Singles Club – Septembers second wave

Singles Club – Septembers second wave

Richard Davies & the Dissidents – ‘Echo Road’ (Bucketful Of Brains)  Excellent grower from a really impressive album ‘Echo Road’ builds via a really earthy swirling keyboard and great barroom vocals the song is excellent for dusty road trips but the real gem here is the B Side and the bands take of the classic Lords tune penned by Tony James and Tory Crimes and whilst I have the Lords on a pedestal this is a pretty impressive take on a classic song and well worth checking out.  To be fair whilst you’re at it go the full hog and bag yourself the album ‘Human Traffic’. Great band great songs.

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ReMission International – ‘TOS2020′ (SPV Records) Wayne Hussey and friends release classic Mission ‘Tower Of Strength’ anthem with Proceeds to charities personally chosen by each contributor. There’s nothing not to like about a classic song being reinvented for a bunch of great causes and it features a glittering line up with people like Andy Rourke, Billy Duffy, Budgie, Evi Vine, Gary Numan, James Alexander Graham, Jay Aston, Julianne Regan, Kevin Haskins, Kirk Brandon, Lol Tolhurst, Martin Gore, Michael Aston, Michael Ciravolo, Midge Ure, Miles Hunt, Rachel Goswell, Richard Fortus, Robin Finck, Steve Clarke, Tim Palmer, Trentemøller.

With pre-orders already reaching over 40K its a truly outstanding contribution. Spread the word, share, tweet, post it everywhere to tell others about it. Shout it from the rooftops and tell your friends, tell everyone. The digital bundle contains 5 awesome tracks for just £2.99, it all helps those that need it most and the proceeds will be divided and distributed equally among all the beneficiaries. It’s an awesome song always has been and always will be and now its been put to great use.  Keep up with ReMission International  Website | Mission Facebook | Mission Twitter | Mission Instagram |

Fast Eddy – ‘Game Of Love’ (Spaghetty Town Records) A couple of things struck me about this here single.  One, Ted at Spaghetty Town sure does know quality Rock and Roll. Two, Fast Eddy sure do play quality Rock and Roll. The title track is a strut and swagger down the blvd. It’s as confident and cocksure as anything you’ll hear all year these cats know they have a swag bag full of top tunes and from the great vocals to the big singalong piano-driven middle eight it’s fuckin’ huge sounding and I mean grande canyon huge sounding.  The flip side is another great tune but a little something different.  It’s hard to pigeon hole these guys it’s catchy and radio-friendly but there’s an edge and a tension in a sort of Afghan Whigs way.  The B Side gets it for me but by a whisker.  Check em out Fast Eddy will make a dent – trust me.  Facebook / Instagram

Poison Boys – ‘Mean Queen’ (Hobo Wolfman Records)  Don’t be sneaking out no new 7″ singles without consulting the RPM Singles Club with the news cmon boys that’s just not fair especially when it’s one of our favourite bands from the good ole US of A. From the opening engine roar this is a sleazy slice of punk rock n roll. Its got the Stooges fueling the engine and that guitar break sounds like they’re in the room with me it’s so alive.  Awesome tune (not that I would ever doubt it) and it’s backed by a cover of the Jerry Nolan ‘Take A Chance With Me’ so what’s not to like?  Cool cats that just ooze quality and a single you should most definitely have in your collection and hopefully a sign that an LP is on the way!

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“Mean Queen” is a celebration of bad ass women, queens, and sex workers everywhere. Make a donation to www.swop-chicago.org to support current and former sex workers, who have been hit extra hard since the start of the covid-19 pandemic.

DEAD DIRTY DINOSAURS – ‘Revenge’ (Riot Records) A restrained, slow burner with a raw, loud, and abrasive guitar riff with a chilled vocal its a smolderer that burrows into your ear.  This Brisbane three-piece might be onto something other than having a great band name they can knock together a pretty good noise between them.  I guess the only thing now is I want to hear more. So, if you’d be so kind send over a few other tunes or the album would be nice. But as far as introductions go this is impressive. Facebook / Twitter / Instagram 

 

 

 

 

The Richmond Sluts – ‘Walkin’ Tall’ (Rock Box Records) Always a good day when The Sluts strut into your life with a new earworm. What a cocksure slab of Rock and Roll this is.  It has swagger and that early ’70s Stones strut that a lot of bands attempt but fall short of but not The Richmond Sluts.  They nail this from the solo on the geetah to the reverb-heavy vocal that sounds like too many late nights and cigarettes n whisky.  A real tonic in these tough times. Three and a half minutes of pure unadulterated Rock and Roll good times.  All hail the Richmond Sluts.

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Ben Wood & The Bad Ideas – ‘Black’ (Back2Forward Records) With a rapid steady beat this is a little belter.  A right ray of sunshine.  I was expecting something altogether different but this uptempo ditty came banging out of the speakers and I like it, I like it a lot.

Just when you’re waiting for something along comes a bolt out of the blue and whilst its nothing original its quality.

 

 

Wanted Noise – ‘Go Get’ (self release) San Diego what’s up?  Surf/skate punks have a brand new single for your consumption.  It’s upbeat and in keeping with the whole sound you’d expect from a bunch of young guns into skating and surfing.   Bandcamp

 

Heap – ‘EP’ (Rave On Records)  Who needs Westerberg and The Replacements? OH OK, so that’s a lie but in the absence of such an iconic Rock and Roll band the void is ably filled by the likes of Beach Slang and for a brief period Gaslight Anthem well you can throw Heap into that mix.  Coming across like a latterday Westerberg with all the right roots rock and roll moves and refrains Heap have penned three really strong tunes on this here EP. Its dive bar rock and roll from the heart its got dirt under those fingernails and a book of stories in their hearts -Well worth checking out.

 

 

 

The Jailbirds – ‘Dull My Brain’ (Golden Robot Records) This three-piece mix up some cock rock gang vocals with some big bluesy 80s influenced Hard rock chops.  Guns n Roses or more specifically Slash sound like they were a big influence.

A really confident new track from the Canadian trio will no doubt turn some heads in the classic rock circles.  Check em out here

Smarts – ‘Small World’ (Anti fade)  Australia has consistently been churning out some of the best music for quite some time now and we’re constantly turning up bands on our radar that are impressing us with their releases and Anti Fade are constantly pushing the boundaries with a lot of the cassette releases and the ever helpful Bandcamp platform who it has to be said are championing alternative music and not just beating them as a cash cow we find ourselves with another Melbourne band Smarts and their four-track cassette ‘Small World’ which is somewhere between Devo, Tubeway army and a whole host of punk rock band we love.  Don’t hang about though because the four songs run in at just a hairs breath over four minutes from the opening ‘Smart Man’ and its robotic Numan like mood to the frantic head fuck of ‘Smart World’ to their ‘Golden Arches’ and final hurrah of Devo like ‘Don’t Slap The Hand’  Smarts are smart and you should try some. Here

 

The Wake – ‘Hammer Hall’ (Blaylox Records) Get your Goth on kids this is as dark and Goth like as you could possibly get without actually being a member of the Sisters Of Mercy jammin’ with Robert Smith on a couple of Bauhaus tunes.  ME, I love a bit of Goff and this is really well done and is a really decent track.

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Dirty Fences – ‘Hand Picked Melodies’ (Greenway Records)

Dirty Fences – ‘Hand Picked Melodies’ (Greenway Records)

If you were looking for a touring buddy or reference comparison for Dirty Fences I’d have to go for Los Pepes because both write upbeat, melodic, punk rock n roll songs that are full to bursting with catchy tunes and they churn them out with consummate ease or at least that’s how they make it appear.

 

This the third release from the NY combo is thirteen tunes from the recess of the Fences minds and something of a compilation of what they sum up as fondest memories and strange melodies and they’re not far wrong but the one abiding feeling I have after I play a Dirty Fences record or it crops up on a playlist is – Damn, what a tune and this is no exception from the runaway grinfest of the opening track and absolute Banger ‘Sid’ I’m lost in the music. But wait it’s not all bish bash bosh! as the laid back and a more dreamy affair that is ‘Kings Cross’ is nestled in neatly on side one. But wait the more ’80s inspired ‘Judy (Don’t Go)’ reminds me of an XTC melody even if XTC never sounded this daring or punchy.

Clearly The Bruddas are a big influence on bands all over the globe but the great bands that have some Ramones running through their DNA rather than ape Joey and co and you can add The Fences to the list of those who have some of that skill and craft in their DNA and touch on the melodies that Dee Dee might have penned and their influences are deeper like the acoustic-driven ‘Tommy & CC’.  There’s a great guitar lick workout going on via the down n dirty ‘High School RIP’  but I must admit to really liking the mellow Dirty Fences like ‘I’m Here’ just as much as the punk rock ‘n’ bop of ‘Teen Angel’ which just goes to make for a varied melting pot of Rock and Roll and yet another excellent release from a really really good band.  I know its only rock and roll but I love it! When the USPS sort themselves out I’m having myself one of those Mint Green Blob and neon purple splatter records they look awesome. That is if there are any left once the world catches on to some Dirty Fences.

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Author: Dom Daley

‘TIME MACHINE’ FROM PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN

‘TIME MACHINE’ FROM PROFESSOR AND THE MADMAN


Rock veterans Alfie Agnew (Adolescents, D.I.), Sean Elliott (D.I., Mind Over Four), Paul Gray (The Damned, Eddie & the Hot Rods) & Rat Scabies (Sinclairs, The Damned) share the first video from forthcoming album Séance

 

Séance is released by Fullertone Records on November 13, 2020 – Yellow vinyl, CD and digital pre-orders are available now at the group’s new Bandcamp store and at Website

Sung by Agnew, who takes center stage in the video, “Time Machine” is a psychedelicized stroll through cultural and political events of the last century. Additionally, the clip features footage of Elliott, Gray and Scabies during PATM’s live debut at London’s 100 Club in 2018, cartoon versions of the band members designed by NYC artist Cliff Mott, a Madness-influenced “nutty boy” dancer, and a not-so-menacing plastic dinosaur. Agnew’s white lab coat isn’t merely a costuming prop; for his day job, Agnew is a mathematics professor at Cal-State Fullerton.

“’Time Machine’ says a lot about how Sean and I feel about the state of affairs in the world—all the tumult—and it’s even more relevant now than when we were writing it a year ago,” says Agnew. “The song’s title works on a couple of levels. It ties in with the concept of revisiting our youth which is at the heart of the new album, and it also references the music of the 1960s-1980s which greatly influenced our new set of songs. Although I initially thought the main muse for ‘Time Machine’ was Wings-era Paul McCartney, I quickly realized Brian Wilson was also in our heads. I guess you could say we were channeling Paul McWilson.”

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Wayne County And The Electric Chairs – ‘The Safari Years’ (Captain Oi / Cherry Red Records)

Wayne County And The Electric Chairs – ‘The Safari Years’ (Captain Oi / Cherry Red Records)

Love them or loathe them, Wayne/Jayne County has been challenging musical and gender boundaries for decades. Before the dawn of punk, with the band Queen Elisabeth and giving Jools Holland his first studio job providing the ivories on ‘Fuck Off’, it’s been quite a ride. That this 4 CD collection spans a mere 3 year period is an eye opener.

 

It’s pretty much an exhaustive collection; the three Electric Chairs studio albums; a live set from Toronto 1979, plus a John Peel set and various singles. ‘The Electric Chairs’ debut includes 10 extra tracks, and holds together better than I remember. The quality of both songs and musicians is surprisingly good, from the ballad of ‘Eddie And Sheena’ onwards. There’s a hefty nod to the Dolls on the likes of ‘Bad In Bed’ and ‘Rock N Roll Resurrection’, but Wayne’s personality was always centre stage.

 

‘Storm The Gates Of Heaven’ is, for me, their strongest set of songs, though the band weren’t keen on the rushed production of Martin Birch. It doesn’t detract from the likes of ‘Trying To Get On The Radio’ or the bold ‘Man Enough To Be A Woman’. The title track is like Alice Cooper with better lyrics, while ‘Speed Demon’ is perilously close to the Count Bishops’ version of The Kinks’ ‘I Need You’. Extras include the ‘Toilet Love’ EP.

 

‘Things Your Mother Never Told You’, divided into Side Us and Side Them, is part Lou Reed observationals like ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Midnight Pal’, and a side step into more experimental songs such as ‘C3’ and ‘Berlin’. The title track would certainly have suited Iggy at the time. And ‘The Boy With The Stolen Face’ may have influenced pre-fame Ants. Have a listen.

 

‘Rock N Roll Resurrection’, live in Toronto 1979, is tighter than you might imagine, though, unfortunately, there’s not enough between-song berating from Wayne.

 

If it’s to your (bad) taste, and you don’t own these already, it’s a great package at a reasonable price.

Buy The Safari Years Here

author: Martin Charmarette

 

 

 

Rise Against release new song and video

Rise Against release new song and video

 Lead-Off Track for DC’s Upcoming

“Dark Nights:  Death Metal” The Original Soundtrack, 

To Be Released by Loma Vista Recordings

 

Multi-Gold and Platinum-selling punk rock stalwarts RISE AGAINST will see “Broken Dreams, Inc.,” their first new song in three years, and the first as part of a new agreement with Loma Vista Recordings, released today.  Produced by Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore, Andrew Berlin, and Chris Beeble, “Broken Dreams, Inc.” is angry, fast and furious punk rock, with ruthless drums, pounding bass, blazing guitar and impassioned vocals.  Also released today is the animated/motion comic video for the song that features art from DC’s “Dark Nights: Death Metal” drawn by the series’ artist Greg Capullo.

“Broken Dreams, Inc.” speaks to today’s changing landscape of American society, the opportunities that are available to some but not to others, the people who are able to benefit versus those who get left behind, who suffer and end up as casualties.  How do we level the playing field so everyone can have a real chance at attaining the American Dream?  Said Rise Against’s vocalist/lyricist Tim McIIlrath, “One word, ‘disruption.’  You have to put power into the hands of the people, not business, you have to value people and community over profit.  You can’t have a shareholder-run country or a shareholder-run world, a world that values profit above all else, because profit above all else can result in dangerous repercussions for humankind.”

Rise Against – rhythm guitarist/vocalist McIlrath, bassist Joe Principe, guitarist Zach Blair and drummer Brandon Barnes – is known for its explosive live shows, and its outspoken, socially-conscious lyrics that speak to the mood of our times:  the environment, economic injustice, forced displacement, political corruption, voter registration, animal rights, and interpersonal relationships, all delivered with big, chunky riffs and melodic post-grunge hooks.  Rise Against has amassed five top 10 albums on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, and six top ten singles on its Hot 100 chart.  The band’s gold-certified single “Savior” alone, has accumulated nearly half-a-billion streams.

RISE AGAINST – SOCIAL MEDIA – Website /  Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube

New Device are back and looking to stream into your house

New Device are back and looking to stream into your house
Hailing from London New Device are a band that embody the grit, attitude and good times of hard rock. Likened and influenced by rock giants such as Guns ‘n’ Roses, Metallica and Alter Bridge, their stadium sound never fails to leave audiences in awe! Without pausing for breath, they have grown as musicians and songwriters. Accompanied by an attitude that draws their growing, loyal fan base ever closer.

2020 has not been easy for anyone in the entertainment industry but New Device at the start were thriving. Lead vocalist Daniel Leigh decided one evening in March to do a live stream on the bands Facebook page, these streams quickly became a main staple and to date he has reached 1.5 million with their music.  All was going very well for the band; With the release of latest EP “KARÖSHI”, the band are as strong and creative as ever! This highly anticipated recording is the fourth instalment in a connected series of releases over the past 4 years. The video for lead single ‘Wake Up’ reached 250k within 3 days of its release and plans for a full band live stream were underway.

Unfortunately not long after this the bands Facebook page – with 34k likes and 21k followers – was hacked , one of the members had their personal and professional profiles deleted from social media and it transpired that some unscrupulous hackers had managed to get into the account and monetize it without their knowledge.

This sadly meant that New Device were – and still are – unable to communicate with the majority of their fanbase.

These streams have been a source of comfort and peer to peer support for the dedicated fans of New Device who tuned in nightly for an uplifting hour of music and positive reinforcement from Daniel. The fans and the band were devastated that these may not be able to continue due to the inability to live stream on the New Device page.

With no quick resolution in sight and further ongoing problems due to the hacking means 4 months down the line the page is still not usable. Investigation from Facebook is still ongoing.

With the help of the dedicated fan base and Daniels management team the streams were quickly moved over to his music page – albeit with a large reduction of followers and a completely different demographic.

The constant support of the fans and the positivity and happiness that these streams have given spurred them to be instrumental in regaining some of the reach that the New Device page had.  This core fan base has dedicated their time to sharing the streams, telling their friends, and promoting the band at every opportunity they can.  Meaning the band are now able to thrive again.

They have been desperate to see the band perform together again and now they are in a position to be able to do just that in a full band live streamed performance this Saturday 19th October. Streamed Live via a private link for ticket holders this show promises to be unforgettable. Filmed in full HD with multiple camera angles it will be giving the viewer a full live experience.

During the 2 hour live show New Device will be performing tracks from all their releases including ‘Karoshi’ as well as showcasing some never before heard tracks from their upcoming album, as well as interviews and a Q&A.

The band are excited to be back together performing this very special show for their fans.

Tickets for this one-off show are available – Here

James Williamson & Deniz Tek – ‘Two To One’ (Cleopatra Records)

James Williamson & Deniz Tek – ‘Two To One’ (Cleopatra Records)

When two legends join forces it should be something to get excited about.  Hype it up baby I say.  If you were to mention Radio Birdman or ‘Raw Power’ by the stooges people who know a thing or two about Rock and Roll would pin their ears back and rub their hands at the prospect of the two guitar player making a record together.  Following in the footsteps of previous pioneers such as Wayne Kramer and Brian James or the ill-fated union of Johnny Thunders and Wayne Kramer the prospect of James Williamson and Deniz Tek joining forces is a mouth-watering prospect.

Wait no more pop pickers for ‘Two To One’ is here the two legendry six-string players and let me tell you it doesn’t disappoint in any way shape or form.

Sure the opener ‘Jet Pack Nightmare’ is a wall of hard-rockin’ guitars sounding like prime time Thin Lizzy rocking on a garage rock backbeat and no sooner has it hit the speakers are you immediately taken to that place where music fans grin from ear to ear and know that these two are about and they compliment one and other perfectly. Scandinavia has spent decades trading off the work of these two and bands like the Hellacopters owe a huge debt to their skills and now the old dogs are about to teach a few new tricks.

Reading the pair’s mutual admiration for each others work both historically and current is heartwarming and the fact that they both found the time to do this is a real triumph.  Williamson’s last foray into the recording world was the most excellent ‘Relicked’ album but that was a whole six years ago! so having Deniz on board was an exciting proposition.  The lead track ‘Stable’ sure has that guttural ‘Raw Power’ ‘Kill City’ sludge to it and its begging to be played at volume –  where it really excels and sounds best and the inclusion of the one-note piano is a classic touch.

To be fair I was wondering how the vocals would be split and if they had the chops to pull it off. To be fair I don’t know why I doubted either because they stay in their comfort zone and the low almost spoken tones really work to temper the rough edges of some of those raw guitar licks and has an air of reassurance about the vocals throughout the record.

 

The pair take on subjects like ‘Climate Change’ and are a match for any band making garage rock and roll records in 2020. The enjoyment shines through as does the effortless quality riffs as they fly out of the speakers.  Its not all raw power mind, they crack open the melodic, restrained laid back tones for the likes of ‘Take A Look Around’ with some impressive harmonies and the excellent acoustic-driven ‘Small Change’ which add depth to the record not that it would have been boring had it just been eleven driving proto-punk anthems but by the sounds of it this was a well-thought piece of work and not thrown together.

As the album wears on, its the changing of gears that make this record one of the best I’ve heard all year.  The restrained build of ‘No Dreams’ and the widescreen lyrics that draw you in are excellent. The closing track ‘Mellisa Blue’ is more Lou Reid than Iggy Pop and by the sounds of it, the pair have taken the time to write a great record and not just live out what people would expect them to be for one last hurrah! The reason these two can still make records like this is that they are great songwriters and their catalogue of music will tell anyone that. It’s not luck, its skill and talent and it’s one of those ideas that came together and just feels right. By the sounds of it ‘Two To One’ is all killer and no filler, maybe the next one can be called ‘One Becomes Two’  what d’ya think? take my advice and just Buy It!

 

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Author: Dom Daley

 

Marilyn Manson – ‘We Are Chaos’ (Lorna Vista Recordings/Caroline International)

Marilyn Manson – ‘We Are Chaos’ (Lorna Vista Recordings/Caroline International)

Given the title of Marilyn Manson’s eleventh studio record you’d half expect it to be an inexorable sonic fist in the face, perhaps even harking back to the fury and anger of his ‘Antichrist Superstar’ days. But think again, because ‘We Are Chaos’ is a body of work designed to challenge and confound listeners, and in fact after numerous listens it actually takes me back to the days of ‘Mechanical Animals’, and a time when screams of ‘SELL OUT’ could be detected from within the more hardcore element of the Manson family.

 

I suppose discovering that this ten tracker (you get two extra acoustic tracks on the deluxe CD) was being co-produced by Shooter Jennings should have given the more astute Manson fan some indication that that this would be anything but a “by numbers” record (something that perhaps could be levelled at MM’s last two studio records) and on first hearing the acoustic driven title track via the obligatory teaser lyric video I was certainly intrigued to hear more.

 

Kicking off with the part spoken word ‘Red Black And Blue’ this is without question the most old school Manson sounding track contained herein. The spoken word intro making about as much sense as Manson’s (almost Cantona-essque) press releases these days, it’s not long before the trademark staccato rhythms are banging away at my brain and I can just see the self-styled God Of Fuck screaming his lungs out draped over the lightbox/monitor stage front and centre. Oh, for a live gig though eh?

 

One of the funniest things I read online in the run up to the album’s September 11th release date was that the title track reminded one listener of an eighties charity single, it’s a comment I simply cannot get out of my head never mind how many times I have subsequently listened to it, so maybe just maybe it is just that, a cry for help in our troubled times, and perhaps something we can all reflect upon.

 

‘We Chase The Dead’ is up next and this is for me is where the album truly slips into gear, a huge slice of gothic pop, this beauty segues perfectly into the anthemic ‘70s melancholia of ‘Paint You With My Love’ and thus truly submerges you within the qualities of the album as an art form.

 

This rich vein of songwriting form continues within the Satanic funtime grooves of ‘Perfume’, the prophetic electronic blitz of ‘Infinite Darkness’, which once again touches on the raw Manson nerve endings of old, whilst the down beat ‘Half-Way And One Step Forward’ and ‘Solve Coagula’ perhaps best illustrate what Marilyn means when he says that “shards and slivers of ghosts haunted my hands when I wrote most of these lyrics”.

 

The epic ‘Broken Needle’ closes things down and this once again acoustic lead track actually has me checking it is Marilyn Manson I’m listening to and not in fact 90s indie rockers Mansun. That’s because like I said at the top of this review ‘We Are Chaos’ is an album that in equal measure will challenge and confound you but thankfully it will not disappoint you.

 

Oh, and before I sign off, ‘We Are Chaos’ is also a concept album. Good luck figuring that one out.

Buy ‘We Are Chaos’ Here

Author: Johnny Hayward

Bill Fisher – ‘Mass Hypnosis and the Dark Triad’ (Septaphonic Records)

Bill Fisher – ‘Mass Hypnosis and the Dark Triad’ (Septaphonic Records)

In this world of Lockdown bereft of live music, who’d have thought it, how many of us are searching the internet picking up on new stuff due out, or stuff in different genres we’d never have contemplated before? With that in Mind I got bounced an email from Church of the Cosmic Skull’s main man Bill Fisher with an invite to join the Billuminati and a link to a mysterious new LP (the one in my title Mass Hypnosis and the Dark Triad). With said LP duly ordered, the first press sold out in under24 hours!!! Really makes you wonder whether record companies are interested in old school promotion in music or is just the endless clicking on streams or downloading single songs for playlists that spark their interest.

 

As is the want after reading the blurb I was expecting a heavier offspring to the Church of the Cosmic Skull and fair play it’s been duly delivered. Opener “All through the night” took me right back to the 70’s and early Sabbath/Black Widow era, but the vocals link it to the Church inexorably, it’ll hold on to and satisfy the fans of “The church of the cosmic skull, the heavy intense riff overlaid with some great guitar work leading us throughout.

 

Next up “Mirror of tomorrow”, opens with that down tuned riff that we all appreciate, but heavily distorted evoking some of the heavier elements of Alice in Chains, moving the LP in a very different direction, held in sway by those un-mistakable vocals.

 

Moving on into “Celador” led through the opening by the vocals, the incessant guitar picking at you before it shifts up a gear, the riff rising and falling building throughout to a crescendo.

 

“The Dark Triad” again harkens back hitting that intense Sabbath style riff, led by the vocals again guiding you through the song, Then we move into a personal fave “Psychopathy” this is all over the place up a gear, with the bass starting to step in and take a lead, I think this is the song that pulls all the influences together, crystalizes the difference between this solo venture and the main band guitar and solo vocal replacing and leading rather than harmonizing through multiple vocal lines.

“Days of old” moves back into the 70’s picked guitar and solitary vocal producing the soundtrack to a new age of Aquarius, this is the song that will ground the LP holding on to the ethos of Church of the Cosmic Skull.  This feeling of the 70’s continues into “Message from the sky” before we move into LP closer “Mass Hypnosis” a much heavier beast but finishing the LP on a real high. If you’re a fan of Church of the Cosmic Skull, get this in your collection, if your not then back track and give them a listen, but make sure you give this LP the time it deserves, Lp’s sell out that quickly for a reason, we’re working through the second pressing now, join the Billuminati!!!!

 

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Author: Nev Brooks

Paul Collins – ‘Another World – The Best Of The Archives’ (Alive NaturalSound Recordings)

Paul Collins – ‘Another World – The Best Of The Archives’ (Alive NaturalSound Recordings)

Paul Collins’ new album with his pioneering power-pop band The Beat, ‘Another World – The Best Of The Archives’ Features 18 previously unreleased tracks from Paul’s personal archives going back to 1978 and the early days of the Paul Collins’ Beat.

 

Culled from Paul Collins’ personal archives Another World – The Best Of The Archives compiles previously unreleased tracks going back to 1978 and the early days of the Paul Collins’ Beat. All of these songs have been carefully remastered.
Complete with extensive liner notes by the man himself, this is an album for rock & roll lovers everywhere. The vinyl comes with an insert, while the CD version includes a 6-page booklet and 4 bonus tracks, not on the vinyl.
From the opening dampened chords of ‘Hey DJ’ its sunshine Rock and Roll.  Whatever mood you find yourself in this guy and his band I guarantee will put a smile across your face and most probably make your toes involuntarily tap. One thing I noticed is the sound is of its time especially the earlier material ‘On The Highway’ sounds like bellbottom denim and a tight leather jacket and one of those oversized ghetto blasters honking out the guitar licks.
Plenty of bands still chase the ability to write songs like these bands like The Speedways have got the X-Factor to pen tunes and melodies like ‘Another World’ but its often left to the originals like Collins to really deliver the goods from the upbeat rockers to the more pop-minded songs like the jangly ‘Lonely Teardrops’ with some lush harmonies.
‘This heart’ is like a lost Dave Edmunds tune jamming out Buddy Holly.  You do wonder how these songs were shelved and how lucky we are that they are finally seeing the light of day.  Collins crooning on the sparse ballad ‘Baby I’m A Fool’ is fantastic same goes for ‘Witches Fall’ except it comes with added guitar solo and harmonies.
Sure these songs lack the glossy production of a finished studio album but for fans who like to dig deeper than the casual listener its a wonderful insight into what might get left on the cutting room floor and the fact that they’re left bare adds some authenticity to what you’re hearing.  Saying that I’d love to hear songs like ‘Girl From New York City’ get the full studio treatment and big modern production. Same for the rockier tunes like ‘Let’s Go!’.
To hear the birth of a master craftsmans work is great.  Anyone who loves power-pop should at least give this the once over and see how this stuff is really created.
Paul Collins’ Beat’s new album Another World – The Best Of The Archives will be available on Limited Vinyl, CD and digital/streaming formats – Alive Naturalsound Records. Click here to order the Limited Blue Vinyl.
FOR MORE INFO ON PAUL COLLINS: Website / Facebook
Author: Dom Daley