tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90271149733274679962024-03-13T12:38:09.846+00:00The Screever ZineKeeping punk and zines as rough as a badger's arse since 2009...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-85494946469643425562017-07-09T20:27:00.001+01:002017-07-09T20:27:32.739+01:00LYPURÁ - 'á' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uZIvJaoDG58/WWKDK-5ZpYI/AAAAAAAAB2U/EwUQEfUrWnUowBCZSBB-vCc-IqsdX6e_gCLcBGAs/s1600/lypura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uZIvJaoDG58/WWKDK-5ZpYI/AAAAAAAAB2U/EwUQEfUrWnUowBCZSBB-vCc-IqsdX6e_gCLcBGAs/s320/lypura.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>LYPURÁ
- 'á' review</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">These
guys from Germany play new-school screamo that fluctuates between
blistering blast beats with noisy, textured chord-work, and clean,
bright picked sections. There's a similar contrast in vocals too,
often favouring multiple layers of screaming, but they're actually
surprisingly good clean singers too; they can harmonise really well,
sometimes reminding me of a less wild version of HUMAN HANDS or even
THURSDAY, but also surprising me in the first track by having an
almost indie-sounding chorus. A couple of tracks in the middle break
up the tone a little, with 'A Lost Harmony' bringing in some
different influences, sounding more like the post-rock of TALONS, but
with some deeper, almost doomy vocals, and 'Growing' adds a slower,
delay-driven guitar sound, with a gang-vocal dominated ending. These
are then followed by an instrumental post-rock-style track, before
breaking back into the emo / screamo sound we're used to hearing from
them. So yeah, pretty varied stuff; if you already listen to a lot of
European screamo, you'll recognise the kind of sound this has, but
expect more clean brightness than cathartic aggression. As well as
the bands already mentioned, if you like stuff like TITLE FIGHT and I
guess stuff like LOMA PRIETA then this might do it for you.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://lypura.bandcamp.com/">https://lypura.bandcamp.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-92226936539494576522017-07-02T17:27:00.000+01:002017-07-02T17:27:05.748+01:00FURY - 'Paramount' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqKuYPbt9JU/WVkel6Kiy7I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/6C-2Ztu3H8EjdP5lxJp6nIiS-lTKrmFxQCLcBGAs/s1600/fury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IqKuYPbt9JU/WVkel6Kiy7I/AAAAAAAAB1Y/6C-2Ztu3H8EjdP5lxJp6nIiS-lTKrmFxQCLcBGAs/s320/fury.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>FURY
- 'Paramount' review</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Every
now and again, a hardcore band comes along that just does it right
(I'm thinking HAVE HEART, EXPIRE, xREPENTANCEx, etc.) and FURY are
one of those bands. They basically sound like all of the best 90s
REVELATION RECORDS hardcore bands smushed together; fast, heavy and
angry both musically and vocally, think YOUTH OF TODAY and GORILLA
BISCUITS but with a really solid, up-to-date production. 'Death
Yellows Life and Reason' pretty much sounds like a perfect mix of
BOLD and BATTERY. Yup, it's that good. Lyrics are more personal than
political as far as I can tell, and expect lots of break-neck
drumming, palm-muting, and solid riffs, while 'In Extremis' brings a
slight change of pace, working with heavy repetition. I recommend
checking out 'Damage is Done' or 'The Fury' for something to go on,
but if you like the aforementioned bands, you'll love every second of
this. I also have to give them extra credit for listing SHAKESPEARE
and VONNEGUT in the lyrics credits. Awesome.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://furyhc.bandcamp.com/">https://furyhc.bandcamp.com/</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-68987973977809152982017-06-28T22:00:00.002+01:002017-06-28T22:00:33.623+01:00AFI - 'The Blood Album' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvOhWxBznW4/WVQYVV163UI/AAAAAAAAB04/K0WJGN5dM3Mc_RVAVa0wNJY-8Cb0N81QACLcBGAs/s1600/afi-the-blood-album.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvOhWxBznW4/WVQYVV163UI/AAAAAAAAB04/K0WJGN5dM3Mc_RVAVa0wNJY-8Cb0N81QACLcBGAs/s320/afi-the-blood-album.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>AFI
- 'The Blood Album' review</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So,
me and Nat are both long-term AFI fans, so I always feel the need to
at least have a good listen to anything they put out. They've divided
a lot of people since probably around 'Sing the Sorrow', when they
started to drop the speed and aggression in favour of drama and
theatrics, and they've continued to develop the latter for the past
few albums since. Personally, I like that AFI change and grow with
each album; their respective members are too creative to be the kind
of band that churns out the same sounding stuff every couple of
years, and I have a lot of respect for them for perpetually evolving
over twenty years of being a band (my favourite albums are still 'The
Art of Drowning', 'The All Hallows' EP, and 'Sing the Sorrow'
though). So, this album sounds mostly like 'Crash Love'; it's not as
dark, electronic, or mechanical sounding as their last effort
'Burials', but still retains that almost pop-rock sound that they
tend to favour now. Don't expect much speed, but you'll find plenty
of variety in dynamics; 'White Offerings' is the most aggressive of
the bunch (and vaguely reminds me of 'The Leaving Song Part 2'),
there are some upbeat catchy numbers like 'Hidden Knives', as well as
some slower, moodier tunes like 'She Speaks the Language'. 'Pink
Eyes' is a banger as well. Davey Havok is still a great vocalist; his
balance of singing and shouting (of which the pitch of the former and
harshness of the latter have both softened into a narrower but
pleasant medium) definitely suits the scope of sounds on here, and
Jade's general creative-wizardry is as wide and impressive as ever.
Not sure if I imagined it, but I thought I heard lyrics touching on
religion and gender-identity too, so that's cool. I think everyone
misses old AFI, but if your music taste extends beyond punk and
hardcore, and you're willing to give it a chance, there's plenty to
enjoy on here.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/afireinside">https://www.facebook.com/afireinside</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-80735020750705078512017-06-21T21:50:00.003+01:002017-06-21T21:50:41.125+01:00'The Shortest Distance: A South Florida Compilation' - Fiddler Records - 1998<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GCp63Bg82EI/WUra8zGheAI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/AdZO8l9mxgYDvrT3p3sZLoq7mbgiGS9NgCLcBGAs/s1600/fiddler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GCp63Bg82EI/WUra8zGheAI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/AdZO8l9mxgYDvrT3p3sZLoq7mbgiGS9NgCLcBGAs/s320/fiddler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>'The
Shortest Distance: A South Florida Compilation' - Fiddler Records -
1998</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
here's a long story. In the early 00s, VICTORY RECORDS released a DVD
called 'Release: A Punk / Hardcore Documentary', featuring interviews
with lots of bands (including SICK OF IT ALL, FACE TO FACE,
YUPPICIDE, IGNITE, WESTON, EARTH CRISIS, AGENT ORANGE, etc.) talking
about punk scenes at that time. As well as being a generally cool
little documentary, two things really stood out for me: the song over
the end credits (which, after some research I discovered was the
phenomenal 'Picks' by a band called QUIT), and an interview with a
seventeen year old called Amy who briefly chronicled putting on a
release show for the first 7-inch that she was releasing on her
label.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For years after watching the doc., I listened to QUIT online,
and 'Picks' has since become an all time favourite tune (I won't gush
too much here, but just hearing the opening chords makes my eyes
water), but it wasn't until last year that I decided to see if
anything more came of Amy. A couple of Google searches later and I
discovered that her label, FIDDLER RECORDS had gone on to put out
tonnes of amazing stuff, and were pretty much the catalyst for the
success of bands like NEW FOUND GLORY and THE BLED. She'd also
recently written a novel called 'A Million Miles' about a girl who
was running her own label and going on tour with a band who's record
she was putting out.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Inevitably I got in touch with Amy pretty
sharpish and ordered not only a compilation that she'd put out in the
late 90s that exclusively featured 'Picks' by QUIT, but also her
novel and a tee (and a very small hoody). Given that I'd pretty much
ordered the comp for one song, I was curious but wouldn't mind if the
rest of the tracks didn't hit me quite as much. Boy, was I in for a
shock; it very quickly became a favourite compilation (and I've
listened to a lot of comps). Just like 'Picks', every track on it
pretty much gels perfectly with my music taste; fast, super melodic
skatepunk / melodic punk-rock that has that pure energy and rawness
that you just don't get with FAT WRECK and EPITAPH bands. There are
early tunes from NEW FOUND GLORY, CHRIS CARRABBA (of DASHBOARD
CONFESSIONAL) and his early band VACANT ANDYS (who were the band on
Amy's first 7-inch), some more perfect melodic punk tunes from
MILKSHED, DAN'S ARMY, PIVOT, ANCHORMAN, GOING NOWHERE, and ONE + ONE
(love that guys vocals), the odd harder tune from bands like LAST
MINUTE, and even some ska from POOPY PANTS and KING 7 AND THE
SOULSONICS.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've only listed about half of the bands here, but if
you're into real skatepunk, every second of this will be perfect for
you; I couldn't recommend it enough. I think the artwork is done by
that guy who did loads of stuff for HOT WATER MUSIC too. Sometimes
it's hard to get into new stuff as you get older, but this comp from
1998 blew me away in 2016. You can grab it from FIDDLER RECORDS or
listen to the whole thing on Youtube. I can also highly recommend
Amy's novel 'A Million Miles'.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Amy, you are awesome.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/FiddlerRecords/">https://www.facebook.com/FiddlerRecords/</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NDbb-KnFA8">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NDbb-KnFA8</a> - QUIT - 'Picks'</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-21270383337027406782017-06-15T22:31:00.002+01:002017-06-15T22:31:33.611+01:00'Hang In There: A DIY Covers Compilation' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wU7NWyyCpi0/WUL7vohFHNI/AAAAAAAABzI/AJiq7QA0FAglwxd58jE4zlQ-MoaqGnzTQCLcBGAs/s1600/hanginthere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wU7NWyyCpi0/WUL7vohFHNI/AAAAAAAABzI/AJiq7QA0FAglwxd58jE4zlQ-MoaqGnzTQCLcBGAs/s320/hanginthere.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>'Hang
In There: A DIY Covers Compilation' review</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"This
is a compilation that was put together by FOR THE SAKE OF TAPES to raise money for the mental
health charity 'Mind', and it's easily one of the best ideas for a
comp I've ever seen; all of your fave DIY / lo-fi punk bands doing
covers of pop tunes from the 80s to present day. As soon as the comp
started with TWO WHITE CRANES' acoustic take on BLINK 182's 'Adam's
Song', followed by a great version of CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS'
'Tilted' by SUGGESTED FRIENDS, and WOLF GIRL doing a dreamy cover of
'I'm Not Okay' by MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, I knew this was going to be a
comp that I'd love. There are twenty-three tracks of similar
brilliance here, with covers of HOLE, LE TIGRE, and BIKINI KILL by
LITTLE FISTS, TOUGH TITS, and DREAM NAILS respectively, as well as
pop bangers from KATY PERR</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Y,
SEAL, and THE BANGLES by FAGGOT, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">EMMA
KUPA & ANKLES McGHEE</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
and FIGH</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">TMILK. The
whole comp is bloody brilliant from start to finish to be honest, but
my faves are CAT APOSTROPHE doing ROBYN's 'Dancing On My Own' (it
probably helps that I love ROBYN, but this cover is darn good), JESUS
AND HIS JUDGEMENTAL FATHER's cover of SHANIA TWAIN'S 'That Don't
Impress Me Much', DANIEL VERSUS THE WORLD's absolutely stunning
version of ERASURE's 'A Little Respect' (I literally couldn't believe
how good this was), and THE POTENTIALS' cover of CHER's 'Believe',
pretty much because they put some of that auto-tuning from the
original on the vocals in the bridge / chorus and it made me cry with
laughter. So yeah, an awesome comp for a great cause that you should
check out now if not sooner."</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://forthesakeoftapes.bandcamp.com/album/hang-in-there-a-diy-covers-compilation">https://forthesakeoftapes.bandcamp.com/album/hang-in-there-a-diy-covers-compilation</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-29696102489950667422017-06-15T18:19:00.000+01:002017-06-15T18:19:11.286+01:00SOUTH GHOST - 'Absorb'<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><b>SOUTH GHOST - 'Absorb'</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;">So yeah, Lee's doing another band; this one's called </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=190877721389583&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/southghostband/?fref=mentions" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">South Ghost</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"> and they've just uploaded their first tune to Youtube;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"> it's got lo-fi neon woodsy synth-pop vibes, so if that sounds like your thing, feel free to give it a bash!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YebmAghmrL0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YebmAghmrL0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-62196194008002135512017-05-28T22:33:00.002+01:002017-05-28T22:33:46.905+01:00TROPHY EYES - 'Chemical Miracle' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WzIANlBurPU/WStBVI2S3CI/AAAAAAAAByo/Tz7gBs5_2_gDDy-L4KfzJs-0CLy0fTLCgCLcB/s1600/trophyeyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WzIANlBurPU/WStBVI2S3CI/AAAAAAAAByo/Tz7gBs5_2_gDDy-L4KfzJs-0CLy0fTLCgCLcB/s320/trophyeyes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>TROPHY
EYES - 'Chemical Miracle' review</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
these fellas from Australia play that big pop-punk crossed with new
post-hardcore type thing, a bit like like BASEMENT and TURNOVER but a
fair bit heavier (it might sound silly, but in places it even reminds
me of SOILWORK's catchier stuff), and it's actually damn good; the
contrast of styles is perfectly balanced, so we get some nice heavier
tones and sections ('Rain on Me' is pretty blistering in places), but
the anthemic choruses are also here in full force and had me from the
first or second listen ('Nosebleed' and 'Breathe You In' especially),
and the tracks 'Chemical' and 'Miracle' (see what they did there?)
work as shorter, almost interlude type tracks, the latter of which is
really touching. The last track is also an absolute beaut; I couldn't
get the line 'I've got friends, but they don't love me like I love
them' out of my head for a long time after hearing it. The lyrics to
this album are quality throughout actually; really touching and quite
harrowing in places. Favourite tracks for me are 'Home Is' and
'Suicide Pact' which are both incredible and probably a good
representation of what you'll find on the rest of the album. Loved
this far more than I thought I would, and can't help but highly
recommend it.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>https://trophyeyes.bandcamp.com/album/chemical-miracle</i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-55183674061795265042017-05-08T21:47:00.000+01:002017-05-08T21:47:25.947+01:00AUSTEROS - 'I've Got This' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQeKqwAimMk/WRDWuqCl7HI/AAAAAAAAByM/-ObWmHRmRUgfWOhwbpEhEO9vGuqy2-V7gCLcB/s1600/austeros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vQeKqwAimMk/WRDWuqCl7HI/AAAAAAAAByM/-ObWmHRmRUgfWOhwbpEhEO9vGuqy2-V7gCLcB/s320/austeros.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>AUSTEROS
- 'I've Got This' review</b></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Don't
you just love that feeling when a part of a song just indescribably
'clicks' with you and gives you goosebumps? Well, the chorus to 'Dead
Cells', the second track of this new EP by AUSTEROS, gave me exactly
that feeling. If I were cool I'd probably say it gives me life, but
I'll just say I had to replay it very quickly after first hearing it.
This three-piece now located in Bristol play indie-punk in a
relatively clean fashion with great, bright guitar melodies and
catchy choruses with really cool vocal harmonies, all wrapped up in
short, energetic pop punk tunes. I couldn't help but notice how much
the vocalist sounds like Billie-Joe in old GREEN DAY, and actually
musically it isn't far off (think everything before and including
'Warning'); chuck in some of THE ERGS, maybe MODERN BASEBALL if
that's your thing, and NEIL YOUNG and you won't be far off I reckon.
Best thing you could do would be to check this out for yourself
though; every track is really strong, including a lovely, touching
acoustic one half way through. Great stuff, and it also has awesome
artwork!</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/austerosband/">https://www.facebook.com/austerosband/</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://austeros.bandcamp.com/">https://austeros.bandcamp.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-42457155760249898122017-03-14T20:46:00.000+00:002017-03-14T20:46:29.730+00:00TANCRED – 'Out of the Garden' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9s8i0JD-co/WMhWN9BmpXI/AAAAAAAABxw/vOYy1cROrOwNmIa1LHu4eA0x6Ge4ZGXJACLcB/s1600/tanc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9s8i0JD-co/WMhWN9BmpXI/AAAAAAAABxw/vOYy1cROrOwNmIa1LHu4eA0x6Ge4ZGXJACLcB/s320/tanc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>TANCRED
– 'Out of the Garden' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Crikey,
how 90s is this?! For those that don't know, TANCRED is the side /
solo project of Jess Abbott who played in the indie-pop band NOW NOW;
I really loved her self-titled album, which was all at once dark,
cynical, catchy, and funny, and though this is still
characteristically TANCRED in some of those respects, it feels like
much of the dark tone and atmosphere has been eschewed in favour of
all out 90s fuzzy grunge rock, with more drive than reservation. The
songs are still considerately structured with some uniquely odd
lyrics, and Jess' vocal tone and melodies are as creative as ever,
fluctuating between soft drones and surprising highs. A pretty cool
album; just expect more fuzzy riffs than the dark and subtle emotion
of her previous stuff. Check out the song 'Pens' (which even has a
bit of a surf-rock vibe), and 'Swimming'.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://tancred.bandcamp.com/music">https://tancred.bandcamp.com/music</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-62619466026435250942016-12-18T15:24:00.000+00:002016-12-18T15:24:17.939+00:00WHATEVERS – 'Totally Buggin'' cassette review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KZkr4hOKgKY/WFaoa6IGCBI/AAAAAAAABxI/_eSa1D3qkZIwIPPMQrQLEHHoYB8Uh5tFQCLcB/s1600/whatevs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KZkr4hOKgKY/WFaoa6IGCBI/AAAAAAAABxI/_eSa1D3qkZIwIPPMQrQLEHHoYB8Uh5tFQCLcB/s320/whatevs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>WHATEVERS
– 'Totally Buggin'' cassette review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well,
at seven tracks in probably as many minutes, this is one of the
shortest tapes I own, but that doesn't make it any less great.
WHATEVERS are a female two-piece (drums and guitars with dual vocals)
who play very lo-fi pop-punk with funny lyrics and vocal melodies. It's
pretty darn catchy with a bit of a 90s vibe, and you definitely won't
forget songs like 'I Hope Not Sporadically', 'I Do Not Wear Polyester
Hair' and 'Cher and Dionne' any time soon (those song-titles alone
should give you a pretty good indication as to the tone of this
stuff). A really fun little listen with cool artwork that also comes
on a pink shell cassette; ace!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://whateversss.bandcamp.com/releases">https://whateversss.bandcamp.com/releases</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-72047103982486713872016-12-14T20:34:00.000+00:002016-12-14T20:34:25.130+00:00NACHTHEXEN self-titled 7" review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpz5WctWBVM/WFGsDnob8VI/AAAAAAAABws/7P7hhi-6GHEiwOiV5SVA5FX9pcwURsqQwCLcB/s1600/nachthexen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vpz5WctWBVM/WFGsDnob8VI/AAAAAAAABws/7P7hhi-6GHEiwOiV5SVA5FX9pcwURsqQwCLcB/s320/nachthexen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>NACHTHEXEN self-titled 7" review</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">NACHTHEXEN
are bloody amazing. Their first release, a cassette called 'The
Other' was one of my favourite releases of recent years, and this new
EP is no less brilliant. Four tracks of angry, energetic,
synth-fuelled punk-rock from four women from Sheffield, with some
tight drum and bass work, and keyboard sounds that still remind me of
old horror movie scores. Despite there being a kind of dark, gothy
vibe to this, there are a lot of moments on it that will make you
laugh, as well as loads of gang shouts, and some ace lyrics about
anxiety, intoxicated males and the spaces they claim, diet culture,
and there's also a re-recording of their classic 'Cheer Up Luv'.
Definitely worth checking if you fancy some shouty-synthy-gothy
punk-rock with politically strong lyrics. It also has cool artwork
and comes on lovely piss-yellow wax. Ace!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">*They also have a track on our latest comp cassette*</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://nachthexenpunx.bandcamp.com/album/nachthexen-7">https://nachthexenpunx.bandcamp.com/album/nachthexen-7</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nachthexenband/">https://www.facebook.com/nachthexenband/</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-10289200670167718202016-12-13T20:33:00.001+00:002016-12-13T20:33:51.744+00:00NASDAQ / MOTHERTRUCKER split 12” (DAQTRUCK) review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKF9DtlZwAA/WFBamk_abUI/AAAAAAAABwU/WPlofrmR5Ok2jr0Vz_xHtaLVGqpjUCINwCLcB/s1600/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKF9DtlZwAA/WFBamk_abUI/AAAAAAAABwU/WPlofrmR5Ok2jr0Vz_xHtaLVGqpjUCINwCLcB/s320/cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>NASDAQ
/ MOTHERTRUCKER split 12” (DAQTRUCK) review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well
how's this for a monumental line-up for a split record?
Manchester-based NASDAQ's EP 'AGM / Fourth Quarter Slump' blew me
(and pretty much anyone else that listened to it) away when it got
released a few years back, and Stourbridge-based MOTHERTRUCKER have
been consistently putting out colossal stuff for as long as I can
remember. So NASDAQ only have one track on here but it's about
fifteen minutes worth of instrumental magic that drifts in and out of
huge riffs, sweeping highs, technical funky beats, and ambient
interludes. They're very very good at building momentum, playing a
similar rhythm for a good few minutes at a time, but working in
subtle intricacies on each instrument, giving you plenty of time to
get into the groove of each section before it falls away into new
territory. Nestled in amongst the longer parts of this tune, there's
an absolutely killer riff at about 8:50 in, which is made all the
more special for its short length, and is worth replaying the whole
song back for. I'm always amazed at the dynamism and contrast in
highs and lows that they manage to create with just one guitar.
Awesome stuff. MOTHERTRUCKER are another great band for dynamics, but
focussing a little more on the heavier side of things, with the kind
of cathartic riffs that only a band that has been going for over ten
years can forge. Both of their songs on this half of the split are
dark, sludgey, post-metal affairs, that contrast the heavy textures
of metallic riffing with delayed, stoner leads, which break into
atmospheric, spacey interludes, before caving back into some more
monumental riffs and sweeping melodies; a contrast that's emphasised
by some careful and effective song structuring, and some really
killer drumming that's all at once solid and pounding, and tight and
technical. An atmospheric yet crushing listen. Definitely a split to
pick up for fans of amazing prog / stoner / post-metal heaviness.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This split is coming out next year I believe, so the best way to keep up to date with its release would be to follow the guys on the ol' Facebook:</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Mothertrucker-58539296248/">https://www.facebook.com/Mothertrucker-58539296248/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ-THE-FTSE-100-372464866776/">https://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ-THE-FTSE-100-372464866776/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-39652393438060914352016-12-12T20:26:00.002+00:002016-12-12T20:26:46.792+00:00THE HUNX self-titled CD review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJTf6ER-SWk/WE8HgWRpN1I/AAAAAAAABwE/uqPUiC0ARHgzEnXnasoK3U6TWuT1Lo2JQCLcB/s1600/hunx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uJTf6ER-SWk/WE8HgWRpN1I/AAAAAAAABwE/uqPUiC0ARHgzEnXnasoK3U6TWuT1Lo2JQCLcB/s320/hunx.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>THE HUNX self-titled CD review</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
I know Jay from THE HUNX because he used to put on ace gigs of
skatepunk bands in Birmingham when he was at Uni down here (I
discovered some great bands through shows he put on); it therefore
makes sense that he would play in an ace skatepunk band himself, and
here they are. THE HUNX have that sound that reminds me of stuff that
used to come out on HOUSEHOLD NAME RECORDS like HOSTAGE LIFE, crossed
with anything that comes out on FAT WRECK CHORDS, and UK skate punk
bands like NO CONTEST and fellow Scousers DOWN AND OUTS. It's pretty
much all played in double time so it has a load of energy, some
wicked guitar work, ace sing-a-longs and choruses (as well as some
funny bits of spoken word), and lyrics that range from the humorous
'Pizza Song', to the more politically driven 'House of Frauds'. If
you're after fast, melodic skatepunk done right, you can't go wrong
with this cracking five track EP, and Mark Bell illustrated the cover
so it looks as ace as it sounds.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thehunx/">https://www.facebook.com/thehunx/</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://thehunxpunkrock.bandcamp.com/album/the-hunx">https://thehunxpunkrock.bandcamp.com/album/the-hunx</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-65357312231335368742016-12-10T11:07:00.000+00:002016-12-10T11:07:21.529+00:00THE POTENTIALS – 'We Are the Potentials' CD review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o_w0u20MW-E/WEvhFBMG51I/AAAAAAAABvs/gN_k-3hD5Jwtcz1lduohzrZgb_d8fZ0fgCLcB/s1600/potentials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o_w0u20MW-E/WEvhFBMG51I/AAAAAAAABvs/gN_k-3hD5Jwtcz1lduohzrZgb_d8fZ0fgCLcB/s320/potentials.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>THE
POTENTIALS – 'We Are the Potentials' CD review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">THE
POTENTIALS are class; they play 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' themed
fuzzy pop-punk (yes, seriously) that's lo-fi, catchy, and full of
energy, with some really funny lyrics and absolutely loads of
three-part vocal harmonies. That's actually one of the best things
about this EP; pretty much constant vocals of mostly singing but with
a bit of shouting too. Lyrically and musically, it predictably (being
themed on a show of that era) has a pretty 90s vibe, but generally
reminds me of bands like FABULOUS DISASTER. My two fave tunes on here
are the irresistibly catchy opener 'The Potentials Theme', which is a
perfect introduction to the band (and I believe has a video now), and
'Hail Moloch' which is probs one of the most memorable and fun tunes
on here, but this is an entirely enjoyable listen, whether you're
into Buffy or not. It has awesome artwork by Jack Fallows too!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/buffcore/">https://www.facebook.com/buffcore/</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://thepotentialsuk.bandcamp.com/">https://thepotentialsuk.bandcamp.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-77646470420574312782016-11-21T21:11:00.000+00:002016-11-21T21:11:07.056+00:00ANDREW CREAM – 'Self Portrait' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSrbp-eMJG8/WDNiGh1aW4I/AAAAAAAABu4/QZ8SeiYHeLQ-JBKSlwqFwIJ9VOA_jxaFACLcB/s1600/andrewcream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSrbp-eMJG8/WDNiGh1aW4I/AAAAAAAABu4/QZ8SeiYHeLQ-JBKSlwqFwIJ9VOA_jxaFACLcB/s320/andrewcream.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ANDREW
CREAM – 'Self Portrait' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'd
never heard of ANDREW CREAM before this, but his stuff is really
pretty wonderful; kind of full band acoustic / folky pop-punk stuff
that's really bright and energetic with really catchy vocal melodies
and choruses. I had to check that this wasn't the vocalist from the
amazing ABOVE THEM because his tone of voice is quite similar, and
actually I guess it's not too far off musically either (apart from
the acoustic-ness of course), which is never a bad thing. There are
some really posi lyrics on here too about finding yourself, becoming
who you want to be, and other lovely bits of personal politics, which
makes it a really fun and uplifting listen. I've had this on in the
car quite frequently for a while now, but I could pretty much listen
to it at any time, whether I felt up or down, and that's a pretty
rare thing. So yeah, really glad I got asked to review this, and you
should totally check it out if you need a lift, or you just like some
folky pop-punk!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/andrewcreammusic/">https://www.facebook.com/andrewcreammusic/</a></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-51203311271115386452016-11-14T20:37:00.001+00:002016-11-14T20:37:45.127+00:00TEGAN AND SARA – 'Love You To Death' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-emFykHArInc/WCogB4eb4iI/AAAAAAAABug/mJc7pZsx6bIv_UYeTq4PPBiLQ8rhCmp8ACLcB/s1600/t%2526s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-emFykHArInc/WCogB4eb4iI/AAAAAAAABug/mJc7pZsx6bIv_UYeTq4PPBiLQ8rhCmp8ACLcB/s320/t%2526s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>TEGAN
AND SARA – 'Love You To Death' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Who
doesn't love TEGAN AND SARA? They continually change and develop
their sound, and consistently write incredible music regardless of
what genre their music might fall under. This new album bears more
similarity to their last album 'Heartthrob' than anything before
that, swapping dark, subtle melodies and emotion of albums like 'The
Con' for massive, bright pop songs, and as much as I miss the sound
of said album, I really can't complain because this is brilliant. The
choruses to some of these songs are so catchy it's just ridiculous;
'Faint of Heart', 'Dying to Know', and 'Stop Desire' will stick to
you very quickly, and when they do slow the pace and pull back for
the ballad '100x' (one of my faves for sure) it's just beautiful, and
shows off their perpetual capacity for writing sensitive, touching
songs. I can't really work out what's so great about the sound they
have now; it's almost like it combines the best of 80s, 90s, and
contemporary pop with their own, irresistible, distinct writing
style, but whatever it is, it's phenomenal. If you liked
'Heartthrob', this maybe doesn't quite reach the heights of that
masterpiece, but it comes very bloody close, so you should love it.
If you don't really know TEGAN AND SARA I urge you to check them out
ASAP, especially their newer stuff if you dig stuff like ROBYN,
FOXES, and METRIC, but also check out albums like 'The Con' for
something darker. Another stunning piece of work.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TeganandSara/"><i>https://www.facebook.com/TeganandSara/</i></a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-66917875736167181302016-11-10T19:22:00.001+00:002016-11-10T19:22:53.360+00:00DOE – 'Some Things Last Longer Than You' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-24nPXiqpao4/WCTHtaSGWAI/AAAAAAAABuI/dVm7qcmaBDYSM-7UewKeLab0mEdeKGUFQCLcB/s1600/doe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-24nPXiqpao4/WCTHtaSGWAI/AAAAAAAABuI/dVm7qcmaBDYSM-7UewKeLab0mEdeKGUFQCLcB/s320/doe.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>DOE
– 'Some Things Last Longer Than You' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Before
I saw them at Deadpunk in Bristol earlier this year, I liked DOE.
After I saw them at Deadpunk in Bristol earlier this year, I Loved
DOE. And not just because they did a truly spectacular cover of THE
SPICE GIRLS' '2 Become 1' (although that definitely helped). They're
a three-piece from London (dual guitar, no bass) who play really
awesome garage pop-punk, with ace male-female dual vocal harmonising,
plenty of angst, some chuckle-inducing lyrics, and some bloody huge
choruses. There are also some great riffs on here ('Respite' has a
notably good 'un), and there's a pretty strong 90s vibe coming
through (think SONIC YOUTH, THE PIXIES and THE BREEDERS, and also the
way TANCRED's stuff has been going lately). There are some great
tunes on side A like the opener 'No. 1' and I like 'Monopoly', but I
absolutely love side B, which is full of bangers: 'Anywhere' has the
energy and intensity of CAVES, 'Last Ditch' gives us one of their
most memorable choruses, 'Before Her' is magic from start to finish
(those vocal harmonies in the chorus, oh my days!), and the intensity
of 'Corin' is fantastic, reminding me of THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS' harder
stuff: Nicola's shouting in it gives me goosebumps. A really
incredible album by one of the best British bands around at the
moment; pick it up now!</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hellowearedoe/"><i>https://www.facebook.com/hellowearedoe/</i></a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.doetheband.co.uk/"><i>http://www.doetheband.co.uk/</i></a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-16956831373873162572016-08-28T21:37:00.002+01:002016-08-28T21:37:46.828+01:00SIA - 'This Is Acting' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O08shTl2lYY/V8NLHAmp9zI/AAAAAAAABtY/J31b5xc_otY14kOYS2Zgl6i5rb8k8tO8QCLcB/s1600/sia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O08shTl2lYY/V8NLHAmp9zI/AAAAAAAABtY/J31b5xc_otY14kOYS2Zgl6i5rb8k8tO8QCLcB/s320/sia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>SIA
- 'This Is Acting' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">SIA
is awesome. Like I said when I reviewed her last album '1000 Forms of
Fear', she's one of the few writers / artists whose stuff appears in
charts that I will actually listen to albums of. If you can get past
the acrobatic-ness of her voice and the RIHANNA-esque vocal stylings
(she writes for her and pretty much created that style for her), then
you'll find her stuff has leanings to ROBYN, THE KNIFE and TEGAN AND
SARA, which ain't a bad thing at all in my ears. Amongst these twelve
tracks, we have the piano-driven ballads like 'One Million Bullets';
full on dance tunes like 'Sweet Design' and the awesome, addictively
genius 'Move Your Body; purely perfect pop songs rendered in her
unique style like 'House on Fire' and the awesome power number
'Unstoppable'; and of course the huge belter, in this album's case
'Alive', which features one of the biggest and most euphoric choruses
I've ever heard (at least equalling that of 'Chandelier') and of
which her vocal take during the musically minimal bridge is just
astounding. SIA's songs have an awesome, unique sense of melody and
thought-provoking lyrics that will lift, crush, comfort, puzzle,
encourage, and blow you away, all in the space of a few tracks, and
this album is a perfect example of that. Check out the unbelievable
'Alive' (goosebumps at the ready), the irresistible 'Move Your Body',
and I especially love the haunting and beautiful 'Broken Glass',
which features not only one, but two upward key changes in the final
chorus (now she's just showing off). Consistently brilliant
throughout, consider this if you like pop with depth. Awesome.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SiaMusic/">https://www.facebook.com/SiaMusic/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-32994752298758883032016-08-26T22:13:00.001+01:002016-08-26T22:15:27.615+01:00MILLENCOLIN - 'True Brew' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ0bw6wH8Ek/V8CwsTxziAI/AAAAAAAABtI/yJaBttKUKGYkC_jqVOLlbBY_1sev43qngCLcB/s1600/mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ0bw6wH8Ek/V8CwsTxziAI/AAAAAAAABtI/yJaBttKUKGYkC_jqVOLlbBY_1sev43qngCLcB/s320/mill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>MILLENCOLIN
- 'True Brew' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So
yeah, MILLENCOLIN are another of my fave 'growing-up' bands that have
come back with another album recently, and those that, like myself,
have missed the sound of their stellar, earlier, faster efforts, will
be pleased to know that this is great stuff, and a welcome return to
form. There's a perpetual urgency and energy throughout 'True Brew's
13 songs (that come in at just under 35 mins) of melodic punk /
skate-punk that's been largely missing since the masterpiece that was
'Pennybridge Pioneers', and it consequently sounds surprisingly
fresh, as though they've dug up a fresh dose of passion: something
that is always impressive for a band on their eighth full length
(ninth including 'The Melancholy Collection'), having been going for
24 years now with the same lineup. It's another lyrically interesting
one too, touching on racism, relationship dynamics, and discovering
what's important in life, and is vocally brilliant in both tone and
melody, with some of the best verses and choruses that I've heard
from Nikola for a while. I think most impressive for me on here is
the consistency; albums like 'Machine 15' and 'Kingwood' had their
moments, but were a little hit or miss, whereas this is fantastic
from start to finish, from the super-catchy 'Chameleon' and 'Bring Me
Home', through angrier tunes like 'Sense and Sensibility', and to
vulnerable and emotion-driven songs like 'Wall of Doubt' and the
brilliant 'Something I Would Die For'. Super pleased with these guys
for this release that bears the maturity of later albums and injects
the fun, energy, and passion of 'Life on a Plate', 'For Monkeys' and
'Pennybridge...'; and for those that that means nothing to, get this
if you're into FACE TO FACE, NO FUN AT ALL, SATANIC SURFERS, or THE
OFFSPRING.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Millencolin/">https://www.facebook.com/Millencolin/</a></i></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-22605580294752248832016-08-12T21:48:00.000+01:002016-08-12T21:48:32.179+01:00 FACE TO FACE - 'Protection' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vKrx58ZSszk/V641Vgy6u_I/AAAAAAAABsw/R1qHalcCQQow7WKilb-w44NlZvDD7BL0wCLcB/s1600/facetoface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vKrx58ZSszk/V641Vgy6u_I/AAAAAAAABsw/R1qHalcCQQow7WKilb-w44NlZvDD7BL0wCLcB/s320/facetoface.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>FACE
TO FACE - 'Protection' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When
I got into melodic punk-rock as a teen, FACE TO FACE were one of the
first bands that I properly got into, and, despite not loving stuff
since the album 'How to Ruin Everything', they've remained one of my
favourites. Subsequent to that album, they've released one that I
didn't like at all, one that was a little better, and have arrived at
this, which, thankfully, is probably the best thing they've done in
about ten / fifteen years. For those that aren't familiar with FACE
TO FACE, they play melodic punk rock that sits well alongside bands
like BAD RELIGION, DESCENDENTS, and THE OFFSPRING's faster stuff, but
still has it's own sound, especially in Trever's distinct vocal
delivery and arrangements. If ever there was an album to show how
crucial Scott is to this band too, then this is it; his basslines on
here are absolutely sublime (and are given a lot of moments to shine
in the more guitar-bare sections), and Danny's drumming is on point
too, especially when they play at speed (they have this particular,
awesome speed that they only use once or twice per album, and on here
it's on 'I Won't Say I'm Sorry'). As usual, lyrically this is more
personal than political, and there are some pretty memorable choruses
on here. Even if this isn't quite what they used to be capable of,
there are some good songs on here, stylistically falling somewhere
between the classics of their self-titled album and 'Reactionary',
and their album prior to this, 'Three Chords and a Half Truth', and
it's definitely worth checking out if you like that 90s melodic punk
sound. A decent effort; I'd recommend the songs 'Double Crossed',
'Say What You Want', and 'Fourteen Fifty-Nine' for something a bit
different, but I'd also like to stress how great their previous
albums 'Don't Turn Away', their self-titled one, 'Ignorance is Bliss'
and 'Reactionary' are, so they're worth checking out too.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/facetoface/">https://www.facebook.com/facetoface/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-5295503613887018872016-08-07T21:49:00.001+01:002016-08-07T21:49:17.630+01:00CATHERINE ELMS - 'So Far From Whole' CD review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kv3pcDmyK9I/V6ed8nZNkYI/AAAAAAAABsg/uIA1bNkPkFAWOBj6TBc4TLSx_OTVR-pmwCLcB/s1600/cathelms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kv3pcDmyK9I/V6ed8nZNkYI/AAAAAAAABsg/uIA1bNkPkFAWOBj6TBc4TLSx_OTVR-pmwCLcB/s320/cathelms.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>CATHERINE
ELMS - 'So Far From Whole' CD review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You
may know Catherine from one of a number of places; for her
involvement in zines (and her blog SPILL THE ZINES), her work for the
Swansea Feminist Network, or even for this, her solo musical project.
I know, busy lady, right? Anyway, this four track EP is her latest
(and I believe third?) release, and is a bit of a cracker. There'll
be obvious comparisons to make to TORI AMOS, KATE BUSH and PJ HARVEY,
but Catherine, who contributes piano / keyboards, bass, and vocals to
her tracks, with guitars and drums coming from a selection of family
and friends, brings a fantastic rock / grunge vibe to the table,
making for a really full, powerful, and dark yet emotional listening
experience, with a strong feminist backbone, including lyrics about a
woman's right to be on stage instead of in the crowd. Personally my
two faves on here are the last two; 'Not Enough' for that brilliant,
chant-like chorus, and the closing title track for the wonderful
piano melody, but a great EP all round.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/catherineelmsmusic/">https://www.facebook.com/catherineelmsmusic/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://catherineelms.co.uk/">http://catherineelms.co.uk/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-75836390606782056742016-07-15T18:01:00.001+01:002016-07-15T18:01:51.608+01:00BASEMENT - 'Promise Everything' review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ORqe1qiyJA/V4kWly4iG7I/AAAAAAAABsM/1-MBX2jShQIYjH5hnyTwzkQUTyYXp2xBQCLcB/s1600/basement.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8ORqe1qiyJA/V4kWly4iG7I/AAAAAAAABsM/1-MBX2jShQIYjH5hnyTwzkQUTyYXp2xBQCLcB/s320/basement.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>BASEMENT
- 'Promise Everything' review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So
after a short hiatus, BASEMENT are back with another ten tracks of
their heavily 90s-influenced grunge / emo sound, and to be fair, I'm
pretty glad they reformed because this is as good as anything that
I've heard them do before. It's thick on the guitars with some great,
emotive chordwork (that's brighter than what I recall of 'Colour Me
in Kindness'), straight and heavy on the bass and drums, and as well
as having some really good vocal melodies, the vocalist still plays
on that dynamic between his slow, soft, and droney voice, his bigger,
fuller singing voice, and that almost-shouting that he does, which
gives this a lot of depth and helps to pace the songs and create some
pretty big moments. There's something really cool about the
simplicity of BASEMENT's stuff; it eschews any technical flare in
favour of quite basic playing styles and arrangements, so it's easy
to get into and will stick to you really quickly. If you liked their
previous stuff (I really liked 'Colour...', and this is a great, if a
little brighter, follow up) then you should have no problem getting
into this, but if you're not already a fan but you like MILK TEETH,
TIGERS JAW, or grunge / emo from the 90s, then this is as good of a
place to start as any. My favourite tunes on here are the opener
'Brother's Keeper', the catchiest number 'Aquasun', and the closer
'Halo' which is simple but wonderful, so they might be a good place
to start.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>https://www.facebook.com/Basementuk/</i></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-61778163735740384512016-07-11T20:12:00.001+01:002016-07-11T20:12:13.432+01:00ALMEIDA - 'Social Media Circus' CD review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OgcEP9vUyUw/V4PuZBfUtWI/AAAAAAAABr4/eTh7_mXLozUxNIG_xpFFgiO9R4KcJFnKwCLcB/s1600/almeida.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OgcEP9vUyUw/V4PuZBfUtWI/AAAAAAAABr4/eTh7_mXLozUxNIG_xpFFgiO9R4KcJFnKwCLcB/s320/almeida.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>ALMEIDA
- 'Social Media Circus' CD review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Anyone
that picked up these guys' debut 'Fantastic Massacre', or has seen
them live or even heard them before will know that they're mental.
Utter loonatics, no doubt about it. They play a highly technical and
thrashy punk / metal amalgamation (that even breaks for a short
reggae rhythm in the second song and has a circus-y bit of keys in
the fourth) that is relentlessly lightning fast on the drums in
blasts and skate punk rhythms, both riffy and mathcore-twiddly on the
guitars, bass heavy, and vocalled with a combination of deep, demonic
growls, and soaring, power-metal melodies that at times reach
ridiculous heights. Comparisons will always be drawn to bands like
PROTEST THE HERO, but ALMEIDA definitely have their own sound and
style (it's more skatepunk than metal really; think a heavier
PROPAGANDHI), and if you're not daunted by very technical and proggy
song structures, they're an awesome listen, and somehow fantastically
tight live. The whole thing is musically sublime as always, but
credit to Tom because lyrically this is class (I don't know how on
earth he writes to this stuff), and he has some real stand-out
moments on here... but I'll let you find them for yourself. So yeah, an ace follow
up to 'FM', and they've made a video to the shortest song on here,
'Payday', so that would be a great place to start if you like metal /
thrash / prog / tech / skatepunk crossovers...</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.almeidaband.co.uk/">http://www.almeidaband.co.uk/</a></i></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/almeidaband/">https://www.facebook.com/almeidaband/</a></i></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-64772565247010863032016-06-08T21:25:00.001+01:002016-06-08T21:25:49.219+01:00UNHINGED - 'Nostalgia' CD review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hCrc2Yh1et0/V1h-yARHsvI/AAAAAAAABrc/IlEQcgrI9LEEp-XoQ33QB_xHnALzTkLgwCLcB/s1600/un.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hCrc2Yh1et0/V1h-yARHsvI/AAAAAAAABrc/IlEQcgrI9LEEp-XoQ33QB_xHnALzTkLgwCLcB/s320/un.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>UNHINGED
- 'Nostalgia' CD review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">By
the time this zine comes out, Stourbridge-based four piece UNHINGED
will already have a second EP done, despite only having released
this, their first EP back in December. 'Nostalgia' features four
tracks of pacey, angry punk rock that has its hardcore influences
firmly rooted in the old-school 80s and 90s, with elements of IGNITE
and GORILLA BISCUITS coming through the more contemporary sound of
bands like THE BRONX and CANCER BATS, and produced locally with a
pretty DIY, lo-fi recording. Pacey drumwork, rock-infused hardcore
riffs, and a combination of angry shouts and don't-give-a-shit
attitude style singing that makes for some pretty catchy moments, all
meld to make for an impressive debut EP. Check out 'Homesick' and its
accompanying video for something to go on, and then go check out
their new EP.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_928115826"><br /></a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://unhingeduk.bandcamp.com/">https://unhingeduk.bandcamp.com/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9027114973327467996.post-54815090465188748712016-06-05T13:08:00.001+01:002016-06-05T13:08:58.193+01:00SVALBARD - 'One Day All This Will End' cassette review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CdwQy7qAp1g/V1QV10i8O8I/AAAAAAAABrI/XcAKJnbzHR8UrpURxLCwl7bolQoJdc64wCLcB/s1600/svalbard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CdwQy7qAp1g/V1QV10i8O8I/AAAAAAAABrI/XcAKJnbzHR8UrpURxLCwl7bolQoJdc64wCLcB/s320/svalbard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>SVALBARD
- 'One Day All This Will End' cassette review</b></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Oh
man, SVALBARD are good; another band I feel hugely lucky to have
shared the stage (well, floor) with, they play an astounding and
melodically unique style of post-hardcore that is all at once heavy
and melodic, epic and emotional, and on here, from what I recall, I
bit faster than their previous releases, utilising a bit more double
time and blasting, giving it a bit more of a hardcore punk / black
metal vibe. Fans of anything from LIGHT THIS CITY, to CIRCLE TAKES
THE SQUARE, to old DARKEST HOUR should absolutely love this. The male
/ female dual vocal works as brilliantly as ever, the two different
tones interspersing considerately and intelligently, and occasionally
joining to epic effect; the beautiful single string lead guitar
melodies pierce the shroud of thick bass and heavy guitars perfectly;
and the aforementioned drumming is really something to behold,
tearing technically through these eight stylistically varied and well
structured tunes (as well as a cool cover of VICTIMS' 'This is the
End'). A solid album, well worth a look if you like your stuff dark,
heavy, fast and melodic. Also available on record I believe, but the
cassette (with chrome shell) is a beaut.</span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/">https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/</a></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">xox</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04504350880362146069noreply@blogger.com0