Love Zombies - Passionfruit (2016)

Genre - Pop / Rock / Punk

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01. Oblivion

02. Lighten Up

03. Robots & Aliens

04. Spiders

05. Favourite Song

06. Big and Strong

07. Backwards World

08. Fast & Frantic

09. Birthday

10. Who The Fuck Are They?

11. Love Zombies Theme Song (Bonus Track)

 So finally the wait is over and the Love Zombies pledge final comes to an end with the release of the bands debut album. Not that I am complaining as there have been plenty of pledge bonus pledge's along the way with around six or seven pledge EP's whilst the band have been hauled up recording this little beauty. Now Love Zombies first came to my attention through singer Hollis Mahady's involvement with Ginger Wildhearts Hey! Hello! project, where she fronted the band last year for various live dates and even recorded an album with them only to leave the project on the eve of the albums release resulting in the album being pulled, re-recorded with new vocalists and released last month, some five months after its original planned release.
The album opens up with the fast paced 'Oblivion' which really sets the tone for the bands infectious blend of bubblegum pop / rock / punk. 'Lighten Up' follows and keeps things moving along as does the brilliant 'Robots & Aliens' before 'Spiders' slows the tempo down a little. 'Favourite Song' sees the tempo stay rather relaxed even though it does start to rock things up a little again before 'Big and Strong' throws us a curve ball with its weird laid back feel. A great song though. The tempo picks up a little with 'Backwards World' before 'Fast & Frantic' kicks in, which is a great put down to over eager lovers lol. The fun is at an all time high with 'Birthday', a song about not wanting to dump someone on their birthday,  before the albums closer sends a message to all the bands haters in the form of 'Who The Fuck Are They?'. We have a bonus track in the form of 'Love Zombies Theme' which is a good bit of fun.

Love Zombies are a great band, but they aren't really going to set the world on fire, but their music is a good old dose of solid fun to keep the listeners entertained.

Rating: 9/10

Hey! Hello! - Too! (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk

Label -  Round Records / Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - All Around The World

02 - This Ain't Love

03 - Glass Of champagne

04 - Kids

05 - Forever Young

06 - Loud And Fucking Clear

07 - Can't Stand You (Hurting Me)

08 - Lets Get Emotional

09 - A History Of Lovers

10 - Body Parts

11 - Perfect

Its been a rough ride for Ginger Wildheart's Hey! Hello! project. Originally conceived around the time that he was working on the Mutation projects as a noisy pop project that was to release a couple of  pledge exclusive singles. recorded with Victoria Liedtke on co-vocals and Ginger pretty much handling everything else, the project ballooned up into a full album that Ginger eventually released commercially in 2013 to great critical and fan acclaim and a few selected live dates including a trip to Japan. Just when things were looking like they were really going to take off there was a falling out between Ginger and his then manager and boyfriend of Victoria and for all intents and purposes it looked as the though Hey! Hello! were dead in the water. Then all of a sudden Ginger enlists the services of Love Zombies vocalist Hollis Mahady for some live dates and then the next thing you know there is a tour book for late 2015 and an album in the bag. Unfortunately disaster would once again strike and the album and tour had to be postponed as Ginger was hospitalised with depression. Then just as the band are set to release the album and embark on some rescheduled UK live dates, Hollis decides that shew no longer wants to be apart of the band and relocates to LA! The album is immediately pulled (but not before it had released it to some lucky pledgers) and once again things begin to look dark for Hey! Hello!. The band decide to hold some auditions to find a new female vocalist but when the online fan community voice some rather cruel and negative opinions Ginger announces that he will re-record the album with him singing all the parts. Then the wait begins!
Now the wait is over, the album is here and Ginger and the band have pulled a fast one, or several to be honest!
Firstly the track listing has been rejigged, Three tracks have been outed Automatic Love, Don't Stop Loving The Music and Little Piggy are gone and replaced by All Around The World, A History Of Lovers and Perfect, but wait that's not all. The guys have also enlisted the help of various guest vocalists! The sly buggers them!
The album opens with the blistering melodic pop rocker, All Around The World featuring Vicky Jackson on lead vocals. Things are off the a great start! Next up we have the re-worked version of This Ain't Love, featuring Emily Lee on lead vocals. The arrangements been tinkered with when compared to the initially released version, but only serves to highlight Emily's powerful lead vocal. Great song!
The cover of Sailor 1976's Glass of Champagne follows, this time with drummer Ai and Laila K singing in harmony. I have to say that I think that I prefer the original Hey! Hello! cover of this with Ginger and Hollis vocally sparing through the verses. Still a good solid track. Next we have another of the re-worked tracks in the form of Kids. Now Kids is still one of the best songs on the album all the stronger for the stunning vocal delivery of Cat Southall!
Christina Maynard tackles the emotional vocal for Forever Young and does a sterling job of it to!
Long time co-conspirator Givvi Flynn provides the snarling duelling lead vocal with Ginger for the awesome Loud And Fucking Clear, that is after Ginger provides an verbal update on what's been going on....The songs lyrics have been completely re-worked and they pull no punches trust me!
Can't Stand You (Hurting Me) sees Cat Southall taking the lead vocal again on this fantastic melodic song. Next we have another of the albums highlights in Lets Get Emotional. The Rev and Ginger provide some blistering guitar work whilst Eloise Kerry provides a sneering angst filled vocal. Next we have the second of the new songs, A History Of Lovers, which sees Ginger handling the lead vocals. Another slab of Gingers melodic genius! We then have the albums quirkiest track. This time its the re-working of the Albion track, Body Parts. Here we have Ai and bassist Toshi singing the verses in Japanese whilst the chorus stays in English. Somehow this feels a little out of place and breaks the albums momentum. Closing out the album is the last of the new tracks, Perfect. This is a blistering song with The Rev delivering a great lead vocal!

So despite a little stumble towards the end, Too! is a fantastic album and proof positive that there is something truly magical about Hey! Hello!

Rating: 10/10

Ginger Wildheart - G.A.S.S. Month 8 EP (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk / Powerpop

Label - Self Released

Track listing -

01 - The Last Day Of Summer

02 - Toxins & Tea

03 - Adrenalina

Bonus Demos

04 - American Man

05 - Signs

So here we are at month eight of Gingers twelve month G.A.S.S. project, and what can say? It just keeps getting better! Then it dawns on me, shit in four months time this wonderful experiment will come to a grinding halt! No, surely after its unprecedented success G.A.S.S. must continue in some shape or form. Well I'll have to worry about that next April, but I have no idea how the hell I will able to get by with out my monthly fix of G.A.S.S.!
Well lets get to this months additions.
This moths new tracks open with the beautiful The Last Day Of Summer. This song features the talents of, Robin Guy on drums, Chris Catalyst on guitar (and vocals), Matt Nasir on  piano and Hammond organ and David Ryder Prangley, Thea Ford, Jason Knight, Saffron Sprackling and Hollis Mahady on vocals. The track is a beautiful piano and acoustic guitar led track that really showcases the softer side of Gingers writing ability. Absolutely a cracking song that has not only become one my favourites songs to come out of the G.A.S.S. project, but also one of the best songs that I have heard all year!
Next up we have Toxins and Tea. this song features the talents of, Jon Poole on bass, Denzel on drums, Chris Catalyst on guitar and vocals,  Dave Roberts on trumpet and vocals, Andy Riley on cornet and vocals, Catherine Roberts on tenor horn, Chris Harrison on tuba and vocals, and Jasmine Adams, Taylor Graley, Jake Adams on  vocals.
Again this song is a melodic acoustic based number that really builds in to something rather quirky and excellent. Lyrically it provides a rather accurate description of the state of life in the Uk at the moment.  This again is one hell of a song, and is quickly becoming one of my favourite Ginger tracks of all time!
 The last of the new songs on offer this month is the mighty Adrenalina. This track features the talents of, Kelii Compulsive, Jake Szufnarowski , Taylor Graley, and  Oliver Sekunda on vocals.  This is a monster of a track, opening with a sort of stop start riff before launching into a pure riff fest. This could easily have been a Wildhearts song, as it is very reminiscent of something from the Fishing For Luckies era. One for the fans who like things a little louder (count me in!), and sure to be a blast live!

and now we have the two bonus tracks,

Ginger says -
"AMERICAN MAN – My good friend Jake Szufarowski, asked me to write a chorus for a beer commercial he was working to get. As a (very) tongue-in-cheek idea I thought I’d write the ultimate American Beer song, and the idea blossomed from this into a full song, with world famous photographer (and Satanicide front man) Dale May on vocals and Scott Metzger on guitar.
I love Dale’s voice, and Scott is such an amazing guitar player, some people will remember him from an acoustic tour I did with him a few years back. We didn’t get the beer commercial but ended up with a fun song.
Sit back, crack open a cold one and listen in the party spirit with which it was conceived."

 "SIGNS – Recorded by Jase Edwards as part of a set of songs I wrote for a Japanese artist wanting to go a little more rock. Typically they said the songs sounded too much like me, a complaint that has followed me around like a comforting insult.
This was reworked for a song on 555%, although I can’t for the life of me remember which one. Was it Baby Skies? Yeah, I think it was. Not sure which one I prefer, to be honest. Which one do you like better?"

American is a great fun song, and again showcases a different side of Gingers songwriting. Love it
Signs is the original demo to Baby Skies from the 555% project. This is a great little track in its own right, and like last months Its Only Natural, its hard to say which version I prefer.

So that's it, month eight, two thirds of the way through folks, and G.A.S.S. is just going from strength to strength. I really do hope that it continues in some form after its twelve month run, even if they have to reduce releasing the number of new songs down to one a month and maybe the odd demo and outtake. The artwork on the website is awesome and something that will be missed in its own right.

Come on folks jump on board, don't miss out on this amazing G.A.S.S. experience!

Rating - 10/10

You can now try the G.A.S.S. experience for free here!