(I may have gone, but I’ve not forgotten) Part 2: THE RAMONES
No reason ……. just because!
[COLIN JACKSON]
(I may have gone, but I’ve not forgotten) Part 1: THE CREEPING IVIES.
Just stopped by to add this little gem from Glasgow punk and rollers, THE CREEPING IVIES.
This is the new, official video for the track ‘Spinning’ which in turn is lifted from the band’s excellent ‘Stay Wild‘ album.
Go get it!
[COLIN JACKSON]
ALL CHANGE AT LOUD HORIZON!
I’ve never had one before so I’m not sure if this is what you’d call it, but when writing up that little piece last week on THE PLIMPTONS’ final show I think had one of those ‘epiphany’ moments!
Seven years ago come July, I started LOUD HORIZON as a kind of ‘hobby’; something to do during a period of unemployment. As time progressed however, it became more, much more, than that. An obsession, some might say! Virtually every spare moment I had was devoted to reading e-mails and band biographies; listening to CDs and then writing about them. I’d frequently get up at 4am to do some writing before starting work (I had by this time formed my own Petcare Service business) and then spend another hour or so on the blog at the end of the working day.
It was a challenge – a very enjoyable challenge, and of course I received lots of great music (and some not so great!) for nothing. What more could a Scotsman want?!
However (back to THE PLIMPTONS) when writing that article last week, it struck me just how many bands that I’ve become friendly with over the seven years are no longer playing together.
Everything changes. Everyone moves on.
And so am I.
It’s been great fun dealing with so many good people. I’ve had the chance to meet and chat and drink beer with loads of great bands (special mention for BAD FOR LAZARUS who were so friendly and down to earth; BO NINGEN who were true gentlemen; Andrea Zollo of PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES who was an absolute delight, and the late POLY STYRENE who took time, despite her very advanced failing health, to talk to me.)
Oh – and I can’t forget to mention the mental FIGHT LIKE APES who had a capacity King Tuts crowd chanting my name!!
(But then, it’s really unfair to single out a few bands as I’ve never met any at all who were anything other than polite and accommodating.)
Over the years LOUD HORIZON (and my ARTROCKER MAGAZINE connection) has led to many bands stopping over at our house when touring and passing through Glasgow / Scotland. There have been so many – every one of them respectful and a pleasure to host – regular visitors, back in the day, YOU SAY PARTY! and THE HOT PUPPIES in particular.
And as the blog developed its integrity and reputation for honest reviews, it rose to the dizzy height of ranking #66 out of over 12,000 music blogs registered with the Technorati directory. (It generally hovers around the #150 / #200 mark.) LOUD HORIZON has recently also been ‘accepted’ onto The Hype Machine, which seemingly carries a bit of kudos.
But the time has now come for me to catch up with with some things that have been neglected due to lack of available time: the last two years’ issues of Record Collector for a start; my Spanish and Mandarin language courses; the DVD Christmas presents from the past five years; the three books I’m currently reading on North Korea (honestly – how topical am I?!) and of course my own personal record collection and the underground Japanese psych vinyl albums that I’ve been buying!
I should at this point also mention my long-suffering wife, Diane (who fortunately remembers what I look like because we went on holiday in January) as she’s spent so long these past few years alone watching re-runs of ‘Location Location, Location,’ in the next room!
BUT ….. and here comes the good bit – our BRETT, my younger son, has volunteered to keep the blog going! Woo Hoo!!
Brett presently works at The Garage nightclub here in Glasgow and was formerly drummer in a pop-punk band that frequently played support slots to Twin Atlantic as well as some of America’s big commercial punk outfits like Zebrahead, Aquabats, Army of Freshmen and others. They supported the likes of the excellent Failsafe and Sonic Boom Six from here in UK and also toured around Scotland and Northern England as well as a mini-tour around the Stockholm area of Sweden. So Brett has a wide experience of what its like to play in an aspiring band and an appreciation of what is required to ‘get noticed.’
Me? My intention is to return to dabbling in the buying and selling of vinyl records – purely on a less demanding ‘hobby’ basis, you understand. (Watch this space in seven years from now ….!)
So – thanks to everyone: bands / artists; record labels; PR Companies and to all the loyal readers of LOUD HORIZON (there are some!) for their support over the years. It’s been a blast!
It’s all yours, Brett!
___________________________________
Please just bear with us a day or two so we can get everything transferred over, and LOUD HORIZON will be back.
All unanswered e-mails up to Sunday 7th April have been / will be deleted, so there is a fresh start. Apologies!
THE PLIMPTONS ….. the end!
THE PLIMPTONS are (or were, if you’re reading this after 10:15pm on the evening of Saturday 30th March 2013) a punk band of sorts from Glasgow … well, Motherwell more precisely. I say ‘of sorts’ because although ostensibly that’s what they are / were, they incorporate(d) so much more into their music and performance.
(I need say no more other than to highlight this with a few videos from the band.)
Formed in 1999, THE PLIMPTONS are very possibly the most featured band on LOUD HORIZON throughout its six-year existence in various guises. But all good things must come to an end, and after thirteen years, they have decided to call it a day. Several of the six members play in other bands / offshoots and with changes in personal circumstances it was becoming increasingly difficult to get everyone together for rehearsal / shows.
As I write this, they will be at Stereo, Glasgow, preparing to go on stage for the last time as a band at 9:15pm tonight. But they leave us with a career spanning ‘retrospective’ album, ‘The Life and Death of Colonel Plimp‘ which will be available through all the usual digital outlets from Monday 1st April.
There is also a FREE download of of the four-track ‘The Plimptons are Dead‘ EP from their Bandcamp page.
I know there will be many from around these parts and indeed further afield, who will miss THE PLIMPTONS, and join me in wishing them all well in their future ventures. As the esteemed author Douglas Adams once almost said:
‘SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE PISH.‘
(It may be too late … but you can have that one one me, lads!)
(The Plimptons)
(10/10!!!)
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES: ‘Cyco Style.’
I don’t normally post updates on ‘big’ bands …. but (a) there’s not enough punk on LOUD HORIZON for my liking, and (b) I used to (and still do!) really like SUICIDAL TENDENCIES back in the day.
It’s now some thirteen years since the band last released any new material, so there’s a fair bit of excitement brewing in anticipation of new album, ‘13‘ which is due for release on 27th May. Unbelievably, this new long-player heralds the thirtieth anniversary of the band!
‘Cyco Style,’ is lifted from this new album and it shows the band and Mike Muir in particular, have lost none of their edge and energy over the years!
WE ARE THE PHYSICS: ‘Go Go Nucleo – > For Science.’
LOUD HORIZON love them long time!
WE ARE THE PHYSICS celebrate the announcement of some ‘live’ dates that take in both Aberdare, Wales and Moscow, Russia (!!) with the video of another track taken from their second album, ‘Your Friend, The Atom,’ which was released last year.
‘Go Go Nucleo – > For Science‘ was directed by Joe and Lloyd Stas of Holomax.
Joe comments:
“With the band being based 283.2 miles away from us it wasn’t that easy to get together and do a video so we succumbed to the ultimate power of Cyberman and sent some files back and forth over the internet. Then we cut it all together with some ace mid century educational videos about the power of the atom and how you have to rinse your eyes out with water if you get nuclear radiation in them. It took us about five months to finish it off as we couldn’t persuade anyone to get brainwashed as we wanted pure authenticity. Luckily our friend Tom was in a period of depression so we convinced him that being brainwashed would help him. He’s dead now.”
This is where you can see the band play in the coming weeks:
29th March Kaluga, Russia
30th March Moscow, Russia
13th April Glasgow Old Hairdresser’s
16th May London Brixton Windmill
17th May Aberdare Elliot’s Bar
18th May Brighton Fools Paradise & Bad Math Alternative Escape
19th May Newcastle Head of Steam
FAT WHITE FAMILY: ‘Champagne Holocaust.’
You know how sometimes bands have a sort of intangible ‘feel,’ to them; a certain ‘something’ about their whole being, the way they are presented and the general atmosphere they create – even for those who like me in this case haven’t seen that band play?
Good. So if I say that for me FAT WHITE FAMILY have the same sort of ‘feel’ to them as fellow Londoners Flowered Up did back in the early Nineties, then you’ll know what I mean. I don’t mean that there is any specific similarity on the music front (though there are little flashes) but …… ah well, I know what I mean! (It’s a compliment, by the way!)
The band have been around a year or so, tearing up the stages of their home city as they have built up a bit (a pretty damned big bit) of a cult following for their stage antics which apparently, planned or otherwise, involve various incidents of chaos, blood, nudity and general weirdness! It all adds to the FAT WHITES’ (as they are also known) notoriety of course. And ‘notoriety’ in turns leads to hype; and ‘hype’ in turns leads to big expectations.
And in this case, these ‘big expectations’ are most certainly fulfilled! This is one helluva debut album!
(I’m not too sure if my downloaded promo copy ended up in the correct track order, so don’t hang me if there are any discrepancies!)
Opener ‘Auto Neutron,’ is I suppose the closest musically to anything done by the afore-mentioned Flowered Up. Not that it’s so much ‘baggy,’ but it’s certainly got a trippy, psychedelic feel to it. The vocals are quietly sung and harmonised, but in an almost disinterested manner while the guitar provides a downbeat sharpness.
‘Raining In Your Mouth,’ is an amalgam of several sounds. The vocals are like a manic Johnny Cash morphing into more of a Johnny Thunders as the song progresses , while the backing has a Velvet Underground feel mixed with the Christmassy chimes of tubular bells.
‘Without Consent,’ features a thumping bassline running through the fast-flowing track that at points slightly echoes The Stone Roses with the shuffling drum rhythm and reverb on the vocals. ‘Special Ape,’ goes a little bluesy, in a FAT WHITE manner with a stomping beat and a bit of a background cacophony that lasts less than a minute and a half in total.
Next (in my order) is the current single (released on 18th March.) The video for the excellent ‘Cream Of The Young,‘ follows.
‘Wild American Prairie,’ has a kind of psycho-country ring to it. I can’t describe it any other way. It stomps and pounds its way through its three and a half minute duration with a twanging guitar riff and low-sounding gang vocals.
‘Borderline,’ continues with a sort of country theme. It’s more acoustic sounding and reminds me very much Canned Heat back in the Seventies – it has a sort of ‘jug band,’ basis to it.
‘Heaven On Earth,’ rips right into flow, the guitar riff raging incessantly with muffled sounding vocals being uttered like some mad, drunken jakey on a Saturday night. It’s all a bit of a distorted mess … but yet absolutely engrossing.
My favourite track is ‘Bomb Disneyland,’ so rather than try to describe it, I’ll share it here. Brilliant!
‘Garden Of The Numb,’ closes (my) album. It really just does as it says on the tin …. really bored and tired sounding vocals draped over a floor-tom beat and cabaret-blues-type picked guitar. (If Eeyore from Winnie The Pooh was to release a record, this’d be it!)
I love this album – and hopefully FAT WHITE FAMILY will be allowed out of London some time soon so that they can unleash their madness on the rest of UK. I for one will be waiting!
(Released on April 1st 2013 through Trashmouth Records)
(9/10)
LIMOZINE: ‘Johnny Got Shot By A UFO.’
London punk’n'rollers LIMOZINE must be one of the most prolific recording bands around! There never seems too much time passes between their releases and by my calculation, ‘Johnny Got Shot By A UFO,‘ is their ninth single in just over three years. (This is in addition to the three albums – if you count this May’s forthcoming ‘You’ve Been Limozined’ – of the past three years and an initial album release back in 2007!) Not for them, this taking themselves off to some remote Caribbean island for eight months to write and record their latest masterpiece!
Throughout this period of heightened output, LIMOZINE have remained true to their roots. There is no compromise to fads and trends and absolutely no pretensions about their music. What they do will not exactly win them an Ivor Novello Award, but it WILL kick-start any party.
Building on the foundations of good old fashioned rock ‘n’roll and fusing it with a punk aesthetic, this single adds a rumbling rockabilly beat with psychobilly undertones. The song, as always with LIMOZINE is catchy as f*** and remains short and snappy, ending after less than two and a half minutes.
I like LIMOZINE. They keep it short and simple … maybe that’s why I find it so easy to identify with them!
(‘Johnny Got Shot By A UFO’ is released on march 11th through Beat Atlas Records.)
(8.5 / 10)
NEXT STOP ATLANTA: ‘Get In The Van.’
There’s nothing like starting the day off with a blast of bouncing pop-punk!
Preston’s NEXT STOP ATLANTA appear to me to be one of those kind of bands who keep your local venue alive. And I don’t just mean in a financial sense. They look and sound like a band that will appear (probably) to a younger audience, one that will be out for a party and a good old ruck down the front!
The band have just released anew EP entitled ‘The Things You Do,’ from which the following track is lifted as the new single. They are also set to hit the road with friends Everybody Looks Famous and you see the two play at the following venues:
29th – Skintfest 2013 – Chesterfield
COLT 45: ‘Happiness Is A Dying Art.’ …. free download.
LOUD HORIZON featured Cumbrian punks COLT 45 towards the end of last year when they released their second EP ‘Inside The Triangle‘ and since then (obviously not as a direct result of appearing on this blog!) things have just kept on getting better and better for the lads.
In a few days, they will embark upon a nationwide tour under the billing of Big Cheese Presents (they will be joined by Electric River and The Hostiles ) and in celebration they are making their latest single ‘Happiness Is A Dying Art’ available as a free download – see the Soundcloud link below.
“We’re really psyched for the upcoming Big Cheese tour in Feb” says drummer Adam Lewis “The guys at the magazine always give upcoming artists great opportunities to get out and progress, and that’s what this tour is all about – getting in some new people’s faces and hopefully setting the bar for the rest of our 2013. Having Electric River and The Hostiles on board as well guarantees a great line up and a real treat for everyone attending, we can’t wait!”
The video for the new single adopts the same kind of formula as the last – one of showing ‘behind the scenes’ as the band make their way to / from and at various gigs. (The opening shots on this one look very familiar to me!!)
We also need more beer-swilling, melodic punk – hardcore punk, even – bands to criss-cross the country! (Just saying!)
You can see COLT 45 play the following venues:
February 21st - Glasgow – Pivo Pivo
February 22nd – Edinburgh – Wee Red Bar
February 23rd – Carlisle – Brickyard
February 24th – Manchester – Gullivers (Punk Rock All Dayer)
February 26th – Leeds – Santiago Bar
February 28th – Leicester – Soundhouse
March 2nd - London (Angel) – The Rattlesnake
March 3rd – Canterbury – Beercart Arms
GARDEN OF ELKS: ‘Rowan’s Magical Bucket.’
At the time of writing the post back in late November that announced the arrival of Glasgow’s GARDEN OF ELKS, it was not known exactly what song would be the second ‘A’ of the the band’s debut release, the ‘double-A-sided’ ‘This Morning We Are Astronauts‘ single. Well, somewhere along the way (probably ’cause of Christmas and my fortnight’s holiday straight after) it completely eluded me that the honour went to the following track, ‘Rowan’s Magical Bucket,’ which has now been set to animation.
But I’m right on the case this time! GARDEN OF ELKS’ next single goes by the name of ‘Floaty,’ and will be released as a digital download in March, with a limited batch of tapes on sale for one night only – the 7th of March in Nice ‘N’ Sleazy (Glasgow), where they will be supporting Scottish unsigned music veterans, Campfires In Winter.
THE THERMALS: ‘Born To Kill.’
THE THERMALS, just in case you didn’t know, are a three-piece indie punk band from Portland, Oregon. They’ve been doing their thing for over ten years now, but Time certainly hasn’t dulled their ability to write raucous, punk-edged songs of substance .
A new album, ‘Desperate Ground’ is scheduled for release through the amazing Saddle Creek label on 15th April. I’ve not heard it yet, but believe it to be brilliantly sick and twisted – dark and yet fun! Full of energy, lyrically, it’s a brash and irresponsible ode to human violence, a black celebration of the inevitability of war and death.
From the album comes the following track, ‘Born To Kill,‘ an unapologetic ode to a nation of killers.
I don’t think I need say any more!
(… and just in case you couldn’t make out the lyrics ……)
I AM NEXT: ‘How To Tell The Phonies From The Phakes.’
Boston based Alternative / melodic punk band I AM NEXT have been on the go since 2009 when former Travoltas front man Perry Leenhouts teamed up with Hullabaloo guitarist Kevin James. They then recruited rock veteran Charlie Sullivan, formerly of the band Madding Crowd and the three set about writing, rehearsing, gigging and occasionally recording over the ensuing few years, culminating with the release of the band’s debut album ‘How To Tell The Phonies From The Phakes,’ in October of last year.
Following this, the three became four when they hired Rosario Santillan as drummer, and with Perry moving back to rhythm guitar the video for ‘Black Hole‘ was shot. However, shortly after this Rosario decided to move back to his native California, with his position behind the drums being filled by Boston native, Harry McKenzie.
And that’s where we are right now with I AM NEXT as they seek to build on their excellent debut album.
I have vague recollections of The Travoltas being a sort of fun-filled, pop-punk band from Holland but whether this is an accurate assessment or not, it’s a sound that’s most definitely reflected in this album.
And with the combined experience of the band, they score where others before them have failed in that I AM NEXT are able to sustain the interest-levels throughout the whole ten tracks. The harmonies are tight, the beat bouncy and the choruses catchy and anthemic, yet melodic and memorable. And while I guess I’d pigeon-hole the music on this album as pop-punk, there are little flashes of bar-room rock ‘n’roll and searing guitar solos (‘Leeches’); Sum 41 nuances (‘Black Hole’) and pared-back, three-chord ‘rocket -science punk as purveyed by the likes of Teenage Bottlerocket (‘Shackled.‘)
That said, the second half of the album brings in a greater degree of variation with ‘Hallucination Mania‘ heralding a heavier, slightly distorted and droned guitar sound veering towards Jesus and Mary Chain territory.‘Radio Wave Goodbye,’ is more of a standard, slightly grunge-tinged, indie track again featuring some nifty and flashy ‘metal’ guitar work, while ‘Lost In The Crowd,’ puts the the pedal-to-the metal so to speak and again combines the searing guitar with a bobbing rhythm. It’s an interesting combo – diluting the almost heavy-metal sound with something altogether more accessible and danceable.
‘Flashbulb‘ is pretty much more of the same before ‘Prime Deceiver,’ takes on more of a chugging rhythm, building again to that great fret-work. Closing track ’Back In Line,‘ returns us to where we came in – more in the pop-punk line with pounding drums and riff-laden verses offset with melodic and hook-heavy vocals.
Yeah – you could argue that there’s nothing all that ‘new’ with this album, but yet it does somehow demand your attention. Personally, I think it’s particularly strong, although perhaps more geared towards an American market than UK at the moment.
I’d certainly say I AM NEXT would be worth catching ‘live,’ as it’s in this environment where I think this music works best. I can imagine their shows being a bit of a riot!
(‘How To Tell The Phonies From The Phakes‘ is available now (February 2013) through Cemento Records)
(8.5 / 10)
ARCHERS AND ARROWS: ‘Self-Made Man’
Lausanne (Switzerland) is known more for its location on the beautiful and tranquil shores of Lake Geneva than it is for producing melodic, hardcore punk bands. Fact.
But ARCHERS AND ARROWS are doing their level best to bring some musical credibility to the city with their latest release, ‘Self-Made Man.‘ Taken from their latest album, ‘Alone Together,’ it reflects the honesty and exuberance the likes of Hot Water Music and others of that ilk. It’s catchy and boisterous and as is their ‘norm,’ very anthemic in its delivery.
Having supported bands like The Bouncing Souls, Gaslight Anthem and Roger Miret & The Disasters, they have the experience of playing before big crowds and maybe now is the time for them to break away from their picturesque roots.
(Of course, LOUD HORIZON featured ARCHERS AND ARROWS some time ago, and here are a couple of tracks lifted from the band’s eponymous release of 2010)
THE PLIMPTONS are dead ……free EP to celebrate(?!)
… well, not quite – but they will be killed off on the evening of Saturday 30th March.
Yup – about thirteen years after being (some would ‘rashly’) allowed the freedom of Glasgow’s music venues, THE PLIMPTONS, Glasgow / Motherwell punk mentalists, are calling it a day.
But you wouldn’t expect them to go quietly would you?
So, in their own inimitable style they have arranged an ‘all-dayer’ at Glasgow’s Stereo Bar where they will be joined by a host of other established punk / alternative bands from the locale – see poster below.
“The only real reason is that it’s really hard to get the 6 of us together. We’re all in other bands, and quite a few of them with each other…but I don’t think we’d want to call it The Plimptons unless everyone was involved…and it’s always better to go out with a big party with your mates than let it become a chore or that kind of thing,” explains guitarist / vocalist Martin Smith.
The band are also releasing a nineteen-track retrospective called “The Life and Death of Colonel Plimp” the following Monday (1st April) and right now they’re giving away an all new EP called “The Plimptons are Dead” from :http://theplimptons.bandcamp.com/
(I know this post is a little self-indulgent and that most readers won’t be able to go along to the show – but the Glasgow ‘scene’ owes a lot to these guys, and as personal favourites I think it only right and proper to give them decent send-off. Here’s a little of what can be expected on the night. Each of the following tracks can be found on the retrospective collection, ‘The Life and death of Colonel Plimp.‘)
The Plimptons are dead … long live The Plimptons!
THE FAT WHITE FAMILY: ‘Cream Of The Young.’
Had your dinner yet?
This is quite brilliant! In both an audio and visual sense!
The music’s weird, in a great way, and you wonder just where it’s going. It’s fresh and completely innovative, but to call it ‘quirky’ would be like suggesting Caligula enjoyed the occasional evening-in with a few friends.
THE FAT WHITE FAMILY are from Peckham and Brixton in London, and are determined to confront the ‘yuppie’ takeover of their towns with havoc and, well … something ‘real.’ And it seems to be working, as they are right now becoming one of most sought after bands in the metropolis.
Judge for yourself – I reckon there’s a lot more to THE FAT WHITE FAMILY than simply their ‘shock & awe’ tactics of their first year together, when they seemed to attract attention as much for various incidents of chaos, blood, nudity and weirdness as their music.
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)
LAZY TALK: ‘Luzaville.’
LAZY TALK are a five-piece coming f that old London town, fusing reggae, ska, indie and punk. They have already been picked up by Radio 1Xtra and will play support to the likes of Faithless and The Happy Mondays later in the year. Their debut EP is set for release on February 25th and the lead track is posted below by way of a teaser / taster.
I can’t find an awful lot more on the band at the moment, but feel sure that more will emerge as the year progresses and LAZY TALK get the airing that this track, at least, merits.
(You can see from the number of hits the video has had that LOUD HORIZON is a little late to the party, but hey …. ‘Luzaville,’ takes me back to my youth, so it’s definitely worth an airing here. Love it!)
COMANECHI: ‘You Owe Me Nothing But Love.’
COMANECHI are a noisy and boisterous bunch. Now a three-piece having enlisted drummer Charlie Heaton they are possibly even better placed to build on that reputation.
‘You Owe Me Nothing But Love,’ runs to twelve tracks over a thirty-eight minute time-span and while it’s not shy of jumping out and smacking you right in the face, I found it to be missing something. Just what that ‘something’ is, I’m not quite sure. I think possibly that with a couple of exceptions I found the sound quite familiar and unrelenting.
Singer Keex delivers the vocals with a child-like intonation …… but a ‘child’ as portrayed in a psycho-movie. You know, if you were to put a maniacal voice to that porcelain-faced, innocent-looking doll that suddenly appears out of the room’s gloom at the end of your bed in the middle of the night, then that’s how I hear her!
On the whole, it works really well, fighting to stay on top of the incessant fuzzed guitar, throbbing basslines and crashing drums and cymbals. In parts it all reminds me a little of Japanese Voyeurs – or maybe that should be the other way around? Who’s the ‘chicken’ and who’s the ‘egg,’ here?
The sort of ‘machine-noise’ ’Prologue’ and ‘Epilogue,’ and tracks six and seven dare to be different and stand out for me. (‘Prologue‘ lasts just twenty-nine seconds, ‘Epilogue,’ just over a minute with neither seeming to bear any relation to the rest of the album. They are interesting however but could possibly have been better utilised in a ‘concept’ or ‘theme’ based context.)
‘Patsy‘ is an eight-minute epic. It’s completely manic with Keex sounding like the pissed-off inmate of a mental asylum while the backing just beats the crap out of your ears and brain with it’s sheer intensity. Then, a surprisingly refreshing drop in pace and volume with ‘Into The Air,’ as the drums take on a military-styled snare rhythm and Keex pares back on the shouting and screaming, opting for a hushed singing voice that is bolstered with some light harmonies that dance over the top of the dark guitar drone.
For me, the variation shown in the middle of the album is what ironically and ultimately left me feeling just ever so slightly disappointed. By that I mean I like the overall noise and energy, but (and I hate to seem critical here) it all feels just a little too one-dimensional for me. It could excite me more.
That said, it’s an album I will return to out of choice …… but I’m left with the impression (and confidence) that COMANECHI have much more to offer.
(Released through Tigertrap Records on 14th February 2013)
(7.5 / 10)
CENTRE EXCUSE: ‘In Your Mind.’
Aaah! The exuberance of youth …….
The original video for this track had amassed shit-loads of hits on You Tube I believe, before someone somewhere took offence at bass player Jamie’s bare backside and it had to be replaced (the video, not his arse) by this more sanitised version.
The young trio from Rutland have built a bit of a reputation based on their energetic music and stage performances up and down the country, and I’d say ‘In Your Mind‘ pretty much reflects this. I can see these guys building a large and loyal fanbase, with their personalities and brand of melodic pop-punk going down so well with (probably) younger and (possibly) predominately female audiences.
Tell me I’m wrong …..
MAMA ROSIN: ‘Bye Bye Bayou.’
Recent years have witnessed the evolvement of ‘punk’ music into garage-punk; gypsy-punk, and even pirate-punk, damn you! So I guess it was only a matter of time before we got ‘cajun-punk’ thrown our way. However, as a staunch defender of the true ‘punk’ description, I for one would prefer to steer clear of the ‘p’ word when talking about this latest album from Switzerland’s MAMA ROSIN.
No – ‘Bye Bye Bayou’ delivers something a good deal more complicated than the term ‘punk’ can convey. These thirteen tracks certainly lean heavily towards what would generally be considered as ‘cajun’ or ‘creole,’ styled music, but with Jon Spencer (yeah, he of ‘Blues Explosion’ notoriety) at the helm on production duties, they marry in more with a Blues sentimentality.
It’s a fast, frantic and frenetic thirty-six minutes that are served up, with the distinctive sound of the zydeko featuring heavily. On many of the tracks, the vocals are slightly distorted as if they’re uttered via a megaphone and this contributes to the overall ‘rough’ sound of the recording. What I mean is that the album feels authentic and even ‘imperfect’ in a ‘perfect’ way, if that makes sense.
What I really like about ‘Bye Bye Bayou’ is how the sound is so cluttered; there’s so much going on that you pick up on something new with each listen, and with the exception of the slower ‘Mama Don’t’ (which is the pick of the more atmospheric and bluesy tracks) no songs overstay their welcome, all concluding around the two or three minute mark.
Yeah – if it’s ‘different’ you’re after, hen this one’s well worth checking out.
(Released through Moi J’Connais Records and available now – December 2012)
(8/10)
COLIN’S GODSON: ‘Ahoy!’
COLIN’S GODSON have returned from their adventures in Space and Time just ahead of Christmas (their Festive offering is also now available through the band’s Bandcamp page) and from the artwork that accompanies the gold disc (!) it looks as though they had planned a journey into The Deep.
Maybe their submarine has been impounded, or maybe they just decided they didn’t fancy going to sea to see what they could see, see, see – but there’s nothing remotely nautical about this release. Instead, we are presented with five tracks, the longest of which only just breaches the two-minute mark, that deal with matters such as Weatherspoon’s staff burning toast and radio presenter / champion of Scottish indie music Jim Gellatly having designs on a career in television.
As with all their earlier recordings, ‘Ahoy,’ is sort of punk based and wrapped in a big, big smile! There’s not much point in me trying to talk you through the tracks when you can listen to them below – or even better, BUY this CD / download for the bargain price advertised so that maybe the lads will be able to fund their next exciting adventure to wherever.
(9/10)
WE ARE THE PHYSICS: ‘Dildonics.’
How do you start to explain a song such as ‘Dildonics,’ the new single fro LOUD HORIZON favourites, WE ARE THE PHYSICS?
Tell you what: bassist and vocalist Michael M is always good for a quote – let’s get him to do the talking.
“I was reading this thing that I might’ve just imagined about scientists constructing sperm from human bone marrow that would, ultimately, render the male genitalia completely useless as a reproductive organ. I think it might’ve been in an issue of TV Quick. So we wrote the song about how redundant the male would become, unable to compete with artificial counterparts, reducing the flesh penis to a cozy piece of old world technology like a Nokia from the 90s, but veiny. It’s not so much a warning as an undermining of patriarchal ideas, and also we released it on 7″ and that’s a wee laugh.”
That’s all you need to know!
(Oh! And you can buy a copy of the 7″ here.)
(At least it’s not a floppy disc – that’s my wee laugh!)
Various Artists: ‘MAN CHEST HAIR.’
Woops! What with Christmas on the way and my laptop dropping over 18,000 tracks into the ether, my attention’s been diverted …. I should have had this review posted a week or so back, as the album came out this week!
And what an album to miss! It’s certainly one of the most varied of the year, and would definitely rank as one of my favourites.
Readers of a certain age (cough.. like mine!) are going to love this. But it shouldn’t be considered as just of interest to crusty old rockers – much of the music contained within this eighteen track (sixty-six minutes) compilation is of the type that shaped rock music of today.
Essentially, this is a release that celebrates the unreleased / demos / rare tracks of some of Greater Manchester’s ‘unknown’ bands of the 1970s. And listening to this album really just highlights how the ‘right place, right time’ ethos comes to bear in the fickle music industry. I mean, who’s to say that any of these bands less deserved a ‘major deal’ than many of their contemporaries or those who followed in the trail they blazed locally.
In general, this is like listening to what goes on behind the doors of Riff Heaven! But there’s also a nice mix of rock, progressive rock (first time around) and funk. You can also get a feel for who inspired the bands on this album as there are definitely some similarities to let’s say, ‘more famous’ bands.
(Or maybe that should be other way around…??)
‘Good Lovin’ Woman’ by Oscar, the opening track, at least in the running bass line, sounds like Talking Heads’ ‘Psycho Killer’ on 7” played at 33rpm. The vocals however dispel this notion, being rasping and soulful. And not for the only time on the compilation, there are nice little flashes of saxophone.
The initial riffs on Urbane Gorilla’s ‘Ten Days Gone’ epitomise Seventies Rock for me. The previously unreleased track sounds a little under produced, which adds to the nostalgic quaintness.
There follows a demo of the unreleased ‘Hunt The Stag,’ track (kind of obscure, huh?) by Stackwaddy. In between the riffs, searing guitar, and lazily rolling drums the vocals sound like someone’s had a few too many on a Saturday night out!
‘Windy Day’ by Greasy Bear goes down the ‘wah wah’ pedal route on a track that features some understated rasping vocals on a song that has a definite Southern Rock feel to it with some nice, tight harmonies.
The single ‘Is This Really Me?’ by JC Heavy was released only in Germany for some reason. Vocalist Josephine Levine reminds me of a more famous singer whose name escapes me at the moment … maybe Julie Driscoll? The song mixes more conventional riffs with a psychedelic, trippy sound and comes off really well.
‘Johnny,’ by Socrates (a trio who apparently won on TV talent show ‘Opportunity Knocks!) is very much in the Small Faces / Stevie Marriott mould, while ‘Seven Stars’ by Plasma is a kind of funky sounding space rock instrumental with some excellent guitar work and a nice little hook that pops up every now and then. However, if it’s ‘proper’ funk you want, then ‘Come On In’ by Slipped Disc will satisfy that little craving. It’s probably more Average White Band / KC and The Sunshine Band than Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but then some would prefer it that way. It’s certainly quite different to the preceding tracks on this album, and maybe a little out of place perhaps?
I was never into the type of ‘progressive’ rock produced by Yes, but ‘Dragon Flight’ by Savoury Duck is what I always imagined they would sound like if I ever had the willpower to sit through one of their albums! This track is full of gentle time changes, soft harmonised vocals and is predominately keyboard loaded. It sounds very much ‘classical’ inspired.
‘King Dick II’ by The Way We Live is more my bag, if a little ‘standard’ in formula and delivery – straight up heavy guitar rock. The Spider Jive track, ‘Crocadilla’ must have been way ahead of its time when it was previously unreleased! It has an almost modern day artrock feel about it … a little quirky, again with saxophone and sung in a sort of pseudo-cool lounge-jazz style. ‘Wildside,’ by Sweet Chariot is billed as ‘commercially unreleased’ which I presume means the band made some private pressings available to fans?
Samsun chip in with ‘Bringing It All Back Home’ which seems to mix a funked-up reggae style back-beat with soul infused vocals and a whining Hammond organ. So On And So Forth have ‘Bringing It all Back Home,’ and its loud / quiet verses and infectious hook-chorus. It’s pretty bass-driven with a reverb-loaded guitar line running throughout.
Grisby Dike is such a fantastic name for a band that I had to look them up! Not too much to be found, but they did support esteemed bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Rod Stewart! Their contribution is the excellent ‘Nebula,’ and features heavily some flute solos! Initially, there is a distinct Jethro Tull sound to the track, but that somehow morphs to reflect more of a Moody Blues feel as it progresses.
‘Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love,’ by Young & Renshaw is another one of those rock / funk / soul melting pots that swings between heavy riffs and Paul Rodgers / Bad Company styled vocal delivery. Plasma’s ‘Hazel Time’ is another funk-fuelled number (instrumental) that incorporates an excellent guitar solo, before the final track, ‘Getaway’ by Chris Stratham races through its three and a half minutes to close the album in a rather frantic fashion.
(MAN CHEST HAIR is released through Finders Keepers Records and available now – December 2012)
(9.5 / 10)
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