Category: Buzz Chart

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Buzz Chart

Wand

wand_dungeonWand
‘1000 Days’
Drag City

It seems only moments ago that Wand first graced our ears with their fine sonic wares. April release Golem offered a marvellous display of velcro fuzz walls and crazed keyboard tones that would have had even DikMik quaking in his psychedelic boots. So it’s with much delight we find the band have teamed with Drag City, and are set to drop another brand new record this September 25th titled 1000 Days that you can stream below.

Lead tune ‘Dungeon Dropper’ wastes no time, steaming into the room on the sleaziest groove going. Though these new riffs seem to perch precariously on a sharp psychedelic switchblade – If King Buzzo was snarling atop these licks it’d be a total different story, and one coated in sludge. But with leading man Corey Hanson’s acid tinged harmonies fighting to the fore, this two minute stomper creeps into early Tame Impala and Pond territories, waving the sparkly freak flag sky high for all to see.

The album has a tendency to go from upbeat pop grooves to 60’s flower psych, to the most crunching riffs and psychedelic jams heard on record this year. It’s a phenomenal record that sees the band step into a new dimension that seems to fit like a glove.

Hit play below and order a physical copy of 1000 Days Our new interview with frontman Cory Hanson explains exactly what went into the making of it.

September Tour
6th End Of The Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens
7th The Exchange, Bristol
8th The Green Door Store, Brighton
9th Electrowerkz, London
10th Soup Kitchen, Manchester
11th Broadcast , Glasgow
12th The Rainbow Warehouse, Birmingham

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Buzz Chart

Hey Colossus

hey_colossus (2)Hey Colossus
‘Hop The Railings’
Rocket Recordings

These six sonic warriors only released their last record in February this year but prolificacy has prevailed with the announcement of Radio Static High, Hey Colossus’ 10th album release, due via Rocket Recordings this October 2nd.

Continually evolving and mutating onwards from their caustic early releases, guitarist Jonathan Richards explains, “after 12 years functioning in a Noiserock/Doom/Kraut/whatever scene of sorts, and being aware of unwanted repetition, we feel it is more subversive for us to compose songs with rigid song structures than it is to absentmindedly clang off another riff-athon.”

The album’s first cut ‘Hop The Railings’ confirms this proposed swerve of direction, laying down a mesmeric, rigorous and driving groove that never once falters through its cosmic six-minute lap. Hear it below and be sure to catch them live in London on October 9th.

Tour Dates
September
5th – The Audacious Art Experiment, Sheffield
11th – Double Dot Bash, Reading
26th – Liverpool Psych Festival, Liverpool

October
1st – Sticky Mike’s, Brighton
3rd – The Exchange, Bristol
9th – Electrowerkz, London (album launch party)
10th – Chameleon Arts Café, Nottingham

November
12th – The Firefly, Worcester
14th – Artsmith Gallery, Derby
20th – Islington Mill, Salford

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Buzz Chart Single Reviews

Bl’ast

Bl’ast
‘For Those Who Graced The Fire’ EP
Rise Records

blast_photo

In the mid-eighties, iconic Californian hardcore demons Bl’ast took Black Flag’s menacing heavy-fusion template created on their ‘My War’ album and ran with it, unleashing three albums from 85-89 on SST Records that blew minds, and the genre, apart. In 2013, with Southern Lord having just reissued the bands back-catalogue, Bl’ast took to the road again with original vocalist Clifford Dinsmore and guitarist Mike Neider playing alongside Nick Oliveri and Joey Castillo from Queens Of The Stoneage and the results, unsurprisingly, were devastating.

Re-inspired by the power of the music, the band hit the studio and have now recruited Dave Grohl and ex-Black Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski to fill in for Nick and Joey who had touring commitments, to record two new tracks for a new 7” EP. Now, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that that little combination can only be one thing, utterly explosive!

Sure enough, when first track ‘For Those Who Graced The Fire’ kicks in, Grohl’s unmistakable pounding drums detonate into life and the band lurch through a weird, contorted time signature that jars and splutters, uncomfortable and unsettling but powerful and addictive. ‘The Pulse’ is next, igniting with a churning signature Dukowski bass run before kicking into 60 seconds of prime nasty hardcore. Perfect.

It’s so good to hear Grohl back behind the drum kit and in good company, rather than the mainstream pap he churns out in his day job. His involvement will shine a lot of light upon this release. It’s deserved. The world needs to hear Bl’ast.

James Sherry

Pre-order the 7″ here or on iTunes.

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Buzz Chart

Sweat Lodge

sweat_lodge
Sweat Lodge
‘Bed Of Ashes’
Ripple Music

This Texan four-piece come armed with riffs heavier than railway sleepers, pummelling your ears with the kind of searing-hot sonics that summon images of the blistering heat-haze of the American South and the blast furnace’s of Birmingham in equal measure.

Flowing in a familiar toxic vein to that of the heavy metal giants that came before them, ‘Bed of Ashes’ see’s Sweat Lodge living up to their name with some sincerely psychedeli-sized metal doom. Austin Texas is approximately 4816 miles from Birmingham, West Midlands, but the moment you hit play on Sweat Lodge’s filthy, riff infested garage-dirge below you’ll be wrapped up in a delcious geographical nightmare that just keeps on giving.

Sweat Lodge’s debut album Talismana will be released August 7th via Ripple Music.

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Buzz Chart

Gang

(null)Gang
‘Eye Garden’

We first crossed swords with Brighton via Canterbury trio Gang earlier this year after they dropped their sledgehammer of a single,’ Silverback’, in January. Since then they’ve whirled through London peddling a fine set of sludge jams to a growing audience, so it’s with great pleasure we find live favourite ‘Eye Garden’ as their next move.

Showcasing the song writing talents of drummer Jimi, as his other-worldly vocal spook entwines with his brother and guitarist Eric’s, ‘Eye Garden’ creeps and crawls deep into your musical psyche via unhinged harmonies and dark, warbled guitar tones.

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Buzz Chart

Luminous Bodies

luminous_bodies_destroyedLuminous Bodies
‘Destroyed’
Box Records

If you thrive on the kind of acid-tinged scumbag dirge that the likes of Terminal Cheesecake, Psychic Pussies and Part Chimp all kick out then look no further, because all of the above make up the ranks of a new noise brigade who’re about to blow your ears clean off.

Luminous Bodies arrive with not one but two powerhouse drummers, and all the wall-of-noise string thrashing and throat-mangling howl you could ever ask for. Just fresh from North London’s esoteric Raw Power festival the five-piece have recently revealed ‘Destroyed’, a two-minute noise ride that’ll shred your ears off in seconds, and the first look at Luminous Bodies’ debut LP which is due early August via the commendable Northern noise outlet, Box Records.

Get in on this glorious racket below and look out for them tearing through London’s small venues over the coming months.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart

Obstruct

obstructObstruct
Loss of Blood
Carry The Weight Records

The Northern hardcore scene has a strong DIY history and background of producing killer music. Perhaps it’s something to do with the lack of a heavy music industry/major label presence, perhaps it’s just something in the water, but the crop of bands coming out of Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool etc. recently has been uniformly fucking brilliant.

Obstruct are continuing this tradition from the small town confines of Huddersfield, with their new album Loss of Blood harnessing their furious straight edge hardcore punk to create the gnarliest record of 2015 so far. With influences apparent from early Voorhees, Walk the Plank and Creem, the band don’t let up as they storm through 11 tracks which rarely break the 1 and a half minute mark.

Listening to track after track of blistering hardcore, you get the sensation of being punched repeatedly in the head by a fist of sound as the pace and energy refuse to let up, though this isn’t to say there is no delineation between songs. While the formula never strays far from full speed ahead, with distorted basslines and pounding drums to the fore, a sense of melody emerges from somewhere within the chaos and helps to make songs like ‘Infection’ and ‘Instigate’ stand out through the Blitz-style guitar.

This is music that goes straight from ear canals to adrenalin gland, a shot of aural caffeine which will probably fuel skateboarding missions for some time to come for yours truly. Add a hint of darkness to your summer and get hold of a copy from Carry The Weight Records.

Jono Coote

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

The Parrots

parrots_cover2_copyThe Parrots
‘Weed for The Parrots’
Luv Luv Luv Records

The fact that the sound of the 60s still resonates with teenagers to this very day can only be testament to the mighty garage genre. It’s a steady diet of lo-fi psych that seems to keep giving and rightly so.

The Parrots here are no strangers to this musical phenomenon. Brought up on small plates of the good stuff, these Spanish amigos have not only masterminded the fuzzed out, reverbed, laid-back sounds we associate with the classic nuggets of yesteryear, they also know how to smash it out live. Proof of this has been witnessed by many willing to dance like they are stuck in an earthquake at their own weekly parties, whatever country they choose to squat. Including us.

Live is where it’s at for this trio and ‘Weed For The Parrots’ feels like it’s been recorded straight to tape in your dad’s shed. It kicks off with the jangling riffs and upbeat tremors of ‘Terror’, closing sharply following a minute’s worth of garage gold that leaves you feeling like you have been cheated. This craving is made better with the stomping bass lines of ‘White Fang’ that jams into a frenzy fronted by Diego García’s wails, which leads superbly into a psychedelic riff akin to a valium rush from their flagship tune ‘To The People…’.

This come down doesn’t last long though, their cover version of the Almighty Defenders’ ‘All My Loving’ tips the scales as the most upbeat track on this EP. It’s one of the highlights in their live show and a closer at that. Pushed to 11, this party choon could make a room full of people explode and that is exactly what is does. As an incendiary tool, it’s their most potent track on the album in comparison to the ‘I’m Not Alone’ – a track that feels like school just ended, or the campfire sounds of ‘Wild’ that sees bassist Alex de Lucas take the mic in a stripped down, marshmallow dripping lo-fi ender.

As far as debut’s go, this is a rock n’ roll peach. We can’t wait to see what they have in store next.

Harry Palms

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart

Nopes

Nopes_Nectar_Of_The_Dogs

Nopes
Nectar Of The Dogs EP
Magnetic Eye Recods

Nosediving in at suicidal levels of volume, Bay-area punk rock four-way Nopes are sure to be the most agreeable racket you’ll hear all week.

This bunch sound like they’ve just strolled out of 1985 and they don’t give a fuck. Their soon to be released Nectar Of The Dogs EP is a five track ode to the raw and the rough basement sounds of yesteryear, with opening track ‘Matinee At Market’ setting the bar dangerously high.

Tube amps cranked hot and riffs cooking to boil over, Nopes thrash out a gloriously indecipherable barrage of noise and fun throughout. With lyrics snarled and spat and ‘skins beaten thin, tracks like ‘Backdoor Breakdown’ and ‘Homecoming’ sounding like a long-lost Husker Du/Angry Samoans collab plucked from the archives and span on fast forward. But the real crowd pleaser comes with closer ‘Jingle Berries’ – a hit repeat good stomper that sends the needle peaking into the red.

Head to Magnetic Eye Records from June 16th to grab a copy of this noisy gem.

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Buzz Chart

ODB – Muppets version

odb_muppets_version_shimmy_wu_tang

If you don’t smile a little when Dr Teeth from the Muppets fronts ODB’s ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’ in a Muppets re up, then you need to get yourself a scooter and ask your mates for an ice bucket challenge. How would you like your steak? This is hilarious.