano music best, but maybe she should break the ice a little and give experimenting more field in her records. Her top competition Tori Amos may have released quite a disappointing album, but at least she did try a lot of things. As for Spektor, obviously she plays safe, keeping in a tight grasp her piano music. But for how long?

Songs to hear: "Man of a Thousand Faces", "Genius Next Door", "Laughing With", "Human of the Year" and "Dance Anthem of the 80s"

Personal rating: 7/10

Review: Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

Some groups are meant to be over the top, being the hype of the year, although they really don't deserve it, others tend to stay a little bit aside, but hold plenty of fine surprises for true music lovers. Such is the case with the American lo-fi/folk quartet Grizzly Bear, who demonstrate to the best how quality sound is actually supposed to be created with their third studio album "Veckatimest".

Veckatimest is the name of a small island in Dukes County, Massachusetts, and I dare say it is one of the most original album titles I have recently heard. At first I thought it is nonsense, but when you listen to the album you could actually visualize this picturesque little island nested in the warm grasp of a blue bay. The whole album is a spiritual endeavor to maturity, the coming to terms with reality and the fascination of emotional complexity. The album merely insists on lyrical perfection, missed out only be the repetition of a few topics, but the best is kept after a few listens when you actually sink into the depths of symbols and indulge into the structural coherence in the album.

After a few experiments, left mostly out of studio albums, Grizzly Bear have proved to be one of the fastest evolving neo-folk American bands, who manage to put the standard higher with every next release of theirs. Although not being one of the most profound pioneers of chamber pop, they have played quite an important role in its popularization, especially in the States where the scene grew in a fortnight. "Veckatimest" is swinging between genres and still preserves preserves the idea of an album both stylistically and lyrically inseparable. They have even tried at certain points to sound poppier and more accessible, which may be seen as a major flaw to fans, who support their relation to the folk scene, but I believe that Grizzly Bear have done it very swiftly and softly, leaving a little surprise for anyone open to less commercially orientated pop music.

"Veckatimest" is not your million-copy selling groundbreaking album and definitely not radios' newest favourite addition to their playlists, but is this year's one of the best alternative records and if you are up for some quality time with meaningful texts, emotionally enriched tunes and extraordinarily charming vocals than Grizzly Bear's third album would be the right choice.

Songs to hear: "Two Weeks", "All We Ask", "While You Wait For The Others" and "Cheerleader"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Placebo - Battle for the Sun

"Battle for the Sun" is Placebo's sixth proper studio album, a strong follow up of their rather poppy album "Meds", which was received by both fans and critics with mixed feelings. Their new album is a departure from the more electronic based sound and a fine return to the classical alt-rock style for which the bands has been numerously praised.

This is the first album to feature new drummer Steve Forrest, who took the place of Robert Schultzberg, and which some fans considered as a sign for an eminent change in Placebo's style. For good or for bad Forrest has really brought a change, which to me is quite positive. "Battle for the Sun" sounds as a whole, with clear structure, adequate emotional balance and almost no fillers. The album demonstrates a heavier sound with the prevail of loud and emotional drumming and the fast and determined guitar riffs back and forth.

Molko has done some improvements of himself demonstrating more complex lyrics with a clearer message in them. Of course, the puns and the riddles are present and nothing is ever to be understood to its fullest when Brian is the one responsible. The topics are various from substance abuse to emotional battles through personal doubts and search for new experiences. He has done quite a fine work with the writing and the majority of songs are thoughtful, clever and provoking with a pinch of wit and playfulness.

"Battle for the Sun" definitely surpasses "Meds" by quality and easily matches by diversity and complexity "Sleeping with Ghosts" and "Without You I'm Nothing". The chosen up to now singles "Battle for the Sun" (promotional) and "For What It's Worth" (official) are not the best pick-ups but demonstrate the exquisite variety offered by the 13-song track-list.

Songs to hear: "Kings of Medicine", "Ashtray Heart", "Breath Underwater", "Julien" and "For What It's Worth"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Marilyn Manson - The High End Of Low

Has Manson reached the high end of low of his career? Could this be the agonizing downfall of one of the most iconic names in the alternative music scene? Only time knows, but Marilyn Manson is slowly and surely changing uncertain directions, favoring a rather more rock-based style than his well-known industrial metal sound. If you didn't like "Eat Me, Drink Me" "The High End Of Low" is going to be a new disappointment to you. Despite the new release being compared to the ground-breaking "Antichrist Superstar" it lacks the power and genuine electro-industrial rhythm passed throughout the whole album.

After a series of personal lows and the rather negative way his last work was received by both fans and critics, Manson decided to go back to his roots, teaming up once again with Twiggy Ramirez, after parting company with Tim Skold, who decided to concentrate more on his work with KMFDM. However, no major differences are noticeable, especially if you manage to reach to the very end of the album.

I have never been very much into exceedingly long album and and the new release makes no exception. The impressive 72-minute length of "The High End Of Low" is no actual compensation for the rather mediocre quality of the whole product. More likely to be left with the impression that Manson decided to include absolutely everything recorded during the session period, probably as a generous gesture to the fans. Thanks, Marilyn, but it would have made a great gift for us if the album was worth listening from start to end. Don't get me wrong, Manson is a talented musician, but he has spent too much time self-pitying and whining about unsuccessful relationships, crying out ponds of black tears, while struggling to get out of his lovey-dovey depression and get back to the Valley of death.

Once holding the title of the Prince of shock, now Marilyn Manson could only shock you with the enormous amounts of sick depression he generates on an album-base. Although a few of the songs deal with his favourite political issues and the Antichrist crusade to the downfall of organized religion, they stand quite odd and alone in the whole tracklist and lyrics lack any distinguishable originality. Throughout the whole album Manson is trying to convince us and himself as well that he has come up with a brand new record, filled with anger, despair and black lust, but it turns out to be his career slowly town apart by the canny tricks of love.

Despite "The High End Of Low" being at least an idea ahead of "Eat Me, Drink Me" it is more of a desperate attempt to stay above the surface. In my opinion this is probably his most commercial release up to date striving to be radio-friendly and less based on actual shock values. Probably the 00s is just not Manson's decade...or just his high end of low.

Songs to hear: "We're from America", "Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon", "Leave a Scar", "Running to the Edge of the World" and "Four Rusted Horseman"

Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Review: Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted To Sin

Abnormally attracted to boredom! Tori Amos sent me to bed with her new album! Despite all the respect I have for Amos' work I find it hard being positive about her newest effort. Let's say that I don't feel disappointed and pissed off after listening to it, but I had higher expectation and they were not met...to some extent.

"Abnormally Attracted To Sin" is the tenth proper studio album released by Amos and it continues her traditionally lengthy records, which usually exceed 15 tracks in a single CD. Definitely a blessing for the fanatics and a tease for the regular listeners like me. Not that I don't like to hear more material by my favourite singers, but Tori just goes beyond the acceptable for me. With her 17 brand new tracks Tori has absolutely nothing for us. We have already heard all the whining, all the emancipation, all the ambiguity and the despair, all the lust and pride, and still could use a little change. The whole album would have sounded perfect if wasn't her tenth already. Come on, Tori, is that all you've got?

I personally liked a lot the idea with the various alter-egos in the previous album "American Doll Posse", which was a fresh breath after several years of pretended wisdom and exploited sensuality. Well, yeah, old boring Tori is back on track ready to sing a few more lines about women, sinning and power of the sexes...blah, blah, blah. I start to believe that she has had the same little red book with lyrics, which she finds so amazing that after a few changes they are ready to be used in the newest album. Is Amos out of ideas? Has the music prodigy become a victim of her own talent? The answers are kept deep inside of "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" and if you manage to thoroughly listen to it more than three time you might have them for yourselves. If not, feel excused if you have dozed off while being attracted to sins.

Unless you are a die-hard Tori Amos fan, the chances to be abnormally in love with it are less probable. Still the album has a charm of its own built up by tracks like "Give", "Welcome To England" and "Flavor", which are the strong beginning of the record, which gradually goes down the interest index. The second part of the album is quite monotonous and I really had to make a few break while listening to it as I could hardly concentrate when the songs started sounding alike. "Abnormally Attracted To Sin" will definitely find no place in Amos' top three best albums and is no crucial add to the singer-songwriter genre as a whole. What's more a singer like Bat for Lashes came up with a more quality album, which despite being genuinely inspired by Tori's work has much more variety to offer than Amos herself. Watch out Tori, you are abnormally attracted to repetition!

Tracks to hear: "Give", "Welcome To England", "Flavor", "Maybe California" and "Police Me"

Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Classic album covers (Part I)

Despite all the unpleasant album covers that I've already posted I shouldn't be that harsh toward the music guild and after a series of horror and it's time for a few classic album covers. Even if you have never listened to the majority of the albums definitely you have seen them on TV, magazines or music stores. Some of these covers have outlived the songs behind them and have become an essential part of contemporary music, still being copied and reproduced, giving an inspiration for other album sleeves as well.

The first part of the Classic album covers series is dedicated to the rock/metal scene.



The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band



David Bowie - Hunky Dory



Velvet Underground & Nico - Velvet Underground



Led Zeppelin - Houses of Holy



Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon



Radiohead - OK Computer



Metallica - Metallica



Nirvana - Nevermind



Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik



Van Halen - 1984



The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead



The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers



Rage Against The Machine - Rage Against The Machine



Deep Purple - Machine Head



Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery



U2 - The Joshua Tree



Marilyn Manson - Mechanical Animals



Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking



Oasis - Definitely Maybe



Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing



The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Review: A Camp - Colonia

The Cardigans may be on hiatus, but Nina Persson knows on breaks and if you want to hear her distinctive voice and spend some quality time with alternative pop then A Camp's new album "Colonia" is just for you. A Camp started as the solo project of Persson during the 1998-2003 break-up of The Cardigans and in 2001 Persson released the album "A Camp", which received positive reviews and was praised by many music critics. I believe "Colonia" is going to be accepted by the critic with flying colors as it is a dreamy soulful and delicate interpretation of the emotional landscapes in a lifetime, which despite all the lows cherishes every single high.

These days I've been spending unusually too much time with the singer-songwriter genre and "Colonia" is another wonderful addition to my library. Persson proves once again that she is a talented singer, who knows the parameters of quality and for her it definitely has nothing to do with commercialized crap. It took her eight years to release her new solo album, but talent needs no rush nor push. Obviously A Camp is not just a fun side-project as it makes an offer for a decent place in the Swedish alternative scene and definitely "Colonia" is sign for a high-profile musician.

The stylistic intertwines, the variety of topics in the lyrics and the spectrum of feelings throughout the track-list make "Colonia" an outstanding example of the quality of the Scandinavian alternative scene. In the album you have folk, indie, alt, pop-rock and downtempo, which makes it accessible and close to more tastes. Persson has outdone herself and definitely deserves your attention and your support.

Songs to hear: "Stronger than Jesus", "The Crowining", "Golden Teeth and Silver Medals" and "Love Has Left the Room"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Jenny Wilson - Hardships!

Jenny Wilson may not be the queen of the European indie scene, but she is an excellent singer-songwriter hailing from Sweden, who deserves your attention! Wilson's music is a fine example of how lyrics meet composing creating a world of memories, feelings and a future saturated with acoustic purity. Apart from her solo work Jenny became famous for her duet with her friends and fellow Swedes from The Knife "You Take My Breath Away". In 2005 she released her debut album "Love and Youth", which was overwhelmingly accepted by Scandinavian critics and her album became one of the best releases in Sweden for the same year. Four years later she is back with "Hardships!", which I dare say makes a strong request for one of the best albums in the indie genre.

"Hardships!" is not your typical singer-songwriter album to be lost and forgotten somewhere in between the releases of Tori Amos, Regina Spektor or the alikes. Wilson offers something more than an enriched with instruments and intelligent lyrics album. Every song has its very own special place and still perfectly fits the whole elegantly elaborate structure. Wilson surely doesn't posses the vocal abilities of Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston, but her voice is soothing, inspiring and deep. So deep that you actually hear the lyrics first and afterward you realize that there is tune...like soft poetry.

I thought that "Love and Youth" is excellent in any possible way, but I guess I just had to listen to "Hardships!". Wilson didn't disappoint me even for a single song and despite being still so underrated she didn't give up! "Hardships!" is the story for all the strength, atrocities, positivism and despair in life, the unique way they intertwine and the lows and highs we fall into.

I may write about this album for hours, but the best thing is to hear it yourself. Prepare in advance at least one hour free time, a glass of your favourite drink and imagination ready to leave this body immediately and endeavor on a journey to emotions near and far.

Songs to hear: "Like A Fading Rainbow", "Clattering Hooves", "The Path", "Only Here for the Fight" and "Porcelain Castle"

Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!

Karen O is back to kick some ass! Three years after Yeah Yeah Yeah's last studio album "It's Blitz" comes to surface as a fresh breath of dance-punk and dream rock. Although I have never been a big fan of the band I dare say most of their stuff deserves a good load of listening and happens to be way better than the majority of wannabe rock bands hailing from the States and Canada. As I am not following their career too much and I had no idea they have had already released the album and got to hear it just a day ago, but it immediately made a good impression...not that I had a bad one before.

From a first listen you can prove yourselves that the album is better in composition, has less stylistic detours and lyrically explores more topics. With this release Karen O shows more singing and less screaming, which is a big plus at least to her vocal abilities. She definitely can sing, but spent annoyingly too much trying to make us deaf. "It's Blitz" is not a leap to a more commercial niche, but rather an example of maturity and taking music for real. For most of the time the instruments create a structural harmony, which was hard to be found with their first releases, which sounded more distorted and less professional. Definitely time has gad its impact on Yeah Yeah Yeahs and "It's Blitz!" proves that even the biggest party-crashers can come up with some genuinely original. Of course, this doesn't mean that Karen O and company have grown into a bunch of old nagging rockers, who hold up to their old rusty glory. Yeah Yeah Yeahs is still one of the most promising alternative rock bands to hail from the States and I am pretty sure that there is more and more to come.

There are a few weak points but they are rather insignificant to the concept of the album, that they could be easily omitted when listening to the whole product. The title "It's Blitz!" may be a direct references to the German word Blitz (Eng. lightning) a connotation of the album's striking content filled with electrifying energy. Karen O is polarizing the whole atmosphere with her aggressively charming attitude towards your brain-cells, which either have to shake to the rhythm or are going to bring you to a dull life.

Songs to hear: "Zero", "Head Will Roll", "Dull Life" and "Shame and Fortune"

Personal rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Bat for Lashes - Two Suns

Bat for Lashes (real name Natasha Khan) is among the fresh names in the British indie scene, although she has already established herself as one of the most promising names of the new alternative wave. I, personally, have never been interested in the whole singer-songwriter stuff, but being influenced by the few that I have ever listened to I decided to check her out. I started from the single "Daniel", which happens to be quite a nice song. The quality of "Daniel" made me believe that "Two Suns" would be quite an experience. Let's say that my expectation were just a bit higher that the album turned out to be and still it deserves your attention.

I am not very experienced with the music of Bat for Lashes, but as soon as I heard her voice I just couldn't stop thinking of Sinead O'connor. Is it me or Khan has really got the voice of O'connor? Even after I listened to "Two Suns" several times I couldn't take this idea out of my head. Anyways, this was just a plus for me as I am an avid fan of Sinead's works.

"Two Suns" is the journey in a world of emotions of Khan's alter ego Pearl, who according to the official press-release is "a destructive, self-absorbed, blonde, femme fatale of a persona who acts as a direct foil to Khan's more mystical, desert-born spiritual self." The name of the album is a direct reference to the duality of live, which offers two sides of almost everything. The content of "Two Suns" is lyrically rich and stylistically various stretching from more downtempo to up-beat alternative tracks.

One of the major flaws of "Two Suns" is that it lacks genuine originality. Despite all the efforts put in the creation of the album it perfectly sounds like a compilation of songs made by various singer-songwriter artists, among which Tori Amos, Cat Power or Regina Spektor. It is admirable that Khan draws influence from prominent singers, but she has to try out to sound a but more distinctively or people might mistake her constantly and her music image to stay vague in their minds. Still Natasha is young and has her time to find herself in the music world...if not...well...

Songs to hear: "Daniel", "Glass", "Moon and Moon" and "Peace of Mind"

Personal rating: 7 out of 10

Placebo with a new album, free stuff and tour dates

"Battle of the Sun" is Placebo's sixth studio album, which is going to be released on 8th June 2009, after three years of silence. This time Placebo have worked with the Canadian producer David Bottrill, who has produced bands like Tool, Silverchair, Coheed and Cambria and Muse. The eponymous first single can be downloaded for free at placeboworld.co.uk. On the 1st June the second single "For What Is Worth" is coming out officially, although it already made its radio/TV premiere on 20th April. I am not very impressed by their new stuff, but I guess I have to spend some more time listening to it before having a final opinion.

The new album will be supported by a tour, which includes 28 dates in 19 countries. Japan is the only country out of Europe to have a concert. For Bulgarian fans information the nearest gigs are in Romania, Greece and Turkey. For more information check http://placeboworld.co.uk/tour/index.html