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singles - november 2006
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A few false starts with this one but
what better way to kick off November's singles reviews than a slice of
cheeky northern indie from Sheffield's Golden Age. The name instantly refers
to lager-fuelled bravado and themes of 'northern grittiness' run through the
EP.
'Hallamshire' pelts off at a hurtling pace, chronicling the scenes of a
local boozer whereas the endearing stop-start of 'Used to be a Stripper' has
cool flamenco-tinted guitar line. 'Don't Drink the Water' sees the band
return to more mainstream indie territory, sounding a bit like a cross
between Supergrass and XTC. 'Year of the rat' demonstrates some clever vocal
harmonies reminiscent of Leeds' stalwarts Shatner. I've heard enough here to
recommend you seek out the Golden Age if you fancy a listen to some slightly
off-kilter rock 'n' roll.
www.thegoldenage.co.uk
SB |
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Having heard a great deal of good things about 31
Knots, but being too lazy to bother buying any of their material, I was
delighted to receive ‘ep:Polemics’ to review. Thankfully it shows that all
the nice things I’ve heard people say about this band are true. The material
on ‘ep:Polemics’ is very mixed in terms of styles, but generally 31 Knots
are a cross between poppy post-hardcore and progressive rock. So for example
the track ‘Sedition’s Wish’ contains jazzy sections reminiscent of King
Crimson alongside rather more savage and spiky elements, which are
reminiscent of Fugazi or Karate at their most aggressive. The rest of the
material herein continues in a similar fashion, except the final track. The
EP ends on a rather quieter drone number, ‘Endless Days’, that reminded me
of Windy and Carl, and which ends the EP nicely. An interesting combination
of musical styles, 31 Knots have more than lived up to the expectations I
had of them.
Michael Pearson |
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'The Press Gang' and 'Your Face, Lizaveta' mark a stark change in
direction for the formidable talents of Benjamin Wetherill. Whereas
previously we have heard Wetherill exercise his vocal energy and sublimely
picked guitar or ukulele via the medium of traditional folk compositions,
this release sees a dense pea soup of sounds both traditionally and
electronically produced pervading the very soul of the song.
Perhaps this is the influence of spending too much time with arch sonic
deconstructivist David Thomas Broughton? But 'The Press Gang' is a powerful
and evocative conjuring of an other worldly atmosphere that is as
mesmerising as it is confusing. 'Your Face, Lizaveta' is similarly beguiling
with a repetitive guitar and organ loop over a backdrop of metallic clangs
and bumps. This is an exciting new folk-noire sound for Wetherill which
marks a massive sea change in his output. Whether he continues this voyage
of discovery into experimental electro-folk or reverts to his tried and
trusted ukulele, Wetherill constantly warrants close musical attention.
www.bejaminwetherill.co.uk
SB |
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Yee-haw! Strap down your chaps, or something, because
Murder by Death are in town, and they’re here for your ears.
‘Boy Decide’ is a great big growling mother fucker,
that reminds me a little of Hellset Orchestra with banjos. If that milks you
cow, then you need to high-tail it over to the Murder by Death ranch and
take a sip of there moonshine.
What the fuck am I talking about?
Sam Metcalf |
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Possessing a voice enviably sounding
like a cross between Sinead O'Connor and Bjork, even a few opening bars that
sound like the Beach Boys cannot spoil this slightly off kilter single.
Tidwell's voice oscillates effortlessly but arrestingly between octaves and
works brilliantly against the droning keyboard sounds.
B-side 'Oslo' is a delicate acoustic number which again showcases
Tidwell's formidable vocal talent, though this time erring more towards a
Cerys Matthews sound. Impressive stuff.
Watch video to 'Missing
Link'
SB |
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Christ. This is Hayseed Dixie doing some ‘scary songs’,
including a bluegrass version of ‘Monster Mash’ I don’t think I need go on.
Sam Metcalf |
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Whilst on the face of it this
is a cute little blues-country cross-over release, there is something
endearingly off beat about 'Come in from the Cold'. A buzzing guitar line
that completely swallows the mix and forms the warm waters for Lind's vocals
to paddle in, it almost sounds like a really low budget effort gone wrong.
But instead it is a really nice touch that immediately elevates it above the
predictable.
The heavy production has left for 'Let's Get Lost' and there is a
strangely balletic lilt to the rhythm. The only fly in the ointment (and it
is a huge bluebottle of a problem for me) is Lind's misfortune in sounding
quite similar to James Blunt. Eeek. The piano ballad 'I don't miss you' does
little to quash these fears and so ends the single on a bit of a downer
after such an exciting start.
www.tdlind.com
SB |
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Now this is nice. Greg Dulli often frustrates me, cos
he’s got so much talent, and he so obviously wastes it half the time. But
this five track ep is just fine, thank you very much.
Opening track, ‘Live With Me’ opens up all sultry,
like, and then explodes into a meandering, powerful torch song. It’s pretty
ace, y’know.
‘Sublime’ takes it down a notch or two, and could quite
easily be a horrible mid-80s AOR track if it wasn’t for Dulli’s cattle grid
vocals. Oh, and it’s probably the sexiest song you’ll hear this year.
‘They Ride’, meanwhile, reverts to more typical
Twilight Singers fayre, and rocks the big one.
A welcome return to form, then.
Sam Metcalf |
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In the vein of Leeds crooners made paydirt Four Day
Hombre, this Ep opens with some nice harmonies and twinkly guitars before
what the kids call 'rocking out' for a brief interlude before the big
finale. Fair enough, nicely done. The second track has a similarly
interesting little riff but the verse vocals are little bit predictable and
mix is a bit muddy during the chorus. Then there is a genuine, humdinger of
a guitar solo. A guitar solo no less - I can't remember the last time I
heard a solo - why have they become so unfashionable?
But like a bucket of cold water thrown over my head, the final track
mixes things up with a completely unexpected but welcome dancey mix of
'Brand New'. It's got a bit of a retro trancey vibe but it's by far my
favourite on the Ep and is a brave move by the band to allow someone to
completely mash up their signature sound in such a comprehensive way.
www.vasquez.co.uk
SB |
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Isn’t it lovely when a band you know would be ace
actually turn out like that? The Young Knives’ continued ascent is assured
with ‘The Decision’, which twists and turns in all the right places, and
mentions the New Forest. I really love this band for making refreshing indie
guitar rock. There’s not many of their like left, and I think they should be
cherished. Even if they are clearly hippies.
Sam Metcalf |
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An unlikely proposition
from just the boy-girl partnership of Rob Montejo and Monika Bullette but
the simple guitar/drums/vocals combo works an absolute treat on this ep.
Clever use of atmospheric guitar effects help fill out the sound in a
wonderfully shoe gazy way, reinforced impeccably by the androgynous boy-girl
vocal harmonies in 'You Don't Crawl'.
'Now Would Be' is another tour de force utilising a clever dropped tuning
and constantly oscillating guitar tone to produce a sound massive enough to
grace the stage of Soundgarden, not a duet from Delaware. Final
track 'Hang On' has an orchestral start like Morrissey's 'Every Day's Like
Sunday', again courtesy of some clever guitars and effects. Wondrously
trippy.
www.theskydrops.com
SB |
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Shlock schlock horror, horror. Remember Eighties
Matchbox B-Line Disaster? So do the Horrors, bless them. If you can imagine
a band half way down the bill on a Cramps tribute night, then you have The
Horrors. They really are piss poor. Never mind.
Sam Metcalf |
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A proper demo, on a CD-R and everything. How will The
Long Run make their mark? Good lord - with a hackneyed rock riff and, do my
ears deceive me, a flute? Or is it a recorder? Either way, 'Billy the Kid'
is a shocker.
I'm afraid 'Homecoming Light' and 'Dancing till Dawn' do nothing to
dissuade me from my rapidly forming opinion that The Long Run sound
immovably like a ZZ Top pub cover band. Mind you, the riff in 'Dancing
till Dawn' does sound a bit like the theme tune from the movie 'Convoy' -
that's good.
www.the-longrun.co.uk
SB |
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Waayhay! Some art students have formed a band! This is Bis doing new rave
and it's fantastic. I've seen this lot live, things breaking down, bits
falling off, battling against sound men with pony tails. The energy coming
off the stage and from the audience made up for it all. This seems to have
been captured in this recording and without the broken bits it's one of the
most exiting records I have heard this year. Two songs both loud, shouty and
less than 2 minutes long. It's like music should be and it makes me want to
rush out and see them tonight, wherever they may be. In three years they
will be working in banks and call centres, but until they are brilliant.
Jimmy Jazz |
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Tech punk eh? It's a jagged,
tough listen alright if that's what they mean. Not quite filling the gaping
hole left in my heart of the disbandment of Punish the Atom but certainly
plugging some of the ventricles at times, The New Puritans chop up and
mutilate post punk sounds in a similar way to Test Icicles and their chums
Damn Arms. It's exciting stuff but also quite scary - like being mugged by
strippers armed with flick knives.
www.thesenewpuritans.com
SB |
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In almost 20 years as 'popstars' the Charlatans have done nothing of any
interest and we're not only talking musically here. I even asked all my 'Indier
Than Thou' friends and they, between them all, could not recall one thing.
They said ''Make something up'. Would I? A brilliant tune that sounds
nothing like The Charlatans having a try for the Kasabian fanbase. It has a
unique and original sound including the 'oooh ooohhh ooooh ooh!' and 'Aaaaawwwh!'
bits and doesn't use bad samples from the 2nd Frankie Goes to Hollywood
album. You're not pretty any more Tim, and we're getting bored. Retire.
Jimmy Jazz |
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This sounds like someone trying to
record an R'n'B track over one of their Dad's old James Bond theme tune
tapes with the result of combining the two in a bastard union. Too schizo
for my pleasure.
www.matthewherbert.com
SB |
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What starts off as an
Underworld b-side quickly morphs into an icy intelligent techno monster
complete with glacial key sounds and super lo bass. Spoiled by the housey
vocals though- zippit brother.
Watch the video to 'Baboul
Hair Cuttin' SB |
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I've listened to this four times now and can't remember a single thing
about it. It's just Suzy Quattro being played by session musicians who
watched DIG! and thought the t-shirts were 'Cool!' oh, and there's almost a
sweary word - obviously we couldn't have a sweary word, that would affect
the radio plays and the billboard sales. You know, it's not bad as such,
there are many, many worse things Ms Lewis could be doing, but personally I
am hoping that the whole 'Juliette & The Licks' thing is some sort of method
acting research for a movie about Joan Jett.
Jimmy Jazz |
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Despite ¡Forward Russia!'s seemingly endlessly rising star which would
surely see more ruthless record labels package out the latest single on its
own, Dance to the Radio manage to put this single out with 4 other
interesting tracks. That's the advantage of keeping control over your own
material I suppose. Which is probably a good thing in this case as I think
it is fair to say that 'Nineteen' is not the Russia's strongest outing. A
slightly slower vibe runs a bit at odds with the slashing guitars and Tom's
full-on vocal style.
But step up peers Duels and Sheffield tech rock outfit 65 Days of Static
to dissemble 'Thirteen' and 'Eleven' respectively with some glitchy,
distorted trickery. Nice.
www.forwardrussia.com
SB |
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Hold on to your hats kids as you’re about to ride the
best damn pop rollercoaster in a long bloody time! That’s right Animal
Collective’s Panda Bear (or Noah Lennox to his friends) returns with this
sprawling, exquisite, off-beat pop gem, a 13-minute long single track which
is sort of two songs seamlessly blended together to create a shifting and
mutating bliss soaked wonder. It seems impossible not to mention the Beach
Boys most adventurous moments but think this and then a whole lot more. Add
to that a B-side of the track remixed by Avey Tare and Eric Copeland into a
somewhat darker beast and what you have can only be described as
breathtaking. Single of the year.
Luke Drozd |
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Good grief. 'Prog punk' now apparently, I find it very hard to keep up
with all these labels. If prog punk means sounding like Queens of the
Stoneage without their boring bits then description fits. In 'History'
Manchester three-piece Grand Volume have all the twiddly guitar parts and
slick production but also the manically tight songs more associated with US
hardcore. 'Fire Come Soon' in contrast, is definitely more at the prog end
of the spectrum but has some killer guitar parts in it to make the 4 minutes
play time fly by. Good stuff.
www.grandvolume.com
SB |
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The ground has already been laid by fellow beardy nouvo-folk acts such as
The Magic Numbers and King Creosote so it's no surprise that Tunng's
particular brand of pop is garnering appreciative slaps of the tambourine
and shaking of beads around the musical press. 'It's Because...' is a
particularly vocal heavy track which lilts over a looped guitar part from
start to finish. The bass part of the vocal weirdly sets it just slightly on
edge to please the most twisted of folk like myself.
www.tunng.co.uk
SB |
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UXL draw their influences from a variety of places.
Their rolling drums are reminiscent of Foo Fighters, their vocal style
borrows heavily from System Of A Down, and the guitar solo definitely comes
from Muse territory. UXL aren’t quietly slipping in the back door with this
single, they’re bulldozing their way straight into your living room with a
massive sound on all counts- delicacy is not their department.
www.myspace.com/uxlofficial
Catriona Boyle |
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Just as I was about to start an obituary of Paul Hartnoll and dispatch
him to the sub-Moby soundalike bin, 'Patchwork Guilt' suddenly kicks into
life with a few of the trademark sounds that made Orbital the festival
headlining band they were. It was always going to be hard for Hartnoll doing
solo stuff - too much like Orbital and he would sound like a rip off, too
little and he would alienate a massive fan base. 'Patchwork Guilt' epically
manages to combine those two problems and should keep everyone happy.
Phasing and heavily echoed percussion parts are still in evidence but there
is a more dancey melody to both these tracks as opposed to Orbital's more
introspective ambient techno. If I were you I would try and get your hands
on one of these lovely limited edition (1000 copies) hand stamped orange
vinyls.
http://www.myspace.com/paulhartnollmusic
SB |
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My experience of BPB is limited
although I do know he’s a weirdy-beardy type with many weirdy-beardy
followers. This brief morsel of blues isn’t his usual type of thing and
doesn’t lodge itself in the memory even after several listens. Backed by a
live track and a cover of a Kenny Rogers song, it hardly screams “essential
purchase”.
Will Columbine |
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Sometimes great things happen after unlikely collaborations. Who would
have thought that 'Walk this Way' would resurrect the careers of both
Aerosmith and Run DMC, not to mention invent rap-metal. In this vein, 'The
Mercury Craze' sounds like Outkast duelling with Death From Above. Unlikely
but effective.
SB |
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Isolation can do strange and
interesting things to the brain. Silver Pyre aka GS Fawle takes inspiration
from the environment and records the results in a barn in Somerset, some of
which are quite unique. “Sovereign” kicks off sounding like Elf Power’s
attempt at an Irish Jig, followed by “Shurton Bers Ammonite” which is
Stereolab jamming on the Velvet’s “Sister Ray”. “Filament”, meanwhile, is
perhaps where the rural influence is most felt…the sound of an abandoned
power station slowly coming back to life. You have to hear it to see what I
mean.
www.myspace.com/silverpyre
Will Columbine |
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Black Strobe are Parisians Ivan Smagghe and Arnoud Rebotini and have be
remixing other bands' work for ages. Listen to their upcoming album 'A Remix
Selection' if you want prove. But 'Shining Bright Star' is in fact an
original work (though even this is the Phones Industrial remix). A heavy
metallic beat and some squawking melody pound throughout the entire 6
minutes quite entertainingly, though if I'm honest, 4 minutes would have
been enough.
www.blackstrobe.com
SB |
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Musically better than the usual
indie blandness that regularly stains our doormats, with some particularly
atmospheric guitar work on the title track, an otherwise promising
collection of songs is dragged down by uninspired vocal melodies and a
general resistance to rising above the ordinary. This is what alternative
music sounds like inside Robbie Williams’ brain.
Will Columbine |
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Not some Tibetan chant but nearly. Apparently Adjagas is the Sami word
for the state that exists in between sleep and consciousness. 'Mun Ja Mun'
is half chanted, half twinkling guitar and key part with loads of
background hisses and fizzes. Very dreamy - I look forward to hearing some
more.
SB |
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Sparkly indie pop with hand claps and 'hey hey' choruses - oh my, this is
very upbeat. If I wasn't slightly chilly and contemplating another night
listening to the wind howling around tasty towers then I might even enjoy it
a bit more. Listen out for The Little Ones providing the soundtrack to the
next T4 on Sunday docusoap - they are bound to do it.
www.wearethelittleones.com
SB |
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For real? Sucking Diesel? Why on earth would you call yourself that? As
if the band weren't handicapped enough by turning out bog standard rock
(apart from some occasional highlights from Cherry's warbling vocals) they
also seem a bit long in the tooth to change, certainly older than the
average hopefuls to sling CDs in Tasty's direction. As Brian Clough said,
'If you are good enough you are old enough'. Or something like that. I do
like their Sim City style website though.
www.suckingdiesel.biz
SB |
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Yes kids, it’s yet more Fugazi-related
fun and frolics, this time from Cornish outfit The Fires who on this
evidence are obviously a tight musical unit and throw all the right aural
shapes. Despite that, it fails to raise my heart-rate, being some what
sterile and predictable in its attempted unpredictability. Still, I’ll wager
they spin a few heads on the Cornish live circuit and for this I
congratulate them.
www.myspace.com/thefiresband
Will Columbine |
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Stands for 'Don't Trust Anyone' apparently and is the metaphor for loss
of trust in a relationship. I think it is definitely good to write about
something that everyone can associate with. but it beats me how you can make
it so bland as in this sound. Limp bongoish percussion and twiddly little
key effects give this a very weedy and thin sound.
www.myspace.com/joematson
SB |
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Quirky Adam and the Ants meets Damon Albarn meets Bowies glam punk
anyone? National Heroes do not fit into any snug categories really which is
always a good thing. Snare heavy drums rattle along while the vocal
protagonists try and out-cockernee each other. What the Sun film guide would
call 'An enjoyable romp'.
SB |
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Does anyone else at Tasty feel like
they’re writing the same review over and over again when it comes to demos?
Yet again, here are a four-piece who believe that sheer bluster will make do
in place of genuine passion. In this instance, it’s the vocal styling of Mr
Big hitched to the music of Keane that ensures Legionseven are forever
destined to play venues far smaller than they probably believe their music
befits.
www.legionseven.co.uk
Will Columbine |
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The third exciting release from Ever Records this month sees the eerie
beauty of 'Words' slowly build from their whispered lovers' vocals through
shimmering guitars to a storming fiery crescendo. Very reminsiscent of the
kind of dynamics that iLiKETRAiNS employ with such effect.
B'side 'Eyes' Should Be Flames' is a much more swirling psychedelic track
that rattles into action like a noisy old Ford Cortina on a foggy Monday
morning. Quite splendid.
www.cyannandbenn.com
Watch video to 'Words'
SB |
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Three guys that are trying
exceedingly hard to fit into the current music climate, Spitfire Charlie
sound like The Fratellis fronted by Matt Bellamy. The fact that said
performers are all doing quite nicely for themselves may not necessarily
mean there’s much call for another bunch of pretenders on the scene, but at
least the drummer, whose over imaginative use of the hi-hat almost derails
the otherwise decent “Childish Thoughts”, has been given the boot.
www.spitfirecharlie.com
Will Columbine |
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A pleasantly off-kilter indie ramble through unexpected key changes and
homely vocals all set to the background of a theremin can't be bad.
'Stillborn Moon' sounds like so many other lilting indie songs but manages
to maintain itself the right side of cliched and trite with some nice little
moves.
www.stillman.mu
SB |
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The band name is excellent and the
accompanying booklet in the style of a boy’s survival manual is a nice touch
(very “Ripping Yarns”!) but the music itself is neither as quirky nor fun as
the image SFG has so painstakingly constructed for itself. “The Murder
Mystery Song” wins points, at least, for sounding like Athlete without the
annoying “I’m-from-London-me” vocals and for name-dropping several stars of
Sunday evening murder-mystery TV.
www.scoutingforgirls.co.uk
Will Columbine |
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Despite the pompous title this single hits the spot. Derby 3-piece Lost
Alone manage to concoct a very catchy mix of dance driven beats (a la The
Rapture, Sunshine Underground etc) with some ball breakingly good guitar
riffs and Mike Patten-esque howling vocal interludes. It's not metal, it's
not emo. It's just good.
www.lostalone.com
SB |
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Oh christ. I've spent years trying to avoid this kind of acid
jazz/soul/funk schmuck in the bars and clubs of Leeds only to have it land
on my very own doorstep. I can just imagine the uber-cool funkateers in
Leeds Hi-Fi club or The Wardrobe doing their pointy finger dancing to this.
Don't get me wrong - musically it is very accomplished but it has always
seemed to lack the very soul that it is supposed to be named after. Nurdling
nonsense for folk who wear with oversized sunglasses and retro clothing.
www.chichino.net
SB |
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The SS offer up a more stripped-down
take on the output of The Mars Volta, so knowing how that band tend to
divide opinion (Is it art? Is it wank? Is it art-wank?) I’d only approach if
that kind of thing floats your boat. The rap-sheet calls it “jazz-pop” and
I’d say that’s pretty bang on the money: think Tortoise with a firecracker
up its arse. Just don’t go expecting “Flaming Lips quirkiness with radio
sensibility”. Honestly…it makes one question whether all people are born
with ears.
Will Columbine |
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Ben lee Tyler sounds older than the 22 years old he is purported to be.
That is the most interesting thing about this release which highlights the
fact that just because you can make moderately good mid-Atlantic rock
doesn't mean that you should.
www.benleetyler.com
SB |
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Widely tipped but, judging by this offering, I'm a little bewildered as
to what. Some big chunky guitar lines and a 'ha-ho-ho-ha' chorus provide the
backdrop to Craig Finn's uninterested vocals. A bit disappointing really.
www.theholdsteady.com
SB |
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Barely a year old, and having
already supported The Brian Jonestown Massacre and earned praise from Death
Cab for Cutie, this San Franciscan outfit consolidate all of that on this
rather nifty collection. Perhaps due to Ann Yu’s PJ Harvey-meets-Delores
O’Reirdon vocals, they sound more English than anything else, while,
musically, they’re a blend of Pink Floyd (A Million Pieces”), The Dandy
Warhols, Dinosaur Jr (the excellent “Bullet Proof”) and early Cranberries.
Actually, they’re heavily reminiscent of shoegaze-to-Britpop chameleons
Lush, which is just fine by me. There can’t be many other bands with as
convincing an identity at this early stage.
www.lovelikefire.com
Will Columbine |
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Jesus wept. This lot make a right row. Precision metal riffs and turn on
a sixpence stops and starts are all executed with great skill and no small
amount of damage to my hearing. Cheeky upstarts.
www.protestthehero.com
SB |
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South Central are a mysterious pair of loopers and remixers who have got
into trouble with their remix of Klaxon's 'The Bouncer'. Well that's a
recommendation to start with. in order to avoid further strife they have put
out this single 'Nothing Can Go Wrong' which is at least all their own work.
Suitably macerated sounds and a distorted vocal rant are all set to a
pounding but bouncy beat. Sure to be popular with those who sport asymmetric
haircuts but that beat got a little bit to monotonous for me to really
recommend this too highly.
www.myspace.com/southcentralmusic
SB |
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Dressing a band up in off-cuts of
fuzzy felt doesn’t help inspire confidence that they’re a musical force to
be reckoned with, and my worst fears are confirmed when the title track
kicks off like a cross between Mel C’s “I Turn to You” and the Big Brother
theme tune. It’s Joy Division playing the music of Gary Numan from there on
in, with Interpol, The Cure and The Killers all cropping up at various
points and all being far too good to be mentioned in a review of music this
dire…yes, even the Killers.
www.rapidfiction.co.uk
Will Columbine |
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A side project of Twisted Charm's frontman and remarkably named Nathan
Doom, Blah Blah Blasé have really hit the nail on the
head with this one. Electro punk that snugly fits within that description
while delivering a bolt from the blue. Doom's jerky vocals superbly animate
the electro beats and bobbing basslines in both 'Grandad' and b-side
'Infatuations', the latter being infused by a distinctly Gallic flavour
courtesy of electro duo Camille Chazara and Marine Cabour.
www.myspace.com/blahblahblase
SB |
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I Killed Pharaoh seem to have enough hooks and riffs to keep Iron Maiden
in music for a decade. Unconventionally however, IKP choose to use all of
them on this EP, 'Home' which has more twists and turns than Bohemian
Rhapsody but a similarly operatic vocal melee without actually ever going
anywhere.
'King Hell Breakthrough' reminds me of some of the parts of 'War of the
Worlds' soundtrack or Black Sabbath, again, impressive in places but just
meandering towards it's conclusion like a lazy river. 'The Blame' is a
little bit better, but mainly because it is shorter. A few less withering
chorused vocals and a few more crunchy dynamics would work a treat.
www.ikilledpharaoh.co.uk
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Fans of Peep Show will recall the
skinny one’s pathetic attempts at creating music in a Prodigy vein, but at
least that had comedic value. Now, just place that outside of the realms of
television and into the real word…ladies and gentlemen, I give you The
Shadow Puppets! If I liked anything on this EP it was “Square City
Nightmare”, by virtue of the fact that it’s an instrumental track with some
weird helicopter noises in the background, but you’d have to be seriously
coked-up to think any of this was relevant.
www.theshadowpuppets.co.uk
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I normally exercise a strict censoring system which weeds out anyone
called 'Tammy', 'Josie', 'Julee' etc. But I thought I would listen to this
for the novelty value of someone called 'Kinky'. Then I read further, she is
from Kazahkstan. Is this some kind of cunning marketing plot to help promote
the new Borat film? Unfortunately not. Kinky can sing but why any one would
want to listen to this moribund single baffles me. High five!
www.myspace.com/kinkydurakee
SB |
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Blimey - since their last review in Tasty, Public Relations Exercise seem
to have got even more hardcore. A heady mix of math-rock and screamo, mainly
courtesy of vocalist Martin Smith's unparalleled raucous delivery, like a
man vomiting acid. Which is a bit weird because at times during 'Sub 10',
P.R.E. sound like a speeded up version of Pearl Jam, Smith undertaking
Vedder duties like a professional impersonator but the fast paced bass lines
also reinforcing the comparison. I need a sit down and a cup cocoa after
that...
www.publicrelationsexercise.com
SB
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Ahhh. The sound of a tuned down guitar and lots of overdubs is hard to
beat. On top of their considerable musical prowess, Imicus massively benefit
from Miller's vocals, a man more in the mould of Maynard than Motorhead.
It's amazing how much more powerful the track sounds when the sinister
whispering explodes into the choruses. 'Inveigle' is a superb effort.
www.imicusband.com
SB |
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Pray for Hayden manage to combine two wonderful guitar sounds in a way
that few other bands can achieve. Firstly there's the oh-so trendy slashy
clean breaks which form the bulk of the melodies but then there is a lovely
wash of dirty guitar which forms a sublime backdrop and fills out the sound
and allows the three way harmonies to play around at will. Super-assured as
you would expect from a band made up of some of Leeds' music glitterati. But
they have the talent and the swagger to pull it off too.
www.myspace.com/prayforhayden
SB |
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Not only have Assembly Now been garnering high praise from the likes of
Rough Trade and The Fly but even Tasty's arch cynic and flat-cap wearer
Metcalf professed to being partial to a little bit of 'It's Magnetic'.
There's certainly no change in fortunes here as 'Leigh on Sea' builds on
their debut with twinkling guitars smirking at the bitter sweet lyrics over
a two and a half minute journey through small town life.
www.assemblynow.com
SB |
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