Showing posts with label Punk Rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Punk Rock. Show all posts

Friday 1 December 2023

Nova Twins "Supernova" (2023)

Hailing from London, the Nova Twins are a dynamic duo with a typically modern broad assemble of aggressive, abrasive inspirations. Clearly children of the Internet era, one can hear echos of 90s Rap Rock energy and Nu Metal syncopation, with 00s darker electronic music shades manifesting beyond prior crossover restraints. Attitude is its a driving force, shouted raps, soft screams and occasionally Pop R&B tinged sung lines, all emphasizing prominence and status spitting in the face of external adversity.

 Their songs are varnished with an electronic, noisy textural vaneer. Often crashing in with crunchy guitar grooves, the accompanying atmosphere feels as unconventional as un-melodic sounds weave into the fold. Somewhat similar to the worbling of Dubstep drops, these noisy groans are softly abrasive, hard and barely rhythmic yet mixed with a forgiving presence to make their songs rather accessible to my ears.

Its an odd approach considering there is a lack of melody and catchy knacks to latch onto. The drumming is rather dull and predictable, leaving a lot resting on the vocals and grooves. Choose Your Fighter is the records best track, a moment where the instrumental ideology swells around a compelling moshable groove. The rest of the record falls short of this feat and feels mediocre, occasionally dull on its weaker cuts.

In a way, I am reminded of Limp Bizkit, a love hate band who's fans were most likely fresh to the ideas of Metal and Rap. I could easily see my teenage latching on to the wildness this record presents but as a seasoned listener, little here feels special, I've heard it all before. They do show signs of promise however, some musical evolution on this chemistry may turn heads in the future but right now its a touch juvenile.

Rating: 5/10

Tuesday 28 February 2023

Len "You Can't Stop The Bum Rush" (1999)

If mid 80's Hip Hop with its clunky grooves, fun but dated rhyming tropes is your niche, then You Can't Stop The Bum Rush might just float your boat. I'm quite partial to the era, however Canadian group Len's millennium offering has little to add aesthetically, essentially a stiff nostalgic resurrection. Its bizarre his how eclectic and interwoven with other genres this record is, however the music isn't all as fluent.

Echo's of classic 70s Electronic music to the likes of Kraftwerk emerge, as a string of songs foray into crossover with Hip Hop the likes of Afrika Bambaataa once flirted with. Loaded with body popping vibes and vibrant 808s, the authenticity should be sky high with legends Biz Markie and Kurtis Blow hopping onboard to lend their voices. Despite this, the lack of reach to new territory has a stale energy about it.

After Cold Chillin the flow looses pace, ditching the Hip Hip beats to explore Rock, Punk Rock, Pop and Jazzy vibes to see the record out. Although its nice to hear such diversity, only June Bug swoons with its easy flow and gentle singing. Of course, the albums star is Steal My Sunshine, a massive hit known the world over. An oddity, considering how little of its charm gets echoed elsewhere. Worth a listen but quite mediocre.

Rating: 4/10

Wednesday 30 November 2022

Toadies "Rubberneck" (1994)

 

Accruing influences from 90s Alt-Rock scenes I am less acquainted with, American rockers Toadies debuted with Rubberneck. A rapid thirty six minute introduction that reeked of accents I fumbled to land my finger on. With rough rabbles echoing Skate Punk and Post-Hardcore in energetic spurts, their mostly Grunge era music dodged the lingering scent of Nirvana, whilst seeming fundamentally similar. Between the hardness of estranged "anti" solos and brittle crashing guitar riffs, emotive melodic lulls and sung vulnerabilities birthed Toadies' songs to straddle terrain built by others.

Their approach paints consistent reminders, unable to escape a partial sense of deja-vu. These tracks cut to the core, flying right into the memorable meat of the music. Each song swiftly embarks on its key appeal, an appetizing listen. Vaden Lewis' youthful groans sways between a soothed playful charm and roughened anger when spearheading with strained shouts. Percussion seems to go subtly by with Punkish beats and linking rhythms powering the musics drive without getting in your face.

The guitars play with short, repetitive, simplistic riffs. Impactful power chords, burning at the edges given the ferocity they are performed with on its displays of anger and frustration. Any foray into melody and tunefulness feels intentionally stripped back and flipped over, often lingering on minimalism and noisy rebellious embellishments. Its all cohesive, coming together to be felt first before picking apart its constructs.

After many enjoyable spins, I'm left with a solid record where I'm unsure if it was influential, or influenced by. It did however encroach on the very best of early 90s Rock sounds I once was quite dismissive of. Its nice to find albums that help you creak open the door of your own ignorance and this certainly did that for me.

Rating: 7/10

Tuesday 7 June 2022

Sum 41 "Chuck" (2004)

 

Initially, the Canadian Pop Punk outfit Sum 41's fourth outing was supposed to be the most exciting! Hailed as their most metallic release, I was keen on seeing how their Pain For Pleasure and Reign In Pain tributes to classic Metal would manifest with a prominent roll. With their warm, poppy personalities stripped out, replaced by a glum tone looming over the record, the music isn't as appealing without that bright, upbeat streak of Skate Punk. Softly depressive, gently downtrodden and moody, the metallic pursuit leads the music to an angsty self-defeatist tone I failed to vibe with.

Given previous manifestations in the spirit of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica, I was expecting more of that! The latter of which you do hear on occasion. Oddly, its the then dead Nu Metal genre that has its influences. The catchy lyrical cadences of Chester Bennington is obvious at times. More so Papa Roach of all bands. Many distinctive arrangements from Infest, both vocal and guitar driven, make themselves known, as well as a riff from System Of A Down. When turning to Metal, originality clearly is lacking and the chopping between contrasting styles is far from fluid.

Disappointed by the glum tone of Nu Metal influences, the Punk leanings get dragged along in that dreary spirit. The riffs are not as bright and chirpy, lyrics lack an emotional resolve once heard before and ultimately its mood is a drag. Of course it has its merits, catchy choruses and the occasional riff but I found myself pulled into those hopeless teenage moods id rather forget. You could say its personal bias however I'd defend how naked some of their musical compositions are in the shadows of others. It drowned out originality and left a sense of disappointment with me.

Rating: 5/10

Monday 23 May 2022

Sum 41 "Does This Look Infected?" (2002)

 

I've had nothing but fun with this cheap and cheerful record! Following up on a massive breakout with All Killer, No Filler, the Canadian Pop Punk outfit keep things simple and straightforward with a fraction of polish around the edges. Fast and fiery, the forty minutes of Does This Look Infected? storms out the gate with all energy intact. Keeping one foot on the gas, the band blaze through the motions with moments of dazzle and creativity as crafty vocal cadences, harmonies and interchanging guitar arrangements seem to frequently add spice to the mold these songs are cast from.

Lyrically, a similar sense of unrealized maturity emerges. The youthful angst, anger, adrenaline and notions of identity expressed get caught in a web of casual language. All to often does a streak of self awareness seem to offer a subtle antidote to teenage woes. It perhaps something I could of done with myself in those painful years. The only cheese I smelt came through their fun Beastie Boy raps, taking shots at the conformists suits! An amusing topic but one that seems far more relevant in youth.

The group have a streak of Heavy Metal adoration best pronounced with their Pain For Pleasure tribute. On this outing, Reign In Pain, the "Heavy Metal Jamboreee", follows this up and extends the style shift with World War 7 Part 2 to close the record out. These are significantly unpopular songs acording to Spotify but on the popular tunes, Still Waiting, No Brains, Mr.Amsterdam Billy Spleen, one can hear injections of classic Thrash Metal guitar riffs swiftly sliding into the solid Pop Punk structure.

Obviously, this is a delight to me. I do find it interesting how blunt of a Metallica riff they can just push into the albums biggest song... and it works! A lack of familiarity has aided greatly with this one, the lack of knowing and detachment of youthful memories was a breath of fresh air. I am sure this journey will get more exciting with the next installment, Chuck. I'm told it takes a much bigger shift towards Metal.

Rating: 7/10

Friday 23 April 2021

Pop Will Eat Itself "This Is The Day..." (1989)

 

This album may just go down as one of the most intriguing, genre crossover and retroactively curious records to discover at a time where the historical musical tapestry rarely surprises. This Is The Day... is a defining sophomore album by British act Pop Will Eat Itself, a band fueled by a passionate energy for music alternative to the mainstream. Despite being floored by its hallmarks, the now dated era sound of its fainter stints has me less indulged by its waves of nostalgia emanating from a moment in time prior to my favorite 90s sounds. Essentially, this would of been my world had I discovered it earlier in my youth. Hearing it now, its still a marvel to behold and enjoy.

Kicking off with PWEI Is A Four Letter Word, a defining influence is made known with its bold snippets of Chuck D & Flavor Flav of Public Enemy. The sampling culture of then still emerging Hip Hop sound runs rampant as defiant statements are drawn around the concept of "stealing" music in this sampling form. These guys stand on the cutting edge of the times, bringing Rap and Rock together with Heavy Metal and Punk Rock guitars among its weaving web of Electronic, Pop and even Disco in brief bursts. It has the spirit of Anthrax's inclusion on the crossover classic Bring The Noise. Its a wild punchy sound, bold and hard hitting as its elements stack together crudely through the riotous noise blaring from DJ Winston's eclectic sample choices.

Individually the songs tend to feel structured in a Pop format with chirpy hooks and a ton of cultural inclusion from its embracing sampling and referencing lyrics. The experience is like a youthful time machine, references to Terminator, Robo Cop and even Mc Donalds ground itself in the era. Notably, this is where its weak points gleam. Its silly refrain "Gimme Me Big Mack, Gimme Fries To Go" rapped alongside the classic Funky Town melody is both gaudy, geeky yet admittedly fun. Its grown on me, the awkward leaning arrangements do have musical charm at its inspirational core. My other "gripe" were the crass English accents, a little stiff and engineered when rapping but giving it some Merit, its the late eighties style, simple but effective.

Wrapped around its bold affront, the musicianship from Mole, Mansell, Crabb & March is remarkable, a keen negotiation fostering the spaces between its sampling indulgences with timely riffs, melodies and grooves to lay a firm foundation for the madness. Its an organic unraveling textile sound, morphing into songs as samples and programs drums invade the percussion, bass, guitars and beyond. The rhythm section was a personal pleasure, reflecting the tones of Alternative Metal, Industrial and Post-Punk to remind me fondly of the coming shift in sound the 90s would bring.

As said in the opening, its a marvel, full of mentions to perk your ears, Can U Dig It? is a lovable spew of references built around the classic line from The Warriors movie, sampled over and over. I set out to write a more critical review as its gaudy moments and rough edges had been a focus in casual listening, but as it happens on occasion, diving in deep and getting the thoughts out really made me appreciate this one more. Its quite iconic to me how it slips in between a lot of great music I adore with a "here first" affirmation. It will take time to digest deeply. One thing is sure, I am not done with it yet! Ill be spinning This Is The Day... for years to come, I can feel it in my bones!

Rating: 8/10

Tuesday 25 August 2020

Ho99o9 "Blur" (2020)

 

  As one of the more exciting acts to follow, the regularity of new material is always welcome. Hot off the heals of Cyber Warfare, the duo offer up another keenly themed mini album to digest. Blur is intermittent with snippets and samples of what sounds like eighties and nineties media hysteria over the emergence of loud and aggressive music in the form of Hardcore and Heavy Metal. The fear and rhetoric feels relevant to their twisted hybrid of dark Hip Hop and Hardcore Punk, ironically the music these talking heads were commenting on is meager and tame in comparison.

These thirty four minutes split along ten tracks feel like a call back to Mutant Freakx and their earlier releases. The bulk of music focuses on slower tempos, twisted and sinister atmospheres built from unhinged beats. Vocally the raps and hooks revel in ambiguity and discernible performances, occasionally lashing out with mean tonged aggressive verse of the Trap Metal variety. Each track is like being dipped into a different dimension of eerie unease as its slowly burns away.

Drifting from that norm, Flesh And Blood has a burst of tempo and Punk energy for the albums shortest affair. With only three tracks led by distortion guitar, Dog Shit takes the cake for being a ferocious riot, unleashing ravenous energy through its dirty riffing. Its brief, housed by samples and the dingy atmosphere the album revels in. Hardcore makes a distinct break from all this with a style and format that ultimately seems like a piss take aimed at Tyler The Creator, ripping off the attributes of his fantastic music.

Compared to the last two stints, it hasn't pushed my buttons as Id like given I am more drawn to their metallic side. It has however been a enjoyable listen with a host of tracks to stuck into but my ultimate take away is the darkly atmospheres don't deliver quite the engagement after multiple spins, it becomes a slow burn as the mystique wares off having deciphered the somewhat cryptic musics facade.

Rating: 6/10

Tuesday 14 April 2020

Milk Teeth "Go Away" (2017)


My recent disappointment with the bands self titled album brought my eyes to Go Away, a four track EP I overlooked that plays counter part to Be Nice. It too is a step away from the glory of Sad Sack & Vile Child but this direction is one I can vibe with. Its a similar theme of reckless self indulged emotional reflect, lively and unhinged.

The tone is way better suited to a coarsing Pop Punk energy. These thrashy vibrant power chords resonate with a 90s Green Day loudness, a sound I am admittedly not all that familiar with. Their lyrics float of these crashes of thunderous energy with a punchy resonance. Lines like "I'm drinking just because its there" and "Maybe these choices will backfire on me" cruise through the choruses with a catchy knack.

Pumping basslines and slamming aggression from the drums give the whole thing a real kick in the right direction. Lilian and Nearby Catfight have fantastic build ups in the end with some creative lead guitar to see the songs out. A throw back to what they do best can be felt in the closing track, Big Sky, a slower, moody track with a big sense of atmosphere. These songs are driven and fun, there is little here not too like!

Favorite Tracks: Nearby Catfight, Big Sky
Rating: 5/10

Saturday 21 September 2019

Ho99o9 "Cyber Warfare" (2019)


Less than a year on from one of last years favorites Cyber Cop, the vicious Punk Rock fusing and Hip Hop grooving duo Ho99o9 return with another vivid, conceptual EP that experiments with eerie cyber space hacker aesthetic. Opening up with Master Of Pain, gothic organs conjure an unsettling hallowed horror soundtrack atmosphere for slow tempo percussion to brood and then pivot into a riotous romp of synthetic guitar riffs fit for the pit. The back and forth is fantastic but this new gothic element sets a desire for more that is left alone on this one song. With Plexiglass a smothering, repetitive, obnoxious baseline fills the void akin to something you might hear on a TV commercial. A ridiculous mania of hurling frantic screams quickly stops this in its tracks as it turns up the intensity alongside scratchy discernible noise. At this point it may be hard to stomach for many a music listener.

Shadowrun slams into the Punk energy with fast and energetic guitar riffs, burred screams and pummeling drums. Its ecstatic and highly intriguing as the distortion and production techniques mask much of the instruments in layers of unusual aesthetic. From their the good songwriting emerges as the song leads into a fantastic closing groove played twice over. The end of the song introduces a layer of technological theming as a pitch dropped voice talks of internet connections. There is a few other bits like this but they fail to be interesting in my opinion. The next few tracks brings out the mean and gritty raps, delving into gloomy, dangerous street vibes akin to similar songs heard on their Horrors Of 1999 sophomore EP.

F.O.G. wraps up the record with some serious metallic stomping and tight drum patterns not far from something heard on a Extreme Metal record with its tight double pedal working. The song gets progressively heavier and distorted synths lead up to a ridiculous climax that maybe falls a little short of its intention. Overall this record is another fantastic chapter in what I hope will produce more of this paranoid cyber theming. Its not reached quite the peaks of Cyber Cop but it has produced some remarkable songs once again. This band are very much in a stride and I find myself dead excited for whatever it is they will do next.

Rating: 7/10
Favorite Tracks: Master Of Pain, Plexiglass, Shadowrun

Sunday 21 April 2019

Living Colour "Biscuits" (1991)


When it comes to music I am somewhat of a completionist, which leads me too this disposable EP released between albums. It also means a negative blog post, something I am not fond of. Here we have six tracks, comprising of five unreleased songs, three of them performed live and my favorite Living Color song Desperate People, also live. Each track seems to be scared by some jarring feature that taints the whole experience to a rushed throwaway. Two of the tracks feature scratching samples with a generic 80s rawness. Its hard and mixed in over the rest of the music for a disparaging equilibrium that stains mediocre songs with an unfinished feeling. The second of these had potential however. Its Ska basslines and esoteric, dreary, gothic guitars muster interest that's interrupted by tone deaf scratching.

The live performance of Desperate People from Vivid has all the enthusiasm and electricity of a wild show but the music is overplayed, too many variations and additional guitar noise gives an impression of the band getting to into the energy of playing and sacrificing a lot of fidelity. Further into the song Glover falls off key and it doesn't paint a good sell for the live show. On another tracks he moans and groans into the mic in a way that never sounds quite right... I could go on but you get the point, the quality here is sub par and with some bold annoyances on the project it just feels like a quick hash of material pulled together without much thought.

Rating: 2/10


Monday 15 April 2019

Living Colour "Time's Up" (1990)


There was no way I wouldn't pick up another album after discovering Vivid. Its a wonderful debut from the New York band who were fusing genres and setting the sound for 90s Alternative Metal. My excitement brewed when I read this album won a Grammy! That was quickly dispelled on first listen as the production feels a grade lower. The album has a looser, rawer sound, it opens fire with a rattling snare and speedy guitar pummeling that leans towards Thrash Metal. Its a brief moment of intensity that focuses attention on the overall rawer feeling of the record, its drums a fraction more spacious and its busying bass guitar sounds muffled and muddied when in steps up for action. Its energy and charisma comes together with a looseness.

In getting to know the record, a strange feeling of sideways progression emerges. The songs all have the same components, bold and bright, gleaming influences of Metal, Punk, Funk and Hip Hop melding in the cooking pot. This time around its as if they have taken the formula and re-arranged the elements, rather than sharpening or refining its composition. The resulting collection of tracks are rather miss matched in quality, the best of their output seems to revolve around singer Corey Glover and if he can pull of a hook or ear worm chorus. Pride does this wonderfully, with the band laying down a sweet track for his voice to resonate and send goosebumps your way.

There is a distinct shift in the albums topicality. The same social, cultural, economic and racial themes that felt personal and expressive seem spun up in a more commanding and actionable tone as the album is loaded with talking points and statements that stretch from the personal to the political with a broadened attitude. It becomes rather uncomfortable on the safe sex track Under The Cover Of Darkness. It has the tone of a government social influence project, with Queen Latifah dropping in headstrong, empowering lyrics but with that cliche 80s/90s plain flow rap. Unfortunately it has such an orchestrated feeling as she doesn't gel with the track.

The record has many strong moments and engaging arrangements. A wide variety of tones, genre splicing and ideas play out with plenty of grooving riffs and blazing, finger splitting solos but its usually one element firing at a time. The overall themes of these tracks don't come together to often and it play with a patchy flow because of that. Its short intermissions don't offer much either and I'm left feeling lukewarm on the record and wondering if the Grammy was in turn for such an amazing debut.

Favorite Tracks: Pride, Elvis Is Dead, Type, This Is The Life
Rating: 6/10

Thursday 3 January 2019

Ho99o9 "Mutant Freax" (2014)


Mutant Freak is Punk Rock and Hip Hop duo Ho99o9's debut EP release. I was initially not so interested, I got the impression from the differences between Dead Bodies In The Lake and United States Of Horror that the pair where an upwards path. Occasional tracks bang with hard hitting grooves and heretic energy but a lot of their material revolves around unhinged "atmosphere" and aesthetics that culminate to a strange breed of rebellion born from their unique fusion of influences.

With Cyber Cop the two produced a very cohesive set of songs which mostly rocked from front to back. Its not what I expected but the three tracks of Mutant Freak do this too, without any apparent bangers or big beats. On this eight minute listen their dark aesthetics and sporadic mic presence finds a dynamism I didn't hear before. Their selection of gritty, night time synth samples play against loose drums as they drop darkly verses between odd vocal inflections with an interesting spark.

Split in the middle is Hated In America, a heated Punk Rock track with fast tempo drums, thrashing power chord guitars and a infectious amount of reverberation to echo and add some maniac energy to their screams. Its short but sweet and far better than I had expected. In this case the two forge engaging music that doesn't rely on head rocking tropes. Something I didn't think they did to well before.

Rating: 4/10

Friday 21 December 2018

Can't Swim "This Too Won't Pass" (2018)


Last years Fail You Again was a peach! Now Can't Swim are swiftly back at it for round two with their sophomore record. They hit the ground running and kept going. Now there is a real contest between the two records because once again we have another solid set of songs you'll struggle to figure out your favorites from. This Too Won't Pass clearly steps in a brighter, pop direction with more tuneful singing and a generally lighter tone that can be heard in frequent acoustic guitar breaks and Emo, Pop Punk and Indie Rock strains in their sounds. It doesn't derive far from the blueprint at all and once again they challenge my conceptions of Genre's I'm less comfortable with as they pull off musical tropes with a touch of genuine class.

The record is wholly defined by its lyrical themes of breakups, heartaches and relationships. Chris LoPorto has a fantastic ability to channel his stories and musings into a catchy hook that resonates with the core of the song. It can be poetic, intelligent and blunt but more often a mix of all three. There is a fantastic chemistry at work, his words flow through the musical changes in temperament, always inline with the instrumental energy. Tracks like Amnesia 666 executes this with a stunning symmetry. Much like the instrumentals he exhausts a wonderful range of intensities with clean to screams consistently molding a unique persona for each track. The backup shouts and throaty yells of his band mates are not quite on his level. Bordering cringy at times but just about finding themselves on the right side of the line.

Much like their front man, his fellow musicians bring about a fantastic variety of intensity, color and charisma to flourish these themes into vivid visions with a ranged approach from the distortion guitars. They flex a whole range of chords, picking and strumming styles with varying degrees of overdrive that set distinct moods and compliment his words. The songs may have repetitive, simpler structures in places but the chemistry is so strong that each return of a riff or section feels as fresh as the play through before. The drummer also plays a key roll in fusing this all together with lively animated playing of grooves that flesh into the tom drums and livens up many of the chunky bass guitar grooves heard deeper in the mix.

For a record outside my comfort zone its quality really speaks volumes that the music transcends styles and themes I don't particularly vibe with. There are many objective moments where I heard something I wouldn't normally dig but these guys pull it off with true artistic intent and emotional meaning. Perhaps its just the open mind fighting old preconceptions. Either way I think it might be worth investigating more bands in this realm because if there are others as good as these guys I'm sold!

Favorite Tracks: My Queen, Hell In A Handbasket, Malicious 444, Amnesia 666, Winter Of Cicada
Rating: 8/10

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Milk Teeth "Be Nice" (2017)


Here on the music blog I have covered all the previous releases from this promising young band."Vile Child" and "Sad Sack" were both equally impressive records that captured the spirit of 90s Grunge yet spun it with their own taste and character that spared them from being seen as a nostalgia act. This limited four track release unfortunately looses the spark of uniqueness as their noisy and textually adventurous aspects of the guitar work are stripped back for a crisper, cleaner recording.

"Be Nice" still has the foundation for the energetic grungy attitude however the climatic moments here are not working. The big howling Post-Rock leads that usual swoon away in these songs can be heard shimmering into the fold but lack a striking melody or aesthetic magic to elevate the song like they have done so before. The ideas are certainly present but going back to old songs like "Burger Drop" or "Trampoline" the gulf of emotional impact is massive. So much magic emerges in those old tracks which are far more inventive than these four which seem to be hedged in by the cleanliness.

 Not to dwell on negatives, the drumming is fantastic here, a ton of energy sprawling out across the kit with fantastic fills, rolls and driving beats that really pulled along the riffs, which again felt a little sterile given the clean production. The lyrical themes are decent, musing on relationships and commitment with life on the road. Its really not a bad record at all but I expected so much more from this group and thus disappointment. I hope an album is on the way but if they are gunning for a cleaner sound with less of that big and noisy guitar work I'm probably not going to be keen.

Rating: 3/10

Sunday 25 June 2017

Milk Teeth "Smiling Politely" (2013)


There's not much I could say Milk Teeth's debut EP that I haven't said about their sound already. I wanted to get through all the bands releases and was surprised to hear them establish themselves so clearly two years before Sad Sack. Perhaps I was expecting something a little more primitive, rawer, a prototype of sorts that you can often encounter on a bands first record. The flimsy album cover may of given me that impression, a 60's psychedelia inspired font for the logo and Poochie the dog with his surfboard, the third character from Itchy & Scratchy that Homer Simpson voiced. Its bland pink and white minimalism not much of an appetizer for the music inside.

These songs are as alike as whats to come, Grungy 90s tunes with a hint of Punk Rock and a mild measure of nostalgia. They would slip right in, so much so the song "Swear Jar" explains the "(Again)" appendix on Vile Child, where it was re-recorded. All that can be said is the production, aesthetics, have a little less polish, some roughness around the edges mostly heard in the guitar distortions. Every other aspect falls into place, enthusiastic drumming, passionate shouts and singing, quite interesting to hear the guitar chemistry so potent from the get go. Lots of grooving, moving guitars interlaced with moody effect soaked leads that have a real emotional weight to them. Solid debut, shame about the awful cover.

Rating: 5/10
Favorite Tracks: Wizzard Battle, Grease

Sunday 9 April 2017

Can't Swim "Fail You Again" (2017)


 Picking something a little out of my field, New Jersey based Can't Swim's debut record has been just the right measure of styles for me to get behind. Alternative, Punk Rock with tinges of Emo, Grunge and Hardcore, the band is steadily rooted in scenes I'm less accustomed with yet its no stretch to understand this is great songwriting. Intelligent and expressive the band convey their message with no reliance in cheap tricks or tropes. Its an open, honest book on relationships and life's challenges that comes with a sense of working it out through the music, emotional, colorful and ripe.

The vocalist makes quite a mark with a strong, sung shout that strains and stretches, often with conviction and ferocity. At times he really pushes his range, putting an odd unhinged, off note charm into the mix that may turn off some. Its a great voice for a surprisingly rich and absorbing aesthetic, married to thoughtful compositions that do their part to flesh out what could be simplistic. The result, indulging songs, easy to get to grips with that have a lot of depth. On the surface one can appreciate the drummers creativity, shaking up the patterns on each repetition and steering the momentum of the music with fantastic fills and rhythms.

Digging deeper, the guitars flex between gentle and aggressive in easy harmony, layered with tones and coming at different measures of intensity, the variations from song to song keep the glass full from start to end. Edged out distortions and overdriven acoustics push back and forth as these songs rise and calm, forever unfolding. The band can go from big grooves to soft swooning melodics effortlessly, Its great song writing and they can load in great sing along hooks that give them a smart pop edge in some regards. I couldn't pick a favorite track, its as if no songs have a weak spot, not often you get a record that delivers from start to end, the constant shifting in tone really wets the water for the river to flow, creative, fun, meaningful record executed brilliantly.

Rating: 8/10

Saturday 14 January 2017

Conflict "Its Time To See Whos Who" (1983)


After enjoying a dip into Crass's first few record's I decided to seek out some more Anarcho Punk since the sound really appealed to me. Steve Ignorant of Crass actually joined the band after this, their debut record, released in 83 around what seems to be the peak of popularity for this rebellious sound. Many similar musical ideas are deployed although the record opens with a misleading track, "Young Parasites" sounds very much like The Clash with its prominent colorful baseline and generally tuneful, toned down aggression. Poorly performed guitar leads make a mockery of themselves as a shout cuts the track short to start over again.

The mood is flipped upside down with the real record as "Kings & Punks" kicks in with a crash of fast, lively drumming, temperate guitar riffs and an angry Colin Jerwood shouting with fury over a crunching baseline. At just a minute it sets the tone for fast and to the point music where songs rarely span further than the two minute mark. These tempo driven quick cuts make for an energetic atmosphere were nothing stays settled for to long as anger and frustration comes to fruition in dissent.

With an anarchy mindset, the lyrics take on progressive issues of anti-war, meat as murder and anti-establishment values with an exasperated grit of irritation. Jerwood keeps the heated resentment flowing but the accompanying music leans from its dissonant rebellious accent into catchy melodies and rocking riffs that despite being enjoyable, finds itself distancing from the core idea. A few songs here drift from the path and in these moments the consistency dips noticably.

When all elements are on the same page the soundtrack is set and the resolute attitude becomes engrossing. The records production is reasonable, guitar tone a little brittle and plastic, at times it doesn't quite have the aesthetic vitality to match its anger and the same might be said of the drums which despite being rather lively and rampant, find themselves getting buried in the mix. I also love the way the records end with some sort of improvised jam where the tempo keeps increasing and they keep going for it over and over. Chaos! Great album, potential to be great but falls short it too many places.

Favorite Tracks: 1824 Overture, One Nation Under The Bomb, Blind Attack, Blood Morons, Crazy Governments
Rating: 7/10

Thursday 17 November 2016

The I.L.Y.S "I've Always Been Good At True Love" (2015)


The I.L.Y.S are an Experimental Rock duo from Sacramento consisting of drummer Zach Hill and guitarist Andy Morin. Essentially they are two third of Death Grips, one of the most exciting new bands Ive heard, this bands identity resembles the group in its attraction to dissonant sounds and odd ball nature, the songs feel similar too however don't carry quite the same weight. This is the first of two records, a short one too at just under thirty minutes, which delves into arty, noisy aesthetic led tangents of Noise Rock and Grunge with a raw Punk attitude. Between it all electronic sounds mingle and intensify, giving much depth to the sound.

At first glance its a noisy mess of oddities but in a similar fashion to Death Grips, strange musical ideas emerge from the chaos. Simple and pleasing rhythms, grooves and riffs are abstracted by crooked distortions, bending and manipulating most aspects bar the drums. "Specalized" takes breathing, half spoken noises as musical samples and the tracks words are indistinguishable in moments. This waves of sounds are heard in excessive vocal revebs and the noisy guitars which utilize very half measured, dissonant, almsot plastic like distortions. Trying to pick it apart is quite the task as each song takes a different approach to the construct of its instruments. Ultimately they end up forming a coherent songs with an musical objective to relate to than its noisy exterior as the guitar riffs, for the most part, lead the songs.

With "Bubble Letters" the energy picks up for a moment as they push into party territory, that song and the following reminding me fondly of early 90s The Prodigy of all things. That's the records best moment as the rest of it is reasonable, to be fair these songs are quiet exciting in your first few listens, there's a lot going on and its all a blur. Getting familiar with them is fun but once the unpredictability wears off and the confusing aesthetics no longer creates a sense of excitement, the core music is rather simple and not particularly grabbing. Personally I feel as is too much focus on exteriors, the internal music is lacking in lasting substance, otherwise it could be a recipe for success.

Favorite Tracks: Articulate, Bubble Letters, Specialized, All She Does Is Kill Shit
Rating: 5/10