Time for some dark shoegaze from Wrocław, Poland in the form of haunting dale. This band has been around for about five years, but they have now released their debut single “time flies.”
A hail drums, followed by guitars, assault your ears, those guitars reverbing and clamouring, trying to swallow the echoing vocals. It rolls along before slowing right down, a mire of syrupy noise, then striking one last discordant push.
“time flies” blasts the cobwebs out of your ears, in the nicest possible way. The vocals just blend into the murky wall of shoegazed pandemonium and I really like the discord versus melody. A worthy debut for haunting dale.
Stuff has always been a great off the cuff description that could basically mean anything. “Stuff” is also the new single from Naarm (Melbourne) based duo Roles, who showcase their electronic eclectic experimental craft.
Yeah, the dulcet tones of Love are going to be the focus with the rather cute electronics bleating and blooping off-kilter, in a discordant fashion which makes it oddly endearing. There is the chiming in of a guitar to punctuate the beat and a feeling of whimsy throughout.
The video Roles has created for the track is them entertaining a beanie wearing skeleton, through the streets and parks of Melbourne as well as divining tarot cards and in general having a good time. It’s amazing!!! ‘Stuff” is quirky and just plain fun, rounded out by the music video, and let’s face it, growing up isn’t half as much fun as peering through the looking glass of a child.
Some of my favourite bands are based in the ephemeral shoegaze sound, and I am going to thrust before you Talking to Shadows, a four piece from Baltimore, who Onyx last reviewed when they released the single “Soma.” Band members, Cat, Ron, Greg and Alex, dropped the single “Valentina” on the 26th of June.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Cat’s singing, then you are missing out. Smooth and evocative, that only enhances the dreamlike quality, swirling around your ears along with the guitars. There is that wall of guitar noise that lifts you up and takes you away….all of it wrenching a little at your heart.
It would be a shame to try and dissect the lyrics, which have both a visceral pain and at the same time utterly poetic, meaning you should just sit back and just lose yourself in the dark depths of that which is “Valentina.” Cat and the lads are influenced by possibly the most wonderful dreamy guitar group ever in CocteauTwins and it shows. No, they aren’t LizFraser and Co., but then I would be disappointed if they were a carbon copy, and this is TalkingtoShadows making their own beautiful music.
Warning… this is a Guns’nRoses free zone! With that said “You Could Be Mine” is a single from Australian band S:Bahn and the second track dropped from the album LoveSongs, that will be released on the 12 of April. The band is made up of DikDetonic (vocals,guitar), KristianBrenchley (guitar), ReneSchaefer (bass) and DenisLeadbeater (drums), with additional vocals by LouiseLove.
It has been noted that the start of this track is very much inspired by the BlueOysterCult’s “Don’tFearTheReaper” and indeed it really does have that tone, however it doesn’t stay that way for long, resolving into sounding like TheSmithereens. The duet between Detonic and Love was described as Meatloaf like…. mmmm, no. It is decidedly far more like the rugged Aussie intonation of Detonic, dancing with the sweeter vocals of Love. And that might be the crux of this track. It is the Australian indie rock bar song of flirtation and after all, it is from an album called LoveSongs. “You Could Be Mine” (back off Axel).
Edward Butt and Liam O Callaghan are a pair of very busy Irish men from Cork, who you might know better as Arctic Lights. November 17th, was the drop date for their latest single “Melting,” which was produced, mixed and mastered by the guys. Told you they were busy.
From bongos, we are launched into aggressive sawing guitar and glitching electronics. The vocals are reminiscent of TrentReznor and the staccato style of the Nine Inch Nails track “PerfectDrug.” An air of instability is created by the slightly exaggerated guitar warbling between just becoming off key, while the vocals really just say it all with lyrics like, ‘I’m sick and tired of your crazy shit.’
When your mental health has hit rock bottom due to another person creating issues or unloading their own mental instabilities, is what “Melting” is all about. The walking on egg-shells because you are no longer able to predict what is going to happen next. You feel it in the music, as if ArcticLights are walking on that fine edge.
MattWebster is a man with the soul of a poet and storyteller, creating alternative rock with his Bradford based project, SigniaAlpha. With the latest album Entropy, he has been joined by PaulGray (TheDamned) on Rickenbacker bass guitar with other musicians making appearances on tracks. Harris (Chaing, Grim, Nowt, Zed), Is one of these, who has co-written and sings on six of the tracks. To quote the release ‘Guitarist WulfIngham lends his psychedelic solos to a couple of tracks’ and ‘jazz saxophonist KeithJafrate and flautist ChrisWalsh sprinkle their melodic flourishes over several songs.’ I say flourish away!
Punk meets PinkFloyd is how one might sum up the track “Such A Shame,” with its pogoing rhythm married to bewitching guitar work. Simon ‘Nogsy‘ Nolan (SpyBand, Zed) sings on and co-wrote “On Diego Garcia,” a commentary on the disputed Island which is currently owned by the British, with a US Naval base present, while all the previous inhabitants were forced to leave. This was found to be illegal by The Hague, but was ignored by the UK and “On Diego Garcia” is a protest song about the injustices.
“A New Dawn” has a undercurrent dirge like the ocean water pulling and pushing at boats, a alluring sadness, perhaps the subject matter within the lyrics are looking for safety, only to be faced with another shoreline to leave and more dangers ahead. The bass is sublime in “Hourglass,” which goes through a gamut of emotions such as loss, longing and sadness, for as we get older, we realise the fragility of all. This is reflected by the music ranging from introspective to a guitar filled rage. Those flute flourishes can be heard in the “The Price Of Admission,” in conjunction with a more thoughtful sound that echoes with a life maybe less lived or rather, perhaps, limited in their choices.
The paisley park feel to the music is in stark contrast to the bleak words in the single “Feels Like Rain,” and that bleak story telling, which only those who have lived it or watched it first hand, can be experienced in the next track, “Building Castles In Spain.” MathewSeamarks (DisciplesofSpess) is the vocalist and co-wrote with Webster, with its endearing dreamer quality and the beautiful jangly guitar backing up those vocals. The airiness of the flute and saxophone, wants to fly you away but the vocals of Harris weigh you down in the knowledge that life is “Waiting.” Waiting for the end and the inevitable. I have to say that “The Atmosphere” caught me by surprise with harkening back to DavidBowie yet having that XTC musical sensibility. It is a simply a post-punk gem, while the last track, “Kaleidoscope Wheels” is a psychedelic trip with a hurdy gurdy of circling sounds and voices, melding into a maelstrom, destined to collapse.
Hard to pick a favourite out of this lot as everything is just class, but for me, probably, “TheAtmosphere” definitely transports me back to another place. The attitude throughout is very much a punk one, pointing towards what is wrong with the world, but not the anger of young men. Rather, we are seeing these issues through the eyes of the world weary, knowing that life is precious and telling you the stories that deserve to be heard. The musicianship is grand and you really couldn’t ask for a better bunch contributing. Entropy is the measurements of thermodynamics, and the energy given by SigniaAlpha is nothing short of pure musical wizardry.
In 2021, the Seattle project, NewVersionOfBlue released the EP, Waves, however, in September of 2023, the title track has been given another lease of life, using anime to create an entertaining new video to accompany it.
There is a laid back vibe for “Waves,” with the vocals relaxed and soulful. The waves roll in and out, and this is the same in life with people and events entering our lives and then leaving us, often a little more changed. The song has a groove about it that reminds me a lot of the experimentation of Gorillaz. This is a NewVersionOfBlue floating in the tide of “Waves.”
They say the road to ruin is paved with good intentions and maybe US band, Bellhead might know this better than many. As of May the 8th, their latest EP, aptly named GoodIntentions, was released on OppressiveSkyRecords. What makes this project a little different is the fact that there are two styles of bass being played and no lead or rhythm guitar, so you know from that fact alone that their sound is going to be something a little special. The Chicago based duo is made up of KarenRigheimer (low bass, vocals) and IvanRussia (high bass, vocals, drum programming), while they have entrusted Bellhead’s sound to regulars, audio engineer NeilStrauch (Iron and Wine / Counting Crows / Owls / Joan of Arc / Walking Bicycles / Slow Mass) and mastering engineer CarlSaff (AcidMothers Temple / Smoking Popes / Red Fang / Guided by Voices).
When you say “BadTaste“, I admit I think of the New Zealand comedy horror movie, but in the case of this song, it feels more like StevenKing’s ‘Misery‘, claustrophobic and just a tad a bit deranged in a stalkerish kind of way. The music for “IntoTheDeep” feels like really dark surf rock, that has the even darker tale of a relationship that is dragging the couple to their proverbial doom. The vocals are beautifully carried off between Righeimer and Russia. “Valentine” is both sweet and bitter at the same time. There is something poignantly timeless about this track as it wends it way through the unabashed sorrow and loss.
Oh my, Righeimer is vocally channelling KimGordon for “Apathy“. In fact, the whole song has the signature groove of SonicYouth all over it, making lassitude ever so cool. There is a cover in the track “NoBigDeal“, which was originally written and performed by LoveAndRockets, appearing on their 1989, self titled album. Honestly, I can hear why they picked this song, and I think LoveAndRockets might be a big influence on Bellhead’s overall sound. The two basses absolutely inject the funk into this cover. Last track is the delicious “DrugstoreKeri“, a raw and sleazy ditty about some bird named Keri, who can supply the drug of your choice, on the sly.
Bellhead literally rumble, causing your speakers to buzz at times, in a very good way. Having the two bass married to a drum machine makes for an ever so tight rhythm section, also giving you the melodies as well. This definitely gives the music a dirty post-punk groove to each track, and this new EP leans more into pop rock. The Good Intentions of Bellhead is fun, nostalgic and rocking… in that fabulously gloomy way.
May 5th saw the latest single for Irish lads, ArcticLights, made available to the public on Bandcamp and May the 12th for other streaming platforms. EdwardButt and LiamO’Callaghan are ArcticLights, and “Somebody” is the name of the track.
Do you chance to dance with the Devil when the music stops? Those rich indie tones of the jaunty guitar, combined with a decent paced rhythm, are the backdrop to the succulent vocals. Their logic is, if you release the inner beast, there is a time that the music on the dancefloor will stop and then you are going to have to dance with the Devil. There is always a price to pay. Everything that ArcticLights has so far released, have been indie pop/rock jewels, and “Somebody” is no different.
Arctic Lights from County Cork in Ireland, have released the new video to the single, “Holy Joe“. If you want to know about the track, then you might have to read the review or watch the video….. or even better, do both! All I will say that this track reminds me of the off the wall style of the beloved Love & Rockets………
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