The Woe Betides - Play Dead

The Woe Betides, A two piece hailing from London/Birmingham, are about to unleash their first record. The ‘Play Dead’ E.P. is a record filled with poppy catches and driven melodies, but there is something far more interesting at play here. With overdriven Bass and Guitars, they manage to create an interesting and refreshing take on what one would consider the usual stripped down, acoustic Indie rock approach. From the vocal melody that brings in the opening track ‘Boredom is the Killer’, to the grungy bass tone of ‘Under the Sand’, you would be mistaken into thinking this record was written by two different bands. Having such a diverse list of influences, such as The Dead Kennedys, David Bowie and Miles Davis, can only add more to the engaging sound of this record.
The vocal tone reflects Abbey Road era Beatles, with the intricate and interweaving vocal melodies that play off each other and thickening even the mildest elements of the songs. The chugging Interpol Esq. riff that brings in the track ‘Your Fists, Your Love’ lays down the foundation for a tale of dysfunctional love. “What a smile you have, to bite my head off with”, the lyrics manage to maintain a razor sharp Smiths style wit, while the guitar work weaves in and out of the rest of the instruments. Whether you’re looking for an up-beat punk tune to sing along to or a sombre acoustic number, this record has it, and you should try your utmost to check them out next time they come to your town.

www.myspace.com/thewoebetides

The Chevrolites - The Chevrolites

Anyone fancy some Arctic Monkeys, mixed with Maximo Park and a hint of Reverend and the Makers? Then you should check out The Chevrolites! The Newcastle/Teeside four-piece are a talented bunch, producing catchy Indie/Pop songs full of addictive guitar riffs, tight drumming and real life reflective lyrics.
Listening to their self-titled debut, it’s fair to say the influence of bands such as The Arctic Monkeys and the Futureheads is huge. This however, takes nothing away from a very impressive EP. After a few listens you will more than likely find yourself singing along and nodding your head in time.

Highlight tracks of this have to be ‘Malia’ and ‘Came Here to Fight’, but the best track on the EP however, has to be ‘Never Leave This Town’ with a ‘Mardy Bum’ influenced riff, and a touch of naiveté in the lyrics, your bound to love this song. The four piece are currently taking a break from gigging to record there first LP which will include tracks from the EP as well as other new and unreleased material. With the band recording in Trinity Heights Studios, previously used by Maximo Park and The Futureheads, expect big things from The Chevrolites.

www.myspace.com/thechevrolites

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

The pitch: In the year 2033, a North Korean band playing Beach Boys covers go on tour in the States. They befriend a group of college kids, who loan them food money, Casio keyboards, and insist on accompanying them across the USA. Along the way they lose all their equipment in a game of chess, discover the holy grail, burn mattresses at the side of a highway with now-redundant Label Executives, eat hotdogs with a Belarusian Opera Singer on the corner of 5th and Main, stumble across a new type of Constructivist Space-Jazz on national late-night TV, lose the holy grail, rediscover their sense of self, fall in love with a variety of delicate transgender pensioners who they have liberated from a run-down care home… and, as a conclusion, re-enact the slaughter of thousands of years of Aztec culture at the hands of the Spanish - using an army of Technicolor tuba-playing bullfrogs. Adam Sandler provides comic relief from what underpins the whole biopic; a weird combination of dread and optimism that only summer twilight can bring about. Animal Collective does the soundtrack.

There. Trying to describe this album any other way is the equivalent of trying to blind yourself with fluorescent lights on the Gaza strip. It’s that good.

www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband  

Hot Lava - Lavalogy

Richmond’s own Hot Lava has just released their first full length Lavalogy on Bar None Records NY, who are highly acclaimed for their diverse roster, including Architecture in Helsinki and DJ Spooky. The four piece’s debut is definitely a record that takes you by surprise. Their sound is something of a Garage/Pop/Electronic/rest-of-the-above mix up, leaving no rock unturned in order to create something a bit different. The First track ‘Brain-ex’, a noisy offering of pop hooks and distorted synths. With track names such as ‘APPLE+OPTION+FIRE’, the music completely reflects the sound of the names; synth driven songs that sound like they’ve been chewed up by a computer, although without sounding cold or static. The first single to be released off this record ‘Mummy Beach’ is another strange pop tune, maybe not what I would consider single worthy next to the other tracks on this record. As the album progresses, there seems to be a change of tone, ranging from noisy programmed drums, to lighter sounding tracks such as ‘Blue Dragon’, to the surf-punk sound of ‘Resolutions ‘08’. This record is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy your Pop/Indie hybrids with a bit more intensity and originality.

www.myspace.com/hotlavaep

Hauschka - Snowflakes and Carwrecks

I have to hold my hands up straight away and admit that ‘Snowflakes and Carwrecks’ isn’t really the type of music I normally listen to. I tend to choose bands with sing-along lyrics, or synther-songwriters with casio-beeps, or something with a nice, accessible guitar line. So when I was handed the latest EP from Hauschka (aka Dusseldorf-based pianist/composer Volker Bertelmann), it took me a couple of listens to adjust.

Hauschka’s first full-length album ‘Ferndorf’ was released in September to widespread critical acclaim and ‘Snowflakes and Carwrecks’ is comprised of previously unreleased material from this session. However, where the album was mostly solo piano pieces (with occasional electro overdubs), the new EP focuses on more orchestrated melodies with strings constantly complimenting the emotive piano lines. The piano is ‘prepared’, meaning that the instrument is modified internally by placing objects on or between strings to produce special effects, resulting in unpitched sounds, sparse textures and percussive timbres, contradicting the stereotype of the piano as a pure, perfect instrument. 

‘Ginsterweg’ begins with a rippling, shimmering complex of gradually-evolving melodic patterns, while the cello’s rich tones compliment the sparse pulse of the piano’s atonal accompaniment on ‘Eisblume’. The hypnotic effect of the music is so compelling that, despite my initial reservations, I found myself seduced by its fragile beauty. Sometimes, it’s good to explore a less obvious genre of music – who knows, you may like what you find.

www.myspace.com/hauschka   

Anna Dobbie