Tag Archives: United Kingdom

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L’aléatoire

I have never claimed to be a journalist of any description, even if I am covering new and up-coming bands, or writing music-based reviews and such. But then again, I’ve never considered myself a detective, but I do a lot of research into subject matters I have a large interest in. Like you’re supposed to do for a degree, but you don’t get awarded a degree for being a detective in media studies. I think it’d be a better title personally. I bring this up because for a new and emerging band, I could gather all the necessary information I desire to write an informed piece by asking for a press release, like a journalist would. But instead, I am belaying that in favour of doing my own research and bringing you my findings via this piece I present to you right now, perhaps in the spirit of playing detective. It makes far more sense in the context of L’aléatoire, despite collaborating together for three years, have only starting making music together in the last year or so. Very little information about them is publicly available right now, so this is what I can tell you from research. L’aléatoire, French for random or uncertain depending on conversational use, are a two-man electro-metal project residing in London, whom appear to have an interest in occult imagery, judging by a hooded youth as a centaur I came across, but seem have taken their image in a new direction more towards that of 19th century illustrations of sharp objects and tools, which coupled with their technologically enhanced style of music, actually makes for a far more fearsome identity. Their debut single The Untreated has only been in the public domain over 24 hours at the time of writing, so it retains all the satisfaction of finding literal brand new music. And when I talk about satisfying, it certainly satisfies an itch or two. Our introduction to this song almost feels like it begins in a medical facility, the quickness and tension in those opening synth notes bringing an immediate sense of peril or threat, like being under the knife if it were. The programming brings rapid cymbal taps into the mix and a deep, warm, throbbing synth joins in underneath, starting to piece together a fuller atmosphere as unease starts to set in. Kicks and snares are next to enter, as does the occasional sample of a sitar, which actually fits into the jigsaw incredibly well, adding a slight unique, exotic twist to an otherwise cold overtone. Right up until that saw-sharp guitar tone cuts through the electronics like a… well, you know. The beat starts to form around this guitar interjection, as do the synths and ambience, morphing into a far more dangerous beast than you could have anticipated. The encounter is brief however, falling just under the three minute mark and even though the composition isn’t entirely complex, it remains absolutely gripping, purely through surgically precise production. It certainly sits as an intriguing teaser if anything, and judging by their prowess to produce live industrial mixes, there is a huge amount of promise and possibility to come soon. Illustrations aside, they have all the tools they need to make it happen.

The Untreated is available for a free download here, ahead of a debut EP release, scheduled for sometime in Spring. They’ve just released a video for the track which can be found right here on YouTube, but you can enjoy their industrial live mix right here in the mean time on their Soundcloud if this has tickled your fancy.

They’ve just started making moves with their social media, so go give them your support to get the machine up-and-running:

https://www.facebook.com/laleatoiremusic/?fref=ts

And if you feel like helping my social media machine at all, entirely at your choice, you can like, follow or subscribe to the blog right here:

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Track of The Week: Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Eyes All Over Me

Let me take you back a few years, to the turbulent time of 2009-2010. I was at sixth-form, but arguably the most critically influential time in my life for music. My listening habits in these years I can safely say have contributed enormously to not just my tastes, but my personality and identity as a twenty-something male living in the United Kingdom.  I have always been a bit of an oddball, and in time, I have come to accept my quirks, my eccentricity and flaws and have learned to love myself as the person I have become. And I am proud of that person I have become, 90% of the time at least. I can safely say that there was a lot of albums, probably far too many to recall right now, that had an effect and an influence on what I grew to like musically, but without a shadow of a doubt, on what has become one of my all-time favourite albums, You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into remains as important as it ever has to me. Sure, I was a little late to this party at first, but there’s something about their blend of electro-punk ferocity and rhythmic indie deliveries that still stays inspiring, ever since its inception in 2008. A true hybrid style if one could be deciphered into.

2011’s Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You was a mellower affair granted, a more mature evolution if you will if being mentored by The Prodigy’s Liam Howlett has anything to do with it, but still contained some thumping anthems nestled within. I cannot thank them enough for making Wrestler, one of my eternal DJ set staples and dancefloor annihilators. But, after two years or so touring the album and travelling around the world in incredibly high profile support slots, they turned the project off at the switch to focus on other endeavours. DJ sets under the band alias happened during that hiatus but fans had always hungered for a full return one day. Fast forward to 27th July 2015, and prayers to various deities were answered. Sort of. A one-off show was announced for December and excitement clamoured around all corners of the globe for a ticket release. Myself and friends of mine, along with around 1,000 other lucky recipients are fortunate enough to be able to be in attendance for their Electric Ballroom show. But while they hype their show, something of an added bonus, is that unreleased tracks are making their way to the light of day also.

Bringing us here, to All Eyes Over Me, technically the second song after I See Lights On The Horizon, informally referred to as With A Heavy Heart Part 2. The reward for whomever was able to correctly identify the exact clips and order of the montage in I See Lights Over The Horizon. Whatever you may be expecting from the band if you know of their previous material, disregard that completely. The only vague comparison point is their hip-hop short Wondering featuring their collaboration with Trip, and even so is a complete far cry from anything they’ve ever released or produced. You can tell just from the very instance of quiet hi-hat against complete silence, this will be an entirely different experience far from the bombast we’ve grown akin to. Bursts of bass lead in a very ambient, chilled and minimal pseudo-trip-hop beat, shaken percussion coolly sitting behind it as if waiting for a story to be recited. But that spoken word never really materialises. Instead we get a high-pitched refrain of ‘Eyes all over me,’ altered and manipulated through the course of the track to provide an additional melody to the bare bones exhibit. Something has to be said of the synth ambience too. The brightness and breeze that flows through it, kinda makes feel it as powerful and emotionally investing as watching ascension or a resurrection. Sonically though, the tone seems darker, far more cloaked in shadow than the fire, intensity and occasional introspective we know of their entire back catalogue before it. This doesn’t mean that it’s exempt from some of their trademark quirks and sound effect interjections, as some do squeeze their way in there. I’d be very interested to know when this track was actually written, as it would answer a lot of questions I feel the track raises. Not everything should have to have context, but certainly intriguing.

Understandably, as people are finding out about this track, a lot of fans are disappointed by it, dare I say, offended by it. But they’re disappointed by it, because it’s not another We Are Rockstars or The Monkeys Are Coming. Unfortunately for those, we’re never getting another You Have No Idea… and could never get any more material at all if they make good on their word of disbanding in December. You could tell that from buying Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You. We never could’ve had this track whatsoever if it wasn’t for the kind gesture of the competition winner, so big props to Drew Rogers for letting this track surface in the first place. What I appreciate about this track is how understated its beauty is, it does such a stellar job of invoking a reaction with minimal elements. For me, despite being a relaxing listen, there’s a sense of melancholy or soul-searching done in this track, and one that hasn’t been anywhere near as effective in any song they’ve written previously. Honestly, if I’d have written this, I’d be proud to have written it. Art. Art is the only thing more I can say. Judge for yourselves.

Eyes All Over Me, courtesy of the generous Drew Rogers and of course Does It Offend You, Yeah? can be downloaded for free from his Soundcloud. Does It Offend You, Yeah? supported by the superb Hounds and Them & Us play their final show at the Electric Ballroom on 12th December. There are still tickets available the last time I checked, so go get because it’s going to be incredible.

Go show them some love:

https://www.facebook.com/doesitoffendyou?fref=ts

https://instagram.com/doesitoffendyouyeah/

And if you think I’ve done any justice to this band or this track, you can also show me some love too if you so wish, entirely your call:

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The Black Tears

I’ve always been weary of the phrase ‘re-imagining a classic,’ just for the connotations of altering an item of much adoration so it fits in with a modern mindset. More often than not in musical terms, that would come in the form of cover versions of songs, in which a change in tempo or even musical style could bring about that phrase, for opening the minds of people, to thinking of the original beloved version in an entirely different way. This is by no means a new concept in the industry, but allow me to give it some context. The 90’s are making a comeback, long story short, and whilst I remain dejected or indifferent about less-than-to-be desired trends and genres of music, some I’m pleasantly content for a revival of. By their own admission, Nuneaton’s The Black Tears are ‘unapologetically influenced’ by the Seattle grunge scene, traces of their work certainly recalling Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains to name but a few. This female-fronted four piece not only invoke that spirit of angst and disenchanted youth, but their taming of a now iconic sound has settled into a bluesier territory, making for a very intriguing listen. Their past EPs and album very much were piloting a straight-up emulation, but greater experience on stage and on the road is moulding them into a truly enthralling beast of a band, especially on the basis of their most recent double A side single Liquid Fabulous. While the title track itself is belted out in a siren-fronted Soundgarden-esque dreamstate, it’s the flipside La Ghooste that fuses the new found blues flavour into the grunge counterpart, to form what resembles a melancholy soul ballad as performed by a lightly downtuned Alice In Chains. The plucking of bass at the beginning with the reverb of the guitar swipes gives the mood an atmospheric haze that with vocalist Lischana Lane’s velvet tones, sets the scene for a smouldering performance. Verses remain a quieter affair, melodies from the guitars teasing an inevitable shift in amplitude, but giving an aura of tragedy to the words spoken. Drums propel the pace steadily, prominent and powerful, yet never overcomplicated or detracting from the forte of the vocals. It slots perfectly into the tone and ambience of the storytelling. Reaching the chorus, that Alice In Chains overdrive kicks in with the guitars delivering the right sorrow-tinged notes in a heavier persona, even adding some wailing into the equation for good measure, all the while with vocals spreading wings before soaring into the skies. The last minute certainly infers as much, an impressive vocal range in numerous altitudes, to the tune of guitars twisting tension in the closing moments. The blues-infused grunge dream weaving of The Black Tears is an utterly fascinating experience, one that deserves far greater recognition. There lays the workings of sheer brilliance in their rendition of grunge’s finest, wringing the raw emotion and energy out of the sound beautifully, but in shaping it with another of history’s greatest sounds, the label of a classic reinvention never seems more appropriate.

Their most recent EP Liquid Fabulous from April last year, 2013’s Philosophy Of Perception EP and 2012’s album Lacrimal Lake are all available from most respectable music retailers for a reasonable fee. In the meantime, they have a website you should be looking at for their gigs and other things.

You should go like them on social media right away:

https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackTears?fref=ts

And if you like them, maybe you might like, follow me or subscribe to the blog too, or you might not, your call:

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The .Invalid

Technology always finds a way to astound us as human beings. It seems that however our civilisation conducts ourselves, there is something beyond our imagination that we hadn’t considered or we didn’t believe was possible. That is whether a new mechanical marvel or edging nearer photo-realistic graphics in a video game, just to name two examples of possibilities, constant breakthroughs or refinements, or even building something entirely from the ground upwards keeps us on our toes, wondering what is next to come. I find my relationship with electronic music is very much a similar affair. Only you occasionally have to excavate producers or musicians who dare to innovate or engineer like no one before them. That certainly seemed the case with the one man electro-industrial project The .Invalid, a true beacon of hope in the bland landfill of harsh distorted vocals and overly intense synthesisers. The vision of Edinburgh resident Seamus Bradd, The .Invalid ties together dual vocals leaning on a metal sensibility of clean and screamed, but atop a mountain of utterly breathtaking ambience and jaw-dropping production values, especially for a debut LP. For something titled The Aesthetics Of Failure however, unless in reference to the vast soundscape of emotions and moods linked to such that is explored on the album, the end result is nothing short of triumphant. Ranging from four to the floor soul-charged EBM stompers to atmospheric marvels to downtempo tugs of the heart, even more synth-pop orientated numbers, there seems to be very little the undeniably talented producer can’t do. In an album full of stellar, stand-out tracks, wittling down to a personal favourite seems incredibly unfair for undoubtedly one of the best albums I’ve heard last year. The honour does go to, as also indicated by my favourite songs of last year, Blind Myself for balancing everything that this album accomplishes so well into just over four minutes of EBM magnificence. From the introduction of rhythmic static, it leads in a beat engineered to thump you hard right in the chest, while warm arpeggios bubble beneath it, but never overpoweringly so. If anything is overpowering, it’s the euphoria from the emotional intensity from both sets of vocals, especially against the melody of the bright, airier synth in the chorus, which in its own right, hands down one of the most beautiful moments on the entire album. While lyrics are hard set on settling the score on a heartbreak, they really strengthen the impact of every intricacy and nuance in the sound design, no matter which tone is in use. The entire track is just the total package of what an unforgettable floorfiller should be: a memorable hook, a beat that shakes you to the core, perfectly complimenting layers of instrumentation, an atmosphere that expands any venue tenfold and the added emotional depth of a familiar life situation. Make no bones about it, the talent that this man has is unreal, and for a first LP, the energy and due care shown in his production defies vocabulary. This album is by far the most exciting injection of lifeblood into electro-industrial, in a very, very long time and broadcasts the emergence of an extremely capable producer, destined for greatness down to his extraordinary ability.

Traces of The .Invalid and Seamus Bradd appear to have disappeared from social media (apart from his personal Twitter account which I’m not gonna link to for privacy’s sake), he currently is now providing sound design for a new Halo mod, but please please please go listen to and buy The Aesthetics Of Failure from Bandcamp, it is an investment you will not regret. Also available at most respectable music retailers too, but just go give the man money.

And if you think I’ve done this gentleman justice, maybe you’d like to show me some support too by giving me a digital thumbs up, like, follow or subscription to the blog, all entirely optional of course:

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Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle

There’s a stage in life, where I wish I were able to understand or sympathise with, where decades after establishing a band, making music, recording albums and seeing a little of the world before posthumously calling it quits, you can look back with a fondness on what you once did. General sensations such as hindsight and nostalgia are a similar thing, but I’m not a musician, so I can’t experience the same feelings associated with once having a short-lived band that had a mild success story. If your name is Russell Webster however, and you were the mastermind behind once one of the most influential independent recording studios in the country, and a cult status electro-goth rock band with notable club hits in central Europe, it’d be an achievement to be proud of. What Russell is now known for however is his work as a voiceover artist, having lent his voice to audio book and self-guides, on a one man crusade to make the world a better place. But what I admire from the small amount of research I’ve done, is that he is refreshingly honest about the success of his band Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle. He claims that they bombed after their second album because they decided to be too clever, but in my opinion, they may have been a bit ahead of their time. Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle are for the best part, your archetypical goth rock band taken very much from the 80’s, drum machine, heavily distorted guitars, grinding basslines to make the earth tremble, booming spoken word that later expands into gang chants, keyboard hooks that sit on top of the brain. But despite a sound getting on for thirty years old, it sounds like it hasn’t aged a day. In select circles, their calling card Shadow Dance is a club staple and it’s easy to understand why. From the effects-soaked chords of the beginning, leading in the endearing programmed beats and the haunted wail of the keyboard, there’s an overflow of deliciously dark melodies and smoke-filled atmosphere across the five minutes, that wrap you head-first into the spider’s lair and injects you with a euphoria, designed for the dancefloor. That keyboard, or guitar line, I’m not entirely sure which, is also worth its own mention, for in each appearance is a shimmering. delightful breeze that despite its twanginess, adds a real extra dimension to the track and the sheer infectiousness of it, elevates it beyond just being another streamlined goth floorfiller. Eyes Of The Nightmare Jungle were class songwriters, and with a producer at the top of his game at the helm of the project, it’s incredible to hear that it hasn’t aged a day since 1988. What’s more outstanding, is the appeal and allure that their excellent back catalogue awakens from not just the most hardy of all gothic fans, but from a much wider musical audience too.

Because we’re talking a band from over three decades ago that never had real mainstream recognition, you’d expect them not to have the latest and greatest in music dispensing tools. But digital and occasional physical copies of their work can be obtained at most respectable music retailers still, if this intrigues you as such.

Go give them a like on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/Eyes-Of-The-Nightmare-Jungle-150814181624559/timeline/

And if you liked this retrospective piece, why not sling some love in my direction, like follow, subscribe, however you want to, if you even want to at all:

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Track of The Week: Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster – Orogenic

I’ve made no secret my feelings on this band, detailed in my token of amour-cum-landmark 100th post on this blog. Know simply that their name isn’t just to identify a curious structural collapse in the 1940s. Their name is an event, and the music of such a striking namesake matches the grandeur, completely and absolutely. It’s been three years since the release of their phenomenal sophomore album Exegesis, an album I hold as being the best album I’ve ever listened to. Line-up tweaks and performances aplenty have taken place in that time period, but appear to not have not blunted their drive whatsoever to reach for the stratosphere. Hot off the heels of their heralded ArcTanGent appearance comes the much anticipated third album Wires/Dream\Wires.

For those who have never crossed paths before with the mighty Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, what you are essentially getting is a colossal atmospheric waltz through life, the universe and everything via an awe-inspiring progressive post-metal masterclass, mentioned in the same breath as Isis, Pelican and Tool. Such interstellar impact and beauty seemed inconceivable until I first came across their art of graceful annihilation. 2009’s Collapse was an earth-shattering introduction and Exegesis was a rift-inducing exclamation point, where does Wires/Dream\Wires stand in the timeline of this incredible band of musicians? They remain as stalwart as ever. Wires/Dream\Wires actually returns to ground level for their third instalment, but in no way possible do they falter with their stopping power. It may be shorter than their previous efforts, with only one track breaching the 10 minute barrier, but it’s far more emotionally involving than previously encountered, almost inferring an air of tragedy unlike previous albums. Precision engineered to strike with riffs that crush you fifty feet underground and an ambience that makes you pilot of a world in melancholy and mourning, these are nine songs of inspiring musicianship that flick the switch to conquer in the face of adversity and personal loss.

In an album completely devoid of lulls in quality, the decision to cherry-pick one track of a shining collection was tough, like trying to decide which child to eat and cook for dinner tough. But I think there’s a unexplainable but highly satisfying pacing in the seven and a half minutes of Orogenic that leaps out at me as the favourite on this album. Swirls of keyboard lead in a vulnerable sounding series of notes, a warm bass groove shortly coursing through the musical veins with a toned down but still rhythmically complex skin-clattering joining the fray too. If this is your first Tacoma Narrows experience, then strap yourselves in. Their musical build-ups are world-class, insanely tight compositions that slowly raise tension before combusting into a flare of seminal, scorching playing ability. A sorrow-tinged melody weaves in and out of the first mesmerising musical passage, before the heavier artillery arrives in a fierier guitar bombshell and double kicks that sound off like high calibre rounds. This is only two minutes in. Succeeding the first siege is a smaller, but far tenser build-up of just the bouncing of fingers on bass and a more primitive-sounding drum pattern that still holds its complexity, like spurring on competitors in the hunt. Then they pounce. What follows sounds like they’ve successfully acquired a trophy from an encounter with Mastodon, the sheer seismic scale of the barrage reminiscent of the metal heavyweight’s prowess. That incredible bruising moment then transitions back into another build-up, splitting the guitars into a distorted riff with a nature of assertiveness to it and the second into an ominous, soothsaying voice of caution, with drums mediating between as a powerful pacemaker. The isolated last calls of that second guitar voice, like a haunting doomsday trigger word, is one of the best moments on the entire album. It unleashes the final inferno, a blistering explosion of all the instruments decimating anything within a 10 mile blast radius. The lead guitar, almost screaming above the density and incomprehensible force of the sound, is just astonishing, bringing that emotional turmoil to full fruition in the wake of musical devastation. Several more destructive hammer blows later and this cinematic experience comes to a close.

For something to be orogenic, it would cause a structural deformation, such as destabilising the ground we walk upon, of the outermost shell of a planet. This song visually speaking does just that, and does that job jaw-droppingly so. As previously noted, the music of Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster is an event, an event of such magnitude that sometimes it becomes unfathomable to sum up into words. Orogenic and Wires/Dream\Wires as a whole not only cements TNBD’s place as one of the best in UK post-metal, but to be as bold as to say as one of the UK’s best bands around.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster officially launch Wires/Dream\Wires on the 4th September at The Black Heart in London. Go buy a ticket. In the meantime, everything else you could ever want from them can be found on their Bandcamp page, including digital and physical copies of Wires/Dream\Wires. I would like to politely implore that you do it.


https://www.facebook.com/tnbduk?fref=ts

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6 Bands I’m Learning Black Magic For To Resurrect Them

Affecting free will, or even reanimating the dead is a near impossible task to accomplish, unless you have lots of money. Maybe not so much the dead part though, if the deceased can come back to life from slamming a suitcase full of money on their coffin or ashes, then Michael Jackson and Elvis would still be touring now. Then again, holograms. The point is, there are circumstances out of our control that affect what we love on a day-to-day basis and as much as it hurts, you want to do whatever you can to make it better again. In my instance, it’s bands that are inactive, deceased or simply no longer exist any more. So I’ve assembled a cast of five semi-unknown bands and one famous that I would willingly unearth from the great musical cemetary, in no particular order:

  1. Ulterior
Photo source: The Quietus/Unknown

Photo source: The Quietus/Unknown

Press who are in the know about this London synth-rock/neo-goth outfit adore them, but their current whereabouts right now are unknown. All social media traces of them have disappeared bar their website, but even that only features a full-screen YouTube video. I can only assume they’ve disbanded, which is a tragedy for fans of icy, vengeful synth-dominated rock, that poured attitude and an arousal into the heart of darker electronica. I already have written about this band on three occasions, my personal favourite here. They chose three words: icecold, staticvenom and speedhate to describe their music and it’s spot on. While politically charged and taking square aim at mass media, there’s a lingering Sisters of Mercy flavour in their palette, yet the flirting with pseudo-industrial and the unmistakeable 80’s synth sound, there’s an anger but an addictive personality to their cold-hearted yet incredible songwriting.

Five of their best:




Everything else is via Bandcamp.

      2. Schoolyard Heroes

Photo source: Pop Matters/Unknown

Photo source: Pop Matters/Unknown

My case for Schoolyard Heroes isn’t even funny as they reformed last year for a one-off show in the States, but have no intentions for continuing on their cult appeal since calling it quits in 2009. The Seattle-based fearsome foursome were one of a kind and the fever around them has grown noticeably since their split. What Schoolyard Heroes essentially did best was a punk rock horror cabaret, splicing the struggles of teenage life with B-Movies and the macabre, resulting in an all out assault that could be glamorous as it could visceral. Although with three albums to their name, all completed well within their youth, you can only feel disappointed that their infectious punk parade didn’t spread like the plague. There’s so much to enjoy from their utter delight in matters most morbid and the exact kind of fun and insanity that modern music is missing.

Five of their best:
Children Of The Night
The Plastic Surgery Hall Of Fame
They Live
Contra
Bury The Tooth Of The Hydra And A Skeleton Army Will Arise

Social media is scarce bar Facebook, but their music is readily available from most respectable music retailers.

3. Working For A Nuclear Free City

Photo source: Indie On Bunnies/Unknown

Photo source: Indie For Bunnies/Unknown

Previous to Gary McClure’s new found success in lo-fi indie rock darling American Wrestlers, he was one fourth of an incredible Mancunian troupe of musicians and producers known as Working For A Nuclear Free City. What the status of the band is currently unsure as not long ago they were on the lookout for a video editor, possibly signalling new incoming material that never arrived. Those on the insider’s circle and were aware of Working For A Nuclear Free City’s existence knew of the vast creative capacity that they housed, but they never received the full acclaim they rightfully deserved. Mining from an inexhaustible bank of inspiration and influences, they put together three (four including the now-elusive rarities) albums of some of the most eclectic music I’ve ever encountered. An under-appreciated and true original band, hopefully to return one day.

Five of their best:
Rocket
Asleep At The Wheel
Quiet Place
Alphaville
Brown Owl

Social media works for them, even though their posts are sporadic via Facebook. I had no idea this song existed until I searched out of curiosity, but go buy this via Bandcamp and for everything else, go get their music via most respectable music retailers. Also if you’re into that sort of thing, go read this interview of theirs, it’s hilarious.

4. Pitchblend

Photo source: Altwall.net/Unknown

Photo source: Altwall.net/Unknown

This is one of the saddest stories on this list for me. As a band from Reading in the UK, a seasoned music city from a national perspective, to perform for 10 years, and to have next to zero recognition for what is a seminal sound and phenomenal emotional and spirtual journey, should be punishable under the country’s justice system. This is by no means their fault however, whether victims of circumstance or the cruel realities of life, people just weren’t in tune with their explosive wave of stunning post-rock exhibitionism. How beats me. Rarely can you hear so much passion and belief agonisingly pour out of every single note and word without fail. There is never a wasted moment on the entire Lines Of Unreason album and the fact this has stayed buried in the musical graveyard is a travesty. Words do so little to give merit to how excellent this album truly is.

Five of their best:
Sirens
Celsius
Revelation
Searching For Satellites
Somewhere I Could Never Find

There is a Facebook page for the band, though it is very much inactive. Their music is however available via most respectable music retailers.

5. Pure Reason Revolution

Photo source: NME/Press

Photo source: NME/Press

Boy, where do I even begin with these guys… There’s been very quiet rumblings yet incredible demand for a possible reunion for years, but no actual drive to capitalise on it since their demise in 2011. Whatever their reasons, Pure Reason Revolution were a breed unlike any others in their class. Marrying intelligent progressive rock with luscious pop harmonies that later stretched into deep electronica territory that still maintained their killer songwriting principles, the London musicians behind this monumental project rightfully gained a rabid cult following. But press tried in all their might to elevate the band to the height they deserved and shockingly, it was never reached. One day, one day, there’s a hope that they will return and their astonishing progressive masterpieces will conquer a new generation of fans.

Five of their best:
Bullitts Dominae
The Twyncyn/Trembling Willows
Deus Ex Machina
Black Mourning
Over The Top

Oddly, their Facebook updates occasionally, but not with Pure Reason Revolution news. Go show support if you enjoy them anyway. Their music is available at most respectable music retailers, buy all the copies.

and last but no means least…

    6. Type O Negative

Photo source: NY Rock/Unknown

Photo source: NY Rock/Unknown

While there is a remote hope for every band on this list to reform, chances here are far beyond impossible. Why? If you’re not familiar with the name Type O Negative, then you won’t be aware that vocalist, bassist and literal giant personality Peter Steele has been dead for five years, tragically passing away from the effects of an aortic aneurysm aged just 48. The music of Type O Negative has always had an air of severe gloom attached to it, oft with self-depreciating humour and self-loathing running through every fibre of their being, becoming synonymous with the band (they were nicknamed the ‘Drab Four,’ playing on the Beatles moniker). There’s an entire conversation for another time here which may arrive at a later date, but the long story short is, the irreplaceable black but beautiful expanding harmonies and inexplicable doom of one of goth rock’s best and beloved bands will seldom be replicated.

Five of their best:
Wolf Moon
Love You To Death
We Hate Everyone
I Don’t Wanna Be Me
Dead Again

Their Facebook updates are rare but relevant should you wish to get them, but worth showing support too. Their music as expected is also available via all respectable music retailers and the vast majority of merchandise can be obtained through their website.

Until I figure out a way to raise the dead, may all these bands rest in peace…

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Dirty Scarab

Sometimes, some musicians are enigmatic, not because they don’t want to be found, but building a mystery behind the incredible skill and production that goes into making memorable music compositions, creates an allure that music fans flock to. One of the most high profile cases of this was the mystery surrounding electronic producer Burial, who for years was a myth, aside from his untouchable production abilities and stunning musical invocations because he kept himself hidden from the public. But the second he pulled back the curtain, the hype began to fade. Talents never die, but enigmas certainly can. Dirty Scarab is no exception. Prior to writing this piece, there is next to no social media presence nor a website for this under-the-radar producer, but details did eventually emerge with a little further digging. Dirty Scarab is the brainchild of Ben Youngs, a Leicester man who currently resides stateside, that specialises in remixes and soundtracks, accumulating a wealth of independent movie credits and more impressively, Trent Reznor-endorsed Nine Inch Nail remixes. Such as his talent for excelling in sheer breadth of production, his only album, 2009’s First Stint, contains a playroom of eclectronic sights, sounds and sensations, to sate whatever aural desires your state of mind decides. Naturally, a single song doesn’t speak for this brilliant artist’s entire creative repertoire, but it can showcase an aspect that they are capable of and nothing else says blackened mechanical wasteland like The Brooding. Setting forth on a high-impact hip-hop pace, booms of bass nestle under the encroaching menace and what sounds like robotic gurgling. The danger then engulfs you and a blasting of pained sirens and rusted robotic limbs edging closer, with the padding of a deep rumbling bass wall is incredibly unsettling. Everything screams foreboding, but there’s a delicate light of hope in a small riff of bright, graceful synth that in its two appearances, banishes that intense darkness and more than completes this track. No wonder Ben Youngs is proficient in soundtrack work, such well-realised and crafted atmosphere could cradle a compelling visual scenario with absolute ease. Though I have taken aback the cover over Dirty Scarab’s persona, ending an albeit brief puzzle, his versatility and adeptness behind the production desk heighten his credentials as a sterling young electronic producer, as much as a social media face figure equivalent.

Dirty Scarab’s work can’t be traced on the usual modes of music discovery such as Bandcamp, but First Stint is available completely for free, with the option to donate for his work on Jamendo or you can find him on CDBaby and support him that way. Of course, his music can be found be on most respectable music retailers too.

http://www.last.fm/music/Dirty+Scarab

P.S. Eclectronic is a term I’ve decided to use, to give to artists that can make or excel in producing more than one kind of electronic music.

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Vienna Circle

I find it’s just as nice that a band give you a history lesson, as opposed to journalists and writers filling in the blanks for the audience at hand. Modern metal has given us a shed load of lessons on civilisation’s greatest triumphs and conflicts, courtesy of the likes of Sabaton, Ex Deo, and well… at a stretch Iron Maiden. It’s also not more uncommon than not that progessive rock bands conceptualise entire albums on a narrative or storyline, which that their music serves as a aural counterpart to the words used, after all, Mastodon got their career off to a start by doing so. But how many bands actually mix both historical contexts with a deeply emotive storyline, to create a phenomenal cinematic experience unlike very few you could ever listen to? The brothers Davis would like to throw their hats in the ring. Vienna Circle, named after a gathering of philosophers and scientists in Austria’s capital university spanning over three decades, actually hail from Wiltshire in the UK and their story of 2008’s White Clouds concerns the First World War and the protagonist heading to the frontline. The music and lyrics deal with the emotional hardships of the protagonist, later taking flight and depicting the inevitable firefights that tear their world asunder. White Clouds as a whole, could be best described as taking Dream Theater’s Metropolis Part 2, making it less complex in narrative and mellower but far, far more heart-rendering. It feels wrong to separate just one song to put under the microscope, as it kinda takes away, almost cheapens, the immersion of the whole experience but to gage a taste of the incredible capabilities of these awesome musicians, I bring you the achingly beautiful ballad of A Break In The Clouds. Emphasizing that progressive nature far more fondly than the rock side, aside from that utterly magnificent guitar solo, the gorgeous piano-driven composition resonates an elegance that some classical artists can’t even match, with the strings then woven with it together to create a far greater emotional impetus. Drums are understated to say the least, but serve to only increase the scale and magnitude of the mood invoked here. Vocals reach a soulful level that braces your tear ducts for overtime, which extended to near six minutes of running time becomes a near impossible sensation to fight off. If you’re apart from your lover, or mourning the loss of someone dear to you, you may need a Kleenex for this one. Fittingly, the soft bloops of keyboard at the end accompany the hallowed bells of a clock tower to bring this astonishing piece to a close. And that’s just one excerpt of this fantastic album. It practically defies belief that such lovingly crafted music and attention to detail is nearly all the work of just two brothers with a passion for captivating, emotionally stirring storytelling. Vienna Circle are truly a marvel, a remarkable pair of musicians who deserve every accolade and acclaim bestowed upon them, showing a serenity and grace to progressive music that bands can scarcely dream of conceiving.

Their most recent album Silhouette Moon came out two years ago after being crafted over five years after its predecessor, and while yet to listen through the entire album, what I’ve heard matches this jaw-dropping standard. Both that and White Clouds can be bought from their website, or from most respectable music retailers. I implore you to listen to both albums in full. You won’t regret it.

https://www.facebook.com/viennacircleband?fref=ts

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Track of The Week: Crap Crab – Death Crab For Cutie

Well, this is a first for me and this blog. The track of this week has never before been released upon the general public, or anywhere, even. So… I guess this kinda makes this a world exclusive first reveal from an album yet to be released. No pressure then.

That said, I am incredibly happy to be able to showcase one track from a forthcoming album, from a band at a local level that deserve a larger following for their unusual but ultimately endearing sound. And obsession with crabs. Music definitely needs more crabs. Which follows along the lines of what attracted me to these gentlemen in the first place: What constitutes as an actual crap crab, and what exactly does that mean in terms of musical pedigree? Well, the four-piece hailing from Hitchin in the UK play a mixture of self-dubbed post roller-disco and instrumental party jams since their humble beginnings at the tail end of 2011. Through sporadic shows, trickling of recorded material and constant murmurs around the crustacean race, their four years as a musical outlet has culminated in the advent of their first long-player: The appropriately titled Volume 1. Likely being one of the only recipients outside of the band to have heard the album in full, courtesy of the band themselves, I can safely say that the album is a mirror image of their quirky but very likeable personalities. Though balancing more on the side of the instrumental party jam state of affairs, the jerky but intricate rhythms of indie and math rock butt heads and absolutely litter Volume 1’s running time, but each track bar the keyboard-commanded interludes, does take on a personality of its own, much like an incarnation of a musical crab-like Mr. Benn, changing outfits or disguises depending on the cue cards. In fact, the happy-go-lucky nature and optimism radiated from the combination of instruments essentially gives an air of the cartoon-esque to their music, fitting this comparison perfectly.

One of my personal highlights on the album of which there are many, including the song titles (Breaking Crab anyone?), may just have to go to Death Crab For Cutie, also hands down my favourite song title. Though I mentioned the instrumental party jam label earlier, this track states a better case for a short heist film soundtrack. The beginning introduced by bold interplay from the two guitars and bass, almost acts as a dialogue, leading into the intricacies of sneaking around and breaking into a bank vault. There’s a sense of pride and power made in this early statement, that Crap Crab are excellent in portraying in their music. The diagetics of each riff or tremolo could symbolise an action of the break-in and tasks of opening the vault. Drums do a spectacular job, no tom, snare or cymbal is wasted in strengthening and building that complexion of a tense, risk-filled atmosphere. Near the end however, the pace changes to a strut of confidence, or that the thieves have been caught, with the guitar sounding more than a little awkward, if intentional or not. Boy you can hip-shake to that groove though. That said, not all of Crap Crab’s guitar work focuses on tight rhythms and grooves, they can throw the hammer down with some force, evident at given moments, both guitars at their most aggravated three minutes in. What it boils down to is how much fun can you have in four and a half minutes. And that really is what Crap Crab is about, a deliriously entertaining voyage of melodies, hooks and grooves, filled with clever little touches that trap you in its vice-like grip and won’t release you until start dancing. Compelling, creative and charismatic.

Many thanks again to Crap Crab for entrusting me with their album that has been a long time in the works. Their next gig will be at Club 85 in their home town of Hitchin on the 12th September. Volume 1 has a proposed release date of this autumn, available from their Bandcamp page in digital and physical format. Some odd songs of theirs can be found on Bandcamp and on their Soundcloud with a couple of free jams to download from there. And of course, go like them on Facebook, because social media is fun and whatever.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CRAP-CRAB/333505753343356?fref=ts