A Place To Bury Strangers - Onwards To The Wall EP

EP review by James M

After more than two years of silence from the once proclaimed 'loudest band on the planet', New York’s A Place To Bury Strangers finally announced details of a third album to be released this year. Not wanting us to wait too long for our next tinnitus scare, they have generously put out a new five track E.P. entitled ‘Onwards To The Wall’ to keep ear plug manufacturers across the globe in work until then.

Back in 2009, critics could only find one fault in second album ‘Exploding Head’, and that was that it was too similar to their self-titled debut. Well, if you were of that persuasion, then perhaps this EP isn’t for you. But for anybody else, it’s a nice reminder of what potential this three-piece have. Kicking off with ‘I Lost You’, it feels like they never went away. Three and a half minutes of feedback, heavy bass lines and distorted guitars melee perfectly over Oliver Ackermann’s drowned out vocals. However for me at least, that’s where the similarities end. Sure, it wouldn’t take a genius to work out who it is. Yet for a band that once focused so much on the aesthetics of everything noise related, and on a mission in sonic terrorism, (at least in the eyes of the media) somebody forgot the memo that said they know how to handle a melody too.

Title track ‘Onwards To The Wall’ being the stand-out and possibly APTBS softest moment to date. Amidst a repetitive, gentle setting, Ackermann shares tales of heartbreak with a mystery female vocalist. The boy/girl duet really adds to the haunting romance that you feel the band has always tried to pull off. It’s not quite Sonny and Cher but there’s a genuine feeling of emotion to the band's most ethereal piece yet. If this EP was a story then following track, ‘It’ll Be Alright', perhaps tells us that everything didn't work out ok. “It’ll be alright if I ever see your face again” rings out a mournful sounding Ackermann, carried in shrouds of feedback.

It all ends with ‘Drill It Up’, which at just 2:57 in length is a ferocious teaser of what might be to come on the as yet untitled third album, due to be released this summer. There’s nothing incredibly new here, if you were fed up by album two then chances are you’ve already found something else. But for those wanting a middle ground somewhere between 'APTBS' chaos and 'Exploding Head’s finer moments, it seems 2012 might yet be A Place To Bury Strangers' finest year.

Free download: 'So Far Away'

A Place To Bury Strangers' website

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Capitals - Jealousy/Sinking Ships

Single review by KevW

This article also appears on http://www.soundsxp.com

This double a-side digital single (can a digital single have 'sides'?) may be the first release from Edinburgh duo Capitals (barring a couple of free downloads last year) but both members have a notable musical pedigree with spells in/working with The Cinematics, Theatre Fall, Araya and Benbecula Records. This is most likely the reason that these two tracks feel confident and assured rather than a cautious first outing to test the water. Capitals seem to have a defined direction they want their music to take: the not uncharted territory of edgy electro-indie with a punch. The style itself may not break new ground, but the punch should at least dent it.

'Jealousy' is taut and lean with guts and bite, the persistent beats and slight whiff of bile in the sharp lyrics are offset with melody, and if you were to strip the layers away to the carcass of vocals and guitar it would work equally as well in the buff - a sure-fire sign of a good tune. 'Sinking Ships' is stylistically not far from its partner, although it adopts a colder, bleaker outlook with jagged beats and slows the pace a touch, it's a song that also has simple guitar and melody as the skeleton upon which the rest is fleshed out. Despite the blanket of additional sounds, these two tracks are both fairly minimal, almost industrial, and if you study their genealogy you'd most likely find they're, at least in part, descended from early European proponents of stark electronica. It's not a bad family tree to be a part of.





Capitals' website






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Out This Week - 13th February 2012

Ladyhawke - Black White & Blue

It's taken four years for New Zealand's Pip Brown to follow up her award winning 2008 debut album as Ladyhawke, but 'Anxiety' will finally be with us next month. During this time many other solo female synth-pop artists have laid claim to her crown but excellent new single 'Black White & Blue' should be a stern reminder that she's still up there with the best of them. A great piece of electro-indie with big hooks.



Ladyhawke's website

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Islands - This Is Not A Song

Canadians Islands have been a bit more prolific in the six or so years since they formed, and this week sees the release of fourth album 'A Sleep & A Forgetting'. Their sound has fluctuated as much as their line-up during this time, taking in experimental indie, art-rock, pop, and with new track 'This Is Not A Song', beautiful, melancholic acoustic balladry set to unleash your inner Fleet Foxes fan.



Islands' website

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King Khan & The Shrines - Bite My Tongue

Indisputably one of the most important proponents of garage rock in the past decade or so, Montreal man Arish Ahmad Khan has produced a steady output of rock 'n' roll and psychedelia under many guises. Now back as King Khan & The Shrines he sticks to the blueprint for this first-rate piece of soulful garage as part of a split single with Mikal Cronin which is available now.



Free download: 'Bite My Tongue'

King Khan & The Shrines' website

Buy the 7"






Shearwater - You As You Were

Since beginning life as an Okkervil River spin off band, Shearwater have taken on a life and identity that's very much their own, full of ornithological imagery and wistful songs of beauty and hope. Eighth album 'Animal Joy' is out this week and is unmistakeably a Shearwater record, bearing all of their hallmarks. I would call them a US Wild Beasts but, a) they've been going longer and b) they're better. Here's free track 'You As You Were'.



Free download: 'You As You Were'

Shearwater's website

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OBLIGATORY RECORD OF THE WEEK

Sulk - Back In Bloom

If, like me, you'd been wondering what had become of the ace baggy throwbacks The Ruling Class, then wonder no more. A slight change and they've resurfaced as Sulk, still totally out of step with current sounds and still in thrall to early 90s British guitar bands. A couple of singles have been released since the name change, the most recent being 'Back In Bloom' which takes epic indie to places it's rarely seen lately, thanks to some skyscraping guitar. An album would be nice though, please!

Sulk's website

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Nat Johnson & The Figureheads - I'm Across, I'm Ashore

Album review by Andy L

Thirty seconds into opening track 'Astronomy', Nat Johnson offers up a frank confession: "The stars in my life, they are not, they are not what I'm looking for". Malcontent? Well you'd never guess it from what follows.

'I'm Across, I'm Ashore' is the fourth album from Sheffield songstress Johnson, the second to be backed by her four strong flock of Figureheads - the follow up to 2009's 'Roman Radio' long player - and a record that finds a seasoned writer, who may be discontented with her lot, but is completely at ease with her art.

Indeed, save for the occasional lyrical pointer, there is actually little indication here of a soul grappling with any inner struggle. Instead what we’re presented with is a collection of tracks that have a spring in their step and the freewheeling air of someone who has found the pleasure in strolling along their career path – a path that is lined with attractive melodies and an understanding that sometimes the simple approach can work best.

The benefits of keeping things uncluttered are displayed no better than on the twinkling acoustic meander of ‘Straw and Hay’ where Johnson’s velvety voice is given the room to show off its natural beauty. That’s far from the only highlight however. The aforementioned ‘Astronomy’ grabs top billing with its scuzzy intro chords and breezy chorus, 'Your Majesty' is sunny pop in the vein of The Sundays, while ‘I Know, I’m Good’ lopes along on the back of a determined guitar line. Elsewhere ‘Margot’ trys its hand at accessible post punk, while ‘The Harebell’ recalls Canadian indie popsters Stars, in its quiet, reflective approach – the picnic stop on our country stroll if you like.

That’s not to say, however, that everything comes up roses. At fourteen songs the record is perhaps overly long and the second half of the album is left to lag slightly in comparison to what has preceded. At other stages there’s a feeling that things might just be a little too content, with a couple of the folk-flavoured tracks veering dangerously close to The Corrs brand of radio safe MOR. Equally while closing number The Steeplejack is worth sticking around for, there’s a nagging sense that this LP should have gone out with something really special. All told though these are forgivable aberrations when set against the records high points.

Stumped for something pretty for your sweetheart or mood making for your man this Valentine’s day? Why not link hands and take a whimsical wander with Nat and her gang.

Nat Johnson & The Figureheads' website

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Five For Free #52

Woodsman - In Circles

Some swirling Krautrock to kick things off from Denver based quartet Woodsman. Their dual drums and guitar onslaught is like a double Black Keys shrouded in smoke and with a psychedelic light show blurring the reality even more. The laid-back, hypnotic 'In Circles' is taken from their recent EP 'Mystic Places' which was released in the autumn.



Woodsman's website

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Silver Swans - Let It Happen

On a slightly different note, San Franciscan duo Silver Swans bare a passing resemblance to enigmatic Swedish duo jj and share their mix of 80s textures updated to create a modern sound. If you want to tag it then call it synth-pop or chillwave. It matters little. The blissed out 'Let It Happen' is taken from their album 'Forever' which is out now.



Silver Swans' website

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The Pharmacy - Dig Your Grave

We're pretty sure that Seattle band The Pharmacy are nothing to do with Ted Leo's band of the same name, yet both are fine proponents of modern day garage-punk. 'Dig Your Grave' has guitars that are both rugged and jangly, a touch of organ and more than a hint of early Strokes in its delivery which makes the whole thing fairly accessible yet still edgy.



The Pharmacy's website

Buy the single






Tom Williams & The Boat - My Bones

Tunbridge Wells isn't exactly known for its rock 'n' roll heritage, but that's where Tom Williams & The Boat call home and the six-piece could well end up putting themselves on the map with a sound that has the capabilities to reach beyond a niche market and enough of an alternative feel to prevent any snobbish dismissing. New track 'My Bones' is yours for an email address.

Tom Williams & The Boat's website

Pre-order the album







Pictureplane - Post Physical

Travis Egedy has been making music as Pictureplane for several years now and released new album 'Thee Physical' in the summer. This track lifted from it is a curious blend of dreampop, electronica, shoegaze, chillwave and beats that make up the excellent 'Post Physical'. He's making the track available for free, so pick it up below.



Pictureplane's website

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Tennis - Young & Old

Album review by KevW

This article also appears on http://www.soundsxp.com

We all know the clichés about making second albums. Rush releasing a watered-down version of the debut to wring a few extra quid out of the initial hype; radically changing your sound to avoid being stereotyped; taking too long fretting over it so that people have stopped caring by the time it sees light of day; leaving both fans and critics scratching their heads as they attempt to 'get' the new direction a la Klaxons; totally upping your game to morph from also-rans into stadium slaying behemoths like Radiohead... the list goes on. The follow-up has been the make or break point for countless bands, but what of cutesy, lo-fi indiepop duo Tennis, a band whose longevity seemed far from certain?

A few tactical moves have been made, but have been done naturally, on the band's own terms. James Barone has been added as a full time drummer to expand their core set-up to a three-piece, gone are tales of their seafaring life (which makes perfect sense as the journey chronicled on their debut took place nearly two years before that album was released), Black Key Patrick Carney was brought in to produce - again a natural choice as he's a man who understands the challenges and benefits of self-production and retaining your own sound. It's only been a year since 'Cape Dory' wowed us with its wistful, fuzzy charm, can 'Young & Old' match it?

In short: yes. In long: here are the reasons why. 'Young & Old' opens with the line "I took a train..." seemingly a conscious attempt to shake off any nautical stereotypes that may surround them. Also toned down are the twangy surf guitars; this is not another record about the sea, this is about life since that voyage. Not only does this avoid pigeonholing, it brings with it a maturity, and by that we mean a progression, rather than a serious, grown-up slant. This album has as much youthful charm and exuberance as its predecessor; it's still wide-eyed and romantic, but maybe not quite so naive, maybe a touch more knowing.

From the opening bars of 'It All Feels The Same' you realise that Tennis and Patrick Carney are on the same wavelength. This is no attempt to adopt a 'rockier' sound, the extra production is beautifully subtle, merely giving the album a dash of added power while maintaining the trebly fuzz and dusty sound that gave 'Cape Dory' such a human feel. It's Motown and lost 60s soul 45s that are the touchstones here. 'Origins', 'Travelling', 'High Road' and more are timeless, and it's remarkable that such a strong set can be created in such a short amount of time. 'My Better Self' is enough to make any classic songwriter green with envy and 'Dreaming' is a pure pop delight.

Songs flow from these guys like torrents. Part of me wants to shout at the world until they stand up, take notice and make Tennis the stars they should be. But that's not in their game plan, they have the talent to sell out and achieve mainstream success if they craved it, but they seem happy to craft songs in the way they want to; and that is exactly how things should be. Plus, knowing about something wonderful that others don't can be exciting, especially when it's as sublime as 'Young & Old'. Get this record, you'll love it, but let's keep Tennis our little secret, it's more fun that way.









Tennis' website

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Thee Exciters - Perpetual Happening

Album review by KevW

This article also appears on http://www.soundsxp.com

It's been four years since 'Spending Cash, Talking Trash', the last long-player from Southampton combo Thee Exciters, and since then southern England's garage (and with a name like that, they had to be garage, right?) scene has remained in rude health with a veritable banquet of retro rockers to feast upon for music fans of that persuasion. Being less one dimensional than many of their contemporaries is what gives this quartet (drums, bass, guitar, vocals, natch) an advantage, drawing from many facets as oppose to picking a time/band/style and sticking to it rigidly. 'Perpetual Happening' doesn't deviate from rock 'n' roll/garage/punk, but what it does achieve is a diversity that few others choosing a similar path obtain.

'Dinosaur Traffic' is pub-rock morphing into punk with gusto, as is the title track which takes in both 70s rock and 60s psych, both come wrapped in stellar guitar. The snotty 'Flower Punk Girl' could be sung by Jilted John's aggressive older brother and the 60s proto-punk of 'Paint Me' begins like a chilled out Monks before a warped solo contorts things into space-rock territory. The psychedelic rock terrain first explored by the 13th Floor Elevators is given a good going over on 'I Can Hear Most Everything' and then Thee Exciters prove they can riff with the best of them on 'Hang Loose', a definite highlight that's part Hendrix, part Cramps.

There are several other past heroes you could nod towards here ('Devil's Make Up' is The Kinks doing Screaming Jay Hawkins, and you can pick any number of punk legends to compare to the feral 'Killing You' and 'Broken Rule') but it's not where the sounds originate from that matters, it's how you use them. On 'Perpetual Happening' Thee Exciters beg, borrow and steal, and the diversification (plus the album not outstaying its welcome) make it a record to go back to again and again. Quite simply one of thee best garage bands the UK currently has to offer.







Thee Exciters' website

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