The end is near... Albums of the year 2014 from 10-1

The end of the year is coming tomorrow and I can say the year has again flown by like a storm. A lot has happened this year and the records that I have listed on these two posts are albums that have a special moment in my life this year. I wish everyone a fun New Years Eve and a promising and hopeful coming year :) Here are my Top 10 albums of this year!

10. Manchester Orchestra - Cope
10. Manchester Orchestra - Hope

Manchester Orchestra has done a lot in a year. Started selling their own merchandise and buying a house, which they built into a training space/studio where they recorded their 4th album "COPE". The singer Andy Hull told the press that the new album will be straight on rock album. And that is exactly what they bring to the table! 11 straight bashing rock songs that leaves no one alone. Also the acoustic/alternative record "HOPE" is worth a listen!

9. Alcest - Shelter

The French metal group Alcest surprised fans with their newest "Shelter" album. Known for their dark slightly black metal/shoegazing sound the band wanted to do something different for their next album. Jon Thor Birgisson (known as the singer in Sigur Rós) was chosen to be the producer of the new album and it can be heard from the album. The almost surfing shoegazing album is a really beautiful record. The soothing guitars and dynamic sounds, make you feel like someone is painting a masterpiece while you are listening to the album. A very beautiful and calming album for your sundays.

8. Ryan Adams - Ryan Adams

The singer/songwriter has had a long road. 14th albums down and it seems that Ryan Adams has not even done his best work yet. The punk driven EP "1984" was a ravishing step from the acoustic 2011 released "Ashes & Fire" and the 14th full length "Ryan Adams" takes a step back to the electric guitar driven pop music. The 80s style guitars and amazingly catchy hooks and jamming keeps the album in a steady form that you can listen to time after time!

7. Pepe Willberg - Pepe & Saimaa

The most underrated singer in Finnish history. Pepe Willberg has had rough years, playing concerts where there were only 4 people listening and being forgotten from the medias. But 2014 has definitely been Pepes year! He released the best Finnish record of the year! These masterfully written songs with orchestral and anthemic sounds is something that Pepe Willberg was born to do! The singer is finally getting the notice he has always deserved! A very beautiful and mindblowing record!

6. Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were

Ben Howard has taken a well time while working on his second album. The chart breaking debut album "Every Kingdom" was a definite summer record for everyone, with its catchy folk songs and sing along songs. "I Forget Where We Were" is more like the dark shadows of the Kingdom. These melancholic and dark songs are captivating and makes you dance in a slow mantra. Even though the record might not have straight hits, its still a solid record that shows that Ben Howard is not slowing down and can make songs that grow inside you spreading like a virus!

5. The Xcerts - There Is Only You

The Scottish trio have blown the bank! Said to be a concept album " There Is Only You" shows the band at their very best. These anthemic pop songs brings little hope to peoples lives and tells how far the band has gone with their third album. The album is a hit on hit record that even Biffy Clyro would be jealous about! Murray Macleod has proved that he is capable of improving his writing skills and the power of the trio can be heard in the record! A very strong pop record that the band can stand proud behind.

4. Pianos Become The Teeth - Keep You

Pianos Become The Teeth has steadily risen to be a promising band in the post-hardcore scene with two brutal and raw records, while touring bands like Touché Amoré and Circa Survive, the road has been steady for the band. But with their third album they have taken a courageous step, making a more dark indie flowing record which makes the band start feeling like The National of post-hardcore scene. The biggest applause given to the lead signer Kyle Durfey, who has proven that he is capable of singing like a true dark indie singer, with a perfect amount of rawness to give these melancholic landscapes the offering it deserves!

3. La Dispute - Rooms Of The House

Post-Hardcore has been on a steady rise for the couple of years, with promising bands like Touché Amoré and Pianos Become The Teeth bringing new points of view to the music. La Dispute has also shown their claws with their third album which is a raw, emotional and dynamic record that shows how far the band has gone from the debut album. The theme hovering on the story of a couple who have split and the house where they used to live in. Its a captivating lyrical theme that is given life with the beautifully crafted songs and almost spoken word singing of Jordan Dreyer, that makes you want to get lost in the cold, abandoned Rooms Of The House.

2. Transit - Joyride

The Boston pop punk group has always been strong in their beliefs. With the debut album that could be referred to something that American Football could have released and the mixed feelings driven sophomore album "Young New England" prove that Transit is not afraid to change their sound to something that they actually like to play. During the recording sessions of the third album, one of the original members left the band and put the band in a bad situation, but Transit has shown that they are stronger than ever! Even though the joyful album title these songs are emotionally filled love songs that makes your throat close and lets the tears flow slowly on your face. Every song on the album is a hit and shows that the band can actually do a very solid pop punk record without any special effects or mixing. Filled with catchy hooks and punk driven songs these record has grown on me and is going to stay with me for the rest of my life!

1. William Fitzsimmons - Lions

William Fitzsimmons has been on the folk scene for a long time, while releasing records that have shaken the singer/songwriter scene many times. On his 5th album "Lions" William turned for the help of Chris Walla to record an album of songs that were written during his most struggling period of time. The name of title coming from the concept of humans being a savage and kind person at the same time and how it gets more humid while getting older. These reminiscing songs that float like a steady river shows that with little things you can actually create an album that makes you think about the memories of the past and think about the things you could have done differently. A raw and beautiful record that has been playing in my stereos for the whole year, while finding something new every time I start it again. "Lions" is a record that everyone should listen even once!

- Niklas

Top 20 records of 2014 countdown from 20-11...

I must say the year has flown by again so fast. Snow is falling and people are staying inside their houses for the holiday season. The warmness of caring and joyfulness fills everyone with Christmas spirit. This year there has been again a lot of great records and this year it was extremely hard to choose even the top 20 best albums of the year, from my point of view. But here are the ones from 20-11!

 20. Swans - To Be KindThe follow up to the massive "The Seer" album from Swans is an unbelievable record. Getting to the length of almost 2 and a half hours this massive album is filled with bashing experimental and industrial hardness that Swans is known best for. 

19. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues

Against Me! has had a few rough years. The loss of half of the original members and the tough journey of Tom Gabels sex operation took a big toll on the band. But now the band has risen from the depths stronger than ever! With Laura Jane Grace in the lead and a strong punk record telling the about the obstacles Laura Jane had before the sex operation, the band shows what they are capable of doing! A very strong punk record of the year!

18. Iceage - Plowing Into The Fields Of Love

The Danish Post-Punk band have released two solid post-hc/punk records that they can proudly stand behind, but with their third record they show how much they have matured as a group. "Plowing Into The Fields Of Love" leads the band to a more country/rock style, that sounds something that Nick Cave or Tom Waits could have released. The use of horns and strings bring the dynamic sound of the songs to a new level. A very solid release from the band! 

17. You+Me - Rose Ave.

The country record of the year. The long awaited cooperation with the pop singer P!nk and ex-Alexisonfire guitarist/singer, now a days singer songwriter Dallas Green has been the biggest talk of the year. The harmonies and lyrics of the record are pure love and the atmosphere of the album is really warm and easy to listen to. A match that was supposed to happen years ago!

16. Mallory Knox - Asymmetry

After the release of their debut album "Signals" Mallory Knoxes journey had just begun. Named as one of the biggest first releases of the year, and playing in some of the biggest festivals in the UK the band has been going strong ever since. Now after releasing their sophomore album "Asymmetry" it seems that the band is not showing any signs of slowing down. Anthemic sounds from the debut, with  bigger sounds and strong playing makes this album a worthy participant on the list. One of the best Alternative sounding records of the year!

15. Circa Survive - Descensus

Circa Survive has risen to be one of the cornerstone bands of the progressive/post-hardcore scene. The release of their fifth album "Descensus" was boosted with the cooperation with the biggest progressive/metal labels of the world Sumerian Records. The album is the heaviest they have made and has maybe the strongest songs of their era. With personal lyrics about the lead singer Anthony Greens drug addictions and the captivating artwork of Esao Andrews, this record is a definite hit!

14. Damn Seagulls - Let It Shine

The Finnish rock group did it again! After almost 5 years of hiatus the band has come back stronger than ever. Releasing an album of true rock anthems that would make the likes of The Gaslight Anthem and Bruce Springsteen jealous! The length of only 8 songs it is still a record that makes people have a smile on their face! One of the best records of the year definitely! 

13. Damien Rice - My Favourite Faded Fantasy

The last Damien Rice album came out in 2009 and the singer has been quiet for a few years. The comeback album My Favourite Faded Fantasy shows that the songwriter is showing no signs of slowing down, with a beautiful and emotional record with a very big orchestral vibe. This is a record for the cold dark nights. 

12. Royal Blood - Royal Blood

One of the biggest surprises of the year! The debut album that is said to save rock music once and for all. Selling over 60 000 copies on the first week of release, this bass and drum duo has been playing in the biggest festivals and gotten notice worldwide. The sound mixing with the likes of The White Stripes, Queens Of The Stone Age and Led Zeppelin the hard rock filled album is a definite album for all the rock lovers!

11. Real Estate - Atlas

The summer record of the year! The smooth indie sound and pop hooks of "Atlas" brings a smile to your face and makes you think about the best summer of your life. The album is filled with hits and the pure organic sound of the album is a beautiful mixture to the other big sounds of other bands!

In a few weeks I will post my Top 10 albums of the year and I wish you all a peaceful and love filled Christmas :)

- Niklas 

If you'll be the sky. Then I will be the bird...

Artist: Lonely The Brave
Album: The Day's War
Release: 01.09.2014
Label: Hassle Records
Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Trick Of The Light
3. Backroads
4. Islands
5. Dinosaurs
6. Deserter
7. Untitled
8. Kings Of The Mountain
                                                                            9. Victory Line
                                                                          10. Black Saucers
                                                                          11. The Blue, The Green
                                                                          12. The Day's War
                                                                          13. Call Of Horses
                                                                          14. Outro

It has been very quiet for the almost half a year here in my review blog. I am so ashamed for not making any posts for a while and for that I apologize. But I will try to concentrate also on this side to review records that interest me.

One of the most promising rock bands of this decade actually released their debut album this month. Lonely The Brave has a really interesting sound that might help the anthemic rock to find its way back into the ears of every listener.

The Day's War is a really beautiful record. After the floating "Intro" you get the ravishing single "Trick Of The Light" which almost breaks your speakers with its bashing chorus and beautiful melodies. And after that it is a strong flow of great powerful anthem songs that make you reminish the best summer days of your life. Songs to put out there would be the Springsteen rock filled "Backroads" and the beautiful and etheric ending song "Call Of Horses".

While the band plays very well together and the mixing is so balanced you must lift your hat for the guitarist duo Mark Trotter and Ross Smithwick who play so well together filling each others melodies and pushing each other to different atmospheres with different kind of pedals and effects.

Singer David Jakes is a refreshing difference to the normal rock singer catalogue and pushes himself perfectly along side the bashing band without giving them time to breath and take control. The lyrics go from the graving mistake you have done in your life " Trick Of The Light" passing through the swimmers who drown in their sins " Deserter" and ends to the reminiscing of the old times " Call Of Horses". The poetic style of the lyrics are captivating and very interesting to read and listen to while Jakes sings with everything his got.

The Day's War is an album that you should not miss. It is an album that will stay with you forever and will play in your stereos for years to come. Lonely The Brave show that rock music is not dead and there is still a possibility for bands to make the music they have always wanted to do. As David Jakes in Victory Line " As the stars realign, you said man this should last forever" I wish that to be true. I really wish that.

5/5

- Niklas Aaltio

Spotify: Lonely The Brave – The Day's War
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LonelyTheBrave?fref=ts
Website: http://www.lonelythebrave.com

There is history in the rooms of the house...

Artist: La Dispute
Album: Rooms Of The House
Release: 18.3.2014
Label: Better Living
Tracklist:
1 Hudsonville MI 1956 
2 First Reactions After Falling Through The Ice 
3 Woman (In Mirror) 
4 Scenes From Highways 1981-2009 
5 For Mayor In Splitsville 
6 35 
7 Stay Happy There 
                                                                     8 The Child We Lost 1963 
                                                                     9 Woman (Reading) 
                                                                   10 Extraordinary Dinner Party 
                                                                   11 Objects In Space


It has been a while. No almost a decade I have posted a review. There has been a lot of really interesting records and it has been really hard find the right one to review. But now I have found one that everyone should listen to even once!

La Dispute is a band I have never really understood. Their debut album Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair is said to be one of 2008s best post-hardcore albums with its unique sound and playfulness. I never understood the whole concept.

But now it is year 2014. The band has travelled a long way in 6 years and you can hear it in this album.  Rooms of the House is something totally different. The band has dropped a lot of the experimental phases they had in the earlier records and created a firm sound that continues through out the record. You can hear the influences from bands like Thursday and Glassjaw with the atmospheric guitar sounds and bashing hardcore elements.

The lyrics on the album gives me a really big resemblance to the work of Defeater with the concept albums about a working class family in the Post-World War II Era.
Rooms of the House tells the captivating story of a couples breaking up and the struggles that go throughout the process. In this context, the vocals of  Jordan Dreyer are used in the right way. Dreyer combines the spoken word and almost desperate screaming to the captivating lyrics in almost a harmonical way.

In songs like "For Mayor In Splitsville" where Jordan screams in frustration the lines Maybe I'm miserable, I'd rather run for mayor in Splitsville than suffer your jokes again." you can only think if he has suffered the situation himself. Or at the ending of "Woman (Reading)" when Dreyer speaks the last lines almost whispering " And I live alone now. Save for the echoes" it leaves a little pain in your heart.

This is a record that literally blew my mind. The concept of the album and the growing of the band as a group is captivating and makes you understand how well they have gathered information and knowledge for this record. The pain of the realization of a ending relationship is so well captured in the record that you cannot do anything else than raise hat to Jordan Dreyer for the text he has written. And when you are sitting in the dark corner of your room when the record is ending and Dreyer speaks the last line " And I put them in boxes" you find a slight hope but sadness in your heart that makes you want to listen to the album once again and feel the struggles of the woman in the mirror and the mayor of Splitsville. You want to get lost in the Rooms of the House once more.

5/5

-Niklas Aaltio

Spotify: La Dispute – Rooms of the House
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaDisputeMusic?fref=ts
Website: http://www.ladisputemusic.com
Buy the record: http://www.levykauppax.fi/artist/la_dispute/rooms_of_the_house/#cd

Joy to the world… Records have been brought!

Even though it is dark and raining, roasted almonds and hot wine makes everything better. So does good music! As I started a few days ago to summarize my top 20 albums of this year. I listed 20-11 in my last post, so now I will list the 10 best albums of this year. So here is the best albums of this year from 10-1!

10. Deafheaven - Sunbather


Do not let the pink cover fool you. This is not some indie-pop duo from Montreal which has some really nice hooks. This is a black metal album. But in a way it is not a black metal album. My friend summarized this band really well by saying " Sehän on bläkkistä duurista!" The beautiful shoegazing influenced guitar riffs and wishful lyrics give this album a feeling that will stay with you forever. This is art!

9. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The Sky Away


Nick Cave has always been a talented songwriter, but with Push The Sky Away he really shows it. The slightly electronic and almost looping playing gives this record a really calm and beautiful touch. When you start listening to this record you fall into a deep trance that keeps you in its hold for the whole record.

8. City & Colour - The Hurry And The Harm


This record really grew on me. Dallas Green is well known from the hardcore band Alexisonfire, but he really shows he is capable of writing really nice folk/country songs. The sounds are really well crafted and the lyrics on the record gives you chills through your bones. The captivating almost falsetto singing of Dallas Green give a really nice touch to the record! 

7. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart


Frank Turner out did himself this time! The success that he got from the last England Keep My Bones record pushed him to the big leagues and of course there is a pressure for the next record. These songs are probably the best ones he has written ever. And the emotion Frank Turner gave to the singing really takes the record to a next level. These are the songs Frank Turner was meant to write and get out of his system. 

6.  Kanye West - Yeezus



After the critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy it has been a uprising for Kanye West. He did not tell anything major about the upcoming record. Only that he is in the studio making real music. There was no artwork done for the record ,because Kanye West said it is not necessary. Yeezus is a raw, brutal, angry driven record that shows again what kind of a man we are dealing with. Kanye West can say he is a God and no one will not argue against him! This man is Yeezus!

5. Touché Amoré - Is Survived By…


Is Survived By… Is beautiful. The post-hardcore band took me in their journey with their last record Parting The Sea Between Brightness and Me. But this record really shows what the band is capable of doing. The very well crafted song structures make you feel that you are listening to a one really long song. The rawness of Jeremy Bolms singing and the personal lyrics give a really good atmosphere for the record and keeps you in its touch for the whole ride. These guys are going to be very huge!

4. Antero Lindgren - Talking With The Dead


Talking With The Dead, what a package. Antero Lindgren gave people something to talk about with his debut album Mother which was a dark folk record that was playing in my stereos for the whole fall. But with Talking With The Dead Antero created the perfect summer record! The dynamic songs and almost anthemic melodies of the songs stay in your head for weeks and when you close your eyes you see yourself driving on a highway on a hot summer day. Antero Lindgren is said to be Finlands Bruce Springsteen and that is a fact! 

3. The National - Trouble Will Find Me


The National has released really good records for a while. The critically acclaimed High Violet was a breakthrough for the band and people were expecting a lot from the new record. And fans were not disappointed. The Dessner brothers again show how you can make very beautiful songs with very simple chords and variation. Matt Berningers voice has gotten more powerful after quitting smoking and you can see it on the record when Berninger goes to higher notes so easily. This record is that kind of a record which you just put on and lay on the floor thinking about stuff. A very beautiful and raw record.

2. Biffy Clyro - Opposites


It has been a very rewarding few years for Biffy Clyro. Their last record Only Revolutions really got the band to play on bigger stages and even made the band play a headlining stadium tour. When they informed that they are going to make a double cd with 20 songs I was a little concerned. That is a lot of songs for a record. But they did it. The variation of the songs keep you listening more and more to the record and the slightly ironic lyrics of Simon Neil keep your mind up. As the band themselves told that they went as far as they could in the massiveness of the sound and they have to start from scratch for the next record. This is a big triumph for Biffy Clyro and they can be proud for all the claim they have gotten for the record!

                                                         1. Deaf Havana - Old Souls

Deaf Havana you say. What is this band you say. Well now you know. This band from England has had a really hard journey for their whole recording life. After the hardcore debut album the band lost their lead vocalist and guitarist James Veck-Gilodi took the lead vocals under control. The sound shifted very quickly to alternative-rock and a critical acclaim was reached in England. With their third release Old Souls they really show what they are capable of!
From the first song Boston Square you can find influences from bands like The Who and The Clash and the anthemic guitar sounds and raw singing of James Veck-Gilodi gives the song a really powerful grip. The variation of instruments and sound of the songs give a really well processed feeling for the whole record. You keep listening to the songs more and more and the very personal lyrics of James really make you think that has he really gone through all these things in life. This band is going to get really huge, I mean really huge! You better keep this band behind your ear and take a listen to the perfection of the Old Souls, I demand you to do it!

Last christmas I gave you... a lot of records

I feel bad for not posting any reviews for a while. I have had so much other things to do that my mind has not given me time to think about music in the way it deserves to be thought.
It is almost christmas. People are awkwardly nice to you in the stores and you can feel the tension of people wanting to start their christmas holidays already. For me winter has always been a really awful time. I hate the cold and the shifting temperatures in Finland, but Christmas Eve is always as calming and beautiful as ever. I myself am sitting in my hometown starting to relax from the quite colorful and difficult year of my life.

But enough of babbling. I was thinking that instead of making an album review I would list my top 20 albums of this year! This was a really tough call for me, because there has been a lot of great releases this year that have given me great feelings through the year. But here they are starting from 20 to 11. Heeere we go!

20. Bring Me The Horizon - Sempiternal


Bring Me The Horizon… I have always had a love/hate relationship with this band. Their earlier work was terrible and almost made me want to destroy every audio producing material I have in my apartment. But Sempiternal, it struck me down. The melodical slightly electronical sound the band has created around them has shown that the band can actually make really good structured songs. This is not a band that has a teenage based fan club anymore, these guys have a Cult!

19. Earl Sweatshirt - Doris


Doris what a package of emotion. When I first heard Earl Sweatshirt in Odd Future he got my attention immediately. He has a very unique flow to his music that shows he is a skillful rapper. The raw samples in his debut album are top notch and the almost depressed rapping of Earl Sweatshirt cover the songs to a perfection. You better check him out and go see him live in Nosturi, Helsinki in March!

18. Arctic Monkeys - AM


I have to say. I did not listen to Suck It And See record from Arctic Monkeys. That record kind of just passed by me. I was really controversial about this record, but the band has actually done something really interesting here. The Queens Of The Stone Age kind of vibe through out the record gives the sound a really dynamic and pumped up feeling. In AM Alex Turner again shows that he still has his songwriting skills under control.

17. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories


This duo. Holy duck what they did with this record. I can believe a lot of the old school fans can be really confused and annoyed about the really new style Daft Punk took for this record. But the sounds. Oh god the sounds, they are orgasms in your mind. From the first song Give Life Back To The Music to the finale Contact you are just jaw open listening to the variety of 80s funk and big band influences. If you do not dance to these songs there is something wrong with you.

16. Arcade Fire - Reflektor


Arcade Fire got me with their last record The Suburbs. The anthemic sounds of the rock album really gave the right approach to their music. With Reflektor they went even better. This year it has definitely been a really important aspect with artists and bands to get influences from the 80s electronic styles. The disco funk sound of the title track Reflektor and the ethnic sound of Here Comes The Night Time give this album a really easy approach and is an easy listening to people who are not familiar with the bands work before. Great job Arcade Fire!

15. Haim - Days Are Gone


These three sisters blew the bank. Haims record was those kinds of records that had to be listened a few times before you got something out of it. They showed other artists how to make really anthemic 80s pop/rock that many bands have been trying to reach for awhile. The Paul Simons Graceland sounding bass lines and the flowing melodies of the songs give this record a nice twist and keeps you listening to it more and more. You go girls!

14. Drake - Nothing Was The Same


This is Drakes year. His last record Take Care was an emotional raw package that was hard to match in the rap scene. But Nothing Was The Same burns everyone to the ground. The samples on this record are beautiful and Drakes singing and rapping is better than ever. This is the record that Drake made for all the haters and jealous people for his success. And that success he has deserved!

13. Sigur Rós - Kveikur


It has been a tough year for Sigur Rós. Their last record Valtari did not get the acclaim that the previous records got from reviewers and people were talking that they had loosen their grip in music. The bands pianists Kjartan Sveinsson left the band and Sigur Rós reduced to a trio. They had to take a new approach to music. Kveikur is rough, brutal, aggressive and full of passion. The self produced record really showed that the band can take a risky jump from the calming ambient driven music to a more noise based pumping. It is a new start for the trio and a fine start at that!

12. Chvrches - The Bones Of What You Believe


This trio really did it this year. They brought everything you wanted from an electronic record to the table. Lauren Mayberrys soaring singing and Iain Cooks and Martin Dohertys really combined playing really captivated the sound on this record. The songs have really good pop hooks and makes you listen to the record more and more. This is a really good debut album that gives a bright future for the band.

11. Moonface - Julia With Blue Jeans On


Spencer Krug out did himself this time. The electronical record in co-operation with Siinai was a really captivating concept, but when he released Julia With Blue Jeans On he really showed what he is capable of doing. The rawness of Krugs singing and only playing the piano gives such a soothing and fulfilling atmosphere to the music that it keeps you inside the feelings of Spencer for the whole record. A really beautiful and promising record from a very talented singer/songwriter.

Niklas Aaltio

Let me take you to my room...

Artist: Moonface
Album: Julia With Blue Jeans On
Release: 29.10.2013
Label: Jagjaguwar
Tracklist:
1. Barbarian
2. Everyone is Noah, Everyone is the Ark
3. Barbarian II
4. November 2011
5. Dreamy Summer
6. Julia With Blue Jeans On
7. Love the House You're In
8. First Violin
                                                                            9. Black is Back in Style
                                                                          10. Your Chariot Awaits

 Moonface aka Spencer Krug is a canadian singer/songwriter most known for his experimental indierock bands Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown. In 2010 Mr. Krug created the alter ego Moonface where he started experimenting in the various sounds he created with Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown. He made a collaboration with the finnish instrumental band Siinai and they created a massive record called Heartbreaking Victory which told the dark story of breakup.

 This year Spencer is back with his new record Julia With Blue Jeans On. Recorded in Helsinki Mr. Krug took a different path to the making of the music. He left all the electronical sounds and instruments out of the picture and recorded the album with only a piano and vocals. This is a very dangerous path for artists that are known for their massive sounds in various releases.

 The record is massive! Even though the rawness of the music when Krug is bashing the piano and breaking his voice through out the song it gives the music a really complete sound. It is almost as you could hear the backup band playing in the background. The rawness of the album is almost as pure as when Rufus Wainwright released All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu, the piercing vocals give you goosebumps and make you think about your own reality while the smoothing sound of the piano takes your worries away.

 Moonface wanted to tell the story of breakup in his last record, but in JWBJO he wants to tell the process of getting through it and into a new start. The pounding realization of being the victim of the person you love ( Barbarian), to the process where you want to take that one back to your room ( November 2011) and finding that one perfect fragile thing in your life that you can hold on to (Julia With Blue Jeans On), give you understanding that this are actually the words that Spencer Krug wants to get out of his mouth. These are letters of grief and understanding that will help him to move on.

 The melodies and singing on the album is extremely beautiful, in a way Mr. Krug has always given me slightly the same vibe that Paul Banks from Interpol has given me in their best moments. The skillful and playful composing of the songs give a lot of room to the music and keeps you interested. The ceremonial piano of November 2011 makes you feel that you are in a sunday church trying to get forgiveness for your sins and the ravaging ending song Your Chariot Awaits leaves you satisfied about the record.

 There is one slight problem with the record. Although it is good in many ways and the nice switch to a raw sound with just piano and singing it is also its weakness. In some of the songs you lose your concentration and miss some of the greatest parts of the music because of the similarity of the sound in many of the songs. But even though it has some of its misses this is a record that stays with you for a long time and specially in these dark november nights.

4/5

Niklas Aaltio

Spotify : Moonface – Julia With Blue Jeans On
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoonfaceOfficial?fref=ts
Website: http://www.moonface.ca
Buy the record: http://www.levykauppax.fi/artist/moonface/julia_with_blue_jeans_on/#cd