A Balcony Scene - New Stuff!
Scottish pop rockers A Balcony Scene bring a bit of sunshine into our lives with the release of the new EP Why We Move.
The song Atmosphere has a catchy start, it's the kind of song that will go down well at one of their live shows as people will recognise the start instantly. The melody however didn't really work for me, it confused me a little as it seemed to go off tangent in some places. The song does have some great guitar riffs that will go down well with crowds.
Oh, Mother for me was my favourite out of the two. The melody seemed a lot clearer here and I liked the use of piano adding the pop element. The lyrics of this song were very heartfelt, they seem to tell the story of a mum and dad who are asked questions that they don't want to answer.
Overall a pretty good debut EP, it will be interesting to hear some more songs from them and perhaps a show.
For fans of Cantebury and The Futures
Words: Charlotte Whittingham
The song Atmosphere has a catchy start, it's the kind of song that will go down well at one of their live shows as people will recognise the start instantly. The melody however didn't really work for me, it confused me a little as it seemed to go off tangent in some places. The song does have some great guitar riffs that will go down well with crowds.
Oh, Mother for me was my favourite out of the two. The melody seemed a lot clearer here and I liked the use of piano adding the pop element. The lyrics of this song were very heartfelt, they seem to tell the story of a mum and dad who are asked questions that they don't want to answer.
Overall a pretty good debut EP, it will be interesting to hear some more songs from them and perhaps a show.
For fans of Cantebury and The Futures
Words: Charlotte Whittingham
A Balcony Scene
Gordon recently got in touch about the new EP from Glasgow based A Balcony Scene to see what we thought. Not yet released to the public, Young Hearts is the latest EP from this 5 piece pop rock band who have already set about taking the Glasgow scene by storm. Drawing influence from wherever they find it, this could well be something pretty special to behold – so I thought I’d best check it out!
Riots certainly seems to suggest good things from this EP, opening sounding uplifting and melodic, drawing on all of the elements of the band to form a sound which is both powerful and melodic at the same time. The sheer size of the noise is one of the most impressive things here, they manage to create a sound which fills the speakers, then the room, then your head, the whole time keeping things held back from becoming too heavy so as to accentuate the all out catchiness of the band. I know normally I go for the heavy stuff, but I really like this – it’s got that Angels And Airwaves style sound which manages to incorporate a sense of the ambient as well as the power of straight up rock music – it’s a carefully crafted sound and it works damned well.
Little Trend Setter continues this approach, once again throwing us into a sound which is full of hooks and moments which make you want to just sit back and listen. The vocals seem to soar over the backing track, taking on different levels at times but always keeping things there to be heard and combining with everything else to continue this melodic approach to rock. I don’t like the term ‘pop’ as I think it holds negative connotations – this is just catchy assed rock music and it’s that straight forward! Alyce seems to hold more clues as to the roots of the band, opening with a more rock like approach and turning into a track akin to Generator by the Foo Fighters – the guitars got that out there feel which just pulls you in. The sound here is once again restrained yet manages to capture the essence of the band, creating a sound which is huge and reliant on ability rather than the overdrive pedal or a producer – and it’s nice to hear it for a change. I like the progression on this track, it seems to move through movements as it builds, each section taking a slightly different approach to music but all the time keeping a sound which you could well imagine getting some serious airplay.
This One’s For You comes next and quite simply, is the track I’ve been waiting to hear. This track is an acoustic one, yet it oozes with melody and emotion, forming a moment on the EP which is going to simply sit you down and make you remember life, make you think of people you’ve known and moments which have gone by, quite simply it’s a masterpiece. Sure, there’s going to be those who say it might be cheesy, but personally I like the sound here and consider this a serious highpoint on the EP as a whole. All too soon we’ve reached the end though and we’re left with No One Ever Really Dies to close things off. As a final track, personally I’d have put this one at number 4 and number 4 at 5 if that makes sense, but that’s my own opinion on production! As a closing track this one once again returns us to the upbeat sounds of the band, once again capturing all of the elements of the band and crafting a sound which is going to pull you in, leave you breathless and craving more, I just don’t know that it closes the EP fully!
That said, maybe that’s the point of putting that track last, as the one thing I can say with certainty in closing is that I’ve been left wanting more, this is a band to keep an eye out. A Balcony Scene have taken a genre here which has been out there for as long as rock, but they’ve made it their own. The elements which the band have incorporated are balanced resulting in an EP which isn’t over bearing, isn’t over the top and doesn’t punish the ears, it simply takes you for a leisurely cruise around the block to the serene sounds of the band. More please!
To find out more about A Balcony Scene, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Riots certainly seems to suggest good things from this EP, opening sounding uplifting and melodic, drawing on all of the elements of the band to form a sound which is both powerful and melodic at the same time. The sheer size of the noise is one of the most impressive things here, they manage to create a sound which fills the speakers, then the room, then your head, the whole time keeping things held back from becoming too heavy so as to accentuate the all out catchiness of the band. I know normally I go for the heavy stuff, but I really like this – it’s got that Angels And Airwaves style sound which manages to incorporate a sense of the ambient as well as the power of straight up rock music – it’s a carefully crafted sound and it works damned well.
Little Trend Setter continues this approach, once again throwing us into a sound which is full of hooks and moments which make you want to just sit back and listen. The vocals seem to soar over the backing track, taking on different levels at times but always keeping things there to be heard and combining with everything else to continue this melodic approach to rock. I don’t like the term ‘pop’ as I think it holds negative connotations – this is just catchy assed rock music and it’s that straight forward! Alyce seems to hold more clues as to the roots of the band, opening with a more rock like approach and turning into a track akin to Generator by the Foo Fighters – the guitars got that out there feel which just pulls you in. The sound here is once again restrained yet manages to capture the essence of the band, creating a sound which is huge and reliant on ability rather than the overdrive pedal or a producer – and it’s nice to hear it for a change. I like the progression on this track, it seems to move through movements as it builds, each section taking a slightly different approach to music but all the time keeping a sound which you could well imagine getting some serious airplay.
This One’s For You comes next and quite simply, is the track I’ve been waiting to hear. This track is an acoustic one, yet it oozes with melody and emotion, forming a moment on the EP which is going to simply sit you down and make you remember life, make you think of people you’ve known and moments which have gone by, quite simply it’s a masterpiece. Sure, there’s going to be those who say it might be cheesy, but personally I like the sound here and consider this a serious highpoint on the EP as a whole. All too soon we’ve reached the end though and we’re left with No One Ever Really Dies to close things off. As a final track, personally I’d have put this one at number 4 and number 4 at 5 if that makes sense, but that’s my own opinion on production! As a closing track this one once again returns us to the upbeat sounds of the band, once again capturing all of the elements of the band and crafting a sound which is going to pull you in, leave you breathless and craving more, I just don’t know that it closes the EP fully!
That said, maybe that’s the point of putting that track last, as the one thing I can say with certainty in closing is that I’ve been left wanting more, this is a band to keep an eye out. A Balcony Scene have taken a genre here which has been out there for as long as rock, but they’ve made it their own. The elements which the band have incorporated are balanced resulting in an EP which isn’t over bearing, isn’t over the top and doesn’t punish the ears, it simply takes you for a leisurely cruise around the block to the serene sounds of the band. More please!
To find out more about A Balcony Scene, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
