Band - BATS
EP - Cruel Sea Scientist
Release Date - now (purchase through their website)
Label - Armed Ambitions
Sounds Like - ‘STAB’ spelt backwards.

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BATS could well be Ireland’s best kept secret. I’ll wager that hardly anyone knows anything about them and are more familiar with Australia’s The Bats. Anyway, I first discovered BATS at a gig, supporting the infallible Down I Go. I was blown away. They were an intense rush of pure adrenalin-fuelled snappy-punk rock that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. After downloading and listening to the demos on their myspace, I finally got hold of their EP “Cruel Sea Scientist‘ which I’m going to talk about in the next few paragraphs.

More bands need to write songs as snappy as opener “Death To Kent Hovind‘ - heck, it should be made compulsory. Despite only clocking in at 1.36, this aggressive attack on the American Young Earth creationist does its job in portraying the incredibly black humour BATS convey in their music. “FUCK YOU KENT!” Bats cry, before intoning the ominous chant of “AND BATS WILL DESTROY YOU!” (I sometimes find myself muttering this under my breath, particularly towards anyone that has wronged me, so y’know, watch out.) This is all backed up by the suitably ‘portent-of-doom’ grinding riffs, which only heightens the glorious loathing the song conveys.

After this, BATS take us on a journey involving the discovery of egg caches, the sinking of a ferry as well as mating sea anemones. “These Ones Lay Eggs‘ falls somewhere between the punk rock sensibilities of Trail Of Dead and the stop-start time change of previously mentioned touring pals, Down I Go. What BATS do best though, is the combination of this fiercely abrasive rock with some wonderful melodies that weave between the polar opposites of pop and metal, whilst their gravel-voiced vocalist fires off hoarse screams about making ‘compound yoke’ and other gruesome discoveries.

There are so many things to love about this EP; the truly fantastic art work is one, the quotes referencing the discovery of sea monsters is another, but it’s the songs and how beautifully constructed and rich they sound. Take the outro riffs on “Husband & Wife‘ - they’re played with such dexterity and conviction, emphasising the heart and soul the band have poured into this short body of work.

Although I’m not entirely sure of the band’s influences, I feel that Seattle’s Blood Brothers are responsible in some way. The aforementioned “Husband & Wife‘ is a prime example, containing the same dissonance in sound and furious post-punk tendencies as does the trippy and tortuous stomp of “Atom & Eve.’

Those of you sick to the back teeth of “indie-dance-pop’ bands and want some relief in the form of the darker side of post-punk rock, then check out BATS for a healthy serving of eggs and sea creatures. A cracking release from a promising and quite brilliant 5 piece that actually make me excited about new music.

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Links

BATS official site
BATS myspace
Armed Ambitions

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By Ross Macdonald

Hey everybody do you like:

1) Wearing Hawaiian shirts all the time, even when it’s -25 and raining like a bastard?

2) Saying “pick it up, pick it up, pick it up, yo!” and dancing like a coked up windmill?

3) An abundance of trumpets/trombones/saxamaphones in your music?

4) Bands with ‘wacky’ tripled barreled names and songs about travelling?

Well then you will be pleased to hear that Gainesville ska punk metalheads, Less Than Jake are re-releasing their back catalogue through the record label Cooking Vinyl and their own label, Sleep It Off Records. So if you missed getting hold of their first album ‘Loser Kings and Things We Don’t Understand‘ like I did, you can buy it now (released 3 days ago) with all new brand-spanking artwork and a bonus dvd (which I think features footage of the album being played in it’s entirety.) Also, ‘Pezcore‘, the b-sides album ‘Goodbye Blue and White‘ and the DVD entitled ‘A People’s History of Less Than Jake‘ will see full re-release.

The band are apparently working on their 9th studio album (I know, pretty impressive for a band that sing about pez, leaving towns behind and some guy called Mike) which, according to punknews will combine ‘third wave ska and pop-punk in each song.’ Hmmm… we shall see. Seriously though, I can’t help but feel a little excited about this; I mean anything has to be an improvement on the songs I heard from ‘In With The Out Crowd‘ - urgh.

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Video

Here’s some footage of Less Than Jake playing ‘My Own Flag‘ at Reading Festival 2002 (yeah, I was there….)

Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.

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Links

Less Than Jake
Less Than Myspace
Cooking Vinyl
Sleep It Off

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By Ross Macdonald with help from punk news.

With Smash Hits magazine gone to the great pulping machine in the sky, it seems that alternative music magazine Rock Sound has taken over its legacy of garish colours, fun free sticker sheets and massive posters of various gurning musicians. Well, in issue 107 they have. I mean come on. Is this really what people want? It seems a great shame that they are disguising what is always a well-written and informative music rag, beneath the staged false sneer of Paramore’s jailbait singer and various other embarrassing ‘eye-catching’ taglines. Are they aiming for a different audience or something? Should I start reading something else to get my daily mix of music news? Probably - I could always switch to Plan B. There’s no way I’m going back to Kerrang, what is this, 2001? Needless to say, I still bought RS. Hey, there’s a review of the Rocket From The Crypt album I want to read about and the free CD has got to be worth a listen, right?

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Cavalera Conspiracy - Sanctuary

“This album is fucked up” - not my words, but those of Max Cavalera on his new project with his brother Igor. I’d say more “fucking average’ really. Okay, so I’ve only heard 1 song but the lyrics sound like the warped ramblings of a 3 year old: “everybody dead tonight, everybody dead tonight, SANTUARY!” Max roars. Yeah, great stuff. Bog-standard speed-metal. I know I’ve only just started, but can I go home now?

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Protest The Hero - Sequoia Throne

There is no way I’d see a band called Protest The Hero. Right, moving away from that, this isn’t too bad really. Promising start; nice screechy-guitars that show some experimentation and technical proficiently to what is basically, a hardcore band attempting to play metal.

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Cry For Silence - Nightmare

I actually saw these guys about 3 years ago at my student union supporting Fightstar. They were ok actually, very Poison The Well-ish. I’d assumed they’d split. It’s perhaps not good that I can’t see a distant change between this song and the last is it? I prefer the guitars and the vocalist’s phlegm-gargling roar to Protest The Hero’s though. However, they lose points for the ‘fade out.’

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Cursed - Into The Hive

Much, much better. Cursed’s guitars sound so down-tuned and grimy that they may actually be being played in hell. Easily the best track so far and the only one I’ve wanted to put on repeat. Cursed seem to have a way of filling the listener with a deep-seated loathing for everyone and everything, especially when the words “INTO THE HIVE!” are spat out with such hate.

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Year Long Disaster - Leda Atomica

Year Long Disaster play “rock “n’ roll’ apparently. Yeah, so does everyone, mate. I’m sorry, but on first impressions this just sounds like a slowed down version of Wolfmother with more ostentatious guitar flourishes. Good vocals though from guitarist Daniel Davies though.

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Youthmovies - Last Night of the Proms

Calm down guys, jeez. There seems to be so much going on at the same time here, it’s difficult to pick out what’s happening, albeit the seriously catchy keyboards and the sombre trumpet parp. The vocals smack slightly of Thom Yorke, whilst other parts give nods towards a kind of miss-matched progressive-pop rock hybrid that I’m guessing is hideously popular in the mild-mannered indie-kid circles I fail to tread in.

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Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly - The Children Are (The Consumers Of) The Future

Well that’s 3 minutes I’ll never get back. Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fall Screaming To A Sickening Bone-Crunching, Blood Splattered Death.

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...And So I Watch You From Afar - The Machine (Part 2)

An instrumental offering then. The inconsistent nature of this track reminds me slightly of rowdy rebels, Oxes (but without the fun) but also touches on a wonderful enveloping nature that Isis would be proud of. Spirited and resourceful, definitely one to keep an eye on.

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HEALTH- Crimewave

“A passion for percussion” - thanks Superhans. Yes, this is how I would describe HEALTH. Heavy use of the rhythm section, combined with some lovely scrawling feedback, disconnected vocal-wails and even more drums means that this Los Angeles 4 piece are in my good books.

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Secret Lives! Of The Freemasons - Life Begins At 40oz

So this isn’t New Found Glory then? Mind you, name any pop-punk band and I’d say “yeah, this is one of their tracks! It’s about girls or something?” and we could all go back to looking up videos of Chinese guys singing Backstreet Boys songs. Pleasant chorus though, so they drag themselves up from minus points - but only just.

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Gwen Stacy - The Fear In Your Eyes

Re-arrange these familiar phrases into a coherent description for me: “CHUNG CHUNG, *MELODIC VOCAL BIT*, “CHUGGA”, *RIFF* *SHOUTY BIT*, “CHUGGA-WEEEEEE”, “WEEEEE”, “CHUGG”, *SHOUTY BIT,* *MOSH BREAK*, “CHUGGA”, “CHUNG-CHUNG.”

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Fight Amp - Lungs

Fight Amp actually sound so much better when they are not doing the “it’s really boring now” hardcore thrash. They should stick to the gloomy, head-banging dirge of mutilated noise and grunge-heavy metal that most of this track seems to comprise of.

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Eternal Lord - Get To Fuck

The winner of best song title this month goes to Eternal Lord. I don’t even have to listen to this track to know that it’s going to be damn good (*listens anyway.*)

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Rotten Sound - Alternews

This must be a drum machine, right? Or at least 4 drummers. Or a robot. Or something. Anyway, “Alternews‘ by the excellently named Rotten Sound features some horrific grind/thrash stick-work, complete with some truly foul/distorted guitars. (Basically, they sound great.)

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The Ocean - Calymmian

I really, really like this. A blissful, atmospheric instrumental that even my dad would enjoy up to the 3:30 mark where it all goes to shit and some guy starts bellowing as loudly as possible. Cue 5 minutes of some nice winding “riffs-a-plenty’ uncompromising metal interspersed with some calming violins.

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Links

See above. I’m off to listen to emo bands with really ‘tappy’ sounding guitars as that’s all I can stand at the moment. Well, that and Rancid’s version of ‘Don’t Call Me White‘, which I’m still in two minds about. It’s either the best cover I’ve ever heard in my life or the worst. In fact, next feature will be on this cover, so stay tuned and any other bands that have recorded a version of this NOFX classic. I seriously doubt it though.

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By Ross Macdonald

Band - Alec Empire
Location - Camden Dingwalls
Damage - £15

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Now that Alec Empire seems to have gone all ‘Vice magazine’ electronica on us, has he put his days (or ‘Nights of Violence’) behind him? Well, no not really. He’s still just as abrasive and caustic as before, albeit in a different format and style. Want to know more? Read on…

Obviously the success of “we’re a joke band, lol!” (Test Icicles) and the glowstick appreciation society (Klaxons) has had an effect on the first support band of tonight. Mixing standard indie-rock with a keyboard backing is hardly original at the moment - at least they didn’t have the same ‘um-tss um-tss’ drumbeats that seems to be associated with every-fucking-electronic/rock crossover band ever. Still, the drummer did well trying to hold his microphone, sing and play at the same time, whilst the 16 year old-looking guitarist and bassist spent most of their time with their backs to the audience, looking at the floor and generally making me feel incredibly irritated.

After some confusion (”OMG, ALEC EMPIRE IS ABOUT TO START!!!“) everyone that has working ears is left really fucking disappointed. Now - noise music is a tricky one to actually appreciate. Okay, I get certain amounts (Lightning Bolt, some Wolf Eyes, SunnO))) some other stuff) but really, bands that think they can peddle the kind of crap the second support act strained out, should be blasted into the sun. Four guys just standing about creating incredibly dull drone for about 30 minutes makes me want to walk into traffic. ‘You’re shit’ someone shouts during a quiet period - got it in one, sunshine.

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Anyone with preconceptions that Alec Empire has lost his edge should be taken outside and given a swift hiding with a keyboard. Okay, so he may not look/act like the noise terrorist he used to be. (According to reports of his Reading Festival performance in 2002, he was asked to cut his set short after nearly destroying the speaker system, but carried on regardless) - Instead, he has the air of a sophisticated and elegant frontman that smacks of both pretension and authority.

It takes a while for things to really kick off however; the new songs are warmly received “New Man’ in particular begins the first phases of a mass dance-off and many attempts not to crush the fearless photographers perched on the edge of the stage. other notable highlights from his new album include the punk-electro-lite ‘Down Satan Down’ and the sombre sounding ‘On Fire’. As the first notes of “The Ride‘ kick in, it’s like an electrical current has been passed through the floor. “Addicted to You‘ follows, heralding the biggest crowd sing-a-long of the night and a crush-potential of 9. Oh but it gets better. As “Kiss of Death’ bludgeons the eardrums, I’m exposed to what Digital Hardcore is all about. For the rest of the song, many others and I are used as human pinballs, bouncing from person to person in some nightmarish arcade, backed by the loudest electronic-thrash punk ever.

In some places, his withering German drawl is lost in the wave of dischordant sounds from Nic Endo’s keyboard and the razor-sharp guitar riffs, but this is made up by the blast-beat drumming and cavalier attitude that Mr Empire exhibits. Even though I don’t mind fake encores, perhaps the decision to leave and then come back on again just to play ‘1000 Eyes’ proved a big anti-climax. Anyone hoping for a rousing rendition of ‘Everything Starts With A Fuck‘ or the breakc0re-noise of ‘Gotta Get Out‘ was left dissapointed. Still, a strong performance from a musician who isn’t afraid to diversify his sound and still be incredible.

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Links

Alec Empire
Digital Hardcore
Myspace

Those of you interested in the exploits of industrial metallers Nine Inch Nails will be pleased to hear that an instrumental album can be downloaded from their official site as of now. It is entitled ‘Ghosts I-IV‘ and is a compilation of four nine track EPs. The first, entitled ‘Ghosts I‘ can be downloaded free from the band’s website and the entire 36 song epic can be purchased for a mere $5. (This also includes a 40 page PDF booklet and various other extras such as icons, wallpapers, etc.)

Obviously the success of Radiohead’s ‘free’ album ‘In Rainbows‘ and Saul Williams‘ ‘The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!‘ (Which Trent Reznor worked on) has paved the way for this bold and lucrative decision by the NIN frontman.

According to the NIN site, the album contains “almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall.” Reznor goes on to explain that:

“I’ve been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn’t have made sense until this point. This collection of music is the result of working from a very visual perspective - dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams. I’m very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference. I hope you enjoy the first four volumes of Ghosts.”

Wow. Download/payment options can be found here. Recently, Reznor disbanded the live incarnation of Nine Inch Nails, which featured infamous guitarist Aaron North and drum-wizard, Josh Freese. He is apparently seeking new ways and alternative means to perform Nine Inch Nails songs live.

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Links

Nine Inch Nails Home
Nine Inch Myspace