Tag Archives: Disc reviews

Streebeck – ‘Without a Baedeker’

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by Davey

Now I’m not a difficult person to please in general, but where music is concerned I’ve grown to be highly critical since becoming a rawk journo. So I surprised myself when, after witnessing Streebeck’s half-hour stint supporting David Essex in Cheltenham, I sat itching to buy his album. The promise of a free badge helped too, I’m a sucker for badges.

There was an exquisite feel to the performance; in this enormous cavern of a town hall, a solitary man played his acoustic guitar beneath a lonely spotlight, and won us over, hook line and sinker. Radio Two listeners may have heard the mysterious name, as the superb single ‘Wasted Time’ has been glistening through their airwaves. Streebeck has also played live in Radio One’s Maida Wale studios, an illustrious feat for any artist. ‘Wasted Time’ sounds, on the album, far more elaborate that it did live, incorporating a steady drum beat into the song for added vigour, atop the guitar/harmonica combination. One cannot help but see a Dylan influence in the simplicity of Streebeck’s style, the folky undertones, the difference being that the former is shockingly glorified, and the latter deserves glorification. Every song on this record stands out as poignant, genuine, and simply gorgeous. The incredible talent behind the guitar playing is moving enough in itself, and is amplified by lyrics that actually mean something.

For me, ‘Eighty Eight’ is the most touching song on the album, with the line “if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not pretend that we’re still friends” brimming over with emotion. Other standout tracks include the gently moving opener ‘Twilight’, the darkly pitying ‘Pirates’, and the uplifting ‘Caged’, which will always remind me of how I felt when Streebeck opened his performance to an audience unprepared for his sparkling brilliance.

‘Without a Baedeker’ shines from start to finish, and Streebeck is somehow startlingly different to every other modern man-and-his-guitar act. So different it turned the mind of a cynical hard rock fan upside down.
Order the album online now, and Streebeck might even sign it for you. That’s another great thing about him, he’s really a very nice boy!

www.streebeck.com
www.myspace.com/streebeck

 

(This also appeared in December 2006, issue 25

The Boyfriends album review

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by Emma

Released on October 2nd, The Boyfriends’ self-titled debut album is a collection of thoughts and wonderment by writer and frontman Martin Wallace. Bold and brave are the lyrics and subject matters chosen, and most are easy to identify with.

Brave Little Soldiers bursts into full swing with a quick pop beat and vocals that are individual and calming. I don’t generally like comparisons to other bands but if you imagine the feel of Stone Roses crossed with Morrissey you would be close to the feel of The Boyfriends. That’s not to say that they sound like either of these artists though. Speak Less and Listen is a candid and lighthearted memo to those who just don’t seem to stop talking and may be slightly overbearing. British Summer Time is a funky pop observation of summer park life, complete with funny lyrics that make you laugh because you know they are so true. A Fearless Heart is a slower but still cheerful tune, picking up on the good points of almost-there love affairs. The simplicity of the tune is lovely and so easy to enjoy.

Track five, Remember, kicks up the pace again and is a jolly and melodic ode to fond memories. Adult Acne takes a sadder tone, delving into feelings of loneliness when it seems that you might never find that someone to love you. The bouncing bassline keeps the pace and so the overall mood doesn’t sink too low. Once Upon A Time is a bittersweet track about leaving behind those that mean most to you. The pace is up and the tone is cheery though and it’s a nice singalong pop track. Wonders Never Cease is an amusing little song, again an observation of life with a cute happy outlook. This one is another simple track with great results. Next track No Tomorrow is a message to people to not get caught up in sadness when life knocks you down. An optimistic and spirited tune. I Love You was the first single to be released and a brave one at that, as the track says much, much more than people often do. It’s a whole-hearted declaration that throws caution to the wind and with a strong riff and heavier drums than on most of the other tracks it’s a winner. The closing track There Is Always Hope is a simple message that needs no explanation. The track features prominent thick drums which suit the slower pace of the track.

This band embodies a great attitude and spirit that is often bypassed by today’s bands, and I found the album refreshing and uplifting.

Dan Sartain album review

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by Emma

Join Dan Sartain

Behold the new album from Dan Sartain! The young ‘Ivory Godfather’TM releases Join Dan Sartain on 2nd October 2006 to high acclaim.

Dan’s slick tones and exceptional outspoken outlook brings us another collection of high-class tracks not to be dismissed. Smooth and compelling are tracks such as the wonderful Flight Of The Finch, The World Is Gonna Break Your Little Heart, the first single released from the album the grand Replacement Man and Second Coming. Storyteller supreme is Dan Sartain and the wise within his words belies his young age of 23.

Jiggy, wild and dramatic are tracks such as Drama Queens, imagination fodder Gun vs. Knife which inspires the imagination to happily conjure western movie-esque scenes packed with lines such as ‘well I know he’s got that pistol and he waves it in his hand’ and liberating cries. Hangers On is a fast and furious tune with lyrics that pack a punch or two.

Calm and collected are the righteous Thought It Over, the delightfully dark cover of Besa Me Mucho, as well as other favourties I Wanted It So which flows wonderfully with a killer riff and plenty of ‘woah woah’s and ‘yeah yeah’s. Indian Ink is fantastically dramatic with tumbling guitar and an almost tribal drumbeat.

Join Dan Sartain…you would be crazy not to, so sit back and take it in.

Gossip single review

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by Emma

Standing in the Way of Control

Gossip are all set to release the title track from their forthcoming album on 2nd October 2006, and are setting their sights on success. Standing in the Way of Control is a catchy dance floor shaker, with a beat that you can’t help moving along with accompanied by Beth Ditto’s giant but ever so soulful vocals. The song is a reaction to the denial of civil partnerships in the US and has been heralded an anthem by clubbers across the world.

Gossip are on to a winning formula with this upbeat and modern style, and I’m looking forward to hearing what else this band can do.


Hicks Milligan-Prophecy single review

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by Emma

The Good, The Bad And The Iceberg

Atomic Duster Records see the release of debut EP The Good, The Bad And The Iceberg on 16th October. So, what are my first impressions of Londoners Hicks Milligan-Prophecy?

Monkey See, Monkey Lifestyle is the name of the first track on the EP, and is uptempo, jolly and quite funny. The highlight of the track is undoubtedly the clever lyrical content…which is rather odd to say the least. Second track King Herod’s Baby Milk is slow and quite uneventful. Again the lyrics carry the track. Final track Pro-Celebrity Prostitution has a bit more of a kick with some eighties keyboards and an unapologetic attack on vocals. If you like jangly-sounding songs, this might be your cup of tea.

Are these guys and gals having a laugh? You bet they are!

IV Thieves single review

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by Emma

The Day is a Downer

IV Thieves debut with EP The Day is a Downer on 9th October 2006. The Texan quartet deliver a small collection of hooky although less than cheery songs by taking basic harmonies and understated vocals and allowing them to breathe without the need for fancy fretwork or such complications.

The Day is a Downer forms track one, and is a moody tale of the monotony that can seem to swallow life. The music itself is fairly jolly and provides a nice contrast. The easy vocal style makes for easy listen and easy learn which I think will help the songs catch on with airplay. Catastrophe follows a similar formula except the backing music and tone of the song I sunnier. Chase Me Off/Out is slow and building, the chorus catchy but the lyrics still saddening and a little brooding. IV Thieves seem to have the knack of writing unhappy lyrics but keeping the overall tone and mood higher to keep the listener from the depths of depression!

Juliette and The Licks album review

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by Emma

Four On The Floor

Four On The Floor is the second album from Juliette and The Licks and is released on 2nd October 2006. With the aid of rock’s favourite all-rounder Dave Grohl on drums there are high hopes for the ten-track album.

Smash And Grab is busy. There’s a whole lot going on with this track and although I am all for shouty loud tracks, this one just doesn’t do it for me and the high pitched howls of Lewis grate slightly. Hot Kiss is better and has more of a melody to it along with rock n’ roll style verses and rough vocals. Sticky Honey better still with it’s focused vocals, clever lyrics and hot riffs. Next up is Killer and this one is quick in pace and aggressive, whilst it carries a decent tune it just doesn’t click with me. Death Of A Whore is lyrically good but the speak-sing style doesn’t really work and the backing music isn’t exciting enough to carry it.

Purgatory Blues resuscitates the album back into life with a strong bass and serious vocals and well-penned lyrics. Lewis sounds so much better when she sings honestly and avoids the aggressive screams and in-character odd vocals. Get Up opens like The Who with quivering notes and develops into a good, straightforward tune. The vocals are good for the main part of this track but she veers off slightly from time to time. Next is Mindful Of Daggers, which again is a good tune keeping up to the standard of the last couple of tracks. It’s quick paced, exciting without being over the top and has some neat little riffs in there. Bullshit King isn’t as catchy but is okay nevertheless. It’s a fast rocking tune with nice guitar solo sections. Inside The Cage starts with whispered vocals and a quiet backing, but it turns into one of those deep voiced odd ones, so not one of my favorites.

The majority of the tracks on Four On The Floor are really good and it is worth getting hold of a copy for these ones but I would definitely say that the more true-to-self tracks are by far the best here.


Sean Lennon single review

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by Emma

Dead Meat

God I so wanted to love this track before I even took the CD from its sleeve. I wasn’t disappointed – not in the slightest. Opening with a beautiful piano intro, Dead Meat dances and sweeps along in a fanciful and musically luscious way as Lennon’s soft but rather stern vocals float over the track like a dreamy waltz in a fairground.

The lyrics are sincere and bold, the strings intensify the quality and the professionalism shown here. Dead Meat is taken from Sean’s second album, Friendly Fire, released on 2nd October 2006 and I am going to snap up a copy, as it is clear there is a wealth of creativity to behold from this boy.


Sound Team single review

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by Emma

Born To Please

Sound Team are a six-piece from Texas and are about to release their debut single Born To Please as they embark on their first UK tour commencing 18th September 2006.

Born To Please is a mild mannered track which isn’t necessarily striking upon first listen, however there is a depth to this track which emerges further with each play and grows on you. There is a steady rhythm to this track, and the simple guitar and drums and understated and calming vocals in addition make for a pleasant sound. It isn’t the most exciting of music but that doesn’t appear to be the intention here. It’s steady and it’s inoffensive but also rather lovely and has a vintage quality. The second track follows suit however the final track Movie Monster is much more interesting, with more fire and a more experimental sound.

Sparklehorse single review

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by Emma

Don’t Take My Sunshine Away

Sparklehorse are back after a long five years and have released three singles during September 2006, all combined on a single CD released on 18th September.

Don’t Take My Sunshine Away is a slow-burner, childlike and so laid back that it is practically horizontal. It’s a delicate track complete with twinkly guitar and vocals that are tiny and sweet. Truer to old form is the second track, Ghost in the Sky, with a faster beat, adult vocals and a great twang of guitar. This is the Sparklehorse that I knew and loved. Track three, Knives Of Summertime, steadies out the tempo again and is another mellow tune with thoughtful and gorgeous lyrics and a lovely flow.

The Authentics album review

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by Emma

Blondes Make The Best Victims?

Sleazy dirty rock ‘n’ roll anyone? The Authentics could be just what you are looking for.

Opening with a crash of the drums and thick chugging guitar followed by a short but sweet guitar solo virtuoso. The vocals are gritty and whilst they are good vocals they betray the band’s British roots. This is just a small point though on Behind The Mask – the expertise displayed on this first track are prominent. Face The Writing On The Wall is another technically sound track encompassing that hard-hitting thick rock sound and group backing shouts work well with the track. In parts the drums here are great and form an excellent base for the track. The Authentics have the look and feel of early nineties dirty rock and they pull it off quite well, although they are a little on the milder side.
Great melodic tracks such as Burn What Remains and the ‘do-wops’ of Shot In The Dark are those that help bring the album together with their catchy hooks and excitable choruses.

Those showy tracks such as Pervert and the frankly excellent twists and turns of Frustrations & Ultimatums display the undeniable talent of the lead guitarist, reveling in the slick and impressive solos. At some points the vocals sound a little like an adult Cartman (South Park) in certain parts which I just find endearing! Heartbreaker rounds up the album with a wake up call in the shape of a catchy rock anthem.

The Authentics have some work to do, but they have a special quality that is quite rare these days and so I am looking forward to hearing more from these guys in the future.

Five O’Clock Heroes – Bend To The Breaks – Album

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by Emma

Bend To The Breaks

The packaging for this CD is clever and has amused me before I even touch the CD inside. Bend To The Breaks will be released through Glaze Records on 18th September, just a week after the LPs firs single is released. The thing that Five O’Clock Heroes have that really appeals to me is their no-nonsense open quality. You can tell that they are not trying too hard to fit in to the scene and the music they produce quite clearly comes very naturally to them and has a smooth flow.

Head Games opens the LP and is a cool and collected track which nicely introcuces you to the feel of the band and the album. The song is a head nodding jolly tune, as are almost all of the other tracks. The roll of a tongue on Anybody Home and the catchy riff of single Time On My Hands carry you through the album happily and triumphantly like a metal kid crowdsurfing across a packed crowd. There is the odd slower song such as Number Again, although there is no compromise on the quirky vocal style meaning that the tracks are by no means ballad-like. These are complimented by the finger-clicking tracks you also have such as Skin Deep and Corporate Boys (which is one of my own favorites from the album).

Credit where credit is due – these guys are great to listen to and i think this album can grow on anyone, although for me it was an instant appreciation.

The Authentics – Supercharge – EP

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by Emma

With grilling opening guitar and a dirty fast-rock sound The Authentics seem to be picking up where other bands have left off several years ago. They have been compared to The Wildhearts and I can agree there is an element of the fast guitar and quick lyrics that The Wildhearts were the true masters of. Supercharge is a fine example of sleazy unruly rock with a kick-ass attitude and an arrogance which almost became a staple of the genre in it’s prime. Second track You Wanna Be Me is a less grinding but technicaly sound track, complete with rifftastic guitar solo. Fifteen Minutes of Shame sounds quite busy as the lead guitar tends to outshine the vocals in a vie for attention of the listener. Catchy tune though and a nice bit of stop-start guitar that always bodes well in my view. Final track The Right Stuff is a slow opener, but once it kicks in the shouty backing vocals and righteous tones that remind me a little of early Faith No More, which obviously is a bloody good thing! So, The Right Stuff…one version is a late eighties boy band hit complete with funny dance, and the other an impressive and experimental effort from an up and coming rock group. Which would you prefer?!

Dan Sartain – Replacement Man – Single

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by Emma

As if right from out of a Western Dan Sartain sings with a threateningly calm coo, distinctly dark and menacing tones seeping through. Relacement Man, out on 18th September, is a guitar twanging hoe-downing tune, catchy and a little scary at the same time. Sartain has been likened to the late Johnny Cash and it is easy to see why. Second track Indian Ink is another simple yet powerful track and seems to leave an imprint of itself on the mind. Not the type of music you could hear and forget, this is the stuff movie soundtracks are made of and sets a certain mood in as quick as a flash, then seems to end in the same way.

Although, not quite my musical cup of tea, I think that Dan Sartain has the credentials to become a house hold name…let’s watch this space.

The Rapture – Pieces Of The People We Love – Album

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by Emma

Released on September 4th, Pieces of the People We Love is the second album from critically acclaimed New Yorkers The Rapture. Their mix of jazz, funky dance beats and hollowy high vocals makes for an exciting album. Get Myself Into It is a big party tune and will have you hotfooting it around the room. This is the first single to be released from the album on August 21st and was a good choice. The title track is a little slower and calmer and to be honest does lack the sparkle that the first track has. Luckily the pace is soon recovered with Whoo! Alright Yeah…Uh Huh, the fabulously titled song which reflects well the upbeat and feel good spirit of this track.

Don Go Do It brings in the electro and the dip in pace and fizz is more than made up for by the very strong vocals on this track, and the cool catchy chorus is great. The Sound seems as though it carries on this theme until you’re hit by a loud noise attack! This style is effective, but personally i prefer the glitzier sound of their dancier songs.

This group sounds good, something a little different to get your teeth into!

Dirty Pretty Things’ New Single

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by Davey

‘Deadwood’ (single)

I’m not a fan of these trendy type groups, all style and no spunk, but ‘Deadwood’ is a surprisingly vigorous offering from Carl Barat and co, bouncy and Razorlight-y.

The general dullness of this sort of music has been buffed up and even rocked up – or maybe it’s my weakness for tambourine talking.

Nevertheless, the robust nature of the single is a sure-fire hitmaker, destined to make skinny-jeaned posers spazz out in the moshpits. The rest of us can stand by and nod along, content that we’re not twats, but we can still like this song.

 

Graham Coxon’s New Single

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by Davey

‘I Can’t Look At Your Skin’ (single)

A tad more energetic than Coxon’s previous efforts, ‘I Can’t Look At Your Skin’ is a Jam-esque Cockney jig, and a middle finger at his Britpop beginnings, with a hint of aggressive punk and – heaven forefend – a guitar solo.

The simple sing-along style of this single, (a template adopted by the most recent batch of trendy bands such as Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks), is certainly a trick for successfully nuzzling into the charts; the difference being that Coxon deserves to be there. This song is too wonderfully English to ignore, with that much-loved colloquial phrase “it’s doing me in” chucked in a few times, in Coxon’s best common sneer.

The single truly belongs in the nineties, battling against Blur. If Albarn didn’t have Gorillaz, he might well be fucked.

 

Milburn – Album

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by Emma

Milburn have recently released single Cheshire Cat Smile, a quirky pop-rock tune which fits nicely into the niche populated by the likes of Arctic Monkeys. Their debut album is due for release on 25th September and I was sent a sampler of six tracks. Tracks What You Could’ve Won and Storm In A Teacup are fun and upbeat, beats steady and vocals unmistakably northern and pertty smooth. The lyrics take the centre stage and with nice little catchy backing tracks they could be really successful. This band have just the right kind of sound for the moment.

One track to look out for is Send in the Boys, a more daring and exciting track which displays a good variance of pace and switches the beat enough to really catch and hold the attention of the listener. Milburn are an easy listening band, with a good technical quality and sense of tongue in cheek energy which will carry them far.

The Needles – Summer Girls – Single

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by Emma

Summer Girls is released on 14th August 2006 through Dangerous Records. This is a fairly mild mannered track with a deliberate old rock style that will sit well with a lot of of todays listeners. Vocalist Dave Dixon has a very soothing and mature voice that works well alongside the thick guitar and tame percussion. Second track How Come It Doesn’t Rain is substantially easier to swollow and is a sweeter and more gentle song that could almost be a cover of music by the likes of The Beatles. The last track on the single Starting To Worry continues the skittle-esque flow that suits The Needles but may take a bit of persuasion in the current market.

Good Shoes – All In My Head – Single

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by Emma

Good Shoes are truly delightful. The single All In My Head is a wonderful and wildly extravagent tune which rides out like a fairground rollercoaster complete with bends, twists and sharp halts and most promonent of all the punk vocals of Rhys Jones which I am sure will become notorious in time. I’m not certain whether we have a child vocalist or a very clever young man, and this is a very intentional sound as by the time you reach track three Wrong & Right its clear that he is the latter. The music and the form and timing of the tracks is quite intricate but the overlay of words sang in such a childlike and casual manner throws a whole new spin on it. Don’t be misled though – the writing is tight and very well organised with lyrics sharp and funny.

I really like this band a lot, their style is fresh and young and spirited and I look forward to seeing how this comes across in their live performance.