Bright Eyes @ Scala (14/02/11)

Bright Eyes played this London show, their first in years, on Valentines day. A day based on mutual love, passion and companionship. A beautiful chance for two similar people to get together in a romantic situation, or to continue and further any existing romance. So it seems that spending this day with Bright Eyes, the antithesis of love and romance, is like spending Christmas Day with the Devil; marking this 'special' day with the sardonic humour and anthipathy expected from an angsty band.

To a large extent though, lead singer Conor Oberst has grown up, and this show was here to showcase that fact. Being the day of the release of their new album, 'The People's Key', Bright Eyes had a job to do to present the new songs to the diehard 500 or so fans at this concert. This was done with great efficacy, as the new songs worked perfectly with the songs of old, while showing a dynamism and progression, sonically and lyrically.

New songs such as 'Jejune Stars' and 'Shell Games' stood in contrast to many other songs due to their heavier nature, with singer Conor Oberst animated most during these songs, running around stage and head-banging.
Older songs like 'Lover I Don't Have To Love' and 'We Are Nowhere And It's Now' were greeted with a louder reception, with the crowd making themselves most heard and singing along. Perhaps the one song that everyone sang along to the most was 'Happy Birthday', dedicated to Oberst the day before his birthday. The awkward reply of 'One year closer, that's how I look at it' seemed more like the Oberst of old, breaking through his seemilngly matured exterior.  'Road To Joy' ended the main set with a bang, calling for the band to 'fuck it up boys, make some noise, which they duly delivered.

Before entering the stage for an encore, the band members ran into the crowd to give flowers to audience members - a touching act of intimacy, in a venue intimate itself. Songs 'Poison Oak' and 'The Calendar Hung Itself...' got a rapturous reception among the fans, hungry to lap up the songs before Bright Eyes disappeared again. Evidently they did, but not before set closer, and new album closer, 'One For Me, One For You'. A brave choice to end on a new song, but a wise one. The lyrics 'You and me, that is an awful lie; it's I and I' are heard, but seem far from the truth - with Oberst in the crowd, singing mightily in the faces of awed fans, it truly felt like a togetherness of crowd and peformer.

Bright Eyes left the audience with a feeling of contentedness, and a pure love for someone that just keeps on giving and giving to music, and to the lives of these inspired fans. Which is a lot more than you can say for most people on Valentines Day.

Introducing...Summer Camp

Summer Camp are a two-piece duo from London, who make nostalgic, woozy music that centres itself around rosy- tinted longing of past times.

Seemingly coming from nowhere, they have started to become one of the latest buzz groups due to the nature of their music. Their sound is hard to define, as it fits so casually into different genres. They carry the surf-rock aspect of The Drums, the old-fashioned indie pop and relaxed chillwave so succinctly in their music. Their lo-fi sound could be easily placed in the rising scene of bedroom-dwellers making simple songs  out of pleasure, but the fact is Summer Camp manage to sound so casual and relaxed whilst sounding so fresh at the same time, and so different from any other bands around.

Perhaps fitting in with their fetishizing of the past are their allusions to classic cult films, like ‘Teen Wolf’ and the ‘Bratpack’ movie. They also seem to lionise the past, with the innocence of a young teenager in a world full of optimism and hope, where everything and anything still seems possible. The purity of youth, the parties, the hopes, the expectations are all covered in an easily-relatable way, albeit in a way wrapped in old cultural references that are less relatable.

Their EP ‘Young’ is out now, and shows their delivery on the buzz around them. The standout track, ‘Ghost Train’, is a summer anthem of a quick romance from the perspective of a dizzy teen, fresh-faced and exuberant, as soaring vocals bring the song to life. If you want a band full of liveliness, life and youth, then look no further than Summer Camp.

‘Young EP’ is out now on Rough Trade

Belle & Sebastian - Write About Love

Returning with their first album in four years, the Scottish indie band certainly have a task to do. Their last effort, 'The Life Pursuit' cemented their status as a consistently good band, and brought more followers from the mainstream to ingratiate themselves in their cult-like fan club. Their latest album, 'Write About Love', intends to build on this new following whilst still sticking to their fundamental sound, which is so characteristically Belle & Sebastian. Thankfully, the album does that with aplomb, resulting in one of their finest albums to date.

The album opens confidently, with 'I Didn't See It Coming', an upbeat and assured song. Vocals are taken by Sarah Martin, whose opening imperative 'Make me dance/I want to surrender' sets the tone for the rest of the album; this is an album of letting go of your inhibitions and letting the music take over. That, perhaps, is supported by the album title - 'Write About Love', and let it all out. The next track, 'Come On Sister' continues in the same vein, with an uplifting melody that may seem more electronic than expected from the band, but it still sounds very much like Belle & Sebastian, not due to any type of instrumentalists, but due to the band's developed sense of how to support each other's rhythms and melodies.

'Write About Love' is not much of a change for the band, as they have slowly been shifting to a sound more electronic and upbeat, but the songs are still very much embedded in their musical roots. It seems more like a consolidation of the band's strengths, rather than a move into new territory. 'Calculating Bimbo' is a more gentle song, with Stuart Murdoch woozily singing an ode to love lost over a slow beat, showing the listener that love isn't all frolicking and fun, but also comes with the sense of loss and sadness. Similarly, 'Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John' follows on with this theme, with Murdoch's poetic lyrics harmonising with guest vocalist Norah Jones, seemingly like a conversation between two would-be lovers.

Musically, the band seem split between two distinctive sounds - the buoyant, vibrant side of songs like 'I'm Not Living In The Real World' and the title track, and the more gentle and sparse songs like 'Read The Blessed Pages'. Neither side seems to compromise each other, and they both work well together in harmony, with the band slipping seamlessly from enormous fugues of songs that build and build, to quiet compositions of songs with Murdoch's quiet and touching voice taking prominence.

The subject matter of the songs tend to stick to the principle of the album title, playing on Murdoch's lyrical strengths. He is a skilled conjurer of stories and emotions, retaining the wit and poetic skill that help make their songs so elegant. There are regular allusions to Christianity, like in the title track, as Murdoch sings 'Get on your skinny knees and pray' with guest singer Carey Mulligan chipping in with 'Maybe not today'. The theme of breaking up and longful lamentations is also prominent, but seems insincere coming from a happily-married man. However, saying that, everyone can empathise and feel the strength of lyrics about love, as they are so easily relatable to anyone who has experienced its highs and lows.

'Write About Love' is not an immediate album, but one that will grow on you with each and every listen. Every time you listen, something new will reveal itself that helps the album fit together, and shows you that the essence of the album is classic Belle & Sebastian. If you are a first-time listener, this album helps introduce you to the band in a way which showcases their strengths, whilst urging you to discover more. It is a great record in a catalogue of many; and there is something here for all listeners to enjoy.

Brandon Flowers - Flamingo

Recent forays into solo careers by indie figureheads have resulted in diverse, experimental music, like Kele from Bloc Party's recent album 'The Boxer', which shifted from his guitar driven music of old to a wholly electronic sound, or Julian Casablancas of The Strokes' genre-smashing 'Phrazes For The Young'. However, The Killers' Brandon Flowers has broken the trend, releasing new solo album 'Flamingo', which shows the frontman keeping to what he knows, with an album that wouldn't sound out of place in The Killers catalogue of work.

This, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing. The Killers are renowned for their anthemic songs, and this album certainly tries to recreate that, and sometimes succeeds. The opener, and much of the album, is centred around Flowers' hometown of Las Vegas. 'Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas' is a slow-burning song that builds and builds, climaxing in Flowers shouting the song's title in an ode to his hometown. This song is one of the more anthemic songs, along with single 'Crossfire', which could easily fit alongside some of The Killers best songs. Lyrically it is also very familiar ground, with allusions to faith, gambling and broken romance.

However, this album is not without its flaws. Songs like 'Only The Young' and 'Swallow It' leave you feeling underwhelmed, as the thought of the songs taking off and finding their stride eludes them. The slow balladry feel to the album is clear throughout, lacking the guitar-driven sound that give The Killers their name.

It seems that maybe Flowers should have taken the chance to experiment while he had it, instead of sticking to the tried and tested methods he knows. This album will, however, keep the fans happy for now until The Killers return from their hiatus, but if another solo album is released before this, it won't quite be enough to keep the fans at bay.

Noah And The Whale - The First Days Of Spring

Following the break-up of Charlie Fink, lead singer of Noah And The Whale, and Laura Marling, the twice Mercury Prize nominee and solo artist, Fink needed a catharsis to clear away the emotional baggage he carried from the breakdown of their relationship. Thankfully for us, the listener, this catharsis has resulted in one of the best albums of the year.

'The First Days Of Spring' exclusively deals with this breakdown, lyrically, and also musically. The melodies are often sparse and come with a sense of haunting mystification, as they build slowly with a certain clarity which seems ready to be unleashed at any minute. The title track starts with a quiet drum beat, woozy violon and sparse guitar, building ever so slowly. This is followed by 'Our Window', with it's gentle piano loop and ever-growing violon, which stand in a sharp contrast to Fink's tenor voice. The first four songs of the album, including 'I Have Nothing' and 'My Broken Heart', battle for hope over despair, as the mournful melodies try to find joy in their surroundings, and it is only on the latter that we start to find the first signs of optimism amongst the ambivalent moods.

The following 'Instrumental I' leads into 'Love Of An Orchestra', which shows the real optimism that has been found, with Fink singing 'I know I'll never be lonely...I'm carrying all the love of an orchestra.' After the weary, sombre openings, this explosion of happiness can't escape feeling a little superficial, as we see a blast of glee when it would be least expected. The second half of the album carries on with this new-found optimism, as Fink proclaims 'This is the last song that I write, whilst still in love with you', giving us the sense that the pessimistic, sombre lyrics that came before have all been forgotten, and a change is coming. However, 'Stranger' is an exception to this, as it goes back to the poignant lyrics of before, woefully singing 'I'm a fox trapped in the headlights.' On the penultimate track 'Slow Glass' and final track 'My Door Is Always Open', the optimism returns, and the album closes beautifully in a crescendo of violin and guitar on the latter.

This really does seem like an evolution for Noah And The Whale, moving from twee pop songs to creating haunting melodies, that really stir the emotions, giving you a comfort that you are not alone in your longings and lamentations. It seems that this album will be the shoulder for many musical fans to rest on for quite a while to come, and even the most withdrawn listener can empathise with the heartache that is put on show for all to see.