Colour The Atlas - Building Skyscrapers

If you like your music pounding, epic, eerie and beautiful all at the same time 'Colour The Atlas' are for you. Reminiscent of 'the xx' with improved vocals, Colour The Atlas are all set to release their second EP 'Building Skyscrapers'. Their self titled EP released in 2012 was an accomplished success reaching no.2 on iTunes singer/songwriter chart.

All hailing from Swindon, Jess Hall (vocals), Alex Stone (guitar, vocals), Andy Vincent (Bass) and Stef Pysanczyn (Drums), Colour the Atlas are sure to attract plenty of attention with this release. 

The EP begins with 'Paper Wings'. A wonderful acoustic intro followed by the hard hitting drums bringing the song to life. Next up is electronic influenced 'Revolutions'.  Superb vocals from Jess Hall with backing vocals and harmonies coming from Stone. 

As a big fan of 'Iron & Wine' (Love and Some Verses) and 'Bon Iver'(Skinny Love, For Emma), you can really hear their influence on the third track of the EP 'Blue Eyes'. Lead vocals this time coming from Alex Stone. The EP closes with the acoustic 'Rise'. Once again Hall showing her fantastic vocal ability. 

Reading this today will probably be the first you hear of Colour the Atlas but it certainly wont be the last I can assure you of that.

For more information about Colour The Atlas check out their Official Site / Facebook / Twitter

Little Green Cars - Absolute Zero

I've started writing this as I listen to 'Absolute Zero' for the second time. I must have been in a hole somewhere not to have heard of these before the last couple of weeks. Well, I had heard 'The John Wayne' but nothing else.

I'm really impressed with this album. It reminds me a little of Arcade Fire without all the bullshit. Straight forward great music without the hidden meaning. 

From Faye O'Rourke's amazing vocals on 'Please', to the very weird sound of 'Red and Blue', to the fantastic harmonies of 'The Consequences of Not Sleeping', this album has everything. 

Stevie's calming quivering vocals set alight songs like the opener 'Harper Lee' and the album closer 'Goodbye Blue Monday'.  I've never been sold on bands with more than one vocalist. But O'Rourke and Appleby seem to have this down to a tee. The song to listen out for is 'The Kitchen Floor'. It is sublime. 

Absolute Zero is available from iTunes and their official Store 

7/10

Thanks for reading. Leave Comment below or @illusionalmusic

Pat 

IM Blog

Kodaline - In a Perfect World

So it's been a long time coming, delayed for months, then weeks, then days and finally Kodaline's debut album 'In a Perfect World' is upon us. Personally I've been looking forward to this for an age. I just wanted to hear more and more from the band and with every new EP/Single release it gave me the 'fix' I craved.

So now I have it in my hands (figuratively) and I've listened to it through a couple of times. The question on everyones lips is, Was it worth the wait?...... Definitely

I hadn't seen so much hype in a band before they'd even had an album out and I guess that's why getting this release as fine-tuned as possible in their eyes was a good reason for the delays. 

So, the album (track listing below) starts off with the lovely (yeah lovely!) 'One Day'. Continues then with 3 songs that have flooded the airwaves in recent months in 'All I Want', 'Love Like This' and 'High Hopes'. The album just flows wonderfully. The songs I'd not heard previously live up to everything previous. The album is clean cut and perfectly produced. 

Having constantly listened to the EP's it would be hard to pick a best track on the album, so I will choose one from those I'd not heard before. So the stand out for me would be 'Pray'. Strong drums, great vocals. What's not to like.

The long and short of it is, do Kodaline have their own unique sound? Yes and No. But just because they don't completely, doesn't take away from how good the album is. We all draw different influences in things we do in life and songwriters are no different. You'll get the subtle hints of Coldplay or Snow Patrol, or the not so subtle hints of Mumford and Sons (Love Like This). But all those mentioned sound like someone else in their own way and them like some other and so on.....

Should you get this album, a massive yes. If you're not sure you can listen to it online first before making your decision but you will not be disappointed. It's a feel good lovey rock summer record. 

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think on Twitter / Facebook

9/10

Pat

IM Blog

Track Listing 

1. One Day

2. All I Want

3. Love Like This

4. High Hopes

5. Brand New Day

6. After The Fall

7. Big Bad World

8. All Comes Down

9. Talk

10. Pray

11. Way Back When

Queens of the Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork

It's been 6 years since Queens of the Stone Age released their last album Era Vulgaris, but this was certainly worth the wait. The first few songs on '...Like Clockwork' feel like QOTSA have picked up exactly where they left off in 2007, but as you progress through the album the mood changes. For me it sounds like Homme was listening to a lot of Bowie while writing the album. The song 'The Vampyre Of Time And Memory' kicks this off and I had to check to make sure I had put on the right album and not drifted into Bowie's back catalogue. The album continues in the same vein until the final few songs until it returns to classic Queens once more. Not to say that this middle section is bad, it's not, it's great (Even though I wouldn't be a huge fan of Bowie). It's just different, but Homme puts his own stamp on it, his fantastic eerie voice ghosts through each song.

Former QOTSA band members Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan appear on the album as backing vocalists. Former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters lead  Dave Grohl also makes an appearance, playing drums on most of the album after Homme had sacked drummer Joey Castillo during recording. Arctic Monkeys front man Alex Turner also appears on the album, co-writing 'Kalopsia' and backing vocals and guitar on 'If I had a Tail'.

After listening to the album for the fourth time today, I've been trying to find reasons not to like it. I can't find any. The album doesn't present itself as great and shouldn't be, but it just is. It's not as heavy or grungy as former QOTSA albums but it works.

Give it a listen, it will grow on you

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think below or on Twitter / Facebook

9/10

Pat
IMBlog

Kodaline - Love Like This EP

In anticipation of their forthcoming release of their debut album 'In a Perfect World', Dublin natives Kodaline have released a 4 track EP titled. 'Love Like This'. 
'Love Like This' is the latest single to be released from the band and as with all previous releases, it doesn't disappoint, far from it actually. To put it simply this is another great single from one the most anticipated debut albums for me. I was disappointed when the album release was delayed by a couple of months but obviously the lads weren't completely happy with it and went back and have made it all it can be. So in the meantime they have delighted us with some great singles and EP's and if you follow their website (www.kodaline.com) you will see the Kodamap where they were writing a song for each state they visited in the USA.

The EP contains the above single, an acoustic version of the single and 2 other tracks, 'What it is' and 'Midnight'. 
For me 'What it is' sounds a lot like a Coldplay song. I mean that in the nicest possible sense. Has the epic soft rock sound to it. 
'Midnight' is a softer folkier number. One of the finer points of Kodaline is their fantastic harmonies and they are definitely on show in this song.

The acoustic version of 'Love Like This' that finishes off the EP is haunting and beautiful at the same time. Steve really shows how good he is with this vocal performance.
  'Love Like This' EP is available from the Official Kodaline Store. You can also pre-order 'In a Perfect World' on there too. 
I hope to have a review of the album up here next week too. Or before maybe *ahem / *hint!! 

Overall a very good EP, a great taster for the release of the album. Definitely recommend it.
8/10


Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a comment.


Pat 
IMBlog

Laura Marling - Once I was an Eagle

Excuse me for a few minutes if I may. If I seem biased about this, it's because I am. I have liked Laura for a few years now. Since her Noah and the Whale days and especially her debut album 'Alas I cannot swim' which still to this day is one of my favourite albums.

‘Take the night off’ is a great opening track. It has a sound like it could have come from her 2^nd album ‘I speak because I can’. Her usual catchy melodies come to the fore in this opener. 

The song ‘I was an eagle’ really takes you in and screams put me on repeat even if just for the line ‘Chance or circumstance or romance, Or any man who could get his dirty little hands on me’ After first listen of the album, I think this is my favourite track.

Marling has perfected her sound on this record.  Not like she needed to but she has matured since the last album. Evident in the first single ‘Master Hunter’, which in my opinion is very Dylan-esque.

I can see myself listening to this 10 more times in the next few days, hearing and feeling different things every time.  I could comment on every song here. They are all worth talking about but I’ll let you take it all in yourself.

As with everything Marling has done before, the big thing that stands out is how personal the songs are to her. She really knows how to get into character for each song. All to show you how this album should be listened to.

In the album closer ‘Saved these words’ you can hear the influence that Marcus Mumford had on her.  Altogether it’s quite a special album. Different but the same.

Let me know what you think of it…

Once I was an eagle can be bought from iTunes and Amazon

* 9/10 

Pat

IMBlog