In the 1990s, during the first commercial peak of the industrial scene, KMFDM received favourable reviews in the UK press and amassed a cult fan base, but somehow the German/US outfit always ended up playing second fiddle to Nine Inch Nails and Ministry in terms of general popularity and also for press column inches filled. In 1999, after fifteen years in various amalgamations and having ended their ten album contract with Wax Trax! Records, the band bid the world farewell…at least for a while. Following a three year hiatus, the band returned, and despite various shifting line-ups since then (including Pig’s Raymond Watts and RevCo/Pigface’s Bill Reiflin) KMFDM continued to churn out more electronic goodness over the following decade.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
FRANTZESKA – BesauriOn! EP
Frantzeska is a three piece punk/alternative rock band from Bilbao, Spain. ‘BesauriOn!’ is their second release and although it may be half the length of their prior record, stylistically, they branch out twice as far. In just five numbers and with the help of four friends, they show off a multitude of styles and influences, from pure punk, to ska/reggae, funk, with touches of pop and even lounge jazz.
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS – Nanobots
They Might Be Giants have never been known for churning out hits, and yet, have often found themselves with a loyal cult audience and record company support. It’s also hard to believe that – taking on board their sideline in making albums for children – 2013’s ‘Nanobots’ is their sixteenth album. Their first to be released on the power pop label Lojinx in the UK/Europe, does such an association mean the music has shifted farther towards the kind of music often released via that label? No. Is there an obvious hit single among its staggering twenty five tracks? As with most TMBG releases there are a couple of contenders, though as always, the most commercial moments aren’t necessarily the most captivating.
JOHNNY CAKES & THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSO – Curse Of The Unsinkable Ship
In 2010, Real Gone received a sampler of punk and ska bands from the US. As always with compilation discs, it was a mixed bag, but a few bands really stuck out. One of those was Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso, a band mixing ska, punk and calypso sounds. After hearing a few more tracks via their Bandcamp page, JC seemed to be a particularly accomplished band whom, crude humour aside, had the potential to stand proudly alongside Reel Big Fish and a couple of the other better known bands from ska’s third wave.
ESA LINNA – This Is Who I Am
In the summer of 2012, Finnish power pop musician/singer-songwriter Esa Linna released the ‘She’s Not A Human Being’ EP, gaining a few positive notices from genre-specific websites. On the plus side, Linna more than proved himself in the musical department by playing a variety of instruments himself, while the presence of ex-Jellyfish man Roger Joseph Manning Jr gave things a definite lift. Less fortunately, the vocals were often a little flat. Viewing that EP as a sample of future things, is his 2013 record ‘This Is Who I Am’ stronger?