Grudle Bay / Von Braun / Delta Sleep / Space Heroes of the People @ The Wheatsheaf, Oxford, 13/04/2012

 Another of MusicInOxford’s very own musical showcases, those dubious masterminds at MiO HQ brought together a mixture of local and out-of-town talent at that most venerable of Oxford venues, the Wheatsheaf. Unfortunately, being Friday the 13th and all (and Stagecoach bus company being what they are) not everything went to plan, and as such I arrived too late to see any of Space Heroes of the People’s set, although I was impressed by the turnout at the Wheatsheaf for what was such an eclectic line-up. People seemed to enjoy SHOTP’s set as a whole, one person summing it up as (and I’m paraphrasing) “space-age dance music with lots of weird samples.” Sounds like a pretty good start to the evening to me.

Next up were Canterbury’s Delta Sleep, who had already caused some controversy by showing up quite late which in turn made the night run a bit over. Anyway, they played what could lazily be described as math rock – that is, their music was characterised by melodic, mellow guitar leads, tricky, overly-complicated drums, sudden shifts in time signatures, and a quiet-loud-quiet dynamic. In all honesty, their set didn’t really do much for me – the first song stirred my interest well into the second, but from there on I more than got the picture, and what I heard started to sound more like an exhibition of musical one-upmanship than music with heart and soul. A harsh summary, perhaps, but these guys clearly have the enthusiasm and chops to disregard anything this cantankerous chump has to say about song structure and cohesion of ideas. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, I suppose.

Von Braun proved that even on what drummer Gary Atkinson called an “off-night” the sheer twitchy energy of their live performances and the brilliance of their songs would show up many bands in town on what they would call a good night. Renditions of ‘Opener’, ‘Mustard Picasso Man’ and ‘Cat Dog’ demonstrate the band’s mysterious, twisted song-writing style, combining elements of Radiohead, Pixies, Nirvana, and even Elliott Smith, without ever sounding overly derivative or indebted to any of their influences. What can I say? They were certainly the highlight of the evening and definitely a band to check out at the Punt if you’ve not yet discovered their unique racket.

Perhaps Grudle Bay were victims of unfortunate placement on tonight’s bill, but after all that has preceded, their set seemed a bit underwhelming. Having really enjoyed some of their recorded material as Grudle Bay Riots (‘Pia’ was the standout track on recent local electronic compilation We Do Not Have a Dinosaur), it’s not hard to see why the “Riots” has been dropped from their name, based on tonight’s performance. I was expecting an intoxicating combination of Air, Radiohead and Warpaint, but what I got was more like a disco version of ‘Sex on Fire’ for half an hour. I’ll look forward to hearing more where ‘Pia’ and ‘Hon’ came from.

[Originally published by Music In Oxford, 19/4/2012]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2012/04/19/grudle-bay-von-braun-delta-sleep-space-heroes-of-the-people-the-wheatsheaf-oxford-13042012/

Abandon - Monsters

(Blindsight Records, 2011)

Fans of Oxford’s music scene really ought to know Umair Chaudhry’s name – as a member of the now sadly defunct ambient/electronic metal shape-shifters Xmas Lights, and as an all-round musical whizz Umair has been involved with some of the more out-there musical releases in Oxford in the past decade. However, under his Abandon moniker Umair has put out some of his most calm, reflective, slow-core music. ‘Monsters’, the third release from Abandon on Umair’s Blindight Records, feels like a more tightly-controlled and measured extension of 2010′s excellent ‘House of Cards’ EP.

Opening track ‘Monsters’ kicks the EP off as it means to go on, sounding like a cross between Jesu, A Perfect Circle, Radiohead and the more ambient side of Deftones. To say it ‘kicks the EP off’ is a little misleading though – the pace is slow, with a beat that seems to be on the back foot to the tricky, cyclical guitar pattern that propels the song along. ‘Land of No Horizon’ takes the same formula and adds more glacial, shimmering layers of guitar to complement Umair’s doubtful, conflicted lyrics. Sonically both tracks also owe a debt to the likes of the New Order, Cocteau Twins and, by extension, Adore-era Smashing Pumpkins.

The remaining tracks are all remixes, something of a growing trend on Oxford releases of late. But whereas the plethora of ill-conceived or lacklustre remixes that have been cropping up lately could call the art of the remix into question, the offerings here attempt to paint the original songs in a new light rather than making them sound like they’re being played 20,000 leagues under the sea. Chuter’s remix of title-track ‘Monsters’ is a bombastic overhaul that gives the track a (dare I say it) cheery twist while ‘Faith We Once Held (Fragment remix)’ is an industrial re-imagining of ‘Land of No Horizon’ that adds harsh distorted guitars and stuttering beats, to punch the emotional content of the original beyond doubt. Contrastingly, Monday Morning Sun give ‘Land of No Horizon’ a sleak and hypnotic hip-hop make-over that works equally well.

Tight songwriting and tasteful, restrained instrumentation aside, it’s Umair’s voice that is the most interesting instrument on display here. A kind of mournful mumble, his voice is omnipresent on these songs, subtly emoting and adding a loftiness to the lighter moments and acting as a concrete block to weigh down the darker ones. The overall effect is trance-like, gently lulling us into a soft sleep, a cold, numb sleep.

‘Monsters’ is no walk in the park; from beginning to end the music occupies a depressive space and the lyrics linger on themes of doubt, despair, nightmares and loss. But this is far less depressing than anything ‘uplifting’ you’re likely to hear on Radio 1 or X-Factor. To put it another way, ‘Monsters’ is a beautifully elegant EP that would probably make Simon Cowell want to kill himself. Another gem from Mr. Chaudhry, then.

[Originally published by Music In Oxford, 9/3/2012]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2012/03/09/abandon-monsters-cddownload-blindsight-records/

Dallas Don't - Demo

(Oxford Demo, 2012)

Dallas Don’t join such fine company as Agness Pike, Junkie Brush and The Cellar Family as the newest member of Oxford’s oddball punk pack with this, their second demo. ‘Lesson’ has the drive and melodic undertones of early Idlewild (before they turned shit) and singer Niall actually sounds a bit like a harsh and whiskey’d-up Roddy Woomble, while ‘The Runner’ has Surfer Rosa’s loud-quiet-loud dynamics, wiry, amelodic guitar leads and damaged male protagonist lyrics.

‘The Ballad of Phoebe Henderson’, on the other hand, has all the serrated edge and energy of Shellac fronted by Andy Falkous – before going a bit Idlewild again. On ‘Fife for Life’ the band take a slightly left-field turn into contemporary indie jangle-pop, full of self-depreciating, wordy verses that seem destined to become a sing-along at some open mic session at a lock-in. It’s a mixed bag of charming turns of phrase and cloying attempts at charming turns of phrase but it’s a pleasantly controlled end to the demo and at the very least shows the range that Dallas Don’t are clearly capable of.

Not exactly revolutionary stuff, then – Dallas Don’t are pretty much the sum of their (excellent) influences at this point – but it’s good to know that they’re about and kicking up a stink in our fair city. This is a great starting point for this young band – now let’s hope that Dallas do become as weird and noisy as I expect they can become.

[Originally published by Music in Oxford, 11/3/2012]
http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2012/03/11/dallas-dont-demo/

Torche - Harmonicraft

(Volcom Entertainment, 2012)

Melodic mentalists Torche have returned with Harmonicraft, technically their first album in four years (considering 2010′s “Songs for Singles” is regarded as an EP and 2009′s Chapter Ahead Being Fake was a split album with Boris), and not a huge amount has changed in their sonic world. The last few releases, including last year’s split with Part Chimp, have seen the band continue on without founding member and Floor-alumni Juan Montoya, a process the band claims has vastly improved their work ethic. As a three-piece on the post-Montoya releases Torche’s songwriting has become more direct and less cluttered and while they’re still one of the most melodic and heavy bands around they’ve suddenly found their releases getting more media attention and even some chart recognition. But, most importantly, they’ve found themselves having more fun.

In that sense Harmonicraft, as the title may suggest, is the culmination of their journey as a band in the past four years and finds them at their most playful, their most melodic and at their most tight as musicians. With the addition of second guitarist Andrew Elstner, Torche are now a four-piece once again and as a result their sound is fuller than it has been for years. The band have expanded their palette, incorporating more rhythms and layers of keyboard to add space and dynamics to their songs, as well as adding to the dense guitar-work. For example, opening track “Letting Go”, with its bouncy rhythm, bassline and relentless layers of wiry guitars brings to mind Jane’s Addiction – a recurrent reference-point throughout the album brought home by Steve Brooks’ high-pitched, Perry Farrell-like vocals.

But the album is not quite as instantly gratifying as 2008′s Meanderthal. Honestly, it takes a few listens for some of the songs to stand out, perhaps due to Torche’s penchant for short, fast songs or maybe because there isn’t a huge amount of diversity in the sound on the record. But when the songs finally reveal their individual charms, they really grab hold. For example, lead single “Kicking” is pure bombastic pop-rock mastery. “Snakes Are Charmed” demonstrates the band’s knack for taking a riff and the listener on a journey; some sections almost sound like they could take a turn for the worse and veer into latter-day Blink 182 territory but the band subvert our expectations by throwing in an extra chord here and an extra beat there to change the feel of the riffs. Likewise, “Solitary Traveller” stands out for being a slower, slightly more sombre affair than the majority of the other songs but the major-key riff, atmospheric synths and Brooks’ deeper vocal delivery set it apart from some of the songs that tend to bleed into one another slightly.

Elsewhere, the band get down to their own brand of heavy rocking. “Reverse Inverted” has some of that classic Floor one-note heaviness while “Sky Trials” and “Walk It Off” are both pedal-to-the-floor heavy too. “In Pieces” is like Torche-do-Melvins and the title track is a kind of synthy, electronic take on the NWOBM bands. (I’m still trying to figure out if this is a good or a bad thing). Slow-burning album closer “Looking On” is the band’s sole foray into anything approaching doom or sludge territory – the one grey cloud in the otherwise panoramic, multi-coloured universe of Harmonicraft.

It doesn’t take much of a linguist to draw meaning from the album’s title – Steve Brooks and co have taken great care to craft an album full of well-written, melodic songs, although some might say that the downside is that some of that super bottom-heavy rock of their earlier work is lost under the melodic wash of colour painted on top of it all. As it stands Torche remain a unique band even if they’re not to everyone’s tastes. No-one says that heaviness and melody can’t coexist in metal and while Harmonicraft finds the two concepts awkwardly balanced on the musical scales, you’re not likely to find another metal album that sounds anything like this in 2012. The only thing missing is the bomb string…

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 19/4/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/t/torche-harmonicraft-cd-lp-dd-2012/

No Anchor - 'Rope/Pussyfotin' 7"

(Self-released, 2012)

Brisbane’s No Anchor, self proclaimed purveyors of “harshed-out sludge”, whose 2011 album Real Pain Supernova was a surprising amalgamation of Fugazi and Shellac-like punk and sludge are back again with a limited 7” vinyl release. Recorded after doing some kind of seven-day residency in their native Brisbane, this eight-minute long, four-track vinyl is testament to the speed that they apparently took to get through said residency.

Given the time limitations of the medium it’s understandable that, as needs obviously required, they crammed four songs into eight minutes and as a result the songs are far less characterised by the sounds and attitude of sludge that Real Pain Supernova oozed. In fact the songs here, each ranging from less than a minute to around four minutes, are more punk than anything else, the final (vinyl-only) track being a cover of Big Black’s “Jordan, Minnesota”. [Note: my digital download didn't include the final track so I can't review it although I can highly recommend Big Black's Atomizer, the album the track originally features on.]

“Rope” has a very loose and combustible feel to it, like many of the late 70′s/early 80′s punk bands that inspired the band. A few Sabbathy riffs at the end of the track and the overall filthy sound of the band’s dual-bass attack are the only signs that these guys are ordinarily a sludge band. “Pussyfootin’” is more like the No Anchor that fans of Real Pain Supernova will know and love – a high-paced sludge riff and a menacing vibe form the backbone of the track before the vocals come in more than halfway through, yelping practically inaudible lyrics. “Uninvited”, a track originally written for a compilation of songs designed to be less than 60 seconds each, is understandably over before it really begins, a trait that equally applies to all of the tracks on this release.

Looking through the band’s surprisingly long bandcamp discography it’s clear that these guys have eclectic tastes and “Rope/Pussyfootin’” is another in a line of fun releases from the band. Having heard their previous album and enjoyed its more complex moments this release is a bit underwhelming as a whole but as a short blast of high energy sludge-tinged punk you could do far worse than checking this out.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 11/4/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/n/no-anchor-rope-pussyfootin-7digital-ep-2012/

Bong - Mana-Yood-Sushai

(Ritual Productions, 2012)

Writing about drone in many ways defeats the object, it undermines the genre’s primary purpose which is to send the listener into a trance-like state, devoid of thought. Anyone who knows of Bong know that they are the absolute masters of tripped out, ego-obliterating doom drone; experiencing one of their live performances you tend to stop thinking of them as a bunch of guys on a stage contributing individual elements to the musical stew but as one ancient entity entrancing captive audiences into a religious fugue state. The effects of marijuana occupying the air in such small confines probably helps to facilitate this phenomenon too but they are, nonetheless, a commanding live band.

Bong have now stepped forth from whatever haze has kept them relatively quiet since last years Beyond Ancient Space, probably a little dazed and confused, with their new album Mana-Yood-Sushai – two tracks of their characteristic one-chord raga drone, each track averaging about 23 minutes.

Inspired by Lord Dunsany’s “The Gods of Pegana” (thanks Wikipedia) ‘Dreams of Mana-Yood-Sushai’ builds a slow groove atop the constant drone of guitar feedback and sitar strums and flourishes while the mantra “Mana Yood Sushai” is chanted over and over. The song is tense, unnerving, a pagan celebration of little-known (or in this case fictional) gods and slowly hauls you into its swirling cacophony and before long you’re converted.

‘Trees Grass and Stones’, while more contemplative and slightly less ominous than the previous track, is no hippy stroll by the river as the song title may have you believe. Far from it, the song evokes a feeling of impending doom with the almost motorik rhythm and a nauseating bending root note that continues for the whole nineteen minute duration of the song.

I suspect that unless you’re witnessing the band’s hypnotic live show then your appreciation of Bong’s recorded work could easily depend on your state of inebriation and choice of intoxicant. On some listens I longed for my stoner days, on others I found the whole affair self-indulgent but I generally just allowed myself to get carried away on Bong’s current of low-frequency waves and acrid smoke. Mana-Yood-Sushai is by no means a revolutionary record but it does an excellent job of taking you to another dimension of consciousness for better or worse. Bong’s name doubles up as a primitive set of instructions – take a hit and you’re in for one hell of a trip.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 28/3/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/b/bong-mana-yood-sushai-cd-2012/
[Later reposted on the Roadburn Festival website as their 'Album of the Day', 28/3/2012]
http://www.roadburn.com/2012/03/album-of-the-day-bong-mana-yood-sushai/

CONAN - MONNOS

(Burning World Records, 2012)

Conan seem to be the band on everyone’s lips at the moment; signed to Burning World Records, an enviable slot at Roadburn Festival on the horizon and being flown to Oslo to support the one and only Sleep – it’s not hard to see why based on appearances alone. Add to that the praise that the band’s earth shattering live performances and debut album Horseback Battle Hammer have garnered them and Conan look to be the breakout band of 2012.

And on that (brown) note, Monnos is exactly the kind of album you’re going to want to make to match the expectations of the fans and sceptics based on all of the above. From the first oppressive, brow-beating chug of monolithic opener “Hawk As Weapon” to the final wall of feedback on“Invincible Throne,” Monnos is amazingly accomplished, singular in its apocalyptic vision and densely layered. And by dense I don’t just mean the dropped-F tuning that the guys reportedly use. Not only are the songs heavy (and I’m talking heavy), they’re also strangely otherworldly. When Jon Davis’ lets out his signature siren-call it sounds like a message that has filtered through time, telling us of some long-forgotten massacre from the Dark Ages and the music acts as a grim backdrop to it all. As pompous as that sounds, these aren’t your everyday doom songs – this is a timeless doom record and it’s heavier than just about anything you’ve ever heard.

Opening track and live favourite “Hawk As Weapon” gets the ball rolling in a suitably monumental fashion, summing up everything that is great about the band in a concise and cataclysmic 6 minute blast of heavy riffing and booming vocals. “Battle In The Swamp” builds on this formula by combining a surprisingly emotive chord progression and vocal delivery to create a tragic mood. In contrast “Grim Tormentor” is menacingly triumphant-sounding (and the song most likely to rouse a Conan audience into actually moving) with its all-conquering, almighty groove.

At the midway point the guys take everything down a notch for the subdued instrumental “Golden Axe”, a contemplative and atmospheric moment of peace in the eye of the storm. After this interlude “Headless Hunter” sounds like the unstoppable approach of some malevolent force. Indeed, the last two minutes of the song defy clever analysis or big words; they’re simply badarse with a riff that’ll make you want to stomp around your house knocking things off tables, imagining they’re foes to be vanquished. Finally, devastating album closer “Invincible Throne” is like the pitch-black veil of evil sweeping across a war-torn battlefield – axes, shields and corpses scattered carelessly in the wild abandon of defeat.

This is an hypnotic album that really needs to be heard as a whole. I first listened to it whilst driving down the motorway in the pouring rain on a dark grey, apocalyptic day and it was the perfect soundtrack. In fact, me and my partner were half way through the album before we realised that we’d been sat there in silence and we turned to look at each other, mouths agape. There’s something about the combination of Davis’ and bassist Phil Coumbe’s vocals atop such an unstoppable wave of uncompromising doom riffs that is entrancing. While Davis chimes out in the distance, Coumbe’s deep, booming growl anchors him to the thick layer of bass-heavy fuzz underlying everything. Paul O’Neil is a wonderfully complex drummer too – he fills the long spaces between notes with interesting cymbal flourishes and accents, all without being too busy or overly complicated for the sake of it. He gives the album its characteristic driving force.

If you’ve failed to appreciate Conan up to this point then now is the time to check them out and to give these guys the respect they deserve. Monnos more than lives up to the promise of its predecessor; it’s a giant, lumbering beast of an album, the perfect weapon to make heads roll and to take the band to the next stratum in the underground hierarchy. It’s an album that will hit you at that primal level before thought or reason comes into the equation – real caveman doom! If Monnos proves anything it’s that there’s heavy and then there’s Conan.

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 13/3/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/c/conan-monnos-cd-lp-dd-2012/

Brokaw - Interiors

(Good to Die Records, 2012)

Seattle’s Brokaw may be more indebted to the sounds of hardcore punk, funk and 1990′s alternative rock than many of the bands that feature here on the pages of the Sleeping Shaman but that doesn’t mean that they ain’t got riffs. In fact the eight tracks on their Good to Die debut, Interiors, are tightly wound, nuanced and jam-packed with angular, punch-you-in-the-face riffs and dripping with attitude. And the album clocks in at a refreshing 27 minutes, about the same length as one of Earth’s songs or the start of a Mars Volta jam…

Opening track “Ambulance Red”, like many of the songs that follow it, combines a punchy bass line and manic layers of wailing guitars, sounding something like a cross between The Jesus Lizard and Primus. “No Morphine Doctor” brings a jerky, awkward rhythm and time-signature into the mix making you want to dance along and bang your head like you’re being tazered by some bastard cop. Elsewhere the funk and infectious guitar licks of “Politicians By the Pool” bring to mind, strangely, Blood Sugar Sex Magik-era Red Hot Chili Peppers. Likewise, final song “You Didn’t Invent Sex” has the magical combination of a great riff and a catchy chorus. As an album closer it sums up Brokaw’s strong points beautifully and is full of sleazy energy like early Jane’s Addiction.

On the other hand “Time Ain’t Now” and “The Slide” are both guilty of overplaying riffs and ideas that could have been good hooks but that are not necessarily strong enough to form the basis of songs. It’s a minor quibble for such a short album but by the same token it also means that precious time is being wasted. Saying that, the latter has some great Hendrix-esque licks which are amble payment for all of the repetition. Just about.

Sonically the production is harsh and treble-heavy in that awesome Steve Albini fashion, which makes the 90′s influence all the more apparent to my earholes. But the off-kilter subject matter, music and vocal delivery of singer Mike Henderson brings to mind Matt Korvette and the rest of the Pissed Jeans gang along with the likes of Rodan and Heavy Vegetable but with more of a hardcore backbone.

Doubtless many people will have been drawn into Brokaw’s freak-punk racket as I was by the mere mention of bassist Stuart Dahlquist, sometime Sunn O))) and Goatsnake contributor. Indeed one of the most telling moments on the album comes towards the end of “Terms of War” when the band drop down into a distinctly doom-sounding segment and on first listen it was impossible not to think that it must have been Dahlquist’s doing. But as it turns out Brokaw carve out a sound that is uniquely their own and have no use for riding coattails. Brokaw are kind of like a hyperactive pup and Interiors is what happens when you let it off the lead. This is half an hour and change of crazy, bouncy fun for fans of early 90′s alternative rock, so call me a poodle and throw me a Brokaw treat. Woof!

[Originally published by the Sleeping Shaman, 21/3/2012]
http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album-reviews/b/brokaw-interiors-10-cd-2012/