Hidden In Plain View playing 'Life In Dreaming' in full - Thekla, Bristol, 05/04/15

I'm gonna admit first thing, straight up, I'd never heard of Hidden In Plain View before this concert. I'd heard of Rumours, the opening band, as they're fairly local so I've heard about them being added to other line-ups, and I'd only heard of Alvarez Kings after missing them at Warped UK back in 2013. The person I was really there to see was William Beckett.

I've wanted to see William Beckett many times over the past six years, both as lead singer of The Academy Is... and as a solo artist in his own right, so this was a real dream come true for me, especially as I attended a pre-show warm-up and meet and greet, in which he played a few songs that he doesn't play much anymore. The first of these songs was 'Lock In', the theme song he penned for John Scalzi's novel of the same name, a song that William confessed he'd never played in the UK before, but performed brilliantly despite this. He followed up with 'Dig A Hole' which is one of his solo songs, a The Academy Is song called '40 Steps', and a cover of 'Lua' by Bright Eyes. For this being my first time I'd heard his vocal in a live environment I was so impressed - I've always loved his distinctive vocal tone, and I worried that it wouldn't come across as well as I'd expected, but if anything it actually came across better.

Setlist: 
Lock In
Dig A Hole
40 Steps (The Academy Is... song)
Lua (Bright Eyes cover)

I was very happy when Rumours were announced as the opening band at this show, because I heard of them a couple of years ago but I've just never been able to get to any of their performances. Starting off with 'Lost Without You', which sounds like a rockier version of Vanessa Carlton's 'A Thousand Miles', I loved the fact that their songs were catchy and it was so easy to singalong to them, even if you'd never heard them before. With only a six song set, they had their work cut out for them to really make an impact, because half of the audience were there to see a much heavier band and half of the audience were there to watch an acoustic act, but I'm sure that they definitely created a few fans of their own in the process.
Vocalist Alex Mcmain shared an anecdote about a review they received for one of their London shows, in which the reviewer stated that they "weren't rock-n-roll enough because they drank coffee onstage", but I think they perform great rock music despite the fact that they drink coffee - there wasn't a moment in their set that could have been described as boring, and they were brilliant as a warm up band, constantly encouraging fans to clap along to their songs.
It was great to see people reacting to a band that they might have been indifferent to when they heard their name on the line-up. 'Just A Kiss' got people dancing, with their pop-punk influences obvious, while their power ballad, 'Battlefield', is a song that shows them poking their heads above the crowd, something that really stood out, and it's been a long time since I've heard a song like that from a relatively young band. Alex's vocal has a slightly nasal tone, making the band seem like the offspring of The 1975 and Placebo, which isn't a negative aspect at all - so many bands have been getting massive fan followings because of how unique their vocalists are, and I can feel that this is going to be another one of those bands.
I couldn't resist buying their album, 'Letters From The Memory Box', at the show last night, and I'm sure that I'm going to have that on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Setlist:
Lost Without You
Forever Young
Just A Kiss
Make Believe
Battlefield
Meet Me Half Way

I missed the Alvarez Kings back in 2013 at Warped UK, and I hadn't actually heard much from them since, apart from the fact that they are playing Warped US this year and have played South By South West, so I had assumed that they were American band, meaning that I was beyond impressed when I learnt that they were from Yorkshire.
Really, the main thing that convinced me they were from America was how utterly mesmirising their set was. Opening song 'Run From You' had a gradual build up that was completely captivating; from just a few synths and a gentle drum beat, through echoing vocals into a kick in that was brilliantly performed, I was automatically hooked to their set. Similarly to Rumours, their songs were all so catchy - even though I'd never listened to them before, because of the repetitive sections I was soon singing along, and loving every moment. However, musically, they were a complete 180 from the first band, with their indie, dance influenced music being less on the rocky side, but still brilliant. Acoustic song 'Sleepwalking' was one of the standout moments from the set, proving that they really can perform any type of music, and by including a percussive egg and a tambourine they showed a real talent for using unusual instruments and that was another thing that really made them stand out in quite a mixed bill.
As well as having a brilliant mix of percussion, all of the members joined in on backing vocal duties, with guitarist Sean Parkin and drummer Richard Walker being the main assistant. Their main vocalist, Simon Thompson, really doesn't need much help with the vocals, because his tone is pure and he has a strong vocal that can hold its own, but the harmonies between them really added to the effect that the band had.
You can tell that a tour has gone amazingly when one of the other acts is side of stage, and with William Beckett stood at the side singing along to most of 'No Resolve', it shows that Alvarez Kings really are a band that will be loved by many. They definitely seem to be getting more attention on the other side of the pond, but I'm going to keep an eye on these guys - they're destined for big things, and those things should start happening soon. When they next tour, I'm guaranteed to be buying a ticket.

Setlist:
Run From You
Tell-Tale Heart
Fear To Feel
Tortured
Sleepwalking
No Resolve
Postcards From Berlin

William Beckett was the main event for me, so when he started off with a cover of 'Elephant' by Damien Rice, it was obvious that we were in for a special set. Diving from that straight into 'The Phrase That Pays', the audience seemed to be automatically grabbed, with most of the people singing along with every word. One of the things that demonstrates exactly how talented William is is the fact that even though the songs were originally written and recorded with four other guys, he still made it as atmospheric and great sounding as the original tracks.
I thought it was brilliant that William split the set up, with some of the bands songs and some of his own solo songs, because I really enjoy all of the material and was glad there wasn't too much of one over another. Announcing "I'm gonna play one of my new songs, and then another of my new songs, and then we're gonna jump back on the nostalgia train..." was a brilliant way to let people know what he was doing, and the mixture definitely made the set all the more interesting. The first of the solo songs he played was 'By Your Side', which is one of my favourite songs off of 'Genuine and Counterfeit', and while the recording seems to go insanely high-pitched and I didn't think it would be possible for him to perform it live, it was amazing when he hit every single note, blowing me away with his range. Holding out the note on "tonight", while turning in a complete circle and continuing it, also showed off the range that his vocal can perform, and it just makes me even more excited to hear where he goes with new music in the future: he has a lot of tricks up his sleeve that he hasn't played yet, and I can't wait to hear the results of them.
I'm not sure whether my favourite moment was 'About A Girl' or 'Slow Down', both of which were performed brilliantly. 'About A Girl' was The Academy Is' most popular song, so the reaction was visceral, with the biggest singalong moment of the night, but 'Slow Down' was a surprise addition to the set which made it all the more sweet. The crowd seemed a lot more receptive of William's set than they did to the previous bands, joining in on every call of "when I say 'woop', you say 'woop'!", which was one of the most random but also endearing moments of the night.
Finishing off with 'Just You Wait', a song that William wrote for his little sister after her struggles with depression and self-harm, was the most tender experience of the entire evening, and it was brilliant when William invited his friends Alvarez Kings on stage with him to perform it. Simon from Alvarez Kings told us all about the time that he got trapped in Canada on Warped Tour, and it looked for a while as though the band wouldn't be able to continue on with the tour, but William stepped in as vocalist for a few shows, and it's a great thing that their friendship has continued on and allowed collaborations like this. Their voices worked so well together, really adding to the emotion of the song, and it made for a touching end to a brilliant set.

Setlist:
Elephant (Damien Rice cover)
The Phrase That Pays (The Academy Is... song)
By Your Side
Dear Life
About A Girl (The Academy Is... song)
Seed (The Academy Is... song)
Slow Down (The Academy Is... song)
Just You Wait (ft. Alvarez Kings)

I hadn't heard of Hidden In Plain View, so I was surprised to discover that this was the ten year anniversary tour for their debut album, 'Life In Dreaming'. After buying tickets I listened to a few of their songs, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were rather reminiscent of The Used and Taking Back Sunday (which, funnily enough, I was reminded of in their live set, when lead vocalist Joe Reo threw his microphone into the sky, a move often performed by Taking Back Sunday singer Adam Lazzara) - they had an early emo sound, with frenetic vocals and speeding guitar riffs that were adrenaline-soaked. This made me rather surprised with the support choices, because Hidden In Plain view were most definitely the heaviest band on the bill, but it made for a variety filled and extremely enjoyable night out. Despite the fact that I wasn't in love with the album, I was really excited to see what it sounded like in full, but you could tell from the roars of the crowd that a lot of people were hearing one of their favourite albums.
If you haven't heard of Hidden In Plain View, this might be because of the fact that they released one album and then split up, all the way back in 2007. A second album was released a few months after they went their separate ways, but they only really got back together last year, and this is their first UK tour since reuniting. I wasn't overly excited about this development, because I didn't know any of their material, but going by the amount of people gathered at the front of the stage screaming along to every single word, this band means a lot to a lot of people.
You could tell that this was an album show, rather than a normally constructed setlist, because of the perfectly placed rises and falls throughout. The first three songs were utterly frenetic, with Joe on his knees at multiple times throughout the set, throwing everything he had into every moment of the performance. However, this changed for 'The Point' and 'Twenty Below', both of which slowed down the set and gave a chance for the vocals to shine over the music. Joe's vocal suited the fast-paced songs much more than the slow songs, but co-vocalist Rob Freeman sounded amazing on both songs, with a cleaner vocal compared to the rough and explosive main vocal, making for a brilliant contrast.
On the whole, the set was rather predictable - I didn't know the album, but you could tell the direction that it was going in, switching from heavier songs to lighter ones and back again - most of them sounding rather similar. The song that really impacted me was 'The Innocent Ones', which had an absolutely beautiful outro that sent shivers up my spine. Until that moment I'd been debating whether or not to buy the album as soon as I got home after the show, but it just completely gripped me, making it one of the most interesting and captivating songs, despite the fact that its run time is just over six and a half minutes.
Joe took a moment to shout out to William Beckett, telling him that he's "all grown up, and [his] music is just getting better and better", further adding to the sense of camaraderie that Alvarez Kings nodded to during the end of their set, when they made their thank yous. After William ran on stage to sing the opening "hey!" on 'American Classic', it wasn't a surprise when they called him back on stage to play acoustic guitar for the closing album track 'Halcyon Daze'. With both William Beckett and Alvarez Kings back on stage, William playing guitar and Alvarez Kings bringing back their tambourine and percussive egg, it made for a brilliant sound: the heavier, mixed with the acoustic and indie tendencies, made for a very special experience. With Joe shouting "that was spontaneous!" after they'd all walked off stage, it definitely seemed as though Alvarez Kings weren't expected, but if that's the kind of music that would be made in a jam session between the three of them, they definitely need to get together again in the future.
Even though I hadn't heard of Hidden In Plain View, or 'Life In Dreaming', before tonight, I was very impressed by their live show and I've already ordered the album, which I'm going to listen to a lot. Joe said during the show that he's not sure whether the band are going to make any new music, or how long their reunion is going to last, but I'm glad I got to be a part of it.

Setlist: 
Bleed For You
Ashes To Ashes
A Minor Detail
The Point
Twenty Below
Garden Statement
The Innocent Ones
American Classic
In Memory
Top 5 Addictions
Halcyon Daze
Belly Full of Kerosene
Bendy
Shamans Witches Magic

'Splintered' (Splintered #1) by A. G. Howard

*This review will contain spoilers!*

'I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way to stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick.' 

I first heard of the 'Splintered' series a couple of months after the first book was released, but when I learned that it was going to be a trilogy I decided to wait until all three books were out before I would start to read them. After picking up the third book in the series, 'Ensnared', from a charity shop late last month, I thought now would be the perfect time to get the other two out of the library and to immerse myself in this world. 

'Splintered' is a sort of retelling, sort of sequel of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland'. Our protagonist, Alyssa Gardner, is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Alice Liddell, and insanity runs in her family. She has been able to hear plants and insects since she hit puberty. Her grandmother jumped out of a window in hospital, determined that she could fly. Her mother has been locked up in a mental asylum for the majority of Alyssa's life, after injuring Alyssa during one of her delusional episodes. All of these aspects mean that Alyssa is used to being called crazy: her classmates know about her link to Wonderland, and teenagers are cruel, meaning that they tease her at every opportunity. Alyssa keeps herself to herself, making amazing mosaic artwork pieces using only dead beetles, apart from her best friend Jen, and Jen's brother Jeb, who are her only real friends. 

First things first, I need to say how absolutely brilliant the front cover of this novel is. Having Alyssa surrounded by plants and bugs is a beautiful touch, and it really does immerse you into the story from the moment that you pick it up. I love it when book covers have such perfect attention to detail, so that was something that I definitely appreciated here. Another thing I also adored was the fact that all of the text was purple! That was a special touch that I'd not seen in another book. 

The book develops really quickly at the start, with Alyssa getting her quest from her mother - she needs to find the rabbit hole, go to Wonderland and fix the wrongs that Alice made, and then her mother should go back to being a lucid and level-headed woman. After finding a mysterious key and receiving guidance from the moth who has guided her and been her friend throughout her childhood, Alyssa quickly finds herself tumbling down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. There was just one little aspect she hadn't anticipated - Jeb tumbling down after her. 

It was one of the first things that really conveyed how different this book was, the fact that the main characters love interest didn't willingly offer to go on her journey with her, but instead got accidentally roped into it. It seemed a lot more realistic and that fact made it a lot more enjoyable. Instead of it just being Alyssa who didn't now what was going on and who was rattled by the developments, Jeb was too - instead of being the cool and collected boy in charge, he in fact was much more frustrated and confused at the beginning of the novel. I really enjoyed the developments that both of them went through in the novel, individually and together, because it was great to see Alyssa go from the girl who wanted help to the girl who knew her own mind and knew exactly what she needed to do. Similarly, I was impressed by how Jeb's transformation was written; how he went from treating Alyssa like a weak little girl to actually understanding the fact that she could fend for herself and she needed his support rather than him to save her.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was anticipating to, because there were aspects that did get a bit confusing. Due to the discrepancies and alterations between the Lewis Carroll version and this one, there were some bits of the story that felt lost in translation, and there were some passages that had me stumped on the first few readings, until I went back a bit further and unravelled what was happening once more. There were also a lot of clues put throughout the book to let you work out what was going on for yourself, and while they all made sense and slotted together in the end, it just made the development of the novel seem a bit too convoluted. 

However, overall I really did like it. Too many retellings make the stories nearly identical, so it was great that the Wonderland characters were so utterly twisted, dark in a completely gothic way, making it a completely unique construction. Some of the scenes sent shivers down my spine, freaking me out in a way I hadn't been expecting, and I always love it when a book can evoke such emotion in me. The characters were all flawlessly described, from the ferret-like man with his visible brain, to Mr Hattington and the conformateur springing out of his head, and they really do all come to life with A. G. Howard's writing. The scenery and landscapes are also treated with reverence; none of the descriptions of settings are throwaway, unnecessary moments, because all of the information that we get given becomes relevant in some way, shape or form.
Another thing that A. G. Howard took a lot of time with was the development on the relationship between Alyssa and Jeb. Too often in YA novels there's the will-they-won't-they question with the main character and their love interest, and the tension gets resolved super quickly and they move on together, but in this book the building of tension and the question over Alyssa and Jeb was an exciting plot line in itself. Instead of being insta-love, it took a while and they had their issues in the way, and I'm excited to see what happens in the next two books, with the question of Alyssa's attraction to Morpheus still hanging dangerously in the air. 

Despite the fact that the first book wraps up extremely well, I'm very excited to see where A. G. Howard takes this series in the following two novels, and I'm going to be picking up the second one within a week, because I am very excited. There's a lot of questions that still need to be answered in Alyssa's life, and there's so much potential with this series that I sincerely hope it can fulfill it.

COVER REVEAL! 'Engage' (Ignite #2.5) by Erica Crouch

Back in February, I read the first two books in the Ignite series, and the first novella, within the space of a week and I loved them. Since then, I've been finding it SO HARD to wait for the second novella, 'Engage', but I'm happy to say that it's nearly here! And because it's nearly here, it's going to need its cover revealed, so if you wanna see it you should probably scroll down.

One word for this cover; WOW. The colour scheme is absolutely beautiful, and the entire thing just looks so intriguing. If you've already read the earlier books in the Ignite series, you'll know what I mean when I say that this novella is a prequel to Kala and Ana's appearance in 'Incite', and I can't wait to see what unfolds in this story. The synopsis is: 

Kalaziel is a terrible guardian angel: her temper’s shorter than she is, she swears, she’s missing a wing, and she sees no problem with letting man make their own choices—no matter how questionable. That’s what free will is all about, right? Her overseers disagree.

After she mishandles an assignment, Heaven strips Kala of her title and throws her back into training, hoping to reinforce the covenant of vows she swore to uphold as a guardian. But the angels’ motives aren’t as pure as they appear: they want to eradicate any opinions that conflict with Heaven’s code.

With a mass cleansing on the horizon, Kala discovers she is not alone in her insubordination; there are other angels who are restless with the stasis of Heaven and ready for change. Progress doesn’t come easily, though, especially when it means uniting ancient enemies to fight for a common cause.

This just sounds like the most amazing concept. I already love Kala's character, so I can't wait to get more of her back story when this releases next month. If you want to get in touch with Erica, and tell her what an amazing cover this is, you can reach her on twitter at erica_crouch!

'American Candy' by The Maine (plus Acoustic EP '15:00')

One of the things that annoys me more than anything is when a band changes in a dramatic fashion from album to album. I can appreciate development, and I can appreciate it when it makes the music better, but when a band loses everything that makes them unique, everything that makes them "them", it just fills me with complete and utter despair.

Thankfully, that is not the case with 'American Candy'. While it might only be ten songs long, it manages to both develop from their last album, 'Forever Halloween', and still keep the essence of The Maine alive. There's no mistaking that this is one of their albums - there is not a single opportunity to get it confused with another band, because they don't sound like anyone else, and they don't try to. 'American Candy' is their third independent release, and I do think that they made a brilliant decision to go down the independent music route, because it definitely keeps them genuine. 

In all honesty, I don't have much to say about this album, which is a brilliant thing in itself. Too often in my album reviews I am just criticising all of the mistakes, but there are none to be found here. 'Miles Away' makes me want to pack up my bags and go exploring, encouraging a serious case of wanderlust, while 'Same Suit, Different Tie' would make even the biggest haters of The Maine want to dance their socks off. Meanwhile, 'My Hair' manages to be completely ironic in a completely unintentional way, with vocalist John O'Callaghan encouraging people to "grow your hair out" after chopping his hair off following the announcement of this album. 

There might be no songs that I dislike on this album, but there are two that stand out above all of the others, and those are 'English Girls' and '24 Floors'. If you haven't heard 'English Girls' already, I'll be extremely surprised, because this song has been getting quite a lot of attention since the video for it was released around a month ago. The video is brilliant, which might be one of the reasons that I fell for this song so quickly, but it just seems to embody such a departure from 'Forever Halloween' - while the previous album was introspective and dark, this song has a light flooding from it that shows a big transformation for the band. While 'English Girls' is the happiest song on the album, '24 Floors' is the most heart-breaking, and the most likely of the songs to be able to comfortably find a place on one of their previous releases. With John singing "24 floors up in some hotel room, feeling so low, thinking of jumping soon" I'd be surprised if this song didn't strike a chord deep inside nearly every listener. On my first play through of it I was moved to tears, which was something I definitely hadn't been expecting from this album, but it just demonstrates what a brilliant lyricist John really is - he's utterly honest about feelings and it makes it very easy to fall in love with this band.

On the whole, however, this is definitely a pop rock album determined to make people dance. 'Diet Soda Society' is genius, with an acoustic introduction that gets more and more upbeat as the song progresses. 'Am I Pretty?' is the only song that comes even close to having the "oh, oh, oh" or "na, na, na" section that seems to be required in every pop rock or pop punk album recently, and it's a big relief to not be absolutely overwhelmed by a bands attempt to get the crowd involved. The song that I definitely think will have the biggest reaction in a live environment is closing track 'Another Night On Mars', which has a chorus that lends itself perfectly to a concert, and I can imagine that the gang vocals that will come with this singalong every night will be superb.

I highly recommend this album - if you're a fan of The Maine, you will absolutely love it, because they definitely aren't forgetting their roots. If you're not a fan of The Maine yet, why not? This is as good a place as any to start, so you might as well go out and pick it up now. 

Tracklist: 

Miles Away

Same Suit, Different Tie

My Hair

English Girls

24 Floors

Diet Soda Society

Am I Pretty?

(Un)Lost

American Candy

Another Night On Mars

However the Acoustic EP, '15:00', is a slightly different story. As I'm sure you can guess by the title, this is a single fifteen minute track, in an acoustic fashion. Contained within the fifteen minutes are 'American Candy' and 'Miles Away', both slowed down and remixed so that they're more relaxing and can fit better on a chill out album than a pop punk record. 

I wasn't as blown away by it as I was hoping, because I was hoping there would be more than the two songs included in the fifteen minutes (I was picturing more on an acoustic medley album), but overall it's still quite enjoyable and will appeal to hardcore fans. I wouldn't suggest starting here, and if you've got a low attention span or like music that just gets straight to the point I would definitely point you in another direction, but if you're looking to unwind at the end of the day this will definitely do it for you. 

The EP has the definition of "sleep" on the back of it, and that's definitely where this EP will get you - it's very melodic, verging on music that could be used for meditation. These definitely aren't negatives, because it definitely won't be boring you to sleep, because it still does sound very beautiful. It's just extremely different, and something that I definitely haven't heard before. 

'Future Hearts' by All Time Low

After seeing All Time Low twice last week, I jumped for joy when I saw that the 'Future Hearts' pre-release album stream had been put on Youtube by Hopeless Records. If you know anything about All Time Low, you'll know that they often stream their albums about a week before their release dates, so I'd been expecting this day to come, and I was very glad it had arrived. After hearing 'Something's Gotta Give' and 'Kids In The Dark', I was certain that this was going to be All Time Low's best ever album, so I dived straight in with no qualms. 

Opening track 'Satellite' is one of the shortest All Time Low tracks I've heard, but it's also one of the most intriguing. The gravelly tone in Alex Gaskarth's voice is an aspect that hasn't really been explored in their music before, giving a mature feel to a band who have often only been equated to appealing to younger fans. The difference is style meant that it didn't really feel like one of their songs, but this was actually in a positive way, perfectly demonstrating a skill that they've kept hidden up their sleeves this long. After their last album, 'Don't Panic', it felt like All Time Low had lost the ability to write a standout, interesting song - too many of them sounded similar and faded in together, making it hard to find any songs that were too varied. However this track shows more development in sound than the entirety of 'Don't Panic' put together, which is a massive cause for celebration. 

This feeling continues throughout the majority of the first half of the album. 'Kicking and Screaming' starts with a bang, with a feeling reminiscent of early All Time Low tracks showing that the band definitely don't want to forget their routes, even as they're entering into the release for their sixth album. 'Something's Gotta Give' and 'Kids In The Dark' still sound as good as the did on the day that they debuted, feeling more like instant classics than slow burners, and it's brilliant to know that their skill for writing singles is definitely something that isn't depleting over time. These songs are likely to be on their setlists for years to come, going down in history with the likes of 'Weightless' and 'Dear Maria, Count Me In'.

However, from this point the album just seems to fall a little flat for me. 'Runaways' gets a little bit too overly repetitive, making me feeling a bit bored halfway through the song, and if it can't hold my attention the first time I hear it, it's definitely not going to become one of the more memorable tracks from the album. 'Cinderblock Garden' has an original intro, but soon becomes a generic pop-rock songs with the constantly repeated "oh, oh, oh" really getting on my nerves, and 'Don't You Go' sounds like the poor man's version of 'The Anthem' by Good Charlotte, with overly sexualised pop lyrics thickly spread throughout making me feel more uncomfortable than anything else.

There are still some good moments, most notably the two songs with guest appearances. 'Tidal Waves', which features Mark Hoppus from Blink-182, has been one of the most hyped songs since the tracklisting was announced, specifically because All Time Low started off as a Blink-182 tribute band and it's always inspiring to see people working with their complete idols. While musically it does resemble Blink-182 a little bit, it's not an obvious copy and it still has the ability to stand out on its own, and Mark and Alex's vocals are extremely complementary, making it a brilliant and organic collaboration. The same can be said about Joel Madden's appearance on 'Bail Me Out', with the acoustic at the beginning of the song making it feel more like a bonus track than an album track - it's a very interesting inclusion and I personally think it's brilliant.

One of the most interesting moments on the album is definitely 'Missing You', which makes me think of Mumford and Sons in a way that is not bad at all. With beautiful lyrics and a soaring sound that feels uplifting and inspiring all at once, I can imagine this one quickly becoming a fan favourite in the same vein as 'Therapy' and 'Remembering Sunday', and if Alex doesn't start doing this song in his nightly mid-set acoustic I'll be extremely surprised. My personal favourite moment is most definitely 'Dancing With A Wolf', which has angsty, anger-filled lyrics that are reminiscent of all of the best All Time Low songs (namely 'The Irony of Choking On A Lifesaver' and 'A Love Like War'). Whereas some of the album just feels like the band are going through the motions, 'Dancing With A Wolf' has the band grabbing the bull by the horns and pouring everything into the song, making a dark song that is chockablock with passion, fire and soul.

Closing track 'Old Scars/Future Hearts' is also a great inclusion, with slight aspects that are leaning towards dance elements. It would have been interesting if they'd taken more of a risk with it and turned it into a fully blown dance song, with synths and the suchlike, because the underscored music definitely feels as though it's leaning into that area, but the band seem to hold back for a reason that I can't quite put my finger on. By the end of the song the riffs have built up to a blazing crescendo and the song has a complete life of his own, which definitely takes away from the disappointing beginning, but it still feels as though it has so much unfulfilled potential. 

You can definitely tell that All Time Low have written this album with arenas in mind, because the "woah, oh" and "na, na, na" aspects are consistent in almost every song, so much so that it feels a bit over the top when you listen to it all in one go - it definitely feels more like a collection of individual songs than an album with a cohesive theme riding throughout. However I'm sure that these songs will lend themselves extremely well to a brilliant set live, even if they aren't that great in this context. This album definitely isn't as disappointed as 'Don't Panic', but the band have still got some way to go to be able to make an album that was as utterly flawless as 'Nothing Personal'.

Tracklist: 
Satellite
Kicking & Screaming
Something's Gotta Give
Kids In The Dark
Runaways
Missing You
Cinderblock Garden
Tidal Waves ft. Mark Hoppus
Don't You Go
Bail Me Out ft. Joel Madden
Dancing With A Wolf
The Edge of Tonight
Old Scars/Future Hearts

'Daughter of Glass' by Vicki Keire - SPOILER FREE REVIEW

First off I need to say a massive thank you to Curiosity Quills Press, for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review, and for allowing me to be a part in the 'Daughter of Glass' Blog Tour! 

This is one of those books that has an utterly intriguing, completely brand new concept, or at least it's not one that I've ever heard of. 

Sasha Alexander has a powerful ability.

Either that, or she’s dangerously mad. She isn’t always sure which.

Her father shrouds her in isolation, convinced he’s protecting her from the same madness that took her mother. But the seven impossible guardians that only she can see insist she’s gifted. Her companions since her mother’s suicide a decade ago, they protect her from hurt, pain and fear.

They also keep her from feeling love.

Sasha doesn’t know how to react when Noah explodes through her defenses. This strange young man with the scarred hands suddenly makes her feel again. And she wants more. More of Noah, of his wakening touch. But the guardians don’t want to lose their decade-long hold, while her father despises Noah on sight.

Sasha risks exposing Noah to a world that would cheerfully see him dead.

But unless she can learn to control her own emotions, the biggest danger to them all may be Sasha herself.

To start with, I felt quite confused about the direction that this book was going in. Sasha is at an art gallery opening, celebrating the artwork that her mother created before she committed suicide. Sasha cannot feel any emotion, and she hasn't been able to since she was eight, on the day that her mother died. This is because her seven guardians: Anger, Desire, Guilt, Oblivion, Fear, Sadness and Joy, siphon her emotions away from her to allow her to keep them in check, meaning that she's only able to feel things for mere seconds at a time before they take them away from her. As you can tell by reading the synopsis above, this all changes when she meets Noah, an art fan who is also attending the gallery opening. Sasha can tell that there's something different about Noah, because for the first time in nearly a decade she is able to feel things.
The only real negative about this novel is the insta-love that Sasha and Noah experience. I can understand why - if you met someone and were able to feel things for the first time ever around them, I'm sure you'd fall in love with them instantly - but it just kind of annoyed me that Noah returned the feelings straight away.
However, everything else about this book was utterly genius. Before the start of every chapter there are gorgeous illustrations bringing each and every one of the characters to life, but this wasn't even necessary because of how viscerally Vicki Keire manages to embody the emotions into the guardians. Each guardian has such a distinctive personality, and they really stand out from Sasha and Noah, making it a brilliant concept for a novel.
But even Sasha and Noah are brilliant characters. Sasha's internal battle with herself over her feelings is written in a touching way, while Noah might be the weakest character in the entire book but he still has a lot of positives; he's an extremely caring guy, and when Sasha needs help he automatically wants to protect her and look after her, meaning he really does embody the essence of an old school hero.
If you know anything about plots, when there's a hero there has to be a villain, and this character is Mr Bain. When a strange man turns up out of nowhere and starts asking Sasha to help him achieve his nefarious goals, it's easy to tell that this is a turning point in the novel, and it's very interesting how an already stuffed plot gets even more filled up. Vicki has a very talented way of writing, making it feel as though one plot is our main focal point while the subplot is brewing, ready to take over, and it makes it very difficult to see where this book is going, but that is not a negative thing.
I'm not going to give any spoilers away about how this book develops, because I think it's a really good thing to see for yourself, but I will say that by having the epilogue positioned with one of the guardians viewpoints, it's brilliant to get more into their heads, and I seriously hope Vicki considers writing a companion novel from the viewpoint of one or more of the guardians, because that would make for seriously interesting reading.
Once again, I want to thank Curiosity Quills Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this book and fall in love with these characters, and for allowing me to take part in this blog tour. I definitely suggest you consider reading this book, because even though it's rather short, it's extremely enjoyable.

Alyce's Lazy March Book Haul!

Basically, I bought well over one hundred books this month (YES OKAY I KNOW I HAVE A PROBLEM), so instead of posting information about all of the books that I bought, I'm just going to put some pictures of them in different categories. If you're interested in any of the books and want any more information, you can always tweet me or comment below - I just can't talk about all of them individually!

Books in series!: 

(Plus 'Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters' by Rick Riordan, which my mummy is reading at the moment)

Standalone YA:

Crime books: 

Autobuy authors:

Books I've been recommended: 

Vintage books:

ARCs: 

And that's it! I know, that was so many, it's getting ridiculous... I'm trying to stop but it's just so hard. Altogether, there were 128 books in this haul... Crikey. I promise there will NOT be this many next month!