Best Of 2012: #6

#6 - The Enemy - Streets In The Sky

So many people slag off The Enemy, and it's not hard to see why. However, if you're looking for simple, straight-up guitar tunes and not a wide amount of innovation (like me) you're not going to do much better than this album. They tried the innovation with previous album Music For The People, and it kind of worked, but it didn't really suit them. So this time, they've just gone into full-on rock mode for the majority of these songs. The first four tracks will all make you jump and dance around, playing an imaginary guitar. (Just me? Awkward...) And there are a few more like that later on in the album. But the highlights are the ones that change up a little bit. Those ones are epic build-up anthem This Is Real, the more acoustic-y 2 Kids, or the penultimate track Get Up And Dance, with its grand chorus 'You can't live on memories when memories fade...' In fact, the album has very few flaws... until the very final second of the album; where we find the most annoying thing on any album this year. Make A Man is a great song, make no mistake, but its ending is so, so bad. It just randomly stops, for absolutely no logical reason. I had to copy a chorus in to replace the sudden stop, repeat it and then fade it out, in order to make it better. And if I can create a better ending just copying and pasting, it's probably clear that the original one wasn't good to begin with. But that's really my only real problem with this album. The tunes are all there. Simplistic, straightforward guitar pop suits The Enemy.

RECOMMEND: Bigger Cages Longer Chains, This Is Real, Get Up And Dance
LOW POINTS: Like A Dancer, Make A Man

The Enemy Talk Through New Album

If you have Spotify and Facebook, you can hear The Enemy talk through their new album Streets In The Sky track by track, including 60-second (ish) clips, right here. Look out for the scathing overview of talent shows and the state of the charts at the moment as they talk through Turn It On - it's bang on!

Preview Streets In The Sky

30-second samples of The Enemy's upcoming album, Streets In The Sky, are now available on Amazon.co.uk. Have a listen here.

The album is due for release on 21st May, and has two singles already: Gimme The Sign, and Saturday.

The Enemy - Streets In The Sky

Artwork


Tracklist
01. Gimme The Sign
02. Bigger Cages (Longer Chains)
03. Saturday
04. 1-2-3-4
05. Like A Dancer
06. Come Into My World
07. This Is Real
08. 2 Kids
09. Turn It On
10. It's A Race
11. Get Up And Dance
12. Make A Man

The album will be released on 21st May.

Gimme The Sign has already been released as a free download single, and second single Saturday is set to follow soon.

This Is Real has been released to the internet in demo form. Along with the singles, it has been played live along with Bigger Cages (Longer Chains), 1-2-3-4, Like A Dancer and Come Into My World. Turn It On has also been played for a short acoustic Xfm session.

The Enemy Reveal Album Release Date

The Enemy have revealed that their third album, Streets In The Sky, will be released 21st May. The album follows their 2009 effort Music For The People, and will contain previously released free download single Gimme The Sign and the upcoming full single Saturday, along with more tracks which may or may not include: 1-2-3-4 Ready To Go, Turn It On, Make A Man, Bigger Cages Longer Chains, Come Into My World, Miss Behaviour and This Is Real, which was previously released as a demo.

The Enemy Announce Third Album Title

Another piece of Enemy news for you today... they have announced that their third album will be entitled Streets In The Sky. No other information yet, but tune in to Radio 1 at 19.30 (GMT) to hear the first single - and you can download it for free after from the band's website!

New Enemy Single Gets First Play

The new Enemy single, Gimme The Sign, will be making its debut on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show tomorrow (21st February) as his 'Hottest Record in the World'. Tune in at 19.30 (GMT) to hear it. The single is the first full song released from the band's upcoming third album, due out early summer or late spring this year.

Some New Enemy Tracks

If you're anxious to hear some new Enemy stuff, someone recorded all five new songs that the band played at a recent gig at S7ven in Coventry, all of which are set for inclusion on their third album, due out around May-June time. These songs were first single Gimme The Sign (due out very soon - the video was also filmed at this gig), Bigger Cages Longer Chains, Saturday, 1-2-3-4 Ready To Go and This Is Real (the demo of which was released sometime last year). Have a listen below; the quality is not great but you can still get the general idea:

GIMME THE SIGN


BIGGER CAGES LONGER CHAINS


SATURDAY


1-2-3-4 READY TO GO


THIS IS REAL

The Enemy Post Cryptic Countdown

The Enemy have posted a sort-of countdown (well, they typed some times in) on their Facebook page, which currently has no known purpose. The countdown is due to finish on Saturday 11th at 14:00 GMT. My guess is that it's the release of the free single they promised at the end of January. Either that or they're announcing the album. Go onto their page on Saturday to find out - we may have it on here as well.

The Enemy To Give Away New Single

The Enemy have announced plans to release their new single, Gimme The Sign, off their upcoming third album, for free. The single will be out sometime next month (the video will be shot on the 16th February), and can be obtained by liking the band's Facebook page.

The band's third album is due in spring this year.

The Enemy Update On Third Album

The Enemy's lead singer, Tom Clarke, has taken to blogging about the band's upcoming third album. The album follows on from their 2009 effort Music For The People. He says that the sound is rawer than that of their previous album, and also that they think that same album was 'too serious'. It looks like we'll be seeing a return to the style of their debut We'll Live And Die In These Towns.

Confirmed song titles (from both the aforementioned band blog post and from various sources) are:
This Is Real (a demo of this song is here), Melody, Like A Dancer, Marion, Come Into My World, Miss Behaviour, Give Me The Sign and Bigger Cages Longer Chains.

Best Of 2009 - #9

The Enemy - Music For The People
9/10

Original review here.

Album Review: The Enemy - Music For The People

Album: Music For The People
Artist: The Enemy
Singles: No Time For Tears

The Enemy have decided to move up a lot since their debut album, We'll Live And Die In These Towns, a personal favourite of 2007. On this new album, they recapture the spirit of the first, while changing the songs into massive stadium anthems. So, let us begin with the most powerful song on the album:

Elephant Song
After one and a half minutes of symphonic noises, the song gives way to a brilliant, storming riff, before allowing Tom Clarke his first vocal of the album. This song is insanely good.

No Time For Tears
The end of Elephant Song segues into the piano intro to this song, the first single. Building up to powerful drums and an equally powerful guitar part, the song then allows Tom Clarke to scream out "The morning after, the revolution..." The longest track on the album (not counting the silence & hidden track after Silver Spoon) at five minutes, and it is also keeping up the brilliant sound of the album.

51st State
After a guitar intro, a piano part makes this song instantly catchy, before we go into the vocals and then hit one of the best choruses from The Enemy. And I don't even understand half the words he's saying. This, lengthwise, is in complete contrast to the previous track. This one barely hits two and a half minutes.

Sing When You're In Love
A slow yet anthemic song, the "We'll Live And Die In These Towns" of this album, I think. The chorus, consisting only of "sing when you're in love, sing when you're out of love" will have all the fans singing along. Should be the second single.

Last Goodbye
A five-minute song about suicide, with strings rounding off a new-sounding Enemy, as Tom Clarke croons "as I wave my last goodbye..." which genuinely proves they can capture emotions as well as talking about people losing their jobs and the state of England in general. In fact, they seem to have got rid of some of those songs so far...

Nation Of Checkout Girls
Maybe I spoke too soon. This sounds like a much heavier and faster version of their old B-side "Fear Killed The Youth Of Our Nation," and Tom Clarke is angrily spitting out the lyrics. While it is powerful, particularly the beat this song has, it is not up to the top standards of this album. Still a good song though.

Be Somebody
Oh, never mind, the album's brilliance has come back up again. This song has some interesting lyrics; "no one ever gives you anything for free, unless you start sleeping with the BBC," and talks about someone called Nigel, and how he gets a job in the city and how "tonight, he's gonna be somebody." Lyrics aside, this song should be a single, because the chorus sounds fantastic.

Don't Break The Red Tape
Although some think this sounds exactly like "London Calling," (which I can see why), I still think they have been fairly original here. Tom Clarke welcomes us to England, where "there is no fun," and "the dreams of children vanish in the dust." Ah, some more telling it like it is. Nevertheless, fans will undoubtably be singing along with the "try and stop us, try and stop us!" bit.

Keep Losing
Another slow song, with strings and all. It builds up to a good chorus, but unfortunately, I think this is the weakest of the ten tracks on here.

Silver Spoon
This epic song closes the album in a wonderful blend of piano and psychedelia, as the lyrics sound out, "I never had a silver spoon... to help me orchestrate this tune," a blatant stab at some parts of the music industry. But the closer rounds the album off fantastically.

Hidden Track
Sounds exactly like Let It Be. Still, it's important to say "goodnight, ladies and gentlemen" as Tom Clarke sings whilst playing a piano, while describing the happiness at the end of a gig.

In general, fantastic. This will be a favourite of 2009. Good thing they haven't blown their second album. One point off for some occasional dips. But still, wow.

For the record, their previous albums: We'll Live And Die In These Towns (9/10)

Head To NME...

... for an exclusive listen of Music For The People.

NB: It doesn't seem to work for some people - for me it was fine the first time, but hasn't worked since. The one listen I did have was great.

Music For The People, lyrics

As far as I can make them out, from iTunes and MySpace previews.

Elephant Song - not enough to go on

No Time For Tears - listen here

51st State
This is the 51st state
Where democracy has failed
We've a war on our conscience
And blood under our nails
(Can't make out the chorus, apart from the line "It's a mystery")

Sing When You're In Love
On dancefloors from London to Liverpool
In the dark of the night, when the air is cool
Out in the street, in the pouring rain
In a concrete jungle that echoes your name
In a hundred hotel rooms where a few hundred sleep
And a thousand cheap boozes where young lovers meet
In a million miles of traffic jams, we waste away time
In a single sad moment when we say our goodbyes
Sing when you're in love
Sing when you're out of love (x2)

Last Goodbye
I know it's your...
The cracks are growing, it's not long
Ooh, and if you want me
Then come and get me
I'm leaving this world behind
If you hit me then
Try and take me away
It won't even break my stride
As I wave my last goodbye
I won't feel shame,
I won't ask why
There's no bliss to (?)
There's no heaven for those who pray

Nation of Checkout Girls
We're the generation that do
What we're told by the corporations

Be Somebody
You know there's no such thing as a free meal
And there ain't no future in British Steel
Now the only thing that really makes us smile
Is a joke and a laugh and a night on the tiles
No one ever gives you anything for free
Unless you start sleeping with the BBC
Nigel got a job in the city
Works in a department store
But tonight, he's gonna be somebody
(?) with a local girl
She doesn't care that he's got no money
There's more to life than what they teach you at school
But tonight, he's gonna be somebody
Fallen in love with a local girl
She doesn't care that he's got no money
She knows he's got a heart of solid gold, solid gold, solid gold...

Don't Break The Red Tape
Try and stop us, try and stop us, try and stop us (x4)
Welcome to England
There is no love
Where the dreams of children
Vanish in the dust
When the only old
Die living in their street
And the only excitement...

Keep Losing
You might meet someone worthwhile
Tired of the same old lies
The calls that never quite sit right
Another line on the road
Another straight to the bone
And there's twenty-odd regrets
Another night to forget
You've made mistakes along the way

Silver Spoon
Never had a silver spoon
To help me orchestrate this tune
Making us the same as you
There's nothing anyone can do
Don't sing it from the back of the room...


That's all I can make out, but then I'm awful at hearing lyrics. Hence the several (?)s in this post.

NME Preview of Music For The People??

Will we hear the long-awaited Enemy album on NME.com from Monday 20th?
Because that's what I heard...
Fingers crossed...

The Enemy: Songs On Myspace

Go on their Myspace and they have previews of No Time For Tears, 51st State, Sing When You're In Love, Last Goodbye and Be Somebody. They all sound fantastic.

Music For The People previews

On iTunes, there are 30-sceond previews of Music for the People.
My personal favourites are

• No Time For Tears (judging by the whole song)
• Sing When You're In Love
• Last Goodbye
• Be Somebody
• Don't Break The Red Tape
• Silver Spoon

But the Elephant Song preview isn't much to go on. (But it sounds awesome live.)

Artwork For The People

This is the artwork for Music For The People, the album by The Enemy, out 27th April. It will be preceded by No Time For Tears. (13th April)

Music For The People gets tracklisting

The Enemy's new album has a track list!

01. Elephant Song
02. No Time For Tears
03. 51st State
04. Sing When You're In Love
05. Last Goodbye
06. Nation Of Checkout Girls
07. Be Somebody
08. Don't Break The Red Tape
09. Keep Losing
10. Silver Spoon

The album is due out on the 27th April, with the preceding single being No Time For Tears, due out on the 13th of the same month. (It's a very good song.)