My Cruel Goro’s debut EP bought back memories of the 90s, recycling the most energetic parts of bands like Ash and S*M*A*S*H with a touch of the multi-national trio’s own charm and a genuine gusto. DIY blogs gave the release some very positive notices and there was a definite feeling the band would be back with new material pretty quickly. Just five months down the line, the band teased with a new track ‘Lost E’, which proved early fan enthusiasm was not misplaced and also suggested that the upcoming release would be better than their first.
Tag Archives: alternative
PARADIGM – Realize EP
When a band has the balls to plug themselves as having “Muse’s raw power and the cinematic sense of 30 Seconds To Mars, fenced with Pink Floyd’s artistic approach” you’ve kind of got to love their fearlessness, but you know there’s a good chance you know they’ll never live up to their own hype. Press releases are often grand, but when such broad claims are made about a debut four track release, there’s every chance they’re just setting themselves up for a fall…and from a great height at that. London’s Paradigm are armed with a big sound – helped no end by producers Paul Corkett and John Cornfield (studio hands on works by Bjork, Muse, Robert Plant and The Cure, among others) – but aside from a few fleeting similarities to Muse in the guitar department, there’s little else that connects to those comparisons. Luckily, it’s Muse’s guitar crunch that inspires them and not Matt Bellamy’s godawful vocals…
PATRICK BOUTWELL – Hi, Heaviness
Singer-songwriter Patrick Boutwell is best known for being a member of alt-rock band The Brother Kite. For his 2016 solo release, he takes a side-step from some of the noisier and spikier aspects of his band work to increase the focus on some good, old-fashioned power pop, but without losing too much of the grit. Although the title ‘Hi, Heaviness’ may suggest an inward looking approach, the nine tracks on the album are largely concerned with a brighter outlook, helped no end by most of its tracks being awash with a clean toned guitar. Obviously, the power pop, Posies-esque influences should be enough for some of you to seek out this recording immediately, while for those already familiar with The Brother Kite, there are chunkier elements that provide a link with the past. He’s got both ends covered…and with ease.
BEAR MAKES NINJA – Shenanagrams
Bear Makes Ninja released their second EP, the critically acclaimed ‘Shouting at Bridges‘, in 2012. From that point on, there was much talk of a full length release but nothing seemed to be happening very quickly on the recording front. Not that the band had been lazy; the next couple of years were taken up with numerous live performances and time spent sharpening the Leicestershire trio’s musical craft. Their long-rumoured full length finally appeared during the first quarter of 2016 and, for those already familiar with the off-kilter BMN style, does almost exactly as expected. There are times where an increase in production budget makes things seem a little more polished than before, but their angular math rock tunes and deliberately obtuse lyrics are still a far cry from easily digestible radio fodder. This, of course, is a good thing.
MIND VICE – Humanimality EP
In the mid-90s, lo-fi producer Conrad Uno was a busy man. He put his name to various Mudhoney projects, produced the Supersuckers, Fastbacks, Zeke, The Groovie Ghoulies and countless other bands. He founded the PopLlama record label. In terms of commercial success, however, he’s probably best known as the man who produced the debut album by novelty rock band The Presidents of the United States of America, a record that spawned sizeable hits in ‘Peaches’ and ‘Lump’.