Liam confirms ‘Oasis is no longer’

Liam Gallagher has confirmed that Oasis will not continue as a band following his brother Noel’s departure.

He told the Times: “We’ve always had a lot of fun. That’s why it was never hard work for me. It was a joy and it was always a bit of a bummer when the tour ended. You know, it was great. Obviously you’ve got to get back and see the missus and the kids and all that. Nothing lasts for ever. But it was never, ‘Uh, fuck, I need to get off the tour because my head’s up my arse’.” (A reference to Noel? Most probably.)

“Oasis is no longer. I think we all know that. So that’s done. It’s a shame but that’s life. We had a good run at it. The thing about Oasis is, no one … we ended Oasis. No one ended it for us. Which was pretty, kind of … cool. I’m thinking of what the next step is musically, which is all my mind’s on.”

Whether Liam’s future includes an Ian Brown style solo career or forming a new band is not clear, but it is obvious that in his mind, he has already moved on from Oasis. Whatever happens next, it will be fascinating to compare the futures of Noel and Liam; always inextricably linked through Oasis, and now thrown apart to find their own way.

This article was written for TMM.

The Xx - Islands

‘Islands’ is a brilliant choice of single for The Xx. Most of the tracks on their eponymous debut do not make much sense on their own, but ‘Islands’ makes its breakthrough brilliantly, the girl-boy vocals of Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim provide a superb introduction to what the band is all about.

It’s short and sharp, with lots going on despite its typically understated charm, and even contains the closest thing The Xx has produced to a hook, in the repeat refrain of “I am yours now…”, a typically heartfelt and bed-cuddly line that makes The Xx the perfect alternative lovers band.

B-side ‘Do You Mind?’ is no different to the rest of The Xx’s material, which at the moment shows an ability to remain consistently excellent, but in future might show them to struggle progressing their sound. It’s typically sexy, with Croft and Sim inviting the listener to come home with the pair of them, over untypically brash drums. Minimalism is the key to The Xx and at some point they are going to have to bring new things to the party. But at the moment, we should just settle for what they are giving to us, the finest music by a new British band this year.

As a gateway into the mysterious and wonderful world of The Xx, ‘Islands’ is majestic. But let’s hope they remain our little secret for now, yeah?

This review was written for Muso's Guide.

Sergeant: Sergeant

So then, the third album from Dundee’s premier pop scamps the View. It’s a typically upbeat, jangly record with nothing to make it stand out from the crowd… hang on, what’s this? It’s not the View? We better start again…

OK, so this is actually Sergeant, a four-piece from Fife. They’ve been on my radar for a couple of years – I think I even saw them at Leeds festival back in 2007 – but their sound has been polished so much it’s nigh-on unrecognisable from their early ramshackle and lovable noise.

It doesn’t help that Nick Mercer’s unremarkable vocals are almost an exact copy of the View’s Kyle Falconer, and the music is a pale, toothless imitation of the Dundee band’s debut record Hats Off To The Buskers.

The best track present is the album’s last, It All Comes Back To Me. Harmonies make a rare appearance, and it lifts the track above the landfill indie it accompanies for the rest of the record. Jo Whiley probably loves this band, and that should be enough to put you off.

It’s not a bad record. It’s easy to nod your head along to it, and the songs are short and sweet enough to hold your attention. But once the record is finished, the hooks leak out of your brain as quickly as sand through your hands, and all you’re left with is an empty feeling. There’s nothing as interesting in Sergeant as other bands of their ilk either. They’re just a wee bit dull, and it’s hard to recover when you’re first album is boring. What a shame…

4

This review was written for TMM.

Cornerstone will be next Monkeys single

Arctic Monkeys have announced that the second single to be lifted from their Number One album Humbug will be Cornerstone.

It will be released on November 16, and again the band will collaborate with Oxfam for the method of release.

Cornerstone was the obvious choice for the band, as lyrically it is the most recognisably Monkeys track on Humbug, their third studio release. It tells the tale of singer and main lyricist Alex Turner’s attempts to rid himself of his obsessional mooching over an ex-girlfriend by trying to get off with similar looking ladies, and joins Riot Van and Mardy Bum as one of their best ’story’ songs.

The band head out on a UK arena tour in November.

This article was written for The Music Magazine.

Cult With No Name - Careful What You Wish For

A few listens in to this second offering from London duo Erik Stein and Jon Boux, a.k.a. Cult With No Name, I’m still struggling to find anything interesting about the album to tell you.

It’s mostly a male voice singing and a piano playing. The two parts are by two different blokes, with Stein singing (sometimes sounding like Robbie Williams, and on the poppier moments more like the Pet Shop Boys) and Boux prodding away listlessly at the piano, with some moodily atmospheric swirly stuff going on in the background on some of the tracks and, even more rarely, some electronica stabbings that sound like the basic settings on a Casio keyboard for toddlers. And not in a good way.

There’s nothing to lift it beyond the mundane. Stein’s lyrics are mostly trite platitudes, the melodies samey, and the swirls of sound uninteresting. It’s not awful, it’s just dull. It is possible to tap your foot along, even to concentrate on it for a few seconds at a time before boredom inevitably sets in, but it’s too amateurish to be taken seriously, and not pleasant enough to be simply background music.

Cult With No Name have bedroom project stamped all over them. Two friends with big ideas, but without the talent to realise them. Careful What You Wish For is full of half-baked premises, pieces of sound that with the right backing might work, but that fall flat in this setting.

A smattering of violin in ‘Something Better Than I Know’ and a bit of guitar in ‘She B.C.’ can’t lift the monotony in the middle of the album, and by the horrible cover of the Stranglers’ ‘Golden Brown’, any smidgen of interest has leaked away.

It’s not possible to pick highlights or even lowlights from this effort, as none of the tracks are distinguishable from each other. It’s just a big slushy mish-mash of unformed sound, and it’s really not at all worth an hour of your life. Expect something by the Cult With No Name to adorn a car advert sometime soon. It’s that kind of banality.

This review was written for Muso's Guide.

VV Brown - Game Over

I really want to dislike VV Brown. I hate her faux-alternativeness, her desperation to do anything going in her pursuit of success, her hair, her name, pretty much everything about her. She seems to be everywhere, yet somehow I’ve avoided almost all of her music. Until now. So I was all set to deliver a written sucker punch to her flailing career. Kick a woman while she’s down? Why the hell not.

But annoyingly, I like ‘Game Over’. It’s bold and brash, somehow modern yet retro-styled, but more than anything, it makes you want to dance, and that’s what pop music is all about. Well it should be. And there’s none of this breakdown rubbish, calming things down for a bit in the middle of the song. Oh no. If anything it builds in pace to a thrilling climax, and the hooks, of which there are plenty, will live with you for hours. You’ll probably wake up humming it and cursing yourself.

It’s the fourth single from her debut album, which tanked despite all the hype and the promo, but ‘Game Over’ might just be the track that earns her the success she so craves. VV Brown has won me over. Whether the public is as fickle remains to be seen.

This review was written for Muso's Guide.

Burnley 2-1 Birmingham

Burnley swept aside a poor Birmingham team to extend their winning streak at Turf Moor to ten matches, after a one-sided match that the Clarets should have won by more than the final score of 2-1.

Two early goals in the second half were enough to seal the points, with Birmingham's reply coming from virtually the last kick of the match.

Fletcher gave Burnley the lead after an incisive counter attack, and minutes later Andre Bikey added a second with a fine goal.

Owen Coyle had his old mentor Alex McLeish alongside him on the touchline, but he outclassed his old master tactically.

Burnley moved Bikey into midfield to allow a return for club captain Steven Caldwell, and Bikey's physicality negated any threat from midfield from Birmingham, who mustered very little in the way of attacking threat all game.

A gusty wind made conditions difficult and both sides found it hard going for the first half, David Nugent with Burnley's best chance, shooting straight at Joe Hart from twenty yards, and Lee Bowyer diverting a cross away from rather than towards the Burnley goal, from a rare Birmingham foray forward.

But Burnley started the second half brightly and quickly sealed the points. James McFadden wasted a free-kick for Birmingham in a great position, and Burnley broke at breakneck speed.

Tyrone Mears carried the ball for forty yards through the centre of the park before slipping in Steven Fletcher down the inside left channel. Nugent was screaming for the ball across the penalty area but Fletcher took it alone, and although his shot was straight at Hart, it somehow cannoned off the goalkeeper's legs and into the roof of the net. It was an untidy end to a fabulous break, but once the Clarets got their noses in front they didn't look back.

The second goal came quickly. Bikey won the ball in his new midfield role and rode a couple of untidy Birmingham challenges before advancing on goal. The Cameroonian then played a glorious one-two with Nugent on the edge of the area, and Bikey advanced on goal to finish calmly into the far corner, across Hart, before celebrating acrobatically.

Mears had a free-kick tipped over by Hart and Bikey should have done better with a free header from the resulting corner as Burnley briefly smelled blood and a rout, but they sat back and closed out the match instead.

Birmingham got an unlikely consolation deep into stoppage time when Sebastian Larsson curled a glorious free-kick into the top corner, beating Brian Jensen at his near post.

Owen Coyle was furious with losing the clean sheet at the death, but when he reflects with his players over the international break, they will be delighted with a fourth win of the Premier League season. But McLeish has worries. Criticised by home fans for a defensive team selection last weekend, this display was easily their worst of the season, and they won't collect many points on the road with performances like this.

This article was written for FansOnline Burnley.