The Charlatans - Plastic Machinery

1. Who are The Charlatans? 

The Charlatans are an indie rock band from Northwich, England. They started in 1988 and were part of the Madchester scene of the late eighties and early nineties. Plastic Machinery is the first single from their thirteenth album Different Days (May'17). 

2. What kind of tune is Plastic Machinery? 

The guitar riffs keep Plastic Machinery grounded as the vocals float in the ether. A perfect throw back to a distant era. 

3. Who do The Charlatan's sound like? 

The Charlatans sound like The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays, and The Courteeners. 

4. What have the press said about Plastic Machinery? 

“Crunching, soulful” – Clash. 

“The much loved outfit continue in their rich vein of form” – Tenement TV.

“Sounding as fresh as day one” – YouTube Comments.

5. Which bands influenced The Charlatans? 

The Charlatans main influences are Bob Dylan, The Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses, The Rolling Stones, and Joy Division. 

6. Why should I listen to Plastic Machinery? 

Because you like to pay your respects to English rock'n'roll royalty. Because the lads sound fresh as a daisy. 

7. What are the best Charlatan's songs? 

The Only One I Know is the classic, Stones Rosey, tune from their debut album. Come Home Baby has a joyous singalong chorus and is the stand out track from their last album. One To Another is a Happy Mondays-esque tune from the 1997 album Tellin' Stories. 

8. Any more words?

Johnny Marr (The Smiths, The The, The Cribs) and  Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) played guitar on Plastic Machinery. Pete Salisbury (The Verve) is on drums. 

Different Days is co-produced by Jim Spencer (Oasis, The Cribs, The Vaccines). 

Davey Dynamite is a punk/folk musician from Chicago, Illinois, playing since 2010. Old school punks love his latest album Holy Shit (2016). Davey Dynamite is similar to Against Me! and Frank Turner. He is influenced by Neil Young, Frank Turner and The Clash. Friends Not Fans (2012) is a heartfelt tribute to the punk scene and a stinging rebuke to bands who treat fans as consumers (and a catchy-as-chlamydia punk tune).

“Let’s make one thing fucking clear,

I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t here”

The Rifles - Wall Around Your Heart

     1.    Who are the lads?

     The Rifles are an indie rock band from London, England. Playing together since 2004 they have recorded five albums. Wall Around Your Heart (July'16) is from The Rifles' fifth album Big Life (Aug'16).  

  

     2. What's have the chaps cooked up?

     Wall Around Your Heart opens with a delicious lead break and crackles with pent up energy juxtaposed with the soft vocals. A drum and vocal breakdown adds deliciously to the mix and we are done and dusted around the magical three and a half mark. Classic English indie guitar music. 

3. Who do The Rifles sound like? 

The Clash, The Jam and The Stone Roses.
   
   
4. What have the press said about Wall Around Your Heart?

“An instantly catchy pop song” – Music News.

     “A passionate cracker of a track” – Little Indie Blogs.

     “Luvin it lads” – You Tube Comments. 

   

     5. Which bands put the spark in The Rifles?

     The Rifles main influences are The Clash, The Libertines, Ash, Guns ‘N Roses and Van Morrison.

     6. Why should I give Wall Around Your Heart a whip around the ears?

     Wall Around Your Heart has elements of classic English punk meshed with more refined song-writing and production without losing essential vitality.

     7. Do The Rifles have any more good songs?

     Heebie Jeebies is the stand out banger flying along like a Ferrari on an empty highway. 

     8. Anything else?

     Big Life was produced by The Rifles’ regular producer Charles Rees (Paul Weller, The Strypes, Albert Hammond).

“I’m a liar if I say I’ve never been,

In a mess like this before”

    

     

     The Spitfires are an indie rock band from Watford, England. Started in 2012 and influenced by The Jam, The Clash, Arctic Monkeys, The Specials and The Smiths. On My Mind (July'16) rampages off their second album A Thousand Times (Aug'16) and is a rock pop tune that has been said to be "stunning with it's anthemic chorus and soaring melodies."

“I clearly care”

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Blossoms

Blossom’s are an indie rock psych-pop band from Manchester (Stockport), England. Cut Me And I’ll Bleed (Mar’15) is just their second single (albeit a re-release as it is the third track off their first EP Madeline (May’14). The song was described by Clash magazine as “...an emphatic piece of psych-pop, one draped in 60’s references...” and the band’s music by Gods In TheTV as “...swaggering, hypnotic and psychedelic pop gems.” The band have a variety of influences that include 60’s influences (The Doors, The Zombies), 70’s disco influences (ABBA, Chic), 80’s influences (The Smiths, The Stone Roses) and more modern ones (Arctic Monkeys, The Coral).

 

Cut Me And I'll Bleed has a great melody in the chorus and that’s it. The band seem all fart and no shit to me. But what a chorus. Sticky as a priests hands after confession. The verses are atmospheric pop reminiscent of 80’s pop like Duran Duran or The Cure. But that chorus, complete with snappy handclaps, is pure melodic gold. Cut Me And I’ll Bleed is as contagious as a cheap Pattaya street hooker’s sausage smuggler after midnight and, easy peasy, one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“The winter frost, from the night
Comforts me”

 

Shit you need to know:

The band that started in 2013 and are a media darling.

The band have been compared to Oasis, The Stone Roses, and The Beatles. Blossoms are also compared to The Doors, The Zombies and 13^th Floor Elevator.

Blossoms have been on fluffing duties for bands like Howling Bells, The Orwells,The Rifles and Inspiral Carpets.

 

The Blossoms' manager put nose to the grind for The Stone Roses and The Courteeners.

 

Blossoms got their band name from a pub of the same name.

 

Blossoms were going to call the band Born In The NHS after the Bruce Springsteen song.

If you need more Blossoms then At Most A Kiss, Charlemagne and Blow don’t suck donkey dick.

 

Stirring custard is English psychedelic garage pop band The Zombies and their biggest hit She’s Not There (1964). I don't know why.

“Well, no one told me about her
How many people cried”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - The Helio Sequence

The Helio Sequence are an indie rock duo from Portland, Oregon. Well Beaverton to be precise. Ha ha, Beaverton. They have been making tunes together since 1996. The band were described by Buzz Bands as being “purveyors of cerebral indie-rock” and have diverse influences from the likes of 50’s jazz to Frank Sinatra to Chameleon to Slow Dive.

 

Stoic Resemblance (March'15) is Mancy gold much like hearing the Stone Roses classic Made In Stone for the first time. But this tune at just over three minutes is taut. The bass, drums and hooks are right up front for a rollercoaster ride into dreamy indie with noisy guitar assisted crescendos. A song dealing with existential anxiety this has a trippy vibe “...I can’t be bothered with reality...” and is a proper arse-shaker. This is the kinda song you name check like John Cusack's character did in High Fidelity with The Beta Band. This is top shelf. This is one of the best indie songs of 2015. This is the amazing Stoic Resemblance by The Helio Sequence.

“When I see you walk

you got me weak in the knees”


 

 

 



Shit you need to know:

“Stoic Resemblance” is the lead single from the bands sixth album, self titled, “The Helio Sequence” (May’15).

“Stoic Resemblance” is “the most pop-friendly things the duo have put to tape” according to a Seattle radio station, while Under The Gun Review thought it a  “a perfect indie-pop jam” and Buzz Bands big-upped it by calling it a “rager”.

Paste Magazine called the self-titled album “their best work yet” and a “euphoric, career-defining album”.

The band consider the new album to be there most “in the moment” because of the spontaneous process of recording and freer from obvious influences than others.

The drummer Benjamin Weikel drummed on two Modest Mouse albums Good News For People Who Like Bad News and No Ones First And You're Next.

The Helio Sequence songs with shit that don't stink are October, Upward Mobility and Keep Your Eyes Ahead.

 

 

The dodgy double dip comes courtesy of fellow Portland natives and alternative rockers The Dandy Warhols. Bohemian Like You (2000) remains their biggest hit.

 

 

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - Theo Verney

Hell yes! Theo Verney’s Mountain Rose (Feb'15) is one of the best indie songs of 2015. A drumstick count in propels the song straight into a dirty little low key groove that the tune choogles along on. Verney’s voice on this track is a ringer for Ian Brown and the song sure as shit has a Stone Rosey feel to it. No it’s not just the fucking title.

The guitars give it the juice in the chorus but the vocals remain soaring above lending the tune an expansive, timeless and epic quality. There's a bit of fun and bounce in the verses, more rock than shoe gaze, more Stonesy than Rosey. Not a tune to inspire instant devotion perhaps but like an STD it grows fast on you, is fun to get and hard to get rid of.

Theo Verney is a one man band in the studio and a hard rocking three piece on stage. They come smoking out of Brighton, England. Theo has been on the job since 2013. Mountain Rose is from his third short player Brain Disease (May'15).

Shit you need to know:

Theo Verney pitches a tent for DIY. All the instruments were recorded by himself and he produces his own tracks.

Get's his kicks from 70's rock like Frank Zappa, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Theo Verney also admitted having a chubby for Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and The Black Lips.

Theo Verney has been compared to Ty Segall.

Theo Verney supported Two Gallants in London last month.

Wake Me Softly is a fucking goodie and so is Heavy Sunn.

 
Double trouble today comes from Australian rock band Kingswood and their stone cold classic Ohio (2013).

“She was standing at the show
Why? I guess I'll never know
Should I stay or should I go?”

The Best Indie Songs of 2014 - The Preatures

 

The Preatures Better Than It Ever Could Be (Feb'14) is worth it just for the shimmering magic opening guitar jangle riff. Oh no, really it is. It's instant euphoria. Take twenty seconds out of your day and find yourself on an instant high.

And just when you're proper happy with that enjoy the rest of a very classy song.

 

 

 

The Preatures are a five piece indie guitar pop band from Sydney, Australia, who have been around for about five years. They released their first album Blue Planet Eyes in September of 2014.

Divine inspiration comes from various sources but includes Fleetwood Mac, The Divinyls, Prince and David Bowie.

Other pearls of Preatures excellence include Is This How You Feel?  and Manic Baby.

The bass in one of those tunes reminds me of the iconic Manchester alternative rock band The Stone Roses.

So here is their best tune ever She Bangs The Drums(1989).