Back in 1980, at a time when the power pop world was dominated by bands in skinny ties and with names like The Pop and The Look, The Bablers released their debut LP ‘What’s It All About’. The record’s stand out track ‘Imaginary Land’, with its stabbed piano motifs and infectious wordless hook, they sounded like a cross between XTC and Nick Lowe with a Scandinavian accent. ‘What Can I Do’ showed a knack for harmony vocals on something that could’ve been a Hollies deep cut from ’75, and seemingly not caring for fashion, ‘McKinley’s Birthday Party’ applied a McCartney-esque rumpty-tumpty rhythm to a pop tune that sounded at least five years out of date at the time of release. You couldn’t ever call it a perfect album, but at its best, it showed a band with spirit, and one capable of sometimes delivering a great tune, even if the vocals weren’t as sharp as the material deserved.
Tag Archives: finland
BAD VALENTINES – Memory Tattoos EP
It takes all of two bars of Bad Valentines’ ‘Last Days In The Sun’ to advertise the trashier end of this Finnish band’s rather varied rock sound, when a high toned guitar wails against a punchy backdrop. The immediate effect is like discovering a more melodic deep cut from earlier Scandinavian bands like Gluecifer, or a more pop-centic Hellacopters. Their rock ‘n’ roll chops shine even more brightly when a rousing lead guitar break rears up midway, but its when reaching for more melodic climes that this EP’s opening track really comes into its own. A punchy verse is offset by a hugely melodic and really confident vocal courtesy of scene new-comer Hon, and although she sounds great on the verse sharing more of a pop-rock tone than the music immediately suggested, it’s when hitting a harmony driven chorus she really begins to impress. It’s fairly simple with the band using an ascending melody to reach a one line hook, but the results are as catchy as hell. In terms of making a good first impression, this introduces Bad Valentines in the best possible way. It’s a genuinely strong number.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #94
Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time around, we’ve got some enormous sounding post rock/metal from a still new act, an interesting excursion into the alternative end of the new age spectrum, a couple of superb singer songwriters…and more. The weight of submissions to the SB since January has been vast, so it’s been an even harder job picking tracks than ever before, but we hope you love what you hear…
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HOPE IS A LIE – Hope Is A Lie
By naming their band Hope Is A Lie, there’s no disguising the fact that this Finnish trio veer towards the darker side of the musical spectrum. That said, this self-titled debut isn’t your run of the mill doom fest. Its best material takes a world of heavy riffs and works them in a slow, but prog-infused manner, creating a more cerebral brand of post metal. The core sound is less Sabbath and Sleep, and more in keeping with a slower and heavier Haven, without the scratchy vocals and with an obviously Scandinavian flair.
HEATHEN HEARTS – Heathen Hearts EP
Hailing from Finland, Heathen Hearts play an absolutely crushing brand of hardcore. On this debut EP, their sound takes the guts of bands like H2O and Agnostic Front and applies a huge metallic crunch. The result is a sound that’s sometimes blisteringly fast but always oppressively heavy – a musical sledgehammer where the riff is king, and the guttural roars clear everything in their path. It’s the kind of introduction that’s both unsubtle and brilliant.