Youngblood Brass Band- Pax Volumi

 

Funk and jazz, hip-hop and punk; these are just some of the places that Youngblood Brass Band have gone to draw inspiration for this latest release.

Pax Volumi, the fourth album from this 10-piece collective from across America. Blending hip-hop rapping with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, jazzy horn lines, punk-y beats and funky bass lines, there really is something to appeal to all audiences about this music.

The album successfully captures the energetic craziness of the live band, and shows off the way the group is influenced by New Orleans Dixieland jazz with the semi-improvised nature of the tracks, and the interaction between the different parts.

Youngblood Brass band really have got some fantastic tracks on this album- the opener and debut single, ’20 Questions’ shows off their Hip-hop stylings to great aplomb. The horn riffs crackle like fire and the lyrics come thick and fast. ‘Wrestlevania’ is a much more jazzy number- instrumental, it shows off the band’s prowess as players. The cover of Chaka Khan’s 80s classic ‘Ain’t Nobody’ is full of life and energy, with some great sections of powerful horns, with a slightly latin beat. ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ takes the feel and sounds of a New Orleans funeral march, slow and sombre, before lifting up into a celebration of life with the segue into ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow.’ The moments where individuals have solos only serves to show how talented the individuals who make up the band are- both tasteful and complicated, these short solos add little bits of individual character to certain tracks, rather than being used as something to have in every song.

Overall, this album crackles with energy, and shows off the talents of the band as a whole; as well as individual musicians. Equal parts jazz, rock, hip-hop and funk, there is something for everyone on this release.

8.5/10

Ballard- Pancho Got Soul!

An attempt at soul that seems to have more in common with rock of the 1960s and early punk than strict soul music, Ballard’s 4-track EP (and a bonus demo song), Pancho Got Soul! is a low-tech, guitar-based offering.

Rejecting highly polished production and squeaky clean digitalised sounds, this EP has a raw honesty to it. The crunchy, slightly distorted sound works well for tracks like ‘Race Relations’, which sounds like it is being shouted through a loudhailer. 

However, this dirt does get a bit trying on some of the other tracks, as it doesn’t offer much scope for a variety in sounds. The drums are very low down in the mix- especially as the vocals and guitar are so loud, and sound very loose; at times almost like a child’s toy drum set.

The songs themselves all follow a fairly set pattern, simple structures, no fancy playing, pseudo-socially relevant lyrics, and a few catchy hooks- the chorus in Race Relations is a good example of this- and a humorous take on real-life subject matter. 

Overall, it’s an enjoyable album, and with a slightly tighter production, and a bit more variety in the writing, a next release could be really good.

6/10

Voodoo Vegas- The Rise of Jimmy Silver

The Rise of Jimmy Silver is the new release from young blues rockers Voodoo Vegas. Their brand of high-octane guitar rock is both melodic and heavy at the same time.

This album is, from start to finish, a storming album. The 11 tracks, including a brief intro and an interlude track, the Voodoo Vegas definitely have one foot firmly in their roots, with their blues-oriented tracks talking about girls, cars and folk-heroes. The album even includes a once-compulsory acoustic track (what happened to the days when every rock band tried to have one acoustic track on their albums?) The haunting ‘What I Pay’ simply oozes with a spooky, swampy air which sounds like something a 70s Southern Rock band may have come out with. ‘Ferry Song’ furthers the classic vibe of the album and the band’s overall sound with a wailing harmonica solo, imitating train-like sounds and pushing the track along as well as any old-school bluesman. ‘Lost in Confusion’, a pain-drenched ode to pointlessly lost loves goes to show that Voodoo Vegas have a softer side, and can write a heart-rending ballad as well as any 80s arena superstars.

This album is a joyous rock and roll romp, which goes to show that guitar-based music can still kick, yet remain soulful and be played with plenty of feeling.  Definitely a band to watch out for in the future!

9/10

CrashDiet- The Savage Playground

This fourth release from Swedish Melodic Sleaze Metallers writhes with the spirit of LA’s Sunset Strip circa 1989, adds a healthy extra dose of punk and a hefty coating of melodic, arena-filling sounds to create a positive soup of good-ole’ rock n roll energy. (I apologise for the half-hearted food analogy, but it got the point across I think)

This latest album, The Savage Playground definitely shows off a much more melodic side of CrashDiet’s sound, without losing any of that hard edged pedigree that people expect of this hard working group. Almost constantly on the road since the release of their previous 2010 album Generation Wild, this album has a more live feel to it, and keeps the edges rough and the sound raw.

The band’s hard rock edge can be seen with sleaze-filled tracks like “Cocaine Cowboys” and “Drinkin’ Without You”, a firm nod to the types of larger-than-life bands who influenced CrashDiet. However, on tracks such as “California” you can hear a much more melodic approach to song-writing (although no less rockin’), complete with catchy choruses and multiple guitar tracks which make the song sound huge and creates a sense that the band has musically matured- not just throwing out heavy riffs- but also writing melodic songs.

Overall, this is a great album, especially if you are looking for something which sounds new, yet would equally fit in with the heyday of 80s melodic rock and metal.

8/10 

Godsized- Time

Mixing heavy riffs, old-school hooks and a certain traditionalist approach to recording- live, full band takes as much as possible- this debut album from the heavy metal beast that is Godsized serves up exactly what their fans have been waiting for. No nonsense, balls-to-the-wall, old fashioned, no frills heavy metal.

As a result of the nature of the recording process, the album has a powerful, raw, live feel to it. However there are places where it feels like the lower frequencies of the album have been slightly muffled.

The album shows a variety of songs, ballads and more up-tempo rockers. All of which are heavy and groove-laden. Full of huge guitar sounds, pounding drums, an ever-present bass line and powerful vocals, the album offers nothing but pure, simple, rock and roll, complete with duelling guitar solos.

Listening to the album, it is easy to hear how they were picked up to tour with Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, the powerful riffs, screaming solos and loud vocals reminiscent of many classic metal acts through the ages.

The 12 tracks offered up here clearly show the band’s roots in classic rock and metal, steeped in the lineage of the groups who influenced them, creating an album of truly classic sounding metal, yet managing to remain up to date.

Whilst a head-banging, fist-pumping rollercoaster ride from start to finish, Godsized have not managed to make a hugely innovative album here. However, what there is a definite sign of promise to come, and a taste of their high-energy live shows.

7/10

King Tut's Revenge- Finally

This Somerset ska group have Finally released their first album. A collection of summery, reggae and rock influenced numbers. This album is consistently upbeat and lively, keeping the horn riffs and punk-y guitar parts pounding along.

Each track on this album, whilst quite similar, in the way that they are all very heavily punk based ska tracks, including punchy saxophone lines, rhythms that will, in a live situation (or sat in a bedroom) cause any audience to be skanking in no time, the occasional simple yet tasteful solo from any of the members. The opening number, “Not Content” shows exactly how the album pans out, opening with a line that could only come from a ska band, and can only conjure images of summer parties on long, warm nights (exactly the sort of time that British weather rarely offers up). The album allows for all the members to stretch their song-writing wings even, as is proudly advertised in the song title, the drummer, in the great number “Sketch’s Song” (Sketch being the band’s drummer, and drummers often being very much side-lined when it comes to writing songs in many bands).

The highlight of the album is the Anthemic “South Coast Girls”, a ditty singing the praises and virtues of the band’s chosen favourite group of women: Those from the South coast of England (As opposed to The Beach Boys or Katy Perry, all of whom who preferred “California Girls”).

From time to time, there could be those who claim that the tracks can be fairly repetitive, with some of the riffs and tunes being reasonably interchangeable. However, this is as much the nature of the genre of the music; light-hearted ska-punk has never been particularly innovative.

Overall, this is a great first full-length album. The songs are all belters, with great melodies, fantastic riffs, and the whole thing just screams of the summer. Get ready to dance.

8/10

Jimi Hendrix- People, Hell and Angels

This posthumous release is the latest in a long line of albums comprised of what were unfinished, partially recorded songs, and lengthy jams captured before the legendary guitarist’s death in 1970. Unlike many of the others, however, this is the most complete “album” released since the 1990s. Made up from cuts of various musical experiments and line-ups which never made it onto full length albums, this collection includes interesting snapshots and insights into the working process of Jimi Hendrix’s various bands.

The tracks on People, Hell and Angels offer a snapshot into the various directions that Hendrix was moving toward, with either his later trio- Band of Gypsies, or expanded groups to include extra percussion, horns and secondary guitarists. This album comprises of a mix of hard, rock epics, showing Jimi playing at his best, soulful-jazz drenched, funky numbers and driving electric blues tracks. Despite the fact that some of the tracks on this album have been released on earlier posthumous albums, this is the first time that many of those have been released to the public at large without any extra overdubs or too much electronic alteration to remove the spirit and essence of Jimi’s playing from the takes.

Highlights include the wonderful Somewhere: A slow, acidic ballad, which is reminiscent of Little Wing, with slower verses and ample space for the fiery guitar work Jimi is famous for to shine through. Also, the funky, soulful Let Me Move You, which features Lonnie Youngblood on saxophone and vocals, showing off the roots of all the musicians involved on the recording, backing up Rhythm & Blues and Soul acts in the 1960s. The addition here of an organ as well as the sax shows how well Jimi could perform with a much fuller sounding line-up.

Whilst still nothing compared to the fully complete albums that were released during Jimi Hendrix’s lifetime, People, Hell and Angels represents a respectful look at the unpublished work which was unreleased until now, showing off the best of what could have been.

7/10

Yes Sir Boss- Desperation State

Diversity could be Yes Sir Boss’ watchword. Ska, soul, funk, rock and pop are just a selection of the genres which are not only tackled on Desperation State, they are fully explored and conquered.

Signed to Joss Stone’s label, Stone’d Records, and featuring Miss Stone herself singing on the soul/pop “Mrs #1”, YSB have been going from strength to strength; touring the UK and Europe relentlessly to packed out houses.

Desperation State opens with the fantastic title track, a belter from start to finish. This Gypsy-Ska is the perfect number to open the album with, showing off a little of almost everything that the band draws from. Tight horn riffs weave between the vocal lines in a snakelike fashion as the dynamic of the track moves from an a capella intro to a massive Anthemic finish. This is followed by the Mariachi-styled trumpet instrumental “The Situation.” And here comes my biggest criticism, at a mere 43 seconds, “The Situation” is really just an intro to the next track, without being a real piece in its own right.

While some of the tracks feature fairly complicated horn riffs, it would be a bonus to be able to hear the players really let rip and show what they can do in longer solo sections or instrumental tracks.  Merging seamlessly from the atmospheric mariachi style of “The Situation” comes “Not Guilty.” This Ska-Punk rocker goes to show how heavy the band can play, whilst still retaining the bounce and groove that makes a Yes Sir Boss gig one that’s impossible to remain still during. The two-tone influence is evident from the start of not guilty, as the song builds and builds to a heavier, rocky climax.

The other real stand out track on Desperation State is the more soulful number “Mrs #1”, which opens with an upbeat acoustic intro, before introducing a groovy backbeat that blends with the guest vocals of Joss Stone. The track mixes her more soulful style with the rough and ready attitude of YSB.  The track allows for the horns to show a different side, playing a mixture of Soul grooves and stabs rather than the more riff-based ideas of the rest of the tracks on the album written just for the band.

As a whole, the entire album is solid, keeping the groove of the band going for all of the 11 tracks. Without a single bad track on the entire disc, it’s hard to pick out any favourites. Although “Desperation State”, “Not Guilty” and “Mrs #1” being the ones that give the best idea of the vast range of styles that the band play.

9/10

KISS- Monster Review

You can say what you like about KISS, and people really do. The fervour and love of their army of fans is matched only by the strength with which many despise their brand of fun-loving, Rock & Roll music. Whilst it lacks any real depth, serious message or great technical ability, Monster definitely offers what made KISS huge in the first place: A slice of high energy Hard Rock that gets fists pumping in the air and the long hair (albeit a distant memory for many of their original fans) swinging.

The 20^th album of a career spanning 4 decades, Monster is the second record KISS have made with the current line-up of Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons (founding members) along with the guitar skills of Tommy Thayer, and the pounding drums of Eric Singer. The follow up to 2009’s Sonic Boom continues with the band’s return to the true 70s sound that they’re famous for. Never a group to push musical boundaries, KISS is still most certainly doing what they’ve always done. 3 minute Hard Rock with plenty of guitar solos and lyrics about little more than Rock and Roll and partying which, whilst alright for some, do not plumb the depths of imagination, imagery or metaphor to decipher, especially as the ideas could have been lifted directly from albums of the band’s hay-day of 30 years ago. The problem with this return to the style of their classic period is that listening through to the album, there is a sense that you’ve heard all the songs before. “Ground-breaking” has never been a term regularly used in terms of KISS’ music, but there is a lack of much of anything special or new on Monster.

The opening track of Monster, “Hell or Hallelujah”, which was first released at the start of July 2012, begins the album with a barrage of classic bombast. The high-energy continues throughout the first couple of tracks, drawing heavily on the Blues-Rock roots of the band, each following the stock Verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-solo format which, although tried and tested as a song-writing technique, offers little in the way of variety. The album features tracks which allow all 4 members the opportunity to have a turn on lead vocals. Although no-one else reaches the power and range of Stanley, Thayer’s tribute to the spaceman aesthetic that his character in the band has on “Outta This World” is a good rocker, although, like most of this album, there’s little inspired about it. The same with Singer’s “All for the Love of Rock & Roll”, while anthems extolling the virtues of specific musical genres are all well and good, music has moved on and evolved since the time that these songs belong in. The guitar playing on this album, whilst definitely better than most attempts at guitar based music that are released today, still lacks the sparkle, polish and sophistication that is needed to stand out even in the specific Rock music charts. The Hard, Party-on aesthetic seems to be wearing a bit thin on these stalwart veterans, with the two original members in their 60s, and Tommy and Eric in their 50s; it’s hard to see how relevant their lyrics are to them anymore.

This album is a welcome return to the 1970s styling of KISS’ music. Although the problem is large amounts of it do sound like off-cuts from previous albums. There are no real possibilities for a modern-day “Rock and Roll All Nite (And Party Every Day).” Unfortunately for KISS they seem to be resting on their laurels a bit with this release.

In a year where many other classic bands have released new albums, while this is definitely a fun, good time record, there’s very little special or exciting about it. The re-hashed formula of the songs makes this a bit of an old, toothless Monster at best. So for previous, and die-hard fans who love what KISS always were, this album continues their legacy successfully enough. But for people looking for an exciting, new addition to the Rock ‘n’ roll cannon, it lacks in many departments.

5.5/10

Dorje- Primordial Audio Chronicle Review

Dorje was formed in early 2012 as a project of Youtube based “guitar guru” Rob Chapman. Dorje, is a word that comes from Tibetan spiritualism, meaning “thunderbolt of enlightenment.” I’m unsure of the enlightenment part at this stage, but listening through to the two tracks that make up Primordial Audio Chronicle Volume 1 there are definitely more than a few lightning bolts. The musicianship evident on this recording is incredible- there are reasons why these men are getting so much recognition from their armies of online fans!

The first track, “Aeromancy” well and truly stamps Dorje into a brand of epic, technical Rock all of its own. With an atmospheric little introduction which then hammers straight into a powerful riff, the song is relentless in its attack. Taking influences from just about any Rock/Metal subgenre that you can care to imagine: Heavy riffs, atmospheric instrumental breaks, a shredding solo and a vocal track that sounds like it has been beamed through space from another dimension.

“Too Weak”, the other track on this short EP is another rocker. Although this time there’s a lot more groove to the song. The slap and pop of the bass line a lot more prominent here. Again with an amazing sounding, technical, yet tasteful solo- which is surprisingly rare from bands so stuffed full with technical ability as Dorje evidently is. The groove changes seamlessly and effortlessly between the different sections, making this song flow and ebb throughout.

This group have literally exploded since forming, making use of the extensive experience in New Media and online resources that the members have acquired. As a model of how using mediums like youtube can give great success, Dorje is the perfect model. The concept of collaboration between the band and their fans being a big part of the way Dorje work means that the upcoming video will heavily feature their fans. 

Overall, the biggest problem with the EP is that it is far too short. These two tracks give a very good idea of what the group is capable of, but it’s little more than a tantalising flavour of the essence of their sound. But the songs are solid, upbeat and real, rocking tunes.

8/10

Die Toten Hosen- Ballast Der Republik- 2012

Ballast Der Republik is the new offering from Germanic rockers Die Toten Hosen. Released back in May, this album is as eclectic as it is a novelty. Offering a mix of slower ballads and shout-along-in-a-rough-phonetic-way-despite-not-speaking-German Anthems

It is a strange phenomenon in the Musical world that bands from English speaking countries like England and America can find mass international fame worldwide, yet artists from other countries fail to make an impact on anything other than niche markets. This needs to change as there are some truly decent foreign acts out there.

These Punk-Rockers have really managed to get the art of writing good riffs, catchy lyrics and memorable hooks down. Whilst the album has a few weaker tracks, and tracks which seem rather indistinct (which is the problem with the majority of more modern rock bands I find), songs like the new (Oct 2012) single Altes Fieber really have power and a kind of epic quality that you can imagine a large crowd singing along with. Whereas on the slightly folksy track Ballast Der Republik, there is a definite Viking and pirate-rock influence. Die Toten Hosen don’t skimp out on the emotional level of their tracks either, without knowing anything of the meanings of the lyrics, there are the odd riff and melody to tug at the heartstrings in a precise, stereotypically Germanic way.

The major criticism of this album is that it seems a bit too polished for my taste. Everything feels precise and digital, which detracts from the rock n roll ethos this band seems to be struggling to keep hold of.

3 chord power rock style of the band does have the potential to get repetitive, especially as there are 16 songs on the album, barely any of which are much over 3 minutes long. However the different ways in which the formula is treated means that there is enough variety to keep the listener interested.

7/10

Ash- The Best of Ash- 2011

Back in the early 1990s, with Brit pop bands like Oasis and Blur dominating the guitar-based aspect of commercial music and bubblegum pop covering the slightly more light hearted end, there was a group that seemed to be around, but never huge, their name is remembered, but (after a bit of half-hearted research) very little of their music. That band, is Ash. (Not even the media player I used to listen to the album on my laptop would recognise them)

This “Best of” collection is, to be fair to the group, not the worst collection of songs in the world. The punk rock roots of the band are definitely audible, and the few tracks that I recognised caused a bit of nostalgic excitement. The music has lots in common with some of the “Indie” music of recent years, and on occasion, the guitar parts sound a bit reminiscent of a past Irish Rock band, Thin Lizzy! It’s a bit shocking therefore that the band has had so little recognition, despite the fact that out of their six studio albums, two have been certified gold, and two even managed to go platinum. Yet there are no real stand out songs from the band’s entire back catalogue.  Despite this, the songs they’ve chosen are, surprisingly, not entirely awful. However, I wouldn’t say all nineteen of them are strong enough to be included on a “Best of” album. If they wanted this to be a true retrospective of a career of a band who had only limited success, then they should have been more selective with the song choices, possibly limiting the list to more of a standard album length of 10-12 tracks only.

The question that this “best of” collection of singles begs to ask is, how can an act who rarely broke the UK top ten, and has been resigned to the “where are they now” pile of bands, have a collection of Best of singles? This band seems to be in the list kept for the “hipsters” who only like obscure groups that no-one’s ever heard of. The name is familiar to most of us, but the songs are less so, or at least, there are very few of us that could name 19 of them. A Best of Collection implies that the group has had enough success to warrant an album dedicated entirely to it, and, for Ash, that mass success has never really come. To me, they will always be one of those acts that no-one ever really knew who they were, but during the mid 90s always had a track on one of those chart compilation albums that your grandparents got you for Christmas because they didn’t really know what to get you. The only real recent success that the band has had was that the intro to their song ”Burn Baby Burn”  has been used as the theme music to the BBC Stand up show “Michael Macintyre’s Comedy Road Show”

Overall, despite the fact that there are a great many songs that seem to be on the album merely as time-fillers to bring the track list closer to the twenty songs that seems about normal on “Best of” compilations, nineteen songs chosen from six albums is a bit  much. Especially as there were very few real hits amongst them. But the majority of the songs aren’t all bad. So if you are partial to a bit of modern “Indie” music then it’s not a bad collection, although there are better albums around. Therefore, either if you genuinely are a fan, then it’s probably worth it as an album. But if not, then just stick to the couple of tracks on the 90s compilations.