The Silver Seas 2010 album ‘Chateau Revenge!’ not only raised the bar in terms of what they were capable as a band, but the release also came with a strong sense of cult adoration, with the UK’s Danny Baker becoming one of the band’s most outspoken supporters. For those who were there, the band’s September 2011 performance in front of a select but fiercely loyal London crowd – just prior to an appearance on the BBC’s prestigious ‘Later…With Jools Holland’- remains something of a watershed moment. Riding the wave further and coming up with an album that was not only equal, but better than ‘Chateau Revenge!’ was always going to be tough. So, like Fleetwood Mac following the hugely palatable ‘Rumours’ with the over indulgent ‘Tusk’, with 2013’s ‘Alaska’, The Silver Seas have wisely chosen not to try and top previous achievements, but instead take a side-step and – at lease on the surface – offer their loyal fans something different. …But fear not, it’s not so different…at least not in a frankly paranoid, coked-out and bonkers ‘Tusk’ sense.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
DARK DARK HORSE – Centuries
While the bulk of the work released by Leicester post-rockers Maybeshewill is concerned with winding atmospheres around hard edged guitar riffs, this project from Jamie Ward creates an almost entirely different mood. Over the course of eleven tracks, Dark Dark Horse’s debut release ‘Centuries’ weaves electronic ambiance, pulling together the best moments from the likes of Zero 7 with the quiet menace of parts of Radiohead’s ‘King of Limbs’ and almost Thomas Newman like piano work to create a record which you’ll either love or hate.
THE END MEN – Play With Your Toys
In the role of carnival barker, The End Men’s mouthpiece Matthew Hendershot beckons us into his tent of musical curiosity at the beginning of the New York duo’s second release. His voice is curiously like that of Tom Waits with its gravelly tone, a comparison heightened by the sideshow setting, while the minimalist music recalls spiritual chants of the deep south. The setting isn’t original, but no other backdrop best highlights the journey on which the listener is about to embark… “If you join us, I promise you this: an adventure you won’t wanna miss.”
SNOWFALL – Cold Silence
In the noughties, Norwegian hard rock band Winter Parade released two albums for two different independent hard rock labels: while ‘Midnight Paradise’ [MTM Records, 2002] and ‘Two’ [Perris Records, 2008] were a huge commercial success, both found a cult audience. Following the band’s demise, bassist PB Riise teamed up with guitarist Tore Meli and Coldspell drummer Perra Johnson to form the core of Snowfall, a band whom – given their heritage and past links – may, on the surface, be dismissed as just another Scandinavian hard rock band.
MY DYING BRIDE – The Manuscript EP
Twenty years into a career of cult stardom, this four track release from Yorkshire’s My Dying Bride continues their ongoing voyage into sludge rock and doom rock territories. Clocking in at over twenty seven minutes for just four songs, some of you will own supposedly full length albums which are barely any longer (Van Halen back catalogue, we’re pointing the finger at you), but despite the extended nature of the tunes, none ever outstay their welcome.