78 January 2014 www.bahrainthismonth.com downtimemusic Jake Bugg Shangri La RATING: WHAT’S THE STORY? When Jake Bugg first entered the mainstream, he proclaimed that his music countered the whole mass-produced pop stuff that The X Factor produced. The irony is that Bugg co-wrote a large proportion of the songs on his debut with a group of songwriters, including some who helped write tracks for Kylie Minogue. Now, the 19-year-old returns with an album named after the studio in which it was recorded, under the helm of Rick Rubin. There are enjoyable moments in terms of melodies on Shangri La. WORTH A LISTEN? The production on Shangri La reinforces the notion that Jake Bugg is, in a sense, manufactured. This is evident from the slight distortion of his vocals through to the crackling vinyl effects added to make the record as vintage and cool as possible. Unfortunately, the songs are disappointingly average. Bugg tries to carry on his grim lyricism about council estate life, but this seems out of place after his rise to stardom. It takes away the meaning which was present in his debut. Verdict: It does seem as if Bugg’s management is trying too hard to keep up the whole ‘ordinary guy’ image. The production is just too pretentious. TOP TRACKS: Slumville Sunrise and A Song about Love. One Direction Midnight Memories The latest record from One Direction sees them try to move away from their clean-cut image to something more edgy (and I use the term lightly). What we’re left with is what can only be described as teen tracks, only really appealing to people below 16 years of age. Robbie Williams Swing Both Ways Williams’ last swing record sold over two million copies when it was released back in 2001, which was more than any other Williams solo project. The return to this format would seem to be very lucrative indeed. For the most part, it’s cheesy and annoying. Gary Barlow Since I Saw You Last The latest from Take That star and The X Factor judge Gary Barlow is much as you’d expect it to sound — rather dull. There’s maybe one enjoyable song, but the rest of the tracks are pretty much wetter than the Atlantic Ocean. ALBUM OF THE MONTH The Great British Sound From The Beatles, Led Zeppelin to The Smiths, to name a few, the United Kingdom has given us some truly great music. Here’s some of the latest!
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