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Locksley’s “Don’t Make Me Wait” (2006, 2008) – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING: 3.5 / 5 stars

Earning a spot on the 2007 edition of the Alternative Press’ “100 Bands You Need to Know” list didn’t bring Locksley any closer to recognition even from an independent music store regular such as myself.  In fact, for such an under-the-radar band, Locksley has accumulated quite the resume in their six years together.  Aside from being featured in magazines like SPIN and Elle, their music has appeared in conjunction with multiple retailers, they have played live for both Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel, they have opened for bands such as Hanson and Rooney, and they have the distinction of being the first unsigned band ever to have their music played on MtV.

I truly had no inkling of any of these accomplishments when I noticed a somewhat beat up copy of Don’t Make Me Wait in the used CD rack of my local Newbury Comics store.  Their very simple packaging and retro look caught my eye, and despite the fact that I could have produced this cover on a Windows 95 computer, I had a good feeling about the look of the band.

And, for $3.99, I figured, how could I go wrong?

Well, the answer is, you couldn’t with Locksley.

Theirs is a derivative sound, to be certain, and it rings strongly of early sixties Beatles.  Perhaps most prominently, there’s a “Twist and Shout” John Lennon-esque crackling lead vocal on “Let Me Know,” and the dual leads throughout many of the songs will lead any fan of Please Please Me-era Beatles to draw comparisons.

And yet, Locksley is not simply a Beatles rip-off, a band begging to be sent back to stagnation in cheap bars only interested in cover songs.  There’s an uncanny blending of garage rock with their roots-based sound.  In fact, for all the blunt distortion guitars and their practically punk rock mentality, there is no confusing this band for a sixties group.

Locksley's "Don't Make Me Wait" (2006, 2008)

Locksley's "Don't Make Me Wait" (2006, 2008)

Don’t Make Me Wait is probably best described as the best of both worlds, and it is clear that Locksley is playing around, experimenting with harmonies (which are subtle in some places, beautiful in others), lead guitar parts, and overall composition.  The title track leads off the album, and sets the tone for what is to be an upbeat, energetic collection of tracks.   The dual lead vocals are as interesting and excellent as ever on “All Over Again,” just as their vocals on “My Kind of Lover” hint at the potential for truly great vocal work on future releases.  Still, my favorite aspect of this album — and the reason I have listened repeatedly — is the tremendous lineup of catchy, quick tunes like “Into the Sun,” “Up the Stairs,” and “She Does,” to name only a few.  As soon as one ends, the next kicks in with just as much energy as the one preceding it.

In this sense, their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness.  Locksley’s Don’t Make Me Wait suffers from the shortfalls of a sophomore release.  It is energetic, fun, and brimming with potential, and yet there is nothing about this record that is so unique as to be outstanding in and of itself.  Even a track like “All of the Time,” simple as it may be, suffers from the “one-gear” mentality they generally embrace on this record.  I feel certain that they are poised to flex a considerable range, particularly from songs like the “For You” suite that closes the record, the bonus track “Safely From the City,” and even the alternate performance of “All of the Time” I’ve heard on YouTube.

Don’t Make Me Wait is an album that expresses considerable potential, and ironically, fans have had to wait since 2006 for a true follow-up to this record.  As recently as last week, the follow-up album Be in Love — originally scheduled for release this week — was pushed ahead to late February for digital and mid-March for physical.

Waiting appears to be the name of the game.

While we wait, Don’t Make Me Wait is a youthful, vibrant album that captures all the drive of an unsigned band, living from one gig to the next.  That somehow translates on this record, and it is that energy and sincerity that compels me to look past the derivative nature of their sound.  How their next album plays out will suggest a great deal about this band’s ability to evolve and make progress without losing all the rock and roll ground they’ve gained here.

The fact that we have to wait until March to reach a verdict only adds more anthemic meaning to this opening track, “Don’t Make Me Wait”!

The Best Music Videos of 2010

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By Chris Moore:

We’ve all heard — and perhaps even echoed — the common complaint about the contemporary treatment of music videos on broadcast television.  It’s typically voiced in a sarcastic question, something like:

Do you remember when MTV used to play music videos?

These days, the music video feels like a lost art form.  They’re more readily available than ever before, what with digital download software like iTunes and websites like Amazon.com, never mind free sites — like YouTube — where copyright is a questionable notion pushed to its limits by users and exploited by record labels in the form of add-on ads.

This being said, the Weekend Review’s “Best Music Videos of 2010” is one of the biggest lists of the season, and perhaps the one that calls for the most interaction from you, the reader.  If there are any videos that you haven’t seen yet, you should definitely search them on YouTube and, depending on how far up the list they are, consider breaking down to download them.

These videos will hopefully remind you that the music video can be a fascinating and fun extension of songs and, sometimes even, albums.

The Black Keys take to the playground for a good old fashioned fight over a woman in “Tighten Up,” which ends up being hilarious.  “Saskia Hamilton” and “King of Anything” are fast-paced, well-edited videos, the former being all the more impressive for being fan-created and Ben Folds-endorsed.  Get ready for white rooms and clothes and lots and lots of paint in Locksley’s take on “The Whip,” and prepare to love the claustrophobic setting of Spoon’s “Written in Reverse.”

You get the idea: these videos run the gamut.  I hope you’ll check them out — YouTube is probably the first, best place; simply search the title, artist, and term “music video.”  This should keep you busy until tomorrow’s list!

The BEST MUSIC VIDEOS of 2010

1)  “Tighten Up” – The Black Keys (Brothers)

2)  “Saskia Hamilton” – Ben Folds & Nick Hornby (Lonely Avenue) – produced by charlieissocoollike

3)  “King of Anything” – Sara Bareilles (Kaleidoscope Heart) – dir. by Laurent Brie

4)  “The Whip” – Locksley (Be in Love)

5)  “Written in Reverse” – Spoon (Transference)

6)  “In the Sun” – She & Him (Volume Two) – dir. by Peyton Reed

7)  “Memories” – Weezer (Hurley)

8)  “By Some Miracle” – Philip Selway (Familial) – dir. by David Altobelli

9)  “God Save the Foolish Kings” – House of Heroes (Surburba)

10)  “Between the Lines” – Stone Temple Pilots (Stone Temple Pilots) – dir. by Christopher Sims

Honorable Mentions:

“Jefferson Jericho Blues” – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Mojo)

“From Above” – Ben Folds & Nick Hornby (Lonely Avenue)

“Help Me Rhonda” – Al Jardine with Steve Miller (A Postcard from California)

“All of the Time” by Locksley – Chords, Tabs, & How to Play

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“All Of The Time”
Locksley

G                                Em
There’s no one else I know
Em                     G         Em
Who makes me feel so…
Em                   G                 Em
I never want to see that girl go.
Em                 C                      D
Stay all of the time, all of the time…

But she’s not here tonight,
And if she’s out with you, that’s just not right.
I’d really hate to have to start a fight,
But I think that I might; I think that I might…

Bbm   Em
Everywhere she is I want to be,
Bbm   C   D
And when I’m holding her it makes me weak.
Bbm   Em
We’ve got a kind of love that’s hard to see,
C   D
And your lies are tearing her away from me.

So leave and you’ll be fine.
You tell another story, I’m drawing the line.
I end up in the middle all of the time,
All of the time, all of the time…

SOLO (over verse chords)

Everywhere she is I want to be,
And when I’m holding her it makes me weak.
We’ve got a kind of love that’s hard to see,
And your lies are tearing her away from me.

So leave and you’ll be fine.
You tell another story, I’m drawing the line.
I end up in the middle all of the time,
All of the time, all of the time…

G         Em
I really love her…
I can’t stop thinking of her…
You got in the way…
Now, hear what I say…

“All of the Time” (Locksley Cover)

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For Locksley chords & lyrics, CLICK HERE!

By Chris Moore:

Hello and welcome to another all-new week of great material at the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song music video blog!  Before I address my session for tonight, I should begin by announcing that this will be a jam-packed week of sessions, reviews, and other posts.  There’s Monday and Tuesday accounted for as you can always depend on, and rest assured that there is a Guest Session lined up for Friday.  In addition, I have some bonus chords coming your way, as well as a bonus Weekend Review post before the week is out.  All this when I’m beginning one of the busiest weeks of my life!

First of all, let’s get down to the session at hand.  For today, I’ve recorded “All of the Time” from the band Locksley’s second release, Don’t Make Me Wait.  This is one of those rare — but very exciting — CDs I came across quite randomly in the used CD rack at Newbury Comics.  I can’t really explain what possessed me to buy the album, but I was thrilled by what I heard.  Now, before you get your hopes too high, I should admit that their sound is some kind of cross between garage rock and early Beatles.  It’s a bit derivative, but I have a very good feeling about this group of guys, and I feel like they are going to evolve and come out with an album that is all their own in the future.

Hopefully, that “future” will be this March when they release their next album!

Funny enough, the band that gave us Don’t Make Me Wait and the accompanying title track has also, just as of last week, delayed the release of their new album, Be in Love, by nearly a month and a half.  Apparently, an opportunity to engage in a higher-profile marketing campaign arose recently that they couldn’t pass up.  The only problem was that they needed to hold off on the release to complete the necessary preparations.

Of course, I had decided to record this song today based on the Be in Love release date of tomorrow, January 26th, 2010.

Still, this will give me some more time to enjoy this album and wonder what the new one will be like.  I suppose that could be a good or a bad decision, as expectations often have a way of killing the real experience…

To return to the present, my version of “All of the Time” is based on the 2008 reissue version of the aforementioned album.  I was really pleased with the way this song translated to an entirely acoustic live Laptop Sessions performance, complete with my first recorded use of my “G” harmonica.  Unfortunately, I screwed up lyrically; it’s just one word that I missed, but it doesn’t make as much sense the way I sang it.  The most frustrating part is that I was singing it correctly before I hit record!

I think…

Regardless, this was my best take, and I hope you enjoy it.  I know I enjoyed learning and playing it, especially since it was one of my rare two-takes-and-I’m-done Laptop Sessions experiences.  That’s why it truly does help to practice days in advance and sing along in the car a ridiculous number of times!  But, as much fun as it’s been learning and recording the song, posting my Locksley-themed Weekend Review, and writing this post, I’m off to get some work done now so I can sleep well before continuing a week of grading exams and papers, closing out the semester by Thursday, closing in another sense on Wednesday, and moving five minutes closer to work on Saturday.

See you next session!