TEARING AT THE WALLS

Savages

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:24:00 +0100

Every once in awhile something comes along that absolutely blows you away *. Whether music, art, or film. We’ve all experienced it. That really rather fucking special feeling. The first time I read anything by Hunter S. Thompson; at 15 when my Dad gave me the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa; the moment I finally ‘got’ Trout Mask Replica. You know what I mean. Back in February, on a night when I was there to see another band, I fell in love with Savages. Remember the name, and trust me, this year will be theirs.

Savages are Jehnny Beth (vocals), Gemma Thompson (guitar), Ayse Hassan (bass), and Fay Milton (drums). Yes, 4 girls, making the kind of music that most men can only dream of. Raw, violent and utterly electrifying. Ever since my housemate introduced me to Bauhaus last year, I’ve been waiting, hoping, praying for a band to come along and give me a similar shot in the arm, a rush of pure untempered post-punk energy. In That Flat Field era. Less theatrical, more immediate. And not afraid to go against the grain of formal song structure. Savages (such a fitting name) are one of the most complete young bands I’ve ever come across. And no, I’m not exagerrating for effect.

Where to start. In vocalist Jehnny, perhaps a classic jolie laide (look it up), they possess a strikingly intriguing frontwoman. Intense and self-possessed, there is an emotive force in her approach that says to me Annette Peacock (check this). Visually she reminds me most of Julie Driscoll though, a similar sophisticated cool. And it’s this marrying of styles that makes her so utterly magnetic. Dark and thoughtful, she twists her way through the music, cutting in and out of Gemma’s harsh serrated guitar lines. At once both lyrical and discordant, sparse and sharp. Pick scrapes, feedback and violent echoes are never far away. And yet it never feels like a put on. This isn’t just show. Her guitar almost sings. And for me there’s real feeling behind the way she plays.

On the other side of the band, drummer Fay and bassist Ayse both demand our attention every bit as much as their counterparts. Fay’s pounding, tribal drum beats - quick fire and off-kilter - bring something else to the band. Steeped in dance/garage roots, there’s an edge to her drumming that sees her standout and burst through with a real immediacy. She is as far from a classic indie/rock drummer as you might get, and yet that’s exactly what makes her the perfect fit. While Ayse’s heavy basslines almost sit at the forefront of it all, simulataneously dirty and grooving. She’s a hell of a bassist. And together with Fay, they effortlessly shift the band’s sound from something otherwise jagged and piercing, to driving and dancey, and then back again.

But it’s all about how they play off against eachother. It’s that chemistry which makes them such a dangerous prospect. Surely one of the most exciting young bands to come out of London in a long long while. They approach it all with such clarity and belief in who they are and what they’re striving for. And it’s this intellegence behind their music that makes it and them so so special.

I’m still looking for the right words to sum up just how much this band has already affected me. Holy Jesus! I get goosebumps when I listen to them. (This is where I go Gonzo). They did more than just steal my heart that night, they tore my insides out and burned me up. A timely reminder of just how much I love young music………………no point in mentioning the bats.

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Listen to their debut single here. And make sure you catch them at the Shacklewell Arms next week (May 28th). You won’t regret it. I’ll be out there in front. Most likely filming.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Farewell and Goodnight (part two)

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:54:00 +0100

Continued from Part One.

One year on, Show Your Bones was quickly followed by another EP in the shape of Is Is, a release that would take the band back to basics with a return to the raw, uncompromising and aggressive approach of early YYYs material. Opening with ‘Rockers to Swallow’ we are instantly hit with Karen O’s rasping yelping vocals playing against Zinner’s own typically abrasive jagged guitar howls (well and truly shedding the acoustic guitar), all the while Chase throws his heaviest and most penetrating drumming to date at us. Apocalyptic, quite possibly. Whilst ‘Down Boy’ represents a bridging of the gap between their previous two efforts, the middle ground between Show Your Bones and Fever To Tell. As sharp and seductive as ‘Gold Lion’, without losing any of the visceral power and sexual drive of tracks like ‘Date With the Night’.

Is Is points us in another direction, one that never was. Made up of songs written in 2004, this is the rightful follow up to Fever To Tell. Out of control and over the top, this is Karen at the peak of her energy. Darker, balanced and as ferocious as ever. Their most cohesive and focused release to date. It reignited my faith in the band.

In the build up to their third studio album, It’s Blitz!, we’d all seen the interviews, Nick Zinner was to continue what had started with Show Your Bones and take a further step away from the guitar. This time picking up the synth or at the least a guitar that would sound distinctly like a synth. How could they take this guitarist away from us? I once heard Nick Zinner’s guitar described as one of the most dangerous weapons in rock. And it really was. As incisive and inventive as it was brutal and noisy. You wondered how one man could kick up so much of a racket. Without doubt, one of my favourite modern day guitarists. I was in shock. And I know I wasn’t alone.

Still, I wasn’t going to give up on them yet. They were still my band. And I had to trust that they knew what they were doing. The album opens with singles ‘Zero’ and ‘Heads Will Roll’, both hits that were always waiting to happen and yet lacking almost everything that made the YYYs so special when they first burst onto the scene in 2002. The messy garage-punk swapped for a far more polished synth-pop sound. Chase simply chugs along through much of the album, offering little of the creative and non-conformist drumming we’d become so accustomed to on their previous efforts. While newly disarmed Zinner, now oddly in charge of “drum-programming” too, is at times almost a footnote to what ultimately feels like a Karen O solo project.

Runaway (headphones compulsory) is one of the few tracks that hints at what they are all still capable of, giving me a last glimmer of hope that the band I love are still in there somewhere. A slow burner with a hauntingly eerie and atmospheric feel. The keys and violin are (just this once) a welcome addition, but here crucially not at the expense of Zinner’s soaring layered guitar sound and Chase’s thundering beats. Progressive as it takes us in a new and interesting direction. Similarly ‘Dull Life’ has a good drive to it, with Zinner let loose on guitar just one more time. And though incomplete in feel, ‘Shame and Fortune’ tries to present a more interesting sinister side to the sound.

But for an old time fan, it is an album that ultimately hurts for me to listen through. Even now after all these years. What the album makes apparent is that this isn’t really the Yeah Yeah Yeahs anymore. The addition of 4 bonus acoustic tracks giving the clearest indication that this is much more about Karen now. Of course, she was always going to be the main focal point. But when I first picked up on them they were all so important to the band. Each playing off the other. Without one the whole sound would collapse. Karen used her voice like no other I’d heard before her, more than a way to emote feeling to an audience, it was her instrument. She could be just as loud and abrasive as anything or anybody out there. And as she twisted and turned, in and out of Zinner’s guitar lines, mimicking, jostling, and dueling. A star was born. And in Nick Zinner she had an equal. Someone not afraid to stand up to her, to wield the guitar in a utterly unpredictable manner, simultaneously carnal and precise. Finally we had Brian Chase, the metronome, his pseudo-jazz drumming bringing it all together to create one of the most exciting three-pieces you’re likely to see in a long time. Each member representing one “Yeah”.

From New York’s underground to the reaches of the mainstream. They made their choices. I don’t want to criticise them anymore. I’d rather remember them for what they were. There was no other band like them, they were incomparible, fresh, explosive and not afraid of doing or saying whatever the fuck they wanted. They were an unstoppable force…at least I thought so at the time. Now, I can only dream of what might have been.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Farewell and Goodnight (part one)

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 17:00:23 +0100

Once upon a time, I fell for a rather oddly named band called the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I was completely obsessed with them. I owned all their albums (and EPs), I saw them live anytime I could, I would pick up every single magazine that even mentioned their name, I had their 2002 John Peel Session recorded straight off the radio. And to top it all off, I was madly in love with Karen O (weren’t we all). Then, something changed.

Let’s wind back a little. I think it was 2001 and I was reading an interview with Sonic Youth where Kim and Thurston called (relative unknowns) the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the future of the New York scene. They were on my list, that was for sure. So I rushed onto Youtube and Myspace to see what I could find out about them. Oh…right, neither of these actually exist. So, I waited. In the meantime, an interview from underground anti-heroes the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion again urged us to watch out for them.

In July 2002 I finally got my first taste of the YYYs, picking up an Uncut Magazine compilation which opened with ‘Miles Away’. I remember excitedly running to my dad to tell him that this was the band Sonic Youth had tipped all that while ago. I must have listened to it 100 times over. Those screeching breathy vocals were unforgettable, matched only by a spiky off the wall guitar sound and pounding off-kilter drum beats. I was completely hooked.

I quickly picked up their self-titled debut EP Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And that was that. This was my new favourite band. Sexual, violent, raw, dirty, energetic, sleazy, and so much more. This was garage-punk re-invented for a whole new generation (fuck The Hives). Somewhere between The Stooges and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks. Karen O could almost be the bastard child of Iggy and Lydia. Spitting with attitude, no regrets, no holds barred, she shows us all just what women can do in music.

And no song sums this up better than ‘Art Star’, a 2 minute journey into the depths of insanity as screams of “AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRTTTTTT STAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR” jar with the innocent and sweet little “doo-doo-doos” playing off and mimicking Nick Zinner’s angular zig zag guitar lines.

Follow up full-length Fever To Tell continued where they’d left off, with their sound expanding and becoming much bolder. In Nick Zinner, they had a guitarist that sounded like no-one I’d heard before. Simulataneously wild, offbeat, ice cold and very much on the edge/at the brink. His duels with Karen throughout the album defined the band’s sound. While Brian Chase’s jazz infused drumming style begins to take on a new form, braver and more playful, unconventional in the rock genre. Each member as crucial as the next in taking their music to the next level. Songs like ‘Tick’ and ‘Date With The Night’ capture the frenetic, savagery of their live shows, while ‘Pin’, ‘Y Control’ and ‘Rich’ are a little subtler yet no less fiery. The album has it’s ups and downs, but it underlined just how big their sound was. And I mean that in ever sense of the word. The hype was completely justified.

And in single ‘Maps’, they had one of the most beautiful yet deeply cutting rock tracks of the decade. A bittersweet love song that showed us a more vulnerable side to the uncompromising beer-spitting frontwoman that Karen O had put forward up until this point.

It would be 3 years until we saw a second album in Show Your Bones, marked by what was said to be a “pretty dark period” (Zinner) for the band. According to Spin Magazine in an interview with the band prior to the album’s release, it is suggested that two records were made and two band members stopped feeling the same way about eachother. Direct quotes from both Nick and Karen point to a tension between the two, with a friendship that was very much on the verge. Each of them pulling in a completely different direction.

We are left with a record which feels slightly disjointed, with a more mature sound attempting to develop/assert itself, and stretching the band in some unexpected ways. The introduction of acoustic guitar and keys throughout the album present us with much more of a Pop sound, at times even slipping into folk. Though both Zinner and Chase push the music in a darker grittier direction on songs such as Fancy and (bonus track) Deja Vu. While Karen’s vocals are surprisingly versatile at times. Gold Lion and Warrior stand out in particular. The wailing, howling, and rampaging of old is pretty much gone though, and even as Karen screams and growls in the closing seconds of Mysteries, it all feels a bit forced.

I like Show Your Bones. It’s a good album, but it all just feels a little lacklustre. The beats are straighter, the riffs are cleaner, and Karen has let go of much of the unhinged angst-ridden rock star that stole our hearts. This is good pop, by far better than much of what was around at the time, but it wasn’t the sonically daring garage-rock trio I fell in love with. I have nothing against pop - I consider the Pixies the greatest alt-pop band of all time - but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by this album. It was just missing that ‘edge’ that early Yeah Yeah Yeahs always had.

To be continued…

Sserpress

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Okay, that last piece took a lot out of me. I’ve been seeing a lot of gigs of late too, and all I want to say is long live the 90’s. This next band are probably one of my best kept secrets. Very few seem to know the name, yet once you hear it it’s damn impossible to forget. Sserpress. Say it aloud. S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S. I can’t stop myself. But enough wordplay, let’s get onto the music.

<a href=”http://sserpress.bandcamp.com/track/rag-the-ratz-fratz” data-mce-href=”http://sserpress.bandcamp.com/track/rag-the-ratz-fratz”>Rag the Ratz Fratz by SSERPRESS</a>

Loud, abrasive, and riff intensive. These guys are totally up my street. And despite having just two demos to their name, they’re already coming into their sound. Mixing that lethal combination of metal riffs, garage fuzz and punk attitude, they leave us with what we’ve now come to know as grunge. It’s hard to put a finger on who they remind me of, but I’m tempted to say Mudhoney - one of the early forbearers of Sub Pop grunge. Snarling, grimey, and spitting with attitude. They have a similar drive to their music, every ounce dripping with aggression, with Don Penny’s almost primal vocals leading the way and centering around one of the most fearsome drummers I’ve heard in a long while - dare I say Dave Grohl-esque.

<a href=”http://sserpress.bandcamp.com/track/domestic-pig” data-mce-href=”http://sserpress.bandcamp.com/track/domestic-pig”>Domestic Pig by SSERPRESS</a>

They may not be quite there yet, but I just think they’re really something fucking special. These are the long surpressed children of grunge. Let the rise of doom continue.

2012: the sounds to take to the end of the world

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:35:00 +0000

It’s 2012, the world is ending and somehow it feels like I’m living in the FUTURE. We got the video calling and 3D movies, but I’m still waiting for my hoverboard. Sigh. Anyway, it’s that time of the year again. Yes, it’s painful to see myself involved in the annual tipping fair, but I just can’t turn down the chance to give you an insight into some of the bands that will have my closest attention this coming year. So, here we are. These are my sounds to take to the end of the world………and back, I hope.

///// Screaming Females /////

They are quite probably my favourite (living) band, the ones that kicked this whole music blogging lark off for me. Screaming Females make the kind of lo-fi garage rock that reminds me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in their early days, before Nick Zinner put down his guitar. Raw, energetic and slightly off the wall. Bordering on the possessed, in frontwoman Marissa Paternoster they have one of the most talented young guitarists in rock. Matched by an incredibly tight (yet expressive) band, with drummer Jarrett and bassist Mike playing the metronome, Marissa is given the space to let loose and explode into a solo at any given moment. Her tough yet piercing vocal cutting across the music, and adding yet another layer to their sound.

Screaming Females - New Song (live on WFMU)

With their fifth album set for release in April 2012, recorded by Steve Albini, let me repeat STEVE fucking ALBINI, there is a hell of lot to look forward to. For those of you who don’t know (if I had my way you’d all be shot), he was responsible for the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa, PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, and Nivana’s In Utero, amongst many of the most ferocious guitar albums of the 90’s. A match made in heaven. I can’t fucking wait.

///// Soko /////

I may appear to only listen to guitar music, but in actual fact my tastes are pretty diverse. I can enjoy anything from African music to electro. Soko is neither though. Singer-songwriter Stéphanie Sokolinski first burst onto the scene in 2007, creating a real stir, and soon touring with the likes of M.I.A., Pete Doherty, Daniel Johnston and Kate Nash. But in January 2009, she declared herself ‘dead’ via her myspace page, citing pressures from the music industry.

Soko - I´ll Kill Her

I remember stumbling on her and being absolutely blown away at the time. She had that classic French je ne sais quoi, both musically and visually. Out of the box and far away from any ‘pop star’ mould. Five years on and Soko is back - “ready to be a new man” - with her debut album I Thought I Was An Alien due out on February 6th 2012.

There are shades of (early) Regina Spektor about her. Although, here, we trade the piano for an acoustic guitar. And a vocal style which skips back and forth between spoken word, both delicate and angsty, with a lustful French enounciation shaping her every word. Lyrically less playful than her earlier material, there is far more darkness here as she tells us of her battles with demons, fallen relationships and loneliness.

It’s been a long wait, but her debut is sure to be one of the most interesting releases of 2012. Forget Lana Del Rey, let’s just hope we never lose Soko again.

///// Purson /////

In almost a complete u-turn, next in line are London witch rock quartet Purson who’s sound lies somewhere between psychedlia, folk, and prog, with a smattering of doom thrown in. You’d be forgiven for thinking they’d walked straight out of the 70’s. Channeling the likes of Black Sabbath and Coven.

In 21 year-old Rosalie Cunningham, they have a compelling frontwoman and one of the most enchanting voices I’ve heard in a long time. And with a strong band wrapped tightly around her, their best songs wind, build and layer upon themselves. Purson are one those discoveries that don’t come around too often. They have a bit more to go yet, but all the signs are there. They are capable of creating something truly spellbinding. A debut which could well be one of the breakthroughs of 2012.

Wool (new recording) by Purson

Spiderwood Farm by Purson

And given the impending apocalypse, it may just be the perfect time for London to oversee the rise of doom, sludge and stoner rock. Amongst others, Throne, Old Forest and Lasers From Atlantis are sure to be a part of this. These are some of my favourite young bands right here. Expect to see more from them on here in the coming year.

///// DeLooze /////

Talking about rising themes in music, I wonder if we’re about to witness a new era of female fronted bands taking centre stage. I think it’s about time. And so I move onto the music of Stacey Delooze. An artist who I’ve been holding back on for far too long now, having first picked up on her in late 2010. Two years on and we’re nearing the release of her debut album Glass Army.

Delooze - We Are Transient (Radio Edit)

Delooze make the kind of music I’m tempted to describe as stadium rock. Big, bold and daring. Singer and guitarist Stacey has something very special about her. I find myself awestruck when I see them in the flesh. With a vocal style which is almost operatic at times, she puts everything into her performance, at times visibly showing the emotional scars behind her songs. Singularly one of the most powerful and beautiful voices you’re likely to hear this year. The slow building nature of their songs, deploying a soft-hard dynamic, and their expansive approach to rock and pop remind me most of Muse, with Matt Bellamy’s own operatic vocals serving as an interesting parallel.

If this girl doesn’t get signed up then I might just start to wonder ‘what is the point?’.

The History of Apple Pie: Single Launch

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:15:00 +0000

So…it’s been a year of TATW blogging. In this time I’ve told you about 26 different bands and used the word fuck, fucking or fucked 20 times. Long may it continue. It’s my favourite journalistic word for emphasising. Anyway. I want to come back to a band I last wrote about in January, who I caught live (and filmed) last Wednesday for their single launch at the Shacklewell Arms. They are The History of Apple Pie and they play guitar driven indie-pop at it’s most innovative, intelligent and offbeat.

I’ve been a big admirer of theirs for a long time now, but I hadn’t seen them live since March. I arrived a little into a set from the support Old Forest - one of my favourite young bands in London. Still so raw in many ways, yet everytime I see them they throw something else at me. Tonight it was a new-ish song called Ned that showed a more patient side developing, a slow building guitar solo, which went as far as to remind me of Sonic Youth - in their own sludged up way. Barely 17-18, if I didn’t love them so much, I’d be sickened by how much potential they have.

OLD FOREST - NED

THOAP were up next, a growing crowd in wait, they blazed into their set with Strange Turn of Events. I was only half considering filming them to begin with, but after one song I was sold. I soon realised that in these last 8 months they’d turned from a group of shy talented kids into a band with the potential to make a real mark on music. And they believed it too. Every part of this band had progressed in some way. Guitarist Jerome Watson had something very special about him that night. Like a young Thurston Moore, hair flopping over his eyes, a slightly introverted demeanor. His playing is anything but. Totally self-assured, completely focused and in control, yet so incredibly free and creative in how he wields the guitar. Would it be taking it too far to talk about poetry? Possibly. Perfectly matched by the band around him, he’s given the space he needs to express himself, cutting loose at any given moment, and yet we never lose sense of the song structure. Few guitarists walk this line with so much ease.

Stephanie Min’s vocals burst through in a way that they never had before, singing and even moving across the stage (and into the audience) with a real belief in herself. As she should, with a sweet yet piercing vocal style reminiscent of Kim Deal and Bilinda Butcher. If ever it seems like Jerome is about to go off the page, Stephanie is always right there to pull him back down to earth. It’s in this way that I find myself drawn to Fuzzy (I Want More), with it’s slower pace, incredibly catchy hook, visceral guitars, and beautiful (clever) vocal harmonies. All building up to an explosion of My Bloody Valentine-esque fuzzed up guitars. There are signs here of a darker edge to their sound, one which I’d like to hear them develop more on record.

I hate the way superlatives are thrown around so easily in music, but this band deserve every word. They utterly blew me away that night. One of the best live perfomances I’ve seen from a young London band in awhile.

If these guys don’t get picked up then the music industry truly is fucked.

Pick up their latest single Mallory here from Rough Trade.

Lasers From Atlantis

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:18:00 +0000

I’ve been feeling a bit restless today. The fact that my flat is totally trashed and I don’t even want to leave my room probably isn’t helping. Halloween tsk. So I thought I’d put some words to the page. There are always plenty of bands in my mind, and the list just keeps growing. Somehow nothing’s quite satisfying me today though. Maybe my housemate’s doom metal playlist from the night before is to blame, but I’m craving something with a little more depth. 3 minutes just isn’t enough. So, it’s time I told you about a band that don’t quite fit in anyone’s ‘scene’ right now.

Lasers From Atlantis are Theo, Volkan, Aubrey and Pat, making up vocals, synths, guitars and drums between them. They first surfaced in 2008, quickly picking up shows with the likes of Bo Ningen and Invasion, and sitting very comfortably between them with a sound that’s half doom metal, half psychedlia. Since then they’ve been a little patchy with their appearances, but with a recent clutch of live dates, some new songs seeping through and a full album seemingly on the horizon, they may well be ready to pick up from where they left off. And for our sakes, I hope they’ll stick around a little longer this time.

Lasers From Atlantis - Smoke Signals by Tearing at the Walls

Now, some advice, take your time. This is headphone music. The kind you want to turn the fuck up, sit back to, listen all the way through and soak up. 13 minute Smoke Signals isn’t going to blow you away in the first few minutes, but if you immerse yourself fully in their sound, these noise-scapes, you’ll find the deepest of riches lie within.

Psychic Allies has something else about it, a step in another direction for the band, hooking you straight in with thumping quick-fire drum beats, before cooling down, and coming back at you once again. Harrowing wails, never-ending riffs, spaced out synths, and that ever-present bass line bursting through and evolving. Building, overlaying, interconnecting. At times almost droning, but always progressive. They are never out of control of what they’re crafting and where they’re taking their music. And if Psychic Allies is anything to go by, we have a lot to look forward to when the album finally hits earth. I see so much potential here. And I’m excited.

Man-flu

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:36:00 +0100

It’s time, it’s fucking time. I’ve been holding back on this one for too long. They are the band that are exciting me most right now in London. Impossible to label. I’d gladly use any of the following words to describe them - experimental, DIY, raw, carnivorous, untempered, eccentric, fiery, unhinged, and noisy. They are Man-flu. A bunch of misfits with members from countries as far reaching as Kazakhstan, France, Japan, England and America.

Man-flu are Aza (vocals), Dudu (bass), Pip (guitar), Sakiko (keys) and Will (drums), and they play through a hybrid of styles ranging from goth, post punk, no wave, surf and prog-rock. There is no clean description. Nothing is ever easy with Man-flu. And that’s the point. There is a real layering in their sound, as they push at the boundaries and bring the unexpected together. No waiting. They are making their own space. At the nucleus of the band sits drummer Will who’s unrelenting beats drive their whole sound forward, with keyboardist Sakiko and bassist Dudu adding further solidity and kick, giving guitarist Pip and singer Aza the necessary room to express themsleves and at times cut loose from formal song structure.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://manflu.bandcamp.com/track/oral-sex” _mce_href=”http://manflu.bandcamp.com/track/oral-sex”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Oral Sex by Manflu&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

On stage, the band are fearsome - bursting with energy and immediacy - with performance at the heart of everything they do. A real chemistry between singer and guitarist adding another dimension. Aza is like some kind of caged animal, just released, almost spitting with attitude, her presence is both sexually charged and intimidating. Whilst Pip often appears colder, more thoughtful and intense, almost brooding, yet very much on the edge throughout. Both equally fascinating as they duel and jostle for dominance. It’s all a game though, or is it? I can never really tell. [Check out their 10 minute epic Tek below - shot by TATW in February]

Man-flu bring together that old equation of Sex, Death and Rock n’ Roll. And so they come to remind me most of The Velvet Underground. Musically, they’re a whole other band, but in spirit there’s something here. They represent that same fascination people have with the bizarre, the decadent, the degraded, the depraved and the dangerous. They are counter-culture. And I fucking love them for it.

Catch them at the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town this Friday (16th) at 9pm. I’ll be there, right at the front.

Gross Magic

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:21:53 +0100

So, what can I say. It’s been a while. I needed to take a little time off to work a few things out, not to mention getting some holiday time. Even workaholics need a break. But I’m back now, I promise. There’s too much talent out there for me to just put this down. So let’s get on with this. I want to tell you about a band who are fast picking up that dreaded tag of ‘the next big thing’. They are Gross Magic. And let me just say, I fucking love that name.

Brighton based Gross Magic is Sam McGarrigles’ latest project, accompanied by willing accomplices Will Barr and Joe Murphy. And they make lo-fi Pop, with maybe a dash of glam and a hint of grunge mixed in. I’ve heard they’ve even coined the term ‘Glunge’ for their sound. Awesome.

Gross Magic - Can’t Ignore My Heart

Now, without wanting to sound as though I’m flexing my musical muscles, I first came across Sam a few years back when he was involved in a band called Owls (I must be feeling kind, as I won’t be embarassing him with a link). They were mostly all over the place, but there was something about them, enough to lead me to his next project. Hocus Tocus. Dreamy, fuzzy and a little bit like a boy-fronted Best Coast. I saw them play a couple of times and I met Sam myself, a year or so ago now. It’s strange, sometimes you meet someone and you just know they have something about them, Sam was exactly that. I wasn’t sure he quite had it right with Hocus Tocus, but I knew that this guy would make it one day. You could see it in his eyes. Determination, belief and even a hint of star quality. And not arrogant, not at all, just completely self-assured.

Gross Magic - Dream Gurl

And now, here we are with Gross Magic. A project that might just be the outlet needed to finally see him reach those heights. Despite a very definite feel of the 90’s via their own audacious mix of ‘Glunge’, for me this is really all about Pop, off-kilter to the extreme and teetering the edge, but still very much Pop. The very best of it. Think how the Pixies tackled Pop and you’ve got the idea. Packed full of super cool synths, guitars simultaneously playful, almost groovy (can I use that word?) and grunge-tinged, joyously sweet vocals and painfully catchy hooks. It’s a sound that is sure to warm even the most cold hearted of you.

While ‘Sweetest Touch’ is surely a contender for the sleeper hit of the Summer - if only it would stop raining. Absolute Pop perfection and I don’t say this lightly. Incredibly addictive listening. I’m seriously running out of superlatives here. All I want to do is fall in love and listen to this song on repeat.

Just go and fucking listen to them now. Teen Jamz EP.

Pet Scenes: EP Review

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:12:00 +0100

I’m almost scared to look at my own blog, because I know I’ve been away from here for far too long now. My life got a little too hectic for a time there, but I could never leave this place forever. I’ve missed these little moments of self-reflection, of fighting to find a way to describe the music I love and of sharing it with the few followers I have. Enough romanticizing. I’m here to talk about a new EP that just fell into my (digital) lap.

It’s not all that long ago since I first told you (here) about Pet Scenes, but with the pleasure of three new tracks via their debut EP ‘Funk’, I have good reason to come back to them. Let’s start with a little refresher though. Londoners Pet Scenes make what I want to call confrontational rock, with hints of post-punk and a smidgen of surf - grimy, sweaty, sleazy, primal and pretty damn violent. The kind of band Steve Albini would have wet dreams over. Sonically they lie somewhere in between The Stooges, Jesus Lizard and The Cramps.

Dell Sez by Pet Scenes

So, onto the EP. And with an empty house, the volume is up ridiculously LOUD - the way this kind of music is meant to be heard. “Purple Old” is a perfect introduction to the band. Furious, messy and fast-paced rock. Even if I do feel it ends a bit too soon. “Dell SEZ” has something else about it though, forever fierce in sound, but there’s more patience here. Tribal drums, (initially) hushed vocals and harsh swirling guitars are each given time to build, with a kind of tension swelling up. A touch of ‘loud quiet loud’ in approach. Finally, “Habit” flies straight in with a rock sound which is yet further deconstructed, visceral guitars fighting for position amongst the chaos, rasping vocals overlapping and shouting as if gasping for air. A fitting end to the release.

Habit by Pet Scenes

Needless to say, I like this EP. But at the same time, it isn’t perfect, it’s a sound that is clearly developing - both lyrically and musically - and there is still a sense of incompleteness in certain places. I mentioned patience and I’d like to hear them play on that in the future, particularly in broaching the 3-4 minute barrier. Just like The Stooges, who never lost any of their raw power (eugh) on their lengthier tracks, I’d like to hear what they could do with a little more room to breathe. And if my instincts are right, they’d fucking blow us all away.

Check them out live here this Wednesday (6th) at the Macbeth, 9pm ish so I hear. A night that by some coincidence I’ll be DJing, so expect anything from The Stooges, Bauhaus, Sonic Youth, Television, Teenage Jesus and more.

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And grab your free download of ‘Funk’, which is released today.

Meddicine

Mon, 23 May 2011 22:44:00 +0100

More often than not I know exactly who I want to write about, though there are times when I spend days thinking it over, searching for that little spark. This wasn’t one of them. This was very much a sudden ‘fuck me’, a single moment in which I knew I had to put something to (digital) paper. This is Meddicine (yes, two d’s) and I’ve just been hit square in the jaw by her latest track ‘Black Night’, which sees her sound take a leap in an unexpected new direction.

&lt;a href=”http://music.meddicine.net/track/lost-control” _mce_href=”http://music.meddicine.net/track/lost-control”&gt;Lost Control by Meddicine&lt;/a&gt;

I’ve been following Monika Krol (aka Meddicine) since late 2010 when I stumbled on her music via myspace - remember when that site was still useable - and I was pretty much taken aback by a sound so violent and haunting that it might’ve been ripped from the carcasses of Suicide and Throbbing Gristle. Distorted vocals cut across experimental, electronic based, doomy noise-scapes. This is headphone music of the best kind. Play it fucking loud, curl into a ball and let your mind wander off into some dark, twisted realm.

Black Night by meddicine

‘Black Night’ represents something a little different though. The sinister edge is still there, but it’s wrapped a little tighter around a more natural song structure. And a change of pace which sees an instantly dancier vibe, throbbing drum machine beats holding steady through the oncoming storm of brutal synths, bleeps, clicks and all manner of sounds I can’t even begin to describe. A marked use of lyrics - black moon, black night, black hearts, black… - along with distorted almost sexually charged vocals give the song a real drive and purpose. It all holds together perfectly.

I feel this is only the beginning though, and I’m bloody excited about what comes next.

Pet Scenes

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:01:19 +0100

I guess I’ve been a little slack of late. I’ve had a lot on in the last few weeks - some TATW movement a big part of that. Another story for another day though. This evening, I want to talk about a band I only recently stumbled on called Pet Scenes. If there was a queue - which there really should be, given the number of bands that I still want to tell you about - Pet Scenes just skipped right to the front of it with a sound so damn abrasive that I can’t leave them alone.

A four-piece, formed in Limehouse in early 2011, they lie somewhere in between garage rock and post-punk. At times they remind me of The Cramps, but there’s something faster, messier and much harsher about them. They have a loudness and rawness that casts back to early Stooges (Funhouse etc). There’s something even dirtier here though, a sense of foreboding, a punk attitude in the vocals, a jagged guitar driven sound, I almost feel grubby after listening to their music.

Man Contest by Pet Scenes

They’re not the finished article yet - I wouldn’t expect them to be - but there are moments here when you know you’re listening to a band with a hell of a lot of potential in them. I haven’t heard a sound like this come out of London in a long time, least of all in 2010/11. This is brutal, nasty, dirty rock and it’s fucking refreshing.

Warm Brains: Single Review

Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:14:00 +0100

Despite the blazing sunshine and soaring temperatures, today, I’m sitting at home listening to Warm Brains’ debut single Old Volcanoes. The title track from a full-length which is due for release in June. And the lastest project from Rory Attwell, formerly of Test-Icicles and Kasms, and most recently the go to producer for every fledgling guitar band in London.

Quite a lot behind this then. But in all honesty, when I first heard this track I wasn’t blown away by it. It didn’t give an instant rush, it wasn’t a ‘fuck me’ moment. It was a slower process, and in the end it was something a little more lasting. A few hours later I was in the kitchen making a Middle Eastern bacon sandwich (cooking tips don’t belong on a music blog, I’m afraid) and I found myself humming to the tune of something I couldn’t quite recognise. A minute or so later I realised it was Old Volcanoes. One listen and it was already stuck in my head. Of course, I then went back and listened again, this time taking a lot more from it.

A sound heavily drenched in the 90’s, part indie, part grunge, somehow I’m reminded of early Blur with a guitar tone in the vein of Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Though I’m struggling to find a direct comparison. A brooding, nonchalant vocal at the centre of it all. Perhaps not the strongest of vocals, but one that works well with the music. This almost feels like pop, in the best of ways, catchy but with a certain level of discomfort created by the (pleasing) lack of polish here. There’s a live feel to this and a good energy, which is all very refreshing in the current overproduced climate. Thoughtful and dreamy with a hint of thrash thrown in. A good friend tells me it’s like listening to him playing a feeling from beginning to end. I like that description.

Written, played and produced completely unaided. This is Rory Attwell. Exposed. Unhindered. And just this once, going it alone.

Old Forest: Live Review

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:29:00 +0100

Okay, it’s time I got back to this now, it’s been far too long since my last post. I’ve been busy though. I called it a bloggers holiday, but really I’ve been working behind the scenes on all things TATW related. Some big plans afoot. I suppose this is the calm before the storm. Anyway - enough of me - I want to talk about a band that first grabbed me back in November with an ear-splittingly loud and fuzzy sound of stripped down grunge rock.

They are Old Forest. Three friends Tom, Matt and Luke, who are in the band, making the kind of music, that everyone wanted to be in when they were 17. Skip nearly 5 months on and I’m standing in the refurbished Nambucca watching them tear up the stage with some of the most brutal 90’s inspired guitar music I’ve probably ever heard from a young London band. Channeling everything from Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr to the Sex Pistols and Helmet. They make a serious racket, they always have, but there’s a little more control this time around. The angst is still there, I don’t ever see that going, but now they’re beginning to grow into their sound. This is a much tighter band with drummer Luke fast becoming a real driving force in their sound, bassist Matt flailing away and giving Tom the necessary license for his ever-increasing ‘face-melting’ solos. Those moments of brilliance I saw in them last time are now spreading themselves over yet more songs.

They aren’t perfect yet, but (still) I was blown away by the progress I saw in them that night. It’s just a shame that there weren’t more people there to see it. But that’ll happen soon enough. They may never quite fit as ‘buzz’ music, but it won’t be long before people start really picking up on them. They’re just too fucking savage to ignore.

Weird Dreams

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:18:00 +0000

I’ve been waiting for the right time to come back to this band for a couple of months now. Back in January I included them in my (thinly veiled) list of ‘tips for 2011’ and with a new EP out, entitled ‘Hypnagogic Lullaby’, I have good reason to listen to them all over again. The band in question are Weird Dreams. Did I ever tell you how much I love that name? So simple, yet it conjures up so many images. It matches them perfectly.

When I first stumbled on them, my thoughts were of a band channeling laidback lo-fi guitar fuzz via 60’s west coast surf pop, perhaps closest to the rock ‘n roll and doo wap of the Beach Boys. Since I was last here though, there has been one notable change in the line-up with the addition of a second guitarist, adding another layer to the mix, and with this we begin to see a shift in the band’s sound. The same dreamy feeling is here, and that reminiscence of much sunnier days, but the angle is a little different now, far less mannered and more expressive. The bolder more playful guitars and stronger bass lines giving an extra edge to what becomes a much bigger, blossoming sound. This is ambitious music.

Hypnagogic Lullaby by Weird Dreams

Title track ‘Hypnagogic Lullaby’ is the stand-out. The sweetest of male vocals, smile-inducing lyrics, subtle touches, a catchy hook and most significantly the building, more thought-out, arrangement bringing it all together. At moments, they even start to show hints of Pavement at their mellowest. It isn’t quite finished yet. The last set of tracks represented a simpler sound, and achieved it quite brilliantly. But in these, they’re striving for something much less easily attainable. When they do get there though - and I believe they will - the rewards will be much greater. This is a young, exciting, hungry band that’s striving for more and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Michael by Weird Dreams

Make sure you check them out at the launch of their EP on April 5th. A bill including three of my favourite London bands in Weird Dreams, Not Cool and The History of Apple Pie promises to be one hell of a night. And pick up a copy of their EP here.

Tearist

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 13:40:00 +0000

A month or so ago, via a friend whose music taste is always interesting, I came across a video by an unfamiliar band. I liked the name and so I tentatively clicked play, taking a step into the unknown. There, I was instantly hit with Tearist. Say it aloud and it almost sounds like terrorist - surely no accident. They even have that feel to their music - abrasive, noisy and very much on the attack.

Tearist are Los Angeles based duo Yasmine and William, vocals and synths respectively, and they make music that very much resists labeling. The atmospheric sinister edge in their sound gives them some resemblence to Witch House, but I think you’d be foolish to lump them in there. I want to say post punk, but that too is a little misleading. In a way, the band they share the most ground with are 70’s electronic protopunk duo Suicide. Yasmine’s (delayed/echoing) vocal yelps, screeches and occasional whispers taking me right back to Alan Vega and (in particular) his own near terrifying screams on Frankie Teardrop - amongst others. In contrast though, William’s spacey synths are much closer to the 80’s, less overtly droning and more expressive.

Performance is also clearly key to the make up of this band. They almost have the feel of a down tempo Kap Bambino, a similar energy being communicated in a very different way. I find myself fixated by their live videos. There is a very natural presence here, with Yasmine so full of passion and fire for the music they make. She is quite literally visually (and sonically) arresting at times. And as luck would have it, they have a London date on March 28 at the Old Blue Last. I’ll be there, right in the front. This is my kind of music - untempered, volatile, no standing back. Play it LOUD. I’m in love already.

Tearist - Headless [Download]. Go and buy their debut LP here.

Underground Railroad

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:44:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I was at the Hoxton Underbelly to see two talented young London bands that will surely grace these pages in the coming months. But it was a band that I knew little about that would strike me that evening, and see me scouring their back catalogue for another fix. They are Underground Railroad. Yes, I know, I’m pretty late on this one. Already signed to One Little Indian with two albums to their name and one more in the works, they are far from a new discovery. But that night, as I found myself at yet another gig to see the support rather than the main act, I was blown away by them.

I certainly knew the name beforehand, but in all honesty I’d never knowingly listened to a full song of theirs. I suppose I’d seen NME gushing all over them and for me that always seems like a put off, though I know it really shouldn’t. I also recall comparisons to Sonic Youth and The Velvet Underground, which often feels like a kiss of death. But it was my loss. And so I now sit here listening to 2007’s Twisted Tree, an album so full of teen angst and guitar thrash, and so unbelievably up my street. Signs of Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain and even Henry Rollins are all over this. I love it. But as I move onto their second album - 2008’s Sticks and Stones - I find their sound somewhat curbed, the angst slipping away and a clearer indie sound developing. In places it really works, it shows us a maturer, more measured side to their music. But on the whole, I find myself yearning for some of that earlier innocence and raw energy. If they were punk on their first album, they were becoming more indie on this one.

Underground Railroad - Russian Doll

Now, they are approaching their third album, due for release 13 June 2011 (upcoming single above). And with close to a 3 year gap between this and their last one, it’ll be interesting to see how their sound has developed. On my part, they need to find this balance between youth and maturity, to marry the ferocity with greater thought and complexity. It’s a difficult sound though, one that few bands ever achieve. But the signs were there in their live set. There was a real edge about them that night. Usually a 3-piece, comprising drummer Raphael Mura and guitarist Marion Andrau, who both take lead vocals, and bassist/backing vocalist JB Ganivet, they were also accompanied by cellist Anna Scott. Perhaps this is their way of re-energizing themselves. Her winding/building style adding a whole other dimension to their sound, linking in well with Marion’s scathing guitar and Raphael’s driving almost sporadic drum beats, all this creating a real atmosphere within their music. Maybe, just maybe, The Velvet Underground could be mentioned in the same breath. Though the comparison stops there. They’re a different band, one that are crafting their own sound and they’ve certainly got my attention.

Better late than never, eh.

Shot live at the very same show that made me a fan.

Danimal Kingdom

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:44:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I put out two posts on just half of the remnants of Bolt Action Five, on Thursday I caught their former lead singer and his latest project Danimal Kingdom live for a single launch at the Queen of Hoxton. I’ve been aware of his very particular brand of Pop for quite awhile now, ever since we collaborated on a TATW project a year or so ago. And so I’ve had a real opportunity to watch his music grow and develop over time.

The original premise of Danimal Kingdom was of Dan Murtha making music on his own. His music and his songs. It’s a sound that wasn’t always easy, and it wasn’t quite love at first sight. But it did stop me in my tracks, it had me listening again and again, right up until the moment I’d fallen for it all. He stood out, he was unlike anything I’d seen in a long time. This is 3 minute pop, there are no two which ways about it, but it’s good pop. Simple and catchy hooks, quirky lyrics, jumpy beats and synth sounds that make you want to dance (or at least shuffle), and a playful vocal style, yet at the same time multi-layered enough to keep it all fresh to the listener.

Danimal Kingdom - He Doesn’t Eat

On stage it was different though, it was just him up there alone in the early days, which (for me) didn’t quite work. So concentrated on getting the music right that everything became too static up there, taking away from one of Dan’s greatest assets, his stage presence. Since then, he has built a strong band around him that help compliment his style and crucially free him up enough to bring a greater level of performance to his shows again. He is still very much at the centre of it all, but he’s now playing to the strengths of those around him and you can see a real chemistry between them on stage. Dan introducing his German bassist by telling us ‘even the hun can be fun’, and taking a swift kick up the backside, was a good highlight. But it’s his very natural charisma that allows him to pull something like this off, a charisma that endears him to the audience and helps to make him a very powerful frontman. He may not have a great voice, but a great voice most certainly does not make a great singer.

Danimal Kingdom - Amputee Spirit

At their best Danimal Kingdom present us with a kind of perfect quirky Pop. You just can’t help but smile when they hit their groove. It may not be completely my kind of music, but somehow I’m always left feeling a surge of happiness after their gigs. His cover of Death From Above’s ‘Too Much Love’ is a great two minute shot in the arm. But it’s ‘Through the Ice’ (below) that’s the real stand out for me, the catchiness of guitarist James’ schreeching synth guitar sounds grabbing the audience from second one, playful lyrics, and most importantly Dan - now free from his guitar - stalking the stage and really starting to let loose. It’s something I want to see more of. Dan minus the guitar - unrestrained, letting go, breaking into the audience and taking hold of the stage. I can see him regaining some of that wilder side in performance that was so characteristic of his BA5 days. Saying that though, as his confidence as a guitarist grows, he’ll become much more able to let that side of him loose.

Pop at its best can be absolutely stunning, and this guy has the potential to produce it, as you tend to find his best songs buzzing around in your head soon enough. If you read this blog enough than you should know I’m a big fan of guitar led music, but I’m always open, always interested in a new sound. There are no meaty guitars here, this is Pop and I can see a lot of people turning off for that very reason, but you’d be fucking stupid to do so.

Hold Kiss Kill

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:49:00 +0000

I don’t know all that much about Hold Kiss Kill, I only stumbled on them a month or so ago via a friend and I’m yet to catch them live. They have just 3 tracks available for listening ears, one of which is a Nick Drake cover, leaving us very little to work with. But when a band comes through this strong then that may well be all you need. Artrocker Magazine seem to think so, giving them a double page spread in their last issue and beating me to it in the tipping stakes. Bastards.

HOLD KISS KILL - Neon Girls

A 4 piece from London, they are comprised of the mysteriously initialed A, K, G and N, dual guitarist/vocals, bass and drums respectively. And with a sound born of shimmering distortion, squalling fuzzed-up guitars and a smattering of reverb, they present something of the 90’s Shoegaze wave, coupling this with some rather beautiful ethereal male-female vocals overlapping and duelling across the music-scape. Very much in the mould of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain and (of more recent times) A Place to Bury Strangers, you can hear the influence of each of them on their sound, but crucially they still make it their own. This is their wall of noise.

Already picked up by a small but most definitely well run label - Helen Llewelyn Product 19 - they’re due for a number of releases throughout the year. They may still have a long way to go, but their brand of noise pop has the potential to get very big indeed. Check out their debut single ‘Our Last Waltz’ below, available via Rough Trade here.

HOLD KISS KILL - Our Last Waltz

Fables: Revisited

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:37:16 +0000

I wouldn’t usually go back to a band that I’ve previously written about, much less one from just 4 days ago. But I have this sense of nagging in the back of my mind that says I missed something. For one thing, I probably should’ve mentioned that I count Fables’ members as some of my closest friends. A tricky position perhaps, but I could never offer faint praise. It’s not in me.

Fables are a talented band and I wouldn’t take back anything I’ve said about them. But I do want to add something. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t offer this to them. I’ve been lucky enough to watch their sound develop over quite sometime now. When I listen to their music I hear their past and their present, it all rolls into one for me. To the outsider, it’s a different process. The focus is always on the now. They see the more precise and carefully structured nature of the newer Fables tracks - in the end leaning towards a cleaner ‘Pop’ sound. But there are a clutch of songs from their past that stick out - almost even sounding like they’re from a different band altogether. And if I’m completely honest, these are still very much some of my favourite Fables songs. ‘Triumph of the Iron Wizard’ and ‘End of a Long Journey’ stand out in particular.

Triumph of the Iron Wizard (Demo) by FABLES

The End of a Long Journey (Demo) by FABLES

This is the ‘grandiose, epic, fantastical, raw yet elegant, and dark’ Fables that I remember so well. And I don’t want to lose this forever. I don’t want them to see it as a backward step. I want them to recapture elements of this in their new sound. I want to see the Pop clashing against the unsettling bleakness of these early Fables tracks. I want to be made to feel uncomfortable. I miss it, I really do. Some might call this progression. I can only give you my thoughts. I remember these elements and I miss them.