Music feature and review

ENTERTAINMENTFriday December 10 - Friday December 17 2010

EXPOSURE Kingston’s hottest up-and-coming talent

Home-grown talent tackles America

Rocky, Jerome, Rory and Dan taking time out of rehearsal for a promo shoot

HAVING been together for six years, Kingston’s own band Anison have gone from being relatively unknown to securing a record contract with American label Spectra Records.

The band formed 10 years ago by singer Dan Frau and bassist Rocky Wadhawan and since then the four-piece have worked hard playing all over the country.

Rocky said: “It was pretty easy to start a band as no one else played music around us.

“We have literally played all the venues Kingston has to offer.

“The Fighting Cocks has al-ways treated us well but we’ve also played the New Slang night in which we supported The Boxer Rebellion.”

With infl uences ranging from Radiohead to JS Bach their sound is described as a cascade of synth and guitar-heavy magic that on the one hand dazzles you with its depth and on the other makes you swoon over its simplicity.

It is a combination that has not only seen them support the likes of Zane Lowe but gain airplay on Ra-dio One and XFM.

The band is set to record an al-

bum for their American label in 2011 with a mini-tour of the States to follow.

Having already released two singles in the UK, which can be downloaded on iTunes, the band are thankful for the opportunity they have been given.

Dan Frau, vocals and guitar, said: “We’ve been lucky with our label in America who have given us a chance to create an album, and we’re grateful for that.”

With the rise of reality talent shows Anison know there is a lot of competition out there and feel it is harder than ever to get signed.

Rocky said: “In the current mu-sic scene, because of the various media elements that are available, it’s easier to get attention.

“There are so many more oppor-tunities to reach a worldwide audi-ence than there used to be.”

However, they feel that sites such as YouTube and shows such as X-Factor have caused problems for those struggling to get recognised.

Dan said: “It creates a lot of bad competition where manufactured bands and artists are signed not be-cause of their genuine talent but be-cause of their entertainment value.

“Take Wagner in this year’s X-Factor or Chico or Jedward, the list is endless. The unfortunate reality is that musical ability has been re-placed by the concept of stop, look and laugh at this idiot for a few weeks.

“This detracts from the really

good stuff that’s out there and that often gets overlooked by labels.

“It’s sad to think of the bands that we’ve missed out on simply be-cause a label doesn’t see the profi t-ability of a band.”

Anison’s next gig is at The Fight-ing Cocks on December 16 with

support from mistakes.in.animation and Gin Panic.

For more information about the band and their up-and-coming gigs head to their website: www.anison.co.uk

By Aimee Davis

18

MUSIC REVIEWS The latest albums to hit our sound waves

BRUNO Mars has surprised us all with a diverse collection of genres in his new album Doo Wops & Hooligans.

The talented artist has dropped his youthful and idealistic theme and has expanded his music selec-tion with a bit of rock to shake up the album.

The fi rst track on the al-bum Grenade sets a sensu-al tone with a mix of drum-ming pop and R’n’B style.

Mars targets his main au-dience - girls - as he pours his soul into his lyrics, each painting him as a heartbro-ken victim of romance.

The lead single, also a UK number one, Just the Way You Are, leaves every girl falling in love with the

man behind the lyrics and hoping that their boyfriend sings “I like you just the way you are” to them.

With an infl uence from Damien Marley Liquor Store Blues has a reggae tone and is one of the best tracks on the album. The mixture of a chilled out beat with Bruno’s emotional vocals leave you feeling

connected to the song. They always say leave the best

to last, which Bruno Mars has done with The Other Side.

The song features Cee-Lo and B.o.B and alone is worth waiting for.

This album is a successful start-ing point for Bruno Mars as he

proves he can perfect any genre of music thrown at him, unlike those who make a liv-ing out of auto-tune.

By Joanna Zambas

Doo Wops & Hooligans is out January 24

The Hawaiian hooligan

7/10

Failing to fl owTHE CYNICAL relationship be-tween rap and dance has benefi t-ted Flo Rida in the past, but the party-starter’s third studio al-bum, Only One Flo (Part 1) fails to deliver the polished sound of his previous club hits like Low and Right Round.

Flo’s attempt to sneak otherwise tedious material onto our airwaves is led by the platinum-selling sin-gle Club Can’t Handle Me, pro-duced by renowned music maker David Guetta.

But, despite the success of this single, the majority of this eight track album is masked with heavy dance elements that confi rm the rapper’s lack of ideas and creativ-ity.

In a bid to establish himself as a hip hop artist with a mainstream

fl avour, Flo’s effort on the low-key, R’n’B infl uenced Come With Me and the fun rhyming 80’s sam-ple on Turn Around (5,4,3,2,1), prove that the rapper does have the ability to produce great club music with his contemporary approach.

While his fl ow remains crisp and his lyrics tolerable, this short and not so sweet format can be described as a collection of auto-tuned, mushy raps that sees him taking a backseat to producers and guest features on the album.

By Shabana Adam

Only One Flo (Part 1) is out December 13

4/10

Bruno Mars liking you just the way you are Rex Features