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Lostprophets - 'Where We Belong'

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Fraser McAlpine | 10:15 UK time, Wednesday, 30 December 2009

Lostprophets

I tell you what, if Simon Cowell was looking for a way to capitalise on the events of the last few weeks, he could do worse than consider a song like this for next year's X Factor winner. I mean, you can be fairly sure there's going to be some 'edgier' (for the X Factor) stuff going into next year's show - and yes, there will BE a show, despite what the more carried-away Rage fans may claim.

And what better way to bring the alternative and the mainstream together than a song which is nothing short of a rocked-up, pimped-out re-telling of some of Maroon 5's most epic musical ideas - 'She Will Be Loved' looms quite large - only with lyrics about a long road travelled, a hard battle won, a new page turned and a brave future ahead?

OK, so LOTS of better ways, but this will do for now...

(. Being in a rock band is so HEROIC, donchathink?)

Not that any of this is necessarily a bad thing. It all depends how deeply your personal prejudices run. To some people the idea of a proper rock band like the 'Prophs making... oh what's the word? Ah yes... sterile pop music is horrific. There again, to some people the idea of mushrooms in a sandwich is horrific. It doesn't make the delicious reality go away.

Lostprophets have always been a massively open-minded sort of black-clad, Kerrang!-featured rock band. They've never hidden their ambitions for mainstream success and they've never come across as the kind of people who would take delight in making the Cheeky Girls cry, just for not being True Metal enough.

So, when they put out a self-consciously epic and heartfelt pop anthem (with breezeblock guitars) like this, it's all to the good. The fun will come when someone tries to appropriate this kind of open-minded mix for their own ends, without any of the background understanding of why things are the way they are in songs like this.

There again, next year's winner could just bung out another ballad, that's NEVER failed, right?

Four starsDownload: Out now
CD Released: January 4th

91Èȱ¬ Music page

(Fraser McAlpine)

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    I'm sorry, but the Lost Prophets are not a proper rock band by any stretch of the imagination, and the only credibility they have is with ten year-olds, who will eat up this kind of faux-rock pop music.

  • Comment number 2.

    And yet they don't really care do they? They enjoy doing what they are doing by all accounts, and make a lot of money from it.

    I'm off to see Lostprophets in Feb some time I think. Some friends were going and I'm never one to turn down a gig. Not massively excited . . but I'm sure they will be good. They have had some good stuff. As long as they play 'Last Train 91Èȱ¬' I will be happy.

  • Comment number 3.

    I hate it when people try to decide what it proper "rock", I'm pretty sure that Lostprophets come under the definition of "rock" - if there even is one. Who cares if it's radio-friendly so was 'Empire State of Mind' does that make Jay-Z no longer a rap artist.
    P.S - For the record I don't actually like the song I find generic and predictable. Nevertheless it's still "rock" music.

  • Comment number 4.

    I'd agree, it's definitely rock music, but more pop-rock.

    I would probably say that Jay-Z is more pop-rap nowadays as well.
    I think he's at his most popular right now because of The Blueprint 3 and although there are a lot of 'rap' tracks on the album, Venus Vs Mars and Reminder being 2 of my favourites, there are a lot of 'pop-rap' tracks on there too. Run This Town, Young Forever (My favourite track on the album) and Empire State of Mind. These have all helped to increase Jay's popularity, infact Run This Town was Jay-Z's first ever UK number one.

    Please don't take this the wrong way, I'm a massive fan of Jay-Z!

    Anyway, I digress.

    I've not really followed Lost Prophets but I do like them. I think Rooftops was my favourite track by them...

  • Comment number 5.

    I stopped trying to put artits under genres long ago. It doesnt work!

    Jamie T?
    No Doubt?
    Alphabeat?
    M.I.A?
    Muse?

    Just a few artists I'd have difficulty assigning a genre to.

  • Comment number 6.

    daniel i am guessing your haven't heard shinobi vs dragon ninja. when i first read this review I thought i would write my response without even hearing the song.. saying how they have sold out and that this is just plastic tripe.

    but i listened to the track, and its alright. In my opinion its not as good as stuff from fake sound and last train but it is very catchy. i like other pop rock bands, so why not these guys now. once you get over the fact that they arn't the same band it works out i guess.

  • Comment number 7.

    It's strange a couple of weeks ago I found an old music magazine from 2002 which had an article on the next age of british rock and the only band that still exists today was Lostprophets. Funny how hype doesn't work out for a lot of bands.

  • Comment number 8.

    Ah , the ongoing success of The Lost Prophets !

    In my opinion , this band know how to write songs with big - in your face choruses.

    Last train 91Èȱ¬
    Wake up
    Last Summer ( Brilliant song and video ! )
    Rooftops ( How's that for amemorable chorus ? )
    Town called Hypocrisy
    It'S NOT the end of the world .

    Big sounding singles ALWAYS generate interest in their parent album , and so the cycle goes...

    Yep . they can write songs with loads of hooks , and Where we Belong will be another Top 30 ( at least ! ) hit for these Welsh wizards.

    It does sound a bit "She will be loved " , ( good spot ! ) ,but is so memorable and will sound great live .

    Hope Liam will write a short review of the gig , on this page ?

    P.s 1) Glad you saw sense Flatkness . lol
    2) Labels are for losers.
    3) I am seriously restraining myself from responding to comment 1 . Aren't I good ?

  • Comment number 9.

    Off to see these tomorrow (today ...). Hmm. Not really sure why but we shall see!

  • Comment number 10.

    Well they were pretty good! Few tips before going to a gig though - Listen to the new album they are touring, it will help. Also, listen to the older albums to refresh your mind, if you haven't listened to them in a while.

    They put on a good show. Kids in Glasshouses supported who were ok.

    The crowd was very young (I saw them outside of London) and the songs with the biggest response were the last two singles and 'Rooftops'. Some of LP's more average work but thats what we expected!

    'Last train home' was absolutely amazing and I'd rank it among one of my top live "experiences". As a whole the gig doesn't rank for me (but neither do the band, so I was happier than I expected with it), but it was good non the less.

    Jamie T and them in 3 days. I'm pretty sore.

  • Comment number 11.

    "Jamie T and them in 3 days. I'm pretty sore."

    Wh.... no, no, it's too easy.. :)

  • Comment number 12.

    I wish ;(

  • Comment number 13.

    "JAMIE T and THE LOST PROPHETS in 3 days , I'm pretty sore ! "

    After the pain caused by these two gigs , Liam was wondering if the idea of seeing MIKA 3 nights in a row in the Summer , was a good one .

  • Comment number 14.

    Funny you should mention MIKA because I'm actually seeing him in a couple of days. Yes, that's right I actually like MIKA unlike, it would seem, everyone else on Chart Blog.

  • Comment number 15.

    That boy can write memorable pop songs with catchy pop hooks Harry , apart from Rain of course , that was FAR too lightweight for a second single , hence it's failure to chart .

    Me and Thranjax often dance around in our bedrooms to We are Golden , in just our undercrackers !

    Thranjax calls it "team building ."

  • Comment number 16.

    Thinking outside the lunchbox.

  • Comment number 17.

    You've got it all wrong! As I pointed out several times, I thought Mika's debut album was a triumph. I loved "Happy ending" and "Relax..." In particular. Brilliant tracks.

    Sadly, the follow up us terrible. Ive listened to stuff other than the lead two singles and I'm not impressed. I think he got it all wrong and is paying the price.

    Bet he's good fun live. But I'd struggle with any of the new material.

  • Comment number 18.

    I agree that the second album isn't as good as the first but I would be at a strech to say it was terrible, it still contains lots of good songs. We Are Golden, Blame It On The Girls, Good Gone Girl, Touches You and Blue Eyes are all good tracks some of the others are a bit lightweight (Dr. John, Toy Boy) but overal it's a good album.

  • Comment number 19.

    At 9:15pm on 10 Feb 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:

    The thing is, even with all the hype and records sold Oasis were actually pretty rubbish.

    At 1:28pm on 15 Feb 2010, harrythedog10 wrote:

    Funny you should mention MIKA because I'm actually seeing him in a couple of days. Yes, that's right I actually like MIKA

    I believe the phrase used by the kids is: ROFL

  • Comment number 20.

    I don't get you point. I like MIKA and I don't like Oasis, so?

  • Comment number 21.

    Sorry just realised it should be 'your point' not 'you point'.

  • Comment number 22.

    I tried to post this comment last night, but the comments section was down. Copy and paste -

    You've got it all wrong! As I pointed out several times, I thought Mika's debut album was a triumph. I loved "Happy ending" and "Relax..." In particular. Brilliant tracks.

    Sadly, the follow up us terrible. Ive listened to stuff other than the lead two singles and I'm not impressed. I think he got it all wrong and is paying the price.

    Bet he's good fun live. But I'd struggle with any of the new material.

  • Comment number 23.

    Liam, see comment 17.

    Fail.

  • Comment number 24.

    Obviously my comment broke the blog then, as it wouldn't show me if I'd posted it and crashed when I tried to!

  • Comment number 25.

    Ha ha !!

    At 17 and 22 , Liam admits that he is struggling with Mika's new material !

    This is comedy gold .

    In my head , the conversation between Liam and Mika goes like this :

    MIKA : " Just bought these new trousers , what do you think Liam ? "

    LIAM : " WOW ! Mika , you look amazing , But hey what a tight pair of leather chaps ! Are they painted on ? How am I ever gonna get them off ? "

    After 2 hours of tugging at Mika's ankles ,against robust tight leather, Liam admits defeat .

    Shame ! Liams struggle with Mika's new material continues.

    Lol

  • Comment number 26.

    Well if he will insist on shopping at Baby Gap!

    Im sure Id get elbowed out of the way and stampeeded or run over by the Mika bus anyway..

  • Comment number 27.

    Okay this is a lostprophets blog, and I'm sorry if I'm sounding naggy but how did we get from lostprophets to MIKA? I like lostprophets.. ALOT I love them!! I love EVERY song, literally EVERY song! And I find MIKA okay but he's not great in my opinion. Anyway my point is that this is a lostprophets blog, NOT a MIKA blog, so can we please talk about lostprophets and not MIKA. Sorry if I'm sounding naggy or if I've offended anyone, I'm happy now i got that off my chest, my rant is now over.

    Terri.

  • Comment number 28.

    Yeah ! Yeah !

    You tell em Terri !
    Let's get back to The Lost Prophets .

    Good old Ian Watkins , heaven knows why he changed his name to H and did those silly dances and then had all those hits with Steps .

    Sorry ... What ? That was a different Ian Watkins ?
    Really ?

    Ooops !

    Anyway , back to The Lost Prophets , and I love the song and video to Last Summer . Superb , uplifting song .
    Rooftops, A Town Called Hypocrisy and Last Train 91Èȱ¬ are also brilliant singles too !

  • Comment number 29.

    Nope. We'll talk about whatever we want to talk about, as long as we don't break the house rules (hence 1297 comments on the Alexander Rybak review, very few of which having anything to do with young Master Rybak). If you want to have a conversation about Lostprophets, go and start one in the Gabriella Cilmi review or something.

    And you ARE sounding naggy.

  • Comment number 30.

    What are people's thoughts on Mika's next single?

  • Comment number 31.

    Well this is a lostprophets blog, not a MIKA blog it even says 91Èȱ¬ - Chart Blog: Lostprophets - 'Where We belong'. It does not say 91Èȱ¬ - Chart Blog: MIKA - What do you think of him and his music? now does it? so I don't care if Alexander Rybak has 1297 comments that are not about him. If you want to talk about MIKA go to a MIKA 91Èȱ¬ Blog and stop clogging up the Lostprophets blog, and I don't care if you think I'm being naggy, this is a lostprophets blog and i'm certain that 'lostprophets' actually means lostprophets and not MIKA!!

    Thank you spirit, at least someone knows what a LOSTPROPHETS blog is :)
    Ian H Watkins lol, the Ian Watkins from lostprophets is Ian David Karslake Watkins, more commenly known as Ian Watkins :D lmao. He is so talented and is VERY handsome :P

  • Comment number 32.

    But more importantly Terri, will Mika's next single be a top 10 hit? I think not, its a weak track from a weak album.

  • Comment number 33.

    Hey. HEY!! You know what? Terri's right - this IS a blog about Lostprophets! It's not a Mika blog at all! In fact, now that I look at it, all the posts on this blog are about different songs by a range of artists, and Mika's hardly mentioned in ANY of them! What the hell?!!!

    What I want to know is, with this 91Èȱ¬ review, will they be tackling the REAL issue for a modern-day public service broadcaster - addressing the lack of dedicated Mika coverage? For example, wouldn't the resources saved from closing 6 Music and Asian Network be better used setting up a new 91Èȱ¬ Mika digital channel? And while they're scaling back the 91Èȱ¬'s online presence, I hope this won't mean abandoning plans for the Mika minisite we've always been promised.

    Plus, we need to see more Mika content on mainstream 91Èȱ¬ channels. With Jonathan Ross leaving the 91Èȱ¬ later this year, I think Mika is the right man to replace him across the range of formats: think Saturday mornings with Mika on Radio 2; Film 2010 with Mika; Friday Night with Mika (where he could actually interview HIMSELF), not to mention hosting specials like Comic Relief. He'd probably also be good fit on The One Show, Match of the Day and Newsnight too.

    I'm starting the campaign now to change the 91Èȱ¬'s name to the British Mika Corporation, and see if we can get our licence fee paid directly into his account. And in future we're going to all have to be careful that we don't let Fraser distract us from talking about Mika with more silly blogs about other people's songs.

  • Comment number 34.

    Curtains , there are a lot of lol moments for me there.
    You remind me of a fast paced stand up comic , doing a long rant with fantastic comic observation and sarcasm thrown in . Superb.

    Terri , yeah sorry it's confusing here sometimes , as we all discuss various artists on various blogs and yes , we have gone off the topic of this fantastic Welsh band a little .

    Why don't you bring the focus back by giving us an insight of what the latest Prophet's album THE BETRAYED is like ?

  • Comment number 35.

    Of cause I can give you an insight on The Betrayed, since I brought it some time at the beginning of January, and it is awesome!
    I personally think that The Betrayed is a great album. It features some new songs that are like thier old stuff such as: Where We Belong and It's Not The End Of The World, but it also features some songs that are not like thier old stuff such as: Destroyer/Destroyer and Next Stops Atrocity. It also has some songs that show some great talent with poppy-rock music: Darkest Blue, Streets of Nowhere, For he's a jolly good fellon etc and they also has 2 songs that reminded me of their old song 4am forever: The Light That Burns Twice As Bright and A Better Nothing
    Overall, The Betrayed is a brilliant album. I love it. You can listen to the songs that on The Betrayed on YouTube:
    If It Wasn't for Hate, We'd Be Dead by Now:
    Dstryr/Dstryr:
    It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here:
    Where We Belong:
    Next Stop, Atro City:
    For He's a Jolly Good Felon:
    A Better Nothing:
    Streets of Nowhere:
    Dirty Little Heart:
    Darkest Blue:
    The Light That Shines Twice as Bright:

  • Comment number 36.

    You know who I'd love to see Lostprophets do a collaboration with?

  • Comment number 37.

    Oh I dunno...is it MIKA???!!!!

  • Comment number 38.

    That's uncanny. You're like Derren Brown.

  • Comment number 39.

    @33 is just amazing...

  • Comment number 40.

    Great info Terri , I believe the new LOST PROPHETS single will be , For he's a jolly good felon .

  • Comment number 41.

    Yes Curtains is very funny at 33 , so I now see 2 future careers for this handsome Scottish fellow .

    1 ) A career in observational stand up comedy , using his machine - gun delivery to fire out his barb wire nuggets of laughter .

    2) An audience warm-up for Mika concerts !
    I am sure the Mika Posse would absolutely love devouring Curtain's box of tricks , and would no doubt bend over backwards to ensure Curtains felt loved .

    Doing warm-up for the Grace Kelly singer , would also ensure Mika had a warm hand on his entrance .

    Something , I am sure he likes. . . .

  • Comment number 42.

    Cheers gents. Spirit, in return I'll say that you were born 20 years too late. You were meant to write episodes of Are You Being Served?

  • Comment number 43.

    Funnily enough I was offered the job of writing Are You Being Served episodes , but with a bizarre sense of irony , I wasn't free !

    :)

  • Comment number 44.

    I'm penning a third season of Green Wing at the moment. In my wet dreams.

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