The Psychotechnic League and The Modernist Disco - We Do Not Have a Dinosaur (Various Artists)

(self-released, 2011)

This eclectic electronic compilation sets out to showcase the best electronic music Oxford has to offer. This means that we are treated to some seriously scary schizo noise from the likes of Cez (who start the collection in blistering fashion with a rock-infused, hard house nightmare) and live favourites Coloureds who end the album in a similar fashion. In between these bookmarks we get a veritable patchwork of different styles which span several genres. Some highlights include Death of Hi Fi, whose usually hip-hop heavy brew is put through an industrial filter making them sound something akin to the Prodigy. It’s The Grudle Bay Riots who prove to be the real revelation of the collection with their simple and elegant blend of Air and Radiohead. We have mixed feelings about the vocals on SIKOЯSKI’s contribution but we get the feeling that they are an intentional part of the song’s campy, industrial charm. There are no doubt some talented artists who have been omitted from the tracklisting but overall this is a great showcase of local talent and all for a good cause – all proceeds from the album sales will go to the Red Cross Japanese Tsunami appeal. A most worthy buy.

(originally published in Oxfordshire Music Scene, issue 14)

http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue14.pdf

Prospekt - Prospekt EP

(self- released, 2011)

You’re either the kind of person who cringes when they hear the term ‘prog Metal’ or you’re not. I was one of the former, and with titles like ‘Dissident Priests’ I didn’t hold out much hope for Prospekt’s debut EP but they manage to find just the right balance of awkward time-signatures, guitar heroics and power vocals to make the genre palatable even to the haters. And they kick some killer grooves too. ‘Dissident Priests’ is a great showcase for all the members to demonstrate their musical chops and they all shine, particularly guitarist Lee Luland who avoids heading into needlessly showy Vai or Malmsteen territory. And you just know he’d love to. Throughout the EP Matt Winchester proves himself to be a technically gifted singer with no need for ridiculous barking or high-pitched screeching. This EP proves that Prospekt are one of the best bands in the burgeoning Oxford metal scene.

(originally published in Oxfordshire Music Scene, issue 14)
http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue14.pdf

Gunning for Tamar - Deaf Cow Motel

(Walnut Tree Records, 2011)

Opening track “German Treasure Island” has a slightly off-kilter time signature that never becomes jarring but instead lends itself to the sense of frustrated urgency in the lyrics and frenetic guitarwork. There’s a strong Incubus feel to the way singer Joe Wallis sings “gold and silver,” American inflection and all. “Running With Scissors” begins with some serious bombast and is the song that best demonstrates the great live band GFT are. “God Made Colours” is jolly nice and sounds like Elbow and fellow Oxfordians Cat Matador, but the song ends so abruptly that it feels a little half-baked. The problem with GFT is that they wear their influences more than they demonstrate their own unique charm; it feels like there’s a formula being very closely followed. However GFT are good enough to create their own formulas - hopefully in time for the next release.

[Originally published in Oxfordshire Music Scene, issue 14]

http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue14.pdf

Spunkle - Music For DXing

(First Fold Records, 2011)

Spunkle is the musical moniker of James Davies who, since 1997, has been making music that has not always been easy for writers to describe. Since debuting on Shifty Disco’s singles club with a tape of music created using an old Amiga computer, Spunkle has sporadically performed live and released a few things here and there. Music for DXing was originally informally released to friends and fans back in 2003, but is now getting a proper release on First Fold Music.

DXing, for those unaware, is the hobby of tuning in to distant radio or television signals and attempting to identify them. Enthusiasts often try to make contact with other signals using two-way radios. It’s worth noting that “DX” is telegraphic shorthand for distant. This unusual pastime seems like a solitary affair; one that will occasionally lead to brief contact with something familiar before it gets lost again in a sea of white noise and foreign, alien sounds.

Spunkle somehow manages to create an album that captures the hermetic sense of isolation that the hobby of DXing superficially seems to suggest. A series of cyclical melodies are combined with the sounds of the hobby (ie. radio static) and the results are strangely infectious. During my first, skimmed listen, I never imagined that the songs would distinguish themselves from one another – but slowly, enchantingly they did, and each one revealed its own unique charm. The songs are like musical sprites, each enticing you with its own brand of mischief and otherworldly sweetness.

For example ‘Dass Beeble’ is an intensely sad, lonely song but has an inherent beauty that needs not adorn itself with superfluous instrumentation; a simple, looping keyboard melody is accompanied by the ever-present radio hum in gorgeous inertia. ‘Eastern Interval’ evokes a sense of warped nostalgia – like watching an alternate version of one of your cherished memories. The centrepieces ‘In Search of XPH’ and ‘Jabba’ sound like you’ve accidentally tuned into a radio station from another planet, and it’s broadcasting 8-bit music from an old video game through a distortion pedal. Album closer ‘Wax Paper Capacitor’ is warm and content, perhaps representing a DXer (DXee?) arriving at DX Nirvana.

Of course it is possible to hear influences in Spunkle’s music; ‘OTH’ has a bit of Kid A-era Radiohead about it, and fans of electronic music will be able to pick out the odd nod to artists like Aphex Twin and Venetian Snares. ‘Russian Man’ is dynamic and familiar enough that a remixed version of the song could easily become a club-banger, and there are one or two drum and bass moments scattered throughout the album as well. But for the most part, Spunkle forges his own brand of electronic weirdness, and for an album lacking in conventional percussion it manages to maintain a sense of momentum. The plucky quality of the artificial sounds on the album creates the illusion of bass and rhythm so well that there is genuinely no need for drums or bass. ‘Interlocking Groove’ is a treat of, well, interlocking grooves. But it’s the radio sounds that make the record so compelling. I tried to imagine the repetitive guitar slides of ‘Sweeping’ without the radio ambience, and it lost something indescribable.

Spunkle caught me in just the right frame of mind (having just reviewed a prog-metal CD) to have the best possible effect on me. If you’re too energized, you’ll find the album too slow and uneventful; if you’re too lethargic, it will lull you off to sleep. Basically, you’ll have to listen to it when you’re in the mood for some Spunkle, and that could be a pretty rare occurrence. Songs such as ‘Slow’ will irritate you if you’re not in the mood for them – the Morse-code blips will make you feel like some unpleasant message is being covertly transmitted into your poor brain.

There’s really no point dissecting an album like this, or trying to distinguish which are the best tracks, because there are no actual songs, and it seems to have been designed to be enjoyed as a whole. At 16 tracks in length, it could obviously do with a little editing, but even the tracks that are less showy or memorable than others serve at least a cohesive purpose, holding the album together. Of course, not everyone is going to think of this album as a series of magical musical sprites like I do – it’s an album that you need to experience on your own and either fall in love with or dismiss. A genuine oddity, but the kind we love to come across.

[Originally published on Musicinoxford.co.uk, 06/06/2011]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2011/06/06/spunkle-music-for-dxing-first-fold-records/

Denizen - Whispering Wild Stories

(Self-released, 2011)

France's Denizen bring us 'Whispering Wild Stories', their third album since forming in 2003 and I won't lie, it's a good old-fashioned beer-fuelled rampage through your brain. Denizen have combined the vibe and rhythmic groove of great seventies bands including Black Sabbath, Cream and even Led Zeppelin with the uncompromising, steamrolling force of hardcore punk to awesome effect. Peppered throughout the album you can hear some Fu Manchu in the band's sound – perhaps in how carefree it all seems to be; there's a kind of reckless abandon to the whole affair that's really quite refreshing. From the opening war-cry of singer Fabien Aletto on "Casino Royale" to his final grunt on album closer "Walking on a Treadmill" Denizen let loose like a bunch of drunken motherfuckers from hell armed with a Cry Baby and a high fever.

Denizen, crazy bastards that they are, even whip their balls out and attempt a cover of rock n' roll standard and 'first-thing-that-many-guitarists-learn-on-guitar' "Sunshine of Your Love". Like I say, it's a ballsy move that will either show-off a band's interpretive skills or highlight how much they suck compared to the band they're covering. Fortunately the song lends itself to Denizen's brand of unadulterated punk swagger and their balls come away unscathed. And to be fair to the guys, they definitely make the song their own even if, as many would predict, it is the most memorable riff on the album. And therein lays the problem with 'Whispering Wild Stories'.

Denizen are not the kind of band that can stand up to much scrutiny; you could definitely say that their songs are pretty one-dimensional and similar to one another. If you were to ask me to distinguish one song from the next it would be pretty hard to do, which is especially disappointing considering there are only eight songs on the album (and one of those is a cover). The riffs are all cool, but they sound like they are all slight variations on one almighty badass riff, endlessly emulated throughout the album. Also, the pace very rarely strays from an up-tempo, punk thrash. It's a bit of a harsh criticism to throw at a self-proclaimed hardcore band but perhaps a few momentary changes in tempo would give more impact to their unrelenting onslaught. "Your Own Nightmare" is a notable exception – when the song slows down to a "War Pigs"-like groove my head starts banging involuntarily.

I read another review of this album somewhere that suggested that Fabien's singing-style on 'Whispering Wild Stories' is more melodic than on Denizen's previous material. If that's the case then on the previous recordings Fabien must have sounded like a feral pig grunting into the microphone because throughout the album he maintains what can only be described as a guttural, almost-at-breaking-point caterwaul. This is made all the more apparent when he attempts to sing somewhat melodically on "Sunshine of Your Love." It's pretty awesome and on the tenth listening of the album it becomes apparent that a large part of Denizen's charm lies in the voice carrying the songs along, with its stubborn refusal to sing anything approaching an 'in-tune' melody.

So, Denizen pretty much do one thing but luckily they do it damn well. If you're looking for a groovy, punky party album with a heavy seventies feel then you could do far worse than grabbing a copy of 'Whispering Wild Stories'; the perfect soundtrack for riding one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse through a ring of fire... drunk.

[Originally published by The Sleeping Shaman, 03/06/2011]

http://www.thesleepingshaman.com/reviews/album/Denizen-WhisperingWildStories.php

Lee "Scratch" Perry The Upsetter Coming to Oxford!

On June 4th Lee “Scratch” Perry (aka Pipecock Jackxon aka The Upsetter), the great Jamaican eccentric will be descending upon Oxford for some kind of roast at the Regal. Although his name often precedes him for his bizarre behaviour which may or may not include burning down his own backyard recording studio, what really made Perry’s name was his role in pioneering dub music.

By dissecting the songs of Reggae bands and reassembling them as bass and rhythm-heavy mixes, Perry and his contemporaries essentially created the art of the remix and helped earn the producer as much respect as the musicians and songwriters themselves. Indeed, his original take on Reggae and Dub helped to spread both genres to audiences around the world.

At the ripe old age of seventy five God only knows what the man has in store for us but make no mistake - this is a chance to witness a real, living legend whose influence on Western music is almost impossible to put into words do his thing live. This means that we can expect some blissed-out, laid-back riddims and a variety of songs from his long, illustrious career. Probably.

Support comes from Laid Blak and tickets are available from We Got Tickets and at the Regal box office.

[Originally printed in The Sampler Issue 1, May 2011]

http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/sampler1.pdf

Yellow Fever - A Grin That Never Falters

(Self-released, 2011)

When the new Nightshift comes out, I, like a great number of Oxfordians, go straight for the Demo Dumper page to see which poor sap has been verbally crushed this month. I guess this gut reaction stems from that innate morbid curiosity that lingers within us all – waiting for an opportunity to see destruction when it is strewn before our eyes. But let’s be honest, if you’ve played in many local bands then there’s a good chance that you may have veered close to or have been thrown into the Demo Dumper (for the record, my first band got the Demo Dumper treatment – fortunately it was so long ago that the magazine isn’t available online… shame, that). It’s not the end of the world, and this month’s Demo of the Month is actually a band that had previously fared far worse in the same magazine so it does show that a band can learn from their criticisms and turn it around. But for a young band like Yellow Fever it must leave a mark.

We’d heard of Yellow Fever before reading their recent drubbing, perhaps through their association with other Oxford likely lads Dead Jerichos. Whatever it was that made us remember the band, it was hard to understand how, for example, their chums could get such laudatory reviews while Yellow Fever got so thoroughly condemned. Perhaps it’s because Dead Jerichos take their musical cues from slightly ‘cooler’ bands, bands whose music is comprised chiefly of digital delay, reverb and attitude – whereas Yellow Fever just want to dance.

At first listen, opening track ‘Premature’ is actually really quite dynamic, with some interesting chord changes, replete with youthful swagger. It even has a cowbell to add to the overall danceability of the song. This is clearly a band that grew up listening to The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys – bands who enjoy making wilfully retrospective music to dance to. All measured guitar leads and rhythmic stabs.

‘Fiend’ begins with a chiming guitar and we are worried that it will descend into a mushy emo love song before the aforementioned rhythm kicks in and gives it a more palatable context. We can’t tell if the middle-eight freak-out is good or bad – it’s certainly a jolt in the song that comes just as we’re beginning to get a bit bored so in that sense is a welcome addition. ‘Dead Intent’ has a nice driving bassline that recalls Interpol and thus Joy Division before a typically nu-indie chorus slightly detracts from the promising intro, but it’s nevertheless a well-structured song and pretty good.

The thing that we found most hard to overcome was the more Oxford-than-thou vocal stylings of singer Dele coupled with the overbaked, overly earnest lyrics. The first verse of ‘Premature’ is almost comically packed with alliteration, assonance, internal rhymes and various other literary tricks, as if it were written during the singer’s English lesson. Elsewhere in ‘Dead Intent’ he sings “I’ve seen the future/and you’re not the only one who can be vindictive.” For some reason, it really grates. Perhaps it’s because it is an archetypal indie lyric; somewhat clever, somewhat meaningless and wholly destined to be sung by a gaggle of sweaty teens who live inside an episode of Skins.

And then it hits me; this music was not made for me. I am not Yellow Fever’s audience. With that knowledge I can sit back, giggle at the silly bits and have a little boogie in my office chair. There’s definitely a generational divide that prevents me from fully embracing Yellow Fever (as well as one or two matters of taste), but if we judge their music for what it is on its own terms, it’s well done and really rather enjoyable.

[Originally published on Musicinoxford.co.uk, 02/06/2011]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2011/06/02/yellow-fever-a-grin-that-never-falters-ep-self-released/