Cancer Bats – Hail Destroyer (Hassle)
Maybe I’m a little too down with Voorhees or Coliseum to really get this. Like, the guy screams and stuff and the guitar guys plod along with their expensive sounding Mesa Boogies and the whole thing is drenched in money and compression. I’m not saying expensive sounding hardcore records are all bad (Poison the Well’s 'You Come Before You' anyone?) but this record is so far from displaying any real emotion it's almost embarrassing. Cancer Bats are kind of like a not-fun version of Paint It Black meets every 80s hardcore band that is good, but without taking any of their good points onboard and missing the point entirely.
Harry Johns
Kong – Blood Of A Dove/A Hint Of Rennit Innit 7” (Brew/White Drugs)
Kong are a band who, despite garnering a bit of buzz around them of late, have managed to somehow pass me by. These two tracks make me wish I’d taken note sooner. ‘Blood Of A Dove’ revolves around a menacing, Steve Albini-esque riff, contorting and twisting itself to its natural conclusion - a man screaming. And while this is all very satisfactory, it’s ‘A Hint Of Rennit Innit’ that serves up a far more interesting side to the band. Keeping with that Shellac discordance but a little more upbeat, the track delves off in odd tangents that bring a doomy King Crimson to mind before a relentless staccato barrage of pure rock hammers the point home. Admittedly, they’re a band who wear their influences on their sleeve but when it’s as delivered as well as this, who cares?
Charles J. Pritchard
Michael Rossiter – My Dearest Dear (Folk Theatre)
Michael Rossiter is part of a really vibrant and exciting folk scene in Leeds right now. I should know, I live there. But where some try to re-invent the genre, Michael treats us to a collection of traditional folk tunes (aside from 2 original compositions) older than you or I. It’s a suitably lo-fi affair, with easiest reference points being John Fahey and Martin Carthy but with Rossiter’s soft, vunerable vocals adding a certain delicacy to the whole record. I mean, you should just go check out everyone on his MySpace really, there is so much talent surrounding this record that just needs to be paid attention to.
HJ
Lukestar – Lake Toba (Phone Me Records)
Hailing from Norway, Lukestar serve up exactly the kind of post-My Bloody Valentine dreamy indie you come to expect from that part of the world. But in this case that’s not a bad thing at all, managing to inject a bit more urgency into their sound than most with the drive of tracks like ‘Clockworks of Tomorrow’ and ‘Shape of Light’. What you end up with is an exquisite blend of twinkling ethereal atmospherics and no bullshit guitar pop reminiscent of Pretty Girls Make Graves. I was convinced a woman was singing on this, with the vocals coming across like a female Jeremy Enigk. However, I checked out their photos and saw only pictures of men. Weird. Still, if it works for Sigur Ros…
This is an odd but great little record that demands your attention every time it’s on.
CJP
This is an odd but great little record that demands your attention every time it’s on.
CJP
