Monday 31 December 2012

Goodbye 2012

Looking back over the year, I know we have all been
on an incredible journey together and learnt a lot about ourselves!

We have all laughed, cried, been to court and been diagnosed as
clinically depressed as one happy family.


What lessons have we learnt?

1. I don't think the BBC will be showing reruns of "Jim'll Fix It" for a while.

2. Arsenal plan to sell every decent player they ever get.

3. Apparently if you happen to be walking in the same direction as
someone and then happen to get on the same train as them and then
by mistake get off at the same stop and follow them home and by mistake
climb a tree in their garden and stare in their bedroom window all night
and get so hot that all your clothes fall off and need the toilet so badly that
your normally flaccid penis looks like a giant inflatable lobster
 wobbling around, the police call it "Stalking"!

4. In a vain-glorious haze of ignorance, I thought that the 1,000 page views
I was getting a day was due to my wonderful and pithy music reviews and
not the fact that you could get albums free from my site. When the file-sharing 
purge wiped all accounts and I decided only to share legal or bandcamp links,
 how quickly I found out the truth. 

A big thanks to everyone who stuck around!



Thursday 20 December 2012

mnttaB - mainsHum

Band request from Australia.

If the Devil had drank a milkshake made of disco, punk and
electronica and then vomited up the contents, forming a 
band from the resulting steaming mess, mnttaB would
be the result!


Never has a band with no guitars made me jump around so much.
Glorious ramshackle fun, this is the ideal soundtrack to play when
you want to experience being drunk but without drinking. 

Play this to your relatives on Christmas day and watch them cross
you off their contact lists!



Bio: mnttaB? - its a melbourne based new romantic, jazz funk, post-nothing, noise-pop smorgasbord with extra mayonnaise.  Sort of like demented lift muzak played through a big muff, with the sounds of some random domestic "incident" seeping through the walls of your bedsit. 

How can tunes assembled on a sequencer get so out of time? How can digitally recorded vocals sound so scratchy and distorted? Why does such an expensive synthesizier sound so cheap? 

All these questions and more remain unanswered by the mainsHum EP....Imagine early Dollar (if they had listened to more Toxo Plasma) or a mutant Thomas Dolby with webbed hands and broken fingers or Vangelis if he only had a Wasp to work with or GBH let loose on a Fairlight - imagine all that , all at the same time, all through a ripped speaker cone....turned up really fucking loud.

Name your price at Bandcamp

Facebook

Prehistoric Pigs - Wormhole Generator

Band request from Italy.

Prehistoric Pigs play instrumental stoner with heavy
psychedelic vibes and as with all instrumental projects,
the question has to be asked - is there enough going
on to keep your attention wandering due to the lack
of vocals? 


In this case, the answer is a resounding yes.

The guitar riffs are loud and nicely fuzzed, evoking the sun-baked
desert sound but with a heaviness drawn from sludge. Excellent
audio clips are used to great effect but without being overdone.
Drones and atmospherics throb underneath the songs, bringing
in some space-rock undercurrents.

The song arrangements and playing for their debut release show
that Prehistoric Pigs are ones to watch out for.

Buy from Bandcamp

Facebook

Wednesday 19 December 2012

Haut Et Court - La Vie

Band request from Eastern France.

Haut Et Court describe themselves as playing Mathcrust - 
although this is the first time I have heard of this genre, it
describes them perfectly.


Sounding like they should be signed to Throatruiner Records,
playing these 6 tracks is very much like a boot in the face.

Fast and powerful, these songs drip with elements of crust and 
hardcore, while the depth and tone of their sound have that 
black metal sonic solidness that are evident in Coverge or
Trap Them.

Haut Et Court fuse all these elements together with some
wonderfully mangled guitar riffs that strays out of generic
templates and delves into some intricate but still heavy madness.

Production is top notch - keeping the sound big and tight but 
without descending into muddiness. Oh yeah - and the
vocalist sounds like a werewolf fucking around with bad
drugs and a microphone!

If this grabs ya - free download from Bandcamp

Facebook

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Ape Sanctuary Records

Ape Sanctuary records are 2 guys who run a small tape/digital 
label and release cassettes of their recordings under various 
album titles, they are not a cohesive band per se, more like a series of projects.

Leaning to the noise, experimental side of things, there are three
projects to sink you teeth into.

Unhappy Virgin Damage


This is experimental noise-rock which sounds like the 
alternative soundtrack to Eraserhead! Distorted vocals
vie to be heard above drones and textures which are
smothered in guitar feedback loops. Clanking percussion
drives the song passages along and electronic squalls make
sure that the uneasy listening experience continues.





Oktaha



Oktaha contains instrumental tracks that revolve around guitar
loops that are drenched in reverb. Quiet Sonic Youth flourishes
give the impression of wide open spaces but without drifting
into aimless ambient crapola.



Teen Eagle

The third offering is by Teen Eagle - using the template of Unhappy
Virgin Damage, these tracks have much more attack and direction,
falling into the thick swamp of sludge, giving you the power and
aggression of very early Swans crossed with the gibbering madness
that the Butthole Surfers used to such good effect in Locust Abortion
Technician. 




Check this talented bunch out and take a chance on hearing
something different.

All available from Bandcamp

Friday 14 December 2012

Missiles Of October - Hangover EP

Band request from Belgium.

Missiles Of October assault your ears with some noise rock
and post-hardcore. Discordant timings and abrasive riffs litter
the songs with reckless abandon and you can almost hear the
guitar strings breaking under the duress they are receiving.


Filthy basslines throb in tandem with the drums, giving the
guitars a platform from which they can launch dirty fuzzed
explosions of wonderfully crazed aggression.

The despairing vocals add another layer with yells, screams
and general shoutiness.

This is good shit - recommended.

Buy from Bandcamp

Facebook

Thursday 13 December 2012

Rise Above Dead - Stellar Filth

Band request from Italy.

Rise Above Dead play ambient/sludgey/post-metal and as
you can expect, produce a pounding soundscape that
incorporates heaviness with clean guitars that balance
out the tension before descending back into the abyss.


Recorded, mixed and mastered by Lorenzo Stecconi 
(Ufomammut /Lento) this album has a huge sound to it
that confirms the title choice - Stellar Filth!

With song compositions sounding influenced by Cult Of Luna,
Rise Above Dead also have the power, tension and riffs of Yob,
giving them a template from which they have found their own voice.

Bio: The new record out on 26th of June it’s called “Stellar Filth” , recorded, 
mixed and mastered by Lorenzo Stecconi (Ufomammut /Lento)
“Stellar Filth” consists of 7 new songs where down-tempo sludge meets 
post/metal and ambient parts, for an amount of 48 minutes of music.
It’s release on 12’’ black vinyl on a special edition handnumbered 
produced in coperation with 3 labels (Shove record and Forever true 
(Ita), Moment of collapse (D)

Buy from Bandcamp

Facebook

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Walls Of Silents - Looking Through Cadaver Eyes

This was recommended to me by Chris from the very cool
Small Takeover blog. Check 'em out for noisy, interesting stuff.

Wall Of Silents play hardcore metal rock'n'roll which translates
into the glorious sound of the Cro-Mags meeting Motörhead!


Any album that starts off with a Hellboy sample is going to get
into my good books but they back it up with yobbish abandon.

If you are looking for subtle touches of delicacy do not come
near this mutant beast of punk-metal. With a fat, powerful
sound, the rasping growls of the vocalist give the meaty
riffs plenty of momentum as the songs barrel down the
highway of aggression.  Bringing the whole sound together
are the guitar solos - loud, fuzzed and wah-wah'd - giving
a metal touch to proceedings but without too much fret
board wankery!

This album is from 2009 but worth checking out if you
are in the mood for some non-pretentious music.

Free from Bandcamp

Facebook


Tuesday 11 December 2012

Lilium Sova - Epic Morning

Band request from Switzerland.

Lilium Sova play mainly instrumental post-hardcore with a
fucked up jazz sound that hurts your head more than any down-tuned
guitar can. Fast, technical playing hits you at first but without
the sheer scorched earth policy that Zu employ.

Having the keyboard sound like a guitar gives the riffs a chord
range that goes beyond the hand-span a six stringed instrument
can produce - unless they have fucking massive fingers like
 Hendrix or Zappa! Math like, staccato rhythms pound out
mixtures of styles from heavy noise to passages of echoed sax.

Towards the end of the album, rabid hardcore vocals kick in,
bringing it all together, not unlike The Mars Volta in full flow.

Bandcamp


BIO: 4 years after its debut album, the atypical instrumental hailing from Geneva, (Switzerland) Lilium Sova, is back with a new full-length available right now through Cal of Ror Records (Rorcal).

Emerged in early 2006 as a trio (Cyril, Michael and Tim) playing a fairly unique dynamic syncopated brand of noise-hardcore and post-metal mixture with a pinch of free-jazz to give life to "Tripartite Chaos" (2008, Cal Of Ror Records). In 2011, after sessions for an upcoming record were done, the band parted ways with saxophone/synth player Michael Borcard (Penfield), losing a key element of their sound. Guest musicians Loïc Blazek (violoncello/guitar) and multi-tasker Kim Makombe (guitars/noise) where then invited to join the band permanently.

Now a quartet, Lilium Sova has rearranged some older songs and expanded their initial sound, and it's under this line up that the band releases "Epic morning". A brand new album recorded & mixed by JP Schopfer (Rorcal) @ Wool studio and mastered by Raphael Bovey, including guests appearances from members of Impure Wilhelmina, Kehlvin, Yog, Rorcal...

Three tracks from this upcoming noise-mathcore jazzy creature are available on Bandcamp.

Get your copy right NOW !


Friday 7 December 2012

Soundtrack To My Year 2012

In no particular order, here are the albums that
have made me jump up and down, inspired me
to write my own music and in general have helped
me to survive a pretty stressful year.

I have not embedded music players as the whole post
would take hours to open!

Because I am such a good guy, I will include post descriptions
that I have done, otherwise - do your own research.

One of these albums is my personal favourite - but that
is for me to know!

Bubonic Bear - Fleshworld

This duo play a mixture of hardcore and sludge with
brutal effect. Dirty distorted riffs hammer away as
the vocals vie for levels against the noise rock
type song arrangements.

Hard to believe that two people can make such
a fucking racket but hey, here is the evidence.

The songs speed along leaving you no room to
catch a breath and the aggression shows no sign
of flagging by the end of this eight track album.

This is no mindless thrashing though, they display
intricate arrangements among all the chaos which
should please anyone into Botch etc.

Burning Love - Rotten Thing To Say
Using noise-rock song structures and fucked up blues solos, this
is a thing of mangled beauty that makes you want to turn the volume
up louder while shouting random obscenities at strangers just
because music like this makes you feel alive.

Recorded by Kurt Ballou, he has captured everything with a
clarity that tears your face off. Relentless distorted guitars riff
over sewer-infested bass and primordial drums while Colohan
rants like a man possessed.

I have been playing this since the summer and unless Black
Flag reform and record something, this will be my album
of the year. Put in your record collection along with 
Coliseum and Rational Animals.
Do not take my word for it - play the tracks
and listen to perfection.

Direwolves - Me From Myself, To Banish
The latest release from the always impressive Throatruiner
Records are the Direwolves. 6 tracks of heavy hardcore crossed
with crust and screamo make this a ferocious beast that wants to
track you down and tear your face off.

Fantastic production makes sure that every riff and scream comes
out crystal clear but still captures the awesome power of the music.

I have being playing this non-stop today and have come to the
conclusion that this could be one of my favourite hardcore
records of the year so far.

Eagle Twin - The Feather Tipped The Serpent's Scale
Goat Bong - Goat Worship & Sodomy

Goat Bong hail from Texas and like their weed strong
and dirty. The cover suggests an unhealthy obsession with
the occult but the evil here comes from man. This mainly
instrumental album plays like a soundtrack to an imaginary
early 60's film about the dangers of drug use and how the
'kids' were going feral from too much of the good stuff!

Down-tuned stoner riffs rub shoulders with doomy compositions
that are helped in no end by excellent use of vocal samples, slowed
down and distorted into slurring mantras praising narcotic abuse.

Heavily fuzzed solos are relentlessly played over riffs that are
made to get your head nodding. Now and then, keyboards come in
with a real '70's style vibe that suits perfectly.With Sabbath and Orange
Goblin influences throughout, Goat Bong have produced a collection of
tracks that should please anyone who worships the riff.

Godstopper - Crawlspace
Godstopper play music that unsettles at the same time
as hitting you over the head with its heaviness. Jarring
riffs fight for space in the claustrophobic production.
These are dark, slow songs sung with venom but in a
clean vocal style which hangs over the sometimes empty
space where you would expect notes to be.

The songs have the power of early Swans and the riffs
of the Melvins, all delivered in a sparse sonic envelope.

This is the music you hear when you overdose on sleeping
pills and vodka.

Hawk Eyes - Ideas
Huata - Atavist Of Mann
Kowloon Walled City - Container Ships
Released through Brutal Panda Records, Kowloon Walled City
have carved out an impressive slab of hardcore/sludge/noise rock
that is full of dirty, distorted tunes of disgust, regret and thoughtful
anger.

Feeling slightly less chaotic than past records, the band are not
scared to strip away walls of noise to reveal passages of stark
intensity which rely on vocals and picked guitar to set the scene
before blasting out a barrage of atmospheric noise and aggression.

Great production has melded the instruments into a massive force
that sounds unstoppable - if there is any justice in this shitty world,
this is a body of work that stands out in an overcrowded genre and
which other bands will be measured against.

Love Sex Machine - S/T
Make - Trephine

Trephine is a type of saw used to cut into the skull - Make
have produced an album that generates the same effect but
with music. Their own tag reads drone/post-metal/psychedelic/
sludge but all you need to know is that they have made one
of the most powerful albums you will hear this year.

The atmospherics are dark and brooding, helped by the
relentless riffs that are crashing out, creating a dense and
tension-filled collection of tracks that need to be listened
to in one sitting. You feel drained after playing this - you
don't so much listen to this but experience it.

I know that other genres have madly crushing, heavy as fuck
music which they will claim are better than this but I do not
listen to them ....... in the world of post-metal, this will take
some beating!

The sparse vocals almost push this album into an instrumental
one but when they do emerge from deep within the mix, you
realise how much depth and layering you are hearing, how
the dynamics have been thought out and most of all, just how
the searing riffs are in fact much more complex than realised
on your first listen.

For a debut release, Make have produced something
marvelous - highly recommended.

Millions - Failure Tactics

Seventh Rule Recordings have released the new album by
Millions and it fucking kills.

Post-hardcore/noise rock is the order of the day and the band
have upped the ante from the 2009 "Gather, Scatter". Shared vocals
give an urgency to the dark lyrics which are laid over meaty, chord led riffs.

The music is dense and loud, chaotic but controlled with a tension
that threatens to burst out in violence. The two guitars sound as
if they are at war with each other as they trade aggressive riffs
but they are underpinned with the very solid drumming and
the fuzzed up rumble-monster that is the bass.

The record was produced by Chicago’s Andrew Ragin 
(THE ATLAS MOTH), mastered by Kyle Spence (HARVEY MILK)
and the result is a sonic barrage of taut songs that will make you
play again and again.

This is a fantastic album that will be in my "best of list" this
year without a doubt and could well be the album that makes
people really take notice of Millions - Recommended!

Mudbath - Red Desert Orgy

Mudbath play a superb mix of doom-tainted sludge that 
threatens to obliterate everything in its path. Despairing, bleak
vocals howl out a litany of fury that are always fighting to be 
heard above the fat, heavy guitar tones that are crashing out 
gargantuan riffs.

This album is made up of 3 long tracks that take you to a dark swamp,
cut your eyes with razors and leave you to slowly sink into the mire.
Passages within the songs do pick up the pace at times before descending
back into the thick, bad-drug vibe that pervades the Mudbath sound.

The crowning glory as far as I am concerned, are the outrageously 
fuzzed guitar solos that forge the psychedelic with the heavy - kinda
like Vanilla Fudge crossed with Electric Wizard. At times I find this
genre sometimes suffers from a generic template but in my eyes,
Mudbath have produced one of my albums of the year.

Neurosis - Honor Found In Decay
Pigs - You Ruin Everything
Insanely good release from Pigs. Noise rock/punk harcore that
sweeps you along with the aggression and inventiveness of a
band at the top of their game.

Royal Thunder - CVI
Stubb - S/T
Uncle Touchy - Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Violence
Uncle Touchy write on their band blog that "We're not pretty
boys with swept over emo bangs who sweep pick over
breakdowns. We just want to make your stomach turn"

It is certainly a statement of intent but this album does not make
me sick but makes me want to jump up and down a lot.

They have nailed down the AmRep sound, classy songs
overlaid with a brutal approach with riffs that get under your skin.
Hardcore/noise music attacks your head but unlike so many bands,
there are actual tunes which put these tracks into Jesus Lizard and
The Melvins territory.

Justin Lewis and Chris Moree were spectacular in their previous
incantation of Milquelizard but with Uncle Touchy have created
a vicious beast that wants to kick you in the teeth and make your
ears bleed.

Verdun - The Cosmic Escape Of Admiral Masuka

Verdun are named after one of the longest and devastating battles
of the First World War. Fought in the Western Front over 10 months,
an estimated 976,000 people lost their lives in an area so small
that parts of the ground were composed of more human flesh
and bone than of earth and vegetation.
Taking their name from such a gruesome example of mankinds
destructive urges should give you an idea of what the music sounds like.

3 songs all around the 10 minute mark deliver despairing epic
tracks that are the perfect mix of sludge/doom/hardcore. Battle scarred 
riffs that are droned and tortured get the head banging in slow motion
while the howling vocals that are mixed quite low, fight through the
murk of massive basslines and drums that have a monolithic feel to them.

Verdun create some masterful atmospherics and are not afraid to bring
a song down to the wire, creating moments of calm and eerie quietness
before delivering explosive climaxes that leave you feeling drained.
The song arrangements create a claustrophobic tension of bleakness
that make this album one to be listened to as a whole to get the
full effect.

We Had A Deal - Dialectics

After one LP and 2 EP's, We Had A Deal release their new
album which has a conceptual theme dealing with (as far
as I can make out) relationships, loss and loneliness.
The songs are split up into movements and broken up with
quieter passages that bring a stillness before the main tracks 
blast along. These are passionate songs, played 
with aggression and fuse post-hardcore with 90's screamo.

This album took me by surprise with its complexity and maturity - 
if you want your punk thrills with intelligence, look no further.
Spread the word with this one as it deserves a big audience.

Witchcraft - Legend
Wizard Rifle - Speak Loud Say Nothing
Wolves Carry My Name - Amongst Ruins And Ashes

This has all the elements I need to play again and again. 
Sludge heaviness combined with killer riffs? - Yep.
Post-metal atmospherics and a vocalist that sounds like a demon
trying to claw his way out of hell? - Check.

Fuzzed out stoner blues guitar solos with wah-wah? - Oh yeah.

Rather than fill space with empty words, just take my word
that this is heavy, thrilling and distorted. What more do ya need?



Those are my choices - remember my wise words if you
disagree with any of them: 
I am right and you are wrong!

Thursday 6 December 2012

Apocalypse Sunrise Records - 2012 Compilation

Here is a stunning compilation from Apocalypse Sunrise Records.

With the tag line of "DIY with the company of good friends
with bad taste", this album has some outstanding bands who
although are from various genres, all want to jump on your head
with hobnailed boots while stabbing your eyes with rusty knuckle-dusters.


Just the names of Godstopper, The Great Sabatini and Vilpend
should be enough to get you downloading but there are 18 tracks
from the world of hardcore, metal, sludge, punk and noise - more
than enough choice to enable you to like vast chunks of this whatever
your choice in heavy music.

Name ya price at Bandcamp

Facebook


Wednesday 5 December 2012

Sonance - Like Ghosts

Band request from Bristol.

If the Mayans are right and the world will end on the
21st of December, as the universe collapses around your ears,
it will probably sound a lot like Sonance.


Screams, pounding drums, earthquake type bass riffs compete
with guitar drones that resonate deep in your bowels.

Atmospheric/doom/experimental sludge? Fuck the genres - 
these guys have created a massive slab of wonderment that
deserves to be played loud and more importantly, needs to
be heard. Spread the love around and prepare to feel
drained after listening to this!

Check all the links below and catch them live next year.......
gonna fit any London dates in?

Ben - guitar, screwdriver
Will - guitar, dictaphone, vocals
Tom - vocals
Chino - bass
Jamie - drums


LIKE GHOSTS comes in two halves, totalling just under 42 minutes. The record is available on Bandcamp (http://sonance.bandcamp.com/) and is currently drawing around 250 plays per day since being uploaded on 12/11/2012.

Each part is an atmospheric heaping of interwoven arrangements, detailed and droned stretches that subside into sludge filled chasms as the bass pushes you through the floor and lifts dust from the walls. The record was written and rehearsed in a confined practice room in which the waves of sound could literally be felt shuddering up through your lungs and out of your mouth.

So far drawing comparisons with latter era Scott Walker/Bohren & Der Club Of Gore/Godspeed You! Black Emporer/Badalamenti/Janek Schaefer/Stapleton and Tibet/Gnaw Their Tongues/Abandon/Khanate/Corrupted, the band have made a promising impact via their live shows (see Youtube link below) and have a tour of the UK and Europe booked for March 2013:

Mar 19
Bristol, UK

Mar 20
Colchester, UK

Mar 21
Ghent, Belgium

Mar 22
Leiden, Netherlands

Mar 23
Bruges, Belgium

Mar 24
Antwerp, Belgium

SONANCE started a year and a few months ago and began to find its feet in early 2012, in front of a wall of amps and live visuals:



You can find them here:


Tuesday 4 December 2012

Tesa - IV

Band request from Latvia.

Tesa play post-rock arrangements but with the fire and
aggression of sludge and post-metal.

They mix ambient soundscapes with loops and noise but never
forget to play as loud as they can when they want you to take notice. 


Echoed, picked guitar rings out in desolation, like a corpse
floating down a river before finally falling over a massive 
waterfall that drowns out all other sounds. Virtually instrumental
apart from some very faint screams of desperation, the songs
avoid long drawn out passages, instead the constant ebb and
flow between loud and quiet quickly take the listener along
with mid paced tempos that brings anticipation to the next
part of the composition. 

The three tracks are best played as a whole to get the full effect
of what Tesa are trying to achieve - monolithic slabs of epic,
haunting brutality.



L.M.I. - II

Band request from Landsdale.

L.M.I. play a mixture of ska-punk with veers into hardcore
with a powerful sound and clear/shouted vocals.  
This is not really something I am into and therefore would find
doing an unbiased review hard to do. 

BUT - please give it a listen, check out the links below and
make your own minds up and support them if you can.


L.M.I. stands for Lazy Middle-Class Intellectuals. Will Hinkle and Brando Racik started L.M.I. in the summer of 2008, they both wrote songs together as a duo until November of 2008 when drummer Josh Bennet and lead guitarist Johnny McCreery joined the band. They created songs together as a 4 piece until January 2009 when Johnny temporarily left the band. In February 2009 Josh Bennet was dropped from the band lineup and was replaced by drummer Kevin Marcinek and was once again joined by Johnny McCreery. This lineup lasted until April of 2009 when L.M.I. went on hiatus for the next few months. But in November of 2009 Will, Brando, and Kevin reformed the band as a trio. In February of 2010 the band played their first show in Lansdale, PA and have been playing shows ever since. They released their first demo ep in May of 2010 with Brainblow Records. And in August of 2010 Shelby Dobbins was added to the band as the rhythm guitarist. This lineup lasted until October of 2010 was Shelby was dropped from the band and the band went back to the original trio. The lineup has stayed the same ever since and in September of 2011 L.M.I. released their first full length record titled “Sell Your Clothes, Save Your Thoughts” and continued playing shows in support of it until fall of 2012. In October of 2012 L.M.I. went back into the studio and recorded a new ep titled "L.M.I. II" which was released on November 13th, 2012. They have been playing shows in support of it to this day.


Thursday 29 November 2012

Three Second Kiss - Tastyville

Band request from Ryan and Sick Room Records.

Three Second Kiss occupy the space between post-punk and
math with clinical results.

Mournful vocals that hint at controlled anger and sorrow
sit on top of abstract guitar riffs that wind through angular
passages that almost collapse but are rescued by the bass and drums.


The songs have a groove that do remind you of Shellac but the
band use that template to find their own way rather than just
ripping off. 

With minimal distortion used, every twisted note can be heard
which enables the convoluted song passages to ebb and flow
from punky riffing to intricate, mathy stompers.

BIO: Co-Release with excellent Italian label, Africantape. Loose yet intricate math/noise rock ala Shellac/Uzeda/June of 44 but with a little more panache. They are already getting great press in Europe!

Born in Bologna, first record dated in 1996, six records so far, two works recorded by Steve Albini (Music out of Music on 2003 and Long Distance on 2008) and one by Ian Burgess (producers of bands like Shellac, Jawbox and Cows), 3 United States tour – one with June of 44 in 2000 and one with Shellac in 2009 – TSK are the first Italian band to be invited in 2002 at the prestigious All Tomorrows Parties festival UK, on the list together with such names like Bonnie Prince Billy, Wire, Shellac, Breeders, Smog, Shannon Wright, Shipping News and many others, and they will perform on the current 2012 special ATP UK edition (nov/dec 2012 – The Nightmare before Christmas) together with bands like Shellac, Neurosis, Melt Banana, Mission of Burma, to name just a few. TSK records have been distributed in Europe by Southern records (with the record Everyday Everyman – on 1998) and then in USA by Dischord rec. from Washington DC (with the record Focal Point – Slowdime rec. on 1999 and Music out of Music on 2003). Today the band is happily home based with the French label Africantape rec, that put out on 2008 Long Distance, our previous record, and that has just released the newest Tastyville. There is a lot of way to do. Never look back…

Buy from Bandcamp

Facebook


Black Science - An Echo Through The Eyes Of Forever

Band request from Seattle.

Black Science play space rock ......... as soon as you hear those
words, try as hard as you want, one word instantly comes into
your thoughts .......... Hawkwind. Like it or not, the revered 
All-Fathers of all things spacey are the benchmark to which
all others are compared. 


There are comparisons but Black Science have decided to also
concentrate on the "Rock" part of the genre as well, throwing
in stoner and healthy doses of psych rock to give a new slant
to things.

Lots of wild guitar work is displayed and combining with nifty
keyboards means the electronic sounds and effects never
overpower the songs. The last track is a 15 minute kraut-rock
stomper finishes off this enjoyable album in style.

The twin vocals are clean and to my ears, draw comparisons with
Vedder when he was in Temple Of The Dog - there is a warmth
sometimes missing from this genre.

Buy from Bandcamp

Facebook


Tuesday 27 November 2012

Taste The Void - Sun's Heat

Band request from France.

Taste The Void sound like the Hulk picking up a guitar and
playing through 200 foot high stacks ...... HULK SMASH PUNY
MUSIC! Fusing hardcore and post-metal is one of my listening
pleasures and this band do not disappoint.


Thick walls of sound set the template to which the band can
then proceed to layer with distortion and anger. There is
brutality but tempered with pieces of delicately picked guitar
which make the crashing, thunderous climaxes even more of
a tsunami that washes over you.

Amaury Sauvé has been brought in and has mixed these 
songs with devastating results, bringing everything to 
the front without losing the power or intensity. 

My description cannot really do this band justice - listen to the
tracks below and let them wash over you - Recommended.

Buy for an absolute pittance from Bandcamp

Facebook


Monday 26 November 2012

The Chewers - Chuckle Change and Also

Travis from The Chewers has sent me this to review and
as with their 1st album, people have to decide if it is wilfully
weird or just the way their minds work.


One of the pleasures in doing this blog is receiving music out
of the blue that you have never heard before. For a band that
play sparse arrangements with minimal soundscapes, they
conjure up a sense of slight unease - nothing drastic - just the
feeling that someone is walking behind you but when you turn 
around, no-one is there or when you use public transport and
realise that the guy in the smart suit with a sensible haircut
actually has vomit stains down his shirt and he is muttering
bible phrases under his breath.

The Chewers use hardly any distortion on the guitars, giving
a clean tone that makes every off-kilter and I suspect, illegal
chords, crawl along the song passages. The vocals are effect
ridden, sounding like a deranged preacher in full ranting 
god-praise over a badly tuned car radio.

Still sounding like country and western Devo, the early
Beefheart punk blues tracks have a slightly more cohesive
feel to them as opposed to the almost random snippets of
previous works.

Give it a go!