Fiveplay: #2

The second issue comprises of: Motion City Soundtrack, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Portishead, Placebo and Akala.

1. Everything Is Alright- Motion City Soundtrack

Pop Punk at its finest. Everything Is Alright features guest backing vocals by Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy, and is quite possibly the best-constructed song thus far. Motion City Soundtrack have perennially had a problem with under-representation on the radio and in official national music charts; ergo, their global success has been hindered. Despite this, album sales have been healthy, predominantly the sales of their second studio album, Commit This To Memory, on which Everything Is Alright is located, and from which it was released as the first single. The quick, repetitive bass in the background, and the periodic breaks for partial drum solos, act as the good, solid groundwork; the incorporation of the synthesizer on top to add to Justin Pierre’s singing pushes this song up from good to great.

Rating: ****

2. By The Way- Red Hot Chili Peppers

There was a 3 year gap between the releases of the albums Californication (in 1999) and By The Way (in 2002). The successful reformation of RHCP for Californication meant that follow-up albums were going to have to rank at minimums of 11 on scales of 1 to 10. By The Way – parroting the name of the album – worked as its lead single, and was massively popular; it’s undoubtedly one of the band's most well-known songs. Anthony Kiedis familiarises himself with earlier work by placing rapped verses in with a melodic chorus. Catchy, and suitable for a wide range of listening audiences.

Rating: ****

3. Roads- Portishead

Portishead’s 1994 debut album, Dummy, thrust the Bristolian trip hop group into the limelight worldwide; selling rapidly in Europe and the United States. Dummy spawned 3 singles, yet Roads was not one of them. What can I say about it? It’s a song that combines elements of their trip hop style with the purer variant of downtempo music; therefore, it’s not all too surprising that it relaxes almost to the extent for the possibility to call it musical anaesthesia. The main difference is Beth Gibbons’ vocal presentation, which produces a soft, timid sound perhaps slightly too introverted.

Rating: ***

4. Special Needs- Placebo

When I think of Placebo, 99% of the time, I associate them with fast-paced songs, and a stretched vocal range put on show by Brian Molko. Additionally, the lyrics will habitually deal with difficult, disturbing, and even taboo topics, along with indifferent (though sometimes harsh) feelings towards any sort of adversity. Absorb that piece of information, and then listen to Special Needs. Molko’s voice is heavily subdued, plus the reduced tempo causes the listener to be inundated with the lyricist’s emotion. Poignant.

Rating: ****

5. Electro Livin’- Akala

The track name is indicative of its content. But since Akala is the creator, it was bound to be a convergence of the grime and electro genres. And before I continue…contrary to popular belief, grime and rap are not the same. Sure, both have fixations on speaking quickly in order to make the artist nigh on completely incomprehensible, but the similarities break away from each other their. Grime originated in London, making it English (with this being my staple reason for liking it). Furthermore, grime has deep, existing electronic roots connected to it. More importantly, nevertheless, is my consideration that grime artists sporadically reveal a reasonable knowledge about British culture, themes and affairs; in comparison, rap artists will universally speak about “cappin’” their enemies, taking “shawties/shawtys” (however the plural of “shawty” is supposed to be spelled) back to their “cribs” and just boosting their already over-inflated egos by talking about themselves constantly. Funnily enough, those involved in grime music aren’t exactly lacking in confidence either, though their willingness to take a look at the world outside their own, and talk about that every once in a while, allows me to respect them a fair amount. Akala briefly demonstrates this way of thinking in Electro Livin’.

Rating: ***