Monday Music Monkey Review

Falling Awake - E.P.

Hello my bitches I am back and continuing on from where I left off last year I am reviewing up and coming bands, this is one I stumbled across on bandcamp which has some seriously cool artists on it. The band I am reviewing today is "Falling Awake" a pop-punk band, they are a three piece featuring Tyler Brown - vocals/guitar Michael Hotho - guitar
Bryan Dreier - Drums. I saw the cover art on this album and wanted to check them out, Man am I glad I did, They hail from Little Rock, AR in the USA so let's get into it shall we.

The first song off the E.P. is "Beauty In A Bottle" The song starts with a really fast drum and scorching guitar riff, then the vocals kick in and the lead singer Tyler Brown kicks some serious ass he has a strong voice and I love this song, the drums and guitar is really tight and the lyrics are so cool, I actually went abit ape-shit to this song it is inspiring and really fires you up, I loved the punk inspired vocals that drop in like a vocal bomb, so cool!

The next song is "Save The Messenger" it starts with an awesome drum beat supplied by Bryan Dreir pure awesome. This is quickly joined by some frenetic guitar riff and when the guitar solo kicks in at a the 2 minute mark, yes I have said it many times and I will say it again, when a guitarist can pull off a massive solo like this one he becomes a musician because it takes years of practice and dedication to such an inspiring instrument and well Michael Hotho it shows, you my friend are an amazing guitarist and I can only say thank you! This song is seriously cool  and needs to be played at full volume to truly appreciate the intensity of this song. 

The next track is "Thank God For The Astronauts" I love this song and it is my favourite on the album, the start creates this amazing wall of sound that builds and the vocals are a standout on this track Tyler Brown's voice is so strong I love it! The song is a welcome reprieve from the previous tracks it is a slower song put still has what I call the "Wall of Sound" great track.

The next track is "The Afterthought" It starts at the same frenetic pace and the vocals and lyrics on this track are awesome, I especially love this song for the way it ebbs and flows so easily, the musicianship is brilliant on this song. They create this great atmosphere and lyrics tell an awesome story this songs just leaves you wanting more. I think this is my new favourite song! I found myself putting this song on again and again.

The last song is a cover of 5SOS called "Everything I Didn't Say" I like the song but nowhere as much as the bands original, It does however showcase the great vocals of Tyler Brown, the track was great in parts I loved the guitar riff but for me I preferred the original songs they seemed to be more raw and powerful than this cover. 

All up I am giving it 4 shots of whiskey out of 5. It is an awesome E.P. from an amazing three piece band and I loved it, they are hell talented musicians and this deserves to be in your collection. It is great songs, great vocals and lyrics and awesome music, this is a lesson in the power of music and when you listen to this you will be taught what great music should sound like not the pop-crap you get fed on the radio, Well done guys I look forward to your full length album. If you want more info check them out here.You can download this E.P. here.

Till next week
Peace out my bitches

Monday Music Monkey Review

Ed Sheeran x

Hello my bitches I am back, brand new and bitchin (yes I know it's my only reference to Vanilla Ice, I promise). I have had one hell of a holiday season, so much booty and babes and loads of alcohol including my new favourite Rekorderlig ciders one word awesome!

Anyway today i am reviewing Ed Sheeran's new album x or multiply as it's known. For those devotees I reviewed his first album here so check it out and let's get into it shall we?

The album opens with the song "One" it's a slow ballad with seriously awesome lyrics, it's a great start, there's something so beautiful about a voice and an acoustic guitar. The next track is "Mess" is another slower track and it seems that the lyrics are the standout on this track, I have said before and I will say it again, I love songwriters and Ed Sheeran is certainly a great songwriter, lyrics that move you and make you think! love it. Listen to the story he tells in this song.

"Sing" is a more upbeat song and I love it, the beat is unreal, the lyrics and his voice! wow an awesome track that'll you'll find yourself singing along to (even if you can't hit those high notes), I love the line " she handed me a bottle of water filled with tequila I already know she’s a keeper" love it! The next track is "Don’t" this is one hell of a track about some cheating bitch I love the line "Don't fuck with my love", the track is more upbeat and I love when songwriters don't shy away from using swear words. Great song, great music, great singing!

"Nina" is a more laid back track after the last two more upbeat tracks, I don't mind this song but it's not my favourite. the standout is the lyric "smoking illegal weed
Getting high as two kites" takes me back to my holiday recently nothing like a bonging on! The next track is "Photograph" is another slower song and I love the way Ed Sheeran can tell a story and keep you enthralled and wanting to know what happens next, that is the sign of a talented singer/songwriter love it!

"Bloodstream" has an awesome intro that guitar riff is seriously cool, the way it builds with the humming and when his voice kicks in sweet as! One of my favourite tracks on the album. We then move onto the track "Tenerife" this song moves you and makes you lament all those lost loves, his voice has a searingly honest tone to it that just takes this song to another level especially with the line "so in love, so in love"

"Runaway" has a more upbeat tempo from the start and is a great pick me up from the previous tracks, it has a more soul feel and Ed Sheeran's voice is magic, just pure magic. We then move onto the next track "The Man" is a real change of direction and has a real sort of spoken word vibe and the line "I'm just disgusted with the skeletons you sleep with in your closet," this song really grows on you, I love it my new favourite!

"Thinking Out Loud" this song is Ed Sheeran at his best, this song will become an absolute classic and will be remembered for a long time to come, that my friends is the hallmark of a great singer/songwriter, this song has everything, amazingly beautiful lyrics, fantastic music and a voice that is so hauntingly beautiful, mark my words this song will one of those songs that will stand the test of time!

They always say that the first album is a life time of hard work and it's always the follow up album that makes and breaks an artist, well Ed Sheeran has certainly proven that he is an amazing singer/songwriters and musicians who is destined to become one of the greats! I love this album and I am giving it 5 shots of whiskey out of 5! Yes seriously it's that good and I still have it on heavy rotation, worth every cent!
Till next week peace out my bitches!

Happy New Year 2015!

Hello my bitches, I am back for a new year of pure "Dirty Awesomeness". I must apologise for the lack of music reviews last year, but I plan to make this year unreal. I will start this Monday with an album that is a must have for your collection so stay tuned. I am also rocking my cool new shirt which I absolutely love, it has "idol reject" on it because I never get to audition for the show!  Something about I belong in a circus (screw you Mariah) I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year! Till Monday Peace out my bitches!

Monday Music Monkey Review

Dirte - Broken Wings Hello my bitches, I am back today I am reviewing the band "Dirte" they hail from South-West Swindon in the UK.  DIRTE, which is an acronym meaning (DEATH ISN'T REALLY THE END) formed in late October 2013 by singer songwriter Lee Stevens and they feature Ben Jerram on Guitar/Vocals, Jack 'JD' Daniels on Guitar, Ben Reynolds on Bass and Will Hack on Drums. I am reviewing their EP Broken Wings. Let's get into shall we. We start with the first and title track "Broken Wings" the track starts with a killer guitar riff and launches into some amazing vocals all set to an awesome drumbeat. The song is fucking awesome, I actually found myself singing it all over the house. The lyrics are kick ass. It is so cool to hear some serious rock music again I absolutely love this song. We move onto the next track "Chasin Rain" the song starts with some incredible guitar playing, yeah thank you! it is so cool to hear a guitar being played by someone who can make it talk, I mean seriously the guitarists in this band are phenomenal, they make this track unfuckingbelievable. The lyrics are first class and the vocals in this song are superb, Ben has a perfect rock voice, one of those voices that has so much power and aggression, and it is perfectly suited to the fast and furious yet totally unreal guitar riff in this song, my favourite song on the EP so far! The next track is "Dead Inside" it starts with a slow guitar intro that builds and then unleashes, and once the vocals kick in and they are so raw and powerful, and they all combine to create this absolute wall of awesome. I love the lyrics in this song, man what a seriously awesome band, shit I wish I could see these guys live because I reckon they would shit over half the bands that are playing today, this is real rock none of the top forty shit that passes for rock. The final track on the album is "Not Alone" and it a slower song but man I love it, This song is going to be an absolute classic, I just wanted to get my lighter out and hold it up. I especially love the lyrics they are just so poignant and the music, seriously I can't wait to buy their album. I am giving these guys five shots of whiskey out of five, not only is their music freakin awesome but when I was reading an interview I saw this and decided I had to share it "Yea its great to sing the classics and get paid for it but it takes balls to write and perform your own material and that's something we aint short of and are willing to work at it instead of being yet another cover band for hire type shite". How fucking cool is that! Seriously these guys deserve to be at the top. I think that they will be the next great rock gods, up there with the likes of Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. In fact I reckon that DIRTE has an edge and a rawness about their sound that makes them way better! I especially love the fact that they are staying true to themselves and when you listen to this EP you can see that they have made the right choice, so much talent exists in this band that I can't wait till they tour the world and I might actually get to see them in OZ! I highly recommend that you get this E.P. I swear that you will have it heavy rotation! You can check them out here http://www.dirteuk.com/home and you can buy their album here That's it from me this week till next week Peace out my bitches!

Monday Music Monkey Review

Agony In The Garden Today I mixing it up a bit, the songs I reviewed last week were truly amazing and I was humbled that such a great musician would take the time out to write to me, I was going to respond personally but I felt it was important to let everyone know just how great Mack Perry from Agony in the Garden is! To Mack Perry, I am so glad you liked the review you deserved it! I was absolutely floored by your music and lyrics, they were visionary and the pictures you painted with lyrics and music was mind blowing not to mention your amazing vocals, so sincere, powerful and honest. I often review albums from the past as I feel that the music by many of today's artists lacks sincerity, honesty and more importantly soul. It's almost as if the music of today is just churned out with very little thought put to it. It seems to lack that power, that ability to still be as good today as it will be tomorrow or even ten years from now. Music should be the soundtrack to your life, music should be what emotions sound like. Now, with all that in mind it does seem that "musicianship" a term that I often think of when I listen to music has gone out the window with todays modern music. Here is the definition of musicianship; Noun. Musicianship - artistry in performing music, artistry, prowess, art Now when I speak of musicianship, I talk about that ability to "think in sound" and create a work of art, a piece that actually provokes you, moves you and makes you think, lyrics that can paint a sea of images in your mind, take you on a journey, that can touch you and give your feelings and emotions a voice and that for me is the hallmark of a great musician, and if today's charts are anything to go by, I struggle to find anyone on there that can do this, which can be quite disheartening, many a time I have turned the music off because the music seems so bland. I would much rather silence then some mindless drivel being passed off as the next best thing. I hadn't blogged in a while because of this. It seemed to me, that musicianship had been lost, until a twitter follower suggested I listen to you, Mack you have restored my faith in music and more importantly you made me fall in love with music again, your musicianship is absolutely amazing! I still have your songs on heavy rotation and every time I hear them I fall more in love with them such is your talent and flair, you are a true musician and it is your true musicianship that makes you one of the greatest artist/musicians that I have ever heard! Music as good as yours deserves the greatest audience! Till next week Peace out my bitches!

Monday Music Monkey Review

Agony In The Garden Hello my bitches, I am back with a vengeance. Today I am reviewing the awesomeness that is "Agony In The Garden" "Mack" a one man band that goes by the name Agony In The Garden (AITG) he is an independent (yeah!). He hails from West Carrollton, OH in the US of A I got a tip to check him out from one of my twitter followers. Can I say it was one of the best things I did. I paid and downloaded his songs and well it is now on heavy rotation and I mean that I can't get enough of it, Let's get into it shall we? The first track is "Aegis (The Contagious Mix)" and what a track it is, the awesome guitar intro to start the track is kick ass, then the vocals kick in and what a voice, it suits this music and the wall of sound guitar that dominates this track, the drums are amazing and I especially love the lyrics and mid way through it is like poetry one of my favourite tracks! "BD - Shadows And Dust" I love the lyrics at the start of this track "Darkness is upon our gate..." and then this track kicks in with a guitar and drum intro, yeah I love it! The guitar and drums really set the mood and intensity of the lyrics and the vocals. Man I love this track, it has more emotion and soul than most music out there today, I do love the lull in the music about three quarters of the way into into the song and especially towards the end of the song when it launches into one of my favourite things of all time a "blistering guitar solo!" I love guitar solos as they really highlight how talented a musician Mack is, they are the sign of a true musician. Mack you are one gifted musician! "In Despair We Rise" - absolutely one of my favourite tracks on the album (yes I can have more than one favourite). I love this song from start to finish. The guitar, the drums, the bass, the vocals, the lyrics the whole fucking song is perfection! I highly recommend Agony In the Garden" it is truly awesome! Mack Perry is one super talented musician with an amazing sound and I feel so inspired after listening to his songs, I have been playing them non-stop, they have something that I can only describe as having been created by a true artist who knows his craft and each of the songs displays that talent and flair that only a true musician can create. The songs are almost like an experience you feel moved and only great musicians can do this and it is amazing! I especially love playing the songs really loud! I am giving these songs a massive 5 shots of whiskey out of 5! Yes they are that good so do yourself a favour and get this songs for your collection! You can buy them here. On facebook here. Till next week Peace Out my Bitches!

Monday Music Monkey Review

Rudimental - Home Hello my bitches!I have had a mini holiday and it has been great @redi_25 has been really busy, so I decided to totally blugde and do absolutely nothing. Anyway, I am back, with a great album that I have been listening to, it's Rudimental and their debut album "Home". I have had this album on heavy rotation since I got it a couple of weeks ago! Lets get into it shall we? The album kicks off with the title track "Home" and this is a great song I especially love the start of the track, with it's awesome drum and bass, the vocals are sensational, upbeat and uplifting start. The next song is "Feel the Love" (featuring John Newman) and this is kick ass John Newman has an amazing voice and the real electronic dance beat is awesome! Seriously though the drum and bass are killer and the speed of the music adds this incredible energy, I love it and when the trumpet kicks in, unbelievable! We then move onto"Right Here" (featuring Foxes) which starts with an awesome beat and the lyrics are great, The standout on this track is the vocals, We then move onto the song "Hell Could Freeze" (featuring Angel Haze) and it is an amazing song Angel sings with so much power and soul the music is unreal, the rapping is so cool, what a talent they have used on this track, the way she moves from ballad into rap is just sublime. One of my favourite songs on the album. "Spoons" (featuring MNEK & Syron) is the next track and when you realise that they actually use spoons to lay down the beat, makes you think about how talented the four guys that make up the group (Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and Leon Rolle) are really accomplished musicians. I love this track the vocals by MNEK man what a soulful voice he has! One of my favourites on the album.  The next track is "Hide" (featuring Sinead Harnett) which is a slower song and although it's a great song, it is not my favourite on the album. We then move onto the song "Powerless" (featuring Becky Hill) this song which has a beautiful introduction one that is so haunting. Becky Hill has an amazing voice, this song has a lot of emotion and as the song progress it gets a lot faster then it slows down again which makes it an unreal song. The next track is "More Than Anything" (featuring Emeli Sandé) which has an orchestral feel to the start with the haunting vocals of Emeli, her voice has so much emotion, I really like this track the music is amazing, I love the way it seems to just complement the song and match the vocals in pace and strength, an awesome track!  We then move onto the mega hit for Rudimental "Not Giving In" (featuring John Newman & Alex Clare) John Newman's voice is one of the best I have heard and he makes this song, with power and grace, the music is the perfect accompaniment to his superb voice, this track is an absolute killer, I love it! The music has such a frenetic pace that  you can't help but want to get up and move, I think they really nailed it with this track, just perfect so uplifting and upbeat! The next song is "Baby" (featuring MNEK & Sinead Harnett) and it is a slower song and it is a hidden gem on this album, it really grows on you this song, I am not sure if it is the music or the vocals that make this song so cool. I love it. Then we move onto "Waiting All Night" (featuring Ella Eyre) which is unbelievable another monster of a song, the vocals by Ella Eyre are so emotional and moving, the music helps make this song a massive hit, it has everything, great music, great vocals, great lyrics, man this album just keeps getting better. The last song is my all-time favourite song on the album, "Free" (featuring Emeli Sandé) I love this song the lyrics are so true, I feel like this so many times, where you just don't fit in at all and when Emeli Sandé sings it the message is delivered in such a potent way that you can't help but be moved by the message in this song. The musicianship in this song is awesome, the way it builds and builds and paints this amazing soundscape that uplifts you, only a truly great song can do that and this here is one of them, my favourite song on the album! This album is an amazing debut album from four amazingly talented musicians, it takes you on a journey and none of the songs are boring and each song stands on it's own. It manages to keep you listening to it over and over again which to me is always a sign of a great album. The way each song is different in it's own right makes you love it even more, I really love that eclectic nature of the album, it just works. I am giving this 4 and a half shots of whiskey out of five. I love it and I recommend that you get this album now! Till next week, Peace out my bitches!