Morrisey - Low In High School

(Words by Gareth Burra)

Cracking Morrissey album, this! The strongest sounding Morrissey album since 2004's You Are The Quarry, very easily so in my opinion - yeah Christ, I really enjoyed this one. Great sound here, especially from the very grand opener "My Love, I'd Do Anything For You", with its horn section coming into play, adding to that nice big band vibe. I keep going back to this one - a definite favourite!

I won't waffle on about this album too much or pick it apart, but I will say that it is a very solid Morissey album; one that if you are a long-time Morrissey fan I'm you'll very much enjoy. And if you aren't? We'll you'll probably still continue to stay well away from it hoho - I realise he's not to everyones tastes, but this is cracking.

As well as that awesome opener, highlights for me would be the single "Spent The Day In Bed", as I really like the little keys jingle, which mega makes this song, as well as the lyrical content too on this one. "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up On Stage", which aside from being a good song in general, I really like the drumming. Lovely drum sounds here (as there is throughout the whole album, mind you). Whilst we are on the subject, the instrumentation aspect of this album is 10/10 to be fair, a fantastic sound. "Home Is A Question Mark" is also very much one I keep going back to here out of the bunch as well as "I Bury The Living", again another mega huge sounding one.

Great record overall, what else can I say!? Listen to in it's entirety and enjoy.

Killing Joke - Pylon

Pylon is the latest (at time of writing) in a long line of consistently excellent contributions from the legendary Killing Joke. It would be rather cheap of me to say the ol' "if it ain't broke..." thing that I always say, but that is somewhat true here: Pylon offers nothing new to the Killing Joke palate of sounds, but that is absolutely not to say that it doesn't offer a whole new menu of phenomenal tracks, boasting a massive, impressive production thanks to Tom Dalgety (known for working with (uch) Ghost, and having been a producer at Wales' own Rockfield Studios). 

"Autonomous Zone" and "Dawn Of The Hive" kick things off in proper Killing Joke fashion; the former boasting a spine-tingling bass guitar performance. "New Jerusalem" brings more of that Hosannahs... grade brutality'n'chug to the table, whilst tracks like "Big Buzz" show that the band are still more than capable of unfurling massive euphoric choruses. If you are looking for beautifully crafted, slightly weird and paranoid industrial rock, then you really should look no further. 

Faithless - Reverence

I can't tell you how rare it is that I come across the perfect album, and I mean that in the sense of when on a record every single song is flawless; each piece contributing not only to the overall experience, but able to stand its own ground without just being needless filler. Faithless are not a band that I spin all that often anymore, but if I'm in the mood for this style of music, then I can accept no substitute. 

Faithless is a bizarre multi-genre affair mixing the work of the DJ Sister Bliss, producer Rollo (who is Dido's brother) and MC Maxi Jazz. What we get, on Reverence at least, is a strange hybrid of dance, pop and indie. On later records the band's style would become more sparse and less dance-orientated, but Reverence is 90s Britain to the absolute max. The opening title track mixes lazy, smooth hip hop with throbbing techno, whilst "Salva Mea" is a trip in lush, lucid house; "If Lovin' You Is Wrong" is a raunchy, jazzy, almost theatrical pop explosion, and "Dirty Old Man" plays on the tropes of dub reggae in the most subtle way. 

On top of those you've got "Flowerstand Man" with Dido on the lead vocals, the life-lesson of "Baseball Cap" and the now legendary "Insomnia", which catapulted Faithless to the top of the charts upon its release. The fact that "Insomnia" - probably one of the most memorable dance tunes of all time - is such a small part of this album really speaks volumes to the strength of the songwriting on display here. This nearly 9-minute epic is on the same record with ballads such as "Don't Leave" and "Angeline", which should be jarring and fractured, but somehow it all just flows perfectly. The audacity of it all, eh? 

Irregardless of where Faithless went with their sound after this record, I am genuinely strugglingly to think of a stronger debut album from any artist, in any genre.

Jimmy Eat World - Integrity Blues

(words by Burra; eater of worlds, rustler of Jimmies)

Here we have the band's latest 11 track release: Integrity Blues; a beautiful sounding record from start to finish, and one that definitely shows off the slower, softer side to the band (which I love) with lots of atmosphere and lots of emotion. Haunting, soothing and yet, at times, harder hitting. 

It's very difficult to pick any stand-out tracks from this album, simply as this is a band that when I choose to listen to them, I can listen to the album in its entirety, rather than single out any specific tracks. I feel that is the type of band that Jimmy Eat World are. For arguments sake however, I do really enjoy "Get Right", with it's dark, driving riff and big chorus; one of the somewhat heavier tracks actually from this little bunch. "Sure and Certain" too, for that big, happy-sounding chorus alone. I also enjoy the soft yet moody "Pretty Grids", as well as "Pass The Baby", which builds and builds slowly until out of nowhere in comes those surprising riffs to lead the song out. But, as the entire thing all flows so well I won't delve any further into picking the tracks apart!

In a nutshell, this is just a really nice sounding record, and there's always something about Jimmy Eat World's music that gets me lost inside it. I'll admit that Clarity, their 1999 release, is one of my favourite albums ever, so it was of no surprise to me that I really enjoyed this release. Haven't really got a bad word to say about this, if you're a fan no doubt you'll enjoy, and if your new to them I still recommend a listen.

Future Of The Left - The Plot Against Common Sense

Future Of The Left are one of those rare bands that my friends are into that I can also get into. I'm a stubborn fucking dickhead, so when someone tells me to listen to something, I usually don't. So, the fact that I love this album is nothing short of a total miracle, but the love comes in heaps, and for good reason. I initially gave the whole thing a chance on the strength of "Beneath The Waves An Ocean", which has a bass riff dirtier than a Tory politician rolling in a mud pit at Reading Festival.

The whole thing is a bizarre mix of indie-style rock wrenched into odd time signatures and filtered through a scuzzy lens. I guess it's kinda like feeding The Strokes into a meat grinder whilst listening to John Zorn's Naked City, or something like that. "Goals In Slow Motion" is one of my favourite songs here; and if not more straight-forward than a lot of the tracks (think REM meets Green Day, seeing as we are on the subject of ridiculous comparisons), it does however possess a bangin' chorus hook which more than makes up for it. Church.

Gorillaz - Gorillaz

The Gorillaz self-titled record was the first album that I ever owned. Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory (unfortunately) holds the title for first record ever bought, but Gorillaz was the first thing that I seriously jammed, and it was instrumental in developing my interest in music as a serious hobby. Back in the day I had this terrible transparent blue Aiwa tape walkman / radio combo, and I played the livin' fuckin' guts out of my crappy tape copy of this.

Most people are surprised I love Gorillaz so much simply because I can't fucking abide Blur. But, what drew me to Gorillaz first album was the thick dubby aspect underneath the pop sensibilities of the band's songs; the thick spine of bass and chunky, dusty drum programming. The dirty, mechanical rumbling holding together the melancholic "Tomorrow Comes Today" is a perfect example of the grimey, almost-VHS-like vibe of the rhythm section on this album.

Then there's, obviously, "Clint Eastwood", with all that bagged up sunshine, and the bizarre first appearance of Del Tha Funky Homosapien, the rabid "Punk", the epic "Sound Check (Gravity)" and the downright fucking awful "Latin Simone". From the raucious rock of "M1 A1" to the introspective, arcade machine tomfoolery of "Double Bass", the whole thing is dripping in dirty dub vibes, a trend which unfortunately did not continue on later Gorillaz recordings (despite the fucking glorious Spacemonkeys spin-off dub remix album, Laika Come Home).

Don't forget, kids - it's the music that we choose.

Public Image Ltd - What The World Needs Now

(Words by Burra, Porth's Official Ambassador to the Outside World)

I went into this release not sure what to expect, but what a fun record! Opener "Double Trouble" immediately sets the mood with John Lydon's spoken intro; a catchy number with a catchy, repetitive bass line and an indie pop guitar sound. There is a similar vibe and sound throughout the whole record, instrument-wise, mixed in with angst-ridden yet humorous vocals and lyrics from Mr Lydon.

I think what really draws me in to this record is that it has really damn catchy songs! So many hidden little pop hooks and harmonies throughout. The track "Bettie Page" for example, showcases this point, as does "Spice Of Choice". We do have a few slower, stripped back numbers too however; "C'est La Vie" for example.

The more I listen to this the more I like it - a great album.

Marilyn Manson - The Pale Emperor

(Words by Burra, Porth's last hope for redemption)

I'll be honest, I went into this album not expecting a great deal, and with the mindset it would never be another Mechanical Animals (for me Marilyn Manson's finest hour). However, I was actually quite surprised by this record; it holds itself up quite well as an album. I think it is definitely the best thing to come out of the Marilyn Manson camp, in recent years at least.

I was first drawn into the release after hearing the track and seeing the video for "The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles" which I feel also happens to be one of the album's strongest tracks. Manson really won me back over on that one. Other highlights from the album include "Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge", which is a dark, slower number with a really catchy and repetitive guitar hook throughout, as well as (I feel most the Mechanical Animals-era sounding track) "Cupid Carries A Gun", and also the brilliant "Deep Six", with it's very early 2000's sound and nu metal-esque riffs.

Overall not a disappointing album at all, there are a few weaker moments here and there, but otherwise a very decent offering and one that shouldn't be dismissed.

John Nolan - Sad Strange Beautiful Dream

(Words by Burra)

Sad Strange Beautiful Dream is a solo album from Taking Back Sunday guitarist/backing vocalist John Nolan. I've been meaning to give this a listen for a while, after being a fan of Taking Back Sunday since the beginning as well as enjoying the Straylight Run project, so I thought I'd actually sit down and give it a good listen.

This is a very mellow and minimalist album. I actually find it quite refreshing and laid back to listen to; it's quite nice to get an album like that, so this is definitely an album I would turn to if I'm looking for something to put on and just chill out too. There's quite a bluesy, maybe folkier-style sound here than what the masses would know John Nolan for and a break away from the emo/post hardcore sound those would maybe associate him with.

There is definitely a few stand out moments here, especially with the quiet ballad-like number "Drinking Your Way To Confidence"; one of the album's finest moments, and one that really showcases John as a songwriter and his comfort-ability in this style of music.

Overall a great album, and one that could easily hold it's own without the Taking Back Sunday association, if such is the case. Well worth a listen.

Exit_International - Chainsaw Song

I picked this up because a few of my mates really like Exit_International, and swear by their unusual bass guitar driven sleazy rock swagger. It was also nice to see a 7" for sale locally, of a local band, so that swayed me. I love bass guitar focussed stuff, and I've heard a fair amount of it over the years, but this, well, it just bores the guts outta me. Exit_International have got their sound, and I respect them for it, but it literally does nothing for me at all.

It's hard then, to really continue writing a review about this 7" without getting negative, which is something I want to avoid doing because Exit_International aren't exactly bad, I juste don't like them. Anyways, this a single release of a track from their Black Junk album, released by the Undergroove label in 2012.

Swans - Can't Find My Way Home

Ever onwards through collecting the Swans discography! Ever onwards....

Unfortunately, Can't Find My Way Home is one of the weaker tracks off the somewhat-hated The Burning World album (and a cover song to boot), so this single doesn't really do anything for me in that respect. It is merely a completists item for me, as I go on to collect at least one version of every release Swans have put out. I have the 7" version here, although there is a 12" version of this single in existence, which I believe possesses yet another extra track. 

 

The b-side here though, is a cripplingly-weak acoustic re-working of "(She's A) Universal Emptiness", which is one of my favourite tracks off The Burning World. This version, is for some godforsaken reason, sped up in tempo, and not only sounds rushed, but loses it's depressive and brooding feeling. 

To briefly conclude; this release offers nothing to the Swans discography in any way, and is entirely a completists item. I do not recommend purchasing it to anyone, anywhere.

Anathema - A Fine Day To Exit

This is one of my favourite Anathema albums - if not my favourite out of them all (that I have heard). It was also the first "soft" Anathema record I got hold of after discovering the band didn't play doom metal anymore. I spent a while worshipping the Serenades album, which was probably one of my first introductions to the ultra-slow and miserable side of doom metal. I was so excited to see the band play live at Download 2007, as they were one of the few decent acts on the line up. Having only heard Serenades, you could imagine the fucking shock I had when the band took to the stage (with Lee Douglas in tow, as I believe they were still touring A Natural Disaster at the time). 

It took me a while to adjust to these fancy English-folk with their flowery shirts and uplifting music, and A Fine Day To Exit helped me greatly to appreciate the softer side of music! For somebody who through 2007/2008 was pretty much 100% living and breathing shitty grindcore, A Fine Day... was one of my more experimental purchases, but it has through time cemented itself as one of my favourites. I don't really listen to it that much, but when I am in the mood for it, there really isn't anything else that can be accepted as a substitute. 

Opener "Pressure" is epic as fuck, which a huge piano leading a stomping drum beat and soft vocals. Second track, "Release", starts off all twinkly and acoustic but develops into something much more progressive and "rock-band" based. This song can really sum up what Anathema is all about! "Underworld" has one of the weirdest (and best) guitar riffs in the history of music and track seven, "Panic", is one of my favourite songs of all time, sounding like an upbeat and slightly heavier (and a whole world less boring) Radiohead. I won't go into every song here, but the four above are probably my favourites so I'll just leave it at that.

 

If you've never heard Anathema I implore you to check out the link below and chillax to the fuckin' max. If you're a regular on the metal or rock festival circuit, keep your eyes out for these charming gentlemen as they still seem to play a rather large amount of heavier festivals. I guess that's where their roots are, as are a lot of their fans despite their softer sound, and whilst they do seem out of place sandwiched between the likes of Candlemass and Turisas etc., I promise you it will be a refreshing and eye opening break. 

STLS - Drumcore

Now this is a funny one. Meet STLS, an all-percussion group. This is their debut - and only - release to date, the Drumcore EP. Drumcore is basically four "songs" constructed out of the grooves and percussion of two very busy drummers. A bit dull at first, even a bit artsy-fartsy for some, but once you've played it for long enough you begin to appreciate the effort involved here.

 

Gone are the days of my impulse buys, so it is a pure fluke that this 7" is in my collection. It was bizarrely listed on the Relapse webstore, which is odd because they don't usually cover stuff like this. The question that needs to be asked though, is if I knew in advance of STLS' sound, would I have still bought the record? And the answer is no. Out on the indie label Kill Rock Stars.

 

I can't find any links to this so here is a video of STLS getting their drum on at some art festival.

Swans - We Rose From Your Bed With The Sun In Our Head

Whilst I wasn't quick enough to snag one of the original hand-made run of 1000, and whilst I am not rich enough to pay some prick hipster cunt with a wardrobe full of berets £90 for a second hand copy which no doubt they have never even played, I was finally able to get my hands on this live album when Mr. Gira thankfully re-pressed an unlimited, non-special edition run on CD. Phew. Unfortunately, this does not contain the excellent acoustic demos that the original hand-made version has, but that is a small sacrifice to pay.

I don't think I've ever been as excited about a live album before in my life. As a general rule, live albums suck ass, but at as far as Swans is concerned, I think they break enough general rules in music anyway so why not snap the live album rule too? They seem to put a live album out for every single era of their existence and they've only done one fairly shit one so far (Anonymous Bodies... anyone?), so that's not too bad going! Before The Seer came out, I needed something to compare with the utterly exhausting and all-encompassing experience that is Swans live, but My Father... just didn't cut the mustard. I love the record, but it is lacking in the certain intensity that Swans hold as a live group. We Rose From Your Bed... kindly provided me with that Swans-feel right in my own home, until The Seer came along and gave me a brain haemhorrage due to it's severe awesomeness.

When Swans play live, the songs become drawn out, almost improvised versions of themselves. The fact that the incredibly simple "No Words / No Thoughts" is dragged out for over 20 minutes here should be worrying, and to be fair when I saw them at Roadburn I was a bit confused as to what was actually going on,  but every single time the intro riff is repeated over and over and over, instead of getting more annoying, it gets more anxious; it keeps building and building until it eventually explodes. This is the general rule here - the seeking of total sonic annihilation! You can't fault Gira and Co. for not living up to that!

 

Just looking at this record makes me excited for the up and coming UK tour in April. A recent Facebook status by Gira informs us that in recent gigs, the song "The Seer" has mutated into something that is now one hour and a half in length! Jesus fucking Christ! I have recently been "diagnosed" with tinnitus and need to source out proper hearing protection before heading to more shows, but I just cannot imagine listening to Swans with earplugs in! It would be Sacrilege! Out on an unlimited run on Young God, and signed by Michael Gira. 

Martin Grech - Open Heart Zoo

This is one of those albums that I forgot about for nearly a decade until one day it's existence just came crashing back to me like some sort of acid flashback. Of course, all that was left to do was to buy it off Amazon for 3p. In hindsight, I'm not sure if it was worth it.

The title track is a totally epic and original composition of heaving modern-classical and emotional vocals. It builds and builds and then explodes like a typical post-rock song (without sounding anything remotely like the genre). And from there on in, things go downhill. "Dali" is enormously heavy for a track in this genre, although the extended LP version does get a little bit tedious. After that, this record sadly sinks to the unfathomable depths of Radiohead worship. Every single song begins to sound the same, which is total fucking disaster considering they all sound like bastard cunting Radio-fucking-head.

"Penicillin" is probably the most boring and drawling song ever written in the history of the world, and closer "Death of a Loved One" is an absolute test of patience. You can see how brilliant "Open Heart Zoo" is compared to the rest of this pile of shit by checking out the video below. This was put out on some overblown major label, which I think is Universal. Martin Grech went on to make a whole bunch of albums that I couldn't give a fuck about.

Swans - The Burning World

Hmmm, this is going to be a controversial one for me. I don't know how I can write about this without being downright horrible about one of my favorite bands of all time. Hard Times. Fuck it, here it goes. Burning World is Swans' sixth album, and marked the final nail in the coffin for the early days of audible hell. Industrialists, grinders, artfags and noise nerds dropped their support for this band in fucking droves the moment The Burning World hit the shelves, and it's very easy to see why. Even compared to the tamer-than-usual sound of fifth album Children of God, The Burning World is a hundred thousand miles away from anything Cop or Filth. Gone are the dirging bass rhythms, the relentless and pounding drums, the hellish and fucking loathsome lyrics! In are all the acoustic guitars in the world, a plethora of studio session musicians, a major label budget and THAT Johnny Cash crooning. Yikes!

And thus began a period in the history of Swans that both Jarboe and Mr. Gira like to pretend didn't happen. In retrospect, Gira admits to "loathe" The Burning World, and he even repressed the two albums to follow it on a compilation called Various Failures. You think he's trying to tell us something? The fact that he didn't repress The Burning World for fucking aeons also cements the fact that he hates this record, and even when he did so in the compilation form of Forever Burned, the pressing number was significantly lesser than all the other Swans re-issues. Following "gay" Swans records White Light... and Love of Life went on to achieve something of a cult status (I personally think Love of Life is spectacular) but The Burning World sank like a stone and for the most part remains in the depths of the music world where nobody gives a shit about it.

I've seen this and the CD version go for some ridiculous prices online so when I saw it for like £15 on Discogs I snapped it up, mainly because I am a massive Swans fan boy and simply must get every single record (I cringe at the day I have to fucking buy The Great Annihilator which is by far their worst output), and in all honesty, it started to grow on me. I don't really know why, because it is a shameless, major label funded, Bill Laswell fueled try-hard attempt to break into the mainstream, but I gotta say, The Burning World has a few great songs. If the tribal drumming aspects of "Mona Lisa Mother Earth" aren't good then I might as well be deaf, "Universal Emptiness" is far more impressive that similar-sounding depressed cunts The Smiths and "Saved" is the best song in the world for describing my life. I don't deserve it, but I'm Saved.

Until the disappointing chorus kicks in, "Jane Mary, Cry One Tear" builds and builds in such an epic fashion, with heart-wrenchingly depressing lyrics, and closer "God Damn The Sun" has gone on to become a Gira acoustic classic. It is the only track on this album that stands head and shoulders above the rest. It is purely one of the most goddamn fuckin' miserable things I have ever heard. Even though Swans changed just about everything to do with their sound, the same themes remained. Okay, it's not quite "push your ass up / cry / open your mouth / here's your money / cry / this feels good" or "somebody weaker than you should rape you, bastard" but the lyrics still center around demons, loss, death, depression and apparent incomprehensible self loathing. I think then, we can forgive the mighty Swans this one hiccup! Long live the crushing monster!