Spring Offensive's cover of Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" is fantastic

Spring Offensive put out a fun cover for Drake's "Hold On, We're Going Home" song a month back on YouTube and I have to say it's great.  I'm going to sound crazy ignorant for a moment here but I had never come across the original prior to hearing the Spring Offensive version(yes, I live under a rock it seems).  I had to backtrack and then listen to Drake's original version after that listen.

Honestly, I think the original song is just ok by Drake and the video is extremely violent for no reason.   Anyhow, Spring Offensive have invented a fresh sounding song from a rather ordinary pop R&B song.  I think it's pretty cool when an indie band takes a crack at a pop hit and actually makes the song their own.

And for those not familiar with Spring Offensive, I highly recommend you picking up their album Young Animal Hearts.  If you like Zulu Winter and The Maccabees, you will most definitely want to check out this album. I think it's one of the year's best so far. "The River" is one of my personal favorite songs from this album.  It's the darkest track but I love the imagery.   This is a must buy for any guitar-brit-rock fan.

Embrace comeback with a familiar sound on their new album

I have a soft spot for Britpop and Embrace was one of the better bands in that genre in the early 2000s.  They had an easy sound with plenty of positivity and charm to make them likable.  I wondered what they would sound like after taking a long break.  I don't have to wonder any longer because their self-titled new album dropped last week and it's Embrace as I remembered them with a bit of electro-pop mixed in.

"Follow You Home" is their newest single and it's probably the song that most reminds me of my favorite Embrace album "Out Of Nothing."  It's the pure positive anthem I can see being played in the next Premier League TV intro.  It's arena ready with a catchy chanting chorus.  Not sure why Danny McNamara got a Steve Perry haircut.  Am I alone in thinking that?  Or is it more late 90's Bon Jovi haircut?

"Refugees" was the first single from the new LP.  I like the mix of electronica at the beginning colliding with their traditional Brit-pop rock sound.  This is the best hybrid in sound from this album showcasing both their more synth electronic sound with their traditional rock roots.

My verdict for this album is positive.  If you like Brit-pop, then put this one in your rotation.  I'm not a  fan of Coldplay and for some reason Embrace have always been a bit more likable.  Maybe, it's because they seem less pretentious.  Just my personal taste.  For old Embrace fans, songs like "In The End" and "The Devil Looks After His Own" will keep you happy.  Good to hear the band back and recording new music for fans.

And for those not familiar with Embrace, here's "Ashes" from their album "Out Of Nothing."  These guys know how to create some good anthem pop rock.   This is probably their biggest hit to date.

Kishi Bashi shows range and growth with his new album Lighght

Kishi Bashi's first album 151a set a rather high benchmark for us fans.  It was gorgeous and emotional in it's approach and yet stripped back and personal.  Hard to achieve all that on one album but Kishi Bashi made it happen.  I personally played that album till the wheels came off.  I still listen to it at least once a month.  It's in that official rotation list for life I imagine.

Anyhow, let's get to Lighght.  It's at times a bit more poppy than the first album.  Maybe it's the use of a  bit more electronica in his compositions.  It's a fantastic album.  I know I'm a bit biased because I loved his first album so much. He would have to really drive that train off the rails for me to jump off the Kishi Bashi bandwagon and he most definitely doesn't here.

Lighght is more lush in sound than 151a.  I think there's definite growth and some good range on this album.  "Hahaha Pt. 1" and "Pt.2" have such great soundscapes you can really get lost in all the layers.  

The song that kicked off this album a year ago is "Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It." I had a previous post about the song as a original single created for an advertisement.  I'm sure every ad company would be thrilled to have a talent like Kishi Bashi composing an original piece for their product.  This is so damn happy, you can't help but have a massive smile when you listen to it.  Certified ear-crack twice over.

I know I made the claim he's a bit more electronica on this album.  That was a bit of an overstatement. There are only a few tracks that have that vibe and his newest single "The Ballad of Mr. Streak" happens to be one of them.  It's a great attempt to make something more electronica and thumping.  It has a bit of a Passion Pit vibe but with a good amount of violins layered in.  This album is perfectly timed for that great summer fun vibe.  A must buy to start the summer.