Releases Archives - Page 5 of 18 -

June 7, 2019

ALBUM: What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away – The Membranes 07.06.19

It’s 3am. You’re wired as hell, staring at the ceiling so intently that black shapes seem to appear and disappear, moving from one dark corner of the room to another. You’re feeling uneasy and slightly scared, but you’re not quite sure if you’re scared of the silhouettes or scared of yourself for seeing them in the first place.

That, right there, is what The Membranes new album feels like.

What Nature Gives…Nature Takes Away is uncomfortable and foreboding, riddled with the rants and ramblings of an inner-dialogue gone rogue. A collision course of material leaves you bumper car-ing your way through clashes of noise, new wave and the odd spoken word piece, all seemingly coming together in one (hefty) release. This album is a heavyweight; 16 tracks long and at times feeling like a bit sluggish, you really must go in with the knowledge that you’ll be stuck in this gloomy rabbit hole for a long time. And not because it’s a no-good bore, just because it’s weighty on the soul.

Post-punk with an added dramatic flair, The Membranes really have pulled out all the stops to make your skin crawl and body shiver – the addition of both a choir and orchestra feeling far too sinister to be listened to alone. Even for them this is dark; the album name almost as cynical as every song on it, human fallacy ripped to shreds track by track.

For a large chunk of What Nature Gives…Nature Takes Away, The Fall springs to mind. Not necessarily a perfect comparison as such, more the brain frantically searching for something familiar to make itself feel more comfortable. ‘A Murder of Crows’ is far more precise and gritty than the works of Mark Smith. Perhaps because, unlike Smith, they’re not so bugged out on drugs and booze that they can’t conjure up any emotion other than slurry nonchalance.

The album itself doesn’t come with a warning, but I’m going to have to give one. This is NSFW: not suitable for wallowing. Avoid at all costs when you think life can’t get any worse, because The Membranes will remind you that yes, it can. And it’s probably your fault. Get ready to feel like your drowning deep in this record, and equally get ready to feel like you might drown yourself if it gets any murkier.

But if you are, on the off chance, feeling like you want to tip over the edge, then listening to What Nature Gives…Nature Takes Away is probably the best way to do it. Well composed, well written and well executed, The Membranes have created something that only the most addicted to unhappiness can listen to in one go, and the rest of us, feeble-hearted as we are, will keep trying because it’s just that good.

‘A Strange Perfume’ – The Membranes

What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away by The Membranes is on general release from Friday 7^th June – out via Cherry Red Records. For more on The Membranes, including links to online sales, visit www.themembranes.co.uk

For more on Cherry Red Records, visit www.cherryred.co.uk

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

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If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.

May 25, 2019

ALBUM: Ten Years on Four Chords – Sam Lambeth

Words by Abi Whistance / Pics by Chris Close

Giving your work away for someone else to meddle with is tough, but it seems that Sam Lambeth has finally plucked up the courage to do so. Immediately feeling far more sophisticated than anything he’s done before, Ten Years on Four Chords has managed to dodge a Thelma and Louise-style ending, letting someone else take the wheel for a large proportion of the album. Bedroom-quality recordings no more; production has worked wonders on tracks like ‘All the Best’ and ‘Start’, making them potential indie anthems of the Summer – albeit slightly generic ones.

I’ll be the first to say it, there’s a lot going on here. The nature of a ‘best of’ album is to lump all the finest you’ve got into one (rarely neat and tidy) package, and that’s pretty much exactly what has happened.

With a combination of songs from the likes of Quinn, Winona, The MonoBloggers and Lambeth himself, Ten Years on Four Chords does unfortunately struggle to avoid feeling a little jumpy at times – the hop from tracks like ‘Time Stands Still’ to ‘All The Lazy Hipsters’ instigating similar aftereffects to that of whiplash. This is but a small critique though (and perhaps an unfair one) for an album that is, at the end of the day, a compilation and thus fulfilling its purpose.

Yet I do think there’s a lot to be said for the range of quality on this record; most notably tracks associated with Lambeth’s days with Quinn, there’s a clear growth of both maturity and musical ability in his material since then. Influences have become clearer, his sound more fine-tuned. And it seems that with his work post-Quinn, Lambeth has finally found what works best for him.

Of course, I understand the necessity of including tracks from the Quinn era on this album, with the band arguably being one of his most notable ventures musically in the titular Ten Years… However, I can’t help but wish that some remastering had gone on here. With Quinn no longer together I’m sympathetic that this may be inconvenient, and maybe I’m being a little too demanding of a compilation album, but the dip in quality is so notable that it feels a shame to have not done anything about it. There are some good indie tracks on this record and the only thing holding it back from being a solid album throughout is the wavering quality.

Nevertheless, this can only be seen as a positive step forward in Lambeth’s career; Ten Years on Four Chords holds some of the man’s greatest musical achievements of the past decade. From The MonoBloggers to Lambeth gone lone-wolf, there’s an immense landscape of material to cover on this album – weighing in at a heavy seventeen tracks and a whole fifty-eight minutes for you to sink your teeth into. Enjoy.

Ten Years on Four Chords (official trailer) – Sam Lambeth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK5BV1nH0yA

For more on Sam Lambeth, visit www.soundcloud.com/samlambethmusic

For direct info for the Ten Years on Four Chords showcase at The Victoria on 12^th July, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, click here.

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NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.

May 24, 2019

ALBUM: T8PES – T8PES 24.05.19

Words by Abi Whistance / Lead pic by Matt Wilson Photography

There’s a reason I struggle to get into grime et al, and I know I’m the top dog of sweeping generalisations when I say this but it all just feels a bit shallow. For me there is nothing relatable about gang tiffs, stacks of bills and a burning desire to be a Hugh Hefner-type. And from the mainstream circuit this is pretty much all I’ve picked up on.

I’m no expert in the realms of trap, rap and hardcore either. But I think that’s probably a good thing. So with little emotional investment in the genres, I can objectively say that T8PES is on to a winner for both novices (like me) and your more well-established grimeheads – with this debut album feeling exciting for a sound that I thought was one swift kick away from the bucket.

Walking the tightrope between love and hate treacherously close at times, T8PES has crafted something that perhaps shouldn’t work, but just does. Acid house and grime don’t exactly go hand in hand at first inspection, but the combination leaves me questioning why the hell I hadn’t heard this kind of thing before.

In actuality, I guess I have. But it’s the nostalgia and familiarity of this eponymous album that earns it the title of ‘a good listen.’ Fans of The Avalanches gather round and bring your 12” of the Mondays’ ‘Hallelujah’ whilst you’re at it, T8PES is mixed with enough pre-millennium dance hits to keep you going all night… even without those eccies.

But it’s not just the familiar nineties sound in tracks like ‘How Much Do You Want It’ and ‘Gotta Believe’ that gives this album the wistfulness of a time gone by, it’s the discussion of the trials and tribulations of teen-hood too. A mature reflection on growing up, T8PES has written a record that’ll strike a chord with most – tackling difficult themes of drug use, alcoholism and the effects of bad influences, featured on an album that feels like a coming-of-age tale.

I think it’s important to note that this may be one of the most well-produced debut albums I’ve heard in a long time too. Home cooked electronica and remixing have been polluting the scene for a while, making it a bit too easy to publish rubbish and a hell of a lot harder to find the gems. And I’m not saying that a Soundcloud system lockdown needs to be put in place to stop the sick bucket of low-quality artists from (God forbid) overflowing, it is pretty indisputable that the cornucopia of self publishing platforms have made it more difficult to identify the best of the best.

I can’t really whinge on about that for too long because the cream supposedly always rises to the top, and T8PES has sailed right up onto my radar with this debut album. But what it truly boils down to is a radio-friendly combination of EDM and rap that manages to keep a hold of the substance so many others lose in the process – with stand out production, and some solid variation in sound that leaves something for everyone here.

Not to blow anyone’s trumpet or anything – but I think we’ve just hit the grime jackpot.

‘Hope & Pray’ – T8PES featuring Holly Fitzgerald

T8PES is out on general release from Friday 24^th May. For more on T8PES, including links to online sales, visit www.t8pes.com

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NOT NORMAL – NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

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November 30, 2018June 24, 2019

SINGLE: ‘Trust is Blind’ – The Cosmics

Words by Ed King / Pics by Psychedelic Eye – courtesy of The Cosmics

On Friday 30^th November, The Cosmics release ‘Trust is Blind’ – the lead single from their forthcoming debut EP.

Now anything coming from The Cosmics is a reason to sit up and pay attention, with the Birmingham based three piece being easily, confidently, absolutely one of the best live acts to come from The Midlands right now. And I’m a professional cynic.

But the feisty garage rock that The Cosmics have been boot kicking off stage and across t’interweb, since the gloriously sharp and short ‘Johnny’ in 2016, has taken a back seat here – giving way to what the press release calls ‘a delicate, heartfelt break up ballad developing into feisty ‘fuck you’ noise rock with honest lyrics’. And you know what… it’s dayum good.

Honestly, when first I sat down to review ‘Trust is Blind’ I had to check I wasn’t listing to Mazzy Star. Which is often a strong possibility at my desk. And a strong plus. But the opening soft riff, giving way to Erin Grace sounding as Hope Sandoval as you’re going to get (without actually being Hope Sandoval) is a page straight from the guitar led low-fi bible.

But then, just over a minute and a half into this nearly four minute single, all hell breaks loose. To use another very commendable comparison – ‘Starla’ by Smashing Pumpkins. And that is again A O fucking K with me (they swore first). The tempered and teased out beginning, which is delivered with aplomb (not everyone in the genre can – yes, I’m talking to you Low) bends over and gets royally shafted by a visceral account of love, trust, betrayal and how “you really messed up my mind, truth is blunt, trust is blind”. At least I thinks that’s what Grace is singing, but the ferocious cacophony is an unassailable sonic stamp on just how shitty/shifting/capicious love can be.

(N.B. HEALTH WARNING / Gig going public and venue owners beware, when this glorious monster gets played live you may witness the first recorded flight from a Marshall amp – possibly followed by a few bodies and bar stalls for good measure.)

But if you click on the single cover artwork you can have a listen to ‘Trust is Blind’, in all its spellbinding softness and rock and roll glory, and can make up your own minds. This is either going to work for you or it’s not. Although you may be in the wrong room if you start turning your proboscis towards the sky.

All I can do is sign off with my own two cents, ‘Trust is Blind’ is an absurdly exciting move from a band who already have that live music mojo pulsing though their veins – paving the way for an EP I will be shoving aside the elderly to get my hands on first. In short, me like. More please. Lots, lots more.

The Cosmics release their latest single, ‘Trust is Blind’, on Friday 30^th November. For more on The Cosmics, visit www.facebook.com/thecosmicsband / To listen to ‘Trust is Blind’ via Spotify, click here

The Cosmics also headline a single launch gig at The Sunflower Lounge on the same night, with Thee MVPS, Paper Buoys, and Mutes also on the bill. For direct gig information, including venue details and links to online ticket sales, visit the Facebook event page – click here.

For more on The Sunflower Lounge, including venue details and further event listings, visit www.thesunflowerlounge.com

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NOT NORMAL – NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To learn more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK campaign, click here.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this feature – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse, or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK website.

November 2, 2018February 27, 2019

SINGLE: Black Lake – FABRIK

Words by Ed King / Live pics by Callum Lees

On Friday 2^nd November, FABRIK release their latest single ‘Black Lake’ – taken from their 2017 debut album, City Islands.

Who said trip-hop was dead…

Well, no one really. Tricky might be bitching about never grabbing Gold again, James Lavelle’s probably scaled down the Mo’ Wax Christmas party budget since the mid 90’s, but the genre more morphed than disappeared – deep house picking up one side and anything with ‘breaks and beats’ picking up the other. And for everything else there’s Massive Attack.

But FABRIK’s collection of deep and searing guitar, angsty-yet-sultry-gravel-yet-honey vocals, and teased out rim tap brush percussion, (…©Ed King 2018) have kept a Birmingham based Bristol homage alive since their debut album came out in the tail end of summer 2017. And ‘Black Lake’, the latest single to be released from FABRIK’s 11 track debut, is a screaming example of how to hit the mark.

A simple and clear riff leads in, the beat slides behind, regiments itself, before Hayley Trower’s vocals stride confidently across them both – a little low, a little restrained, a little reminiscent of Skye Edwards. This is good stuff. And following The adage if it ‘aint broke don’t fix it’, we opiate haze through just over five minutes of blessed out ease. Job, done. Bring me the head of Andy Vowels.

Written whilst staring down the alcohol haze of a Ko (INSERT SOUTH THAILAND ISLAND) holiday from the self, Trower wrote the lyrics to ‘Black Lake’, “sat in a hut, looking out at dense jungle and fierce sea…. I was in awe at how tiny my life was in comparison to the infinite life cycles and continuous regeneration around me.”

Musically the end result is not as introspective as you’d think, but the words blend an articulate journey into a rhythm that’s increasingly difficult to put down. Gold dust. And whilst I’m not sure where a solitary bathtub in the Eden Valley comes into it (…check out the video) I suspect budget had a hand to play.

But much less disco pop Vs deep house than FABRIK’s previous single, ‘Sunphonika’, the band’s latest release should do nothing if not remind us of their diversity – as well as sending some love back to a sterling debut album that deserves long lasting attention.

So check out ‘Black Lake’, then go and check out City Islands if you haven’t already. Then email FABRIK and ask them when we can expect the follow up LP. Then call me greedy. But lordy lordy, what’s a boy to do? And with Christmas around the corner an’ all…

‘Black Lake’ – FABRIK

On Friday 2^nd November, FABRIK release ‘Black Lake’. For more on FABRIK, visit www.FABRIKtheband.co.uk

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NOT NORMAL – NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.

To sign up to NOT NORMAL – NOT OK, click here. To know more about the NOT NORMAL – NOT OK sticker campaign, click here.