Music Reviews: March 2016

Heck
Instructions
Album (NPAG Industries)
After seven years of relentless graft, one Godzilla-sized lawsuit and hordes of pissed off security guys, Nottingham’s noisiest band have finally unleashed their debut LP. And it doesn’t disappoint. Hitting the play button for Good as Dead is like hitting the big red button under Putin’s desk. Mammoth explosions of noise and blistering screams overcome the senses and the following 43 minutes is all-out nuclear war. From the thunderous stoner riffs in Totem, to the traumatising intro to White Devil, this album is chaos perfected. Instructions is an emphatic statement against the music industry. From the lyrical content in The Great Hardcore Swindle, “Can you put a price on this?”, to the album title itself, Heck have never conformed to instructions and never will. This record is a celebration of doing things your own way and sticking two fingers up to anyone who suggests otherwise. The curtain closer, (i) See The Old Lady Decently (ii) Buried Although (iii) Amongst Those Left Are You, is perhaps the greatest thing ever. Over sixteen minutes long, the three-part epic is a progressive whirlwind of raw fury. The trilogy fluctuates violently throughout with devastating riffs and thundering bass an ever-present beast, while the saga sinisterly builds before climaxing with a searing hot guitar solo unlike anything they’ve done before. In the words of Zach de la Rocha, “Anger is a gift”, and Heck have that gift more so than any other band on the planet. This is anger with a capital D. Tom Hadfield

Be
One
Album (Caught By The River / Rivertones)
This is a remarkable album – a true collaboration between man and animal (more specifically, bees). Originally devised and conceived to soundtrack Wolfgang Buttress’ pavilion at the 2015 World Expo in Milan  – he constructed a huge beehive and English meadow to highlight the importance of the bee to our ecosystem. Written and recorded by Doggen and Kev Bales from Spiritualized, along with Wolfgang, and featuring an assortment of musicians and fellow sonic explorers including Icelandic string players Amiina, Killy Joke’s Youth, and their Spiritualized bandmate Jason Spaceman. Based around field recordings of bees in their natural habitat, the musicians have created a frame around these sounds and it sounds very natural in every sense of that word. Over four tracks, violins and cello gently drone, piano and organ flutter in and out, fragments of guitar add texture. One of the most impressive pieces of music that you are likely to hear all year. Paul Klotschkow

Bru-C
Bookey EP
EP (Sika Recordings)
“It’s Bru-C and Snoopy, man are up on the rhythm that’s spooky/Not talking about the clothing when I say that these man are going on bookey.” If you’ve seen Bru-C performing recently, you may have come across this title track from the Notts emcee’s latest EP. For those not in the know, bookey is slang for something shocking in nature or inferior quality. The beat has grime origins, kept simple if maybe lacking a punch of energy, though when performed live, it gets the crowd proper hyped. And the catchy, relatable chorus is perfect for crowd singalongs. Bru-C also throws in some interesting, food-obsessed lines – he may have just been hungry when writing the track – with references to bananas, Irn-Bru and Quavers. As well as the main grime track, the EP also offers up a far from bookey house remix, the instrumental and an a cappella version. Tajinder Sandhu

Daniel Shipley
Climb The Wall
EP (Self-released)
Fun and relaxing aren’t generally two words you’d put together to describe an album, but this EP has managed to capture both of these aspects in a spectacular way. Using elements from genres including acoustic, soul, indie and more, Daniel has created a varied release. From a chilled sound that you could enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon with Farewell My Love, to a more bouncy and exciting feel with tracks such as Forgotten Son that’s perfect for sunny Friday evenings after work. However, don’t assume Shipley is only good to listen to in the sun; with his professional and full-sounding tracks incorporating all manner of influences and moods, you can enjoy it any time of the day or year. He’s clearly a great talent, and his skills are showcased on Climb The Wall in such an impressive manner that you will want to listen over and over again. Hannah Parker

Felix M-B
The World Won’t Wait
EP (Self-released)
It’s astounding that such depth of instrumentalism and lyricism could erupt from the mind of one who’s just turned eighteen. Felix’s second EP sees him ease further into his vocal range, and progress in terms of lyrical content, describing it as a “passage into adulthood in an often harsh and unforgiving world”. That it is. I’d Follow You is the most similar to his old stuff, with soft acoustic guitar and tinkling piano layered in the background. Taking a soulful turn, Divide has a driving force with clean, punchy guitars that push the song forward. Felix’s trilling vocals beg the question, “Is this the person your mother thought you’d be?” The piece de resistance is Beside the Dawn. Felix has enlisted the assistance of fellow youth on the scene, Tiger, for this collection, and this song is almost a duet; the two vocalists responding to each other in a hazy, red wine beside the fire love song. Both are ones to watch. Lucy Manning

Friend of a Friend
Bez et Esparon
EP (Amicable Records)
A four-part journey: Part 1’s guitar notes slide in a spacious and mellow broadcast of goodbyes and questions. A chipped hand lingers over a door handle, poised to plunge, before letting go and leaving. Part 2 picks up the pace with lighter plucks, sauntering over a puddle in a dirt path as the sun sticks an arm out of its grey duvet. Towards the end of the track, we run into dark fog, the guitar strums collapse into a heap beneath a tree, strings are tangled in the roots. Part 3 drips with sorrow, steady synths propping up weight until strength is found in the wind-down and recharge. Waking at 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, Part 4 swills regret around your tabs as a bottle of vodka from the night before is seized. Each tune is bookended by blurry crowds and disastrous radio reports. This is stripped-back, gorgeous and heart-breaking, with gleams of hope pressing through. Bridie Squires

Sam & Joe
Red Roses & Baby Blue
EP (Self-released)
One element that can be missed from lesser musical duos is a connection between the two musicians. However, with these two brothers, it can be heard through even the most simple of tracks. Their youthful voices, combined with their mature songwriting make them a truly exciting act. From the slower acoustic style on tracks such as Please Be Mine and Red Roses & Baby Blue, to the indie-blues sound on Bluezy Dream, the lads have nailed the essence of each style they’ve tackled. We Can Just Lay gives their vocal talent a place to truly be heard, especially when singing together, and their soft, catchy guitar adds to the cool demeanour of this EP. Their harmonies synchronise perfectly, which is something chart-topping bands struggle to do well. The raw edge to their music makes Sam & Joe original and addictive. It’s hard to not stick them on repeat. Hannah Parker

Some Skeletons
Vigils
Album (Mountains of Records)
After five years and a couple of EPs, Nottingham’s Some Skeletons have finally released their debut album, and it’s certainly been worth the wait. In barely 71 seconds, opening track The Mouth manages to conjure up images of a return to a windswept coastal town, a lyrical theme that recurs throughout the album. “There’s no place our ghosts can’t go,” proclaims Indoor Meteors, and it’s clear from next track Up on the Rocks that this return to an old stomping ground is a distinctly wistful one for our narrator, “In the cache up on the rocks were secrets just for us”. This band have a gloriously widescreen sound, a little reminiscent of Idlewild, complete with soaring vocal harmonies and there’s maybe even a touch of Biffy Clyro here too. At barely 28 minutes long, this album has an awful lot of interesting things to say. Tim Sorrell

The Five Hundred
Winters
EP (Self-released)
Lemmy got most of the headlines, of course, but it was the other member of Motörhead to go up to the great gig in the sky in 2015 that perhaps left the greater legacy to rock music. Phil Taylor wasn’t even the longest serving drummer in the band, but that double-time kick drum on Overkill pretty much single-handedly launched thrash metal. The Five Hundred were clearly paying attention, and this, the band’s debut EP, showcases some astonishing drumming from the moment opening track Winters bursts into life. Like any self-respecting deathcore band, The Five Hundred mix up some brutal shredded metal screaming with some surprisingly melodic ‘clean’ vocal interludes. The vocals are great throughout, but the real star of the show here is the joyful, muscular sound of a band really rocking out. It’s pretty relentless, but brilliantly so. Check out Shutter to the Light and tell me you don’t agree. I dare you. Tim Sorrell

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