In 2015, musicians need more than good songs to succeed. They also need passion, drive, determination, and ambition.
Amber My Ember have all of the above.
Lumina is a truly wicked track, Read more…
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Fancy a challenge? Then try this:
Stick this EP on, sit down, and try to remain perfectly still.
It’s fucking impossible.
Calling Arcane Roots passionate, energetic, talented, and epic is like calling the sky blue. Those labels aren’t subject to debate, but undeniable facts. Heaven & Earth sees Arcane Roots push themselves to a new level, penning some of their most accessible tunes to date while remaining unafraid to tangentially turn into raw, frenetic math-ridden riffage whenever they deem it most appropriate.
Opener If Nothing Breaks, Nothing Moves illustrates Read more…
Secret Black Boyfriend are more than an odd name. They’re an odd band, with a hard-to-categorise sound. For most of their second album, they sound like Reuben jamming with Rage Against The Machine’s rhythm section – only to throw a massive curveball on final track Hepatinnitus, where bleak, noise-ridden math-punk is the order of the day.
This album will have you scratching your head while rocking out – so do it in public at your peril.
Opening track Baby Shooter hits hard with raw, incensed lyrics addressing domestic violence – and seventh cut High Fives Save Lives hits the same mark with one of the best riffs of the lot and words directed at Read more…
TMMP is dedicated to discovering and supporting musicians who break boundaries, beat the best expectations, and mean what they play.
Is it trendy? Is it cool and hip and in and [insert alternative buzzword here]? Who the fuck cares, honestly?
A self-conscious reluctance to experiment holds a lot of musicians back from doing something fresh, new, and vital. Now more than ever, musicians are placed under constant and unrelenting pressure to conform to the ways of the past – expected to be slaves to external demands, pleasing everyone except themselves.
The thing is, all the styles and genres that we take for granted now were alien once. Jazz is now considered quaint and archaic, as is classic rock’n’roll – but when those movements first kicked off, people had no idea what to make of it. From the perspective of those original jazzers and rock’n’rollers, we live in the future – and yet that same future is frequently soundtracked by vintage sounds.
Although there’s nothing objectively wrong with that, it’s still a little ironic that this future currently tends (and trends) toward the past, rather than looking forward and trying something new. Too many of today’s musicians have forgotten that the (metaphorical) musical melting pot even exists, neglecting it in favour of textbook, formulaic recycling.
But then, there are bands like Press To MECO. Read more…
Tired. Old. Worn-out. Worthless.
Press To MECO’s ideas do not match any of those descriptions.
Family Ties ties together pop-punk’s signature let’s-drink-ten-Red-Bulls-and-have-a-star-jump-competition energy with hooks twisted into time-pretzels via multi-meter manipulations that are nothing short of genius. Then Diffusion Of Responsibility kicks into a fat head-bobbing riff that could spark off a circle pit at a funeral. By the time that super-tasty second track is through, we’re Read more…
To spot a great band in the darkest depths of the underground, start by asking yourself the following questions:
1) Are they recycling the same old tired clichés?
2) Can you hear their influences?
2a) If so, do those influences flow into each other and blend well?
3) Do they sound like they mean it?
4) Does the production job do the music justice?
The answers you’re looking for are:
1) No;
2) I don’t care, because this is badass!;
2a) Yes;
3) Yes;
4) Hell yes.
É‘s Introductory Blues passes this test effortlessly. Acoustic guitar fiddliness in the vein of Candyrat Records gives way to Enter Shikari-style vocalisations, a buildup into Read more…
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If you’ve never heard of Arcane Roots, believe me – you’re missing out. As you read this, the prog-enamoured London-based trio are in the process of making big waves in the UK’s underground rock scene, winning fans left, right, centre, up, down, forward, backward, diagonally, and maybe inside-out if that’s even possible. Here are a few reasons why TMMP is set on raving about these guys until grey hair and the grave begin to beckon…
1) In This Town Of Such Weather.
You can be certain that sooner or later, Arcane Roots are going to drop a massive breakout hit – and when that time comes, it’ll be important to remind the world that their back catalogue is all killer, no filler too. For TMMP, In This Town Of Such Weather (from 2011 mini-album Left Fire) is a Read more…
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Few things in life feel as good as immersing yourself in something you love. Diving deep into awesomeness, allowing the world’s worries to slip away, replacing baggage with better things. Escaping.
Of all the modern world’s escape hatches, music remains one of the most enigmatic and rewarding options. However, everyday life offers few opportunities for extended periods of musical immersion. You can walk down the street under headphones, spend a lazy Sunday in the company of your sound system with the curtains drawn, or spend an evening at a top-class venue taking in a few bands – but for many music fanatics, such experiences still don’t go deep enough.
2000 Trees certainly does. Situated on an out-of-the-way Gloucestershire farm in a 3G-free dead zone, the Trees site is an ideal location for digital disconnection, and reconnection with simpler things. The feeling of sun on your face, wind on your skin, and pure live music vibrating every cell in your body.
Arcane Roots’ (95%) set was the perfect reward for an Read more…
TMMP regulars Blood Youth return for a special one-off interview…
A song that made you want to make music: Scar Tissue – RHCP.
Best album ever written: Slipknot – Iowa.
Craziest moment you’ve experienced in the band: On our last tour we stayed at Stanley Kubrick’s mansion.
Deepest lyrics from one of your songs: Your eyes tell me Read more…
This lineup was unmissable.
Regular readers will already know how much I love talking about Toska. These guys are beyond insane, boasting telepathic tightness and currently-instrumental tunes heavier than the Terminator’s ballsack. Over their last few shows, Toska have been experimenting with a variety of dynamic approaches, and seem to have settled on a rawer, more focussed, and emotionally immersive sound than ever before.
Level Up: Achieved.
Having followed Eschar for so long they’re probably considering a restraining order, it’s safe to say that I think they’re alright – maybe even pretty good. The only thing Eschar seem to struggle with is Read more…