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Archives for April 2008

The Fall The Rise – Interlopers

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The Fall The Rise is a Birmingham based four-piece band. After the dissolution of the bands that the four members had previously been in, they all decided that they still wanted to produce music that they loved and so The Fall The Rise was formed. In this ‘Interlopers’ album the band deals with issues such as love, sorrow, and despair. There is a great focus on ultimate redemption here though, the four young members of this band are clearly passionate about the music that they are creating and seemingly have a genuine love for the sound that they are producing.

The album title is an interesting one here I feel, apparently it stems from the feeling of the band within the Birmingham music scene. In this album The Fall The Rise jump between screams and soaring melodies, the music is quite formulaic and to be quite honest for the most part is not carried off too well at all. Whilst the sound that this band is producing is at times an interesting one, it’s all a little messily carried out and listening to ‘Interlopers’ therefore isn’t a particularly satisfying experience. Whilst the band are clearly passionate about the music they are making, their vocalist doesn’t have a particularly good voice and in fact struggles to hit a lot of the notes here. Front man Martin possesses quite a droning tone, little life is ever injected into the proceedings vocally and musically the band isn’t too excellent either. The drum beats sound quite out of time, the guitar riffs are often extremely simplistic, and when The Fall The Rise attempt to pull off a scream quite frankly it is often quite amusing.

The Fall The Rise sound like that local band that everyone goes to see but no one really likes. They’re friendly enough but the music just isn’t very good. I’d imagine that to see this band live in an intimate setting would be bearable, but to listen to a whole album of their music just isn’t my idea of fun. It’s hard to tell where one track finishes and the next begins, there’s a definite lack of creativity on display here and almost every track sounds entirely identical. A look down the track listing after listening and you’re not quite sure what the difference was between ‘Sleeping With Both Eyes Open’ and ‘By The Skin Of Our Teeth’ for example. The screams are in different places, but the music is still predictable and really rather tiresome.

My advice is that The Fall The Rise return to their Birmingham base and think long and hard about what they’ve done. ‘Interlopers’ is not a very good album at all, it’s extremely generic with a distinct lack of originality and variation shown here. If the bands members truly love the music they are producing as much as they claim to, then why were they not able to produce something a little more impressive than this? I’ve heard far worse I must admit, but The Fall The Rise to me just sound like an uninspired local band with a devoted following of few. Revolver Music is best known for signing The Stone Roses back in 1987 through their Black Records label, why then they’d want to sign a band as unexciting and clearly destined for nothing as The Rise The Fall I genuinely have no idea. More unimpressive albums I have heard than this, I still wouldn’t want to listen to ‘Interlopers’ too many times though; it’s just too lacklustre an offering to really impress on any level whatsoever.

The Rise The Fall have been together for years now but to listen to their music you really wouldn’t know it. The bands members really don’t gel well together, the music is more often than not messy and I feel that aside from the vocals it is the drumming of band member Steven that lets this band down most. The drum beats are terrible and if you can’t get a decent back beat going then all else will ultimately fail. Never does the band rise, but definitely they fall; ‘Interlopers’ is an incredibly poor album from this Birmingham band and if this is all they can come up with after four years together then I feel that there is little hope for the future of the band. This début album was four years in the making, perhaps The Rise The Fall should spend a further four years learning their instruments properly and a few singing lessons wouldn’t go amiss either.

Label: Black Records
Release Date: 14th January 2008

Rating:
Review Star

Death Before Dishonor – Count Me In

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Death Before Dishonor is a five-piece hardcore punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. ‘Count Me In’ is the bands third studio album to date and was released through Bridge Nine Records, the label that the band has been signed to since 2004. In my opinion this is by far the best album that the band has ever written and most certainly comprises of some of the bands finest material to date. ‘Friends, Family, Forever’ preceded this album in 2005, ‘Count Me In’ is by far the better album however; a huge improvement from Death Before Dishonor and an album that has made me think a lot more of the band.

In the past I have never particularly appreciated the music of Death Before Dishonor. On previous releases the album tracks have all sounded the same to me, this is certainly not the case here however. With ‘Count Me In’ Death Before Dishonor prove to be an excellent hardcore band with this brutal attack of music. The album here has plenty to offer, the vocals are angry, aggressive and it’s all genuinely believable. You really feel like the music means something to this band when listening, it’s by no means perfect but is most certainly an excellent album. The guitars possess great energy, the vocal display is excellent, and the drumbeats come attacking through impressively.

Thirteen tracks complete this album; an intro, eleven standard tracks and one ‘hidden’ inclusion. The music here is all incredibly high quality, none of the tracks disappoint and always there is a terrific energy running through the heart of it all. Death Before Dishonor fire through all of these tracks with great vigour, not once does this band show any signs of slowing down and always the music comes hurtling at you full throttle. The sound is well put together, all elements of the music seem to be well thought out on each and every track and this album is therefore greatly enjoyable to listen to. One of the main reasons I had not been too impressed with previous albums from this band was that it all seemed a little too hurriedly put together and there was no real talent on display, no care seemed to have been taken in the construction of the songs but that has all changed here. The sound is well worked and at every moment on this album the band has plenty to offer.

Tracks such as ‘Take Me Away’, ‘Behind Your Eyes’, and title track ‘Count Me In’ stand out strongly here. Always the music is brutal, the sound produced by Death Before Dishonor on this album is extremely intense and the music is at all points greatly impressive. The hidden track provides quite a change in direction, mainly because it is in fact a cover of the classic Cock Sparrer track ‘England Belongs To Me’. It’s nowhere near as impressive as the original, it’s still quite an interesting track however and the decision here to rename it ‘Boston Belongs To Me’ is vaguely amusing. Cock Sparrer purists may not appreciate the track too much, I however see its inclusion as quite an excellent way to end this ‘Count Me In’ album. Death Before Dishonor growl through this cover, it’s a lot lighter than the rest of the album however and I feel that this track winds the album down nicely.

Death Before Dishonor is an excellent hardcore band, with this album the band has really impressed me and entirely changed my opinion of the music. What I once perceived to be a generic and creatively lacking band has here shown drastic signs of improvement and released an album that is packed full of excitement and truly fantastic musicianship. With the bands previous two albums never had I found the music particularly interesting at all, ‘Count Me In’ however is a hugely appealing album of hardcore brilliance. The album clocks in at just under half an hour in length, the tracks are short and always the music is packed full of a high level of excitement. Too many horribly creatively lacking bands are present in the hardcore scene of today, Death Before Dishonor is no longer one of them however and I personally would definitely recommend giving this ‘Count Me In’ album a listen if you happen to be a fan of the genre.

Label: Bridge Nine Records
Release Date: 22nd May 2007

Rating:
Review StarReview StarReview StarReview Star

Wednesday 13 – Skeletons

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‘Skeletons’ is the third full length studio album from Wednesday 13 as an independent recording artist, a man best known for his vocal contribution in the music of Murderdolls. This album is a lot more personal than the first two Wednesday 13 albums ever were, the lyrics delve into the subject of his almost life ending depression and the music is all here greatly effective. The vocals are fiercely sung, the guitars come across strongly, and the drums provide the perfect back beat here. The music is well put across and always the horror punk sound of Wednesday 13 comes through fantastically well.

Whilst ‘Skeletons’ is most definitely a more personal album than the first two, not all of the tracks present here deal with the personal life of Wednesday 13 and in most cases the standard lyrical subjects are here covered that we have come to expect. The lyrics are sometimes dark, but often this is just a fun horror punk album from Wednesday 13; a greatly energetic display of aural excellence. Horror runs through the very heart of this album, always the music is massively exciting and not once does the sound of Wednesday 13 disappoint. It’s personal in part and it is this about the ‘Skeletons’ album that makes it so strong to listen to, the lyrics are poignant and the way they are sung by Wednesday 13 is highly passionate. As you listen to this album there will be times when you feel that you enter deep into the troubled mind of Wednesday 13, the lyrics are so strong and always they are impressively well written.

Tracks such as ‘All American Massacre’, ‘Not Another Teenage Anthem’, and ‘Put Your Death Mask On’ from this album all impress hugely. The music is just so powerful, the guitar riffs are huge and the vocals truly are exceptional. Wednesday 13 is a highly talented vocalist I feel, always on this album the music impresses massively and not once does the voice of this man disappoint in the slightest. Such passion is contained within this vocal display, never does the energy here diminish and always in fact the vocal performance borders upon perfection. The way the chorus rings through on ‘All American Massacre’ is supremely striking, the vocals are extremely hard hitting and when listening to this track I personally feel a stunning sensation of utmost enjoyment. All the way through this album in fact I enjoy the music greatly and not once does the sound of Wednesday 13 fail to impress me. From start to finish this ‘Skeletons’ album is an admirable effort from Wednesday 13; the lyrics are hugely effective and musically it is excellent also.

Instrumentally I feel that there is a lot to take from this album, particularly from the guitar work that is shown here. Always the guitar riffs soar and conquer, on title track ‘Skeletons’ in particular the guitar work is here truly exquisite. Everything about this one is excellent in fact, all elements of the music are spot on and lyrically this track has plenty to offer. I feel that with this album Wednesday 13 has really recorded his best work to date, the personal experiences that are written into the lyrics really make this ‘Skeletons’ album stand out as sensational. A lot has happened in the life of Wednesday 13, he uses it all to his advantage here however in order to produce the album of a lifetime; an extremely personal and highly interesting display of horror punk supremacy.

Horror punk does not always work, the genre was defined by the magnificent band The Misfits but often when bands try this sound it just isn’t pulled off quite right. With ‘Skeletons’ I feel that Wednesday 13 does the genre proud and has here produced a truly brilliant album. Eleven tracks are featured here and from start to finish the album is absolutely flawless. I love each and every one of these tracks, the lyrics really mean something and to listen to this album you can really tell that Wednesday 13 has put his whole heart into this release. The music alone is enough to make this album stand out strikingly, the lyrics add such heightened depth however and help hugely in the process of making this ‘Skeletons’ album the phenomenal display of horror punk that it is.

Label: Demolition Records
Release Date: 12th May 2008

Rating:
Five Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star ReviewFive Star Review

Too Pure To Die – Confidence and Consequence

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Too Pure To Die is a hardcore band from the American state of Iowa. ‘Confidence and Consequence’ is the bands début album which originally surfaced in late 2006. Since then the band has changed its singer however and when Trustkill Records got hold of the album it was their opinion that the album just had to be re-released complete with new singer Paul on vocal duties. So ‘Confidence and Consequence’ is back complete with a new mix, new mastering, and a brand new bonus track also in the form of ‘What’s Left’. It was an excellent decision to re-release this album I feel and in doing so more people will surely hear this exceptional début album that is ‘Confidence and Consequence’.

Title track ‘Confidence and Consequence’ kicks it all off and none of the tracks on display here are in the slightest bit disappointing. The music is highly energetic, the vocals are brutally shouted, and the guitar riffs boom through with great vigour. Throughout the ten tracks of this album not once does this band disappoint and always in fact the music is absolutely excellent. The guitars possess such great power, the vocals are spot on, and every element of the music just seems to come together perfectly here. Hardcore bands often fall into the trap of sounding all too generic, this is certainly not the case with Too Pure To Die however and always on this album there is a great energy running through it all, a fantastic passion shown on behalf of the band which provides for an excellent listening experience.

All of the tracks on this album sit comfortably around the three minute mark, the vocals always come bellowing powerfully through and always it is the guitars that make the music so brilliant. Two guitarists are present in this band, each of them excellent and always contributing magnificently to the brilliance of Too Pure To Die. The guitars and vocals are always at the forefront of the bands sound, the drums take a bit of a back seat and are nowhere near as important in creating the epic sound of this band. Occasionally the drum beats can be heard protruding through and when they do the sound that can be heard it brilliant, there can be no denying the excellence of this bands drummer but in truth it is most certainly the vocals and guitars that are here most stunning.

The album clocks in at a grand total of half an hour in length, brand new bonus song ‘What’s Left’ is the track that is given the honour of bringing the album to its close. The sound that is here created is actually quite different to that of the rest of the album, there’s a change in vocal approach here and the vocals become much more of a growl. Throughout this album the music is extremely heavy but here the band takes the brutality up a notch and the intensity of it all becomes even greater. Cymbals are integrated into the sound more freely here and the drums therefore become more noticeable and vital to the music. It comes as quite a shock to the system this one, for all of the album we have been used to hearing a similar sound and here this all changes for one final moment of extreme aggression. It works well I feel and signifies supremely the intended future direction of this band now that a new vocalist has been integrated into the line-up. There is no doubt in my mind that with all further albums from Too Pure To Die, the vocals will possess much more of a growl about them.

‘Confidence and Consequence’ is an excellent album from Too Pure To Die, a brilliant début offering which has here been supremely remastered. For all fans of hardcore and metal I’d definitely recommend the music of Too Pure To Die, there’s a great energy about the music and something about the sound that this band produces which makes it all excellent to hear. Not one of these ten tracks disappoints, the final track on the album provides an interesting change and always the music enthrals. This album is a big and bold offering of hardcore, the guitar riffs provide a menacing metal presence and never does this band show and signs of slowing down throughout the albums half hour duration. The music is fast and fun, it will not appeal to all but it will certainly appeal to many; it’s heavy enough to please hardened fans of the genre, but also approachable enough to appeal to casual listeners of hardcore and metal alike.

Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: 28th January 2008

Rating:
Review StarReview StarReview StarReview Star

American Pie Presents Beta House (2007) Review

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Having been a huge fan of the first three American Pie films in the series I thought I’d give ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ a try when I noticed it available for rental. I was put off the series by the fairly awful direct-to-DVD ‘American Pie Presents: Band Camp’ film and decided I’d probably not watch any further films in the series. For some reason I decided to change my mind when it came to the latest slice of the pie, I tried to forget about how disappointed I had been with ‘Band Camp’ and rented this with renewed optimism for the series.

When ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ began I thought to myself I’d probably done good in avoiding the series for three years. This film appeared to be a gratuitous display of the naked female form and the humour seemed completely out of kilter with what I had seen and loved in the past from the ‘American Pie’ films. I was all but ready to turn it off and send the disc straight back, things then started looking up however and ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ began to amuse and impress me. It wasn’t vintage American Pie I thought to myself, but it was definitely worth watching and I therefore decided to stick with it. I’m so glad that I did as this is genuinely a pretty good film, it’s not greatly intelligent but then again that was never the appeal of the ‘American Pie’ films to begin with.

Erik Stifler is off to college with his good friend Cooze, it is here that he is brought into the Beta fraternity by his cousin Dwight. Both Erik and Cooze are single, Erik’s girlfriend has recently left him and both of them are therefore looking to take full advantage of college life. The Beta Delta Xi Fraternity have a strong rival in the form of the Epsilon Sigma Kappa (GEEK’s), the two rival fraternities are always looking to get one over on the other. The Beta fraternity is all about partying hard, whilst the the focus of the newly formed Epsilon Sigma Kappa fraternity is purely academic. The two rival fraternities seek to settle their differences by pitting their skills against one another in the battle of the Greek Games, an event that was long ago banned by the college and last won by the Beta Delta fraternity. It’s the first Greek Games for forty years and the stakes are high, there is everything to play for as these two bitter rivals battle it out in their quest to emerge victorious.

There are plenty of laughs here and as the film progresses you come to realise that this film takes the series back to its roots. Before ‘Band Camp’ the American Pie films were in my opinion always excellent. Director Andrew Waller here captures the full glory of the early films and once more brings life to a series that ‘Band Camp’ very nearly killed off. ‘American Pie Presents: Band Camp’ was directed by Steve Rash, a man who has since directed the third and fourth ‘Bring It On’ films. It would seem that this man takes on already established film series in a quest to end them, his talent as a director is minimal and he is in fact fairly awful. Andrew Waller was new to the directorial world when this ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ film was released and his enthusiasm and intention to succeed as a director really shines through. Andrew Waller gives life to this film which makes for an extremely enjoyable viewing experience.

The performances here are not exactly of an Oscar award winning standard, nonetheless though all involved in this film impress in their parts and no one lets the side down. Steve Talley as Dwight Stifler has a great comic presence, for me he is the most amusing man here and provides for much of the films laughs. John White as Erik Stifler is also pretty impressive, not as much so as his on-screen cousin but definitely still worth mentioning here. It takes a certain type of person to perform in a silly fun film of this sort, and those chosen were picked well here. Credit must go to Joe Nussbaum as it was he who brought these characters to life as director with the fifth film in the series ‘American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile’. The fifth film is not one that I have seen, but having been so impressed with this sixth incarnation of the American Pie series I’ll definitely be giving it a go now.

‘American Pie: The Wedding’ (also known under the name of ‘American Wedding’) was officially the last film in the American Pie series. It was the third and final true American Pie film, but three additional ‘American Pie Presents’ spin-off films have since been released. ‘Band Camp’ was the first, ‘The Naked Mile’ the second, and ‘Beta House’ is the third to have been released. I can’t count for the quality of ‘The Naked Mile’, but given that it uses the same characters as this ‘Beta House’ film, what I will say is that the cast for the last two films in the series have been extremely well chosen. ‘Band Camp’ was an absolute disaster in my opinion, had it been given a theatrical release then it would have been laughed off the screens, not because audiences would have found it so funny but because it was simply terrible. ‘Band Camp’ was not very funny at all, there were a few laughs but much of the time it was all a little bland; ‘Beta House’ is no such bore and is in fact an excellent film. I’d recommend the first three ‘American Pie’ films first and foremost, but what I will say is that ‘American Pie Presents: Beta House’ provides for excellent additional viewing. It’s far from perfect but it does provide a fair few laughs and is therefore a greatly enjoyable and extremely effective comedy film.

Rating:

The Thin Men – EP

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The Thin Men is a London based band fronted by a man named Blair Jollands. Having grown up in New Zealand, Jollands left to busk around the USA where he ended up performing at CBGBs in New York. He later relocated to London and this is where he currently resides with his band The Thin Men. The Thin Men, a four piece band release their music through Blair Jollands own personal record label Glow B Recordings.

For those that like artists such as David Bowie and Rufus Wainright, the music of the band The Thin Men should definitely appeal. The music is a surreal display of rock music, it’s hard to describe but what I can say is that the voice of Blair Jollands is absolutely fantastic. His vocal tone comes across perfectly throughout this release, the man’s voice possesses such elegance and eloquence. The vocals float through the music and come across brilliantly over a beautiful backdrop of fine instrumental sound. It is without doubt the vocals that make this music so special and throughout the five tracks of this EP always they come across perfectly.

There’s a definite David Bowie air about the music, often in fact the sound comes across entirely like Bowie and vocally Jollands is at times extremely similar. There is some fine guitar work present on this release, the drum beats are impressive, and a keyboard is utilised to terrific effect throughout the five tracks of this EP. Blair Jollands does not here restrict himself purely to vocal duties, he proves himself to be multi talented as he smashes his way through some succulent guitar licks, fine piano playing and some superb harmonica work also. Jollands is very much at the forefront of this bands sound, the brains behind it all and a fine talent he is too.

The EP begins with ‘Nowhere’, progresses with ‘Dream of You’ and not once on this release does the music ever disappoint. The EP reaches a climax with the terrific track ‘Walkin’ Blues’ and it must be said that this is the perfect closing track. The music possesses a great beauteous quality and all four of this bands members impress massively here. On all five of these tracks the bands members prove themselves to be exceptional in fact and not once does the talent of The Thin Men fail to shine though.

I’d definitely recommend giving this EP a listen, Blair Jollands contribution is magnificent and never does the man disappoint. It is no wonder that a track of the bands was once chosen as song of the week by the late, great John Peel. The Thin Men is a highly talented band, the music is brilliant and all elements come together perfectly here in order to provide for an exquisite display of aural excellence. The music contains a great beauteous quality, the talent of Blair Jollands always shines through strongly and at every moment of this EPs progression all of the bands members prove themselves to be sensational. Four members contribute to the sound of The Thin Men, all of whom are greatly essential to the mix in providing for a highly entertaining musical creation.

Release Date: 28th April 2008

Rating:
Review StarReview StarReview StarReview Star

Chromeo – Fancy Footwork

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Chromeo is an electrofunk duo from New York City. The music created by this pair is an energetic dance sound, vocals are laced excellently over a funky backing of guitar, keyboard, and synth. The music is fun and greatly entertaining, albeit quite repetitive. The problem with this ‘Fancy Footwork’ album is that sometimes in the tracks the same beats are looped over and over to absolute irritation, at the start of each track the music sounds superb but before long you find yourself wanting for it all to come to an end.

With each track here Chromeo put across their funky electro flavours, the music possesses great energy and there is no denying that this duo are talented at what they do. Each track has something slightly different to offer, the music is entertaining but the tracks are at times a little too long. Some of the tracks are four or five minutes long, in these cases the looped music is not particularly effective as before the tracks come to a close the music becomes greatly irritating. It is when the tracks are around the three minute mark that the music of Chromeo is at its best; three minutes is just the right length for music of this sort and when the band sticks to shorter offerings I find the music to be absolutely excellent.

‘My Girl Is Calling Me (A Liar)’ is an extremely funky offering from this album that I feel works extremely well. The groove is excellent and every element of the music here sounds fantastic. ‘Momma’s Boy’ is another fine track from this release and perhaps is my favourite. It’s a stripped down track and for the first minute there is very little going on here other than the vocals. I like the minimalist approach that Chromeo take here; less is more as they say and this is certainly true with this track. The music is fun, the vocals come across exceptionally well and I for one have no cause for complaint whatsoever with this one. The vocals possess an echo, it works well and does in fact suit the sound of Chromeo superbly.

The problem with this album is that it is not consistently excellent, there are great moments of promise here but there are also other times when the music is not very impressive at all. Instrumentally the music is always upbeat, sometimes the sound just doesn’t quite work out however and it all sounds a little messy. I would definitely recommend this ‘Fancy Footwork’, it’s not all smooth sailing however and with the good here you must also accept the bad. With some tracks the sound can become extremely repetitive, the vocals can repeat constantly at times and at others it is the instrumental loops that offend. Chromeo is a talented duo, when the sound works here the music is absolutely sensational but sadly this album lacks the consistency required to ever be considered as a classic.

Label: Backyard
Release Date: 30th July 2007

Rating:
Review StarReview StarReview Star

The Films – Don’t Dance Rattlesnake

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‘Don’t Dance Rattlesnake’ is the début album from American indie pop band The Films. The music is not hugely exciting, and this is in fact probably one of the most annoying albums to have emerged in 2007. The vocal approach is whiny, instrumentally the music is often just unenthralling noise, and on this album The Films show very little talent whatsoever. It all begins with the stomping of feet, the clapping of hands, and instantly you know that this album really isn’t going to be up to very much at all.

What is present on this album is twelve fairly terrible tracks of indie annoyance. The lyrics often take on the issue of lost love and this album is just too predictable and uninspiring for my liking. With a début it’s always best if you do things a bit different, nothing new is here offered by The Films and as the band progresses through this album constantly you are waiting for the music to explode into action but never does it actually do so.

The music moves along at a snails pace, instrumentally this band does very little to impress and vocally The Films do everything to disappoint. I can’t stand whined out vocals of this sort, there are so many indie bands out there that have this exact same vocal approach as this and never does it actually work. Not once would I say that this album offers up anything that is remotely enjoyable, as the album progresses you find yourself reaching for the ‘stop’ button increasingly more often as the vocals build and build in annoyance. So many hand claps riddle this album, and there’s only so much you can take of this before it all becomes a little too much. In the interest of giving The Films are fair hearing I made sure I listened to this ‘Don’t Dance Rattlesnake’ album from start to finish, all I can say of this matter however was that this was an absolute waste of my time.

One of the tracks on this album is fittingly titled ‘Being Bored’, I can definitely relate to this situation having listened to this album. Bored is probably an understatement for what I felt when listening to The Films though, I’d suggest irritated is far more appropriate a term. I’m sure there will be some that this music appeals to, who exactly would listen to this out of choice however I’m not too sure. Indie is not a genre of music that I loathe, I can’t stand the music of The Films however and for me ‘Don’t Dance Rattlesnake’ was certainly not an enjoyable listening experience.

Label: 7Hz
Release Date: 18th June 2007

Rating:
Review Star

Soho Dolls – Ribbed Music For The Numb Generation

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‘Ribbed Music For The Numb Generation’ is the début album from the British electro sensation that is Soho Dolls. The music has a dirty electro pop feel, the female vocals come across well over a backdrop of distorted guitars and fuzzy keyboards. It’s an interesting album of succulent electronic pop music. When you first listen to this album the music will all seem extremely familiar, the band is instantly recognisable and as you listen to this album the music of Soho Dolls should surely impress you greatly. For those that are pure of mind however, be warned that the lyrical content of this band is extremely sensual and in fact overtly sexual.

The album begins with ‘Stripper’, an excellent opening track that instantly throws you right into the heart of it all. From here on in not once does the music of Soho Dolls disappoint. Every track present on this album is a delicious display of synth-pop. The album is not perfect, but with ‘Ribbed Music For The Numb Generation’ this band most definitely grabs your attention and holds it throughout the entire duration of this release. There is an underlying punk energy that runs through many of the tracks here, most notably this is present on ‘Stripper’, ‘Right and Right Again’, and ‘Weekender’ also.

‘Weekender’ is perhaps the highlight of the album for me. It has an upbeat energy, a fast pace, and the vocals are absolutely excellent here. Throughout all twelve of these tracks the vocals are brilliant in fact, but particularly here and helped perfectly by a fantastic chorus. There is something just a little more enjoyable about this track, something that makes it stand out from the pack as exceptional. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes this track so special, it’s more the culmination of separate superb qualities here adding up to an all in all sublime piece of music.

In ‘Pleasures of Soho’ front woman Maya von Doll states ‘Give me your attention, I’ll show you all the pleasures of Soho’. It’s an interesting track which incorporates the name of the band and goes some way in explaining why the name of Soho Dolls was chosen. The band is from London and always the female members of the band incorporate the title of ‘Doll’ into their stage name. This is sleaze rock at it’s finest, a dirty display of sexually ambiguous savage anthems. The music is greatly interesting, the lyrical content is fantastic, and every element of this bands music comes together beautifully.

As well as the super stomp of ‘Right and Right Again’, another track to have been released commercially from this album as a single is ‘My Vampire’. You can definitely understand this decision, the track is impressive and the music here comes across as fine as ever. In truth any one of these twelve tracks could be released to commercial avail; not one track from this album does not possess the quality to make a decent single. It’s a strong album, sexual language riddles this release and personally I find this brilliant to hear in the band. I always enjoy when a band has interesting lyrical content, and you certainly can’t say that Soho Dolls lyrics are not something special.

London’s Soho Dolls is an incredibly fine band. I wholeheartedly recommend giving this album a listen, you’ll surely not be disappointed with this highly sexed display of electronic excellence. Steve Lyon and Robert Harder were in charge of the production here, men that previously produced artists such as The Cure and Babyshambles respectively. A bad job has certainly not here been done, the production work of this album is in fact excellent and for this these two men must be congratulated. Everything about this album is excellent, right down to the individuals that produced it. All five members of this band contribute crackingly to the albums brilliance, such musical talent is on display here and not once does this album disappoint. Give ‘Ribbed Music For The Numb Generation’ a listen, I personally can’t get enough of it and am sure that you too will find great enjoyment in listening to it.

Label: A&G Records
Release Date: 24th September 2007

Rating:
Review StarReview StarReview StarReview Star

The Getaway Team – Haven’t You Heard…

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Guildford based band The Getaway Team formed in mid 2006, producing a brand of energetic music which blends the genres of pop punk and indie. It’s an excellent mix I must say, I’m a fan of both of these genres and this band certainly captures the energy and excitement of both to perfection. ‘Haven’t You Heard…’ is a pop heavy display of brilliance from The Getaway Team, five tracks are put on display for all to hear here and all impress hugely. Not once does this band sound anything short of sensational on this release, the music is highly energetic and there’s definitely a large focus here on having fun. The music is bouncy and you get a genuine sense that the bands members are enjoying it all, it’s a warm and welcoming sound and all five of these tracks have absolutely fantastic choruses.

The EP begins impressively with ‘I Regret’, there is no build up here whatsoever; the vocals kick in instantly and right from the offset this band grabs your full undivided attention. Although all of the tracks on this release possess a definite pop punk influence, this is perhaps the purest pop punk display here and I for one absolutely love it. Pop punk has always been a favourite genre of mine and I have to say that The Getaway Team do this sound a lot better than most. A great deal of enthusiasm and genuine enjoyment is required to pull off pop punk tracks I feel, The Getaway Team here have no problems with this and as such the music comes across excellently.

‘Not What I Signed Up For’ has a lot more of an indie feel about it, the mood changes in this one and a definite shift in sound of the guitars can here be heard. This track comes complete with Futureheads style outbursts of ‘oh oh oh’, it has a familiar feel about it and comes across well. It’s not the most original track in the world, it’s done well however and has a supreme powerpop energy running through the heart of it all. Always the bands choruses are brilliant, not once does the music fail in this department on this release and always in fact this area of the music is entirely excellent.

‘Lost All Hope’ is reminiscent of The Ordinary Boys in its approach, the guitar riff that leads into this track is shockingly similar in fact and vocally the chorus comes across fairly familiarly also. It all seems a little stolen, again however the track impresses and this is definitely another one from this release that definitely deserves a listen. The music is fun, the approach is energetic and always this band makes the sound produced interesting through its upbeat nature. The members of this band actually met whilst attending The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in Surrey, seemingly they all shared a similar passion for music and vision for what sound they wished to create. There’s a great unity with which the five members of this band put the music across, the music is played by the band as one unit and all contributing parties play together perfectly.

The track that ends it all here is ‘Make Pretend’, it’s slow to get going but eventually it does so and does in fact turn out to be quite an impressive little number to finish this release on. Once more the band here possesses a great indie energy, the sound is not the most original you will ever hear but it’s effective nonetheless. There’s something quite unnerving about the way in which the vocals bounce happily through the line of ‘Haven’t you heard that the world’s about to end’, it works though and you find yourself smiling along to the music before realising what the band is saying and suddenly becoming a little shocked. The music is light hearted and fun, it’s effective pop music which combines beautifully the genres of pop punk and indie. The sound that The Getaway Team produces is a lot of fun, music that is perfect to sing and dance along to.

The music of The Getaway Team will never change the world, it will however put a smile on the face of many and I’m sure that there are plenty out there that will thoroughly enjoy the bouncy pop tones of this bands music. There is a definite focus here on having fun, perfect pop music for playing aloud on a warm summers day. With the bands B-sides featuring titles such as ‘Going To A Gay Bar, Will Be The Straightest Thing You Ever Did’, I feel that the fun and light hearted nature of the music is explicitly displayed for all to see and is really rather self explanatory. For those that like their pop music to be fun and upbeat, the music of The Getaway Team should be seen as essential listening. Pop punk opens this EP, indie rears its head throughout, and always the music is greatly enjoyable to listen to with hugely impressive melodies always present, and astronomically catchy choruses attached to all five of these excellent pop songs.

Label: Easy Tiger
Release Date: 12th May 2008

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