Author: Crossfire

The Pit delivers more guitar fodder this month courtesy of Alex Gosman and Dee Massey.

Dee Massey is into:

Record Of The Month
SCOUTING FOR GIRLS – She’s So Lovely
(Epic)
www.scoutingforgirls.co.uk

With ‘Its Not About You‘ still ringing in our ears UK indie popsters Scouting For Girls are following up their debut with the undeniably charming and wonderfully witty ‘She’s So Lovely‘. Let me cut to the chase – I think this track is great. It actually makes me smile – no mean feat at this time in the morning, let me tell you. It’s a light hearted, funny, tongue-in-cheek, sparking effort from this self effacing 3 piece.

With lines like ‘She’s pretty, she’s witty, she’s got a boyfriend though and that’s a pity’ and my personal favourite ‘She 30, turned 30 and that the age girls get really dirty’, it glitters throughout, with a incandescent piano driven chorus of ‘She’s so lovely oh she’s so lovely’ – this is the perfect antidote to this miserable summer. Scouting for Girls are crossing into the mainstream with their up-tempo and intelligent indie pop, and this track is infectious and bright. And who’s the inspiration behind this track you ask? Well…bizarrely enough it’s the very lovely host of the ‘Really Wild Show‘… Michaela Strachan..

RYAN ADAMS – Easy Tiger
(Lost Highway)
www.ryan-adams.com

It’s been almost 18 months since Ryan Adam‘s last album, 29, and for most artists that’s not really a long time, but we’re dealing with an artist who’s released 7 solo albums, 2 EPs, one double album, a last CD with his old band mates Whiskeytown along with endless unreleased material – so for him this 18 months has been quite the hiatus (although never one to slack, he has produced Willy Nelson’s album in that break too…)

Harking back to his Heartbreaker days, this album is far less rock n roll, and far more alt country than its predecessor ‘29‘. Wonderfully bluesy, downtrodden somewhat maudlin tracks like ‘Two’ and ‘The Sun Also Sets‘ sit alongside comic touches like ‘Halloween Head’. ‘String of Pearls‘ is almost bluegrass, whilst ‘Oh My God, Whatever, etc‘ is wonderfully drawn out and folksy. This album is almost a step back in sound for Adams, with ‘These Girls‘ which has been taken and reworked from Adam’s unreleased 2000 album ‘Destroyer’ – and has some moments of genius, in an album which is consistently solid, but ultimately fails to ignite the emotions – in fact he sounds almost bored in some tracks.

Having spent longer working on this album than any before it, it almost lacks the fluidity and ramshackle loops that makes Heartbreaker, Demolition and Gold and Co so addictive ( the difference maybe being that he is now reportedly sober). With this album he shows he can be a serious, and now sober, artist…but to honest, I hope the ‘old’ Ryan Adams hasn’t left us forever. The NY Post reported that he’d drawn a self deprecating cartoon of himself singing piss take of his lyrics'”Blah, blah, blah, whine, whine, whine, it takes two when it used to take one..” so it good to see he’s not taking himself too seriously as an ‘artiste’.

INME – I Won’t Let Go
(Graphite Records)
www.myspace.com/inmeofficial

Take all your preconceived notions about British 3 piece InMe and cast them to one side, and if you can’t do that, listen to their new single and let it do it for you. Having been on the scene for over ten years, they’ve now amicably parted company with the hot one, bass player Joe Morgan and bought on board vocalist Dave McPherson’s younger brother Greg, and turned to Opeth’s producer Jens Bogren to produce their new album. So far….so metal.

‘I Won’t Let Go‘ is an abrasive and raw slice of their new album, with an new dynamic sound, complete with searing riffs and aggressive vocals. Building on the foundations laid in previous album, Dave McPherson takes the opportunity to vent all his frustration in lyrics saturated in spite and vitriol – and what a difference it makes to them. InMe prove they’re more than just pretty faces with this exciting preview of what promises to be a kick ass album.

KINGS OF LEON – Fans
(Columbia)
www.kingsofleon.com

Taken from their No 1 album ‘Because of the Times‘ Kings of Leon‘s new release is going to draw in whole host of new fans for the Tennessee sets of brothers. Radio friendly and somewhat pandering to their London fans (two name checks in one song…we’re flattered!), this is arguably the best thing this band have done, with Caleb’s sultry vocals and explosive drums combine in this semi-acoustic anthemic heart stopper of a track.

Throbbing bass lines wind their way through the track, but it’s the vocals which stick in your mind, intense and dark. Kings of Leon have managed to produce a single that’s both user friendly and unchallenging to the listener, but is still absolutely beautiful and bewitching, and would be well deserving of a No 1 slot.

MUMM-RA- These Things Move In Threes
(Columbia)
www.mumm-ra.com

Following on from their exciting debut single ‘Its Out of The Question‘, Mumm-ra finally release their first album ‘These Things Move in Threes‘. Having shone through over The Horrors and The Automatic on the NME tour, Mumm-ra have taken elements of pop, indie and dance and put in a hefty dose of rock to reveal a whimsical album that you can sing, shout and throw yourself around the dance floor to.

Opener ‘Now or Never‘ starts off acoustically before descending into rough guitars and sparkly vocals, reminiscent of Hope of The States. ‘Its Out of The Question‘ obviously stands out, as does ‘She’s Got You High‘, which was NME’s song of the week on release (but don’t hold that against the band). This unpretentious and upbeat album is one for the summer; it’s uplifting on the most miserable of days with their infectious brand of up-tempo indie pop. Even the epic seven minute ‘Down Down Down‘ can’t break the spell that this exciting debut casts. Listen to it and smile…

Alex Gosman recommends:

THE AGGROLITES – Reggae Hit L.A.
(Hellcat)
www.aggroreggae.com

Got Aggrolites? Got soul. This Los Angeles quintet’s self-titled debut was an unexpected highlight of last year; the work of a band that infused new life into the sounds of classic 60’s ska, soul and reggae. Barely a year later, the follow-up has arrived, and it’s an absolute treat. A record intended as a tribute to their hometown’s thriving reggae scene, there are no weak links on show here; with the pulsing groove of the title track, the smooth lilt of ‘Let’s Pack Our Bags‘ and the organ-laden party vibe of ‘Lucky Streak‘ almost guaranteed to both soothe you and move you. Make no mistake: these guys are the real deal.

BRAIN FAILURE/BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE – Beijing To Boston
(Household Name)
www.brainfailure.com/www.bigdandthekidstable.com

Household Name have released some pretty nifty split CDs over the years, and this one is no exception; bringing together bands from China and the USA. Brain Failure have a strong Rancid aura to them, offering up an enjoyable if derivative feast of sloppy guitars and anthemic terrace-chant choruses on songs like ‘Coming Down To Beijing‘ and ‘You’re Gonna Die‘. Meanwhile, Boston ska/punk veterans Big D And The Kids Table bring their trademark blazing brass and smart, sarcastic lyrics with no little panache on the likes of ‘Taking Back The Rhythm‘. Ska-punk may no longer be fashionable, but it’s certainly not dead.

DARKEST HOUR – Deliver Us
(Victory)
www.darkesthour.cc

Arguably one of the finest non-Scandinavian purveyors of melodic death metal, Darkest Hour created one of 2005’s essential releases with previous album ‘Undoing Ruin’. ‘Deliver Us’, like its predecessor, is a deeply personal record that will only reveal its true depth if given the time; with the band’s brutal bludgeon and John Henry’s sandpaper-raw vocals offset – as ever – by some brilliantly technical guitar work. Check the title track and ‘A Paradox With Flies‘ for a couple of potential future live favourites, and be sure to catch the band when they return to the UK in September.

MUNICIPAL WASTE – The Art Of Partying
(Earache)
www.facethewaste.com

The cover art and song titles (including ‘The Inebriator’, ‘Beer Pressure’ and ‘Septic Detonation‘) of Municipal Waste‘s second album suggest that it isn’t going to be a radical departure from their ‘Hazardous Mutation‘ debut. But who gives a shit? There are few bands who play thrash-core as fast, tight and funny as these guys do, and ‘The Art Of Partying‘ is more of the same, but better – lyrically, musically, and in terms of circle-pit fuel, too. Best enjoyed with a breakfast of Rice Krispies soaked in beer.

AGAINST ME! – New Wave
(Sire/Warners)
www.againstme.net

“All the punks still singing the same song!” howls Against Me singer Tom Gabel on ‘Up The Cuts‘. A commentary on the state of punk rock in 2007, perhaps, or maybe a condemnation of those that criticised his band’s decision to sign to a major label for this new album? If it’s the latter, then said criticism certainly hasn’t shaken AM’s confidence – ‘White People For Peace‘ and ‘Americans Abroad‘ are shot through with the ragged vocals and punk rock vigour of old, whilst elsewhere, the disco-stomp of ‘Stop’ and jerking rhythms of ‘Piss And Vinegar’ are as compelling as they are surprising. It’s not the Against Me that we used to know, Jim, but it’ll be interesting to see where they go from here.

TURBONEGRO – Retox
(Cooking Vinyl)
www.turbonegro.com

How, you might ask, does ‘Retox’ differ from Turbonegro‘s previous releases? The answer is: not much, but complaining that they still sound the same as ever is rather like complaining that premium-quality Black Forest gateau still tastes the same as ever. ‘Retox‘ may not scale the heights of the band’s 1998 ‘Apocalypse Dudes‘ classic, but the likes of ‘Do You Dig Destruction’, ‘Stroke The Shaft’ and ‘Hell Toupée‘ see Hank and co firing on all cylinders. Well over a decade since their inception, there’s no other band that sounds quite like Turbonegro – and they deserve kudos for that alone.

TURISAS – The Varangian Way
(Century Media)
www.turisas.com

‘Epic‘ is most definitely the word here. But then, you wouldn’t expect anything less from self-proclaimed ‘battle metal’ pioneers Turisas, who perform in full war paint and Norse warrior’s regalia, and boast a violinist and accordion player among their ranks. ‘The Varangian Way‘ sounds utterly huge in almost every way; a mesh of crunching old-school riffs, folk rhythms and orchestral soundscapes that wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack of ‘Braveheart‘. Bizarre as it may sound, it’s hard not to get caught up in the Wagnerian drama of tracks like ‘A Portage To The Unknown’; so kindly hand me my sword and flask of mead.