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A Close Last – Bigger Than Rik Waller

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Here is a CD offering up four more tracks from the promising Scottish Punk Rock band that is A Close Last. This CD lasts for a total of 11 minutes and 18 seconds and carries on from where the band left off with their ‘Who Took The Jam Out Your Donut?!’ EP.

The first three tracks on this here EP show off the bands great talent for making melodic Punk Rock music with three fine tracks that have awesome guitar playing, skilful drumming and outstanding vocals that really make you wonder to yourself why this band haven’t been snapped up and signed yet. The music here is of an extremely high standard and just like with the last EP, the songs are catchy and full of zest. The music which they produce is fun to listen to and just makes you want to have a good time – it has a real feel good factor about it. My favourite of the three is ‘Where Are You Now’ as on this track the band show much talent with fast drumming, tuneful guitar playing and really melodic vocals with lyrics that you remember as soon as you have heard them and are the sort of ones that you will be humming for months as it is really catchy stuff and an a truly awesome tune. The forth track however is something different to the first three with more of a hardcore tune and I remember them doing this last time. It is a cool song with really hard hitting, raw edge vocals, fast drumming and eerie guitars. I really liked this one and thought it was just as well done as the other tracks on this CD so with this song the band are showing that they can pull off a more melodic approach yet they can also pull off more hardcore music with a rawer sound.

The outro is really funny with a mobile going off, someone answering with the standard ‘Hello’ and then followed by the band saying ‘No matter what anyone says about us, we’re still ACL from the block, we use to have a little but now we’ve got ***** all!’ This really cracked me up the first time I heard it and just about sums up what its like being in a band – broke! Check this band out if you are interested in melodic Punk Rock CD has been done really well and the band are well worth checking out.

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The Brass Monkeys – Change Of Scenery EP

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This is a 3 track EP from the Reading based band that is The Brass Monkeys. They are an 8 piece ‘Wedgecore’ band (mix of Ska and Stadium Rock.) I wasn’t really sure what to except so I quickly got it into the CD player and found out what it was that this band played exactly and I found three good tunes here from the band, ‘GAF,’ ‘Plan B,’ and ‘Shits Fucked Up.’ I like all three of these, although my favourite of the three has to be the third track, ‘Shits Fucked Up’ as it is a great Ska track with an awesome horn section that has a kind of King Prawn feel about it (and in my eyes this is definitely not a bad thing to have!) The vocals on this track are amazing as well and work really well with the drumming and guitars to make it a sweet sweet tune with never a dull moment. So a definite stand out track here with the bands own unique take on Ska/Punk. Although my favourite is ‘Shits Fucked up,’ the first track on this EP, ‘GAF’ is also a great track and again the band show some great Ska coming through in their horn section and the vocals are again amazing. ‘Plan B’ is also a pretty smooth tune and it has a really strong chorus which allows it to be such a fine tune. It is the vocals in the chorus that make it so strong so again the vocals don’t let the side down and are of an extremely high standard. This band have their very own, extremely unique sound and I really like the sound that they are creating as it is something new and refreshing and in a scene of bands with many sounding pretty much the same they are bound to go far and if the labels have got any sense at all they should soon be all over this band. Check them out as with so many average Ska bands around, it is hard to find a good one but this is definitely one of those rare good bands so they definitely deserve recognition as they are not trying to sound like anyone else, they are creating their own sound to suit them and that is how it should be.

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The Blueprint – Ecliptic

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This EP sees a return of the UK supergroup that is The Blueprint. This is a strong Rock CD with track 1 not even requiring vocals to be used as the instruments tell the story far better than any vocals could. It is an exciting song and even in the absence of vocals you do not get bored as it is raw and interesting. To me, it is just as good as the other songs on the CD which do have vocals and each of these 6 tracks are good in their own individual way and they have that special touch which allows them to have aggression, some post-hardcore and also pop sensibilities at the same time. They have some rather aggressive and heavy tracks like ‘International House Of Dirt’ while also catering for the audience looking for a more melodic groove with tracks such as ‘This Ends Here.’ So whether you like melodic tunes or hardcore and heavy tunes this is a CD that you should be looking into checking out as it caters for both audiences and does it well too. There is a good mix of both here and the two work well together to make The Blueprint’s sound original and unique to them. Although it is an EP and only has six tracks you are left satisfied by what you are heard and it really gears you up for more so bring on the next Blueprint CD please! This is a great blend of post-hardcore and melodic masterpieces so check out this one and be surprised at how much the band have evolved since the release of ‘*zero*zero*one*.’

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Quik – 0% attendance – 100% punktuality

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This is a 4 track Demo from the Aberdeen three piece Quik and is a good example of the sort of music that this band produce – skate punk in a melodic kind of fashion. They are starting to develop into their own unique sound and if you get this CD you can experience the fact for yourself.

It all kicks off with the track ‘No-Where Fast,’ a skate punk track with melodic vocals, fast drumming, and steaming guitars. This is one that you should definitely be listening to, with melodic vocals that are done to perfection, it really keeps your attention and at just under 3 minutes it doesn’t have time to get boring and annoying either so this is good. Track 2, ‘3’s A Crowd’ has a completely different feel about it though and has a Ska feel about it at times which is always a good thing to hear for me (being a Ska fan and all.) Again, the vocals are extremely melodic and a really laid back feel is created, with the Ska bits adding to this relaxed, chilled out feel. It is a bit faster than the other ones I think vocally but still remains melodic and still a brilliant tune. The drumming here is totally amazing and the first time I heard this one it blew me away, it is fast yet in time and knocks most drummers to shit with its greatness. If you like skate punk but fancy something a bit different then this is the one for you as it is totally unique and completely different to the other tracks on this demo, with faster paced vocals and a sound of their own that they really have strived to create for themselves. You can tell that this band are really coming into their own and are making a sound that is produced by nobody else out there and is sure to go down well within the scene.

The third track here, ‘Conversation Killer,’ is another melodic skate punk tune in the fashion of the first track. It is done well, but is probably my least favourite of the three as it is a little too slow for my liking the vocals going on a bit. It lasts for a hefty 3 minutes and for this style is an extremely long time as most songs of the sort last for about 2 and for me, does not do enough to last the whole four quarters and by the third – they are down by about 12. Things pick up again with the last track, ‘Time To Go’ though and with an infectious chorus you are sure to be singing away to yourself and before long you’ll be leaving people wondering why you’re singing your heart out in the middle of the street. The bass lines are strong, the guitar playing is wicked, the drumming is outstanding and the vocals are full of melodic intuition. If you like your skate punk melodic and with a distinct British feel about it then check out this band because this is what they produce and there is no denying it. This is one of the best ones on here and even if nothing else pleases you, the chorus is sure to put a smile on your face with its catchiness and ability to sing it like you really mean it. Good end to the demo here, with an awesome track that is sure to catch your attention and get you tapping your feet madly to the beat.

So here we have three good tracks (1.2, 4) and one which in my opinion is lacking – so 75% good is not a bad percentage and still makes it well worth checking out. Melodic Skate Punk at its finest I say and remember – what I say goes on this website! If there is one complaint I would make it is that this band cant seem to be anything other than ‘nice.’ The vocals never even have a tinge of hardcore but really they don’t need it to liven them up as they are superb without it and make way for a good listen which will have you hooked within seconds. Check this band out if you are after a band that are Skate Punk, melodic, but also like to do their own thing.

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Eight Page Pullout – Voice Of Reason

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This is the latest EP from Scottish Melodic Punk band, Eight Page Pullout and it contains 7 tracks of their fine melodic Punk Rock that is done extremely well. If you want an idea of their sound then I would say early New Found Glory/ Rufio with their own added twist, taking on highly energetic songs and pulling them off to perfection.

So here we have it, the latest 7 track EP from this Scottish Melodic Punk outfit and I have to say that I was actually quite surprised at just how good it is. When it arrived I didn’t have a clue about what to expect but when I put it into my CD player it instantly had me hooked with its melodic vocals, catchy riffs, and fast paced drumming. Right from the set off with ‘Blind & Naked’ you can tell that this is going to be something special and all the way to the end with ‘Voice of Reason,’ it does not disappoint and there are some great songs in between. There are three standout tracks here in my opinion, ‘Exit,’ ‘Leave Me Stale,’ and ‘For Us,’ – and considering there are only seven tracks here it is a great achievement to have three tracks that stand out because sometimes on albums with 14 tracks on, there are not this many tracks that stand out. ‘Exit’ stood out to me for example as this has catchier lyrics than the flue, the drumming is frantic, and the guitar riffs and bass lines just seem to reach out and grab you. It is one of those songs that sticks in your head with its pop sensibilities but it also Punk enough at the same time to keep your attention, and gain your affection. They show much talent on this one and show that they are a band that has a lot to offer and should things go their way will definitely be big before long.

‘Leave Me Stale’ on the other hand did not really catch my attention until the first chorus and then it had me listening intensely on their every word and taking it all completely to heart. About half way through this song there is a part where something begins to build and you can feel it coming and then all of a sudden there is this outburst that sounds almost hardcore, but before you have a chance to take it all in you are chucked back in at the deep end with the chorus again. Up until the first chorus this one just seems like an average track but after that, you mark my words – you know that you are witnessing something very special and feel proud to be a part of it.

Like I said before, the other track to have really grabbed my attention was ‘For Us.’ This is a song that lasts for a whole four minutes, but this is a fun filled four minutes and the time just seemed to fly by. The bass lines are crazy, the vocals are infectious, the drumming has a good, steady beat, and the guitars produce the most melodic of sounds that you have ever heard. This song seems to have great emotion and depth to it and I think that it really means a lot to the band and almost certainly to the vocalist by the way that he is singing his heart out on it. The guitar here is producing some amazing sounds and works well with the melodic Punk vocals to produce an extremely fine track. If you are after something that is a bit more emotional and heartfelt then this is the one that you should be listening to on this EP because it is definitely emotional and it went straight my heart, and I don’t usually find myself being fond of tracks like this so it must be something special!

So, a brilliant little EP here from the talented young Scottish band that I am sure I will be hearing a lot more of in the future when they sign to a major label and are earning mega bucks. One to watch out for in 2004? I think so!

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The Bed Demo

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I didn’t really know what to expect when this little CD arrived so anything could come out of the speakers when I put this baby in the Hi-Fi. It is a 2 track demo and although it is only a bit of a sampler of the band, it is a CD with great skill shown by the band as they have their own, highly individual sound as they blend genres and form what it is that they have. The first track here, ‘Soma Riot Wave Machine’ has and Indie thing going but it is Indie in a way I have never heard it before so this is obviously the bands own take on Indie and I think that the sound they have created here in this song is amazing. It is Indie with a difference as there are some extremely strong guitar riffs. So you get the nice, chilled out melodic vocals and couple them with some amazingly strong guitar riffs and the outcome is awesome. The second track, ‘Time Against The Tower’ is another strong track – this time no storming guitar riffs though with a very chilled out and relaxing feel about the whole thing. Not only are the vocals in this one mellow but the guitar playing also is and the drumming is also soft to make it a terrific track as it really chills you out and is the sort of track that you would love to listen to on the way home from work after a really stressful day. It is the most chilling of songs you could possibly listen to and this is what makes it so good. Sometimes, on relaxed tracks like this one it can get really boring for you as the listener but this one is far from boring and the band create their own unique sound perfectly in order to carry out this masterpiece of a track. So although this is only a two track demo CD, it leaves you gagging for more. They have their own very distinct sound and no other band around at the moment is creating music quite like this. If they keep up the good work then there is no reason why they shouldn’t break the mainstream in the next few years.

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The Beautiful Mistake – Light A Match, For I Deserve To Burn

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Here is another band that has the whole Rock/Hardcore with the emotional tinge going and in all fairness it isn’t half bad! The vocal change from Rock/Emo to Hardcore is almost instantaneous and you don’t really have time to think about the change as it all happens so quickly and leaves you wondering where the soaring hardcore vocals had come from, bearing in mind that 5 seconds beforehand you had been listening to vocals of pure 100% emotion it is extremely shocking to be feeling such aggression moments later. There are 10 tracks here and you do not know what to expect from track to track, for instance, track 1, ‘On Building’ is extremely melodic and emotional without a tinge of hardcore in the whole song but it is closely followed by ‘Stabbing Backwards’ which goes from Emotional to Hardcore as if there is a switch there to do it with, and in this track you get the contrasting genres and together they seem to work really well. ‘Stabbing Backwards’ is an exciting tune as is ‘Lancaster PA’ with you never knowing what to expect due to the instant changing of genre. It makes the tunes really interesting and you want to keep listening on to see if there are any other interesting twists so the band have got you hooked with it because you want to find out what comes next and in order to do this you must listen on, as unlike many bands out there today, The Beautiful Mistake are not predictable, in fact they are the complete opposite and this is what I love so much about the band. You never know what to expect with this band and I like a bit of excitement in my music and when you do not know what to expect next it is certainly exciting as just when it seems like the band are going to become more emotional than ever they seem to spring some hardcore on you so their style never gets boring throughout the whole of the 10 tracks that there are displayed here on this album from the band. Check this band out if you like a kind of Emo Rock/Hardcore crossover and I am sure that you will be quite pleasantly surprised at the quality of the music which this band produce and will agree with me that in a genre that can become extremely dull and predictable this band are really on top of things and trying to change it for the better.

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Over The Moon Tour – Boat on River Thames

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Ah yes, the closing date of the Over The Moon Tour 2003 – and it is made highly individual by the fact that it is being held on…err a boat!

Things didn’t really get off to a very good start when Graveltrap failed to get on the boat before it left but oh well, the only way from there was up, right? As they weren’t able to play the gig with 2 members not on the boat their slot was left blank and during this time many random songs were played to the audience and everyone just took this opportunity to have a laugh and mess about so it wasn’t all bad that a band that were billed to play the show in fact did not.

The first band to take the stage were Mixtwitch, an Irish band with their take on ska/pop punk. To be honest, they were better than I thought that they would be and played an average sort of set with a few kids at the front jumping around and generally enjoying themselves. Although they were not really my cup of tea they were still OK and they had a lot of energy and spirit which at times really got the crowd going. In this time though, many were eagerly antiscipating Whitmore and I myself was getting excited and getting ready for an intake of Ska Tropica! (6)

Solabeat Alliance (Spankboy) were the next band to take the stage and right from the very start they were energetic, loud, and full of power! As they began every one seemed to go crazy and you could see many happy faces in the audience as they played tracks from Rise On Up, Medication and even a couple of new tracks that they have been working on. I really enjoyed the time I spent nodding my head and tapping my feet to SBA as they are a really fun band and every time I see them they put a smile on my face with their upbeat ska that can not be mirrored by any other band. Although I enjoyed the set, I was a bit annoyed that I could not express my excitement by jumping around and generally throwing myself around as the ceiling was about an inch off the top of my head so I didn’t really fancy cracking my head open as this would have slightly spoiled the day! There was an exiteable bunch at the front, banging on the ceiling – probably as they couldnt jump around and you could tell by the way that the windows steamed up that everyone was having a crazy time on board the Dutch master. The left and right were split in to two sides with the left of the band having to say Sola and the right of them saying Beat. Of course the Beat was the best as I was shouting it at the top of my voice and with someone like me on their side they had to be the best side right?! So a great set played by a great band here today on the Dutch Master. (10)

Last on were the Wiltshire crew, Whitmore with their Ska/Punk songs featuring whiny American style vocals. Many got really excited about this band and to be honest I think it was the mere fact that they use to be on P-Rock 24/7 because really there is nothing special at all about this band and the set was rather dull, and only being improved by the fact that the crowd were going crazy. They played the P-Rock theme and also the critically acclaimed ‘Alison’ to win the crowd over as well as some other songs from their ‘Smoke The Roach’ which I haven’t got the faintest idea of the names. Although everyone seemed highly excited, they were about 12 years old so you cant really blame them as most had come with their parents and were about 5ft so didnt have the ceiling problem which I had. So Whitmore, in my oppinion were rather dull as the show completely lacked excitement with many just sitting on the top deck sunning themselves – or in the Dutch peoples case, shouting ‘wankers’ at random tourist boats on the River Thames. (4)

So, I felt that the only band that shined tonight were the brilliant Solabeat Alliance as I felt that they were jam packed full of energy and had a lot more to give than the other bands playing. The new tune ‘All or Nothing’ was amazing and hopefully I will get another chance to see this band play. I saw them at the Astoria back in November and although it was a massive venue, the crowd really got behind them and they played an amazing set – and I had room to do what I liked there without having to duck! So, the Over The Moon Tour is over – look out for Solabeat Alliance on their next tour which hopefully will be quite soon!

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Orca – The Thought Of Falling

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This is a two track single from the Plymouth post hardcore outfit, Orca and displays some fine tunes from a band that have already scored shows with the likes of Kids Near Water, Reuben, Funeral For A Friend and Vacant Stare.

The first track here, ‘This Years Girl’ is a cool song with fast guitar playing, great drumming, and raw edged vocals which make up a truly fine song that is easy to listen to and also interesting to listen to. The vocals on this CD are what makes it such a good listen, with them ranging from melodic to hardcore it makes them unpredictable and really captures your attention making you want to carry on listening. I guess that’s why their genre is written as Rock/ Emo/ Post-Hardcore because you really cant fit them into one genre because to do this would be criminal as they are such a great band with many different sounds being produced in their songs. The second track here, ‘Without Questions’ is another strong track and again is impossible to classify it as being any particular genre. There are many different sounds coming out of just this one song with definite signs of Rock and Post-Hardcore and also the Emo part as there is some strong emotion running through these lyrics and you can really tell that they are singing about things that mean something to them and not just singing pointless things for the sake of it. They have points to make and they get these points across through their music which is done extremely well with an awesome sound. The vocals are again amazing on this track and I love the way they go from being melodic, with emotion running through them to aggressive with a more hardcore edge. The drumming here is good, and there is a great sound being produced by the guitars. It really is an all round great song with no weaknesses in the band at all letting the side down.

So, here we have two cool songs from the band on their latest single and they show that they are one of the finest bands in the country of this kind of genre with it and hopefully with the release on September 8th (buy it) they will gain a larger fan base and continue to grow as a band.

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Duff Muffin – The Eagle Eyes EP

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This my friend is Duff Muffin’s 7 track EP of amazing Ska tunes. Ska they most definitely are without the additional ‘punk’ – it is straight up Ska at its finest. This CD will get you skanking your pants off as it is full of energy and the horn section is a beast! The horn section really is amazing here with a great sound being chucked out and sounding really refined and well played. The drumming is also outstanding with some meaty little tunes being banged out with great energy and a mighty fine beat. The guitaring here is also of a high standard with some awesome riffs being driven out of them creating a nicely polished sound to be topped off with the wonderfully Ska’d up vocals. So when you piece it all together you end up with this ultra cool 7 track EP of pure 100% Ska – and that isn’t an exaggeration. The highlights of the EP for me are track 1, ‘Pipe Down,’ ‘Intraversial’ and ‘Toy Soldiers.’ To be honest it was quite harsh of me to pick out my favourite tracks but these sure are top quality tunes none the less and the opener, ‘Pipe Down’ is particularly great in my opinion because it really sets the scene with a storming little Ska number that is really hard hitting and really gets the skanking party started off and gets you firmly on your feet making your mark. You also have the brilliant ‘Toy Soldiers’ which I admire which is made so special by the fact that it is quite fast paced while remaining superb and extremely tuneful which in some cases is not the solution with out of tune vocals so this band have certainly got it right and are definitely treading carefully, avoiding shit! So this 7 track EP effort from the Surrey based Ska band that is Duff Muffin is one giant Skankfest as it contains loads of tunes to get you going and then ends with the more mellow ‘Batty Old Cow’ just to round it off nicely and show that they can go from one extreme to the other. If you like Ska then I strongly suggest that if you don’t own this CD then go and buy it because you’re missing out on something pretty damn special and you would be stupid to let it go without giving it a try.

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