A Hint Of The Future

Sinners Never Sleep - You Me At Six

With two albums already on the table and an ever swelling fanbase, You Me At Six are obviously doing something right, so you would expect album three would deliver more of the same. Well, you’d be wrong.

     Sinners Never Sleep could be seen as the ‘transitional phase’ in the bands career – the stepping stone to where they want to head in the future. Although album openers Loverboy and Jaws On The Floor are the typical perky, poppy delights we are used to hearing from the band, it is Bite My Tongue which shows the first signs of You Me At Six establishing a harder, rock sound. Singer Josh Franceschi delivers the vocals in a harsh, cut-edge manner, delivering the lines aimed for his bandmates “I might be proud, but at least I’m proud of something / You’ve taken pride in becoming nothing” with bitter angst. The guest vocals (or perhaps ‘shouts’ would be the more appropriate phrase here) from Oli Sykes do seem rather pointless, as Josh manages convey his anger perfectly without needing to raise his voice, much like in the equally resentful track Little Death. It seems Josh has developed quite the acid tongue on this album, which is strangely nice to see – it makes a change from songs about parties and girls anyway. But it is obvious the guest appearances’ from Oli and Winston McCall on Time Is Money are an attempt to show the band is heading in a new direction, away from the restraints of their poppy past.

     The band have been wise however to make their musical evolution in a transitional step, so that the essence of You Me At Six is still undeniably there. Abandoning their past completely would have been rather a rash move, so you could say Sinners Never Sleep has the best of both worlds really. Songs Reckless and No One Does It Better are sure to be a hit with die-hard fans, whilst slower numbers Little Bit Of Truth and Crash really show how the band have grown and matured into truly respectable musicians. But it is the last song on the album, The Dilemma, which shows the band at their best. It is probably their most revolutionary song, with its infectious rhythm and its witty, intelligent lyrics, sung with a rather tongue-in-cheek manner which, to be frank, is rather charming really.

     Sinners Never Sleep gives us a hint of the future for You Me At Six. It is the start of their revolution as a respectable rock band, and with the maturity demonstrated in these songs, lyrically in particular, there is no denying that they are on the right track.

**As seen in The Motion Online**

What's Worth More?

I Divide - What's Worth More?

If you’re a rock fan looking for some new music to liven up your iPod then I Divide could be the band to fit the bill. Their new mini-album, What’s Worth More, ticks all the boxes: it’s fun, it’s lively, and it’s so darn catchy that you might have difficulty turning it off.

     For a mini-album, it is far from mini in volume. Kicking off with the musical Introduction, the band gradually build the tempo, allowing the momentum to rise before launching into first single release, The Arrival. This song has all the elements of a power rock anthem with its incessant driving guitars, and the chant-worthy chorus “we are alive,” which is sure to be a hit in a live setting. This Ship’s Going Down, Burning Out and Déjà Vu are also stand out tracks with their explosive energy, and pop-rock vibes, giving this album a sense of fun and vibrancy.

     But don’t be misled by these pop-rock elements because on the whole, I Divide are actually rather a heavy band. The rhythm section has a definite ‘boom’ to it, which can easily be likened to fellow British rock band, Young Guns, and singer Thomas Kavanagh delivers each song with such aggressive force that it’s clear this band really want to make themselves heard – and they’re going to make damn sure you listen.
     With the inclusion of an Introduction and an Interlude, the band give the album a story-like feel, which serves to create a sense of magnitude and grandeur (clever really). Indeed it is only during these brief musical interludes that listeners are given chance to catch their breath, as the rest is undeniably full-steam-ahead. It is this inescapable energy and force that makes What’s Worth More so exciting, and if the band’s performance in their music video The Arrival is anything to go by, their live performance meets the standards set in the studio. So keep an eye out for these guys, they’re certain crowd pleasers.

Here from the boys themselves...

Hello! So how are you guys doing at the moment?

“We’re doing really well at the moment. We’re currently in the rehearsal room preparing for our debut UK/Scotland tour.”

How did you come together as a band, and where did the name I Divide come from?

“We all formed from all ex-local bands. We all had the same passion to carry on making music and wanting to succeed in the industry. The name came from a song title, which we thought sounded good. To be honest there is no meaning behind the name.”

Can you describe your musical sound?

“Our sound is energetic, heavy based guitar riffs/licks, mixed with melodic hooks and harmonies with a thirst of wanting more.”

You’ve just recorded your new album What’s Worth More. Can you tell us a little bit about it? What are the stand-out tracks for you?

“The CD was recorded in Guildford at Sharptooth studios. It’s a 9 track mini album which is in your face action, with some slow melodic sections to break things up a little too. We spent over the last year working on the material for the release. As we wanted it to be the best it could be at this time as I Divide. The most stand out tracks for us has to be… ‘Burning out’ and ‘What’s worth more’. They all have their own meaning. But these songs are a little bit more to us on this record.”

Can you tell us a bit about the writing process? Do you write the songs together, or do you each have specific roles?

“The writing process generally starts off with a rough basis of a guitar riff/lick via Henry or Josh. We would then take that and build upon it adding Drums/bass and taking away parts we feel don’t work in the song. We would then add vocals at the end. Although sometimes songs come together the other way round, or sometimes when we have a mess around, it sometimes leads to the phrase of “Hey! i actually like this, let’s try this for a new song.”

Who are your biggest musical influences as a band?

“Musically, when we were writing this record, a band called Sleeping with Sirens was a major influence to us.”

You’re going to be heading out on tour across the UK in mid-October, what can fans expect from these shows?

“We are so excited to be going on tour, some of us have never been to places on this tour. But as a whole the 5 of us are ready to get on the road and show our fans what we’re all about. We can’t wait to meet our fans on the road. Were playing with some amazing bands too, so were stoked for that as well.”

After the tour, what have you got planned to do next?

“Sleep will be on the cards. We’ll be planing on pre-production for our next video for our next single “Burning out” and we are in talks of recording for a double A side for 2012 with touring coming alongside for the next few months.”

**As seen in The Motion Online**

Sweet Sweet Melodies

The Narcoleptic Dancers - Never Sleep

The formation of The Narcoleptic Dancers is certainly an interesting one. The Dutch-French half brother and sister duo, who were born ten years apart and in different countries, came to be united at their father’s funeral. It was during this unlikely meeting, which I’m sure came as quite an extraordinary surprise, that the pair discovered a shared passion of music. And so The Narcoleptic Dancers were born.

     The folksy-pop album is a jolly collection of catchy, infectious songs, with irresistible beats and charm. The sweet, gentle melodies make for easy listening, and give this album a feel-good, relaxed ambiance. Indeed the light summery vibes make it easy to describe Never Sleep quite plainly as ‘happy music.’ Singer Melody Van Kappers delivers the songs in slightly mystic, husky manner, giving the album a rather eerie, hypnotic sound, particularly in breezy pop number Sweet And Soft. One thing has to be said for the singling though; it never changes tone. It is hard to discern any kind of emotion on this album, as each and every song is delivered in the same soothingly hypnotic manner. It’s all a bit monotonous really – let’s just say a change of key wouldn’t go amiss every now and again.

     Opening song and first single, Not Evident, is a bouncy, hand-clapping sort of tune – a bit of a ditty you could say. Plus the constant cries of “la la la la” are sure to get anyone, willing or otherwise, singing along to these infections beats. Similarly, the electro-pop Dusty Cowboy and acoustic folksy number Unique Tree are both delightfully upbeat, and are sure-fire toe-tappers that may leave listeners wanting to jig along. However, the sickly sweet manner in which these songs are delivered can begin to grain after a while, and the repetitive nature of the tunes does start to infuriate by the end. I guess you could say The Narcoleptic Dancers aren’t for everyone.

     With their fresh and original style, The Narcoleptic Dancers certainly stand out. Their quirky, folk-pop makes a pleasant change from what we are used to hearing, and their light, cheery melodies are certainly appealing. Although it has to be said that these sugar-coated, carefree child-like sing-alongs can become rather irritating after a while, and the repetitive tendencies are likely to take permanent residence in your brain and drive you insane. But for a bit of a pick-me-up, these perky poppy delights are sure to do the trick.


**As seen in The Motion Online**