We Expected No Less From The Vaccines

The music business can be a battlefield: sweaty, bloody and fruitless. It can take years for a band to get discovered, and some never make it out of the undercover music scene. Some don't receive widespread recognition until they have put out several albums, many are only known for one or two hits. When a band can form, put out an album and become the biggest selling new band of 2011 (BBC News Co.) in less than two years, it is evident that they are not just another indie group. When a band can attract attention from artists such as Markus Mumford and Alex Kapranos, it is obvious that they have musical integrity. When a band can open for alternative-rock rulers like Arcade Fire and Arctic Monkeys, it is vital that we realize they are something special, and that we begin to listen to what they have to say. The title of their debut album asks: What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? The answer? I don't think we could have possibly expected anything more than what they have given us.

It is hard to pinpoint exactly what makes The Vaccines so superior as they are different from other alt-rock bands, but not in a painfully obvious way. Lead singer Justin Young's voice is deeper than stereotypical rockers, similar to White Lies's Harry McVeigh, but not as distinct. The instrumental support is strong and steady, maintaining a rock-and-roll vibe without the obnoxiousness of overwhelming guitar and drum solos. For the most part, the tracks on the album are songs one can imagine listening to on a perfect July day. They are upbeat and can be sung along to, but are unique and non-formulaic: indie enough to be personal.

One of the songs that has gained recognition is Post Break-Up Sex, which describes the regret one might feel after post break-up sex, "Post break-up sex that helps you forget your ex/ what did you expect from post break-up sex?". Not only does the song play on the the title of the album, but it succeeds in giving a refreshing perspective on an over-sung topic in a catchy, almost pleasant way.

This is what The Vaccines do: they provide music that adresses popular themes, but in a unique way. The track Wrecking Bar addresses the changes relationships face over time by using interesting metaphors, even alluding to F. Scott Fitzgerald, in a musically enjoyable way.

If their rapid rise to worldwide recognition doesn't already prove they are a band worth listening to, hearing one of their songs will. The Vaccines are impossible to deny, and as they continue to gain the credit they deserve, there is no doubt that our expectations will not be disappointed.

Notable Songs:

Norgaard

Post Break-Up Sex

Wrecking Bar

Wetsuit

Alex Turner (It Had To Be Said)

It is impossible to write a blog about alternative rock music and not mention Alex Turner. In short, he is a God of the indie-rock scene, one that will be remembered alongside Jack White and (begrudgingly) Chris Martin. But unlike these celebrated artists who seem to be heading towards the tail-end of their careers, Turner is still in the middle of his, revelling in success and creativity. He is young, attractive, and he still has plenty left to say. And we are willing to listen.
Praising the poetic talent of Turner seems to have become cliche in the music world, but it can not be avoided. Instead of beautiful, artistic language, Turner's lyrics are full of wit. The combination of clever, ironic plays on words sung in sung in Turner's almost cocky Sheffield accent set to a unique guitar/drum combination is what has made the Arctic Monkeys on of the best bands of the past decade, and certainly one of the best in future decades to come.
One would think that, after hugely successful albums, Turner has run out of ways to twist the English language into art, but it seems that isn't the case. From the 2006 Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not to the 2011 release of Suck It And See, the creative genius of Turner has not failed once. The hit, Mardy Bum, that infected Britain and the rest of the world with Arctic Monkeys fever, has been echoed back to the band by thousands of voices because the clever, catchy lyrics and the addictive tune make it a song that refuses to be rejected: "Now then Mardy Bum/I see your frown/And it's like looking down the barrel of a gun/And it goes off/And out come all these words/Oh there's a very pleasant side to you/A side I much prefer". Who wouldn't want to be her, the one with the very pleasant side he much prefers?
The hits are not the only great examples of Turner's talent. Less popular songs, such as I Haven't Got My Strange (Favourite Worst Nightmare 2007) with lyrics like "I had a hole in the pocket of my favourite coat and my love dropped into the lining" can be heard and pondered and appreciated just as much as top-of-the-charts tunes.
Proof that Turner's talent doesn't run out is the song, Suck It And See from the 2011 album of the same namesake. Turner begins by comparing some girl (we wish it was us!) to soft drinks, and then later on shares, "I poured my aching heart into a pop song/I couldn't get the hang of poetry," essentially rubbing his genius in our admiring noses.
The Arctic Monkeys aren't Turner's only creative outlet: he and fellow indie-rocker Miles Kane formed the also successful side band The Last Shadow Puppets. The act that successfully mixes the lyrical mastermind of the two, but instead of the rock-and-roll sound of The Arctic Monkeys, the instrumental backing has a retro sound, a fuller and more thought out accompaniment that can be argued to sound almost anti-Beatles. But that is a story for another day.
Turner is a prime star in the alternative rock scene. He is endlessly talented, unafraid to experiment with different sounds, and has a voice that makes us want to be in the front row. The only drawback to him is the fact that he is so widely known and loved: we want him all to ourselves.

Notable Songs:
Mardy Bum
Fluorescent Adolescent
When The Sun Goes Down
All You People Are Vampires
505
All My Own Stunts
Black Treacle
Suck It And See
Riot Van
She's Thunderstorms

Laura Marling: Musical Poetess

Throughout music history, we have known and loved artists whose poetic genius outshines their musical talent. Famous examples include Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Iggy Pop. We listen to them religiously, absorbing the deep meaning behind the perfect words they have written, ignoring the fact that their singing is less than perfect, because their lyrics are just so wonderful. For some of us the roughness of their voices adds to the honesty of their art, but most of the time this is more of an argument than a fact. For Laura Marling, this is not the case.
If one were to look at her lyrics laid out on a page, there would be no question that the words were nothing short of poetry. Songwriting cliches, if present, are disguised into poetic structure. A chorus becomes a device of repetition, subtly placed to convey an important message or theme of the piece, not a catchy verse manipulated to stick in our brains in order to promote the popularity of the song. The bridge, if present, is a shift from narrative to insight, always gently guiding the listener into the change to maintain the flow of the piece.
The second component of Marling's talent is the fact that, in addition to being able to write memorable and original poetry, she can actually sing. In short, her voice is pleasant. It is clear without being overly insistent, it is soft without being passively meek, it is unique without being obviously individualistic. She succeeds in being able to hold her tone in lower keys, as well as higher ones, choosing the sound to match the mood of her words.
This is the favourite part of Marling's music: the meeting of her two gifts in a perfect medium to create what is purely musical poetry. Her lyrics could stand alone without sound and be powerful, her voice could give life to any melody and gain appreciation, but when these two components pair up there is a feeling of quiet magic. Her fingers can stroke the guitar strings, spinning notes like spiderwebs to accompany an eerie verse voicing hopelessness and longing in Night After Night, or take a completely different route such as in My Manic and I, where her narrative can be heard as a story told against a grey sky, storm clouds swelling out of the guitar and up towards the heavens.
Marling is blissfully underrated, at least in North America, and listening to her is a privilege. She is memorable, a talent that will not soon be forgotten, a talent that will be recognized far beyond her time. It is important to understand this, and to enjoy her words while the opportunity is still available.

Noteable Songs:
Cross Your Fingers
The Captain and the Hourglass
My Manic and I
Goodbye England
Sophia
Ghosts