FOE – Hot New Trash EP

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FOEtrashWhy is it that every time a female artist with alternative leanings begins a career, they’re never accepted as just being themselves? It seems the knee-jerk reaction is to liken the artist in question to either PJ Harvey or Kate Bush. Foe (aka Hannah Clark) has been likened to both – but in reality, has little to nothing in common with either. It’s hugely unlikely you’d find Harvey or Bush delivering anything quite as rocky as the music offered by Foe, and you certainly wouldn’t find either of them donning a luridly coloured wig willy-nilly.

It would be so easy to dismiss Foe as a novelty, but once you get past her penchant for wearing day-glo headgear and oh-so-deliberate kookiness, her debut EP ‘Hot New Trash’ has a definite charm. If you’ve not given up after the first track, chances are you’ll enjoy Foe’s trash-filled musical aesthetic.

That opening number, the rather short ‘Ape Song’, is based around a waltz time signature played on a harmonium, creating the kind of carnival atmosphere which might please Kurt Weill and Tom Waits. Foe’s vocals are strong, but not especially user-friendly with their slightly sneering nature. The track falls apart fairly quickly, descending into ugly electronic drones and backward loops. ‘Tyrant Song’ combines a hard edged electronic punch with a fuzzy guitar riff, over which Foe’s slightly distorted voice works excellently. Where there should be a chorus, she spits “are you ready for the next big thing / are you ready for a clown in a g-string”. It just about passes as a hook; but the mood of the track seems more important than its sing-along qualities. If you like chunky riffs overlaid by electronica, this is a number should hit the mark. Even the jarring keyboard lines don’t interfere with the solid grooves.

‘Genie In a Coke Can’ is much slower and a fair bit darker, with its brooding riff clashing with electronica in a way which recalls the best work by cult 90s artists Snake River Conspiracy and Jane Jensen. The lyrics are full of anti-media messages and spite directed at record companies who spend “millions in marketing for pop star trash”. Once again, the ugly keyboards play against the mid-paced rock elements in a way that sets out to unnerve, but there’s enough bottom end and fuzz here give the track a proper edge. ‘Merry Go Down’ features a heavy use of keyboards, overlaid with upfront bass. Foe’s vocals avoid being twee by being slightly distorted via some studio trickery, but while her voice is loud in the end mix, it’s the instrumental arrangement which provides the greatest strength. The harmonium, combined with very measured drumming and retro guitar twang lends a slightly unsettling atmosphere; the kind of twisted spookiness you should expect from someone who claims that Oompa Loompas often invaded her bedroom at night via hallucinations.

‘Hot New Trash’ presents the sound of a raw talent refusing to be moulded and pigeon-holed by her record company. While it starts out on shaky ground by trying slightly too hard, by the mid-point, Foe’s mix of alternative pop, ugly electronica and chunky rock becomes more than endearing. Forget what you may have been told: she isn’t PJ Harvey, Kate Bush or any other female singer-songwriter you care to lazily pin on her; she’s just Foe – making her own music, and even better, she’s doing it on her own terms.

April 2011

DEMON’S EYE – The Stranger Within

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demon's eyeDemon’s Eye, as their name suggests, are a bunch of chaps who are more than a bit fond of the classic era of Deep Purple. In fact, for over a decade, they plied their trade as a Deep Purple tribute act in Germany – eventually being given the chance to work alongside actual Deep Purple members. This release teams them up with Scottish hard rock vocalist for hire, Doogie White, best known for his stint with the last line-up of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow in the mid 90s. Aside from that, White also found cult status as the vocalist with Midnight Blue, a much hyped AOR band, whose album was scheduled to be released on the UK label Now & Then. Eventually that album was given a belated Japanese only release. Over the years, White also performed with Axel Rudy Pell and Yngwie Malmsteen, as well as releasing albums with his own Deep Purple/Rainbow-esque hard rock band Cornerstone. Given both parties’ history and general musical bias, their work on this collaborative album ‘The Stranger Within’ offers absolutely no surprises, sounding exactly how you’d expect.

A wash of Hammond organ opens ‘Stranger In Us All’ before a thunder of drums breaks into an arrangement full of Eastern motifs a la Deep Purple’s ‘Perfect Strangers’ or Rainbow’s ‘Stargazer’. While the old school bombast of the arrangement should not be overlooked and White’s vocal style –a cross between a poor-man’s Ian Gillan and bad Glenn Hughes impersonator – is well suited to the task in hand, it’s not long before this is shown up for being no more than a second rate homage. Similar traits can be heard during ‘Sins of The Father’ which melds moments of ‘Burn’-era Purple with Doogie White’s wail which, in places, manages to resemble Saxon’s Biff Byford. This number has the distinction of having a better chorus, but musically speaking doesn’t push either Doogie White or Demon’s Eye’s collective talents. ‘A Foolish Man’ is a fast hard rock workout, the kind which held a strong place on Deep Purple’s classic ‘In Rock’; but while it’s musically spot on as far as imitation goes (the ‘Highway Star’-esque guitar solo particularly charming), the spirit is squashed under the weight of White’s vocal, which clearly attempts to imitate Gillan throughout. It goes from being questionable to flat-out embarrassing at the end, as White bravely aims for something resembling Gillan’s screaming in “top A”. Gillan may have impressed by screaming in tune during the early 70s, but when given a similar task, Doogie White really doesn’t. As the music stops, he exclaims “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” Oddly, you may find yourselves thinking the same thing…

The lengthy ‘Far Over The Rainbow’ gives an even more obvious nod to Demon’s Eye’s Blackmore obsession – and White’s previous employment – but while Mark Zyk’s guitar riffs evoke The Dio-era Rainbow rather strongly, the vocal doesn’t always do the music justice, and the hook is weak. An ugly keyboard solo stretches out over more bars than is necessary, but things then take an up-turn as Zyk steps forward for a lengthy guitar solo. Throughout his piece, plenty of string-bending and whammy-bar captures the mood of Ritchie Blackmore’s work during those early Rainbow years. The huge instrumental passages definitely present Demon’s Eye at their strongest and by the end of Zyk’s showcase, it’s obvious ‘Far Over The Rainbow’ is this album’s obvious highpoint. Once White steps back up to the microphone, the greatness ends; the spell is broken and we’re reminded that this isn’t a lost Rainbow outing after all…

White’s voice is somewhat of an acquired taste even by old-school rock standards, but he fares better on the softer stuff. The power ballad ‘The Best of Times’ provides one of those all too rare moments where his gentler side shines; it’s such a great pity Demon’s Eye couldn’t afford a proper string arrangement to lend it a more epic quality. Naturally, Florian Pritsch hammering string sounds from his keyboard is a poor substitute for the real thing– if indeed it can be regarded as a substitute at all. The only time ‘The Stranger Within’ stretches beyond overtly macho tributes to Blackmore, Lord and Paice is during the short acoustic instrumental ‘Le Vent Lament’, where Zyk gets to air his prowess on a classical influenced piece . Beautifully played as it is (despite a brief moment where it almost lapses into ‘Greensleeves’), it feels a little tacked on to the end of the album.

Both Jon Lord and Ian Paice have gone on record praising the quality of Demon’s Eye as a Deep Purple tribute act. That’s as maybe, but although Demon’s Eye’s musical chops sound as authentic as possible, it’s not enough to stop most of their self-penned material on ‘The Stranger Within’ sounding a bit tired. Despite the best musical efforts of everyone involved, the songs themselves seem unable to muster up anything greater than workmanlike Purple-isms. …And if it’s workmanlike Purple-isms you wanted, you probably own Deep Purple’s ‘Slaves and Masters’ and ‘The Battle Rages On’ anyway.

April 2011

COLDSPELL – Out Of The Cold

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The second album by Coldspell ticks all the right boxes for a great sounding melodic rock release almost instantly. The Swedish five-piece don’t offer anything that could be described as cutting-edge, but certainly have a firm grasp of hard rock in the Heaven’s Edge/early Dokken vein.

Opening with a chunky riff, ‘Run For Your Life’ is a great example of Coldspell at their best, especially once the riffs get a bit of extra weight from some old fashioned slabs of organ work. Niklas Swedentorp’s vocal is strong throughout the number, with the almost obligatory slight European twang to his voice. The rhythm section are solid, but it’s Michael Larsson’s guitar work which really gives Coldspell their slightly harder quality. His featured solo near the track’s end, although fairly short, has a great tone and feel – particularly during a brief multi-tracked section. A similar punchy riff drives ‘Time’, although here, parts of that riff are accompanied by some very old-school keyboards (courtesy of Matti Eklund) which have a dominant sound which wouldn’t sound out of place on any given number of Euro melodic rock discs. Of particular note are the moments where Larsson opts for a cleaner guitar tone on the verses; while Coldspell’s music doesn’t always offer much in the way of respite from solid hard rock riffs, there are some welcome moments where the vocals get more room to breathe.

‘The King’ also offers something a little softer, at least to start off with. Beginning with clean guitar work and a superbly delivered, gentler vocal, Coldspell sound very comfortable when allowing their music room to stretch out in this way. While Swedentorp’s doesn’t especially sound like any other specific vocalists, the softer end of his voice features a great soulful vibe – one which he ought to have been given opportunity to use a little more. Musically, it’s another decent number, where at first the drums are used sparingly while retaining a presence; the arrangement here is joined by a layer of keys with a orchestral sound. The opening of this track offers one of the album’s strongest vocal performances and even once the hard rock riffs kick in, Swedentorp’s voice sounds like the kind found in many a great rock performance. On another mid-paced hard rocker, ‘Angel Eyes’, bassist Anders Lindmark gets a brief chance to step into the spotlight; during the verses, Larsson’s guitars take a backseat, allowing the rumble of Lindmark’s bass to cut through. Aside from that, it’s business as usual though, with melodic chugging riffs and plenty of harmony vocals.

‘Seven Wonders’ doesn’t move too far away from Coldspell’s melodic rock blueprint, but features a slightly bouncier feel throughout. The rhythm section hit the mark without offering anything outstanding, while Swedentorp plays up his role as rock vocalist. The chorus isn’t as strong as some featured, but Larsson’s ringing guitar work leading into his solo more than makes up for any shortcomings. The title cut opens with an unexpected use acoustic guitar before launching into one of the album’s heaviest riffs. The main riff is driven by a great chug, over which Swedentorp’s voice is typically strong. A few of the instrumental bridges concentrate on the heavier aspects of Coldspell’s sound, with the drums breaking into brief bass-heavy flourishes on occasion. Melodic rock fans need not be put off at all, though, since the chorus brings some decent vocal harmonies with a strong hook and Larsson’s guitar solo provides another standout moment (with both elements bringing things back towards melodic rock territory). For great mid paced hard rock, ‘Heroes’ also delivers, thanks to a chunky guitar sound and gang vocals, but just when things begin to feel a little too metallic (in a Heaven’s Edge style), Eklund chimes in with a very old-school, Don Airey-esque keyboard solo.

One review claims that ‘Out of the Cold’ is a metal album as opposed to AOR, before going on to say that those who can’t tell the difference between the two rock subgenres are idiots. Harsh words, indeed. Fact is, while it’s not AOR per se, most of this album absolutely would not pass muster as a metal disc by most people’s standards in 2011. Based on Coldspell’s core sound, it’s obvious that particular reviewer has been ignorant of anything which could be categorized as “metal” since about 1989. Swedentorp’s vocal style is far too clean to be a metal singer; the rest of the band seems content to settle into very melodic, mid paced grooves, which certainly makes Coldspell far more in keeping with melodic rock. There’s nothing here that’s remotely edgy enough to be classified as metal. Other reviews, though, rightly praise the quality of Coldspell’s brand of melodic rock – and in all honesty it’s hard to argue, since each of the songs here are very well crafted.

It may feel a little old fashioned to some, but what Coldspell do, they do extremely well, making ‘Out of the Cold’ a really worthwhile listen for melodic rock buffs.

April 2011

RETURNING WE HEAR THE LARKS – Proud England EP

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For something recorded in a bedroom, this 2011 EP by Returning We Hear The Larks has a great amount of oomph behind it. The band isn’t a band at all, but the work of multi-instrumentalist Jak Noble, chiefly a seven stringed guitarist – but listening to this release, he’s gifted in most other aspects of his music too. Granted, the drums are programmed, but when constructed as well as they are here, it doesn’t matter too much. [See also Devin Townsend’s ‘Ziltoid The Omniscient’]. Noble’s chosen style fuses progressive metal and alternative metal; naturally his recordings feature a bias toward the “djent” sound at times [the onomatopoeic sound made by heavy riffing from seven or eight stringed guitars]. For fans of the more aggressive end of progressive metal, Returning We Hear The Larks is a project with a great appeal.

Kicking off a quartet of numbers inspired by The War of The Roses (though the concept appears to be rather loose; a theme rather than a strict narrative), ‘Uprising’ begins with an off-beat rhythm. Its intro builds until the guitars crunch through and Noble’s vocal makes an initial impact. His vocal has a sound somewhere between Devin Townsend at his most shouty and a throaty growl, which although takes a little tuning in, works well throughout the number. It is especially effective when counterbalanced against a clear alternative rock vocal which carries a tiny hint of Faith No More. The heavy bass which runs through the short instrumental ‘Unrest’ has a fantastic presence, while the guitars lay down a repetitive hypnotic riff. For a self-produced, self-financed release, the bottom-end has a great sound.

‘Vendetta’ opens with a piece of music which is the polar opposite of ‘Uprising’, as Noble offers atmospheric, clean-toned guitar lines over a blanket of keyboards and a chugging bass, which naturally gets joined by a similarly aggressive guitar riff. The main riff sustains the next couple of minutes, before falling away to reveal an echoed vocal. Before long, the chugging riff returns with a complimentary heavy vocal. The lighter atmospheres aren’t completely crushed through, and the ring of the clean toned guitar adds a pleasing atmosphere. While the track still falls into the heavy end of progressive metal, there’s a hint of Mushroomhead about its overall construction. The closing moments, with pneumatic drum sounds and screaming vocals present the heaviest aspect of Noble’s work. The muddy tone driving the main riff of ‘Conquest’ has a grinding nu-metal edge due to Noble’s use of seven string guitar. The down-tuned sludge is joined by a similar vocal to that used during ‘Vendetta’s closing moments. However, before long, a choir of clean vocals and keyboards provide an expected contrast, after which Noble returns things to a Pain of Salvation meets Meshuggah vibe, before closing things with a full-on, classic sounding progressive metal riff.

‘Proud England’s only real weakness is its short duration. By the time the last notes of ‘Conquest’ have faded, chances are you’ve just started to really enjoy what’s on offer. There are moments here which aren’t quite as atmospheric as parts of 2010’s predecessor ‘Ypres’, and obviously ‘Proud England’s main difference is the inclusion of vocals. Despite venturing into new territory, those already familiar with Returning We Hear The Larks should not be disappointed.

March 2011

STILL SPARK – Still Spark

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Bringing together Boston musician Seth Freeman (previously of Little John) and songwriter/engineer Dan O’Leary, this debut release by Still Spark is a sum of many influences. Across ten cuts, the duo – augmented by several session musicians – deliver moments of power pop, straight up adult rock/pop and occasional rootsy numbers. While it promises a great deal, unfortunately their slightly sporadic mix of styles doesn’t always hit the mark.

‘Love Comes Calling’ is upbeat and summery, with chiming guitars, handclaps and quirky harmony vocals. It makes a decent opening number and lead single with its feel-good nature, but misses out slightly due to a slightly wobbly lead vocal. His untrained vocal style kills most of the spirit during ‘Caroline’, despite the musical having some decent moments (which once again, are delivered to the listener by way of chiming guitars and sunny vibes). ‘The Way I Am’ starts out in a similarly punchy power pop mood, driven by Cars-esque staccato rhythms and big chords, but once you’re convinced we’re headed for an equally big chorus and key change, it softens and wanders into jangle-pop territory, with the electric riff complimented by acoustic guitar work. The chorus itself isn’t far off being a one-liner, sadly, but some good backing harmonies go some way to making it memorable.

The gentle acoustic vibes and the wordiness at the heart of ‘Still On Your Side’ seems far better suited to the slightly drawly vocal. Once the backing vocal harmonies are added alongside a few guitar flourishes, it provides one of the moments where Still Spark shine a little brighter; but as before, when Freeman attempts to hit bigger notes, things fall more than a little flat. The Gin Blossoms styled jangle-pop of ‘Best Times’ features some excellent ringing guitar work and pleasing harmonies, pulled together with a great hook. Topped off with a slightly raucous solo, it’s a track which clearly presents Still Spark in good form.

Over the course of the last few tracks, there’s a definite upturn in the album’s fortunes. The doo-wop meets power pop of ‘Careless Thing’ is, without question, the album’s best number. What could have been a typically flat vocal is given a boost by a female lead courtesy of Gaby Moreno, whose slightly quirky, expressive voice is given a chance to really shine when accompanied by sharp guitar chords and an upfront bass. The chiming guitars opening ‘Good Woman’ at first lead the listener into thinking we’re headed for Teenage Fanclub/Big Star territory, but soon, the grooves recall The Connells in a rather chipper mood. A few layered harmony vocals on the chorus pick things up even further, creating a track that’s nothing short of being a three minute ray of sunshine. It’s a great pity Still Spark couldn’t have tapped into this feel-good style a little more often.

The mid-paced ‘The Limelight’ showcases simple rhythms and a natural sounding vocal, augmented by some clean toned electric guitar fills, presenting Still Spark in a relaxed mood which evokes The Jayhawks. It’s a great way to finish the disc, leaving the listener with a strong memory of Still Spark in good form. The female backing vocals are slightly overdone (maybe even unnecessary), but do nothing to spoil what’s essentially a great roots-rock number.

With this self-titled disc, Still Spark have delivered a release that’s not always rootsy enough to deserve the roots rock tag, and with regards to occasional their power pop tendencies, these are often not quite breezy enough to hit their stride with the devastating effect deserved. However, as evidenced on the last few tracks, it’s not a release without merit. With regards to the lesser moments, even when the material doesn’t always work as well as you’d hope, Kay Hanley’s production brings a great sound. Worth checking out for a couple of tracks, but listening is certainly advised before making a purchase.

March 2011