AWARD NIGHTS SHOW OFF SURREY'S TALENT - University of ...

Music Editor: Sophia Field | Copy Editor: Megan Barnacle
“U-NeaK” – The New Dance
Music Act at Surrey University
Watch out, folks! “U-NeaK” –
the University of Surrey’s
home-grown commercial dance
music act – have just had their
launch night in The Living Room
on 5th May, and have recently
been confirmed on the new
Dance Music Society committee
2012/2013, meaning they’ll be
putting on eclectic nights ranging
between Ibiza Club, Trance,
Drum n’ Bass and Dubstep on
most Friday Flirt! nights at the
downstairs Union next term.
Not only that – they’ll be playing
some of their own original tracks,
and remixing tracks live.
So who are “U-NeaK”?
Beneath the ironic name is
By Rebecca Worley , Music Team
Away We Go, a quirky
independent film, has one of
the most beautiful soundtracks I
have heard in a very long time. And
I believe that this is for one reason:
nine of the thirteen tracks on
the album are by Alexi Murdoch.
A relatively elusive artist,
Murdoch was born in Scotland
and moved to Los Angeles, letting
essentially the entertaining
collaboration of Simon Rackham
and Shervin Althem. The two
Surrey students have been
actively song writing, DJ-ing and
producing in the studio, and have
recently taken their new single,
Hole In My Heart feat. Emma Barry,
to a London studio where the likes
of Pendulum and Chase & Status
have also had tracks produced.
After noticing a desire in Surrey
for an openly commercial yet
unique act, they have now felt
it time to set free their musical
ideas on the dance scene.
Together, the two boys have
over twenty years of songwriting
experience: they have worked
Alexi Murdoch: ‘Away We Go’
his sleepy folk sound seep into
the American music scene.
Generally, Murdoch underplays
his talent by only playing small
gigs and independently recording
and issuing his album Time
Without Consequence. His closest
brush with fame featured his
melancholy song Orange Sky
appearing on the popular show
The O.C, capturing viewers hearts
with its slow, sentimental sound.
with established producers
including Jud Friedman (Whitney
Houston), Ryan Bowser (Nelly),
and Andy Baldwin (Coldplay;
KT Tunstall). Simon even has a
family relation to Adrian Wright
– member of the BRIT-award
winning group, Human League,
who became successful for their
Number 1 winning single, Don’t
You Want Me Baby.
The duo will be working
hard this summer to perfect their
craft both in the studio and in the
world of DJ’ing. Keep your eyes
peeled for a dance music act to
look out for!
His music features himself on
acoustic guitar, with subtle beats
underneath, finished off with
his rasping vocals tinged with a
Scottish accent. His music just
epitomises beautiful simplicity.
If you’re a fan of Bon Iver or Ben
Howard, Alexi is definitely worth
a listen. I can promise you won’t
be disappointed.
The Stag | 8 th May 2012
Sophia Field
Music Editor
MUSiC 27
i cannot believe this time has come already!
i have had the most fantastic experience
being Music Editor of The Stag this year. it
has changed and improved my university
experience immensely and helped me secure
the placement i am off on next month. i would
like to thank Paul A Richmond for all his
wonderful work laying up the section, Megan
Barnacle for copy editing the section and all of
the writers who have been so enthusiastic and
have provided excellent variations of articles.
i hope you all grab some welly boots and go to
some amazing festivals this summer. Finally,
here are three artists you should definitely
take a listen to: Alabama Shakes, James Vincent
McMorrow and Alex Clare. Bye for now!
REVIEW: Lostprophets - ‘Weapons’
By Tom Goulding, Deputy Editor
Lostprophets recently
commented that their music has
“staying power”, before adding they
would like to bring “emotion and
message” back to music. Since their
debut Thefakesoundofprogress hit
the airwaves over a decade ago, the
old guard of nu-metal has time and
again proven their ability to shift
records. Not content with smashing
the transatlantic barrier with Start
Something (2004) and Liberation
Transmission (2006), in 2010 they
returned with The Betrayed, their
most accomplished album to date.
In contrast, Weapons is a curious
blip on an otherwise upward
trajectory for the boys from
Pontypridd. At its best, the album
conveys the same fury and bombast
that rocketed their previous efforts
to platinum success; stalwart
monolith Bring Em’ Down and singalong
anthem We Bring An Arsenal
pack an opening punch, while the
resounding chorus of Better Off
Dead, ‘I’d rather die on my feet/
than ever live on my knees’ is a
rallying cry to arms, brimming
with defiance, angst and idealism.
Yet despite an urgent
denouncement of political apathy,
there is a frustrating sense that
we have been here before. Where
The Betrayed brought innovation,
atmosphere and a newfound
maturity, Weapons is undermined
by pop filler, at times resembling
the forgotten refuse of Liberation
Transmission. For every Rooftops
inspired Jesus Walks, there is the
plodding tedium of Another Shot and
Heart on Loan, which fail to make an
impact.
This is by no means an
unnecessary compilation of
B-sides; Weapons is fun, loud and
extremely listenable. Yet its lack of
substance, on top of its inability to
break new territory, is a worrying
development from a band that
has never before shown signs
of growing stale. Lostprophets’
continued determination to
reinvigorate chart music is
admirable, however this is not the
album to do it.