Ozone Mama - Cosmos Calling

Label: Ripple Music


Can you name any Hungarian bands? I sure can't. Here's comes Ozone Mama. Problem solved, I can now name a Hungarian band. What would a Hungarian band signed to Ripple Music sound like? My guess and probably yours was Sabbath tinged stoner rock. We're wrong though. Ozone Mama have a southern rock sound.

From the first full song, "Straight On Till Morning Light", it's loud and clear that Ozone Mama possess strong songwriting skills and are aiming and succeeding at producing rock radio-friendly tunes. The Black Crowes are an easy reference point as Ozone Mama take a very similar stylistic approach. "High Ride" contains a vibe not unlike an Ozzy eighties single, which in a world where Black Sabbath clones are a dime a dozen actually feels like a breath of fresh air , although vocalist Márton Székely resists temptation to go full Oz which works in the band's favour. There's a Stones swagger to "Shout at The Sky" and the vocals go in Led Zeppelin era Robert Plant direction. The title track starts with licks that contain a very swampy southern flavour. If you didn't know you'd likely swear this band was from one of the southern US states. "Freedom Fighters" features some tasty guitar solos from András Gábor and it is a catchy little ditty with the vocals up front in the mix. The catchiness continues with "Cold Light of Day". Those who like stories in their southern rock songs will enjoy, "The Alchemist" which is a laid back yet rocking tune. The early seventies influence is strong in "Moon Pilot" as it is reminiscent of early Bowie, Pink Floyd plus a number of hard rock bands without sounding like a mere copy.

Although this is the third album from Ozone Mama, it was my first time hearing them and they're a band we're all likely to hear more from if they're given the right push. It's very easy to see why Ripple Music has signed this band. This album begs for and deserves rock-radio airplay in a major way.

3.5/5

Release Date: 19 January 2018



Ozone Mama on Facebook

Screamfeeder - Pop Guilt

Australian band Screamfeeder have been knocking and playing their brand of indie pop for about for quarter of a century. The combination of male and female vocalists has drawn comparisons to The Go-Betweens however for many Screamfeeder songs the female voice is upfront rather than relegated to the background.

The band mix up the style of their song without straying far from indie pop territory. There's a definite Pixies influence seeping through the tunes "Falling" and a touch of the poppier side of Husker Du in "Got a Feeling". "Going to California" is a quick punk style burst with a heavy dosage of pop.


Prepare yourself for cake and booze, because the distorted "Making it Up" is a good cause for fans of Australian indie pop as it looks to Australia's indie pop past as it contains a hint of Grant McClennan without feeling like a carbon copy of what has gone before.



While there is variation between the songs on "Pop Guilt" which takes away any boring sameness, there's a lingering feeling that editing this album and chopping a number of songs would have been much a better move than lengthening the album by providing bonus tracks.


Release Date: 23 June 2017




3/5


Screamfeeder on bandcamp.


Screamfeeder on Facebook

Black Helicopter - Everything is Forever

On this four song EP, the circle of life is evident. Boston band Black Helicopter take their sound from 80's indie/college rock. Comparisons to Pavement, Husker Du and Dinosaur Junior will be made by many when they tune into the EP's opener "And I > Drive At Night". There's an undeniable geeky indie rock feel to both "Not Kewl Who"and "Show of Hams". "Not Kewl Who" comes across as a stripped back to the basics and much rawer version of Weezer. The follow-up song "Show of Hams" has a similar sense of fun and also a similar sound to the Violent Femmes. At times the vocals are reminiscent of Gordon Gano. The album's title track closes the album and it's a lengthy instrumental with a quirkiness that doesn't make the track outwear its welcome.

Right now you can listen to the album on bandcamp for free for a limited time so if any of the mentioned bands are of interest you should check out Black Helicopter's latest musical offering below.

3/5

Black Helicopter on bandcamp




Black Helicopter on Facebook

Brond - Feint

The EP format is usually a great thing as it doesn't contain the fat that an album and it's over quickly. Brond are a post-hardcore band from Sofia, Bulgaria, which have chosen to release an EP entitled "Feint".


Brond's music is heavily influenced by the likes of Fugazi and Helmet. The first track has a lot of throaty hardcore shouting and a great start/stop dynamic. "Build Re Build" features some quick drumming and vocals which are a reminder of Fugazi. There's a progressive type feel to the music as it is difficult for a listener to guess which direction the song will take. Despite that, there's definitely not a lack of focus as Brond sound super-tight. While it falls between the post-hardcore of Fugazi and the more stripped down metal of Helmet, "Atlantic Empress" employs a tasty and fitting jazz-punk type direction. "Lava Divers" features the strong pound drumming that Helmet are known for and clear hollering over the music.


This is the sort of release that kicks a slacking off reviewer in the ass and leaves drool stains in the floor. There's mopping to be done shortly.

4/5

Check out the Feint EP on bandcamp here

Mojo Waves - 7x7 single

The more observant among you may recall Mojo Waves who featured in this blog a couple of years ago back when posts came a lot more regularly. For a memory refresher read the album review here.

The band have released a single with a new album entitled "All The Right Parts Fit The Wrong Way" due out on May 11th this year.




Download the single.

Devils Elbow - Broken Record Syndrome

 I've been aware of Devils Elbow for quite some time.  In fact, they first sent me an email about three or four years ago and I listened to their songs on their myspace player and the country tinged tunes did zero for me so it was easier to ignore them than write about them.   When I saw them live, I just considered them an annoyance simply by being the second support band before Grant Hart.

The line-up has since changed since I saw them live with the addition of Ben Lee on bass and bacing vocas.  There's been a change of drummer too.  Although none of that really matters because Alex Withers is the only constant Devils Elbow musician on this release of eight songs from 2011 and 2012.  Both release opener "Broken Record Syndrome" and "Trouble" contain harmonica and  possess a catchy melody reminicent of the mid-80's hits by the likes of The Hooters and John Mellencamp. Alec Withers sings and plays all the instruments in  "The Big Smoke" which is country tinged with a beefy guitar sound.  "Endless Dedication" is punk rock tinged country.  This is how Social Distortion would sound if they plyed their hands at country music.  Checked shirt wearing Country music traditionalists are likely to enjoy "Like A Flash" and find something more than those that just want to rock out because the harmonica and female backing vocals convince that song was written to be played at a hay covered barndance.  The instrumental "Bones Below" is heavily reliant on the swing of the rhythm section and  has a nice and sleazy feel ala The Stranglers.

The refined blend of country, punk and rock works well on this release.  This is one  that is likely to convert non-believers and skeptics.  See y'all at Mass.  The 8 song EP can ber downloaded at their bandcamp site for a limited time.

3.5/5

Devils Elbow on facebook




Small Takeover on facebook

Best 5 releases so far this year and best five newer blogs.

Stereotypical music blogs tend to do these lists halfway through the year and then again at the end of the year however we don't abide by those rules and even stay up after midnight some days.

Here's my top five so far...

5)Testament - "Dark Roots of The Earth"

80's Bay Area thrashers with a solid album of melodic thrash that kicks sand at the questionable Big Four, there's even the odd ballad which is more imaginatively titled than "The Ballad" though the cover songs were unneeded.

4)Deadkill self-titled EP - nice old-time hardcore from Seattle

3)Absolute Monarchs "1" Blistering heavy indie pop from Seattle.

2)The Living Deadbeats s/t

Female fronted punk from Canada that hits all the right spots and bruises them.



1)The Hip Priests - Full Tilt Bullshit

On their facebook page, UK band The Hip Priests describe themselves as "the inbred, oversexed, white trash bastard sons of Iggy P, Johnny T, Uncle Hank, Lemmy and Handsome Dick" and that's an accurate description of their garage punk 'n'roll sound too.



Honourable Mentions: Buzzmutt - Static in the Mind's Eye Chpt 1 - I was tempted to rate this 5/5 on first listen and that doesn't happen too often.

Hosoi Bros - Wine Witch - fun rockin' 7".



As usual there's a tonne of stuff out there that I haven't heard and should but I keep going back to the music I already know I enjoy.



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Five top newer blogs - In no particular order

Angry Metal Guy Despite putting the Testament album in the top five of the year so far, I'll freely admit that I don't listen to that much new metal these days because so much of it is either black or death metal which don't do much for me. However this blog is worth a look because these guys concentrate on reviews and actually write well enough to describe an album's sound so that you don't need to hear it anyway. Their opinion pieces are always worth a read too.

Black Insect Laughter - Uk Blogger, Tony Maim, posts a variety of sludge, punk, post-Metal, hardcore, stoner etc..... his last few posts have been Hosoi Bros, Beastwars and his own project Zeppheroin - Naked Lunch


Two Guys Who Listen to Metal Ok, take a wild stab what this particular blog is about? Guess what? You're wrong! Ok, not really but this does take in more than just metal. There's punk, grunge, garage rock, hardcore, country and folk which is a wider range than the blog you are reading right now is ever likely to cover. These guys write more than just a couple of sentences to do the music justice.

Stonerhive - The name really tells all you need to know. It made me smile when I learned that there is an Italian band called the Bud Spencer Blues Explosion
. Can't help but wonder if that band dub their lyrics into other languages.

Le Garage Abandonne If you ever saw Lick My Pussy Eddie Van Halen - this blog is very similar and looks like it may be the same blogger. - Garage rock and punk records are the mainstay but there are more podcasts.




Small takeover on facebook

Shihad - Beautiful Machine movie review

Shihad – Beautiful Machine

Rock documentaries are a dime a dozen these days but bands that last close to a quarter of a century certainly aren’t and that length of time ensures that there are stories to be told. Shihad’s finest moment was their second album Killjoy and soon after The General Electric the band became New Zealand’s answer to Nickelback musically. Though from the band’s strength has always been their live show.

The animation in the trailer may make you think that you’re in for an Antipodean version of the Metallica documentary “Some Kind of Monster” and in some ways it does parallel that movie but there is no life coach for the band but similarly there is alcoholism and inter-personal relationship breakdowns as well as a similar part with the drummer's child sitting on his knee while surrounded by drums.

The film is more about relationships than about music and how time overseas affected them as a band and as people. There is a lot of John Toogood’s partner who rightly priotizes that her child is the more important than her partner following his desire for band fame overseas and felt the biggest strain due to partner absense. Other band member’s partners do get talked to although Phil Knight’s wife really only gets a wave in.

Parents of all the band members are talked to about their sons. Drummer, Tom Larkin’s parents talk about not knowing that the boys were doing pub gigs when Shihad is underage unsurprising but worth a smile. The parents and band members are all candid in all of their answers. The appearance of Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman is a surprise given the band's previous grievance's with him over finances.

The interview with Germany’s Noise record label people is interesting. Shihad basing themselves in Melbourne due to the signing with Warners is covered, as is the tour and recording in the States and how the band blew it in front of a lot of record label representatives. The band changing their name to Pacifier gets a lot of coverage. It was telling when Americans looked at the Shihad name and a few said it was close to holy war but a couple of young woman guess much more correctly. Shihad in front of label people who wanted to manipulate the band down to picking their set list is covered is paralleled with Larkin telling Knight to puff his hair up to look like a big rock star.

There are a lot of fond memories and Phil Knight’s animated first phone call between Ton Larkin, Jon Toogood and himself is a highlight. The band’s manager Gerald Dwyer is shown in a number of clips and remembered very fondly by band members and others associated with him. Dwyer’s drug habit, death and tangi are all talked about. Toogood talks about writing quieter songs because Dwyer wasn’t around to point out that the band’s grunty rock strength is what should be concentrated on. The missteps the band have made aren’t overlooked.

I loved that the band's early days were covered because I was following the band back in their demo days so would have liked to heard from the former bass players and also from other band’s that were around at the time. In fact, I may well be in the Mountain Rock audience footage. I also know people who were at the 91 AC/DC gig, which was bass player, Karl Kippenberger’s second Shihad. The first being a show the night before in Palmerston North(I suspect the then thrash metal band played with a goth band). Head Like A Hole’s experimentation with heroin in Berlin is only covered from the Shihad viewpoint. From a music point of view, the band’s surge into the mainstream when “Home Again” started being played at rugby games total lack of mention disappoints. There are also a number of personal incidents that go unmentioned. This documentary also sadly fails at showing how the band changed from working jobs to becoming full-time musicians. During the movie there is a change in quality of band filming over time as VHS and VCR recorders become digital and professionals can be afforded by the band. This documentary is aimed more than just the band's fans since it is really more about a group of friends from New Zealand chasing their dream of success overseas and the problems that come with it rather than just about music.


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Age/Sex/Occupation

From their name alone it’s easy to pick out that there’s an undeniable quirkiness to Portland trio Age/Sex/Occupation.  Though I bet their name also gives more headaches to poster designers and printers than indecipherable black metal logos.  The band refuse to follow trends and play music ranging from soul to pop to gritty blues.  The promo sticker on the CD states “Age Sex Occupation is a three-piece featuring soul classics and psychedelic blues rock.  Giving you a little David Bowie “blue eyed soul” or Cake raised on 3rd wave ska, via Cajun Motown”.

The band start the album with an informative cheerfully catchy poppy hook-laden  bluesy number complete with female backing vocals named “Dirt isn’t Dirty”.   The use of female backing vocals is also present in the keyboard heavy Joe Jackson styled “Volcano” and “Glass Slippers”.  The comparison to Cake makes sense not only because that band’s drummer, Tod Roper plays on every track on “The Right Side of The Fence” but tracks like “Hide and Seek” come across as a much more upbeat version of that band. The repetition of the line “I will survive” in “Hide and Seek” furthers the comparison to Cake.   There’s keyboard madness towards the end of “Things You Left Behind”.  “Zombie” is a fast rock song with a slow chorus that bears no resemblance to The Cranberries hit of the same name.

It’d be easy to suggest that the major talent of the band is singer, Daniel Weiskopf as he plays both guitar and keyboards as well as writing all the lyrics although with bassist Justin Keith and drummer Joey McAllister are certainly no slouches.  The rhythm section is unpredictable and great at taking a listener on a ride full of twists and turns as Age Sex Occupation don’t just go for standard rock beats.

A band that goes against trends always get the thumbs here so I’d recommend getting this album as it stands out because it’s simply unlike so many releases around at the moment.  While I see the length of the band’s name as a negative point, my interest was piqued in And You Will Know Us By The Trail of The Dead for that very reason so it may well work in their favour.  It'd be interesting to see what sort of crowd they draw when they play live.

3.5/5

Age/Sex Occupation on myspace


Age/Sex/Occupation on facebook

Absolute Monarchs "1"

Absolute Monarchs “1” -2012  
(Good to die)

 If I had to sum up the music of Absolute Monarchs on “1” in a single word it would be noisy but the use of a solitary word is no good so I’ll go for four words and go thick on the adjectives.  Absolute Monarch’s sound is blisteringly heavy indie pop but really that doesn’t do the band justice or describe their music really as it could be a lot of bands and cover a broad spectrum of music.  The standard reviewer’s crutch of describing one band’s music to a number of bands always comes in handy.    Using this technique for Absolute Monarchs leads down the path of describing them as The Pixies and Fugazi colliding on a trampoline after drinking a dozen energy drinks whilst covered by a slight umbrella of Helmet.

The band definitely have a pop sensibility but expertly mess it up by letting small doses of their noisy side shimmer with bursts of distorted guitar and yelled vocals on the opening track “Attack”.  The melodic “To Hell, Lets Masquarade” is one of the band’s more accessible songs and will cause pant wetting in Pixies fans.  “Bad Taste” has sandpaper rough vocals and it’s the absolute hook-laden melodic wall of sound that pulls the listener in.  The rhythm section blusters relentlessly in “Killing The Old”.  “Sharp” sounds like Fugazi.  As does “Hide it Well” but there’s also crushingly heavier side to it that brings Helmet to mind.


This is an impressive debut album. I imagine that live these guys and girls transform their onlookers into
a monolithic writhing beast.  Oh yeah, some guy called This album is coming out in April in both vinyl and CD so whatever you’re format you’re into it may pay to buy two copies as one is likely to wear out.


4/5


Absolute Monarchs on bandcamp


Absolute Monarchs on facebook

Absolute Monarchs on  myspace

The Second Academy - The Grave From Out of Which We Briefly

The Second Academy - The Grave From Out of Which We Briefly Wander, 2009

THE SECOND ACADEMY are three ex-members of The Beautiful Mothers who, if their myspace site is to believed, wrote their songs almost as they were recording them.   The band’s casual attitude in the studio doesn’t show through as the songs here are tight as you’d expect from guys who’ve played music with each other for a number of years.  “The King and Queen of Filth” blasts dirtily through the speakers emulating a washing machine whirr coupled with some tuneful whistling.   The band tilter upon the brink of an explosion with bass tocking over the mix and the vocals buried in the background.  Sometimes hanging back just makes so much more sense than diving in headfirst as it stops splinters and shards going into the body every which way.   All things being relative, “Litte Sister” sound is more than a little reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Mother” with its acoustic guitar, slow build-up and even lyrics.

The Second Academy dip their toes in alt-country on “The Right Woman” and “Posthumous Lullabye”.  Many a jangly indie band would learn how to channel the Velvet Underground if listening to “Adventure Tuesday” was compulsory listening before even conceiving the thought of a forming a band.   The mucky filth of “Monkey Shines” contains all the lo-fi requisite heavy distortion and quietly barked vocals.    At times, listening to the album right through, the mixture of styles doesn’t always gel although The Second Academy definitely deliver the goods when it comes to listenable songs.  With its Lou Reed approach, “Downhill” is oddly placed at the end of the album.  That’s a minor drawback that fortunately can be altered through the wonders of CD programming.

3.5/5

The Second Academy band site


The Second Academy on myspace

The Second Academy on facebook

Gonzales - Checkmate

Gonzales “Checkmate” , 2008
(Chorus of One)

Italian band Gonzales play pedal to the metal  punk ‘n’ roll not unlike Scandanavians  Hellacopters and Turbonegro. The drummer has even chosen to use Cobra as a last name.     It’s clear that are a band with nothing but rocking out on their minds “Nothing to Lose” does exactly what an opening track on an album should and gets attention with its thick and fuzzy guitar sound.
         Marky Moon’s has a singing style that, at times, is reminiscent of Mike Ness of Social Distortion and this comes out clearest on the revved up Johnny Cash cover of “Ring of Fire”.

 “Heaven Gone Wrong”  is a track of pounding rock with a simple beat, flowing guitars and whoah whoah choruses.  It is proven once again that the simple things are often the best.  “Fiesta” thumps along with its raise your fist chorus and some great leads break out though the distotion.  The band slow it down a little on “My Son”. This isn’t a bad album by any means but after this review, it’s unlikely to listened to again as other bands have done what Gonzales have done much better.

2.5/5

Gonzales of myspace

Rags & RIbbons - The Glass Masses

Rags & Ribbons “The Glass Masses”, 2011

The promo sticker on Rags & Ribbons CD describes the band as “a rock orchestra that is influenced by classical compositions, intricate vocal harmonies, keyboard virtuosos and a desire to be dramatic and deliver a solid rock sound.  “The Glass Masses” condenses different  genres into a very unique collective voice”.  The part about desire is understandable although the use of that particular word suggests a band that aren’t yet able to deliver what they aspire to and are still at the growing stage.

   Musically it cannot be denied that Rags & Ribbons are consummate performers although it’s certainty that the band will receive accusations of merely being Muse clones.  The allegations are fair enough because often there isn’t much more to them than that.  There is evidence, which suggests that there is more going on, like the layered voices in the all-in gospel choir on “The Marks You Make”.  Then there’s the dramatic side which comes out strongest in the pompous Queen style rock opera.

While I’m not the biggest fan of rock with the tinkling of keys I found that my favorite part of the album was a keyboard dominant instrumental passage in “Lady in Midnight Sun” although song-wise  Rags & Ribbons reach the album’s highpoint in “We Have Been Here Before” with paired back vocals and the dominate keyboard replaced with an 80’s guitar sound reminiscent of early U2.

While there are some great moments on “The Glass Masses:, one Muse is more than enough.  Rags and Ribbons have succeeded in their desires but are yet to offer a unique voice.  I’m a sucker for the digi-pak design even if the artwork looks like someone recently discovered Photoshop.

2/5


Rags & Ribbons on myspace

Rags & Ribbons on bandcamp

Rags & Ribbons on facebook

Forty Years Ago - Stray-Suicide

Second albums are always difficult affairs.  With the initial album release preparation time is often suffice to prepare a great album but with the second both pressures and expectations mount within a shorter time frame.  However UK heavy rock band STRAY hit the nail on the head with their sophomore album “SUICIDE”.

 Opening track “Son of the Father” starts with some quiet singing over an acoustic guitar before turning into an uptempo heavy rocker.  This turns into an instrumental with a number of time changes.  Like most anti-war songs, there is a military beat but it’s not there for long at all.  The song stops and then starts again repeating the battlecry-like soft intro before launching back into song.  The fuzzed out guitar of Del Bromham
 On “Nature’s Way” ensure this album rocks out further and the rhythm section that grabs the listener by the throat with their effective timing and tempo changes while the guitar leads smoke in the instrumental piece.  “Where Do Our Children Belong” and “Dearest Eloise” are quieter tracks that equal the BEATLES mellower moments both instrumentally and due to singer, Steve Gadd’s voice.  “Jericho” lulls the listener in with some of the great instrumental work.  There’s a feel to the song that is similar to early IRON MAIDEN.  When making “Making all of Jericho crumble to the ground” is sung, the falling city collapsing is convincing with the panic sounds that the guitars and drums imitate.  The organ sound tremor warns of a horrific earthquake.  However, the melodic hooks within the song could have stopped the city crumbling as they offer the listener much more than simply something to hang on.

“Run, Mister, Run” has a chorus that is listed in doctor’s notes as being contagiously catchy.  The bass and guitar riffs are listed as a fire hazard by emergency departments.  “Do You Miss Me” has a shuffling beat before going into a jam with some hot grilling and baking guitar riffing.  If barbecuing and collapsing cities weren’t enough, the title track “Suicide” is an explosion of anger, bass riffs, guitar leads with lyrics that tell the story of a black man about to kll himself.  The heaviness of the subject matter is more than matched by the music.  The phrase “Rocks like a bitch” was invented as a worthy way of describing this song and in fact, this album.  This STRAY album should be adopted and loved despite the possibilities of setting your house on fire

Forty Years ago- Three Man Army - A Third of a Lifetime

THREE MAN ARMY “A Third Of A Lifetime”, 1971

Using the ammunition of loud CREAM worshipping guitar harmonies and smooth vocals THREE MAN ARMY attack the listener.  Unfortunately at times the vocals seem somewhat weak and the lyrics seem trite as in “Butter Queen” which due its repetitive chorus annoys after repeated listens. While the hard rock instrumentation lends a heaviness factor to the band’s overall sound the easy listening vocal stylings take from the overall appeal of the band. There is a universal appeal due to the funky groove of instrumental “Nice One” but the disc isn’t capable of packing an overall wallop in every song akin to LED ZEPPELIN “IV”.  The punches are still delivered though in songs like “Three Man Army” but they’re just not hard hitting enough to convince.

Sweet Alice

I'm not the greatest fan of Alice In Chains later work but this demo. The first ever songs of theirs I heard were "Man In a Box" and "We Die Young" on a metal show back before the first wave of mainstream grunge hit and the fact that they had a gothic undertone appealed more than most straight metal/hard rock with the exception of early Ratt and Motley Crue. Here's the band at their rawest on their demo which contains traces of the aforementioned bands. The band don't yet sound like the part of the grunge trend on this demo.

Here!