Flying On Clipped Wings

Metalcore might not be going through a renaissance at the moment, but there is most definitely an increase in bands willing to do interesting things with the style compared to even just 3 years prior in 2014. Among this new crop is a band from Liverpool by the name of Loathe, with a grimy, progressive, industrial hued take on the style. In the footsteps of Code Orange and Knocked Loose, Loathe have a dark foreboding atmosphere melded onto some of the filthiest riffs in the genre, yet they manage to make themselves distinguishable from the pack with a number of features. For one, they’re more indebted to nu metal than first wave metalcore, with this coming out in a number of ways. Like many UK metalcore bands, the vocals bear a strong influence from Sam Carter of Architects, yet the auditory violence of those screams blends well with some soaring cleans and robotic melancholy woven through the record. The dark textures that helped Slipknot stand above the pack are present here, w

2016 was a mixed year for music as a whole. While hip hop had one of its most diverse years and rock and metal had a great year, pop had a strange time. It was marked by a lot of stagnation, songs that weren’t that great getting obscenely high in the charts to stay there for longer than anyone really wanted, a peculiar languid, dour vibe hovering over many of the year’s biggest songs. However there were a few massive tunes released that year, here are some of my personal favourite hit songs. 1:  Ariana Grande - Into You: In a year where murky, moody R&B and tropical house dominated the charts, sometimes you just want a really good pop song. Something that may not be reinventing underground sounds for a mainstream palate or doing something radically different with what can constitute a pop song, but has an absolutely massive chorus. I could do my best Pitchfork writer impression and intellectualise all over the shop about why this is such a mighty tune but honestly it just spe