THE CREAM TANGERINES: ‘The Cream Tangerines’ EP
THE CREAM TANGERINES are a a young three-piece from Leicester consisting of two brothers and a cousin whose music belies both their years and their name!
I don’t suppose it matters the reason as to why you are initially attracted to a band, just so long as something makes you check them out. In this case, it was the name THE CREAM TANGERINES conjuring up images of some trippy psychedelic band that had me.
But these guys are not what I expected. In fact, they couldn’t be much further from my preconceived notion!
They have been loosely described as a ‘lo-fi garage rock’ band but from what I’ve heard, I’d say they were just as much a scuzzy-blues rocking band with little jazzy influences. There’s also a bit f a retro, Seventies rock thing going on too.
(But then, what does it matter what I think – you can decide for yourself as their debut, eponymous EP is streamed in full below.)
Support for THE CREAM TANGERINES has already come in the form of BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, and I fully expect the band’s early promise to be confirmed with their next release, on which I believe studio work is soon to commence.
THE THESPIANS: ‘Under Seige.’
You know how sometimes, just sometimes, you KNOW that you’re going to enjoy a record within the first few seconds of its opening? Well, here’s one that had me bouncing around before the reverb from the first guitar riff had faded!
THE THESPIANS are a Liverpool four-piece, who on the evidence of this, their latest single are going to be the new darlings of Radio 6Music and Festival fodder for the forseeable future. Without knowing too much about them, I sense an air of ‘coolness’ and ‘rebellion’ in equal doses, just from this video – maybe out the same garage-rock school as the likes of The Strokes or The Vaccines, but who cares?
More please!
(Ok – their earlier video for ‘Reason To Reason’ is also added below)
(‘Under Siege’ is released on 7” vinyl (limited edition 250 pressing) Monday 4th February 2013 on Eighties Vinyl Records)
(9/10)
VELCRO HOOKS: ‘A Love Song For T.S. Eliot’
There is so much new music submitted to LOUD HORIZON these days, I really do have to try and filter out ‘the best’ for posting on the blog. And this is one!
VELCRO HOOKS are a four-piece from the city hat has brought us some of the best music around in the past twenty / thirty years, Bristol.
They intentionally kept themselves off the internet for the first year of their existence but still caused a frenzy at any show they played and left people scrambling to google to find them, but to no avail. Now though they are primed for release into the wild.
Their debut (seven track) EP will be released through HOWLING OWL RECORDS ’soon’ (no definitive date has reached me so far, but I believe copies can be pre-ordered via the label’s website link above.)
Vinyl copies will have a limited run of only 100, and as such should be a worthy investment for any collectors. But perhaps a copy should simply be bought for listening pleasure …. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!
Here’s a taster by way of the lead track:
VIOLET BONES – UK Tour (..well, England!) and video.
Cambridge garage / punk band VIOLET BONES have a new video, and will shortly embark on a fourteen date tour. Have a look here and see what you think.
(Where exactly is ‘Godmanchester’ any way….?!)
THE FADES: ‘Meccano.’
South London garage band THE FADES are set to release their new single on 1st April, ahead of a new album entitled ‘Ragnarock’ which will be available later in the year.
Obviously inspired by their own youthful pursuits, the song pokes spiky jibes towards Jonny who apparently doesn’t quite ‘get’ the cult of Meccano. (Personally, I’m on his side!) The almost robotic delivery mirrors the image of the metallic construction kit, while the sharp, punky, simplistic and child-like lyrics are redolent of cruel, school playground taunts.
With little hints of Glasgow’s We Are The Physics shining through, THE FADES could be onto something here.
(Released through Genepool Records on 1st April 2012)
(7.5/10)
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DANGEROUS! ‘Teenage Rampage.’
If you’ve read this blog previously, you’ll know by now that I’ve been kinda raving about DANGEROUS! for a good while now. And of course it’s not just little ol’ me who’s been talking hem up. Having been signed to the seminal US punk label, Epitaph, the Australian four-piece have been busy garnering positive feedback from the UK’s Rock Press – Big Cheese, Rocksound and Kerrang! have all been quick to lavish praise.
My one slight concern, based upon hearing a couple of singles and other bits and pieces was whether there would be enough substance to their music to fill and album. I mean, it’s one thing blasting through a live set with material that sounds pretty similar when the atmosphere and stage histrionics can offer as much to the overall half-hour performance as the music, but to someone remotely listening to that same music in their bedroom on the other side of the world, it could come across as a bit tedious.
But my fears were unfounded. It does seem at times as if DANGEROUS! are trying to discover how many ways they can fit in front-man Tommy Lofts’ piercing screams, but they get away with it!
This is one incendiary album! Full of crashing drums and screamed vocals with huge choruses, it is the perfect antidote to the infuriatingly bleated, plaintive vocal style of many young bands that seem to specialise in cramming their lyrics into ill-fitting musical stanzas!
‘Teenage Rampage,’ simply rips through the fabric of the accepted norm for new punk / garage / rock bands. (I use all three terms as this album bears remnants of all those genres still clinging to life after having been violently destructed by DANGEROUS!) Of the twelve tracks only the final one ‘D! Or Die,’ extends beyond two minutes and forty seconds. Which is exactly how this type of music should be – short, sharp and right in your face.
Personally, I think this will appeal more to a younger market: a) because the ‘kids’ of today have been deprived this kind of basic, straight-up rock ‘n’ roll for so long, and b) because perhaps older music fans and die-hard punks will have heard it all before.
However, I sure ain’t no spring chicken myself, but if they appear in Glasgow I’ll sure as hell be down the front!
(I may even buy a T-shirt!)
(Released through Epitaph Records on 19th September 2011)
(9/10)
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DANGEROUS!: ‘Movers N Shakers.’
Australian punk / garage rockers DANGEROUS! serve up this slab of raucous noise as a precursor to the release of their debut album on Epitaph, which follows a week later.
As an advert for the LP, and the band in general, you probably couldn’t ask for any more. ‘Movers N Shakers’ is short, sharp and to the point. It blasts out the speakers and smacks you across the face with its pounding drums, shouty, hoarsely screamed vocals and huge, infectious guitar riffs. It follows the simple path of melodic hardcore with a hook-laden chorus.
It’s certainly not rocket-science … but sure as hell is explosive!
(Released through Epitaph on September 12th 2011)
(9/10)
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