Category: rock

Treading the perilous tightrope of making great pop music, whilst ensuring compromise is all but negligible, is a skill Haim have comfortably mastered. Haim are synonymous with marketability and great music; the sibling trio ooze charisma and have the talent to back it up!

Taken from the The Last Letter From Your Lover soundtrack, Cherry Flavored Stomach Ache has a chugging country sound, creating a jovial and gleeful listening experience. A delightful, chiming chord progression creates a charming riff that makes up the backbone of the two-and-a-half minute ditty. The same progression is replicated by harmonica blasts, evoking a mid-western barn dance feel, and a little reminiscent of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac.

Lyrically, the song plays to Haim’s strengths – words of heartbreak and inner strength – and is a fine example of what the band do best – great pop rock!

9/10

Given that twenty one pilots have a tendency to release half of their album as singles, Formidable is certainly a formidable contender as an upcoming single.

A simple love song, but the the sound is so different to anything previously released by the duo. If you did not recognise Joseph’s voice, you’d be forgiven for completely overlooking the song as belonging to twenty one pilots.

The Philadelphian pair ditch the hard drums, overdriven baselines and rap rhetheroric, opting for a more laidback, The Cure inspired number. The comparison between Formidable and The Cure is irrefutable, and the main hook of the song is one the eighties rockers would have been proud to have produced themselves.

On the face of it, Formidable is about as formulaic as a song can get, but it’s Joseph’s penchant for dynamic songwriting and musicianship that sets it apart from so many other efforts of similar elk. The track is a beautifully crafted simplicity.

8/10

Bedford boys, DON BROCO, bring the noise with their latest no holds barred effort, Gumshield. This single should come with a warning: “teenagers are going to lose their shit.”

Initiating proceedings with an Infectious and taut trumpet hook, interest is immediately piqued. Resisting the urge not to whistle the curious hook is futile, and you’ll find the urge lasts all day. The same trumpet is used throughout the song with various effects, making it much more than an out-of-place, quirky intro.

“Put my gumshield in, protect me from myself,” croons vocalist Rob Damiani throughout the verse. And you better believe that audiences are going to need a gumshield when this brutally brash number is unleashed on the touring circuit!

The tension evoked throughout the verse is then tastefully resolved by a heavy, yet melodic chorus. The only red herring to an otherwise solid effort, is the beginning of the bridge, which is somewhat Frankenstein-esque; feeling as if it has been shoddily sewn together from another song.

Perturbingly underrated as a band, DON BROCO continue to release great music but fail to receive the recognition they deserve. Gumshied is a great release by a great band.

7/10

Love him or loathe him, YUNGBLUD does it the way he wants to do it. His unabashed, non-conformist rebelliousness is infectious, and certainly hasn’t hindered his success. And, if you look past his more-than-marketable image, he does produce quality pop music.

Covering Madonna’s hit, Like A Virgin, doesn’t seem like an odd selection for a cover song, given that YUNGBLUD never shies away from discussing the sexual escapades of youth as subject matter. In fact, it makes complete sense that he would cover Like A Virgin.

The final product is not a complete rework of the original. The drums are different, and the original certainly didn’t include any distortion, whatsoever. However, it’s the vocal performance that sets it apart from the original. YUNGBLUD’s vocals always command authority, and his rendition of Like A Virgin is no different. He makes the song his own, adding his unique tongue-in-cheek twist and Doncaster twang.

YUNGBLUD’s version of Like A Virgin does not better the original but it’s as good, and brings the eighties classic into the 21st Century. Madge would approve.

8/10

There are many words to the describe faeces, and Foo Fighters are fast becoming a synonym for it. Dave Grohl’s forte for releasing soulless and sterilised pop rock, shows no signs of slowing.

Since the turn of the millennium, Foo Fighters have released one boring album after one boring album. When all is said and done, however, you can’t knock Grohl and Foo Fighters for giving the masses what they want, and at least he flies the flag for keeping rock music half relevant in an age of algorithmic musical dirge.

One of the latest releases by Foo Fighters, Making A Fire, has been given the Mark Ronson treatment. Recognisable as a Mark Ronson wonder track within seconds of the song’s start, Ronson makes Making A Fire significantly more enjoyable. His version ditches the Foo Fighters’ irritatingly loud guitars, replacing them with funkier and infinitely cooler licks, and incorporating seductive soloing.

This is what Mark Ronson does best; he takes songs and makes them so much better. He has certainly managed to polish a turd with this latest reimagining. If only he could have called upon one of his own previously used vocalist to cover Grohl’s whiney singing.

8/10