Posts Tagged ‘Single Review’

Áron Porteleki – Cryptic Bodies

Posted: 6 February 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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5th February 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

People often say they hate surprises. I know where they’re coming from, although by and large, the surprise is less the issue than their reaction being seen. As children, we’ve all had the Christmas party and the birthday where we’ve suffered a head-exploding embarrassment where something’s been sprung unexpectedly, and where, as a consequence the walls have closed in and you’ve felt entrapped within a tight, tunnelling space and simply wanted to disappear – right? But there are two kinds of surprises: good ones and bad ones, just as there are two kinds of music: good, and bad.

‘Cryptic Bodies’ is good music, and the perfect surprise, presenting as a discordant chaotic mess of purgatorial abrasion, which smashes its way into a collision of post-punk and… well, what else is hard to say, beyond sinewy, straining dissonance. Really, this is one of those ‘what the fuck is this?’ releases. Personally, I absolutely love this kind of stuff, that’s challenging, shouty, difficult to listen to, let alone define. The music shifts in tone and intensity, a meandering twisting thread of jangliness and extraneous noise that bears jazz influences without being jazz, noise-rock elements without being noise-rock. What does it mean? What is it for? Cryptic is certainly the word, and perhaps it’s best to simply revel in the strangeness than attempt to unravel and decipher it.

But there’s more. The track is lifted from Hungarian artist Porteleki’s forthcoming album Smearing, which is out in March, and it’s not his first work by the title ‘Cryptic Bodies’, as a moment’s cursory research brings us to a ‘documentary’ film on YouTube, uploaded in three parts, which captures Porteleki – a percussionist first and foremost – performing a solo score, which is ‘structured yet improvised’ as the audio backdrop to ‘a contemporary dance piece, where 5 dancers traverse through space, body and time to throbbing experimental live metal music. The work is inspired by ancient bodily practices such as Egyptian mummification and Mesopotamian occult healing rites’.

Being instrumental, and extending to around forty minutes, it’s a powerful soundtrack to a visually striking and remarkably compelling multimedia experience, which also showcases Porteleki’s inventive, atmosphere-building approach to guitar playing. Elsewhere online, his SoundCloud uploads present an array of experimental works, ranging from minimalist dark ambience to wild, maximalist bursts of noise, meaning how representative of the album this cut might be is anyone’s guess. But given the title track, which is currently streaming on Bandcamp, there’s a strong possibility that it’s going to be an extremely varied and extremely unusual collection of highly experimental bits and pieces. ‘No genres’ he states on his Bandcamp. No kidding: Porteleki’s modus operandi appears to be to shatter every mould there is. He isn’t so much leftfield, or outside the box, but outside the field, and he’s burned the box to ashes.

Porteleki clearly likes to push boundaries, and none more than his own. ‘Cryptic Bodies’ offers a gateway into the world of an artist who warrants exploration – but not if you don’t like surprises.

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Eville – Messy (BLAIRTHEPRODUCER REMIX)

Posted: 2 February 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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2nd February 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… so the cliché goes. ‘That must make me Hercules’ was JG Thirlwell’s response on the Foetus track ‘Grace of God’ from the album Flow. He’s a man who should know, having not only forged a career on the outermost limits of the fringes and survived a brief spell on Sony and else controversy and vilification and general unpopularity as a contrast to a rabid cult following add up to in combination.

Eville are living proof of Thirlwell’s take. When they wrote and first released ‘Messy’ they could not have had the vaguest inkling of just how messy things might get. Theirs is a classic story of disappointment and industry failings, but also of bloody-mindedness, stubbornness and ultimately of resilience.

While Eville’s debut release, ‘Messy’ was picked up – and received enthusiastically by a minority of outlets – and you know, I will take a moment to blow the Aural Aggravation trumpet here, because despite our extremely limited capacity, we do get behind those acts we recognise as having clear potential and which, given the right exposure could and should break through.

Instead of a straight-up re-release, they’re following up ‘Leech’ with a killer remix of their second single. Blair the Producer’s twist on it preserves the blunt force and ferocity of the original version, but brings some extra edge. It’s beefy as fuck and is the definitive sound of nu-metal for the new generation.

No doubt there’ll be middle-aged twats bemoaning how it’s too pop or it’s not the same as the shit that was coming out twenty-five years ago. Middle-aged twats – and generally people over the age of thirty-five, who’ve hit the wall and concluded there’s been no decent new music since they were twenty-one – are plain wrong, and they should be directing their dissatisfaction inwards, and not only examining their own sad old lives, but remembering what is was like when they were in their late teens and early twenties. The sad old cunts who still revel in the days of Britpop might want to remind themselves that the golden age they so revere was largely a revival of various bygone eras, primarily the days of 60s pop and mod – mashed up and rehashed. These people are missing the point that progress happens, and the next generation will inevitably pick up on the music of the one before, or the one before that, and make it their own, and instead of bemoaning kids and their lack of ideas, should take it as a compliment that they’ve picked up the baton and are running with it in their own direction. Eville have that baton clenched tightly, and are running far faster than the pack right now.

The Silent Era – Heaven//Hell – Slowpio

Posted: 31 January 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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15th January 2023

Christopher Nosnibor

As Joni Mitchell sang on ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ ‘Don’t it always seem to go / That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone?’ This will surely prove to be a true summary of the music press, which has been utterly decimated since the turn of the millennium, and seems to be vanishing at a rate faster than the Amazon in the last few years. Suddenly, there is outcry and all kinds of furore following the announcement that Pitchfork will be absorbed into GQ by magazine monoliths Condé Naste – or Condé Nasty, if you will – as publishing becomes ever more focused on profits and the bottom line. John Doran has today published an essay in The Guardian. It’s good, but it’s perhaps too little, too late. I don’t recall the same level of discontent over the demise of Sounds, or Melody Maker, or NME, but perhaps this is the straw whereby people finally realise that, after decades of slating music critics as pond life and scum for unfavourable reviews and scabbing free CDs and guest list, the music press is actually a vital wing of journalism. The prose may not always be Shakespeare or even Hemingway, but the press exists to raise awareness and engage in dialogue around acts people may not have heard of, or otherwise only encounter via the hype. And the press is also low-cost advertising. It costs a hell of a lot less to bung a CD in the post (if only that was still a regular thing) or grant entry to a live show than the expense of pissing away hods on sponsored links on social media.

Algorithms are no substitute for ears and the critical faculties of a functional brain, and ultimately do nothing but narrow the path of engagement. I know, I know, many people over thirty-five bemoan there having been no decent new music since they were twenty, but that’s simply not true, and what happens when people reach a certain age and disengage from the world. Some simply can’t be saved. But it’s wrong to deprive those who can from the whole world of exciting new music that’s out there, and there is absolutely stellar new stuff emerging every single day.

And because I’m still here, and because this site operates completely independently, on a zero-budget basis, and it’s just something I do by compulsion and on top of the dayjob which pays the bills, I can bring you this belter double A-side release by The Silent Era. ‘Heven/Hell’ is sharp, sassy, a beefy blast of post-punk energy propelled by loping drums and driving guitars and it lands between Evanescence and All About Eve, a collision of goth and melodic metal with blistering results. Is it epic? Yes, yes it is. It’s hard, it’s heavy, but it’s also tuneful.

The same is true of virtual flipside ‘Scorpio’. Recorded live at the BBC, the sound quality is as good as a studio recording, and it captures the band bringing low-slugging riffy weight atop some deft bass fretwork and a powerful vocal delivery.

This is exciting and exhilarating stuff, but you’re unlikely to find coverage of The Silent Era in the page of GQ. And that’s probably for the best, but… they deserve it. But since it won’t happen, you can thank me later.

AA

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Argonaut – The Hole

Posted: 28 January 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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26th January 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

New year, new lineup, new project… having wrapped up their ‘open-ended’ album project Songs from the Black Hat and been whittled down to a three-piece, the prodigiously productive Argonaut herald the arrival of 2024 with a song for Dry January. They describe ‘The Hole’ as ‘A ten minute hymn to sobriety, hibernation and transcending the January blues. A lullaby of heartfelt harmonies trailing into ambient drone to aid deep, meditative alcohol free sleep…’

Lyrically, it’s sparse, and self-explanatory:

People say it’s hard

Because there’s a hole

A gap in your heart

A space in your soul

But I say it’s easy

Because the hole is a bin

To throw the self destructive thoughts

And all the alcohol in

I’m not one for dry January myself, although I certainly respect anyone who does, and I certainly get it. A lot of people do very much overdo it in December, stretching festivities out over the entire month. There are work dos, friends and family to catch up with, and more often than not, doing so involves feed and drink. It’s no wonder people feel like shit and feel the need to quit booze, go on a diet, do Veganuary, and take out a gym membership while making a new year’s resolution to lose the stone or so they gained the previous month.

Perhaps what’s every bit as hard as demonstrating brutal discipline in January – the darkest, bleakest month of the year – is maintaining moderation the whole year round. Such asceticism isn’t easy in such grim times: people naturally seek comfort in food and whatever else makes them feel better – and it’s alright if it makes you feel better, to lift a line from Shellac’s ‘Song of the Minerals’.

I digress: ‘The Hole’ does mark a significant shift for Argonaut, who have pushed forth strongly pursuing a trajectory of snappy to the point songs best defined as choppy lo-fi indie / post-punk crossover with lots of fuzz and reverb. This is a dreamy, drifty dronezer, dominated by thick reverb-soaked synths which surge and swell, ebb and flow. It very much does transport s back to the early 90s on so many levels. It’s not quite The Orb, but it is a very spacey effort which is predominantly instrumental and built around the repetitio of a synth wave and looped bass – or xylophone, or something – sequence of a handful of notes. And so it goes (and yes, I’m referencing Vonnegut there). And it goes… and it goes. It is every bit as meditative and ambient as they suggest, and I can feel my blood pressure dropping as the track progresses.

Counterpart release / nominal B-side, the ‘ambient mix’ runs for some twenty-two minutes, and it’s a thrumming buzz, a piece which stings like a swarm of bees frustrated at their confinement. It’s more of a track to let drift over your, rather than one to listen to intently. But this ‘Post-industrial ambience for urban meditation’ is far from soothing, even by candlelight. The tones are serrated around the edges, and possess a certain edge of aggression. Perhaps I need another whisky. Make it a double.

AA

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Circolo Vizioso – Choppy

Posted: 7 January 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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5th January 2024

Christopher Nosnibor

While I’m still sifting through December’s releases – it seems as if 90% of 2023’s releases landed on 15th December – I’m most conscious that 2024 hasn’t only arrived, but is blasting forwards at a rocket pace. The first week has evaporated already. Where does time go? Where does life go? I find myself contemplating these questions daily, weekly, not as part of some existential fret, but simply as I jostle with the everyday contradiction of the so-called work/life balance. For the majority, the very concept is a myth. They work, they work, they work… and then they die. This is the reality of contemporary capitalism, and apparently, we need to shut up and deal with it.

I shall park the political rage momentarily, while addressing this. Here we have ‘Choppy’, the new single release from Berlin punk rock duo Circolo Vizioso, pitched as ‘a high-octane single spawned of depression and failed love story and… the first taste of their debut album Verrueckt (out March 1st) and as showcasing ‘their unique brand of high-intensity, lyric-driven punk, created with electric violin, guitar and drums. On this album, Circolo Vizioso wrestles with isolation, lack of social and human contact, and a hunger for music and art, which we all felt during recent lockdowns.’ It’s also pitched as being for fans of Sonic Youth, The Black Angels, Fugazi, Nirvana, Buzzcocks, Shellac, Gang of Four, Schleimkeim, Pisse, Abwaert, Old Time Relijun. Of the bands among those with which I’m familiar (It’s a falsehood that even the most knowledgeable music critics have heard every band, however hard they might pretend it’s so) this is all positive, and these are the kind of bands whose sound provide a sonic template for exploring some dark and complex emotions and navigating challenging situations and a messed-up society. Music is more than mere entertainment: it’s an outlet, a way of dealing with difficult things, of exploring and working through them, and on the evidence of this release, Circolo Vizioso unapologetically channel these difficulties into their creative outlet.

‘Choppy’ is as raw and primitive as it comes. Rough and scratchy, it feels like a demo – but to pretty it up with production would be to strip it of its primal immediacy. Listening to those first few bars, I’m reminded of early Pavement, in every way: it’s rattly, ragged indie, cleanish guitars fuzzing as a condenser mic on a portable cassette recorder overloads. It’s heavy with melancholy, and the tempo switches and drags and races. And the accompanying video – ultra-saturated, blurry – is an eye-bleeder which perfectly mirrors the mood and the no-fi stylings. The violin makes for an unusual slant, bringing further tension and scrapey noise to the dysfunctional party.

AA

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DataBass – Talking To My Dreams

Posted: 6 January 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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15 December 2023

Christopher Nosnibor

Few artists can state that they’ve been developing their skills from the age of six, but Katie Arndt is very much a rare breed, and her bio lists her as a ‘prolific producer, vocalist, pianist, and composer.’

All of this is in evidence on her latest offering under the DataBass moniker – as project she’s operating while also, again according to her bio, ‘pursuing studies in classical and commercial voice, with a major in Music Media Production at Ball State University’.

But more impressive than any of this is the quality of her material. ‘Talking To My Dreams’ is a truly captivating composition, and if it stands as rather a departure from most of the releases I cover here, it’s for two reasons: the first being that a bit of a breather is essential. Sure, I like heavy, I like really heavy, and I like really fucking bone-crushing heavy. But I also like tunes, and to drift in moments of tranquillity.

‘Talking To My Dreams’ is both a tune and a moment of tranquillity, as Arndt’s clear voice skips over a delicate piano. Her skills as a producer are in evidence with the inclusion of subtle incidentals, subtle layers of synth and so on, before the vocals are doubled, with backings and harmonies drifting in with the greatest of naturalness.

That the song is barely two and a half minutes long is noteworthy, too, as it seems to reflect something of a trend toward shorter songs, as we had back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. The reasons for such succinct singles may be different now, but it does mean that we’re hearing songs which aren’t stretched out or padded, and simply say what they have to say. ‘Talking To My Dreams’ is a work of great economy, and its brevity adds to its gentle impact.

Empty Machines – Velvet Sky

Posted: 3 January 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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15th December 2023

Christopher Nosnibor

Glasgow Duo Empty Machines promise a blend of post punk, shoegaze, and indie synth rock, and ‘Velvet Sky’ is an expansive, atmospheric tune, layers of vocals floating in a swirl of textures synths and guitars submerged in effects. Reflective, contemplative, there are some bold dynamics here as they take things down to allow level before surging back. The blurry, saturated, shadowy but dazzlingly bright video perfectly encapsulates the mood here – one which is centred around a range of conflicting sensations and uncertain emotions. You feel a certain sense of bewilderment, as if being transported by invisible forces, both physically and psychologically.

It’s the vocals which carry the melody through a tidal wave of dense instrumentation, and with the drums low in the mix in comparison to this cinematic instrumental maelstrom, there’s a sense of volume, of sonic force to this dreamy but powerful single, as soft and smooth as velvet, but as dense as diamond.

AA

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T.N. – Siddung

Posted: 2 January 2024 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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15th December 2023

Christopher Nosnibor

This is an odd one which will likely baffle and bewilder many of those who encounter it – which will likely be far fewer than it deserves. It’s rare for a track that isn’t thrash or grindcore to run to less than a minute and a half, for a start. I know absolutely nothing about T.N. beyond that they’re from Spain, but T.N.’s ‘Siddung’ is a sliver of minimalist hip-hop that sends a shiver down the spine.

If commercial hip-hop has come to be synonymous with bragging and banging, flashing cash and blades, it’s worth remembering that its roots were a different kind of ‘street’, and with acts like Last Poets emerged from spoken word, the jazz and beat scene of the late 50s, giving a voice to black culture and the civil rights movement.

This track is something of a hybrid – it’s ‘street’ but it’s introspective and uncomfortable, and after an atmospheric introduction, halts just as it seems to be finding its groove. It’s difficult to unravel the track’s meaning or intent: ‘siddung’ is patois for ‘sit down’ – as the cover art relays in a literal sense – but beyond that…?

It feels more like a sketch than a complete song, but one could imagine an album containing maybe twenty or so of these vignettes would add up to paint a quite compelling picture.

Scarlett Woolfe – Poor Suzy

Posted: 30 December 2023 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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14th December 2023

Christopher Nosnibor

Scarlett Woolfe has been honing her sound and style and building a fan base in London throughout 2023, taking her solo singer-songwriter project to the stage with a full band. Her debut single, ‘Poor Suzy,’ it seems, has been quite a while coming, but there’s no doubt that it was worth the wait.

Her own choice of tags include ‘alternative rock’, ‘dark wave’, ‘post-punk’, ‘dark-pop’ and ‘gothic’, and these very much serve to give a sense of what to expect: it’s spiky, edgy, and oozes attitude. There are hints of early Garbage in the instrumentation, with the poppy elements balanced by just the right amount of grit and bite.

The lyrics ‘Poor Suzy / lying in the snow / Poor Suzy / nowhere to go’ are hardly Sylvia Plath, but it’s all in the delivery. I doubt I’m first do draw the obvious comparison, and certainly won’t be the last when I proffer that the Scarlett’s voice – and her delivery, which swoops and dives, and shifts effortlessly from breathy to full from-the-centre of-the chest strong – is strongly reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux, It’s pretty punky, and pretty punchy to boot. Building to a climactic close, it all stacks up to make for a powerful single.

The artwork, too, captures the stark style of the post-punk era, and this feels something that’s been carefully thought out as a complete package by way of an introduction to the world of Scarlett Woolfe.

AA

Poor Suzy

Velour Fog – Dopehead

Posted: 29 December 2023 in Reviews, Singles and EPs
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23rd October 2023

Christopher Nosnibor

I’m not quite sure what this is. There are a fair few fags being smoked, but there was some wide-brimmed hats being worn, too. What to make of it? The style says mid-80s goth, but there are some heavy stoner vibes… and then it slams in full metal. Long hair trailing and waving, heads banging in slow-mo, and rapped vocals over some sinewy guitars and a chunky bass.

It’s a bit RATM, it’s a bit Alice in Chains. It’s a bit OTT. It’s a bit retro. It’s crackers, but it’s good.

AA

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