I know I said I'd be gone for a little while, but posts like this take 5 minutes and I feel like I need this to stop myself from jamming a biro into my temple while revising for my Public Affairs exam. If you like Randon's Reviews (or even just tolerate it), you should really LIKE THE RR FACEBOOK PAGE, because I often post stuff on there that doesn't air on here... until now, of course. Every Sunday I reveal myRECORDS OF THE WEEK, and seeing as I did a playlist for the ROTWs spanning January to March, I've gone and done the same for April to July so you can get a taste of all the rad shit that has soundtrack this transitional period of time for Randon's Reviews, and my life in general.
It's even more of a clusterfuck than the last one, but in that regard there's a bit of something for everyone in there, and it's really just testament to the incredible half-year it's been for new music. Just incredible. Any records/podcasts/stuff not represented in the Spotify playlist for whatever reason are marked with an *, and there'll be alternative links to hear them - I especially recommend the GOING OFF TRACKpodcast if you like the conversational tangents I go off on with my guests on BITCHIN' BREW. Meanwhile,MUNCIE GIRLS have also done a really fucking awesome cover of Iron Maiden's 'THE WICKER MAN' too (I'm sure that if you ask them really nicely, they'll play it at a show sometime - don't quote me on that). Without further ado, here's a week-by-week breakdown of April to July's Records Of The Week:
WEEK 10 (03/04/16): WARHORNS - WARHORNS (EP); BOB MOULD - PATCH THE SKY; SEAWAY - COLOUR BLIND; RORY INDIANA - RULING CLASS CROOKS
WEEK 11 (10/04/16): WEEZER - WEEZER (THE WHITE ALBUM); BLACK PEAKS - STATUES; FAITH NO MORE - SOL INVICTUS; THE NEW TUSK - SLOOM
WEEK 12 (17/04/16): DEFTONES - GORE; MOOSE BLOOD - I'LL KEEP YOU IN MIND, FROM TIME TO TIME; SYSTEM OF A DOWN - TOXICITY; GOING OFF TRACK PODCAST *
WEEK 13 (24/04/16): CAN'T SWIM - CAN'T SWIM (EP); THE WINTER PASSING - A DIFFERENT SPACE OF MIND; NECK DEEP - LIFE'S NOT OUT TO GET YOU; PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION - PURPLE RAIN *
WEEK 15 (08/05/16) * : ROB ZOMBIE - THE ELECTRIC WARLOCK ACID WITCH SATANIC ORGY CELEBRATION DISPENSER; THE SMASHING PUMPKINS - MELLON COLLIE & THE INFINITE SADNESS; GUILT - EVERBLUE / LOW SCENE (SINGLE); ASH - 1977 * APPARENTLY I MISSED A WEEK BECAUSE I'M A DICK LIKE THAT
WEEK 17 (22/05/16): MODERN BASEBALL - HOLY GHOST; LONELY THE BRAVE - THINGS WILL MATTER; THE MENZINGERS - RENTED WORLD; ANGEL DU$T - A.D.
WEEKS 18 + 19 (29/05/16 + 05/06/16): THRICE - TO BE EVERYWHERE IS TO BE NOWHERE;ARCHITECTS - ALL OUR GODS HAVE ABANDONED US; SHE CRAZY - SURFING U.A.E. (SINGLE); PUP - THE DREAM IS OVER; EVERY TIME I DIE - THE BIG DIRTY; RIVAL SONS - HOLLOW BONES; SEAFOAL - LUCID LIVING (EP); RAIN - SOLIS (SINGLE); NEW FOUND GLORY - CATALYST
I'll always remember the night Brighton garage-punks SHE CRAZY crashed headfirst into my life. Opening for the absolute dudes in Tied To The Mast at Sticky Mike's Frog Bar (an awesome Brighton spot which you should all go and see a show at) in 2013, they played like they owned the place, dragging a limbo pole out into the audience and changing the sole lyric of their song 'YEAH!' rather appropriately to 'LIMBO!'. Suffice to say, when they do that twice in the same set, it's very hard to get both the song and the scenes out of your head. Their new single 'SURFING U.A.E.' (which you can stream exclusively on Randon's Reviews by scrolling down) takes their raucous rock 'n' roll style and gives it infectious-as-fuck substance. Just don't let the title fool you into thinking that this is just a satirical cover of The Beach Boys' summertime class 'Surfin' U.S.A.' - this is far from a homage to Brian Wilson... "'Surfing U.A.E.' is all about the kind of wild, booze-fuelled madness that often goes down on holiday with your mates: shots, heartbreak and sex (wax)!" jokes singer/guitarist Dan Grace. "We are about -10% influenced by The Beach Boys - ['Surfin' U.S.A.'] happened 50 years ago, we're just pointing out how times have changed."
From the massive radio-rock (but far from radio friendly) chorus which exemplifies yet another cracking production job from Neil Kennedy at The Ranch Production House in Southampton, this sounds far more polished than anything from She Crazy's self-titled debut EP from last year (which you can download for free on their Bandcamp). However, the unrelenting punk rock finale they cascade into seeks to remind everyone why they're one of the most buzzed-about bands on their circuit. "We've experimented a lot with our recordings," explains Dan. "Working in different studios with different producers, and trying to find a sound that best reflects what we hear in our own heads and is closest to how we sound live." "'Surfing U.A.E.' is the first track that we mixed ourselves. We revisited the mix a few times, which probably explains why it's more polished than our previous efforts." "I don't think we've reached a point yet where we're all 100% satisfied, [but] then that's all part of the fun - Aiming for something you can't reach!" There's no doubt that 'Surfing U.A.E.' (plus its b-side, 'Do Or Die') will tide you over (arf arf) while She Crazy are working on their second EP. If that's still not enough for you, you can catch their mental live display when they open for Blackhole and Brawlers at The Hope & Ruin in Brighton on Tuesday 7th June, and at a FREE show at The George Tavern in London on Thursday 16th June. For more details on upcoming shows, go to the band's Facebook page or follow them on Twitter: @damn_shecrazy
From the day I first dreamt up the idea of BITCHIN' BREW, I knew that there was one man who could help me hone the craft of podcasting like no other. His name is ROSS DRUMMOND, and I was lucky enough to have him as my guest on Episode #003 of Bitchin' Brew, which is available to stream and download forFREEnow on iTunes and Soundcloud!
For those of you who don't know Ross, he is a man of many talents: he plays guitar and sings in an awesome new alt-rock band calledCHEAP MEAT, he co-hosts the1990s PROBLEMSpodcast (as well as his new podcast,AIN'T TALKING 'BOUT VAN HALEN: THE VAN HALEN PODCAST), and most importantly, he can hold a damn good conversation about Mexican food.
Suffice to say, Ross and I go off on several tangents in this episode, delving into topics such as stand-up comedy and how podcasts can save the generation of short attention span-holders, how not to use a flask, and badly chopped lettuce at certain fast food establishments (as part of this episode's lengthy culinary section).
It goes without saying, but recording this episode of Bitchin' Brew was incredibly fun - I'm definitely settling down into this strange medium, because this was just the start of a hectic week where I recorded not one, but TWO more episodes. Episode #004 will be with the guys and gal in MILK TEETH, a band who need no introduction as one of the hottest UK punk bands right now. That will go live on 17TH JUNE, before Episode #005 with FAILURE BY DESIGN RECORDS co-founder CONNOR P LAWS arrive a couple of weeks after that (Date TBA).
BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #003 IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES OR LISTEN VIA SOUNDCLOUD BELOW:
Honestly folks, the response to BITCHIN' BREWsince I launched it last month has actually rendered me speechless. Thank you to anyone and everyone who took the time to check it out, and an even bigger thank you to those who blasted it out to the friends across t'internet. Without your support from the off, I don't think I'd be here right now giving you this soppy-ass spiel, and when I'm recording podcasts poolside from my mansion in Saint-Tropez, I won't forget you.
I was very lucky to be able to record Bitchin' Brew Episode #002 almost immediately after recording the pilot episode with Lande Hekt from Muncie Girls. They were sharing the bill at The Boileroom in Guildford that night with one of my other favourite new bands on the UK punk scene: Brighton's very own MUSKETS.
Before the gig, I sat down in The Boileroom's lush little beer garden for a brew with DAN 'KENNY' McKENNA (guitarist/vocalist) and DAN 'SMITH' SMITH (bassist), and we chatted about everything from their involvement in the DIY punk scene to Star Wars.
BITCHIN' BREW EPISODE #002 IS NOW AVAILABLE TO STREAM AND DOWNLOAD FOR FREE. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES OR SCROLL BELOW TO STREAM & SUBSCRIBE VIA SOUNDCLOUD:
As you may have noticed if you've liked the Randon's Reviews Facebook page, Bitchin' Brew Episode #003 is already in the bag, and I had a great time recording it with... well, you'll just have to tune in to the podcast to find out more about that.
Once again, thanks for checking out Bitchin' Brew - if that's the response after the pilot, I can't wait to see how this project develops once I've got a few episodes under my belt...
I don't know how many times I can say this on Randon's Reviews (or anywhere where I can chat bollocks, for that matter): it is such an exciting time to be in the UK punk scene right now. Whether they're pop-punk-y or grunge-y or alt-rock-y, the multitude of exciting up-and-coming bands stretches far beyond being strictly 'punk' in style or tone. I would comfortably put SAD BLOOD in the same bracket as some of the spikier-sounding bands of their scene, thanks to their affinity for small DIY tours and house shows, and the fact that they can make a music video simply out of getting drunk and dicking around with puppets (see below for more on that). Following on from the brief and brilliant debut Ultimate Worrier, the London trio's second EP LEGION OF GLOOMoffers another five bursts of bright and breezy power-pop with spells of #relatable emo wistfulness. You could say that melancholic lyricism is in this band's blood (boom boom). The band have previously spoken to Upsetabout how Legion Of Gloom soundtracks the process of "trying to create something positive out of something negative", and out of that comes lyrics are honest and humorously self-deprecating (precisely as the band's two EP titles suggest).
As you may have predicted after his sterling job not only on Ultimate Worrier, but also in manning the desk for Milk Teeth, Creeper, Press to MECO, Weatherstate and pretty much any other cool new UK band you can think of, producer Neil Kennedy has done what he does best yet again in preserving the squeaky-clean clarity that hits Sad Blood's anthems home... (Note to self: I really must get him on Bitchin' Brew just so we can chat about how brilliant all of these bands are....)
Legion Of Gloom may be two tracks longer than its predecessor, but oddly little less rhythmic and melodic variation than before. Nevertheless, 'Heavy Petting Zoo' clocks in at just 1:48 and is up there with the best (if fleeting) moments of new British music in 2016. Sad Blood are brimming with potential as a longer body of work surely looms over the coming months.
Throwing you as much jovial charm as it does miffed-out mellowness, Legion Of Gloom is pleasant, inoffensive and, as with most British punk EPs of late, over way too quickly, but infectious enough to loop a few times over. Whether you see them as happy songs for sad people, or sad songs for happy people, be sure to queue this up next to The Hotelier and that certified banger that is the new Moose Blood track for your emo picnic playlists.
TOP TRACKS: 'HEAVY PETTING ZOO'; 'FORMERLY CREATIVE'
RR RATING:
7 / 10
LEGION OF GLOOM IS OUT NOW. STREAM IT ON SOUNDCLOUD BELOW:
Happy people, sad people, drunk people, all people: until next time, peace out.
Sometimes I feel a little bad that while I'm coming up with so many cool ideas for the blog, I rarely have the time to bring them to fruition. I figured the other day that I don't need to write an essay with every post - much like when you share something on Facebook or Twitter, I kind of want to 'let the music do the talking', for want of a less wanky phrase, and even if I'm not premiering the track on this blog, use the 'White-Hot Noise' handle to share my favourite new sounds.
Here's something I thought I'd share today after it dropped via Noisey yesterday: GUILT are a hot-off-the-press punk band (I'm going all in on the cheesy phrases with this one, aren't I?) from London, and their debut track 'EVERBLUE' is a massive, swaggering, sprawling, shoegazey slice of devastatingly emotional post-hardcore. Fuelled by a backlog of bad luck and low points in life, this five-piece bristle with punk spite and (as is the case with all of the great noises coming from the punk-shoegaze crossover scene at the moment) agonising catharsis. Then, when you put them in a studio with Neil Kennedy, the guy behind most of the greatest underground UK releases of the last couple of years, you get something extremely promising.
You can stream 'Everblue' on the band's Soundcloud page now, but what you really want to do is click HEREto buy the track - it's just £1, it comes with a wicked B-side and all proceeds are going to the mental health charity CALM - a strong cause to help men step back from the cliff-edge of suicide.
I know I've been a little bit quiet on here lately but I can assure you that it's not been for nothing. After what I can only explain as the most amazing four months this blog has ever seen, today marks a very special day both for me and for Randon's Reviews: My first podcast, BITCHIN' BREW, is finally here! The whole idea of starting a podcast was a strange and unknown concept to me a few months ago, even as an experienced radio host, but discovering the medium 2015 was a real shitter, and towards the end of the year I found myself tailing off from the music industry - not with intention, I just found myself having to shelve all of my commitments and work a crappy full-time job to save up for my diploma. Eventually I found myself writing for Upset magazine which is hands down one of the best publications I've ever written for, but I also found myself completely immersed in podcasts such as That's Not Metal (if you're like I was a few months ago and completely unfamiliar with the realm of podcasts, that is as good an entry point as you're gonna get). The tangents and rants about music more acerbic and exciting than I ever thought podcasts could be, and I found myself getting more stoked about the new episode than I would a new album. Eventually I gravitated towards other podcasts like Scroobius Pip's Distraction Pieces, Daniel P Carter's Someone Who Isn't Me and, more recently, Going Off Track, all of which nail something which I have set out to achieve with this latest venture... Speaking of which, back to the point of this post: Without even releasing a second of Bitchin' Brew into the public domain, it feels like one of the best things I've ever done not only on Randon's Reviews, but of all my time as a writer and general music fanatic. Now the pilot is here for you all to listen to, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified. That said, it's been a real labour of love preparing this project over the last few weeks. I'll let the actual podcast do most of the talking, but with Bitchin' Brew I'm setting out to capture conversation with musicians and key players on all levels of the music industry as we sit down over a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. There will be some 'shop talk' around latest and greatest work of my guests, but I'm more interested in going off on tangents and chatting about common areas of interest (musical or not), a variety of less-talked-about topics, and perhaps even the tea and biscuits we'll be enjoying at the time of recording! I was especially stoked to be starting Bitchin' Brew after I was able to book my first guest: LANDE HEKT, singer/bassist of one of my favourite bands around at the moment, MUNCIE GIRLS. Over the course of the pilot episode, we chat about the band's sensational debut album, From Caplan To Belsize, and their position within the UK 'DIY' punk scene, as well as the relationship between punk rock and politics, rock autobiographies and awesome parents. We also chowed down on some HobNobs and drank fruity tea, which was lovely.
HOW YOU CAN LISTEN TO BITCHIN' BREW:
1: iTUNES
Go onto the 'Podcasts' app of your Apple device and search for 'Bitchin' Brew' - unsurprisingly enough, it's the only result that comes up. Hit 'subscribe' and you'll receive every episode as and when they are uploaded. You can either stream it via the cloud, or download it in a flash to listen to on the bus, in a Costa, on a skanky public toilet, at your favourite dogging site etc.
Alternatively, if you're on a stone-age device such as a laptop or computer, you can click HERE to subscribe.
Setting up this podcast has been a real labour of love lately, so please help me out by listening, subscribing, sharing it with your friends, and getting it 'out there'. I've already got Episode #002 recorded (listen to Episode #001 to find out who it's with), but in the meantime, enjoy sitting in on my chat with Lande. I think it's time for a well deserved brew. Danny
If you have liked the Randon's Reviews Facebook page, you're not a dick you may have noticed that I publish a small group of albums/EPs/singles on there at the end of each week judged on what has soundtracked the preceding six days. Whether they are new/upcoming releases, old favourites or albums that I may only just be discovering, they are my RECORDS OF THE WEEK. Now that we are pretty much a quarter of a way through 2016 (where the flying shit did the time go?), I thought I'd put together a quick mega-playlist featuring one track from each of the records featured*. * Not including Scroobius Pip's Distraction Pieces Podcast, and the fucking atrocity that is Reckless Love's InVader, which I featured rather aptly as a joke.
If you haven't quite got the memo at this point, my taste in tunes can be eclectic at the best of times: there's <sometimes> a bit of linearity (the transition from Muncie Girls to Muskets to Into It. Over It. kinda works, doesn't it?), but it can also be one hell of a headfuck. Case in point? Cane Hill into Savages into Municipal Waste (is gonna fuck you up) into Arcade Fire. What is even up with that, brain? I'm not really counting this particular playlist as an edition of The RR Playlist as I've already spoken at length about some of the music featured in Records Of The Week - you can click on some of the titles in the captions below to see their individual reviews. Scroll to the bottom of this post for the playlist via the Randon's Reviews Spotify page (hint hint), but first, here's an 'ICYMI' of my Records Of The Week from January to March 2016:
Week 4 (21/02/16): Cane Hill - Cane Hill EP; Savages - Adore Life; Municipal Waste - The Art Of Partying; Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Week 5 (28/02/16): Pretend Happy - Tired Eyes; Grader - Wholly EP; PVRIS - White Noise; Distraction Pieces Podcast with Scroobius Pip* * OBVIOUSLY THIS ISN'T FEATURED ON THE PLAYLIST, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBSCRIBE ON iTUNES, IT'S THE SHIT.
Week 6 (06/03/16): Muncie Girls - From Caplan To Belsize; Muskets - Spin EP; Into It. Over It. - Proper; Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now, Youngster...
Week 7 (13/03/16): Cheap Meat - The Parts That Show EP; Sorority Noise - It Kindly Stopped For Me EP (released April 8th on Topshelf Records); Architects - A Match Made In Heaven (new album, All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, is out May 27th on Epitaph Records); Max Raptor - Max Raptor (released April 22nd on Hassle Records)
Week 8 (20/03/16): Glassjaw - Worship And Tribute; John Coffey - A House For Thee EP; Turnover - Humblest Pleasures EP; Reckless Love - InVader *
* JUST NO. JUST FUCKING NO. I COULDN'T EVEN MUSTER UP ENOUGH ENERGY LAST WEEK TO WRITE ABOUT HOW FUCKING DIABOLICAL THIS RECORD IS. AVOID IT LIKE THE FUCKING PLAGUE.
Week 9 (27/03/16): Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression; The Dirty Nil - Higher Power; Brian Fallon - Painkillers; Heck - Instructions
YOU CAN NOW STREAM THE MEGA-PLAYLIST OF 'RECORDS OF THE WEEK' FROM JANUARY TO MARCH BELOW VIA SPOTIFY:
Don't forget: like the Randon's Reviews page on Facebook (honestly, every single 'like' is appreciated beyond words) to see the Records Of The Week as they come in. I'll do another playlist like this when summer arrives, at which point you probably won't be sat at your laptops wishing Storm Katie would get to fuck already.
Ho hum, hang in there folks: the shit part is nearly over. Danny
Wow, what a start to the year. As far as new music goes, 2016 is certainly shitting all over the last couple of years, and it only felt right for me to look back at some of the noteworthy records from the first two months with a big fuck-off playlist. And, believe me, there are a LOT of records... I'll start this edition of The RR Playlist as I mean to continue, and that's fucking loudly... Now, BURY TOMORROW. As someone who immersed himself in that 'metalcore' scene around 2011/2012, a lot of which I now look back at in horror (yeah, I'm looking at you, Texas In July and Woe, Is Me), I don't know why Bury Tomorrow's records never had a lasting resonance with me. There's tracks like 'Lionheart' and 'Royal Blood' that are fucking huge, and the live shows have always been worth getting excited about, but when it came to the albums, I just felt a bit deflated and unfulfilled... until now.
EARTHBOUND is an absolute masterclass in how to do modern metal right, and I'm so glad that Bury Tomorrow have finally hit that nail square on the bonce. From the very start of that double-bass onslaught in 'THE ETERNAL', it is an unrelenting barrage of crushing hooks and beatdowns for which Bury Tomorrow have always had the potential to pull off, but have rarely been able to fully unleash. An absolute fucking crusher of a melodic metal album, and anyone who doubts them after this can take their copy of Stand Up And Scream and stick it sideways - this is the real deal.
Something which completely passed me by when it first dropped at the start of the year, but instantly went on this playlist after the first listen, was the return of PUP with 'DVP'. If you haven't heard PUP's self-titled debut album, you should probably stick that on first in order to understand how excited everyone (now including me) is for its follow-up, THE DREAM IS OVER, which is due out later this year. Through singles like 'Reservoir' and 'Mabu', they've established a sound which dips between scuzzy, shambolic garage-punk, and intensely-melodic, chorus-heavy alt-rock. Despite its frantic, face-melter of a lead hook, 'DVP''s verses and vocal harmonies make it a surefire beers-and-burritos summer soundtrack.
One of the bands I'm really looking forward to working with this year at Hassle Records is MAX RAPTOR, who are going to be releasing their second album in April (*NOT A PLUG*). They've been around for a few years now, but thanks to tracks like 'OLD ROMANTICS', they're finally finding a way to punch into the upper echelons of British punk rock. I feel like this track in particular is a gateway track to those bigger things - the melodies and the choruses sound more crowd-pleasing on the same kind of level as Against Me!'s latest work (something which I didn't realise until it was pointed out on That's Not Metal last week), but it's still got that proper 'UP THE PUNX' snarl which has always made them a little bit more authentic and visceral than their contemporaries. Bloody good job by my #TeamHassle cohorts there.
Now I've chatted for a bit about a couple of the punk albums that should keep me on my toes for the rest of the year, let's chat about one of the punk albums which made 2016 a biggie in the first place: VILE CHILD, the sensational debut album by MILK TEETH. I'll refer you to MY FULL REVIEW of this record when it dropped back in January, but 'BRAIN FOOD' is arguably the best place to start in order to summarise both the turbulent, transformative stage that Milk Teeth have been going through lately, as well what we can expect from them in the future: it's playful and poppy, but still carries those 90s-as-fuck vibes from the spikier and more aggressive end of the grunge spectrum. And you know what else? I saw them open their set with it the other night when they supported Tonight Alive, and it is an absolute stormer live.
I want to step away from the punkier side of things for a few tracks, firstly by looking at an album which pleasantly took me by surprise. My only experience of SAVAGES prior to diving into their second record, ADORE LIFE, was a pretty kick-ass performance on Later With... Jools Holland from a few years back, and while I was expecting something a bit noisier and rougher around the edges, this record grooves with elements of desert rock (especially on opening track 'THE ANSWER', which almost sounds like Sleater-Kinney covering Queens Of The Stone Age), before pulsing with the darker, jauntier sounds akin to 80s synth-pop. It's not quite blown my skirt up enough for me to go back to it over and over again, but this album has definitely got appeal far beyond my expectations.
This is where we really verge into poppier, more mainstream territories which, if ventured into right, can really tick my boxes. As we established when I ranked their White Noise videos from 'worst' to best, I am an absolute sucker for PVRIS at the moment, and while their latest single, 'YOU AND I', is the closest to mainstream pop that PVRIS have been so far, I know that the band's gloomier side is still very present, and that they still have it in them to keep writing absolute anthems with really dark and sinister undertones. 'You And I', with the greatest of respects to the rest of the band, is all about Lynn Gunn coming full circle as an absolute powerhouse of a frontwoman, and 2016 is without a shadow of a doubt the year that this band goes global.
PANIC! AT THE DISCO dropped off my radar for a few years, but at the start of the year they (or him) found their way firmly back into my heart for the first time since A Fever You Can't Sweat Out. That's thanks to DEATH OF A BACHELOR: a comeback album that, on the face of it, is cornier than Fat Bastard's shite, but is actually the sum of cinematic production and uncompromising attitude. With the Beyonce-goes-big-band title track amongst other pop-'rock' party bangers, this is Brendon Urie at his most indulgent and shameless, delivering with the same vaudevillian sass that made Fever... a modern classic. I have a long-standing problem with Fall Out Boy making pop music this glossy, but that's probably because they've made Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree, and the new stuff is a pile of toss in comparison (actually, not even in comparison: American Beauty / American Psycho is pathetic in its own right). With Panic!, it's a different situation: this has always been a big part of what Urie does, and the level of craft with which he flaunts it is genius.
From one extreme to the other, THE BLACK QUEEN delve into a much more ominous corner of pop, sounding like a warped amalgam of the Drive soundtrack, mixtape-era The Weeknd, Depeche Mode, Crosses and No Devotion. I admittedly don't know much about The Dillinger Escape Plan beyond 'Milk Lizard' and the time Greg Puciato shat in a bag onstage at Reading Festival, but The Black Queen's debut album, FEVER DAYDREAM, still knocked me for six. It's the sort of record that goes 'you think you know Greg Puciato? Well here you go...' and BAM! - tracks like 'Ice To Never' and 'APOCALYPSE MORNING' throw you a huge curveball with enchanting results. Even as someone who's not so clued up about Dillinger, this is not the album you'd expect Puciato to come out with in a million years, but what a milestone of artistic achievement this will be for that man.
I can't say a bad word against LONELY THE BRAVE, and that's not because they're on Hassle Records. I was a fan long before I joined the team at Hassle, and they are without a doubt the most humbled and down-to-earth band I've had the pleasure of knowing and working with. Not to mention the fact that they've written some of the biggest choruses I've heard in my life, with 'BLACK MIRE' proving no exception. If you thought that their debut album, The Day's War, reached new levels of anthemic rock, then you haven't heard anything yet. Working with Ross Orton (who most famously produced Arctic Monkeys' AM) has clearly brought out the best in all of the band, and this first returning single sets a very exciting precedent for their second album, THINGS WILL MATTER, which is out on May 20th.
There's a reason this edition of The RR Playlist is called 'The Best AND THE REST Of 2016', and that's because I really hoped that BASEMENT's new album was a bit better than it turned out to be. Maybe it's because it was so hyped up after the band went on hiatus, maybe it's because they set the bar a bit too high with the contemporary emo opus that is Colourmeinkindness... That said, there are a handful songs on PROMISE EVERYTHINGthat are well worth your time, and a couple from those handful have some of Basement's finest moments within them. If they took the verses from 'BROTHER'S KEEPER' which really drive home that early Foo Fighters influence, and put them with the choruses from 'Aquasun' and 'For You The Moon', and then used that formula over the course of a whole record (with variations, of course), then we'd be looking at our #1 Album of 2016 already.
Here's one that went on the playlist last minute after hearing it on the Radio 1 Rock Show literally made me stop and stare at my speakers. NOTHING's debut album, Guilty Of Everything, was adored by a lot of people around me but sadly passed me by. I rectified that as soon as I heard 'VERTIGO FLOWERS', and boy, I sure am excited to hear the new album, TIRED OF TOMORROW, when it drops in May. The band still have the dreaminess of their earlier, shoegaze-y material, but they've also developed an ear for catchy-as-fuck alt-rock choruses. Keep listening until the end for a monumental breakdown which will hit you right in the centre of the feels.
I'll keep this next one pretty brief, as I recently spoke about the record in some detail (you can read my review HERE), but I cannot stress how important it is for you to listen to RAIN and their debut EP, SYMPHONY PAINS. It's a shame that the grunge revival scene of late is already starting to drip-feed us some bands that just sound lethargic in all the wrong ways, making distorted, 90s-esque noise for the sake of sounding purposefully 'nostalgic', but Rain feel much more authentic and are of greater potential by taking those washed-out guitar tones and applying it to massive-sounding alt-rock (as best heard on the single 'SLUR'). Definitely one of the shining stars of their scene right now.
The only scene surrounded by more buzz (and rightfully so) is the UK punk scene; from the re-emergence of the DIY ethos and kitchen shows, to bands punching into the upper echelons of alternative music as a whole. MUNCIE GIRLS sit very comfortable between both ends of the spectrum, and even as their fanbase grows on a daily basis, they've kept the passion and ideals of a DIY punk band on their heroic debut album, FROM CAPLAN TO BELSIZE. Track after track after track, it is a fucking ridiculously infectious record, but the lyrics are thought-provoking and revolutionary, just like punk rock should be. So if you're like me and you feel so confused by contemporary politics that it leaves you clueless as to what to actually do, here's what you do: stick on 'LEARN IN SCHOOL' and embrace your radical side. Muncie Girls are the socially-conscious punk band of this generation.
In terms of momentum-building, WEATHERSTATE are following not too far behind their peers, and the more and more I listen to their debut EP, DUMBSTRUCK, the more I think that giving it 3/5 for Upset was a bit over-critical. Here's the thing: a couple of years ago, you'd look at these sort of snotty underground punk kids and think 'this will never go beyond toilet venues', but like several of the bands on this list, Weatherstate have it in them to go way beyond that. It's thanks to songs with massive early Green Day-esque choruses like 'STUCK IN A HOLE', and when I listen back to the EP (which I have done frequently), I could maybe justify my criticism with the fact that this is just the start of something a lot bigger.
The excitement around the UK punk scene now expands far beyond the sounds that you might generally perceive as 'punk rock'. This burgeoning community also welcomes in bands from scenes of emo and grunge revival, hardcore and alt-rock, the latter of which has bands like PRETEND HAPPY to boast. This band found their way into my peripherals via the UK Emo/Grunge and UK Pop-Punk groups on Facebook (both brilliant places to go if you want to edge your way further into that community), and through the likes of 'HELLP' and 'Arsonist', they show songwriting chops far beyond their infancy as a band on their debut album, TIRED EYES: a record bursting at its seams with astounding clarity and powerful melodic choruses.
This next record is a weird one, because even after half a dozen plays of their latest EP, WHOLLY, I didn't really 'get' GRADER until I saw them live (where they proceeded tear my jaw from my face) last week. At first it just sounds like bog-standard hardcore with really divisive vocals, but when you saw the bare-bones emotion that the band pour into their performance, then you listen back to the EP and the catharsis behind the music makes a lot more sense. Sometimes that happens with bands, which is why it's so important to check them out live on support slots or at small shows. Listening back to the EP after seeing them live, tracks like 'WILT' (featuring Will Gould from Creeper, but more about them in a minute) strike so much more of a chord, and now I can see why they people see them as such bright lights on the UK hardcore scene.
Speaking of bright lights, and Will Gould, and Creeper... let's face it: there's only one band that could have ended this playlist, and NO, I don't think I am ever going to shut up about them. Muncie Girls may be the "socially-conscious punk band of our generation", but CREEPER are the punk band of our generation, full stop. I've already spoken at length about THE STRANGEREP (again, you can read my review of it HERE), but I just want to say this: when they played The Underworld last week, I witnessed a band coming full circle in terms of their concept, their theatricality and their truly captivating presence on stage, and when they played 'MISERY', it became even clearer to me that Creeper (as well as perhaps Lonely The Brave on account of how massive they sound) are going to be the next British band to conquer arenas, and I couldn't be prouder of them. Until then, though, let's just take pride in the fact that they're playing venues without barriers, and we can still stagedive our fucking legs off to them.
There you go: that's a massive playlist to tide you over for a little while, and as ever, you can stream the playlist above via the RR Spotify. I've been working on some pretty cool stuff for the blog in the near future, but until then, I want to know which records have been making your 2016 (so far) awesome. Pop it in the comments below, or hit me up on Facebook and Twitter, and who knows? I may like it enough to stick it in The RR Playlist #3. Or not, I can be a cynical prick sometimes. I'm also always up for hearing your music, so if you are in a band that you think I could comfortably wrap my ears around, send your sounds to RANDONSREVIEWS@GMAIL.COM.
