Nell Davies made a video for Never Wrestle With A Pig, a track from her The End of the World or Whatever EP: "Part riot girrrl, part pop artist, Nell Davies attacks her material with a hammer and a smile. Look no further when in need of a song telling people to fuck off. This kind of ramshackle catchiness is irresistible."
HCTF review of The End of the World or Whatever
Dutch '80s inspired quintet Morgendust did not waste time coming up with a follow-up for their Monuments of Men, which was released only a couple of months ago. The Art of Breaking kicks off with the political lead single High Horse, an in-your-face anthem that is part satire and part serious about the worldwide rise of right-wing idiots, but the rest of the tracks are keeping it closer to home: a nameless protagonist at a party with all the other guests being lonely as well (Can't Escape) and wanting to shut out the outside world to find some peace of mind (Sunblinds).
There is a token ballad about feeling guilty and ashamed (Broke Your Heart), with keyboards acting as a string section, but they saved the best for last. Old One starts out as a gentle song that becomes powerful as the track progresses, a trick that will be familiar to Marillion fans, albeit with more adventurous percussion bits.
French post-punk sextet HERE[IN] keep the sound of 80s cold wave alive on their Can You Hear Me EP, with six soul searching tracks. The contrast between the vocals and cello on one end and the wall-to-wall rock approach on the other might take some time to digest, but the overall mood of sensual darkness, despair and anger will persevere in the end.
Rock 'n' roll was once widely considered as a dangerous scheme to corrupt the youth and while it now has been superseded by other genres that freak out narrow-minded parents it is good to know that there is band in Bordeaux soldiering on to put self-doubt and emotions in the spotlights in a timeless, old school way.
German alternative progressive septet Taihr set up to create a prominent space for each of its members on their Alicanto album, which - spoiler alert - contains seven tracks. Did it work? Well, kind of, but in the long run their blend of easy on the ears jazz, funk and math rock gets superseded in a good way by the voice of Génesis Trinidad Gálvez Jaramillo, whose impressive range is smack in the middle of the mix. Also: flawless command of both English and Spanish.
Make no mistake: there is an awful lot going on, which is to be expected with a bunch of highly versatile players. There are plenty of "what the fuck" moments included, but they are always part of their singular goal when they entered the studio to record their sophomore full-length: get their audience on their feet and dance the night away. With Alicanto, named after the mythological bird from Chilean folklore that led miners to treasure, they have struck gold.
Canadian psychedelic raga band Elephant Stone are not afraid to take a stand. After the release of the Everything Evil single earlier this year, they turn it up a notch with Fascists Killed Yer Rock 'N' Roll, proving that a distorted sitar can sounds as nasty as an electric guitar.
It is another first taste from their new album ASHA, due for release on August 28th via Elephants On Parade/Little Cloud Records. It is available for pre-order here (vinyl, digital).
