In the spring of 2013 Manchester alt-rockers Duke And The Darlings unleashed their second EP, ‘Champagne of the People’, a brief work that showed the band to have a lot of energy – an energy they really harnessed when choosing to record that EP live in the studio, thus capturing their core sound in a much welcomed unfussy manner. While their song writing wasn’t always memorable in the long term, the EPs music had moments of great drive and an enthusiasm which guaranteed those lucky enough to hear it would wind up musing on how the band’s sound would develop in the future. Surely in an upwards direction, taking the best parts of their sound, refining them for an even better release…?
Tag Archives: alternative
FAKE SHARK REAL ZOMBIE – Liar EP
With a name that quickly conjures up feelings of novelty, of lightweight emo trash and of genuine disposability, Vancouver’s Fake Shark – Real Zombie! have, rather unwittingly, saddled themselves with a moniker that’s a quick turn-off. The epitome of just trying that bit too hard, it combines fantasy with punctuation and comes up with utter dross as a result. The young band may think they’re being “well random” (to use a horrible teen vernacular, popular at time of this release), but in truth, all they’ve done is give their project a name that’s going to be of potential hideous embarrassment to them in future years. Hell, maybe they won’t give a fuck – apparently Henry Rollins is a fan, so they’ll be thrilled, whatever. [In some ways, this revelation comes as surprising, given the punk icon’s musical past; in other ways, not so much: Rollins loves music from many genres- loves Beastie Boys, funk and even takes his professional name from a legendary jazz artiste.] Anyway…yes, Canada’s Fake Shark – Real Zombie! What of their music itself?
New video from Silver Arm
UK alt-rockers Silver Arm have issued a new promo clip for the lead track from their EP ‘He of the Slow Creep’, which you can now view at the embedded link.
That’s not all – the band are also set to play a handful of live dates, detailed below.
THE MOTHERSHIP – Bright Side Of Dim
The Mothership’s debut album (‘Ten Miles Wide’, released in 2011) was a promising first effort. Although some of the material was generic, it was passionately played and its four stand-out cuts were strong enough alone to recommend listening. The band showed off a very solid approach to a retro riff, but with the woozy acoustic track ‘Ugly Love’ nestled at the end of the record [free mp3 here], the band showed they had more potential than merely being grungy revivalists. The “desert sessions” style of their quieter moments set high hopes for their sophomore release.
SILVER ARM – He Of The Slow Creep EP
UK four-piece Silver Arm bring plenty of punch and absolutely no padding to their 2014 EP ‘He of the Slow Creep’. The result – four slabs of fantastic guitar driven post-punk noise in a fraction over ten minutes; four numbers showcasing a band who really know how to hit a sound home as directly as possible. Naturally, there’s some obvious recycling from a couple of classic influences along the way, but Silver Arm ensure these sounds will thrill listeners who weren’t even around to hear the first wave of post-punk and goth rock bands in the early eighties.