music
review
NATASHA YEXLEY GIVES US AN INSIGHT INTO FOUR NEW ALBUM RELEASES TO
GET YOU INTO THE MOOD FOR RELAXATION.
ARCTIC MONKEYS - SUCK IT AND SEE
T
he unmistakeable sound of Alex Turner’s charming vocals
return on their fourth studio album. It’s a strong comeback
for the Northern lads, with a diverse and musically inter-
esting set of songs with the same vocal, lyrical style and quality
you can always find in Arctic Monkeys’ music.
The first single, “Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your
Chair” is ripe with heavy bass lines; people believe this is due to
the Arctic boys working with Josh Homme of Queens of the
Stone Age. It’s a sign of influence, rather than imitation, as it could
very well be an accurate reflection of the band’s growth and
maturity. Cleaner, more acoustic tones on quiet tracks such as
“Reckless Serenade” and “The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala” form
the majority of the album and depict the graceful poetic lyrics
throughout.
Overall, the album is worth checking out if you’re a fan of
everything the band has done, and are happy with their
progression and shifts in direction over the years. On the other
hand, some fans that prefer the style of “Whatever People Say I
AmThat’sWhat I’m Not” may have a different view because this
album is perhaps the polar opposite of the former.
“Suck It And See” is great because it takes risks, brings
smiles, stirs up regret and beautifies lust. A well thought out
mixture of different styles, it shows that the boys have real talent,
they love the music and do not want to stay in one place for
their whole musical career. They are in for the long run and their
music is not going to get boring anytime soon. Lyrically and
musically excellent, it keeps getting better and better every time
I play it.
ANNA CALVI - ANNA CALVI
A
buzz of excitement has been created around this
remarkable singer-songwriter. Thrilling and chilling
in equal measure, this self-titled collection of 10
songs is filled with Calvi’s exceptional guitar playing and
raw, elemental style which marks her as different from the
herd.Anna Calvi is an artist who has been tipped by many
pundits to break big in 2011 and this is a strong debut
album for the talented and supposedly shy young lady.
In a world overflowing with female singer-songwriters,
Ms. Calvi most definitely stands out and makes a huge
impact on those eardrums with her incredibly haunting
vocal delivery which creates a sort of seducing tone. “I’ll
Be Your Man” would probably be the song of the album
but then again, every track has something interesting and
thrilling occurring.
Her sound is gloriously unpredictable, anchored equal-
ly by the art rock of Bowie, the sultriness of Julee Cruise
and the bluesy swagger of PJ Harvey. By the time she
encores with an electric version of Edith Piaf ’s “Jezebel”,
no one’s complaining about the heat; they’re just happy to
have witnessed all the incarnations of a future star. It’s dif-
ficult to categorise her music as many influences are pres-
ent with Patti Smith the most obvious. This is only the
beginning for Anna Calvi and you’re most likely to hear a
lot more of her in 2011 and beyond.