Gliss A KICK IN YOUR HEART

If you’ve been lured in by the current single ‘Rugby Road’, with its whirling guitars and dreamy Smashing Pumpkins style vocal, do yourself a favour and check out the California threesome’s EP A KICK IN YOUR HEART. It’s a breath of fresh air in today’s stifling and overcrowded arena of indie rock bands. Yes, there’s a jangly guitar here and there, but the overall impact of these seven songs is a big, juicy helping of seventies groove, and some sleazy, laid back rock ‘n’ roll.

Expect brooding, melancholic vocals with some dirty basslines and songs that, like all the best things, come to a slow boil rather than fizzing away furiously. Rick Parker from BRMC takes on production duties, so the whole thing is laced with a dark heaviness. Having toured with bands as diverse as Young Gods, Editors and – unsurprisingly – Billy Corgan, Gliss look set for big things.

Obedientbone AWARE

From the opening moments of this 6 track EP, you know you’re listening to something really special. Technically, Obedientbone are a drum and bass outfit, but their music far transcends that relatively niche market and there’s something on here to appeal to lovers of techno, industrial, dance and even mainstream rock. Kicking off with the dark beats of the title track, there’s a minor key melancholy underlying the grooviest of basslines and a rapid fire female vocal to rival Martina Topley Bird or Adele from Basilica. ‘Anything’ throws some fuzzy industrial noise into the mix while coming up with a chorus to die for. ‘Unstable’ has an introspective claustrophobic feel and echoes of Portishead about it, while ‘Mind’ is a pared down, languid soundscape that combines soaring vocals and wandering basslines. LBM Remix ventures furthest from the d ‘n’ b roots with Obedientbone demonstrating their mastery of the quirky sample and the electronic beat, with some distorted musical tinkering Reznor would be proud of. Finally, ‘Tendril V’ kicks off like a nu-metal anthem with only the high hat loop to remind you what’s really going on. The vocals here are a treat, and they’re backed up by inventive musicianship that’s not afraid to venture out of its genre. This hasn’t been off my stereo for days.

Viva Stereo PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR

A killer album with one great song after another. Kicking off with ‘Lost in a Field’, the Glasgow boys manage to blend the brooding menace of a high noon shoot out with haunting, trippy vocals and there’s nothing you can do but keep listening to see where this will go. ‘Syntax Errors’, perhaps the track most in step with today’s Interpol/Bravery brigade, blends a memorable indie rock chorus with electronic drum beats. Next stop is the album title track and Viva Stereo have turned into New Order. With eighties drum loops and a dead pan vocal delivery, it’s irresistibly retro and you might begin to think you’ve got the measure of this band. Well, think again, because by ‘Star Sign Girl’, you’ll be hearing echoes of Kraftwerk overlaid with a sleazy punk rock vocal delivery, while ‘Gone ‘manipulates samples and loops with a panache that would make Mylo weep. But the changes keep coming and by ‘Come, See the View’ you’ll start to hear the influence of musical chameleon Beck with its ‘Devil’s Haircut’ overtones. Ridden is all about a darkly beautiful male vocal line that contrasts sharply, and deliciously, with the sweet, French, female vocal of ‘She Can Do No Harm’. ‘You’re Not Committed to the Company’ sounds like Arab Strap singing over a dirty dance beat, complete with sarcastic, bitter lyrics. Though this is an album that leads you rapidly down one musical avenue after another, don’t mistake diversity for messiness. There’s a claustrophobic, moody edge to the whole collection that strings it all together and gives it an identity of its own. But its main strength is its fearless creativity, inventiveness and uber-cool style. One of the best albums I’ve heard in months.

The Most Terrifying Thing VICTORIANA

Yes, the band name’s a bit rubbish, but don’t let that put you off. This is an excellent rock album that wears its Nirvana-esque influences on its sleeve, but still manages to be very contemporary and to have a brooding Britishness about its cynical, take-it-or-leave-it style. Opening track ‘Programmed’ should be a top ten hit if there were any justice in the world, and it only takes a radio one dj to pick it up, and away it’ll go. Big, crashing walls of guitar, and the kind of choruses you’ll be singing for days are strewn throughout this little gem of an album. From the grungy feel and devilish guitars of ‘Pop Song’ to the pumping bassline and anthemic melody of ‘Silent Type’, you’ll hear echoes of post-Seattle heroes Bush and Headswim all over the place. Maybe not the most groundbreaking of releases, but a shot in the arm for those of us wondering where all the good rock albums had gone. The band’s original name was Audioslave. If only the underachieving mob who purchased the name from them would turn out anything half this good.

Concho CONCHO

Recorded over a span of two years in California, Texas and Brazil, this is an IDM album with a western groove to it. You can almost see the big, blue empty skies and endless deserts spreading out in front of you as you listen to the wonderful Leaving Town with it’s rugged, faraway vocal, acoustic guitars and mournful electro tinkering. Imagine the excellent Unkle writing the music for a modern western and you’ll be in the ballpark. Concho himself is a multi-instrumentalist/dj with a background in a wide variety of musical styles. ‘Nuestro Pueblo’ has a certain trippy dub reggae style to it, there’s a ‘80s synth-pop vibe to ‘English Cigarettes’ and ambient chill to ‘Salvation Mountain’. The production is smooth and competent and enhances the whole laid-back feel of the songs. Reminiscent of both Underworld and Death in Vegas, beware judging this album on its first play. It’s clever, creative stuff and needs a few listens to sink into all the layers and appreciate just how damn good it is.

SharonForkedTongue - 2006