Pet Needs
Primetime Entertainment - Xtra Mile Recordings
Reviewed by Andi Bridges
Album released 9th Sept 22
Some people believe punk rock has a certain sound. Others think punk is an attitude, a state of mind that can encompass a myriad of sounds and styles. Pet Needs, a 4 piece from Colchester consisting of Johnny Marriot (Guitar, Vocals), his brother George Marriot (Guitar), Rich Gutierrez (Bass) and Jack Lock (Drums) seen to have a foot in both camps. Half the album motors along at around 254 beats per minute and it is pretty standard fare. Sandpaper vocals: check. Guitar riffs: check. Thumping bass: check. Muscular drumming: check. Sure, there are hooks in these songs and it could just as well be some pop-punk band from California rather than Essex. However, when the lads slow things down and stretch their musical chops they begin to show some potential.
The band has been in existence since 2016 and have toured with label mate Frank Turner as well as The Hives and Skinner Lister. There is a first headline tour being planned for later this year.
Written and recorded in 11 months after signing with Xtra Mile Recordings, this album deals with Johnny’s state of mind and deals with themes about fear, fatigue, adrenaline, failing and determination.
The album opens with Lost Again one of the zippier tracks at 2 min 33 secs. A cry of - I think I love myself brings the band in. The chorus slows down and the backing vocals lift the chorus to a good sing-along and there are some nice double bass drum fills. Jack uses this technique to good effect across the album. Next up is Ibiza In Winter, this one really reminded me of numerous videos I’ve seen on the Kerrang channel. It is crying out for a video set around a pool party. Lyrically this opening duo tackle the singer’s attempts to remain creative, positive and look after himself.
Get On The Roof follows with serves up more of the same, this one was the lead single from the album and has a video on the band’s website. Tried And Failed, title wise is fairly self-explanatory. The band slow it down to 136 bpm and are far more interesting for it, the music seems to be more alive. It also sounds like two singers on this song, which may be a massive compliment to Johnny. Although, that said, at times he does remind me of the singer from the Toy Dolls.
Spirals dips it musical toes into metal-ish territory with the guitar motif and the middle breakdown. This is followed by the title track Primetime Entertainment and it couldn’t be more different from what has gone before. A simple quarter note hi-hat pattern and snare drum begin the track at 88 bpm, before voice and piano join in. After 30 seconds we get bass and violin before building to a crescendo about a minute in. It is an immense tune and I was surprised to find it was 5 minutes long because I was enjoying it so much.
Only Happy returns to where the band seem comfortable, up in the 250 bpm, however the vocals are more to the fore on this track having been buried somewhat in the mix on the previous songs. Blink and you could miss the next song The Argument. Clocking in at 1.30 and rattling along at 296 bpm it appears to be about the breakdown of a relationship. There are some good call and response vocals.
Fear For The Whole Damn World is again slower than the listener is used to and doesn’t suffer for it. A strong chorus had me bellowing along and annoying the neighbours. Dear Abi an acoustic/vocals outing is another departure from the expected, which I guess is about the singer’s daughter. It owes a debt to Frank Turner.
Which brings us to the final couple of songs. Thanks For The invite picks up the tempo and is groovy in the way that only rock bands can be. It utilises the two voices used to good effect on an earlier track and has gigantic backing vocals. Finally, Nobody Ever Wanted Us runs to 3.43 and spends the opening two and a half minutes just guitar and vocals and when the band do eventually come in it is with gigantic backing vocals.
So overall it is a mixed set of songs. If you exclusively love pop-punk you will like half the album. For everyone else, there is much to admire here, and album number three should be a corker.
Tracklist:
Lost Again
Ibiza in Winter
Get On The Roof
Tried And Failed
Spirals
Primetime Entertainment
Only Happy
The Argument
Fears For They Whole Damn World
Dear Abi
Thanks For The Invite
Nobody Ever Warned Us
Links:
luke sital-singh
Dressing Like A Stranger - Nettwerk Records
Reviewed by Martin Murray
Album released 2nd Sept 22
Just as the pandemic began to take hold in early 2020, UK born singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh and his family relocated to Los Angeles. During lockdown in his new home he reconnected with Dan Croll, a fellow British singer-songwriter who had similarly taken up residence in Los Angeles. Unable to tour and with a bunch of new songs under his wing, Luke invited Dan to produce his new album.
Although the two share similar influences they do have contrasting styles. Luke tends to record quickly, whereas Dan agonises over the process. Dan’s outlook is more upbeat, while Luke skews more toward the darker side of things. You could say that Dan is McCartney and Luke is, if not quite Lennon, then possibly George Harrison.
The album gets off to a strong start. The opening title track begins with delicate, warm acoustic guitar. The vocal is like a gentler version of The Tallest Man On Earth’s style. A soft beat is added to the mix of what sounds like foot-stomps, mixed with handclaps. It’s rather lovely.
Second track Blind Missiles adds seventies keyboard to the sound. It’s reminiscent of Todd Rundgren, America and Bread. A gentle wave of soft folk rock. The upbeat music masking his typically melancholic lyrical content. It’s very catchy.
California is also another catchy, seventies folk rock indebted track. Like a lot of his songs have previously done, I can imagine it becoming the soundtrack to a more reflective moment on an American TV show.
The next track Rather Be loses the momentum a little. It’s a duet with American singer Christina Perri. His voice is pitched very high and feels very strained. Her voice is much warmer and smoother than his. His vocals seem to settle down by the end and their vocals work much better together, her voice sweetening his. But the song kind of washes over you without leaving much of a trace afterwards.
Can’t Get High is better, more upbeat and memorable. It sounds a little like a Lindsey Buckingham track from the eighties. After that the album drifts for a bit with the couple of tracks, before Summer Somewhere perks up things again. It reminds me of Tom Petty or The Traveling Wilburys as they seem to be aiming for that kind of Jeff Lynne style production on this song. Another good track.
The next track Forever Endeavour brings things back down. His voice is again pushed to the limits of his upper register and it sounds uncomfortable. It’s the longest track on the album and it certainly feels like it too. His songs seems to work better in shorter doses.
Skipping over Wiser Too, which left little impression on me.
The final track is rather interesting. The Walk seems to be influenced by late period Leonard Cohen. The kind of church hymn or gospel influenced song that permeated his last few albums. There are also traces of a Tom Waits ballad in there too. It’s really rather beautiful.
Overall the album the album is pretty strong. With some really lovely moments. But even when it’s not great it’s perfectly pleasant, well produced and crafted. Just not always very exciting. There’s enough here to justify your time though.
Tracklist:
Dressing Like A Stranger
Blind Missiles
California
Rather Be (feat Christina Perri)
Can’t Get High
Me & God
All Night Stand
Summer Somewhere
Foever Endeavour
Wiser Too
The Walk
Links:
Joe Strummer
The Mescaleros Years - Dark Horse Records
Reviewed by Levi Tubman
Album released 16th Sept 22
Joe Strummer, singer and lyricist who shot to fame fronting one of the biggest punk bands of the 70’s, The Clash, went onto a number of solo releases and band work that’s often overlooked by the giant success of his earlier material.
It’s now 20 years since he died, and celebrating what would have been his 70th birthday, this release features a 4 disc collection showcasing his later work, with the Mescaleros, with remastered songs, demos and a previously unreleased track.
Joe Strummer, while a punk front man, had a love for the other big sound of the late 70/80’s reggae, opening the compilation with Tony Adams, a reference to the Arsenal football player, with the familiar guitar upstrokes and laid-back reggae groove and that unmistakable voice. A voice that spent most of its life speaking out against capitalism and racial injustice, supporting the working man evident throughout this compilation, which also includes a cover of Bob Marley’s Redemptions song, a cover, as blasphemous as it may sound, is better than the original.
There was never going to be anything negative in this review, I’m happy to admit I’m more than a little biased, Joe Strummer is one of the greatest lyricists and vocalists of the 20th century, whilst not born into high wealth he wasn’t born into a working class family, the son of a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, who worked as a grave digger to fund his true passion of music, singing about how he felt the rich and powerful held many down as he had seen growing up until the day he died tragically early.
So how to review a record you know you’re going to love before you even hear it? It should be looked at as a whole, not broken down into songs and meaning, it brings together material from the entire recording life of the band, but with that very common buzzword “remastered” on the front, with a style of music that was never made to be clean and polished, it can spoil some records while admittedly some bands do need it, but I can safely say it does no harm to the recordings.
More importantly it doesn’t take anything away from the rough edge of his voice and the bands rebel spirit, and at times, especially in Redemption Song, it adds a new crispness that really makes it stand out and for me made me play the song a second time.
Along side this are numerous demos, artwork and interviews with friends and band mates, talking about their life and the late Strummer, hand written notes, doodles and sketches in a 72 page book, 32 larger pages if you go with the 12” LP version, from the Joe Strummer Archives, to keep you hooked long after the records finished, giving you a great reason to put it on again, just in case you missed something while looking at a tea stained sheet of chord progressions or images of him in the studio.
While he will always be remembered more for his work with The Clash, he was still creating some of his best work decades later, and while slightly on the pricier side of a record, this important collection produced by his widow Lucinda Tait, shows just how good he was, and I’m certainly going to be getting myself a copy!
TRACKLISt:
Rock Art and the X-Ray Style
1. Tony Adams
2. Sandpaper Blues
3. X-Ray Style
4. Techno D-Day
5. The Road to Rock ‘N’ Roll
6. Diggin’ The New
7. Nitcomb
8. Forbidden City
9. Yalla Yalla
10. Willesden To Cricklewood
Global A Go-Go
1. Johnny Appleseed
2. Cool ‘N’ Out
3. Global A Go-Go
4. Bhindi Bhagee
5. Gamma Ray
6. Mega Bottle Ride
7. Shaktar Donetsk
8. Mondo Bongo
9. Bummed Out City
10. At The Border, Guy
11. Minstrel Boy (full-length version)
Streetcore
1. Coma Girl
2. Get Down Moses
3. Long Shadow
4. Arms Aloft
5. Ramshackle Day Parade
6. Redemption Song
7. All In A Day
8. Burnin’ Streets
9. Midnight Jam
10. Silver and Gold
Vibes Compass
1. Time And The Tide
2. Techno D-Day (Demo)
3. Ocean Of Dreams (feat. Steve Jones)
4. Forbidden City (Demo)
5. X-Ray Style (Demo)
6. The Road To Rock ‘N’ Roll (Demo)
7. Tony Adams (Demo)
8. Cool ‘N’ Out (Demo)
9. Global A Go-Go (Demo)
10. Secret Agent Man
11. All In A Day (Demo)
12. London Is Burning
13. Get Down Moses (Outtake)
14. Fantastic
15. Coma Girl (Outtake)
Links:
sons of the east
Palomar Parade -
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released 23rd Sept 22
Has folk ever truly gone out of fashion, no matter how many might dub it a bit twee, not helped by the lazy “ beards & banjos” stereotype bandied about when Mumford & Sons were in their prime?
For it seems its spread outside its traditional heartlands goes on, reaching even the other side of the world in Australia, Sons Of The East in a sense picking up the baton ( or should that be banjo) & running with it down Palomar Parade.
And as the first stirrings of autumn reach us here in Blighty, you can't help but salute the timing of the release of this first album, perfect for cracking open a few tinnies & watching the sun go down or indeed come up- the lack of any obvious point of comparison actually quite refreshing in the process of even beginning to attempt a review, a blank canvas the best surface on which to start painting as it were.
For a band working within so old & venerable a tradition, what sticks out almost as much as their harmonies, the blend of voices almost bringing to mind Crosby, Stills & Nash if indeed they had ever stopped off in Sydney via Ohio, is their ready embrace of digital platforms as a means of promotion.
A glance at their official website revealing the majority of the obligatory stats draw you back to how many Spotify streams they've had & similar- unsurprising given that so much of what they do seems almost deliberately crafted for headphones in calling back to the sort of intimacy most on the folk circuit are going for....
In short, lovely stuff- pour that pint of Fosters, headphones in & savour every sip- your ears may well thank you for the sonic holiday.
Links:
Pixies
Doggerel - Infectious Records
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released 30th Sept 22
Whisper it quietly, but a question remains- have the Pixies done the previously unthinkable & taken a collective foot off the gas under the renewed leadership of doggerel bard Frank Black? For during the gestation period of this review, as no doubt many will as part of the process of welcoming Doggerel into what was formerly a small but nevertheless influential discography, going back over said relatively tiny selection ( everything from Come On Pilgrim- Trompe Le Monde), it seems the artist also known as Black Francis has abandoned his early furious Archbishop of Canterbury backed by surf guitar-style fire & brimstone- style sermonising in favour of calming down a bit.
Simply put, if you go digging for fire you probably won't find any! That's not to say that this latest entry from their particular planet of sound isn't worth bothering with, of course. For there's plenty to like here- Joey Santiago can still do his understated & often unremarked upon thing with a guitar in his hand, & the addition of Paz Lechantin on a permanent basis to fill the bass- shaped hole left by first Kim Deal's second departure from what had quite possibly been the nearest thing the Nineties alternative rock scene had to a power trio & the sad death of her replacement Kim Shattuck has probably helped ensure that at least a little Pixie dust remains....
But you'll probably have to look a little harder than before to find it, the singles released thus far- which is to say There's A Moon On, Vault Of Heaven & Dregs Of The Wine- a decent enough hat-trick in terms of attempting to recapture something of the old magic. Considering what magic that was, it should almost be taken as read that perhaps they'd struggle & indeed have from their 2014 return from impasse with Indie Cindy up to soldiering on into the now.
Or perhaps the Pixies have simply grown up & moved on from loud-quiet-loud, what was at the time seen as under the radar innovation lapped up by the faithful now a bit of a millstone around the collective neck having had the time to take a step back & re- evaluate while acolytes as diverse as Nirvana & Weezer showed someone was still listening long after Frank seemingly split the band at the height of their powers in initiating the messiest of creative divorces- that they're now back & have been so this long feels something of a mixed blessing in that the fruits of renewed labour don't feel as sweet as that glorious first harvest, a high bar indeed, perhaps a six or seven where eight, nine or ten would have waited ( by the box cars, naturally) before that first wave of self- mutilation did its work....
Links:
aaron liddard
Nylon Man - Havis House Records
Reviewed by John Seales
Album released 7th Oct 22
Aaron Liddard’s name may not be the best known in the business, but he has been around for a while, most notably as a member of Amy Winehouse’s band. Now, I greatly respect her as a vocalist but I’ve always thought that the contribution made by her musos was not given the level of appreciation it deserved.
In the promo blurb accompanying my review copy, Aaron is referred to as a saxophonist-keyboardist-arranger-composer. That’s more than enough hyphens for anyone to carry around so let’s hope that his new album, Nylon Man, can cut the mustard.
The prominent bass guitar on the first track, six and a quarter minutes of “Corean Castaway”, takes us into a spacious jazz club, transforms into a gentle percussive riff, and then launches into a psychedelic storm of strings, drums and strangeness. Despite the strangeness (or maybe because of it) I felt a big grin appear on my face due to the sheer non-commercial stance being taken here. Aaron is clearly doing what he loves, and holding a bit of a finger up to music-must-make-money mantra.
We’re eventually returned to the jazz club for the outro, but the stage has been set.
“Frisco” swings along in a gentle smooth saxiness, at least for the first couple of minutes. There’s a more traditional jazz break at that point, before a return to our comfy jazz club, complete with harmonising female vocals, though the outro gives us the jazz break again as if the musos are in a hurry to move on to another engagement, playing their instruments as they rush away.
Next up is “Together Forever”, a title you’d normally expect to find on the album of some pubescent boy band. I’m expecting something just a little different from that, and I’m not disappointed. There’s a gentle playful melody, but the schmaltz is interrupted by an electro funk appearance, different time signatures being thrown at us willy nilly and more general strangeness.
“Chicken Soup” is only the fourth track out of the twelve we are given, and I already feel that I’ve been transferred to some kind of parallel musical universe. This track is over thirteen minutes long. There is an electric bass guitar being put through a sort of wah effect that makes it sound like some kind of demented quacking duck, and I’m beginning to question my sanity. Three and a half minutes in, the more standard sounding sax takes over and this mammoth instrumental develops into a more regular kind of jazz track, if there is such a thing. Halfway through I handed the headphones to my wife, who listened for a while then simply said “No” and handed them back. This certainly isn’t music for everybody, but if it is to your taste you’ll love it.
There are further points worthy of mention, not only for their weirdness – the heavy metal jazz in “My Kinda”, the delicious vocals by Giulia Marelli (one of 42 musicians who contributed in the making of this album) on “Snowdrops”, the simple but perfectly executed joy of “Manana”.
For most of the rest of the tracks, for the non jazz specialist, I hope I’ve given enough of the flavour of this album from the first four tracks to decide whether or not it’s something you’d want to give a go.
The music on here fortunately manages to steer clear of the extended solos that often accompany jazz (which an old guitar tutor of mine called “musical masturbation”) in favour of a more ensemble approach.
How to summarise?
OK, I have to resort to cliches here. This is truly a Marmite album.
Personally, I do enjoy a bit of jazz. It’s a little world all of its own, and it challenges mainstream contemporary music with a combination of seriousness and a cheeky little grin on its face. I certainly think that if you mainly keep to commercial pop, you need to listen to this album to give yourself another perspective. Music is a broad church indeed, and it does us all good to explore the far reaches occasionally.
It has to be said, whether it’s your kind of music or not, the standard of both musicianship and production on this album is of the highest quality.
Track Listing:
1. Corean Castaway
2. Frisco
3. Together Forever
4. Chicken Soup
5. Thru Your Eyes
6. Apples_Pears
7. My Kinda
8. Catfood
9. Snowdrops
10. Manana
11. Beautiful
12. One Million Children
Links:
willow
Coping Mechanism - Polydor Records
Reviewed by Dave Flerin
Album released 7th Oct 22
One of the great things about reviewing a new album release from someone who you don’t recognise is deciding whether to do your research before or after you’ve done (most of) your review. In this case, I’m glad I looked up Willow after several listens and having written down my thoughts on each track.
The words “capable” and “respectable” spring to mind when listening to Coping Mechanism, and it carries the feel of a second album. Although it’s full of big, angst-laden tuneage, it has that smell of maturity; of someone (or some team) who has nous enough to create a seamless, competent, coherent canvas which could be hung without shame in the hallway.
It’s “wearing my heart on my sleeve” music, shuffled along by earnest guitaring and vocals which are like a blend of Amy Lee (Evanescence), Pink, and Skin; with a tiny sprinkling of Karen O in places. And the occasional use of the F-word might be seen by the cynical as a way of dialling into the teen psyche, so those in black makeup, dressed in black, might be tempted to give it a whirl.
It starts with the high-volume assault on the ears of the beautifully-titled “Batshit”. Be kind to your ears and make sure the volume’s down when you hit play. Willow’s contemporary vocal style is thrown to the fore straight away; she’s hacked off, misunderstood, shouty and weary, often all at the same time. This is catchy, upbeat pop with a rocky slight to it; all shouty vocals under a layer of overdriven guitars.
Coping Mechanism is next up, and epic is the word that springs to mind, if epic’s your thing. There’s a full-on (and thankfully not too long) prog-rock synth solo which is not at all out of place here, and strangely pleasing to this old anti-prog-rocker.
My personal fave, Curious Furious steamrollers in and unloads a big chorus all over the shop, flaunting a very encouraging, ballsy melody. This is quickly followed by Falling Endlessly, which could best be described as being a younger sister imitating her older role model.
So far so good.
Hover Like a Goddess carries on Willow’s style of BIG choruses, but throws in a welcome little surprise with the mellowest of outros.
Maybe It’s My Fault has an urgent, stabbing rhythm guitar which could be lifted from an early Strokes album, pushing it onwards to a chorus which seems to float and slow time right down for a few seconds; or was that hours?
And just when it sounds like Willow has finally got all her frustrations out, No Control awakens you with another slap in the face before morphing into a dreamy Beatles-esque “Oo-ahh” at the end. Peace and love.
The rest of the album trundles along inoffensively with no big surprises. In Pressure she shouts; and Split has an intensity helped along by some languid harmonies and that quiet-loud dynamic which is consistently applied to each track with alacrity.
And just when you think you’ve worked out Willow’s style, another haunting vocal melody is thrown in on Ur A Stranger, which retightens her grip on your attention, should you be relaxing too much.
Finally, the closing track Why brings us full circle, back to kids with piercings, with black makeup, dressed in black.
This is decent, punchy pop music which should please existing fans and win her some new ones. It’s hard to see past the teen alternative pop-rocker market, if that market segment does indeed exist.
Don’t be surprised to see someone in the fashion industry using it to soundtrack a catwalk fashion show, thinking it sounds “edgy” (that word!!); or used in a film featuring a scene with someone being followed in an alternative nightclub.
Not “hardcore” in any way, but not flossy chart fodder either. Putting aside her famous famalam (I just did my research!), Coping Mechanism is still worth a spin for the furious and curious out there, even for old indie cynics like me.
Links:
blancmange
Private View - London Records
Reviewed by Liam McEvoy
Album released 30th Sept 22
Blancmange, one of the most influential synth-pop groups of the 80’s return with their latest album ‘Private View’. With over four decades of experience to draw upon, they have delivered an album that is a swirling storm of synth-pop that the band is known for.
Private View kicks off in some style with ‘What's Your Name”. Opening the album with a thumping drum=beat, storming guitars and swirling synths the track is a real shining example of what Blancmange are all about and is a stunning opening to the album.
With Private View Blancmange go from strength to strength. ‘Here We Go Go’ is a beautifully atmospheric track with phenomenal echoing vocals and synths that give a true feeling of space and scale.
The fantastic Synth fuelled album continues in supreme style. ‘Chairs’ is a brilliant track with a. thumping drum-beat giving it incredible energy. Title track ‘Private View’ is a stunning synth-pop fuelled track that oozes drama and attitude.
Blancmange have once again produced another incredible album full of the synth-pop sounds the band is famous for.
Out now this is an album that is you should not miss.
Track List:
1. What's Your Name
2. Some Times These
3. Reduced Voltage
4. Here We Go Go
5. Chairs
6. Who Am I
7. Everything Is Connected
8. I Tried To Be You
9. Private View
10. Take Me
Links:
false heads
Sick Moon - Scrub Of The Neck Records
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released 30th Sept 22
People might rightly have wondered, given the state of the world over the past few years, where the anger had gone from modern music- had all who lived to listen & indeed play simply resigned themselves to drifting ever forward on a sea of indifference? Happily it seems the answer is a firm no, going by this second album from False Heads- definitely talking loud & saying something, with the added bonus of guitars which positively scream, the sort of thing we need to be hearing more of as a reacfeetion against the strange state of almost universal collective apathy.
And what a wake up call it is, Day Glow delivering an opening slap to the chops just to make sure you sit up & listen to the raging Thick Skin , enough to provoke at least a muffled “right on” as it proves punk in all its myriad forms is never better than when it has something to really grapple with.
And going by frontman Luke Griffiths' comments around their missive, it could be quite the wrestling match.
“”Thick Skin” is about how much I f****** hate the current political discourse. To me, politics seems to be completely and utterly middle-class from left to right — class has been seemingly removed from a lot of left-wing politics.
It’s also about social media politics. That kind of rage and vitriol is some form of lashing out for mental health problems and it’s like a form of addictive behaviour.
I understand this, dealing with depression and having a history of drug abuse, and I understand how difficult it is to not let that rage inside you come out in vicious ways. But I just feel like social media has allowed a million different forms of religion, nationalism and tribalism to be completely normalised. Our brains are rotting and there is no hope, and every time I feel like there is I’m stung again.”
Ouch!
Although after a few listens you begin to see his point & feel beyond thankful that someone is able to articulate the sort of feeling you yourself are often made to feel wary of expressing, over & done with in less than three minutes in the best sense of the old pop/ punk tradition- the fly in the ointment, to borrow from possible False Heads touchstones Wire.
There is something to be said for the relative brevity of much of what's laid down & indeed bare here, a reward for actually listening properly & hopefully repeatedly, airtime on 6 Music undoubtedly helping a cause advanced by what follows- Said & Done hopefully not an admission that the Heads have no more missives to come. For going by the likes of Cottonmouth, Haunted Houses & Thousand Cuts, clocking in at slightly over standard running time, there's plenty of muck to be raked over, & how better to do so than with fire in the belly & a decent hook?
Links:
Klangstof
Goodspeed To The Freaks
Reviewed by Levi Tubman
Album released 30th Sept 22
Starting out as a solo act, the now trio of Dutch musicians have spent the past 7 years working writing and performing while playing numerous tours and festivals including Cochella, the first Dutch band to play and this summer supporting the iconic Pixies, and have just released their third album – Godspeed to the Freaks
It’s a very slow start to the album, with Death04, picked notes and layered vocals it's light and unassuming, it doesn’t feel to be going anywhere much, drums come in, synths and more vocals until its suddenly breaking down. Voices pushed to distortion pulling in the keys with them until you lose all concept of lyrics, really catches you off guard and it's like they've compressed the intro and outro to the album in one song.
The prominent feel of the album is light airy and almost drifting away in space, nothing is anchored with instruments and voices coming in and out, especial in songs such as The Alarm, which sadly sometimes can get a little samey for a whole album but they do it well and their sounds fill the room.
The title track, Godspeed to the Freaks could have been pulled straight from a Radiohead album, its slow with the instruments playing sporadically as if sometimes forgetting to play with the few vocals slowly spread out across the song. It's like nothing happens but when its finished you have to listen again and again, it's subtle and draws you in, it’s the heart of the album and a perfect representation of the band.
To bring this twilight unanchored spirit back down to ground, they’re not afraid to wind everything up and let it out in an explosion of synth pop. With songs like “plastic gun” and “How I Feel (feat. Someone)” sharply contrasts to what your ears have settled into. You can hear their core sound but it's so far removed from the rest of the album it keeps it fresh.
Finishing off the album with Sylvia, it echo’s the start, delicate music and vocals calmly meandering along before building to a symphonic outro. Gorgeous almost choral vocals, synths and strings are driven by cymbal heavy drums, but this time managing to keep it distortion free you’re left wondering if the first and last tracks should be switched round?
It's quite hard to define this album or even pigeon hole its genre, it pulls in influences from artists like Radiohead and Coldplay, easily blending folk and electronica in often interesting ways, some songs feel they need to be broken up a little with more synth pop and this album definitely requires several listens in order to fully appreciate it.
Track Listing
1. Death04
2. Seperated
3. Truth
4. The Alarm
5. Godspeed to the Freaks
6. Devil’s Lair
7. Plastic Gun
8. How I Feel (Feat. Someone)
9. Disguiser
10. All Of My Reasons Are Distractions
11. Sylvia
Links:
lightning seeds
See You In The Stars - BMG
Reviewed by Stuart Clarkson
Album released 14th Oct 22
The melody maker is back in circulation, welcome back Ian Broudie.
The sonic architect and his band The Lightning Seeds have released their first album in 13 years. It’s a welcome return to one of Britain’s foremost purveyors of perfect pop tunes and is sure to please existing fans as well as winning over new admirers. Broudie’s illustrious body of work includes some of the most recognised pop anthems of the last 30 years including Pure, Life of Riley, Lucky You and the evergreen 3 Lions.
The band’s seventh album is a triumphant return to form and Broudie the master craftsman delivers all the polished perfection that you would expect from a Lightning Seeds release.
The distinctive sound of the opening song ‘Losing You’ remind you that this could not be any other band and the serotonin levels rise in anticipation of a reacquaintance with the band’s particular brand of upbeat expansive music.
The second track, Emily Smiles is a real meeting of music royalty in that it was co-written with Terry Hall of The Specials. The pair also penned the classic Lucky You and their winning partnership shines through once more in this perfectly honed tune.
A lush arrangement is complemented by the trademark catchy chorus, slightly vulnerable sounding vocals and lyrical rhymes whose simplicity belie the skills of the artisan creators at their core.
Three and a half minutes of pop perfection lead us to the third offering ‘Green Eyes’ and once again the track offers an instant hook and there’s even a backing track that could have been lifted straight from Pure.
The following song is entitled Great to Be Alive and that is the feeling imbued in the listener by this joyous celebratory song which was co-written with The Coral’s James Skelly.
The uplifting track Sunshine is hook laden and adds to the positive mood that runs through the entire album.
Walk Another Mile is punchy power pop with another killer chorus.
Ten perfectly crafted pop nuggets, none lasting longer than 3 minutes 35 add up to a feel-good album that should be made available on prescription.
If that wasn’t enough Ian’s son Riley, the subject of Life of Riley is now 31 and plays guitar in the band.
The Lightning Seeds begin a UK tour later this month ably supported by Badly Drawn Boy and that sounds like a top night out so bag yourself a ticket for the perfect antidote to modern life.
Links:
man the lifeboats
Soul Of The Albion - Wood Head Records
Reviewed by Chris Morley
Album released 14th Oct 22
When you see “ drinking song” anywhere, in any context, you can almost make a ( drinking) game of whose beery breath might have helped give this most specific of subgenres new life- & having sunk more than a few Guinnesses in their time, Shane McGowan & The Pogues of course more than deserve the accolade! And as the nights draw in, what better time to pour yourself a pint & sail around the very soul of dear old Blighty as seen through the prism of Man The Lifeboats?
Crafted down on the ( former) farm at Rockfield in Wales, its a heady brew- Born Drunk a rip-roaring introduction, somewhere between the abovementioned Pogues for a little folk & a dash of the Dropkick Murphys. Does it really answer the big questions around thorny issues like national identity? Still not entirely sure. But they sound like they have a lot of fun trying, on this initial evidence!
As tasters go its a bit like walking into one of this country's many top notch & rightly celebrated boozers to find you get a free taster before the initial pint of whatever floats your boat, just to see if you actually like the stuff after all.
“it’s a record that traverses through the veins of our little islands, through their signs and symbols, the literature and art, poetry, song and dance, the traditions that are still alive today after centuries, and some which are not; in a search for some answers. With each song on the record intended to provide a snapshot of life on these islands, from Somerstown to Stourbridge, from the hills of Caledonia to the gates of Soho Square, ‘SOUL OF ALBION’ is a quest as brave as it is foolhardy, as familiar as it is new...”
So runs Wood Head Records' own press release to announce the first snifter of what’s to come, & upon closer listening we might add an unlikely & indeed relatively unheralded voice from rural England- Andy Partridge of XTC, the run of albums from English Settlement- Skylarking having also taken it upon itself to ask what it really means to hail from this sceptred isle just as well as several of its more storied & indeed conventionally folky equivalents.
Indeed, had the Village Green Preservation Society- era Kinks simply decided to abandon London & go full- time rural on Respectable Street we could probably have chucked them into the brew, though it feels more dead end than successful search for the basic DNA of our particular corner of the world, forever bowled a googly in the universe's grand game of cricket.
Still, if you're going to get out for a duck after finding it just, well, isn't cricket after all. where better to go in the immediate aftermath than the clubhouse for a good solid Anglo- Saxon ale or two, seems to be the overall point!
Links:
gun
The Calton Songs - Cherry Red
Reviewed by Dave Flerin
Album released 14th Oct 22
The latest long player from Glaswegian rocker dudes GUN (apparently you’ve got to use capitals every time you write their name) is, well… probably going to satisfy their fans.
I don’t want to give the punchline away so soon, but, honestly, that’s the best I can say about it. It’s billed as an acoustic album, but any pretence of a stripped-down sound is not borne out by the recording I’ve just endured. Now I must confess, I grasped the nettle willingly when handed this album to review by Wall Of Sound.
I’d never heard of GUN (I know!), so I’m guessing WOS were chuckling to themselves knowing how far removed this band and its music were from the broad range of stuff I listen to.
Backstreet Brothers kicks off this opus (fourteen, that’s 1-4 cuts) of nothing more, nothing less, straight-ahead melodic rock. You wouldn’t know they’re from north of the border, such is the attention to detail lavished on cultivating his American singing accent. Tellingly, you also know straight away that this record isn’t destined for the turntables of the bright young things. It’s for the oldies, but not this one.
This is followed by Better Days which has inoffensive melodies and some sweet “ahh ahhhh” moments to sooth the souls of the middle-aged, the born-old, and the middle-aged in waiting.
Up to this point, I don’t hate it exactly (I am being totally honest here) but Coming Home waddles into Mellow Birds territory. Now, you can tell they’re not cool, but that doesn’t bother them, and that’s ok cos everyone’s being honest here. It’s just all so… nothing.
Crazy You is next up. Could it be that song which will change your life? No. We’re well and truly in “competently mediocre” territory now. It’s got a bit of melody, some “oo oos” (which I normally love), the lyrics aren’t terrible, but… GUN are like potatoes. They’ll probably fill you up but they’re not in any way satisfying.
Don’t Say It’s Over takes us into full-on John Bon Jovi soundalike mode now and I’m REALLY finding it hard to find positives. But wait! A couple of seconds of nice strings are jumping out of the mix, giving me something complimentary to share, readers.
The next has a bit more to it and rhymes “frantic” with “romantic”. I’m not sure what to make of that, seeing as Liam rhymed “doctor” with “helicopter” and Damon coupled “Balzac” with “Prozac” back in the day, and I was okay with it. It’s easy on the ear so I’m giving that the rosette for “best tune thus far”.
With Higher Ground Jon Bon is back with a vengeance after that temporary absence. I really don’t want to sound unkind, but this is mostly all devoid of any fury, urgency, humour, menace, passion, or joy. But ‘ey up, there’s a bit of gospel-lite backing vocals, which is probably meant to sound uplifting, but actually feels a bit insulting. That could just be me though, but it’s no Like a Prayer.
It’s pub-rocker fodder ahoy on Inside Out, which then mutates into slimmed-down Stereophonics. I really want to forward this on and get to the end quicker, but – out of duty – I’m keeping my finger OFF the “next” button. The main point of note is a horrific guitar solo which desperately wants to be Jimi or Jimmy but just… isn’t.
As the gravelly-throated MOR of Money wafts into my consciousness I find myself pondering who buys this stuff. If the music was a colour it’d be magnolia. Hmm. Anyway, imagine my surprise when Google tells me they’re calling themselves “hard rock”. What even is that? Black Sabbath? Well this certainly isn’t. So, getting back to the question of who buys it, or who their fans are; it must be people who (1) are easily pleased; (2) aren’t really into music; and (3) have really embraced the love of mediocrity.
What can I say about their next offering, Shame? Well, they have none (their words – not mine). When will it all end!?
The gospellers are back on Taking On the World, but it’s far too long of a song.
With Watch the World Go By, GUN discover introspection. He’s “torn and divided… inside”. And, it does sound a bit like “The Mighty Quinn”, which is good.
This leads us to Word Up. Thankfully, it’s the Cameo hit, which was pretty cool; but this… please make it end.
So, Jon Bon meets Kelly Stereo and they sing MOR rocker numbers, by numbers.
I’ve loved music all my life, and I’m wondering why I haven’t heard of GUN before.
The answer is that for me they’re middle-of-the-road straight-ahead conventional rock, that even the younger me who might have got a bit excited for the guitar solos would have quickly realised that they’re not pushing any boundaries.
They don’t have a killer tune in them, and don’t have anything up their sleeves to raise an eyebrow.
Links:
courtney marie andrews
Loose Music - Fat Possum Records
Reviewed by Liam McEvoy
Album released 7th Oct 22
The Grammy nominated singer songwriter returns with her sixth studio Album Loose Future.
Courtney Marie Andrews has produced a stunning album with a real country soul and beautiful inflections of Americana giving the album a real feeling of nostalgia.
She opens the album with the title track ‘Loose future’, and this set the style from the off with a fantastic country feel but with sliding guitars giving a real Americana undertone making the track feel both current and nostalgic all at once.
Whilst there is an undeniable theme connecting all the tracks on the album Courtney Marie Andrews is not afraid to push the boundaries of her art. ‘Satellite’ is again country at its souls but with the addition of some distorted synths the track takes on an almost otherworldly feel.
Whilst there is no denying she is a supremely talented musician she is also a gifted story teller. Demonstrated throughout ‘Loose Future’ Marie Andrews paints a vivid images with her music.
‘These Are The Good Old Days’ is a prime example taking the listener back to those high school dating days expertly crafting the narrative with lyrics like ‘falling in love gives us a heart attack’.
With this album Courtney Marie Andrews has delivered a beautifully soulful country album that is sure to garner her even more critical acclaim.
Out now this is an album that should not be missed.
Track List:
1. Loose Future
2. Older Now
3. On The Line
4. Satellite
5. These Are The Good Old Days
6. Thinin’ On You
7. You Do What You Want
8. Let Her Go
9. Change My Mind
10. Me & Jerry
Links:
