Women are from Venus and Bruno, Mars ?

Bruno Mars aka Peter Hernandez, made a huge name for himself in 2010, working with artists such as B.O.B and Gym Class Heroes', Travis Mccoy. Although, it seems as if he has appeared from nowhere the pint-size crooner has been writing and working with some big names including, R n B softie Brandy and Cee Lo Green.

Last year he hit the top spot with smash hit, 'Just The Way You Are', an adorably nauseous pop-song, that is still hanging around in the charts today. More recently his name has hit the headlines after rumours of him starting up his own record label.

His debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, is full of more sickeningly sweet pop and R'n'B

songs but, the ones to watch out for are the modern funk pop sounds that are laced throughout the album.

The first track on the album 'Grenade', is

a pop song with bite! Swapping the slushy for hard powerful metaphors, to show the struggle of someone prepared to do everything for the lady and that just not being reciprocated.

Lyrics that exchange the mush for the brash, 'Throw my hand on a blade for ya', 'I'd jump in front of a train for ya' stand out and indicate passion within the track.

This tracks is narrated by the drums in the music, they speed up and slow down in-accordance with the emotion in a song, becoming the heartbeat.

The best song on album is called 'Runaway Baby', this is a fast, playful funk song. The pace is fast and the chorus seems Maroon 5ived, and would

fit perfectly onto 'Songs about Jane'. This is just a purely fun pop song.

Great lyrics such as, 'so many eager young bunnies that i'd like to pursue. Now even though they are eating out of the palm of my hand there'

s only one carrot and they all gotta share it', show you that he is not only a talented musician, but, a great writer as well.

'Somewhere in Brooklyn' is sure to be released as a single soon as it is a modern Cinderella story, and everyone's a sucker for a fairy tale. The bridge is purposely , designed to be instantly recognised and sung along to, by the fact that every line rhymes and tells a short simple tale. Man sees girl, man likes girl, man loses girl, man has to find girl!

The chorus, "Somewhere, Somewhere in Brooklyn", although intended to be a mark of a love song, is extremely similar to a tune, from the 90s cartoon film, Fievel. A comparison, which I just cannot shift now.

When listening to Doo-Wops & Hooligans, you might be shocked to hear it's Bruno and not caramel voiced Buble! This album is deathly catchy and will turn into a guilty pleasure for people. Some of the tracks on the album are too gushy, far too gushy; 'Our first time', is definately one to miss! It's just too much cheese.

Who would have thought a man who was quoted in Rollingstone saying he chose the sirname 'Mars' to suggest, 'I'm so far out of this world you shouldn't fuck with me', would make such a mellow album.

Not all of the album lived up to the hype, which led to the album being released two weeks early to the original release date, but there are a few that are certainly ones to watch.

We've all Got Pipe Dreams

Letters are a five piece outfit from Edinburgh, they like others are allergic to cliches and predictable lyrics and say that their sound can be blamed on ' a lack of vitamin D'.

Letters have created a slow paced, gental Indie pop tune that has a slow build up until the end where it really comes alive. The vocals float on a string section of bass and cello and the song is carried by the orginal lyrics. They are well written and show different ways to create a song about dreams not coming true. 'I'm 23 oh I'd love to see 24, knocking on anyone's door, who could ask for more? '

The chorus, 'Pipe dreams to sink around the town', is an ideal song right now, they have vocalised the youth attitude hundreds of people are experiencing at the moment. With finding work being harder than ever. Every Tom, Dick and Harry feels it their obligation to tell young people, that they feel sorry for them trying to embark upon a career now. This track is almost an anthem for a generation of lost souls. Despite them maybe just intending this to be about where they are from, it can be generalised to anywhere and let's people know that they aren't alone.

The song is narrated by both male and females vocals, with subtle Scottish accent similar to Idlewild but not as strong or brash as Glasgow mumblers the View. The song and accent gets stronger towards the end, where the song get a taste and rock and dabbles with drums. The build up of the song, like the feeling of 'Pipe Dreams' being unachievable, mirrors the frustration that people feel in that position.

At the beginning the desolate feeling of the track, sounds downtrodden and you understand what they mean when they say lacking in Vitamin D but towards the end somebody must have opened the curtains, because they more than perk up.

I am keen to see what Letters have next and how else they will speak to the masses

De Staat

De Staat - Sweatshop

Reading that De Staat, have been described as Holland's number 1 Alt Rock band, filled me with dread! Would I be listening to a bad Rammstien sounding band (I am aware they are German and these are Dutch)? Or something I could liken to Lordi (The 2006 Finnish Eurovision rockers) but luckily they were none of those things.

De Staat have a long string of accolades, of which they have acquired quickly, 'Holland's No 1 alt Rock band', their record being named as being one of the best of 2010 and on top of all of that they are critically acclaimed.

Like a lot of songs that increasingly are emerging in 2011, De Staat's stand out, not bowing to the idea that rock/indie/alt is a dying genre, but bringing something interesting back to music.

With guitar riffs, radio interference and a range of vocals this band are a lot of fun. To me this band are camp music , 'Carry On Rocking'. A song that is so full of different sounds, bizarrely deep voices and cow bells, is hard to take seriously. When you listen you aren't too sure whether it is brilliant or just very different.

The band are similar to Eagles of Death metal and particularly similar to Electric Six, in their songs subjects, band line-up and arrangements of music in the songs.

The song 'Sweatshop' opens with a riff similar to the Girls Aloud's debut single 'Sound of the Underground', before slipping into a tight drum beat and a strange cackling sound from one of the band hinting that it's a sinister song.

Although this is quite a messy sound the music is well constructed the movement of guitar notes within verses, reflect the tone of the singing, and create the sound of a struggle, adhering to the song theme.

The variety of vocals, drum up a story-telling effect, from the lead singer "I've been working all damn day in the sweatshop, It'll feel like i'm dying but I won't stop", to the member of the band with the extremely deep voice, "I've been going all the way in my tank top, I don't mind cos I be looking fine!" and then finally to the female voice ,"I've been burning in the window of the sweatshop, I've been running for some hours but I won't stop". The song moves you along with it, using each verse and a small simple story. A song with the lyrics, " Doing hard labour going to grow a lot of wheat, wheat". Shouldn't be catchy but it is.

Not only is there a quirky song and sound but a strange video that runs along side it. It opens with a thick bead of sweat running down someone's forehead, to workers in Victorian clothing excercising in a gym being watched in a big brother environment, to a muscle bound gent exploding at the end.

They can be compared to: Electric Six, Eagles of Death Metal, Queens of the Stone Age and Even Dee-Lite

The song is out on March 7th on Cool Green Recordings/ Mascot Label.

I've caught Minaj Fever

Oh-a-o oh-a-o. Oh dear it's happened I have jumped well and truly with two feet on to the band wagon.

I first saw Miss Minaj on Perez Hiltons blog, in a picture with Katy Purry, my first thought who is this Lady Gaga carbon copy who people are constnatly mentioning. Her hair

was a candy floss pink and she was accessorised with a permanent pout making kooky Katy look really quite normal standing next to her.

The next time I saw her, her white blonde locks looked as though they had been coloured in with green felt tip paint, wearing a coral bodice with bejewelled ribs, halloween chic? Again where had this Lady GaGa Katy Perry spawn come from.

After speculating judging this book by her cover, I finally listened to her sing.

While perusing the internet for celebrity gossip I saw a headline saying something along the lines of, "Chezza Features on song with Will.I.am and Nicky Minaj", despite normally steering away from Cole news curiousity killed the Cat (ha!) and I watched the video....

The fashionista sunglass clad audience screamed GaGa, the Asian introduction was Gwen and the sample of The Buggles just made me want to be able to raise an eyebrow. But then she began to rap and that was one thing I didn't see coming.

It was refreshing I hadn't seen a female quirky rap artist that had clicked with me, since Lisa Left Eye Lopez. Like Lisa she wasn't afraid to don the drag style make up, tilt her head child-like at the camera and not take herself too seriously.

The song is clever, it has the ability to appeal to both rap and pop audiences. Not only that the layered effect of the song also makes the song 3d, the base of The Buggles/Cheryl Cole, the clap of the beat, Nickis' & Wills' raps and bridges and the chorus. Audiences can chose which hooks will stick with them or be stuck with all. There's "oh-ah-o, oh-ah-o" , "I can't believe it, it's so amazing...(etc)" or "Check it out , check it out , check it out".

Will.I.am and his crusade to get Cheryl to the U.S. strikes again plunking her in the video, in a bodice, leggings and Rupunzel length hair, repeating the chorus, that's one way to get her stuck into the membrane.

Not only does Minaj have the wardrobe, wigs, make-up, rhythm and title of Will.I.am's protege but she's can sing! As she proved on 'Check it out' but on th

e album, 'Pink Friday'.

The album Pink Friday shares it's title with a mac make-up promotion, where incidentally a Minaj lipstick was selling and sold out before anyone could 'check it out', later placed on ebay selling

for over fifty pounds! The debut album has already caused a storm and that was proved when Nicki was mobbed by fans earlier this week when she flew into the UK.

The track, 'Save Me', is a change from the hardened rap or the commercial pop. This slow tempo plea, is placed on a modern track that you might hear liquid footed Neyo crooning along too. In this journey you are provided of the imagary of a lost girl aimlessly driving and singing to an absent partner.

Projecting the image of urban independent woman lyrics such as , " you gave me strength, gave me hope for a lifetime" are ones you wouldn't think would to be penned to this album.

The chorus ," This time won't you save me, baby I can feel myself giving up", and the tender verses show, that this is not just the run of the mill, soppy song but Nicki showing a vulnerability which may be unexpected.

The verses are complimented by a note that could be compared to a digital teardrop and a simple piano tune, not only are the lyrics raw but the tune as well.

Other songs on Pink Friday go in a different direction from Save Me, rapping lines that are not just punchy and dangerous but witty and current. Rhymes in the raps are clever and entertaining not just there through sake of convenience.

'Roman's Revenge' is a probably the grimiest track on the album, full of rage, and providing a window for Eminem go back to his glory days as Shady. His appearance on the album is the sort of performance that you would expect, to appear on albums such as Slim Shady LP and Marshall Mathers LP. Bringing him back to true form where he attacks your ears and places shady back on your radar.

Nicki Minaj, is not a girl to be reconed with her cocksure attitude is made more dangerous by the pace and content rhymes, and if that isn't enough this lady manages to leave Eminem in the dirt.

At the end of the track you might want to listen out for a TERRIBLE English accent. She may have been taking her English lessons from Dick Van Dyke!

Throughout the majority of the songs on Pink Friday, she sings of her life struggle,

which might be tired theme in rap, but it sells records and shows passion, letting fans know where artists have come from. Songs where this is particularly evident are 'Dear Old Nicki'. Where future Nicki sings to past Nicki about where she is now.

A existential song where she is looking at herself and whether she has gone in the right direction, without forgeting who she was and how she has helped herself get to where she wants to be.

Pink Friday is a great album, even if you aren't a rap fan it might be worth a listen with effective use of samples such as Eurythmics, and Simple Minds, creative lyrics and attitude, Nicki is just proving she is not just another rap artist that will disappear into the ether!

Dueting with names such as Kanye, Eninem, Drake (please just tell Ri-Ri her name?!) and Rihanna show that Minaj isn't scared to play with the big boys and giwls!

The Guilty Hands

I hear guilty hands and immediately think of fidgeting, drumming of finger tips or maybe someone has got bored and drawn a guilty looking smiley on their hands. This imagery certainly didn't give me an expectation of the band.

If you are bored of routine music, an album where tracks could easily be confused for each other, or just want to experience something new? Definitely listen to Guilty Hands.

This is an album where no track is the same, and because of this it is hard to pigeon hole this group as every track could be classed as one, two or even three genres.

The Guilty Hands album - Desire on a Short Leash, is good news to music fans who might be wrestling with the question is rock dead? A question that was posed by a Guardian Journalist last week, which made rock fans, DJs such as, Zane Lowe and You Me at Sixer, Josh Franceshi take to social networking site Twitter, to scratch their heads and respond to this question, "rock is dead??" (Zane Lowe) and "Rock is dead...better find a new job then" (Josh YMAS). The Guilty Hands are not only resuscitating the bland indie-rock genre but modifying it.

The band were able to record this album with help from independent reviewers who voted for them to win a competition on slicethepie.com, they beat hundreds of other acts and were given £15,000 to record the album, Desire on a Short Leash.

This album is so eclectic, that there is almost a schizophrenic feel to it at times, with every track being completely different and slightly more twisted than the last, you're gripped.

They proudly do not conform to the indie genre stereotypical conventions and have proven this in their debut album.

Straying away from ordinary song themes lost love etc. The Guilty hands have written songs about people strolling through graveyards, deals with the devil, drowning and many more macabre themes. Despite these themes, the album will not leave you depressed but intrigued as to how they ever came to bring these ideas to life.

In the opening track of Desire on a Short Leash, 'Razor', you are met with the sound of scissors cutting, a sound clip on a loop before kicking into the song heavily led by guitar before trailing into an electro sound. This is one of the best tracks on the album, the hooks are sure to be spinning around your head for days . This is a song about identity, that as dark as it might first appear is actually about rebels shaving their hair in a bid to be an anti-conformist and find who they really are.

One of the stand out tracks on the album is 'Guilty Hands' , a song that kicks in sounding like a soup of Lola Ray, Temper Trap and Placebo (which is no bad thing!). With highly descriptive lyrics, and the pace constantly building, shooting into a faster beat, this song is the most energetic on the album. The technique of masking a song with an upbeat bed of music is interesting because you might fail to notice that this song is slightly masochistic, a song about someone wanting their masseur to give them more pain.

'Up On the Hill (No.42)' , has already found success, probably the one of the most eerie tracks on the album and again another memorable one. The song that is about a suspected child abuser setting himself alight, is being used on NCIS advert. Despite the disturbing theme of the song it is quite a powerful track, with the most repititive hooks of all the album.

The continual change in direction and pace of the album keeps you as the listener on your toes and thoroughly entertained.

This should be a mess but it isn't.

Aspects of these songs sound like: Muse, Placebo, Lola Ray, Hoosiers, H*I*M , AFI, Kasabian, Mighty Boosh, AFI, Nightmare of You, Temper Trap, Futureheads, Band of Horses, Avalanches, Louis XIV.

Love Music Hate Racism ?

Good, me too. Anyway so another compilation was released last year for this very cause, but, as per usual in 2010 I was slow on the uptake and missed out on this little diddy.



The E.P. is on R*E*P*E*A*T* records who intend to; "Kick against pricks". Love Music Hate Racism aims to send a big middle finger to those who live a racist way of life. We're living in a society where unfortunately there are still people living here, who are small minded, BNP a prime example of the people that this CD and the cause wants to stick thousands of middle fingers up to.

This E.P. Love Music Hate Racism features 19 track new blood Indie tracks from talent in Southern England. This e.p. for the price of the single is similar to the edgy stand out music you would be likely to hear landscaping a skins episode.

Personal favourites on the E.P.
Glory Glory - Love for Love, a perfect song summing up teenage love. With the shouting fiesty female singer, and echo backing shouters takes you to straight to a fuzzy student night out.

The Shills - Sweet Inertia, is a pleasant sobering track that, easy listening and its best.

Ten City Nation - Hidden Shadows - Similar to early music produced by the Subways with less Charlotte and More Billy. Another angst full teenage song.


The bands on these album are not just standing up for this cause but for themselves and showing what they can do.

I'm Your Significant Other

Well I'm not, but, that's what the Ideals front man Andrew Major is telling you. The Ideals, a band hailing from the Big Smoke,claim to enjoy subversion and people watching, then turning these musings into music. As well as a slanted look on the world they have some friends in semi high places, Pete Doherty and Raouls' friends The Automatic.

The Ideals, Significant Other, is a slightly sinister look at a break-up or a relationship going through stormy weather. The opening lyrics, "That's me when you're sleeping. I'll be watching from the knee, and if you hear a little voice in the back of your head, well that's me and I'll be screaming your name", sets the slightly creepy feel to this catchy alternative tune.

The song backed up by a guitar heavy upbeat sound, coupled with the dark lyrics makes it an anger filled anthem, that people will be shouting back at the band in no time.

The track is essentially a man in pain from a bad breakup, listing how he feels and voicing not only pain but anger and not just sitting down drowning his sorrows!

This tune is 2011's throwback to Police's 1983 hit Every Breath You Take, a song about Divorce often confused with a tender love song. This is particularly reminiscent in the chorus to 'Significant Other', "And if you're falling down the street in your see-through dress, and you feel the dark footsteps i'm your significant other".

This song is easy to listen to and like, reinventing the 2007 Indie sound echoing band such as; The Editors and White Lies.

Listen Here : http://soundcloud.com/soundandvisionpr/ideals-significant-other-master

Full CD release 28th February