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Destruction Unit

Deep_TripDestruction 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

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Blessa

Blessa_Between_Times

Blessa
‘Between Times’
No Self Records

It’s satisfying when you stumble across a new band, and even more so when they’re out on a brand new label. ‘Between Times’ is the debut single from Sheffield five piece Blessa. Due for release on new London indie No Self Records from November 11th.

Produced by MJ from Hookworms, who’s already built a fine reputation for himself working with some of the finest new bands out there right (now like Joanna Gruesome and Crows) ‘Between Times‘ is full of shiny, shimmering vocal inflections matched with some watery licks, a reaction to the current music emerging from their hometown. Offering an alternative to the garage rock and punk influenced acts surrounding them, the band say they draw inspiration from New York School poets such as Frank O’Hara and John Ashbery rather than the musical contemporaries you’d suspect. This being the result of front woman Olivia and guitarist Alex studying English Lit together at University, soaking up all the poetry and prose that was thrown at them at the time. This is refreshing to hear considering most find it virtually impossible to describe music without listing some iconic bands from the past.

If this debut single is anything to go by it looks like Blessa are on to something good and are sure to feature on numerous ‘one’s to watch for 2014’ lists. Grab this 7″ from November 11th.

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Danny Brown

Danny Brown
Old
Fools Gold

oldDanny 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

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Yuck

Yuck
Glow and Behold
Fat Possum

yuck-glow-and-behold East Londoners Yuck are back with a brand new album called Glow and Behold this month, but this time around something’s changed.

The departure of frontman and lead vocalist Daniel Blumberg earlier this year left most with the feeling that it could have been the end of Yuck, as Blumberg’s vocal style and loosely strummed chords grabbed everyone by the balls back in 2011 and spearheaded a welcome resurgence of shoegaze and slacker rock into the British scene. If memory serves, it was only four months ago that Yuck announced their frontman’s departure. For a band to come to terms with the loss of such an important part of their signature sound, hunt for a worthy replacement and then record a whole album seemed like an impossible task, but Yuck have bounced back in style regardless of such changes and delivered a beautifully crafted follow up.

Glow and Behold opens in an unexpected nonexplosive way. Easing into the guitar-led groove of ‘Sunrise in Maple Shade’, the band set the tone for the next 45 minutes with a sea of laid back grunge and driving tracks that bring the summer back in to this Autumnal stage of the year. Never abrasive, but at the same time totally immersed in noise, Glow and Behold feels like a progression for Yuck and proves that despite the challenge, they have pulled off the inevitable..

The production is more interesting in contrast to their self-produced and home recorded 2011 debut. All the instruments sit in the mix together rather than a wave of over-driven guitar jumping out at you. There’s exciting instrumentation that you don’t expect to hear in a Yuck album too, like the horn section in ‘Middle Sea’ and ‘How Does it Feel’, or the organ that resonates underneath ‘Somewhere’ and ‘Nothing New’. It’s by no means a soft record though, Yuck still retain the aspect of ‘cool’ that you want from a guitar-led rock band, despite the change in their sound.

After a little help from Google it became apparent that new frontman, Max Bloom had been working on Glow and Behold well before Yuck’ s debut was released and I can totally hear that in the songs. They sound complete and well formed, in contrast to the more spontaneous sounding tracks of their debut but you will have to judge that for yourself.

Glow and Behold is made up of 11 strong tracks of guitar-led goodness. If you’re looking for a slice of true melodic grunge this is the album for you. Look out for it on September 30th via Fat Possum Records.

Dave Palmer

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Drones

Drones
‘Free Marked Kid’
Lockjaw Records

dronesFounded in 2010, Camberley punk rockers Drones have made quite an impact on the UK scene, playing anywhere and everywhere with a PA system. The band signed to Lockjaw records in 2011, to release their debut LP ‘Mutiny’. Their forthcoming EP ‘Free Marked Kid’ was released on September 9th via Lockjaw Records.

Drones are coming out with songs which are nothing unfamiliar in the progression of the hardcore scene. However by no means is that a bad thing. After listening to ‘Empty Words’ it’s clear that the band have honed their sound well. The vocal combination of harsh, raw screams folding into catchy upbeat choruses is backed by energetic riffage and pacey drums. Drones seem caught between the melodies of Rise Against and the sheer ginger brutality of pre-Wade Gallows.

Download ‘Empty Words’ for free here.

Henry Jackson

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BL’AST!

BL’AST!
Blood!
Southern Lord

blast_bloodSome olden day bands attain cult status and reverence, whilst others just disappear smack off the radar. Santa Cruz’s BL’AST! fall in to the former category and it’s not so surprising. These young dudes knelt dutifully at the Temple of Black Flag, and honed a sound sturdily built around the driving powerful Hardcore grooves, as laid out on “Damaged”.

On encountering BL’AST! Henry Rollins derisively noted in “Get in The Van” that “every song they play sounds like Thirsty and Miserable…the rest of The Flag are watching them and laughing when they aren’t looking”. Harsh words. History has taught us that Flag may have initially mocked BL’AST! but soon liked ‘em enough to sign them to their record label SST.

Now, the origins of this demo, unearthed recently by guitarist Mike Neider are scant, and the main point of interest is the songs (recorded pretty much live in the studio) capture a short lived line-up to feature a second guitarist William Duvall. He now fronts Alice in Chains, but, more interestingly, pre-BL’AST!, was in Neon Christ, whose self-titled ’84 EP is real decent slice of Thrash Attack. The session, as served up on “Blood!” is pretty much a replica to the 2nd BL’AST! album (‘87’s) “It’s In My Blood”, with “Look In To Myself” replaced by “Your Eyes”, that later appeared on Flipside of the “School’s Out” 7”. The whole recording has been tarted up by long-time fan Dave Grohl at his 606 Studios in L.A.

So, you are not gonna find anything new for your bucks here, but you do get an absolutely banging collection of stunningly executed primal Hardcore jams, drenched in molten guitars with fired up rabid vocals, and a battering ram rhythm section. If bands like (early) COC, Aggression, Uniform Choice and latterly Annihilation Time mean shit to you, then this will too. SST owner Greg Ginn has sat on much of his back catalogue refusing to re-issue it, so this release will go someway to exposing BL’AST! to a new generation. Killer Music. “Thirsty and Miserable” my arse!

Pete Craven

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Pond

Pond
Hobo Rocket
(Modular)

Pond_HoboRocket_albumPond share two members with Australian psych-masters Tame Impala but don’t for a second think this is some throw-away side-project there to keep the band amused in downtime. Far from it, Hobo Rocket is Pond’s fifth album and it’s a glorious rush of pop, noise psychedelia that out freaks anything Tame Impala have come up with. Opening song ‘Whatever Happened To The Million Head Collide’ sets the stall out for the album very quickly, no easing the listener in gently, it slides out of the starting block shimmering with a squelchy Flaming Lips psych-pop vibe, with a pure shot of Butthole Surfers noise running through its veins. This is modern psychedelic music at its best, breathing in fifty years of experimental sounds into their collective lungs and exhaling them all over 2013.

Pond, however, ignore the mistakes of the past and resist the temptation to become self-indulgent and drab, keeping their brand of psychedelia focused and direct. ‘Xanman’, for example, hits the freak out button hard but remains upbeat and melodic, despite the swirling cacophony of noise the envelopes the song. Next up, ‘O Dharma’ is a floating Spiritualized type ballad that twinkles like the Lips own ‘Waiting For Superman’ had it been penned in 1974 by Roger Waters. Then Pond lurch back into the evil lysergic doom of ‘Aloneaflameaflower’ that crackles with such a mischievous ‘I’m gonna fuck up your trip and freak you out’ grin, you can’t help but love it, before running away feeling a bit paranoid and scared.

This is a good time for psychedelic music. It’s good to see the freak flag still waving high.

James Sherry

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Control Group

Control Group
‘Shoes of the People’
Bandcamp

Control_Group_Shoes_of_the_peopleControl Group are a new DIY grunge outfit from Brooklyn comprised of three guys with a whirlpool of influences and past musical ventures. Drawing inspiration from method as well as music, they hit record without a blue print, freely tracking their instruments until something good sticks, and it has. Upcoming single, ‘Shoes of the People’, self released and available from September 13th is a raw representation of what to expect from this trio. It’s heavy, dark and rough around the edges.

‘B’ side ‘Leave it Alone’ is also a stonker, carrying more of a Pixies, indie twang that keeps in time with the side ‘A’ swagger. Control Group also retain an authenticity hard to find these days that is the organic scratchy sound of needle on vinyl, with the digital release you’re streaming now mastered straight from the first pressing. Bonus track ‘My Alien’ reveals the final point in this triangle with a Dinosaur Jr style groove and some thrashy breaks thrown in for good measure.

Control Group make energetic guitar rock with a nod to some grunge greats and this three track is a perfect introduction, pre order the limited edition 7″ here.

Dave Palmer

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Cerebral Ballzy

Cerebral Ballzy
‘Another Day’
Federal Prism

Another_Day_Cerebral_BallzyCrebral Ballzy are back with a brand new video straight out of a warzone. ‘Another Day’ is two and a half minutes of energetic thrashing matched with a true video portrayal of a young lads action man fantasy.

A couple of mates, each with sub machine guns, an armored car and a box of smokes. Simple pleasures then. ‘Another Day’ is the B side to Cerebral Ballzy’s upcoming single ‘City’s Girl’, due out September 17th on new label Federal Prism, founded by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. Click play and watch the battle commence.

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Night Birds

NIGHT BIRDS
‘Born To Die in Suburbia’
Grave Mistake Records

nightbirds_borntodieinsuburbiaSome great albums have dropped so far in 2013, and this new long-player from Night Birds is destined to be right up there in a lot of Year End Top 10’s. Read on folks, cuz it’s an absolute blinder.

Having cemented their reputation with a bunch of EP’s and 2011 album “Other Side of Darkness” they lost guitarist Mike Hunchback. The wheels might have come off the trucks, but luckily for us an able replacement was enlisted – PJ Russo. They got back to business, and the resulting songs are possibly their best yet. I’ve been playing this album to death, and it still sounds great on each and every listen; it’s a record that’s built to last.

What’s the magic? Well, for an old guy, who’s been listening to Punk Rock longer than you can imagine, this is music that captures the wild-ride of early 80s north American hardcore, but is delivered in a fresh and vibrant manner. They classically combine the tough sarcastic bite of East Coasters like The Left, Chronic Sick, and The Freeze, with the snotty SoCal beach belligerence and swagger of D.I. and Agent Orange. I’ll throw the DK’s and Damned in to the mix too, what more could you want?!

When some Hollywood upstart decides to remake “Suburbia” (ask your Dad) one of these days, cue Night Birds to play that hall where the brawl goes down. I suggest they play “Nazi Gold”, which is not only my favourite song on this album, but one of the BEST songs I’ve heard all year. And it’s one of 4 tracks here (inc. the Fat Wreck single “Maimed for The Masses”) that break the three minutes sound barrier to barreling effect. The rest of the songs mostly barely trouble the 120 seconds mark, and all shred good ‘n hard.

So, there you have it, killer album, and it might only be August, but this is already shaping up to be my Record of The Year.

Pete Craven