Enter Shikari – A Flash Flood of Colour (Full Album Review)

When a band like Enter Shikari come back again for a third “proper” album, you couldn’t begin to imagine the pressure that would be on them to get it right. A Flash Flood of Colour is the St Albans groups 3rd offering, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint!

The album kicks off with the song “System…” which opens up with that same eerie intro that closed Take to the Skies and opened Common Dreads. Electronic Strings kick in followed by Rou’s sweet calm vocals about a house on a field. Soon it turns slightly heavier until a breakdown about Rou’s childhood starts. It then gradually gets heavier a la Shikari while Rou vocalizes his dissatisfaction about the current world status.

The end of that song leads into “…Meltdown” which is an amazing anthemic dub/rave/punk piece. During the first 20 seconds we hear Rou proclaiming that “this is gonna change everything!” before a sweet drop kicks in worthy of so much! The Chorus is firmly set to Pop with it’s melodic vocals, but it soon turns heavy again with the lyrics expressing many f-words and anti government speeches. Throughout the song we hear a lot of wobbly bass and fast syncopated drum beats. Towards the end the lads shout out “We! Are! One!” before the song prepares itself for the onslaught that is…

“Sssnakepit”. The lead single from the album. This song consists of everything Shikari do well, Drum and Bass, Post Hardcore and heavy bass. The first 30 seconds or so consist of a DnB beat before Rory (Clewlow, Guitar) plays a very distorted riff. Rou starts going back to Shikari roots and screams his heart out with an amazing anthemic verse and chorus! The whole song mainly consists of going back between Post Hardcore and DnB with a few melodic pop choruses bolted in between. The album version of the song goes out to an amazing Louis Armstrong impersonation…

“Search Party” could be considered as one of the lighter album tracks with its Stadium Rock “Woah’s” and light shouty verses which definitely add to the build up of what happens mid song. After a short piano interlude, the distorted guitars come in and Rou shouts “All hands on deck, we’ve got to scrub this f*cker out!” with an amazing chuggy riff in the background. It quickly reverts back to some “woahs” and then a final chorus before sweetly ending with some more piano & synth. If only the next song was as sweet!

The albums second single is next to play, aptly titled “Arguing with Thermometers”. The first 20 seconds consist of pure hardcore screaming screaming by Rou about Expeditions into the Arctic, before Shikari turn to lighter, indie parts which take up a majority of the song. The drop is very heavy and consists mainly of some dub step wobs mixed in with Snare drums and screaming. “You know there’s oil in the ice!” – one of Rou’s many proclamations about Ernest Shackleton’s trek into the Arctic Tundra. Back we go to Indie once again before the whole band shout out gang vocals. The song isn’t complete without some more growling/screaming and an ending of dub step wobs and bleeps. Enter Shikari really have impressed so far – 5 tracks in!

We get to the first soft moment of the album in the soft rock track “Stalemate”. Sweet, soft acoustic guitars and lyrics about the current state of the world (“Money is made while bombs are dropping in Afghanistan, white phosphorous falls in Palestine”) litter the song, in a good way. The song gets much more Stadium Rock-y towards the end with a Muse/Coldplay like Solo by Rory with some electronics underlying it and a bit of heavy bass courtesy of Chris (Batten, Bass). The final minute of the song are to die for, seriously. All we hear is Rou playing piano while he exclaims that he will “live out this fantasy”. Stalemate is perfect, but so unlike Enter Shikari – in a good way of course!

Back in December, Enter Shikari premiered a new song from the album titled “Gandhi Mate, Gandhi”. The song is definitely the most out of place and odd song on the whole album. The track originates from one of Rou’s dub step tracks (Gut up to This). The drop is heavy, rage-y and danceable. Definitely something to be scared of in mosh pits! One of the albums heavier moments comes when Rou starts shouting over a brilliant drum beat from Rob (Rolfe, Drums). The song briefly stops when Rou, Rory and Rob shout at each other to calm down and remember Gandhi. A sweet heavy metal-y drop kicks in after a brief guitar solo where Rou speedily talks about needing to stop, think and revive. The last minute could be used better with it just being used for a few bass-y bleeps and “Transmit Emergency Frequency” spats by Rou. Definitely a highlight! The lyrical path explored in this song is probably one of the strongest demonstrated on the whole album, for example the first 40 seconds of ranting where Rou has a good old go at the government (a la Shikari)!

The ending of Gandhi segues perfectly into the next track, “Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here”. This song is more of a light rock song for the first 2,5 minutes. A sweet Arctic Monkey’s-y drum beat and a Muse like riff underlie soft rock vocals by Rou, perfect lyricised (“and with these humble tools, we can trigger any emotion”). The chorus is worthy of a stadium gig, you can imagine 70,000 people singing along and then clapping to the 1-2 hand clap beat between Chorus and Verse. Like we’d expect from Shikari, it turns nasty (in an awesome way). Rou starts to shout the album title out (well, more like scream) over a heavy metal riff which could come straight out of an album by Metallica. Of course separating both parts of the song is an electro breakdown with bleepy voices. The song ends with a fade out of Rou and Rob working together to create a Stadium Sized outro. The title of the song gets shouted over a “We Will Rock You”-esque beat. Well, not exactly We Will Rock You but something similair!

One of my album highlights is the next song, “Pack of Thieves”. Opening up with a lovely piano intro which (as has been said before) sounds like it could come from the show American Beauty, the song quickly turns into a monster of Stadium Rock sized choruses, even more so than the previous track. The chorus is one major highlight with the shouting of “Hide behind those eyes/There is something you should know”. Towards the middle part is a breakdown before heading into a dub step style drop where 2 perfectly lyricised lines mix in with a screaming line of “This can’t be real”. The song ends with a perfectly orchestrated Chorus which sounds like it has a choir in the background. It doesn’t of course really have a choir, but it’s close. It’s a song you can really fall in love with and is a contender for best song on the album.

We proceed into the penultimate track, which is one of the heavier moments on the album – “Hello Tyrannosauras, Meet Tyrannicide”. The intro sounds like an Asian Ukulele is being played, then there is the heavy-as-hell drop and Rou screaming that “Nature is the only dictator”. The line that speaks out the most is probably “You haven’t read your history yet have you, just regurgitated lies”. Overall it’s one of the heavier songs on the album yet is mixed with some lighter moments. It’s a shame the song ends so soon, it has so much potential to be a 5-minute smashing epic. It might not be a 5-minute smashing epic, but the final track is just that!

The last song is “Constellations”. It starts off with some simple plonking of Piano before a whole story about Rou going to the train station with two platforms. He awaits two trains, Disaster and Sustainability. He seemingly avoids both. The song is beautifully crafted with a tearful ending. Once Rou starts about needing to “Use our own two feet to walk these tracks”, you can’t help but get tears in your eyes. The lyrics are so amazing and inspirational. A final banging of the drums, strumming of the guitar and slapping of the bass brings the song to a beautiful close and also brings the whole album to an end, in perfect style.

With this album Shikari have managed to do it again, but better. With Take to the Skies you could sense the rawness of the songs, with Common Dreads you could hear the anger in the lyrics and with A Flash Flood of Colour you can feel the beauty in the lyrics. Wonderful stuff!

This’ll definitely be the main contender for album of the year in many of our eyes!

You can listen to and watch the videos for singles Ssnakepit, Arguing with Thermometers and previewed track Gandhi Mate, Gandhi below:
Sssnakepit

Arguing with Thermometers

Gandhi Mate, Gandhi

ENTER SHIKARI // A FLASH FLOOD OF COLOUR
Out now on Ambush Reality (UK) and Hopeless (USA)

Tracklisting (recommended tracks are with an *)
1. System…
2. …Meltdown *
3. Sssnakepit
4. Search Party
5. Arguing with Thermometers *
6. Stalemate *
7. Gandhi Mate, Gandhi
8. Warm Smiles do not Make You Welcome Here
9. Pack of Thieves *
10. Hello Tyrannosauras, Meet Tyrannicide
11. Constellations *

JACK PARKER

Enter Shikari – Hello Tyrannosauras, Meet Tyrannicide

Hey!

Here’s a new cut from the upcoming Enter Shikari album A Flash Flood of Colour called HELLO TYRANNOSAURAS, MEET TYRANNICIDE:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zmg4144CSCY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Jack

THE TOP 10 SONGS OF 2011

Hey!

Here is the list, as promised! The votes have been cast and counted and here is what you voted the best songs of 2011!

10. Someone like You – Adele

9. Don’t Stop the Party – Black Eyed Peas

8. Bright Lights, Bigger City – Cee Lo Green

7. The Death of you and me – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

6. Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO

5. The Adventures of Raindance Maggie – Red Hot Chili Peppers

4. Lotus Flower – Radiohead

3. Hurting – Friendly Fires

2. Charlie Brown – Coldplay

1. RE-WIRED – KASABIAN

Kasabian’s “Re-Wired” has officially been voted the best song of 2011! Thanks to everyone for voting!
We would just like to point out that it is a shame that the following artists from our Long List did not feature in the Top 10:
Emeli Sande (with ‘Daddy’) // Rihanna (with ‘We Found Love’) // Enter Shikari (with ‘Gandhi Mate, Gandhi’) // Hugh Laurie (with ‘You Don’t Know My Mind’) // Jedward (with ‘Lipstick) // Arcade Fire & David Byrne (with ‘Speaking in Tongues’) // Selena Gomez & the Scene (with ‘Hit the Lights’)

If anyone would like to request to see who came in places 11-20, please leave a comment

Jack

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2011 – What were the best songs?

Hey!

Here is our ‘Best of 2011′ LONGLIST, on New Years Day 2012 we will announce the 10 songs that were the best! Voting has commenced within the general public, feel free to add your own votes in the comments!

We Found Love – Rihanna & Calvin Harris
Princess of China – Coldplay ft. Rihanna
Bright Lights, Bigger City – Cee Lo Green
Re-Wired – Kasabian
Lipstick – Jedward
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
The Death of You and Me – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Don’t Stop the Party – Black Eyed Peas
Speaking in Tongues – Arcade Fire ft. David Byrne
Daddy – Emeli Sande
Someone Like You – Adele
Hit the Lights – Selena Gomez & the Scene
Charlie Brown – Coldplay
Hurting – Friendly Fires
The Adventures of Raindance Maggie – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gandhi Mate, Gandhi – Enter Shikari
You Don’t Know My Mind – Hugh Laurie
Lotus Flower – Radiohead

Jack.

ENTER SHIKARI – A FLASH FLOOD OF COLOUR ON FIRST LISTEN

Hey!

Here’s a first listen of one of the most highly anticipated albums in 2012, Enter Shikari’s a Flash Flood of Colour:

When any band suddenly takes up an interest in politics and start to rant about ‘the state of things’, it usually sends most of their fans running for their Oasis records. But when Shikari came back with their bile covered second album ‘Common Dreads’, they married their newfound taste for activism with a taut arsenal of guitars, pounding percussion and hooky as hell electronics and wound up filling bigger venues than ever.

continued…

For album number three ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ they decamped to the sunny climbs of Thailand and have come back with an album that promises to send them into the very high reaches of festival bills.

‘System…’

The album starts with a long spoken word intro, which is eventually joined by a lilting set of programmed strings. Frontman Rou Reynolds is quickly into his stride, tearing down the establishment as "a system that was beyond repair". It then gives way to this section with Rou talking about his childhood, which is pretty bizarre, but in comparison to what’s coming up later…

‘…Meltdown’

This is more conventional Shikari territory, with a dub break leading to a bruising guitar riff with Rou issuing a rallying cry of "It’s not late" over the top. It’s got an almighty beatdown in there too.

‘Sssnakepit’

You’ve heard this one. It’s pretty much everything Shikari do well, a massive driving guitar riff, a random electro interlude and a chorus that’s catchy as hell. It also ends with the world’s worst Louis Armstrong impression, but you’ll have to wait until the album comes out to hear that.

‘Search Party’

One of the lighter moments on the record, with a bridge and chorus that are actually built around cooing ‘Woahs’. Keyboards gently traipse around a chugging riff and build to a chorus that’s surprisingly poppy. It gets heavy at the end though. Don’t worry.

‘Arguing With Thermometers’

This track starts off sounding like early Bring Me The Horizon, with Rou initially doing his best Oli Sykes over a sludgy riff. And then, this being Enter Shikari, it turns into a jumpy dancefloor filler with lyrics about the explorer Ernest Shackleton and a mad rant that compares the world’s out of control spending to Class A drugs. Why can’t all bands be like this?

‘Stalemate’

‘Stalemate’ is a ballad. An actual ballad by Enter Shikari. Lush acoustic guitars, soft rock drumming and a real hands in the air chorus are all thrown in there, with a proper lovers rock solo in the middle. It ought to be awful, but it’s actually really good.

‘Gandhi Mate, Gandhi’

This one starts with a long rant. Seriously, it goes on for 40 seconds, with Rou aiming his lyrical gunfire at bankers, weapon manufacturers and big business in general. After the whole band bellow ‘We’re sick of this shit’, it morphs into the kind of dance track Crystal Castles would be proud to put their name to. We even get a bit of Skrillex esque dub wobble at the end too.

‘Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here’

Another slow one. Not quite ballad territory, but a lot slower than typical Shikari fare. It eventually brings in a marching drum roll and a pretty proggy riff, like the sort of thing Coheed And Cambria do so well when they’re not lost in comic books.

‘Pack Of Thieves’

This is actually quite pretty, with an intro oddly reminiscent of the all those plonky piano parts on the ‘American Beauty’ soundtrack. Course it then builds into a full on monster, with Rou screaming ‘Stand Up’ over a very hooky electro breakdown. One of the standout moments on the album.

‘Hello Tyrannosaurus, Meet Tyrannocide’

Back to the heaviness, which is fitting given the prehistoric nature of title. A barreling riff growls underneath Rou’s yelping ‘You haven’t read your history have you? Just regurgitated lies". It builds to another dubby breakdown and then a punishing outro. This is as close to ‘Common Dread’s era Shikari as the record gets.

‘Constellations’

The album ends quite strangely, with Rou recounting a story about nearly missing a train and feeling a bit glum. Naturally it turns to a rallying call about the future of the human race over the top of a swirling string section. It’s a bit of curveball as an end to the album, but then, pretty much everything Shikari do is a bit of curveball isn’t it?

Verdict

It’s a mark of Shikari’s confidence in what they do that they felt comfortable enough to add even more musical genres into their already overflowing melting pot of influences. But the variety works, as does the band’s decision to make their angrier lyrical moments less angry and more obtuse. It’s also packed to the gills with headbanging moments and even the ballads work. Seriously, what more do you want?

‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ is released on January 9.

REST IN PEACE GARY SPEED

Frankie Cocozza axed from the X Factor!

Hey!

 

© Ken McKay/TalkbackThames/Rex Features

Frankie Cocozza has been kicked out of The X Factor.

The controversial singer was asked to exit the ITV singing competition after breaking a “golden rule”, according to reports.

Cocozza, who has become notorious for his hard-partying lifestyle, is believed to have been asked to leave the X Factor house this morning.

“Frankie is devastated but he has broken a golden rule so producers had no option but to axe him,” a source told The Sun. “He had an extra boost from being kept in at the weekend when he thought he was going to go.

“But now his dream is officially over and he only has himself to blame.”

In a statement, the X Factor press team said: “Nothing can be confirmed or denied, a statement [regarding Frankie] will be out as soon as possible.”

Cocozza is currently at the centre of two Ofcom investigations, amid accusations that he swore on screen and that his on-screen antics have glamorised the misuse of alcohol.

Cya

Jack

Colonel Gadaffi has been captured

Hey

Muammar Gaddafi has been captured by revolutionary forces in Libya, it has been claimed today.

The former Libyan dictator was reportedly found cowering in a hole in the ground at the centre of Sirte after rebels moved in on the city for a final assault.

Fighter Mohammed Al Bibi told reporters that the toppled tyrant had pleaded ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot’ and surrendered.

However it is unclear whether Gaddafi is now dead or alive. There were multiple reports in the Arab press that he died after suffering wounds to the legs.

It is understood that he has been taken to hospital in the city of Misrata.

Rebels said he had been armed with a golden pistol when he was found and was wearing a khaki uniform.

Gaddafi and his family have been on the run since Nato and rebel forces started closing the net on Tripoli in mid-August.

The reports of Gaddafi’s capture came on the same day that revolutionary forces said that they had taken control of Sirte – the leader’s home town.

Initial reports from CNN and the National Transitional Council (NTC) said Gaddafi was in custody, while Al Jazeera reported that a ‘big fish’ had been caught but did not provide a name.

Al Jazeera later joined Al-Arabiya in saying that Gaddafi had been killed, but did not provide any further information.

Sky News reported that Gaddafi had been wounded in both legs prior to his capture. He was wearing a military-style uniform.

Double celebration: Anti-Gaddafi fighters celebrate the fall of Sirte, but the news soon came that the leader himself had been captured

 

End of conflict: The fall of Sirte ends the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the deposed leader, and ends a two-month siege

A military official told Reuters via telephone: ‘He’s captured. He’s wounded in both legs … He’s been taken away by ambulance.

 

Libya’s transitional government forces have taken full control of the city – the last stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists. Gaddafi’s presence there would explain why fighting had been so intense in the past few weeks.

Al Jazeera reported spontaneous celebration in cities like Benghazi and Tripoli, with people cheering and shouting, car horns sounding and small arms fire being heard.

All that’s left: A lone revolutionary soldier fires into the air in celebration. Behind him lies the ruins of a town virtually destroyed by fighting

After weeks of fierce fighting the NTC announced that it had ‘taken control’ of the city. But as revolutionary forces celebrated in the city, reports came of Gaddafi’s capture.

The NTC said that, in the early hours of the morning, at least five cars carrying loyalist fighters attempted to escape the city.

A senior official with Libya’s National Transitional Council told Reuters that Gaddafi was captured near his hometown of Sirte at dawn as he tried to flee in a convory that came under attack from NATO warplanes.

The official also said the head of Gaddafi’s armed forces, Abu Bakr Younus Jabr, was killed during the capture of the former Libyan leader.

 

 

The NTC said Sirte’s fall would be the point at which it would declare Libya liberated. The transitional authorities have said a new government would then be formed within a month, and the current administration would resign.

The U.S. State Department said today it could not confirm that Gaddafi had been captured.

White House officials were not immediately available to comment. The Pentagon also said it could not confirm the reports.

It is understood that Gaddafi’s son Saif has also been captured by rebels.

There were some reports that NATO had bombed a compound shortly before Gaddafi’s reported capture.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051361/Gaddafi-captured-rebel-forces-control-Sirte.html#ixzz1bKG9hOJt

cya

Jack

Mylo Xyloto ON FIRST LISTEN

Hey!

I am currently listening to the new Coldplay album Mylo Xyloto, and here is my song by song rundown:

MX/Hurts like Heaven
Simple intro using xylophones and pianos as it segues into an amazing sounding song (HLH). I love the vocal effect and how the acoustic blends in with Johnny’s guitar riffs. It gets much better as it goes on. The last minute plus or so are brilliant!

Paradise
We all know this one of course. Hip Hop Beats present throughout with the anthemic chorus it’s nothing short of a classic. The guitar solo in itself is also relatively good and it differs a lot from the more stripped down live version they play with more piano. Classic.

Charlie Brown
The Intro almost sounds like the voice is saying Mylo Xyloto over and over. I think the intro guitar could be much louder like it was live, however. The sounds in the background are great but i’m a bit unsure about Martin’s voice at the start. I like it though, have done since Glastonbury! Piano bits that are played throughout can occasionally be misplaced but it’s sounding very cool. It would be nice if Martin whispered “Is there anyone out there?” during the interlude near the end! The very last parts of the song following the interlude are completely brilliant, including the piano outro which many thought was only for the live shows because it was followed by Life is for Living.

Us Against The World
I never took notice of this song live, but the guitar intro is very good. It would suit as a good closer and the organ reminds me of Fix You (From X&Y, 2005). Martin’s voice is good and the song is just wonderfully simple. It reminds me of some of the songs on Parachutes.

M.M.I.X.
And the point of this Electronic Drone is??? Yeah, I don’t get it.

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
A summer themed song with blasting intro synths and the cheesy lyrics, it’s a song which counts approximately 75 plays on my iTunes. It can sound so irritating at times (although most of the time I like it), but once it gets past the 3 minute mark it’s amazing. Not exactly what you’d expect from Coldplay but it’s a good direction to go in.

Major Minus
It doesn’t work after ETIAW, it would be better placed after U.F.O.
I like it but i’ve overplayed it. The solo is interesting and the out of tune guitar in the intro is quite good and fitting.

U.F.O.
Does sound quite short but it’s very epic sounding. It sounds like a typical Coldplay song with the acoustic guitars intertwined with Martin’s vocals. The chorus brings a sort of hope to the listener and it is beautiful. So far the album is just, wow. It reminds me of Soldier’s Poem by Muse in it’s length and that it is Acoustic. The outro is similar to the end of Moving to Mars and it goes straight into…

Princess of China ft. Rihanna
Of  course the famed collab with Rihanna (Florence Welch would’ve been better). I prefer it played live and I think either Florence or Will Champion would be a better suited collaborator on vocals. The Hip Hop influence is there and I like what I’m hearing. It features those “ooh ooh ooh’s” which Coldplay like to use, very anthemic. It does sound like Will Champion is doing the ooh’s around 1:10 or so. Rihanna doesn’t ruin the song completely but I don’t think she was right. Risky of Coldplay to let her sing the chorus, sounded so much better when Martin sang it! The outro with the “really hurt me” bits is the best for sure.

Up in Flames
The Intro to this song reminds me of Muse’s Megalomania and the song itself feels very nice and intimate. Not much production is needed and that is what it got. I heard a version of it on YouTube from ACL Live but it doesn’t do the original justice! This version is much better but I can’t help thinking the Bass Drum has been tampered with. The Chorus would also be much better if Martin’s voice hadn’t been tampered with. Love it though. The song length is just perfect too. I think I can hear Strings on the Second Chorus and I like it a lot. I also hear Will Champion’s aaaah’s in the same Chorus and when Johnny’s guitar comes in around 2:20-ish onwards and it all comes together it’s just perfect.

A Hopeful Transmission
Just an Interlude. Sounds quite upbeat and Brian Eno-y. This leads into the 2 most anticipated songs on the record….

Don’t Let  it Break Your Heart
Straight from the start you can see this is a special song. It sounds like it’s a great heroic anthem and reminds me of the more upbeat moments on Viva….
Everything just comes together and it’s unbelievably perfect sounding, especially in the Chorus. I love this song a lot now, as it goes on it gets much better.

Up With the Birds
The Final Song. The one to go out on. Is it good?? Yes.
The end of the previous song links this one. It starts with the ringing from DLIBYH and just Martin plus his Piano. After about 40 seconds it starts sounding much grander and amazing. The Strings come in and it all sounds great. There’s a voice in the background repeating Martin’s words in a higher pitch too, and that makes it much more emotional sounding.
Then the Guitar comes in, you know the end is nigh. And it is amazing. The acoustic guitar joins in and it just sounds so amazing and simple. It gets bigger and better as the strings resume once more and it all comes together. It sounds so Coldplay and reminds me of the closing song on Viva…
Accompanied by oooooh’s and yeeeaah’s makes it even better, with the last 20 seconds featuring a glistering piano outro.

 

Overall the album rates 10/10 with me!

Jack