FIDLAR - Why Generation

1.   Who are these piss holes giving the finger?

FIDLAR are a ‘wanks on planks’ garage punk band from Los Angeles, USA. The lads have been stirring shit, and been on it, since 2009. Why Generation (Feb’16) is the fifth single released from their second long player Too (Sept'15).

2.   So what kind of tune do we have here?

After showing signs of great promise, finally, a pearler.  A mellow garage punk groover with a noisy chorus and a god honest, albeit brief, lead guitar break followed by some surfy lines in the coda.

3. Who do FIDLAR sound like?

Twin Peaks, SWMRS, GHOSTS, The Orwells and Public Access TV spring to mind.

Some say Wavves are the go to band. Thanks Pitchfork, I was asleep at the wheel. On that topic, FIDLAR were asked if they thought they are similar to The Orwells. The answer was “fuck no.” But the good oil is King Tuff and Bass Drum Of Death.

4. What is the good word from the press?

About the single Why Generation, Consequnce Of Sound drew a big, big, big bow, calling it “a smartly layered commentary for a song about millennial struggles and failures.” Someone get me a hankie for my eyes, I laughed so hard I cried. Spin Magazine weren't over enthused “a weird little detour into the British Invasion,” they sniffed.

About the album Too, some semblance of sanity returned over at COS as they commented on the “tight riffs and jangly power pop melodies,” before losing the plot again sure the album is,“as trashy and as thrasy as they come.” Oh shit, I didn't piss myself this time but I did dribble a bit. Muppets. Clash Music came to the rescue lauding “a fantastic second effort” and the “catchy riffs and partying.” Spin were feeling the “throaty barks and feedback-shot riffs,” while Pitchfork hit the nail on the head “a crisper, almost radio-friendly effort.”

5. Who are FIDLAR’s influences?

FIDLAR's influences are Black Flag, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wu-Tang Clan, The Beastie Boys, Elton John, The Band, Thee Oh Sees, The Black Lips, Jay Reatard, The Pixies, The Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke and Toto. Toto? A recent Spotify list from the band is smoking. Standouts include Sublime, Suicidal Tendencies, Warren Zevon, Black Sabbath and Creedance Clearwater Revival.


 6. Why should I give Why Generation a go?

Having a pop at phone obsession and singing about contemporary anxieties is to be celebrated and FIDLAR are exploring worthy themes. No one expects them to do it articulately. They are a punk band and funny ass motherfuckers with some style. Why Generation represents a band moving forward lyrically and musically without neglecting the punch of their earlier material. While the term earworm is vile, it is appropriate.

7. Do FIDLAR have any other good tunes?

Sure. 40 oz. On Repeat is the lead single from the second album and it nails it. Massive sound. Of course West Coast doesn't miss with it's swing either. I Just Wanna Die is an acoustic number without being lame. Unlikely but true.

8. Are there any other pertinent facts to share with your observant audience? 

Why yes indeed, my fine fellow. The new album Too was produced by Jay Joyce who put the shine on albums by bands like Sleeper Agent, COIN, Coheed and Cambria and Halestorm.

The casual observer will note much is made of front man Zac Carper’s past drug use in the press. Worth note are some of the sour notes in the otherwise privileged life Zac has had. He said,“I stopped doing heroin, I stopped doing meth, I stopped smoking crack,” while crediting in part Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong. As you do.

“How to live in the twenty-first century, 

When every move you make, everyone can see?”

Pudding today is from one of New Zealand’s finest, a national treasure and heroes of the nation, the alternative rock band Shihad. The band have been supplying the smash hits to Kiwis since 1988 and racked up five consecutive NZ number one albums in the process. The finest and most celebrated of which is The General Electric (1999) an album produced by Garth Richarson who did the same for Rise Against, Biffy Clyro, You Me At Six, Chevelle and the best albums from Rage Against The Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  

My Mind’s Sedate was one of a triumvirate of big swinging singles from the album and found them straying slightly into punk territory. 

“Extract the venom spit it over your shoulder”

 

Night Beats - No Cops

1.   Who are these likely looking lads?

Night Beats are a garage rock band who fight out of Seattle, Washington, by way of Texas. They catagorize their genre as experimental rhythm and blues. These hard cases having been making noise together since 2009 and have three long players in the bag. No Cops (Nov'15) is the second single to roll off their third album, Who Stole My Generation (Jan'16).


2. So what kind of tune do we have on our hands?

An instant garage rock classic that throws back to the golden oldies. If it's not on a Tarantino soundtrack you've got the feeling it soon will be. It's got a Dylan-esque vocal over a stomping four to the floor and reeks of whiskey, bar fights, leather and gas. The lead has surf rock trimmings but like a car in a drag race the song has gone past before you've soaked in all it's glory.


3. Who do Night Beats sound like?

No Cops is cinch match for Hold Tight by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich. More contemporarily Animal House and Figure It Out or Allah La's Every Girl are playing in the same ball park.

In general Night Beats music sends out a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or Allah La's vibe. Django Django's retro feel even, in the far left field. Recourse to the experts tells me Consequence of Sound name checked 13th Floor Elevators, Red Krayola and The Cave Singers. Heavenly Recordings added BRMC and Black Angels to the mix while Clash Music were the ones tripping when they threw down T.Rex.


4. What is the good word from the cut and paste jackals? 

One would hope in vain to read a review without a reference to acid. Nothing against acid, everything against the reviewers who should be sent to climb dick mountain one painful gobble at a time. Clash Music were to the fore of this shit storm saying No Cops is “a dirty-as-hell piece of blues-driven psych, reminiscent of T-Rex at their preening best yet filtered through the haze of a bad trip.” Another of their reviewers threw a dart at the board describing No Cops as “broody, vastly atmospheric psych-punk.” Consequence of Sound took a novel approach and listened to the song, hearing a tune that “straddles the line between rollicking fun and frustrated disenfranchisement.”

Who Stole My Generation “sounds like it has been created against a backdrop of burning Stars and Stripes flags and with the whiff of napalm hanging in the air,” according to Heavenly Recordings and is “a contemporary take on the psychedelic experience, a heady set of hoodoo voodoo songs.” If you are reading Live And Die Music. DIY Magazine were listening to an album that is “a collection of scorching fuzz-rock.”

5. So who are Night Beat’s influences?

The band are on record as having love for Buddy Holly, Fela Kuti, Etta James, James Brown, Leonard Cohen, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones. Their frontman also said that he became a singer and formed a band because of the The 13th Floor Elevators.

6. So why should I give No Cops a spin?

A song that confronts a serious social issue like police brutality in an increasingly violent police state is always worth one listen but it's the garage rock meets a V8's wheels slapping the black top sound, married with impassioned vocals, that will bring you back for seconds.

7. Have Night Beats got any other belters?

Ain't A Ghost has a dash of The Kinks but refuses to go the full hog and Burn To Breathe has a lazy funkiness to it. Short answer no.

8. Any good gossip to share?

Indeed. Singer and lead guitarist Danny Lee Blackwell said, “There’s a big problem in the US with people being killed for no reason. Men with egos, power, and too much responsibility abuse it. Our single ‘No Cops’ is a direct attack on the police system in the US.”

Who Stole Our Generation? is produced by Nic Jodoin who has gotten busy for Desert Noises, Black Rebel Motorcycle and Amusement Parks On Fire. The album also features co-production and guest bass playing from Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club who collaborated extensively on the long player.

The Night Beats have been on fluffer duties for bands like The Zombies, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Black Lips, The Strange Boys and The Growlers.

 

“Even the cops gonna give me a hard time

ain’t going to lose my cool I just gotta find a good line”

Todays dessert  comes with a cherry on top and is courtesy of a garage punk rock band from Sydney, Australia. Royal Headache have been kicking arse and taking names since 2008 and have two stone cold classics in their pocket. High (2015) received rave reviews including a five stars from five from The Guardian who knew they were listening to “Australia’s best rock band.”

Royal Headache’s fans and shows are famously rowdy and last May they stormed the stage and forced an early end to one of their concerts at the  Sydney Opera House prompting their singer to say “drunk rock’n’roll fans are dumb and police are even dumber.” High features a triumvirate of songs to die for, the title track High, Carolina and Little Star. Little Star (2015) is the diamond in the rough. A garage love song.

“What’s the point of living?

If we can’t understand the truth?

Not worth it!”

The Big Pink - High Times

1. Who are these sharp dressers?

The Big Pink are an electronic indie rock band from London, England, and have been on the job since 2007. High Times (Nov'15) is the lead single from their new short player Empire Underground (March'16) and the band have two long players on their resume.

2. What kind of tune is High Times?

A mellow electronic number with sweet female cooing that doesn't go anywhere fast. Like true love, love for the tune will grow slowly on you, until one day it's just there and an unmuteable truth.

3. Who do The Big Pink sound like?

A movie soundtrack. The experts at MTV say they are similar to M83, Youth Lagoon, MGMT, Hot Chip and School Of Seven Bells. 

4. What is the good word from the press?

Not a lot of buzz to be fair. High Times is“filled with moments of legitimate euphoria” say Consequence Of Sound. A tune with “booming drums and a soaring chorus” thought Stereogum. The Fader felt the “caverous beats and walls of fuzz” while KRCW called it an “esoteric slow burner” and Brooklyn Vegan heard a “a stomping anthem.” Someones got to be wrong there.

5. So who are The Big Pink influenced by?

There has been mention of love for Niki Minaj, My Bloody Valentine, The Stone Roses, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Rihanna, This Mortal Coil, Britney Spears, Nirvanna and Guns'N'Roses.

Elsewhere influences like The Happy Mondays, Smashing Pumpkins, Jane's Addiction, Wu Tang Clan and NWA get a big up.

6. So why should I give High Times a spin?

Just let it dwell on your playlist and you will find yourself singing along and eventually checking the name of the band. It's catchy but chill.

7. Have The Big Pink got any other good un's?

Hit The Ground (Superman) was the big hit in 2011 and got plenty of airplay and Tonight brings the guitars and isn't too shabby.

8. Any other bollocks?

Yeah check out the personnel on the new E.P. Empire Underground. Dave Mc Cracken has produced for Sone Roses frontman Ian Brown and Alan Moulder has put nose to the grind for The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Arctic Monkeys, Foals, The Foo Fighters and The Smashing Pumpkins.

“It's about high times
Feel up with the fast mind”

Stirring the custard today is a random, Twinsy. They are an Australian indie dance band and have been doing the do since 2012.  They want to make music in the tradition of The Avalanches. Water Bombs (2012) has been called a Calypso tune and dangerously catchy. The chorus is dynamite.

“And I don’t care, who you hit as long I know that it was fair
”

  

VANT - Parking Lot

 



 

1. Who are these intense looking individuals and why do they like they want to trash the house and bugger the cat?

VANT are a punk rock band from London, England. They have been creating searing tunes since 2014. Parking Lot (Sept'15) comes blazing off their second seven inch of the same name. They have come like the four horsemen to right the injustices of the world.

2. What kind of tune is Parking Lot?

A big ass rocker with a chorus as sticky as a paedos hands after a kindy visit and with garage punk stylings.

3. Who do VANT sound like?

Parking Lot minded me of Pretty Vicious straight off the bat and then Jet, The Vines and The Subways after a bit of thought. Even early Foo Fighters and late Ramones at a stretch.

BBC Radio think if you like Circa Waves, The Strokes or Queens of the Stone Age you will like VANT. QOTSA? For fucks sake you knob jockeys. NME reckon they sound like MC5 warring with Death From Above 1979. The Sunday Times are minded of The Strokes, The Vines, The Manic Street Preachers and The Vines. Clash Music were feeling good Green Day too.

4. What is the good word from the press?

The jackals are feeling the love. Josepvinaixa nailed Parking Lot summing it up as,“A perfect radio-ready rock anthem with a killer chorus.” “A fast, furious and fiery grunge beast,” left fielded Gigwise. “A concoction of stop-start riffs and fiery grunge dynamics”, said Banquet Records, leaving me to reconsider the meaning of ‘grunge’ before Clash Music went up the guts with, “Sagacious garage punk with a groove.”

5. Who are VANT’s influences?

The band get their fire from The Kinks, Frank Black, Fugazi, The Clash, Rage Against The Machine and The Pixies.

Front man Mattie Vant's recent playlist features Wavves,Ty Segal, Tame Impala, Spring King, Clean Cut Kid and Dan Croll among others.

6. Why should I give Parking Lot a spin?

Does anyone remember rock'n'roll with something to say? It's a god damn pleasure to write about bands like this and Louis Berry but it's also as rare as rocking horse shit. Most important Parking Lot has a massive grinding rock sound as hard as being butt fucked with the muddy end of a barge pole, married to a chorus that is so contagious Thai hookers have been issued a health warning.

7. Do VANT have any more bangers?

The Answer is the real deal. A proper showstopper featuring lyrics like “Keep sucking my dick, while my friend fucks your momma” and actually has something to say about the aggression of Western foreign policy and the cost in the east. Do You Know Me? is sound as a pound too.

8. Is there anything else I should know?

On the topic of Parking Lot Mattie Vant has said, “ ‘Parking Lot’ is about boundaries and how people don't respect each other enough. It's to do with the choices we make, particularly when young, and the way those choices can affect other people.’

On the topic of song writing Mr Vant testified, “My concerns are worldwide things. It’s not strictly centred around the UK - it’s wars, global conflict, global warming.”

The band have been on fluffer duties for Royal Blood and fronted shows for The Bohicas, Blossoms and FIDLAR.
 

“ Like a gunshot in a parking lot
No one heard, no one saw ”

 

 

 

Todays slippery seconds is courtesy of Illinois alternative rocker Ike Reilly. The man has words to day about the current political climate in the States on Hangin' Around (2014). He is signed to Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist, Tom Morello's, Firebrand Records. Tom said of Ike, “In my view, he's one of the best American songwriters of the last 10 years, both in delivery and lyrics. It's, like, part Springsteen, part Replacements.” Hangin' Around is a hard rocking number with a punk message and is the lead track from his highly rated 2015 album On Fire.
 

“I would lick the sweat of the human resource boss

Just to get a little time with her outside of these gates”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Krrum - Evil Twin

 

1. Who is this sharp looking character?

Krrum is a dark electronic pop musician and producer from Leeds, England, who has been chopping tunes since 2010. Evil Twin (Jan'16) is from his debut short player of the same name.

2. What kind of tune is Evil Twin?

An electronic tune with smooth as a baby's bum vocals. The horns are massive and as sticky as a fat man's crack, sitting on a leather sofa in summer. And there is the ladies vocal loop which is as contagious as a Thai hooker's taint at five in the morning. All told Evil Twin is a quirky and eclectic song that flows past like a gentle stream but with the horns and loop providing a big ass hook.

3. Who do Krrum sound like?

Evil Twin makes FEiNS Grownupz spring to mind because of the chop and Alex Vargas and Shackled Up on the left field on account of the flow. Consultation with the experts reveals Stereogum plumped for comparisons with SOPHIE and Indie Shuffle were feeling the connection with Life Is Better Blonde's Mine.

In general Indie Shuffle felt the vibe of Jamie Lidell, Jack Garratt and A-Trak in Krrums work and We Are Going Solo gave the nod to Ben Khan and Jai Paul.

4. What is the good word from the cut and paste jackals?

Plenty of love abounds. Clash Music big upped the hirsute dude calling him “an avant pop prodigy” and decribing Evil Twin as “Avant pop with an R&B twist, the distorted sense of electronics was matched to a real melodic flair.” Stereogum leapt into the fray praising the tune's “absurdly catchy beat” and labeling it “quirky and soulful.”

We Are Going Solo said, “This new gem mixes distorted and slightly hoarse vocals with bombastic brass,” and Stage Door FM thought the “combination of alt/rock underpinned by Krrum’s electronica-focus is sure to appeal to mass audiences.”

5. Who are the Krrum’s influences?

Krrum get's his shine from artists like Gorillaz, Justin Vernon and Jai Paul. Krrum has also said Bon Iver is one of the most inspired artists ever and he has all his albums. He did a remix of a Bon Iver tune too.

6. So why should I listen to this tune?

The horns man the horns. Evil Twin sounds like a genetic variation of music that survival of the fittest will ensure is procreated and will in time represent a significant step in the evolution of music.

7. Do Krrum have any other good un's?

Morphine is great.

8. Is there any other shite to know?

About his new song Krrum said,“ Evil Twin mixes a blast of brass with infectious, distorted vocals, inspired by all the things about you that you don’t like or regret doing, and personifying that as someone else.”

Krrum has been on fluffer duties for Leeds indie popsters VITAMIN.

Krrum is signed to 37 Adventures, the same label who have released music for JONES and Basement Jaxx.

“Looking like a Hitchcock scene

I’ve been sleeping under trampolines”

Sinful seconds is from FEiN and Grownupz because, hell yeah, this is a fucking great tune. An alternative electric duo from Los Angeles who are influenced by Mother Mother and Portugal.The Man. Grownupz  was initially released in 2014 but got a re-release in January ’16. There’s a lot of that going around these days but it's all worth it if we get to discover gems like this.

“Someone told me that a happiness it come from deep inside

But I bet he’s poor I bet he live a shitty life”