singles
october '04
wagon christ - shadows
quite simply the best track off mr christs recent synth opus. all lovely mellow vocals and harmonies. gorgeous stuff. with the serene ambient animated video on the cd-rom you dont even need to really know about the extra tracks do you ? well there's 'the groove (souled out)' which is an uptempo jazz-funk type of thing that doesn't stay around long enough, 'loose loggins' another mellow one with the trademark squelchy synths that annoyed me across the album, but in this case its quite pleasant with the acoustic guitars and steady beat. final track 'deux ans de mania' has an old cowbell drum bet and a lot of nasty cheap synth noises. unbearable stuff for first 30 seconds, fortunately though things settle down. a little. even so, for the lead track and the associated video this is a set of grooves.
the others - stan bowles
having read a recent article in the latest blowback i was intrigued with all the talk of guerrilla gig tactics, the text message army, and the sheer avoidance of all the normal things normal rock-n-roll bands normally do (ie the intense fandom connection), so was kinda interested to see what this debut single on poptones, with help from vertigo, was going to be like. well, it's a passionate indie garage rock track, nothing less, nothing more. more muscular than the libertines, but definitely cut from the same cloth. the vocals are ruff-n-ready and carry the track along with its urgent pace, with the untidy guitars and basic bass line this will fit in nicely during any decent student indie night out.
the departure - be my enemy
starting off with the largest echo'd drum/guitar noise i've heard in quite a while, this northampton gang follow up their previous hit single 'all mapped out' with something that any fans of the current punk-funk scene will fall in love with. the dubbed up drum beat breakdown at 2 mins indicate that the band could easily drift into some very interesting remixes (can i recommend on-u sound here), with a tighter than fuck rhythm going on here, probably helped by the presence of steve osbourne on mixing duties. this is seriously good stuff. franz who ?
the mighty stars - 925/tonight
ahhh. here we go, big fat feedback chord opening, before declaring that 'i'm fed u with 9 to 5', this is the indie guitar equivalent of the aspects recent 'off the lip single' instead of deciding to go off surfing like their fellow bristol beat heads these stars dig into their c86 influences and focus on how to pass the day before coming alive at 5. addictive simple pleasures. second track 'tonight' seems to have a very similar melody style, still this is obviously later in the day type of thing, and so the attention is now on girls (again - these lads are quickly showing their obvious obsessions with their previous track 'girls gorls girls'!) as opposed how to get the day over with. style wise it aint going to break anyones expectations, but theres nowt wrong with a bit of innocent lust set to guitars and harmonies now, is there ?
soundhog - curdler
second single from corsair records, this time from well established bootleg/mashup guru soundhog. for his first release proper he has crafted the largest rocked up bass driven beat beast. a massive electrorock-techno noise with pounding noises and a simple melody line that hits the central nervous system within seconds of the track starting, that will please any fans of the chemical brothers, fat boy slim etc. excellent.
sum41 - we're all too blame
usa sanctioned punk nu-rock music that's actually pretty good, having avoided this band over the years this came as a pleasant surprise. its large and sounds quite angry (its not slipknot after all), the melody settles in nicely after 45 seconds of structured chaos and reveals that the lads have a way that would easily please fans of staind, but instead of plumping for the easy unit shifting formula they drop back into the aggressive style again, and then back to calm later on, and so it continues, the heaviness, followed by the lightness. a strange schizophrenic record that will please fans of us alt rock.
thisgirl - master blaster
i have tried to like the album. amongst the tracks there are some classics, but too often this band have just thrown stuff into the mix that grates with this listener, the ever shifting drum patterns, the sheer over powering aspect of the noise, and general lack of cohesion. but, i stand alone in this. the band seem to be picking up platitudes and respect (and hopefully sales !) from all over the place. so it pleases me to tell you that this track is actually one of the best things on the album. its loud and noisy but does have the necessary hook to get the listeners attention. as for the rest of the ep - well an ill advised cover of massive attacks angel (hasn't this been done before ?) Adds an indie rock element to the previously icy cold classic, but nothing can touch horace andys vocals. nothing. 'plastercaster' is an acoustic track that reveals the main problems i have with this lot. the vocal histrionics. i cant do with over intense vocal dynamics, they usually grate. as they do so here. evenso, fans of muse, kingmaker will lap this up ..
cartwheel - man: in love with machine
phew, after the noise of the last couple of records this comes as blessed relief. calming electro infused pop music. originally coming from melbourne this manchester based duo use their minimal instrumentation of guitars and old school synths to good effect. with the vocals being provided by carol while david is the techno boffin. this aint yazoo style though, tis a lot more laidback and interesting. i suspect that they have listened a lot to broadcast and stereolabs' sonic adventures along the way. opening track 'nice as twice' has a lovely vocal, whereas 'groop loop' and 'fall apart to stay together' sees the duo get to grips with the techno toys, whereas 'man:in love with machine they are obviously setting their sights on underworld and orbital type of moods and atmospherics and succeed in creating wonderfully laidback electronica. not bad at all for a grey autumnal day.