Must Kill Chris - The Bearded Man (2015)

 

Genre - Punk / DIY / Alternative / Rock / Bluesy

Label - Self Released

 

Track listing:

01 - Bruce Campbell

02 - Wild Turkey

03 - Nailgun

04 - There's More To Life Than Money

05 - One-Horse Town

06 - Mexican Stand Off

07 - Lions

08 - Generator In The Desert

09 - Bruce Campbell (Decapitated Version)

Once again a big thanks must go to Kyle Vallis and his awesome new page Unsigned Melodies for giving me a heads up about this brilliantly demented album!
I had heard of Must Kill Chris via a previous pledge campaign for the Eureka Machines but had never actually heard them, and by God I am sure glad of Kyle's reminder as I bloody well love this album! You know every now and again and album comes along that leaves you hungry for more, well this album had me so enthralled that I just had to track down the entire back catalogue (available through the bands band camp page, luckily!).
So just who are Must Kill Chris?
 'Must Kill Chris' is the stage name of Chris Moore from Ipswich Suffolk, started in 2011 while his former band 'Om Nom Bomb' were on hiatus Chris started writing and recording new music on his own and has been doing so ever since. This is a true DIY project in all senses of the word, Chris handles all aspects of the writing and recording process as well as creating all artwork and videos himself.
The Bearded Man is the bands second full length release, and its a blinder.
Don't let the fact that this album is home recorded, as it easily sounds as good as any album that has been released over the last few years, sitting comfortably along side releases that had multi million pound recording budgets!
How does it sound?
Bloody manic, marvellous, awesome!
The album opens with Bruce Campbell, with a slow moody keyboard intro before exploding into an almost industrial punk opus with a scream. A great homage to the actor of Evil Dead fame!
Wild Turkey follows, slowing the tempo and the attitude down with its almost bluesy work out. NailGun is up next, returning to the distorted bass lines and punkish attitude!
There's More To Life Than Money is the next track and what a track it is. Returning to the bluesy feel of Wild Turkey with an almost nursery rhyme / lullaby feel to it. I absolutely love this bloody song! Simplicity at its finest!
One-Horse Town has the task of following, vocally it has a real 90's indie feel to it, a great song about killing Zombies with a shot gun!
Mexican Stand Off is the albums shortest track, filled with western feel meets underground punk attitude that constantly builds into a great track!
Lions follows with it cry of independence. Generator In The Desert has an almost psychedelic feel to it at times, whilst following a similar bluesy / indie / punk direction. Probably my least favourite track on offer!
The album closes with Bruce Campbell (Decapitated version), another version of the albums opening track minus the intro and straight into the distorted screams. A great album!

Support music at grass roots level!

Rating - 10/10

 

Band Links:

Must Kill Chris @ Unsigned Melodies

Must Kill Chris on Bandcamp

 

 

 

Baby Scream Interview 2013

One of the most successful and talented bands hailing from Argentina (with songs in English) must surely be Baby Scream, the Powerpop / Rock project lead by lead vocalist / guitarist and songwriter, Juan Pablo Mazzola, and also a band with one of the richest histories of releases, travels, tours and collaborations, specially in overseas territories. Baby Scream first came to my attention a few years ago when I was given the opportunity to review their Up and Downers album, I was intrigued, then along came their self titled album and I was hooked for life!

I was recently given the chance to have a little chat with main man Juan Pablo Mazzola, what follows is the resultant interview.

Juan Pablo Mazzola (lead vocals / Guitar)

(SA). This year saw the re release of your self titled album Baby Scream. Could you tell us how this came about?

Juan - Well, the label felt like re releasing it.
I always thought that living outside the U.K. was a a stick in the wheel for me you know…
I mean, promoting your music without being there is almost impossible, so I thought that re releasing the thing was not a bad idea because I was living in Germany at the moment.
When I moved there I thought that I was going to be able to go to the U.K. and promote this thing.
Sadly after 6 months I decided to leave Berlin for good, as it was a complete waste of time.


(SA). Last year saw the release of Lost Balloons, a delightful collection of previously unreleased songs, demos and outtakes. Could you tell us a little more about this album

Juan - I loved that, I'm always recording songs, tons of them.
So the label in Argentina wanted to release something and this made me think that some of the unreleased tracks were actually not that bad, so instead of recording new songs, we used some old tracks from the past.
I love that thing, and you can download it for fee from here :
http://www.eternalsunday.com.ar/promos/babyscreamlostballoons/

(SA). Your last release of all new studio material was 2011's Secret Place album. What have you been up to in the meantime?

Juan - Recording like a maniac, I just finished 22 new songs and I am going to start 30 more pretty soon….
I will release 2 singles in December, a Xmas song and the "Haters Will Hate" single.

(SA). Didn't the bands rhythm section relocate to Berlin in order to set up a recording studio? How does that effect that status of the band?

Juan - Pppppffff, long story man.
Basically the bass player moved there and we remained in contact for a year, also another drummer dude was there, we were all friends and so we thought it was a good idea to get together and play some songs in Berlin.
Huge mistake mistake
I moved to Berlin and shit, but after 3 months they found a better gig.
I ended up trying to establish myself there, which was utterly impossible. because I didn't want to play the streets on my own, I wanted the fucking band, which was the reason why I moved to the former Soviet Union in the first place.

(SA). I have already had the privilege of hearing 20 new songs that you have been working on, My favourites being Flirting With Disaster, This Fucked Up World, My Very Last Mistake, Beers And Public Buildings and Unicorns!) and you say that you are working on even more. Are you planning a double album or multiple releases?

Juan - Yeah! My plan is to finish some 50 / 55 songs and release them as a triple thing in 2014 or 2015.

(SA). I found the lyrics to many of the new songs to be very heartfelt and personal. What do you find inspiring you the most nowadays?

Juan - I think it is always the same thing, personal shit, existence, the big WTF….
I'm one of those touchy pricks and I just can't stop, sometimes inspiration comes from the urge of being inspired, like a spiral or something if you know wadda mean…


(SA). Will the new songs be released under the Baby Scream logo or as a solo project?

Juan - I don't know, I am thinking about killing the Baby Scream thing….so there is a strong possibility of releasing them under another name.


(SA). When writing new songs what comes first, the music or the lyrics?

Juan - It depends, it used to be the music for me….but with these new songs, I am adding music to some poems I wrote.
Maybe that is the reason why the lyrics are so messed up.


(SA). I seem to remember you having an issue with a record label a short whole ago. Can you shed any light on that issue. Has it been settled now?

Juan - Fucking assholes, basically they sent a contract for 2 albums
We signed it, then after the second album they vanished from the face of the earth, but they left the albums on fucking iTunes, Amazon, etc…
So when I contacted them to say, hey dafuq, they never replied…
In the end I got in contact with their distributor and he cancelled the distribution deal, yet, Amazon is still selling some physical copies…
The name of the label was Recorded Recordings Records and they were from Indiana in the U.S.
They also owned Devil's Ruin Records….and the guy behind all of that was Joshua Warfel



(SA). You recently talked about setting up your own label, hows that coming along?

Juan - Yep, I'm actually thinking about re releasing all of my lps, eps and singles on my own, or at least with the same label…
You see, the problem here is that I got signed to 4 different labels in 7 years, this is just wrong, I would love to see all of my recordings together for fucks sake!
Available from the same page or something.


(SA). Have you considered using the Pledge music platform to release you music in future. It seems to have worked well for the likes of Ginger Wildheart, Jackdaw4, Eureka Machines, Falling Red, Black Spiders and now even Slash.

Juan - I should try that, thing is Ginger's fan base is huge, lol…but maybe, this could be a great idea.


(SA). Finally. If you could have written any song, what would it have been

Juan - Mmmmmm, let me think.
Something like "Trouble" by Cat Stevens……


So there we have it, Juan is hoping to set up his own label and release a triple album of 50 plus songs in 2014 / 2015, I personally can't wait! If you haven't heard them before then shame on you, but you should try checking out their self titled album, Baby Scream (re released this year via OK Records), Lost Balloons and Secret Place!

Baby Scream - Flirting With Disaster -

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

Kev Bayliss - The Project

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock / Indie / Alternative Rock / Modern Rock / Pop
Label - Rare Records

Track Listing:


01 – Your Heart’s Desire
02 – Quicksand
03 – Falling Down
04 – Starchaser
05 – My Sorry Cinderella
06 – One Day Older
07 – The Beholder
08 – Leave This Town
09 – Kung Fu Master
10 – All I Own
11 – Revolution
12 – Make A Difference (CD Bonus Track)

I first came across the vocal talents of Kev Bayliss in late 2009 via a cover-mounted cd with Classic Rock magazine entitled ones to watch in 2010. Upon said cd was a track by Kev's former group, Voodoo Johnson, titled Bad Habit, which immediately grabbed my attention. I quickly tracked down the two Eps that the band had put out and was blown away by tracks such as Seven years, Nowhere Inbetween and Broken. Quickly Voodoo Johnson became one of my favorite bands, with Kev joining the likes of Sean Harris (Diamond Head), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath, Empire, Cage, Giuntini Project), Glenn Hughes, and Ronnie James Dio as one of my favorite vocalists! Then after releasing a great debut album (10,000 Horses) Kev was to announce his decision to part company with Voodoo Johnson in late 2010 citing music differences as the reason. I was heartbroken, I had held high hopes for Voodoo Johnson and prayed that that was not to be the last that I would hear of Kevs amazing vocals.

Luckily, Kev quickly announced his plans to release a solo album, and now almost eleven months later, here it is in the form of The Project.
Joining Kev for this album are, Kev Bartlett (Drums), Nick Daniel (Bass / Guitars), Lucky Singh (Guitars), and former 30 Seconds To Mars Guitarist Kevin Drake. Together they have produced, in my honest opinion one of, if not the best album of 2011!
With The Project Kev has moved away from the angry heavy riff driven rock of his previous band, Voodoo Johnson, and adopted to folllow a more melodic, dare I say musically diverse direction all together.
Opening with Your Heart’s Desire, a finally crafted guitar driven pop song, with some great melodic hooks and some fine heart felt lyrics from Kev, as well as a great vocal line to boot. Next up is the lead single from the album in the form of Quicksand, a more poppy track with a distinctive indie feel to it, but once again a great song!
Falling Down follows, which in my honest opinion has to be a contender for the best song of 2011. A beautiful piece of modern guitar pop rock. A great song with an amazing vocal delivered from Kev!
Starchaser is up next, another great song, My Sorry Cinderella follows quickly, with its music box intro before exploding into great little rocking track, that I absolutely adore!
Next up is a track that fans of Kevs facebook sites should be familiar with as it’s been posted there for a while in rough acoustic demo form, One Day Older, which even in its unpolished form was amazing. Now finished and polished it just blows me away, a track that I can see myself listening to for years to come, truly outstanding, along with the equally brilliant Leave This Town which is up next. The excellent Kung Fu Master rocks things up a little again, allowing Kev to show just what a great rock vocal he can deliver. All I Own is up next, and is yet another contender for song of the year, the quality just never drops with this album!
Revolution closes out the album proper, another great song that has a great melody and some fantastic vocals along with its epic feel.

The pre order cds come with the bonus track, Make A Difference, which is another great little Gem. This album proves that Kev is not only one of the finest vocalists out there today, on a level with any of the biggest names in the business, but he is also a stunning songwriter as together with Kevin drake and Lucky Singh he has produced an album of twelve glorious tracks. A stunning and contemporary mix of pop and rock with indie sensibilities, and quite possibly my favorite album of 2011.

Although all twelve tracks are brilliant my favorites have to include, Falling Down, All I Own, One Day Older, Kung Fu Master, Revolution and Your Hearts Desire!

This album is very highly recommended!


Rating - 10/10

Website - Kev Bayliss

Singer songwriters pay attention!

Groove Strasse Music Production is a new project set up by  Baby Scream's bass player and drummer in Berlin. Its an online studio project aimed at singer songwriters who dont have, or dont want a full band,but still want a full band sound on their songs. Baisically the singer songwriter sends them a clean aciustic track with vocals, then the studio adds the drums , bass and pianno etc. The singer songwriter maintains the copyrights to the song at all times. It sounds like a wonderful idea, and one that could help a lot of talented singer songwriters complete their songs and maybe even achieve their dreams. Its worth checking out, so if you or anyone that you know might be interested you / they can find more information over at http://www.groovestrasse.com/

Avenge Vulture Attack - renew Ep

Genre - Rock / Punk / Alternative
Label - Independant

Track listing -

01 - Seven Dirty Bad Things
02 - Renew
03 - You Are Nothing
04 - All About You

London based female fronted rockers Avenge Vulture Attack unleash their third Ep in the form of Renew, a four track offering, giving us their potent mix of pop, punk, rock and alternative styles.

The Ep opens up with, Seven Dirty Bad Things, a seductive riff led track, packed with great melodies and harmonies, a great start to a very promising Ep!
Next up is the title track, Renew, continues in the same vein, solid riff driven tracks with a haunting yet cutting lead vocal from Ella Grace. They really have something special here with her on lead vocals!
You are nothing slows the aggression levels a little, having more of a pop edge, and yes this must be the most painful and direct way to be dumped ever! A great little song.
All About You closes out the Ep and the band have saved the best track until last. A great song that has so much going on and real sense of class about it.
Avenge Vulture Attack really are a promising young outfit, they have some great songs, and billing themselves as "The kids of the 90's meet the kids of the 00's" seems to be quite fitting. You can hear their influences (which include No Doubt, Queens Of The Stone Age and Skunk Anansie), shinning through in both their sound and their style, but they never sound like clones. They have taken the essence of these bands, mixed them together and come out, well with their own sound.
Definitely ones to watch, these guys have the potential to be huge, especially with the immensely talented Ella Grace leading the charge on lead vocals!


Website - AVA
Rating - 9/10

POLAR FOR THE MASSES - SILENCE

Genre - rock / punk / garage / experimental / indie

Label - Black Nutria Independent Label / Cargo

Track listing -
01. Consequences 

02. Rust 
03. DIsmembered 
04. Sailing Away 
05. U.T.W.
06. The Last Man 
07. Ignorance 
08. Guilty

"This Italian trio have been a band since 2003, pursuing an essential and minimal “ice cold” approach to their music: an eclectic and unpredictable brand of post-punk that doesn't overlook the genre’s minimal approach and essence."
With a stripped down sound, and some fairly solid songs, Polar For The Masses pretty much acheive their goal with Silence. With an almost idie grunge feel  with a punk / post punk approach these guys do offer something a little different, and rather enjoyable. All the songs are pretty solid, with Sailing Away, The Last Man and Guilty really standing out to my ears. With comparisons being made to Placebo, Brian Molko, Foo Fighters and Dave Grhol the band are getting alot of relavent attention. Silence is the bands third album, and their experience shows in the tightness of the band, but I feel the production is just a little too flat for me, robbing the songs of some of their attitude and agression.
On a whole not a bad album, worth checking out, but I would love to see what the guys could come up with, by enlisting the aid of a top producer!

Website - Polar For The Masses
rating - 8/10 

Exit State - Black Veins

Genre - Hard Rock / Metal / Pop / Indie
Label - Rocksector records

Track listing -
01 - Enough Already
02 - In That Place
03 - Tonight Be Free
04 - Check Out The Crazy
05 - Circles
06 - Ten Years Later
07 - Stay
08 - Black Veins
09 - Wasted
10 - Out In The Rain
11 - All For You
12 - This Life

"The past 2 years has been a whirlwind for East Lancashire (UK) rockers Exit State. With a successful debut album, a tour in Finland, a video playlisted on Kerrang TV (Lost Beyond Beleif), support slots with Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden/Wolfsbane), Dave Evans (AC/DC), The Black Mollys, Witchfynde & Black Spiders you could be forgiven for thinking the band has been around for years. However, the early success of their high octane sound has been almost immediate, not least due to their crossover appeal to rock, metal, pop, punk, indie & alternative crowds alike…."
Balck Veins is the lads second full length album, building upon the solid foundations they set with 2010's Death Of A Rockstar debut. It feels like the songs have a slightly harder edge to them this time around, yet I dont see the band loosing any of their crossover appeal. the riffs come thick and fast, the lyrics are excellent, and the melodies really shine here, making Black veins a difficult album not to like!
There is plenty of variation here too, from the riffage of the opening track, Enough Already and Check Out the Crazy, to the gentle melodies of Ten Years Later, the quirky Indie rock feel of Stay and the grinding riffs of the title track Black Veins.
All in a great album from a very promising band, whi I beleive are going to be huge.
The Guys are planning a extensive Uk tour in October to promote the album, Id suggest you get yourselves along to a show and check them out for yourselves!

Very Highly Reconmended!

website - Exit State
Rating - 10/10

MYSLEF -Ill Get Better B4 It Gets Worse

Genre - Indie / Alternative Rock / Pop
Label - GLASSTONE RECORDS

Track listing -

01 - I'll Get Better B4 It gets Worse
02 - Do the Zombie Walk
03 - Baby You Drive Me Crazy

Myself are an interesting mix of musical styles. There's a laid back feel to the songs and the vocals yet they're full of energy and groove.
I'll Get Better B4 It Gets Worse, though interesting does start to get a lil repetitive towards the end, Do the Zombie Walk has an almost Ska feel to it, again with some very laid back vocals whilst Baby You Drive You Me Crazy is the most rockin track on here, even if a little simplistic.
this Ep is interesting, and shows a lot of promise, check it out if you fancy something a l little different.

Rating - 6/10

Kev Bayliss - Quicksand (Single)

Genre - Hard Rock / Indie / Alternative / Modern Rock
Label - Independant

Tracklisting -
01 - Quicksand

Former Voodoo Johnson vocalist, Kevin Bayliss, returns with his first release since leaving the band late last year. Whereas Voodoo Johnson have apparently headed into a slightly harder / heavier direction with their new vocalist on their first single Black Skies Mist, Kev has opted to go in a more commercial, softer, more indie direction with Quicksand, which is the first song to be made available from his debut solo album, The Project which should follow later this year.
Kevin says, " This song however, is typically ‘Indie’ and a bit softer than what people have heard me sing before, but I love all kinds of music and probably have been ‘typecast’ now as a rock singer. I only joined VJ cos I liked ROCK and they were looking for a singer. My hope was that they would become more commercial and I tried to make that happen with the lyrics and vox, but I think after time I decided it wasn’t going to happen. I think they’ve found the right singer for what they want now though."

Quicksand is a great track with some very heartfelt, topical and relevant lyrics, and the softer approach really brings out the best in Kevin’s vocals. The song perhaps has more in common with Kings Of Leon, U2 and Cold Play than his previous outfit, but again that allows Kevin more freedom to truly showcase his voice.

I really do like this song, it’s extremely well written and executed to perfection, and I’m hoping that Kevin can keep a hold of the musicians that he has assembled here for the rest of the songs that will feature upon the album.
(The band is: Guitars - Lucky Singh, Keyboards - Pete Lakin, Bass - Nick Daniel, Dums - Kevin Bartlett, and obviously, Vocals / Lyrics - Kev Bayliss.

I'll let Kev have the final word with, "So, the album will have several more tracks, some acoustic section too! – So it’ll have a bit of everything, some hard, some soft. The key is to make it diverse. No ‘Dance’ though, or RnB lol. Mind you I have recorded vocals for a Dance song, and it looks as though it may be released under a large independent label! – I love all kinds of music, not just rock, so I thought I should stop pretending to be Axl rose and just sing what I like!"

I truly recommend buying this single when it is made available on 20th May as I think you’re gonna love it, I Do!

Highly recommended and I can’t wait for the album!

Website - Kev Bayliss


Rating - 10/10

Kamikaze Test Pilots - Diaspora

Genre - Alternative / Metal / Rock
Label - Independant
Track listing -
01 - The Inmates Have Taken Over The Asylum
02 - Kenny Rogers (with a Shotgun)
03 - Chikken
04 - The Journey
05 - The Drunk
06 - Betterway


Kamikaze Test Pilots are a hard band to pin down. Their sound seems to draw from so many different genres its unbelievable, but to me and it’s my opinion only they seem to fall somewhere between a mix of Kashmir and System Of A Down. They draw heavily from their Indie roots but beef up their sound with a heavy edge which gives them a kind of unique sound.
Every song has something different to offer, and closing track Betterway is just beautiful!
The band claim 'Kamikaze Test Pilot’s origins are deeply rooted in Africa and their music shows this. Two of their founding members Ryan and Wesley Niemandt grew up in a little hick mining towns in Zimbabwe', and to be honest I think this is what forged a unique mindset that sets Kamikaze Test Pilots above so many of the other bands out there trying to be different.
Stand out tracks for me include, Kenny Rogers )with a shotgun), Chikken, The Journey and Betterway, a song that I just think is brilliant.
Give these guys a spin, you may just love them!




Website - www.kamikazetestpilots.co.uk

Rating - 10/10

Pilotlight - The Post War Musical

Track listing -

01 - All Purpose Underneath
02 - Pulling On The Doors That Say Push
03 - They Had Names
04 - Bringing Flowers To The Black Banks
05 - Health & Safety
06 - Bite Your Nails
07 - Bells
08 - Afraid Of Heights
09 - South
10 - Music To Cross The Road To
11 - Letting Balloons Go
12 - The Shortest Route To Happiness Is A Straight Line

Pilotlight are an Alternative / Indie / rock band hailing from the UK (Dublin / London). They were formed back in 2006 and have already caused a little bit of a stir, with their music being used for last summers world cup promos on RTE television, (The Irish equivalent to the BBC).
The Post War Musical is the bands debut, and what a debut! The production is incredibly polished and the songs are beautifully constructed. The band really manage to pull off that dark brooding atmospheric type of sound, and their sound has been compared to that of early Radiohead and even Cold Play.
I'm not sure how they manage to pull it off but each and every song has both a sense fragility and strength, and listening to this album is a wonderful experience as the band take you on a journey through each and every track.

Highly recommended, Just sit back and chill!!
rating 9/10

website - http://www.pilotlightmusic.com/

Hey Hey My My - A Sudden Change Of Mood

French Alternative / Indie / Folk rockers, Hey Hey My My offer up A Sudden Change Of Mood. Hey Hey My My is the folk/indie-rock duo of Julien Garnier and his good friend Julian Gaulier, The Parisian duo share songwriting and composition duties and, to date, have released a handful of EPs and their debut self-titled LP over the last 4 years. A Sudden Change Of Mood is their second album and continues to straddle the line between mainstream pop and the DIY nature of folk and indie-rock.


There are some great tunes on here, well worth checking out if your looking for some easy going melodic music!

website - http://www.myspace.com/heyheymymyband

rating 7/10

Eagle Scout - New Hands

Hailing from the Rockwell-Esq Greenville, IL, Missouri bordering Midwesterners Eagle Scout do nothing less than shake up their sleepy small town with their big sounds. New Hands is the second full album from Eagle Scout and continues to see them blend elements of post-punk, indie and pop,


The five piece deliver high energy well crafted poppy punk tunes with well though out lyrics.

Well worth checking out!

website - http://www.myspace.com/eaglescoutmusic

rating 8/10

At the Zoo - Nouveau Popular

These Indie / Punk / Ska lads from Birmingham release Nouveau Poplar upon the masses via iTunes.
Consisting of upbeat cheerful songs very reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys and The Kooks. Nouveau Poplar is a three track ep, 'Take My Love For Granted', 'Non Conformist' and 'Scarlet Harlot'.
My pick of the bunch has got to be 'Non Conformist', it just has that little something extra, maybe a little darker I cant really put my finger on it but its the best track offered up here for me.
The band a group of highly competent musicians, and their song writing is top notch also, but I tend to get the feeling that they may have missed to boat with this release, with this particular sound no longer really being flavour of the month.

Not Bad, plenty to enjoy, but destined for greatness? well of that I'm not too sure

website - http://www.myspace.com/atthezooband

Rating 7/10

Goldheart Assembly - Wolves and Thieves

A great six piece hailing from London playing a great blend of pop / rock / indie / alternative music.

Wolves and Thieves is 12 track album filled to the brim with thoughtful heartfelt beautifully lush melodic tracks.
Opening with 'King Of Rome' the standards are set for this 6 piece, but the tracks just keep coming, everyone as good as the last.
Unbelievably this album was recorded in a makeshift studio by the band themselves, yet the sound and the production is just brilliant.
The band are just as at ease playing a movingly gently indie ballad ala REM (such as 'Anvil' or 'So Long St Christopher') as they are rocking it up on tracks like 'King Of Rome'.
Most of the songs are acoustical led, which lends the album to being a great one for chilling out too.
You should give these guys a spin, you wont be disappointed!

The Albums out on March 15th via Fierce Panda records.

website - http://www.myspace.com/goldheartassembly


Rating 9/10

Reverse Order - Reverse Order

Reverse Order are a young pop / rock / alternative band with a slight punk edge, hailing from New Jersey , USA, and this is their debut album. Bon Jovi they do not sound like, in fact their sound is closer to Weezer and Green Day to my ears. Reverse Order's original music is influenced by Collective Soul, STP, Creed, Alice in Chains and classic rock legends. Their music has been played on college radio stations and they're getting rave reviews in the newspapers.The songs combine a familiar sound with the freshness of modern alternative rock elements. Production wise Id like to see a more meaty sound as although everything is crystal clear, it can come across as a little tinny sounding, but that's just personal taste. A solid debut from a band with the potential to go long, long way!




Rating 8/10

Secret Rivals - What Fists Are For EP Demo

Secret Rivals are a Reading based Indie / Pop / Punk band band whom have just released their debut Ep/Demo digitally. They count help she can't swim - pixies - hot hot heat - los campesinos - sonic youth - blood red shoes - you say party we say die amongst their influences. What fists are for is a three track Ep demo with middle track 'Afraid of the Dark' being the one that stands out to me. Its got a nice melodic poppy feel and the male / female vocal exchanges work really well. Generally the bands sound is a bit of a mess, pretty much sounding like a domestic argument on cd, but that's part of the appeal of these guys. You get a frantic frenzy of energy and melodies, These guys are the main reason why its fun to start a band in the first place. Interested to hear more.




Rating 7/10

The Project - This Side Up.

Hmm
Italian four piece, The Project, offer up their debut album, This Side Up, which is a really varied album. The songs are all of a great standard, but they take in so many influences, from so many varying genres its hard to keep up, but fun trying. These guys got together back in 2006, 'to produce original music' and boy have they done that. The best way to describe The Project would be hard rock with a good dose of energy and melody, lots of tempo changes and an almost indie style vocal. One minute you can hear a Bon Jovi influence in there then all of a suddenly its replaced by a Ramones esqe moment.
This Side Up is a great record, provided that you give it a spin or two, and give it a chance to sink in. Refreshing but not instant, but they may indeed help the bands longevity in the long run.

rating 9/10

The Hickey Underworld - The Hickey Underworld.

Belgium's The Hickey Underworld are one of those bands who are desperate to be seen as 'weirder' than they actually are, riding the Dan Brown secret symbol and conspiracy theory trail. This self-titled debut has proven a surprise hit on the Belgian underground scene, thanks largely to the band's great live reputation. The music wears its Nirvana and Dischord influences proudly on its sleeve, but they are so heavily filtered through years of alt-pop and stubborn continental eccentricity as to avoid allegations of emulation, meaning the final product sounds both original and relevant.
The Hickey Underworld are not going to set the international scene on fire, but they provide an enjoyable distraction for the duration of the album. Live as I said they are said ti be amazing, so maybe given the right supporting platform on a large tour things could take off for them.
Stand out tracks include 'Future Words', 'Blonde Fire' and 'Of Asteroids and Men...'

Rating 8/10