We don’t need to go to Reykjavik to experience the atmosphere of Icelandic music since Alec Snook, aka Zoon van snooK, decided to bring us a piece of Iceland into our homes with his new album The Bridge Between Life & Death which is due May 21st.

The Barcelona-based artist composed his new album collecting field recordings recorded in Iceland in 2009 and the first thing you’ll realize is that this is not a conventional ‘found song’ album for the shift in sound and atmosphere you can find through the 11 tracks. In about 40 minutes each field recording, one after the other, is a picture of Iceland, from the valley of Landmannalaugar to the Vulcan of Askja, to the glacial Jökulsárlón but with music that doesn't sound like ice, but like warmth. Each song is composed differently from the other one resulting in a beautiful and well mixed photographic album.

The album intro is ‘From the Cradle / Leiktími’ that announce the starting point of the trip throughout Iceland with its captivating glockenspiel. It creates the atmosphere of the day before you leave. 

The following song ‘Snorri’s Saga’ is a miracle, like the waterfall of Seljalandsfoss. It conquered me immediately. It’s soft and warm and you find yourself delighting in the beauty of nature until, after two and a half minutes, it becomes darker and brings you into a deep and introspective mood. 

“That’s how the life can be here on this little strange island” are the final words of ‘Björn of the Mendips’ - where the lyrics is an Icelandic anecdote. Zoon van snooK put music to the words captured during his travel experience in Iceland. 

‘The Verge of Winter’ is the first song made public and should be familiar to the fans of Zoon van snooK’smusic by now. 3:47 minutes of joyful notes with gentle xylophones that reverberate vigorously accompanied by piano and strings. This sound brings me to the birds of the songs of Múm which Alec Snook maybe was inspired byduring his composing and I really love the title of this tune. It’s a joyful song associated to a season that is considered by the majority as a dark and gloomy season but full of memories of the past summer and of expectations for the forthcoming springtime. Alec lets the sun shine during the winter!

When you think you have reached the end of the album, ‘The Potter’s Garden’ featuring Amiina surprise you with a delicate twist of rhythms and sounds creating a wonderful audio environment.

I really love the rhythm of ‘Magret the Outlaw’ and its repeated beats. It’s a wonderful electronic exploration and one of those tunes that is strong enough to stand on its own feet. 

The following song ‘Lyre! Lyre!’ is a sweet ballad where Zoon van snooK mix traditional Icelandic music, electronic beats and the words of an Icelandic woman. All these elements are perfectly blended.  

“Tjörnin Side” represents another experiment of mixed sounds and instruments: viola, cello, guitars and glockenspiels are all combined into a nice groove that celebrates the beauty of Iceland and its inspiring power. 

The concluding ‘The Gaits’ featured by the guest performer Sin Fang is the longest track of the album and it’s quite melancholic. Is it due to the fact that the trip is going towards its end? Maybe yes or maybe it is due to the mood that northern landscapes often provoke. Because the sight of that beauty is too invasive and this tune together with all the other songs of The Bridge Between Life & Death celebrate it in the most beautiful way. 

All I want now is some time together with this album and a pair of earphones.

It’s not very often a compilation of re-mixed and re-mastered songs from an unreleased EP and an album, with two different ex-vocalists mind you, is all that good. Tormented to Oblivion features songs from the Sherwood Webber (ex-Skinless) lead (again, unreleased) EP Diametrically Opposed, and choice cuts from their album Between Hell and Oblivion, which features other ex-vocalist Stevie Boiser. I know what you’re thinking. Odd: yes. But good: absolutely.

(This album is being released on vinyl and digitally. The vinyl version contains selected tracks from Between Hell and Oblivion and all of the Tormented to Oblivion EP. The digital version contains all of Between Hell and Oblivion and Tormented to Oblivion. You are reading my review of the digital version.)

So having never heard the original version of this album, I really have no bias in this. What I hear from the opening track ‘Haunted’ is a nice chugging, brutal, heavy slab of death metal. Vocalist Stevie Boiser is really good. He has a very strong roar, but it has clarity. After a listen or two you can pick up on what he’s saying. Guitarist Nick Guenther plays a nice mid-pace set of riffs all throughout, and his solo is really crisp and doesn't overstay its welcome. ‘The Heretic’s Will’ is a quick fire track, deathgrind if you will. Drummer Andon Guenther plays some really nice fills throughout the song, and they accent the song well. I can tell bassist Phil Turner is there, he obviously is in the mix, but it’s hard to make out. The drums and guitars are up front quite a bit. ‘Abducted’ and ‘Cidium’ are both great tracks that bring a really heavy, and hefty, attack. The entire band actually sounds heavy. (This re-mix/master has done a good job of really bringing the heft to this album, if that is indeed what it was lacking.) Both of these songs bring a lot of mid-pace with the drums and guitars. The leads at the tail end of each are also really good. Both songs feel like they were actually “working” to get to the end of the song for a great finish. The final track from Between Hell and Oblivion is ‘A Viral Evolution’. Enemy Reign really sound complete on this song. Lots of guitar work placed over stop and start drums that then spring right into blasting session. The vocals, as I’ve said, fit perfectly and I really like them.

The last for songs on this compilation are the unreleased EP Tormented to Oblivion. I honestly have no idea what kept it from being released but I’m happy it’s finally out there. ‘Make Enemies’ starts out building to a friggin explosion. The bass is audible as well, something I appreciate and enjoy. Vocalist Webber sounds great with his half shout half growl. Drums and guitars sound fantastic. The sound on this EP portion feels a bit more “open”. There’s a very nice sound to it that isn’t suffocating, and that adds a greater dynamic. The other three songs rounding this out; ‘Tormented Masses’, ‘Diametrically Opposed’ and ‘The Truth Hurts Suffer’ all sound amazing, production-wise and musically. I’d have a hard time picking one of the four to be a favorite, as they all have amazing drums, guitars, bass, and vocals. They sound like awesome death metal songs. Period.

You can purchase Tormented to Oblivion on vinyl now through the bands official website. It will also be available digitally through your preferred digital music store. Support the bands you love and enjoy. Grab this album and go see a show!

Hail!!!!!

If you looked at the cover of Fat White Family’s Champagne Holocaust album you could be forgiven for thinking they were some insane grindcore band with like thirty three fans. It features like a weird cow pig thing holding a blood splattered meat cleaver and axe whilst his impressively sized penis hangs below which would be a perfect portrait for any shock grind band. However, upon listening to their debut album you realise Fat White Family are not a grindcore band, way off! In fact, after spinning their album countless times I’m not really sure what they are… rare nowadays!

There is a certain level of buzz sweeping around London about this band… people mentioning how skinny they are, how they survive by squatting around the East End and their disturbing video for ‘Cream of the Young’. The Fat White Family buzz strongly hints that they don’t just pretend to be weirdos… they are weirdos. Champagne Holocaust is only just going in to circulation, they are already being tagged with a ‘cult band’ label so does the listening experience justify the hype? That’s a big fat family yes!

The opening track ‘Auto Neutron’ kicks in like a lo-fi garage number, it makes you feel like you are getting intoxicated on many levels in the coolest club in town. The lyrics are dark, the singer is mumbling but you can hear him saying something about “burning your shit down”. It’s a gem of a track, a glorious mix between garage rocker Ty Segall and psychadelic rockers Goat.

We then move onto ‘Raining In Your Mouth’ which could easily be a completely different band… almost Butthole Surfers like before we launch into ‘Who Shot Lee Oswald’ a stripped down number on a banjo with repetitive yet insane lyrics and not a million miles from sound like Ween. That’s pretty much the story for the entire album, it’s a quirky little journey across many different musical styles... Stooges style punk, bluegrass, even indie (good indie)! It’s all packaged up beautifully and heavily armed with both charm and darkness making it a well-balanced delicacy. There’s numbers that will make you dance, make you think, make you trip and just put a big fat family sized family smile on your face (sorry I’ll stop doing that now).

I never listen to new bands and hope they were ‘the next big thing’ but I kind of feel this about these gents. Champagne Holocaust feels like the real deal and with the mainstream music scene is as crushingly boring as it’s ever been, there has been no better time for a genuinely nasty band (who at one point mention a 15 year old girl’s cunt) to come and give the mainstream a hard kick in its deserving arse!

Imagine you’re a band from France. You’ve been touring a lot and you’ve released a full length album and a split over the last couple of years and you’ve worked hard and saved up enough money to go to Brooklyn in the United States to record a new full length album at Translator Audio studios with Andrew Schneider (of Unsane, Keelhaul, Converge fame among others). You’ve made it to Brooklyn and everything’s going well, but then it turns into October 29th 2012 and Hurricane Sandy hits the East Coast of the US. Destroying many things, including Translator Audio studios and the entire studio and band’s backline, gear and everything.

This happened to French heavy noise rock band Sofy Major when they were recording their new album Idolize. For a while they wondered around the streets of New York not really knowing what to do. Luckily for the band (and for us), the Brooklyn indie music scene came to the rescue and the recording eventually took place with the help of Dave Curran (of Unsane, Pigs) and Andrew Schneider’s perseverance. The result is a top of the noise rock shelf album with a handful of very decent tracks and another handful of brilliant tracks.

As said, Sofy Major is a heavy noise rock band, but there are plenty of metal and hardcore influences in their sound, with tracks ‘Comment’, ‘Steven The Slow’ (which features Dave Curran lyrics and vocals), ‘Bbbbreak’, ‘Coffee Hammam’ and album closer ‘Power Of Their Voice’ (a great Portobello Bones cover; only included on the European release) being good examples. Other tracks such as ‘UMPKK Pt.2’, ‘Slow And Painful’, ‘Seb’ and album opener ‘Aucune Importance’ are of the more slower and nosier calibre.

Andrew Schneider did a fantastic job producing Idolize as it has a very natural and organic sound to it. The drums sound as if you’re just standing next the kit in the studio and the bass has this almost Albini-like sound to it, which makes comparisons with Shellac and The Jesus Lizard unavoidable, this not being a bad thing in my book, but more the contrary. It is a sound I love and that makes noise rock so attractive.

I am sure the events on that October 29th would have had a huge impact on the two Matthieus (one on drums and one on bass and vocals) and Sébastien on guitar, as this no doubt affects the songs written and recorded during the process. One thing is for sure though, Sofy Major has demonstrated a huge amount of willpower and with the help of the Brooklyn music scene they managed to create a great album full of heavy bass, distorted guitar riffs and organically sounding pounding drums. It takes the motto “Support Your Local Scene” to the next level.

Idolize will be released on May 31st through Solar Flare Records and if you like your music heavy, noisy and with plenty of riffing, I’d recommend you to buy this.

Much like the man they named themselves after, The Dillinger Escape Plan have been giving my musical radar the slip until now. I’ve saw their name in written press but for some reason have never actually considered paying them any further attention. The Echoes and Dust Metal Editor practically dared me to take up this review and I’m glad he did as new album One Of Us Is The Killer is one incredible chaotic, mesmerising thrill ride down extreme alley. Oh, forgot one other adjective there…it is BRUTAL.

My first encounter with the band was a video of them performing single ‘Prancer’ at some metal award ceremony. Quite a performance too, vocalist Greg Puciato stands astride a huge speaker stack before jumping off onto the stage, while hirsute bassist Liam Wilson sets about playing his bass like he’s trying to murder it. The song itself is a hurricane of complex riffs, twisted and mangled, it seems as it this band have never met and are each doing their own thing. But that seems to be how these guys work, repeated plays reveal that the fury that is being unleashed is, for the most part, an extremely technical performance and the manic thrashing of guitars and drums is all part of the equation that is math metal. After repeated plays, ‘Prancer’ becomes a sleek, driving sledgehammer of a song with one thing on its mind. To bury itself in your brain, it is bloody great.

The savagery continues with ‘When I Lost My Bet’ which sounds like the bet was to record the noisiest cacophony possible in the shortest possible time. Often the riffs and drums are so chopped up that it sounds like the CD has got dust on it and the laser’s skipping. ‘Magic That I Held You Prisoner’ and ‘The Threat Posed By Nuclear’ also edge that wee bit too much into untenable territory for these ears, no matter how many listens I give them, I ain’t getting it. (Sorry extreme metal fans, but I had to say it.)

When it’s good, it’s exceptionally good, the title track ‘One Of Us Is The Killer’ finds Greg sound so much like Mike Patton I thought it was a guest vocal turn. There’s a much needed downturn in tempo and the first semblance of melody as the eerie falsetto sung verse gives way to a snarled croon. Not one to ever take much note of lyrics, the chorus of “One of us must die, but the killer won’t survive” is a tremendous twist that adds a suspense element to the song, which is already on a knife edge.

‘Nothing’s Funny’ also brings the Faith No More influence to the fore, again, The Dillinger Escape Plan show that they have an ear for a tune amongst the violent malevolence of the music throughout. ‘Paranoia Shields’ also adequately provides the hum factor, as does ‘Understanding Decay’ although the latter is also one of the most frenetic tracks on the album. Penultimate track ‘Crossburner’ adds a little dubby atmospherics to the melting pot.

I’m fully aware that The Dillinger Escape Plan will have their fanbase, most of who will have grown up with the band and will be knowledgeable about them and more in tune with their sound, so to you I apologise if this review comes across a little cack handed. I accepted the challenge to write the review, my musical tastes only ever dip into waters this choppy, but it’s a credit to the band that they can engage the likes of me, draw us in and overcome us. I’m intrigued enough to seek out their back catalogue and hear more. There are many facets to The Dillinger Escape Plan sound, there’s a complexity to the songs that requires attention. Give them your attention and be rewarded.

The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) must have been such an exciting time for the people who were there at the start of it all. So many talented bands emerged—or simply became more well-known—during the years of 1978–1984; bands like Blitzkrieg, Saxon, Angel Witch, Satan, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead. The sound was darker, tougher, and faster than the more blues-based roots of the first round of British Invasion bands. It was a mixture of rock and punk, and the kids ate it up. Oslo's Magister Templi is continuing in the footsteps of such bands. Their debut full-length Lucifer Leviathan Logos captures a bit of the magic of a golden age of heavy metal.

The members of Magister Templi definitely have a special place in their collective heart for the NWOBHM bands, as well as bands who came directly after the second British movement; early doom bands in particular. Lucifer Leviathan Logos has epic, galloping guitar runs reminiscent of Mercyful Fate, early Trouble, and Pentagram (see 'Lucifer' and 'Master of the Temple'), grand guitar harmonies ('Logos' and throughout), solid acoustic passages ('VITRIOL'), and theatrical (read: over-the-top) vocals throughout (best when not trying to nail higher pitches; the attempts to do so come off clumsy and extremely forced). With time the vocals might be on-par with the superb instrumentation. Hopefully.

Occultism is a running theme, as it was with a few of the more doom-laden bands of the early '80s. Bands such as Angel Witch and King Diamond embraced these ideas with much success. Magister Templi uses these same themes and succeed in not sounding overly campy, (however, the vocals do detract a bit).

All in all, Lucfer Leviathan Logos is a successful record. Musically, it is spot-on. Vocally, it could use a little work. A little more control over pitch changes/shifts would do it. Any fan of the NWOBHM movement should check it out and judge for themselves.

I like to think of myself a connoisseur of all things deemed “uncool” or “un-hip” if you will. Under this umbrella of inane expertise, within the music category, it covers hardcore (I checked). So apparently, the new kid on the block that has a few blogs buzzing is called Rough Hands, not sure if that is in relation to some song from another band I will not name. Not that it would bother me or anyone else, once you hear what these lads have to offer.

Could this be the first attempt to take over the modern hardcore mantle in the U.K.? Well, maybe, just maybe. I’m willing to back them based on what I have heard from this self-titled 7” EP.

It has everything you want from modern hardcore. It’s fast, furious, relentless and short. Before you know it, it’s over and you’re left wonder “What the fuck just happened?”. It has punchy hardcore riffs, the vocal work is amazing and it’s pretty tight all-round.  The EP consists of 4 tracks and well, it speaks volumes of what we can expect from this U.K. hardcore outfit. One thing I did pick up on, the vocal style is very similar to that of Full of Hell additionally the record has similar kind of breakdowns, tempo-wise anyway.

Rough Hands release their self-titled 7” EP on Monday, the 20th of May through Day By Day Records, Holy Roar Records and Illegal Activity.

I would highly recommend this 7” EP to those of you who are into Converge, Conqueror, Soul Search, Hopeless, Broken Teeth, Full of Hell and Sea of Shit.

I might have to dig deep into the budget and get me this 7”, simply fantastic.

Scorned Deity hail from a bleak city (Detroit, MI). Well, one that has seen itself fall apart over the economic spiral the worlds seen. So they took some inspiration from their personal collective and city around them and crafted a bleak story: Adventum is the legend of a man who comes to discover the fabled memoirs (from various kings of old) and obtain its ascendancy. Applying the knowledge of the old monarchs to build a kingdom in his own image. Using his sway, conjuring ancient gods and aided by a siren to possess the crown. Starting from nothing to transcending divinity. "Shout at the open wounds and mend them swiftly for it is time, holding our breath above our heads for the arms never weary shall grasp high." So that’s the story, now lets chat about to tunes!!!

Playing a black metal influence brand of death metal, there are many epic at driving to the edge moments on this album. Songs are at times straight death metal, then swoop in to a key laden mix with female operatic vocals on top. Opening title track starts with the wind, what sounds like an organ (?) and keys moving in slowly along with moans of beauty piercing through it all. You envision a woman standing is a foggy mountainside, cold and lost. Then ripper of souls ‘The Hand of Will’ comes flying in, tossing her ass of that mountain while riding horses of fire! The drumming bobs back and forth between gallop and blast, throwing fills in at times. The guitars are ever steady in there speedy delivery, and the vocals range from hating you, to killing you. Pretty good!!!

‘Preserver’ has a solo that’s worthy of rewinding and listening a few times in a row. Smooth, sweet, done. The lead guitar that comes afterward is rather good as well, almost playing tag with the rhythm guitars. ‘A Screever In Our Midsts’ follows the same path as ‘Preserver’ ripping from the get-go and breaking a bit when the solo comes in. The band know when to let the guitars shine, and not get too technical behind it, which is a plus as the point of a solo is usually to be the standout at that time. For me personally, ‘Slowlamaka’ is the take home track mainly due to its slower tempo and depressive atmosphere. If you’re going to make music bone chilling, commit to it, and this song does. It reminds me of days walking out on frozen, snow covered back roads, and staring at the sky… Closing out this expedition is ‘A Spectacle In Red’, a song that takes every element the band has and really wraps it all together. Aggressive when it needs to be, but never just for the sake of it. They keep all the instruments moving as part of a song, becoming one awesome sound all together. Aces.

Scorned Deity have put out a pretty impressive album here. I will say that the keys are a bit much at times, but not to the point of wanting to change the song. The way I see it, as this is their second album, Scorned Deity have nowhere to go but up, and I can't wait to see what comes next. You can grab Adventum on the band’s Bancamp page digitally, or grab a shirt with the album off their webstore.

Support artists and musicians you enjoy.

HAIL!!!

Picture the scene; The National are touring with a rockier group than themselves, who suggest enhancing their famously relaxed sound with drugs. The National, being naive stock up on weed and valium, record Trouble Will Find Me, and singlehandedly invent dinner party indie.

This didn’t happen, but it feels that way.

The National were never the kind of band to trouble hotels with worries of broken TV sets and squid in the bath. Not for them the debauched tales that made Motley Crue a rock n roll cliché. They’re more likely to play a quiet set to accountants called Nathan than set fire to a venue for a laugh. Even by their standards though, Trouble... is a low key affair.

It’s a pleasant enough release which will no doubt be well-received by their fans, but it doesn’t go anywhere exciting. Most of the songs have a quite lovely breakbeat drum line, with varied timings proving a deep technical understanding. This is a clever album, but it’s boring.

Matt Berninger has a calm, measured baritone voice, but where Johnny Cash used his voice, filling it with piss, vinegar and spite, Berninger barely stretches, maintaining what is almost a drone from the start. In ‘Don’t Swallow The Cap’ he sings “I have only two emotions, careful fear and dead devotion”, but judging by his delivery even that’s a stretch. He’s almost disinterested, leaving the listener willing him to let rip and try something new. It’s almost claustrophobic. 

The star of Trouble Will Find Me is undoubtedly Bryan Devendorf, a drummer who’s clearly in the wrong band. Under every track is his frantic percussion, urging the dirges to greater heights, but ultimately being swallowed under the weight of too much production, indistinct guitar and barely audible piano.

‘Graceless’ is a moment of clarity, where The National step it up a gear to walking speed, or perhaps a gentle canter. You get the feeling that Devendorf’s timing has tricked the band into picking up the pace, so that they almost rock out. Then ‘Slipped’ comes in, with limited percussion. Bryan’s had his wrists slapped, the naughty boy.

Trouble Will Find Me isn’t a bad album by any means, but through its 56 minute running time you find yourself yearning for some variation. When you get some, it’s very quickly taken away. It’s a shame, because, judging by The National’s earlier releases - notably Alligator, and Boxer - they’re capable of much, much more.

Still, if you’ve got Jeremy and Natasha coming over for a fair trade dinner party next week, you could do worse than pick up Trouble Will Find Me while you’re out getting a nice pinot noir. I recommend Oyster Bay. Reassuringly expensive.

Writing a review of a Melvin’s record should really only consist of a few words. Go buy it. They have never disappointed and they have never been predictable. While they are most often cited as influential in metal circles their discography is a genre jumping odyssey of carefully constructed albums. Sometimes deadly serious, sometimes side splitting hilarious, usually both. The one thing that all of their releases have in common is quality. This newest album, made up of cover songs, Everybody Loves Sausages is a glimpse inside a few of their influences and in an odd way serves as a bridge that spans their nearly 30 year career.

Covers records are always a challenge to listen to initially. It’s hard not to compare the cover version with the original. If you aren’t familiar with the original version seeking it out can often lead to disappointment. What the Melvins have accomplished with this record is made even more remarkable because it works just like a Melvins record. Even familiar songs such as their take on Queen’s ‘Best Friend’ would not seem out of place on any Melvins record. Fans will be happy for a return of some of the pop-inflected weirdness of Stag or The Bootlicker and newcomers may be prepared for the weirder side of the Melvins when they stumble across stranger entries in their catalogue.

One of the most endearing features of the Melvins is their unpredictability. ‘In Every Dream Home A Heartache’ a Roxy Music cover with Jello Biafra on vocals, retains all of the ominous creepiness of the original, complete with the heavily effected fade out in the middle. Having a legendary punk rock icon sing a legendary art/glam rock song would seem either out of place or even tongue in cheek anywhere else. Here it makes perfect sense. Genre is irrelevant the only thing that matters is if it’s good.

Other standout tracks include a lively version of ‘Black Betty' that goes by entirely too fast. ‘Warhead’ (Venom) features Scott Kelly of Neurosis and thunders along just like you would want that collaboration to. The incredibly catchy ‘Carpe Diem’ (The Fugs) and its anachronistic lyrics about death will likely be stuck in the back of your head for days. You wont even realize its there until you start humming it. ‘Female Trouble’ (Divine) is performed by the Melvins Lite and Trevor Dunn’s upright bass snakes around trashy drums and an almost Tom Waits like vocals.

One particularly satisfying aspect of this record is how the Melvins make each song their own but capture the feel of the originals so well. Even down to the production for each song. The punk rock songs sound nice and raunchy, like they should. 'Station to Station' (David Bowie) retains all of the layered, experimental swagger of the original but adds the Melvins weight. Little production touches throughout show both a respect for he source material and a willingness to push for new directions.

This may be a covers album but it is still very much a Melvins record full of all of the weird, abrasive catchiness we have all come to expect from them. Everybody Loves Sausages serves as a bit of insight into what made influenced the Melvins and made them one of the most compelling and interesting bands of the last several decades. This record fits perfectly alongside the rest of the Melvins long and varied discography. At this point in their career they could probably even get away with a Christmas album. I would buy that too.

I really wasn’t sure how to start this review, or how to do ‘Quickbeam’ justice with mere words so I'm just going to come right out & say it; Glasgow’s Quickbeam have recorded this year’s album of the year. The true injustice here is that music this stunning, emotive and brilliantly played is probably going to be overlooked by the masses. Another fantastic (Scottish) band who will give those of us with a beating heart reason to believe. Reason to hope. Reason to live.

This is one of the finest hours of music you’ll hear. The album is only 52 minutes long, but the full hour will be made up of going back to ‘The Great Expanse’ to hear that glorious moment when the track stops momentarily, only to begin again with a melody and arrangement that will make your heart explode. An exquisite joyful fluttering of harmonium (?) that sounds not unlike the Italian National Anthem. You’ll play it again. One hour of magical music.

Quickbeam eschew song writing structure, often neglecting to bother with a chorus, instead letting the music transport the listener with creative flourishes of strings, brass and woodwind instruments. There are 3 gorgeous instrumental interludes, ‘Mountains’, ‘1743’ and ‘Far Out At Sea’, the first and last having the brilliant ability to conjure up images of the track’s title.

So let us return to the beginning of the album and opening tune ‘Remember’, one of the tracks to feature a chorus, and it’s lovely too. The hymnal vocals (from Monika Gromek) that feature throughout the album are ushered in on a soundscape of wondrous violin/cello. I must mention the production and arrangements on this album, they are exceptional and you have to remind yourself that this band are not signed to a major label. (In fact they credit Creative Scotland for assisting with ensuring the album got made at all).

The lengthy intro to second track and debut single ‘Seven Hundred Birds’ is melancholic and mournful, but highly emotive so that you’re left with a feeling of euphoria rather than sadness. ‘Immersed’ might have connotations of drowning but it’s an uplifting song with a vocal melody and final instrumental flourish that raises you up from the waters.

Quickbeam referenced Sigur Ros in the Press Release that went with the album, which attracted me to them in the first place. ‘Fall’ is certainly one moment that echoes the Icelandic melody makers when the alternative vocals of Andrew Thomson take over. There are quite a few tracks on the album that feature the muted brass and twinkling pianos often favoured by Sigur Ros but not in a plagiaristic way. Scottish highlands and lochs are the imagery inspiring here and there’s certainly a warmer feeling in the sounds.

‘Home’ is one of two tracks that allow Quickbeam to swell the music into an eruption of guitars, recalling the heady swoosh of Slowdive. ‘Grace’ being the other, both are gorgeously melodic and the extra dynamic is a welcome moment.

The aforementioned highlight ‘The Great Expanse’ is positioned at track 9, the flow throughout the album is perfectly paced, with the interludes and alternative male/female vocal tracks ensuring you remain mesmerised.

Closing track ‘One To Hold’ gives you a warm embrace and ends the album in a joyous mood, we’ve had an emotional journey, trauma has inspired, we emerge at the journey’s end ready to set sail again.

I hope I’ve managed to convey to you just how incredible this album is. I don’t think I can satisfy myself with whatever I write that will do the band true justice. You must hear it for yourself, you must enrich your life with Quickbeam’s music. Part of me wants the masses to hear Quickbeam and part of me just wants to keep it for myself.

To quote Echoes and Dust Editor Dan, this album is ‘All kinds of lovely’. A perfect summation of a perfect album.

The pace of ‘London Bound’, the opening track of Just handshakes debut album Say It, grabs from the off. The bassline kicks in and quickly brushed symbols come along and suddenly it’s not 2013, where everything’s shit, it’s 1986 and New Order are there and there’s optimism among all the shit. The melody in the chorus is hugely upbeat, Clara Patrick’s lilting vocal sounds like spring itself and before the track’s finished this massive smile has appeared and just for a minute everything’s not as shit as it was five minutes ago. The nostalgic lyrics even back this up: “Those days when we were carefree and we thought that nothing would ever change.”As opening tracks go, it’s pretty good then, and making it lead single was a wise move. Watch out Slow Club, the indie pop crown just got a new contender.

Every track has every ingredient indie pop ever needed: there are crisp vocals, jangling guitars moving between tidy riffs and shimmering chords, melodies sweet enough to sprinkle all over your summer. Christ, they’re from Leeds and the album is being released by a Californian label!

Title track ‘Say It’ is the sound of a band wondering what life has in store and hopeful that the answer, when it comes, will be positive. “How many days staring at the ceiling, when will you find something to believe in?”

There’s a folky intonation to Patrick’s voice that fits the band as perfectly as a C86 tape fitted a cassette player. The conversational nature of the verses works well too, Patrick addressing her equal, whether it’s a lover or the listener is irrelevant. For twenty-somethings not long out of university and wondering why they made the investment, here is a band that understands but isn’t utterly despondent about it all.

As the album develops so too does its sound, synths becoming more prominent, adding a new dimension. It’s mature, which you’d expect given the band have been recording for a couple of years now and in its mellower moments you can hear elements of Stereolab along with the afore-mentioned C86 influences.

It’s not faultless – but debuts aren’t. ‘Dead and Alive’ is perhaps a little too jaunty in the verse, although the chorus has another great hook. ‘Cut & Run’ sounds as though it was written before the bulk of the album, and its fuzzier feel is at odds with the tracks that surround it. And the cover artwork seems to be similarly at odds with the overarching theme of the album.

These are small matters though. By the time the sound swells on ‘Stick Around’ and closer ‘Balmoral’ has arrested your pulse, there’s only one place to go and that’s back to the start again.

The band may have taken their time to release Say It, but it’s been worth the wait. Just Handshakes? Forget that, get over here and give me a big hug.

Take a look at the cover of this album and you will immediately understand that this album is the DIY product of a very creative musician.

This guy, strapped with cables and other stuff probably used in the making of this album, is Cardiff-based Matt Strangis who debuts with his album Square Peg In A Square Hole which in fact marks the start of Firewheelbombfire. Written and recorded in his home dungeon with absolutely no budget Matt takes us on a very expressive journey through an unsettling and desolate world.

Besides his home made laboratorium kit consisting of percussion, guitar, cymbals, snares he also used several borrowed instruments like piano and even other noise enabling pieces and bits you can find around the house.

Matt already showed his skills in many, hazy, guitar-based bands and even produced drum&bass and dubsteb under his other moniker ‘Billy Gone Bad’, but this one is definitely something else.

However, if you listen closely the mentioned influences can be traced back on this, sometimes, freaky aural experiment.

SPIASH meanders from dark ambient to post- & stonerrock and stirs in a broad pallet of discordant and enticing sounds. The ultimate soundtrack for imaginative dark landscapes and surreal disturbing stories.

Let’s go through the different stages in this journey.

‘Doggone’, the album’s opener, starts like an oncoming train approaching from a tunnel but its passage is suddenly disrupted by acoustic guitars and vocal humming.

The instrumental track develops towards typical post-rock with electric guitars but at the end, by the sound of distorted ringtones of a railway crossing, we are again warned for the passage of the train - or maybe for the rest of the trip ?

‘Get Out Much?’ with its dark restrained vocals, hypnotic ticking sounds and heavy guitars sucks you into a mystic world and that will happen more and more in the album. It somehow reminds me of the Saviour album by Antimatter.

‘Francis’ is a bleak, melancholic tune with distant noise and a spooky piano from an old gramophone. The fragile vocals seem the tell the story of a broken man. The created atmosphere echoes David Lynch’s masterpiece Eraser.

After these sinister and desolate songs it’s time for ‘Carry On Carrie’ an uplifted, delighted track with rousing guitars, heavy metallic riffing but also with an awe inspiring twist at the end when it seems that your ears have been drenched in some kind of weird fluid. In the distance you hear distorted voices slowly fading away.

Back to the surreal Lynchian atmosphere then with ‘Telephone Voice (On/Off)’, an almost waltzing conversation between two persons (or is it just one person with a double personality ?) featuring the warped voice (Telephone On) and the ‘normal’ voice (Telephone Off).

‘Trodite’ is an instrumental piece leaning heavily on electronic loops and takes you a little out of the mud but not for long as the next traumatic experience is upon you.

Just like ‘Get Out Much?’ the dark electronic sounds and heavy ominous bass lines on ‘Pissing Guild’ take you into a nightmarish run through hidden corridors, lost in a maze underground. The perpetual anguish sinks into a deep hole at the end, but suddenly you’re awake again: ‘Polypoly’ floats on a bed of acoustic guitars and Indian sitar-like sound, very spiritual. In fact, it easily suggests that your spirit has detached itself from the body. Floating high in the air you can see a vast, burned landscape below you.

In ‘September’ the electronic and dub background from the creator comes to the surface. The mood changes again as the repetitive beats evoke a more delighted rush. Matt sings on this one as well.

The final track ‘It Ran And Ran And Ran slants back to the weird and harsh worlds we have explored earlier, blending aggressive metalriffs, stoner-rock and industrial elements. The pace finally slows down with some Black Sabbath-like doom and ultimately fades away in noisy feedback. It leaves you in a perplexed, puzzled state but for listeners with an open mind (like myself) it also entices you to re-experience the whole journey again.

Bottomline: Firewheelbombfire (a.k.a Matt Strangis) delivers an intriguing piece of work that will definitely suit everyone eager to seek the bounderies in music.

Lozk is a Colombian artist that blends influences from diverse genres: experimental, electronica, industrial, big beat, ambient, and drum n' bass into a delicious musical stew. The sound is dynamic, edgy, adventurous, electronic and deeply layered. Lozk samples the world around him for his music which includes ordinary and quotidian objects, sounds from the street, animals, and musical instruments. The amassed sounds are woven into catchy, well structured tracks.

Lozk's ten song album is entitled Irrational. I was impressed from start to finish by Lozk's irrational journey. At the core of most of his tracks are mutilated synth, straining keyboards and dissonant sounds. It makes sense that this album starts and finishes with a track featuring piano. That is piano if it was scored for a  Tim Burton film. The intro track, an instant favourite of mine, 'Twilight Run' blends a beautiful and haunting piano melody with a brilliant electronic vibe that constantly fades in and out of focus. Various eerie electronic constructs float up and down within the many layers of this impressive track.  The song has a dark, industrial-ish feel with some smacking percussion (holy snare!) and creepy digital sounds. An absolutely delicious track. The layered voyage into Lozk's shadowy musical world continues with the frantic whirling melody of 'Kowka's Guts' which sounds like it could derail at any moment.

Another standout track is 'Requiem Machina'. First, a little interesting background on the track from Lozk's website. The tracks' eerie female vocals are based on meaningless and randomly selected syllables which are apparently Dadaist inspired. Inspired? You bet. The track is incredibly trippy. It evokes thoughts of some sort of strange pagan ritual. I'm sure if you played it backward something would appear. Please do not try this at home. 'Requiem Machina' pushes a frenzied and hypnotic beat with a trance inducing pace and a constant bombardment of vocal sounds.

The next two tracks 'Subterranea' and 'Aquarium' seem to blend together with 'Subterranea' acting as a strange intro for 'Aquarium'. 'Aquarium' features slow but striking acoustic guitar mixed with dark atmospheric punctuations that add apprehension and keep this track sufficiently weird. By mid-track, 'Aquarium' introduces some beefy percussion as it dives into Lozk's murky pool of samples.

Captivating dark ambient/industrial vibes and imposing percussion surface again for 'Time Hoist' and 'Echolalia'. 'Time Hoist' is a staggering tromp fused with more of Lozk's dark mutated samples and sci-fi influenced sounds. 'Echolalia' sounds like a berserk electronic beast crashing through Tokyo. Echolalia! The track is random and absorbing like much of Skinny Puppy's material with intense sounds cascading with fury, seemingly from everywhere.

Irrational started with piano and it ends with piano. Lozk brings Debussy's somber and slow 'Des Pas Sur La Neige' into the 21st century. The gentle rolling piano melody of 'Des Pas Sur La Neige' is juxtaposed with the atmospheric whizzing of electronics and cosmic samples. It is a curious combination that I didn't find initially appealing. I expect it will grow on me however. All the other tracks on Irrational certainly have.

Irrational is a stupefying accomplishment of digital sound engineering. Lozk's unique percussion sounds and inspiring sample manipulation are some of the best, most engaging and original I've ever heard. Period. The zealously and lush soundscapes he creates are imaginative, gripping and possess the spellbinding quality of a visionary musical journey. Lozk's creative vision is matched by his technical ability with guitar, piano and voice. It would be wholly irrational for fans of gritty dark electronica to miss out on Irrational.

In recent weeks the sun has been growing less shy and we're seeing more and more of that phantom memory people mythologise about called "Summer". The days are getting longer, warmer and in turn, lazier. Thrill Jockey's latest release from Date Palms - The Dusted Sessions, has seemingly been crafted for and targeted at those drenched in heavy sunlight, wasting the day away like lizards baking on a rock and in that respect it does not disappoint.

Oozing in like a throbbing heat, The Dusted Sessions begins with drone-heavy delirium 'Yuba Source Part 1', the first of a three-part piece which ultimately works to make up the core of the album. Setting the tone for the record the quintet of Tusken Raiders chug guitars and slide strings, falling into the reverberation of their own instruments and allowing the bass to take hold as the sole rhythmic performer whilst retaining a constant interesting melody.

After a brief synthesised interlude via 'Six Hands to the Light', Pt.2 begins much where Yuba 1 left off: hazy, hypnotic and recurrent only this time with an overall fuzzier tone than before. The distortion of the bass guitar and synthesiser soon begin to merge into one soft but ever-present buzzing that seems to perfectly represent that feeling of a hard midday’s sun on your face and much like before, the guitars chug and the strings slide while soft keys touch and go. The immediately following reprise is also a treat as deeply textured guitar rolls in the far off distance, like a heavy wind blowing through sand while sitar resonates and twangs up close.

One of Date Palm's core duo, Gregg Kowalsky (the other being Marielle Jakobsons) has notably released ambient works with drone super-label Kranky [another personal favourite of mine] and certain pieces in The Dusted Sessions raise the idea of contextualising the group. 'Night Riding the Skyline' is a fine example of a track that could quite easily fit (much like the rest of the album) on either Kranky or Thrill Jockey as it certainly boasts the proudest elements that both these fine labels regularly exhibit: the 11 minute centrepiece draws the brain to comparison of many Kranky people, from Windy & Carl to Lichens and even Loscil, in some idea or thought. The track is also notable for holding the only drumbeat in the album (albeit a stuttering echo drenched beat) and seems as though it were lifted straight out of Pink Floyd's Animals. 'Night Riding…' has a constant  dubby groove, ordained in Gilmour-esque guitar licks and organ stabs that could only have been influenced by the late, great Rick Wright.

The Dusted Sessions is a strong collection of conceptual, well executed and immersive music. The group claim to have been inspired by the Eureka Dunes and that couldn't be closer to the truth. The dense stifling heat of the desert is everywhere in this record, much like the sand it's made of.

The hypnotic waves of sound flow into every crack and crevice, into the pores of the listener's skin and vibrate the walls with resonance. Date Palms are not the only group in the world to have taken the stamp of the desert and put it into their music; Grails and Six Organs of Admittance have also done it (and done it well) but never quite to this extent. As the album's hazy outro, 'Exodus Due West' shimmers and pulls back into the centre of the desert, you can't help but feel as though this insane sunstroke has finally backed off and you're left stranded, isolated, alone still baking like a lizard on a rock, vultures circling overhead with sand fucking everywhere.