The Scaramanga Six - The Sleeper Must Awaken EP (2015)

Genre - Hard Rock / Alternative

Label - Pledge Music / Self Released

 

Track listing:

 

01 - The Man Who Couldn't Sing

02 - In Your dreams

03 - A Shot To The Head

04 - All I Have To Do

The Sleeper Must Awaken completes the set of three Ep's to be released to accompany the forthcoming new album (set to drop later this month!), from The Scaramanga Six. (Exclusive to the albums Pledge campaign!)
Now before we get started, lets allow the band to tell us about the songs in their own words:

"1. THE MAN WHO COULDN’T SING
A frequent and furious visitor to our live set of late (noted as ‘Manhoo’ on our setlists), this tune was also first aired on the ‘Scenes of Mild Peril’ DVD last year. You may instantly get the James Bond references in the chromatic three-up-one-down phrase played by the strings in key moments of the song, as well as the title which suggests a contender for the next movie theme – it’s an area of pastiche we have plundered before of course with Julia’s ‘The Man With The Perfect Aim’ from our very first album back in 1999, only this time we’ve gone at it four to the floor, summoning the spirit of The Stranglers ‘Raven’ era for inspiration and desired levels of wanton intensity.
The song deals with a recurring nightmare faced by our Paul, and probably by many a singer/musician – the one of taking to the stage only to find yourself woefully unprepared, dogged with technical issues, just plain late or in this case physically unable to sing. It’s the classic subconscious fear of failure rearing its ugly head. You know when you are due to play the guitar for your very favourite heroic band only to discover you don’t know any of the songs and your instrument has transformed into a slimy bundle of guts – that.
2. IN YOUR DREAMS
A song from the point of view of the ghoulish figure of your nightmares now. This spectre wants to soothe you with a lullaby before doing unspeakable things to your sleeping body, probably with rusty hooks or something. To represent this, Paul finger-picks an acoustic which is accompanied by a distant celeste fluctuating between minor and major chords while he whispers a smooth baritone – and you are under. We then get all Phil Spector (without the actual murdering of course) on your asses when the drums kick in – pretty much ripping off ‘The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore’ by The Walker Brothers, complete with additional tambourine along with Gareth’s enormous kit sound.
The bass is muted (a technique used by us more and more these days) to give it extra 60’s feel – later on at the end of the song, this is joined by a second bass part made from a watery chorus that is the only on-board effect on Steve’s Peavey TNT combo amp. He’s had that amp for about 22 years and this has been the one and only occasion to press that button in a studio.
The magnificent Suzuki Q-Chord makes another appearance in this song – you’ll have heard this twinkly sound in previous songs such as ‘I Wear My Heart on my Sleeve’ & ‘The Collector’. The box for it says “0 to Musician in 60 seconds” – that’s fine by us. Other musical highlights of this fabulous recording are the distant backing vocals reminiscent of Bowie’s ‘The Supermen’ and Paul’s tremendous twangy guitar solo after the middle bit. Hopefully a few shivers have been sent down your spine.
3. A SHOT TO THE HEAD
Continuing in a strangely understated fashion for The Scaramanga Six, Gareth kicks this one off with a subtle drum intro featuring his ‘rimshot’ again, the dirty bastard. Paul & Julia’s guitars syncopate with each other during each phrase which is answered by a solemn low note on the piano. This tune was originally in the short-list for the batch of songs we were to take over to Chicago for ‘Phantom Head’, but for some reason didn’t make the cut – probably for the best now, because we think Lord Alan Smyth has done a particularly fine job on this spooky version.
Steve takes up vocal duties for this one, again almost whispering the first few phrases following the sound montage of screaming and scraping noises. The song is clearly about chronic insomnia – that horrible time when you ‘miss the boat’ of slumber. Sometimes the futile attempts at trying to sleep can lead you into a weirder state of mind than the dreams you encounter when you are actually asleep. A mix of repetitive mental somersaults, twitching bodies and the need to not disturb the household over what seems like an aeon can drive you insane – enough to want to be put out of your misery.
Musical magpie moments in this one – the piano line after each chorus is lifted from ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ by Bacharach/David and there are definite elements of classic Fall in the dirgy verse after chorus 1.
4. ALL I HAVE TO DO
This one was written during the band’s brief tenure as The B-52’s tribute act ‘Mock Lobster’ using exactly the same weird guitar tuning as Ricky Wilson uses on ‘Private Idaho’. We decided to give it the full treatment to sound like Athens GA’s finest with simple & driving drums, tambourine, bass parts played on a synth and of course a cheesy Farfisa organ. The only thing missing is the barking drawl of Fred Schneider and the sweet harmonies of Kate/Cindy.
The subject matter still concerns sleep in a way, only this time the metaphorical ‘sleeping’ that occurs during a sexual liaison. The song is sung from the perspective of one who sells their services to the sleazy and desperate."

Well what more can I add,
The Man Who Couldn't Sing is a great little melodic rocker, and its bond-esque theme's throughout really do add something to this song, giving it that little extra magic. I have to admit that this is one of my favourite songs, and in my opinion one of the best songs that the band have ever released!
In Your Dreams, is a softer almost haunting track, similar in style to The Scaramanga classic, Horrible Face. Another great song that gets the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end.
A Shot To The Head, another future Scaramanga classic, a nice melodic song that builds and builds throughout, building a great atmosphere as it goes!
All I Have To Do, is probably the rockiest track on the EP. A great little song with a stop start riff.

So once again The Scaramanga Six deliver a brilliant EP in the form of The Sleeper Must Awaken, probably the most rounded set of four tracks from all three EP's. Now I just cant wait for the new album!

Very Highly Recommended!

Rating - 10/10

Faith No More - Sol Invictus (2015)

Genre - Alternative Rock / Alternative Metal

Label - Independent Release

 

Track listing:

01 - Sol Invictus
02 - Superhero
03 - Sunny Side Up
04 - Separation Anxiety
05 - Cone Of Shame
06 - Rise Of The Fall
07 - Black Friday
08 - Motherfucker
09 - Matador
10 - From The Dead
11 - Superhero Battaglia (bonus track)

Now I have to admit to that fact that I have never really been a huge Faith No More fan, sure I liked some of the singles and the odd album track, but they never really blew me away, so it was quite an interesting experience listening to their new album, their first new release in eighteen years!
"Sol Invictus" continues the past decade’s trend of comeback albums that manage not to damage the reunited band’s legacy (for example albums from the reunited Skin, Van Halen, Living Colour, Black Sabbath).  Indeed, if this album had been released in 1999 as a direct follow-up to 1997’s Album of the Year, no one would have batted an eye.
"Sol Invictus" features the recording lineup of, singer Mike Patton, bass player Bill Gould, drummer Mike Bordin, Roddy Bottum (keys) and guitarist John Hudson.
Producing the album themselves, there's no gloss and no conventions. These guys have the benefit of road wear and multiple side venues (Mike Patton, especially) to give them a new perspective.
Better yet, they have unrestricted freedom to do as they please and allow the songs to take them wherever they choose, without having to force them to conform to some AOR exec's ideals.
Slinking into the album with Roddy Bottum's mellow piano passages and Mike Bordin's modified march, one feels instant gratification as soon as Mike Patton threads his voice into the title track. First Patton half-grunts and half-whispers, then rises up to the smooth crooning octaves that's given him mass appeal.
He reverts to snarl mode on the politically-charged, jumpy "Superhero", which grows in intensity as Hudson and Gould slam their instruments with the same vigour they left in this band the first time. Bottum's cascading keys on the song's sullen choruses hit such a nerve the listener is apt to weep with joy by their gorgeousness. With Mike Patton's overdubbed screams and 'leader of men' mantras, along with Hudson's raking guitars in the final stanzas, this is, without a doubt, Faith No More restored
Patton scats his way through the slow-jiving verses of "Sunny Side Up" and scream-sings the choruses with the maniacal glee his followers have come to expect. A funky transition from the guitar pushes into a flirt with pop, but a massive anti-pop finale opens up the band's airspace for Gould's encumbering bass knocks on "Separation Anxiety".
Appropriately dense, Gould's bass lines on the verses of "Separation Anxiety" shoves everything down around the listener until the song erupts into an orgasm of broiling funk-metal and rocks the hell out the remainder of the ride.
 "Cone of Shame" is one of the most experimental pieces Faith No More's yet written, and the payoff for the skulking weirdness leading off the track is another explosion of Rock excellence.
This one is sure to play like a climax onstage, as the song hits a stupendous apex where Patton heaves at least a quarter of his vocal arsenal amidst the thumping bellicosity around him.
Brilliantly dabbling with reggae on "Rise of the Fall", the song morphs into a warped mix of samba, cha-cha and a sliver shorn from a Danny Elfman score. The continuously-evolving nature of the track (which will remind listeners of MR. BUNGLE along the way) again gives Mike Patton opportunity to layer the thing with a jubilantly twisted gaggle of voices. Those alone are enough to disseminate, much less the chattering maracas and accordions spilled into the song.
"Black Friday" afterwards rides a gusty acoustic melody and heaving tempo, with echoing handclaps and pounding guitars dumped into the mix. The songs hits loud, head banging crescendos but never abandons its savoury glide.
Rap-scatting through the hilarious "Motherfucker", Mike Patton has assured himself and Faith No More an instant chant-along to last them an easy two decades further, depending on how long this second ride is intended to go.
Ditto for the mini-epic "Matador" (jokingly told to audiences long ago it was a cover), likely to go down as one of the band's finest hours and certainly one the most ambitious song Faith No More's ever written.
Considering this album had little odds of coming about years ago, well worth the wait for "Sol Invictus". It's a brand new beginning with a brand new vibe that's still Faith No More in soul.
It's not heavy as before but more mellow, yet one thing is for sure: Faith No More still is the more courageous, innovative, crazy genre-breaker band out there.
And in some ways, "Sol Invictus" is the most mind-blowing performance under the Faith No More moniker. As the closing number asserts, Faith No More is back from the dead, thank God.
Do yourself a favour and try some refreshing music, this one delivers it in spades.

Well worth checking out

Rating - 9/10

The Scaramanga Six - The Eye And Skin Machine EP (2015)

Genre - Hard Rock / Alternative Rock

Label - Pledge Music

 

Track listing:

01 - Out Of My Tiny Mind

02 - Rule Of Thumb

03 - Lukewarm

04 - Pulling Teeth From A Phantom Head

The Eye And Skin Machine is the first in a series of three Ep's to be released as prequels to the forthcoming new album, ‘THE TERRIFYING DREAM’.
Its a four track EP, and its a bloody belter!
The EP opens up with Out Of My Tiny Mind, a great song in the typical Scaramanaga Six fashion, featuring a Motown esque chorus with its Four Tops-style question/answer backing vocals, and some just well awesome musicianship throughout. Perfectly understated if you know what I mean.
Next up we have Rule Of Thumb, which is probably as close to a metal track as the band are ever going to record!
Lukewarm follows, with its 60's style feel. An old song by all accounts recently reworked and now immortalised here! I really love this song, in the same way that I love Horrible Face from the bands The Liar- The Bitch And Her Wardrobe album!
The Ep closes with Pulling Teeth From A Phantom Head, a track that was initially left off of the bands previous album, Phantom Head, but now polished off and exposed to the light of day, and thank god because its one hell of a song!
If this EP is anything to go by then we are in for one hell of a treat with the new album (and TWO other Ep's!)
Come on guy's get yourselves over to pledge music and get yourselves pledging!

Highly Recommended,

Rating  10/10