Candy Says - Kiss Kill

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Taking a quick look at the evidence presented to us, it was briefly a case of judging a book by its cover. A band called Candy Says with a single called 'Kiss Kill'? Released on cassette? Needless to say, the "C", "8" and "6" keys were primed and ready for action (which is lucky really, since they've just been used), but giving the song a spin, the old adage about books and covers rings true again. This is a song that could fall under the indie/pop banner, and you could maybe go as far as to call it a modern update of the DIY indie sounds of the 1980s; it originates from the same sources.

There are elements of girl-groups and jangly guitar bands to be found here, but they're shoved through a modern filter so that they're not recognisable as the indiepop you may have expected. Is that even a sly use of Auto-Tune there? Whatever, the production is very modern and the song is far from being fey or twee. It's a stomping alt-pop attack that's as close to Crystal Castles as to The Shop Assistants, but it's easy to listen to still, at least to those who are familiar with modern pop and not stuck in a time warp. No prisoners are taken and no edges are gently sanded down. 'Kiss Kill' is a bit of an aural assault.





Candy Says' website

Buy the single

Catch them live:

Oct 19 Oxford Gathering Festival, Oxford, UK
Oct 23 The Lexington, London, UK
Oct 24 Trof, Fallowfield, Manchester, UK
Oct 25 Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, UK





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Vimes - Celestial

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Cologne duo Vimes (and let's not forget their live drummer - they've done well on the road) are slowly creeping into consciousness, no doubt helped by those Hot Chip support dates (at the band's request). In fact we said back in January that the two bands are coming from a similar sonic realm, and new single 'Celestial' only serves to reinforce that. Swap the vocalists and you could pass this off as Hot Chip without too many questions being asked. By the way, this isn't to say that Vimes are imitators, it's more a compliment that their music can match the standard of the electro-pop heroes.

The old saying about songs being dance music for people who don't like dance music could be used here too. They have the potential to get plenty of feet moving and filling the floor with this, but if you're a fan of more listen-at-home type indie or electronica then 'Celestial' fits the bill on that front too. It's hard to fault Vimes, and there's a good chance that they will make some inroads and crack the mainstream. The only potential stumbling block is that a few better known bands are doing similar things. These guys have the quality though, and the odd bit of similarity hasn't been much of an obstacle for countless bands in the past. We might be hearing more of this pair.



Vimes' website

Buy the single

Nov 02 New Fall Festival, Dusseldorf, Germany





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Eagulls - Nerve Endings

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Having known about Leeds gang Eagulls for quite some time now (their Facebook page says they formed five-and-a-half years ago) it was a bit of a surprise to learn that they're yet to release an album. Other tracks have been available in the past of course, but 'Nerve Endings' is apparently the first song to be unveiled from the full-length. As we've said before, having a decent amount of time writing and playing together prior to hitting the studio for a full-length often works in a band's favour; they'll have a unified idea of the sound they're after and will have gelled as a unit. Both factors can lead to a more complete sounding record.

Set for a release early next year, the album is set to be called 'Mark Our Words'. Naturally the press people are telling us it's going to be a towering masterpiece, and it may well be. We're certainly expecting something created to a high standard. The pumping alt-rock/punk of 'Nerve Endings' is a good way to kick of the campaign. It's the sound of a band with fire in their bellies, one that knows it's come up with the goods. That will ultimately be for their fans to decide, but at this point don't bet against it. This is fierce, solid, and with have your speakers quaking.





Eagulls' website

Buy the single

Catch them live:

THU 10 OCT Norwich Sound And Vision Festival 2013, UK
FRI 18 OCT Mercury Lounge, New York, NY, US





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This Early Autumn - Mood

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Much like large parts of Africa and mid-Asia, South America remains a fairly untapped musical landscape for us, although we do try our best and find great music wherever we can. That said, we'll never be featuring an artist based on location; the tunes have to be up to scratch. With a few inroads made into some countries of that vast continent, we think This Early Autumn are the first Columbian band we've covered. Based in the capital, Bogotá, from a soup of influences that includes Radiohead, Queen, Placebo, A-Ha, Keane and, weirdly, little know Scandi-pop group Eskobar (I wonder if they're better known in that part of the world as they (almost) share a name with tragic Columbian footballer Andrés Escobar?), this band have come up with some prime guitar-pop.

It can't be easy for a band from their country to make inroads into the UK market, and in fact the album from which 'Mood' is taken ('Primary Pursuit') was first released in 2011, but with a video and single release for the UK this coming week they're hoping for a bit more attention. If they can keep us supplied with sparkling, buzzing guitar-pop like this song then we'll keep promoting them until the world wakes up and listens. 'Mood' is a very good song, one that sounds like a lot of bands, but try finding a direct comparison and you'll struggle. They may be taking inspiration from the work of others but they're converting it, highly successfully, into something that's truly their own.





This Early Autumn's website

Buy the album





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Eyes For Gertrude - Rag and Bone

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Despite its relatively small size, the town of Rugby is much better known than other places with a similar population and its name is forever stamped in history, as from this unassuming English hamlet Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized were born. Until then the only thing of note about the place was that they seemed unable to grasp the rules of football. A scene and various spin-off bands was formed from Spacemen 3, and Eyes For Gertrude are not one of them. They are though, possibly the only band of note to have connections to Rugby of recent years (please correct me in the comments section below!) and release 'Rag and Bone' as their début single.

The track was initially snuck out in January but is now being given a proper push at a more suitable time of year. There's an autumnal feel to both the song and the rather odd video, and the style seems more fitting too, as 'Rag and Bone' is a curious amalgamation of traditional British sounds and traditional American sounds. If they told you they were from Tennessee you'd probably believe them. If you're wincing at the thought of more folk/Americana then rest assured that this song is both fun, upbeat and generally an all-round great listen. The strings towards the end give an unexpected twist and may be something that Eyes For Gertrude may wish to pursue more in the future. This beats men with odd-shaped balls any day.





Eyes For Gertrude's website

Buy the single

Catch them live:

OCT 24 THE MUSIC BOX, Salisbury
NOV 21 SALISBURY ARTS CENTRE, Salisbury
DEC 5 THE LOUISIANA, BRISTOL





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Hares - Just A Picture

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

During the great "landfill indie" scene of the middle of the last decade, The Holloways did quite well, gaining a certain degree of success, but ultimately they were never good enough to last and remained a second division side. Rob Skipper has continued his musical ventures though, forming a new band and collaborating with other artists on the alternative/guitar scene. His latest group are Hares and released a début EP last year. Touring with The Pigeon Detectives won't have done their landfill indie credentials much good, but maybe new three-track single 'Just A Picture' can alter a few perceptions.

In all honestly, the title-track is pretty good; it's a well-written track and doesn't follow formula too much. It's far from being a classic but in its own way it has some charm and individuality, and this combined with a pop edge makes for a decent listen. It could be that B-side 'Inkblots and Papercuts' betters it, although neither are radio hits like the ubiquitous 'Generator', but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It has a classic sound that shows Skipper can pen a good tune and has partial glimpses of Bolan, Costello and Paul Simon, plus a nod to The Crystals will always go down well round here. Oddly, the most obvious single choice of these three tracks is third offering 'Your Kind Of Guy', an upbeat indie-rock tune with a sprinkling of glam. It might all be topsy-turvy but this is a good package.





Hares' website

Buy the single





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Zoo Zero - Fraktion/Show Me Your Flag

Singles reviewed by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

With this psych revival not looking like slowing any time soon, everyone wants a piece of the sonic pie. There's a fair chance of Zoo Zero achieving cult status before long. The mainstream press have thus far largely avoided (or simply not heard of) them, but the launch gig for their self-titled début album next week will see them accompanied by Wire and It Hugs Back side-project Slows and a DJ set from Sonic Cathedral, and their involvement can usually be counted as a mark of approval. The two singles from the album so far show different sides to the band, so it could be an eclectic set.

Firstly there album opener 'Fraktion', and however much you try to skirt around mentioning it, any review will eventually succumb to acknowledging that this is a modern krautrock tune. The two genres have gone hand-in-hand for years and rarely as closely as this. While were on the overused descriptive terms we should give a shout to both The Jesus & Mary Chain and Wooden Shjips on this one. There are different sounds on 'Show me Your Flag' (which is also less than half the length) and actually sounds more like some fuzzy alt-rock masquerading as psychedelia. There are more vocals, less repetitiveness and what far more closely resembles something your average man in the street might describe as a "song". It's the former that's best, but both are good tunes and set things up nicely for the full-length.





Download 'Fraktion' for free by heading here

Zoo Zero's website

'Zoo Zero' is out on September 30th from Bandcamp

Catch them live:

Zoo Zero's album launch party
Tues, Oct 1, The Victoria, London, UK





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