Category: Buzz Chart

Album #2 from Melbourne, Australia’s ECSR, and another fine, fine collection of stripped down and basic raw hook laden PunknRoll from these fellas.

Opening number “Memory Lane” is loaded with the kinda simplistic and disconnected swagger and attitude that The Stooges dreamed up in Ann Arbor all those decades ago, and the likes of The Saints and Radio Birdman tapped in to in the mid-Seventies. Clearly, nothing new then about Australian bands being influenced by Iggy and the boys, but the ECSR have taken a well worn formula and given it a super-fresh injection, and produce mighty joyous and incredibly catchy music.

And whilst their debut LP had a slightly more Garage vibe to it, “Primary Colours” is loaded with a darker artier edge, with Wire getting a lot of reference. No bad thing, you’ll agree. I’ve had a copy of “Primary Colours” pretty much glued to my turntable for almost a week now, and it sounds better, and better on each consecutive spin.

It’s no wonder Eddy Current are such a hit at home, with their concerts and limited run records selling out instantaneously. Their popularity (including a recent run of supports to Devo) is clearly an issue of debate though with a buncha guys from the punk underground, which gets questioned in “Which Way to Go”… “and I weighed up the positives, and compared them to the negatives”. There’s no doubt in my eyes they could be huge, but as Bon Scott lamented… “I tell you folks, it’s harder than it looks”

Pete Craven

Hand Over Fist is the latest project album to come out of the Doomtree camp and features the Murder Maker, Mictlan on raps and beats by the currently untouchable Lazerbeak on their self titled effort. With the Doomtree crew album showcasing exactly what the Minnesotan crew are all about, Mictlan kicks the driver of the run away train out of the cabin and puts a brick on the accelerator.

It’s hard to imagine how Mike could take the level higher than he slammed down on False Hopes’ Hot Monotony or Game Over [Go Big Or Go Home] from the crew album, but somehow he manages it. Able to balance power with brains, this album is like a weightlifter grabbing you by the neck and slamming you against the wall, whilst getting in your face about the state of South American economies and there is simply no let up throughout the 13 track record.

Lazerbeak has proved over the past few years that he can switch his beats up, he can strip them down and get melancholy or he can bang some horns in. On this record he goes for the jugular from the very start and makes sure you are constantly slapping your hand against your head in astonishment. Whilst he brings huge drums in on every song, he also makes sure that when you slip the headphones on, you can pick out intricate little details, giving the music a depth that bores into you more and more with every listen.

The track you can hear by clicking above is Suicide Jimmy Snuffa and it gives a perfect example of what you can expect when Hand Over Fist drops at the end of September.

If you was I, supafly, if I was you, suicide slams Mictlan, and you know what? He ain’t wrong.

Abjekt.

From the Netherlands, Union Town came in under the radar in early August to play a handful of low key UK dates. I caught their Brighton gig, and was suitably blown away. This, their debut LP, purchased at said gig, has been racking up serious mileage on my turntable ever since.

At their core, Union Town are very much under the influence of mid Eighties D.C. hardcore, with Embrace, Gray Matter, Dag Nasty springing to mind, and by definition well crafted songs that are built around taught and passionate music that I instantly connect with. As witnessed by their live set, the four players in Union Town are very accomplished musicians, and that’s evident in the final delivery of these 9 songs, where they take the fundamentals of their roots, and then inject a mighty powerful shot of their own rocking style and inspiration. The production is incredibly sharp, and the end result is very much a Euro-sounding record. If names like Sink, Seven Sioux, Brambilla or K-Line mean anything to you… then I suggest further investigation on your part is required.

Check out opening track “Regenerated” on the player… this is easily one of my favourite records of 2008 so far.

Pete Craven

So Finch are back after a hefty hiatus which no doubt saw them work menial jobs and realize what they were missing out on having jacked it all in. The band played a couple of explosive sets when in the UK for Give It A Name and seem to ease between the material from each of their vastly different two albums these days where there was a definite separation between the albums in days gone by.

‘Daylight‘ from the band’s new digital EP is the best of both worlds from a band that struggled with a change in identity between their first and second albums. The crucial melody of the song is vital and gripping, whilst a gritty rawness still underlies the sound and permeates Nate’s vocals with an occasional slight gruffness. I would say that this is an admirable return to form but they never really lost their form, just had a bit of a break. It seems that this break has given them a chance to reflect, come back afresh and write some killer new material.

Winegums

The very idea of Bad Religion releasing a ‘Deluxe Edition‘ CD is ridiculous enough in the first place, let alone that the album was originally released a year ago, and now fans are being enticed to shell out their hard money again. Why not give people the option first time around to make their decision… regular or… deluxe! But I’m no businessman, and in these rocky times for the music industry clearly record companies have got to do what they can to shift those all important units.

Tagged on to the 16 tracks from ‘New Maps of Hell‘ there are now 7 acoustic tracks performed by Greg Graffin and Brett Gurewitz, consisting 3 brand new compositions and 4 unplugged versions of established Bad Religion songs, including “Skyscraper” which goes all the way back to ’93’s ‘Recipe for Hate‘ album. Jeez, these boys haven’t gotten this mellow since ’83 and the now long forgotten “Every Day” and “Waiting for the Fire” appeared on the Mystic Records compilation “The Sound of Hollywood (Vol 2)“. There is also a DVD disc with a Greg ‘n Brett interview where they talk about the acoustic tracks, videos for the excellent “New Dark Ages” and the appalling “Honest Goodbye“, and then concert footage of the band live in Las Vegas, with their full six-piece line up, tearing through 60+ minutes of classics from their extensive back catalogue. Shot on multi-cameras, it looks and sounds great. Would have been a good show to be at…

To complete the package, both discs are parked in a chunky sleeve and accompanied by the original ‘NMOH‘ lyric booklet, two BR posters, and a very neat collection of black and white photos of Los Angeles by photographer Dave Bullock.

It’s Bad Religion Jim, but just not as we’ve known it.

Pete Craven

Grammatics have been lurking around for some time now, leaving a trail of excited chatter and avid expectation in their wake. Impressive support slots, a clutch of single/EP releases and numerous festival appearances are strapped archly under their collective belt, and yet the forces that be have worked against the Leeds quartet meaning that only now have they made it to the studio to record that pesky first long player.

In an attempt to quell the thirsts of their growing legions of supporters, their latest offering is a single free to download from their web site. Almost as if pop is inspecting its distorted reflection in the water, ‘The New Franchise‘ is 4 minutes and 30 seconds of stretched, shattered and twisted melodrama. Emilia’s knuckle-duster cello carves up fluid guitar lines and enchanting melodies; this single takes your archetypal indie wiff-waff by the scruff of the neck and pummels it into something wholly more unique without losing the instantly engaging and sugar-frosted nature that makes pop so addictive in the first place. From power ballad to electro stonking beefcake belter in the batter of an eyelid, Grammatics are checking the boxes without falling prey to the clichés.

The soaring power of Owen Brinley’s vocals, flitting effortlessly across all octaves, is one of those inimitable sounds seemingly designed specifically to polarize opinions and demand that people care, whatever their surmise. At a time when more and more radio fodder seems to mar into one inoffensive blur, here are a band willing to take chances, to have opinions and to wield their creative vision with true conviction.
So keep your ear to the ground… should these four post-indie starlets in-the-making play their game of chess correctly and maintain the sparkle that has propelled them thus far, 2009 could most certainly and rightfully be theirs.

Kate Price

Scot Hull of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Pig Destroyer fame has been hard at work on planting the seeds of grind for what seems like ages now, but this compilation has finally arrived. Harking back to the grindcore / death metal compilations of yesteryear, This Comp Kills Fascists Vol.1 , serves as a blast from the past or as an almost “this is how we used to do things” jibe at the pierced, dyed, myspace-core nonsense of present. So it’s 14 bands. 51 tracks. Gentlemen….time to grind.

The main point to mention about this record would be the long overdue return to the studio of New York Grindcore legends, Brutal Truth, recording new tracks for the first time in almost a decade. Although Kevin Shrape, Dan Lilker and co have aged their music is still skull shatteringly intense. It still obliterates all in its path, as demonstrated in tracks ‘Dogs of War‘ and ‘Turmoil‘. The Truth are back and are equally as brutal as they were in 1992.

Although some bands like Maruta, Spoonful Of Vicodin and Wasteoid fall short of the mark (…..it is Grindcore…..what do you want?!) most step up and kick you straight in the teeth in this stripped down and raw record. Example? Weekend Nachos. They sound like Ringworm having a bare knuckle fist fight with S.O.D. Their sludgy yet high paced metal is entertaining and a welcome break from the failings of the opening tracks of the compilation courtesy of Agents Of Satan.

Chainsaw To The Face are as equally as harsh as their fucking awesome name suggests, while Shitstorm are as filthy and ….well….weather based as their name suggests. Rich Hoak pulls double duty on this record drumming with Brutal Truth and the just as legendary Total Fucking Destruction. The punk-jazz fusion-metal insanity is fantastic and nothing less that what you would expect from Philly’s finest grind institution.

Moody as fuck, death metal outfit Insect Warfare are another band to watch out for. The classic machine gun drums pelted with chugging grunts from both the guitars and vocals leave you feeling battered. The psychotic Kill The Client pull no punches with their old school style, mixing your typical grindcore samples and feedback before putting your ear drums in a blender. Overall a huge – and I mean HUGE – assault on your senses.

Man Will Destroy Himself shifts gear slightly with easier to swallow hardcore punk. Just because it’s easier to swallow on this record doesn’t make it any less abrasive. It’s fast as fuck and heavier than the average American child. The shrill, gargled vocals from front man ‘Earthworm’ coupled with clanging guitars and hardcore breakdowns; it’s the perfect addition to a record that could be in danger of sounding “samey” to the untrained ear.

If you are a fan of any the bands mentioned above, or have a hard-on for music of the “Power Violence” persuasion, then this is THE soundtrack to your lonely nights, blogging about how grindcore has changed whilst hunting for that illusive AxCx 7″on ebay. That’s not a bad thing….is it? IS IT?!? Answers on a postcard.

Tom Lindsey

Busy Signal has been smashing it up in his native Jamaica, but remains relatively unknown over here. However, with the release of his new album, Loaded, and this ridiculously good single Tic Toc, that could well be about to change.

This track has all the ingredients for a club smash, it’s got a booming bass drum that gets the body moving and a chorus that is more catchy than the common cold. The track is a combination of the typically high tempo dancehall energy and the hip hop blueprint and Busy Signal has been able to make the connection with consummate ease.

Coming from a crew that spawned the likes of Elephant Man, Mavado and Bounty Killer, all the signs are there for Busy Signal to make waves in this country and beyond and with this track and Unknown Number on the single release, you’re going to have to be deaf not to realise the potential of what is to come on Loaded.

All together now, Tic tic tic tic toc, tic tic tic tic toc, tic tic toc.

Abjekt.

Any decent record collection should have sounds to fit any mood that the owner might happen to be in. Nick Drake for when you want to chill out. Andrew WK for when you want to party. The Smiths for when you’re feeling depressed. Well, how about something for when you feel like smashing someone’s face in with a brick and you just want to feel the warm blood from their pulverized face running across your knuckles and down your arm? Then may I recommend ‘Violent Reprisal‘ by grindcore ‘Supergroup’ Lock-Up? Feeling angry sir? This is the perfect soundtrack to your violence.

Featuring an all-star grindcore cast of Tomas Linberg (At The Gates), Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Nick Barker (Bimmu Borgir) and Peter Taggren from Hypocrisy, ‘Violent Reprisal‘ features thirty tracks of screaming hyper-fast grindcore that harks back to the early says of ‘Scum‘ era Napalm Death and genre defining bands such as Terrorizer and Siege. Every track is as tight and vicious as you’d expect from a bunch of musicians who have played so much extreme metal over the years they can probably drop blastbeats in their sleep. Their enthusiasm for the music, however, seeps out of every bloody pore of this record and you can’t help but get swept up in the aural riot. Fucking hostile.

James Sherry

Where many punk bands splutter and run out of creative juice and energy after one great debut album, followed by a disappointing follow-up, Wire are the exception to the rule. Although the band surfaced as the first wave of UK punk washed over the world in 1976, they were always different from their many one-chord thrashing contemporaries. To this day their debut album ‘Pink Flag‘ is one of the most creative and energized albums of the early punk era. Short, sharp songs with weird off-kilter rhythms and strange structures are successfully fused with a brilliant pop sensibility that make ‘Pink Flag‘ a genuine classic of it’s era and a huge influence on everything from the DC hardcore of Rites Of Spring to the spiky brit-pop of Elastica (who robbed the band of everything they created!).

After Pink Flag they went further and further out into the unknown on subsequent albums, becoming more and more progressive but always making sure the pop hooks were still firmly clamped on.

And against all odds, the band are STILL creating good and challenging music. After a series of EP and single releases, ‘Object 47‘ is their first full new album since 2003’s ‘Send‘ and is far more melodic and song based than the fierce and abrasive brilliant middle-aged tantrums of ‘Send‘. Although there’s still an underlying creepiness to their sound and all of the band’s trademark creativity is still intact, songs like ‘One Of Us‘ and ‘Perspex Icon‘ are perfect odd-ball pop that recall some of the band’s later eighties material.

Winding up with the decidedly nasty, almost industrial sounding ‘All Fours’, ‘Object 47’ is the sound of a band still loving what they do and not willing to join the punk nostalgia circuit that so many of their ilk are stuck on.

James Sherry