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The Vines – Ride

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I’m sure you are all already familiar with this famous garage rock outfit by now as The Vines have been doing the rounds for a few years now and have had a shed load of radio airplay with the indie and major radio stations alike. The Vines have become very popular over the past few years and this is of course another hit single from the band.

This track has some great guitar licks, amazing bass lines, some awesome drum beats and of course the good old familiar vocal stylings that we have come to associate with this band. The thing that makes The Vines so special is the fact that they may be a sort of garage rock band but they don’t really sound like any of the other people that do it – the feel is there but there is just something about them that makes them that extra bit special and stand out from the crowd. This track is further proof that the band can produce amazing tracks time after time as they never seem to run out of fresh and interesting tunes. This band keep on writing gems of songs that get you singing along, dancing about and loving every second of the experience. This song is just so catchy with its amazing lyrics, super beats, and spot on riffs – it’d be impossible for anyone to listen to this track without raising a smile I reckon.

So if you are a fan of The Vines and love their Indie garage rock stylings then make sure you go out there and grab yourself a slice of the action by purchasing this lovely little number, or even better – buy the album. I swear that you will not be disappointed with what you hear – this band really have got it going on, and every time they open their mouths – another gem seems to be unleashed upon the somewhat unsuspecting world.

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Fall Out Boy – Take This To Your Grave

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This CD has a UK release on Sorepoint Records on the 8th of March. In America it was given a release by Fueled By Ramen and shifted over 40 000 copies over there so if all goes well then they should do fairly well over here as well. I am guessing that they will get played on Scuzz a fair bit as they are I guess what’s trendy at the moment – Post-Hardcore with Pop Punk twinges. If you are in to this sort of thing then I would say that it is probably of quite a high standard as it is not just the average sort of thing you’d here, they obviously have a fair bit of talent at what they do and as a result manage to pull this style off to a certain extent. I am not a fan of the genre but would not go as far as saying that this band are poor, as quite obviously they are not.

There are 12 tracks on display here, it starts off well with a few interesting little numbers but I just feel that this album does not really stand the test of time. By the end of the CD you are left wondering where one track ends and the next begins, they just all seem to blend together into one big mess which is a shame as they really do start off quite well. ‘Grand Theft Autumn/Where is Your Boy’ I have to admit is an amazing song with pop sensibilities, a distinct bite, and some great lyrics. It has some amazing bass lines, a crunching guitar riff, some swift drumming, and perfect drumming. I wouldn’t be surprised if they chose it as their first single as it is harmless and chart friendly with enough bite to attract the Rock audience as well as the single buying majority. However, in track 4, ‘Saturday’ it all seems to go a bit pear shaped as it starts off sounding like The Ataris and ends up sounding like a Finch record, it is truly bizarre.

So, although Fall Out Boy do obviously have a fair bit of talent, this release just seems to drone on and a decent band is spoiled by a lack of ideas in the song writing department with many a song sounding exactly the same. If you are a devoted fan of the sort of thing that Drive Thru Records are producing right now then you will be in for a treat with this album from Fall Out Boy.

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Facade – 4 Track Demo

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Façade are Paul Rivers (of MK Pitz fame) labels new project who are already kicking up a bit of a storm in the Milton Keynes area, even though as of yet they have not played a single live shows. However, the band are set to spend the rest of the year gigging and writing material for an album which is due to start recording some time next year. The band formed from the ashes of 3 different Milton Keynes bands and put all of what they learnt from these bands into Façade in order to make one big, giant super band. This release sees the band putting out 4 of the tracks that they have penned to date – all of which proving to be quite inspiring, especially considering this is their first release as Façade and have not yet experienced the chemistry of a live set.

There are 4 tracks here, each one of them contributing to the CD with their own sort of greatness. Obviously the band still have a lot to learn and there are of course some faults in their music but still, this effort is quite a sound little contribution to the genre. Sometimes on the tracks, the vocals can be quite overpowered by the strong drum beats, and heavy riffage, making it quite hard to make out what the vocalist is saying. This can be quite frustrating as while you are trying to air in on the vocalist and make out what he is saying, you are missing out on the rest of the band which is really quite sad as they are amazingly talented musicians and obviously know their way around the instruments that they play pretty damn well. There are some absolutely amazing drum rhythms going on in this CD with a real sense of power to them and you can really tell that the drummer here is putting his all in to it and pushing out the best beat that he possibly can. There are also some crazily good bass lines proving that they have a bassist of an extremely high calibre as it takes quite a professional to make a sound this grand on a bass guitar – real emotion is being poured into it. As for the guitar riffs, they are simply fantastic – the guitarist just really seems to have a knack for what he does – that being playing the guitar with style, flair, and general funky formidability.

My favourite track on the CD is probably first track, ‘Running in Cicrcles’ as I feel that the vocals on this one are probably easier to make out than on the other 3 tracks on the CD. Like I have said before, the vocals getting overpowered is a real problem on this CD and at times becomes amazingly frustrating. On this one the vocals seem to come through really well as I feel that on this one the drum beats seem a lot quieter and are not masking the inspirational antics of front man Adam. This song has some real oomph to it, and just a general slice of power that really kicks the CD off with a bang – hopefully showing what is to come when the band release their album next year. They definitely have a lot of talent and I can see from this track why Paul is so impressed by the band – they make music which conveys meaning with heartfelt ditties, catchy little numbers, and vocals that are nothing short of inspirational.

So with these 4 tracks the band have really impressed me as it has shown me that even before a band plays a gig, they can make a fairly decent CD, even if the production is a bit of a let down at times. This band are sure to go far with their music as this is definitely a band with a lot of potential and if they are planning on heavy touring for the rest of the year then there is no reason why this should not result in a major label contract, a spell in the charts, and a big fat check in their pockets!

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Estobahn – Music and Ideas Demo

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This is the latest CD from the late, great Estobahn offering up 3 fine tunes of melodic masterpieces. The tracks ‘lucid,’ ‘summer, I found…’ and ‘blue skies’ are all extremely cool tunes featuring some strong guitar lines, awesomely melodic vocals, a good drum beat, and some terrific bass lines. The atmosphere on this CD is extremely chilled out and mellow – if you were listening to this when you were depressed you probably wouldn’t get it, but it is great for when you are happy as you can just drift away and lose yourself in the melody of the music – its fantastic!

All of the three tracks on display here are equally as interesting and as exciting as each other with some seriously chilled out beats that will make any worries you have just disappear for the duration of the 11 minutes that the CD lasts for. This band do not need to rush into hardcore every 5 seconds to keep their music interesting, they are good enough musicians to make it absolutely astounding with every note being hit by the vocalist as mellow as it possibly could. Many of the bands that I hear have driving guitars, fast vocals, and lightning drumming to try and keep the attention of the listener but this band do not need to venture into any of the said actions. I really love what this band are doing here as it is so different to the norm for what most Rock bands are doing right now and shows that they are not afraid of trying out things and this is always a great quality in a band. Up until recently when the band contacted me and sent me this CD I had not heard of them, but with tracks like these there is no reason why this band should remain an underground outfit for too long!

I absolutely loved this little Demo from the band as it gave me my first insight in to their music and I have to say that I was impressed with what I heard and will definitely be checking these guys out in the future. Originality is a rarity in the modern UK Rock scene, but Estobahn are a prime example of one of the few bands that aren’t afraid to venture in to new and unexplored territory. Check them out if you are looking for a band who are a bit different, as they are sure to impress and put a massive smile on your face!

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Over The Moon (part 2) – Maidstone Corn Exchange 16.11.03

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Ok, Maidstone isn’t exactly the sort of place that you would expect one of the finest bands in the country to be coming to at the moment but there you go – they did and I’m sure they gained many a new fan. If you don’t know what band I’m talking about here then it is none other than the mighty Solabeat Alliance – a band that have managed to put on one hell of a show every time that I have seen them.

The first band to take to the stage were ‘Shittingbourne’s very own Morgans Puff Adder – the local Ska Punk favourites who went down a treat in this Maidstone crowd. They put on a set full of songs both new and old and the crowd really seemed to be lapping it up – a few at the front showing their appreciation in a big mosh pit. I however felt that on this particular Sunday night – the band in question were somewhat average as they just didn’t seem to be able to get in to the full swing of things – this was probably due to the fact that they had the ever hard job of being the opening act so it was not really their fault, was just down to being placed at the bottom of the bill. (3)

The next band up were the home band – One Day Elliott, a band who once went to MGS, a school in Maidstone but now have long since left – yet still carry around the spirit of their youthful pop punk band to wherever they are wanted (based on this performance – probably nowhere!) They really were quite terrible on Sunday night but the Maidstone crowd still seemed to be eating out of their arses – they couldn’t seem to step a foot wrong but with me not being a fan of the band I just found it all to be a bit…well – SHIT! Their music just doesn’t seem to click and as a result comes out sounding awful – they are just one of those bands that are going to be playing the same venues for the rest of their careers if they keep it up as in a crowd they are the sort of band that would go unnoticed. (2)

Dumpster Pop were the first Moon Ska band of the night to grace the stage with their presence and came in with a really odd performance – I cant really think of a word to describe their performance or their genre for that matter but it was pretty weird anyway! I have to hand it to them – they did up the level a bit after the One Day Elliott performance but I think that if Busted had come onstage after them I would have been pleased to be honest! I don’t really think anyone knew what to do when they were on stage as it was so bizarre and left everyone pretty puzzled really – bar the few drunks at the front moshing around crazily. The performance was quite solid and you could tell when one song ended and the next one started but still they weren’t really anything special and failed to really make a big impression. (5)

The first decent band of the night finally took to the stage at 9:30 when it was Graveltrap’s turn to give it their best shot – and give it their best shot they did indeed! Graveltrap put out a fine performance on this cold November night playing great tracks off of their album such as Getaway, Kickin’ Chickens, Primal Fear, What About The Marigolds and the Scuzz TV classic – SRJ. They had a warm reception from the crowd for this track – most of whom had obviously never seen the band live before but just glimpsed them on TV a few times. They put on a crazy gig and I enjoyed myself quite a lot – and that was before the alcohol intake! I became a skanking and pogoing fool for this half hour set and by the end of it had a grin pinned on my face. (9)

Solabeat Alliance was the last band to take to the stage, and it was brilliant to listen to their amazing brand of Ska. I really love this band and that is why it was the fifth time that I have gone to see them live – I really think that they have a lot of chemistry going and are one of the best bands in the UK right now. Their new material from the ‘Island Fire’ album was sounding better than ever and I am sure that they revealed even more songs from it on this particular occasion – last time I saw them in Herts Showground they played ‘All Or Nothing’ and ‘People of the World´ and they were sounding amazing but this time they were sounding absolutely phenomenal and really did put on the performance of their life time! I was really pleased with what the guys had to offer me as after seeing in 12 months, 4 shows of extremely high quality they had a lot to live up to in my eyes and managed to pull it off with flying colours. I will definitely be going to many more Solabeat shows and will hopefully get a chance to go and see them live in the very near future – the Carling Academy gig is a definite possibility for me and I will be trying my hardest to get along to it for a Solabeat Alliance experience. (10)

Big thanks to Tom for bringing the rock to Maidstone by putting on a Solabeat Alliance show – it was a great experience and hopefully more bands will start coming to Maidstone as there is definitely a good scene going down here and we need a few more bands to fuel our addictions!

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One Stop Earnest – Ska’d For Life

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This is a 10 track album from a relatively unknown emotive Ska band called One Stop Earnest – they hail from the Norwich area and play some great songs with some cool horn lines, amazing vocals, firing guitar riffs, and brilliant bass lines. They are a band of tremendous ability and really do put out a strong CD with this sturdy little effort. Although they are not one of the big names on the UK circuit at the moment – with this kind of music there is no reason why they wont end up there some time soon.

There are some really cool tunes on this CD including my ultimate favourites, ‘Lazy Days,’ and ‘Get Off The Train.’ They are both quite different in sound yet equally as irresistible in nature. ‘Lazy Days’ is a great little number as it is so laid back and relaxed and it just makes you want to start dancing at that very moment. This song is not really a Ska song at all – it is more of a pure emotional tune and although this is the case the band manage to pull it off just as well as they do any other song. It has mellow laid back vocals, a strong bass line, great guitar playing, and an awesome drum beat. Although it is a whole four minutes long it fails to get boring at all and leaves you feeling greatly satisfied with its pure talent and amazing beat.

‘Get Off The Train’ is a cool Ska tune with some brilliant brassy numbers, strong drumming, some extremely cool bass lines, and some guitar playing which has obviously been done by someone pretty damn experienced as it is extremely cool and is sure to please. The vocals are terrific on this track with the vocalist really putting his all in to them and as a result coming up with a sound which is completely full of attitude, full of fun, and will have you on your feet skanking before you know it! Although I also loved ‘Lazy Days’ this one is probably my absolute favourite on the CD as I love Ska and this tune is performed to perfection with awesome horn playing which at times makes you do a double take in thinking that you are actually listening to trad. Ska. It is so energetic and full of excitement and is one of those songs that no matter how many times you listen to it you will never tire of it and in fact it just gets better every time you hear it!

So this is a super CD of skank infested fun that will have you dancing like man from the moment it starts playing to the moment it finishes as it is an extremely energetic experience and there is never a dull moment. A lot of Ska bands around are just putting out the same old shit but One Stop Earnest are a band that like to have a bit of individuality that will draw them away from the main bulk of crowd and this individual tinge comes in the shape of their emotion driven tunes.

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Die For – It’s All We Know

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Ok, its not really the best of things to notice when you start listening to a CD, but when you put track 1 of this CD on you really start to think that the recording of it really could have been a lot better. This is the case throughout most of this CD and at times you can barely even hear the drum beats as they are merely a small noise behind the vocals and the guitars. Being a drummer myself I tend to notice the recording quality of drumming on a CD and was really not impressed with the recording of it on this CD.

I think that the track that has come out the best on this CD is probably track 3, ‘More crimes and vegan rhymes.’ On this track there is a killer guitar intro/outro, awesome bass lines and some superb vocals with some nice shouty ones coming in about three quarters of the way in. It definitely has the best sound on the CD and as this CD goes on the recording quality definitely improves and the instrument boundaries start to become less blurred. I think that the drumming comes out best on track 4, ‘Still hoping for more’ as it really comes through well and you can tell on this track that the drummer really does have a lot of talent when he is not being overshadowed by the rest of the band – this is again shown on track 5, so for the last 2 tracks on this CD – the talents of the drummer really shine through.

This band are obviously not bad at what they do and I feel that had the recording been a bit better then I probably would have been fairly impressed with their music as it is far from poor even at times of poor quality recording. At times the vocals seem to go a bit out of tune but this can be easily improved by the singer, so on the next CD I hope to see that problem being sorted as it is easily achievable. Also, I would of course love to see a better quality recording, but the higher the standard the more you have to pay I guess, which is a shame because if bands can not get the best service possible then their CDs are not going to be as good as they possibly could have been had they that extra bit of cash.

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Desert Monkey – Made Great By A Breeze

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From the name of this band, I thought that they were going to be another flash in the pan Ska Punk band from god knows where who might have a loyal following where they live but on a national scale are really just plain shit. Gladly, I was proven wrong by this fine CD and right from the offset of the drum introduction I could tell that this CD was really going to be something special.

Desert Monkey play no strings attached rock music that will give you a swift kick in the arse. The music which the band play is exciting, fun filled and just seems to carry the true spirit of Rock ‘n Roll. This is impressive stuff from the band and I reckon that they will be making CDs in some shape or form for many years to come. They have strong vocals that have a real zest of power injected in to them and will really put a smile on your face, the guitar hooks are super cool and will hoof you right in the face, and the drum beats really vibrate right through your body and rock it hard. The band are still only 18 years old, but already they know how to make music that truly rocks so who knows what we will be hearing from them in the future.

It is hard to pick a favourite track out of these four as there is not a bad apple in the bunch as they all taste super sweet. Crank up your sound system to ‘loud’ and away you go with this CD. I guess if I was pushed to choose a favourite from this CD then I would have to say ‘Terpsichorean’, as it is just such an awesome quality track, and the guitar hooks on this one seem to be even better than they are on the other three – which is quite odd considering how amazing the quality of the guitar playing is on the other three! If you like a good rock band then you will almost certainly love Desert Monkey as they are everything that you could ever possibly wish for in a Rock band and more!

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Descendents – ‘Merican

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The Descendents are back – and they’re as great as ever! It has been over 7 years since the band last released anything, but from listening to this you wouldn’t have thought there was a gap in production for a month, let alone the best part of a decade. So if you have been worried that a change of sound was on the cards then no fear, the Descendents kick it off right where they left it all those years ago with the fabulous ‘Nothing With You.’

Descendents are definitely everyone’s favourite Fat Wreck band with their amazing guitar hooks, powering bass lines, strong drum beats, and nothing short of inspirational vocal styling. The music here is as great as ever with 4 awesome tracks that will get your bodily juices pumping to the max. My favourite track here is of course the wonderful title track that is ‘‘Merican’ as it is just such a fast and energetic song – seeming to be pulled off with ease by this inspirational, dare I say it – legendary US Punk band. Seriously, if this track does not inspire you to go out and form you own little Punk Rock band then I really don’t know what will as it is a truly amazing track from the late, great Descendents.

If you are, or have ever been a fan of a Fat Wreck band then you will definitely love this EP as the spirit of Fat Wreck is captured within these 4 songs. This is great music that reminds you why you first fell in love with that first ever Fat Wreck CD that you got your filthy mitts on! This EP is a must have and gives you an idea of the sort of standard to be expected from their forthcoming full length this year.

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Descendents – Cool To Be You

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First thing I have to say – great album, terrible name! That’s right, yet again the band have produced an absolutely phenomenal album of Punk Rock glory. The Descendents have always made fine, fine music and of course this album is no exception – catchy Punk Rock anthems make this band special and that’s why we all have a special place in our hearts for them. Seriously, this band are at the top of their game at what they do and because of this very fact, every release with them is really something special.

With new album ‘Cool To Be You’ we see the band crack out 14 more cracking Punk Rock anthems which are set to put a smile on the faces of Punks across the world. The spectacle wearing front man is idolised the world over for his awesome, unique vocal stylings and it really does bring great enjoyment to me to know that he is still cracking out the songs after so many years in the business. There are some amazing tracks on this album, of course there are the tracks that made the EP so damn special as well as 12 songs which are new to my ears, and ultimately gold to them. ‘Blast Off’ stood out in particular to me on this album as it is just one of those cracking anthems that over the years we have learnt to associate with the band. It has great pace, great lyrics, ultimate catchiness, and just really is an all time classic from the band. On this track we see the band putting out some amazing bass lines, riveting guitar riffs, amazing drumbeats, and Milo’s vocals are just absolutely spot on. Milo kicks the lyrics out perfectly on this track with his amazingly charming style. This song has some amazing bite, some great rhyme, and just seems to be one of those tracks that will be playing on peoples hi-fi’s for many a year to come.

Another stand out track on this album is title track, ‘Cool To Be You.’ This is another amazingly stylish track and has the unique sound of Milo, mixed with some terrific bass lines, guitar riffs to die for, and drumming so fast and strong that your foot will be tapping away like mad and you just wont be able to control it! I really do love this track and feel that it is one of the highlights of the album – it really does stand out, which is quite bizarre considering that this is such a perfect album. You would have thought that given the immense quality of this album, tracks in particular would not stand out, but ultimately there are still some tracks that carry so much weight that you just cant help but notice them.

EP featured track ‘Merican’ is of course one of these tracks – it is an incredible tune that is sure to get the juices going inside of you. This track just has so much pace – I swear, it is absolutely impossible to dislike this track, its just so amazing and unbelievably perfect. I cant believe that the band have managed to do it once again – they really have created another album which is absolutely flawless. I really do not know how they manage to do this time after time but still, I’m not going to complain because I get some top notch albums out of it! Milo et al really have some special chemistry going on and this is what makes their music so god damn special. The 4 musicians work perfectly together and as a result, at the end of each album they come out smelling of roses.

If you have ever liked the band then there is no reason why you wont like this release as it is absolutely perfect – buy it and find a flaw, go on – I dare you! I swear that this album is actually flawless, I sure cant find any flaws in it and if you can then you must be a much harder to please person than I am! Fat Wreck have always put out some fine music, but this album is just perfect in every way possible – this could possibly be their greatest release ever and I am sure that this CD will be remembered for many a year to come!

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