The Aristocrats – ‘Tres Caballeros’ [Review]

UPDATE: TMMP has been reborn! This video has the full story:

Click here to subscribe for free on YouTube!

Almost nobody in the world has mastered the art of instrumental mindfuckery to the degree the Aristocrats have. This fusion-powered power trio (Guthrie Govan on guitar, Bryan Beller on bass, and Marco Minnemann on drums) have been hailed as heroes the world over, and for a number of reasons:

Reason 1: Virtuosity. The musicianship on display throughout Tres Caballeros is nothing short of world-class. Considering the pedigrees of the players involved, this is hardly a surprise – but nonetheless, on a technical level this album is crammed full of brain-stunningly inventive moments and axe / stick / finger gymnastics that deserve recognition. Tres Caballeros is the sound of master musicians pushing Read more…

Posted on 23 June 2015

Rolo Tomassi – ‘Grievances’ [Review]

Four albums into their career, you might expect Rolo Tomassi to chill things out and give themselves a breather for once. But have they?

…Kind of, actually.

Grievances gets going with Estranged, an idiosyncratically Tomassi amalgam of hectic skin-beating barrages, stabbing and churning guitars, and a relatively low-key section that brings to mind dark alleys and glistening knives rather than sunshine and fluffiness. Raumdeuter takes Read more…

Posted on 22 June 2015

Fizzy Blood – ‘Feast’ [Review]

Opening with eerie arpeggios reminiscent of Soundgarden at their best and tangentially kicking into a fat, strutting vintage-modern groove, Black Sheep is so huge and sexy it should be filed under “BBW” on a porn site, not “Rock ‘N’ Roll” on iTunes. It’s also a great start to a six-track EP that wastes no time in establishing Fizzy Blood as ones to watch.

January Sun blends a warm four-to-the-floor beat with raw Read more…

Posted on 21 June 2015

Bellevue Days – ‘Capability, Capacity’ [Review]

A filthy alt-rock track with spectacularly intense lyrics inspired by William S. Burroughs’ hard-hitting novel, Junkie? Count me in the “instant fucking fanboy” group for that one. Or, rather, this one. Read, listen, and look forward to Bellevue Days’ debut EP The Sun Came Up When We Were Young (due July 27).

TMMP RATING: 80% Read more…

Posted on 19 June 2015

Mike Posner – ‘The Truth’ [Review]

Pop is a relative rarity on TMMP – but this EP is exceptional. Few songs have the capacity to cut as deep as I Took A Pill In Ibiza (confessional songwriting at its best), emote as effectively as Read more…

Posted on 18 June 2015

Giacomo Pope – ‘Paris’ [Review]

TMMP favourite Giacomo Pope hasn’t taken long to come into his own. From his earliest experiments to his debut LP Skin, Giacomo’s evolution has been as rapid as his music is Read more…

Posted on 14 June 2015

Mutiny On The Bounty – ‘Digital Tropics’ [Review]

Before we get started, you need to watch this video:

If you loved that, this album is guaranteed to make you uncomfortably tumescent within about 0.73 seconds. Digital Tropics is crammed with no fewer than Read more…

Posted on 12 June 2015

F.O.E.S. – ‘Antecedence’ [Review]

Show me a band who are one third Deftones, one third Karnivool, and one third Arcane Roots, and I’ll show you a band I’ll happily rave about until the end of time. F.O.E.S. (aka Fall Of Every Sparrow) may have an awkward name, but their music is fucking incredible. They’ve definitely found the fast track to instant approval at this end.

Antecedence kicks in in style with Rival Thrones – an immediate and crystal-clear nod in the direction of Chino Moreno & co. that merges massive, churning riffs with epic Read more…

Posted on 11 June 2015

Muse – ‘Drones’ [Review]

Muse have done it all. They’ve stuck together for over two decades, released seven albums, toured the world, dominated festivals and stadiums, sold some 17m long-playing units – you name it, they’ve done it. Now, their latest effort is out there exploring now-familiar themes (global conspiracies, alienation, disconnection, etc) from the perspective of an individual who becomes indoctrinated into (and eventually rebels against) the modern Western military system.

Undeniably proggy (a good thing here at TMMP), expansive, and entertaining, Drones mainly wins during Read more…

Posted on 10 June 2015

Pulo Revé – ‘The ÉP’ [Review]

Pulo Revé may be the most underground of underground concerns right now, but once you come into contact with their soundwaves, you will find them unignorable. A hectic and left-of-centre blend of post-hardcore brutality, DEP-influenced hypersyncopated complexity, and intelligent lyrics often Read more…

Posted on 06 June 2015