My first time with a new album always starts with looking at the song titles. I did the same this time and reading 'The Everyday Heartache Of Being Scottish' on my way back home from Scotland made me smile. I don't know what was is in the artist’s mind but immediately my thoughts went to the wonderful landscapes I just saw there and maybe you need to have a strong heart to manage the sight of such a deep beauty! 

Jonathan Innes, aka The Ansion, is the artist behind the album When The Clyde Floods, We'll All Get Carried Away. A piece of Scotland is also in the album title so we can easily guess what inspired Innes in composing his new album released April 2013, just five years after his debut album That Is The Way Of Things. 

This nine-song album is wonderfully immersive and demands repeated listens; best experienced if you shut off the lights, in a perfect darkness with your favorite headphones on.

Opening with the solemn 'The Everyday Heartache of Being Scottish', the Ayrshire-based multi-instrumentalist artist brings us to the Glasgow docks to breathe the gentle breeze coming from The Clyde river and to experience a celestial atmosphere.

‘Is That a Dog, or Geese’ has a minimalist piano and Four Tet-style beats mixed together into an enjoyable slice of melancholic and instrumental glitch-hop. This song is hypnotic and recalls the Scottish Highland's rocks.

'Keep a Safe Distance' instead is softer throughout its first half: if the previous track evokes the strength of the ocean waves against the rocks, this song is the kindness of a calm sea. Towards the end it has a cinematic and joyful rhythm. If Innes is a fan of The Album Leaf (who isn’t?), I'd bet that Seal Beach is his favorite album from LaValle’s discography. The influence of it on 'Keep a Safe Distance' is evident from the first listen. 

Sad and beautiful glitch-hop might be the best way to describe 'Glasgow Smiles Better' where a  heartbreaking melody merges with a warm piano tone. Towards the end the Scottish artist adds far-away voices, the voice of Glasgow people who are enjoying the breeze of The Clyde. I like this original idea that takes the listener from the uncontaminated nature of the northern Highland and brings them into the town rhythm and vivacity. 

There’s pretty music, let's say pleasant music, and then there’s really pretty music, and I mean that kind of music that immediately changes the world around you, making you stop and take notice. 

'Nothing Important Is Ever Going To Happen' is an example of really pretty music. This song contains a mysterious brilliance, guided by the interchanging from strings to piano slaps. I don't know how many times I listened to it!

'Soon Be Home' is another proof of how the marriage between electronic beats and melodic piano works well. This song is like a soundtrack to a celebration, it's alive, joyful and makes all Scottish people smile.

And when we think that we are at the end and wait for a final conclusion, The Ansion leaves us astonished during the last 15 minutes song 'And All Their Faces Wore Blank Expressions'. It starts softly, aligned with the mood of the whole album, and after 5 five minutes a cinematic and delicate guitar adds a melodic counterpart to the piano bed and the song wonderfully coalesces into a moderately paced pop symphony. This final track is The Ansion's experiment of blending a tempered pace with superb arrangements and warm melodies. The song declines in waves of drone: it happens exactly when 'All Their Faces Wore Blank Expressions' like ghosts. Innes served us the essence of experimental music on a silver platter.

With When The Clyde Floods, We'll All Get Carried Away The Ansion shed lights on his name in   the ambient indie rock music scene. 

If avoiding the potential pitfalls of this kind of music, where tranquility easily flirts with boredom, is quite difficult then Jonathan Innes must be proud of himself for the melody and structure which is captured into When The Clyde Floods, We'll All Get Carried Away. Innes created an aesthetically pleasing sound which can light up and nurture every night-time audience.

I first came across Vienna Ditto on BBC6 Music where I immediately noticed the blend of Hatty Taylor’s lithe yet husky vocals and Nigel Firth’s moody synthetic riffs. The band themselves define their music as ‘voodoo sci-fi blues’, which sounds strange but seems to fit after a few listens.

Whatever the genre, the band creates a truly distinctive sound merging intensely conflicting styles but without surrendering musical ability. The band is also getting a considerable amount of airplay and are gaining media attention: Q Magazine pronounced their music as, “wild-eyed rockabilly riffs with sparse, atmospheric electronica” and Huw Stephens from Radio 1 said they were, “Portishead doing a Tarantino soundtrack”.

Vienna Ditto also managed to get a 2009 Glastonbuy slot and are freely self-releasing their output via their website. So then what to make of their latest release? Well, each of the four songs has something exceptional to offer, and the complete EP is testament to the duo’s incredible range of talent. Combine that with phenomenally mature song-writing and melodic artistry and the result has the power to truly push music into a new, uncharted territory.

Liar Liar begins with the title track. Concentrated, thick guitars are contrasted against a percussive backing; Taylor’s penetrating vocals confidently hold the haunting tune. Towards the end of the song the synthesisers kick-in and increase the beat accentuating passion and power. This results in a house-style of pulsating rhythm before the track abruptly ends. This is a great taster of the things to come.

The opening track is followed with ‘The Undefeated’ which is a clear and immediate highlight. The riff on this song appears to be rather country, or perhaps even folk, based and it slowly and methodically reaches a surprising and unforeseen peak: reverb heavy samples bounce off jarring rhythms before Taylor’s voice is back accompanied by the melancholy guitar once again.

Next we have ‘Whatever Comes My Way’: a straightforward tune which showcases a different aspect of Taylor’s vocals. The last track on the EP ‘Little Fingers,’ skilfully fuses different styles and textures together ensuring a distinctive and dominant end to proceedings.

In summary, Liar Liar feels like a, sure set of songs and it creates a dark lingering melancholy, complemented with a captivating and enchanting ambiance. Absolutely brilliant. Go and listen to it straightaway!

Admittedly, the name Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats sounds like a cheesy, and quite possibly horrible, garage band from the 1970s. The "garage band" part might be somewhat true, but the band is not from the 1970s, nor are they cheesy or horrible. Quite the opposite, actually. Brilliant. Amazing. These are better descriptors. Take equal parts of the best of Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper (and maybe a bit of Iggy and the Stooges and Roky Erickson) and you'd have something similar to the grand majesty that is Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. Mind Control, the U.K. group's third full-length album, is relatively perfect; one that will not be coming off of my playlist for the next year or so. Seriously, this is desert island kind of stuff.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats formed in Cambridge in 2009. Their debut full-length titled Volume 1 appeared in 2010, but received very little attention. The band self-released their second full-length album, Blood Lust, in 2011 and created quite a buzz for themselves. They appeared at Roadburn the same year. People loved them. And for good reason. Their songs will stand the test of time. The songs, and the band, made up of Uncle Acid (lead guitars, organ, vocals), Yotam Rubinger (guitars, backing vocals), Thomas Mowforth (drums), and Dean Millar (bass), will be relevant for years to come. If not, there is no hope for music or humanity. Mind Control should continue to rocket these guys to fame and fortune.

This has got to be the catchiest doom out there at the moment. It is completely infectious. Songs like 'Poison Apple,' 'Valley of the Dolls,' and 'Devil's Work' slowly crawl into your brain and take up residence there. Hell, every song on Mind Control does. If you like anything remotely catchy and/or doom in general, go out and find this record immediately. You will not be disappointed.

So there's no misunderstandings, I want to be absolutely clear that Unitopia, prog band from Adelaide, are not the Beatles. They do, however, have a record out that, after a short intro, starts with a cover of 'Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft' as previously covered by Klaatu, the band that people with too much time on their hands believed were the Beatles.

As with the rest of the 13 songs on Covered Mirror Vol 1. Smooth as Silk, 'Calling Occupants...' is a tribute to songs that inspired the band, who have been playing for 15 years yet only toured Australia for the first time in 2011. It is in fact Europe, as has been the case for other Adelaide bands in the past, where the real success has come because Europeans simply have a greater ongoing love for long/prog songs. Oh and two of those 13 songs are medleys (Yes and Genesis), making it 13 songs they play around with, which obviously means one long, long record.

The list includes the likes of 'Rain Song' by Led Zeppelin, 'Easter' by Marrilion, 'Even In The Quietest Moments' by Supertramp and 'Man of Colours' by Icehouse, all both true to the original but at the same time interpretive so the record sounds like the work of one writer and band despite the fact you know all the songs and their original versions.

The style is very cinematic and the first impression really is that of a Hollywood soundtrack or stage extravaganza. It's symphonic, impeccably produced and performed, and is, as the title says, as smooth as silk. Some of my fellow writers thought it was a bit too perfect and dubbed it “Disney Prog”, which has some validity, but that's looking at it from an underground, non-commercial point of view. These guys know how to use a variety of instruments, when to use them and how to get a full and layered sound without overcomplicating things. Combine that with strong song choices and you have a record that has potential for broad appeal.

The dust is settling and the after shocks are still being felt....What has happened? Why is my head still all awhirl with psychotropic visions and random noise bursts. Can things ever be returned to sanity? Maybe the facts will help...now where are the facts? What was this FOCUS Wales event all about?

The story begins on a Thursday night as all good stories do. The festival has been in full swing all day with conferences on all manner of things taking place and our benign musical critics John Robb and AP Childs have been holding fort. There has been music too, of the acoustic sort as The Royal Oak pub stokes up the flames and summons all festival goers. The march is on for consumption...that is what we do these days, we “consume” music...well, if that is the case then what is it that my first band do?

Furrow explode on to the stage at South Central with sheer abandonment thrown to the wind. Pinning their badge to the No Wave scene with just a smidgeon of Black Flag, this is post-hardcore for the mini masses. Their feedback drenched songs are skeletal in delivery with lack of bass giving it a less grounded approach. Ones to watch these are, they will be coming to Echoes of the Future soon. I've seen a million bands but not one like this to open up a festival.

Hardcore needs satiated, it was off to church (strange, but true) for an appearance by Little Arrow. Visions of wonderment filled my eye as I approached the seventh wonder of Wales only to be betrayed by the eighth. Earlier this year I declared Wild Wishes one of the albums of the year. After tonight's performance not only is that cemented in my mind but also in the select crowd who witnessed.

Opening with a perfect rendition of ‘State of You and Me’, Little Arrow were assured in their delivery and looked like they weren't afraid of their surroundings. It's not often you get to play a church so you gotta make the most of it. ‘A Taste of Violence’ followed as the band started to impress with their individual parts with double bass and mandolin taking centre stage. ‘The Ancient’ sounded tonight like it was made to be heard in churches and every nuance of this beautiful song was heightened. I felt myself reaching an epiphany only kept grounded by the space I was in. Do I holler and shout, do I cry? I settle for grinning and knowing I was witnessing a special moment.

Special moments don't come much better than final song ‘I Man Ogre’. Take a man, give him a megaphone and tambourine and fill his background with feedback drenched bass. Jawdropping to say the least, this is one of my clues and facts as to the state of my mind now.

It was time for a wander around the venues to soak in the atmosphere. People were starting to wake up and the town was looking lively. Tiny Wooden Angels deliver a sterling set whilst hometown legends Terminal show the young 'uns how it's done. It is for the main event that everyone heads and this time it was for a different kind of church.

Things get random from now as I bump into both AP Childs and John Robb. God knows what I say to them as I try to sell the virtues of The Fag Machine to one and all. I think we were all in agreement with Baby Brave and the Lovebites though who performed their last ever gig to a baying crowd. Magic moments are rare, to get two in one night is even rarer. First Little Arrow and now the splendour of our favourite pantomime pop stars.

Baby Brave live are a different prospect to their recordings. The songs take on extra meaning as the crowd try to join in with the synchronised dance moves. Yes, you heard, dance moves...this is the 21^st century you know...our indie bands can do this. And do it well; until you watch Baby Brave you will never understand the wonders of pat-a-cake played out before your eyes. The songs are pretty darn good as well. ‘Take Your Castles to Spain’ indeed! They made me ‘Jitter’ and they made me fall in love. A real treat.

Words cannot describe what looked like a biffed up Ziggy Stardust so we will block that out of our minds and pretend Charlotte Church didn't happen. Best to move on to the bar, grab a whiskey and talk some shit.

The facts are starting to form somewhere in the back of mind now as we move on a day to the final day of the festival. Hey, I'm a family man and have other things to do...plus there are certain bands we cover here at Echoes and Dust. Big Smiley Face.

So after a barbeque, beer and whiskey on a Saturday afternoon it is off to the rather unusual surroundings of Wrexham Museum for a gig by Golden Fable. I feel I'm duty bound to deliver this to you as they are one of our special bands here at (((((o)))))). Out of the hills of Wales and into our hearts, Star Map has captured our imaginations and taken hold of us.

So how would a gig work in these surroundings. No chance of hitting the hallucinogenic highs of a club, not a single light in the place. Rows of chairs facing a keyboard stack and microphone, just how would it play out.

No need to worry as they kick off with a wonderful ‘Almost Golden’, this is followed by ‘Sugarloaf’ on what could only be described as a high octane, hit filled start. The juxtaposition of the drumming and melodies ushers in ‘The Chill pt2’ and we are enraptured, taken off to those rolling hills and out of this space we are in.

New song ‘Avalanche’ is a much darker prospect, are our heroes getting jaded, is life on the road affecting them. Not a chance of that as Rebecca, enchantingly dressed like some pixie from Midsummer Nights Dream (hope you don't mind that one Becca. Big Smiley Face) regales us with their mission statement. Creatures of nature, they take the dark with the light and deliver it unto us in waves of joy. And there is more....

‘Crossfrire’ is stripped back to a bruised epic which is positively stark compared to the album version. It is all rather stunning when you think that this version will be the new single, an utter surprise that serves to enhance what follows with another new song.

Asked to commission a song for FOCUS Wales, Golden Fable obeyed the rule and have created ‘Southern Climes’ which is part inspired by the migratory tropes of birds and also by music. I'm not entirely sure where the overall aim was but it worked a treat as another dark and ominous bassline envelopes us in a gigantic hug. You REALLY need to see Golden Fable live to understand exactly what they are about.

Specific bands covered for review purposes, it was time to sample the rest of the festival. Beer in hand I cavorted through the night with Half Avian, obe and finally a barnstorming headline set by Michale Rother. I don't know much about Neu or Can but by god, I will be hunting this music down. It was an exceptional end to a great festival. And I didn't even mention the Korean bands who played...oh well, I'll keep them for another day.

So what have I learnt....churches make great venues, pat-a-cake should be only attempted if you're Baby Brave, Charlotte Church is odd and John Robb is a nice fella. Also that FOCUS Wales is a rather wonderful little festival...oh, and I think I'm too old for all this shit!

This review is dedicated to the wonderful AP Childs who provided excellent company throughout...hang loose man!! 

If Noisey ever decides to do a continuation of their fantastic One Man Metal documentary series, I think Shamaatae, the sole member of Swedish black metal act Arckanum, would be a fantastic subject. My knowledge of Chaos Gnosticism – the ideology Shamaatae practices and shares through Arckanum’s music – is completely nonexistent, and the Arckanum website – which Metal Archives says to refer to for details on Shamaatae’s beliefs – has not been up in years. At the very least, it would be an interesting interview topic, and at most it could be incredibly enlightening.

Regardless of what Shamaatae believes, however, what I do know is that Arckanum make damn good black metal. 2009’s ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ was incredible, albeit unpronounceable for many. The follow-up albums, 2010’s Sviga Læ and 2011’s Helvítismyrkr, while a step down from ÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞÞ in my opinion, were both solid as well. Arckanum’s newest, Fenris Kindir, sees Shamaatae shift from the more melodic sound of the past few albums for a stripped-down, almost punkier sound. The change works, as Fenris Kindir feels fresher and more inspired as a result.

Now, the punkier, stripped-down sound is not new to Arckanum; it’s been present on previous albums, like the song ‘Or Djupum’ from Helvítismyrkr. The melodic bits, however, have been almost completely removed, with the exception of instrumental interludes like ‘Hamrami.’ If you’re looking for a ‘Þursvitnir’ or ‘In Svarta,’ you’ll be disappointed. And I wouldn't blame you, because previous Arckanum albums have had fantastic melodies. Not many bands can successfully strip away one of their strongest aspects and live to tell the tale.

Fenris Kindir is one of those exceptions. Tracks like ‘Dolgrinn’ and ‘Fenris Gangr’ still sound like Arckanum, except that Shamaatae channels Celtic Frost, Mayhem, and later Darkthrone more than usual, opting for dissonant intervals over trem-picked melody. If you’re a fan of Tom Warrior riffs – and if you’re not, what the fuck are you doing? – you’ll find much to like here. Much of the album pushes forward with a vehement intensity (the album is based on the wolf Fenrir marching forth with an army of giant wolves at Ragnarok), only stopping for a few interludes, some of which are instrumental and some of which are the distorted, creepy spoken/growled word variety (if you've heard ‘Þjazagaldr,’ then ‘Vargold’ will sound familiar to you).

Reinvention can be a good or bad thing, and while Arckanum has only shifted a little bit, small changes can produce drastic results. In this case, the results are encouraging, as Fenris Kindir is a headbanging good time that any black metal fan should enjoy thoroughly.

When you've been a band for a long time, some people will give you a free pass. They’ll allow you to write the same album, or a lesser album, over and over without batting an eye. A blind devotion of sorts. I myself may have that issue now and then. But even I myself know when to call a shite, a shite. Luckily in Immolation’s case, they get a pass because they simply keep stepping up their game and getting better with each release.

Lyrically, the band have dropped their anti-religious tendencies for a forecasting a grim future. Vocals sound like a torch spewing a blackened fire around your feet the entire time; you're stuck, have fun. And the music that is accompanying paints that bleak message to a tee. From the start, the title track rips open your chest within a minute of starting, then following track ‘Bound to Order’ messes with your mind; riffs shifting back and forth in the “chorus” to the grinding drum/guitars that follow. A blistering, but short, solo comes right before the two minute mark. And then it fucking hits. While keeping drums and riffs moving, you’re caught in a mid-pace movement that has you in a daze. By far one of the best bridge sections in a song that I can remember, again followed by a blink-and-miss solo.

‘God Complex’ is a test to see if you happen to be paying attention. The guitars and drums shift at times, but it’s ultimately seamless, pulled off by veterans that have been doing this longer than most young gun band members have been alive. The spiraling riff and roar from fucking hell that start out ‘Echoes of Despair’, well, again, look at the title. The whole song is essentially a huge set of shifting guitars with a mind ripping drum beat being thrown around, yet it is cohesive and catchy. The trick to being technical is to not sacrifice songwriting, and Immolation have it mastered. You’ll find the grooves of ‘Indoctrinate’ making you tap your feet at your desk while at work. And if you have a really good memory, well, you’ll probably end up throwing furniture and smashing shit like it’s no ones business. Vicious fucking grooves that stick with you.

‘A Spectacle of Lies’ is the shortest track you’ll find here, and it a good example of getting the job done fast and efficiently. Stop and start guitars leaving room for a skin beating behind the kit, and a solo that comes in and out while the rhythm guitar behind it just fucking nails it. ‘All That Awaits’ closes out this grim tale, slowly dragging you through a burned down building to witness what the fuck is left of the world. Bends and harmonics spew from the guitars and still manage to keep the momentum going when they slow down at times. The frantic solo that is mixed in is mind boggling at first, but after repeat listens its true colors show; a dark, evil mother fucker. When the song finally does end, your heart will have popped out of you damn chest and you’ll be begging for more.

The sound that flows through this album is very claustrophobic at times, and I love the hell out of it. I feel suffocated but yet I can still hear everything that’s going on. After repeat listens I started to pick up on small guitar and drum parts I didn't hear at first. I found more spots and rhythms to bang my head to. An evil, dark set of death metal songs sure to please Immolation's fans old and new, and win over the doubters in the back of the venue. Where some bands settle into a level of mediocrity 25 years into their career, Immolation just keep on making albums better and better. With Kingdom of Conspiracy they have shown that they can be technical, catchy, and effective with what they have to say without wasting anyone’s time. Something many bands need to learn these days.

You can pick up Kingdom of Conspiracy on May 10th in Europe and on May 14th in the US, via Nuclear Blast Records. Don’t miss out on this one. You be sorry if you do. Support artists and musicians you enjoy.

HAIL!!!!!!!!!!

Public Service Broadcasting are everything I love about music, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. They love their art form, and are willing to sweat over it to make it perfect, and that’s alright by me.

They’ve gradually built a positive reputation over the last year, with 6Music championing them, albeit indirectly. Rather than feature them on the A list - at least in the beginning - they were left to slog it out with the other nearly-rans in the rebel playlist feature. Steve Lamaqc serves up three tracks, listeners vote for their favourite, the winner gets much needed airplay. Twice, PSB won it; first with ‘ROYGBIV’, then with ‘Spitfire’. Since then, they’ve had a well-deserved season ticket to our radios.

And it is well-deserved, because PSB do something that most now don’t; they sculpt their art, shaping it into something perfect with an almost obsessive attention to detail. They take spoken audio from public information broadcasts, old films, and ancient, long-forgotten radio shows and make it beautiful. They complement the crackly recordings of 70 year old audio with crisp, precise music, leading to music that oozes love. They didn’t make this album for their audience; they made it for themselves, to pay homage to those disembodied voices of old.

PSB are Lemon Jelly for now, via the dawn of radio and television. They’re Avalanches, with emphasis on musicianship rather than cleverness. Their raison d’etre is to champion the golden age of broadcasting, the early days of the BBC when Lord Reith was still running the show, when broadcasters were respected, and presented themselves in the studio in a suit and tie. The BBC had a duty to educate, entertain and inform, and with that came responsibility.

‘Lit Up’ features the breathless description of the royal fleet by Thomas Woodrooffe, broadcasting for the BBC in 1937. Under the influence of too much navy rum, he declares the fleet to be “lit up by fairy lamps”. His beautiful, enthusiastic, drunken commentary is backed by plaintive guitar that, through the course of its 5 minutes builds to something equally beautiful. It evokes those fairy lights, shimmering in the night sky, agreeing with the excitable Woodrooffe. It is wonderful, and deserves to be heard by all.

‘Spitfire’ uses dialogue by David Niven from the film First Of The Few to put us in the sky alongside the legendary fighter plane of the same name. We fly at speed through the clouds, swooshing and diving, the characteristics of the plane described with perfect hyperbole. The music pulls back, we’re cruising above the clouds in peace. Enemy planes appear, the music swells, we’re in battle. We’re in a Spitfire, we’re safe.

Current single ‘Signal 30’ takes audio from the 1959 American public information film of the same name. Now we’re in a car, driving recklessly at tremendous speed, concerned announcers telling us what we’re doing wrong. This song rocks like an utter bastard, and is probably my high point of the record. It’s difficult to judge though, because the whole album is so lovingly crafted that you couldn’t actively dislike any of it.

Some of the tracks are more low-key than others, but that doesn’t make them any less worthy. Those tracks are designed to take you somewhere beautiful, somewhere more relaxed inside your head. They are a rest for your brain, a chance to catch up with yourself.

There’s the aforementioned ‘ROYGBIV’, which is truly wondrous. This is the track that most puts the listener in mind of Lemon Jelly or Avalanches. It takes you to the beginning of colour TV, and the hyperbole that went with it. Somehow, even without being blessed with synesthesia, the delicate layering of the track makes you hear the colour spectrum. The drums are violet, the banjo green. Orange guitars layered over yellow cowbell. The whole thing carrying you towards the sun in a riot of colour.

I feel uncomfortable writing reviews like this. Perhaps I should offer more disconnect, more balance. But to do so would betray this album. It would be unfair, unnecessary sniping for the sake of it. Inform - Educate - Entertain was painstakingly crafted by people who love what they do. It’s entirely uncynical, so to criticise it wouldn’t be fair.

I could go on about this album, but I shan’t. I’ll leave it for you to listen to, to discover the many hidden gems. My breathless hyperbole couldn’t do it justice anyway. In a year that has brought us new Frank Turner and David Bowie, and promises new Daft Punk and 65daysofstatic, Public Service Broadcasting should be rightfully proud that they will feature in many bloggers top 10s come December.

Zolle come bursting forth from Supernatural Cat recordings armed with riffs intent on giving you a good time. Featuring Len from Morkobot, Zolle dish out pummelling riff after riff on this self titled album. Im a big fan of much of Supernatural Cat's releases and Zolle is another worthy addition.

Instrumental in delivery but with zero pretentiousness or poe faced introspection. Zolle aren't re-writing musical history here or breaking down barriers of style. What they do however is provide a soundtrack to a raucous party and do so with unrestrained velocity.

There is a rawness and unpredictability in the delivery making it a non-stop joy ride of riff barrage. Tracks like 'Trakthor', 'Melicow' and 'Weetellah' assault your neck with wreckless abandon. Never pausing or giving you time to recover, Zolle is one of the modt enjoyable listening experiences you will encounter this year. Just leave your poe-face and chin stroking cynicism at the door before entering.

Zolle will be unleashed on the world via Supernatural Cat on May 13th. Thanks as always to Lauren at Rarely Unable for providing the promo.

Sometimes a band comes along that not only challenges the way you think about a certain style of music but also challenges the way you think must should be made and on their newest release Coal, Leprous is that band.

Everyone’s favourite pub quiz trivia machine, Wikipedia, hilariously describes the town Leprous are from (Notodden, Norway) as a “metal town” based simply on the fact that it is also where Emperor is from (more on that later). And although Emperor guitarist Isahn hails from the same town, that’s where the similarities end really.

The album begins with ‘Foe’; all stabbing drums and guitars and a soaring vocal line and ends with a collage of vocal harmonies and melodies weaving in and out like the chorus line of an opera. In 5 minutes, Leprous have played a piece of truly progressive music. Something that challenges you and makes you think, almost like you’re having to play catch-up with the band and the directions they are taking you in. Wondrous stuff.

55 minutes later and we end with ‘Contaminate Me’ that features an ending that disturbs me more than the ending to Korn’s ‘Daddy’. There is something…. Unsettling about the combination of throat wrenching screams, drums, guitar drones and a wistful violin melody all mashed together. It’s the perfect end to an album that I cannot do justice with by giving you a track-by-track review. Sorry.

There is a stigmata that goes with the word “progressive” that (for the uninitiated) lead to conclusions that the songs will feature lyrics about wizards and/or creatures that don’t exist, that as flute solo (played whilst standing on one leg) will appear, that all songs are 34 minutes long and are broken down into parts. Bloody hell, even the much vaunted Oxford Dictionary defines it as “relating to or denoting a style of rock music popular especially in the 1970s and characterized by classical influences, the use of keyboard instruments, and lengthy compositions”.

Utter nonsense.

What Leprous have done here on Coal is truly progressive in its truest definition; that is, to move forward, to evolve and to continue exploration. Each track has so many elements, so many twists and turns that it’s breathtaking in scope and imagination. Voices weave in and out, guitars are crunchingly heavy one minute then delicately fragile the next. I can’t begin to imagine how these little beauties are created. And to be honest with you, I don’t care. The finished product of whatever journey was taken to get there, is utterly spellbinding and glorious.

Coal is released on 20th May 2013 from Inside Out Music (here). If you do one thing this year, buy this album. 

If David Lynch decides to make any more movies in the vein of Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Fire Walk With Me or Lost Highway then he should definitely give Those Amongst Us Are Wolves the nod to score it for him if Chaotic Love Stories and Irrational Behaviour is anything to go by.  This 5 track EP from Mark, Chris, Tom and Joshua has multiple layers and nuances just like a Lynch script.  The music is instrumental "prog-post rock" according to the Press Release from the band who hail from the Midlands in the UK.

The first track 'And So You Thought The Sky's The Limit' opens up with eerie sirens and minimalist guitar and then the layers start with little twists and turns that ensure the song never gets boring building up into a pulsing rhythm overlayed with haunting guitar melodies.  More of the same for 'The Speed Of A Life' with a slow build up with subtle surprises hidden in the mix that requires multiple listens to fully appreciate before the tribal Tom's kick in.  

'Strange Attractors Pt.1' is a spoken word track that states "Formula's work, that is why formula's are written" and the musical formula created by Those Amongst Us Are Wolves certainly does work slicing open the aural arteries and bleeding into 'Strange Attractors Pt.2' a really catchy up-tempo feel good song, the part of the Lynch movie giving you the false sense of happiness, that everything is going to be okay.  Then BOOM everything isn't okay and your plunged back into the tense nightmare world that is 'Jakob's Ladder' a nine minute cinematic soundscape building into pure prog rock bliss.  I would imagine that live all the songs on the EP could be open to extended jams and I would like to hear the different paths these would take.

I recommend getting the earphones on and take a ride on the tube or bus through the city and watch people go about their daily routines with Chaotic Love Stories and Irrational Behaviour playing as the soundtrack it will definitely improve your journey and invoke and provoke your mind with a different ending movie every day and Those Amongst Us Are Wolves are required listening for this very reason.

Having listened to a song off this album the night before it ended up in our promo box, I was surprised and more than happy to scribble my name on it. The Amenta make a form of death metal that some may cry foul over, they have an industrial edge to them. The music is bleak and laced with occasional “orchestrations”. I use that term lightly, because they sound lie they’re playing with hell in the background now and then.

The bleak and destructive picture that the title track paints is one that may make for a rough night (for some). Essentially it sounds like an attack on your senses that is meant to break you. Scathing vocals, fast-or-nothing drums, mechanical at times guitars; it’s a formula that is used all over this album, but one used well. At one point during ‘Teeth’ you’re left with the whispers of your torturer, haunting you until he’s ready. Then his band shows up and they take turns beating you.

There are two instrumental (if you want to call them that) tracks on this album (‘A Womb Tone’ & ‘A Palimpeset’) and one that could be considered instrumental, ‘Cell’. The two instrumentals are jagged, haunted works of pulsing electronics and drums that mix together to make you feel like looking behind you. ‘Cell’ uses vocals that are even in the mix with everything else. They become a disturbing instrument of their own in this song of burnt dreams and shattered hopes.

‘Sewer’ and ‘Disintegrate’ both show the speed shifted upward, with guitars that play serious speeds and frantic patterns. The rhythm guitars are just as speedy and fucking nuts as the leads they’re played under, at times. Finally setting you body ablaze is album closer ‘Tabula Rasa’. What starts as an epic buildup to sheer and total madness, well, delivers. But this song has many different shifts as well. Vocal ech(((o)))es and haunting sounds in the chorus, and just when you think you’ve got the fomula figured out, The Amenta pull a fast one and lay down a slow majestic opening. Ha, five seconds later they chance their minds. Sorry. Then they end the album just how they started it: breaking you to pieces.

As stated earlier, I had just listened to this band the night before this album had been delivered. An odd occurrence, but one I’m glad happened; The Amenta is a blend of the dark sides of metal, and a blast to listen to. If you like evil fucking music, then go pick this album up from Listenable Records now in the UK and on May 7th in the US. Support artists and bands you love, go pick up this album.

Hail!!!

It’s a wonderful balmy evening in old London town; the winter finally appears to have sloped off in its soggy shoes and taken its frost-bitten arse away for a few months, so it seems like the only sensible thing to do is to go to my home away from home – Corsica Studios – for a night of rock cosmology with the mythic Lumerians and electro bandits K-X-P.

First though, it’s Girl Band. Who aren’t girls but in fact, a youthful indie rock outfit from Dublin with plenty of yowl and twang. Singer Dara Keily grips his mike stand like a dosed up Ian Curtis but generally things progress without incident until the dance-noise-circularity of their closing number - Blawan’s ‘Why They Hide Their Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage’. The song goes round and round mangling the word ‘garage’ a million times before resolving itself in a spiky tear up of feedback and then they’re off making way for Lumerians. The Californian quintet are in London ahead of the official release of their new record The High Frontier, although there are copies for sale tonight, which promises to continue the band’s luminescent approach to the well worn tropes of psychedelic rock, certainly if tonight’s immersive show is anything to go by.

The band miss their scheduled 9pm start time, the rock n’ roll bastards, but when they do manage to set the controls their show is physically low impact – kind of like running underwater – this is head bobbing rather than arse-shaking music; doubly so when you add the hypnotic effect of their oil lamp visuals. Out front is Luis Vasquez, their demented version of Monkee Davy Jones, battering away on percussion like a lysergic hype man while bassist Marc Melzer handles the majority of the vocals and the rest of the band fail to look beyond the frontiers of their instruments but it must be said Lumerians are a far more enticing prospect live than on record with the fusion of the visuals and the undulating mix of watery electronics and rough hewn psych forming a total package. They even have a weather referencing song from their new record; ‘Wintersong’, to help justify my first paragraph. They end their set with a wordless chant atop mountains of fuzz but you get the feeling they were only just hitting their stride and could and maybe should, have played on.

Finns K-X-P arrive after a seemingly interminable wait to terrorise and confound the audience in their tatty robes and studded leather looking and sounding like Kraftwerk if the Germans had been druids instead of man-machines. There’s a cold, euphoric trance going on here as frontman Timo Kaukolampi leans back, punching the air exhorting no-one in particular to get with it. The robes make K-X-P look a bit like Sunn O))) too, with the volume definitely recalling the American doom metallers even if the sleazy electro throb isn’t exactly analogous. They’re an odd proposition but at least K-X-P are never boring precariously treading that thin line between stupidity and genius. With their set coming to an end I head back to the street to discover the sun has gone and it’s cold which at least confirms that the decision to spend a night with three wildly divergent bands was the right one.

Being only 13 years into the new millenia, is it a little previous to offer up a contender for one of the albums of the century? Well, OK then, how about album of the decade? If you haven’t heard Gnod & White Hill's Drop Out II album by now, I think you may well end up being inclined to agree with me. In fact, I’m no spring chicken (I know, I know... I don't look it... you’re too kind etc), but it’s certainly one of the best I’ve heard  - ever.

Drop Out II has actually been with us since 2010, and was gestating for a while before it finally got pressed onto wax, but has been repressed recently maybe due to the cash flow from the runaway success of  Rocket's other jewel in the crown, Goat. In all fairness, Rocket have been toiling away for years at the coalface of the most essential seam of psych rock, possibly using a Hawkwind powered packdrill, and are finally seeing some just rewards for their lavishly packaged discoveries. I bought the album after a snap decision to attend one of their gigs at a small pub on the way home from another gig. Up there as one of the best decisions I have ever made.

From what I gather, and I could be wrong, this is very much a Gnod album. They gave Dave W (he of White Hills fame) some recordings of the jams that they had been working up at their nerve centre (Salford's Islington Mill) and White Hills added some glitter glamour sheen to them. Being 3 (and counting) years since, Gnod have mutated further and further out on their lifelong manned mission to outer reaches of inner space, yet this catches them when they were in their full kraut/space rock pomp.

One of the great things about this album is that it features interludes and segues, giving the album some breathing room between the extended flights of space rock. The first of these extended flights is ‘Run-A-Round’, which is out of the gates with a silvery, fluid Motorik drive. There is a fan made clip on Youtube where somebody has soundtracked their rainy nighttime journey down the M602 out of Eccles with ‘Run-A-Round’. It is strangely fitting, and to my mind at least, very Gnod.

‘Spaced Man’ is an inexorable glammy lunge, replete with all sorts of space invader type whooshes and blasts, whilst ‘Dropout’ is equally as propulsive as pounding drums and bass all pile up on top of each other to set you off skyward.

One of the real highlights here is ‘Well Hang’, which despite its knowing title, is a spooky dirge performed on a Hang Drum. It is 'hauntological' in a sense, as it reminds me of educational films of the 1970s featuring power stations, turbines and the like, as the track crackles with a ghostly electricity and analog synth. ‘Per Sempre’ ends the album (unless you buy the CD edition, on which you will find the last track is ‘Elka’) with a side long mantra of a comedown.

An absolute essential album and it is certainly one of my favourite albums of the last 15 years or so. Let’s just see if it can maintain its favoured position for the remaining 87 years, which by when albums will most likely be tattoed on the back of a lab rat, and you listen with your sense of smell. This album will still smell great, I promise you.

Tusk are a four-piece band from Newcastle who have just released their seven track EP Interrobang! on the Tiny Lights label. Tusk do quirky and enjoyable math rock, that is interesting but easy-on-the-ears.

They have similarities to a less dance-y Lady North(an Edinburgh based experimental math rock band) mixed with some Two Door Cinema Clubguitar riffs. You can hear several influences, but Tusk have a maturity about them that Everything Everythinglacks. Mature but not too serious; track titles include ‘Adolf Hipster, Irrelevant Development’, and allusions to the dark comedy Snuff Box with the track ‘Don't wake Quickfinch’.

There is a little sliver of Eelsin the instrumental parts, as the music sheds an alternative offbeat vibe. Highlights are the cascading guitars at the start of ‘Lloyd Fleet’and the Muscle Museum-esque development within ‘Adolf Hipster’.

The only downside is that the EP is over in a flash since the tracks are pretty short but this seems to be their thing. Nothing heavy, nothing too serious, Interrobang! is for indie rock lovers that want to revisit the genre in an all so indulgent way. Refreshingly unconventional but still extremely accessible.