If you’ll pardon the pun, there’s something to be said for a precisely delivered lyric. Timing, word choice, vocal delivery and all of its complications – there are so many elements that need to be approached flawlessly in order to make a song super-effective. On No Love, No Hope, No Future, Canvas get it all right – again and again and again. Read more…
Parachute For Gordo are nothing if not inventive – and this video serves only to carve that statement in stone and shine a crystal-clear spotlight upon it. Fittingly quirky, unusual, and strangely attractive, Decoy Octopus is a must-watch for anyone willing to push some boundaries and indulge their arty side. Read more…
Absorbing rather than alienating, feel-filled instead of soul drainingly self-indulgent, and valuing honesty over obfuscation and pretentiousness: Artery is the kind of album you’ll be listening to until you’re old and grey if you afford it the time to sink beneath your skin. Read more…
Alt-J may project a slightly different vibe to previous TMMP reviewees Slipknot, but they’re no less experimental. Every Other Freckle is, in its own way, complex and challenging yet equally rewarding and even joyous. There are sounds in here that you will not – will not – hear anywhere else Read more…
Some of the catchiest pieces of music ever written were conceived as advertising jingles. Whether it’s Go Compare’s opera singer or McDonalds’ I’m Lovin’ It campaign, we can all think of at least one jingle that we instantly regret remembering because (in the cases above) it either makes us want to kill ourselves, or was used to sell addictive products that could potentially kill you. Thank fuck, then, that Sonic Boom Six’s PledgeMusic campaign is being pushed out into the world via The Boom Needs You! – a song that I didn’t originally plan on reviewing, but which became so lodged in my brain that I felt compelled to write these words. Read more…
When I saw Kyshera support LA alt-rock legends Boy Hits Car in Camden, I was blown away by their relentlessly aggressive, self-consciousness-free energy. That same energy forces itself unstoppably through headphones and screen on this track and its accompanying video. Read more…
Drummers get an unfair amount of stick. Even the most talented skin-beaters can only dream of escaping the stream of endless drummer jokes, such as:
Q: How do you know when a drummer’s at your door?
A: The knocking speeds up.
Q: What’s the last thing a drummer says before getting fired?
A: “Hey guys – why don’t we try one of my songs?”
Q: What do you say to a drummer in a suit?
A: “Will the defendant please rise?” Read more…
Wearing your influences on your sleeve can be a risky business. It’s a precarious tightrope walk between sound-alike copycat crap (let’s be honest – if you sound exactly like a famous band with a big discography, all you’re going to do is make your listeners head toward that band and forget you in the process), and diluted and directionless wishy-washiness. Few bands manage to keep their balance.
The Kut, however, do. Read more…
Bands like Tigers Of Junction Street are, appropriately here, right up my street. Perfectly blended musical melting pots never fail to catch my ears and turn me into a helpless but healthy addict – and this tune is definitely having that effect right now. Check out the super-sick video below, and click those links to get more info on Tigers Of Junction Street! Read more…
Old-school vibes with extra nostalgia and a contemporary twist? Sounds like the perfect end-of-summer soundtrack to me. Uni was a long time ago, but Peace Of Mind takes me straight back to all the best bits. Read more…