Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Preview

While She Sleeps

WHILE SHE SLEEPS
This Is The Six
[Search & Destroy]

While She Sleeps have been a dominant force in the UK scene for a while now, so it’s hard to believe that ‘This Is The Six’ is actually their debut full length. Tracks released prior to the album dropping (including ‘Dead Behind The Eyes’ and title track ‘This Is The Six’) give a clear indication of Sleeps’s intent to make this an intensely heavy album. To add variation to the record, Sleeps follow a similar pattern to 2010’s ‘The North Stands For Nothing’, adding piano interludes where appropriate to break up the aggression. Listeners are then treated to powerful riffs that seem utterly brutal after a moment of reflection.

Lawrence Taylor’s snarling screams gives a dark overtone to the whole record, the angst in his lyrics are spat into your face, so much so that you start to worry for his larynx..! It could be said that his vocal range isn’t overly impressive but raw emotion, captivating guitar melodies from Mat Welsh and Sean Long, alongside optimistic gang chants make up for any criticisms.

While She Sleeps have already impressed with their energetic live shows but now with the potential inclusion of tracks such as ‘Seven Hills’, Sleep’s artillery is instantly strengthened tenfold. The band embark on their biggest headline tour to date this autumn with the impressive Bleed From Within, Crossfaith and Polar as support, its going to be one heavy hitting show.

Perfectly combing the raw intensity and bounce of hardcore, with sinister and deafening metal, While She Sleeps are an exquisite example of metalcore. Drawing on strengths from ‘The North Stands For Nothing’, While She Sleeps pack this album full of brilliant tracks forming an album that demands a listen and stands up to the hype.

Catch While She Sleeps at the following shows:

Sep 26 Birmingham The Library @ Institute
Sep 27 Manchester Club Academy
Sep 28 Sheffield Corporation
Sep 29 Glasgow Garage
Sep 30 Newcastle Academy 2
Oct 2 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Oct 3 Bristol Fleece
Oct 4 Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
Oct 5 London Electric Ballroom

WORDS: EMMA WALLACE

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Gallows

GALLOWS
S/T

(Venn/PIAS)
www.gallows.co.uk

So, your bicycle has been in the repair shop, getting a new front wheel fitted (the old one unexpectedly broke loose after six-odd years of loyal service). You’re excited, but slightly nervous, mainly because it’s an awesome bicycle, and you’re hoping that it’ll give you as much joy with the new wheel as it did with the old one. The guys at the shop say that this new wheel is pretty impressive, though, so you’re waiting with bated breath.

You’ve probably figured out the analogy by now. Gallows are back with album number three; their first with former Alexisonfire guitarist Wade MacNeil at the helm, and probably as good a riposte to their critics and doubters as we could have hoped for.

Make no mistake, this is a Gallows record through and through. From the moment ‘Victim Culture’ kicks in after a sinister spoken-word intro, those signature raw rock n’ roll riffs, squalling guitar solos and raucous gang vocals are all present in abundance, and sounding more muscular than ever. Frank Carter left large shoes to fill, but MacNeil proves himself more than capable; a hardcore screamer among the best of them, but able to hold a tune when it’s called for (most notably on the intro of the gloriously anthemic ‘Outsider Art’, which is sure to incite mayhem live).

None of this would matter much if the songs were substandard, but among the eleven tracks on offer here are some of Gallows’ best songs to date. ‘Everybody Loves You (When You’re Dead)’ matches anything from ‘Grey Britain’ or ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’ in ferocity alone; a stinging indictment of the ‘don’t speak ill of the dead’ mentality. ‘Depraves’ surfs in on a jagged Laurent Barnard riff before exploding into a carpe diem chorus that will have you howling along with conviction. Elsewhere, ‘Vapid Adolescent Blues’ and ‘Cult Of Mary’ are hardcore belters shot through with shards of melody, seething and writhing exactly as they should.

Long viewed as plucky underdogs who have survived (and prospered) through no little determination, it seems that the adversity of Carter’s departure has resulted in Gallows returning angrier and hungrier than ever. Mark my words: this bicycle has what it takes to go the distance.

They’ll be playing the Lock-Up Stage at this year’s Reading/Leeds festivals, before embarking on a full UK tour in October.

Words: Alex Gosman

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Jaill

Jaill
‘Traps’
Sub Pop

jaill_trapsTraps is Jaill’s third full album, and their second for Sub Pop. That they’ve been around for 10 years and only managed three albums in that time suggests that they might well be immersed in the slacker ethic that enshrouded some of Sub Pop’s bands back in the late 80s/early 90s. Still, we’re not here to criticise a band’s work ethic, it’s the end result that counts after all. Traps might be a bit of a patchy, beige affair, but it does possess some redeeming features. Disengage your brain entirely, take in the summery tones of the album and it’s actually not a bad set of songs. Pay too much attention and it all seems a bit bland and overwrought.

It starts well with ‘Waste A Lot Of Things’, a breezy pop tune that initially sounds as if its wearing a massive grin on its well tanned face. Under the sunny disposition there are lyrics awash with darkness, the odd lost mind and a dollop of sadness, the kind of thing that’d bring down any sun-kissed holiday – like sand in your sandwiches.

Frankly Vincent Kircher’s a bit of a buzz kill on this album, for all the uplifting backing vocals (which are reminiscent of label mates Fruit Bats) and surf-guitar breaks, he’s there, banging on about his sexually frustrated girlfriend or whatever. ‘Everyone’s A Bitc’h is a perfect example of this. It kicks in with a nicely serrated new-wave riff throws in a bunch of great harmonies, and then Kircher’s there moaning about how his (ex) woman thinks he’s a bit vanilla. Whether he’s aware that she’s using gay slang to describe his prowess is open to debate, as he seems to think it’s something to do with ice-cream.

At this point, it’s worth considering whether it’s better to ignore what Kircher’s going on about and just concentrate on how he sounds because there’s more misery on the way with ‘Horrible Things (Make Pretty Songs)’. Yet here it works so much better, there’s no juxtaposition of breezy pop tunes and sorrowful lyrical content, it just cuts to the chase. “No one to take care of, no one to take care of me” Kircher intones over a delicately strummed acoustic guitar; the heartbroken lyrics fitting perfectly.

‘I’m Home’ opens like a high pitched take on The Breeders Cannonball before turning into a spiky pop-nugget complete with woozy keyboard interjections. ‘House With Haunting’s laid back swing is pretty good fun but doesn’t really go anywhere. It’s a similar problem with ‘Madness’, which is a nice sounding if unrewarding strum. Yet for all these misfires, when the band and Kircher are on the same page emotionally, everything clicks. Million Times’ heart-rending sob story fizzes with a palpable tension and it is arguably the best thing on the album by some stretch.

They close out with ‘Stone Froze Mascot’ which is catchy enough but lacks enough force to smash its way into the pleasure centres. It’s this lack of force and focus that hinders the album; ultimately it’s a nice enough but Jaill and Kircher in particular sound a little confused. By the end, it’s easy to see why his girlfriend legged it hurling ice-cream related insults, sometimes you need a little bit of unadulterated excitement.

6/10
Sam Shepherd

On tour in the UK:

Sep 25 – Green Door Store, Brighton, UK
Sep 26 – Sebright Arms, London, UK
Sep 27 – Soup Kitchen, Manchester, UK
Sep 29 – Stereo, Glasgow, UK
Sep 30 – Stereo, York, UK
Oct 1 – Oporto, Leeds, UK

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Reviews

Adolescent

Adolescent
Golden Halls [EP]

It is very hard to try and pinpoint music with blanket terms such as Down Tempo, some people may even refer it as Post-Dubstep, but I find that hard to believe. The likes of Four Tet have been making this eloquent genre around the same time as Dub-Step came out, in the late nineties. That statement may offend some people, but the matter of fact is, this is no competition. And I’m not comparing Mr. Parish to Mr. Hebden either; I’m just trying to give a little scope on this sub genre of electronic music that can be as slippery as an electric eel. It’s a style of music I generally find hard to connect with but the atmospheres created are second to none and they usually send me into some kind of dream like induced stupor, however that is not to say that statement is derogatory and that I don’t enjoy it.

Alex Parish A.K.A Adolescent is a Brighton born producer who on his debut EP is only twenty-one (oh the irony) and it is a well thought out package. I found it very easy to work to; music to me has different purposes and this serves well as great background music. From the art work to the samples, Parish pieces together an ethnic worldview catalyzed through his musical soundscape. From the foreign quire sample in Golden Halls Pt. 2 to the word play in the track names such as Hangshai. It is apparent that a back to basics, minimal characteristic, influences his style. There are some intricate moments on the EP, for example the piano on K:TV is fazed in and turns the heavy synth on. This is synchronized with the beat and makes for a nice feature. I found it hard to tell in the arrangement of the song where the Wu Tang sample from Severe Punishment fitted in, but that says to me that it is mixed in incredibly well.

You could find it in the chilled out bars of Brighton or you could understand it from the multi cultural markets and the global understanding that is practiced in and around the streets of Brighton. On the other hand, it could just be that he has a good imagination. Whatever Adolescent’s influence is, this EP is a really good start and I wish him all the best.

WORDS: ASH MOORE

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
(Bella Union)

HEADY-FWENDS_theflaminglipsIt’s been a while since The Flaming Lips seemed absolutely vital. Probably the last time they could have been considered essential listening was back when Yoshimi was battling those evil robots. Some might argue that The Soft Bulletin was the high point, and others might even dig further back to Clouds Taste Metallic or …Satellite Heart. Whatever, it’s fair to say that Coyne and chums have been a little off the boil of late. Embryonic was a move towards a filthier, darker, more overdriven sound, and although it might not have been a grand success, it did seem as if The Lips were getting back on track.

Heady Fwends is probably not the best release by which to judge the state of The Flaming Lips’ collective consciousness, it is after all yet another one of those little diversions that Wayne Coyne seems to like taking his band on.

Discounting Wayne’s own distractions (twitter seems to be taking up a fair amount of his time) the band itself seems to have been content with messing about over the years. There was the Boombox Experiments, the 4xCD lunacy of Zaireeka, the Gummy Skull (with USB inside), and their foray into the world of covers courtesy of their take on Dark Side Of The Moon.

Indeed it is that particular release that rather sets the precedent for Heady Fwends. It too was released for Record Store Day initially, and it featured an occasional guest spot for the likes of Henry Rollins. Taking the guest spot to its logical conclusion, Heady Fwends is an album created by the collaborative efforts of The Lips and whoever they could convince to take part. The overall impression that Heady Fwends gives is that it’s more of a knockabout than a serious attempt at an album. If it’s taken in that spirit, then overall it’s pretty good fun, if slightly flawed.

It all kicks off in suitably wonky fashion with Ke$ha’s effort, 2012 (You Must Be Upgraded) which sounds like Yeah Yeah Yeah’s channelling early Ween – only not quite as good. There are other let downs along the way, the collaboration with Lightning Bolt I’m Working At NASA On Acid should have been a mind bending collision of noise, but when they hit the chaos section it all seems a bit contrived and a missed opportunity. Meanwhile Supermoon Made Me Want To Pee (with Prefuse 73) just seems like an exercise in boredom at the mixing desk. Helping The Retarded To Know God (with Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros) is a bit of a dawdle too with could do with a hefty edit. Not that there aren’t some fine flourishes to be found in the vocal melodies or the heavenly tacked on coda, but it drags quite dramatically.

There are some high points too however (as an aside, Coyne seems at pains to explain just how high/fucked up constantly). Children Of The Moon takes Tame Impala aboard the honking mothership from Close Encounters for a woozy and quite wonderful rustic jam. That Ain’t My Trip (with My Morning Jacket’s Jim James) sounds like an outtake from Embryonic, and is a suitably over-driven bundle through choral chants and earsplitting amp terrorism. The funereal space-scream of Is Bowie Dying? occupies similar territory, combining noise a Twin-Peaks guitar twang and existential dread. Nick Cave turns up and puts in an archetypal Cave performance, for some reason he sounds like an intensely sarcastic David Thomas at times, but it works. Finally, the epic sprawl of the cover of First Time Ever I Saw Your Face is genuinely affecting at times, with the unpleasantness that kicked off between Coyne and Erykah Badu in the wake of that video unable to cast a shadow over it.

So plenty to like, but also a fair few missed opportunities. Hopefully The Flaming Lips will return to concentrating on making music without the distraction of their Fwends for the foreseeable future. The world needs another vital Lips album.

6.5/10
Sam Shepherd

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

Turbonegro

TURBONEGRO
‘Sexual Harassment’
(Volcom)

www.turbonegro.com

TURBONEGRO_sexual_harrassment_album_artAlmost fifteen years have passed since Turbonegro released ‘Apocalypse Dudes’, a record dubbed by none other than Jello Biafra as “possibly the most important European record ever.” High praise, indeed – and it is an awesome record. Equally impressive, though, is the fact that the Norwegian death-punks are still around, with their long history of drug addictions and personnel changes hopefully behind them.

The departure of long-standing frontman Hank Von Helvete could well have been the final straw for the band, but ‘Sexual Harrassment’ is as superb a comeback as the Turbojugend faithful could hope for. New vocalist Tony Sylvester’s gravel-throated roar lends a raw edge to the frenetic punk rock attack of ‘I Got A Knife’ and ‘Hello Darkness’, whilst the wonderfully-titled ‘Shake Your Shit Machine’ is as fine a slice of bar-room boogie as they’ve ever produced. Musically, there are no great departures from the Turbonegro of old, but the quality of the songs here is undeniable – with the call-and-response chorus of ‘TNA (The Nihilistic Army)’ sure to go down a storm live, and the bizarre spoken-word outro of ‘Dude Without A Face’ proving that these old dogs can still throw a curve ball or two.

No, it’s not quite ‘Apocalypse Dudes’, but this is arguably Turbonegro’s finest and most adrenalized record in a decade. They’ll be playing the Lock-Up stage at this year’s Reading/Leeds festivals, before returning in November for the following dates:

Thu 22nd – London Electric Ballroom
Fri 23rd – Manchester Academy 2
Sat 24th – Glasgow King Tuts

Alex Gosman

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music Preview Reviews

Feed The Rhino

FEED THE RHINO
The Burning Sons
In At The Deep End Records

www.feedtherhino.co.uk


When a band describes themselves as ‘Loud as fuck,’ and is known for insane live shows it’s a pretty clear indication that some serious slaying is about to take place on record. And as Feed The Rhino’s ‘Burning Sons’ roars into action with ‘Flood The System‘, the faint hearted should hide away from the stampede that’s inevitably about to take place.

Instantly the sincere heaviness of the record hits you with the force of a freight train, Lee Tobin’s ferocious vocals lead the way for a crushing assault whilst Chris Kybert’s intense work behind the kit pounds your ears drums. But it’s the grooving guitar work and bass lines that separates ‘Burning Sons’ from the ever growing pile of metal and hardcore cross over bands. Riffs that are tinged Southern Hardcore flair places homegrown Feed The Rhino alongside honorable names such as Every Time I Die and Cancer Bats.

Before the intensity of the album gets a bit much, Feed The Rhino mix things up with a moody, down-tempo number, ‘Razor‘. The track could easily fall into place on a Mastodon or Baroness record. This is where Feed The Rhino really shine. When experimenting with a more dynamic format, such as on ‘Tides’, listeners are treated to a truly thorough performance.

Slightly more variety and perfected production would have seen ‘Burning Sons’ go down as a masterpiece, unfortunately this time around Feed The Rhino have just fallen short of a classic. However the band have still delivered a valiant effort that will surely take their live show to the next level with such powerful new guns being added to their already heavy arsenal.

WORDS: EMMA WALLACE

Categories
Buzz Chart Single Reviews

JAWS

JAWS
Toucan Surf

Rattlepop Records
www.jawsjawsjaws.co.uk

With a chorus catchy enough to entice a bit of a sing-a-long but with a tempo slow enough to make sure you don’t have to put a lot of effort in, ‘Toucan Surf’ (released Digitally 27.08.12 via Rattlepop) is the soundtrack to a lazy afternoon in the sun. In fact, soundtrack is quite a key word here, because Jaws produce the sort of sound that doesn’t instantly demand your attention but is inviting enough to give you an overall uplifting feeling. ‘Toucan Surf’ is background music that will slowly manifest in your mind and eventually come through and repeat permanently in your conscious.

Dazed vocals, resounding jangling guitars and lo-fi synths give off impressions that the track was born in Florida, California or another suitably sunny location, a sizable achievement when it actually originates from the less than appetizing Birmingham, UK.

‘Surf-pop’ is a trending genre at the moment, but Jaws aren’t just any old band, they are the leaders of the pack, these guys are the ultimate chill-out indie band and ‘Toucan Surf’ is sure to propel the band to where they ought to be.

WORDS: EMMA WALLACE

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Reviews

Poison Idea

Poison Idea/strong>
The Fatal Erection Years
Southern Lord

Southern Lord have come up with a treat on this monster collection of early Poison Idea, that collates their ’83 debut ‘Pick Your King’ EP, ‘84’s ‘Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes’ LP, compilation tracks, and then a 20 song live set from ’83, in their hometown, Portland, Oregon.

The 13 tracks on ‘Pick Your King’ barely shade a minute average running time and are plain fucken blitzkrieg, fire and anger, slashing guitar lines and in singer Jerry A’s a true heavyweight of boiling over barked belligerence…. a genuine classic record… then, now and forever. Period.

P.I. followed up with the snappily titled ‘Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes’ album, 8 tracks of ferocious heaviness that were a step up from their earlier material, and brutally fused the primal energy of The Germs, early ‘Flag, D.C. Hardcore, fused with the filth and power of Discharge and GBH. The encroaching shadow of Motörhead was never too far away, as a creeping metallic edge took root. And the cover of the LP was true a Punk collector’s wet dream, with a stack of guitarist Pig Champions prized vinyl on display.

The compilation tracks are ‘Laughing Boy‘ from the ‘Drinking is Great’ EP, and P.I.’s 3 tracks from the Pushead compiled ‘Cleanse The Bacteria’ album, a 1985 collection of new/fresh worldwide Hardcore. Their ripping Stooges cover ‘I Gotta Right’ was included on a bonus 12” that accompanied the first pressing. I’ve still got mine, righteous vinyl!

And, to close, a live set that is just what you’d hope P.I. would be nailing it like in ’83, rabid and pissed, hateful and loud. It ends with one of my favourite songs ‘Marked for Life’, that would eventually surface on the ‘War All The Time’ album, in ’87.

No shit, this remains some of the most raging Punk committed to vinyl, and the legend of these hallowed records continue to be passed to subsequent generations of young Punks. They’ve suffered tragedies, bust-ups and mishaps along the way, but singer Jerry A is still out there doing it. Not giving it up.

WORDS: PETE CRAVEN

Categories
Album Reviews Buzz Chart Music

Of Mice and Men

OF MICE & MEN
The Flood (Deluxe 2 Disc Re-Issue)
(Rise Records)
http://www.facebook.com/ofmice

Southern California’s Of Mice & Men are constantly growing in popularity. The band -who are currently on the Vans Warped Tour- have quenched fans’ thirst for new material with a 2 disc deluxe re-issue of their critically acclaimed album ‘The Flood’ featuring 4 new tracks.

The bonus tracks start with a tantalizing instrumental piece ‘The Calm’. The reverberating clean guitars are a beautiful yet eerie experience to behold, clearly implying the saying ‘The calm before the storm’…

As ‘The Storm’ picks up tempo, Austin Carlile’s strained and emotional screams kick start a typical ballsy Of Mice & Men riff. On the original release of ‘The Flood’, ‘Ben Threw’ and ‘Ohioisonfire’ showed Of Mice & Men’s capability to produce intense riffs and rhythms whilst maintaining an underlying bounce, but they are nothing in comparison to the punishing assault of third bonus track, ‘The Flood’ and final new number, ‘The Depths’. It seems that after the departure of Shayley Bourget, clean vocals have been left to one side with the band focusing on a new level of heaviness.

Presented with flowing continuity, the bonus tracks are an impeccable addition to ‘The Flood’. The production of the tracks is highly commendable in its own right, the magnitude of the atmospherics are on the same level as Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘There Is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There Is a Heaven, Let’s Keep it a Secret’. With its new additions, the re-issue can be appreciated by fans from across the metal spectrum with influential elements of artists such as The Devil Wears Prada, We Came As Romans, Pierce The Veil & even Slipknot shining through.

If first time around, ‘The Flood’ begged to differ that metalcore was a dying art, the re-issue demolishes any ideas that the genre is dated and builds a platform from which Of Mice & Men can dominate the current scene. The flood is coming again.

Words: Emma Wallace