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. 

 

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.