Foo Fighters "Sonic Highways"

Sonic Highways

The newest album to hit the world from the ever-popular Foo Fighters was "Sonic Highways" which featured songs such as"Something from nothing", "Feast and the famine" and "Congregation". This album was long anticipated by many Foo fans including me. However, much like my opinion on the Arctic Monkeys' album "AM", I believe it was much hyped and did not deliver in the same way that I had hoped.



Style

 I felt that the majority of songs from the album were aimed at a much wider audience than their current loyal fans and as a result were lacking originality. I would point out on that, I did like most of the songs on the album; I just felt that they all had a similar vibe and that there was less virtuosity like there had been on older albums such as "In your Honour" and "There is nothing left to lose". I felt that the opening riff and vocals on "Something from nothing" sounded almost identical to "Skin and Bones" from their old discography but it remains a decent song due to the raw screams that Grohl employs later into the song and the heavily distorted guitar breakdown three minutes in. As I say however, I did like the album (probably because I am a loyal Foo Fighters fan) and would recommend it to everyone.

Success

The album reached number one in the albums chart in Australia, the US top alternative billboard chart, the US top hard rock albums, and the US top rock albums. The album also reached number two in the albums chart here in the UK with "Something from nothing" making it to number one in the UK singles chart too.


 In conclusion, the album was very successful and did well in the US and the UK and particularly in the Australian charts. I personally did enjoy the album and would happily listen to every song. My only complaints are that it had too few songs on the track list and the songs seemed to lack a certain originality that was evident in the Foo's earlier albums such as "There is nothing left to lose" and "In your Honour". Thus the album was successful and popular and therefore a good album and good work from the band.

Arctic Monkeys "AM"

Though the album is no longer new, it remains the newest album to be released by the Arctic Monkeys. I would like to give you all my personal review on the album and opinions on individual tracks taken from the album.

Style

"AM" saw a change of style for the Monkeys, particularly for the vocals of Alex Turner. It is particularly evident in certain tracks such as "No.1 Party Anthem" and "Vacuum cleaner" that Alex Turner wants his Indie-rock trademark style to be replaced with the crooning tenor style most commonly found in soft jazz. However, Turner's distinctive Northern accent remains and is a big part of what gives the Arctic Monkeys their signature sound. Furthermore, Matt Helders, the drummer, became a key part of each track of said album; providing falsetto harmonised vocals with those of Turner's new tenor crooner style. In addition, in my opinion, many of the songs on the new album sound very alike. As a guitarist myself, I can tell that this is because they are based around the same chords and notes. For example, "R U Mine?" and "Why'd you only call me when you're high?" are almost identical in their chord progression. Though much of a review is an opinion, that is a fact that cannot be denied.


Success

Despite my own and many other old fans slight disappointment in the album after all the hype, I believe It was one of the Monkeys' most popular and well-received albums. This is because there were a few high chart numbers from the album including "One for the Road" and "Do I wanna know?". In my opinion, the reason for the album being a top seller was that many new people were being introduced to the slightly softer on the ear and, though I loathe the word, "mainstream" tracks. So even if they hadn't previously listened to the Arctic Monkeys, they could still enjoy this new album which barely represents the Arctic Monkeys of old.

To summarise, "AM" was an incredibly successful and chart topping album but personally I don't think it really reflects the usual sound of the Arctic Monkeys. My personal favourite era of the Monkeys was the "Favourite worst nightmare" days and my favourite song was possible "Fluorescent adolescent"...or maybe "Teddy Picker". I did like a few of the songs on the album but I expected more on hearing the album for the first time.

*All images sourced from google images, I do not claim to own any rights

Zoom G1Next Guitar effects pedal

The Zoom G1Next is a combination effects pedal for the electric guitar. Zoom is a Japanese company but this particular model version was manufactured in China. In contrast to many traditional effects pedals that are devoted to one kind of effect such as phaser, overdrive, wah-wah, or reverb, the Zoom G1Next can replicate and imitate many kinds of sounds. The Zoom comes with two options in terms of power sources, a mains power cable or the use of four batteries for more portable ease. It does not come with any short quarter inch jack leads to connect it to your amplifier and so you will need to buy these separately. The Zoom also comes with an on-board tuner which is an invaluable addition.

Ease of use

The Zoom is very simple to use. Though there are hundreds of variations that can be made to sounds and effects, it has as few controls as possible. There are two dials, four buttons, and two pedals. This helps it keep its pretty classic look and also prevents it from appearing too technical and thus intimidating to slightly less experienced guitarists. Furthermore, If you are intimidated by the controls, you can simply twist the left dial to "play" and then you get the sounds labelled A, B, C, D 1-9.

Rhythm Machine

The Zoom has an on-board drum machine. This can be accessed and cycled by twisting the left dial to "Rhythm" and then using the left and right pedals to cycle through them. The tempo of any one of these beats can be adjusted and personalised by clicking the "bank up" button and then turning the right hand dial as desired. All beats are default set on 2.0 and the right dial allows for an almost unlimited adjustment of the tempo allowing the display to go down in decimal places, then, once you hit zero, from 100 down, and then into the negative minus numbers. Of course you are also able to speed up the tempo by turning the right hand dial the other way. You are also able to program the pedal to store the newly created rhythm beats and place them under their own patch name so that you may easily use them again.

Quality of sounds and Patches

The sounds produced from the Zoom G1Next are very high quality. There is a wide range of sounds that are available to use. These are all based on the sounds of famous artists but there is also the relatively easy option of creating your own patch through the use of the left dial and the two pedals. The available sounds range from heavy metal, to heavy reverb, to wah wah effect, to classic Brian May sounds, to Hendrix fuzz and so many more. The patches are all clean (respective to their effect) and the grounding static hum is minimal with a decent guitar.

Verdict
Overall, the Zoom is a smart investment and will allow you to replicate and imitate the sounds of particular artists or genres. It is relatively reasonable in price, ranging anywhere from £55-£85+ depending where you source it from. I have one of these and would recommend it to anyone considering getting a combination effects pedal.

Tanglewood TW460 SN (Hand crafted semi-acoustic guitar)

The Tanglewood TW460 SN is a hand crafted mid range semi-acoustic guitar model which is a cedar-top version of the TW400m. Tanglewood are known almost exclusively for their work with acoustic and folk style guitars and their best selling models are acoustics as well. Therefore, a lot of time is put into their individual construction in order to reach the level of perfection that is desired by manufacturers and consumers alike.

Sound

The TW460 is a beautifully crafted instrument. The design allows for the unique light and ringing tone that it produces. In addition, the neck alignment, largely due to the truss rod, means that every fret gives you a crystal clear note. Furthermore, it is an excellent choice for anybody that intends to use the harp harmonics technique due to the very same point. Once amplified, the instrument loses none of its acoustic resonance nor its clean tone and works well for all genres but most notably for acoustic rock, blues, folk and jazz.

Design

The TW460 SN sticks to a simple but satisfying design. The neck is relatively thin so that it is more comfortable to formulate barre chords. This makes it easier for the guitarist to play. In contrast however, the lack of a cutaway on the body makes it rather difficult for the player to get much higher than the fifteenth fret, particularly whilst standing but this is probably due to the fact that the TW460 was made for acoustic music and therefore was not built to be used as a lead instrument.

Overall, the TW460 SN is a clean and lightly toned guitar and it would suit any style. I have this exact model and I am constantly complimented by friends who try it on how nice it sounds and feels. I agree with them as I believe it is one of the best semi-acoustic guitars I have ever played.