Arts: Music

ARTS: MUSIC 19

The Founder Recommends

As part of a new feature, each issue of The Founder will feature some of our editor’s recommendations for their favourite songs, albums, and artists. So, have a read if you want to fnd something new to listen to or even be reminded of one of your own favourites.

Editor in Chief, Abra’s picks:

Favourite Song: Buttercup – Hippo Campus The fnal song on their 2017 album Landmark, Abra recommends Hippo Campus’ track, Buttercup. She describes it as ‘one of the most feel-good tracks of all time, despite its break-up focused lyrics’ and fnds particular happiness in the chorus of the song when the American indie rock band sing, ‘I’ll be fne on my own, she said, I don’t need you inside my head’. The band were formed in 2013 in Minnesota and have even performed at Reading and Leeds festival. Abra loves how the song builds with one big rise in power, and she draws attention to how cool the interaction of instrumentation and vocals is. Favourite Album: Recomposed: Vivaldi, The Four Seasons – Max Ritcher (The Deutsche Grammophon Recording) Recomposed is a modern adaptation of Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons. The album takes you through Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Using only 25% of Vivaldi’s original material, Richter loops and phases parts to create a minimalistic, postmodern soundscape. Abra has been playing violin for 15 years, so has been forced into her fair share of Four Seasons rehearsals and performances with high school and college orchestras, but she thinks it is very refreshing to hear a new take on the piece. The opening to Spring featured at the very top of her Spotify Wrapped playlist for 2021. Favourite Artist: Jack Garratt Abra has chosen the British singer-songwriter and composer, Jack Garratt, as her favourite artist and loves his extensive discography, fnding that ‘you can listen to one of his song’s no matter what mood you are in’. She says that she cries to some of his songs and then dances around the room to others. Situating Jack in a genre is hard, but he ficks between indie-pop, trip-hop, and alternative R&B, so there is something for everyone in his music. In 2016, he received the Critics’ Choice Award at the BRIT Awards and was BBC’s Sound of 2016. Abra saw him live in that year when he toured his debut studio album, Phase, and still listens to him daily.

Source: Flickr, WFUV Public Radio

Review: Turnstile Live at O2 Forum, Kentish Town

ARIEL TANDIARAK |

CONTENT WRITER

Electric doesn’t do justice to what Baltimore’s fnest sound like live. Turnstile returns to the U.K with their debut live performances of their latest album GLOW ON which received critical acclaim in the latter half of 2021, reaching number 30 in the Billboard Charts. The hardcore prodigy capitalised on the UK’s recent dropping of COVID restrictions to give new and long-time fans a chance to experience a taste of this new wave of hardcore punk rock that America has to offer, with support from West London’s own, Chubby and the Gang. Their powerhouse performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town channels aspects of punk shows of yesteryear and twists them with their own unique blend of a multitude of genres all packed into a pink and cloudy hardcore package. A shirtless Brendan Yates (vocalist) and hooded Franz Lyons (bassist) lead the rowdy crowd in enticing mosh pits and crowd surfng all to the sound of teeth grinding guitars riffs and groovy drum lines supported by Brady Ebert (lead guitar), Pat McCrory (rhythm guitar), and Daniel Fang (drums). In his performance, Yate’s fuels his inner Fugazi and Black Flag attitude by letting himself be taken by the rhythm of music. He mixes in karate kicks with the swaying of his hips as well as the occasional fip to further his stage presence. His movement is complemented by Franz’s frantic ballet twirls as he tries not to let the g-forces take hold of his bass. Fang, clothed this time, has the sitting crowd above bumping in unison to his atmospheric playing as he provides the backbone to the tempo of their headbanging in the echoey halls of the O2, while guitarists Ebert and McCrory both in power stances pluck out the jarring melodies that drive the whole concert.

Under the constant barrage of feedback, the crowd were greeted by MYSTERY from the recent album and REAL THING & BIG SMILE from previous albums to rile up the inner animal within them as the energy builds up through Fang’s fast drumming and McCrory’s quick and precise guitar strumming. BLACKOUT has the crowd belting out the heavy-strung choruses all while gracefully swaying side to side to the subsequently wistful indie-inspired UNDERWATER BOI. Without hesitation they carry on the momentum with classics like DON’T PLAY, GENERATOR, and GRAVITY that keeps the rowdy bunch in constant arm-swinging movement. But the real fan favourites were HOLIDAY and T.L.C. that had the fstpumping crowd screaming their lungs out to the lyrics. At one point near the end of the show, a few people managed to sneak on the stage next to Yates and Ebert and dive out into the crowd, strengthening the bond and energy between artist and enthusiast, even though it angered security. This tour is one for the books and is defnitely worth more than the £24.25 you pay for it. If you have the chance to experience any punk rock show like this, no matter your music preference, I’d recommend it.

KATHERINE MCGLADDER | CONTENT WRITER

20th January 2022 saw the passing of Marvin Lee Aday, better known as rock and roll icon Meat Loaf, aged 72. Though he lived a turbulent and sometimes controversial life, he is most remembered for his powerhouse voice and electrifying stage presence which saw him successfully transfer his talents from music to flm, most notably appearing as Eddie in 1975’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Robert Paulsen in 1999’s Fight Club.

Source: Instagram (@turnstileluvconnection)

Review: The Legacy of Bat Out of Hell

Meat Loaf’s debut 1977 album, Bat Out of Hell, was developed by Jim Steinman from Neverland, a futuristic musical he’d composed as part of a 1974 workshop. This eventually went on to become Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, which loosely resembles a Peter Pan narrative in postapocalyptic Manhattan and has been nominated for numerous awards. It is unsurprising that the album translated well to musical theatre, as there is an undoubtedly theatrical theme running throughout, making it unique and instantly recognisable. This is complimented by Meat Loaf’s operatic vocal style and the heightened, melodramatic narrative worthy of The

Phantom of the Opera. Bat Out of Hell is arguably one of the most dynamic album openers ever. Complete with timeless guitar solos and frenetic drumming, Meat Loaf’s distinctive tenor range soars over the cacophony like the eponymous bat. The production still sounds clean and crisp to modernday listeners, and the song never lets up even with its impressive 9 minutes and 52 second duration, spanning several musical sections in a style reminiscent of its contemporary 1970s epic, Bohemian Rhapsody. The passionate delivery vividly illustrates the catastrophic motorcycle crash told through the lyrics, successfully granting Jim Steinman’s wish to write ‘the most extreme You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth is perhaps the most musical theatre-inspired of the album, complete with an anthemic chorus, pounding bass, and swooning backing vocals. The lyrics stand out here in a similarly compelling theatrical style. Particularly notable is the verse: ‘When I listen to your heart, I hear the whole world turning/ I see the shooting stars falling through your trembling hands’, which seems destined to have ended up on Broadway. In contrast with its melancholic piano introduction and slow tempo, Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad is the perfect rock ballad. Paradise by the Dashboard Light could be a B side to the Grease soundtrack with its back and forth between Meat Loaf and powerful vocals from Ellen Foley. It has been cited as the ‘greatest rock duet of all time’, and memorably interjects a baseball broadcast, mirroring the narrative of the song. A notable album closer, For Crying Out Loud, builds majestically over the course of 8 minutes and 45 seconds with a suitably stratospheric and belting melody accompanied by swelling strings. Bat Out of Hell has sold over 43 million copies worldwide and was in the UK charts for over 500 weeks: the second longest chart run by a studio album in the UK. In the wake of Meat Loaf’s death, it currently sits at number 18, and looks set to climb higher in the coming weeks. Fortyfve years on, Bat Out of Hell still retains its immense infuence, distinctive sound, and an everlasting legacy as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.