Friday, March 16, 2012

The Ax - The Queen of Dirt






The Ax  - “Our Queen of Dirt”, 2009
(Whoa! Boat)

Seattle two-man band The Ax have a debut album that can divided into three sections.  For the first four songs play garage rock that invades guarded personal sound space like an over-agressive washing machine filled to the brim spinning on a heavy-duty cycle.  Possible band comparisons would be Sonic Youth or The Gordons as the vocals on “The Albino” are used as a separate instrument.  In the second part, from “Sharp Teeth”, there’s a Gordon Gano nasal whine over the top of a disorienting near metallic loud droning noise.   In the third and final act, The Ax re-metamorphisize into a fuzzy industrial sandpaper-raw abrasive noise blur with a slight touch of the Jesus and Mary Chain in the singing and using feedback as an accompanying instrument.  . Their quick-change act also changes them into the audio equivalent of blurry vacation snapshots that your friends pester you to look at. Politely you say, “That’s nice” while you’re just secretly hoping they’ll stop and just go home shortly.   In The Ax’s case, I just hoped the songs would get shorter even though none of them reach over the three-minute and a half mark.   Future music theorists will write dissertatons on how a band can drone on and bore in such a short time if anyone actually cares enough about this band to place  “The Queen of Dirt” in a time capsule.

 There is a fascination with close-ups of human eyes and low budget B-grade sci-fi on the album artwork, which indicates a weirdness for weird’s sake if it hadn’t been most likely stolen directly from The Residents.   Admittedly it was late at night but I fell asleep listening to this album a number of times.   That it’s possible to sector this album into parts proves that this material would have been better released as EP’s because these fourteen songs are difficult to digest in one entire sitting.  

2/5

The Ax on bandcamp

The Ax on myspace

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Doomdogs - Doomdogs





Swedish band Doomdogs couldn’t be accused of re-inventing the wheel.  The band have worked out which tried and true formula works for them and stuck with it.    The eight-minute disc opener recalls the beaten path of fellow swedish doomsters Candlemass.  “Dogs of Doom”  is a straight ahead Motorhead styled rocker complete with Lemmy style vocals.  The Lemmy style vocals abrasively mix with slow paced doom metal in “The Game”.  “Calling” is so weighted down with heaviness that through the length of eight minutes, it moves at a snail’s pace although it is more likely that the band plan to make time stand still by playing so slowly.  “Shout” is faster and the sandpaper raw vocals are more effective with the change in pace and simple one-word chorus.   Around the four-minute mark, the Doomdogs provide a fitting Sabbath-y refrain.  

While there’s nothing wrong with the playing on this debut, I just wish the Doomdogs didn’t remind me of bands who gave the world fatastic first albums.    It’s impossible to escape the feeling that DOOMDOGS are a band still finding their feet as the straight rock doesn’t sit that well with the five long doom metal songs.  Having said that, Doomdogs are still definitely a band keeping on an eye on.

3/5

Doomdogs on myspace

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Dead to Me - African Elephants






Dead to Me   “African Elephants”, 2009
(Fat Wreck Chords)

Even if you’ve never watched “Day of Our Lives”, you’ll have an awareness that ignoring the sands passing through the hourglass is tough.  It’s apparent that despite gray hairs, wrinkles and senility taking over the mind and settling into stay, music and fashion trends often come and go.  Whether it’s the Nirvana alike closer “Blue”, reggae of “X”, the or the album’s more commonplace Down By Law pop punk, it’s clear that Dead to Me would have been more at home in the nineties.

Dead to Me mix up of “alternative “ styles that were edging towards mainstream over a decade ago and as a consequence, the songs not only sound dated but the band’s personality shines through about as clearly as the invisible man without the bandages. If you lived through the nineties, you’ve likely heard much better versions of this album without the cut and paste compilation album effect.   If you’re over ten, can tie your own shoelaces and are capable of wearing a baseball cap correctly then pass on this pop punk Miley Cyrus equivalent.

1/5

Band website

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Lights Out! - destroy-create






Lights Out! – “destroy - create”, 2009
(Dead beat)

From the opening moment it’s clear that this German punk band are thumbing their noses at the past 25 years of fashion and trends in music as their approach and sound is rooted in the year of 1982.  In the US hardcore was making waves and the UK was pogoing in the second wave of punk.  The band belches out quick short snotty songs. Jay Hill’s angry English spitting approach to punk vocals could place Lights Out! firmly in the same era as the UK Subs.

“Contempt” and “Kiss Me, Please” pick from the Minor Threat song bible of righteous anger.  The short swift kick of  “destroy-create” should definitely please those who pick the bands chosen moniker as an Angry Samoans reference. A trans-continent experiment is trialed in “Broken Hearts, Broken Minds” as the band combines an American hardcore instrumental undercurrent with a more traditional UK punk chorus. “Destination: Annihilation” motors anthemic rhyme and nihilistic theme at ramming speed into the listener’s head.

There’s a patchiness on this album reminiscent of the punk cassette compilations of yesteryear.   The bands recorded straight to tape and  the finished products were traded until they were nth generation taped copies.  The sound quality always varied but underneath the murky hiss, it was still possible to tell that all the bands were different.   No matter how many songs there were, only a small percentage were memorable. In the future if the Lights Out! choose more even recording quality and production, the band may well  transform into a force to be reckoned with.

2.5/5

Lights out! on myspace



This is definitely not the Michigan band who I've just checked out and they caused me to puke in my own mouth.  They describe themselves as Pop punk but are about as punk as One Direction.  I don't recommend even looking at their facebook page because you have to like them before you can hear them.

Here's the challenge.  Listen to them yourselves on reverb nation.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Teenage Fanclub - Shadows


TEENAGE FANCLUB – “Shadows, 2010





Jangly guitars and strong chirpy vocals characterize the power pop of Scottish band Teenage Fanclub.   Sixties pop resonates strongly within the rythmic guitar and vocals of “Baby Lee” and the keyboard heavy“Dark Clouds”.  “The Fall” is a fantastic melodic pop song with the winning combination of strong songwiting and sickly sweet male vocals.  Crowded House fans should be impressed with “Shock and Awe” and  “Live with the Seasons” as it’s difficult to listen to and not simultaneously think of Neil Finn’s better material with that band.  Actually come to think of it “When I Still Have Thee”, “Sweet Days Waiting and a few others sound like they could have been easily pulled from the great  “Everybody is Here” album that he did with his older brother Tim.   Whether it’s coincidence or an inspired choice of plagiarism doesn’t really matter as there just isn’t a single dud song on “Shadows”.

With so many interchangable faceless cookie cutter uninspired metal bands that just don’t any more cutting, blur together soundalike pop-punk bands and interchangable indie rock that simply refuses to do the rock part, it’s truly a pleasure to hear and review a band capable of putting out quality music.

4/5


Official band site

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Valkyrie - Man of Two Visions




Valkyrie- Man of Two Visions(2008)
(Noble Origin)


   There’s definitely an early seventies hard rock feel to this disc.  Opener “Running Out”is an uptempo number reminiscent of early Iron Maiden and draws the listener in with its twin guitar harmonies and clean dual vocals.   The fuzzed out guitars wail on the contrasting down tempo“Dawntide’s Breeze” as the rhythm section shakes and stirs.  Those that have calling this band a doom band feed misinformation although there’s no mistaking the shades of  “ Master Of Reality” era Black Sabbath on “False Dreams” and “Man of Two Visions”.  The stunning opening to the instrumental “Green Highlander” put a pleasant chill down the back of my neck and music hasn’t caused that for years.  Repeating that sensation has long been one of my personal reasons for exploring new music.  If you shut your eyes the images of lush green hills come to you.  The other instrumental “The Gorge” also conjures up the landscape of its namesake.  “Apocalypse Unsealed” begins with a Celtic feel and utilizing dual guitar takes in early Iron Maiden without cloning them as the rhythm section scorches. There are definitely otherworldly psychic powers at work, as these guys flow off each other perfectly.

This is the type of album that makes the other jealous because of the amount of time spent with it.  Secure your firewalls and remember all your lock combinations because you’ll be diving back for more.

4.5/5



Beastwars - IV

After over a year off for various reasons, we have returned solely because we wanted to review the new Beastwars album. I really w...