The Absurd Nerd Reviews: Ira Losco ‘The Fire’

Rating: ☯☯☯☯☯ out of 5

I’m known amongst my group of friends as the unluckiest person when it comes to competitions and bets. I never won anything in my life, not even back in school. So imagine my surprise when I won a signed copy of local artist Ira Losco’s fourth studio album The Fire. I spent about two hours travelling from the comfort of my bed (and onesie), climbed to the EIGHT FLOOR to the Eden offices only to sit down for five solid seconds while I signed my name, and then had to go down the same eight floors. (In case you were wondering why I didn’t use the lift, it’s because I have a mild claustrophobia). By the end of the journey, I felt like I was wearing boots made out of rock.

But it was so worth it. Just as I assumed, the album was great. It has a more mature and edgier sound than her three previous albums. And it also has a fair balance between rock and softer melodic songs. I grew up listening to her music, and have always been a big fan of hers, so I feel like I can relate to her songs. 

Tracklist:

1.       The Way It’s Meant To Be

2.       What I’d Give *

3.       Is This The Love?

4.       Waiting

5.       Shouldn’t Have To Bother

6.       You Never Tried

7.       Me Luv U Long Time *

8.       Not For Me

9.       Dead or Alive (Save My Soul)

10.   The Person I Am *

11.   The Fire

* singles so far

Favourite Tracks:

[*] You Never Tried. The lyrics tell a story of heartbreak and how easy people may think it is to 'keep your chin up' and face the world with a brave smile when it actual fact it isn't, which is something I go thorugh every day of my life.

[*] The Person I Am. This song describes my ongoing battle with insecurity and lack of self-confidence, which is why it is another favourite of mine. Listening to this song in repeat whenever I feel down really helps me think.

The album is out now.

The Absurd Nerd Reviews: Clandestines – Serbian Dog

Rating: ☯☯☯☯☯ out of 5

File next to: Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, Velvet Underground and Kill Hannah

Ah, my favourite thing about this country: local talent. It’s also the one thing I was mostly looking forward to write about for my first review. And who better to review than a young, fresh, three-piece rock band?

Band name: Clandestines. Personally I like the name and, being the symbol seeker in… well, everything, I find the name quite symbolic. The literal meaning for ‘Clandestines’ is to be ‘kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose’; symbolically, the band name could hold a more underground meaning as the kind of music they play isn’t appealing to certain people (ie. the older generation who, like the mother, refer to this perfection of a genre as "The devil's music"), but it most definitely is appealing to me (thus the 5 Yin-Yangs out of 5).

Music Video: Not too shabby for a first music video. In fact, I LOVE it. It’s an accurate representation of the majority of the families with two siblings, where the older sibling’s academic success overshadows the younger sibling’s artistic success. The twist—and by far my favourite part—was when the father tells his son that he and his brother Joey were in a punk band, referring to The Ramones, before he met his mother.

Album: The album’s out now in Malta, and on the 16^th December in the UK.