The Bellerophon Project certainly know how to pack every last microsecond with something, whether it be hyper-distorted, none-more-syncopated riffage, elegantly soaring synthetic layers, jazzy and serene clean tones, or even – on occasion – silence. Read more…
This EP is a triumph.
Yearbook are masters of syncopation, turning bars of 4/4 inside out and making common time sound as uncommon as it gets. These tracks aren’t so much “songs” as they are guided tours through Yearbook’s collective musical consciousness, unorthodox constructions laced with elements of the familiar and, yes, catchy. As with Yearbook’s live shows, there’s an ever-present middle finger raised in the direction of compromise and comfort zones; if Coheed and Cambria decided to take on the world of math-pop, they would sound as Yearbook do right now. Read more…
After this weekend’s metal-focussed extravaganza, I decided to look for something a little more summery. Fortunately I didn’t have to search for long, thanks to a certain TMMP favourite. Read more…
As far as I can remember, I’ve never reviewed a tune twice here on TMMP. But I’m doing it now. Why? Because even though I previously wrote about it as part of Rose Coloured Records’ Doorstep – Volume 1 compilation, If I Was A Whale is worth the extra effort. Read more…
Today has not been a good day. Less than an hour in, and the minutes have all been uniformly packed with stress. My mind’s agitated, and my nerves are shot.
At least, they were. All I can say is, thank God for artists like Steven Gizzi. Read more…
Musicians have been courting controversy for a long time. Legendary Italian violinist Niccolò Paganini made his name as “The Devil’s Violinist”; Elvis’s hip-swinging performances were the cause of public outcry in the 1950s; Marilyn Manson was blamed for the Columbine High School Massacre; and every week brings a new celeb-mag revelation about Rihanna and whatever she’s wearing (or not wearing) right now. But these guys may have overstepped the line. Read more…
Here at TMMP, grassroots music is a big deal. I’ve never understood why people will happily watch rubbish, stuck-in-a-rut TV talent shows that promote an illusory path to instant fame (and drop almost every winner once the last pennies have been squeezed from their exhaustive promotional activities) when hundreds of far more fascinating stories can be found just down the road, at a local music venue like The Boileroom in Guildford. It’s incredible to think that so many great, even world-class talents can go ignored, despite being within such easy reach year in, year out. Why wait for the next week’s TV-scheduled slot when you could just poke your head out of the front door and experience something first-hand? Read more…
Three minutes and thirty-five seconds ago, I was knackered. As in, ready to drop and not get up again for a good few weeks.
Then, this song happened. Read more…
Since founding TMMP, I’ve been forced to cut the phrase “I’ve seen it all” from my vocabulary. Although I already knew that the world of music is an incredibly vast and varied space before starting the journey chronicled via this blog, I really didn’t think I could be surprised any more.
Needless to say, I was very wrong.
Mind Over Matter is a heavy-duty genre-terrorising masterclass from a virtuosically talented multi-instrumentalist. Whatever you’re into, you’ll probably find it shoved mercilessly into Mind Over Matter at some point, not to mention delivered with immensely delicious style and idiosyncratic talent. This isn’t merely a collage of cool stuff – each section flows into the next almost seamlessly, and where there are sudden tangential shifts it’s obviously a consciously chosen act of creative decision-making. Overall, Mind Over Matter is just jaw-dropping, and almost as addictive as those drugs your parents and teachers always warned you to stay away from. Read more…
When I first heard of Trails (via the title of their tune SHT FKR), it seemed somewhat tempting to write them off as silly, immature kids and move on ASAP. I didn’t, though – and I’m glad I chose the less obvious path. Far from being the Blink 182 / Bloodhound Gang crossbreed I’d expected, an actual listen to SHT FKR showed me just how Trails really work. There’s plenty of fun-having, yes, but Trails definitely stay on the right side of the line between humour and playschool-level childishness. The real order of the day here is straightforward rock awesomeness with a bit of flamboyance and serious attention to songwriting detail. Read more…