Category: Music

New Jersey’s The Gaslight Anthem have melted the hearts of people across the UK this year with a lot more heart melting to be done! Their punky, slightly Bruce Springsteen-esque anthems transcend a multitude of scenes resulting in something truly genuine and definitely worth a listen no matter what music you’re into.

New single ‘Old White Lincoln‘ is no different to any other song from sophomore album ‘The ’59 Sound’. Expertly paced with a cunning combination of gentle musical prowess and a rousing singalong chorus, this track is something you can listen to on a rowdy roadtrip with your friends or on a mundane Sunday at home with your parents. But perhaps not if your parents are anti-tattoos.

There are pretty much no limits to where The Gaslight Anthem’s heart-rending music would be appropriate so the chances are that there will be an occasion soon when you’ll find their soothing tones a comfort or an inspiration.

Winegums

This is the first single from the Goons’ second album I Hate My Hair And Want To Die, which carries on their very stripped back, garage band esq. sound but also happily maintains their supreme catchiness.

The Goons were never meant to be a band, they formed in 03 on the set of Ozzie Wrongs (aka Oscar Wright-lead singer) film Wasted Youth, about a group of surfers who form a band. This in turn sparked mass creativity and the immense urge to form a real band and The Goons of Doom were born.

Back to the song then. The band describes For A Girl as: “Man’s eternal search for peace within the confines of male-female bonds,” which is spot on, those 12 words some up the 4:27 song perfectly…. but is this a bad thing?

Should a song by a band that categorically don’t really give a fuck and totally don’t take themselves seriously (echo’s of Fingered springs to mind …”we got so high, ate some magic mushrooms and I swear I fingered you again..I swear I fingered you again..I swear I fingered you again..it was a weekend come-on,”) be so easily and so philosophically summed up?

In my honest opinion no and I am not contradicting my self. I do realise I earlier wrote that it maintains their supreme catchiness and it does, I stand by what I said. I first listened to For A Girl two days ago and yesterday I found myself humming the tune in the shower and I had it in my head all day, but this doesn’t mean the song is brilliant, its average at best.

The lyrics aren’t great ” I understand I shouldn’t smoke but I’m a smoking kind of bloke and promise not to choke I’m not from choking kind of folk,” is just one of the lines which don’t work, its almost child like rhyming.

I really hope this doesn’t showcase what is to come from the new album, a step back if you will. The Story Of Dead Barbie And Ghost was a fun mixture of 60s Britpunk, sometimes straight up punk and horror pop madness which worked so well. I just pray the Goons haven’t grown up too much and made a record of so-so poppy love songs.

Marc Ramage

At a time in the UK when most indie rock bands preferred to gaze at their feet and flop their fringes about to the fey music shimmering from their amps than rock the fuck out, Swervedriver were a deep breath of petrol infused air. The release of their debut album ‘Raise‘ back in 1991 provided the UK with one of the few bands that could stand up to the barrage of incredible alternative music flooding out of America at the time.

Although they hailed from the university town of Oxford, the sounds Swervedriver spawned on this debut album conjured up images of dusty American highways, sandblasted deserts and long, bleak road-trips and this re-mastered version makes it sound as relevant now as it did then. So many classic songs are packed on this album it’s hard to pick favourites but for newbies head to ‘Song Of Mustang Ford‘ and ‘Rave Down‘ for the ultimate introduction to this band.

But it doesn’t end there. Inspired by the band’s recent reunion, Creation have reissued their first three albums, all in digipacks with four bonus tracks on each. Next up was ‘Mezcal Head‘, originally released in 1993 it saw the band expand their gloriously fuzzy psychedelic sound with another stellar collection of songs backed by a sturdier production and massively beefed up sound. Although it didn’t bring Swervedriver the massive acclaim and fame they deserved, it showed the band at the peak of their powers and popularity.

Last in this reissue series is 1995 release ‘Ejector Seat Reservation‘ that, despite featuring one of their best songs ‘The Other Jesus‘ was weighed down with too much filler and marked the down-turn in the band’s career.

The good news, however, is they are back, gigging again and firing on all cylinders. It’s a pleasure to have them around again. And it’s even more of a pleasure to have their past back in beautiful digipack, remastered, extra track form.

James Sherry

Abstract Rude is a rapper that has bubbled under the radar for quite a while now. However, his new album, set for release in early 2009, is coming out on Rhymesayers, home to Atmosphere, Jake One, Brother Ali, I Self Devine and P.O.S. Surely if there was a label that excuded the highest of standards, it’s this Minneapolis based home of hip hop.

In the run up to the just finished US elections, we were inundated with song after song of people getting on their respective political high horses, demanding this and that, explaining to the world that if one person got into office, the world would be an amazing utopia, empty of problems and devoid of evil.

Clearly, this was never going to be the case and this is what Ab Rude raps about in this track. Yes, he’ll vote for Obama, because he is the lesser of two evils, but he implores the listener to remember that whilst there is hope in change, nothing will be fixed immediately. What makes this track stand out above the others is that Ab never preaches, he never sounds like he’s forcing his ideas upon you and this plan of attack brings his intelligent and level-headed ideals to the fore.

That, and the beat is fucking dope.

Abjekt.

A twenty five song debut album from an American bloke with a shabby beard and unkempt hair thinning down toward a somewhat stout waistline: already we’re conjuring images of some droning, drawn out, lifeless prog-metal, but take note because little could be further from the truth.

Benji Hughes plays the kind of upbeat, mellow, warm & fuzzy sunshine pop that sets a soundtrack to summer days spent relaxing on the beach with friends. With women as a clear centre of his world, he sings brittle lyrics that are both cutting and forgiving in the same breath. Drawling about loves lost, loves left behind and loves entirely untouchable; there’s a humour, a wit and an observant wisdom to Benji that’s truly addictive. His is a sound that, although often compared to Beck, is entirely more dreamy, uplifting and optimistic.

‘A Love Extreme‘ is an album that fizzes with contradiction and irony. Starkly juxtaposed, the magic in Benji’s music lies between sandpaper vocals, prickly notions and fluid, soft melodies. The placement of pop song “Tight Tee Shirt” sitting abruptly next to the melancholy “You Stood Me Up” is precisely the use of light and shade that proves Mr Hughes and his creation is a lot more serious and carefully thought out than first glance might suggest.

3 years in the making, this debut might be all we have to cling to for a while so it’s just as well that there’s so much to get your head around. Keep an ear to the ground because, should he find time amongst womanizing, Benji Hughes could be a legend in the making.

Trotty P.