The Jellycats – ‘Home’ [Review]
Here in the UK, we’re all making the most of a late summer – and with Home, the Jellycats have the perfect soundtrack for anyone intent on staying out past their bedtime and celebrating our nation’s weather-based good fortunes. Upbeat ska grooves, snotty and tongue-in-cheek vocals, and a bit of additional pisstaking bookending a fun song that’s as infectious as chlamydia; everything you need to chuck your worldly cares away for three and a half minutes is in here. Head downscreen to hear Home while I go delete all the chlamydia-related Google searches I just did from my internet history. Read more…
The first time I heard the intro to Can’t Explain The Tide, I definitely didn’t realise that it was a live recording. However, things quickly became clearer with the arrival of second track P.I.P (Persuasion Is Power) and what I initially felt was an awkward shift in production style. 
Pure punk-metal grit, guts, and glory. Stick-in-the-head songcraft; one-inch-punch drums; confident and melodic guitar work; sick beatdowns – all that and more is present on opening track and lead single Follow Me alone. Personal highlights abounded on Last One Standing, but it you were to stick a gun in my ear and force three choices I’d have to pick Tell Me Something‘s epic drum work; second single I’m Not Leaving‘s slick and slinky electronic touches; and Living In A Hurricane‘s modern rock chorus-writing mastery. 
I’m not one for golden-age thinking. Although the alt-metal movement that got me into music birthed some breathtaking albums, a lot of it was shit. Alt-metal’s new breed, however, are taking the best of the past and using it to forge a better future. 
BEAR know how to fucking rock. Tighter than a gimp suit that’s been left in the wash and as dense as a black hole’s singularity, on Mantiis Belgium’s loud-and-clear answer to the Dillinger Escape Plan take on desire, exploitation, and self-centredness via much brutal riffing and a no-nonsense video. Not for the faint of heart, but an undeniable blinder for the rest of us. 
On The Vibrant Sound of Bliss and Decay – Cea Serin’s second LP – the self-proclaimed Snergonian mercurial metallers slaughter and sacrifice many a metal subgenre in the name of birthing something somewhat unique. 
I honestly can’t believe that this is A R T E L S’ first track and video. This kind of class straight out of the gate is damn rare; the only comparable act to A R T E L S right now are Guildford’s own Following Foxes, whose live show and recorded output show a similar level of single-minded ambition and professionalism. Hurricane is classy, elegant, and brutally percussive – often simultaneously – and a worthy listen for anyone intrigued by the term ‘folktronica’. 
If you’re looking to have your brain fucked in and enjoy the experience, Beardyman is the artist for you. A restless and relentless musical innovator and virtuoso beatboxing mouth-wizard, Beardyman holds little back on the appropriately-titled Concentrations, which is only a taster of what’s to come on his upcoming album Distractions. 
This five-minute single tune captures MoCara’s lazy and loose live vibes incredibly effectively. Rough-edged vocals, scratchy guitars, languid basslines and excellent drum work cooperate in an appropriately love-sharing manner in the name of sharing a shoulder-untensing song. Awesome work. 
Regular TMMP readers (as well as my family, friends, and any stranger who’s sat next to me on the train for more than five minutes) will probably be sick to death of hearing me rant about how goddamn amazing Marmozets are. Well, I have many a good reason for doing so – and this 13-track slab of genius is another one to add to the list.