Hawk Eyes’ 2013 release ‘That’s What This Is’ was funded by fans via a kickstarter campaign – and for the fans, their money was well spent as the Leeds math/alt-metal outfit offers another selection of tunes which manage to combine difficult and angular aggressiveness with moments of surprising melody.
Tag Archives: alternative
CROSS WIRES – Dark Water EP
Following two self-financed EPs and gigs at London’s much-loved 93 Feet East and Camden Barfly, this third DIY offering from Bethnal Green/Essex combo Cross Wires offers three more pieces of hard indie jangling crossed with a little post punk. While their overall sound is still pretty raw, the rhythm section of Pete Letch on bass and drummer Ian Clarke provide the band with solid foundations, which appears handy for those inevitable times where the lead parts still seem somewhat dissonant.
THE MINX – Hey! Mr. Warden EP
With a distinctly northern approach to their sound and boundless levels of energy within their arrangements, a few may hear traces of early Arctic Monkeys within this debut EP from The Minx. Far stronger than that, though, their love for Buzzcocks within the ranks of this Manchester based band shines through. The music may possess slightly less of a punk edge than anything Shelley/Diggle recorded back in the late 70s – largely down to huge waves of Dave Greenfield/Clint Boon influenced keys – but the Buzzcocks’ lasting influence in the sheer energy and snotty vocal is unavoidable. [Also, is the oddly placed exclaimation mark in the EP’s title a gentle homage to The Fall?]
FRANK PALANGI – I Am Ready EP
At the beginning of this second EP by New Yorker Frank Palangi, the music ambles a little, while his voice – subject to some slight filtering – fills the space. If you’d never heard Palangi before, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled upon yet another US rock/pop singer-songwriter, especially with the choice of sleeve art…
New demo streaming from The West Wickhams
A new demo of a track by The West Wickhams has been posted on Soundcloud. The band – an alt-rock/shoegaze duo featuring Jon from Dead Wolf Club – are currently in their infancy and have plans to release an album later in the year.