Rope Trick’s 2017 release ‘Red Tape’ shared some great riffs, but its DIY production sound and some decidedly iffy vocals made it the kind of listen that would only appeal to the more committed stoner rock fan. Nevertheless, looking beyond the obvious flaws, Rope Trick’s semi lo-fi world of stoner grooves and garage rock crunch had an obvious potential.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
SUN ATOMS – Everything Forever
On their 2021 LP ‘Let There Be Light’, alternative rock band Sun Atoms shared some great music. That record’s quieter and more downbeat moments blended elements of goth pop with a very retro guitar twang, often falling somewhere between the classic, introspective songwriting of Leonard Cohen and the more contemporary moods of Tindersticks. When approaching busier sounds, the material mixed light electronica with spoken word passages. With other moments utilising muted trumpets and very retro sounding backing vocals, the album created a pleasingly varied listening experience.
anocean – climbing walls EP
Although the shoegaze and dreampop genres will be forever associated with the early 90s, there have been a wealth of great bands and artists keeping the flame alight in the twenty first century. 2024 saw some great releases from Keeley, Set Feux, Sunder, Newmoon, and many others. Even scene stalwarts like A Place To Bury Strangers were hugely prominent with a run of digital singles which gained some very positive online press.
STATUS QUO – Driving To Glory
During the first decade of what was to become a very long career, Status Quo barely put a foot wrong. Between the release of 1968’s ‘Picturesque Matchstickable Messages’ and 1972’s ‘Piledriver’, the band slowly transitioned from being an “of their time” psych act, into a rock band experimenting with garage and blues based sounds, eventually hitting upon the heads down, no nonsense boogie rock sound that would become their forte. Between 1973’s ‘Hello’ and 1977’s ‘Rockin’ All Over The World’, that sound would see the Quo shifting millions of albums and eventually becoming known the world over. The following decade saw line-up changes and a concession to 80s sounds diluting the band’s power – and, ultimately the quality of their output – but fans were still guaranteed some enjoyable (sometimes even excellent) tunes along the way.
THE SMASHING TIMES – Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys
In the promotional materials for ‘Mrs. Ladyships and The Cleanerhouse Boys’, The Smashing Times ask the pressing question: “How many times can you really watch ‘Blow Up’ alone in your room?”, before suggesting that their fifth album presents the work of “your new favourite Mod band”. Although, for the unaware, this might conjure thoughts of discovering an underground phenomenon in the mould of Secret Affair, or perhaps The Len Price 3, the Baltimore band is potentially setting the unsuspecting listener up for a fall. Beyond its grand title and fanciful claims, ‘Mrs. Ladyships…’ offers a world of similar sounds to prior Smashing Times long players, in that any 60s influences are offset by some fairly lo-fi production values.