Shortwave Fade – This Is How It Ends
Despite playing some high profile gigs with bands such as The Datsuns, Keane, and The Subways, Shortwave Fade remain to be a relatively unknown, underground entity. This really is a shame because this EP shows that the band have a fine talent for what they do and can quite easily pen a very fine tune.
The band storm through this EP, and have an entirely unique and truly exciting Indie sound. This band really sound like no other I can think of, and through practise have quite obviously developed their own exciting and enthralling sound. This EP has been cleverly crafted and is a fine display of Indie expertise with masterful guitars, some awesome bass lines, and some truly inspirational vocals. This band have tons of melody, and their four songs on display here are killer with up tempo beats that a lot of the leading forces in the Indie game would be proud to call their own.
I think if I were to pick a favourite off of this EP then I would probably pick the second track, ‘Stupidly.’ This really is a fine track and the band could quite easily release this one as a single and get some serious airplay on XFM and could easily enter the charts with it given the right backing. It is one of those really memorable tracks that you rarely stumble across, but when you do it truly is a delight to hear.
With the high profile support slots I have already mentioned behind them, Shortwave Fade should continue to get further great gigs as they really do deserve it. One day this band may even be headlining these kinds of shows, with bands in the same sort of boat as they are at the moment supporting them – the high profile act. Watch out for this band in the future – I can see a bright future ahead of them.
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THE*GA*GA*S – Left Of Centre
In fairness to the band, it was always going to be hard up to live up to the awesome debut single of the storming ‘Sex,’ but I think they have done a pretty good job of picking their second single and picked a song that although not as great, still isn’t a bad tune by any stretch of imagination. I really like this band –they really are a shining torch for British Rock, and one of the few bands that can cut it in this day and age.
‘Left Of The Centre’ is a pretty good effort with some storming guitars, great bass lines, and strong vocals, as well as some really cool drum beats. It hasn’t got such a memorable chorus as ‘Sex’ and is by no means as catchy but in its own right it’s still pretty good. I think if the band had released this single before they released ‘Sex’ then I’d probably appreciate it more and think more of it, but the problem is – they didn’t. I say this is a problem, but the fact that they had such an energetic and exciting debut was good as it gave them an edge as people hearing that track definitely wouldn’t have forgotten it in a hurry, or in fact forgotten the band.
Hopefully, on the basis of the position that debut single ‘Sex’ has put them in will give THE*GA*GA*S a strong chance of success with new single ‘Left Of Centre.’ It’s probably more radio friendly with its mellower, laid back feel and is certainly well worth checking out if you are a fan of Rock‘n’Roll music.
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The Explosion – Black Tape
The Explosion is one of those ‘The Next Big Thing’ branded bands – and the thing about these bands is that sometimes it happens for them, and sometimes it doesn’t. However, in most of the cases where it just doesn’t happen, the band isn’t particularly great – this can’t really be said of The Explosion. With ‘Black Tape,’ The Explosion has produced an album that although not entirely original, is full of substance, energy and excitement. There are many great tracks on display on this album that make The Explosion stand out from the pack and seem like a shining star in a sky of monotonous generic bands.
This album kicks off with ‘Deliver Us’ which in some respects is a bit of a bad move because I’d say that this is probably one of the weaker tracks on the album. There is some heavy distortion on the guitars, and it doesn’t really do the bands sound any justice because on this track they sound like they could well be one of those monotonous and generic bands. It’s not a bad tune; its just not particularly exciting and first time listeners to this band may be put off by its blandness. However, after this initial disappointment the band provide many a fine tune and jump straight into the amazingly catchy ‘Filthy Insane.’ This track will have you randomly singing ‘This is filthy, this is *****ing insane’ for weeks – it really is a catchy little number that you won’t be forgetting in a hurry. This tune alone shows that the band is more than just another average Punk band – they really are something special, and ‘Filthy Insane’ is a testament to this.
The third track on this album is the ultimately catchy lead single from the album ‘Here I Am.’ I really cant see how anyone could possible dislike this track – its one of the finest pop tracks I have heard for years. Most of The Explosion’s album is nothing like this track, but it is an awesome introduction to get people hooked on the band before introducing them to the real, heavier them that I have come to know and love. This track has a really clean, radio friendly feel to it – yet when the band perform it live, even this highly poppy track comes across as raw and rocking. The album continues with the blinding ‘I Know’ – another track with a chorus that you won’t be forgetting for quite some time. This track has some truly awesome guitars, amazing drum beats, seriously sensational bass lines, and the inevitable awesome vocals that after the first three tracks you’ve come to expect from the band.
There are no real downsides to this album – practically every one of these tracks could quite easily be released as a single and do well if it was given the appropriate backing. It is on tracks like ‘No Revolution’ where the band really shows off their awesome Punk Rock credibility. It comes nine tracks in and could quite easily become a classic in a few years. The Explosion has me hooked much like Bad Religion did the first time I ever listened to them. Listening to Bad Religion for the first time filled me with such excitement and filled me with exhilaration and The Explosion work on me in quite the same way. Considering I’d say that Bad Religion are probably one of my favourite bands of all time, this is no minor feat so The Explosion have definitely done something right in their major label debut ‘Black Tape.’
Not many albums fill me with excitement in quite the same way as this effort from The Explosion has. It is very rarely that I will find an entire album that I can really enjoy as a whole without feeling the need to skip at least one or two tracks, but The Explosion really have succeeded in producing an album that is vital to listen to as a whole rather than as individual tracks. It is a shame then that in the MP3 revolution it will probably emerge that many people just have a track or two from this CD on their MP3 player and listen to tracks at random as these people will be missing out on the album in its full glory and as a result will not experience the true excellence of this fine collection of songs that is The Explosion’s ‘Black Tape.’
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Razorlight – Somewhere Else
Razorlight are currently in between albums, and after selling half a million copies of their debut album ‘Up All Night’ you’d expect the band to be taking a break, but not Razorlight – they are bridging the gap between albums with this awesome new single ‘Somewhere Else.’
This track, according to my player is 3 minutes and 17 seconds in length, and in my opinion these are some of the bands finest moments as this really is a great song and is certainly one of the best tracks that they have ever written. It is full of energy, excitement, and enthusiasm – and the band blast through it with intense passion, power and with immense confidence. They really sound like a band in their prime on this track and with tracks like this, their next album looks set to hold a lot of promise.
With this single, the band should reaffirm many peoples passion for the band and after this I am sure that Razorlight fans the world over will be much like I am – eagerly anticipating the bands forthcoming album. Well done to Razorlight and good on them I say because ‘Somewhere Else’ most certainly marks a change in direction, and in my opinion and probably in many others it is most certainly a change for the better. Razorlight are most definitely a force to be reckoned with, and clearly a band on the up.
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Glueball – The Good, The Band and The Ugly
Glueball are UK Speed Punkers – and for what they are they are pretty good. They play fast Punk Rock, and do it with style. I really don’t see why they’ve been sharing the bill with [spunge] recently because they’re really miles apart in terms of sound, and I’m pretty sure that the majority of Ska Punk fans would not appreciate the music that Glueball make.
As I’ve already said, Glueball are pretty good at what they do, this album at just under 22 minutes in length though is almost too long as there’s only so much of the same fast Punk Rock that you can take at a time. I feel that if they had done any more and hadn’t chosen to close the album with a 37 second stormer of a finishing track then this album would soon get boring. Thankfully it wasn’t any longer and it doesn’t get boring, but I guess what I’m trying to say is – Glueball aren’t the kind of band that you could sit down admiring for hours because after a while there music would just start to piss you off.
If you are a fan of Speed Punk then you should probably check this out as Glueball are quite amazing and are definitely a good Hardcore outfit. Try checking this band out when they tour at the end of April with Phinius Gage and Streetlight Manifesto – that’s sure to be an awesome tour with such a great line up of varied, yet in their own rights equally enthralling bands.
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