Back in 2008, Belgian rockers All I Know released their debut album ‘Vanity Kills’ via the less than imaginatively titled Melodic Rock Records. The record celebrated 80s sounds with aplomb. On tracks like ‘Turn Back Time’ and ‘I Wanna Rock You’, the band contrasted huge AOR harmonies with chunky guitars, but it was when leaning towards an even more commercial (but still retro) sound the material really came into its own. ‘Rain’, in particular sounded like a pitch perfect tribute to classic White Lion coupled with a more anthemic chorus hook, and ‘All Night Long’ served up bright sounding rock, with the accent firmly on the cheese. Years on, the best bits of the record sound like they inspired fellow Euro rockers like Cruzh and Stardust.
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Listen: The Othyrs share new track ‘Nobody Knows’ ahead of album release
On their self titled debut album, The Othyrs – a band featuring members of indie band The Wolfhounds – explored a world of acoustic-based folk and pop music. On stripped down tracks like ‘Money To Burn’, the quieter musical stance provided a superb backdrop for Alice Golding’s pure vocals, whilst busier numbers like ‘Time’s No Martyr’ and ‘Wasps & Nettles’ showcased great harmonies shared between the various band members. With a couple of tracks that sounded very much like a callback to Indigo Girls’ classic self-titled disc, it was a record with an almost timeless sound.
HIKE THE PEAK – Ether EP
Hike The Peak is a punk project helmed by Sheffield based musician Lee Byatt. In his own words, the band was launched “as a result of a mental health crisis during lockdown”, with Lee, wisely, realising he could use his musical talent and a revolving crew of friends to deliver a positive message. Following on from a selection of digital tracks – subsequently compiled as the ‘Only The True Fly Free’ album – this release couples another two absolute bangers in the skate punk mould, sharing a sound that’s guaranteed to take some listeners straight back to the late 90s.
KEELEY – Beautiful Mysterious
Keeley’s first full length album ‘Floating Above Everything Else’ was a game changer for the cult dream pop/shoegaze band. It showed how Keeley Moss and her assembled musicians could sustain a great sound far beyond their previous EP format, but also weave a compelling narrative. With a suite of songs largely devoted to the murder of traveller Inga Maria Hauser it blended great music with a thoughtful lyrical construct. It was clear from the beginning of their journey that Keeley were a cut above any similar bands, but, with its truly absorbing style, this album more than proved it. The recycling of the earlier ‘The Glitter & The Glue’ single certainly didn’t hurt either, since in terms of all round accessibility and catchiness, it’s one of Keeley’s strongest numbers.
JOE GENI – Cities Built Upon Cities
When a promotional blurb suggests an artist is influenced by music as diverse as The Police, DJ Shadow and Claude Debussy, it’s hard to know what to expect. Is this record label hype? Is it a case of a performer clutching at straws, hoping that something will attract the potential listener? When it comes to singer songwriter Joe Geni, such wild claims…really aren’t so wild. His 2021 album ‘Doggerland’ offers a mad hybrid sound where the mood lurches all over the place. Just exploring the track ‘Superbloom’ in isolation, Geni takes the light Afro rhythms of Peter Gabriel tunes like ‘Mercy Street’ and fuses them with a bit of electronica, then adds a huge vocal that occasionally sounds like something David MacAlmont would turn into an absolute showstopper. Then, there’s the lengthy ‘Eyes Like The Ocean’ which bends what would’ve been a great pop-rock sound – akin to a moody deep cut from Sting – and adorns that with an almost trip-hop like atmosphere.