Gay anthems aren’t all sparkles and belting

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

The gay anthem is something that has become synonymous with the gay community over the last couple of decades. From ‘Over the Rainbow’ to ‘I’m Coming Out’, all the way through to ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Born This Way’, sung by Judy Garland, Diana Ross, Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga respectively; and that’s only a few songs and singers off the top of my head.

There are plenty more where they came from as the gay anthem can date back to as early as the 1920s with ‘The Lavender Song (Das Lila Lied).’ The song is often thought to be one of the very first gay anthems as it was produced during a brief moment in time when the quality of life for gay men and lesbians was improved in the German Weimar Republic, and was written after the first international conference of sexual reform. Even ‘Over the Rainbow’ is more than 70 years old, and when it comes to listing gay anthems today we can usually see the formula used to create it: a bit of struggle, a dash of hardship and the mandatory big voice to belt it out.

However, the one thing I have noticed when it comes to the lists of gay anthems is that they are always rather mainstream and obvious choices. These lists tend to contain a number of artists closely associated with the gay community in one way or another. It’s not unusual to see gay anthems being listed as everything in the back catalogue of artists like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Barbra Streisand, which in all honesty is a little limiting. After all, there are plenty of songs from other genres, besides disco and Broadway show tunes, that contain songs that can be viewed as gay anthems and in fact convey a message that many of these often-recognised anthems do.

There are two very specific songs that spring to mind from the rock genre, which may surprise you because it isn’t an obvious place to look for a ‘gay anthem’. The first of these songs is ‘Minority’ by Green Day. The song unashamedly shouts out about wanting to be the minority and not, as they put it, ‘the moral majority’. You can see that this song is giving a voice to all those people who are persecuted because they aren’t the white, straight, middle class American suburban family that are married with two children and a white picket fence. In a way, this song, much like Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way‘, is giving a voice to anyone and is a song about rights and embracing who you are. However, as a rock song it doesn’t really make the standard lists which are filled with big voice divas belting their way through four minutes of self-discovery.

The second song that stands out is ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ by American rock group Gossip. The song itself was written as a response to the denial of gay marriage in America, something that the gay community across much of the world can understand. Despite receiving considerable chart success here in the UK thanks in part to its use in the promotional advert for teen drama Skins, and being heavily considered as an alternative indie floor-filler, it is often overlooked for what it is actually about – equal rights, which automatically puts it in the alternative gay anthem category. Furthermore, a lesbian with a big voice sang it and, even though Beth Ditto isn’t your conventional diva, that surely gives it enough credit to be a gay anthem.

There are many more songs by various artists that could also be included on this list of alternative gay anthems. Just listen to a handful of songs by Placebo whose songs were used throughout Queer as Folk USA due to their subject matter, specifically ‘Taste in Men’. Then there are artists such as Peaches, whose gender-bending stage antics and controversial lyrics about sex and sexuality automatically put her high on the ‘gay icons’ list. But songs such as ‘I U She‘ convey a message that, although we are forced into boxes, it is ultimately ourselves who choose how and who we have sex with, something that many in the gay community know about. Clearly there are more songs out there other than Broadway tunes that give gay equality a voice, and in many cases they have far more substance to them than those by the big voiced divas.

Even though stereotypically rock and indie music aren’t considered to be favourite genres of gay people, it certainly has many songs that the gay population can relate to.

Review: MS MR - Fantasy

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

MS MR are a self described Tumblr Glitch Pop/Soul fuzz/Electroshock American band who, after releasing their first EP Candy Bar Creep Show last year, are on the verge of releasing their début album Second Hand Rapture.

In the run up to the release of said album the band are currently touring around the world, and their single ‘Bones’ was featured in the season three trailer for Game of Thrones.

The first commercial single release from the band comes in the shape of ‘Fantasy’, a single that sounds rather indie-alternative for a band describing themselves as Electroshock. Upon first listen, the track’s sound feels all too familiar and verging on uninteresting.

The vocals on the track are reminiscent of other female singers around at the moment, most notably Florence Welch and Ellie Goulding. However, the vocals on this track have a bit more oomph than Goulding’s but aren’t as feisty as Welch’s.

This being said, the strong yet delicate and ghostly quality of the vocals, coupled with the mix of indie, dance and ethereal sounds, did increase the song’s appeal after a few listens, and you can definitely hear influences from bands such as Florence + the Machine. But it’s the drumming noise used throughout the song that really hooks you in after a while, as it creates an anthemic quality that could make this quite good at a festival.

Although this song doesn’t necessarily seem like an obvious choice for a lead single from an album, it certainly piques interest for the band’s future output.

Review: The Glass Canoe - Through Lianas

Originally posted on www.soundblab.com

San Diego-based, experimental pop duo The Glass Canoe, which consists of members Max O'Reilly and David Korrigan, return with their second album, Through Lianas. Two years after the release of their debut album, Chimera, the band have finally deemed the world ready for their follow-up effort. However, being experimental can be good, and sometimes it can be a very, very bad thing. Sadly for these two, it's the latter.

I was pleasantly surprised by first track 'Quasi'; the melancholic, watery music was definitely atmospheric, with a kind, compelling sadness about it. Considering it was just music for the first half of the song it was definitely something different and I liked it. However, they then decided to start singing, and it was bad. Half the time they sounded like they were wailing and the other half of the time they were being drowned out by the music, which was a good thing.

Some of the music itself is good, especially the first track, the end bit of 'Don't Find', and the pop sound throughout 'Lift'. However, this is where the praise stops, as for the majority of the time everything just sounds confused and was almost headache-inducing. I was sadly disappointed as I thought this album could be interesting and I was hoping that the half-spoken indie vocals would get better. But I was wrong, as this album is proof that the technology to make music is way too accessible for some people.

I think these two need to return to the drawing board and discover their own sound. I found the album boring, painful and confused. There's nothing wrong with being experimental but when you throw everything in the pot and hope for the best, you end up sounding like a paranoid, bipolar person, and if you don't what that sounds like then listen to this album.

Review: Coasts - Oceans

Originally published on www.sosogay.co.uk

With their début single ‘Oceans’, Coasts grab your attention from the very first second of the song. Taken from their limited edition début EP Paradise, they give us a great mix of sad, melancholic and atmospheric music and lyrics, but manage to counteract that by making the song hopeful and happy at the same time – a rare ability that recalls the stylings of Mumford and Sons.

With the echoing chant style chorus the band demonstrates that they would be excellent live (and are currently on tour) and you could imagine thousands of people singing along to this at a festival – a good way to judge the merit of a single. Luckily this one passed the festival sound test.

The music itself lives up to the band and the singles names as they sound very water inspired, which is a nice touch. Although they do sound like a number of other indie bands around, the song is very catchy and sounds fresh and new.

This is a great single and an even better début single. Hopefully, off the back of big Grammy wins by bands such as Mumford and Sons, the British public will be looking for something new again, and they need look no further than Coasts.

Review: Fear of Men - Early Fragments

Originally published on www.soundblab.com

Self-described alternative indie-pop band Fear of Men are entering the world of albums in a very unique and unusual way. Hailing from Brighton, the quartet are releasing their debut of 90s-influenced music, which technically isn't a debut at all. How is this?, I hear you ponder to yourself. Well, the band are currently working on their debut album as we speak, but to get us excited the band is releasing Early Fragments, a compilation of previously released singles.

After releasing singles on various UK indie labels, this album contains eight songs which span their career so far, from their debut single in 2011 all the way up to the present day. The band have made quite a name for themselves after touring extensively, in fact, they are still touring at the moment, and have been compared to another indie-pop band: Veronica Falls.

Unlike albums from Veronica Falls, this is much easier to listen to. In common Veronica Falls, they do have a few singles that sound the same, but whereas you tend to zone out because the Veronica Falls singles sound similar, you just don't with Fear of Men, perhaps something to do with the fact that all the songs were singles. Aside from this comparison, the band at times remind me a little of The Cranberries. You can hear the obvious 90s influences shining through. Maybe 90s indie-pop/rock is making a comeback.

There are two songs which stand out more than the rest: 'Mosaic', with its haunting yet summery sound which makes you want to dance around and reminisce about times gone by, and 'Ritual Confession', a catchy and infectious song with brilliant music and excellent vocals which you get lost in from the moment it starts. The remainder of the songs on the album are good but don't quite match up to these two, except for 'Spirit House', which is just a yawn-inducing sleep-fest that blends into the background and makes you want to switch off. No wonder it's the last track on the album.

Aside from this, the album is good and is just enough to get you a little excited for their first full-length. However, I've heard this sound before and, with only one or two standout tracks among the already released singles, the band are going to have to turn it up a notch for their first proper album.

Review: Veronica Falls - Waiting for Something to Happen

Originally published on www.soundblab.com

London-based indie-pop quartet Veronica Falls return with Waiting for Something to Happen, the follow-up to their self-titled 2011 debut album. The 13 track album, produced by Rory Attwell, who has also produced work by The Vaccines, tells the story of someone slowly coming to terms with the process of growing up and learning to face adult responsibility.

The album itself is not what I was expecting. For some reason, I had it embedded in my head that this band was going to sound like some ear-puncturing second-rate group who should never have released an album. However, this couldn't be any further from the truth, as the group blend melancholic lyrics and themes into ethereal and happy, ghostly music to create something which hasn't been heard in a while.

I say this because the band appears to have drawn on 1960s, hippie influences and combined it with inspirations from a number of 90s indie-pop bands. In a way, they kind of reminded me a little of Echobelly crossed with the more recent The Long Blondes. They aren't quite as feisty as The Long Blondes but you can definitely hear the influences.

What the group are particularly good at is harmonies and the blending of their vocals. The fact that you could hear both female and male vocals, without one drowning out the other, reminded me a little of The xx, although otherwise their music couldn't be more different. When it comes to the actual songs, 'Broken Toy' stands out as does 'Everybody's Changing' with its uplifting sound, telling the story of growing up but wanting to stay young.

However, this is as far as you get with saying which songs you like, as they all kind of sound the same and blend into one. This is a bad thing, as you can enjoy dancing around to them, but as they do sound similar there is the problem of tuning out at times. Overall, this is a great second album for any band and it would be great to see them get more attention. Yet, with no standout track, it's a shame to say I feel this unusual and new work will sadly go unnoticed.

Review: Peace - Wraith

Originally published on www.soundblab.com

This new up-and-coming four-piece from Birmingham have already been making quite a stir on the music scene. After snagging a record deal, the band spent most of last year touring and even supported The Vaccines and Magic Kids. They've released their debut EP, Delicious, and have been nominated for best new band at the NME awards. With comparisons to bands like The Foals, Friendly Fires and Wu Lyf, it looks likey you may be hearing a lot more from this band in 2013.

The sound of Peace, and 'Wraith' in particular, can be described as a dark yet upbeat blend of indie-techno-rock with hints of psychedelic, 60s inspiration spread throughout. Coupling excellently smooth guitar riffs and smoother indie vocals, (I'll let you make those deductions yourself, the band make you want to dance and sing along, especially during the shout-out "dance forever."

Although Peace has taken inspiration from bands of recent times and we have heard music such as this before, they've managed to do it in an enjoyable and refreshing way, I mean, I've had this song on repeat for quite some time now and its vocals and sound is just as good as anything The Arctic Monkeys have ever put out.

So in other words, top marks to this song and I look forward to seeing more of this band as the next 12 months progress.

Review: Holopaw - Academy Songs Volume 1

Originally published on www.soundblab.com

Holopaw isn't a name that springs into my mind when I start thinking of bands that aren't tearing up the charts. In fact, until I reviewed this album I'd never heard of the band, yet I was intrigued by them due to the description of their sound. Blending as a mixture of indie-rock, country and folk together into 40 minutes worth of songs, Holopaw have created a great alternative soundtrack for your summer, festival travels and beach day parties with their fourth album, Academy Songs Volume 1.

Sounding a little like the alternative pop group Fun. but without all the annoyance and whining that comes with them, the band recorded this album at the beach, and you get a real feel of that while listening to the record as they combine a mixture of ethereal, haunting and earthy sounding songs. One thing I like is the mix of songs, by which I mean that some concentrated on the sweet and earthy yet powerful indie vocals of John Orth, which really made you feel something, whether it was sadness or delight. Others concentrated on the music, where guitar riffs and drumbeats took centre stage over the vocals.

In terms of songs, 'Golden Sparklers' and 'Infidels' are definite standout tracks with their varying mix of upbeat and down-key guitars and drums, and haunting yet surprisingly steady vocals. But the best track on the album has to be 'We Are the Virgin Snow', which is a blend of indie-folk and is a little depressing but also quite buoyant. In other words, it's quite a bipolar song as the haunting vocals and sadness which lies underneath blend well with the build up of drums and folk dancing-inspired music.

Towards the end of the album some of the songs do begin to sound a bit samey, as if they are blending into one. But don't let that deter you as the majority will make you want to dance around in a carefree child-of-the-60s way. Overall, this album is a great blend of songs you could listen to anywhere. Some do sound similar but what artist isn't guilty of that? It's just a shame, with bands such as Mumford & Sons doing so well, that this band hasn't broken into the mainstream yet. Hopefully we will hear more from them in the future.

Review - The Gossip - A Joyful Noise

Originally posted on www.soundblab.com

Gossip return with their fifth studio album A Joyful Noise, and they do not disappoint. The band were joined on production for this album by Xenomania founder Brian Higgins, well know for producing singles by girlband Girls Aloud, and you can really hear the difference between this and their previous albums. You may think that Gossip and Girls Aloud are two different styles (which they are) and having Higgins on board would be a bad choice for the band. However, it isn't, as they fuse dance beats and indie-rock together to make a brilliant sounding album which will have you dancing along in your bedroom at a gig or even in a club.

Thanks to the fusion of different sounds, you get a great indie-dance record, and Beth Ditto's vocals are on top form as she lets loose for some edgy dance tracks with her distinct belting voice, and then reigns it in for some more melancholy heartfelt torch songs. The album has a feel similar too Beth's solo stuff coupled with the bands already known style. The best thing about it is that there are no bad songs, it's great from beginning to end and you won't get bored at all.

Some of the album's standout tracks include 'Perfect World', 'Get a Job', 'Move in the Right Direction', 'Casualties of War' and 'Get Lost'. Which are an eclectic mix of big, booming dance beats, excellent guitar riffs and impeccable vocals and lyrics. The band stay true to themselves while taking their musical sound to the next level with the Xenomania production.

The best track on the album has to be 'Get Lost'; with it's down played verses and huge 90s dance inspired chorus, you'll find it hard to keep still while this is playing in background. A remix of the song is sure to be a massive hit, and I for one would be incredibly interested to hear it. Track five, 'Casualties of War' is one of the slower songs on the album and takes them back to their indie roots, with a few electro beats creeping in. It's a soft and sweet ballad - just a purely beautiful song.

Overall, A Joyful Noise is a fantastic album filled with dance, indie and rocky beats that you can move to, coupled with booming, soft and melancholic vocals. It really has something for everyone.

Review: Cosmo Jarvis - Is The World Strange or Am I Strange?

Originally posted on www.soundblab.com

Cosmo Jarvis has come a long way since 2008 when he started out. Since then he has performed in shows alongside the likes of Gym Class Heroes, Panic! at the Disco and Reverend & the Makers. With his second album Is The World Strange or Am I Strange he definitely brings something different. The whole album is packed with catchy and original songs which showcase his multi-faceted voice along with an array of different musical stylings.

The young singer, who has a Mumford vibe about his voice, has made an album here with a generally fun feel which seems light and enjoyable and is definitely something you could find yourself dancing and singing along to in the sun. His voice is what makes this album different; while he does have the alternative pop/rock indie feel on several songs, he also brings a spoken word element to a number of the album tracks and even seems to channel something influenced by folk, which all works together brilliantly to make the album both enjoyable and non-repetitive.

All of the tracks are great in their own way, but songs such as 'Gay Pirates', which tells the tale of two pirates in love, 'Dave's House', which a lot of young people out there will be able to relates to, and 'Blame It on Me', which introduces a cheery folk style vibe, are definitely the stand-out tracks on the album. There's nothing wrong with other ones but these just seem to be the ones that get stuck in your head, and keep you singing along. Some of the songs are a bit long in places but you can forgive him for this as the versatility in music and voice on all the tracks gives you something fresh to listen to, which is really nice to hear after so many copycat singers hitting the shelves in recent years.

All in all, this album is a really fun listen, and I expect we will be hearing a lot more from him in the future.

Review: The Kooks - Junk of the Heart

Originally posted on www.soundblab.com

Indie band the Kooks return with their third album and I must say they are back on top form. Their second album Konk was released a few years back and even though it hit number one, didn't really go anywhere, and to be quite frank was nowhere near as good as their debut. Junk of the Heartappears to put hem back up where they were when their debut conquered the UK charts.

The album seems a little bit more experimental than their previous two efforts as a number of songs, such as 'Runaway' and 'Mr Nice Guy' incorporate some synths in the background. Despite this, there is still the traditional indie acoustic guitar lead, which appears to have become their trademark sound. Overall, the record comes across as a break-up album, with a lot of the songs discussing breaking up and wanting someone back, such as the slower 'Killing Me' and 'Is It Me', while other songs such as 'Rosie' still have that break-up feel to them and the longing for someone but with a more thumping opening and quite a loud catchy chorus which you can envision people chanting along to in the crowd of a festival.

The thought of it being a break-up album is cemented in the final track, 'Junk of the Heart (Happy)', where it gets the message across to the fans about the junk of the heart being the junk of head, which for anyone who has gone through a break up or heart ache can perfectly understand. Two stand-out tracks are opener 'Eskimo Kiss', which is without a doubt the most radio friendly track on the record and the most likely to gain them a chart hit (Oh, and it's a pretty catchy summer song that you will no doubt find yourself singing and dancing along to). The other stand-out has to be 'Time Above the Earth', which has quite a classical violin opening and feels very ambient and overall is quite experimental for The Kooks.

Overall, this album feels a lot more mature and incorporates the more upbeat happy songs throughout and alongside the more melancholy heart-break songs, but you won't finish listening to this album feeling depressed. The album is definitely a triumph for the band and will no doubt make their fans happy, and establishes them once again as a top UK band after the disappointment of Konk.

Review: CSS - La Liberacion

Originally posted on www.soundblab.com

Brazilian rock band CSS return with their third studio album La Liberacion. The album is an eclectic mix of musical styles clearlyinfluenced by electronica and alternative rock and overall it's a good effort, but it appears they may have stumbled into that difficult third album territory which most musicians become a victim to. Much of the album can be considered background music, as a number of the songs tend to blend into one another.

The album does make up for this background music flaw by mixing it up and not having every track brimming to top with electronic beats. They've alternated the sounds, with the opening tracks being more influenced by the beats and thuds of a club before moving into more alternative rock orientated tracks as the album progresses, still throwing in the odd electronic beat in here and there for good measure.

Although the album does have a tendency to go on a bit and drone into the background there are a number of stand out tracks that should get fans excited. These come in the form of the first single from the album, 'Hits Me Like a Rock' which features vocals from Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and a good beat. The exchange of words between the band's lead singer Lovefoxxx and Gillespie almost sounds as though the song has a slight battle going on, which overall works and makes for a good first release from the album.

'City Girl', another fine track, might actually do quite well if released as a single, due to the Kesha-esque sound to it. Yes I know it's strange that I've just compared CSS to Kesha, but on this song it sounds as though there is a huge influence from the pop train-wreck, but I don't know how fans will respond to this. 'Echo of Love' features a chant-style chorus. True to the song it sounds like an echo and is one of the better alternative rock influenced tracks. Sounds pretty good so far but after the Portuguese sung 'La Liberacion' - probably one of my favourite tracks even though I can't speak the language - the album goes a bit down-hill as the remainder of the tracks all blend into one, and you get that background boring sound. Luckily the final two tracks, the XX sounding 'Red Alert' with its almost spoken-word vocal and 'Fuck Everything' with its rocky sound and aggressive vocals really come through to save the album. But will some of the fans stick around to hear this far?

Overall, the album is good in parts and has a few stand-out tracks, but with around five or six great tracks out of 11, it doesn't really bode well for the band. The best thing they can do now is to hit the road and try and gain some support for the album, because performed live with the interaction of a crowd it may actually sound better.