Category: Buzz Chart

A short potted history of the group know as Felt:

Living Legends rapper Murs teamed up with Atmosphere’s wordsmith Slug to form a side-project named Felt. 2002 – Felt: A Tribute To Christina Ricci was released, produced entirely by Living Legends member The Grouch. 2005 – Felt 2: A Tribute To Lisa Bonet was released, produced entireley by Atmosphere’s Ant. So, 2009 arrives and Felt 3 is on its way, with the production duties originally shrouded in mystery but recently revealed as being handled by Aesop Rock.

This track, Protagonists, is the teaser track with both Murs and Slug going in hard with the Minneapolis rapper throwing in a sung chorus [we all know how he loves to do that once in a while]. The build up in the intro gets the hype

“What you gonna do when we come through? / Hit undo, whatever you must do / Stay fly, get high and fuck you” raps Slug in an opening gambit which lays opposition immediately to the floor, with his LA counterpart continuing the braggadocia by acknowledging that Felt are your favourite group, without even being a proper group.

The guitar hook flits across the drums and subtly squeaking details with both rappers gliding along, making it seem casual and easy being the best around. If the rest of the album is as good as this track, then Felt 3 is gatecrashing the album of the year list.

Jak Bet.

Dinosaur Pile-Up are one in a seemingly very long string of frankly awesome bands emerging from Leeds at the moment.

Having inspired the slightly horrific but probably quite accurate title ‘nu-grunge’, their filthy guitars and power ball bass lines have been rocking the Crossfire stereo for some time. Now their new EP, brilliantly titled ‘The Most Powerful EP in the Universe‘ has just been released on the band’s own label Friends vs Records and showcases the band’s love for two of the finer things in life – the unholy riff and a whopping great melody. We can’t get enough of it!

With their own Wayne’s World style youtube channel (click HERE) now launched, Reading & Leeds performances just around the corner and their debut album still a mere speck on the horizon, things are definitely looking promising. Watch this space for our interview with the band coming very soon!

Trotty P.

The youth of today have the tools to trawl back thru bygone musical decades and effortlessly pin down the hippest, hottest platters du jour. The shit that matters. Not for them record collections littered with rarely played plastic brought on a whim, was reviewed in a ‘zine, recommended by a mates brothers best friend (etc, etc) or simply had a sweet looking cover… but ultimately did not make the grade. Rejected and condemned to a lifetime in the shadows.

Unlike many of their peers, who simply focus on one or two distinct points of musical inspiration/reference to base their musical aspirations on, the Shitty Limits have cast their net far and wide in a quest to soak up and be energized by seminal sounds from across the decades. Anyone who has witnessed them live, and picked up their limited run seven inches, will testify to the uncontrollable surge that blasts your senses when they let rip.

“Beware…” comes packed with a dozen tracks that show off their snotty and catchy lightening fast garage-thrash attack, and having heard many of these songs live, on many occasions, I’m just as stoked on the recorded versions, especially the magnificent “Hard Wired” which would not sound out of place on the “Suburbia” soundtrack. Love it. This album is definitely not destined for the dark dusty recesses of my record collection anytime soon, hah!

The vinyl pressing is available from London label La Vida Es Un Mus, or on CD/download from Boss Tuneage. Either way, don’t miss out on this cracking debut album from one of the UK’s most vital underground bands. ‘Limits, the Shitty…

Pete Craven

I last touched base with SoCal’s Nebula all the way back in 2001 and the “Charged” album, picked up after seeing them play a kick-ass set opening for The Hellacopters. Thankfully regardless of my own obvious ignorance to their evolution, the intervening years has seen Nebula continuing to tour hard and stick out records on a number of labels and I was definitely all ears to check out Nebula in 2009 when this disc arrived in my mailbox.

There is no question that the “Heavy Psych” tag does exactly what it say on the sleeve… mega-trippy spaced out hard rock with an archetypal fluid stoner groove that taps in to the indispensable leaden sounds of Sabbath, ‘Purple, MC5 and the Big Man himself… “Oh Jimi who art in heaven, Hendrix be thy name”… as Vim Fuego so touchingly lamented. Seriously, I don’t think there’s been much happening since about ’73 for these guys to get excited about!!

I’m typing this review on a beautiful warm summer evening, lights are down, stars are out, fireworks are going off in the distance… and from my stereo the supernatural jams of “Heavy Psych” fit the mood perfectly.

Pete Craven

Taken from their debut album, ‘Adult Nights’, California On My Mind is an irresistible taster from New Hampshire band Wildlight. Having supported Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem the band have been making a name for themselves over the last year, topped off with winning Outstanding Rock Out at the Boston Music Awards, and its little wonder with tracks like this.

Wonderfully raspy vocals filter through upbeat sunshine fuelled guitars that almost mask the hate filled lyrics by Jordan Alexander. The ‘fuck today…fuck San Francisco…fuck California’ venom is masked behind the bouncing bass line, addictive melody and the sauntering harmonica that has a wonderfully 70’s vibe. The vocal harmonies layer beautifully alongside a great guitar sound, resulting in a wonderfully catchy track.

Having known each other since childhood the band members have played in various other acts (including a stint in an earlier incarnation of Arcade Fire by Tim Kyle) and no member has a decisive role in the band. In this instance we’re treated to Alexander’s endearing vocals, but they switch and change throughout the album. ‘California on My Mind‘ is the perfect introduction from a band who are well worth a listen.

Adult Nights is out now.

Dee Massey

The Embassy are Sweden’s prime pop professors and designers behind the Göteborg scene, which boasts a wealth of fantastic indie bands such as The Tough Alliance and Studio (who named their own labels after Embassy songs).

This album of shimmery saccharine pop has been lulling the Crossfire stereo into submission with it’s blend of Cures-ish guitars and kitsch Britpop-y electronics. Chilled out yet catchy, it’s the perfect antidote to yet another disappointingly rainy British summer and a massive leap from their 2005 debut ‘Futile Crimes‘.

The Embassy are, so we’re told, an indie phenomenon in Sweden yet unbelievably pretty much unknown here on British shores. This new album ‘Tacking‘ boasts 9 refreshingly simple and uplifting tracks that we guarantee will be the soundtrack to the rest of your summer. Get involved!

Trotty P.

If you didn’t know the story; by the time the Stupids spluttered to a halt 20 years ago, only drummer/vocalist Tommy was an original member. Bar a brief return on drums with BYO outfit That’s It! he would successfully reposition himself behind a turntable, under the guise of Klute. The Stupids were a footnote on the golden years of Eighties UK Hardcore. Great memories (check), few excellent records (check) and that was it.

Or it was…? Last year Boss Tuneage released a comprehensive and finely packed retrospective of the Stupids entire back catalogue… and, next thing, Tommy has gotten the band back together, played a few gigs, and hit Southern Studios in early 2009 to lay down this brand new album. Fast work…

After repeated solid spins of this 16 song disc I’m liking what I’m hearing; sure, there is that warm feeling (if you will) of familiarity, with Tom’s distinct hollered vocals and machine-gun skin bashing, Marty’s razor sharp riffage, and a buncha funny/sarcastic songs that poke fun at new age bongo-bums, asshole music shop employees, middle age punks (pot, kettle.. ahhah??!!), Jesus freaks, etc… you know, the really serious shit in life that drags you down! End to end the material is upfront and fresh, super melodic and mighty powerful, certainly doesn’t stink of a blatant attempt to just rehash past glories. The musicianship is top notch, but that’s what always made these guys stick out in the first place… the quality of the songs.

I don’t buy in to every damn band that comes out of mothballs to try and recapture old times, but, whether the kids choose to like this or not, trust me – this LP is first rate. Still got the tuneage (dudes).

Pete Craven

The High And Mighty is a new 11 songs of punk pleasantries from Exeter’s own The Cut Ups. This album provides 34 minutes of punk with a melodic edge a la Against Me/Hot Water Music.

The record opens up with song The High and Mighty, which is a fitting opening track for it. Starting off with a simple guitar strum that has a delightful tone to it, giving the album a positive feel already and ending on an even better note. With other song titles such as Last Night I Dreamt I Saw Fugazi and Jakes Versus the Christmas Tree you know this album is going to have a nice ring to it. The Fugazi song especially being an ear opener, full of cheer and ending with the infectious chant of “We’re Still Here, But We’re Not Trying.”

The album as a whole is very appealing to allsorts, it can appeal to good old fashioned punkers, pop punkers, and maybe even indie fans as some of it sounds like more punk influenced Libertines songs. The ominous yell of singer Adam is a driving force of the music, it’s not the best singing voice in the world, but that makes it even better. His voice is deep and heartfelt, giving the music a more genuine wholesomeness.

At risk of sounding cheesy The High And Mighty is a truly uplifting album, and when you listen to it your mood will instantly be altered. That’s quite an achievement for a little band from Exeter! The music may not be the most technical ever written, and the songs might not have the most complex of structures but that’s how bands like this should sound. Stripped to the bare essentials and played with real honesty, The Cut Ups will leave you with a smile on your face.

Jonathan Teggert

Travels With Myself and Another is the new collection of 12 songs from Future of the Left, the follow up to their acclaimed debut Curses. Having never heard Curses I am diving into this album with full ignorance of FOTL’s past.

The album opens with Arming Eritrea, a song that has instantly got me wanting to hear more of this record. The song starts off very Stoogesesque with a very garage sound to it, it then builds into a lovely melodic chorus, a musical oxymoron that really sounds refreshing.

FOTL are definitely an experimental band, if you listen to the song The Hope That House Built you can hear something that sounds like a parade march. A stark contrast to the first two tracks, showcasing this band’s diversity. Each song has a sense of humour to it, the music and lyrics are fun and it’s very refreshing to hear a band that doesn’t take itself so seriously.

Tracks like Land of My Formers sound like a more harmonic Sex Pistols, this band really does have something for everyone. They could attract a very wide range of fans due to this; fans that could learn to appreciate the other songs, a very smart move on their behalf.

I feel this band is at risk of being categorized as indie but they are very far from this, I’ve never heard an indie band with music as assorted as this. It is very funky and easy to dance too, whereas you can also sit, listen and appreciate it. I’m genuinely enjoying this album and think it’s as clever as it is charming, I really think this could catch on.

Jonathan Teggert

Political punk rock isn’t scarce in this day and age, with plenty of bands jumping on the fuck the government bandwagon. This cliché has been around ever since Anarchy in the UK, but as long as governments keep screwing up, it’ll always be relevant. Anti Flag understand the concept of this with their new album The People or the Gun.

The sound is a tad more aggressive than their previous works, the first track Sodom, Gomorrah, Washington D.C. is a balls out punk song with a lighter edge. Sounding similar to iconic bands such as Bad Religion and Millencollin. The use of two vocalists set the tone for the songs, with one vocalist making things a bit angrier, and the other using his nicer voice to sing some poppier songs which will make perfect singalongs. However both vocalists’ songs aren’t short of a good old “Woooaaaah.”

Quite a few styles are blended into this record, the song You’re Fired sounds like a good old hardcore song, reminiscent of bands like Minor Threat and Bad Brains. Yet the song This is the First Night could be a Dropkick Murphy’s/Flogging Molly acoustic anthem. This could give Anti Flag a disadvantage though, someone might hear one song and think they really dig it, buy the album and think the rest sucks.

Not short of a catchy hook, the album is definitely more appealing than some of the tripe that is being spewed out lately. At the same time however, its nothing to write home about. It’s not going to go down in history as the best album ever written, but if Anti Flag just intend to strengthen their audience and bring in a few new fans then they can certainly achieve that.

A lot of it might be quite cliché, even the structures of songs are pretty standard for heavier pop punk, most songs sound like they could be featured on a Tony Hawk’s soundtrack. But the music is generally well written and deep down there are a few nice, original riffs in the album. Anti Flag have definitely evolved as musicians, and the album is a good listen, but it won’t be at the top of my albums of 2009.

Jonathan Teggert