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Archives for June 2008

Bat For Lashes – Fur and Gold

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Bat For Lashes is a musical project of Brighton’s singer-songwriter Natasha Khan, a female artist who has here chosen to create music that atmospheric and emotional. Khan has in the past been compared to the likes of Bjork and Kate Bush; I guess that these comparisons are fair but ultimately Natasha Khan is her own woman and with this ‘Fur and Gold’ album the music possesses an extremely original and unique sound. Natasha Khan has an excellent voice, not too many great ideas however and whilst the music is vocally well sung here; you always feel that Khan is here holding something back. This doesn’t feel like the best that Natasha Khan can offer, as atmospheric and interesting as the music is I just get the distinct impression when listening to this album that Natasha Khan has plenty more to give and far more to provide.

The album progresses well, Khan possesses a haunting vocal tone and always her lyrical lines cut deep here. The music is pleasant to listen to, the instrumental sound created here can at times be rather stunning but for the most part the album lacks excitement. I’d say that this album is really rather frustrating to listen to, you always feel that Bat For Lashes has more to give but never does this happen. The tracks often lack direction, the vocals are melodiously sung out and the atmospheric nature of the instrumental side of things sounds strong but without ever leaving much of an impact.

‘Horse and I’ opens this album; ‘I Saw A Light’ closes it and nothing in between really sticks. The music is all very similar; every track is performed in the same sort of fashion and although this is an album that is full of passion it’s also somewhat lacking in terms of the energy of the music’s delivery. Excellent use of piano sound is made throughout this album, the tracks build well but without ever really going anywhere. Every track builds up to what you expect to be a huge finish; the build up merely continues and progresses however and never does the huge build ever seem to amount anything. For the most part what we hear here is the dual sound of Natasha Khan’s vocals and the piano sound also; these two sounds compliment one another well but Bat For Lashes is I feel a musical project where the best is yet to come.

This whole album sounds like an introduction to Bat For Lashes, these eleven tracks prepare you for what’s to come in album number two but without ever revealing much here. A bit like a good movie trailer; ‘Fur and Gold’ has you craving for more, it doesn’t tell you too much but does just enough to capture your interest and have you thinking hard about what you’ve just heard. It’s not a good album as too little happens here, it’s definitely okay though and the fact that I’m now wanting for album number two perhaps suggests that this album has done its trick and served its purpose. The album definitely seems to hold back in what it offers, this Bat For Lashes debut has all the potential to explode and yet it never actually does so. I don’t think I’d really recommend listening to ‘Fur and Gold’, another album is however due in 2008 so perhaps your money would be better spent waiting for the next album to emerge and giving album number two a listen instead.

Label: Echo
Release Date: September 11th 2006

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The Durango Riot – Telemission

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The Durango Riot is a four-piece rock band from Sweden, the band combines straight up rock with elements of punk and psychedelic also in order to provide for an extremely full and well rounded sound. ‘Telemission’ is the bands debut album and was released through Fuzzorama Records on October 8th 2007. For a debut record this truly is excellent, few bands manage to attain such excellence with a first album but always here ‘Telemission’ is greatly impressive.

What I like most about this album is the energy with which the band progresses through the eleven tracks on display here, never is there a dull moment and always in fact the music has much to offer. There is a terrific level of power contained within the guitar riffs, the drumbeats also are strong and the bass lines come pounding at all points of this release. The vocal tone of The Durango Riot also is strong, the vocals are sung with a distinct Swedish accent and always they seem to come howling out of the mouth of the bands singer Fred.

From the opening static sound of first track ‘Dirty Needs’ right through to the closing static sound of title track ‘Telemission’ always the album has much to offer the listener. The energy levels always are kept high and every track on this album is incredibly catchy and absolutely excellent to sing and dance along to. Instrumentally the music is pretty much perfect and the same can be said of the vocal performance also. The album is packed full of powerful excitement and every element of the sound here is supremely strong and never in the slightest bit disappointing. Throughout this album there are a number of excellent guitar solos, frequent use is also made of a harmonica and whatever the band throws into the mix you always know that the sound created is going to be very much a successful one.

There are many changes of pace here, the tempo is constantly changing; you have slower tracks such as ‘(Rama Lama) Midnight Haze’, the terrific speed of ‘Dirty Needs’ and every pace in between also. You never know quite what is coming next and this therefore adds to the overall excitement of the album, the pace goes up and down all the time and never can you know exactly what to expect next. With this debut album The Durango Riot more than proves that it is a band that is more than capable of doing things fast, slow, or mid-paced also; this album contains every tempo going and never does the band sound to be at all out of its depth.

If you’re looking for an energetic album of rock then look no further than this ‘Telemission’ release from The Durango Riot. This album truly is excellent, and the fact that it’s a debut album makes it all the better. I believe that with time this band will actually grow, flourish, and become even greater; already the bands music has much to offer but I just feel that when album number two arrives it will somehow be even greater than this one. The psychedelic elements thrown into the mix here really do work well, this adds energy and depth to the sound and always the music created on this ‘Telemission’ album is incredibly fun and exciting also. Definitely give this album a listen at some point and prepare to be impressed.

Label: Fuzzorama Records
Release Date: October 8th 2007

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Pitchblend – The Lines Of Unreason

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‘The Lines Of Unreason’ is the debut album release from Reading four-piece Pitchblend, an album that seemingly took an eternity to complete. This album was a good few years in the making; the reason for this is that the band went through a number of line-up changes during this period and the album therefore never got finished (until now that is). The album finally arrived through Sugar Shack Records on February 18th 2008, a thirteen track offering of progressive metal and one that wasn’t really entirely worth the wait. ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ is not a bad album, it’s just not so strong as it could have been and the music is at times a little too weak I feel.

Throughout this ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ album some beautiful use of guitar sound is made, the album is pleasant to listen to but you could easily leave this album running and completely forget that it was playing. The music does not cause much of an impact, as I listen to this album I find that many of the sounds created by the band here wash right over me without ever leaving any real lasting impact. Instrumentally the music is pleasant, vocally also the tone taken here is well put across by the band but without ever being particularly impressive. ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ is I feel the absolute epitome of musical mediocrity, the music is okay but never do you get even the slightest feeling that what you’re listening to is anything particularly special.

As the album unfolds there are no real stand-out tracks to speak of, every one of these thirteen tracks present is just as average as the next and always the music is kept on the same oomph lacking level. This would be a great album to listen to whilst you did the housework; a perfect background sound whilst doing any other activity but not a great album just to sit down and solely listen to. There’s just not enough going on here, not enough excellence shown on behalf of the band and always the music is just a little lacking. All thirteen of these tracks have been well put together by Pitchblend, the music is just rather unspectacular I feel.

I was expecting a little more from this album, much of this ‘The Lines Of Unreason’ album however just sounds to be Pitchblend giving their best impersonation of the sound of Placebo. Pitchblend’s vocalist Rich Savage certainly has the Brian Molko vocal approach down to a tee, I’d rather hear the band being a little more experimental with their sound however and providing a little extra in the way of originality. The album is quite pleasant, it’s definitely lacking in something however and the album seems to be trapped in a land of mediocrity; constantly the music is fighting to provide more but never is the sound created anything greater than average. If you liked Placebo’s ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ album then you’ll probably like Pitchblend’s debut release also; it’s certainly extremely similar.

Label: Sugar Shack Records
Release Date: February 18th 2008

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Truckfighters – Phi

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‘Phi’ is the 2007 album release from Truckfighters; a stoner rock band from Sweden. This is a ten track album of hard hitting rock and from start to finish here the guitar riffs are heavy and the drumbeats also are mightily impressive. This is not the most original album ever released, it does however provide for quite an entertaining hour of music. The tracks progress well here and the vocals also are well put across in the sound albeit rather unspectacularly.

If you’re a fan of stoner rock then you’ll find very little that is new here, the sound created is quite contrived and yet the album is still rather interesting. The music has been intelligently put together, the band is not short of a strong idea or two and always the intricate guitar work of Truckfighters is absolutely excellent. This is not the best rock album you’ll ever hear, it is however one that is still well worth listening to. Opening track ‘Atomic’ is particularly strong here, ‘Slacken’ also is an excellent piece of music and closing track ‘The Game’ most definitely ends the album on a high. This album is absolutely jam packed full of quality, never is there a dull moment and always the instrumental work is highly impressive.

There are a number of excellent guitar solos scattered throughout this album, almost every track contains one in fact and this always gives the band an excellent chance to showcase their strongest element; the guitar sound. Vocally there are a few weaknesses here, for the most part the vocals come across well but there are a few occasions when definite vocal weakness is shown. Even when the band is not showing itself to be vocally impressive the guitar solos are still there to keep you entertained, the guitar work always is greatly impressive and this I feel is the bands main forte. The drums provide an excellent backbeat to the sound, full credit to Truckfighters on the instrumental side of things here; the bands members most certainly possess a lot of talent and always the band is out to impress here.

If you like a good bit of hard hitting rock or have a strong appreciation for fine guitar work then ‘Phi’ is an album that I’d definitely recommend listening to. This is not the most original stoner rock album you’ll ever come across, it is however quite an impressive ten track offering of music and throughout this release Truckfighters show off a fine talent for creating an excellent rock sound. The guitar is extremely central to the excellence of the music of Truckfighters, there is great talent to be found in this area of the bands work and never does the instrumental side of Truckfighters music disappoint. Despite a few vocal weaknesses and a fairly unoriginal overall approach; ‘Phi’ is still a pretty decent album and the production values also are supremely strong here.

Label: Fuzzorama Records
Release Date: October 8th 2007

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iNsoFar – Medicine For The Melancholic

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‘Medicine For The Melancholic’ is an eight track EP from the great British rock band that is iNsoFar. The band has an extremely energetic rock sound, the music created here by iNsoFar always is strong and never is there a dull moment as the band smashes its way powerfully through this release. The production of the EP is not great, this I feel detracts a little from the overall quality of the release but still this ‘Medicine For The Melancholic’ EP provides for an entertaining twenty six minutes of music.

Throughout this EP the vocal performance always is excellent, instrumentally the music of iNsoFar also has plenty to offer and ever element of the bands sound comes together strongly here. As I’ve already mentioned before; the production of this EP is not great and the sound levels at times sound a little off, the bands great enthusiasm does however always comes shining through in the music. All the tracks on this EP are quite similar, variation is not a strong point of the iNsoFar sound but certainly the guitar riffs always are powerful and the vocal performance is at all times extremely impressive.

Opening track ‘Reach Out’ is my personal favourite from this EP, it has a fantastic sing along quality and the chorus is hugely hard hitting. This track is belted out by iNsoFar, the backing vocals are extremely quiet in the mix but the music does still come across well here. Were the production greater here then this one would have great potential as a chart busting commercial rock classic I feel; the production of the track most definitely holds the music back here but the supreme quality of the sound can still be heard.

With this EP iNsoFar shows great potential as a band, there’s a lot of passion in the performance and the energy levels also are always kept incredibly high. The vocals do I feel suffer most heavily from the poor production values, improvements in production are required for the bands next release I feel and this will without doubt improve upon the overall quality and effectiveness of the music. iNsoFar have something great going here, this is energetic rock at its finest and every element of the bands sound already sounds extremely strong. iNsoFar has only been active as a band now since the end of 2004, already the band has built up a terrific togetherness however and with this ‘Medicine For The Melancholic’ EP iNsoFar has put together a powerful eight tracks of music. I see iNsoFar going from strength to strength as a band over the next few years and with heightened production values this band is surely capable of creating something really rather special.

Label: Not On Your Radio
Release Date: November 19th 2007

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IAMX – The Alternative

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‘The Alternative’ is the 2007 release from IAMX, an album written and produced by Chris Corner. IAMX is in fact a solo project of Chris Corner, a name he has been using now since 2003. This is the second album from IAMX, a minimalist approach has been taken with this record and the music created here possesses an electronic synth sound. I think it’s safe to say that I wasn’t very impressed with what I heard from this twelve track album, the songs all seem to lack direction and the overall musical creation here is really rather bland.

Every track on this album is extremely repetitive, this is something that is always to be expected really with electronic music but this sound just doesn’t work here. The album has quite an industrial edge, there is some strong and powerful use of guitar in the sound but not enough use is made of the guitar here for my liking. Almost every track on this album surpasses the four minute mark, the tracks drag and there is little here to really ever keep you entertained. The vocal tone of Chris Corner is pleasant, not hugely hard hitting however and this album therefore leaves very little impact whatsoever.

If I were to pick a highlight or two from this album then I would have to concede that the industrial edge of ‘Nightlife’ is quite impressive and also that an excellent driving guitar sound is utilised in the track ‘The Negative Sex’. Neither of these tracks is entirely excellent however and every track on this album possesses moments of absolute blandness. The music lacks power here, the vocal tone of Chris Corner is not bad but it does often come across as a little too weak to ever be particularly effective. The thing about this album is that the electronic sound created here has all been done before and done a lot better too. The lyrics are dreadful; the instrumental element is weak, and very rarely does the vocal performance actually impress. The vocals are not bad, they’re just a bit soft and this coupled with the dreadful nature of the lyrics provides for really quite a painful overall listening experience.

If you like the music of Depeche Mode then you’ll possibly like IAMX also; the music is nowhere near as good but it’s all done in a similar sort of fashion anyway. ‘The Alternative’ is an incredibly bland album, the lyrics are poorly constructed in the sound and the vocals also lack passion and power. I would definitely not recommend listening to this album, if you like the electronic synth-pop sort of sound then there are a lot of better artists out there than this; that’s for sure. It’s probably best to avoid this one; it’s not really worth wasting your time listening to the so-called ‘Alternative’.

Label: NoCarbon Records
Release Date: November 2nd 2007

Rating:
Review Star

Goat The Head – Simian Supremacy

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Goat The Head is a Norwegian death metal band, ‘Simian Supremacy’ is the bands debut full length release and according to the cover it is brought to us ‘by means of primal caveman death metal’. This is a band that prides itself in being primitive in sound, the music is brutal and the bands caveman instincts certainly shine through strongly here. The caveman gimmick of this band is really quite an amusing one, due to the gimmicky nature of the bands approach however I fail really to ever take the music of this album particularly seriously. Fourteen tracks are contained within this ‘Simian Supremacy’ album, and with titles such as ‘Beast Man’, ‘Bone Throne’, and ‘Darwinian Minions’ the band is relentless in putting across its primitive point.

The music is kept simple at all times throughout this album, it’s quite an effective sound but always there is that underlying element of the caveman marketing strategy that has been used here. In all areas the music is quite well put across by the band, this is a decent display of extreme sound but I just wish the band didn’t feel the need to rely on a gimmick to sell records. Goat The Head is not really a band doing anything new, the sound created here merely sees the band recycling popular death metal guitar riffs of old and placing atop of this sound truly generic grunted and growled vocals. The lyrics are at times a little laughable here but in the main you can’t quite decipher what the bands singer is saying anyway so it doesn’t really matter. The titles of the tracks usually come across quite clearly in the vocals, other than that however you’ll have to strain your ears a lot if you’re wishing to make out the lyrical content of this album.

Goat The Head is a band that is relying very much on an extremely gimmicky approach, the band is signed to TABU Recordings and quite honestly I don’t know why the label saw it fit so sign them. The music is not bad as such here, it’s just not at all original and although when you listen to this album you’ll rise a wry smile; you’ll ultimately wonder why on earth the four members of this band are wasting their time and talents in a project of ‘contemporary primal caveman death metal’ when surely they could be using their musical expertise elsewhere and coming up with music that is a tad more original and a smidgeon less contrived.

If you think it’s cool to like such bands as Send More Paramedics and Cannibal Corpse then you’ll probably quite like the music of Goat The Head also. Whereas the other two bands mentioned deal with the subjects of cannibalism and zombies, Goat The Head instead choose cavemen as their gimmicky musical subject of choice and although it’s fun to listen to the bands music for a few minutes; it soon all becomes rather tiresome. Don’t get me wrong, ‘Simian Supremacy’ is not technically a particularly bad album but it’s certainly not at all original. Goat The Head should take their wooden clubs, remove their animal fur, return to the drawing board and have a little think about what they’ve come up with here; the stone age needs to be left well and truly behind and the four members of this band must really now move onto pastures new.

Label: TABU Recordings
Release Date: November 19th 2007

Rating:
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Kunt and the Gang – One Last Wank and One Last Cry

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Kunt and the Gang is a hilarious comedy act from Basildon in Essex; a town famous for also bringing to the world such stars as Depeche Mode and Big Brother 8 winner Brian Belo. ‘One Last Wank and One Last Cry’ is the latest album to have been released by Kunt and the Gang; the third album in a trilogy of releases which started back in 2005. Basildon has brought an excellent artist to the world here, from start to finish this album is highly amusing and never does the music on display here fail to make me smile. There are thirteen tracks on this album; the lyrics always are incredibly juvenile but extremely funny also.

The album begins with ‘Perverts on the Internet’, right from the offset the music will have you smiling and you just wont be able to stop grinning as you listen to this album. Instrumentally the music is quite amusing in itself, a tacky drum machine is used and what sounds to be an incredibly cheap keyboard also. The instrumental sound is certainly not the strongest in the world, it adds to the comedy value of the music however and this is something that is further enhanced by the excellent quality of the lyrics. Tracks such as ‘Men With Beards (What are they Hiding?)’ and ‘The Illegal Download Song’ also are particularly impressive here, not one of these thirteen tracks failed to make me laugh in fact and this whole album is one that I would certainly recommend listening to.

The music of Kunt and the Gang is incredibly light hearted, the lyrics are rather crude and at times a little on the offensive side also but it’s all in the name of good fun. This album is not to be taken too seriously, it’s to be listened to and enjoyed with tongue firmly remaining in cheek. This is not your average comedy act, the lyrics are far ruder than you’d usually expect to hear and this is something that I personally absolutely love about the music of this artist. There is a lot of fun to be had from listening to this album, the spoken vocal approach of Kunt and the Gang is one that works extremely well and lyrically this album has a lot to offer in terms of comedic appeal.

If you’re up for a bit of comedy and don’t mind toilet humour then the music of Kunt and the Gang should really be right up your street; this is such an amusing album and every time I listen to it I smile. Available at a price of just £8.99 from Amazon this is an album that I would highly recommend investing in, you certainly get your moneys worth with this and a laugh per second will surely be gained as you listen to ‘One Last Wank and One Last Cry’. Don’t expect to find much lyrical intelligence here, do however be safe in the understanding that toilet humour is used in plentiful amounts and that the lyrics have been written to shock. Give this album a listen; seek it out, give it a spin, and prepare to smile more than you’ve ever done so before.

Label: Disco Minge Records
Release Date: May 5th 2008

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Sinew – The Beauty Of Contrast

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Sinew is a German band from the city of Marburg, a self-proclaimed ‘Cinemascopic Alternative Rock’ band and I have no reason whatsoever to disagree with their own personal definition of their sound. The music of Sinew is most definitely highly atmospheric, the sound is well put across in the music and this is something that comes across strongly throughout this ‘The Beauty Of Contrast’ album. The band has been together since 2004 now and in the four years spent together a great closeness has most definitely been built. The four musicians of Sinew bounce well off one another, vocally the sound created here is supremely impressive and instrumentally also there is much enjoyment to be gained from listening to this album.

What I like most about this album is that it has twelve tracks but this sounds like a lot more. The tracks often contain multiple different sections, right from the offset with first track ‘The Allegory Of The Cave’ this is something that immediately becomes apparent and as the album progresses this style of sound is one that further continues. The tracks progress beautifully, the vocal work is stunning here and the guitar riffs also offer plenty. ‘The Beauty Of Contrast’ is one of the most beautiful albums I’ve heard in a long while, always the band has much to offer with this release and never do any of the twelve tracks here fail to impress.

Sinew is a band with some supremely strong pop sensibilities, throughout this album the guitar hooks always are excellent and the fine vocal tone of the bands singer Sascha Junker is one that never fails to impress me. Vocally the bands music works better during the softer moments I feel, Sascha Junker has quite a gentle voice and when he sings he does so with a terrific melodious quality. The more shouted vocal approach is by no means bad, the bands sound just comes across better I feel when the band goes out and out on a strictly melodic attack of music. Sinew is a band that blends seamlessly the two genres of progressive rock and indie-pop also; it’s quite a strange combination of sound but one that works out well for the band.

Vocally is where the main strength of Sinew lies, the instrumental section must also be given much credit however and every element of the instrumental sound is excellent throughout the twelve tracks of this album. The keyboards come across well in the music as too does the guitar sound and the drumbeats also possess much power. The atmosphere created here is all in the instrumental section, the vocals sit beautifully atop of the instrumental side of things but the music always is instrumentally excellent and the sound marvellously worked by the four musicians of Sinew.

For those that like their alternative rock then this is an absolutely excellent album to listen to, the music put across by the band with this ‘The Beauty Of Contrast’ release is always excellent and German band Sinew certainly show themselves to be exceptional here. This album builds incredibly well, never is there a moment of weakness and at every second here there is much to be taken from the music. ‘The Beauty Of Contrast’ is an excellent album from start to finish, a fine debut album from Sinew and one that is sure to make you smile. Definitely consider giving this album a go, it’s a beautifully atmospheric release and one that is more than worthy of a place in your personal music collection.

Label: Alveran Records
Release Date: 3rd March 2008

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Midasuno – Songs in the Key of Fuck

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‘Songs in the Key of Fuck’ is the interesting 2007 release from Midasuno, a ten track album which kicks off excitingly with ‘Sister Temptation’ and ends powerfully with the simply smashing ‘Sleepwalkers’. It’s certainly an interesting album from the Merthyr Tydfil four-piece; an excellent ten track release where fantastic use of keyboards and samples is made throughout. The bands members begin as they mean to go on here, not once does the music of Midasuno disappoint and never is there a dull moment here as Midasuno crusade their way through a fine forty minutes of music.

This album comes complete with a number of excellent tracks, there is a great energy that runs through the very heart of this release and not once does the fine instrumental style of Midasuno cease to amaze. The vocal style of the bands singer Scott Andrews will not appeal to all, he has quite a distinctive voice; not a conventionally strong singer but certainly there is great power in the voice of the man. There’s quite a whine about the voice, it comes across well though and it’s really very hard to describe exactly what the Midasuno vocal sound is. The vocals compliment the instrumental side of things brilliantly; the music is well put across by Midasuno and all elements of the music come together well throughout this ‘Songs in the Key of Fuck’ album.

The guitar sound created here always is strong, the drumbeats also are powerful and instrumentally the music always has much to offer. All ten of the tracks on this album build well, the music is progressed fantastically by all four of the bands musicians and all components of the bands sound compliment one another fantastically. The four members of the band gel well together as musicians and this is always something that comes across with this album. A powerful hard hitting rock sound always is created, the tracks are atmospheric and always the energy levels are kept high here. The presence of the keyboard in the bands sound often helps to create the bands fine atmosphere I feel, this element of the bands sound is one that works well for Midasuno and this is something that really makes the bands music stand out. In the vocal department is another area in which Midasuno make a name for themselves as a band, it’s hard to compare the band to any other vocally but certainly the vocal style is excellent.

For those that like powerful guitar hooks then I highly recommend listening to this ‘Songs in the Key of Fuck’ album, some will be put off by the bands vocal sound but I personally really quite appreciate the vocal approach of Midasuno. The music is fast and fun, it comes complete with plenty of power and is also packed full of atmosphere. Midasuno is a band that fuses elements of rock with electronica also; an excellent sound is created and this is one that works out extremely well for the band. It’s worth taking a listen to the music of Midasuno on their Myspace page I feel, if you like what you hear there then certainly consider investing in this album of theirs; you’ll surely not be disappointed with what you find.

Label: Sugar Shack Records
Release Date: 6th August 2007

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