CDHARMACY1. Girl from Chile Track 1 ‘Girl from Chile’ begins with a jangly, distorted chord sequence that’s catchy and pleasing to the ear. The vocals don’t make an instant impact but the “Oh“ and “Girl from Chile’ refrain certainly does, as does the manner in which the guitar cuts in and out. A simple song but none the worse for it – concise enough to leave the listener looking forward to the next offering (‘Date with the Bar’) which begins quietly with bass and vocals. This time the lyrics are instantly engaging and interesting, telling the tale of a girl with a ‘handbag full of hate’. The dynamics work well. The musicianship isn’t breathtaking but this doesn't matter, the band sound tight and the guitar is brought in at the right time to avoid over-cluttering the track. There’s also a decent solo that somehow manages to be off-the-wall and precise at the same time. Track 3 ‘Carla’ perhaps offers little variation in terms of style but is different enough to warrant inclusion on the demo and serves to highlight how this group has a distinct idea about how they want to sound, which, to me, is pretty good and somewhere between Weezer and Sebadoh. Will Gray New Minds Eye - Remember Your Friends1. Remember Your Friends This CD holds a lot of promise. ‘Remember Your Friends’ is a concoction of grinding guitar and husky harmonies with a keyboard part that does a lot to lift the music out of the danger of slumping. This is bluesy pop which is arguably nothing new but still proves a worthwhile listen. A distinctive sounding lead guitar solo at the end of the first song makes up for the lack of bass and also the worry that the track won’t go anywhere. ‘Death by Drowning’ is the group’s contribution to the recent Engine Room compilation and is another enjoyable example of organ soaked pop delectability, arguably the strongest tune of the three. ‘Split the Scene’ is a bit funkier but it’s the same formula, establish a groove and see where it goes. Where it goes sounds a bit like stoned Terrorvision at times but that might just be my tired brain! There’s a vague feeling these songs drag a little on CD but I can vouch for the fact they really fly live. I would be happy to hear anything else on offer from New Minds Eye. Will Gray April Price - 2nd Demo1. Yesterday’s Gone This is another nice demo from April Price which does a good job in conveying the exact nature of one of her performances. It continues in the same vein as the last demo which is a pleasingly melancholy blend of acoustic guitar, sweetly sung lyrics and harmonica. An attempt has been made to exert more discipline over the strumming which generally benefits the overall recordings and allows the songs to better connect with the listener. Whilst the influence of early Dylan again hangs over first track ‘Yesterday’s Gone’, a simple but enjoyable number, Track 2 ‘Elmo‘ exhibits a bit more variation in style and is tinged with a certain sadness. Track 3, ‘The Road‘, follows the same trend and is another reflecting and thoughtful number. It’s not quite as polished as the other two songs but doesn’t stop you from wanting to hear the CD again. ENGINE ROOM RECORDS: LEEDS 2005 – Various ArtistsWhilst the first instalment of this compilation around a year ago featured some great tracks, things have obviously moved on for the ‘Engine-Roomers’. More time seems to have been taken to ensure there’s an overall quality and cohesiveness to the album and the sharpness in production values implies all the bands involved believed enough in the CD’s potential merit to want to donate as good a recording as possible. So jolly well done to all involved! Vatican Jet’s ‘Ramona Loves VJ’ is as good an opener as you could want to hear. There’s enough bravado and rowdiness in the Pixies-inspired delivery to whet the appetite for what follows and this track’s short, sweet and straight to the point. The Somatics deliver an uncharacteristically concise number with ‘Can’t Believe It’s True’ complete with blistering guitars, fiery drumming and nicely crafted harmonies that deserve repeated listening. Enter The Sunshine Underground with ‘The Way It Is’, a treat of a track with sumptuous bass, stomp-a-long rhythms, electronic overtones, catchy funked-up guitar licks and an accomplished vocal delivery. Time for The Acutes to present us with their most accessible pop song ‘Set On You’. This is a charming number that bounces along pleasingly in a manner that displays well the appealing percussive aspects of Matt Shallcross’ drumming style as well as serving as an effective overall snapshot of the two-piece’s song-writing style. There’s something Beefheartesque about some of the instrumentation in O Fracas’ ‘Moth To A Flame’ conjured up in the same way as The Coral did with ‘Skeleton Key’. This track manages to be curiously off the wall and catchy as hell at the same time, which, in a nutshell, is arguably O Fracas’ main strength. This Et Al have been winning plaudits locally and nationally for some time now and listening to ‘Mother Was A Vulture’ is an effective means of finding out exactly why. There’s a whiff of Radiohead and Elbow about the intro but this gives way to a dirty, clunking monster of a bass and guitar dominated passage complete with dark, wailing vocals before dropping back to the aforementioned ambient opening dynamics. Buen Chico arrive to brighten your mood with a track that reminds you why when The Libertines broke through you liked them. It’s a boisterous, punchy and melodic number but don’t arrive at the conclusion this group are merely Libertines’ copycats because a Buen Chico set hints at a wide range of influences expressed via a pleasing array of different material. New Minds Eye get back to the roots of rock’n’roll with ‘Death By Drowning’ firing out pleasing bluesy riffing with pretty organ sounds formed around, most importantly, a strong melody. The Bad Beat Revue serve up another slice of pure rock’n’roll with ‘Still Cheating’ and this song is a fitting testament to the pure energy of their now sadly departed front-man Pat Sherry, a natural born entertainer. Itch provide a forceful introduction to their music with ‘Do You Know What Fear Is’, a nice contrast between quiet, jangly guitar and loud sections that really allow the vocals to hit home and all done to an interesting tempo/arrangement. The Breech now possess many admirers due to their obvious knowledge of how to craft a good tune and ‘The Shores’ is another example of how coming up with an effective arrangement seems to come naturally to them. Similarly talented in terms of penning a good tune, The Young Professionals have risen from the ashes of The Bilderburg Group to give us one of the most catchy tracks on the compilation and carrying on in the same vein of catchiness immediately after are The Smokestacks with ‘Zanzibar Jones’. This song is so pleasing to the ear it’s a shock to the system when Bilge Pump suddenly blast out ‘5ft Freebird’ and it’s probably safe to say you won’t have heard much music like this – I urge you to see them live as they’re an experience and a half. Samsa are another act that deserve praise for their contribution to the live scene and ‘Throw My Weight’ is a real delight if you appreciate the melodic and melancholy. ILIKETRAINS do what they do best with ‘The Last Days of Winter’, epic, slowly shifting, gradually building and distinctive music. The well regarded Downdime donate the penultimate song on the compilation. ‘Shine’ is an interesting track with some well thought out variations in structure and a mesmerising keyboard part that drifts along beautifully. It’s left to the enigma that is David Thomas Broughton to round off this stunning compilation and his intriguing brand of slightly mournful acoustic ambience is a fitting finale. Buy this CD and get to grips with what makes the Leeds music scene so highly thought of. Will Gray To find out more about The Engine Room music night and record label click here! Unexploded ShellsEP no. 1 1. Tender Kisses ‘Tender Kisses’ is not the most convincing of openers. The vocals sound a bit off key and the lyrical content is undermined in parts because the singing’s a bit clumsy. The subject matter perhaps doesn’t interest the listener enough and the chord sequences and general instrumentation do not prove imaginative enough to make up for it. That said it would be good to hear it reworked or find out whether it possesses more of a spark played live. Will Gray Keith - 'Hold That Gun' EPKeith appear to be moving ever closer to realising their promising potential with this EP. The title track’s more than a strong opener. A bouncy intro gives way to a song that really soars, as instrumentally majestic as it is intriguing lyrically ‘Hold That Gun’ exhibits effectively executed rhythmic transitions, great melodies and a solid all-round performance – if you want more than this you’re overly fussy. Track 2 ‘Faces’ lives up to the challenge laid down by the first song. Subtle guitar lines and enticing drum patterns present your ears with the necessary intricacies to hold your interest and the arrangement builds very nicely indeed, alongside the kind of harmonies so well executed you almost don’t notice them. Third track ‘Mona Lisa’s Child’ initially possesses a darker ambience than the first two songs but still develops to retain that bounciness that’s becoming so identifiable with this group. This track offers more space for the keyboard to shine and this song has arguably the catchiest melody on the whole CD. Onto track 4 and ‘Bled a Rose’ grants you a more melancholy listen with vague hints of Turin Brakes. It’s perhaps a simpler arrangement but proves no less moving for it and has a certain mournful quality that anyone who’s not emotionally retarded should find touching! Track 5 is the ‘edit’ of Track 1 so I won’t say anything more other than it’s…….wait for it………shorter! Will Gray YSN - 'One Look (It's Love!)'1. One Look (It's Love!) YSN continue to fly in the face of the trendily abrasive guitar fashion of the moment with this latest instalment from their musical production ‘Conquests’. Though perhaps initially less catchy than their previous release, ‘One Look (It’s Love!) lacks nothing in terms of imagination with regards to the arrangement that features stuttering drums, piano and synthesiser sounds thrown at the listener with enthusiastic abandon, and vocal lines pronounced with the fervour of a singer unabashed in his attempts to cultivate, unashamedly, an instantly recognisable pop persona. Track 2 ‘The Greatest Game’ explores the notion of love with similar reverence for the electro-pop of the 1980s - not one for the skate punks that hang out at the mall this, but I doubt that’ll phase YSN for one second. The intro to track 3 ‘I’ll Sing With All My Heart’ sounds like an outtake from Fleetwood Mac’s Tango In The Night, but, soon enough, the familiar blend of sounds and influences evident in the first two tracks return, bringing joy to anyone yearning for a combination of Adam and The Ants and Orange Juice and horror to anyone that despises the camp and the theatrical. They’re not going to please everyone but I guess they knew that already! Will Gray Vatican Jet - Green Demo1. Ramona Loves VJ The obvious follow-up to their ‘Red’ and ‘Yellow’ demos, this latest ‘Green’ demo sees Vatican Jet develop their rock/pop formula and the result is something even more interesting than the previous two CDs. Track 1 ‘Ramona Loves VJ’ is essentially a Pixies inspired instrumental intro that begins with some ear-catching feedback before fading into an appealing guitar line straight out of the Joey Santiago text book. You can vaguely pick up the lead singer’s vocals repeating the title of the song but these are sacrificed in favour of the simple rocking of the rhythm section and, of course, the aforementioned guitar line. All this builds impressively into a smouldering finale – both imitation and innovation go hand in hand here to produce an enjoyable tune. Track 2 ‘Sum1 2CU’ appears to pick up where the Pixies theme left off with a very grandiose sounding guitar intro but things gradually get more poppy after the first verse and repetition of the initial riff. This is an interesting mixture of different influences and the backing vocals work well. My only minor criticism would be that the guitar work slightly overshadows the vocals in terms of how loud they come out in the mix. This is undoubtedly a great track though with lots of different bits that fit together well, including a really floaty, ethereal section that’s executed brilliantly. Track 3 ‘Plan B’ keeps the stomp-along quality of VJ’s music going and features some vocal ‘oh-ohs’ that the Kaiser Chiefs would be proud of! Again, the backing’s sublime and this track captures a certain live feel that won’t do the band any harm in terms of getting people to their gigs. The way in which the track ends with the vocals pushed to the fore aptly encapsulates how Vatican Jet have managed to make the overall production of this demo more interesting whilst retaining a high standard when it comes to the obvious quality of their material. Will Gray Daniel Orlick - Calling Out to Boredom Nation1. Devils Seed It’s not often you get handed a 28 track demo for free at a gig so I thought I’d better try my best to write a review. I don’t have time to go into great detail regarding every track but let me begin by saying if you get the chance to see Daniel Orlick play live then snap up the opportunity. As long as you’ve wet your whistle and you’re in a pleasant mood, you’re in for a giggle. Mr Orlick gives you an acoustic set worthy of a place on BBC 1’s ‘The Stand-up Show’. Like Bill Bailey has been prone to do, Orlick employs music to get his sense of humour across. Unlike Bill Bailey, I presume Orlick regards himself as a musician before a comedian, and his adeptness at spanning different genres, be it with obvious simplicity, serves to back this up. He’s a modern day folk performer with more than just a comedy edge and he had this reviewer sniggering, chuckling, and downright guffawing throughout his set. There’s a political message that’s easy to receive if you’re tuned in but where many performers can alienate an audience with the heaviness of their diatribe, Daniel Orlick is well aware that the best way to win peoples hearts and minds is to have them laugh, be it at or with him! This CD makes pleasant listening whether you’re having a toke and giving it your full attention or just leaving it playing in the background. Whilst the guitar strumming for the most part is rudimentary, with reggae seemingly a formative influence, when it comes to the singing the boy’s got soul! Book this interesting character for a prime time TV comedy slot now! Will Gray David Thomas Broughton – The Complete Guide to Insufficiency1. Ambiguity Despite the modern twists evident in Broughton’s music, for example the process of looping and layering live guitar and vocal, there’s a definite timelessness about his style. Sounding like some forgotten blues/folk singer, ‘The Complete Guide to Insufficiency’ abounds with innovation that distinguishes Broughton from the average acoustic performer. Recorded live in a church hall, the net result is a very real insight into the haunting quality of Broughton’s music close up. Whilst on first listen, some of the songs may sound a little clumsily presented, there’s a real virtue in the honesty of the production (courtesy of Ghosttown Recordings) particularly in an age of over-production. Furthermore, the initial awkwardness of the manner in which some of the different sounds intermesh disappears rapidly with every separate audio intake as Broughton’s approach really begins to grow on you. The melancholy, and at times morbid, beauty of what is heard exists alongside lyrical black humour, note the words of second track ‘Execution’; ‘I wouldn’t take her to an execution, I wouldn’t take her to a live sex show, I wouldn’t piss or shit on her would I, Because I love her so.” Those dissatisfied with the imperfections of this CD should bear in mind the manner in which it was recorded and also accept that Broughton possesses more than just the potential to hone his overall preciseness as, already, he exhibits the natural talent which, we hope, will serve as the vital artistic prerequisite in creating future masterpieces Will Gray  |
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