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Stars As Eyes

A form of music I have always had an abundance of time for is that with enormous atmosphere. Stars As Eyes may have long ago finished as a production unit, but the penultimate track from their debut effort Freedom Rock stands as a great entry point into the realm of IDM. With Boards of Canada like attention to detail but with the glitchy jitters Aphex Twin perfected, The Fighting Of Fights is a wander through a digitally changing landscape, evolving to the rhythm of war drums in a hip-hop stagger.

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Konichi – What Can We Do

(For last week)

I haven’t been listening to a lot of newish music lately, although I have been contemplating recording a completely neurofunk-based mix recently and have stuck this track on a fair amount recently. I don’t know whether I will ever use this in a mix but I really enjoy this for some bizarre reason. Konichi, based in the hills of Gloucestershire, makes a more traditional form of drum ‘n’ bass known as jump up and this pushes the boundaries at what jump up is known for. It has practically no build-up except from the drop, hence the term ‘jump up’ but I like the almost angry frog warbling bassline about this track. The sheer viciousness will make any head bob and face suck itself inwards at the power it has, even if it won’t make you skank like no tomorrow. It is certainly an acquired taste, but no doubt fun to listen to.

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Rishloo – Scissorlips

(For two weeks ago)

I was feeling quite down two weeks ago, so I kinda wanted a powerful pick-me-up that I could bellow at an incredible volume, and this fit the bill perfectly. I have posted about this band before and how much of a massive shame it is that they are no longer together because they make such incredible, compelling music. If as many singers in modern rock and metal music injected as much passion and emotion into the mantras they perform, the quality would skyrocket. This is intense, dramatic and deeply personal progressive rock at its absolute finest.  The guitar work has been master crafted to reflect each mood and revelation in the lyrics, which seemed to have almost abandoned all hope until the very bitter end. Which In its irony, is how the band seemed to have concluded. I cannot stress enough the sheer talent these guys have and it is outright criminal that they never received the recognition they deserved for their gifts to modern music. Simply phenomenal.

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Creature With The Atom Brain

When Mark Lanegan supports as a band as much as Creature With The Atom Brain, you know they should be taken seriously. Wandering along the tightrope between indie and psych almost effortlessly, Hit The Sky is a leisurely drive among deserted plains with stabs of organ and a wailing lead guitar that can only put a smile on your face. Whilst there is an essence of Queens that can’t be washed off, this Belgian group have their own mesmerising song writing ability that sits more on the easy listening front than Josh Homme’s lust for success would ever dream of. As the first track of last year’s The Birds Fly Low, it serves as a wonderful introduction to this incredibly trippy but ultimately great band and one you hopefully won’t regret.

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Ghost In The Static

Bracknell’s Ghost In The Static have a obsession with writing soundtracks for the impending apocalypse, but if your soundtrack is a 80’s inspired, industrial heavy dystopia, then you sure as hell have a winning formula on your hands. Downer from Open Eyed Dreamer Part One is one of my absolute favourite songs from last year with its instantly catchy chorus, minimal analogue synths, guitar outbursts that keep the tension high throughout and words spoken with such aching and passion, it’s an inspiring listen.

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Scarling.

Formed from the ashes of seminal cult goth band Jack Off Jill, Scarling is the masterwork of vocalist Jessicka Addams and guitarist Christian Henjal. City Noise blasts open with a sense of urgency, guitar noise literally pounding away at nerves before the calming yet incredibly unsettling vocals of Jessicka speak over the ensuing cacophony underneath. It’s less disturbing in content than Jack Off Jill, but not any less haunting or distressing at a push. The quiet and loud dynamic works a little too in places but again that’s what makes the tainted beauty of Scarling an interesting listen if it makes us emote, only for a moment and second album So Long Scarecrow, is absolutely full of those moments.

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All Hail The Yeti

Try putting a random word in a music streaming platform like Spotify and see what results you get (guess what word I put in here?). Anyway, Hollywood’s All Hail The Yeti are an awe-inspiringly heavy hardcore outfit with a hint of modern sludge-peddling thrown in for good measure a la Mastodon. Suicide Woods, taken from the self-titled album, in the right environment is a chaotic incitement and floor-stomping destroyer that makes me proud to call it my throwdown track. Plus it has one of the most ridiculous but infectious breakdown chants I have ever heard. I think this version is a demo or EP version of this song as it is more raw in areas, but you still feel the intent and ferocity being hurled through your headphones.

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Petrol Bastard

Let it be said that there are just some bands you shouldn’t enjoy, and some you shouldn’t enjoy way too much. Leeds’ self-proclaimed Tesco value Prodigy Petrol Bastard fall into the second category as their style of shouting abuse, often with as many curse words as you can throw a witches’ spell book at, over shades of techno, gabba, drum ‘n’ bass and dubstep is as memorable as it is diabolical. But it is deliriously entertaining which is why I keep coming back to it and Warrior Face is one of my favourites off of the Dripping Gash LP, released late last year.

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Sub Atari Knives

Also in contention for this week’s track of the week, Australia’s Sub Atari Knives are a electronic rock crossover group, still in their infancy but rapidly making waves for their sheer energy and their intriguing hybrid style. Their first single DTX (available for FREE from their Soundcloud) is not quite representative of their works on their EP released last year, but contains that same unbridled energy and awesome musicianship which they are gaining acclaim for. If there’s any kind of justice in the world, they will be huge a few years from now.

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Kavinsky – Testarossa Autodrive

(For this week)

This week’s track was a very close run thing but I love the other contender’s works so it was hard to pick just one song. That of course made Kavinsky the only choice. European electronic music is quite possibly the best in the world and while I’m not particularly keen on some of the output, this homage to the 80’s is amazing. I quite simply could listen to this on repeat forever. It is so engrossing to get lost in the synth splashes that fly everywhere, it is true nigh-time driving music by every measure of the imagination. Whether as a soundtrack or dance music, hypnotic does not quite cover the effect this track has and the hype surrounding Kavinsky is more than justified on this track alone. Doing it better than the masters of French electro music, this will be no doubt playing for quite some time on any soundsystem I possess.