What is Music?

2012-01-30T22:21:00.000Z

The Dillinger Escape Plan

Ire Works

Relapse Records

Out Now

Rating: 5/5

Now, I'm actually a believer that for the most part you can tell if you're going to like a band before you even hear them. Whether it's from a vague idea of the sort of guys and gals that listen to the band or the direction and density of hype you've been in the way of, prejudiced though it may be, you have a pretty good bullshit barometer built right in. Obviously however, there are a few bands that slip the net, and TDEP sadly are just one of those such bands, and a welcome reminder that despite gut feelings it's always worth checking a band out just in case.

From having listened to them, I can see that the screamo-emo-whatever kids that infested (I choose my words carefully) my home town were probably name-dropping TDEP just to be out-there or to avoid saying "My Chemical Romance" too much when asked about bands at parties, but bigotry aside their back catalogue is really worth checking out. I recently said to friends that as a band they were simply "necessary", and I'm not sure that I can totally better that description of their music. Extreme, mathy and laden with (depending on the record) over-produced flourishes, glitch electronic or overwrought metal theatrics, the bedrock of the music is nevertheless edgy and scattershot, not so much ebbing and flowing as striking and withdrawing.

Ire Works is incredible as an album - coherent, and flowing together with almost a prog-rock devotion to the format, it's also quite mind-boggling that only three out of thirteen songs clock in at over four minutes. 'Fix Your Face' and 'Lurch' combine to make a brutal opening salvo, kinetic riffs clocking up the intensity and the b.p.m. before 'Black Bubblegum' swaggers in with some wrong-footing pop sensibility. 'Sick on Sunday' brings things back to task, closing on an excellent faux Deftones art rock chug before 'Nong Eye Gong' and 'When Acting as a Wave' thrash out once more, the latter a paranoid back-and-forth motion of guitar slashes and glitch full-stops.

The latter half of the album sees the tracks lengthen and the chords expand; 'Milk Lizard' is the closest the band come to radio-friendly, while 'Dead as History' is a slice of progressive metal that Tool would rightly be proud of. 'Mouths of Ghosts', the closer, actually sounds like a strange mix of The Who and Bowie for the first half of the track, moving in shades of quasi-world music eastern scales and rhythms. When the track finally cuts loose, bizarrely it kind of sounds like post-Make Yourself Incubus, Greg Puciato coming across with a Brandon Boyd sized croon and Ben Weinman's guitars becoming truly stadium-sized.

Extreme, original, thrilling, and utterly, utterly mental, this album is absolutely essential in every important way.

2012-01-25T13:52:00.000Z

Andrew Danso

f i n d

Self-Released

Rating: 4/5

I have a slightly dumb-sounding question to put to you – what would you get if you took Steve Vai's Fire Garden and invited ambient remixes? Well, not Andrew Danso, but I think that's a reasonable jumping off point. Throughout f i n d you get the impression that there's a veritable torrent of playing ability dammed back for the sake of aesthetic effect, whether it's the pleasant trip-hop of opener 'Go Again' or the '80s R.E.M.-lite 'Walk Walk Sunshine'.

'Liar MD' has some of The Three EPs about it, while 'Rain, Go' is more of a Porcupine Tree sketch; it's worth mentioning at this juncture though that due to the general brevity of the tracks on this album there's a lot of scope for Andrew Danso to experiment around with style and influences. In doing so, he creates a rich tapestry of sounds that on balance are actually best enjoyed without the tracklisting, without clicking over to your iTunes, without monitoring the progress of the record.

Ultimately it's probably best described as new age progressive in the mould of the great Mike Oldfield, nevertheless f i n d's expansive sonic landscape prevents it from being a one-trick pony. Experimental yet fluid, engaging and accessible, this highly melodic work is a must for all 'progressive' fans.

&amp;lt;a href="http://andrewdanso.bandcamp.com/album/f-i-n-d"&amp;gt;f i n d by Andrew Danso&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2012-01-12T22:28:00.001Z

You Can't Keep A Bad Man Down//SSD Podcast #20 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

What is Music? - Best of 2011 List

2011-12-26T22:04:00.000Z

Ok, I should basically start out by saying that I've already written a list for Classic Rock Presents: Prog, and will be writing a quick one for the SSD blog, but this is going to be different to both. This is mainly due to an unhelpful mixture of forgetfulness, stupidity, and not having to choose from only records reviewed in Classic Rock...!

So, that's the disclaimer out of the way - time to talk about some records!

Top LPs

1. Tao of the Dead - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
A punk record with the attitude of a prog record... or is it the other way round? Either way, it's without a doubt the most accomplished, and let's face it, downright cool record of the year.

2. Route One Or Die - Three Trapped Tigers
In terms of 'originality', or indeed anything even remotely approaching it, there's only one real contender - Route One Or Die. Bizarre, challenging, angular, but melodic as fuck - it's totally thrilling.

3. Gangs - And So I Watch You From Afar
When this came out, it looked like the album of the year was theirs... but then 2011 has been an exceptional year. Up there with the finest instrumental guitar records I've ever heard, Gangs combines virtuosic guitar playing with finely-honed songwriting, expressed in a traditional band format. It's geeky, it's esoteric, but it's equally accessible - and that's why their stumble at the end of this year was so tragic. For ASIWYFA, this is likely to be the apogee of their career.

4. Sans Souci - Brontide
Led Zeppelin do math-rock, channel Oceansize, rock harder than is reasonable. If you don't have this record, you need it.

&amp;lt;a href="http://juliannabarwick.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-place"&amp;gt;The Magic Place by Julianna Barwick&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

5. The Magic Place - Julianna Barwick
All vocals, all looping, all the time. Jokes aside, Julianna Barwick's new album really does create something truly mesmerising out of her improvised sound collages. It's not going to be for everyone, but it's worth checking out.

6. Helioscope - Vessels
A winner for Stuart Warwick's contribution to 'Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute' alone, Helioscope marks Vessels out as serious contenders on the post-rock scene, and wipes the floor with their sometimes aimless début White Fields and Open Devices. Brilliant.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mattstevens.bandcamp.com/album/relic"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Relic by Matt Stevens&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

7. Relic - Matt Stevens
More instrumental guitar, this time in a downtempo way. Matt Stevens' work ethic with TFATD is admirable, and to bedroom musicians the world over he's an inspirational case of the triumph of true artistry through hard work and talent.

Dananananaykroyd - There Is A Way by WorkItMedia

8. There Is A Way - Dananananaykroyd
In a word: FUN! RIP Dananananananananananananananan.....

9. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will - Mogwai
'George Square Thatcher Death Party'; need I say more?

10. H-p1 - White Hills
Drones, drones and more motorik beats than you can shake a stick at. 'Paradise' may well be the most hypnotic track of the year.

11. I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone - Maybeshewill
Though the album as a whole wasn't as good as some of its high points, Maybeshewill continue to go from strength to strength, and their word-of-mouth fanbase deservedly continues to grow. That said, this is only a record for those of the post-rock persuasion.

12. The Big Roar - The Joy Formidable
Grunge meets shoegaze meets post-rock. What? Those all came from the same bands? Well I guess they've come home to roost then. Apart from the drumfail in 'A Heavy Abacus' (where's the double-time chorus, guys?) I don't have a bad word to say about this record.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://firesuite.bandcamp.com/album/youre-an-ocean-deep-my-brother"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You're An Ocean Deep, My Brother by Firesuite&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

13. You're An Ocean Deep, My Brother - Firesuite
Picking up where Failure left off, or Cave In circa Antenna, at their highest peaks Firesuite marshall something elemental in their furious, atmospheric (or should that be trans-atmospheric?) space rock.

13. Violet Cries - Esben and the Witch
Sinister as hell, but beautiful all the same. A marmite record which will either sound like drifting fog in Winter committed to tape or a painful, pointless dirge.

14. Poor, Poor Grendel - Fairewell
Though it has its eccentricities, there are some touching moments on Fairewell's bedroom record. Strong when soundscaping, weaker when attempting the dream-rock, it'll be interesting to see what Jonny does next.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://casinozone.bandcamp.com/album/grievous-bodily-harmison"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Grievous Bodily Harmison by Casino Zone&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

15. Grievous Bodily Harmison - Casino Zone
The first thing approaching a full-length these noisy bastards have yet concocted, I'm sure some would consider it worthwhile for the name alone - but songs like 'Fuck Numerals' and 'Complete Artistic Failure' are harrowing and beautiful as they lash out with angsty brutality.

Top EPs

It's now 11pm, so each of these will get three words to sell it to you.

1. Victims and Vultures Alike - In Casino Out / FULL ON ROCK
2. Mindhammers - Hawk Eyes / GRR YES MELODY
3. Whoa Whoa, Hey Hey - The Calimocho Club / TRASH BLUES WIN
4. Vasco Da Gama - Vasco Da Gama / MATH POP INSANITY
5. Freak Show - Always the Quiet Ones / CLASSIC ROCK GRUNGE
6. The Institute of Modern Love - Part I / OLD SCHOOL PROG
7. Big Fat World - SPC ECO / PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY
8. Valour - Pure Reason Revolution / RIP PRR X
9. In Honour of Today - Pilot:X / FRESH POST PROGRESSIVE
10. Are You Friendly - Kid For Today / ODD POP AWESOMESAUCE
11. Crystal - Younghusband / FUNTIMES WITH SHOEGAZE

Notes:
Trojan Horse - Trojan Horse counts as last year and so isn't here. If you want, you can count the remastered edition, but...
The Octopus - Amplifier featured on my list last year as I received my copy before Christmas 2010.
Battleships did not release a named EP this year, so they have nothing admissible.

Tweet me @hipsters_unite if ya wanna argue x

2011-11-08T20:42:00.000Z

Cyril Snear

with Trojan Horse, Douga and Black Market Serotonin

Night & Day, Manchester, 6/11/2011

Rating: 4/5

Right, so first up were Black Market Serotonin. I'm not going to dwell on their set long (mainly as they're on SSD), but from their live show it's evident that Andy in particular has grown greatly in confidence as a frontman over the last year. On the other hand, various things remain more raw about their nascent prog-industrial music; the tunes themselves may be polished, and an album may be on the way, but a refusal to dumb down the music live is both a strength and a weakness.

Slaved in the past to DAVE (or Digitally Automated Vibe Engine, a laptop), they now find themselves in the hands of a marginally less harsh Juno synth; nevertheless this band of exceptional musicians are still occasionally wrong-footed by the samples, and it does beg the question as to whether a fluid live show or fidelity to the record should be a band's number one priority. For my part, I don't know what the answer to that conundrum is.

Second were Douga; on the record there's a hint of the folktronica-come-alternative pop of the Beta Band, but live that's very much the dominant impression that's carried away by the pleasantly off-kilter indie rock on display (and I mean 'indie' in the sense of '90s US bands, not four-piece bands of dickheads from Shoreditch). With two strong sets of songs under their belt (a single and EP) already, as well as some decent shows, Douga's fortune looks set to improve even further from here on in.

Third were Trojan Horse. Look, I'm not even going to bother. Here, their album is free. GO LISTEN. The only thing really worthy of mention is that they trashed the stage rather more comprehensively than usual, and I had to dodge a flying Yamaha keyboard. Nice.

&amp;lt;a href="http://trojanhorse.bandcamp.com/album/trojan-horse"&amp;gt;Trojan Horse by Trojan Horse&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Finally Cyril Snear were ready to tear it up. This marked the first time I'd seen the 'Snear live since hearing the pre-masters for their new record, The Riot of Colour, and live tracks like 'Confabulation' surely rank far above all of their work thus far, both in terms of quality and sheer hard rock whallop. At the moment there's only one band on the scene that look poised to claim the Manchester prog mantle ere vacated by Oceansize; while the 'Horse may be the truer sons of Prog, there's only one home grown post-prog band that can challenge the likes of the Kscope stable in the modern progressive stakes... with their Amplifier support slot and Tool-esque hammerfalls, that band is surely Cyril Snear.

Given that 2011's not even spent yet it may seem premature to be making bold claims for next year, but let me be the first to suggest that The Riot of Colour will make at least this lowly scribe's 'Best of 2012' list. Fuck yes.

__________________________________________
And now for something completely different...

2011-10-27T21:45:00.000+01:00

County Champion with Trojan Horse

Islington Mill, Salford

Thursday 20th October

Rating: 4/5

I'm sure by now everyone's tired of me periodically emerging from hibernation to pen words about Trojan Horse, but well, fuck off. Tonight on an incredible bill topped by Circles and Secret Chiefs 3 (who I was regrettably destined to miss) were County Champion and Trojan Horse. The latter - if you have ever read this blog before - you will know already, but the former may be somewhat more enigmatic.

Well, without further ado let me lift the veil. As perhaps the more acute and tuned-in of you will have noticed, the picture is of Charlie Barnes and Ste Anderson from Charlie Barnes & the Geekks... and that's because County Champion is the new name for that very band. At 2000 Trees this year they effectively announced their arrival with a new set of tunes contributed to by every bandmember, and Charlie finally assumed the frontman role he'd hitherto never quite grown into. Out was glitch-pop and in was drop-D (though fear not, he will continue to perform that under his own name).

Even though their set was blighted by technical difficulties, you know it's a good sign when Mike Vennart and Gambler from Oceansize turn up to see your first show, and with a setlist that included 'Nasty Bastard', '18' and 'Balloons', County Champion certainly played to their strengths. Their sound is a concise blend of math and progressive, shot through with a slight post-hardcore edge. It sounds, if I were to boil it down to a single song by another band, kind of like the heavier passages of 'Only Twin', off Frames. There's that same epic abandon, the sense of the vocals riding a wave of previously contained, but now unleashed energy.

After the totally brilliant Champion boys had shuffled back into the crowd, it was time for the 'Horse to kick off their second show in as many days. They've always been an exceptionally hard-working band, and these days it seems there's not a week that goes by without a slew of Trojan Horse gigs. As they grow in stature, I'm gradually becoming one of a number of familiar faces at their gigs, and lest it smack of me laying out my wares smugly for all to see, I've got to say that it feels great to have seen a band grow from being a completely underground entity to being a major force on a local scene. That it should be a band as capriciously brilliant as TH is just icing on the cake, really. Here's to Prog Nouveau. Vive la revolution!

Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning [Review]

2011-10-11T15:11:00.002+01:00

Hello there, I'm not going to post it up here, but Kscope kindly sent me a copy of Grace and I reviewed it for HV here. If you use the little search box on this page, you'll also find an old review of Insurgentes, his last solo album.

In the meantime, here's 'Harmony Korine' from Insurgentes.

2011-10-07T14:34:00.000+01:00

Mount Fabric

Threads

Hairy Wolf Records

Out Now

Rating: 3/5

Someone's listened to their Muse b-sides. So there's a new Mount Fabric EP, Threads, and this time they've apparently decided to ditch all of their excess influences, for the simple fact is this whole affair sounds exactly like either Muse or Radiohead.

Take track one, 'The Lightning Fork'; the pre-chorus is 'Sober' from Muse's Showbiz, and the chorus is 'Lucky' from Radiohead's Ok Computer. Now personally I'm going to forgive that, as I rather enjoy MF, but I can see a lot of people (even those not initially turned off by the Muse/Radiohead comparison) that will switch off after realising that.

Anyway, the former being true, 'Squelettes' is a guilty-pleasure of an upbeat number, 'ROC' the token ballad/atmospheric piece, and 'Cortisol' the more 'experimental' electronic track; think '13 Step'. Perhaps it sounds like I'm being a little unfair here, but let the record show that nowhere did I say these tracks were bad – they're actually all very good (with the exception of closer 'Fault', which is rather too close to '90s adult-oriented pop-rock for my taste) – but they aren't original, and it's not unfair of me to observe that it's going to be a deal-breaker for some.

2011-10-07T13:24:00.000+01:00

Vasco Da Gama

Paypertiger

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

On 'Nada Mas' the spaz starts immediately (can I say that?), with a set of manic harmonies before pleasantly strong vocals and reverb-drenched harmonies enter the mix. The overall effect is probably the mildest verse on the EP, and it's rather unfortunate that peoples' first exposure to it will come in autumn, for it's got an undeniable summer-pop lilt to it.

'Long Ships, Massive Hands' meanwhile has an almost power-pop vibe to it; I'm reminded of 'Tomorrow's Papers' by Luther Russell (bizarrely enough), and more so than the previous track the drums are allowed to coast to the fore in the composition, highlighting that truism of math- that it just isn't possible without a truly exceptional drummer. Though on the EP the excessively trebly guitars aren't fully counterweighted by the bass, live this song is an absolute belter, and it's definitely one of those tracks that grows substantially better once you've contextualised it by seeing Vasco play a show.

While we're on the subject, let's just deal with their band name too, because it's fucking awesome. I mean, besides the fact that it's one of those band names that I really wish I'd thought up first, it somehow manages to pretty solidly evoke the sheer bipolarity of what Vasco are trying to achieve with their songs.

Their grand math-pop gesture is Guts Ahoy!, which sounds actually rather like Wot Gorilla?; rather it's the EP closer, 'Teach the Young Team' that sets the template for their future success.

Complicated and catchy, obtuse in arrangement, it's nevertheless packed with pop hooks and great melodies. There's no question of it being their 'dumb pop song', or something they should be embarrassed by; for simply constructing something so brilliant is bloody hard. It's almost too cool, too brilliant for its own good, but I can't hold that against Vasco. I'll be humming it for weeks to come, and if you check it out I'm sure you will be too.

My prediction: an album of tracks like 'Young Team' and 'Long Ships...' and Vasco will be huge. In the meantime, slake your thirst with this exceptional EP and get excited about what's yet to come from this thrilling young band.

Get it from Paypertiger here. Check out Vasco on Facebook here.

Casino Zone - Heart of a Dog = Sub Animal Noises

2011-09-24T15:18:00.000+01:00

I swear the older I get, the more I enjoy this band. Like The Crocketts meets Yourcodenameis:milo or At the Drive-In. Sick, in other words. Check out their new track, 'Heart of a Dog = Sub Animal Noises'. Pretty funny video too, let's hope that the EP is as good as this single.

I promise, when I get a job...

2011-09-21T01:01:00.000+01:00

...that I will try and get updates to be a bit more regular around here. Anyway, in the meantime have two more free EPs from my label. Both come personally and critically recommended.*

Han Shot First by Nowhere Again

Ghost Ride the Whip by Ninetails

*trust me on this one, it's 1am and I can't be bothered to find the links, but the press clippings are on their artist pages, or you can Google.

2011-09-11T10:54:00.000+01:00

Blindness

Confessions (EP)

Rating: 4/5

I have to admit, I wasn't totally sold on this EP at first. Of course I mean only until I'd heard the break at about three minutes in of track two, 'Broken'. After that I was sold.

So first let's dispense with the soundbite PR bit (and admittedly probably the reason this ended up on my doorstep); the driving force behind the band is Debbie Smith, who was the live guitarist for Curve. Naturally then, as you'd expect there's some similarity with Dean Garcia's post-Curve project, SPC ECO, although Blindness' sound is notably darker, more in tune with Curve's pseudo-goth asthetic than the joyous dream pop of SPC's recent Big Fat World EP.

Besides that (and not a reference to Curve in sight), what do Blindness sound like? Well, on track one it's driving dark shoegaze melded with the atmospherics of dark ambient- think Portishead's more unsettling moments- and the pop electronica sensibilities of recent Metric. In fact, however inappropriate that last reference point may appear, it's one that as a listener I kept referring to. 'Confessions' has a drum track that even quite reminds of 'Help, I'm Alive', though one doubts that Debbie Smith owns many Metric records.

Though the guitar noisily clawing its way to the fore on 'Broken' is my favourite individual moment, the closer 'No One Counts', with echoes of the increasing band dynamic of Massive Attack circa 100^th Window (and specifically the guitar figures of 'What Your Soul Sings') is the finest individual track. At only three tracks it's a little light on running length, but on the basis of this their next release will still have to be exceptional for Blindness to truly stand out, good though it is.

2000 Trees 2011

2011-08-28T20:51:00.001+01:00

Okay, so this one's been a long time coming, for reasons that are frankly too dull to bother with, so without further ado...

So, 2000 Trees. Best festival ever. Let's begin with that, as the rest of this is likely to be rather incoherent due to a) being written at a months' distance, or b) how drunk I was during the festival.

So, the first band we got to was Vessels in the Cave, who managed to pack out the tent with a crowd that was probably bigger than that garnered by either ASIWYFA or Amplifier, the two Cave headliners of the weekend. After a storming set that peaked early with 'Monoform' and 'The Trap', the bar had well and truly been set for the weekend.

I'm fuzzy on the order, but at some point we also caught the post-hardcore progressive racket of The James Cleaver Quintet, filing them in the 'check out later' pile before seeing (in some order) Charlie Barnes, Jim Lockey and Mojo Fury. The latter, in fact drew quite a small crowd, and it's still frustrating to me that they aren't growing more rapidly, despite their great songs and seemingly perfect run of choice support slots and press. Oh well.

Then it was onto Dinosaur Pile-Up on the main stage. By this point, a combination of Badger's Bottom and G & T was rapidly rendering me a Total Fucking Liability (I believe that is the technical term); nevertheless I recall a great rendition of 'Hey Man' (or was it 'Broken Knee'?) and a new tune called something like 'Daydream' that needs some more work. Not as triumphant as their ridiculous homecoming show in Leeds earlier in the year (where I had my head split open by Harry's bass in a moshpit), it was still a rad show.

I've been told that I saw The King Blues. I've also been told that I was singing along to 'Save the World, Get the Girl', so I'm going to assume that it was a great set. However, personally I can't remember anything at all. My memory creeps back in around ASIWYFA's set, where they were ramping through 'Search:Party:Animal' and 'Gang'. Putting in probably the best set of the weekend, ASIWYFA reminded the crowd that while they may well have released the album of the year in Gangs, they are still the same formidable live band that they always were. Moshpits, crowdsurfing (band and crowd) and high fives before encores, goodnights and bars. Lots more bars.

Then sunlight, confusion, headache and a beer before Ellen & the Escapades on the mainstage, kicking off the Saturday entertainment. At that point, her warm folk songs were exactly what our ragged band needed, and we almost felt ready when skapunks Chewing on Tinfoil took the stage for what turned out to be a really fun set. I think I napped through Zun Zun Egui, dreaming dreams of motorik beats, before catching a bit of The Cape of Good Hope in the Cave. They were good, but a little complex to form an opinion of while hungover and attempting to stop your mind from physically tearing in two, and I've yet to check them out post-festival (add to the long list).

After that, we wandered back to the main stage to see what all the fuss was about with Islet.

Okay, so imagine if all the characters from the 'We're All Dickheads' video got together and formed a band. Now imagine if it was about four times as pretentious as the one you're thinking of, with like three drumkits. That still doesn't quite accurately represent the level of absolute pretentious indie dross we're dealing with here. I mean, I don't much like Egyptian Hip Hop, but Islet are almost a different level of wankers. Phil from Metamusic described EHH as 'pretentious wankers with a flanger'; Islet were grah, I can't even be bothered. If you want a positive review of them, look in the NME. If you want the truth, they bought a fucking Neu! album in some dusty record shop and now make pointless, boring, sub- Sonic Youth experimental cack.

When the opportunity presented itself, we fucked off and caught &U&I, who were pretty interesting; heavy and mathy, shot through with that post-hardcore bite you'd expect from a heavier math band. I wasn't too sure about their live show, but I'll keep an eye out for their album, due out some time in the future. After them, Talons; post-rock in a vein that didn't impress me overly when compared to Vessels or ASIWYFA, but didn't more me either. Then, Hawk Eyes, impressing me more in the late afternoon fug than at any previous time I've seen their thrashy guitar antics.

I stuck around for Japanese Voyeurs, expecting great things on the evidence of their debut, Yolk, and their fine set at ITC 2010... but to be honest they let me down. Rather than a wall-of-sound grunge roar, it was rather more flat, and I left before their set ended in order to catch Three Trapped Tigers.

Cards on the table, I think with Route One or Die I've found my album of the year, and Three Trapped Tigers never disappoint live. They are just bloody fantastic in every important way, and if you haven't already, you need to buy their record and go to a show. Not should do but need to.

For the life of me, I can't actually remember what time Charlie Barnes was on in the Leaf Lounge, but he was fucking awesome. Playing a host of new songs, he's finally grown into the frontman he always threatened to become, and has firmly placed both himself and his band into the vacant space left by the recently-deceased Oceansize. More mathy in feel, progressive in length and heavier in attack, his newer material shows two things; firstly, that his experiences of touring, both with his band and Amplifier have deepened his appreciation for dynamics and instrumental interplay in a way that was not felt on his solo debut, and secondly, that the guitar is once again at the fore of his compositions, a welcome change in direction that breathes fresh interest into an already fascinating young career. If Charlie gets this new material out there into the right places, he could easily find himself on the main stage next year, that's my two cents.

Anyway, after a bit of Frightened Rabbit it was time for Amplifier, who saw out the weekend in a tidal wave of riffs, moshing and sheer awesome. Enough said, really.

P.S. O mighty Gods of 2000 Trees, next year let's have Brontide and Wot Gorilla? on the bill though, yeah? Cool.

2011-08-25T10:06:00.000+01:00

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead

Tao of the Dead

Superball Music

Out Now

Rating: 5/5

My discovery of this album if anything proves that at least I'm writing for the right people. After reading a glowing live review in Classic Rock Presents: Prog, and trusting that any label willing to sign Oceansize would probably put out good craic, I picked up their most recent long-player, Tao of the Dead, out on Superball Music. It's a concept album, and admittedly I haven't got into that side of it especially yet, but the music has proven infectious enough that it's become the soundtrack to my Californian roadtripping these last two weeks.

Opening with the 'Introduction', you're confronted for the first time by a scalic, harmonized math guitar riff that will return throughout Tao, as it ebbs and flows with the dynamic of a record written almost as a single piece of music. When Steven Wilson announced The Incident, I have to admit that, rather than what he eventually delivered, I was expecting something much more like Tao; gleefully self-referential, sprawling and unrelenting.

Possibly my favourite thing about this album is that, as band members switch instruments, you can almost feel the changes in personnel; where 'Pure Radio Cosplay' and 'Summer of all Dead Souls' have drums that'd be at home on any Shinobu or West Coast punk record, 'The Fairlight Pendant' has a motorik drive to it, and these are just the tip of the iceberg where subtle shifts in playing style are concerned. The punk reference is apt too, for while this record is often going to be heavier than some casual listeners would prefer, there's also a breeziness to it; most of the album is in a major key, and for all the Fugazi-Sonic Youth dissonant turns it's certainly not so hard going that a mainstream rock listener couldn't dig the bulk of it.

With the emotive pull of 'Ebb Away'- directly following the fantastic reprise of 'Pure Radio Cosplay'- the record takes its final turn, as the band embark on 'Tao of the Dead Part Two: Strange News from Another Planet', a sixteen-and-a-half-minute blast of summery math-prog and post-rock meandering that neatly encapsulates everything I've grown to love about this band. Unlike all the other tracks that have preceded it, 'Tao Part Two' changes from a D tuning to an F tuning to mark the transition, though arguably the end of 'Part One' falls shortly before the intro of 'Ebb'; regardless, it's still an impressive feat of musical arrangement and artistic vision.

Ultimately however, the greatest thing about Tao is that it's the sound of a band literally doing whatever the fuck they feel like, and being good enough musicians to pull that off. It's fucking brilliant.

this video is beyond awesome...

2011-08-21T19:22:00.002+01:00

Team Ghost - High Hopes from 16ar on Vimeo.

..and you will know us by the trail of puns

2011-08-21T07:07:00.000+01:00

...and you will know us by the trail of puns//SSD Podcast #19 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

2011-08-17T18:49:00.000+01:00

The Calimocho Club

Whoa Whoa, Hey Hey

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

Need a soundtrack to a barfly night of whiskey drinking? Well, I might just have the solution for you. After announcing their untimely demise a while back, the band formerly known as The Black Knights have returned with their new project, The Calimocho Club. Where The Black Knights were the soundtrack to an alcohol-fuelled frenzy, TCC have changed tack somewhat; while there's no doubt that on tracks like 'Baby Got A Switchblade' TBK's more brutal side lies in wait in the wings, in general TCC's sound is more soulful and melodic, songs to get wrecked and hit the town to, rather than see the place burn.

'War Machine' is the best of these, a laid-back, slow-motion haul that makes you almost feel the drink weighing you down into the soft alcoholic glow of a Friday night, while 'Roll the Dice' is the overall highlight, with a chorus so rad that it'll have you kicking things over just to show some fucking appreciation.

All in all, it's a pleasant return to form for the blues duo, and given the outstanding songwriting and recording quality of this first effort, let's hope there's more to come soon.

&amp;lt;a href="http://thecalimochoclub.bandcamp.com/album/whoa-whoa-hey-hey"&amp;gt;Whoa Whoa, Hey Hey by The Calimocho Club&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

SSD Podcast #18

2011-08-04T23:33:00.000+01:00

On With The Show//SSD Podcast #18 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

2011-08-02T23:38:00.003+01:00

Crosses

Self-Released

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

I remember once my bandmate admitted whilst very drunk that he had a great secret. Casting an eye this way and that, he lowered his voice before speaking. “Dude,” he said in a confessional tone, “I think I like Team Sleep more than Deftones.” He stared into his drink as if it held some sublime wisdom.

Well, I think my Last.fm would testify to the fact that I love the Deftones, but I think I'd have to agree; much of what I love about the Deftones is present (in a roundabout way) on Team Sleep, and my favourite Deftones album, Saturday Night Wrist, arguably was heavily influenced by Chino's experience of working with the musical styles he flirted with on Team Sleep.

Anyway, whilst I had high hopes for Team Sleep coming back with a second record, it looks like that's not going to happen, which is a damn shame. However, there's a silver lining; namely that he had the time to hook up with some of the dudes from Far (admittedly a band I'm not that familiar with) and form Crosses (or †††, if you prefer).

Essentially a more electronic iteration of all of Chino's avant-garde urges, apart from a fatter bass tone Crosses have much in common with Team Sleep. The electronica of opener 'This is a Trick' is balanced out by the dream-pop 'Option', reminiscent of Curve or SPC ECO, while 'Bermuda Locket' has a little bit of Smashing Pumpkins' 'Eye' about it, and with a Corgan vocal could easily be a track from their Adore-era output.

The highlight of the set though is 'Thholyghst', which is kind of a mash-up of 'Tomb of Liega' and 'Live from the Stage' from Team Sleep. It's menacing and atmospheric, and when it finally cuts loose, Chino's voice soars above washes of triumphant, Machina-era Pumpkins industrial fuzz. It's joyous, sending shivers down the spine as it brings a smile to the face.

The question is, with this under his belt, can Chino put a foot wrong? Well, yes. There's no physical release for the EP yet, and no news of an album to follow, which leaves me frankly with a thirst that cannot be slaked.

While I wallow in existential angst, I'd suggest you download a copy for free from their Facebook page.

2011-07-25T11:59:00.000+01:00

Kid For Today

Are You Friendly?

Pipco Collective

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

The first time I heard of Kid For Today was when Charlie Barnes nodded in bandmate Josh (AKA Kid For Today)'s direction and told me to check his stuff out. “You'll fucking love it” he assured me with a mischievous grin.

Now, before I lapse into some kind of semi-autobiographical prose dross let's talk about Are You Friendly?. Well, the first and most obvious thing to say is that yeah, I do fucking love it. Like a kind of hyper lo-fi Beta Band (see 'Hello Mr. Magpie), with swatches of Nice Nice and even Meursault ('Sticks') about it, KFT's music roughly inhabits that area usually branded 'folktronica', though 'Keep on Drowning' reminds more of '5/4' from Gorillaz and 'River Rocks' smacks of well, anything that Beck has ever done (sorry but Beck's stuff does all sound the same).

The eclecticism of the execution however is this EP's true strength. Morphing from lo-fi folk to world music with jazz or funk flavours, it's at times like a 21st century take on Paul Simon's solo material (see the 'Ocean Song' passage of 'Keep on Drowning'); however many genres and instruments are tackled, it's still somehow elusively, transiently locked into a folk sensibility even as its many moods shift with it, passage by passage.

For me, the best track is 'Green Lung'; I've always had a soft spot for distorted drums, and the track itself is a pleasing version of Peter Gabriel's multi-vocal-harmonied '80s excursions into African choral music as imagined by Engineers or North Atlantic Oscillation. Both 'Cell Count' and 'Clean Coloured Wire' have a similar electronic warble counterpointed by Secret Machines-style drums, and 'Green Lung' is consequently one 2:47 trip through a good seventy per cent of the things that I fucking love about music.

Ultimately though, you can't boil Are You Friendly? down to a single track as that simply doesn't do it justice. If you're going to listen to acoustic guitars, fuck Benjamin Francis Leftwich's facile Radio-2-drivetime-mid-life-crisis bullshit and immerse yourself in something of more substance: this.

&amp;lt;a href="http://pipcocollective.bandcamp.com/album/are-you-friendly"&amp;gt;Are You Friendly? by Kid for Today&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2011-07-21T22:28:00.000+01:00

Yourcodenameis:milo

Ignoto

Rating: 4/5

YCNI:M are a band that if I'm honest I've known a little about for a long time, but only got into recently. Besides their first EP (which is generally the most fan- and critically- lauded of their works, or so I gather), Ignoto is the only thing of theirs that's really fully worth taking the time over. Like The Cooper Temple Clause they seem to have kind of gradually burned out and then given up before their chance to record a 'return-to-form' album. Then again, to use the 'cult band' clause (lest I be the recipient of internet hate), this is only my opinion.

From opener 'I Am Connecting Flight' it's clear to see where their angular post-hardcore will take them, and the tone is set for much of the record. In fact, a lot of the guitar sounds that would make Oceansize so influential in certain circles are also present on Ignoto in spades, and that's hardly surprising; early tour partners and ascendant during the same period, they were presumably ripping each other off a little. Just as 'Amputee' recalls Vex's 'Clone Jesus', there are equally sonic touchstones between Ignoto and Effloresce.

Single '17' is clearly their attempt at the prize; with only about twenty seconds of verse, it certainly doesn't fuck around, and the chorus is a masterclass in the anthemic collision of guitars that will be perfected on the latter half of the record, when they make forays into Slint or Mogwai- informed post-rock (or at least extended structures).

'Rapt Dept' sounds uncannily like 'Interglacial Spell' from Amp's Octopus, and that's fitting; just as Amp were feeling the weight of their Soundgarden ancestry, 'milo occasionally have to pay their dues to the Seattle scene, and do so most clearly on this track. Their stab at the heart is 'Team Radar', which manages to have a certain pop sensibility about it despite its layers of distortion and dischord; it's this side of 'milo that In Casino Out would later channel so effectively on their seminal 2011 Victims & Vultures Alike EP.

However, it's tracks like 'Fivefour' that really show off YCNI:M's true strength. When the first guitar enters in the left ear, you're expecting a Fugazi grinding punk onslaught, but then a guitar enters with a counterpointing sweet melody and you're suddenly wondering if a) if that's Justin Lockey, b) if that's the first instance of the sound that would define White Belt Yellow Tag, and c) whether it's really a surprise that they couldn't come out with another album of this brilliant traincrash of playing styles, sounds and atmospherics.

Other great tracks include the axiomatic on/off, pop-chorus/verse grind of 'Empty Feat' and the colossal menace of the closer, 'Audition'. Whilst I'm not going to pretend that at heart this is anything other than a great post-hardcore record, when situated within the broader canon of the last great wave of british guitar rock, it's truly special.

2011-07-18T10:44:00.000+01:00

Trojan Horse

Live at the Good Ship, Kilburn

17/7/2011

Another day, another Trojan Horse gig. Except this one is different- it's their first foray into our capital for a while, and by a quirk of fate I'm freshly returned from post-prog-math fest 2000 Trees and able to attend. A crushing blow was being unable to attend the Kites/Snear/Horse billing in Manchester last night (though I would suggest being made up for in the form of Charlie Barnes, Three Trapped Tigers and Amplifier, but I digress...), so a chance to see the 'Horse and Kites is most welcome indeed.

From the word go it's an assured performance of songs that by now will be familiar to anyone that's been following the progress of this band. 'Fire', 'Disciplining the Reserve Army', 'Laces and Racists' and 'Mr. Engels Says' all get played, with 'Laces and Racists' being very much the standout of the material tonight. Nick ends up entangled in his guitar on the floor (was that a wince of pain I saw of beard caught on hardware, I wonder?), and a suitable degree of hardcore chaos encroaches upon what was, until their set at least, quite a civilised event.

More than usual what is apparent tonight is TH's rock pedigree. Of the bands on the 'Prog Nouveau' scene, they are without a doubt the most 'classic prog' in style, and I'm not the first commentator to come to that conclusion. However, lest we forget, their background lies broadly in the punk scene, and it's a testament to the sheer eclecticism of their album that by choosing different material from it they can remind even as frequent a visitor as I to camp Horse of that fact, topped by a strange pang of surprise.

Unfortunately, times run behind and I'm unable to stay for Kites' set, instead running down Kilburn high street for a train, making that two Sundays in a row that I catch my train at Waterloo with a minute to spare. Oh commuter belt, you are a harsh mistress.

Trojan Horse's opener, 'Fire'.

2011-07-14T10:38:00.003+01:00

Amplifier
The Astronaut Dismantles HAL EP

Ampcorp/SPV

Rating: 4/5

From this Extended Play, the follow-up to their début Amplifier, one might never have guessed at the problems bubbling below the surface. Granted, their début had a troubled birth, but arrive it did, being later re-released on SPV. The Astronaut Dismantles HAL, however, was their first set of original material for the label, and it builds on the melodic inclinations of the band showcased on the first record, without sacrificing any of the music's complexity, or indeed length. The six (seven if you include secret track 'Scarecrows') tracks are as long as an album, and there's a gratifying cohesion and fluency to the package as a whole.

From the very first note in 'Continuum', Amplifier play the space-rock card, with Sel's voice staying subdued in tone before he explodes forth with the perplexing 'chorus' break of “JUST LISTEN!”. In fact, despite its substantial run-time, there's something joyously pop about this cut, evidenced on the surreal middle-eight vocal crescendo of “que sera sera, whatever will be, will be!” where once again vocals cut the guitar wash and magnificently ride atop Amplifier's multi-amp squall.

Other highlights include the Zeppelin-esque stomp of 'Into The Space Age' and riff-heavy single 'Everyday Combat', which has since passed into fan-favourite territory, frequently clamoured for at shows. For me though it's the aforementioned 'Scarecrows' that has the currency to go head-to-head with 'Continuum' and 'Everyday Combat'. An acoustic-led number, it shows Amplifier thoroughly out of their comfort zone, stripped-back and at some of their most emotionally affecting. They wouldn't employ an acoustic in the same way until The Octopus' 'Oscar Night', and even then the subtle atmospherics achieved on 'Scarecrows' would be lost.

Though Insider undoubtedly had its moments, it's hard to see how Amplifier ended up there based on this release; stories of label pressure, time- and budget- constraints aren't hard to dredge up, so if anything it once again vindicates their decision to go The Octopus alone, as if the quality of that album weren't reason enough on its own. The Astronaut Dismantles HAL is a worthy, indeed essential addition to Amplifier's body of work, and it is too often overlooked for being 'just' an EP. Call it a 'mini-album', call it what you like; just don't make the mistake of missing out on it.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://amplifier.bandcamp.com/album/the-astronaut-dismantles-hal"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Astronaut Dismantles HAL by Amplifier&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

2000 Trees

2011-07-08T00:01:00.000+01:00

Ahoy hoy there. Yes, there have been sparse updates at best, but that's because I'm interning at Mixcloud. So without any further ado, here's a podcast on the 2000 Trees line-up. Enjoy!

2000 Trees! // SSD Podcast #16 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

2011-06-29T00:03:00.000+01:00

Always the Quiet Ones

Freak Show

Self Released

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

For fans of rock in the mould of Butterfly Effect or Oceansize, albeit boiled down into bitesize four-minute prog-pop nuggets, Always the Quiet Ones have a virtual monopoly in the Northwest. More conscise than Trojan Horse, less aggressive than In Casino Out, more accessible than Cyril Snear... you get the picture. If there's going to be a Biffy-scale success from the current crop, it's going to be Battleships or ATQO. Anyway, I'm sure what you're most concerned about is how this EP stacks up compared to their excellent Headcase debut.

The answer, most simply, is that it's kind of more of the same, and that's hardly a bad thing. A recent review of Metamusic's World to Come EP criticised its capriciousness; I would contend that consistency or variety are equally valid, so long as that is the intention of the artist. Freak Show is nothing if not consistently awesome.

Though 'Sign of the Times' was never my favourite track live, a lashing of overdubs and Blas' trademark howl take the studio version to a different level, and 'Valentina' is a welcome change of pace somewhat in the mould of 'Beautiful Surrender', the bonus track from Headcase. Before its end it breaks down into some heavy riffing, highlighting the main progression between the records; the feeling that somehow chords have been largely eschewed in favour of a more riff-based heavy rock style, with the Smashing Pumpkins echoes now absent.

The highlight of the set unsurprisingly is the title track, every bit as great as its live iterations, but with a slick, radio-friendly makeover. You've got to give it to ATQO; they aim for the big leagues, and they really do sound like they belong there. I defy you to get past the break at 0:24 and not jump onto something, air guitar in hand, power stance assumed, ready to fucking rock n' roll. 'Freak Show' is a bloody winner, and ATQO know it. Why it's the last track on here is anybody's guess, but if they play their cards right, it could well end up being their signature early career tune.

&amp;lt;a href="http://alwaysthequietones.bandcamp.com/album/freak-show"&amp;gt;Freak Show by Always the Quiet Ones&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

New Podcast...

2011-06-28T23:45:00.000+01:00

Okay, I know I've been lax at updates (God, I seem to have been saying that a lot this year...), but in fairness I had exams and moving to deal with. At the moment I'm working on an interview with Dan (of Modern Painters/Engineers fame), and about to start an internship with Mixcloud... so those are my excuses. Might be having my Amplifier review in Classic Rock Prog as well, but we'll see...!

Return of the Jake//SSD Podcast #15 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning

2011-06-20T21:28:00.000+01:00

So I sort of missed the announcement, but apparently Wilson is putting out his second record on Kscope. As you may be aware, Insurgentes was in my opinion better than Porcupine Tree's highly-praised Incident record, so the idea of a new one is welcome indeed. So far there's little to go on other than a teaser trailer, which you can see below.

Never Lose That Feeling: Club AC30

2011-06-10T12:24:00.002+01:00

It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of the Club AC30 label, so it was particularly cool to have the opportunity to have a (virtual) sit down with Robin Allport, one of its founders. Over seven years after its inception, the label has grown to be truly a force to be reckoned with on the national music scene, and their continuing success (and indeed good taste) is an inspiration to bands, promoters and labels alike. Aside from the jealousy-inducing revelation that he saw the Verve supporting Smashing Pumpkins on their Siamese Dream tour (seriously!) we covered the past, present and future of the label, as well as the relevance of a record label in the digital age.

1. How did the clubnight get started?

Due to lack of decent nights in London back in 2003. We just got sick of going to gigs to see a band, and be stuck with a couple of other bands on the bill who were completely unrelated, and a "DJ" who was playing Newton Faulkner.

2. At what point did the idea of a label come about?

At the same time as we started the gig nights. It made sense to do a small cdr release for some of the bands that were playing the nights. Nice little promo, and something fun to throw at the likes of 6Music.

3. Were you, or the other AC30 guys involved in the music industry pre-AC30?

Yeah. I used to promote shows as a teenager back in 6th form college - putting on the likes of The Manic Street Preachers, Bark Psychosis, The Telescopes, Disco Inferno, Thousand Yard Stare and loads of others.

My brother Nick (the AC30 label guru) used to run Che and Cheree records alongside Vinita from Rocketgirl.

4. How do you feel about the way the label has grown? Has it come naturally and slowly, or were there some real 'fall or fly' moments?

It's grown at a nice gradual pace. We have had a few times where things have gone nuts for a week or two, which is fun - and yes, also times when things just fell flat. That's the nature of the game though... if I find something I think is amazing, everyone else might think it's not (and vice versa).

5. What are your plans for the future?

To continue releasing records at a sustainable level within the turbulent environment for music. Oh, and doing occasional shows now and then.

Specifically though:

Ringo Deathstarr compilation album "Sparkler" on various different flavours of vinyl, and new album being recorded throughout the summer. Deep Cut second album and single out in the summer. Exit Calm are writing their second album right now. The Megaphonic Thrift just went into the studio to start on their second album. Daniel Land & The Modern Painters' second album is being finished at the moment too.

And a few other projects that we're keeping under wraps for now...

6. What keeps you enthusiastic enough to continue?

That little tingly feeling when I hear something great.

7. What's been your greatest achievement so far (in your opinion)?

Each new step feels like a massive achievement for us. I know that sounds a bit trite, but each bit of positive press from a major publication... or one of our songs on a Hollywood trailer - that kinda thing. Being interviewed on Radio 1 for Huw Stephen's "Label Of Love" was also a bit special.

8. Conversely, what's been the lowest point in the life of AC30?

The panic before doors opened on the first AC30 night. It's been positive from that point onwards.

9. Which are the bands you've been most excited to work with?

It'll be the heroes from my youth - so bands like Swervedriver, Chapterhouse, Slowdive, Adorable, Revolver, Drop Nineteens, Ride, Telescopes and so on.

10. As regards business models, what do you see as more important moving forward: luxury limited runs, lower unit pricing, streaming, or something else I haven't thought of? Are we facing an inevitable 'rush to the bottom' as the doomsayers predict, or is there still a viable model in the age of free music?

It'll be a combination of many things. Clouds will eventually replace files as the digital media - so the likes of itunes will adapt and change, likely drastically reducing the revenue from that side of

things. There will always be a place for good quality physical product though, especially vinyl.

The main thing is, there's an entire generation coming through where 99.9% will have no concept of paying for music. So if they are going to be coaxed into paying for something, it's got to be seriously fucking cool - something they'll be proud to own, not some shitty CD in a plastic case.

11. With the previous question in mind, and the advent of platforms like Topspin and Bandcamp, what do you see as the role of a label, in an age when bands can be to an extent genuinely 'DIY'? Do you think there's been a change in the way rights and duties (formally and legally as well as informally) operate between label and artist (i.e. does the label have more of a duty to the artist than in the past)?

Bandcamp is great. For DIY it's perfect. I advise loads of bands to DIY - just makes alot of sense nowadays.

However, if you really want to go for it, having a label helps alot. Contacts, PR, budget, touring, logistics, merch and all that useful stuff. Given that most bands nowadays have full time jobs to make their money, having a small label to help do all the other things is handy. However, the more that they pay for, the longer it'll take for the band to recoup (if ever).

12. What's your take on the modern music industry, and how it's adapting to these changes? How are you hoping to 'future proof' AC30?

We're constantly changing our outlook in many areas of both the label and gigs. Some areas struggle, while other areas grow.

It's hard to see how the industry will go, there's enough experts out there spouting off about how it's all fucked. We just make sure we're not relying on it for any kind of income, so the focus is purely on releasing really good stuff and putting on fun shows.

13. As somebody who's very much a tastemaker within the contemporary genre, do you think there's been a shoegaze 'resurgence' in the last few years, or is it simply the function of the internet creating a virtual community for niche genres?

I wouldn't say it's a resurgence, just more that there's a few bands coming through that grew up listening to the early 90s shoegaze stuff. The internet, combined with the ability to record stuff at home easily, certainly makes it seem alot busier than it really is.

I mean, there's not that many "shoegaze" bands that could pull over 200 people in London is there? By that, I mean proper reverb-laden wall of noise shoegaze bands, not ones that the media lazily tag as shoegaze when they sound vaguely like Twisterella or something.

14. What would you say you've learned in the last seven years? If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

Just loads and loads of tiny things, that all add up in the end. I'm not sure I could give myself one piece of advice really... aside from maybe being patient, as it just takes a long time to come to fruition.

15. Finally, what do you love about music?

That it just keeps on surprising me.

2011-05-30T20:59:00.000+01:00

Wot Gorilla?

New Arrival

Self-Released

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

After catching their set at Live at Leeds I immediately got my hands on Wot Gorilla's work to date; that is to say, their self-titled debut EP and this, their second. Possibly the only downside to what is otherwise a nigh-perfect recording is this- 'Fear of Flying', the opener, is by far the best track on here. Not only that, but out of the three tracks and an interlude, the second strongest is also the second track, '3 DAB's and a Chang', leaving the closer, 'Shoes for Traction' to seem more functional where on a lesser EP it might be a stand-out.

Sooner or later I'm going to have to stop saying this because I will have actually learned a thing or two about math-rock, but for the moment I still know little enough to confidently say that as far as I know, this is as good as it gets. Make sure you also check out their first effort as well, if only for the excellent 'We Go Way Back Like Like Spinal Cords and Car Seats' and '6 Double 5 3 2 1', the latter a track name which almost literally has math in it (ha ha). For me their greatest moments are when they go from the most abstract, angular material to the biggest guilty-pleasure pop rock; witness the “was that the engines cutting out?” middle eight of 'Fear of Flying' to get an idea. Though this may be Wot Gorilla's greatest weapon, they use it sparingly and it consequently never gets old.

The final verdict: highly entertaining, quite possibly future-proof rock.

&amp;lt;a href="http://wotgorilla.bandcamp.com/album/new-arrival-ep"&amp;gt;New Arrival EP by Wot Gorilla?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

&amp;lt;a href="http://wotgorilla.bandcamp.com/album/wot-gorilla-ep"&amp;gt;Wot Gorilla? EP by Wot Gorilla?&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
[Both WG? EPs are now free to download; use the links above]

New Podcast... #13 - The Prog Nouveau Revolution

2011-05-30T19:27:00.000+01:00

Big Fat World//SSD Podcast#13 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

Air Cav Free Downloads

2011-05-27T17:13:00.000+01:00

Phew. Today has been bloody exhausting, but at least I've put a decent dent in my reviews pile. I've got one more bit for y'all before I pack up for the day though: Air Cav have kindly put up their first two singles for free download from their bandcamp. Click below to get at them, that is all.

Embers/Picking at the Bones by Air Cav

Alliance by Air Cav

2011-05-27T17:01:00.000+01:00

Day For Airstrikes

Into the Comet

Self-Released

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

Judging by their more recent material (the Adam, Wez, Ian, John, Danny, Rita, Sue and Bob Too EP), I was rather expecting a similar experience when returning to their first album Into the Comet as a recent convert to the band. Instead there's actually more of a guitar-led approach to the compositions, and to bastardize a famous quote, “is that a looper I see before me?” Yes, ha fucking ha indeed (spot the reference for +10 EXP, it's been a long day), I hear you cry; but on tracks like the densely-layered 'Quiet!!!!! Warmbear' and 'Cosmonaut', the interplay between the guitars is definitely front-and-centre as the er, selling point of this band (as if they needed something so crass). Like fellow Manchester progsters Cyril Snear, they're not above the inclusion of brass here and there, and I'm totally down with that.

Personally, my favourite cut is 'Reichstag', possibly the most timbrally interesting, not to mention arguably the most epic in scale; though I'll admit that 'Cosmic Horse' is a strong contender for the crown. In terms of honourable mentions, you've got to bring up 'Honestly Honesty Bosun Smee', which is definitely the most massive-sounding if you're listening on speakers. In particular, the combination of thick fuzz-bass and staccato drums driving through the guitar figures in the first section of the song are a clear highlight of the album. The track as a whole bears some comparison to Steven Wilson's 'No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun' from Insurgentes, except, y'know, without a vocal.

Overall, it's an accomplished first record. Let's be honest, most bands are sensible enough to stay clear of instrumental music unless they know they can do it well, and Day For Airstrikes are no exception. It's also worth elaborating that whilst this record is clearly the result of a considerable amount of effort well-spent, their newer material shows signs of a highly gratifying development of their sound, and I rightly have high hopes for album two.

&amp;lt;a href="http://dayforairstrikes.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-comet"&amp;gt;Into The Comet by Day For Airstrikes&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2011-05-27T16:11:00.000+01:00

Rumour Cubes

We Have Sound Houses Also

Self-Released

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

Imagine 'Where I End and You Begin' from Radiohead's Hail to the Thief, shorn of all bass and drums and that's roughly what greets you upon first hitting play on Rumour Cubes' excellent EP. Before long a kit and bass enter, and whilst the drumming is perhaps a little unimaginative, the rhythmic hook on the bassline more than makes up for it. For some reason I'm put in mind of Yes, but that could simply be because I listened to The Yes Album three times yesterday and can't get 'Wurm' out of my head. Nevertheless, it's when the E-Bow gets shelved and the distortion pedal kicked, that the track ('The University is a Factory'; Foucaldian power analysis or anti-fees critique, I wonder?) really gets going.

After the extended post-rock of the opener, the punchiness of 'Rain on Titan' (Blade Runner reference?) is unexpected, to say the least, and the violin leads counterpoint the violin figures nicely. Again, there's a crescendo and fade; though the track is surely more concise, it's no worse for it.

For my money though, the best track is the third, 'At Sea', which is kind of like some crazy folk-shoegaze crossover, like Air Cav if they decided to adopt the evil atmospherics of Trent Reznor, I don't know. It builds to a gentle peak and then that's that, the end of the EP. I hear more material is in the pipeline, so it'll be interesting to see where the band take their sound next: hybrid anti-folk or post-rock both beckon, and from this first offering, it's hard to see exactly which path Rumour Cubes will take.

&amp;lt;a href="http://rumourcubes.bandcamp.com/album/we-have-sound-houses-also"&amp;gt;We Have Sound Houses Also by Rumour Cubes&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2011-05-27T15:40:00.000+01:00

SPC ECO

Big Fat World EP

Self-Released

Out Now

Rating: 5/5

Five-out-of-five. Quelle surprise, I know. Now, let's be honest, the question was always going to be how far into this review I could get before referencing Curve. Oops.

Right, so jokes aside Curve are one of my favourite bands, and I'm going to get all of that out of my system in one go: Dean Garcia is a genius, SPC ECO's record 3D is an opus, Rose Berlin is an incredible singer with a personality and voice all of her own, and musically on Big Fat World SPC ECO bear comparison to a more dark-ambient inflected take on the more downtempo stylings of 2002's Gift.

Though 'Feels Like Flying' is more upbeat in tone, it's still driven along at a laid-back pace by their trademark mixture of programmed and (presumably) live drums, and as such doesn't actually make as significant a change to the overall feel as you might expect; rather it more serves to round off the EP in a more strictly narrative fashion.

The real surprise is instead the title track, which unites the dual virtues of being both upbeat and up-tempo. It's saccharine dream-pop at the genre's most intoxicating and joyful, and brings to mind 'Clean Coloured Wire' or 'Subtober' by Engineers in its use of texture and dynamic shifts, surely no bad thing. Throughout, Berlin's vocals rise above the instruments, counterpointing or intertwining where appropriate, and occasionally hitting perfect resonance with the thick basslines of Garcia.

Basically, this EP is just fucking great, and what's more, it's now fucking free. As Sean Connery would say, “sherioushly? YESH!” Man, I can't believe I just wrote that.

&amp;lt;a href="http://spceco.bandcamp.com/album/big-fat-world-ep"&amp;gt;Big Fat World EP by SPC ECO&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2011-05-27T13:44:00.000+01:00

The Fierce & the Dead

If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe

Self-Released

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

As one might expect from having heard their previous efforts, TFATD's record is for the most part an exhilarating blend of krautrock, space rock and upbeat progressive motifs that owe as much to Neu! as they would appear to be beholden to say, Portishead. The overall effect is something like a kinetic, instrumental take on the first Secret Machines album with a rather greater degree of electronics and somewhat cleaner production.

The first track, 'Flint' begins with washes of auto-oscillation before a driving motorik rhythm kicks in and carries the piece from start to finish, aided by sparse guitar figures. On 'Part 2' there's initially a continuation of the theme before an abrupt sturm-und-drang turn to loud post-rock two minutes in that's somewhat reminiscent of God is an Astronaut. Other tracks like 'The Wait' are more consciously sparse post-rock, but there's a great degree of variation; 'H.R.', for instance sounds like nothing so much as The Bends-era Radiohead, and 'Landcrab' is kind of like the older, thrashier, fuzz-bass, alternate-tunings fare that Placebo used to deal in so well.

Recent single '10x10' makes a welcome return, and the collection closes on 'Andy Fox', a brass-laced atmospheric number that builds round a bass hook to something sinister and brooding that just about recalls first-album Muse b-sides (seriously, go have a listen if you don't believe me). Though I've done a lot of name-dropping here (even by my standards), that's mainly because I'm always nervous about describing instrumental music to anybody, and I particularly don't like slipping into wanky 'palaces of sound' style writing (though sometimes it's unavoidable), so I'll close by referring you to the score, the fact that I took the time to write this, and the fact that it's a very enjoyable little record. My usual caveat remains: it's instrumental music, so if you're not into that then too bad. If you are, then have a listen and decide for yourself. There are plenty of ideas here to keep a leftfield music fan interested, and if you're not up for an album-length experience, I refer you back to their excellent last single 10x10.

&amp;lt;a href="http://thefierceandthedead.bandcamp.com/album/if-it-carries-on-like-this-we-are-moving-to-morecambe"&amp;gt;If It Carries On Like This We Are Moving To Morecambe by The Fierce And The Dead&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

The Prog Nouveau Revolution

2011-05-26T12:02:00.002+01:00

Something is happening in Manchester, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with Egyptian fucking Hip Hop, The Courteeners, Beady fucking Eye or Oasis. In the dilapidated mills of Ancoats and the attics of Northern Quarter, something is happening; sounds scarce heard since Oceansize first took up amps are once again spilling out into the streets. A short distance away in Liverpool, the kids are turning out in their hundreds to see bands that are playing something familiar; whilst the sounds may be different, the attitude is the same as their Manchester comrades.

Let’s set the scene. In 1997, Radiohead released Ok Computer. Steven Wilson has been saying in interview for years that this album was the game-changer so far as modern progressive is concerned, and there’s certainly some truth in this. From my own experience, completely independently of one another, Mike Vennart and Sel Belamir have said exactly the same thing, and the second generation of post-Ok Computer progressive bands that are now springing up are usually just as quick to recognise this connexion.

Cyril Snear

In the wake of Ok Computer, a progressive rock record, becoming a worldwide phenomenon, a number of eclectic, but truly ‘progressive’ bands followed in Radiohead’s wake. The Cooper Temple Clause, Vex Red, Oceansize, My Vitriol, Amplifier, Biffy Clyro and Yourcodenameis:milo to name but a few took the alternative rock template and took it further, blending in trip-hop, electronica, post-rock, shoegaze, and, of course, classic progressive rock. These bands all emerged at around the same time, touring together and ripping each other off. There are echoes of Vex Red in Oceansize’s ‘Amputee’, just as much as early Biffy and Yourcodenameis:milo material can at times differ sonically only by the vocalist and number of guitarists.

Black Market Serotonin

Though it’s not immediately relevant, it’s worth pointing out at this juncture that two of the bands loosely associated with this ‘scene’, Muse and Biffy Clyro- the only two in fact still active besides Amplifier- are now two of the biggest bands in the world right now. Funny how things work out, isn’t it?

So what does this have to do with the music scene in the North-West right now? A lot, as it turns out. Though there are no direct parallels with the bands I’ve just mentioned, it’s impossible to say, separate out the Oceansize from the Yes when listening to a band like Trojan Horse, currently making waves in Manchester. Similarly, the post-grunge of Vex Red looms just as large in Liverpool’s Always the Quiet Ones’ sound as does Porcupine Tree. These are bands taking both old and new sounds, of any genre, and creating something as original as they can in the resulting racket.

Always the Quiet Ones

In Manchester labels have even sprung up- the Mind on Fire Collective, Akoustik Anarkhy, as well as my own, Superstar Destroyer, and besides the great bands represented by these (the motorik-riding waltzing melodies of Plank!, or Nine Inch Nails meets King Crimson tones of Black Market Serotonin, to name but two), there are still more bands that are fiercely DIY; the aforementioned Trojan Horse, as well as math-progsters Cyril Snear come to mind. Recently these two gained coverage in the national music press when they packed out an speakeasy-style back alley art gallery for an album launch gig.

The 'Snear live

A brief look down the Trojan Horse-curated ‘Japanchester’ fundraising shows is a who’s who on the leftfield right now; the dream-pop Patterns, Goddamn Electric, Day for Airstrikes and incredible From the Kites of San Quentin are all there, with a few bands (Go Lebanon, Nasdaq, Gnod) slightly conspicuous for their absence. From Huddersfield, there’s Charlie Barnes, who frequently travels to the city to peddle his own brand of bizarre prog-pop. As a one man show, he’s looping in the vein of Imogen Heap, albeit with spectacular vocals and an ear for the cinematic; with his band (‘the Geekks’), he’s like the love-child of Heap and Thom Yorke playing Oceansize covers. His debut album, Geekk, was as strong in my opinion as anything released by Kscope or any other label in the world last year.

Barely out of their mid-twenties, Trojan Horse are a band that are as established as any on the current scene. Their roots lie originally in hardcore, and sometimes this shows; for the most part though, their bearded frontman Nicholas Duke is content to associate with the scene that he named- appropriately- ‘Prog Nouveau’. He explains:

“Prog Nouveau is an umbrella term for what we see going on in the left field of the Manchester music scene right now. There are so many musicians bringing stuff out that is experimental, and challenging the status quo that is the bog standard crap in Manchester at the moment. It holds the reigns because of this nostalgic rose-tinted view of Manchester from 1977-’98 “the glory days” and there are plenty of bands flogging that dead horse, so it's become a mush now. Prog Nouveau is all those people who are willing to stick their necks out and push themselves and the music they are making to mean something more than just a 2-3 minute single that is about going out on the pull. Great bands and producers creating great music that isn’t restricted to a specific genre; the key is being forward thinking [enough] just to do it for themselves.”


Second from right: Nick Duke, in slightly less beardy times

In Liverpool there’s also a thriving scene, based both around musicians in the city and those studying at LIPA; what’s most interesting is that many of the most prolific bands on the scene have one or more members in common. As near as I can tell, Battleships, Pteropilot, Always the Quiet Ones, and In Casino Out all share one or more member in common; bassists moonlight as singers or guitarists and vice-versa, depending on which band is playing that night. Loosely speaking, the bands all mix and match from a broad palette of atmospherics beholden to early post-rock like Slint, as well as the obvious space rock of Pink Floyd et al, and then blend in one or more of the early 2000s bands mentioned earlier.

For Battleships, it’s Biffy Clyro; for Always the Quiet Ones, Vex Red, The Butterfly Effect, Oceansize and perhaps even a pinch of Failure or The God Machine (if we briefly dip back into 1990s space rock); In Casino Out wear their At the Drive-In pedigree on their sleeve and add early Cooper Temple Clause, Yourcodenameis:milo as well as Porcupine Tree’s more heavy turns. Pteropilot stand out as markedly more atmospheric in approach; I want to make the Hawkwind connection, but I fear that might be presumptuous; they are not lacking in riff-writing skills, however, and can pack a punch easily as hard as their louder cousins, despite often wandering off into Hammock or Sigur Ròs territory.

In Casino Out live at Hub Festival, May 2011

As Nick summed up the day Oceansize announced their split, “it’s up to us to wear the shit trainers now.” We’re ready; are you?

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://incasinoout.bandcamp.com/album/victims-vultures-alike-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Victims &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Vultures Alike EP by In Casino Out&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://pteropilot.bandcamp.com/album/pilots-starlets-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pilots &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Starlets EP by Pteropilot&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://trojanhorse.bandcamp.com/album/trojan-horse"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Trojan Horse by Trojan Horse&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://cyrilsnear.bandcamp.com/album/fluent-in-seven-types-of-monotone"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fluent In Seven Types Of Monotone by Cyril Snear&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://fromthekitesofsanquentin.bandcamp.com/album/from-the-kites-of-san-quentin-borland-split-12"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;From the Kites of San Quentin / Borland split 12&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; by From the Kites of San Quentin&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://superstardestroyer.bandcamp.com/album/deadbyfiveoclock"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Deadbyfiveoclock by Superstar Destroyer Records&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://dayforairstrikes.bandcamp.com/album/into-the-comet"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Into The Comet by Day For Airstrikes&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Geekk. by Charlie Barnes

Freak Show by Always the Quiet Ones

P.S. As you may have noticed, there are at least three free downloads available via the links above- you literally have nothing to lose by checking out these bands!

Jack Conte is a God

2011-05-25T18:20:00.000+01:00

and this is why...

2011-05-24T13:28:00.001+01:00

Mojo Fury

Visiting Hours of a Travelling Circus

Granite Records

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

Somewhere on here there's an old review of People in Planes' first album, ...As Far As The Eye Can See; as I recall, it was actually probably more lukewarm on paper than I intended, for I fucking love that record, but the point I want to make with regards Visiting Hours is this: like PiP's first, Mojo Fury's debut is stunningly eclectic and capriciously brilliant. Unlike PiP's first, there are prominent synths, heavier guitars and a general industrial atmosphere that recalls Nine Inch Nails' first two records. The industrial People in Planes then? Maybe, but live at least you do get the impression that Mojo Fury have got so much more up their collective sleeves, just waiting to be set loose.

Though there's pretty much every texture from full-on alternative metal ('The Mann') to post-rock ('Electric Sea' and 'Lemon Marine'; no it is not fucking 'blissed-out' you hack fucks... rant over, I promise), somehow the all-pervading atmosphere of industrial gloom manages to make it all hang together in one coherent package. On 'Pill Pigeon is an Orange Wheel' (rad name, I know), there's even a brass solo over a kinda early Yes proggy bit, though I feel like I have to mention I'm a little disappointed with the recorded version of live highlight 'Runaway'. Here, named 'We Should Just Run Away' it lacks the jagged punch of its live counterpart and comes across more like Filter sanitised a little for radio play, which is kind of a shame.

They say that your first album is basically your greatest hits up to that point (or that you have your whole life to write it, depending on which idiom you prefer), and with Mojo Fury that really shows; clearly all these tracks are representative of the same group of musicians working together, but in the detail it becomes clear that this is more a flex of the muscles, a test of strength before their real bid for the prize begins.

Did I mention that it's still a fucking ace record in spite of all that? Well it is.

Now I am Twenty - Free Today only...

2011-05-09T13:27:00.000+01:00

Alright people. Sorry as always about the lack of posting... 10 days until third year finals mean that I haven't been writing as much as I'd like. In general I'm being fuelled by Wot Gorilla? and BTMI! so if you want something to listen to, I'd go with them. Anyway, for today only, Superstar Destroyer Records is giving away the Now I am Twenty EP by Nowhere Again. To download the fucker, use the player below. If you do, I'd suggest 'liking' it and re-posting. Or not, it's your call.

x

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://superstardestroyer.bandcamp.com/album/now-i-am-twenty"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Now I am Twenty by Superstar Destroyer Records&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Spotify is dead... long live Spotify

2011-05-02T15:18:00.003+01:00

I wrote this for the Student Paper's last issue of the year and it's a little long, so here's the full text (it will be appearing in a much-edited form)...

I have had it up to fucking HERE with people slagging off the recent changes to Spotify's terms of use. All you fucks going “wah wah wah, I don't get free on-demand music anymore” do you realize how spoiled you sound? The service has been changed because Spotify was losing money- not just a little bit of money, but £16.6 million pounds. Recently they passed a milestone of having one million subscribers, or about fifteen percent of its total active user base, and yet they are still losing money. They are a business, and it's therefore a no-brainer that they had to change their terms of use in order to survive. With the paid-up service, you can stream to a mobile device with no advertisements, and all for the price of three pints at the pub (or, to be fair, six in the union); that's incredible value.

More interesting perhaps is the argument I've seen a lot which goes something like this: “now Spotify is charging me to listen, I'll go and illegally download instead- that's lost money to the artists!” No, it's not. Lady Gaga reportedly makes something like £30k a year from streaming revenues, and she's the biggest artist in the world right now. Most artists are a lot smaller than that, and a cult musician who can tour the UK is still going to be lucky to make more than a quid here and there from Spotify or similar services. At a digital insider brief at the MIDEM conference in Cannes, figures were released that suggested a fan base of 105,000 regular streaming fans listening to an artist's record on a frequent basis with a one-and-a-half year record cycle were required to make a minimum-wage level income from streaming. Lest we forget, there's more than one person in a band, and there are families, agents and all the necessary detritus that comes with the industry that are going to need paying. In sum: your streams are not making anybody any money.

“Surely some money is better than no money?” Well, I'll admit you have me there; but if you really wanted to support artists then you'd pay the tenner. Better still, you'd sack up and buy some merch at a gig, but here's the kicker: not many people actually love music. Lots of people say they do, but you can use basic economic concepts like price elasticity and opportunity cost to expose them as liars. To wit: Spotify now costs £10 per month. All those who don't value the service will leave, as there is a high price elasticity of demand. I'm prepared to concede that the service rather than the music might be at fault, so let's go to a more concrete example- the CD (or vinyl LP, as if you're a canny internet dweller, there's not a huge price difference these days). A CD from a band you like is five pounds; you're interested. £10? Not so much.

This however is not what's happening. People have got so used to getting music for free that it's no longer a question of relative price, but of actually purchasing at all- opportunity cost. If you value the pints more than the CD or Spotify subscription, then you will pay for those instead, simple. This brings me to my final point; the reason the industry is on the ropes is because the size of the music market was overestimated. In the bad old days of overpriced CDs, you had to buy an album to hear that one track you caught on the radio; now, you don't. All of those lost sales have left a bloated industry struggling to shed fat in order to survive, because for most people, music is functional. Why pay £10 for a CD to listen to while you cook dinner? For that matter, why pay £7.99 for the download from iTunes? I can understand the reasoning even if I don't share it.

Ultimately true music fans want to support the art and artists they love, whether that means buying a CD or buying merch like t-shirts- there's always going to be a small market of people who demand these things. The key is that those who will leave Spotify on account of £10 per month for more music than they could ever want or need aren't really music fans at all, and it fucks me off that anybody could get self-righteous because for a little while they chose to get something for nothing semi-legally rather than outright illegally. Well done, give yourself a fucking pat on the back.

Live at Leeds Festival

2011-05-01T16:11:00.000+01:00

Tall Ships Live

Ok, so I've spent all of this morning writing an epic review of Live at Leeds Festival. Have a read if you like. In the meantime, I'm off to SFTOC, where I've already missed NASDAQ. Curses!

Spotify is dead... long live Spotify

2011-04-27T08:59:00.000+01:00

I might expand this into an actual article at some point, but for the moment, here's a reply to this Louderthanwar post about Spot...

At the end of the day, Spotify lost a fuckton of money; it has little to do with labels (especially in the EU, where they already licenced their catalogues). Spotify is a business; it lost money, so its business model had to change.

Also, let's just point out as regards your allegory that those children were spoilt; they were just too naive to know it.

The problem is, the 'true' music market is composed of music fans, and here's the rub; there just aren't as many as everyone thought there were. For the majority, music is simply functional or transient entertainment- these are the people that use free spotify and they were never going to pay for anything.

Ultimately, records cost money to make. Businesses like Spotify have to break even. Though I think they probably acted prematurely, they made the right call; as a rather clever man once said, "When circumstances change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"

SFTOC Recommendations

2011-04-26T17:53:00.000+01:00

I decided to run off some one-sentence recommendations for those attending SFTOC this weekend, though to be honest I suspect it'd be more in the spirit of things to ignore me and do whatever the fuck you want. Your call!

Charlie Barnes (St. Phillips, 6:00)

He got album of the year on here, plays electronic prog-pop and is fucking brilliant.

Plank! (United Reformed, 6:00)

Krautrock... prog-rock... united at last...

FTKOSQ (Salford Arms, 8:15)

The apocalypse, as soundtracked by Massive Attack getting mugged by Nine Inch Nails.

With That Knife (The Pint Pot, 7:00)

Catchy mathy indie rock that's a cut above the rest of the indie rock hacks.

Patterns (The Pint Pot, 10:00)

Shoegazey indie that's kind of like Merriweather Post Pavilion-era Animal Collective.

Trojan Horse (Fat Out Til You Pass Out, 6:45)

"Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!" - find out what I mean; das ist prog.

Day For Airstrikes (United Reformed, 5:00)

Post-rock with melodies and electronics and stuff make Alex a happy boy.

New Podcast....

2011-04-24T21:30:00.000+01:00

Can I Pay My Rent In Fun?//Ssd Podcast #12 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

2011-04-23T22:27:00.001+01:00

In Casino Out

Victims & Vultures Alike

Out Now

Rating: 5/5

If Shields was the sound of a band mixing a plethora of alternative rock influences through a Yourcodenameis:milo™ blender, then Victims & Vultures Alike is the sound of them adding a shot of White Belt Yellow Tag, two measures of awesome and finally “kicking the engine to overdrive”, as I'm sure Sel Belamir would say.[1]

For whilst this is still definitely the sound of In Casino Out, complete with the obvious YCNI:M, Biffy and 'Size comparisons, there's something just elusively different about this second outing. I can't pin it down to any particular riff or instrument, so I'm tempted to put it down to something like a more fixed line-up, for it feels like it's the band dynamics that are the make-or-break here.

The songs themselves are more of a mixed bunch as well; more atmospheric than Shields, there are backing vocals, subtle synth sweeps, and on the exceptional 'Hospital Drama Season Finale' even what I would call (shock horror) 'pretty' melodic riffs. That's just it really; where Shields was all top-drawer rock, it never really made the emotional impact that to be honest is where a lot of music really takes flight.

No such problems on V & V, however; from the word 'go' it's heart-on-the-sleeve vocals clawing their way to the top of cascading riffs. Opener 'Light from the Cars' is the closest we get to early ICO, but still manages a pretty sweeping chorus. 'Windows' is, oddly enough, slightly reminiscent of 'Window' off of Grey Noise, White Lies by Exeter; that is to say, it's monumental space-rock in the vein of Fantastic Planet-era Failure, which can only be good. In fact, if you listen carefully you might hear Failure again in the chorus of 'Rocky V', but maybe that's just me chasing after space-grunge ghosts.

The highlight of the set is doubtless the breathlessly brilliant 'Empires Expired'. From the verse you could be forgiven for thinking it'd somehow been leftover from Shields, but the pre-chorus wrong foots you with effects and catchy rhythmic devices that leave you utterly unprepared for the sheer sonic assault that is the chorus. Oh no, make no mistake: they are not fucking around this time. If you're a fan of heavy rock and this doesn't get your head banging then you need to get it examined, seriously.

[1] I'm not certain that Sel would quote his own lyrics in casual conversation, but fair play to him if he does.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://incasinoout.bandcamp.com/album/victims-vultures-alike-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Victims &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; Vultures Alike EP by In Casino Out&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Nowhere Again - Now I am Twenty

2011-04-21T09:57:00.000+01:00

Right, so I'm still dissertationing and off doing any serious work, but in the meantime my band's first EP is now up for pre-orders and streaming. It's taken bloody ages to get together, so do take a listen if you're into the stuff I write about. Seriously, I have about twenty bands looking for reviews in my inbox at the moment besides HV stuff and my to-do list is only getting longer. Eeek.

Listen below if you like, it'd mean a lot to get some feedback too.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://superstardestroyer.bandcamp.com/album/now-i-am-twenty"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Now I am Twenty by Superstar Destroyer Records&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

2011-04-17T23:24:00.002+01:00

The Fierce & the Dead

10x10

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

Instantly more insistent than anything I've yet heard from the group, 10x10 kicks off on fine form with the lead track. '10x10' morphs through sections of post-progressive volume swells, harmony-math guitars and then electronics, never losing its way or the driving backbeat which pins the whole together. Not really motorik enough in execution to strictly be krautrock, it nevertheless reminds of the genre and its more modern exponents like Secret Machines. My only criticism would perhaps be its lack of a clear melody at some points, but then again with post-rock you kind of know what you're signing up for from the get go, so it's not a major concern.

The b-side, 'Foreign Languages' is to me the highlight of the pair. Trip-hop in feel with a solid bass hook, Gameboy sound effects duel with sparse guitar lines for the listener's attention, and though their drummer never quite commits to the ride cymbal, it's classily understated throughout. Again there's not a melody per se besides that of the bass riff, but the samples thrown in are pitch-specific enough to counterpoint the guitar figures and effect a pleasing sonic whole.

Possibly only one for the post-rock hardcore, but a pleasant deviation from identikit delay-abuse nonetheless. The track lengths do not permit a surplus of self-indulgence, and I hope this pair drum up an appropriate degree of support for the full album, due in May.

Trojan Horse Interview

2011-04-12T16:00:00.000+01:00

Right, so in case you didn't know, I finally guest-wrote for more-or-less my favourite place for reading about rock and roll ever, Manchester Music. What did I write? An interview with the fucking excellent proggers Trojan Horse. Go read it here!

Also, if you haven't seen them live in a while, I suggest that you get down to the Japanchester show on Thursday. It's for charity, you cheapskates.

In other news, I really really really want this on RSD-

Drool.

2011-04-07T22:39:00.002+01:00

Frank Turner - I Am Disappeared

No longer the ragged singer from Million Dead that with a muttered 'fuck it' began playing anywhere that would have him (in the process forging an enviable roots fanbase and live reputation), Frank's now got his sights fixed on the big time.

It thus comes as little suprise that the vitriolic wordplay of 'Long Live the Queen' is out, and pianos, strings and more pedestrian lyrics are in. It's not bad, but it's hardly even up to recent 'I Still Believe', introduced live with “this is about the things I believe in...guitars, bass, drums and poetry.” Frank, come back!

Mazes - Most Days

From their early days peddling Dinosaur Jr., esque slacker fuzz around Manchester, Mazes have truly grown, to now apparently include knocking off the Jr.'s videos ('Over It', anyone?). On 'Most Days', they've also upped the tempo as compared to earlier efforts 'Cenotaphs' and the brilliant 'Bowie Knives', to great effect.

Seriously though, all of that 'this isn't original but it's great' is horseshit; this is a fantastic bloody song, thick with attitude (Raditude?) and catchy melodies. If anything, it's actually a little reminiscent of early Ash, but I'm not sure if anybody but me still thinks that's a good thing.

Metamusic - World to Come

2011-04-03T22:29:00.000+01:00

YO! Metamusic's World to Come EP is now available to stream, and you can download the title track for free. Listen below...

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://superstardestroyer.bandcamp.com/album/world-to-come"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;World to Come by Superstar Destroyer Records&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

2011-04-03T16:12:00.003+01:00

Pteropilot

Pilots and Starlets EP

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

I know what you're thinking- another fucking band from Liverpool? Well, if there were less great bands from there, I'd have fewer to cover... and it's not like I haven't given Manchester a look in; the best we've currently got to offer (Black Market Serotonin, Trojan Horse, The Narrows, Patterns, Cyril Snear, From the Kites of San Quentin, Charlie Barnes [honourary Manc], Casino Zone, Advances, With That Knife, the Modern Painters, The Steals and Air Cav) have all been covered on here, and that's not even including the bands I only quite like, just the ones I really fucking like.

Anyway, on to Pteropilot. Another band from the ICO/ATQO/Battleships scene, this is probably the most accessible of the lot. Yep, there are still riffs aplenty, but there's also a bunch of really melodic stuff in the mix courtesy of delay-and-reverb heavy guitars and occasional bursts of electronics, or even (on occasion) strings. The vocals are for the most part quite restrained and buried in the mix, but given the more post-rock stylings (I'm not fucking going to say 'cinematic' or 'epic' because I'd like to believe I'm not that much of a hack) of this band, this works within the confines of the overall aesthetic. Though the verses are often quite complex and dense, for the most part the choruses are big, chordy, and well welcome for any fans of any music that came out of Seattle around 1990 (amongst whose ranks I definitely consider myself).

So, individual tracks. The Biggest Chorus of the EP award goes to 'Harakiri', while Most Structurally Interesting goes to 'Wolf Cries Wolf'. Most Catchy Main Riff for Fans of Zwan goes to the opener, 'Each the Others World Entire', and Most Bloody Massive and Sprawling definitely goes to the closer, 'The Next of Amber', which if I'm honest has a little bit of 'Music for a Nurse' about it- this obviously is no bad thing. Coincidentally it's also not a bad accompaniment to a train journey across the country, which is the setting for my scribblings today.

As I find is the case with most of the Liverpool bands I've heard, the production values are top-drawer throughout, and all of the subtle little tricks of filters or deep-in-the-mix guitars, vocal yelps, male-female vocal harmonies et al are definitely not lost on this listener. The attention to detail is fucking fantastic, and as one of those sentimental fucks that loves the album format, I especially love the feeling of being taken on a journey, of musical progression, that underpins the tracklisting and development of ideas within the narrative of the EP. It may be comparatively short, but insofar as a twenty-five minute running time can be truly immersive, it is.

&amp;lt;a href="http://pteropilot.bandcamp.com/album/pilots-starlets-ep"&amp;gt;Pilots &amp;amp;amp; Starlets EP by Pteropilot&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2011-03-30T02:18:00.000+01:00

At Any Time

Void

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

Dear fucking God, why is there so much great music coming out of liverpool at the moment? I've gotta be honest, when these lads contacted me I was going to put them in my 'pile of bands that send me shit without first fucking reading how much I go on and on about exactly what music I do like' (long tag, I know), when I noticed that they mentioned they were opening for Always the Quiet Ones when they launch Freak Show. Ahoy hoy.

Right, so bandname for 16-year-olds-in-a-basement aside, these dudes have some pretty solid tunes behind them. The opener, 'Ice' is kind of like Septembre (yay!) or Mindwire (when they were busy being good, rather than kind of average) cut with Old Romantic Killer Band, or at a push the grunge-blues of Wingman. Either way, his voice is certainly reminiscent of Harry Johns, and that's not just me being a fucking fanboy (much).

Track two, 'Excavate' is probably more filler than killer in my book, but that's okay, because 'Throwing at Me', on the other hand, is pretty great. It's got the thump and fuzz of early Feeder (have a listen, I've got a point) with some more modern punk-style drums thrown in; think max hi-hat in the verses and lots of da-da-da-da-da snare in the choruses. Mmm.

On 'Void' again the riffs are again at the fore; granted, they were always going to be out-riffed by ATQO or ICO, but these are still pretty solid, if in a more straightforward alt-rock way. Closing on 'I Need Your Hand', the band go for a more coffee-shop approach and deploy the Jeff Buckley; there's organ and a killer guitar solo to nicely round off the EP. What can I say? I'm looking forward to seeing how these guys hold their own live against ATQO and Battleships. Game on, I say!

Initials MM - The Narrows

2011-03-28T10:49:00.000+01:00

Holy smokes, Batman! It's finally here, the video for Narrows' new single, Initials MM. It's out on April 4th and you should totally check this shit out.

2011-03-26T23:16:00.000Z

Sarabeth Tucek

Get Well Soon

Sonic Cathedral Recordings

Out April 11th

Rating: 4.5/5

Right, so I've seen a fair bit written about this album and opinion has been very divided. I can't really understand why, in all honesty; I'm just not that into acoustic-y singer-songwriter-y stuff, and yet I fucking love this record. It is just good, like Fever by Sleepy Sun; it's the sort of record that you throw at somebody you know who's not a massive music freak when you want something that's guaranteed to blow them away.

A fair few reviews have been 'Laura Marling this' or 'Laura Marling that', but I've never been a fan of hers or that whole navel-gazing Mumford and Sons folk scene, and frankly I don't get it. The link in the chain is Luther Russell, whose Motorbike EP was one of the soundtracks of my last summer; I'll be the first to admit that his influence is written large across this record, but it's altogether a classier, more complex- and dare I say it- darker affair than something that the Marling-Saturday-Radio-2 crowd could digest, and that's not just an elitist 21-year old talking (though I'll admit that is a factor).

So just what exactly does it sound like? Well, it sounds like a Sarabeth Tucek record; in some ways, it's not too dissimilar to her first, but this time it's denser and more sinister. Though she figures that it's actually more sparse instrumentally, it feels like there's more hidden in the grooves, more to discover on repeat listens and more depth to the arrangements. Where a lot of folk-inflected music touches on one or both of the English folk canon/americana canon and little besides, Get Well Soon delves deep into the deep wizards' pockets of psychedelia, even managing a couple of drum led wig-outs along the way that won't be unfamiliar to anybody that's persevered through the 'Floyd's Live in Pompeii film.

To my mind, the best track is 'State I Am In', which (conveniently) is also the lead single, but honourable mentions have to go to 'Wooden' as well as the closing duo of tracks, 'Exit Ghost' and 'Get Well Soon', which seem calculated as a pair to round off the record on a more hopeful note. After such a dense, cathartic record, it's something of a welcome reprieve, and seals Get Well Soon as a true artistic progression for Tucek. Ultimately, it's a pleasure to listen to, so ignore the critics and decide for yourself.

FREE STUFF

2011-03-25T13:55:00.000Z

From SSD. Click here for no-strings-attached awesome music!

Available:
Nowhere Again - Plans (4/5 in MM, 7/10 in Tasty Fanzine, Positive from Subba Cultcha)
Black Market Serotonin - Deadbyfiveoclock (3/5 in MM, 5/5 on here)
Dune - Golden Snake (Single of the month in MM, 5/5)

You may or may not know I'm in Nowhere Again. We've got a new EP on the way, but here's our first single...

Ad spam over.

Artist to Artist: The Narrows vs. Metamusic

2011-03-16T23:45:00.000Z

Right, so here's a newie. Two bands I'm mates with review each other's record. No, I'm not just too lazy to write them myself, look at all the reviews I've written below! Jeez, some people....

The Narrows

Initials MM

Review by Phil Morris - Metamusic

The magnetic composition of the synth driven, yet entirely symphonic introduction would make even Damon Albarn re-shingle his Plastic Beach. All at once, you are taken back to new prog roots, with sinister guitars prompting fond thoughts of Showbiz. Abruptly, you are snapped into a groove that would make Kyuss moist with satisfaction. Notwithstanding, this melting pot of brilliance is served with a twist.

Imagine if Josh Homme didn’t just play guitar for Kyuss, imagine he applied the masterfully haunted vocals of QOTSA to the head banging stoner rock of his earlier endeavours. This musing of optimal reality comes close to Narrows’ Initials MM. In essence, it makes me want to kick a rattlesnake's face clean off.

Metamusic

World to Come

Review by Phil Drinkwater - The Narrows

The first thing that springs to mind when listening to Metamusic’s wonderful EP is balance; the idea of balancing two separate and distinct styles. It’s one of the key factors that makes their music, ironically, seem so together – so complete. Their fusing of elements of electronica with the sounds of guitar-based precision is one of the defining aspects of World To Come and one of the things which make the EP a truly immersive listen.

The first two tracks – 'World To Come' and 'Little Short of Being' – introduce these electronic elements in a subtle but highly effective way and start to merge them with delicate guitars that occasionally erupt into something altogether more fierce. The EP then veers into a different direction – all Seattle Sounds and some quite brilliant drums that further add to the sense that this feels less like an EP and more like the journey we are used to taking on a truly accomplished album.

The last part of this odyssey comes together on the sublime closer 'Everyvolcanicashcloudhasasilverlining' – a return to the sense of balance mentioned earlier – albeit with the most experimental electronics featured on the EP. Lastly, the whole thing is tied together with layered but raw-sounding vocals that float over the music and punctuate it beautifully at all the right points.

2011-03-15T22:16:00.000Z

Aulos

EP IC

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

When you write predominantly about progressive rock, you're bound to use the word 'challenging' a lot, and by God I do. Nevertheless, I feel that my adding to its ubiquity within the journalistic canon on the genre has never done me a disservice... until now.

I hope then you'll believe me when I say that this is a challenging listen. It's wholly instrumental, peppered with Gameboy samples and 8-bit warbles, synth sweeps and filter bass all overlaid with schitzophrenic guitar lines. Sometimes jaggy, sometimes triplet-ty (in a kind of U2 singles kind of way), and sometimes downright heavy, there's always just enough melody to keep the whole package hanging together.

That said, despite its potential to ensnare the much-cooler-than-I mathrock crowd with its odd timings and rhythms, it's basically the sort of release that will only appeal to you if the promise of 'exactly what it says on the tin' gets your blood up. What's on the tin, I hear you ask?

"Come on a 30 minute journey of shimmering guitars, ground-shaking bass and thunderous drums fused with circuit bent madness, synths, gameboys, lapsteels, cellos and electronics!"

Fucking hell, sounds brilliant, right? Well, I think it's as just as crazy, random, bold and genius as that suggests. I hope you will too.

2011-03-14T20:23:00.001Z

Firesuite

You're an Ocean Deep, My Brother

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

A lot of commentators these days seem to fall back on the “bedroom album” argument when talking about the music industry these days, and even if that's not the case, there's certainly a lot of records being made to a decent standard at small studios all over the world right now, probably on a shoestring budget. I'd not be too surprised if that's from whence this Firesuite record comes, but you wouldn't tell from the production values.

In terms of sound, it's something like Failure, cranked to eleven and shot through with boy/girl vocals and post-rock atmospherics that aren't unlike the ethereal musings of Hammock. At a time when shoegaze has been resurgent, I guess it's only natural that eventually the Dinosaur Jr. fuzz would take over again and bands would begin re-discovering slacker US indie-grunge. The great thing about Firesuite, of course, is that they do a pretty decent job of smashing the two together, like freight trains bent on collision.

That's certainly the overriding vibe behind opener, 'Of Little Faith', but it's on track two, 'Amity', (when the Hum and Deftones influences cascade in) that the album really takes flight. Hyperbole aside, it really is a wall of sound we're dealing with here, and it's I guess no mean feat that the vocals manage to cut through so well in spite of this. From then on, the album doesn't really let up. There's brief respite offered by 'Stay' and the cartoon electronica of 'Sci-Fi Lullaby', but it's soon back to fast, sludgy rock on Kyuss-esque 'Beneath the Roses'. The space rock vibes cut back in on 'If Only Time Were Distance', which sounds as if it could be taken straight off Exeter's first (and only) record, before the collection tails off with coda 'Forever December'.

Though I'm certainly in a reference-overkill mood today, it definitely bears restating that the three bands that Firesuite most resemble in my mind are Failure, Exeter and RIBS; given that the latter two represent two of my most cherished unsigned finds of recent years, that bodes well for Firesuite. The fact is, You're an Ocean Deep, My Brother is an exceptional work. There's not a bad song on it, and let's be honest who cares how 'original' it is or isn't. When all of your songs are good enough to bring this level of enjoyment to the table, as far as I'm concerned you can do what the fuck you like. Essential.

2011-03-14T17:51:00.001Z

Mount Fabric

Secretly an Astronaut EP

Hairy Wolf Records

Release Date: 24th March

Rating: 4/5

As this EP, the first thing I've heard by Hairy Wolves signing Mount Fabric, kicked off, I couldn't help but think of John Murphy's 'In the House/In a Heartbeat' from the film 28 Days Later.... that's not a bad thing at all, just kind of random. Anyway, the track ('Coping With Belief') quickly resolves into something pretty solidly on the oddball side of post-rock-pop, with falsetto vocals set against a gentle paced rhythm section. By the time the vocals distort and the track climaxes, I've already decided that I like this band.

Track two, 'Big Plans', ups the tempo somewhat; it reminds especially of Hoggboy, at least when they weren't being post- britpop crap and being post-grunge awesome instead. Other touchstones might be pre-Showbiz Muse or (if I'm to further plumb the name-dropping of cult unsigned bands) Fin Raziel; in fact, now I think about it, they even sound a little like a more poppy Connectingflight. Shit me, I'm on obscure reference overdrive. Quickly, stop me before I reach critical critic density and meltdown.... dammit, this is why I shouldn't have three cups of tea and then be let loose on my keyboard. What was I saying? Oh yeah, that it's good. Really good, actually, and there's something in the mix that I haven't quite nailed yet. Down on the Upside Soundgarden? Fuck. Blur? Maybe.

Right, so the final track is Blur-esque, my scatty day nonwithstanding; it's got that same playful approach to melody and appropriation of the post-Pavement US indie scene, even if the vocals have now gone fully from Jonsi to Stuart Warwick. Actually, you know, I will stand by that; I was going to make a lazy comparison to Yorke/Bellamy, but yeah, STUART WARWICK is the voice I was thinking of.

All in all, it's a highly listenable, pleasantly left-of-centre EP that shows a band trying their best not to get pigeonholed, and succeeding to a great degree. Though vocally impressive, I was never totally wowed by the instrumentals, though it should be said that there's a strong approach to melody and pacing, and the production values throughout are simply exceptional.

JAMES! JAMES! THAT is the band I was thinking of. Fuck, sorry, this review has been all over the place, even by my standards. Yeah, kind of like a less-britpop-more-post-rock version of James with a better singer and a little less inclined towards facile 'singles' style music. Just look it up for yourself, ok?

I think this is genuinely the longest review I've ever done for a three track EP. That HAS to be a compliment. "Lap it up, fuzzball", as Han Solo would say.

2011-03-13T15:37:00.000Z

Cyril Snear

Fluent in Seven Types of Monotone

Weatherface Records

Out Now

Rating: 4.5/5

Check this shit out- not a four out of five, but a fucking four-point-five out of five. That's like.... nine out of ten! Also, I'm going to add that this record is not truly representative of The Snear as they currently are; it's nearly two years old and I'm simply a recent initiate to their sound. Excitingly, they're currently finishing up their second (as yet unnamed) record, as their live set list will attest, and Gambler from Oceansize (and now, British Theatre) has allegedly contributed keyboards. Be still, my beating heart.

Anyway, that musing does a great disservice to Fluent in Seven Types of Monotone, because it's actually bloody brilliant, even if it doesn't fully represent the more recent developments in the band's sound. Fluent... is ambitious in all the right ways, challenging (both melodically and conceptually), and yet paradoxically still highly listenable and accessible.

For the progressive rock fan, there's lengthy tracks like 'Pigs and Poultry' and 'Wardy Cained', but for the more casual listener, the math grooves of 'In the Wake of This', melodic 'Loitering With Intent' or angular 'My Saliva is the Only Thing Holding Me Together Right Now' will capture and hold the attention first. Occasionally, the two threads of the album cross; witness 'Guaranteed Dollar' or 'Evolution Has a New Face', both of which could be 'singles' on a 'Size record, in terms of length as well as development.

At the end of the day, this is still a diverse, complicated listen (not to mention the fact that it is pretty fucking long), so if this sort of thing is what inspires you, you'd be far better getting a copy and letting it unfold for yourself; I don't want to ruin the process of discovery for anyone. For those seeking a guitar-centric, expansively executed album of math-rock meets progressive rock, look no further. From this record, one can't help but absorb the feeling that Cyril Snear are only just getting started. Amen to that.

Bowie 2001

2011-03-11T11:23:00.000Z

Hellooo. So, post 201. This week's been rather taken over by dissertation worries so there haven't been as many updates as I'd like. That said, I thought I'd do a quick plug for something that I saw about a month ago- Fritz von Runte's Bowie 2001 project. Essentially, it's a collection of remixes of classic Bowie tracks and a mixpiece set to an edited version of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I thought it was frankly bloody brilliant when I saw the preview last month, and I can't recommend it enough. If you want to see the film being screened again, it's being shown at Islington Mill at the end of April, and if you want to buy a copy of the DVD (presented as a black obelisk) then you've got to get it quick, as they are nearly sold out.

For all your information needs, I'd click here.

2011-03-03T22:49:00.001Z

Lemuria

Pebble

Asian Man Records/Bridge 9

Out Now

Rating: 4/5

A certain somebody made me very self-conscious about the 4/5 album review recently, but they can go away to be frank. Whilst Lemuria's first comp album, the capriciously brilliant First Collection (a comp of their first 7"s and EPs) was undeniably a 5/5 record, even Get Better (their first album proper) already showed a move away from their punk pop roots and towards something more serious, and in all honesty a little bit more dull. I fell in love with this band originally because they mixed unashamedly fun songs with great lyrics and vocal melodies; that side of the band is evidently long gone.

However, on Pebble they've finally at least come to a new equilibrium; on Get Better tracks like 'Mechanical' sat next to 'Get Some Sleep' or 'Dog', as well as 'Length Away' or 'Wardrobe'.... it just didn't work, to be honest. This time around, though, they've got the outright fucking depressing (see opener 'Gravity') next to more up-tempo songs.... that are still fucking depressing ('Wise People', 'Ribcage', 'Bloomer'). Finally, some continuity!

Their lyrics are as good as ever, basically flows of consciousness set to catchy chord patterns, with more boy/girl vocals than you can shake a stick at. Amongst the better lines there's "I don't count you as my first kiss/Though I now know it had influence/At the time I laughed and thought it was fun/Now I realize how fucked up it was", "If I was half as wise/I would have you fooled" and "Every night on tour/I sleep with different girls/And we laugh about you/While you are at home".

The best single cut is 'Chautauqua County', light on lyrics, heavy on melody, and coming off like a super-bleak punk version of The Joy Formidable's 'Austere'. I'm a bit drunk, so I'm going to wrap up here before I commit too many spelling and grammar atrocities, but I will say on parting that this is the most confident outing for the band since their early material, and that it's good to see them once again putting out material of a consistent quality and attitude. Rock on!

The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart

2011-03-03T09:17:00.000Z

click to view full-size

Dune - Golden Snake Video

2011-03-02T13:28:00.000Z

So I'm still digesting the new (ish) Lemuria album, Pebble, hence no review on that account. I've got an album review of Vessels' Helioscope over on High Voltage though, and am about to pen an article on their incredible gig last night at Academy 3. In the meantime, Dune's Golden Snake video is finally ready, and you can watch it here. If you want to download the single, head to the SSD Bandcamp.

2011-02-28T17:39:00.000Z

There's this band called Trojan Horse, and they're putting out their debut album this Saturday. It's kind of a big deal.

Want to hear the bands involved? Listen to this!

Shit Trainers//Ssd Podcast #11 by Superstar Destroyer on Mixcloud

New EP from Casino Zone

2011-02-23T21:13:00.001Z

I only found about it this evening, so I've not yet had a chance to listen to it properly (expect a review up here when I have), but I'm pretty certain the new EP/mini- album by Casino Zone, Grievous Bodily Harmison, will be fucking ace. If you're into some badass alt-rock then look no further.

2011-02-22T17:57:00.004Z

White Belt Yellow Tag

Methods

Distiller Records

Rating: 4/5

Yep, I know what you're thinking: another four-out-of-five record review. Well, it's because why the fuck would I write about anything that's less than that good using my spare time? Exactly. Anyway, so White Belt Yellow Tag came to my attention through the amazing Exploding in Sound site, where I learned that they were approximately 1/3 Yourcodenameis:milo and 1/3 Cooper Temple Clause. Holyjesusfuck.

If I was to sum them up in brief I'd say something like this- you get all of your clever, post- Ok Computer rock influences (exemplified in the bands above, and well, pretty much every band I'm always fucking raving about on here), mush them into something a little grungier and more catchy, add some reverb and some post-rock vibes and finally top with a singer who's half Ben Gautrey, half Chris Martin (seriously!).

WBYT are at their most urgent on singles 'Remains' and 'You're Not Invincible', where in all honesty the mixing makes them nigh-unlistenable once you notice how the kick has been treated (fuck's sake, people). Their most rocky cuts are the superior 'Tell Your Friends (It All Worked Out)" and 'Where Echoes Land', which luckily make up for the former two (although I'll admit that without the mixing issue, they'd be great left-of-mainstream alt rock tracks). The Coldplay reference, mild as it is, is most apparent on 'It's a Long Way, Don't Fall Behind'; that is, at least until an army of distorted guitars are Marshalled (see what I did there) to blow the cobwebs away.

Closing on the dreamy wash of 'Careless Talk and Sinking Ships', you'll probably be left wondering how you've not heard of this band before, for whilst there's nothing groundbreaking here, for a certain type of alt rock fan (permanently stalled somewhere between 2000-2005), this is pretty much the purest guilty pleasure imaginable.

2011-02-22T12:41:00.000Z

Imogen Heap

Ellipse

I, Megaphone

Rating: 4/5

Look, I know I promised you some punk reviews, but I'm not done digesting Shinobu's Strange Spring Air or colossal Exhaustive, Exhaustive yet, and I've not yet got Lemuria's Pebble in the post, so. I'll probably add some more BTMI! stuff in the next couple of days, but I gave my handwritten Keep Your Heart review to a friend's blog, so yeah, you get an Imogen Heap review.

Did I also mention that I finally have the masters for Metamusic's World to Come EP on my "desk"? Yeah, well it's a fucking incredible EP, and that's another reason why I'm feeling a little distracted from my punk duties. Sadly, the new Radiohead record hasn't distracted me at all, but that's another story. In Rainbows is £9.99 (inc delivery) on wax over at HMV.com now, so maybe you want to get that instead. Just sayin'.

ANYWAY, I'm going to talk about Imogen Heap. I've seen her live three or four (I think the former) times in the last year, and she's pretty much the most incredible performer out there right now. It was therefore with some trepidation that I finally buckled and actually bought myself an album, unsure as to whether the album experience would stand up on its own without the curiosities of her live show. Ellipse was the obvious choice, as for some reason Speak for Yourself appears to be out of print (what the fuck?).

Opening on 'First Train Home', the best cut on the record, the listener is dealt some Cocteaus-ish wails before the song resolves into pleasantly driving electronica, a trait shared with other high-water mark, the dramatic 'Tidal' (though anybody who's seen her live can't help but conclude that it's poorer for the lack of a keytar solo). Though the more ballad-like 'Wait it Out' and 'Swoon' are probably what some people most appreciate about Heap, that's not what I'm here for; the beat-boxing and a cappella vocal antics of 'Earth', intricate pop of 'Bad Body Double' or orchestral sweep (yes I am a hack) of '2-1' are what keep me tuned in. Definitely worthy of a mention is 'Between Sheets', which firmly breaks the pattern of the rest of the record- live, I'm ambivalent towards it, but on the record it's lush, intimate and sickeningly sweet. Though the instrumentation is what seals the deal, the lyrics wouldn't be out of place on a Lemuria record, and that's definitely no bad thing.

Verdict: it was never going to be as good as Imogen Heap's live show but it's fucking great anyway, end of.

2011-02-20T13:11:00.000Z

I'm gearing up for some punk reviews (the new BTMI! mini-album and last year's Shinobu release on Quote Unquote, besides probably some older stuff), but in the meantime check this out:

2011-02-14T12:59:00.003Z

Battleships

This Home EP

Dirty Sick Records

Rating: 4/5

I'll start with a quick confession; anybody who knows fucking anything about this band already will call me up on the fact that this EP is a demo EP, it doesn't have a name, and it certainly isn't called This Home, but sue me. I format reviews in a certain way and given that this far superior to a fucken demo I wasn't going to go err, "demo EP" and make it sound all shit and lower your expectations before you'd even heard a single note. Jesus. Anyway, the best track, the most obvious single and the video are all the opener, 'This Home', hence my not-entirely-unreasonable arbitrary naming of this three-track collection.

Onto the songs then. 'This Home', above all reminds one of what might happen if Muse (or perhaps Jonny Greenwood in 1997) decided to play guest guitar on a Biffy Clyro record. In terms of what Biffy I'm referencing, I'm not really sure; the guitars are pretty angular, but I'd be a fucking dirty rat liar if I said this didn't have a certain pop sensibility about it. Those melodies be damn catchy, fool.

Anyway, track two, 'Lights On, Lights Off', is a more straightforward alt-rock affair. The band use their two guitars well, building an appropriate atmosphere and adding layers below the vocals, which though strong in their own right, might not be everyone's cup of tea. Breaking down into a couple of slower sections, the band definitely prove themselves up to a festival stage moment or two, and though again the contrarian in me goes 'AGARRAARRRRRGGHHH' at anything that might conceivably be played on the radio, I can't deny that it's great stuff. That, and the contrarian me is a total dick. Seriously.

The weakest of the three is closer 'Everything You Break'; it's the most ballad-y of the set, and I think I've very much planted my flag at the rockier end of Battleships' oeuvre, so that's probably why I'm like "maaarrrgh, turn it back up to 11", but nevermind. I'm (I think) smart enough to spot that for many people this slow burner will be a favourite, and that (whisper now), I'm not always right.

Either way, this band have been playing together for something fucking tiny like ten months, and yet this is what they step up to the plate with first time at bat. JEEEESUS. This band are fucking rad, and (shakes fist) they'd better get radder!

Go check out the video for 'This Home' here (or a hilarious 8-bit version here).

2011-02-13T17:27:00.001Z

Always the Quiet Ones

Headcase

Self-Released (out now)

Rating: 4/5

Alright, so I'm going to be clear here: if you download this record, you'll get a bonus track ('Beautiful Surrender'), but I'm going to work on the basis that you're wanting to know about the three-track CD EP. A further bonus in the form of a live video of 'Freak Show' is also present in the package, but I'm not going to review that because it will apparently be the band's next single, so watch this space.

Opening with 'Sleeping With Celebrity', drums sweep and roll while Oceansize-style tremolo picking and delay soar overhead; before long, riffs coalesce and the band are off, trading licks as the rhythm section carries all before it. This track is probably most like a mish-mash of Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, with definite Jimmy Chamberlin vibes in the drumming (no bad thing).

Track two, 'Hollow' is very much like the most recent Butterfly Effect album, and the vocals really do come to the fore in the fucking huge chorus. There isn't as insane a solo as in the previous track (a demented but brief passage of shred uncoiling from the speakers), but in general the song is better structured and the two guitars used to greater effect. There's even a cracking little acoustic breakdown that serves to firmly mark this as the centrepiece of the set, both melodically and in terms of sheer ambition.

Finally, there's 'The Rats!', which at about half the length of the other two tracks and a set of well-structured vocal harmonies and counters is probably the most 'single-like' of the set, although if I'm honest I found the guitars a little less interesting than on the other cuts.

All in all it's a brilliant little EP that's hopefully a sign of great things to come. On the evidence of this, I can't see ATQO being simply confined to Liverpool for too much longer. Fucking awesome.

2011-02-13T17:06:00.000Z

Deftones

Diamond Eyes

Out Now

Rating: 3.5/5

Dear God, a review on here that's less than a four-out-of-five, shock horror! I guess, at the end of the day, Deftones are rather getting penalised for the hype surrounding this record. After Chi-gate and the shelving of the Eros project, there was a lot of talk of an expansive art-rock record, influenced as much by M83 as by Hum. What the band actually delivered was a solid metal record; it's not really got a bad song on it, but at the same time (the singles aside), it's pretty hard to bring to mind individual songs. Unlike the varied and sprawling Saturday Night Wrist, Diamond Eyes locks itself into a riffing groove and doesn't let up for the duration of the album. I think I'd been expecting a SNW: II, as opposed to what is more of an Around the Fur: II.

Of course, everybody reading this is probably muttering "idiot" under their breath; my advocacy of SNW once garnered a reaction strong enough that a friend of a girl I was seeing started to work against me to break us up (seriously). Consquently, I suspect that most of the people digging Diamond Eyes are into a slightly different Defs to me; I'm after all perhaps as much of a Team Sleep fan as a Defs fan.

In terms of tracks, the opening title track is pretty killer. Exchanging verse chugging for a sweeping chorus, it's simply breathtaking; the only lusher moment on the album is the waterfall vocals and guitar of 'Sextape', much later on. Fans of early Deftones will go crazy for the rifftacular 'Rocket Skates' and it's screech of "guns, razors, knives!", but for me the high-water-mark is the epic vocal peak on the verse/chorus break of 'CMD/CTRL'. Astute readers will notice that most of these songs are singles- true to my description, they really do feel like a cut above when compared to the album tracks.

Overall then it's a decent Deftones record, but it could have been so much more. The quality is largely consistent, but when it does rise above the median (usually as a result of Chino's vocals) you long for all of the album to be that vital, not just isolated tracks and instances.

Amplifier - Fractal EP

2011-02-13T16:24:00.001Z

Hello internets. I have been a little busy over the last few days, so it's time to throw some updates on. First of all, Amplifier have released a free EP as a companion piece to the mammoth Octopus. It's called the Fractal EP, and is apparently largely improvised. I'll probably write something about it up here in the next week, but in all honesty I've not had time to digest it properly yet, so I'll hold off on judgement until a more appropriate point.

Below is a player where you can listen online or download it for yourself.