Author: edwardlayland

Tairrie B. – Vintage Curses

Posted on by edwardlayland

Tairrie BThis is not your usual rap album, but then again Tairrie B. Murphy is not your usual artist; she’s a fifty-year-old feminist heavy metal screamer (of My Ruin fame) and she does things on her terms, period. So what’s a woman like this doing making a rap record? – Well, because she can! The thing is, back in 1990 she learnt her trade with the legendary Eazy-E, yes, THE Eazy-E from NWA – go see Straight Outta Compton, which (not so?) coincidentally was released the same day, and you’ll get it. So if you’re wondering if she can actually rap, put your fears aside because Tairrie B. possesses a flow many a younger rapper would kill for.

Opening track ‘Beware the Crone’ sets the tone for things to come; smooth well rhymed verses, the occasional well placed sample, some dark rhythms (courtesy of husband Mick Murphy on drums, bass and guitar!) and plenty of bruxaria. The overriding theme of the record is witchcraft, with Tairrie cast as coven leader in this West Coast Helloween (sic). However, this, for me at least – make up your own minds by downloading (or naming your price) on the link below – is the one thing which is a little OTT and makes it a little difficult to take some tracks seriously, notably ‘Wicked Witch of the West Coast’, which is best taken with tongue firmly in cheek.

That said however, Tairrie does approach the subject of witchcraft as a form of empowerment much more seriously on the highly credible ‘Down as Dirt’ and `Carpe Noctem´, which both work the theme well. Speaking of empowerment, when the subject matter is a bit closer to home, such as the role of women in the music industry, she really nails it – ‘Ad Nauseam’ standing out for its lyrical content and hard edge rapping – killer.

Equally killer are ‘Spirit Queen’, which successfully blends rap with her hard rocking side, and the genius sampling of ‘Grease is the Word’ on ´Sky Above, City Below´. Throw in the superb bitchin finale to ‘BTCHCRVFT’ and you’ve got some really stand out moments.

I think it’s fair to say that Tairrie B. more than holds her own on the rap front and has put together some highly listenable well worked tunes, with more than a touch of the old school. She proves that a well placed sample is an art form in itself and that there is a place for the dark side in hip-hop, although in my humble opinion a little less witch and a touch more bitch would really nail it; even so, worth a listen, check it out.

7/10

http://tairrieb.bandcamp.com/

14 Reasons Why 2015 is Totally Retro:

Posted on by edwardlayland

This year is so old school I could be 16 again – punk influences are everywhere, comebacks are in, you can hear the seventies and eighties references all around and the over 40s (and 50s) are releasing killer tunes across the board; check it…

Blur are back, sounding fresh and vibrant on their superb new album, but as always the vaguest air of 90s nostalgia is  lurking beneath the surface, which in their case is no bad thing.

Iceland’s very own queen of (Brit)pop is also back and better than ever on deep dark cuts of emotional torture.

Old school rappers Public Enemy are sounding bang up-to-date whilst using all their old tricks; stacked with samples, Chuck D’s rich baritone flow kills it, nobody else could rap about being 55 and pull it off.

Kendrick’s smokey voice flows like liquid honey on this seventies fueled slice of badass rapping – there’s more than a hint of James Brown about it – precisely why Kendrick is The Negus right now. 

Courtney Barnett sounds a little like a punky Sheryl Crow recycling some familiar sounding riffs punctuated with barbed wire lyrics: “I want to wash out my head with turpentine cyanide I dislike this internal diatribe when I try to catch your eye”.

Slightly clunky guitar riff and bubbly bass dance awkwardly like mismatched partners at a school disco on this deliciously hook ridden punky pop from the original Riot Girls. 

Quite frankly this is rather a disturbing journey through the anger and frustration of recovering from a brutal beating – fodder for the 80s influenced dark synth pop tones lurking beneath the surface on this accomplished work from the Icelanders. 

Back from a 13 year hiatus, Conor Oberst and his punk buddies are rocking; angular riffing, up-tempo punky climaxes, anti-capitalism – sounds like 1983 got dusted off and brought back to life.

Full Review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/122343000330/album-review-desaparecidos-payola

Speaking of which, this 29 strong supergroup are doing their best to actually go back to 1983. 

Full Review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/126338235594/album-review-teenage-time-killers-greatest-hits

Father John Misty’s ultra sincere dark humour sounds like it was pulled straight out of the seventies, blending classic folk and country rhythms with barbed wire on Bored in the U.S.A. 

Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Leftfield are all back and it’s like they never went away. 

Failure are (also) back from a god knows how long hiatus and have picked up right where they left off – Tool, Queens of the Stone Age and Interpol are all soooo jealous. 

Full Review: http://alreadyheard.com/post/123977117304/album-review-failure-the-heart-is-a-monster

That Leon Bridges dude flew straight in from 1961 – described as “Authentic Retro”. 

Dammit, even Madonna has a new record. 

Margraves Part 1

Posted on by edwardlayland

The legendary DJ John Peel had a policy of listening to (and often playing on air) every demo tape he was given by a band – he loved it but also admitted that the sheer quantity drove him mad. As I am a million years away from being the most influential disc jockey in the industry, my task is somewhat easier, yet given my lack of time I have some idea of what he must have felt. At the time of writing I have little more than a handful of followers on Twitter, yet since I opened my account I’ve had bands following me and sending me their work. Here I will attempt to provide a space to showcase some of what I receive and although I cannot promise full reviews, actually I can’t even promise empty reviews, but I will endeavour to put bands out there in some way so that people can make up their own minds; obviously the more excited I am about them, the more  likely I am to go on about them – fair enough?

So, here’s the first crop of what I call ‘Margraves’ – a sideways tribute to John Peel (A.K.A Margrave of the Marshes) – featuring five newish bands, via Twitter, in order of discovery:
The Mantells – britpoppy Arctics influenced, nice clean sound – good vocal.

Lux Lisbon – slick slices of indie tinged atmospheric pop with good strong songs and a well refined sound.

We’re no Heroes – eighties groove with an upbeat sound, very likeable.

Charlywood – infectious English fronted guitar band from Austria with an air of Libertines meets Billy Bragg about them.

False Advertising – slightly mechanical indie fuzzers with some poppy hooks

Five British Rock Bands that Could Use a Break.

Posted on by edwardlayland

In my capacity as a contributing writer for www.alreadyheard.com, an alternative rock website in the UK, I’ve been lucky enough to review some really interesting stuff, as well as some pathetically indulgent musically limited shit. Among the non-shit are a whole bunch of upcoming British bands suffering at the hard end of the music business, where lack of money and/or record company support means that a DIY philosophy is prerequisite. Not only are these bands writing their own songs, but they are often using crowdfunding (pledgemusic), producing themselves and in some cases doing their own marketing and booking their own gigs, which is all very admirable but is obviously not a sustainable model. Without significant record sales, top drawer live opportunities or some real financial backing from a record label, bands like these are living on borrowed time and their talents will be confined to an eternity on the pub circuit. Ok, I’m the first to admit that none of these guys are the finished article and the artistic direction of their videos leaves more than a little to be desired, but each one them has talent and all have potential to develop given the right support. Check them out below – with links 🙂

Romans – upbeat hard rock; very succinctly summed up on the “About” of their facebook page – “We like riffs”.

https://m.facebook.com/romansonline?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fromansonline

Blind Wives – indie rock crossover with a punky edge recently released their second EP showing off mature song writing skills.


http://blindwives.bandcamp.com/

An Elegy – midlands metalcore band with an immense heaviness and interesting song structures born of hard studio time.

https://anelegy.bandcamp.com/

Quiet Lions – Brighton based melodic rock band creating expansive sound scapes.


http://www.quietlions.com/

Of Allies – these guys are ready – hard edged alternative rock with strong songs and plenty of appeal.

http://ofallies.com/ (free download available)

All the bands featured here, which is just the tip of the iceberg of the underground/independent scene, are available for streaming on Deezer (and probably Spotify but I couldn’t be arsed to troll their user unfriendly interface to see), where I also have an ever growing playlist of upcoming bands from around the world:
http://www.deezer.com/playlist/1328065347

The Maccabees – Marks to Prove It

Posted on by edwardlayland

b0ffeb97d813799ac7300b9768c33196-98You know those retro Nikes, the ones that hark back to the seventies but actually look fresh and have a certain cool about them? Well, I see the Maccabees as their musical equivalent; there are some old school influences bubbling away under the surface yet there is something fresh and confident about them that sets them apart from their contemporaries. I was a big fan of the expansive sound scapes of 2012’s Mercury nominated ‘Given to the Wild’, so I was anxious to hear the follow up, and thankfully, I’m not disappointed.
On ‘Marks to Prove It’ the Maccabees have upped their game, following an extensive US tour with Mumford and Sons and some trials and tribulations in the studio, and have produced a somewhat introspective mature sounding album, reflecting harsh urban landscapes and themes of love, friendship and the challenges of growing older.
Title track, ‘Marks to Prove It’ is a hectic opener with a crunchy guitar sound in a clear cut nod to their Indie kid days, but there is much more depth to the sound and you can hear their development. They actually experiment to great effect throughout; no two songs sound alike and Orlando Weeks varies his vocal delivery to offer another new dimension, as on the atmospheric ‘Kamakura’ and the multi-faceted ‘Spit it Out’ with its tender piano intro and high tempo rocky climax. ‘Silence’ starts out similarly tenderly and is frankly a rather beautiful song – “understand that it never ends / she’s waiting round every corner every bend” – to which ‘River Song’ is quite a brooding contrast of histrionic saxophone.

I love the emotional urgency of Orlando’s voice and it’s evident in the moody bass rich ‘Slow Sun’ and the intense ‘WWI Portraits’; possibly the most accomplished track of the album. As the record progresses so does the sound, with ‘Pioneering Systems’ and ‘Dawn Chorus’ showing the band’s maturity; the latter being especially interesting with melodic guitar lines, thoughtful vocal and even some horns to give it another dimension, not to forget the female backing vocal which helps bring the album to a meandering hypnotic close.
The one track which I find lacking credibility is the second single, ‘Something Like Happiness; it’s kinda jaunty and actually sounds like something the Mumfords might write rather than a Maccabees song – disappointing.
Nevertheless, ‘Marks to Prove It’ showcases a well developed band offering up their most accomplished release to date; I like the fact that they have progressed steadily throughout their career and have put making great music ahead of achieving instant commercial success. For me they embody the philosophy of do what you love and the success will come. Lovely record, listen as a whole.

9/10