Hailing from Toronto (via St. Johns, Newfoundland), Brutal Youth have shared stages with Sick of It All, Descendents and old-school UK shouters Cock Sparrer. This third release – mixed by the legendary Mass Giorgini – captures their aggressive and insanely focused sound on a studio disc without losing too much of the intensity you’d expect from a great live set. With a sound that fuses hardcore roots with a touch of skate punk, then combines that with a distinctly Canadian edge – as per Propagandhi and Ste. Catherines – ‘Sanguine’ is one hell of a punk record.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Songs, Bond Songs
In 2014, music fan and entrepreneur Andrew Curry masterminded ‘Here Comes The Reign Again’, a double disc set of recordings by cult singer-songwriters and power pop bands covering various UK hits from the 1980s. The results, as you’d expect, were a mixed bag, but the high points were high enough to recommend an addition to any quirky record collection. Three years in the making, the follow up brings back various familiar faces for a near complete run through of themes from James Bond movies. The results are…interesting…but mostly, nowhere near as good as such a project seems on paper. This is a project fraught with problems, not least of all that Bond themes just can’t be reproduced on a meagre budget. Continue reading
THE RAFT – Orion EP
There have been several albums and EPs released by The Raft since 2003, but few have sounded quite as much like a glorious love letter to the 90s as 2017’s ‘Orion EP’. Its four songs of haze and jangle pull influences from the usual suspects in shoegaze and dreampop – you’ll hear a dose of The Cranes here; a pinch of The Sundays there – but no matter what the ingredients, this musical recipe serves up a consistently feel good sound.
CLIMBING ALICE – Living EP
At the beginning of 2016, Wakefield’s Climbing Alice sounded like a force to be reckoned with on their ‘Melt Yourself Up‘ EP. Mixing alt-rock, goth and shoegaze noises, the four piece band created a great listen via a wealth of influences. There wasn’t so much in the way of immediate hooks or catchy melodies, but if it were a riff or six you craved, the EP – and band – came up winning pretty much every time.
SAINT RAYMOND – A Light That Blinds EP
Saint Raymond isn’t a band but the professional name of singer-songwriter Callum Burrows. He’s previously shared stages with indie pop press darlings Haim. He’s also shared a stage with the muchly over exposed Ed Sheeran, but you probably shouldn’t necessarily let that put you off. Saint Raymond’s 2015 release ‘Young Blood’ gained support from Radio 1’s Huw Stevens and even led to Burrows recording a session at the prestigious Maida Vale studio. With those credentials, there were high hopes for a second release and although only an EP, 2017’s ‘A Light That Blinds’ gives a good taster of more solid pop-rock.