FAKE SHARK REAL ZOMBIE – Liar EP

FSRZWith 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?

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THE MOTHERSHIP – Bright Side Of Dim

mothershipThe 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.

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SILVER ARM – He Of The Slow Creep EP

Silver ArmUK 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.

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