The Horrors – Gloves

I’ve never quite understood the appeal of this band; however they seem to have built up quite a following over the past year or so since the release of ‘Sheena is a Parasite’ with its banned video directed by Chris Cunningham. It was this video that gained them notoriety and began their ascent to popularity.

The Horrors music is a bit different from the norm, making them stand out with some uniquely eerie guitars and organ driving through their tracks. ‘Gloves’ is a disjointed, organ heavy mess that quite frankly offends my ears. There is far too much going on at the same time in this track, with nothing seeming to fit together at all and therefore not making for a pleasurable listening experience in the slightest. I’m all for bands trying to do something a little different as long as it sounds good, however The Horrors music sounds far from good as far as I’m concerned meaning ‘Gloves’ is one of the most shockingly bad tracks I have heard in a long while. I shan’t be listening to this one again if I can help it.

Label: Polydor
Release Date: 26th February 2007

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Skatch – Enjoy

Skatch are a five piece from Birmingham, a trombone driven Pop Punk band playing exciting music that is great to sing along to. There is an amazing enthusiasm in this band and the emphasis here seems to be on the fun that the band are having in playing the music that they are. For fans of Ska and Pop Punk alike, Skatch are a band that are not to be missed as this EP really is quite special, especially when you take into account the fact that the band have done all this off their own back in funding and promoting this release.

There are five strong tracks here, however it is opener ‘Sunshine State Of Mind’, ‘Party My House?’, and closing track ‘Time Destroys All Things’ that really stand out for me. I think ‘Sunshine State Of Mind’ is one that sticks in the memory for me as even though it is cold and grey outside – this track has filled me with summertime joy and thoughts of sunnier climes. Packed with some great verses and even better choruses, ‘Sunshine State Of Mind’ will no doubt do the same for you as it did for me. I think the reason ‘Party, My House?’ stands out for me is due to the great use of the trombone here as I feel it really makes the track. Aside from the trombone this is as ever a great track from the band with strong vocals, and some great guitar work. Skatch certainly have a keen eye for penning a catchy track, showing this on five separate occasions here, and lets face it – five out of five isn’t bad at all.

Closing the EP with ‘Time Destroys All Things’ was a wise decision I feel as this ends the CD on a high – an exciting track complete with ‘woah-oh-oh’ sing-along vocals and once again that fine instrumental trombone work. This really is one of the bands finest moments and does leave you upset that the CD has come to an end after a mere five tracks. The band here prove their song writing skills to be of a strong standard and show great ability in a closing track which I will not be soon forgetting.

As this is just an EP, there are only five tracks here; however I would love to hear more from this band and would look forward to an album release from them in the not too distant future. Skatch are currently unsigned, however producing music as upbeat and exciting as this you would have thought that it is only a matter of time before they are snapped up by a label of some sort. Had this EP been recorded five years ago then there is no question as to whether or not they would have been signed by now as at the time the UK Ska Punk scene was thriving and would have loved for an EP of this sort, however while there is less of a demand for this sort of music now – the sad story is that Skatch are a band that remain unsigned even though this should not be so. While on this issue – if you happen to be from a record label/radio station, or you are a promoter then definitely make sure you check this band out as they are looking for people to help them put this EP out there to the masses and any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Haddonfield – Bar Brawls & Downfalls

If you are familiar with the popular 70s horror film ‘Halloween’ then you will recognise the name of this band as the home town of serial killer Michael Myers. With a shared love of horror films as a band, the links to the horror genre do not stop here as the band also have a track on this CD entitled ‘Romero’ lovingly dedicated to the great man George A. Romero who brought us the classic ‘Night Of The Living Dead’. Getting onto the music itself, Haddonfield play energetic fast and fun punk rock music and are very British in their sound which is always nice to find.

‘Bar Brawls & Downfalls’ kicks off well with the energetic ‘Panic’ which gives us a great introduction to the bands sound, leaving us wanting to hear more and interested to see what this young band can come up with. A problem with this opener however is that the recording quality here is not of the best standard with the levels sounding off at times and does leave you hoping that this will improve, which thankfully it does – however this one could do with being rerecorded really as I do feel that this does deteriorate from the quality of the track a bit. It is next track ‘Romero’ that impresses me the most here on this EP as not only does it have a fascinating subject matter, but it is also a great track which in my opinion portrays the band in their best light on this CD. Their passion for the horror genre really comes across here and this combined with the tracks fine lyrics and excellent chorus make for a very well rounded and complete sounding track. ‘Romero’ I feel could easily be released as a single and given the right backing would become a success.

Although ‘Romero’ is a clear favourite of mine on this EP, another track which impressed me here was closing track ‘Broke’ where the band show great skill in the tracks opening, moving on to finish the EP in style leaving me with a smile on my face as I listen. The band sound strong here and show that they are a force to be reckoned with. My only qualm with this one would be that it seems to finish the EP all too abruptly, however this also has its positive points as in the bands doing this we are left wanting for more and hungry to hear the bands next release which can never be a bad thing. What we have here are five fairly strong tracks showing some great ability from the band, proving

Haddonfield to be a powerful four piece with some crushing guitar riffs, strong drum beats, and superb choruses. They are clearly a band that keep their choruses in mind as throughout the EP they are always strong here, showing themselves to be extremely catchy and always leaving a lasting impression. Although not the best CD you are likely to hear this year, ‘Bar Brawls & Downfalls’ is an interesting release from a band that clearly have plenty of ideas and are very fresh sounding and extremely enthusiastic. With nearly 22 000 plays on their Myspace account, it is obvious to see that Haddonfield are a band who have built up quite a following and are provoking a strong interest with the music that they are putting out there. Standing tall at five tracks strong, this EP is likely to gain them plenty more gigs and fans over the coming months. Expect to see Haddonfield coming to a town near you in the not too distant future.

Label: Thousand Yard Stereo
Release Date: 19th March 2007

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