Taking their name from Gerry Anderson’s puppetry technique, Supermarionation are a three-piece band from Edinburgh.  Their debut EP ‘On The Fly’ features five tracks, capturing the range of styles (usually bouncy and punkish or fairly broody) within the band’s musical cannon.

The opening number, ‘Those Home Girls’ features a fantastic bassline which sprawls out under busy drumming and occasionally brilliant guitar leads.  Vocalist Steve spits lyrics with vigour, though his slightly flat tone and mushy DIY production make them hard to decipher at times.  ‘The Ashes of Love’ takes a similar energy and delivers it in a straight up fuzzy rock fashion; the infectious, slightly distorted guitar lead being the driving force throughout.  It’s at this kind of upbeat material Supermarionation excel; their liveliness and relative naivety lends enough charm to carry things off.  It’s the EP’s shining star, sounding like stoner legends Fu Manchu tackling the chorus riff from Gillan’s ‘Running White Face, City Boy’.  There’s not much of a refrain, but the riff is chunky enough win you over.  ‘The Rising Tide’ is much slower, with a sneering edge which is reminiscent of Therapy? at their slowest.  Drummer Dave occasionally lapses into a quirky pattern which sounds not unlike Fyfe Ewing, albeit without the hard snare work.  Sadly, vocalist Steve’s slightly flat style lacks the required anger, but even so, the end result is pleasing enough.

Sprawling out over five minutes, ‘Lonesome Symphony’ recycles a few sixties inspired riffs and delivers them in a fairly uninspired way.  The main riff sounds like one which should have been great, but struggles to keep things interesting.  A few key changes do little to keep up momentum, but on the plus side, Dave’s solid drum style holds things together nicely.  Had this been delivered much louder, fuzzier and heavier – a la Orange Goblin or Kyuss – Supermarionation may have had enough balls to make it work.  While there’s a mood here which hints at the Kyuss number ‘Gloria Lewis’, it severely lacks the power it really deserved, being delivered instead with a rather lightweight sound.

‘Nothing Means Nothing’ finishes the EP with another much needed burst of garage rock.  Dave’s drumming bristles with energy, propelling the groove forward at a mighty pace, helped no end by his hi-hat technique.  Against the drums, the guitars bring a mid 90s indie punk quality, over which Steve’s vocals yell – though as before, never in the most appealing way.  Musically, this is certainly the best track ‘On The Fly’ has to offer, capturing Supermarionation in a mood which recalls the sound of the shortlived 90’s non-phenomenon, The New Wave of New Wave.  If, for whatever reason, you’re of an age whereby you find yourself looking back at the likes of These Animal Men or S*M*A*S*H with rose-tinted glasses, then this could be for you.

There are times throughout ‘On The Fly’ where Steve’s vocal style could be seen as hampering the band’s overall sound, but in contrast, some of his retro lead guitar work adds a bit of sparkle.   Generally speaking, on this debut, Supermarionation have some great ideas, but their song writing needs a little tightening up.

March 2011

The debut EP by atmospheric duo Rabbit In The Blood was a superbly played, but extremely thought-provoking and sometimes downbeat release. Their self-titled full-length release offers more of the same, with the extended playing time offering an even deeper voyage into their world of introspection, wonderment and sadness.  Three of the original EP cuts are reproduced here (‘The House of The Dead Stereo’, ‘Do You Feel The Sun’ and the disturbing ‘Day At The Beach’), but these possibly get outshone by a couple of the newer offerings.

‘Be Gone’ offers straight up acoustic folk, on a number which sounds like it could be written for the ukulele. In typical Rabbit In the Blood style, the softness is counter-balanced by a lyrical hardness, concerning a rather spiteful character. There’s no disguising the contempt for a man who spews words like “shit from a drain” and who needs “kicking when he’s down”, but looking at the musical aspects alone, this is a great number, featuring a well-arranged string section and upright bass.  ‘Fox, Songbird and Crow’ is incredibly sparse, with atmospheric drones and acoustic guitar lines providing the basis for Neil Luckett’s lead vocal, which starts gently, eventually building to a crescendo.  It’s been given extra interest by the use of vocal effects.  If Rabbit InThe Blood set out to create a trippy piece which captures the spirit of Black Sabbath’s ‘Planet Caravan’ then this track is a success.  ‘Sleep Tight’ finds Luckett in one of his best (multi-tracked) vocal performances, but it’s the musical arrangement which wins out overall, featuring a great mix of strings and bass, while some acoustic complexity is augmented by a soft rattling maraca.

For straight story-telling, ‘Dungeon Master’ is one the album’s best numbers. Over soft, finger-picked acoustic guitar, Luckett recounts a childhood friendship from the past: days of “Smash Hits”, early attempts at song-writing that “weren’t Lennon & McCartney” and the general naivety of youth.  In just under three minutes, this is a song to which everyone should be able to relate; a powerful reminder of all of our pasts and of friendships lost in the mists of time.  If you haven’t been rattled by the lyrics beforehand, the reminder that a lost childhood friend is “known in someone else’s life as a man” could be the absolute clincher.  Another musical highlight comes courtesy of ‘Don’t Wait’, a multi-layered jazzy affair.  Aside from showcasing Luckett’s finger-picking style once again, this is also home to a solid organ line (and cracking solo) from Mark Lord as well as a really bouncy drum part and some warm, upright bass.  As is so often the case with these guys, though, don’t be fooled into thinking this is an especially uplifting number.  Like ‘Dungeon Master’, the lyrics are, once again, concerned with our own mortality and the fragility of life – this time, the importance of telling those you love how you feel before it’s too late.  This point is hammered home by verses which tell tales of loss: a woman who gets swallowed up by an earthquake and a family picnic which ends in lightning-related tragedy.  Didn’t see that coming….

The gorgeous ‘Unresolved’ has a similar reflective air, but being a tale of packing boxes to move house, such reflection is balanced out by the excitement of looking forward, and also the idea that everyone moves on.  The use of strings and harpsichord offers another great arrangement.  The album is not all downbeat though. ‘Clap Hands, Fall Down’ has an extremely chirpy arrangement, with rousing guitar lines and hand-claps.  Mark Lord’s organ playing has a care-free manner which befits the upbeat tune, and he sounds like he relishes the opportunity to play something a little looser.  Put against the rest of material, ‘Clap Hands’ doesn’t sound so natural for Rabbit In The Blood, but even so, the album needed a little light relief.

‘Rabbit In The Blood’ [the album] is a deep work which requires a few listens to really get to grips with, but after a handful of spins, it shows itself to be incredibly strong.  The song writing and arrangements are often great, but like the preceding EP, you really ought not to listen if you’re feeling a bit fragile.

Visit Rabbit In The Blood here.

June 2011

This Los Angeles quartet have already released two EPs (‘Nothing Matters’ and ‘So I Play’) and gathered favourable comparisons to Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and Kings of Leon.  This third EP, released in 2011, features more glossy, well-produced indie-pop.  Despite the band’s tendency to shift styles between songs, each of the numbers featured on the curiously titled ‘How Chill Can You Let Go’ features a bias towards a decent hook…and with radio-friendly material such as this, that’s obviously very important.

‘All Night’ has an electronic pulse beat which at first sounds slightly intrusive, but is made palatable by an echoing guitar sound which has a hint of early New Order.  There’s a sense of something lurking, as if the song is about to break out into something bigger; by the time that bigger chorus appears, Y Luv adopt a musical style that’s comparable to The Killers.  An okay number, but nowhere near the best on offer here.  ‘Never Touch The Ground’ is far better all round, moving away from the electronic elements and adopting a more indie-pop quality.  Marcello Dubaz provides a strong musical backbone with a quirky drum pattern and the band sound tight throughout, occasionally mining a similar musical territory to Irish indie-poppers The Fallen Drakes. A good number musically, but it is lead vocalist Freddy Janney who really shines here.  The chorus in itself is a strong one, since it features a very calculated, easily sing-able ‘whoah-oh-oh’ which is destined to stick in the head.

Working around some fairly sizable guitar chords, the mid paced ‘Be Free’ is a little more ordinary. Once Janney hits the big notes, not always as tuneful as before, it’s easier to spot where any Kings of Leon comparisons may have been made.  On the plus side, Luke Hanna’s more upfront bass sound is great here and absolutely pivotal in keeping the track moving.   ‘Feel Sound’ is the EPs strongest track, without question.  With verses which rely on staccato guitar loops, it’s hard not to be reminded of The Temper Trap – specifically their big hit ‘Sweet Disposition’ – but Y Luv take those sounds and expand on them.  Eventually those loops build to a big, guitar-fuelled climax, full of crashing chords and new wave elements which sound like guitar-synths.  Before that climax, the clean guitar work and harmony vocals show Y Luv in their strongest and most consistent light. ‘Super Heavy’ is more rock oriented than the other tracks, with lead guitarist Sam Nardella offering a retro riff with a medium sized groove.  As reasonable as that simple riff is, it’s his fuzzy lead guitar parts which really catch the ear.  Under those fuzzy leads, Hanna plays a few busy bass riffs, although never stepping too far outside his anchoring role.

Despite a middling start to this EP, Y Luv are a promising bunch, and there are a couple of songs on ‘How Chill Can You Let Go’ definitely worth investigating.  It’s also worth mentioning, if you enjoy Y Luv, then checking out Dom Liberati’s ‘The Good Hurt’ is strongly advised too.

June 2011

Named after the Simon and Garfunkel song, Only Living Boy have a sound which is incredibly retro.  Not retro in a New York singer songwriter sense, as their name would imply; on ‘Hide Nothing’ – the band’s second full-length release – their sound is a fusion of many great pieces of late 60s/early 70s vinyl, with a strong bias towards a blues-rock fusion, often delivered with a distorted edginess.

The lead track ‘Lonely Puppy Blues’ captures their core sound very well within its four minutes – with Joe Cirotti’s emotive wail upfront, accompanied by mix of clean jangly guitar work and a huge stomping riff cutting between the vocal sections.  Even with the fast paced rock-out which pulls the track to a close, there’s a more commercial edge at play than some of the other numbers.  The title song brings a few more traditional blues grooves to the fore, particularly with its lead guitar fills. While Cirotti’s lead vocal is still heavily processed, the soulful cry within also hints at something a little older, a little more classic sounding. Musically, it’s an incredibly solid affair, with Trevor Newcomb’s drums remaining steady throughout, with moments of dominant ride cymbal. ‘Sunny Day Man’ opts for something a little different again – its huge riff hinting at a stoner groove, while its verses offer up a funky looseness which would befit Josh Homme during his lighter moments.

While each of those three numbers focuses on a different element of Only Living Boy’s work, there’s an old fashioned fuzziness running through the songs, which gives them a certain kind of consistency:  this is the sound of a band meant to be listened to on vinyl.  This feeling is hammered home during ‘Demon Shuffle Part 2’ with its jarring, grinding riff and classic soloing, which occasionally lapses into a garage-esque looseness.  And it’s brave too – while the verses feature typically edgy distorted vocals and riffing, the chorus is a contrast, with almost Grateful Dead style harmonies lurking underneath the guitars.

‘Open You Up’ comes equipped with a driving riff which combines a Hendrixy/Cry of Love tone in places with solid staccato rhythms plus a dual vocal from Cirotti and bassist Eric Curley.  A mid section opts for gentle atmospherics; the vocals are hushed, the bass gently wanders and a clean guitar plays lines full of whammy bar.  After a couple of minutes of this, though, it starts to drag a tad (maybe it would work better in a live setting?).  The Hendrix inspired riff provides the strongest link here – in addition to the obvious spaciousness, a lack of real hook means the track really doesn’t sustain its five minute duration.  It’s not as if Only Living Boy are incapable of stretching things out to good effect, though, since ‘Priority One’ is almost the same length but makes for great listening throughout, thanks to a really solid groove underpinned by a swaggering bass line and drum patterns.  Likewise, ‘Burning’ is home to some great moments and mood changes: a standard blues opening gives way to a 70s hard rock riff intercut with blues vocal sections.  The band are on good form throughout this number – particularly Curley, who contributes some great lead bass work which, at times, is reminiscent of the blues-rock greats, his upfront style hinting at influences from Jack Bruce and John Paul Jones.  With his heavily treated vocal lurking somewhere beneath the hard grooves, Cirotti’s input almost feels redundant – it really is the music which counts here.

Just when you think you’ve got Only Living Boy figured, they throw a curve ball.  ‘Ronnie Ronzony’ is a fifty second burst of noise, heavily indebted to the 80’s US hardcore punk scene.  Although there are moments of slide guitar amongst the shouting – and after a couple of listens, it’s still clearly the work of Only Living Boy – the mood of this track is best likened to classic bands like Circle Jerks and 7Seconds and would have fit in well during their early live sets.  Initially, this track may have been unexpected as part of a garage-rock disc, but it really clears the cobwebs.

While ‘Hide Nothing’ has some great rock-out moments (especially ‘Burning’, ‘Sunny Day Man’ and ‘Demon Shuffle Part 2’), it’s on the more understated tunes Only Living Boy really come into their own as a band and stand out from the crowd. ‘Demon Shuffle Part 1’ is a number which is best described as a backporch affair, full of acoustic slide guitar, delivered with a hard twang. ‘Bag of Bullets’ shows a very mature sound with slow acoustic riffs; these are played in a very measured and sure fashion, underpinned by a solid drum line and occasional staccato work.

There is some great material on this album. Only Living Boy may not always have the directness and all-round punch of some other bands within their sub-genre, but that doesn’t seem to matter.  On this second album, they fuse garage rock and garage blues sounds with occasional jam-band aesthetics to achieve some very enjoyable results.

June 2011