Music Monday: Mallory Knox - Wired Album Review

Story posted March 27, 2017 in CommRadio, News by Allison Wulfhorst

From hard-hitting rock instrumentals to soft rock ones, and everything in between, Wired has it all. This is the newest record from English rock-alternative band Mallory Knox and was released on March 10. Although they have tracks with hard rock elements and sound very raw in that sense, this album contains a variety of tracks not limited to that style. They have their core rock foundation, but the range of their instrumentals makes the songs sound more diverse.

“Giving It Up,” “Better Off Without You,” “Lucky Me,” and “Saviour” are all songs that are hard hitting with raw guitars and drums that overpower the vocals in a way that works for the style.

“Giving It Up” begins the album with hard rock instrumentals and vocals to match. Already, lead vocalist, Mikey Chapman, demonstrates his talent. He shows that he has no trouble hitting the high notes that he does in the chorus of this track. This is high-energy that gives the album an energetic and exciting start, similarly to the other hard rock tracks that are scattered at various points of the record.

The part of the album that leans more towards the side of softer rock includes tracks like “For You,” “Midnight,” and “Come Back Around.”

“For You” and “Midnight” have a similar groovy-like feels because of the way the guitars sound in these songs. Both are still upbeat, but have softer instrumentals to show off the vocals even more. The dual vocals between Chapman and back up vocalist, Sam Douglas, are shown off in “Midnight” because of the way they blend with each other. “Midnight” even has some dreamy elements within the instrumentals, which adds to the story being told and matches the title.

Some other stand out tracks that make this record what it is are “Falling In Love,” “Come Back Around,” and “Mother.” “Falling In Love” sounds as if it will be the slow song on the record, but once the second chorus hits, it is back to an upbeat rock and roll track with powerful drums, guitars, and angry vocals to match. It ends just as slow as it begins, which is a little twist to make it stand out even more.

“Come Back Around” is the song where Gillet’s back-up vocals shine the most. Chapman starts off the lyrics and Gillet finishes them, instead of repeating the lyrics, which occurs often with back-up vocalists. This is a simple change that goes a long way for the listener.

“Mother” sounds similar to other songs on this album, however; there is one part in the pre-chorus that is so different from all the other parts of the song and even the album. When Gillet sings, “Chin up kid, you’re counting down the minutes,” it gives such a pop punk vibe that is something not heard on this record. It’s yet another simple element that is so enjoyable to listen to and catch different styles in these songs.

Mallory Knox have created a diverse rock record and one that stands out among other releases. It’s full of different songs and styles, even if they are only in small parts of the songs. It’s almost like a reward for the listener to catch something as minute as it, but makes their listening experience so much more enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10

 

Allison Wulfhorst is a freshman majoring in journalism. To contact her, email at akw5392@psu.edu.