Post punk fans paying close attention to the US underground in 2024 might have encountered Looking Glass War. The band – featuring Boston scene regulars Mike Ackley and Pete Ziegler – released a couple of impressive tracks which took their hybrid of post punk and goth sounds, as laid out on their 2023 EP ‘Where Neon Meets The Rain’ EP, and very much improved on them. These recordings demonstrated a much tighter command of a riff, but more importantly, captured frontman Goddamn Glen singing in a way that seemed more sympathetic to Looking Glass War’s needs.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
THE SLEEVEENS – UFO’s / Bernadette
Released in February 2024, The Sleeveens’ self titled debut launched the band in largely great style. In a little over half an hour, potential fans were reeled in with the help of eleven punk ‘n’ roll numbers that, in the main, fused high octane riffs with a knowing sense of humour. ‘Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls’ provided the perfect opener with its combo of old school punk riffs and distorted vocals; ‘Aretha Franklin’ added a little more of a punk ‘n’ roll feel via a harder sounding guitar, and ‘Metallica Font’ served up pleasingly trashy riffs on an ode to teenage love. Best of all, a cover of The Undertones’ ‘Get Over You’ – dressed in a cloak of distortion – ended up sounding like The Sleeveens had dug up an old Real Kids track and given it a welcome kick. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the perfect debut: the over-long, mid tempo ‘Dry Cider’ did some serious damage to the middle of the album, not just through dragging the mood, but also due to offering some unwelcome lyrical content: a weird, outdated reference to “The Handicap Association” suggested that The Sleeveens really did believe they were still living in 1977. [According to the band, the lyric is based on a real life story from several years ago which puts things in a clearer context, but it doesn’t stop archaic words jarring with a modern ear.]
Listen: Check out ‘Juggernaut’, the current single from Tiberius
When you call your single ‘Juggernaut’, you’re certainly not expecting your audience to take it lightly. …And, indeed, many of the riffs that power the current track from Tiberius hit their audience like a truck.
GOTHMINISTER – Tonight EP
The final part of Gothminister’s ‘Pandemonium’ song cycle/musical saga, the ‘Tonight’ EP plays brilliantly, whether you’re already a fan of the one man Norwegian goth machine, or approaching his music for the first time. These four tracks provide a truly effective showcase for a blend of 80s goth and 90s darkwave sounds, peppered with occasional black metal vocals and even a couple of industrial grooves.
HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT’S ADEQUATE – Between Two Worlds EP
This three track release from British art/prog rockers Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate is the follow up to their 2014 single ‘One Word That Means The World (Arkhipov)’ – an excellent, complex number – and a precursor to their planned full length release ‘The Uncertainty Principle’. It should not be considered a mere stop-gap, however, since the three tracks play very well as a stand-alone listen, and each one showcases a different aspect of the Hats Off sound, making it feel very much like a legitimate project in its own right.