UNSIGNED CD's OF THE MONTH 03-12

THE HYPE THEORY – You're Going Home Alone CD-EP
New three-tracker from a most talked-about band right now and the lead track is a blistering slice of female-fronted punk-pop with the swagger of Avril Lavigne-meets-Garbage, as the huge swathe of guitars riffs, roars and rages its way through a song that is propelled by crunching drumming, pounding bass, a whirlwind of guitars and topped with this hugely strong female vocal that's sung to perfection at the mid-range end of things, a series of verses sailing headlong into a rising tide of hooks and choruses, all on a huge sounding song that's as addictive as it is repeat playable. Second up you get an acoustic treatment of the same song which allows you to appreciate just what a great song it is as the singer really delivers the song with emotion and intensity over resonant strummed acoustic guitar, amazingly losing none of the magic that makes it such a great song, in the process, and, even more amazingly, a perfect complement to the electric version rather than just some kind of “filler” track. This is followed and finalised by “Where We Started”, another acoustic track, this time a ballad set to rippling piano strength and flow, as this sinuous, light-as-air vocal delivers the song with passion and alternately whispers and soars as verses stream into choruses and back to verses. Superbly sung and played, incredibly dramatic for something so simplistic and a perfect addition to the rousing memorability of the title track. Overall, one incredibly gratifying EP that gives way more than it takes.

UNSIGNED DOWNLOAD's OF THE MONTH 03-12

UNSIGNED CD's OF THE MONTH 02-12

UNSIGNED DOWNLOAD's OF THE MONTH 02-12

INTERMISSION – Escaping Dharma CD-EP/Download
Band from Derry in Northern Ireland, who kick off a debut EP with “No Reason” where, in less than a minute, the song travels from throbbing bass accompanied by a vocal that's fragile and tense, through a surge of guitars set against echoey drumming that then drop back as the vocal finds its strength and lights up the verses, before the band and vocalist then tear into a soaring rocket of a chorus that really hits the spot in terms of memorability and intensity. From there, the song never looks back as they drive between dramatic, dynamic and a surge of uplift as the three minute song is delivered with passion and angst with guitars scything through staccato riffing and expansive walls of sound, that chorus rattling around your head for ages after it's over. But you can't dwell – there's plenty more time for the repeat plays that you know you're going to give this track – so you move on to the near 6 minute “Tied Up & Twisted” which is a rolling, tumbling, stumbling rhythmically driving stunner of a track where the riffs, leads and rhythms from the guitars cover every expanse of the music, while the vocals are delivered with feeling and passion, the arrangement careering through a world of dynamics, predominantly anthemic, as one fine indie anthem of a song goes from quite beginnings to another sea of tearaway hooks and choruses, set to arrangements that bounce behind the lead vocal or tear down the walls in the pursuit of one incendiary chorus, but overall, a great track that works a treat.
The 3 and a half minute “Little More Help” roars into life right from the beginning as an anguished vocal soars over the tumbling rhythms and bursts of guitar come and go, before the whole thing rises up and the song goes supernova to gloriously uplifting effect as the guitars move forward, threaten to erupt but merely briefly catch fire before dropping right down and repeating the process, as the vocals take on more anguish, the guitars sizzle and the song twists and turns to 100% effective degree. The 3 and a half minute “Closer” moves through similar territory, only this time even more powerful with an incredible indie-rock arrangement where the guitars cover every inch of the chorus space and the drums roll and tumble through the verses as bursts of guitar cut through and the vocals sound impassioned and on the verge of letting loose, eventually moving into that mile-high chorus, as the guitars take over for one red hot lead break over the dramatic drive of the bass and drums, finally heading back to one more huge chorus.
The EP ends with 3 minutes of “Money” which is a pop-punk anthem full of rocking guitars, cyclical singing that covers a huge dynamic range, the surging verses moving into explosive choruses throughout and another song that will be in your brain for ages after it's gone.
Overall, a triumph for a Northern Irish band and an EP that you really should hear.
Bands and artists whose releases were a gnat's whiska away from the monthly accolade were actually all on a label but it's one you won't heave heard of and is dead close to what we're all about on unsigned so here they are - they are Dirt Box Disco and Loaded 44 - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD's OF THE MONTH 01-12

TEN PERCENTER – Two Thirds Under CD-EP
After one heck of a long wait since the debut EP, back comes this band from Newton Abbot with a four-tracker of all new compositions that's got “quality” written all over it. The EP kicks off with “Thirteen”, unlucky for some but not this band as they cruise into gear with a rumble of drumming, a vast expanse of guitars and keys to give a huge depth along with bass undertwo before the whole thing suddenly drops to just jangly ripple of guitar punctuated by rolling drumming as the lead vocalist appears and provides us with a singing that's full of feeling with a nasally twang to the vocal, a bit Tom Petty-esque but clearly not Americana. The verses sail into a multiharmony chorus that's got real intensity to it as the song then reverts to its main verse structure and the singer just flows through a great set of lyrics, turning in a performance that's got you well and truly hooked. The addition of a delightful brief banjo ripple just before the chorus crashes in, is an absolute delight and just shows the attention to detail that this band embodies in what are huge-sounding arrangements in the hooks and delicacy with strength in the verses.
After this comes “Made The Headlines” and this crashes in with authority producing another mile-wide riff and expanse as this gives way to upfront bass rumble, lurching drumming and the sound of multi-tracked lead vocals that deliver the song with that nasally emotion which makes it so delicious and so distinctive. The song just flows through the verses, with huge Byrds-esque harmonies, massive choruses, lashings of harmonies and a real emotion to it that's pouring out of your speakers to heart-rending and adrenaline-rousing effect, the arrangements, playing and those extraordinarily gorgeous vocals, just perfect in every way on a song that's got crunch, drive, emotion, depth, textures, bounce, great singing, and...well....just everything.
“Windows” is a faster-paced offering with upfront twangy bass, crunch of drumming, cascading electric guitar leads and the vocals now flying like an eagle to take off even higher on the addictive choruses, cruising effortlessly through the verses and one massively strong song that mixes emotion, tension, spark and strength to magnificent degree, even a brief incendiary lead guitar break in the middle and those canyon-sized harmonies soaring above sizzling riffs, driving rhythms and that massive textural depth.
Finally, there's “Fall In Line” which has more of a mid-paced lurch to its rhythms, still strong and driving, still with those huge swathes of guitars but here the vocals fly once again, taking off into uplifting choruses that are simply sensational, yet again another great song full of feeling, perfectly arranged and executed, another harmony-filled chorus a thing of great joy and beauty as the song rings out, flows forward, drives home and rumbles on, with a vocal performance that's just superb.
An absolutely faultless gem of an EP that promises to take this band a long way.

UNSIGNED DOWNLOAD's OF THE MONTH 01-12

RECLUSE – Passing Cars Download only
New band from Wales with two tracks that are absolutely stunning – right, got that out of the way first.....the EP opens with “Passing Cars” where a slice of deeply textured, riffing and rolling indie-rock delivers with brilliance running right through its considerably sized heart. Jangly guitar ushers in the drumming that roars around your head as the fuzzy guitar riff leaves its mark in your memory and, with the bass rumbling along underneath it all, a vocal that's a perfect mix of Snow Patrol and The Call, full of brooding angst that's got a real sense of feeling running through it, just flows superbly through the song, full of feeling and seemingly angst-ridden yet optimistic at the same time. As that stunning dirty guitar riff drives forward with purpose, the rhythms section lays down a solid foundation, the guitar scythes and sways and the verses eventually run into a huge sounding chorus filled with harmony vocals and the whole thing just strides out with all guns blazing, managing to make most other more well-known indie band sound rather tame by comparison, on a song that you'll want to play over and over.
But then they blaze a trail into “Heartjacker” via a huge dirty guitar riff that bounces like a bomb over the crash of cymbals, the crunch of drums and the deep rumble of bass as the vocal now lifts off with a vengeance, really letting go on a track that's so addictive in every way, singing the lyrics with a kind of booze-soaked passion and really producing a perfect vocal performance for the roar of the track that just dives into your head and heart with all guns blazing yet still retaining an identity that gives it an undoubted appeal to indie and rock fans alike, in fact I think I prefer this to the opener, although both are simply sensational.
If this is what they can deliver on a two-track single, then bring on the rest – and soon!!!
Bands and artists whose releases were a gnat's whiska away from the monthly accolade were Always The Quiet Ones, Run From Robots, Distant Sun, Malokai and Promise Me Tomorrow - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD's OF THE MONTH 12-11

CONSTANCE DEMBY – Ambrosial Waves CD
In the last four decades of electronic music, there have been many artists – and bands – who have taken up the challenge of producing a single 70+ minute track that features no rhythms, no melodies, no instrumental delineation and make it sustain its length to the degree that the listener regards it as a journey to be undertaken rather than a task to be endured. In a way, it's like a long-distance commute – you take the same route each time – as there is no alternative – and you become familiar with the surroundings; every day you see the wonders that pass you by. Now, while most will end up taking the scenery for granted and some will find other things to occupy themselves along the way, others will take a look at that scenery in more detail. As they go through it once again, they will see the differences each day, the subtle changes that occur, and as they examine the greater detail, they will see the true wonders that exist beyond just looking.
So it is with this album – what you have are a set of layers, textures, soundscapes. To the non-discerning ear, it will sound quite similar throughout. To the tuned-in ear – the one that does more than merely listen – there will be the ripples of time and space, the gentle waves of the universe, slowly ebbing and flowing on the shores of distant worlds, the real depth of musical layers that exist in a music as expansive as this. Then there will be those who go beyond even this – they will not only listen intently, but they will let their imagination take them to all manner of places – from foggy, windless oceans with nothing but the sound of the surroundings, maybe you can hear a distant bell – or is that your imagination talking – or the sound of white clouds moving effortlessly across blue skies under a burning sun – or maybe the sound of the universe slowly spreading out through endless reaches of the infinite. Finally there will be those who really do understand that behind this wondrous epic of cosmic bliss, this multi-textured sea of beauty, this subtly flowing and slowly changing set of electronic music soundscapes and choral calm, that there is a true spirituality to it all – the sort of spirituality that makes you feel at one with the universe – the down-to-earth spirituality that makes you riveted to the journey that you have undertaken, and makes you want to take that trip again, time after time after time – if ever God – whoever your god may be – wanted a moment away from holding together the structure of the universe, if ever he or she wanted a moment of respite, this is the music to which that god would listen – the pinnacle of glory itself.

DRAG YOUR HEELS – The Black Hearted EP CD-EP
The intro to the opening track on this CD is just stunning – a repeated, clipped guitar figure at the bottom end of the scale over which this sultry, husky, powerful, restrained and smokily bluesy female vocal delivers the lyrics to a song that positively smoulders, threatening to burst into flames at any second – then, not to disappoint, it does just that as the band bursts into life with an explosion of guitar riffing, twangy electric guitars, deep bass and drivingt drumming, over whicch that, now high-flying vocal, doesn't miss a beat, delivering the lyrics to this surge of a song with passion, strength and intensity. The whole song just spirals upwards on the best slice of blues-tinged contemporary indie rock 'n' roll with a menacing backdrop, multi-tracked vocal chorus and mighty playing – in short, it's absolutely awesome. This hooks you right into the world of Drag Your Heels, a world from which you are delighted to know that there's no escape – they've got you hooked.
“Walk Away” bounces along with more power than the proverbial bomb as that vocal now glides through the verses with a low-down brooding intensity, towering above the Blur-esque “Song 2” styled fuzz bass, the twang of the Blondie “Atomic”- esque guitar riff, the crash of the drumming, and rising up to this huge, multi-tracked vocal hook, a combination that is simply jaw-dropping. “Crossbone Boy” is driving indie-blues with a classic riff, even adding sax for extra effect, as the vocals are sung with urgency and intensity, the song driving ahead with intent through riffs that you can't resist, rhythms that defy you not to leap about the place, sax that burns and vocals that spread their wings and fly like an eagle over the whole instrumental blaze, the best slice of contemporary blues—soaked indie songwriting and delivery that you'll hear anywhere.
“Everything I Want” takes the pace down a notch – and by now, you're grateful for that – as a gorgeous song ensues complete with yearning vocals, lurching rhythms, occasional sax bursts and grooving guitars, the vocal full of feeling and really heartfelt, the mood reflective, impassioned and suitably “late-night”.
But this is just a breather - “Towards Your Shadow” bursts into life with a searing heat as the band really surge ahead on a sea of guitar riffs, guitar breaks like solar flares, driving rhythms and crashing cymbals as the vocals return to the menacing urgency of th verses and the even more urgent intensity of the hook-filled chorus that, once more, refuses to leave your head, as, indeed, does the whole song and the playing, the combination gradually denser yet more addictive as the short but impressive song rolls to its sudden end point. “Some Other Dream” is bouncy indie with a distinct flavour of “New Order-meets-Darling Buds” and just a dream of a slice of solid indie-pop at its finest, the vocals taking off like a rocket above the driving beats, the choppy rhythms and the heated bass and surge of low-slung guitar, a song that really hits the spot.The EP ends with “The Mystery Man” and here things return to that twangy, menacing, soaring, uplifting, intense modern-times rpock'n' roll feel with huge upfront bass, twangy guitar riffing, bouncing drumming and that vocal that sings with wondrous urgency, evil intent and wide-eyed passion, the verses addictive, the hooks spellbinding and even a brief burst of guitar breakout to add to the driving addiction of this incendiary memorable and mighty surge of songwriting.
Overall, this is one absolute solid gem of a CD that doesn't put a foot wrong and makes you want to play it all over and over, long, loud and often.

OMNIA OPERA - Nothing Is Ordinary DBL CD
Not only brand new from one of the undeservedly unheralded space-rock/psychedelic bands from the nineties, but a double CD as well. Essentially a quintet with three of them on vocals, the album is, nevertheless, mostly instrumental, but also incredibly varied, incredibly consistent, remarkably inventive and amazingly enjoyable.
The first CD kicks off with the seven and a half minute “Destroyer Of Worlds” that starts with lurching drumming, a brief river of synths before this huge bass just rumbles out like something out of Magma, as a restrained but ringing guitar lead is heard coming through the distance, getting ever closer but never upfront. Eventually the instrumentation is joined by wordless harmonies that soar and build as the playing lurches along, the drumming getting ever more frenzied with cymbals everywhere. A barely noticeable pause allows the space synths to bubble up and soar as the bass continues to rumble and sampled voices are introduced as the tension of instrumentation rises, the bass starts to resonate, the drums start to pound in the distance and the guitars ring out. Then the rhythm accelerates to out-of-control train-like proportions and it's like a choral psychedelic version of instrumental Can only massive. At just under 8 minutes, “Second Skin” is the album's first song, and it not only continues the strength from the previous track but adds to it, starting with a staccato dirty guitar riff as space synths swoop, then with a crash of guitars, drums, bass and synths, the band power out as the soaring vocals are sung to perfection, in keeping with the space-rock atmosphere. The song drives ahead amid wondrous choruses and equally strong lead vocals, the instrumentation hammering and crunching alongside. Just short of two and a half minutes, the huge expanse of space-rock loudness gives rise to this blistering electric guitar break and the whole thing become a fireball of early Hawkwind proportions, and carries on in the vein of a classic track such as “Shouldn't Do That” given a modern-sounding psychedelic makeover, and the whole thing is just immense, one of the finest examples of seventies-influenced space-rock-psych on the planet right now. It ultimately fades into the cosmic void that is three and a half minutes of “Genius Of Angels” complete with half-intoned eerie lead vocal above the drifting expanse from the stars.
Next up is the 11+ minute title track, starting spacey with deep bass, distant fx and sounding more like the intro to an early Pink Floyd track but then it suddenly bursts into life with a repeated riff and rhythm framework as the song ensues with lightly treated vocals sounding a bit like a phased Peter Gabriel, at this point decelerating to allow the real majesty of the song to come through and now more in Porcupine Tree than anything if you want a reference point. From there the song twists and turns moving through driving passages, drifting passages, a slower mid-section song portion led by a female singer that sounds amazingly like Nico only then soars upwards to perfection. Over the next two minutes, the instrumental portion starts to build, again flowering into a blaze of glorious electric guitar leads that really have bite and passion, all around the synths, rhythms, vocals and fx providing this huge sounding backdrop as a slice of positively orchestra space-rock sets the controls for the heart of the universe.
“Supernova” is a shade under 11 minutes, this time very much in the tradition of the way Hawkwind arrange a cracking good slice of space-rock, building, racing, lifting off, dropping back, going spacey and then rising even higher, all a forest fire of synths, guitars, drums and bass, plus the excellent vocal leads and multi-choral harmonies, as the song twists and turns to jaw-dropping degree. “Liquid Underground” is also close to 10 minutes long, and here choppy powerful drumming heralds the arrival of distant space synths before the rhythm changes abruptly, the vocalists enter with repeated, clipped choruses and the whole thing is very hypnotic. At two minutes in, there's a guest sax player joining the crew, and it's not as “Hawkwind-y” as you might have expected, instead opting for a jazzier approach in the vein of a space-rock answer to If or Colosseum. Then it just drives ever on, eventually breaking out in a hail of jazzy space-rock to dramatic effect. At a tad under 2 minutes, “Umbilical” is eerie then full-sounding space synths and tinkling percussives, before this CD ends with the near 10 minute “Pictures On The News”, a fiercely driving example of psych-rock that nevertheless manages to tick all the right space-rock boxes on it powerful voyage out of the solar system, even though the lyrical matter is absolutely earthbound but superbly well written.
So there you have it – a stunning album by anyone's standards – only there's still another full-length CD to go!!
On here you'll find ten tracks, the epic being the 12 and a half minute “The Malgi” which covers everything from Steve Hillage and Gong to Hawkwind and most points in between, only far from some seventies-copycat classic, they've turned it into this contemporary roar of a track that's got a width and depth greater than the ocean and goes places that most spacecraft can't even dream about. With a husky but strong female vocal, some scything electric guitar, this enormous expanse of sound, driving rhythms worthy of the mightiest space-rock, and more synth swoops than a comet, it justifies the whole of this disc on its own. But there's more – several punchy songs, the occasional cosmic drift, three 7-10 minute mini epics, all performed, arranged, created and produced with the same attention to detail, quality and strength that you've heard throughout the rest of the album so far. In short, it's a masterpiece and no-one in their right mind is gonna argue with that.

UNSIGNED CD's OF THE MONTH 11-11

THE ROUGHNECK RIOT – Same Again Tomorrow CD-EP
The finest thing to come out of Warrington since....well....since Warrington's existed, really. Featuring Matty Humphries – Vocals/Guitar/Mandolin, Chris Green - Lead Guitar/ Vocals, Jade Franklin – Accordion, Ryan Taylor – Bass/Vocals, Caitlin Costello – Banjo/Vocals and Simon Cowley – Drums, this band have got an adrenaline surge of an EP that makes you breathless just thinking about it, let along leaping about the place like a thing possessed, every time you play it. Things kick off with the title track as the whole band launch headlong into a slice of rebel-rousing whirlwind playing and singing as a surge of an anthem is unleashed with all the force of a tsunami only even more powerful, full of feeling as are all the tracks, perfectly sung, played and produced and a song that will be swirling around your head for hours after you've heard it. “This is Our Day” as kick drum hits the beat, banjo races in with the main melody at a speed that's amazing, then all of a sudden this huge wall of guitar crashes and the band put the hammer down as accordeon adds equally fast texture and the track goes hell for leather down the tracks as that gravelly vocal enters with an urgen sea of lyrics that are delivered with urgency, potency and bite, the whole slew of folk-punk sounding like a cross between The Pogues and The Clash on an adrenaline junkie's heaven, as it all races into a chorus that's sky-high and just stunning, the whole song defying you to stay still while at the same time heavy enough for the most cynical of rock fans, folking fast and a song that will almost certainly never lose its appeal – which is useful, really, as the next track “Down And Out” starts with a hurricane of guitars before the banjo stutters in and the rhythm section erupts, this time the accordeon more underneath as the guitar expanse fills the horizon, the banjo melody refuses to leave your head, the rhythm section go for broke and that wonderful hoarse vocal just surges through the verses into mile-high hamony-filled choruses that are to die for as another absolute belter of a song comes right out at ya with the speed of a bullet and every bit the effect you'd expect from a band this great. The EP ends with “I'm The Man In Reno” is even faster, has an even more addictive chorus, and this time features rolling drumming, cyclical melodies from accordeon and banjo, the whole band steaming ahead like an out of control freight train and the vocals almost a blur as they dive headlong from the urgency of the verses into the undeniable addiction of the choruses. It's a song that will never lose its appeal – never – and also the sort of song that you have to play over and over and over....only stopping to sleep – and wait for the next day when you can do exactly the same. The epitome of punk-folk commercialism at its finest. In short, this is one stone cold perfect stunner of an EP that every home in the land should own as it will not only bring an eternal smile to your face every time you play it but it will actually make your life worth living.

SECRET SAUCER – Four On The Floor CD
Instrumental space-psych-prog USA band's fourth album and it finds them losing none of the spark and invention that has characterised three remarkably consistent previous albums. Things essentially kick off with the 6 minute “Time Spent Out Of Mind” where the driving bounce of the rhythm section is topped with an unending river of synhts and rhythm guitar, while guest lead guitarist Nick Riff, unleashes a series of searing heat guitar leads as the main band power ahead, the mix of space-rock and melody infused with a decidedly Middle Eastern flavour ensuring that they the huge sound is both accessible and enjoyable for all its depths and strengths, the whole thing constantly changing yet never losing any of its cohesion. “Lunar Pull”, just short of 8 minutes long, is an absolute gem of a track, this time performed at more of a mid-paced slant, but losing none of its might or magic. In fact, the track just stretches out on wave after wave of melodies and musical excursions from the synths and guitars, all solidly held together by the muscular rhythm section. In the playing is a passion that's truly heartfelt, and even the odd hint of phased vocal as an extra musical dimension, only serves to make it more akin to a huge-sounding psychedelic mix of Mike Oldfield and restrained Hawkwind. Around the 4 minute mark, the lead guitar breaks out a bit more, then a different guitar lead comes in and the two stride forward over the rolling rhythms, the lack of any indication in the sleevenotes as to who plays what and when, meaning that you never actually know who's doing what on any one track, but rest assured that it doesn't matter anyway, as the tracks are just so phenomenal. This one just sails into the sunset on a huge multi-layered bed of sounds as those guitars fly and spiral upwards, the synths are like choirs, the rhythms are mighty and it's all simply quite breathtaking.
Again just short of 8 minutes, “Daedal” is a tad more down-to-earth, this time the mid-paced rhythm section adding more electronic rhythms to the beats, while the synths in the foreground shimmer, soar and solo, as the guitars weave in and out and the track rolls on like a musical journey through a hot desert as you see the heat shimmering in the blue skies, while the drive continues, the track eventually taking on more fuel and turning up the power as guitar riffing joins the space synths and lead synths, the piece lifting off like a rocket on flames of burning guitars and pounding beats, as close to instrumental psych heaven as it gets for the final three minutes. After this, sensibly they tone things down a bit with a slice of spacey delicacy called “Awaken” where acoustic guitars join the bubbling synths and deep bass, with jangling electric guitars in there too and tabla-like percussion in the distance, all a bit like the spacier parts of the first Hawkwind album, only more stretched out and melodic.
“The Dark Rift” at around 2 and a half minutes long, is what its name suggests as a deep and bleak multi-textured space synths excursion spirals out on cyclical waves of synth cascades set to a backdrop of cosmic orchestral synths and synth-percussive rattles and crashes, eventually fading into its own black hole only to segue right in to the 6 minute “Celestial Spigot” and here the band prove that they can produce something that, for its genre, is capable of mixing space-rock and jazz-rock without compromising on melody or the all-important human touch, so that, even with a guest sax lead from Greg Klucher, the space synths are still there, and once again, the feel of a jazzier restrained '72-era Pink Floyd/Hawkwind is apparent, only on this occasion, more emphasis on melody, and less rock, more jazz. The 9 and a half minute title track is a more laid-back, but no less multi-layred piece where the synths and organ-like textures underpin and drive shimmering guitars as the drums shuffle forward and deep bass hums and throbs, the feel like a more rock band answer to something like early Wavestar in its feel and melodic execution a sublime compositions continues to move slowly on, changing shape and texture subtly, but always cohesive and never any less than engaging. Towards the end a John Dyson-esque guitar lead flies in from nowhere and it's bite adds the icing to an already substantial and enjoyable cake.
At three and a half minutes, “Aegean Bridge” is almost an attempt to produce something commercial sounding and you'd imagine that had it been produced in the seventies alongside something like Can's “I Want More” or Edgar Winter's “Frankenstein”, it could have easily been a hit, albeit not quite having the necessary hook for you to have swirling around your head after it's gone, although that central guitar riff is not far off.
“Notch” is two minutes of dark, “out there” space music that serves both as a full stop to the band's original work on the album so far, and a precursor to what is to follow – and that is a near 12 minute cover of Pink Floyd's “Saucerful Of Secrets”, as brave a move as it gets when it comes to covers. Whilst staying true to the structure of the track, what they do is make it their own by applying a wholly different sounding sea of layers of organ, synths, guitars, bass and drums to the piece so that the result is this completely different yet fiercely familiar answer to one of the great seventies space-rock compositions, remaining true to the feel, structure and outer/inner space appeal of the original but the added injection of synths and searing guitars, turning it into something that's even mightier than the original track, the fact that it works on all levels, a testament to a band doing something like this with a burning passion in their hearts for the band that originally played and composed it.
Bands and artists whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were The Hype Theory, Overweight, Senser, The Suburbians, When Words Fail and You Love Her Coz She's Dead - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 10-11

BLOW UP HOLLYWOOD – Collections CD
Just when I thought I'd got the handle on what Blow Up Hollywood is all about, along comes a fourth album to defy that theory and absolutely blow me away. For a starts the majority of the album is instrumental, but that also means that the actual songs carry even more emotional weight when they appear and the whole arrangement of the album is nothing short of magical.
Kicking things off we get “DDK” where a lurching drum beat is overlaid with funky percussion, a rich bass undercurrent and deep textures, all topped with this stabbing, melodic, resonant, beautifully strong piano lead as it all rolls along and gradually becomes enveloped in textural, almost buzzing, strings, giving the piece a flavour of the Pacific as well as Western, just one wonderful opening track. From here, there's the calm of “JCK” where the ping of keyboard that opens it makes you think of Pink Floyd's “Echoes” but this is only for a few seconds before, with a rush of wind that's more like a gale, in comes a searing heat electric guitar lead over another strongly lurching sea of rhythms and more strings surrounding the heart of the piece as this huge tower of melodic gorgeousness, strides out with the guitar lead hotly followed by a deep piano motif and the strings. Abruptly a synthesizer lead takes over from the guitar and this massive sounding slice of of mid-paced orchestral rock – some would arguably call it “prog-rock” - just pours its heart out as it spreads its wings and flies majestically upwards in a stream of strings, synth, piano, bass, drums and distant guitar.
“Crash” starts with resonant piano and in comes this husky sounding female vocal as the mix of tension, beauty, emotion and melody is all mixed up in an air of stark fragility, the silent force of voice and piano possessing a strength that's emotionally wrung out with passion and pure love, and if you wanted a comparison, “a female answer to Peter Gabriel doing “Here Comes The Flood” with just a piano”, wouldn't be far from the truth. It's simply wonderful!!
Up next is “Cello_Piano_Radio_Woodwinds”, where what you'd call a slightly unorthodox instrumental, wends its amorphous and free-form way through a maze of ripples, melodies, rhythms and textures, on what you'd call the extremely listenable and engaging side of “challenging”, a sort of “free-classical-jazz for the beginner”, nothing too extreme, but giving you a glimpse into a world that will either open or shut its doors to you. “Slow Down” returns to earth with a rolling piano melody and more of that husky female vocalising as a brooding kind of song shines in the dark, the voice possessing a slight air of menace and mystery as well as angst and passion, the combination of piano and vocals this time embellished with violin and deep bass, as it all slides and glides with huge emotion for such a stark sea of instrumentation, that voice so full of feeling and the arrangement just matching it to perfection. By contrast, “When Its Over” opens with chunky acoustic guitars and deep bass, before the main man behind the project reveals his first vocal on the album a voice that's very similar to a more melodic answer to the lead singer of rock band Seether, a vocal that's packed with emotion and very distinctive but at the same time, warm, strong and pure of heart, the arrangement now embellished with piano and deep-in-the-mix violin and organ, the song so absolutely magical and emotive, it brings a tear to your eye, sung superbly, arranged brilliantly and, once again, you never thought you could experience so much from something so relatively simple and almost completely acoustic – genius!!
“Caged” is a silently flowing slice of rhythm-less cosmic music as dark, eerie space electronics, drift and resonate, darkly textured but at the same time, strangely beautiful, a lengthy piece that would be proud to have graced an early seventies Tangerine Dream album. “Nck” is another instrumental which opens with gently rippling, strummed acoustic guitar that erupts into a massive sounding electric guitar lead and accompanying ocean of strongly lurching bass, drums and organ, to such a brilliant degree that, in a blindfold test, the only two words that would pop out of your mouth when asked who it was, would be “Pink Floyd” - it's that close and that good, the main difference being that the guitar has a bit more bite to it. “For Jessica” features piano and viola and is just gorgeous, while at the same time strong and emotive, the piano slowly choppy, again with a bit of a “Dark Side”-era Floyd touch to it, while that viola lends that sinuous air of mysterious strength which makes it a perfect accompaniment on what is a really melodic slice of strange beauty.
“Kitty Kite” is another song featuring the wondrous voice of the female singer (there are no credits on the album sleeve to anyone), again husky, gorgeous, emotive and so full of feeling, the smouldering passion and deep strength of the vocal accompanied by strummed acoustic guitar, strings, keys and electronics, with a deep feeling bass river underneath. As the song expands, the vocals are occasionally multi-tracked for even more beautiful effect, the strings also enveloping the piece as the guitar and piano provide the melodic heart to the song, which is now spiralling slowly to the heavens on that majestic, warm and hugely emotional vocal, taking you with it and filling your heart with unbridled passion on what is one absolute stunner of a song, again, making acoustic into something that's so much more than you'd ever have thought possible. “More Caged” is electronics only this time sounding massive and filling the expanse with huge waves of cosmic soundscapes that are the other side of the black hole, a world of chaos, density and blackness, the rhythm-less electronic intensity pouring down like rain with droplets made of glass.
The album ends with a song - “Sweet Memory” - the main man singing a song of great tenderness set to a rolling piano melody, a bit like a mix of that guy out of Seether and acoustic Peter Gabriel, and just one gorgeously emotive and gloriously strong sounding way to round off what's been a simply incredible album, an album with not one second wasted or out of place, produced, arranged, played and sung to perfection, and an album that should be recognised as a work of nothing less than absolute genius.
Bands and artists whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Hole In The Head Gang and Jets To Zurich - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 09-11

CALL THE DOCTOR – Riots CD-EP
The new EP from the up and coming Bristol area band starts off well sprightly with galloping rhythms, chiming guitars, sparkling guitar leads and solid drive as singer Patti Aberhart provides a vocal built on sultry verses and soaring, higher register choruses, the contrast between the two, absolutely perfect as the rhythm section pound and the guitars take on all manner of patterns from heated riffs, to ringing rhythms and solid leads. All the while the vocal is a mix of forceful and charming, aided and abetted by a male vocal to give a bit of extra bite on the secondary choruses. It's sublime power pop at its indie best. “Here To Haunt” is even more urgent with clipped, staccato rhythms, beefy beats, thumping bass and more acres of chiming jangly guitars as the band power ahead and Patti's vocals take on more multi-tracked urgency on the verses, this time contrasting with her sultry self, before taking off like a rocket onto the choruses, as the song twists and turns but never once loses sight of the effect, a combination of speed, depth, strength and finesse. “Stood Beside Her” slows the pace down to a saunter as the warm and sinuous vocal of Ms Aberhart curls around you like a favourite pet. The rhythms choppy and strong, slow-mid paced as the guitars ring out and the multi-tracked vocals rise up into a seriously uplifting chorus-of-a-type, before dying away briefly to leave the beautiful guitar chiming away as the vocals return with even more sultry feeling and emotional flow, all on a song that's very addictive for all its mid-paced passion. Finally, there's “Roundabout” ad the return to choppy pop-punk with those gorgeous vocals flying out on top of driving rhythms and more delicate riffing strength before the song launches into an all-out attack as the guitars take on a more solid feel and the rhythms bounce along like bombs, all the while that addictive vocal strength and delicacy, the main focal point around which all the songs revolve. It's pop, it's indie, it's even a bit punky, but for all the descriptives, what it really is most, is absolutely brilliant and incredibly repeat-playable. Bands and artists whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were For Abel,Everything We Left Behind, Kick To Kill and Mummy Short Arms - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 08-11

THE IDOL DEAD – Die On My Feet Or Live On My Knees CD
Angry lead vocals, huge kick-ass choruses, rolling thunder rhythms and dual lead guitars with enough energy to power a medium-sized city – all this and more appear in the opening 30 seconds of the first track - leading you to think that you're in for one rollercoaster ride of mighty metal proportions – as it turns out, that's exactly what happens.
“Buckle N Howl” opens things up with a rampaging but well sung lead vocal, roaring riffing from the guitars, the thunderous throb of bass that underpins it all, drumming that's a wild ride down the highway and football terrace anthemic choruses that can't fail to have you leaping about the place. Top all this off with some red hot lead breaks, and an incendiary Classic Rock arrangement and production, and you have the perfect intro to what is surely going to be a perfect Classic Rock album. So, you move right on to “Question Everything” and, with a falling guitar break and brief cymbals, the band crash in like a juggernaut's just run into your house as they lay down this crushing array of mile-wide guitars and massive mid-paced lurching rhythms, as the vocalist takes off like a rocket and just flies over the top delivering another song with intensity that morphs into another multi-tracked hook as the roar of guitars continues unabated all around and yet another slice of driving Classic Rock comes into a contemporary dimension with a vengeance as the band give us another absolute gem of addictive metal that's so repeat playable yet so insanely catchy, the guitars sounding just awesome.
“Take A Ride” accelerates the pace and then drops back a bit to provide a more dynamic vocal mix brooding emotion and overpowering strength, more hooks along the way, more choruses to have you singing along with as the band really let rip with metal energy that glows white hot, and it's all just so wonderful, all you wanna do is turn it up way loud and let the world hear what a fantastic album you're hearing. But it gets better than this - “Travelling Man” opens with powerful story-telling vocals, buzz-saw guitars and then with a whiplash of guitar heat, the rhythm section thunders in and the tale is told set to a massive slab of metallic riffing, as you listen to the lyrics with fascination, still wildly dancing around the place on waves of guitars that ebb and flow with energy and movement, the most overtly dynamic song on the album so far, more “studied” with another red hot guitar lead break and intensity rather than the massive commercial anthem approach of the first three numbers, more like a contemporary metal version of one of those story-telling songs you'd hear on an early Rose Tattoo album, with guitar riffing power substituting for the slide.
“Lily White” has a huge guitar expanse and the song melds Alex Harvey Band, T-Rex and Rose Tattoo to memorable anthemic degree as it all burns and drives with powerful mid-paced strength, deliberately beefy yet refusing to succumb to an out an out explosion, an energised metal song which carries you along in its wake. Then, with a remarkable adrenaline rush, in rampages “Suzi Choo”, a wild ride of kick-ass catchiness that's got it all – thunderous rhythms, roaring riffs, one helluva guitar hook, magnificently hollered vocals and a kick-ass chorus that really hits the spot, as good as wild commercial rock gets, and a song that you'll play and play and play. After this, “I'm A Fake” mixes scything riffs with more restrained guitar jangle and brooding vocals before the scything returns and the song switches between the two before taking off into the chorus, and just genarally taking off anyway, once more droping back to the upfront lead vocal passion of the verses and swaying back and forth between rock and a hard place.
“Don't Waste It” allows the throb of bass and crunch of drums to start proceedings before the lead electric guitar lets loose, a huge tidal wave of guitar riffing acts as the undercurrent on top of which the lead and harmony vocals deliver a solid anthem of modern Classic Rock proportions with cohesion, muscle and purpose, more air guitar magic along the way and, for what is now decidedly the trademark of this band, a song that is both instant and yet long-lasting, the perfect repeat-playable rock and metal album that you'll treasure for many a long year after hearing all this for the first time.
“Midnight In A Northern Town” is another mix of sedate, solid and searing guitar heat as the band fire on all cylinders one minute, then give us an almost rock ballad -like approach the next, the whole song building into a virtual anthem of epic proportions as the guitars and rhythm section let go the guns and hit the target bang on. “Tragically Hip” is just a delicious slice of driving rock anthem, sort of rock 'n' roll metal that is simple but effective, commercial as hell, full of great guitars and rolling rhythms, not to mention the bite of the vocal and the dynamics of the band and the arrangement. “Suicide Machine” is rolling muscular metal and one flaring gem of a song, while the album ends with.....a song.....a gentle song.... a story-telling song ... a moment of tranquility gorgeously delivered – a song that reprises one of the earlier metal compositions in an acoustic setting....a song that prepares you perfectly for what you inevitably have to do next......go back to track one and play the whole album over again. It is, indeed, the only way!
Bands and artists whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Martyr De Mona - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 07-11

THE BEAUTIFUL WORD – Mystery Pop CD-EP
Mystery is a good word to use for the songs that this band provide but perhaps magical would be nearer the mark, to which you can actually add enchanting, hypnotic, delicious, haunting, catchy, timeless and fun. Six tracks which revolve around the truly wondrous dual lead vocals from singers Megan Clifton and Emily Bryant, both quite high pitched with a sense of wide-eyed splendour and slightly deeper richness. Underneath a band of guitar, bass and drums provide suitably solid and tasty backdrops for the songs, arranged and played so well that, while meaty, lose none of the magic that every one of the songs conjures up. They start with “I Got Bored” as a delightful guitar ushers in drums and percussion, as Emily's vocal starts things off and already the arrangement is swirling in your head as the melodies drive along while the now dual female vocals provide the spell that captures your heart and makes you smile. The song bounces along delightfully as a guitar provides a neat little lead break before the tinkling, twinkling drive of the song returns and the delicious vocals top it all off with rich choruses and verses that are truly spellbinding. “This Light” is almost theatrical and very much the sort of thing that you might find in some killer West End production as its delightful heart gives us vocals that are enticing, as the band rolls along and underpins the vocals with a stride that's the hook, as the singers take turns to do the leads and combine on the choruses to give us another catchy sea of verses and that soaring chorus, that all takes hold of your heart and wins you over with ease and grace.
“Bad Doctor” is the ballad that they do so well, and like the first track, features the tinkle of the glock as an added dimension, as this time the band provide more of a lurching rhythm mixed with melody while the two singers combine on Roches-esque harmonies to wide-eyed effect as a glorious flowing song ensues, seemingly effortless yet strong and addictive. “Just So You Know” has a higher pitched lead vocal, presumably Megan. As Emily counterpoints and joins in, the dual vocals this time working off and interweaving with each other as the high-flying song has another almost cloud-like density to it, huge yet soft and fluffy, set in a blue sky of melody, strong and yet something from which you never avert your gaze. It's actually difficult to say just exactly what it is about these songs and their delivery and arrangements that make them so absolutely amazing, since the band keep things deliberately understated, yet it's melody and magic wrapped up in an almost folky mix of pop, folk and theatre, but those vocals are what captures you and takes you in, never once failing to captivate and delight. “Landmines” is just the two singers and is acapella gorgeousness while the mini-album ends with “Regal Tom”, curiously an instrumental with wordless vocals and a positively relaxed Pink Floyd feel to it, the very last thing you'd expect but somehow absolutely perfect in the context of what is a truly faultless release of seriously stunning songs with an unending appeal of which you'll never tire of hearing.
THE BEAUTIFUL WORD – Emily Download
New single from the Brighton band finds them on top form and is one of those singles that has “summer” written all over it – but then you get into it and find it's actually got “timeless” written all over it too. It opens with pleasantly strummed acoustic guitar and gently percussive hook, as Megan, one of the band's two female lead singers, emerges with the most gorgeous angelic vocal to start the verse, joined quickly by co-lead singer Emily on harmonies to dive onto the, initially gentle chorus,as the band strike up a solid marching beat and the track drives ahead. There's a distant crash of percussion, ringing guitar lead, the lurch of the rhythms, tinkling electric xylophone and those wondrous harmony and lead vocals delivering a song that just lifts off and takes you with it to the cloudless skies. Mid-way, the song changes to a flowing, more serious middle section as darker skies approach, but then they fly through it and return to the winsome wistfulness of the verses and that sublime, memorable, beautifully haunting chorus. It's delightful, heady, immediate and emotional, delivered with purpose, expanse and delicacy – guaranteed to warm your heart and put a smile on your face.

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 06-11

GREG BREDEN - Beyond Midnight CD
The latest offering from multi-instrumentalist Breden, an all instrumental affair as ever, sees him with a sextet of compositions that edge ever closer to mass acceptance without sacrificing any of the organic charm that makes him one of the unsung heroes of modern electronic-guitar-based instrumental music.
You only have to listen to the seven and a half minute “Till Dawn” for proof of just how good this guy gets – in this you'll hear shuffling chill-out beats, warm sounding string synths, heavenly choral voices, orchestral sounding synths, layer upon layer of synths, electric guitars, percussion – it all climbs higher and higher and higher – shut your eyes and you could be listening to vintage Mike Oldfield with a touch of modernisation to it, but not much – the mood, the melody, the emotion, the sheer feel behind each and every part – it's al there to make up one of the most gorgeous instrumentals you'll hear this side of classic Oldfield. After this slice of wonderment, the three and half minute “Captive (Released)” accelerates the pace with rapid-fire Orb-esque rhythms as the drums and percussion drive forward with serious intent and ambient purpose, above which the choppy bass rivers, the distant fuzz guitar riff, the sequencer-like synths and a searing heat electric guitar lead all provide this driving slice of rock-tronica with added twang as the guitars ring out, the synths and percussion steam ahead and, once again, melody is king, the solid percussive rhythms carrying you along as you wallow in the depths and strengths of another multi-layered charge through acres of guitars and synths, only to end abruptly.
Before all this, the album began with the near six minute “Captive”, initially featuring cosmic synth over crashing percussion before this fast-paced shuffle of electronic and acoustic drumming starts the captivating rhythm line that you hear in the aforementioned reprise. Above all this, a melodic guitar line provides a psychedelic twang over a sea of synth backgrounds as Breden starts the building process – sequencer rhythms, more guitar, distant synths and that repeated melody refrain, set above the choppy gallop of the drums and percussives, adding string synths for depth, choral synth voices for texture, a track that's both solid, heady, memorable, fired-up and yet somehow spacey at the same time. Brief guitar break, even briefer samples, choppy guitar, the return of the melody hook and more, all delivering a strident opening track. Following on from this, “Beyond Midnight” starts its seven and a half minute journey in an altogether gentle frame of mind, as tinkling percussion usher in a sinuous electric guitar lead set above rippling guitars and distant oceans of electronics, the guitar snaking a heated yet restrained path to your heart, almost like a slow-motion section of “Tubular Bells” only then there's a sudden change as string synths herald a fiery orchestral river, chunky drumming begins, aided and abetted by even more solid drumming and the piece begins to drive. The orchestral synths give way to bouncy electronics, choral voices, deep bass throbs and gorgeous textural synth layers that occupy the heart of the piece. Gradually, it accelerates, solidifies, intensifies and builds, all the while adding layers but never once losing sight of its passion, power and sheer mesmerising melodic heartbeat. The beats and rhythms continue on in joyously strong melodic memorability as the layers above it all come and go, change shape and drive, assorted leads from the synths and guitars appearing and disappearing, constantly engaging your attention as the idea of Oldfield-with-synths engages your mind albeit briefly, but this is Breden's game and he knows how to play and win. Then comes the six minute “In The Darkness”, this time a chunky percussive rhythm bed providing the opportunity for assorted layers of ambient electronics, choppy synths, streaming guitars and an almost brass-y sounding layer of melody that quickly morphs into an almost fats-paced raga then that changes into a slice of Oldfield-esque flute-y melody magic, as the synths, electronics, percussion, drums and psychedelic guitars are topped with a soaring, wordless heavenly female vocal then even that drops off after only a few seconds to reveal yet another layer. The amazing part about all this is how Breden manages to put together so much , has so much going on in the track yet at no point does he go out of his depth and never. once loses the flow, the pace or the feel of what he is creating. When the track suddenly accelerates to rocket-fuelled pace, it's almost organic and just takes you along in its wake, so much happening you need several listens just to take it all in, yet still there's that melodic magic running through its rhythmic veins.
After this, there are the two track with which we opened the review, while the album ends with the five and a half minute “Pirates” and here it sums up everything we've heard so far in one blissful slice of solid, slowly flowing, orchestral-laced, heavenly vocal-topped, multi-layred, multi-textured, emotive, melodic and perfectly assembled gem of a composition that brings melody, chill-out, orchestral and Oldfield into life then climbs even higher.
All in all, if you like this kind of instrumental music, it's one of the best of its kind.

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 05-11

IAN BODDY & PARALLEL WORLDS - Exit Strategy CD
Latest collaboration from the UK synth music pioneer Ian Boddy and Greek synth maestro Bakis Sirros, who's previously released two great albums on DiN, Ian's label, gives us an album that's both dark and beautiful, accessible yet complex and highly engaging from start to finish. For those who need to know such things, it's a predominantly analogue affair, but if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then don't – this is innovative and accessible music of great quality and changes on every listen.
It opens with just under five minutes of sinuous synth flowing over a tide of Sirros' darkly hammering rhythms, the effect both claustrophobic and absolutely riveting as the textures rumble, soar and drive along, all highly charged with the all-important sense of emotion and feel that runs through Boddy's music like lifeblood and is the reason why his electronica stands head and shoulders above most. This segues right into the 8 minutes of “Impresario” where, after a slowly rising intro of great electronic depth, the electro-percussive rhythms shudder, wheeze and hammer as this mid-paced river of rhythm underpins the myriad layers of space synths, darkly textured electronics, distant resonant fx and then this almost melodic top layer of string-like, almost middle-eastern sounding synths that changes shape as the rhythms also change shape and the whole picture goes from dark shudder to open-ended gallop, only to come to an abrupt stop as the piece suddenly drops the rhythm altogether and enters this haze of cosmic light, only then for those juddering beats to return, add the melody lines and drive to what you'd think would be the finale but then the musicians take you by surprise and give you a celestial, rhythm-free outflow that's absolutely riveting.
The near 7 minute “Soliloquy” could well be what an other-worldly Vangelis would have used throughout the “Bladerunner” film had it been a much darker offering, and the result is something that echoes the beauty of that work yet here retains the element of crunch, of solid structure and almost menacing intent.
At just over 7 minutes, “Entwined” is one of those deep, dark, shifting, sliding, flowing worlds of multi-textural blackness that's infused with shafts of light just to let you know that there is hope on the other side of the universe through which you're travelling as the assorted electronic layers give you drift and drive in a rhythm-free environment. As is the case on the whole album, without a break, it's right into the 10 minute title track and from the end strains of the cosmos unfolding, the duo provide a track that chops and changes throughout, from galloping darkly percussive rhythms and undercurrents to top layers that are positively joyful, and all point in between. They manage to mix melody, rhythm, exploration, a river of glissando-like top layers and more, to come up with something that's as unnerving as it is breathtaking, never standing still, always changing its path and, almost no matter how many times you listen to it, completely unpredictable – yet it works, thanks to the passion and feelings that they inject into what, in anyone else's hands, would be an unstructured set of unfinished ideas. The 5 minute “Hidden” is another multi-layered space-synths track but really solid stuff with that all-pervading darkness running through its depths. Finally, there's the near 10 minute “Return” which starts in a kind of richly menacing, orchestrally shimmering space thunder, as assorted sounds and percussives rattle around, ushering in this enormous sounding sea of bass synth texture, flowing oceans of strings and a solid, seriously ethereal, expansive soundscape that rises up then almost disappears as a new set of sounds comes from the distance before the previous landscape returns, only this time more distant, but growing louder by the minute as it ploughs a path of ever strengthening menace. These waves of layers and rhythms enter and return, mixing space and drive, texture and melody, rhythm and cosmos, all in one mighty, flowing finale.
It turns out that much of the music was played by Sirros and “sculpted” by Boddy, who added what I call the “top layers” and the glissando-like textures, so it's a collaboration but, in keeping with what Ian does, something quite extraordinary. I used to review tons and tons of synth music releases, but they lost their flavour when everything became just an endless sea of recycling Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze – with anything on DiN and anything with Ian Boddy's name attached to it, you can be sure that every release will be something new, an adventure, something exciting – you may not always like every single album, but you'll always appreciate the work of a true pioneer who refuses to conform – even on an album such as this collaboration where he's integral in the sound and construction of a guy like Sirros' template, it hits the spot to perfection.

UNSIGNED DOWNLOAD OF THE MONTH 05-11

SATELLITE SKY – I Like It EP-Download
The backbone of Australian mega-trio Hot Kicks in the form of the duo of Kim on drums and Pete on everything else roar into life on this debut EP as Satellite Sky show you what they can do. The title track opens things with one magnificent slice of modern rock 'n' roll as this awesome slice of commercial rock-pop takes 40 years of great punk songs, pours them into a blender and comes out with this thunderous three minutes of heated guitar hooks, supercharged rhythms, beefy rhythm guitar, driving drumming and anguished vocals, all of which give it that distinct flavour of 21st century sixties American-flavoured rock 'n' roll complete with more hooks than a fisherman's box, enough power to light up the West Coast and more enjoyment per second than sex – it's one stone cold stunner of a track. After that, it's “Every Time” where a slower, funkier rhythm and wah-wah guitar introduce this lurching beat and multi-tracked harmony vocal that's almost laconic garagey, almost Beatles-esque and even hints of classic Bee Gees as this slab of slowly funky pop-rock sidles effortlessly into your consciousness, memorable where you least expect it, lit up by some flaring guitar leads and propelled by mid-paced rock solid drumming, once again fitting it all into just under four glorious minutes. Next up is “With You” and here they show that they can do “Americana” with the best of the pack as jangly guitar flies over mid-paced guitar riffing density as the intensity factor climbs upwards over dramatic drumming and an almost early Pink Floyd-esque vocal delivers a gorgeously strong song with passion, texture, depth, harmonies and emotion, the whole thing so expansive and so deep, it'll take you about five plays just to take in everything it's got to offer. But, over and above that, it's got a mighty chorus, a mid-paced strength and a wide-open charm that is propelled by a sea of guitars and rhythms, one superb example of restrained power. “Secret” lurches into action as a rattling slice of rock, rolls forward with more of that almost sixties-esque flavour to its rock 'n' roll charms as harmonies on the choruses add icing on the cake of the high-flying, gradually more anguished lead vocal, the guitars chiming and ringing and riffing behind the vocals as the drumming maintains its heady and solid presence throughout just over 2 minutes of pop complexity that's deceptively memorable. The EP ends with “Don't Ever Change” as an acoustic guitar and plaintive vocal usher in a sedate, emotive song with an upfront vocal that mourns the lost love on a strident slow-paced ballad that's wrung with feeling and leaves you feeling all warm and gooey. Overall, a band with many sides, all of them great and one title track that is absolute dynamite.
Bands and artists whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Draw Me Stories, For Abel, Personal Space Invaders, The Relays and Trigon - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED DOWNLOAD OF THE MONTH 04-11

CALL THE DOCTOR – Take It Out Download
With a burst of a memorable guitar riff, the latest track from this excellent South-West of England band bursts into life as the drums crunch, the bass rumbles in the distance and an underlying rhythm guitar adds texture. As all this lurches ahead, the lead female singer's wondrous vocals wafts strongly on the verses before the whole things gathers strength and a glorious sea of lead and multi-tracked vocals fly into a stunning chorus that takes you off and drops you back down for another verse to drive forward into another, even more uplifting, heady chorus as the guitars break out and the rhythms stride ever onwards. Things fall to earth for a brief moment of beauty before the arrangement erupts into one final verse, and, with a guitar-led attack, comes to an end. It's pop-punk of quality and distinction, memorable and alluring yet strong and adrenaline-rousing at the same time, one feel-good gem of a track.

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 04-11

PISS ANT – Speak Up CD
Now this really is a punk album -it's got the lot – speed, looseness, memorability, power, snarl, riffs, crunch and more – taking its cues as much from old style Sham 69 as more modern bands such as The Eddies and Maxwells Dead. The album begins with the title track which roars into life with a fierce guitar riff as an urgent, forceful female vocal lays down the law before the band head at breakneck speed into the bite of the verses and the off-key holler of the backing vocals, all this over a rampaging sea of punk-rock guitars and rhythm section, punctuated by stuttering lead guitar figures that add fuel to the fire. If this wasn't a searing statement of intent, then “Who To Trust” ups the anti with a stormer of a track, initially fast militaristic drumming over rifle-fire guitars, before the whole band tear headlong into this surge of guitars and rhythms as the female and male vocalists really hammer out the lyrics with footie-anthem choruses and fast-paced verses as it all threatens to keel over any minute but thankfully stays on track.
“Public Opinion” sounds more like “The Pogues-gone-punk” as it stomps along with authority and another mile-wide chorus that's as loose as it is addictive, with the vocals positively spat out as the band and collective singers really hammer out the spirit of seventies punk with authority. “Last Call” is introduced with pounding bass as blasts of lead guitar shoot all over the place, the drumming drives ahead and this taut urgency of a song is delivered with venom by the singer. The band manage to place melody with speed, vari-paced arrangements with surging dynamics and the result is yet another footie anthem chorus with napalm guitar leads firing on top. Throughout the rest of the album this is the flavour that pervades – powerful punk songs that are as catchy as they are spirited, as beefy as they are intense and full of huge choruses, huge guitars and powerful rhythms. It's all played, produced, sung and arranged to the absolute spirit of seventies punk and, as such, works a treat from start to finish.
Bands and artists whose CD's/downloads were a gnat's whiska away from the best of the Month were Mind Museum, The Deceiver and Jets To Zurich - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 03-11

FOREVER WEDNESDAY - Depths CD
Based on the way the opening track surges into life like a supercharged fireball, the one word that comes to mind is “anthemic” as everything about this is huge – from the production to the execution, this is stirring stuff delivered by a band who really mean it and are announcing their presence with something to make you sit up and take notice. Essentially, it's modern metal but the writing and arranging is just top notch, so that you end up with an album choc full of spirited songs that roar, burn and scorch, fuelled by a ton of guitars riffs, leads and a rhythm section that knows just how to lay down the hammer blows that are the propulsion on which this thing rockets. The vocals are on fire, from rage through soaring harmonies to strongly delivered lead vocal that's solid enough to rise above the musical maelstrom and yet take nothing away from the instrumentation, once again special mention to the production which has brought every aspect of this band's songs bursting into life with more reality than a 3D film. From song to song, it's a serious eruption of metal but at its heart lies the song, the arrangement, the desire to produce something that's not only going to set the world on fire now, but is destined to remain that way for a long time to come – and yet still only be “just the beginning” - this is a band with canyon-sized potential – the rock, metal and indie worlds should take note – before they roll all over every last one of you.

Bands and artists whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were The Jupiter 8, Chuck Van Zyl, The Global Broadband, Church of Hed, Coogans Bluff, Sungazer and Xisforeyes - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 02-11

ARTHUR LOVES PLASTIC - Deeper CD
Latest album from Bev Stanton's electro-pop project and the title couldn't be more apt – in many ways for a beats-driven album, this one's really chilled out and the result, across 15 tracks (yes, 15!!) is extremely satisfying but never meandering or boring or one-dimensional. The joy about the album is that each track averages around three minutes, so you get exactly what you want out of one, then move on to the next. The attention to detail, however, is what makes it all work.
The opening track is a case in point – deceptively simple base of shuffling electro-percussive and deep bass beats, topped by simple melodies and intoned female vocals, but in there too are layers of cosmic synths, space electronics, more rhythms and the changing shape of a track that really instills itself into your head in a languid, relaxed yet strong and varied fashion, moving into a more powerful rhythm halfway through. “Free Your Mind” opens with drifting electronics and almost acoustic guitar-like melody before the accelerated beats kick in and assorted synth melodies rise up and mix with the guitar-like refrain before another female vocal lifts off with the title as all manner of synth layers combine with samples, more electro-percussive beats and the whole thing clatters along majestically to absolute perfection, a mix of techno and ambience that's got it to a tee. “Walking Away” veritably gallops along, again taking a similar structural yet very different sounding approach, as the musical building blocks are assembled, this time the female vocal possessing more of a sultry quality and the result is a bit like Above & Beyond distilled to their absolute barest essence then reassembled from a more pop-based perspective. “Only For The Bold” is a sliding, gliding slice of electro-based, chilled-out, ambient soul-pop with a suitably sultry and soaring vocal from Lisa Moscatiello on a real song that's got eighties soul-pop mixed with nineties ambient, to perfection.
“Surrender” is chunky and ambient, adds electric guitar for extra texture, features a brooding organ riff and is backed by suitably cascading chilled-out electro-percussive beats, as a sliding female vocal soars slowly out with the title repeated to delicious degree, the beats becoming the central focus. “Kiss Me” accelerates the pace on a fast and powerful slice of uptempo chill-out, almost trance-like, as the bas and thudding beats kick in to drive an expanse of cascading electronic melodies on top of which the passionate yearning of female vocal ready to burn, rises up, wanting to thrill and ready to ignite – commercially satisfying too, a fantastic track!!
“Really Need” is almost jagged in its sonic construction, jarring melodies against bizarre beats, as almost shouted female vocal interweaves with spoken-word female voice as the love explosion rumbles on to its climax, the tension and attention to detail just totally stunning on a track that should annoy but ends up totally mesmerising. “Sacrifice” crunches and drives with more of a sizzle and almost riffing as the multi-tracked female vocals unleash a mix of seething and angelic vocals that, set above the fire of the melodies and layers, the addictive rhythms and the melodic electronic flow, produces a track that's positively jaw-dropping in its attention to detail yet, at the same time, totally addictive in an electro-pop fashion. “Invisible” is a solid chilled-out, beats driven ballad with another strong and sultry vocal from Lisa M on a song that rolls along in a suitably multi-layered manner and wraps its tendrils around your heart to delightful and powerful effect, the melodies and beats subtle and varied. Via a short instrumental interlude that rattles along like a horn-driven techno blast, we come to the title track that starts slowly but catches fire in a delight of fast-paced chill-out electro-percussive rhythms, around which wordless female vocal, assorted electronic melodies, more chunky rhythms and suitably spacey and spacious layers are added and subtracted to ear-catching effect, the piece driving along yet with so much happening in the mix, it's really mesmerising. “Sexy” features a beautful string synth layer to add to the chunky assortment of beats and rhythms, almost like an ambient New Order with a sultry female vocal. “The Way You Move” is more faster paced with a sea of synths awash with melody and rhythm, electro-percussive beats driving the piece along, topped by a soulful male vocal to give the song a different dimension not previously experienced. “Honey On” is a collaboration mix with Orangey and is a smokin' percussive driven comet of a track with allsortz of synths swooping in and out over driving beats and an almost Jamaican lilt to the vocal intonation as the squelchy techno collides head on with a multi-layered melody that mixes magic with muscle. Finally, there's a remix of “Only For The Bold” that transforms it into one beast of a track as monster beats and stabbing melodies provide the backbone for a soaring slice of out-of-orbit soul-ambience in song form that takes you on a supercharged journey to the cosmos.
Overall, not a less than riveting track on a thoroughly satisfying and positively timeless album.

Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Space Mirrors, Templeton Pek, Illuminatus and The Liason - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 01-11

SEVERENTH – Reveal CD
You have to love an album where the opening track makes such a strong statement that it rapidly becomes a complete bonus if the rest of the album is any good or not – welcome to “Reveal” - and it is good – all of it!! “The Question” opens things with the band eschewing any frivolous things such as introductions or build-ups. Instead we get this guttural roar of a vocal as the band piledrive in with supercharged drumming, thunderous bass, deep rhythm guitar riffing, steaming lead guitar and a massively fast-paced arrangement, over which singer Peet Bailey gives a thoroughly jaw-dropping vocal performance. You'd think there were about four singers at work on this track but it's all him – he roars, he sings, he soars, he swings – as verses surge forward into massive choruses and a stunner of a hook that simply doesn't let go. There's room for lead guitarist Ste Ensall to let loose a barrage of licks as rhythm guitarist Adam Sidor makes sure the riffs fill in every part of the spectrum as the rhythm section of Ben Jones on bass and drummer David Roberts keep the thunder rolling. The song itself is the sort of thing that metal discos up and down the country will be playing as the moshing faithful take the dancefloor by storm – and ensure that this band get the real attention they deserve – and still, we're only on the first track. “Cover Your Mouth” takes no prisoners as the rhythms start choppier but mix this with accelerated rampage as the arrangement provides dynamics and muscle at the same time. Amid a blaze of riffs and leads from the two on-fire guitarists, the instrumental work has got much more going on than you might at first think, so that, while it rocks your head off, as a listening experience, it's just riveting. Once again, vocalist Peet gives us a myriad voices from the guttural holler to the ascending emotion of the “real” singing, all the time delivering lyrics that you can actually decipher, making the listening experience even more enjoyable. The track ends in a salvo of guitars as the pace moves back and forth and the band let rip. “Taken The Fall” moves the already burning intensity up several notches and, in the blink of an eye, provides a mighty roar of a song that bulldozes its way into your cranium as the band pile on the pressure with pummelling rhythms and deep density of guitar riffing plus scorching leads – the vocals move from the holler to the soaring passion with ease and fluidity on a song that ends up as uplifting as it is intense, just amazing to hear and that you get this searing heat lead guitar break inj the midst of it all, is more than icing on the cake. The arrangement once again twists and turns but never once loses sight of the band's drive to eruption, the track careering all over the road like a crazed car on an endless highway, but always in control. “They Drown In Air” continues things with a vengeance as the band deliver a fiery sea of blazing vocals, burning guitars, more rhythmic thunder, the, now individual, mix of vocal styles and a song that climbs higher and higher and higher, yet is an emotional rollercoaster of almighty proportions at the same time, the vocals positively wrung out of the guy as the guitar work goes nuclear and the band go hell for leather to oblivion. Then on they go – powering through “Not Worthy” which mixes almost Classic Metal riffs and screaming emotion to perfection, taking in red hot lead breaks and awesome deep riffing over breakneck speed rhythms; unleashing “Two Mirrors” in a hail of guitars before the riffs cycle and burn above staccato speed drumming and pounding bass as the throat-curdling vocals make their presence felt as choppy arrangements come into play with rifle-fire rhythms, magnificent multi-tracked harmonies duelling with vocally taut, wrung-out emotive havoc as the two vocals shoot and drive in mighty fashion; actually calming down for the intro to “Born To Sufffer” with rolling drums, deep bass, and ringing guitars before this heated lead guitar break comes out of nowhere and sets your head on fire as it cycles endlessly round and the song itself goes hell for leather as the band thunder once more. Through four final tracks, the band don't let go and don't hold back for one minute, piledriving their way through a molten metalcore mayhem that's as varied as it is addictive, as consistent as it is cohesive, and one massive sea of rage mixed with instrumental power dynamics of the highest order as band and vocalist set light to everything in their path. From start to finish it's a rollercoaster ride through a faultless set of tracks to which you can mosh, headbang, listen attentively and enjoy time after time on so many metal levels, it would almost be a crime not to....

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Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Call The Doctor, Stone Run and This Fallen Empire - so you can access their review right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 06-10

AND................

Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were After The Ordeal, The Foxes, The Glimmer Room, Rev 78 and Stowaway - so you can access their review right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 05-10

Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Secret Saucer and Stone Premonitions 2010 - so you can access their review right here

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Band whose CD was a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month was Kinn - so you can access their review right here

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Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Red Is Cover and Anubis - so you can access their review right here

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Band whose CD was a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month was Joennsuu 1685 - so you can access the review right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 12-09

Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Gin Soaked Boy and I Am Hope - so you can access their review right here

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UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 07-09

Band whose CD was a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were The Pocket Gods - so you can access their review right here

(DUAL) UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 06-09

We just couldn't decide between these two so we made them equal CD's of the month.......

Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were The Peppermint Hunting Lodge and Carl Weingarten (only 'coz he's signed of sorts...) - so you can access their reviews right here

UNSIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 05-09

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Bands whose CD's were a gnat's whiska away from the CD of the Month were Black Fox, Shadow Army, Skinbat Scramble, Supernought and Ten Percenter - so you can access their reviews right here

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SIGNED CD OF THE MONTH 11-07

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TURISMO: Loz In The Water CD-EP
Band from Hull - EP from heaven (groannnn!!!). "Loz In The Water" and "How You've Changed" here are really strong examples of a kind of ska-infused pop-punk as the 2 songs just surge ahead on waves of rhythm guitar, staccato horns, rolling rhythms, soaring harmony vocals, heartfelt and powerful lead vocals, lead guitar runs and as catchy a slice of song-writing as they come, really infectious and taking you along for the ride. In between, there's a seriously strong song, "Picture Of You", that features twanging and shimmering guitar work, rumbling bass and crashing drums, as this mix of anthem, pop and punk takes off in a fashion that's almost - and I don't use this lightly - a mix of Oasis and Beatles for a nu-millennium generation, only it doesn't sound copyist, the arrangements infused with their own potent brew and coming out seriously strong as the well-sung strength of the song, takes hold, play after play. The final track, "Page 3 Stunner", is a 2 minute acoustic piece that is lyrically entertaining with just acoustic guitar and lead vocal telling a suitably engaging tale. Overall, this showcases the band across three directions and every one of them works - but for sheer constant pleasure the ska-punk commerciality of the aforementioned tracks are where this band will succeed the most.

ULTRAS Shine EP
The more I play this, the more I like the opening title track. Powerful stuff, it more rolls along than roars but it's still so strong. A four minute song that opens with a rock solid rhythm section, choppy but powerful guitar chords as the mood makes way for a mellower feel with yearning vocals above chiming guitars, as it all starts to build with the vocalist sounding perfect for the song style as band and singer start to spiral up on a song that is so dynamic with its twists and turns. Not only that but, even though it doesn't possess a hook - although there's as close to dammit a chorus, the song is so strong that you're taken along for the ride. Complete with swirling electric guitar work, storming but sensibly paced rhythms and those high-flying vocals, this is one sort of more appealing, more urgent emo brew that really lifts off and just improves with every play. Next up is 'Set The Night On Fire" which initially brings you a bit more down to earth and, on top of choppy rolling rhythms and streaming guitars, the upfront vocal bits on the lyrics as it all flows well enough, slightly more mellow than before and not quite, ironically, setting you on fire, but still a strong track for all that. The EP ends on a real ballad that flows and builds, drops back and builds once more, featuring electric and acoustic guitars, sung with feeling, a decent enough song and played with passion. So, I guess that this showcases the broad spectrum and class song-writing that this band can do, but that first track is really where it's at, so more of that quality or better, would take this band a long way - for now, a strong beginning.

SHOUTING AT STRANGERS: Special Move EP:
Blimey!! You mean this lot are unsigned? I had to check I wasn't reviewing one of my PR company CD albums by accident 'coz this sounds so darned………professional! Not only that, but you know you've got something seriously special when the first track makes you throw your hands in the air and roar "ohhhh yessssssssss" the moment it starts. So, what is it? Everything, actually. It's got the power of nu-metal, the passion of emo, the fury and rage of hardcore and the nuclear core that makes it just good, solid rock - no, forget good - make that great! Even better than that, the vocalist sounds rather similar to classic early Eddie Vedder at times when he's singing rather than raging, in fact you listen to the title track and the opening part of 'Agent Orange' and tell me that's not a Vedder tip going there. They come across as a mix of Pearl Jam and early Funeral For A Friend, and they demolish everything that stands in their way. So, the vocalist can sing and roar - ooo, 'Raise The Day' even has a bit of a John Lydon quality to it - the band can most certainly play as this storm of guitars and wickedly driving rhythms testifies, but so can many other bands in this arena - ah, but which other bands write songs that are the sky-high quality of the five you have in front of you here - not many, I can tell you - Brigade, for sure, but now you're seeing that we're dealing with the top of the nu-millennium rock tree. Look - every song is stunning, delivered with passion, power and intensity as the band and singer fire up and go for it. Outside of the Dundee Scene, the second best unsigned band I know - this lot should be signed by some rock label that knows what it's talking about - and I mean NOW!!!

BROKEN JACK: Escape From All Your Fears
I'm a lot older than this band - which make me think that I'm going to see this altogether differently from them. But take the near 6 minute "Escapism", on this ten minute CD - pure Wishbone Ash! That lilting wah-wah guitar sound, those lone lead vocals that sound so harmonious, the chiming electric rhythm guitar, strong yet slow rhythms - all of it wouldn't sound out of place as an "Argus" outtake. It's a quite gorgeous track that flows neatly along in solid ballad-like fashion with the feel of the seventies never far away - which worries me as the band have probably never heard a Wishbone Ash album in their lives! By contrast - sort of - the lead track, "Rumours Of Our Success", starts with 40 seconds of silently melodic lead guitar, before the main riff begins, the band fire up then this voice comes out of nowhere, sounding for all the world like a gruff Peter Gabriel, but the construction of the song at this point is causing me problems - because it's right out of something way more famous that I can't for the life of me remember. In fact as the song goes on, its similarity with something else becomes so close, it's driving me to distraction as I just cannot remember what that is. But, my problems aside, lets' say that this is a strong, gutsy track with some sizzling lead guitar and a very emotional charge to it all - almost "progressive emo" if such a category was possible. As the vocal soars high above the mix in impassioned fashion, the band lay down a dynamic arrangement that alternates between soft and strong, like waves upon the shore, as the guitar leads swirl around the mix and delicate chiming guitar leads provide the melody, all very inventive and highly engaging. Then the song starts to fire up and build, eventually the vocal flying to an end as the band is left to see things out with a cauldron of lead guitar blaze and driving rhythms, very much in classic "emo" vein. Overall, then it's a strange juxtaposition of styles that works a treat, one that I imagine would sound a good deal more powerful in a live setting, but one that, on this showing, is good enough to get the band noticed.