Poeticat – Smash the Floor EP Review

 

Poeticat are a band that WFM are quite fond of, mainly because of their unconventional style of music and how strange they are. After a streak of singles, Poeticat have finally released their debut EP entitled Smash the Floor, which seems to have been designed to complete exactly that.

Their interesting style of music is it at the heart of the EP, as it features in everything that the band completes. The contrast of the spoken words over heavy guitars and beats work increasingly well, as it is all pieced together nicely and not just thrown together.  This is evident in the opening song ‘Jetty’, as the vocals caress the heavy beat, and tame it, which is brilliant way of mellowing a strong guitar.

This is also happens in the following song ‘Centre of a Concrete Square’, as the words seems to dress up the heavier side of the music, without this it easily could be mistaken for just another rock –pop song, than an experimental one.

‘Rest Reprise’ steps away from this, as it slows everything down and the vocals lose their aggressive edge. This is where Poeticat are at their finest, as a giant microscope go over the vocals and they’re able to deliver, due to them being their best feature. ‘Kind Words Soft Kill’ and ‘3^rd Arm’ complete the album, and their style lives on through the songs. ‘3^rd Arm’ is a massive stomp on the ear, as it trudges on and the vocals clean it all up.

Smash the Floor is proof that Poeticat are not a one trick pony, and that they are capable of create a stable EP that can take hits, because it will receive them. Of course this will not be for everyone, as they’re use to their good old pop songs, but for the people who can muscle this, they will be able to appreciate this EP for what is, a good piece of work.

Words By Alex Wise @al4563

 

 

REVIEW: The Franklys – ‘Puppet’

The Frankly’s are a four-piece group that most definitely don’t look how they sound, which is always a pleasant surprise. On the surface they look like a nice girl group, that may sing in a colloquial accent, but when you hear them, its like listening to Joan Jett in her Runaways heyday!

“Puppet” is their latest release and it’s an upbeat, jangly song with a catchy riff and a memorable tune. “You never wanted me and kicked me down to the ground and left me there to die.” May not be the cheeriest lyrics that have ever been heard, but they easily enough get stuck in your head, and have you singing  for the next few days.

The jangly guitars, and use of handclaps are something that can especially enjoyed, as you find yourself sitting in your room listing to this song on Sound Cloud, clapping away like an over excited child at the sight of a birthday cake! Overall, a good catchy song that will probably stick in your head a long time after you’ve heard it.

7.0/10

Words By Emma Lawrence (emmalawrencemedia@gmail.com)

Barstow Bats – Barstow Bats EP

 

There was a time when we had decent UK indie bands coming out of everywhere, however to the slow change of culture, this has changed. We have seen a decline good indie bands , as other genres have slowly been presented to us and have been consumed, styles of music has slowly changed – Glocalization (Look it up). However sometimes there is the odd indie band that slips through the ceiling and gets some approval, which has happened to Barstow Bats, who are one of these good indie bands.

Their debut EP is a classic example of an indie bands early sound before it matures, as it has those punchy riffs, that early teenager angst and a lo-fi feel surrounding the chaos of it all. ‘Play Piano’ rolls the album off with a plain and simple catchy riff, which are easy to write but difficult to pull off in a song, as some music snobs catch a whiff of the simplicity of it all and immediately turn their heads. However they do pull this off, which is due to the matching vocals which don’t lack life or personality.

The vocals are a big part of an indie band as it can be this element that wins you over, whether it is rural accent or a larger than life voice, it has a vital say in the final verdict. The vocals have a hint of The Views vocalist, Kyle Faulkner, which is why it works so well with this sound.

‘Heartbreak Kicks’ has an attacking introduction as it stabs into your ear, and with the stomping chorus it makes a cliché of indie song, reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys. ‘Those French Kisses’ slows the whole EP down for a small period of time, as an acoustic guitar enters the fray, but with a heavy drop in the middle the song soon falls into its predecessors categories.

The songs are well put together as everything seems to be in its place, showing that the band know how to string along a song. However the production of the songs perhaps sell the band short, as it could do with some cleaning around the edges to make it that bit clearer in places. However this is only a small issue, one that can be easily rectified.

‘Marcitrio’ is a worthy closer of the EP, as it is the best song to feature it, and possibly has one of the most daunting drops I’ve heard this year. Starting off slow with a simple bass riff, the song takes a while to get into the meaty part, but when it does, you ears need to be held onto, as it is as heavy as a box of bricks.

The EP provides a strong case for the band, as it showcases some catchy indie songs that stand apart from ten for a penny bands. It will interesting to see what the band release next, as with a bit more development of the production side, they may have a hot potato on their hands.

Full EP Stream>>> https://soundcloud.com/exposurecitypr/sets/barstow-bats-barstow-bats-ep/s-9ubSw

7.5/10

Words by Alex Wise @al4563

 

 

Poeticat – 3rd Arm

 

Poeticat are a well-respected band at WFM, due to their controversial style and their refusal to adapt their music to a more familiar style. With their previous songs gaining pace and credit, they have continued their good work with their recent releases, this being one of them.

‘3^rd Arm’ is much heavier than their previous work, as the bass its terrifying due to the volume and the guitar riff sounds like something ripped off a classic heavy rock song.  However with this, they continue with their style and do not change it up as vocalist Zigi Jadovski delivers the well-crafted words by Catherine Martindale with conviction and meaning. The contrast of the heavy sounds and the soft voice of Zigi is special, as they seem to complement each other without even knowing.

Due to the emphasise on the lyrics and the vocals of their songs, sometimes the music gets left behind and not thought about, which will not do. Although it may be a tad too heavy and aggressive for some ears, it captures the feeling and anger that is possessed within this song.

It’s another good instalment from Poeticat, one which should see them gain more appreciation from music lovers, who look for something more than a good hook line in a song. Here’s to the next one.

Words by Alex Wise @al4563

6.5/10

False Heads – Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision has some interesting songs featuring on it including ‘Fall around’ and ‘Remedy’, however I don’t believe that this is enough to save the EP.

‘Fall Around’ starts the album well with space like sounds, a shredding guitar, and a rather heavy drum beat, which unfortunately can’t be heard to well because of the recording. However the problems occur when the next song hits. As much as I admire the angst and heaviness in ‘Without a doubt’, the timing of some of the notes take a bit away from the song as it all sounds a bit mismatch at times.

Their lo-fi sound is pretty impressive but by the sound of their guitars, I don’t believe that’s what the band was trying to achieve, as it feels like the music should be a lot louder and screaming out the speakers.

‘Remedy’ is possibly the best song on the album mainly for the lyrics and guitar work, as It seems to sit well together. Also as the band sing “Like an old remedy” you feel as though it could be an underground anthem in its own right. ‘Comfort Consumption’ tops the album, and with its slow and gentle sound, it’s much mellower than the previous songs. However the big ending rounds it up quite well, but you’re just aching for it to be louder.

It’s an honest attempt from False Heads, as they’ve managed to find their own sound, regardless of the fact that it may need tweaking just that bit more to get it right. The EP showed glimpses of brightness, and now is just a case of spreading that out through the entire album.

5/10

Ancient Times – ‘Nightschool’ Review

 

‘Nightschool’ is double A side from the band Ancient times, who hail from Bristol who at the moment are thriving musically.

The track offers a very prominent bassline and crashing drums all the way through, which are delicately coated with some soft Morrissey-esque  vocals. The lo-fi sound works as it gives that rough around the edge feel, making it more human and realistic, as opposed to pampered up song from out of space.

‘Hieroglyphic’ is the most important track on this double A side, with the vocals still flourishing over the track, we’re faced with a totally different sound and feel, as it’s just so much louder and in your face. Although the track is only two minutes long, theres enough there for you to sink your teeth into, like The Vaccines ‘Nogaard’, short, sweet and devilishly catchy beyond thought. A strong two songs from Ancient Times, which has been released a s a 7inch on Soft Power Records, a record label in Scotland. Their songs continue to impress, which is slowly building up the anticipation for a possible EP release which would do anything but let us down.

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Josh Taerk – Grace REVIEW

 

Acoustic love songs can go two ways, than can be really credible, relatable and generally a joy to sit back on your chair and listen to. However it could go the other way where it sounds like a man made out of cheese playing a guitar made out of cheese, with a cheesy plectrum, making the whole song sound a bit cheesy. ‘

Grace’ went right between the middle of these spectrums as the song held joyous melody and rhythm, but at the same time delving into some of the cheesier side of song writing, but not completely. As your bobbing your head to the soft strum of the acoustic guitar, you get hints of what Michael Buble would sound like if he picked up the guitar once in a while, as you get the lyric “ It’s hard to love somebody baby/ When you give love to everyone”. The chorus is something that you might find yourself singing after the DJ’s played it and you’ve had a few drinks. Unfortunately it’s not Taerk’s best piece of work, who has got some strong songs with ‘Smell the roses’ and ‘People in the room’, although the song won’t be to everyone’s favourite, but you’ll find hard not to sway your head.

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Words by Alex Wise @al4563

Allusondrugs – Stir

Band: Allusondrugs

Hometown: Castleford (West Yorkshire)

With a name like Allusondrugs you sort of get inkling about what you’re in for when you listen to their music, droning guitars, screeching vocals and not everybody’s cup of tea. The band live up to all of these expectations that have been laid out, and to some extent surpass them. ‘Stir’ is a guitar heavy song with vocals so haunting your socks would come off, the powerful guitar the most prominent part in the song as it sends shivers down your spine every time it appears.

A band with a name like this could easily be pigeon holed and discarded, but Allusondrugs have done everything in their power (Musically) to break out of that bracket as they prove they should be considered a good upcoming band, which they’ve easily done with this song along with the many others that lie in their bag.

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Your Favourite Enemies – I just want you to know

Band: Your Favourite Enemies

Hometown: Canada

Sounds like: Post-Punk

 

An audio wave on soundcloud can tell you rather a lot about the song that you’re about to dive into, when faced with his wave, it was just one big large block, which told me it was either badly recorded, or it was going to be unforgivingly loud. It was the latter. The recording was spot on and the track was as loud as an unwanted builder outside your house. Sharing a band name that could be attached to The Joker out of Batman, Your Favourite Enemy 4 minutes of solid and pure energy, sounding like a promising act to go and hear live. After the rush you get the from the intro, the vocals kick in, which are the type that you would hear from an American pop-punk outfit, with every vocal screaming ‘America’, this isn’t a bad thing.

Some of the tempo is lost when this is given to us, but they manage to remain entertained with the lyrics, not as witty as Arctic Monkey, but not as dumb as Oasis’ ‘Little James’. As the song goes on it takes a slightly haunting twist as the lead guitar comes into the fold, delivering some shivering notes and along with an effect pedal In play, it makes it all the more daunting. The song is crying out for mind-blowing solo to come and step up, we have these little ditty’s here and there, but nothing solid. Overall still a strong song with a lot of positive points, but unfortunately this won’t be changing the world, and getting the head labels on the phone.

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SHAAKE – Demons

 

As deafening as it sounds, loud guitars and drums are a very good idea, SHAAKE have shown this in their song ‘Demons’.  With a very live feel surrounding it, you get an itch telling you that ‘Demons’ could tear up an audience whenever the drums and guitar dropped.

https://soundcloud.com/weareshaake/demons

The drop and feel of it is all heightened with the use of the ghostly vocals that seem to whisper-sing to you from start to finish it makes the drums sound that slight bit more daunting. The structure of it all is very scattered, as it isn’t completely linear as most songs, this works in SHAAKE’s advantage because it contributes even more unexpected sounds which come from the guitar with that heavy yet playful riff. ‘Demons’ is a good song anyway, but to be a bands first song it’s very good and should be praised even more so.

Words by Alex Wise

@al4563