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Vuvuvultures

Hopefully these guys won’t need too much more exposure, London’s Vuvuvultures are already well on their way to making a massive impact, having performed on this year’s main stage at Hard Rock Calling. Taken from their debut Push/Pull which has only been out a month or so, Steel Bones is fuelled ever so gorgeously by the soulful vocals of Harmony Boucher, whilst a heavy bass foundation and unsettling synth chimes nestle in the background, drive into the abrasive guitar-powered chorus, which will drill itself firmly into your head all day. One thing is for sure, Vuvuvultures are weaponised and it won’t be long before they become synonymised with true success.

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Joanna Syze

I had to put the awesome talents of Bulgaria’s Joanna Syze on here eventually not just because Rodina is such a perfect song, but because she has been terribly ill for a long period of time and more electronic music enthusiasts need to be aware of her sheer brilliance. Taken from the self-titled album, Rodina is a journey through an Eastern European village which slowly escalates into a much deeper spiritual drumstep track. On an emotional level, this track has few comparisons, phenomenal is really the only word to describe it. The ambience, pacing, synths, vocals, everything is absolutely spot on, it is practically faultless. Please get well soon Joanna, the world should really hear the gift you have.

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Astrohenge

There’s some sort of prehistoric heaviness that London’s Astrohenge wear like a fine suit. All instrumental anarchy with dinosaur-paced grooves, riffs and in this instance, speed, all condensed into half an hour of edge-of-your-seat action. Lab Chimp Uprising is torrent after torrent of snarling riffs, heading full blast with the intensity of molten lava, with no breaths whatsoever before the next stream comes storming down. The addition of keyboard to some of their songs too is a surefire reinforcement of that ancient society feel, and a unique touch at that, but this is if prog rock was done by lunatics armed with sledgehammers. If a volcano erupts anywhere in the world, you can bet that Astrohenge will provide the crushing soundtrack for it as their second self-titled effort is simply perfect for it.

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Pitchblend

Capitalising on the fast-rising post-rock sound was the sadly now-defunct Pitchblend, who beside soaring atmospheres and awe-inspiring guitar tones wrote possibly some of the most emotionally-charged songs I have ever heard. Sirens is likely to be their most memorable, with yelling out to the outermost edges of the universe so passionate, it’s genuinely moving. What’s even more moving is the fact this fantastically talented musicians never got the recognition they properly deserved for their astonishing songwriting abilities and their 200% heart and soul deliveries.

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Buildings

Minneapolis’ Buildings are a funny bunch, combining spiky venom-drenched vocals and the punk aesthetic to grungy, fuzz-laden guitars in a hardcore haze that is incredibly contagious. Invocation is a build-up that never gets going, but between bass, drums and vocals ,goes through a fairly ropey emotional transformation. Sure it could rip you holes in several places in your body if it wanted to and once the full guitar might is unleashed, it does with ease, the stride  turns into a sprint. The entire Melt Cry Sleep album will beat your ears into pulp but this is an incredibly well structured and emotionally charged attack well worth riding out to the end.

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Diagram Of Suburban Chaos

If there was an award for the most authentic Aphex Twin clone ever, then surely William Snavely a.k.a. Diagram Of Suburban Chaos would be the winner.The several shades of ambience and atmosphere to the schizoid percussion to the numerous textures of synths are all present and accounted for in Cryhsat from Status Negatives. This recalls arguably my favourite AFX works from double album Drukqs, which has many a standout moment and is a tremendous bar to be measured against and should be commended as so.

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Omaha Bitch – Dancing Cyprine

I wanted to post a lot more about this band because I’ve been listening to their music a lot recently but I could only have one track of the week and I was hooked on I Am Legion. And then I forgot about them. But a week has passed, and now I can post about the eclectic punk-inspired metal antics of France’s Omaha Bitch. While the feminist rage if word ever got out about this video would be enormous, I find this video entertaining and a pretty good idea, the same can be said about this band. While Dancing Cyprine is my track of the week because of the slightly unconventional take on hardcore with perhaps a persuasion of death metal woven in, it is merely one side of this incredibly dynamic band. Gang claps, a ferociously heavy throwdown moment and a very frenzied freakout moment make this track truly if not a pleasurable, a fascinating listen to hear a menagerie of influences thrown into 3 and a half minutes of organised chaos. I wouldn’t say it is for everyone but I sure as hell enjoy it.

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The Azoic

Cult Colombus, Ohio EBM act The Azoic have been working their craft since 1996 and have very little to show for it. This culminates the song title of this track quite nicely as in the lack of attention they’ve been shown. Not Justified is an incredibly well-written, synth-heavy stomper, addictive yet tangled in bondage tape all the same. Almost sounding like it was sown together from 80’s electronica remnants, the pulsing hypnosis this causes is second to none and the darkness it dwells within is delicious. I’m also a fan of the Madebelief remix of this song, both of which are featured on the joint CD Forward + Conflict of which the remix is an even mistier but decidedly more intimate affair. However, the original takes some beating, even if it is with whips and chains.

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I Am Legion – Choosing For You

I was initially hesitant about the collaboration between Noisia and Foreign Beggars despite my love for their previous work together because well… Noisia have been somewhat of a creative drought of late and Foreign Beggars’ work for me, can be kinda inconsistent. That hesitation was immediately wiped after I heard this. Make Those Move was brutal bass and not much else, but Choosing For You has a more graceful dark electro swagger (?), confined in a skittery, dancefloor bombshell. Lyrics leave a lot to be desired at times, but never this year did I think I’d find myself using the phrase ‘brain fungus.’ I’d love to know the story behind that because it’s stupidly infectious. But that just seems to be the essence of this track in a nutshell. The beat is straight-up head-nodding in the back of a car with your mates material, the bass goes as low as Satan’s basement and that drop will make anybody body-pop more than an itchy body with Tourettes. This was clearly made with the streets in mind, much down to the influence of the Beggars no doubt and again shows the uprising of trap in recent months as a dominant dance genre. I Am Legion are out to prove why they are essential in their respective art styles and if Choosing For You is the grounds to prove it, then consider them heard loud and clear.

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Earthlimb

I very nearly posted this not long after I’d heard this group last week because of how astounded I was by this German prog-rock outfit. Ever-shifting, mood morphing throughout and delivering a satisfying, crunching heaviness in its payoffs, Earthlimb has all the vital ingredients of an engrossing but ultimately killer ensemble. My example, Oceans Of Astate is eight minutes of transcending synths, powerful vocals, skilfully interwoven acoustic guitars, stadium-filling lead guitar wails and that same explosive heaviness I mentioned before. Their debut Origin is some what of a priceless artifact, absolutely pleading to be excavated and with their undeniable talent, you’d be somewhat of a fool not to.