Category: Buzz Chart

It’s that time of the year when the best chilled records are being lined up to be released just in time for those first rays of UK sun. Last year I managed to get consistently wrecked and mangled to Brightblack Morning Light’s unbelievable dreamy long player, but this year I have a sneaky feeling that Speck Mountain may have just made a claim for the come down record of 2008.

Sleeping comfortably in the noisy realms of Chicago, this 3-piece fronted by the 60’s infused vocals of Marie-Claire Balabanian use various instruments to provide a laid back soundtrack that would not be out of place in a record store laying next to classics such as Mazzy Star and The Velvet Underground. Close your eyes and think about a mix of pulsating vintage organs, lazy piano’s, teasing guitar riffs and lo-fi percussion and you are almost there. ‘Summer Above’ is a wonderfully dreamy folk and indie record that will melt your mind and take you on a journey, look out for it this month.

Zac Slack

Ever wondered how James Brown would have sounded, had he tried his hand at punked-up rock n’ roll? We’ll never know for sure, but thanks to Rocket From The Crypt, we won’t have to imagine too hard.

The San Diego sextet were impressive enough on record, but live, they were nothing short of electrifying; blasting out their brass-laden, sweat-soaked anthems with no shortage of swagger and a fine sense of showmanship. Soul Brother No. 1 would have definitely approved.

‘R.I.P.’ is a CD/DVD recording of the band’s last ever show; a hometown gig that took place on Halloween in 2005. It was never going to be a tearful,subdued affair; a fact made clear when the band take the stage in ridiculous fancy dress outfits and blast into ‘French Guy‘ with all the restraint of a pack of hungry dogs in a butcher’s shop. It sets the tone for the whole show, and you can only marvel at how on earth the band managed to play with such intensity, night after night, for nigh-on sixteen years.

On this side of the Atlantic, RFTC were best known for their mid-90’s hit ‘On A Rope‘. A great tune, indeed, but by no means the best that the band had to offer. Check out ‘I’m Not Invisible‘ on the link above, and if you weren’t lucky enough to see them live, then be thankful for this chance to catch up on what you missed.

Oh, and be sure to play it LOUD. It’s what they would’ve wanted!

Alex Gosman

When it comes to UK hip hop, the usual names are always floating at the top of the pile – Jehst, Verb T, Harry Love, you know the deal. But let us not forget the one man who likes to flip reality on its head and bring the horror into our realm – Kashmere. Kashmere is back with a new album, Raiders Of The Lost Archives, and showcases what’s to come with the lead single Do The Numbers.

The Jehst and LG produced track swings into action with some ridiculous upright bass and dusty snares with Kashmere slamming in almost immediately with his typical flow promising to murk “all bastards”. The beat and the vocals compliment each other perfectly and with the chorus saying “One, two and one more makes three, we’re gonna teach everybody how to MC”, you know the rapper is bringing it hardcore and meaning every word he says.

The b-side to the single and also featured on the album is Dawn Of The Darkness, produced by Fly Stallone [ok, so I made that up, but he’ll love it] aka The Last Skeptik. The beat is defiantly upbeat with an almost whistling melody which is brilliantly juxtaposed by Kashmere’s lyrics which recount the tale of pain, blood and carnage. Want to hear a fella rap about meeting the guardian of hell? You got it right here!

“24/7 is the rate of combustion” says the Iguana Man to kick the single off, which is seriously apt, as this album is fire.

Abjekt.

It’s not often you see grime in the buzz chart, but this one just couldn’t miss out. P-Money‘s latest opus What Did He Say? is the most militant grime track since Pow! so you’d be a fool not to check it out. If this song were a person, it’d be a renegade ninja, knifed up to the teeth and ready to fuck you up so bad you’re pissing out of your nostril before the nurses even get to you.

The track blasts in with a ferocious beat, pouding your speakers [if you don’t have them turned right up, you’re a pussy] and P-Money makes it perfectly clear that if you cross him, you’re going to be fucked up sooner rather than later. With lines like “Suck your mum as fast as you can I’ll time you” and “Hold on what? You don’t like who? DICKHEAD! Mind who you’re talking to”, it’s obvious he ain’t in the mood for games.

This tune is big. So big in fact, that it makes Rik Waller look like an oompa loompa. So stop reading this, tool up and listen to the track.

Abjekt.

I’ve been told to listen to two bands this month because I might like them. From the Reverend Abjekt I was instructed to listen to Cool Kids, who make groggy basslines and are black. I was also told to listen to Black Kids, who make happy indie pop, are two-fifths black, and aren’t cool.

Now normally I like this type of Prozac-fuelled, cutesy video, lots of shouts and hand claps music, and I don’t even mind the song matter being particularly minimal with very little substance. Songs about fruit jam and sodapop, unicorns on crack, or teaching moves to some pillock with the dance abilities of Heather Mills are fine. But this is pretty much biting on everything that’s been done before.

They’re getting a lot of recognition, and for good reason. They write catchy songs, have a great sound, but it’s almost identical to Architecture in Helsinki and Of Montreal. In fact, I actually thought it was AiH when I first started listening. Oh, and when I put it on the second time round, the phone rang. It was Robert Smith asking for his voice back.

So, a catchy, well-played song, with more than an influence of some already brilliant bands just means that having listened to this, I’m more inclined to put my In Case We Die Hissing Fauna Galore remix CD on instead.

Moose.

This might be news to you but here’s a news flash, My Pal by utterly-obscure-split-up-years-ago Australian underground garage rockers God is one of the best punk rock seven-inch singles of all time, ever. It’s rough, ragged, sounds like shit but contains stamped within it’s grooves a raw emotion that never fails to get the hairs up on the back of the neck.

‘You’re my only friend, and you don’t even like me,’ they scream as the repetitive lead guitar hook line repeats over and over and lodges itself into your brain for good.

They never really wrote another song that came close to this, thus explaining their obscurity but this is Butchers Hook’s personal favourite single of all time and they must be ecstatic to have the chance to throw it back into the spotlight 20 years later.

My Pal crackles with energy and youthful mayhem. It’s Husker Du meets Dinosaur Jr meets Squirrel Bait and is drenched in so much fuzz you’ll think your ears are fucked. And they will be. Fucked by God.

James Sherry

Ah, Foals. Time was when no-one had heard of these Oxford lads, and they were playing in underground (literally below sea-level) clubs, which flooded whenever it rained, had sewage coming up from the blokes toilets, and flies buzzing round your pint.

However, the buzz is not floating in your watered down lager, but surrounds their latest single Cassius from the debut album ‘Antidotes‘. A mix of ultra-cool haircuts, sharp guitar beeps and dancey beats, this is by far the best track on the album and is getting throughly rinsed on the old electric shitbrick.

With the NME hopping onboard the fanlist, but with brilliant music to back up the hype, Foals definitely get the thumbs up from me, as well as about a million other people with better haircuts than mine.

They’re named after an animal as well, which is a serious bonus. A baby animal at that.

Moose

So a couple weeks ago, I had a little impromptu house party; a quaint get-together, where the guests were kindly asked to bring their own particular catalyst for self-destruction, though this was primarily due to me lacking in such a department – naturally. Amongst the uninvited was Jessica Insomnia, her cousin, Eduardo Fatigue, his significant other, Felicity Unenthusiastic and of course, what kind of party would it be without the one and only Quentin Growing-Impatience.

Sebastian Routine called me up and said he couldn’t make it because he was feeling a little bit under the weather. I replied, “Whilst the weather is firmly beneath me, I have no idea what you’re talking about, there is no party here.” I was of course, mistaken. Accidents happen, and by this time whisky was spilt where the sun never bloody shines and I was busy trying to avoid Wendy Malnourishment, who I had a fling with once.

I should mention that not all impromptu accidents result in a metaphor heavy hoopla involving personified negativity. Take Crystal Castles superb debut single from 2005 ‘Alice Practice‘, as a perfect example; pure mayhem, shrieks and glitches, all confined tightly in angst fuelled euphoria thanks to the pressing of a record button by a multi-instrumentalist genius. After three years of yearning, and one appearance on that programme that instantly makes you cool, their mind bending, self titled debut is ready to take on our unprepared ears.

This is a more than just a step forward; this is sheer unadulterated bliss. A gorgeous soundtrack of the electronic apocalypse Drop any track off this monstrous LP, and any uninvited Chris Waddle will leave in a plethora of tears. Then you, Sally Sexual, Alice Wonderland, Stephen Shakedown, Zachary Boogie and Stephanie Feel-Good can boogie, wiggle and shake until the world as we know it, exists no more.

Up in the Buzz Chart player, is the incredible ‘Untrust Us‘, which takes that eerie sample used on Death From Above 1979’s ‘Dead Womb‘, puts in through a shredder and then unleashes it into freedom. Mmmmm… great.

Joe Moynihan

What do you get when you cross rump shaking and Kate Moss? Well, once you’ve taken your minds out of the gutter, I’ll tell you. Kate Moss’ current squeeze and his band mate make up The Kills, and they’ve teamed up with Spank Rock’s XXXChange on production for their new album Midnight Boom.

The album is a catchy little record, with sing-a-long choruses and finger strumming melodies and these are in full effect for the track you can here above, Cheap And Cheerful. With the chorus telling us “I want you to be crazy, coz you’re boring baby when you’re straight / I want you to be crazy, coz you’re stupid baby when you’re sane” you can’t help but jump out of your seat and spaz out to the beat… right? RIGHT?

The rest of the album continues in the same vein and prove that even if the band aren’t making groundbreaking music, the underlying groove is there and you don’t even need to be dating some skinny oik from Croydon to appreciate it. Winner!

Abjekt

With Santogold being touted as the next thing to blow up and the world salivating over the likes of electro kings Justice and MSTRKRFT, it’s to be expected that a host of similar artists are going to be popping up all over the place.

Whilst you may have to sift through a lot of crap, the odd gem pops its head up and twinkles at you, beckoning you to have a listen, play the next song, throw on a reload and check it out again. He Say She Say are just that type of gem.

Unsigned, they only have two songs on their MySpace but what belters both of those songs are. Modesty Is Key starts off with a little bit of fuzz, then some handclaps, a triangle and then the drums which bounce around as Drea twirls her voice around the beat.

“You wanna slide your fingers down my sweater vest” – That’s the sort of lyrics you can expect, so what are you waiting for? Get clicking!

Abjekt