White Hot Moon is the second album from Michigan based emo indie
rockers Pity Sex and follow up to their much celebrated debut LP 2013’s
Feast Of Love. Whilst the band have only been in existence since 2011
in those five years they have amassed a pretty strong cult following,
their unique brand of fuzzy guitar emo also winning plaudits for its
mellow shoegaze feel. When it comes to forward development White Hot
Moon doesn’t exactly contain any major surprises, if you loved Feast Of
Love there is just as much of the same magic to keep you happy. Just
like before vocal duties are split between Brennan Greaves’ lethargic
defeated drawls and Britty Drakes’ more clear and angelic harmonies
whilst recurrent lyrical themes of relationship woes and heartache tug
insistently at the heart strings. The biggest notable difference is the
bands slackening of pace in terms of music, whilst they’ve never been a
band solely focused on punchy tunes the album seems more mellow
as a whole than its predecessor which had in places was slightly
reminiscent of J Mascis in its faster moments. Giving more time to the
distortion drenched guitars to unfurl the songs in a more sedate manner
allows the dual vocals come to the forefront of the record which is in
no way a bad thing. Regardless of this tempo shift the album still
moves at a pace that never strays too close to boring, it’s mellow yet
melodic structure making it a catchy and infectious listen you are
likely to return to just as regularly as the band’s debut. Whilst some
may criticise the lack of notable progression in the band’s sound what
they do they do well. Highlight’s include the lead single What Might
Soothe You with its hazy guitar and its cool inertia and the more stark
and fragile Plum which sees Britty Drake deliver the albums most
memorable moment.
Overall White Hot Moon is a solid
second album from Ann Arbor’s finest. Whilst it may not be the
revelatory re-invention some people were clamouring for it easily stands
toe to toe with the bands earlier work in terms of catchiness and
appeal. Available in a number of interesting vinyl variants through Run
For Cover records or on cd or download White Hot Moon is the perfect
companion for all your highs and lows this summer.
One of Chemikal Underground’s most under-rated and under exposed acts
was De Rosa, a five piece hailing from Lanarkshire, Scotland. In their
lifespan they managed to release two commercial albums, 2006’s Mend and
2009’s Prevention before disbanding and joining the ever growing ranks
of innovative indie bands crushed by the weight of the falling record
industry. Since disbanding in 2009 very little was heard of the band
except lead singer Martin John Henry who set to work establishing
himself as a solo artist with 2011’s The Other Half Of Everything, but
in 2012 the band revealed they had reunited. Four years and a few
scattered live appearances later and De Rosa have finally gotten round
to releasing their third album; Weem, on Mogwai owned record label Rock
Action Records. For the uninitiated the music of De Rosa
is a heady mixture of indie folk with a touch of post-rock grandeur.
Whilst the band’s first album Mend was more of a punchy guitar driven
album, 2009’s Prevention was the start of the bands movement into this
more polished and diverse sound, which in part is what made the bands
break up so lamentable. Weem is a continuation of this more refined
aesthetic and every part of Weem is teeming with subtle graceful
flourishes. The guitars range from melodious electric reverb to the
delicate acoustic at a pace that feels organic and consistent whilst
Martin John Henry’s trademark Scottish brogue completes the bands unique
and instantly recognisable sound. Sporadically keyboards, pianos and
glockenspiels make themselves known which reinforces the albums
diversity of sound and attention to detail. All of this combines with
Henry’s penchant for traversing what feels like quite dark territory in
his lyrics. The overall effect is something singularly magical, a record
of such fine detail it stands as a stark reminder as to why De Rosa
were so dearly missed in their absence. Devotees of the band will
recognise some of the songs on offer here as songs originally released
as part of the digital only series Appendices which saw the band release
one song a month in 2008 for free download. These songs however have
been lovingly re-recorded in somewhat altered forms here to prevent them
seem too much like money for old rope, and to be honest even in their
original forms these songs stood out as some of the bands most catchy
material at the time so tracks like The Sea Cup and Prelude To Entropic
Doom were always truly worthy of a commercial release. Meanwhile newer
compositions such as lead single and opener Spectres and album closer
The Mute are so hypnotically catchy it is hard not to see them joining
the bands ever swelling ranks of canon compositions.
From start to
finish Weem matches up to the promise De Rosa alluded to before their
premature break up with Prevention. With seldom a dull moment on it the
whole album marks a most triumphant return for a group who have
certainly been too long away. Available on CD or vinyl through Rock
Action Records I strongly advise you to give it a spin.
Physical/Download: http://rockaction.co.uk/releases/5426/weem
One album in recent years that totally hit me right in the ribs was
London based indie-folk trio Daughter’s 2013 debut album If You Leave.
It was an album of stark emotion and easily one of my favourite albums
of the year and one I still revisit regularly, it’s fragile balance
between folksy minimalism and glacial post rock sensibilities only
making the pervasive atmosphere of melancholy more succinct. Not To
Disappear is the bands eagerly awaited sophomore album. Much like the
band’s debut Not To Disappear is built on a foundation of beautifully
simple arrangements, at the core of which sits Elena Tonra’s
spectacularly affecting vocals, the key difference between this album
and the band’s first lies in the gradual shift away from their folk
roots in favour of a more electronic sound. In places the album is
peppered with synthetic beats and whilst the overall ethos remains ice
cold and sombre several tracks feel noticeably faster. These shifts add a
spot of welcome variation to proceedings. The other more familiar
aspects of the band’s sound remain intact, reverb laden guitars and soft
but measured percussion instilling the album with the bands indelible
mark. Lyrically things remain focused on heartbreak and confusion of
interpersonal relations but in a couple of places things take an even
more harrowing turn as Tonra expounds on the dementia and loss by
instalments. For many people this will be a painful listen because it is
clear from the honesty of the song writing this is not a subject that
is being explored to mawkishly jerk tears from the listener but is in
fact coming from a place of real experience. Whilst the album may seem
fairly monotonous in its procession of the melancholy and sombre the
whole album fits together perfectly and just like its predecessor is a
singularly affecting listen, perfect for those late night
contemplative moods. Highlights include the heart-breaking lead single Doing
The Right Thing which expounds on the ceaseless barbarity of dementia
and the fragility of memory and No Care with its more driven energy
which sees the band flirt with uncharted territory.
Attachments is the debut album of post-hardcore
quartet Trials Of Early Man, made up of musicians who’ve all been in the
DIY hardcore/punk game long enough to be deservedly described as
veterans. The band itself boasts members from Caretaker, Action &
Action,
Circusact, The Correct Arc and The Good Wife and with such varied areas
of expertise you could be forgiven for not knowing what to expect from
such a hybrid. What
you actually get from this Frankenstein’s monster of a band however is
some brilliantly focused and hook laden post hardcore. The sort of post
hardcore that takes much of its inspiration from the more left field
punk pioneers like Fugazi and Hot Snakes, without seeming derivative.
The guitar work throughout the album sways from the frantic to the
serene at the drop of the hat, revealing intricate layers of melody that
suggest a touch of nineties emo is also hidden somewhere in the bands
fabric. The vocals and rhythm section are just as fluid in their
approach to the bands whimsical tempo shifts, working just as well when
things slow down. It is these constant fluctuations in pace that make
the whole album such an engrossing listen from start to finish. In parts
the album is very reminiscent of bands like Spy Versus Spy or even
Million Dead, especially when it comes to the band’s ear for a catchy
harmony. In the end what you get with Attachments is something new,
exciting and vital in its energy that simultaneously feels instantly
familiar. Highlights come thick and fast so it seems almost redundant to
pick just one, that being said Pierced With Arrows chaos is
particularly infectious.
Overall Attachments is a brilliant debut
that harks back to the golden years of post-hardcore whilst bringing
plenty originality to the table. Catchy in the extreme, heavy but easily
accessible. A true triumph. Available to stream through all the usual
avenues or purchasable as a download direct from the band I highly
recommend you give it a go.
After moving my blog to the less formal world of Tumblr I have decided to utilise both sites simultaneously. It will be pretty much the same content across both sites so there's very little point following both but hopefully this will help boost bands exposure (after all it's all about them).
I will be bringing over everything from January later today and will endeavour to keep both sites running consistently. Minor changes to layouts will probably also be on their way.
