Brew/DTTR
Ltd 10″ vinyl
The formula for this release is simple, Yorkshire labels Brew and Dance to the Radio have teamed up for a limited edition Record Store Day release. Four of their most exciting and upcoming acts Dolphins, Blacklisters, Castrovalva and Hawk Eyes have contributed a track each to create ten explosive minutes of rock.
The pulsating Escape by Dolphins kick-starts procedures with a short sharp dose of chunky riffing. Then comes Club Foot by Kasabian from the hair-raising Blacklisters, advice being don’t spend the whole song working out whether it’s a Kasabian Cover or a quirky song title, that’s unimportant. What’s important is the sheer velocity of the vocals and the word ‘noise’.
The pick of the bunch is third song Senorita by Castrovalva. It has a brash childish thrill that sucks you in and spits you out at the other end. The vocal delivery is electrifying and its robotic feel adds another element to its general haphazardness. It finishes up with Hawk Eyes, who may be more familiar to you as Chickenhawk, pre name change. Their success has been spiralling into the mainstream and with tracks like Yes, Have Some with its hectic fretwork and perplexing guitar licks, you can see why.
This is a startling example of the talent that the city of Leeds is currently throwing up and another jewel in the crown of Record Store Day. Consisting of the finest and noisiest sounds around, it’s a big slap in the face, a pleasant slap in the face if such things exist.
Mark Beckett