Thursday 30 June 2011

End of Level Boss - Inside the Difference Engine (2007)



While waiting for the new album, here is the 2007
release from End of Level Boss.

This is Stoner but with a metallic throb and the
vibe of (dare I mention a dirty word?) grunge.

Lots of discordant guitars with a heavy psychedelic
feel to the solos. Not sticking to one generic style,
there are also welcome hints of doom and a big
dirty, fuzzed out head nodding feel to all the tunes.

The tight riffs compliment the innovative song
structures but never get bogged down in technical
trickery which so many bands seem to think means
clever song writing.


Wednesday 29 June 2011

Cream - Blues Addict (1967)



Recorded live at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit on
Oct 15th 1967, this captures the band raw and sweaty
at their best, giving the psychedelic blues sound a
new and rockier workout.

I have always felt that in the studio, Cream came across
as too polished and in some cases, almost tame but on
this album - full of the classic tracks you would want to
hear - the legend of the band becomes fully justified.



I should post more of this stuff more often than I do but
would recommend Trippy Jam for the blog to visit if you
need more.

Tuesday 28 June 2011

Ten Volt Shock - 78 hours (2010)



Some fantastic post-hardcore on show here.

On guitar and vocals is Frank Otto from the
German band "Kurt", so you kinda know the fine
sounds you are gonna hear.

This has the best rumbling bass sound since early
Motorhead crossed with JJ Burnel and the drumming
hits harder than a drunken step-father beating up his
ginger haired teenage son.

Plenty of inventive riffing going on, giving each song
a noise-rock template from which the vocals can go
into full David Yow frenzy.

In fact, if you like Jesus Lizard, give this a listen.


Big thanks to Elementary Revolt for turning me onto
this band.

Monday 27 June 2011

Troubled Coast - Letters (2011)



Coming across like the bastard son of La Dispute
and Touche Amore, Troubled Coast play a thrilling
mixture of post-rock and modern post-hardcore.

Shouted vocals and clean singing/spoken parts
convey real emotion and the thick, distorted guitars
have hooklines and riffs that stick in your brain.

Melodic hardcore sometimes gets bogged down with
cut'n'paste tunes but these songs have a deft structure
that makes each tune sound fresh and original.

Troubled Coast have a great feel for atmospherics
within the song passages and I have a feeling that
this album will creep into my list of the years
best albums. Hugely recommended!



Friday 24 June 2011

Crass - Christ The Album (1982)



Another album from the year that would be called
in some music press reviews "UK82".
Lots of back to basics punk came out and this was
probably the most commercial from Crass so far.

Of course, it is still very basic anarcho/crust but
a lot more time was spent than normal in the
recording process, giving the guitars a thicker feel
and the drums come across more as pounding rather
than the "tin can" sound they had previously suffered
from. This also comes with a bonus CD of live tracks.


Tuesday 21 June 2011

GBH - City Baby Attacked by Rats (1982)



GBH, along with Discharge, came exploding out
of the streets with an unholy mix of punk, hardcore,
metal and hard rock.

Generations of people take this sound for granted
but in '82 it seemed to be so new and fresh, uniting
punks and rockers in a way not seen since Motorhead
in '77/'78.

All these songs are 3 minutes bursts of aggression,
with the guitars crunching through the riffs, like a
chainsaw with a Gibson.

This album was the band recording their live set at
the time with no frills or major overdubs, giving it
a raw feel.


Monday 20 June 2011

Discharge - Never Again



Ever since the death of Seth Putnam, I have been
listening to early abrasive punk - this will probably
be the theme of posts this week.

This Discharge album is a collection of singles and
EPs and gives a pretty good indication of their sound.

If I need to give a description, you are probably on
this blog by mistake.


Wednesday 15 June 2011

Take A Worm For A Walk Week - T.A.W.F.A.W.W. (2011)



This is a mixture of Math and Noise Rock which
sounds like it is falling into chaos but is very
structured and controlled.

Post-Hardcore barrages stop and start suddenly,
with pianos and trumpets wailing in the background.

Guitar lines are distorted, switching between riffs
and chords riding on top of the tight-as fuck-rhythm
section.

This is thrilling, inventive music with a progressive
feel to it. The last band to do this so well were the sadly
missed These Arms Are Snakes.

The Scottish accents come through on the vocals .... nice to
hear a regional voice not toned down!


Tuesday 14 June 2011

The Stranglers - Compilation



This is a compilation of Stranglers tracks from
the 1st 3 albums.

As always, if you do not like my selection, do
your own one and sent to me so I can post.

Track Listing:

Toiler on The Sea
I Feel Like a Wog
London Lady
Nice'n Sleazy
Tank
School Mam
No More Heroes
Sometimes
Dagenham Dave
Bring on the Nubiles
Sweden (All Quiet on The Eastern Front)
Walk on By
Ugly
Down in The Sewer

dead link.

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Yanqui U.X.O (2002)



This is a more restrained album that their other
releases. The dynamic tension that would normally
explode into shards of noise is used as a template
to produce harmonic structures that pulse and throb
with their own rhythms, giving a dark dreamscape
that had been hinted at before but never fully realised.

These are long tracks giving the guitars, keyboards
and string sections room to evolve within their own
melodic passages. Vocals are kept to a ghostly whisper
which add to the brooding feel.

Don't be fooled into thinking that this is backgound
music ...... play this loud and proud, let the whole
experience wash over you.


Tuesday 7 June 2011

Blakfish - Champions (2009)



Sounding highly pissed off, Blakfish were a math
rock band with strong vocals, explosive drumming
and jerky guitar.

Twin vocalists switched between clear and shouted
passages - which can sometimes be very jarring -
but here works well.

Sounding chaotic and messy on the first listen,
repeated plays reveal just how tight and intricate
the music is.

Melodic interplay weaves in and out of the songs
but do not get worried ....... there are plenty of
heavier workouts to counter balance everything.

If reading reviews tires you out - give this a listen
if you like Fall of Troys quieter moments.


Friday 3 June 2011

Electric Frankenstein - Action High (1998)



A greasy slab of high octane punk rock'n'roll.

AC/DC meet the Ramones - play it loud this
weekend!


Thursday 2 June 2011

Narrows - New Distances (2009)



With a collection of seasoned performers including
members of Botch and These Arms Are Snakes,
you just knew this was going to be an album of
rumbling bass, tight intricate drumming, bile filled
vocals and weaving, savage guitar.

Touching on post-punk and early hardcore, Narrows
have created a juggernaut of an album.

Full of chaotic aggression, they also know when to
let the tunes breathe as moments of calmness appear
before the sonic assault starts afresh.

This went into my top 10 albums of 2009.


Wednesday 1 June 2011

X25X - Distortion of Life (2010)



Abrasive, dirty - this has all the hallmarks of an
early AmRep release.

These French boys have a thick, heavy sound and
know their way around riffs that stick in your head.

Rumbling bass propel the songs with distorted guitar
coming in to provide chunky but sparse lead.

I have read some Hammerhead comparisons -
they are not simply ripping them off though but
are similar with the song structure and dropping
down to the bare bones of the track, which let's
face it, is pretty much a trademark of Scratch Acid
or Jesus Lizard and makes for mighty fine listening.

Being very generous guys, it is available from their
website as a free download here - http://www.acid25.com/