In the early 80s, the Midlands was home to a few reggae and ska bands with a disheartened view of life under the burgeoning Tory government. While the messages from those bands may seem to some to be relevant only to the times in which they were created, the political messages have endured the passing decades and – frighteningly, by the summer of 2015 – some seem as relevant as ever. The bulk of UB40’s first two albums are filled with biting political and social commentary, their ‘Madame Medusa’ arguably the most savage anti-Thatcher song ever. The Beat, meanwhile, mixed old ska classics with more of the same levels of anger – their ‘Stand Down Margaret’ choosing a more obvious message over UB40’s dystopian horror tale, but their upset regarded the same issues as the bulk of the young left in Britain at the time. Over the years, many other bands mixed reggae with punk politics and anger – usually citing either the 2-Tone scene or The Clash as a vital influence.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
LAZY LIONS – When Dreaming Lets You Down
Lazy Lions is a project bringing together the talents of four musicians whom, in their own words, “have been around the block enough” to have an extensive musical CV. Frontman Jim Allen has had a prior career as a singer/songwriter; bassist Anne Marie Stehn was previously a member of Antigone Rising; drummer Sean McMorris has recorded his own material in addition to being a seasoned session guy (most notably for Television’s Richard Lloyd), while guitarist Robert Sorkin previously held a place within the Monterey Symphony. Unsurprisingly, with his song writing skills and big vocal presence, it’s often Allen who appears to be firmly in the driving seat. The band’s preferred sound borrows heavily from 70s power pop and a few later Elvis Costello devotees, but essentially what we have with ‘When Dreaming Lets You Down’ is an adult pop/rock affair that almost seems timeless. There’s a loudness to some of the material that occasionally belies the Lions’ latter-day rechanneling of these older sounds as opposed to this being a 1984 recording, but in terms of songs, these could have been written by anyone at any time.
CALAIS – Silhouette EP
Calais are an Australian quintet whose chosen sounds fall squarely between radio friendly pop-rock and accessible guitar driven indie-rock. This four track debut release shows both sides of the band’s style equally well, often centring around their gift for a melodic arrangement.
HEYROCCO – Teenage Movie Soundtrack
Formed in South Carolina, Heyrocco are a three-piece band that brings various slacker rock elements and light grunge alive on their debut release ‘Teenage Movie Soundtrack’. Comprising just nine songs, the album is structured in a way that ensures the tunes fly past in a breezy, carefree manner; the arrangements may have a sloppiness in places – a defiantly distorted edge to the guitars and a few of the vocals are inherently wobbly – but it’s a disc that appears filler-free. Provided, that is, you like their chosen style.
ALTER EDEN – Fearless EP
After his band Blue Origin called it a day after the best part of a decade, vocalist Nick Pilgrim set about forming a new outfit. Teaming up with guitarist Alex Coleman, Alter Eden began to create their own brand of alternative rock sounds, heavy on the guitars, but even heavier on the angular intensity. Their 2015 EP release ‘Fearless’ is a loud, confrontational affair set to please those who love hard rock tunes that tease with an almost math-rock complexity.