Princess Slayer – ‘Passion Alley’ [Re-Review]
Last week, I expressed a few reservations about this track. As predicted, they’re all gone now. Passion Alley is officially cemented in my mind as a Read more…
Trevor Gordon Hall – ‘Turning Ruts Into Grooves’ [Review]
Although this piece is aimed at creative people who are traversing the long, desolate desert of writer’s block, it’s also a great pick-me-up for anyone experiencing an awkward life period, whether it be termed a “dry patch” or a “dark night of the soul”. On Turning Ruts Into Grooves, Trevor Gordon Hall employs his virtuosic guitar talents in evoking feelings of uncertainty, ambiguity, anxiety, inertia, and the slow emergence of fresh direction and determination. Not so much a piece of music as an act of public service. Read more…
Nigel Stanford – ‘Cymatics’ [Review]
TMMP is all about boundary-breaking – and the video for ambient musician Nigel Stanford’s Cymatics definitely fits the bill. Whereas many electronic artists settle for stuffing their videos full of barely-dressed women and fully-clothed dudes posing somewhere in the background, Stanford’s team have taken a very literal approach to the visuals for Cymatics. Read more…
Beardyman – ‘Distractions’ [Review]
In an age of instant gratification, where everyone wants everything yesterday, dropping a sophomore album over three and a half years after your debut can be an anxiety-provoking event. It can be argued that music fans are more fickle than ever, easily susceptible as we all are to distraction and immediate amnesia – and under such conditions, almost any musician could reasonably expect the world to have moved on over the course of 42 minutes, let alone months. However, Beardyman is no standard-issue artist. Read more…
Kyshera – ‘Inertia’ [Review]
Kyshera’s new album may be delayed until March 16th, but on this evidence it’ll be worth the wait. Although Kyshera really shine live, their tracks are more than enough to tide fans old and new over until their next face-to-face fix. Inertia is grim, gritty, and custom-designed to weld itself into your memory banks; a must-hear for fans of bands able to summon the gutsy and authentic attitude of classic alt-metal at will. Read more…
Project RnL feat. Pomplamoose – ‘Expiration Date’ [Review]
Although I’m a huge fan of Project RnL, and TMMP is all about negating musical boundaries, my first reaction to Expiration Date was something along the lines of “Just what the hell is this?!” Read more…
Eyal Amir – ‘Theme From Planet Codex’ [Review]
On paper, an ode to a piece of gear (in this case Waves’ Codex synth) should really, really not work this well as a piece of music. But then again, Eyal Amir isn’t your run-of-the-mill composer. Theme From Planet Codex all but bursts with joy and cuteness, effectively representing the rapture of pure creative inspiration in almost exactly four minutes.
Listen up: This is the sound of a master at work. Read more…
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…
BEAR – ‘Mantiis’ [Review]
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. Read more…