Risen from the ashes of Beat Magnets – a band who played at festivals and scored support slots with The Wombats – comes Bigg, a loud, guitar driven creation from Reading. Aside from influence from various UK indie bands, their debut EP brings a surprising amount of crunch and sometimes a heaviness that might just find them wandering into the worlds of other listeners previously not reached by Beat Magnets. Their music, although often accessible, sometimes has the same kind of hard and sulking attitude that’s present in their publicity photos for the release, where at least one member has decided on a facial expression that suggests someone has popped his favourite balloon.
Tag Archives: alternative
SONS OF PROVIDENCE – A Conscious End To Suffering
Looking at the minimalist artwork and bleak choice of title, you’d be forgiven for thinking this 2015 release from Arizona’s Sons of Provedence would be a doom metal affair, but straight up doom metal it very much is not. For this release, the three piece band twist in all manner of directions, from chunky metal, electronica and goth sounds, through stuff that sounds almost Nick Cave esque… While the music can change wildly from track to track – and often within those tracks – the overarching theme of the album is exceptionally dark.
MY CRUEL GORO – Stuff EP
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.
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.