Chris Catalyst -Life Is Often Brilliant (2017)

Genre - Rock / Pop / Alternative

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - No regrets

02 -Same Old Sun

03 - Cracking Up

04 - Yeah - Oh No

05 - Wake Me Up On Monday

06 - How Do You Sleep

07 - Distance Over Time

08 - I Hope We Always Stay The Same

09 - Sticks and Stones

10 - Far

11 - You Die At The End

12 - Able Seamen

13 - When We Fall Apart (Bonus Track)

2016 proved to be a busy year for Eureka Machines main man, Chris Catalyst. Although his main band had decided to take some time out, he performed a few solo shows, a couple of shows with Ginger Wildheart,  played guitar for US rockers Ugly Kid Joe on their tour and toured with UK veteran rockers Terrorvision too. He also managed to find the time to record his rather excellent debut solo album too, and here it is in the form of Life Is Often Brilliant!
The album opens with the excellent 'No Regrets'. A great song with a stop start type of riff intro and a hugely melodic chorus section. Brilliant start to Life Is Often Brilliant!
'Same Old Sun' is up next, its intro changing the feel completely before the song kicks in. Once again the song has a huge chorus section. Next we have 'Cracking Up' which has a great opening riff. he rest of the song is pretty awesome too! Tons of tempo changes and vocal harmonies. 'Yeah - Oh No' follows, which has a rather Eureka Machines feel to it, only not as heavy. 'Wake Me Up On Monday' is just a great melodic track that would have fit perfectly on to any of the Eureka Machines albums. Great choice for a single! Another of the albums many highlights follows in the form of the awesome 'How Do You Sleep At Night'. This song is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs of all time! 'Distance Over Time' is up next. A beautiful atmospheric intro that just builds into an absolute monster of a song! Yet another highlight! Next up is 'I Hope We Always Stay The Same' which builds in a similar way to its predecessor, and proves to be every bit as much a great track!
'Sticks and Stones' follows, now I didn't really like this song when I first heard it, but it is a real grower, and sounds so much better within the context of this album! 'Far' follows, with its slick bridges and awesome harmonies. Yet another brilliant song. 'You Die At The End' is the albums penultimate song and an absolute classic ta boot! The album closes out with the subtle 'Able Seamen' but I've included the last track, 'When We Fall Apart' as a bonus track for a couple of reasons. Firstly its an absolutely excellent song that deserves to be on the album, and secondly, it was a given away as a bonus track at the very beginning of the pledge campaign, and is thus still available to anyone that pledges for the album!
Once again with Life Is Often Brilliant Chris Catalyst proves what a great song writer and musician he really is!

Life Is Often Brilliant is a blinding debut solo album from one the hardest working and most talented Uk musicians out there. Do yourselves a bloody huge favour and grab yourself a copy!

Rating: 10/10

Eureka Machines - Brain Waves (2015)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk / Power-pop

Label - Pledge Music

 

Track listing:

01 - Paranoia

02 - Television

03 - Sleep Deprivation

04 - Brainwaves

05 - Human

06 - Every Day I Thank The World I Cut You Off

07 - Welcome To My Shangri-La

08 - The Golden Lonely

09 - Vulture Of The Culture

10 - Neuro Bolero

11 - I Miss You

12 - We're Going To The Future

Ladies and Gentlemen, the mighty Eureka Machines are back with a brand spanking new album, and what an album it is too! Brain Waves, the bands forth long player to date is quite possibly their strongest and most rounded album so far! its not to late for you to become a part of it by pledging before its full release date!
The album opens with a real powerhouse in the form of Paranoia, with its blisteringly quick punk-ish riffs and pretty self explanatory subject matter. Pretty much a straight ahead rock that is guaranteed to go down well live! Next up we have Television, a great song that I see being a (hit) single at some point, it has a few great tempo changes, plenty of great harmonies and a subject matter that we can all relate to at times, that of escaping into a fantasy world of Tv, even though most of it is a load of bollocks (TV that is!), only this time Chris has created a kind of TV spirit guide. A Truly great song!
Sleep Deprivation follows, and this is quite possibly the best song that the guys have produced so far across their four album career. I absolutely love everything about this album, from the subject matter of the lyrics, which is something that I can really personally relate too, to its quirkiness, its awesome harmonies, too well you get the picture right?
Next up we have the albums title track, Brainwaves, another song where lyrically Chris explores that "seesaw between normality - whatever the fuck that is - and weird". Quite possibly the most straight up classic rock track that the band have recorded so far, a great song that kind of stabilises the albums tempo, and gives the listener the chance to take a breather so to speak. This track has some great soloing and gentle tempo changes too!
Human come up next, battering its way into the listeners brain. I great and as Chris puts it, silly song, pretty much about the human condition. Constant subtle tempo changes in a song that has a real punk feel to it, again with some great harmonies.
Every Day I Thank The World I Cut You Off slows the tempo right down to a crawl, with its gentle but moody intro before exploding into a great chorus and settling into a great plodding verse. A song about depression and quite possibly several people. Another great song with Chris' great take on the classic pop art line, its better to burn out than fade away, Chris's version being, its best to fuck off than fade away, classic.
Next we have Welcome To  My Shangri-La, the albums lead single, has already become a Eureka Machines classic. A really great song that you SHOULD HAVE fallen in love with by now!
The Golden Lonely is a great melodic rocker that deals with the worlds obsession with money and the consequences that such an obsession brings!
Vulture Of The Culture deals with the world of record companies and the irony of failed musicians telling a successful one what they should be doing. Another great melodic work out, with plenty vocal harmonies throughout. A truly awesome song.
Neuro Bolero starts with some great drums and guitar intro before dropping off into what is almost a ska beat / rhythm.  As a song this one deals with "the realisation that the outdated concept of the rock n roll dream is now a myth, and in fact its demise is no bad thing whatsoever as it removes the corporate ties from the art and frees it up to be as it was intended to be". Another really great song.
Penultimate track I Miss You, is a slower song altogether, almost a ballad, but not a ballad, dealing with darker emotions and the black dog again. Once again this song weaves itself through some great musical twists and turns and constantly builds into something truly magnificent. Another personal favourite for me, as is pretty much most of this album!
The album closes with We're Going To The Future, a track that starts out nice and slow like and gently builds into a melodic masterpiece! A song that pretty much says everything will be ok, the longest track on the album and well, just bloody brilliant.

So there we have it, Brain Waves, twelve brilliant songs from a band that really are at the very top of their game.
Great cover art work courtesy of Rich Jones and a production job that places this album up there along side anything that will be released by absolutely anybody this year. 2015  has already delivered some great albums, but ladies and gentlemen I honestly believe that Brain Waves is going to  be my top album of the year!

Very Very Highly Recommended!!

Rating  - 10/10 (I would give it 20 if I could!)

Eureka Machines - Remain In Eighties (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk / Power Pop

Label - Pledge Music

 

Track listing:

01 - Walk Like An Egyptian (Bangles Cover)

02 - Kids In America (Kim Wilde Cover)

03 - Goody Two Shoes (Adam Ant Cover)

04 - We Didn't Start The Fire (Billy Joel Cover)

So the mighty Eureka Machines kick off their pledge campaign for album number four, tentatively titled Brain Waves, with a free Ep for pledger's, Remain In Eighties. The Ep contains four covers, all of classic pop songs from the 1980's (yes I was there, just about).  The Ep see's Chris Catalyst and the guys run through classic like Walk Like An Egyptian (The Bangles), Kids In America, (Kim Wilde), Goody Two Shoes, (Adam Ant) and We Didn't Start The Fire (Billy Joel), and you wanna know something, they are simply awesome! The band are tight, and whist remaining faithful to the originals they manage to make the songs their own, this is never more apparent than on Walk Like An Egyptian and Goody Two Shoes.
This is just a thank you Ep to those who pledge towards the new album, which if this and the previous three albums are anything to go by is likely to be a stonker!

Come on guys get pledging, support one of the best British bands out there on the scene!

Rating -10/10

Pledge link - Here

Ginger Wildheart - G.A.S.S. Month 2 EP (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Alternative

Label - Self Released

Track listing:

01- El Mundo (Slow Fatigue)

02 - Hellbound

03 - King Rat

Bonus Demos

04 - You Are The Light

05 - How I Survived The Punk Wars (Original Demo)

So here we are with the second instalment of Gingers G.A.S.S. project, god has it been a month already?
Once again we are treated to three brand new tracks (specifically recorded for this project) and two unreleased demos, again, one of a completely unheard song and one an original demo of a familiar track.
So what do we have, well first up is El Mundo (Slow Fatigue), recorded and mixed by Jase Edwards and
featuring the talents of  Ash Sheehan on horns & vocals and  Tammy King on vocals. A quirky track that kind of reminds me the Singles club era Ginger, a slow plodding track with the horns giving it a curious twist. Another song that showcases just how eclectic Gingers song writing can be. A good start.
Next up we have Hellbound, once again recorded by Jase Edwards and this time mixed by Jason Sanderson. This track features the talents of Tammy King on vocals and Jase Edwards on guitar. Hellbound is a great melodic rock track that would have fitted nicely amongst the famous 555% set of tracks. A great song with a truly great sentiment! Hellbound is quickly becoming one of my current favourite tracks!
Closing out this months new tracks is King Rat.this time recorded by Jase Edwards and mixed by Kevin Vanbergen. This song also features the awesome talents of a certain Chris Catalyst (Eureka Machines / Sisters Of Mercy / Catalyst) on keyboards, guitar & vocals. This song is destined to become one of my all time Ginger favourites, a great homage to some of his heroes (a little like 29 x the Pain only a completely different feel and sound)) From its opening keyboard pad and haunting vocal to its great melodic rock drive. A really great song.

Next up we have the two bonus demo tracks for June, the first, You Are The Light, is a unreleased song that, well I'll let Ginger explain,
"This song was written for a Finnish band who had considered taking a more melodic and mainstream approach to their next album. Turns out that they changed their mind anyway and stuck with metal, which this song most definitely is not.
I wrote three songs for them, one of which I redesigned as Lover, It’ll All Work Out on the 555% album, and recorded them with Jason Sanderson, who is mixing some of the G·A·S·S· songs you are hopefully enjoying."
No matter what Ginger says, You Are The Light is a great song, almost a big ballad type of track, it has a great feel to it, and once again deserves to see the light of day!
Finally we have the original demo of How I Survived The Punk Wars, a popular track that was written for Hey! Hello!, again I'll let Ginger explain.
"The original demo for How I Survived The Punk Wars, recorded with Jase Edwards and featuring Givvi Flynn on backing vocals. You can hear that the arrangement didn’t stray too much from the original formula but the absence of Victoria is glaringly apparent. Truth is getting Lady Vic involved was a move made when my voice packed up in the studio and I made a panic decision to record the new songs as duets. People had been saying how much they liked her voice on 555% so it made sense to get her involved and give me a break in the vocal dept. As soon as she took the job my confidence in the project grew and my voice came back."
It great to see this song in such an early embryonic stage.

Another great installment of G.A.S.S.

Rating - 10/10

NB - G.A.S.S. membership is available at any point over the next twelve months, with all releases being made available in due course, so there is plenty of time to save those penny's if you cant subscribe straight away. For more details please look here

CJ Wildhearts - Mable (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk

Label - Pledge Music

Track Listing:

01 - Better Late Than Never

02 - Down The Drain

03 - Next To You

04 - Vitriol

05 - Always Believe Her

06 - Kentucky Fried

07 - D.C.

08 - Come With Me

09 - State Of Emergency

10 - Devil

11 - Midlife Crisis

After what seems like an eternity CJ Wildheart finally gets around to recording and releasing his debut solo album, (previous releases include Honeycrack, The Jelly's and CJ & The Satellites) in the form of Mable, which is named after his favourite pet chicken!
So how did Mable finally come about, and whats the story behind each of its 11 songs, well who better to answer that than CJ himself?
"So, in June 2013 I started demoing songs which would lead on to me recording my first solo album in 7 years. ‘Mable’ is the result of me locking myself away in my home studio and just letting things take a natural course.
Like with any album there is a theme to the songs and this album loosely charts my last 3 years of life in London before I moved to North Yorkshire and the big changes about to happen in my world.
For those who do not know, I retired from music for 3 years as I needed a change and wanted to try something new…. I started my own cleaning business.
I employed 8 guys and worked for all sorts of folk, from the stupidly wealthy to the heartbreakingly poor. My last 3 years in London was me running my company
and sometimes dreaming of returning back to music but most of the time trying my hardest to bring home the bacon.
The frustration I felt with having to deal with the rich snobs who live in the city would leave me wanting to kill the stuck up fuckers but I would always pull back my rage…. anyway I also felt equally furious at Councils who would let OAPs live in their own shit and expect my co workers to clean it up for peanuts…. the same Councils who would waste millions per year on art and other crap…. go figure.
Well, something had to give and I married, sold my business and moved to the countryside and back to the music. The songs on ‘Mable’ are about my last few years in London and my life completely changing again when I picked up my guitar and moved north.
I’m fast approaching middle age and I’m about to become a father for the first time…. My album reflects all these changes and I hope you enjoy it. X
1) BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
The opening track and a wee ditty about getting it right…. eventually.
2) DOWN THE DRAIN
My message to Mother Nature telling her to get up and fight back against man.
3) NEXT TO YOU
You know when life gets too much and you just want a friend to comfort you, take you out for a pint and let you vent.
4) VITRIOL
This tune is a cover of the Bluejuice (A great band from Australia) song. I would play this a lot when driving around London…. it’s a good ‘fuck you’ song!
5) ALWAYS BELIEVE HER
In any relationship you have that great part at the beginning when it’s all new and nervous and then you get to the point where you either commit or run away. I didn’t run away and ended up marrying the girl…. those early days never leave you.
6) KENTUCKY FRIED
A song about running a cleaning business in the old smoke. The daily grind, traffic jams and frustrations.
7) D.C
Back in the early 90s my little brother Steve took me to a rave…. this is how I felt.
8) COME WITH ME
This is the oldest song on the album. I first demoed this in 2007 and the intro was used on ‘Plastic Jebus’ which is on ‘Chutzpah’
This songs charts my long battle with insomnia and sleeping tablets…. an on-going struggle even today but thankfully without the aid of pills.
9) STATE OF EMERGENCY
Angry people who blame everyone but themselves. There comes a point when you just have to grow up and take responsibility.
10) DEVIL
A song about temptation…. but from a junkies point of view.
11) MIDLIFE CRISIS?
The last track and a song about part of my life coming to an end and the beginning of something new and truly wonderful.
CJ"

But is the album any good? You bet your ass it is!
Opener Better Late Than Never begins with some quaint electronic noises and ambient effects before exploding into a great modern melodic rock riff. A great song and solid opener to the album! Next up is Down The Drain. This track has a darker feel, more of a solid riff and some great lyrics. I love how CJ has fitted the quite dark and serious lyrics into quite a poppy melody, wonderful song, although I'm still not sure what the hell the video has to do with the song! lol
Next To You follows and is not the lovey dovey ballad that the title suggests. A Slow to mid tempo rocker with a sort of stop start riff, and a cracker of a song. CJ is really on form here, both in his writing and vocals!
Next we have CJ's cover of Bluejuice's Vitriol, having never heard the original I cant comment upon how it compares, but what I can say is that its a great song a stunning performance from CJ, so Id say it probably compares rather well!
Always Believe Her is up next, and those electronic noises make another appearance during the songs intro, before a killer melodic riff kicks in, only for it to give way to the electronic noises throughout the verse. A great song with some interesting ideas throughout. Love it!
Kentucky Fried follows, which is another great mid-tempo rocker. This could be a killer track live!
The next song is D.C. a great track, again managing to blend electronic sounds usually more associated with dance music than rock with great rock riffs, and pulling it off really well.
Come With Me follows, with a darker feel to it both musically and lyrically. A great song with its familiar riff (explained above!)
State Of Emergency is up next and is possibly the most traditional rock track on offer on Mable. Its a great song and again I imagine will go down really well in a live environment!
Devil is the albums penultimate track, a dark track which twists and turns musically. Another great song
The album closes out with Midlife Crisis, another great traditional styled rock track, a real slow builder and a great choice to close out the album!

Mable shows that CJ is more than just the other vocalist / guitarist in The Wildhearts, it shows that he is one hell of a songwriter and solo musician too!. I say that because with the exception of a few gang vocals from producer Lee Potter Wray (Zen Motel) and Chris Catalyst (Eureka Machines / Sisters Of Mercy / Ginger Wildheart Band) everything on this album is played by CJ himself, even down to the drum programing!
Lee Wray does a sterling job with the production making Mable a stunning album.

Well worth checking out!

Rating 10/10

Ginger Wildheart (Band) - Albion (Pledge Edition) 2014

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock / Pop / Punk / Metal
Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - Drive
02 - Cambria
03 - The Road To Apple Cross
04 - The Order Of The Dog
05 - Chill, Motherfucker, Chill
06 - Burn This Town Down
07 - Body Parts
08 - The Beat Goes On
09 - After All You Said About Cowboy's
10 - Grow A Pair
11 - I Need You
12 - Capital Anxiety
13 - Into This
14 - Creepers
15 - Albion

Albion is Ginger Wildhearts latest venture with the fan funded Pledge Music system, building upon the huge success of the 555%, Mutation and Hey! Hello! projects, and what a monster of an album it is. Albion has been recorded primarily by the lineup that Ginger put together for the live shows to support the 555% albums, hence the Ginger Wildheart Band monica and what a line up it is featuring the talents of Ginger Wildheart (The Wildhearts / Mutation / Solo / Hey! Hello! / Michael Monroe Band / Courtney Love Band / SilverGinger5 / Clam Abuse / Supershit666 and more), Chris Catalyst (Eureka Machines / Sisters Of Mercy), Denzel (Ginger Wildheart Band / Barbarossa / Young Legionnaire / Horsefight) , Rich Jones (Ginger Wildheart Band / The Loyalties / Bassknives / Michael Monroe Band), Victoria Liedtke (Ginger Wildheart Band / Hey! Hello!), Random Jon Poole (The Wildhearts / Goddamn Whores / Cardiacs), and Bryan Scary (Evil Arrows) with Kevin Vanbergen handling production duties.
Firstly I have to say that despite its familiarity (hey this is the sixth albums worth of material Ginger has released in less than two years!) Albion is not an instant album, its very much a grower, giving up more and more layers with each listen, and having lived with it since just prior to Christmas here goes for a track by track review.

Drive -  a typically schizophrenic power-pop/rock song, that although a great song, takes a spin or two before it really grabs you, but boy when it does its a blinder!

Cambria - a song that comes across as a cross between a Mutation track (it would have fitted easily onto The Frankenstein Effect) and one of The Wildhearts more edgy tracks, say Chutzpah! or an Endless Nameless track with its blast beats and in your face lead vocal, (which are offset at times by Victoria's vocals to amazing effect

The Road To Apple Cross - A belter of a track that seems to blend all of Ginger previously released styles into one song) and could have easily have made it on the Chutzpah! album by The Wildhearts, with Gingers alternating vocal styles and its monster riffs. Truly a great song and one of the albums many highlights.

The Order Of The Dog - begins with a lovely mellow introduction almost fooling you into thinking that this is going to be an instrumental track. Again the song has many twists and turns and takes us, the listener on a great journey. Would have easily fitted onto 555%. A great song and another album highlight.

Chill Motherfucker, Chill - A light and relatively mellow rocker that would not have been out of place on 555%. One of my favourite songs on offer with the great lyric, "Sometimes you are the shit, sometimes you are the pan, this you must understand". Just simply awesome!

Burn This City Down - Co-written with Chris Catalyst, (something that is evident throughout this album is that although its clearly gingers baby, the other band members have been heavily involved at all stages), a great song with a real energetic feel to it.  This song really does bode well for any future Ginger / Catalyst collaborations. Definitely an album highlight!

Body Parts - A real up beat pop rocker, and obvious choice for a lead single / promotional track. 

The Beat Goes On - A real gem of a track, with a more upbeat version of the feel found on some of Ginger's earlier solo work, say on Valor.... A real good song with a nice commercial feel to it.

After All You Said About Cowboy's - This song was originally recorded as part of the 555% sessions but Ginger wasn't happy with the way it turned out, too far removed from the feel vision of the original demo, so he decided top shelve the song in order to re-record it at a latter date. Nows that date, and the song is beautiful. It really does have a Market Harbour era kind of feel to it, a really great song with some great pop elements. Another album highlight.

Grow A Pair - A fairly uptempo pop / rock n roll track similar in feel to Begin From Within with some great vocal exchanges between Ginger and Victoria. this song could have made a great Hey! Hello! or even Silverginger5 track. Love it!

I Need You - Gingers ode to the fans (I think lol). An uptempo pop / rock track with a great sing along chorus, going to be amazing in a live setting!

Capital Anxiety - Fast aggressive punky track. Could be fun live but feels a little out of place here, and one of the tracks that I imagine will be dropped from the eventual ten track commercial release of the album. (I'll come to that later!)

Into This - A mellow laid back poppy rocker. Another song that wouldn't have been out of place on the 555% triple album, but also one of the weakest tracks on offer here and one I'll probably be skipping a lot in future, that despite having some great lyrics, yet a weak chorus by Gingers standards.

Creepers - An uptempo melodic rocker that goes through many twists and turn (and tempo changes), a fun song. Victoria probably provides her longest lead vocal here, not the albums strongest track, and a little prog rock in places but still a bloody strong song that inbeds itself further into your brain with each and every listen.

Albion - The albums epic title track, what can I say. Ten and half minutes long, with so many twists and turns that it could give the mighty Sky Babies a run for its money. A really nice touch having the Drive riff re-enter things hear during the song as it gives a sense of the album coming full circle. Awesome, simply awesome.


So what can I say? Well Albion is very much a companion album to the 555% triple album set, and I say companion and not successor as the two releases sit so comfortably side by side. This Pledge Edition of the album also contains fifteen songs, something that will change for the commercial release which will only be featuring ten of the fifteen, (and I would hate to be the person charged with choosing which five tracks have to be cut!) Therefore if you want to get a hold of all of the songs here you will need to pledge quickly (the entire album is available for immediate download for just £8).

This album (as with the bulk of Gingers back catalogue) is very, very highly recommended!

Rating - 10/10

Eureka Machines Announce Uk Tour

The Scaramanga Six - Phantom Head (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Indie / Alternative / Pop
Label - Wrath Records

Track listing:

01 - I Will Crush Your Heart
02 - I Am The Rain
03 - The Bristol Butcher
04 - Blunt Force Trauma
05 - The Spider
06 - We Are The Blind
07 - They Put You On A Pedestal
08 - Twist The Knife
09 - Missing
10 - The Cardinal
11 - It's Just A Matter Of Time
12 - The Stepford Bands

OK so I have to admit to the shame of despite knowing of the bands existence for many years, mainly through their connections with Eureka Machines main man, Chris Catalyst, up until know I had never actually heard any of their music. Damn what a mistake!
After hearing this album I quickly wanted to hear more from their rather extensive back catalogue (well these guys have been around since the late 1990's!) and they have quickly become one of my new favourite bands!
There is a definite quirkyness to this band and their music, which puts them right up my street. Kind of a early eighties Alice Cooper meets Frank Zappa meets Adam Ant meets The Cardiacs meets Random John Poole, a truly magnificant combination!
All twelve songs are superbly written and executed to perfection which when combined with a sublime production makes for a great sounding album. I swear that everyone should own at least one Scaramanga Six album.
Standout tracks? Well as I said all twelve are great songs but if I had to choose three I would have to go for, The Spider, It's Just A Matter Of Time and Blunt Force Trauma

Very highly reconmended

Rating 10/10

Eureka Machines - Remain In Hope (2013)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk /
Label - Pledge Music / Wrath Records


Track listing -

01 - Good Guys Finish Last
02 - Pop Star
03 - Love Yourself
04 - Getting Away
05 - Affluenza
06 - Believe In Anything
07 - None Of The Above
08 - Wish You Were Her
09 - Living In Squalor
10 - Break Stuff
11 - Eternal Machines

OK so I have been sitting on this CD for a little while now, digesting it fully and well, bloody repeatedly playing the bugger and loving every second of it!
Remain In Hope is the third album to be released by this mighty little (completely independent) band from Leeds and to be fair, although I truly loved its predecessors, (2008's Do Or Die and 2011's Champion The Underdog), its their strongest release to date! Not bad considering that the band were on the brink of calling it a day at one point last year. Thank God that the reconsidered.
The album opens with the unusual choice of slow and mellow track, Good Guys Finish Last, with its chorus recalling certain refrains from Do Or Die's Scream Eureka, before powering in to the first single and ultra catchy Pop Star. Love Yourself and Getting Away follow, both certain to become crowd favourites with their typical Eureka Machines vibe going on throughout.
Affluenza is up next, more of a stop start track, power pop perfection, with a chorus that's guaranteed to annoy your work mates when you sing it out loud at work, and you will, trust me!
Believe In Anything slows the tempo down a little with its multi layered vocals and mellow intro, that slowly builds into something truly special, a really great track!
None Of The Above picks up the tempo alittle with its great horn section. This song is going to be lots of fun live! Wish You Were Her is another great tracks that starts of nice and slow before building into something massive and epic, (the acoustic version is pretty damn awesome too!)
Living In Squalor is reworked here, (the original being a b-side to Being Good Is Okay....), sounding even better with its beefed up guitars!
The album closes with what are quite possibly two of the best songs ever written. The brilliant Break Stuff, which features the mighty Willie Dowling on keyboards!), with its huge epic feel and the awesome Eternal Machines, a song that I just cant find the words to describe adequately. Ironic how this could have ended up being the bands swansong!
Remain In Hope is one of the best albums that will be released this year, by one of the best bands that you will probably have never heard of. Change it, check these guys out and supports a great independent Bristish band!

These guys deserve to be massive!

Rating 10/10


The band are -
Chris Catalyst – vocals, guitars, bass, keys, percussion
Davros – guitars, vocals
Pete Human – bass, vocals
Wayne Insane – big drums, lad vocals

Ginger Wildheart - 555% (The Pledge Album) 2012

Genre - Rock / Pop / Industrial Pop / Electronic / Punk / You Name It Its In Here!
Label - Pledge Music / Independant.

CD1 Track Listing


01) Forget About It
02) I-N-T-E-R-N-A-L R-adio
03) Lie When You Tell Me The Truth
04) Incidental Noises
05) It Appears That The Party Is Over
06) Deep In The Arms Of Morpheus
07) Baby Skies
08) Silence
09) Powder Keg
10) Time

CD2 Track Listing

01) Another Spinning Fucking Rainbow
02) Westward Ho! (A New Reputation)
03) Do The Lonely Suffer More, Or Less, Or Just The Same At The Point Of Death?
04) The Other Side
05) Strange New Year
06) Lover, It’ll all Work Out
07) Illuminating Times
08) Begin From Within
09) Return of The Northern Cardinal
10) Taste Aversion

CD3 Track Listing

01) You’re The One, You’re The One, Yeah I Know You’re The One, You’re The One (Yeah I Know You’re The One)
02) Beautifully, Blissfully Unsettled
03) Confusion
04) Sleeping in The Light
05) In Vino Veritas (instrumental)
06) Very, Very Slow
07) Just Another Song About Someone
08) There Is Something Wrong With My Mind
09) We’ve Been Expecting You
10) The End

I have been a Ginger fan for as long as I can remember, ever since I first heard Mondo Akimbo back in the early 1990’s, and I have witness Ginger, via the many forms of The Wildhearts, SilverGinger5, Supershit 666, Clam Abuse and his solo work, produce countless classic songs, (as well as one or two that I just could never get my head around!

Ginger has a habit of taking on the record industry, throughout his career with the Wildhearts, he was constantly battling record label bosses, and then in 2003 he decided to release a single every month for a year, only for the idea to fail due to the ineptitude and incompetence of the label involved. Then in 2011, it looks like the industry has finally won, with Ginger considering retiring from music and getting a “proper job”. Luckily someone talked him out of it and talked him into trying the pledge music system, where artist ask there fans to purchase the CD’s (or other product) in advance and therefore provide the funds for them to produce the CD / product. Ginger reached his projected target of pledgers within 6 hours of the pledge going live and in the end made it more than 555% of the target. The result was this triple album, an ambitious project, 30 brand new songs, never to be released in this form commercially anywhere else ever! The top 12 songs as voted for by the pledgers will make it onto a commercial release (100%) leaving 18 exclusive tracks to this release.

Ginger roped in the talents of Willie Dowling (Honeycrack / Jackdaw4), Chris Catalyst (Eureka Machines), Random Jon Poole (God Damn Whores / The Wildhearts / The Cardiacs), Rich Batersby (The Wildhearts / Grand Theft Audio), CJ (the Wildhearts / Honeycrack / The Jellys / CJ & The Satellites), Fyfe Ewing (Therapy?), Denzil (Ginger solo band), and Victoria (?), to record this project and well the result is a three disc, thirty song collection of music, recorded in three seperate sessions, which incorperates pretty much any music style and genre that you could possibly imagine. The production across all three cd’s is amazing thanks to the talents and skills of both Willie Dowling and Jacob Hanson whom handled the production duties.

I can honestly say that as a whole, this 30 song set does include some of the best songs that Ginger has ever produced, Deep In The Arms Of Morpheus, Silence, Taste Aversion, Do The Lonely Suffer More...., Begin From Within, Beautifully Blissfully Unsettle to name but a few, and there are a few hear that just wont sit well with many long term fans. Some because they are too light weight (although Ginger has warned all along throughout this project for fans not to expect 30 Wildheart sounding tracks!) and some because they are too experimental.

This collection of songs really see’s Ginger flexing his songwriting muscle, pushing himself into new areas, possibly even creating new sub genres of music (Industrial pop), some combining male and female lead vocals, and its because of this that I believe that this collection of songs works. Some songs are instant, others take a few listens to grow on you, and its this variety that makes this release so special.

Below I have tried to provide a brief track by track guide to 555%

Track By Track

Forget About It,
A melodic rock track, with Ginger delivering what at first appears to be a rather strained vocal track, yet it is a real grower and has become a quick favorite, and it is great to hear Ginger trying a different vocal approach!

I-N-T-E-R-N-A-L-R-adio,
An instant classic. A great commercial song with see’s Ginger being rather autobiographical with the lyrics about his song writing. This song is screaming out for radio airplay and must surely be considered for release as a single.

Lie When You tell Me The Truth,
A mid tempo melodic rocker, featuring joint male and female vocals from Ginger and Victoria, This song would have fitted well on to pretty much any of Gingers previous solo releases.

Incidental Noises,
A truly great song. Another melodic number that once again features Victoria’s vocals pretty high in the mix. This song has many twists and turns throughout its 3 minute 19 second duration.

It Appears That The Party Is Over,
More of an up tempo rocker, heavier guitars, but still filled with twists and turns, a real feel good song, destined to become a fan favorite I believe.

Deep In the Arms of Morpheus,
This is probably the oldest song in this collection, as it originally dates from a very early incarnation of t The Wildhearts, only previously available in acoustic form on a live bootleg form 2001. This song is in my honest opinion probably one of the best songs that Ginger has ever written. A melodic epic song, that really builds into something special, truly one of the best songs that Ginger has ever written!

Baby Skies,
A great up tempo melodic pop rock track, with many, many references both musically and lyrically to the Wildhearts epic Sky Babies, even if the songs theme is a little different. Cj + Ginger vocal always good to hear. Obviously the most 'Wildhearts' song on this first bunch, with the ending similar to the end of Chutzpah!

Silence,
This song opens with some great riffing, before dropping into a great atmospheric melodic verse, then building again to a great chorus. One of my favorite songs on the first cd.

Powderkeg,
Opening with a guitar line that could belong to a track on The Wildhearts Must be Destroyed, before developing into a great melodic little number. A Great song

Time,
Opening with a guitar line that sounds so contemporary it could belong to a Coldplay or Radiohead song, before building into a great song about the passing of time and growing old.....A great song and another with a real epic feel to it, again another of my favorite songs from the first CD, and the discs closing track.


Another Spinning Fucking Rainbow,
Hmmm how do you describe this song? Brilliant that’s how, a little quirky but proof positive that Ginger has lost none of his song writing genius. One of my favorites from the second disc.

Westward Ho! (A New Reputation),
A great melodic song, once again with Victoria sharing lead vocal duties with Ginger to great effect, and already proving to be a fan favorite.

Do The Lonely Suffer More, Or Less, Or Just The Same At The Point Of Death?
This song is awesome, it’s as simple as that! This track has such a diverse mix of musical influences and styles, it’s unbelievable. A really great song. One of my favorites from the second Cd. The lyrics have a very personal and dark feel to them that draws me in even more.

The Other Side,
A great melodic, poppy song, again with Victoria sharing lead vocals with Ginger, a beautiful song. A worthy single, with some great lyrics.

Strange New Year,
A nice up tempo rocker with a great feel good factor to it. A nice song, destined to be a live favorite i do believe.

Lover, It’ll All Work Out,
A great mix of musical styles and ideas, builds into a great melodic rocker, whilst tempo changes bring in some great moody melodic pop segments. Another of my favorites tracks from disc two.

Illuminating Times,
An epically melodic song that is heavy on keyboards, a grand sounding song. A powerful song that deserves respect and attention

Begin from Within,
Has Ginger created a new musical genre here? Industrial Pop? A great song, with a great message! Another instant classic!

Return Of The Northern Cardinal,
A song that would have fitted nicely onto Gingers third solo album, Market Harbor, and song that was been played live a couple of years back. The song has a kind of country feel to it in places. Another fine example of Gingers songwriting genius

Taste Aversion,
Amazing, that is that needs to said about this song. This song is quite possibly my joint favorite (along with Deep In The Arms Of Morpheus) song out of the entire 30!
Building from a quiet a mellow beginning of just vocals and piano before building into a great melodic rock / pop workout. A truly great song with some great lyrics.

You’re The One, You’re The One, Yeah I Know You’re The One, You’re The One (Yeah I Know You’re The One),
This song first saw the light of day back in February, when it was made available as an exclusive download to those whom had pledged towards this 30 song project. The song is a great up tempo melodic rock track with some great lyrics, I absolutely love it and I am so glad that it made the final 30 track selection!

Beautifully, Blissfully Unsettled,
Melodic track that builds into a real rocker, features Gingers fellow Wildheart, CJ on joint lead vocal. One of the best songs of the entire 30 song set, and possibly my favorite from disc 3. Again, this song could be a great choice for a single!

Confusion,
Melodic, almost industrial pop in places, a great song, great fun

Sleeping In The Light,
Melodic guitar riffs give way to a chilled out joint lead vocal from Ginger and Victoria, that really builds into something special. A beautiful and epic song.

In Vino Vertias,
The only instrumental song amongst the 30. Hard to describe, almost like Metallica meets the shadows, a beautiful and amazing musical journey.

Very, Very Slow,
The heaviest song on the entire 30 song set, and also the shortest! I really do love this song, and its lyrical theme is really fitting for me considering my erm, day job lol.

Just Another Song About Someone,
A fairly laid back rock track, nice change of style, with a more stripped down feel to it than many of the other tracks.

There Is Something Wrong With My Mind,
Black Windows little brother, with underkill references? A great song, once again mixing up the musical styles.

We’ve Been Expecting You,
After and interesting intro we get an acoustic based track, a wonderful little track, thoroughly enjoyable.

The End,
Another melodic track that builds into something big and epic, a great song.



This 30 song set is set to become a classic and legendary release, Ginger took on the record industry, and with the help of his huge and loyal fan base, won!

If you didnt pledge then you have missed out, scour ebay for a rare copy, but make sure you get the commercially released 100% when it finally hits the stores!


Rating 10/10

Eureka Machines - Champion The Underdog

Genre - Rock / Pop / Punk / Powerpop
Label - Wraith Records

Track listing -

01 - Champion The Underdog
02 - These Are The People Who Live In My House
03 - (I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again)
04 - Magnets
05 - Godot's Arrived
06 - Professional Crastinator
07 - Everything's Fine
08 - The Best Night Of My Life
09 -Beginning Of The End Of The World
10 - Zero Hero
11 - A Ballad To Finish

Chris Catalyst and the Guys of Eureka Machines Return with the follow up to 2008’s amazing debut, Do Or Die, with Champion The Under Dog.
Once again the lads have managed to attain power pop perfection, there just simply isn’t a bad track anywhere in sight on this cd.
Produced by Chris and Jase Edwards (Wolfsbane), and filled to the brim with eleven littler gems and sure to be future rock classics.
This album has it all, from the pure pop of These Are The People Who Live In My House, to the heart tugging ballad, A Ballad To Finish. Throw in there some nice pop / punk / rockers like Magnets and Professional Crastinator and you have a fantastic album,
You really can hear the bands influences here too, especially the Ginger / Wildhearts / Honeycrack / Willie Dowling / Queen (especially in the vocal harmonies), and this makes the songs seem even stronger.
If there is any justice in the world then this band would be huge, and here’s to hoping for that to happen!

Very highly recommended,check it out when its released on May 2nd!!

Catch the guys live on tour at one of the following dates –

Champion The Underdog tour:

Thursday 5 May 2011 - The Bittersuite, Preston
Friday 6 May 2011 - Retro Bar, Manchester
Saturday 7 May 2011 - The Belle Vue, Blackpool
Sunday 8 May 2011 - The Leopard, Doncaster
Wednesday 11 May 2011 - The Thunderbolt, Bristol (TBC)
Thursday 12 May 2011 - The Borderline, London (with The Dead Identities and Tecnoctitlan)
Friday 13 May 2011 - Wight Rock Bar, Isle of Wight
Saturday 14 May 2011 - The Mill Inn, Deal, Dover
Wednesday 18 May 2011 - Academy 2, Sheffield
Thursday 19 May 2011 - Stereo, York
Friday 20 May 2011 - The Lamp, Hull
Saturday 21 May 2011 - The Marrs Bar, Worcester
Sunday 22 May 2011 - The Asylum, Birmingham
Thursday 26 May 2011 - Black Flag, Wakefield (with UK Subs)
Friday 27 May 2011 - The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (with The Scaramanga Six, Black Moth and Circles)
Saturday 28 May 2011 - The Parish, Huddersfield (with The Scaramanga Six)
Sunday 29 May 2011 - The Maze, Nottingham
Thursday 2 June 2011 - The Hyem, Newcastle (with Supercharger
Friday 3 June 2011 - The Railway, Bolton
Saturday 4 June 2011 - Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge
Sunday 5 June 2011 - BBC Introducing Raw Talent radio session
Saturday 2 July 2011 - Bladefest, Fleckney (with Goldblade)


website - Eureka Machines
Rating - 10/10

Eureka Machines announce new album details and tour!

Those poptastic rascals, The Eureka Machines have announced details of their new album and tour dates. So here in their own words are those details:
Well, it's about time we told you our plans for the rest of the year. We're putting out our new album, which we call Champion The Underdog, on May 2nd. It will be out through Wrath Records again, and it is the best thing that any of us have ever done. It will be preceded by a new single, another snappily monikered tune called (I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again). You may recognise it from the gigs as The One With The Uptown Girl Bit. We're filming a video for it at the moment and it's suitably amusing.

The tracklisting for the record is thus:

Champion The Underdog
These Are The People Who Live In My House
(I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again)
Magnets
Godot's Arrived
Professional Crastinator
Everything's Fine
The Best Night Of My Life
Beginning Of The End Of The World
Zero Hero
A Ballad To Finish

It was produced by Jase Edwards and Chris Catalyst and made across about six different studios at various times across the land. The cover artwork was shot by evil genius Tom Martin. Please, if it's the last thing you ever do for us, tell your friends, get people excited, spread the word, it would be a terrible shame if the past eighteen months of our hard labour was to disappear unnoticed.

We're doing some gigs so you can come and see us and maybe buy it and all that. Of course, it'll be available online before that, so keep checking back. The dates confirmed so far are:

Champion The Underdog tour:

Thursday 5 May 2011 - The Bittersuite, Preston
Friday 6 May 2011 - Retro Bar, Manchester
Saturday 7 May 2011 - The Belle Vue, Blackpool
Sunday 8 May 2011 - The Leopard, Doncaster
Wednesday 11 May 2011 - The Thunderbolt, Bristol (TBC)
Thursday 12 May 2011 - The Borderline, London (with The Dead Identities and Tecnoctitlan)
Friday 13 May 2011 - Wight Rock Bar, Isle of Wight
Saturday 14 May 2011 - The Mill Inn, Deal, Dover
Wednesday 18 May 2011 - Academy 2, Sheffield
Thursday 19 May 2011 - Stereo, York
Friday 20 May 2011 - The Lamp, Hull
Saturday 21 May 2011 - The Marrs Bar, Worcester
Sunday 22 May 2011 - The Asylum, Birmingham
Thursday 26 May 2011 - Black Flag, Wakefield (with UK Subs)
Friday 27 May 2011 - The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (with The Scaramanga Six, Black Moth and Circles)
Saturday 28 May 2011 - The Parish, Huddersfield (with The Scaramanga Six)
Sunday 29 May 2011 - The Maze, Nottingham
Thursday 2 June 2011 - The Hyem, Newcastle (with Supercharger
Friday 3 June 2011 - The Railway, Bolton
Saturday 4 June 2011 - Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge
Sunday 5 June 2011 - BBC Introducing Raw Talent radio session
Saturday 2 July 2011 - Bladefest, Fleckney (with Goldblade)

Eureka Machines live dates

Eureka Machines live dates

Saturday 18 Sept - The Borderline, London (with our good friends Jackdaw4 - we are on at 8pm so please get down early). Tickets HERE: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=399858&referral_id=mfg&interface=mean


Saturday 25 Sept - Central, Nottingham (part of the final ever Trashstock Festival, an all-dayer bringing you the best in rock from all over the world - other bands include Acey Slade, The Glitterati and The Pleasures, we are on at 6pm-ish)

Saturday 2 Oct - Gasworks, Bradford (with Acey Slade)

Wednesday 6 Oct - Moho Live, Manchester (with Acey Slade)

Wednesday 27 Oct - Stereo, York (acoustic gig, supporting StringerBessant from... Reef)

A Word In The Ear Of Chris Catalyst (Eureka Machines)

I recently had the opportunity to have Chris Catalyst of Eureka Machines answer a few short questions. Now the Eureka Machines are a Leeds-based rock/punk/pop band, who have played all over the UK with bands like The Wildhearts, Forward Russia and The Rascals. They have opened the BBC Introducing Stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals 2008, released their debut album Do Or Die (Wrath Records, WRATHCD48) on September 1st 2008 to rave reviews, had the song The Story Of My Life featured on the Classic Rock cover CD in November 2009, completed various national tours including one with Electric Six, (at their request) in 2009, they've released a couple of singles and received radio airplay on BBC Radio 1, 6Music, XFM, Channel Five, MTV2, Scuzz and various local stations.

so now to the interview :


First of all let me say thank you for agreeing to this brief interview.


Glitzine - 2009 was a very busy year for both you and the Eureka Machines, with various tours with both Eureka Machines and the Sisters Of Mercy, what would you say was your personal highlight of 2009?

Chris Catalyst - My personal highlight of 2009 was taking my niece and nephew to the cinema and going to Pizza Hut. My musical highlight was probably the Electric Six/Eureka Machines tour where we had hundreds of people singing along to a song that they'd never heard before, every night. My Sisters highlight was a holiday in South America going to Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

Glitzine - The bands line up has changed since the recording of the last album, how are things working out now?

Chris Catalyst - Great. We're more of a 'band' now. I'd written pretty much all of the songs before we recorded the first album, and I played bass and most of the guitars on it, as well as most of the singing. We've got a proper line-up now and it's going to be more of a proper 'band' album. Four heads are better than one, and although everyone contributed to Do Or Die, the new album has been a lot more organic. Oh and no disrespect to Steve Morricone, our former bass player, but we always knew he wouldn't be around forever - he helped us out for a year or so and we are still top pals.

Gliztine - Eureka Machines debut album 'Do Or Die' was one of the best debuts that I've heard in years, and one of the best albums of 2008 so how is the new material shaping up in comparison?

Chris Catalyst - Thanks. We like it too. The new stuff is good, but we would say that. It's very poppy, but some of it is a bit rockier, and some is a bit weirder. It's kind of like the first album, only more so.

Glitzine - The songs on 'Do Or Die' were mainly very positive songs, was there a conscious reason behind this and are the new songs going to have similar messages?

Chris Catalyst - The words are generally supposed to be positive, with a message that you should get off your arse and just do something. Most of it was written addressed to myself, as I'd been sitting on my arse for far too long. The new album is similar, with some of the same lyrical themes, and a few songs about sitting on your arse again. Mostly they're just funny.

Glitzine - I believe that you have recently entered the studio to start working on the second album, can you give us any info like song titles / possible album name at this stage?

Chris Catalyst - Some of the songs are ones we've been playing for a while, Champion The Underdog, Zero Hero and (I'm) Wasting My Time (Yet Again), and some are tracks we've not sussed out how to play live yet. The album will probably be called Champion The Underdog.

Glitzine - Chris, over the years you have worked with many great musicians from The Sisters Of Mercy, Ginger (Wildhearts), Willie Dowling (Jackdaw4, Honeycrack, The Grip) to name but a few. Has working with any of these amazing talents influenced your song writing?

Chris Catalyst - After a long attempt at trying to get somewhere with our old band Catalyst, I spent a few years soaking up talent from people like Andrew Eldritch, Ginger, Willie and various others like Alex Kane, The Dead Pets lads and so on, learning my trade. I feel like I learned a lot in the time I was whoring myself out, and that it was time to do something for myself for a change. It's a bit like going out with girls - when you split up with someone, the last thing you want to do is fall into another relationship. You want to do a bit of shagging around and see where you get, then settle down later.
Plus songwriting is only one part of being in a band... I've learned a lot about generally being in a band over the past few years, and what to do (carry spares, practise a lot) and what not to do (get pissed all the time, take the piss out of your fans or band).

Glitzine - I managed to catch you guys live at Jbs (Dudley) late last year with El Diablo and was amazed at your energy levels, how do you manage to perform so well at such a high energy level?

Chris Catalyst - Oh man, we were knackered that night, we'd had very little sleep the night before. We practise a lot and we work hard. Plus we're generally quite energetic people. And we like our songs, they're fun to play.

Glitzine - Eureka Machines have a track featured on the new charity album put together by Round Records to help aid the victims of the recent disaster 'The Haiti Project', could you tell us how you guys became involved?

Chris Catalyst - Our friend Gav put it together, he asked us to be on it. It's a worthy cause and I wish there was more we could do for it, along with a lot of charities.

Glitzine - Last year was quite a busy year tour wise, do you have tour plans set for 2010 yet, any festivals perhaps?

Chris Catalyst - We're finishing the new album, but there's no rush to put it out. We're doing some gigs in May, and hopefully some festivals will come up too.

Glitzine - One of your previous bands, Catalyst recorded a brilliant song, 'Today' a few years ago, is there any chance of eureka machines incorporating this song into there live set, or even re recording the song, or is the song now just consingned to the past?

Chris Catalyst - No chance whatsoever I am afraid as I hate the lyrics. Plus I (unwittingly) ripped off the melody for our song Red Wine Smile.
Glitzine - You've put out two great music video's for two of your singles so far (Everybody loves You and Being Good Is Okay...) do you have any concepts in mind for future video's?
Chris Catalyst - Oh yes, I have loads of ideas for videos, including one shot in my house for the song These Are The People Who Live In My House, and a hip-hop themed one, and one on a train like a film noir thing, and... I love pop videos.

Glitzine - Briefly tell us what you hope the future holds for Eureka Machines?

Chris Catalyst - I've given up thinking about the future and started trying my best to live in the now. We will keep on going despite whatever life throws at us, anyway. We have too much in common to throw the towel in just yet.



Once again I'd like to thank Chris for consenting to this interview, after having met him at JB's last year I can honestly say that he is one of the nicest guys in Rock N Roll!

Check out the bands official website at - http://www.eurekamachines.com/ and you can purchase your copy of the Haiti Project Charity album from this location - https://fan.musicglue.com/sale/promoproducts.aspx?productid=d424fa03-a7aa-4e34-9ffc-9c852495283f

Various Artist - Haiti Project (Round Records Charity Album)

Now I usually treat charity albums with a very wide birth, but just check out the track listing below!

Its packed to the brim with talent and quality, plus it carries an exclusive new track recorded by Ginger from The Wildhearts new project The Sonic Graffiti!

This really is a great album, a great way to introduce yourself to all of the bands that have so kindly donated their material, a great way to help a great cause, and of course a great way to just get a hold of and enjoy some great music. the albums available via download only from the following website - https://fan.musicglue.com/sale/promoproducts.aspx and all the profits are going to help the survivors of the Haiti Tradegy.

Full track listing is -
1) The Sonic Graffiti – Mystery Number (Exclusive)

Written and recorded by Ginger, Billy Morrison, Michael Butler & Scott Lipps in LA in August 2009. Produced by Mike Clink. The worldwide debut by The Sonic Graffiti.
http://www.facebook.com/thesonicgraffiti%20www.gingerandfriends.com

2) Eureka Machines – Being Good Is Ok, But Being Betters Better
A fan favourite on both sides of the Atlantic, this pop rock nugget is lifted from their debut album Do or Die.
www.facebook.com/eurekamachines

3) Electric Six – Newark Airport Boogie
One of the highlights from their new album ‘Kill’ which is out now.
http://www.electricsix.com/

4) Jackdaw 4 – Jesus Wants My Soul Back
Taken from the bands second album (Bipolar Diversions), their new album is due in the summer.
http://www.jackdaw4.com/


5) The Loyalties – Sofa Surfin’ UK (Acoustic)
Previously only available in Japan. Original version can be found on the bands ‘So Much For Soho’ album
www.myspace.com/theloyalties


6) Antiproduct – When We Find Love
Taken from the bands latest release “Please Take Your Cash”
http://www.antiproduct.com/


7) The Organ Beats – Happy Birthday/Come On Home
Fronted by Noelle LeBlanc, (formerly of Boston rockers Damone) this track is lifted from their debut self release ‘Sleep When We Are Dead’
http://www.organbeats.com/


8) The Wildhearts – Unbroken
A classic Wildhearts track previously only available as a B-side in the UK on the ‘New Flesh’ Single. It was taken from the ‘White Album Sessions’ in 2007.
http://www.thewildhearts.com/


9) Tragedy:All Metal Tribute To The Bee Gees – Nights On Broadway
An awesome new track from the New York glitter machine.
http://www.letsmaketragedyhappen.com/


10) Radio Dead Ones – Take It On Trust
German street punk at its very best, lifted from their 2008 self titled release.
http://www.radiodeadones.de/


11) Ricky Warwick – Love Owes
Taken from the former Almighty frontmans ‘Love Owes’ EP.
http://www.rickywarwick.com/


12) Brijitte West (Feat. Jesse Malin) – How To Be Good
Taken from 'Brijitte West & the Desperate Hopefuls', released Feb 22nd 2010 on Devils Jukebox Records.
www.myspace.com/brijittewest


13) Moi? – This Is All That I Wanted
New Yorks only purveyors of ‘Beauty Rock’..
http://www.moitheband.com/


14) Laika Dog – Piano Song
Former Terrorvision frontman Tony Wright spearheads this indie rock outfit. Lifted from the bands second album ‘Mercury’
www.facebook.com/laikadog


15) Sorry & The Sinatras – Riverside
Turbo Charged punk rock n roll taken from ‘Highball Roller’ on Undergroove Records
www.facebook.com/sorryandthesinatras


16) Children of The Unicorn – Nightshark
A classic track that deserves to be in everyones collection, from the mind of Jonathan Utah
http://www.myspace.com/childrenoftheunicorn



Rating 10/10

The Haiti Project - Available to Download now.

The Haiti Project - a 16 track digital charity album - is now available to down load from this link for just £5!

Spearheaded by an exclusive track from 'The Sonic Graffiti' (a new band project from Ginger Wildheart, Billy Morrison, Michael Butler & Scott Lipps) the download also features tracks from the likes of Eureka Machines, Electric Six, Ricky Warwick, The Wildhearts, Tragedy, Antiproduct and many more.


Full track listing is in the post below.


Feel free to tweet.. facebook... myspace... email... and blog to help spread the word

Lets raise some money.

Round Records' "The Haiti Project"

Round Records' "The Haiti Project"

From Round Records' Facebook page:

Upon arriving back in the UK last week at Heathrow (and being a little too wrapped up in seemingly important things like whether the plane would land in the snow or if my train would be running) I was immediately greeted and numbed by the horrific and shocking news reports that followed after the Haiti Earthquake. As the magnitude of the disaster continues to grow by the day, I was very keen (like most people) to do 'something'.

Thus 'The Haiti Project' - a charity download album - was born. Within a few days of sending emails and calls to my nearest and dearest friends an album quite literally 'came together'.

The album is spearheaded by the anthemic debut track from 'The Sonic Graffiti', a new band from LA put together by Ginger Wildheart, Billy Morrison, Michael Butler & Scott Lipps. The track entitled 'Mystery Number' was recorded at Matt Sorums studio in August 2009 & was produced by the legendary Mike Clink.

I'd like to personally say a big thankyou to Ginger, Billy, Michael, Scott & Mike for donating this exclusive track, and allowing 'The Haiti Project' to (hopefully) raise even more money.

The tracklisting is as follows...


'The Haiti Project'


1) The Sonic Graffiti – Mystery Number (Exclusive)

2) Eureka Machines – Being Good Is Ok, But Being Betters Better

3) Electric Six – Newark Airport Boogie

4) Jackdaw 4 – Jesus Wants My Soul Back

5) The Loyalties – Sofa Surfin’ UK (Acoustic)

6) Antiproduct – When We Find Love

7) The Organ Beats – Happy Birthday/Come On Home

8) The Wildhearts – Unbroken

9) Tragedy:All Metal Tribute To The Bee Gees – Nights On Broadway

10) Radio Dead Ones – Take It On Trust

11) Ricky Warwick – Love Owes

12) Brijitte West (Feat. Jesse Malin) – How To Be Good

13) Moi? – This Is All That I Wanted

14) Laika Dog – Piano Song

15) Sorry & The Sinatras – Riverside

16) Children of The Unicorn – Nightshark


The download album is going to cost just £5.

16 songs for £5!!

All of the money will be donated directly to the ongoing relief efforts and you'll end up with 16 great tracks. Good deal.

The download side of things are just being sorted out as i type (a big thank you to Musicglue for their help), and we are hoping to go live on Monday.

Links, banners and information concerning where to purchase will be sent out as soon as we get them.

As soon as we do, I would love for everyone to spread word around the internet world via their twitterings, facebookings, myspacings, bloggings and other 'ings'. Lets raise some money.


More news very soon.JasonH

Eureka Machines - Live @ JB's (Dudley) 15/11/09

Chris and they guys were in fine form tonight bringing their razor-sharp power pop Dudley. Playing the back room of Jbs on a cold Sunday night along with The Ex-Presidents, The Whiskey Syndicate and Elle Diablo.


Tonight there was a half decent crowd to hear The mighty Eureka Machines belt through classics such as Being Good Is Okay, This Is My Life, Everybody Loves You, Do Or Die, and Scream Eureka along with one or two new tunes which are sounding very much like future classics. The bands energy was amazing especially when you consider that tonight was their forth gig in four consecutive nights!
Front man Chris was in fine form, with his between song banter, even blazing one heckler into a sulk at one point, bloody great.



If you've never seen the Eureka Machines live then you really are missing out, as their impressive collection of songs sound even better live than they do on cd!

rating 11/10


catch Eureka machines on the road at one of the following dates:

Friday 27 November 2009 - Crabtree's, Harrogate | info


Electric Six tour, December 2009
Friday 4 December 2009 - ABC, Glasgow | venue | tickets


Saturday 5 December 2009 - Academy, Dublin | venue | tickets


Monday 7 December 2009 - Academy, Liverpool | venue | tickets


Tuesday 8 December 2009 - Academy, Sheffield | venue | tickets


Wednesday 9 December 2009 - Duchess, York | venue | tickets


Thursday 10 December 2009 - Academy, Manchester | venue | tickets


Friday 11 December 2009 - Academy, Newcastle | venue | tickets


Saturday 12 December 2009 - Academy, Birmingham | venue | tickets


Sunday 13 December 2009 - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff | venue | tickets


Monday 14 December 2009 - Crypt, Hastings | venue | tickets


Tuesday 15 December 2009 - Concorde 2, Brighton | venue | tickets


Wednesday 16 December 2009 - Academy, Bristol | venue | tickets


Thursday 17 December 2009 - Academy, Islington | venue | tickets


Friday 18 December 2009 - Wight Rock Bar, Ryde, Isle of Wight (us only) | venue


Saturday 19 December 2009 - Academy, Oxford | venue | tickets

Eureka Machines - Being Good Is Okay.... Free Download 'double A sided promo Single! Review

Eureka Machines return with a great double A side promo single, available to download for free from the website at http://eurekamachines.com/ .
Track one is 'Being Good Is Okay, But Being Better Is Better', which is taken fro the bands debut album Do Or Die which was released last year and was quite possibly the debut release of the year! Being Good...is the perfect blend of pop, punk rock, kind of like The Wildhearts meets Honeycrack, which is hardly suprising when you consider Eureka Machines main man has worked with both Ginger and Willie Dowling in the psat.
The Other song is a new track, 'Living In Squalor'., which is yet another slice of pop/rock perfection!
You really should check these songs out, hey whats it gonna cost ya, they're giving you the two songs for nothing, absolutly free!


Rating 10/10