Coach N Commando are a two-piece act that are almost the dictionary definition of the word niche. These self-styled country punks create a raw sound that sounds like the deformed mutation of Lux Interior, Reverend Horton Heat and a toothless bluegrass hobo. Their 2016 release – their first for Brooklyn’s King Pizza label – is both intricate and ferocious; ugly and smart. Long standing fans will recognise a few tracks reworked from previous records, but rest assured that the re-recordings are an improvement at every turn. The eight songs that make up ‘FBP!K!K!’ play like disastrous musical travelogues retold via a telegram from a previous generation. With bad motels, dirt roads and broken relationships at the core, it’s like everything and nothing you’d expect from such an unholy alliance of sounds.
Tag Archives: stream
LASERS LASERS BIRMINGHAM – Royal Blue EP
Helmed by singer-songwriter Alex Owen, the oddly named Lasers Lasers Birmingham are a country influenced band residing in Los Angeles. Their first EP – released in 2004 – wasn’t so much a band work but an outlet for Owen who played and sang almost everything. This second EP finds the man himself with a full band in tow and the resultant four tracks certainly make the best from the talents of all concerned.
RED MEANS RUN – Love Of Blindness EP
Philadelphia’s Red Means Run released their debut EP ‘All Things Said & Done‘ in 2014. Beneath the homespun recording sound, unfussy guitar work and occasionally wobbly vocals, there was a band who so clearly loved roots music and were keen to help keep Americana music traditions alive. Two years on, their ‘Love of Blindness’ EP represents a very, very welcome return. On this second outing, the vocals retain their same unfiltered and unpolished qualities, but much like their hero Neil Young’s approach from 1970 on, on some tracks, that roughness only adds to the charm. Like many of the greatest Americana acts, it’s the song writing that counts the most…and Red Means Run tackle these songs with a sense of love and understanding that no amount of polish would ever change.
HARVEST – Omnivorous
There are literally millions of thrash and death metal bands out there on the underground scene. Some of them are as rough as hell, but once in a while, a band will come along with the possibility of knocking the listener sideways. Despite a reasonably low budget spent on their debut 2016 release ‘Omnivorous’, Panama’s Harvest are one such band. Pretty quickly, it’s clear that the bulk of their sound owes so much to pre-‘Chaos AD’ era Sepultura…right down to a many of the vocal styles. It must be something in those Central and Southern American waters.
NFU – Treason EP
Playing a distorted and heavily wah-wahed blend of bluesy hard rock, in theory, New York’s NFU are the kind of band who should draw easy comparisons to Hendrix, Zeppelin and various 90s hard rockers enamoured with both. That’s so obviously their aim. The reality, however, is somewhat shocking. Despite promising “an EP full of character”, it’s quickly apparent that these four musicians – using that word in its loosest sense – have little more than a basic grasp of their instruments. At best, listeners will be subjected to material that approximates a boring bluster. But that’s being somewhat kind, since the four songs on ‘Treason’ seem to be played by a band who have absolutely no abilities when it comes to playing in sync with each other.