At last! 

I bought the album exactly on September 6th, planning to write a review on that very evening, but I had such a lot of stuff to do, and I completely forgot about it..!

But now, it's finally time to tell you something more about the greatest album and band of 2013, in my opinion!

I had seen the Arctics at BKS last year, and they literally blew me away (or "knocked me socks off" in a thick Sheffield accent).
I had been looking forward to buying the album ever since I saw them perform, so when I found out the album would come out on September 6th, I was really excited. Would it sound as great as it did when I saw them performing live?
So, on September 6th, I rushed to the nearest record store to get this little piece of perfection, and found out the record was just as stunning as their live performance.

Sweet Lord. What a record.

Where do I have to start?
The album art is really simple, yet really good; it's a very striking design, and really recognizeable. The band's looks really match the dark and almost sexy sound of the record, like Alex' quiff, perfectly combed backwards, just as swift and smooth as their music can get.

Everything on the record is just complete; it really doesn't miss a single thing. It's rough (with its great guitar riffs and luscious basslines), poetic (just listen to those lyrics; purely magnificent), sexy (well, find it out yourself; you can't deny it. Basslines, Matt's backing vocals..), but also quiet (on "Mad Sounds" and "Number One Party Anthem").

I know it's really dangerous to change your music style, but there's something the Arctics always keep in their music; their very own style. They can change the genres on every album, but still sound like the one and only Arctic Monkeys.
There are a few songs that could have been on Suck it and See, or on Humbug, but the record really is something unique, and a massive success.

It's really striking how they managed to capture the ethos of one of those dark Sheffield nightclubs, or a good concert late at night, like they did on the first few tracks.
But who doesn't know this is some real good stuff right when that spot-on ''Do I Wanna Know?'' riff bursts in?

So the first five tracks (Do I Wanna Know?, R U Mine?, One for the Road (oh the bassline), Arabella (probably, as vaguely admitted by Alex, about his current girlfriend Arielle Vandenberg) and I Want It All) make you want to wear leather jackets and go out to concerts. You end up feeling extremely tired, right when the next tracks start; Number One Party Anthem and Mad Sounds.
Alex, you're completely right; those Mad Sounds "make you feel alright", indeed. Great tracks, that can definitely cheer you up.

But that's enough sweetness on the album, the Arctics thought. Those listeners shouldn't fall asleep before the album ends!
So, what they did, they got another chunk of smooth guitars, drums, bass and vocals, and made some other songs to wake you up again: Fireside (with its melancholic lyrics and beautiful instrumental parts, it is believed that the song's actually about Alex' former girlfriend and model Alexa Chung), Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? (just sheer perfection), Snap Out Of It (the song kinda reminds me of Amy Winehouse, especially the vocals on the second verse. Great song, but watch out; it'll get stuck in your head for days! Oh, and it might make you want to dance.), and Knee Socks (perfect catchy riff, great vocals by Josh Homme near the end of the song).

And then, unfortuntately, the last song on the album; I Wanna Be Yours, the dreamy lyrics by punk rock poet John Cooper Clarke, and a perfect song made out of them by the Arctics. Pure melancholy, the perfect way of ending such one hell of an album.

Now it's silent again, and I don't even hesitate to put the album on again, just like I've been doing ever since I bought it in September. Wow.
The album really never gets boring, and you know, if a band can do that, they have really made it.

That's why I don't doubt; I give this album a good 10/10, because I think this is a real classic. Not just for the band's discography, but one we'll still listen to with joy in the future.

Yes. That was a hell of an album...

The Maccabees performing last night

So, I survived day one of Best Kept Secret Festival!
I have to admit I was quite nervous at the beginning; would they let me in or not?
Luckily, they did. I got a nice pink (I actually hate the colour pink) wristband, and passed the security gates flawlessly.
We (me, my cousin, and two good friends) got an information booklet, which included the timetable and the map.


We came across stage two first, the stage on which Macklemore and Ryan Lewis would perform later that day.
The festival is held at the Beekse Bergen (located next to the zoo, and a nice lake), and I must say this is definitely one of the best places for a festival; you've got a forest on the right, a lake on the left, and a big field in the middle.
Because we had not eaten since twelve a.m. or something, we decided to go and buy ourselves some food.
(It was quite a shame you could only pay with special coins, that cost 10 euros for five, which is quite expensive.)
Because we didn't have that much money to spend, we bought ourselves the cheapest food we could get; french fries.
I need to admit those were the best fries I had ever eaten.
We went to stage one to see The Maccabees, and ended up standing in the front row!
During the concert, the guitarist even winked at my cousin and pointed at me, after which the singer nodded and raised his hand whilst looking at me.
I just melted, haha!
After having seen the Maccabees' amazing performance, we bought ourselves some drinks, and sat by the lakeside.
Meanwhile, Bloc Party started to perform.
I had never really listened to Bloc Party (I only knew their best known songs like Banquet), but I think they're quite good, actually.
But we were getting quite tired, and decided to go to the forest, and sit down on one of those extremely comfortable swings. (Yes, they had swings attached to the trees!)

Alex Turner Performing at Stage ONE

After a while, we went to stage one again, to make sure we'd be in one of the front rows during the Arctic Monkeys' performance.
And... we made it!
But during the performance, we actually wanted to be more at the back of the crowd, because it got "quite rough", haha.
I was just stunned by the Arctic Monkeys. You know, they sound good on their albums, but live...!

I especially liked the older songs, like "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor", "Mardy Bum", "Cornerstone" and "When the Sun Goes Down".
The performance was just amazing.
By the time their performance ended, we were just smeared with mud (it had not rained all day, though).
We headed for the car, and drove back home in silence; we were exhausted!

And now, I'm preparing for day two; I'm definitely looking forward to see Two Door Cinema Club, Alt-J, Allah-Las and Balthazar!

I'll upload my own videos and photographs when the festival's over.
This is the video of the entrance and Do I Wanna Know?, you can find videos of the the rest of the performance on YouTube.

Part three of my London adventures; new albums!

On Saturday, I went to HMV to buy new CD's, and there was a big sale! (so, be fast, CD's are very cheap now!)

I bought these albums:

-Wall Of Arms (Maccabees)

-Shields (Grizzly Bear)

-Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not (Arctic Monkeys)

-Lonerism (Tame Impala)

So; review one!

Wall Of Arms is one of the Maccabees' best albums, I think. Some of the songs are very quiet and lovely, like "Young Lions", "One Hand Holding", "Love You Better" and "Wall of Arms". 

But the songs "No Kind Words", "Kiss and Resolve", "William Powers" and "Can You Give It" are a bit more powerful. I really like the whole album. 

The only thing; I've seen a Maccabees gig on Youtube, and the singer sings very insecure and he seemed to be very stressed. But you really can't hear that on the album.

A must-have for indie fans!

Rating 8/10

Review two; Shields

This album by Grizzly Bear is not much better than their first album, I think. 

I really like their quiet songs, like "Sleeping Ute" and "Yet Again". I also like the rest of the album, but I think these two songs are much more original than the rest of their new songs. There's too little contrast between the songs, which makes the album a bit boring. I actually expected more when I first heard "Yet Again". 

Not the best album, but it still sounds good, though.

Rating 5/10

Review three; Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not

I really think this is the best album the Arctic Monkeys have made. The album was released in 2006, quite a long time ago, but I think people will always regard this album as a classic. The album includes the hits "I Bet You Look Good at the Dancefloor", "Mardy Bum", "When the Sun Goes Down" and "A Certain Romance".

I really like the lyrics of "When the Sun Goes Down"; they're very original, even though the song is about love, considering love is the most chosen subject for songs.

Also a must-have for indie rockers! (:

Rating 8/10

And the last one; Lonerism

A very dreamy album by Tame Impala. It really sounds like a mixture of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and a little bit of Nirvana. I know this sounds like something you'd never buy, but they've got a very original sound!

I really like the album cover, it looks very bright. All songs have the same "highness" as Pink Floyd albums, which makes the songs very relaxed. I especially like the song "Apocalypse Dreams", but it's quite difficult to explain why. They're just all very good.

So; if you like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, and psycho-cosmic-indie, you should buy Lonerism!

Rating 7/10