Jetplane Landing

Once Like a Spark

Smalltown America Records

Rating: 4/5

Like drop-D? Like early Biffy Clyro? A fan of At the Drive-In, pissed off that they never made a follow-up to Relationship of Command? Well, I've just the thing. Once Like a Spark is looking a little dated now; the band's second release on Small Town America back at the opening of the last decade, it's more of a contemporary piece to the work of the aforementioned bands than some kind of imitation piece, and it's that crucial detail that makes this worthwhile.

Where a lot of the post-hardcore bands putting out records in the early two-thousands seemed to delight in a kind of obstinate, stubborn lo-fi, it's almost refreshing that Jetplane Landing eschew that approach and instead opt for a higher-standard production. The rich guitar tones in opener 'The Violence' and 'Brave Gravity' are a delight to the listener, and for all the moments of scratchy guitar, there's at least as many that boast a huge, full rock sound fit for banging your head along to.

'I Opt Out' is kind of like if Canadian alt-rockers Our Lady Peace discovered Incubus and alternative tunings. Thick and heavy on the choruses and swaggering in the verses it nevertheless distinguishes itself with an unusually modal melody that for some reason recalls OLP's dabbling with Eastern-flavoured chromaticism. 'Calculate the Risk' is straight back to ATD-I territory, while 'Do it... Now!' and 'Writing the Ways Down' are the token ballads.

Ultimately you may have heard it all before, but Jetplane Landing still have plenty to offer if you're a fan of this particular brand of post-hardcore. Listening to the angular attack of tunes like 'There Is No Real Courage Unless There Is Real Danger' and taking them as they were intended, Jetplane Landing are simply a great rock band with no frills attached; enjoy them as such and you won't go wrong.

Thula Borah

Live Secretly

Self-Release

4/5

Okay, you'll have to allow me to spoil the end of this one for you – if you like Mogwai, you'll like Thula Borah. What's on offer is atmospheric post-rock of a slightly pensive pace that ebbs and flows with all of the natural metaphors that you can imagine, so I'll spare you the descriptions and do a quick track-by-track instead.

Track one, 'Organic Paranoia' is the most electronic of the EP tracks; akin to a slower tune from 65daysofstatic or Maybeshewill, it's a fittingly gentle introduction to the EP. 'Skye Falling', on the other hand is more of a traditional alt-rock song, with some pleasant washes of post-rock texture amid the Hum-like walls of fuzz.

'Murder' is perhaps 'arbitrarily' post-rock when compared to the EP tracks; though it's still great, you could graphically represent it by drawing a line across a graph, angled at thirty degrees – yes, it's one of those. '(Null Interface)' follows, and endowed with more of a verse-chorus approach to the dynamics, the heavy sections have rather more of an impact than as a 'logical conclusion' to the song.

Closing on 'Violence is Forever', there's once again a gradual build and huge release – but that's to be expected for the final track of a post-rock mini-album. Suitably cinematic in sweep, it nevertheless drives home the fact that if you're not a fan of post-rock you won't like this band; if you are, then welcome aboard. Thula Borah are certainly more talented than the majority of post-rock also rans, but make no mistake: their genre of music is under no dispute.

 Everyone an Army

A Coastal Dance on the Grave of Romance

Self-Release

4.5/5

I know what you're thinking – that's a pretty long title for an EP. Well, yes it is; it wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to spot that one, but don't be put off by its hipster implications. To steal a line from Richard Pryor, “they don't play that shit” - instead what's on offer is some '90s-ish alt rock with a shade of modern post-rock and progressive in the mix.

The title track stops and starts, growls and fuzzes like the best tracks of Siamese Dream, but instead of the angsty rage of Billy Corgan the overall vibe is kept somewhere left of the early Muse material. It's dramatic and drips gravitas, but remains anchored to something more earthy; this I suspect is more a function of their vocal range than a conscious decision.

Track two, 'Versailles', continues this theme – again we're faced with Pumpkins-esque guitars, but this time the vocals borrow more from Maynard's work with Perfect Circle; there's a subtle sense of harmonic depth and the way the guitars and vocals interplay is terrific. 'Venous Hum' on the other hand is more akin to Failure's second album Magnified, or perhaps cult US act Exeter. There's the same space-rock affectation as well as driving bass riffs, and the chorus has a suitably baroque charm to it; while not as storming as the previous two tracks, it's a given that there's already an audience that would love this.

Closer 'The Christmas Truce' represents a change in gear; taking a more shoegaze-indebted – and indeed noisier – approach to creating the textures leads to a muted slow-burner of a track, rife with neat melodic ideas and confluences of harmony in unexpected places. After an almost obligatory breakdown there's a great Oceansize-y section that reminds of 'Paper Champion' from the Music for Nurses EP to close.

Perhaps the only criticism that can be levelled at such a strong collection of tracks as this is whether or not the hints of leftfield development in the tracks will lead them in more abstract, experimental directions on later material. At present EAA dip their toe in the waters, but by-and-large seem content to be a well-honed alternative rock band; who knows if this will change in future.

Yeti Lane

The Echo Show

Sonic Cathedral

Rating: 4/5

Fucking hell. Has it really been a month since my last post? Okay, I mean I have been writing stuff for Prog and DIY but that does seem like quite a while even for me. Sheesh. Anyway, it's time for an album that nobody else was foolish enough to let me have a crack at - Yeti Lane's difficult second, The Echo Show. Now, I'm going to spoil the ending by pointing out that nearly every review has been overwhelmingly positive about this record, and I'm not about to break that trend. I am, however, going to talk about something other than the stunning first track, 'Analog Wheel'. Yes it's brilliant, kosmiche, swirling, physchedelia, Neu! etc., but there's also like an hour of other music on there that isn't getting mentioned. 

Without wanting to get into a track-by-track style review, an example of this would be the title track, (and track two) 'The Echo Show'; as more consistently found on the rest of the record, though it's fair to draw krautrock comparisons, perhaps more relevant sonic touchstones would be The Beta Band and (latterly) The Aliens. I'll grant that the drums do come very much from that heritage, but the spindly electronic fragments and ethereal vocals that define the record are of an altogether more modern pedigree. 'Logic Winds', for instance has the ring of The Flaming Lips or Nice Nice about it, while 'Alba' is like Jason Lytle's finest post-Grandaddy downtempo offerings. 

For me the real elephant in the room however is The Secret Machines - I mean, once you get over the obvious fact that Josh Garza isn't in the drum stool then there's definitely something beyond a simple liberal referencing of influences. I listen to 'Faded Spectrum' and hear the noisy wig-out that could have occurred if... wait... hang on... how did the beginning of 'First Wave Intact' go?

Anyway, whatever bands it sounds like, the record is sort of what everybody says it is; a great alternative record that touches playfully on the most tongue-in-cheek electronic sounds while still having the nous to accomodate a good, old-fashioned guitar wig out now and then. Brilliant. 

Reuben
Racecar is Racecar Backwards

Rating: 4.5/5

The list of bands I was too bigoted against to appreciate while they still existed grows again by one. So, let's quickly deal with the why I was an idiot - and then we can get to talking about this record. Basically it was two things; first, a show where Reuben played in my hometown and acted like little prima donnas, and second, that a bunch of pretty douchey guys and fucking emo kids liked them. Erm, that's about it really. 

So, of course, when I finally took the time to actually listen to them properly it naturally turned out that they were fucking ace. Their second album isn't much to write home about, but their first really is; the best way I can explain it as a shoutier version of the album Septembre could have made if they'd ever actually gotten their shit together (and I fucking loved Septembre). 

The singles 'Let's Stop Hanging Out' and 'Freddy Kreuger' are naturally ace, but the opener 'No One Wins The War' really is the song that sells the album. Rocky, catchy and with a little off-kilter jagginess to the riffs, it's a little like the aforementioned Septembre's track 'Always' and really sets the tone (and pace) for the record to come. Personally, my favourite is 'Tonight, My Wife Is Your Wife', which, so the story goes at least, is actually about the town I grew up in. Ace. 

Lyrically, there's a good shot of wry humour as well as the same bitterness that would eventually lead to their 'greatest hits' being called We Should Have Gone to University; there's a lot of focus on friends moving away to college and stuck-up girls, but then that's sort of what you'd expect for a young rock band from the commuter belt. Post-album single 'Moving to Blackwater' is the epitome of this; only people living in Surrey of a certain age can really get where they're coming from with that in-joke, but you begin to feel that maybe their prima donna-esque angst about their lack of success wasn't so unwarranted after all. 

In conclusion then, a great straightforward rock record with not a weak song on it; if you're in any way into the British post-grunge bands that spawned around the turn of the millennium then you need to own this record.

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. 

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.

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

What is Music? - Best of 2011 List

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. 




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. 




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.





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. 




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

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. 

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. 




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