Following their 2012 debut album and tour, The Oyster Murders set about writing and recording new material to follow up ‘Winter of the Electric Sun’. While the prospect of a new full album would have been very appealing, this six track offering is a welcome enough release – it’s six songs and twenty two minutes showing off the Australian dream-pop quartet’s surprisingly accessible sounds in a lean fashion, the EP format cutting down any potential filler material.
Tag Archives: alternative
THAT FUCKING TANK – A Document Of The Last Set
‘A Document of the Last Set’ marks ten years of underground noise for the Leeds-based duo That Fucking Tank. To celebrate the milestone anniversary, Andy Abbott (guitars) and James Islip (drums) hammer through the tunes which comprise their 2013 live set in an unrelenting manner – the results straddle the fine line between ugly, intense, genius and surprisingly tight. Those who own the studio records will no doubt know these tunes well and need no encouragement to buy this…but for everyone else, here’s a handy overview of a few highlights.
DEAD WOLF CLUB – Healer EP
At the time of this EPs release, it barely feels like weeks have passed since Tintagel’s finest alternative rockers Dead Wolf Club released their second album, ‘RAR’. …And yet, with boundless enthusiasm, they’ve found time between touring that release to record more new material. Their first release for the independent Big Tea Records, most of ‘Healer’ represents their best material yet. Within the grooves of the green and white twelve inches of plastic – or somewhere within the soul-less digital file, if you’re reading this and under thirty – DWC bring more howls of rage, more shimmering guitars and thunderous rhythms disguised by bursts of feedback, and for those who liked them previously, there’s much more to like here than ever.
MATTHEW GOOD – Arrows Of Desire
Matthew Good’s 2013 release ‘Arrows of Desire’ is the Vancouver-based singer/songwriter’s seventh solo outing [and eleventh studio album overall, counting those fronting his eponymous band] and yet it seems as if he’s hardly made any waves at all in the UK. In his homeland, The Matthew Good Band were/are big news, and yet prior to the release of ‘Arrows’, Mr. Good’s UK shows were in front of a rather intimate, select crowd. However, it seems that those in the know really get him – and for those who do, this is an album that does not disappoint. Years of honing his talent has resulted in a striking disc, the first half full of huge riffs and simple hooks, the second more cerebral, which combined leads to a hugely entertaining listen.
GEOFF USELESS – Don’t Stop
After almost a decade churning out music for a cult following, US punks The Guts went on hiatus in 2009. Frontman and founder member Geoff Useless took the opportunity to embark on a solo career, resulting in an EP and this full-length offering, originally released on Livid Records in 2010. Considering Useless had also worked with The Queers and The Nobodys, ‘Don’t Stop’ is pretty far removed from being the punk (or even pop-punk) record each of his prior connections would ever suggest. But then, what’s the point in having an outlet for solo work if it’s just gonna mirror your “day jobs”?