Category: Buzz Chart

If you’ve yet to discover the delights of The Hold Steady, then here’s a taste of what you’ve been missing. The New York quintet’s recently released third album ‘Boys And Girls In America‘ is arguably an early contender for album of 2007; a feast of whiskey-soaked alt-rock anthems that owe a debt to The Replacements and Bruce Springsteen, whilst still sounding remarkably fresh and vital.

‘Stuck Between Stations‘ is the first track, and a very fine introduction to the band it is too. Amidst the chiming piano and bold guitar licks, vocalist/guitarist Craig Finn reels off his stream-of-consciousness lyrics with the knowing aura of a guy who’s spent more than a few nights with nothing but his guitar and the long, winding roads for company.

You can check it out on the link above, and be sure to see the band live when they return to these shores for a few dates in early July:

2nd – London Shepherds Bush Empire
4th – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
5th – Manchester University

Alex Gosman

Smash together The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Pixies and The Sex Pistols and what do you get? The best thing to come out of Coventry since Lady Godiva and her naked horse-riding skills.

The Ripps combined quirky bright songs with a punk attitude that more than likely involves spitting in the street and swearing a bit, and Long Live The Ripps is the result. The debut album from brothers Patch and Raul Lagunas, along with adopted sibling Rachel Butt, draws on so many influences it is impossible not to like it.

They describe themselves as “Alcopopalyptic, Chiptastic & Tostadora”, but I reckon a better analogy would be Graham Coxon having a breakdown and going mental at a passing one-man band, then apologising and buying the poor bloke a nice cup of tea.

Long Live The Ripps is one of those albums you should definitely get if you like Specials covers and songs about getting in fights with drunken idiots who don’t like your haircut.

Tim Mogridge

It’s been 2 years since we last had a release from Aesop Rock. Following his amazing Labor Days album in 2001 came Bazooka Tooth, which saw him change up the production style and carried on into the Fast Cars, Danger, Fire And Knives EP.

Whether you loved his newer style or wanted him to go back to the days of Labor Days and Float, Aesop Rock has always been able to surprise people, and this title track, taken from his upcoming album None Shall Pass, does it once again. Switching up to a faster beat, Aes Rizzle certainly hasn’t left one thing behind – his crazy use of words, peep the first few lines of this track:

“Flash that buttery gold, jittery zeitgeist wither by the watering hole, what a patrol, what are we to heart huckabee art fuckery suddenly? Not enough young in his lung for the waterwings? Colourfully vulgar poacher outta mulch like “I’m ‘a pull the pulse out a soldier and bolt”. Fine. Sign of the time we elapse when a primate climb up a spine and attach.”

Yeah, we’ll have whatever he’s on please. Right, get this track playing, it’s dope, plain and simple.

Abjekt

Upon their inception in 2005, Chokehold – a five piece metal band based in Oxfordshire – swiftly set about turning a previously stale metal scene on its head. Planting their roots firmly in the DIY ethics of old, the band hit the road at every given opportunity. After building a reputation as a dynamic live act, the band was quickly offered a co-headline slot on the Zero Tolerance sponsored ‘Metal Thrashing Mad’ tour, as well as a support slot to Germany’s Caliban.

Tearing themselves away from the live stage, Chokehold entered the studio with friend and producer Steve ‘Geezer’ Watkins to record the five-track EP ‘Legion’. Raw, dynamic and unrelenting, the disc soon caught the attention of Casket Records, who released the quintet’s debut full-length – the Nick Hemingway produced ‘The Killing Has Begun‘ – in April 2006. The album soon gained positive reviews from the likes of Terrorizer, Zero Tolerance and the Metal Observer. A video for the track ‘Faith of Fear‘ was completed soon after, receiving heavy rotation from Scuzz TV with the offer of a guest host slot on Total Rock radio following.

However, it wasn’t long before the urge to hit the road again became overpowering. In September 2006 they joined forces with Sinocence and Sandstone as the headline act on the ‘Casket Lullabies Tour’, tearing across the UK and Ireland for some 2 weeks and earning a sterling 4K review from Kerrang! Magazine in the process.

Since then the band has been hard at work in the studio, and following a mammoth 6-week recording stint have completed their new album entitled ‘Sweet Sense of Genocide‘. Clocking in at more than 40-minutes spread over 9 tracks, it represents Chokehold at their best; blending their love for old school thrash with a 21st century twist to create a genuinely unique sound.

Having torn down arenas alongside metal titans Lamb of God and Slipknot, slayed the main stage of Ozzfest and shifted over 300,000 copies of previous effort ‘The War Within‘ in the process; Shadows Fall are undoubtedly one of modern metal’s hardest hitting players. With a new album – their first in almost 3 years – and new deals with Atlantic and Roadrunner for North America and Europe respectively, can they maintain such impeccable standards?

Quite simply, they can. With renowned producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush) at the helm, ‘Threads of Life‘ sees the band delving ever deeper into their hard rocking thrash roots. Showing utter disregard for current climates and trends it’s an album that truly defines the quintet’s sound, pushing the envelope whilst remaining true to themselves and their audience. From the anthemic ‘Redemption’, through the savage riffing of ‘Stormwinds‘ and on to the seven-minute epic that is ‘Final Call’; ‘Threads…‘ shows Shadows Fall to be one of the most technically gifted yet ultimately crushing bands around.

Ryan Bird

Blessed be The Sword, for verily these four Texans worship unashamedly at the altar of the riff.

Taken from last year’s excellent ‘Age Of Winters’ album, ‘Freya’ is an unapologetically heavy, groove-laden treat for your ears that indicates what Black Sabbath may have sounded like, had they come from the Deep South instead of the West Midlands.

The punked-up metallic juggernaut of ‘Iron Swan’ (recorded at CBGB’s last year) on the B-side only serves to further sweeten this already highly enticing deal.

Fans of Clutch found plenty to get excited about as The Sword wowed the crowds as the support on their recent tour of the UK. If you missed out on seeing the band then, consider yourself reprimanded, and make sure you get out to see them whenever they’re over next. In the meantime stream the track above and buy their album!

“Time to start spitting blood again/Punk rock needs you again!” roars TGOAT vocalist Tom Lacey on opening track Bored Of Math, and you can’t help but admire his conviction. This Brighton quintet are probably sick of being compared to Gallows by now, but they do share many of their best traits with Frank Carter’s mob:

The dissonant rock n’ roll swagger, the huge crashing waves of metallic guitar – and most notably, the welcome sense of danger and unpredictability that infuses every track on this debut album. If this is indeed where the fight begins, then you’d be well advised to sign up for TGOAT’s cause; because right now they’re sounding unbeatable.

The track you can hear here is the recklessly powerful Left For Dead, showcasing TGOAT’s supreme ability not only to thrash their way through a track, but also keep you interested, forcing your ears to open up to the pouding they’re about to take. With the drums hammering their way through the thundering guitars, Tom Lacey’s screamed vocals rip holes in the airwaves and show you just why these guys are getting the attention they so thoroughly deserve.

Check out Alex Gosman’s interview with the band by clicking here.

The Arctic Monkeys don’t know Brian. Well, they might do. “I can’t remember Brian now… I dunno if he were in me imagination or what… it’s a blank spot in me brain… I think that’s what he wanted.” Fair enough, Alex.

Either way, the Sheffield lads are back with their new single Brianstorm off the eagerly anticipated album Favourite Worst Nightmare. Galloping off with dirty, heavy guitars and dancey drumbeats, this is a definite change in sound for the band. Heavier and edgier, but still staying true to the Monkeys sharp look at those characters that we can all identify with.

Catchy as hell, Alex Turner again manages to deliver his own brand of Yorkshire vocals with just as much as passion as before, Brianstorm seems set to be another frenetic indie anthem. Seriously, I’m dancing like I’ve had one too many on a Saturday night whilst writing this. This is going to be played in my head-jukebox all day, probably longer.

And whilst no-one, not even the band, knows who this Brian bloke is, or even if he exists, I don’t think it matters. This is sure to get the “t-shirt and tie” kids dancing in indie clubs all across the country.

Tim Mogridge

They’ve only gone and pulled it off haven’t they? Enter Shikari have shrugged off the flirtatious advances of the majors, stuck to their principles and released their seminal debut album on their own label. What’s more- it’s winging it’s way up the charts with a dizzying pace. Having kept a tight rein over artistic control the St Albans upstarts have produced the albums they wanted to release, and it’s a rib cage rattling, heart thumping, trance explosion from start to finish.

Mix hardcore punk, trance, electronica with a heft dose of attitude and the result is Enter Shikari. They’ve bought together a diverse and well rounded collection of tracks, singles ‘Anything Can Happen in the Next Half Hour’ and ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’ stand out from the pack with their almost euphoric rage, surging upwards, winding themselves into angst ridden knots. Rou’s vocals are at time dark, at times demented -but always with that wonderful raw edge. Interspersed with raucous instrumentals, tracks seem to melt into one another, their frayed edges merging into one.

‘Take to The Skies’ isn’t polished; it’s far from perfect with some ropey vocals recording at times, but therein lies the charm. They guys even reveal their sensitive side with the acoustically driven ‘Adieu’ but it seems like they’re merely biding their time before they can crank up the adrenaline again. ‘No Sssweat’ is old school punk, with more than a nod to Refused coming through at times.

‘Mothership’, the download only first single, is a wrecking ball of vitriol, with Rou growling out lyrics, whilst the rest of the album meshes effervescent trance with biting, spikey guitars, a combination that makes their live sets explosive. Have them managed to cage their live sound into a studio album – well, yes – to a point. But no matter how raw and unfettered this album is, Enter are a band that come alive on stage, and take it to another level when faced with a packed-to-the-rafters venue.

With their fusion of trance and hardcore, Enter Shikari look set to dominate this summer with an ever growing list of festival slots. It’s refreshing for a debut album to actually live up to the hype and buzz proceeding it, ‘Take to The Skies’ is an in-your-face showcase of a band that are injecting new life into the British music scene.

Dee Massey

Seattle’s Blue Scholars previous two records, their self titled album and the Long March EP set up forward thinking lyricist, Geologic and an adept beatmaker Sabzi as a group to look out for on the hip hop scene. With their summery tunes, they gathered critical acclaim from all over and finally took the step up by signing to the newly risen Rawkus alongside the much hyped Kidz In The Hall.

This track, North By Northwest, is taken from their forthcoming album Bayani and showcases all that is great about the duo. From the swaying brass through the heavy snare claps to Geologic’s bigging up of his home territory, this is a track that you’re going to be hitting the replay button on time and again.

“Two Scholars rock fresh” he says as the unrelenting tunes marches on and after hearing this four and a half minute blast of feel good hip hop, you’d be one hell of a fool to disagree. Bayani should make waves this year if this song is anything to go by, so keep those ears ready for more.

Abjekt