Category: Album Reviews

Cheatahs
S/T
Wichita

Originality isn’t everything. Sometimes there’s nothing wrong with sewing your influences onto your sleeves if what you are doing is still done with passion, conviction, energy and is good. There’s no getting away from the fact that this London quartet are obviously huge Swervedriver and My Bloody Valentine fans. There are moments on their self-titled debut that jolt you and drag you down a time vortex to the late eighties, early nineties when the aforementioned bands were injecting brave new sounds and moods into a flagging English indie rock scene. The influence of these bands is undeniable on Cheatahs. But it’s a good influence. A healthy influence. And the fact of the matter is, what they do, they do so very well.

On songs like ‘The Swan’ and ‘Get Tight’ they effortlessly tap into what made that era of music so exciting. Yeah, some call it shoegaze but Cheatahs aren’t staring at their feet, they’re glaring straight into your face – dazzling bright and alert and burning your retinas with their psychedelic space rock attack and swirling guitar noise. You see, much like Swervedriver before them (sorry to mention them again but there’s no getting away from it), Cheatahs rock. Although Swervedriver were lumped in with other shoegazing bands of the time such as Ride, Slowdive and Chapterhouse, they were a world apart and like Cheatahs, actually rocked. High energy, balls-out, rock.

So, despite their obvious influences, the fact of the matter is that Cheatahs have crafted an album that shimmies and shines with amazing songs, sounds incredible and is a joy to listen to. As time moves on it’s obvious that they will evolve and change and blossom into their own vision. And this is the perfect start on that journey.

James Sherry

Polvo
‘Siberia’
Merge Records

Every band is still going. Every band has reformed, is having one last go or never split up in the first place. Very few of them, however, are capable of making new music that is worth listening to or even comes close to being as good as when the band were in the prime of their youth. I’m struggling to think of ANY band that has managed to make an album that is better than their initial output, apart from Polvo.

Polvo formed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1990 and made a string of albums for Merge and Touch And Go Records that were awash with warped and wobbly guitar pop (people often tried to box them off in the math rock bracket, but that didn’t really fit) and addictive song-writing. Their sound was unpredictable and willingly obtuse (according to their Wikipedia page “ the band’s guitarists were often accused of failing to play with correctly tuned guitars” haha!) and they were, alongside the likes of Brainiac and Girls Against Boys, trailblazers in the 90s wave of American indie rock.

Having originally disbanded in 1998, the band reformed in 2009 and re-signed to Merge Records for the release of the excellent ‘In Prism’ album and a handful of shows. Nothing could have prepared us for the sheer quality of latest album ‘Siberia’ though. Bands this long in the tooth should not be able to craft songs of this superior quality. No exaggeration, every song on here is superb. At eight songs, it’s short, but there’s no excess fat, no filler, no dull moments, just eight songs brimming with ideas and mesmerizing melodies. Opener ‘Total Immersion’ sets the scene nicely, a flow with off-kilter rhythms, and obtuse guitar, but delivered, like every song on this album, with energy and melodies that you will remember. There are no highlights as such because every song is equally a winner, although ‘Ancient Grains’ with its mystic, eastern feel and dreamy sonic landscapes never fails to hit the mark and delves into vocalist and guitarists Ash Bowie and Dave Brylawski’s love to Asian music.

‘Blue Is Loss’ is another class song. Moving and pulsating, it constantly builds momentum and melody. “How did my dreams get so clean…” croons Bowie as the band shimmer around him.

Beautifully recorded, written and executed, ‘Siberia’ is without doubt my album of the year. Not bad for a band that originally split up over fifteen years ago.

James Sherry

Death Grips
‘Government Plates’
Caroline Records

Sponteniety is a rarity these days in this social media stained, over-marketed landscape but Death Grips have always remained a diamond in the mud for doing their own thing how and when they want on their own terms. Today they have posted their new album ‘Government Plates‘ online for free featuring 11 brand new tracks stuffed with a belly full of signature violence made up of electronic terror and punk infused debauchery.

Grab the free download and look out for the 12″ vinyl released today. We have a copy here and it’s a must have.

There are videos for each track on their youtube page too.

Destruction Unit
Deep Trip
(Sacred Bones Records)

Destruction Unit are without doubt the most exciting cacophony of vicious rock n’roll noise I have heard in quite some time. Hailing from Arizona, Destruction Unit sound like the exact moment a group of young hardcore punk kids put aside their Minor Threat and 7-Seconds records, dropped LSD into their Kool Aid and cranked up Hawkwind to head-melting volume.

Opening track ‘The World On Drugs’ is a shockingly brutal statement of intent; a squealing barrage of feedback opens the track, building in intensity and noise, getting louder and louder, swirling and pulsating, until from out of nowhere a double snare crack signals the start of the best punk rock riff possibly EVER and slams you right between the eyes. From that moment, chaos and bedlam ensures, as each track takes turns to pulsate and pulverise. ‘Bumpy Road’ is a broody, moody piece that ebbs and flows and throbs, getting increasingly louder and more intense until you can physically feel a wet sensation in your ears. You check with the tip of your fingers. It’s blood.

‘Night Loner’ sounds like Loop fed through a meat grinder, whilst ‘The Church Of Jesus Christ’ is utterly menacing and foreboding. In short, ‘Deep Trip’ is no easy listen. It’s dark, scary, aggressive and harsh. And very, very exciting.

Catch them live in the UK this month.

James Sherry

Danny Brown
Old
Fools Gold

Danny Brown is a ridiculous human being, as latest album ‘Old’ attests. If you were to draw a pie chart of the lyrical content of this album, you’d basically be looking at a 50/50 split between drug talk and sex talk with the two overlapping somewhere in between. Hang on, maybe a Venn diagram would be more appropriate. It’s certainly not subtle in that respect and Danny’s lyrical reputation as crude and lewd (albeit smart and unique) remains intact. Yet the production, as much as it is big and bold at times , is also nuanced and thoughtful. The guest spots are varied and interesting, solidifying Brown’s foray into indie-pop with production and contribution from blog-tastic Purity Ring (remember when he appeared on a remix of Belispeak?) as well as Charli XCX appearing.

Danny also stays true to his hip hop cred and potential scope to start appealing to a wider audience in that world with the likes of A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q & Ab-Soul also cropping up with admirable turns. He continues his love affair with UK grime and the underbelly of the London scene too with a positively candescent verse from Londoner Scruffizer in ‘Dubstep’. This track and the next ‘Dip’ (featuring an almost tourettes-like use of the word mollie and a mind-bending use of dark, dirty and driving electronic beats) make for one of the most compelling track pairings in recent times. They each sound unique in their own way yet the flow from one to the other is seamless and compelling. Producer SKYWLKR done good there.

Danny Brown was recently quoted as saying that he uses his signature high-pitched rapping voice when it’s party / happy time and a lower tone for the more serious moments in his music. For those accustomed to “party” Danny, the lower-pitched moments of ‘Old’ will throw you. He literally sounds like a different person and you can’t be blamed for wondering who is guesting on some of the tracks near the start of the album when really that’s just Danny’s serious side coming to the fore. There are certainly dark points and the production is oftentimes ominous in its mood, despite the overall good times vibe. Plus, you can’t help but feel dirty listening to some of those lyrics. But when party Danny is in full flow, you can’t help but want to party with Danny Brown. His live performances are already stuff of party legend.

Unquestionably one of the albums of the year.

Winegums