Music: Blog

Chapter 24's intriguing mix of 60's beat combo, jazz and breakbeat drums is the perfect crazy emotional and musical rollercoaster soundtrack to a late Saturday afternoon. Bridging the gap between lethargically recovering from Friday's hangover to bracing yourself for doing it all over again. Raw and rough round the edges but with hearts and ideas in the right place.

I've been following the musical exploits of Ben and Chris for a fair few years as they morphed from their old band (Tempertwig) to this new two-piece. Unlike other two pieces Nosferatu D2 don't rely on heavy overdrive, effects or production to pad out the sound, just the same guitar sound all the way through, one vocal and some of the most amazing frantic drumming I've ever heard. Lyrically it's dark stuff, rejection, being let down, laments to lost youth and scathing commentaries on suburban life all delivered with a dry cynical wit. Not an album to listen to if you want cheering up, but for great musicianship and lyrical brilliance this is the place.

The Drill Hall is more used to holding Jazz concerts, theatre and comedy performances, this is the first 'Indie' night to be held at the 600 capacity venue but the young crowd are more than making up for the small attendance, constantly dancing, singing along and shouting for more. The Hot Puppies also do an incredible job filling the hall with their grand sound, songs with big sweeping choruses, impassioned female led vocals (a crooner for the rock generation if you like), a pounding drummer and layers of synths and keyboards swooping and surging about. The band looks at home and comfortable on a big stage with the space to perform and show off, and why not.

I've been familiar with the Pipettes for quite a while, watching their fluctuating line-ups and increasing fortunes, this is one of their older songs and the first time I've heard their material in new slicker recording form. It's lost the Punky-Girl-Pop edge they used to posses but lyrically is still of the bitchy, biting ilk the Pipettes do so well. It's a short song, a few verses, and a few choruses and then over, a sweet slice of Pop one which poses the question I constantly ask with the Pipettes, what next?

An eclectic and eccentric bunch, The Hidden Cameras are a bunch of ever evolving Canadians, doing crazy things and not really fitting in. Awoo possesses that clever feel a lot of Canadian music has, fast, frantic lyrics full of witticism and sung in a deep, throaty voice, twinkling, jangling guitars, keyboards and sparkling strings offsetting the vocal style beautifully. Personally though I prefer the B-side, Why I understand, it's more upbeat, more in your face, but does sound like it was made in the 80's.

This is one of the best singles I've heard all year, from the quiet, delicate passages to the ear splittingly overdriven choruses of Violence, to the heartfelt orchestra backed Morning Music and the beautiful harmonies on Tiny Flower, an amazing single that shows the brilliant diverse talent of a promising artist.

A difficult album to review, it starts with a handful of beautifully crafted songs, resplendent in gentle guitar picking and breathy vocals. Then some rockier numbers with awesome jagged guitars, then it all gets a little dull and my attention is lost and distracted to other things. A great shame, it starts so well.

Not a solo artist as the name may suggest, but a New Wave band hailing from New York, and damn it for one track samplers, I like what I hear, but it's not enough to get a fully fledged opinion. Some ubiquitous disco beats and funky bass lines but they simply can't be escaped at the moment, so might as well accept them. Clever dual boy / girl vocals and a great sparse sound filled out with some clever arrangements. Oh and of course they look great to, but that doesn't matter, does it.

With a name like Bass Clef, it was never going to be Fay Indie rock was it? Marvellous dark dub with fat (phat?) synth bass lines, frantic beats and eerie vocal snippets, each track melding into the next in an hour long slab of inventive dance music, a little repetitive in places, but hey, that's the point.

Very rarely does everything come together in a perfect compliment of personalities and musical abilities. Songs full of humour and razor sharp wit entices the audience and the brilliant harmonies, funky bass lines and drums keep them dancing and smiling for the sets' duration. The band leave the stage to rapturous applause and on comes another generic indie band, most of the crowd follow through the door.

The Answer, for some reason, sounded like they were going to be a mod band, I should imagine that if the Answer ever met a Mod band, a fight would probably ensue, being a Heavy blues rock act of the finest order. Not usually my cup of tea, but they;re so damn good at it with poodle perms, riffs aplenty, reverb soaked vocals and solos all over the shop, in fact everything you could want out of a good old fashioned slice of Rock and Roll action.

New Rhodes have been floating around the peripherals of various music scenes for several years, always being associated with each one, but never quite part of any of them. Is the time right for them yet? This single isn't a marked change in direction or style for the band, the same melodious laid back jangly guitar rock, nice vocals, nice tunes, nice boys. It wont set the world alight, but New Rhodes till maintain their own little place in the UK music scene.

Mattafix sound like the prevalent Ragga/Reggae/Pop lite that used to bother the charts in the early 90's, I'm not entirely sure who this is aimed at these days. The CD has one A-side and then seven remixes of the same track which is a little self indulgent, some sound no different, whilst others sound nothing like the main track. I gather the band are popular in parts of Europe and amongst warmer climates such as South Africa and Australasia, but sadly in rainy Britain, they're not for me.

I was expecting Brinkman to be heavier for some reason, maybe something to do with the name, the label, the song title, who knows why. The band is in fact a fairly laid back melodious three piece. The lead track a lamenting ode to the unrequited love of a Hollywood starlet a task the band manages to carry out without sounding like sordid stalkers. The B-side Harlesden is an equally harmonious ditty dedicated to life in one of London's less salubrious suburbs. I look forward to hearing more.

I've never really been a fan or understood the appeal of Bright Eyes, so a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks was never something I was going to be taken with. I don't like his funny warbling voice or his lyrics, the music's alright, but nothing special, to be short, I don't get it. The tracks on this album are probably for hardcore fans only, some being poorly recorded, whilst others are not going to be his best material, otherwise they would heave been released already. For a completei-st, an essential addition to your collection, but for enquiring, aspiring converts, best avoided.

Sorry, I really can't stand this overproduced US Punk Metal crap, that pretends to be from the street and honest, but sounds like it's produced with all the best equipment available, heavy computer processing and a multi thousand dollar budget. Oh, and it all sounds the same.

IV Thieves have been listening to too much Britpop, which isn't a bad thing, but last time I checked the Britpop revival hadn't arrived yet, so I'm not sure what the band are aiming for. Sounding like a big old mix up of the better and lesser known bands from the aforementioned era rolled into one, they produce a good mix of jangly guitar chords, appregiated breaks, a whining vocalist, and of course, tambourines.

My first words on Camera were that they were a little too middle of the road for my tastes and that I looked forward to hearing more on any forthcoming albums. Sadly the album doesn't contain any more of the rock I was looking forward to but it is a pleasant enough album, and the first few tracks are uplifting and get the foot tapping, but slowly as the album progresses the songs tend to have the same feel and sound and disappear into the background, which is never a good thing. It needs a little more dynamic to keep the attention.

Betty Curse is one my guilty pleasure, I really shouldn't enjoy her music, she's obviously contrived, manufactured, she even admits it, maybe that's why I like her so much. There's something about the paint by numbers Glam-Pop-Rock that's just so damn appealing and fun. Something about the glammed up sense of pleasure, the ever so slightly silly and tongue in cheek lyrics so clearly written for Teenage Outsiders to sing along to. Maybe because it's not aimed at me and I can see the music for what it is that makes me like it so much, I've said it before and I'll say it again, in a few months Betty Curse will be everywhere, the kids will love her, the parents will hate her (well the dads will be intrigued) but they'll still have to chaperone.

If you are, or have ever been a jilted lover, pinning after an ex flame, frustrated by your situation and difficulty in moving on, then Join Dan Sartain. Currently undergoing similar feelings the album strikes a deep chord with me. Dan's wonderful twanging accent spits bitter, lamenting lyrics over a bed of reverb soaked electric guitar and minimal bass and drums. The albums got death, love, pain and suffering, a must for all melancholics everywhere, embrace your new leader.

I don't seem to the only one noticing that whilst the mainstream rock circles are getting progressively louder, fuzzier and dischordant, there's an increasing amount of fantastic mellower more subtle artists rapidly appearing on the scene. This is an excellently compiled album featuring tracks from the likes of Dan Sartain, Simon Breed and Gemma Ray that all contribute to creating a well balanced and superb compilation for those wanting something a little quieter, but by no means calmer, alternative to the noise that the kids are making.

Sounding equal parts new wave solo artists and post grunge acoustic artist (Think Nirvana's Unplugged in New York if that makes no sense) this is a riotous rollercoaster sort of an album. Some tracks big and wonderfully over produced with too many instruments crashing about and (unfortunately) Jay's voice incredibly badly EQ'd and swimming with effects whilst others are quiet, delicate and heartfelt, stripped down and bare. Thus the album is a little disjointed and schizophrenic, but also keeps the attention as you wonder what will be next.

On the few dates I caught Kate live I found her absolutely enchanting and I can't even say exactly why. I think I'm a sucker for that sort of artist who quietly slinks onto a stage with no sort of presence whatsoever, an almost apologetic charm, and as soon as they start to sing the room stops to watch what is going on. Her voice is smooth but with rough overtones, most likely a natural talent with no training and whilst her guitar lines are simple and fairly similar across songs they compliment her voice brilliantly and succinctly. On album you lose the presence that comes from seeing her in the flesh, but you can still hear the strength of the song writing and the inherent beauty of her music. It won't suit everybody, it's very American (something that normally puts me off) in style, sound and lyrical content, but give a few tracks a listen and try to catch Kate live, then maybe you might see what I mean.

There's something of a melodious beauty to the tracks on Into the blue again, so much so that a majority of the tracks are purely instrumentals. It?ƒÙs laid back, the usual band line up supplemented with strings, vibes, keyboards, samples and multiple vocalists. The songs are slow building, with layers of instruments and harmony gradually added as opposed to straightforward verse, chorus, verse chorus. A calming and peaceful album full of inspiring melody, it's the sort to return to after a hard days work, put your feet up with a glass of wine and drift away into another world with.

I love Awwblot? They're an excellent live band and their last EP had some of the best dance floor fillers I've heard for a while. Which is why I don't understand this release. There's one recorded track, which isn't one of their best, and two live tracks, which aren't some of their best either. The lyrics are repetitive and the music doesn't show off their incredibly tight, catchy and cleverly arranged pop tunes at all. Don.t lose your way so early boys and girls...

This is good stuff, very rough, but very inventive and showing a lot of potential future promise. Songs that are self aware of the ridiculousness and trials and tribulations of the music business have always been a winner and this demo deals with this and other issues admirably, The Death of a band due to constant touring and lack of money, teen scenesters and troublesome girlfriends. Lyrical genius over a solid wall of music, it needs work but watch this space, as Billy Ruffian will be at the front of the ever-growing wave of anti-scene bands.

Yee Gods, why are people still making, releasing or most crucially sending people like me such middle of the road Funk-Soul Ballads?! To be more constructive, it's well played, catchy and well structured songs, but sounds like late 70's pop music. Chiming vibraphones, a singer who's probably clicking his fingers whilst singing, string backings and falsetto middle eights. If you like this sort of thing then I'm sure it's great, but sadly the Beauty room are not my musical cup of tea at all.

It's always hard to judge a band on one track, but on the basis of this one I'd like to reiterate a statement to VWF and many, many other bands I have been making fairly frequently over the past few months... Please, please, please no more disco beats for the hell of it! Yes they make people dance, but there are other ways to do that. I say this in relation to VWF because they sound like a band who'd rather be playing some sort of ska/rock-riffage crossover, and whilst that might not be 100% original either, follow what is right for you, not what the scene is telling you to do.

I try to avoid mentioning other artist's names as much as possible in reviews, but after just reviewing the new Bonnie Prince Billie album the similarity in style is so close I had to check I was listening to the right CD on several occasions. To be fair James Yorkston's voice is different and there's less of a country influence on his music, but melodically the songs are in the same melancholic, downbeat, lamenting vein played over a bed of gentle acoustic guitar and occasional accompaniment. There's more of a British feel to this album, especially on Woozy with Cider, a spoken word track that sums up British life and a musicians life beautifully, not that you would want an entire album of tracks like this, but it shows a more interesting side to James's work and the promise of more to come.

Bonnie Prince Billy, William Higham, Palace Music... Is an artist who is something of a cult genius to has fans and admirers, but to outsiders, someone who's appeal has always been hard to fully understand and comprehend, this album has done something to address that opinion. The songs are all fairly similar, a country / folk crossover, sparse, usually just guitar and vocals, occasionally an accompanying percussionist, instrument or vocal. Lyrically Bonnie Prince Billy Is typically fairly downbeat, and if not, then he sings lamenting love songs, even though his delivery promises lyrical brilliance generally his lyrics are fairly uninspiring, non-sensical and whimsical. That said Letting Go is a calming album to listen to, filling you with an inner peace, an album to escape the world to. Bonnie Prince Billy, a genius? No, but this is a fine album.