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Buzz Chart Reviews Single Reviews

Francisco The Man

Francisco The Man
‘It’s Not Your Fault’
Fat Possum

Francisco_The_Man

Combining dreamy shoegaze-pop with a dose of high end, 90s indie rock, LA’s Francisco The Man have not only released a beautifully crafted track in ‘It’s Not Your Fault’ but also delivered a video to remember to go with it.

Director Alec Nicholas is said to have mimicked his own self obsessions with online viewing to get the most out of his work on this production. The story line is based around an internet stalker whose problem rises to shocking levels with an unhappy ending.

This band may not be a household name here in the UK yet but if their debut album Loose Ends is made up of more songs as amazing as this then 2015 will be their year.

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Buzz Chart Single Reviews

OFF!

jackblack

This will probably go down as one of the funniest music videos of 2014 and of course it’s coming from hardcore legends OFF! who have a habit of rolling out videos you will never forget.

In their new video for ‘Over Our Heads‘ they literally hit the jackpot for LOL’s. Jack Black stars as a stage diving coach, acid is taken, blood is spilled, bears go nuts, mutilation occurs, it’s amazing!Just hit play and wait for part two!

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Buzz Chart Single Reviews

Crushed Beaks

crushed_beaks
Crushed Beaks
‘Rising Sign’
Matilda Records

Even as a two-piece, London’s Crushed Beaks harboured a wide and expansive sound on record, now joined by Scott Bowley on bass duties, their chugging riffs sound mightier than ever before.

Let new single ‘Rising Sign’ set the standards – two and a half minutes of relentless chord bashing leaves your ears under severe tension, yet the sugared tones of Matthew Poile’s vocal cut through the mix with vigour, hurling his simple but sincere mantra into the foreground.

‘Rising Sign’ is taken from Crushed Beaks’ upcoming debut album Scatter, due for release on February 9th 2015 via the band’s own label, Matilda Records.

January Live Dates 2015

14th Leeds, Nation of Shopkeepers
16th Sheffield, Great Gatsby
17th Manchester, Kraak Gallery

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Buzz Chart

H Hawkline

H_hawkline
H Hawkline
‘Moons In My Mirror’
Heavenly Recordings

H Hawkline (aka Huw Gwynfryn Evans) has just shared an irresistible piece of guitar pop from his forthoming Heavenly LP, In The Pink Of Condition.

‘Moons In My Mirror’ is three solid minutes of lazy, post-punk chord play, ringing true underneath Huw’s curious lyrical wit as he nods to Richard Brautigan and a just-turned-solo Paul McCartney as personal influences. But musically, ‘Moons In My Mirror’ cries out to our Television trained ears with gusto. Stream this perplexing pop below and look out for the full album on February 2nd 2015.

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Buzz Chart Single Reviews

Bonfire Nights

Bonfire_NightsBonfire Nights
‘Ego Death’
Bad Vibrations

How could you refuse four aussies decision to juxtapose their psychedelic rock music with old footage from Soul Train? Wonder no longer as Bonfire Nights arrive with their new single, ‘Ego Death’.

Despite their trivial visuals, Bonfire Night’s aural offerings are sincere and cocksure. An alchemic groove transpires as organs purr, harmonies soar and riffs cascade around your vulnerable ears. Naturally, ‘Ego Death’s cool tempo reaches a breaking point where it can plod no longer, switching to double time fuzz for a coda of space-rock-epic proportions.

Bonfire Nights release ‘Ego Death’ as part of a split 7” with Tripwires this December 8th via Bad Vibrations. Catch them at The Shacklewell Arms this month.

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

King_GizzardKing Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
I’m In Your Mind Fuzz
Heavenly Recordings

Ok, just checking, we’ve all got over guffawing about the band’s name, right? We can just listen to the music, yeah? Cool. And you know what lies beneath the surface belies the goofiness. Roger Daltrey could see for miles and miles, but if he was standing in the Australian outback, home-ish to King Gizzard & The you know the rest, he could see even further and let me tell you, he’d (probably) be psyched by I’m In Your Mind Fuzz. King Gizzard probably couldn’t give a XXXX (ask your rowdy dad).

Like Thee Oh Sees, once this locks into a groove it doesn’t let go, like a dingo with a steak in his molars, and it doesn’t get more John Dwyer than on the song ‘Am I In Heaven?’

It’s unorthodox to have a seven piece band, but unsurprising given the intense blast of sonic thrust, particularly on the first four songs which come on like a suite. There are no gaps, just movements, and unerring ones at that, I haven’t heard such an explosive first half to a record since Fits by White Denim. The songs hang together so well they even only have slight variations in the titles – ‘I’m In Your Mind’, ‘I’m Not In Your Mind’ and ‘I’m In Your Mind Fuzz’ only held apart by a thin layer of a song named ‘Cellophane’. They also have a sense of humour as their skittish diversion into ‘The Streets of Cairo’ (otherwise known as the Snake Charmer song) demonstrates with venomous aplomb.

After the desert storm come slower, more psychedelic tropes, still with an Eastern mystic charm – think Jonathan Richman ‘Egyptian Reggae’ meets Tame Impala, except this is less tame than an impala, more like a disturbed rattler. A latecomer to this year’s garage party, I’m In Your Mind Fuzz will definitely still be on the mind come the New Year no matter how fuzzy you’re feeling.

Nick Hutchings

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Buzz Chart

Sego

segoSego
’20 Years Tall’
Kitsuné

Utah boys Spencer P. and Thomas C. struck out to the west coast and have never looked back since. Collectively, they are Sego, a two piece sound that’s as cutting edge as it is classic, and meets our ears first in the form of ’20 Years Tall’.

A toe-tapper from the get go, Sego lay down a campfire groove that continually reveals a blitz of influences. There’s all manner of guitar hooks, synth freak-outs and sweet harmonies flying past you, with a lyrical nod to the good times only. Demo tapes and minimum wage, LA style. Their new five track is out now on Kitsuné, get into it.

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Buzz Chart Reviews Single Reviews

The Proper Ornaments

now_i_understand_ the_proper_ornamentsThe Proper Ornaments
‘Now I Understand’
Fortuna Pop Records

There was a time this year when the only time I could hear this track was on Marc Riley’s 6Music radio show. I searched high and low for it online, like a hopeless addict, thinking that someone, somewhere would have uploaded it, but no. It was a wait that I had to endure until it legally emerged on their debut LP Wooden Head but it was worth the wait.

Since then, ‘Now I Understand’ has been on repeat weekly. It’s like driving an old American car that’s been rusting and dusty under a sheet for 20 years. You find her, start her up, cruise until you reach your destination with a smile on your face and then re-take the journey back to the beginning all over again because it felt so good.

One of the best tracks of the year for these ears. All hail.

Zac

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Album Reviews Buzz Chart

OOZING WOUND

oozing_wound_earth_suckOOZING WOUND
Earth Suck
Thrill Jockey

Chicago’s Oozing Wound first rocked my world to its seismic core when I heard their fragrantly titled Split LP with Black Pus, Brian Chippendale from Lightning Bolt’s side project. Their song ‘Ganja Gremlin’ and its wry take on an anti-drugs campaign showed that these guys took life with a pinch of -ahem- salt, even though their willingness to thrash is deadly serious.

On a similar vein, ‘Hippie Speedball’, from their second proper album Earth Suck (gravity to you and me) is, in the words of singer Zack Weil, about “the finest pairing of the succulent Cannabis Sativa to the delectable Coffea Arabica. It’s about weed and coffee, dude”.

To call them self-effacing is an understatement – they use a quote from the New Yorker magazine about being “happy to be a cheap imitation of Metallica and Slayer” as their social media tagline. They are no comedy band though, their musicality is super tight and their record collections obviously expansive – I can hear elements of Dischord label bands in amongst the death metal darkness. Give it a go, not least so you can watch your friends and family’s reaction when you tell them you love Oozing Wound.

Nick Hutchings

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Buzz Chart Reviews Single Reviews

Wu Tang Clan

wu_tang_clan_a_better_tomorrow_sleeve_art_album_download_free

Wu Tang Clan
Necklace

wutang-corp.com

“Knees buckle and legs unstable” indeed. News of a new Wu Tang tune being unleashed has struck the internet overnight. The new single Necklace from their forthcoming ‘A Better Tomorrow’ album features Cappadonna, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and GZA individually rapping about their paranoia of jewelry snatches and proving they are still protecting ya neck.

Look out for the new album on December 2nd.