REHASHER - 'Make The Noise' CD review

REHASHER - 'Make The Noise' CD review

"For those that aren't already aware, REHASHER is the side project of Roger Lima of LESS THAN JAKE, and whilst eschewing any ska influences, he goes all out Fat Wreck style skate-punk that is fast, melodic, catchy, and packed full of sing-a-long choruses that grab you pretty much instantly. I always thought Roger was just part of this band, but it turns out he does everything on here except play the drums, which is pretty bloody impressive. I grew up loving LTJ (and especially Roger's voice) and skatepunk, so this band is a real dream for me, and there were some songs on the album 'Off Key Melodies' that were utter perfection in speed, intensity, and really passionate vocals, and though this collection of songs comes down a notch in those areas, this is still awesome melodic punk rock how it should be done. 'On the Way to Get to You' is one of the most infectious tunes I've heard him sing, 'S's B-day' offers a change of pace that breaks up the speed nicely, 'How to Lose Yourself' and 'Waste My Words' show off Roger's guitar chording skills (those in the verse of the latter are beautiful) whereas 'Right Here Right Now' (one of my faves on here) is a brilliant and welcome return to form in break neck speed and intensity. Whether you like LTJ or not, if you love skatepunk, you really should pick up this as well as previous releases. Great stuff."

xox

MERRIDEW - 'Undercity West' Pre-Order...

MERRIDEW - 'Undercity West' Pre-Order...

So yeah, Lee has a new EP coming out under his solo instrumental post-hardcore project MERRIDEW called 'Undercity West'. It's six tracks of shorter and faster songs than he usually puts out, and if you pre-order it for a fiver during October, you'll also get a free three track cassette with it when he posts them out in November. Pretty cool right? You can listen to a song here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38Hx-oJnNp0

And then pre-order it from here:

http://glassofspit.bigcartel.com/product/gos001-sperare-the-solace-e-p

Thanks a tonne! :)xox

'Open Mind / Saturated Brain' January 2014 Mix

'Open Mind / Saturated Brain' January 2014 Mix

So, Dave from Zegema Beach Records has put together another cracking MP3 compilation of proper screamo and hardcore, so if that sounds like your bag, you should probably get over and download it for FREE right now. It also has one of Leeboy's Merridew tracks on it too, so that's nice! (Cheers Dave!)

You can download the mix from here:

http://openmindsaturatedbrain.blogspot.ca/2013/12/2014-omsb-mp3-mix-1-january.html

And find Merridew here:

https://www.facebook.com/merridewmusic

Thanks a bunch! :)

xox

MERRIDEW on Facebook...

MERRIDEW on Facebook...

So yeah, our Lee does numerous musical projects, one being MERRIDEW, through which he's already put out a couple of EPs via Glass of Spit. It's kind of instrumental ambient emo / hardcore for fans of stuff like ENVY, THE COPPERPOT JOURNALS, and MAHUMODO, so if that sounds like your thing, you should go check it out on the new Facebook page, here:

https://www.facebook.com/merridewmusic

Or listen to stuff here:

http://glassofspit.bandcamp.com/album/fears-that-kindle-hope

or here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDKB8JbZ_Eo

Thanks a tonne! :D

xox

The Red Heroes - 'It Fills That Void For Me' review

The Red Heroes - 'It Fills That Void For Me' review

So, The Red Heroes from over in the States are putting an album out in September, and I got a lil' exclusive blast of the thing prior to release. Here's a lil' review of said album...

"So these guys play pop-punk in a very modern, Western style in the vein of bands like MAN OVERBOARD and THE WONDER YEARS, and despite being similarly and unashamedly saccharine both musically and lyrically (though there IS some pretty miserable subject matter), THE RED HEROES play in a more straight and direct fashion, with less of the flare and superfluity of such bands. However, such a statement shouldn't be perceived in a negative light; here we have twelve tracks (plus an acoustic version of one of the album tracks) that are bright and, though quite catchy on the first and second listen, have a surprisingly uncanny knack for sneaking into your subconscious, and popping up in your head on arbitrary subsequent occasions, especially on the vocal side, thanks to some really quite memorable vocal melodies in both verses and choruses, and some pretty sweet backing harmonies. It invariably strolls at a steady mid-tempo, but the varied song-structures, song-lengths, nice drum time-changes, and use of contrast between full drive and some quite lovely mellow, acoustic sections keep the whole thing interesting enough, and I must say, the bass on this is pretty sweet, jazzing it up with some awesome picking and licks that add a lot of life to the straight chord-work. Stand-out tracks for me on here are 'Letters to a Christian Nation' largely for the hooky drumwork, the rather amusing and snotty acoustic number 'Martha', and the wonderfully chorused 'Valentine's Day (Hannah)', but the key tune here has to be the second track, 'Untouchable'; killer bass, catchy melodies, and the most infectious chorus on the whole album, and as if that weren't enough, there's an acoustic version right at the end that is just beautiful, and whoever Meagan Smith is, she has a wonderful voice that harmonises with the male lead perfectly, and her additional lines are a real treat. A consistent release that fuses the tempo and drive of old-school DIVIT and the melody and pop sensibilities of THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS and THE ACADEMY IS with the modern pop-punk stylings of MAN OVERBOARD; a pretty promising prospect."

You can find The Red Heroes in the following places:

http://theredheroes.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/theRedHeroes

http://www.youtube.com/theRedHeroes

http://www.twitter.com/theRedHeroes

Cheers! :D

xox

Caves - 'Homeward Bound' review

Caves - 'Homeward Bound' review

CAVES have a new album coming out very soon, so I thought I'd share this rather short review of their cracking last release 'Homeward Bound', that I forgot to squeeze into the last issue:

"CAVES are a wonderful three-piece pop-punk band from Bristol, and what I absolutely love most of all about them is that, unlike most bands on recordings these days, they sound 'real'; they sound like they might fall out of tune or time at any second, and for me that's a real joy given how a lot of punk these days is so neat and tight and almost unreal in it's cleanliness. Basically, they're what pop-punk should sound like. This is probably a little bit more creative musically and lyrically than their last 'Collection' release, and seems a little faster and shoutier; there's still plenty of woah-ing and ridiculously catchy vocal melodies though, and I especially love 'Taking on the World' and 'Bows and Arrows'. It's also pretty cool how the tracks run into each other as they ring out so it sounds like most of the thing was recorded in one take. If you like your pop-punk bright, catchy, and in exclusion of all of the typically hideous commercial polish, definitely check this out."

You can find Caves on Facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/wearecaves

or check out their Tumblr here:

http://wearecaves.tumblr.com/

Cheers! :D

xox

Cheesus Crust Records 2 @ Wahlbar, Manchester

Cheesus Crust Records 2 @ Wahlbar, Manchester

So yeah, this rather awesome looking gig is happening in Manchester next Sunday, and you should definitely try to make it if you're in or around the area; most of the acts are travelling a heck of a way to get there, so the support would be heavily appreciated!

The event has a page on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/518616118202652/

and you can find the label here:

http://cheesuscrustrecords.bandcamp.com/

http://cheesuscrustrecords.tumblr.com/

Thanks a tonne! :)

xox

SPERARE interview on IdiotEQ.com

SPERARE interview on IdiotEQ.com

So, our Lee plays in a hardcore/ screamo band called Sperare, and he recently did this interview with the guys at IdiotEQ. Go check it out, if only for the free download of the first tune from their forthcoming EP 'The Sea Takes The Rest'! Enjoy!

You can find the interview here:

http://www.idioteq.com/sperare-crafting-to-the-best-of-the-combined-abilities-exclusive-interview/

Thanks a lot! :)

xox

Sperare 'The Sea Takes The Rest' EP launch...

Sperare 'The Sea Takes The Rest' EP launch...

So yes, Lee's hardcore band SPERARE are having this EP launch at the end of this month in their home-town of Stourbridge, thanks to local experimental music label Carnage Club. It's shaping up to be a pretty awesome night, so if you're from around there, make sure you check it out!

There's a Facebook event page for the gig here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/180702262080682/

and make sure you check out the band here:

https://www.facebook.com/sperareband

Cheers! :)

xox

LockdownxCollective Presents: 'The Mongoloids' + guests

LockdownxCollective Presents: 'The Mongoloids' + guests / The Flapper, Birmingham / 19th June

So, thanks to LockdownxCollective, this is happening in Birmingham in June; that may seem a good while away, but if you're into your hardcore, straight-edge or not, then get excited because this is looking awesome...

You can find Lockdown on Facebook here to keep updated with shows and the like:

http://www.facebook.com/Lockdownxevents

Nice one!

xox

Laughing in the Face Of - 'The Lubrication of Social Anxiety' review

Laughing in the Face Of - 'The Lubrication of Social Anxiety' - Lockjaw Records

Just another review from The Screever issue two; reviews for issue three are pretty much done...

"I first saw / heard LitFO in about 2005 when they supported FIREAPPLE RED in a little pub in Birmingham (their hometown), and I remember being completely blown away, this being the first time I'd encountered a local band that played really fast punk-rock, or even realised they existed near me, and this, the follow up to their self-released e.p 'Technically, It's Not Our Fault' is pretty blistering; 11 tracks of thrashy but melodic double-time skate punk that is technical and abrasive without ever feeling contrived or gimmicky. It's consistently interesting, and it's good to hear a punk-rock band that isn't afraid of doing long instrumental intros ('The Art of Burning Bridges' is a good example). It might take some getting into, but you can listen to this over and over and pick out new little intricacies every time; Andy is one of the best double-time punk drummers I've seen live, and I'm always amazed at how Steve can play some of this guitar-wizardry whilst singing. There are loads of great tunes on here, and it's hard to pick out favourites, but I do like 'Make What You Want' and 'Whose Line Was it Anyway'. Awesome stuff, and highly recommended for those into THE HUMAN PROJECT, THIS IS A STANDOFF, or STRUNG OUT."

You can pick up a copy of this album from here:

http://laughinginthefaceof.bigcartel.com/

or find them on Facebook here:

http://www.facebook.com/laughinginthefaceof

xox

Almeida - 'Fantastic Massacre' review

Almeida - 'Fantastic Massacre'

Here's another review from 'The Screever' issue two...

"These boys from Southern UK are pretty sick; there are a lot of bands around at the moment that fuse a bunch of styles into a technical mash-up, but ALMEIDA (pronounced Al-May-Der..?) do so with a little more skate-punk speed than most. It's a lot like PROTEST THE HERO (including a similarly high-pitched lead vocalist), but with a more melodic thrash-punk leaning, and a lovely horror / black-metal vibe... and yes, it's as interesting as that sounds, and to mix things up even more, there's a rather bouncy and quite lovely instrumental acoustic track somewhere in the middle. They're not afraid to write long songs, the title track running to over seven minutes, but have some quite wonderful little melodies if you're willing to find them. As a starter, check out the opener 'Kinslayer', which is one of the shorter and catchier tunes. Highly recommended for fans of PTH, but even folks into old BODOM and stuff may dig this; a pretty solid self-release from a bunch of super-talented chaps."

You can get this album from Almeida's webshop at:

http://almeida.bigcartel.com/

or 'like' them on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/Almeidaofficial

xox

'The Sleepover Club' zine

'The Sleepover Club' zine

So, folk pop-punk troubadour Elly Kingdon's only gone and made a zine; it's called 'The Sleepover Club', and is already sounding pretty awesome, apparently containing stuff on friendship, crafting, and togetherness...aww.

Issue one is currently available from 'Wedgwood Was a Queer' at:

http://www.wedgwoodwasaqueer.bigcartel.com/

or you can follow 'WWaQ' on Facebook here.

Awesome stuff :)

xox

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' review

xMoreThanInkx presents: 'Hardcare' charity compilation review

...and for those that didn't yet pick up a copy of 'The Screever' issue two, here's the review we wrote for 'Hardcare' volume one...

"I guess compilations are a funny thing to review, but what we have here is over twenty tracks of hardcore, mostly Straight Edge, from a variety of places in Europe, the UK, and the States. There's a surprising variety of sounds on here too, from the outright metallic (HORIZONS), to the old-school (xCURRAHEEx), to the experimental (DECLARATION de GUERRA), to the melodic (FAILURE TO FOLLOW), and even to the female-fronted (WOLFxDOWN). Personal favourites, given my irrepressible love for a good melody are 'Strike Back' by FAILURE TO FOLLOW, largely thanks to the killer guitar melodies in the chorus, and the fact that the singer sounds a LOT like Tim from ENSIGN, and also 'Open Hands' by SPIRES, which I have to say is PURE GOLD; the really high-pitched guitar melodies in this song are absolutely sublime, and for me really outshine the majority of the rest of this comp.

If you're into hardcore, Straight Edge or otherwise, then get this; you're bound to love something on it. Proceeds from sales also go to a charity supporting a neonatal intensive unit, so it's a must really. Nice one xMoreThanInkx for reminding us that an Edge hardcore scene still exists, and for showcasing some of the strength of it here.

You can pick up a copy of this volume from here:

http://xmorethaninkx.bandcamp.com/album/hardcare

The xMoreThanInkx webshop can be found here:

http://xmorethaninkx.bigcartel.com/

and their website can be found here:

http://www.xmorethaninkx.com/

xox

'Speedowax' 2012 Releases Vinyl Pack

Speedowax 2012 releases vinyl bundle...

Rich at Birmingham-based DIY hardcore / punk label 'Speedowax' is offering every release that they put out in 2012 in a bundle for £20; that's a pretty awesome deal! If you're into hardcore on wax, definitely check this out...

You can currently order the bundle from here:

http://www.muempire.bigcartel.com

or find Speedowax on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/speedowax

xox

Happy Christmas and stuff...

Just posting to wish a rather late happy Christmas to all readers and followers of 'The Screever' zine; more issues and posts will hopefully emerge in the coming year! Look after yourselves :)

xox

Hot Water Music - 'Exister'

Hot Water Music - 'Exister' - RISE Records

I often find myself slightly on the fence with HWM; while half of their stuff is pure gold, and some of the greatest punk-rock I've ever heard, a lot of it can do very little for me, largely what I'd refer to as their more 'experimental' stuff. Thankfully, 'Exister', their first album in eight years, turned out to be a really solid, consistent album. 'Drag My Body' and 'State of Grace', both of which I would file under the 'pure gold' category, are probably still my favourites on here (having heard them in the weeks leading up to this release), along with the last track 'Paid in Full', the last chorus of which has a notably incredible vocal take! I think it's a little less experimental than some previous albums, most songs having quite a powerful, and structurally prominent chorus, which really helps drive the whole thing; it never really slows down, and feels really strong from start to finish, the production no doubt helping there. Jason Black, one of punk-rock's most bad-ass bassists is on form again with killer fills on the lower end throughout, and Chuck's sandpaper vocals are as characteristic as ever. If you're a HWM fan, no doubt you'll already have this; if you're also a little on the fence, I'd definitely recommend giving this a blast; if you've never heard them, check out 'Drag My Body', and be amazed. (Lee)

http://hotwatermusic.com/

Come To Get Her - 'Life So Changing'

Come To Get Her - 'Life So Changing' - self-released

So these guys are from Belarus and they recorded this 7-track in a practice room and mixed it themselves, considering which, it actually sounds pretty good! They play largely mid-paced melodic punk-rock / pop-punk (plus a bit of an acoustic ballad later on), most of which is pretty darn catchy; the boy / girl vocal interplay definitely reminds me of UNDECLINABLE AMBUSCADE back when they did that song '7 Years', which is awesome despite parts of it sounding slightly off-key. The first track 'Be My Dream' is actually pretty killer, but I also love '19.12'; for starting points, check out the former for some straight up melodic punk-rock, or the latter for something an 'ickle bit more emotional, but this is really an awesomely consistent DIY release. Pretty artwork too. (Lee)
You can check out Come To Get Her, and buy this e.p from:
http://cometogether.bandcamp.com/

Issue two on sale from glassofspit.co.uk

Issue two of 'The Screever' is now on sale from the Glass of Spit webstore thingy for a quid, which is pretty much just to cover postage / a bit of printing cost. Bear in mind there'll be an additional postage charge for deliveries outside of the UK though. You can visit the shop heeeere:

http://glassofspit.bigcartel.com/

Or, if you make a zine yourself, or draw stuff, or write nice letters, you're more than welcome to trade something for a copy with Lee. Either drop us a message here at the_screever@hotmail.co.uk, or find him on WeMakeZines at:

http://wemakezines.ning.com/profile/LeeTaylor

Thanks a bunch :D

Nat'n'Lee

xox