CONTROL - Schulte, A

EP review by KevW

This trio from Madison, Wisconsin describe their sound as "post everything", but if that's a little vague for you then it may be better to label them as intense, instrumental post-rock, piled high with angular, math-rock guitars. Now that may seem a complex tag to place on CONTROL, but if you have a listen to this, their latest EP you'll find that the noise they make is equally complex and not easy to categorize. Influence-wise they cite, amongst others, King Crimson, The Minutemen, Gang Of Four and Fugazi, and true to their word scraps of those bands can be heard throughout 'Schulte, A'.

The spiky urgency of Gang Of Four is blended with the hardcore punk of The Minutemen and progressive overtones courtesy of King Crimson, topped with the post-hardcore experimenting of Fugazi. The result isn't for the faint hearted and the intricate guitar shredding adds a hectic, desperate twist to the otherwise spacious soundscapes. When the drums follow suit they create a potent and forceful sound which also incorporates enough melody and light to stop things turning too muddy. If you like your music spirited, powerful and exploratory then CONTROL should be right up your street.


Free download: 'Middle Brother Watches Younger Brother While Older Brother Goes Out'

CONTROL's website

Buy the EP





For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

The Higher State - Freakout At The Gallery Sampler EP

EP Review by KevW

It's fitting that Sandgate throwbacks The Higher State are signed to Austin, Texas label 13 O'Clock Records, as one of the city's most important musical exports, The 13th Floor Elevators, are a clear influence on their authentically reproduced psych-rock sound. Now on their third album 'Freakout At The Gallery', they've not tired of recreating the sunny, patchouli-scented sounds of the mid 60s west-coast garage scene, and armed with songs of this calibre there's no reason why we should tire of them either.

'You Had It Coming' clearly takes the harmonious jangle of The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield as its main reference and the crisp guitars could be lifted from either of those band's early recordings. 'These Things Take Time' chucks in a few clichés about incense burning, colours swirling and the spirit world, but it still draws you in by virtue of its fuzzed-out Santana-esque guitar and percussion and faithful production. 'Everything I See' also brings with it pleasantly distorted guitars and a summery vibe. They might be borrowing wholesale from the summer of love but at least they're doing it with conviction and a wonderful accuracy that makes their sonic time travelling difficult to resist.



The Higher State's website

Buy the album





For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Super Best Friends Club - Yes You Are

Single review by KevW

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

As most people who heard the debut EP from London's Super Best Friends Club will attest, they're one of the most intoxicating and unique new bands currently doing the rounds. Adding weight to this argument is the hugely euphoric new single 'Yes You Are' which attacks you with the wide-eyed wonder and joy of Animal Collective on the best drugs in the world, and minus the arty nonsense bits. It crams in as much genuinely breathless happiness as is musically possible in under three minutes.

"You are/the most/amazing/feeling/ever!" they repeat, knocking millions of more elaborate love songs out of their way in one fell swoop. A repetitive piano line drives the song as it swells with overlaying voices and percussion before buggering off in a flash leaving you with the feeling that you've just had the best one night stand ever. If you've ever doubted music's ability to provide emotion then get your listening gear around this. And check out the guy with the brolly in the video, he knows the score. I'll have a pint of whatever they're on please.

Super Best Friends Club's website

Buy the single





For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

The Cast Of Cheers - Animals

Single review by KevW

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

Dublin quartet The Cast Of Cheers have been knocking around for a while now and things are coming together for the release of their first proper album in the summer. A clutch of UK shows supporting Blood Red Shoes should help ensure their tunes reach a wider audience and judging by this new single they could pick up a few more fans along the way, as 'Animals' is an amalgamation of many of the 'quirky' alternative guitar bands that have achieved crossover success in recent years. Although 'Animals' doesn't entirely rely on direct imitation and an eye for bandwagon jumping, it does mix and match from many other artists.

If you could take the afro-tinged indie-pop of Little Comets and Vampire Weekend, the electro/math/pop of Foals or Metronomy, the jerky, hectic indie of The Futureheads or Maximo Park and the experimental alt-rock of TV On The Radio or Maps & Atlases, smash them all up into tiny pieces and then try and rearrange the fragments into a new band it would probably sound a bit like this. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but with so many borrowed ideas thrown into the melting pot it ends up being a decent and fairly interesting listen without really capturing the imagination. Nice enough but not overly memorable.

The Cast Of Cheers' website

'Animals' will be available on April 23rd from here





For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Band To Check Out: Early Maze

Article by KevW

Combining those killer ingredients of pop melodies, walls of buzzing guitars and unrefined production are North Eastern trio Early Maze who've recently released their second album 'Were Our Bodies Ever Found?' Their sound is familiar but individual, placing itself between the feedback and reverb-heavy sugar-coated razorblades of The Jesus & Mary Chain and the hazey but upbeat shoegaze of early Ride. Fans of bands belonging to that branch of alternative music's past will find plenty to tuck in to here, as will those who've been wowed by the work of more recent groups such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or A Place To Bury Strangers.

The fuzz-laden 'Taste For It' is a new non-album track which you can download below but it's worth investigating them in more depth so we've included two tracks from the new album: the chiming 'Miles Away' which harks back to the first steps of the fledgling Teenage Fanclub with its soaring harmonies and wash of scuzzy guitar, and also the video to recent single 'Show Some Speed' which is available on 7" with an exclusive B-side and is a feast for the ears of anyone who likes their music accessible but dirty and wilfully non mainstream.

Early Maze's website

Stream or buy the album



For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

Five For Free #71

Maps & Atlases - Winter

So this new album by Maps & Atlases that's out this week is sounding very good indeed. A couple of days ago we gave you a free download of recent single 'Fever' and if you haven't had a chance to check out 'Beware & Be Grateful' in full yet, here's another cut, 'Winter', which mixes shuffling beats with a host of hooks to become one of the outstanding tracks on their second album.



Maps & Atlases' website

Stream the album in full

Buy the album





Beachwood Sparks - Forget The Song 

It's been a decade since we've had any new material from acclaimed psychedelic alt-country band Beachwood Sparks and a year longer since their last album. At last they return, with a new album 'The Tarnished Gold' to be released in June. Before then they're giving us this gorgeous new track for the measly price of an email address. So fill in the widget below and enjoy the sublime 'Forget The Song'.

Beachwood Sparks' website

Pre-order the album





Ceremony - Send Me Your Dreams

Virginian shoegazers Ceremony (not to be confused with the hardcore band of the same name) made one of the albums of 2010 with 'Rocket Fire' and now they're releasing a split 7" single with A Place To Bury Strangers (ex members of Skywave are in both bands) and proceeds go to the Ariel Panero memorial fund. The MP3 of the visceral 'Send Me Your Dreams' is available below for the fee of your choice.


Ceremony's website

Buy the 7"





The Black Lips - Dance With You

Supplying us with a healthy dose of psych/garage rock are Atlanta's The Black Lips who are releasing a new single consisting of two tracks recorded in the same sessions as last year's 'Arabia Mountain' album. The previously unreleased 'Dance With You' is a 60s-coloured slice of freakbeat that's both endearing and creepy and worth much more coverage than just as a B-side to a one-off single.

Free download: 'Dance With You'

The Black Lips' website

Buy the single





Ophelia Syndrome - Passing Time

Hailing from Toronto and the surrounding areas are folk-pop band Ophelia Syndrome who've recently released new album 'All Things Forgotten'. Taken from it is sweet free tune 'Passing Time' which combines a delicate, soulful vocal with strings, twinkling keys and understated production. It's a welcome change from all the hideously overproduced pop that's clogging up mainstream radio space.


Ophelia Syndrome's website

Stream or buy the album





For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk

The Just Joans - Buckfast Bottles In The Rain

Album review by KevW

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

A fair few people will be familiar with The Just Joans already as most of the songs on this debut album have been around in various forms for several years, but for those new to the them, they're based in Glasgow and this is a point they like to make unbelievably clear. If calling an album 'Buckfast Bottles In The Rain' didn't give it away, they named themselves after the agony aunt in The Daily Record and this album is littered with regional references and clichés to the point where it becomes a bit much. I'm not sure a Scottish, indie version of The Wurzels was on anyone's wish list, but there's a definite tang of novelty hanging over many of these songs.

The first half of the record documents the last year of school, the second half covers university and beyond. It's a shame that sometimes the imagination used here doesn't go beyond nicking traffic cones and waking up next to girls whose names you can't remember. The lyrics could have come from a Rab C. Nesbitt script: "sitting on the living room floor, talking about shagging and the football score" or "I spent most of my loan in the first two weeks on cans of Tennent's lager". It's almost a checklist of stereotypes: "been playing pool and drinking Irn Bru down The Miner's all summer long". The line "taking Britpop posters from my wall all summer long" is telling, as this album borrows lyrics and melody from bands including Menswear ('Lookin' Like Rain'), Sleeper ('What Do We Do Now') and forerunners The Wonderstuff ('Friday Afternoons').

You can play spot the pilfered tune loads on this album. 'East Kilbride (All Summer Long') uses a whole section of The Beach Boys' 'I Get Along' and, far more dubiously, 'Coia's Empty' takes part of Russ Abbott's 'Atmosphere', while 'Please Don't Talk To Me' pinches both the theme to Steptoe & Son and folk standard 'Show Me The Way To Go Home'. 'Buckfast Bottles In The Rain' isn't bereft of merit and is a fairly decent listen but if they dropped the clichés and tired imagery they could be on to a winner. Unfortunately though, in their current form The Just Joans are offering little that hasn't been done before, and better, by countless other DIY indie bands.

Free download: 'Friday Afternoons (Down The Union)'

The Just Joans' website

Buy the album





For more news, reviews and downloads follow The Sound Of Confusion on Facebook or Twitter

soundofconfusion@hotmail.co.uk