Iceage - New Brigade (What's your Rupture?) [2011]

The debut LP from Danish punk/indie rock band 'Iceage' is one that has hopefully set the stage for an excellent career ahead. This short (24 minute) LP is packed with 11 tracks (plus an intro), and is brimming with the kind of raw energy and sound that defined bands like Joy Division and The Jam. This, coupled with an infusion of modern indie technicalities and progressive composition technicalities is what made this such an exciting album for me when I heard it back in 2011 through until now where it still stands strong. 


After the intro the album plunges straight into the stomping 'White Rune', bringing the elements of a Joy Division-like sound with traditional punk roots. From here it heads in to the faster and more punk-like title track 'New Brigade', but even this track itself is not without nods towards modern Indie rock acts such as Little Comets or The National. Track length gets shorter and drops below the 2:00 mark with the next three tracks: 'Remember'; 'Rotting Heights'; and 'Total Drench'. The first of those three is a slower track and works well in making sure this album doesn't get too repetitive and boring - as music like this often can - and it does this very successfully. Atmosphere builds up with the two short tracks that follow, with discords and effective use of silence between guitar phrases, the drums especially come to the fore here as they do throughout much of the album. 


After the punk thrashings of 'Total Drench' the album heads back toward more full-length songs with 'Broken Bone'. Personally my favourite track from this album, this is where you can really hear all of this bands inspirations come together to form a perfect fusion of sounds, and it's this fusion, though so thickly inspired, is what actually makes this band so unique and stand-out from most bands in this area. The next track 'Collapse' is probably the albums only weak point for me, it seems to just repeat and just gets a bit boring very quickly, although maybe that's just how it stands in the light of the excellent previous track; and despite that, it does reach an excellent coda. Next track 'Eyes' heads straight back into an exciting raw energy and aggression, deep distorted guitars, discords and palm mutes really push this track forward with power, and if you're not grooving along by this point there's really something wrong with you. 


Now the final 5 minutes of the album, including the longest track here, at 3 minutes, begins with 'Count Me In' another one of the more fast tracks on the album. This track is very short at 1:16, but is great at keeping the interest up with awkward and disorientating technicalities, which drives the album into the longest track here, 'Never Return'. You can feel the atmosphere created throughout the album beginning to crack apart here for the final track, with just ever so slightly off beat drums and a slower pace and guitar part that sounds like its being played just ever so slightly lazily. It's not one of my favourite actual tracks per se, but it certainly adds to the album as a whole a great deal; and like most tracks on the album, reaches a great melodic resolve an breakdown, almost in an Autechre way? Final track 'You're Blessed' picks the pace up a bit and feels like a homely encore and wraps the whole LP up very nicely. 


All in all, I think there's much enjoyment to be gotten from this album, I've listened to it through many times and it's not ageing at all. An 8/10 from me, it encompasses anger, sadness, joy, all at the same time, just dependant on how you're feeling. A must-listen.

New Build - Why I am hyped

I'm rather excited for this debut album from New Build 'Yesterday Was Lived And Lost'

But Karl, am I missing something? Why this album, from this band? You don't even know if they are any good!

Well, I must tell you that there is good reason to be excited for this, that's because Hot Chip members Al Doyle and Felix Martin are involved, that's these guys to the right over here. And if you don't know who Hot Chip are, what are you doing? They are only the awesomest geek-chic synth-pop group in the world!

If you don't believe me click this shizzle 

And the material released so far suggests a slightly more melancholy sounding record than previous Hot Chip fare, but retains the trademark funk that made these white guys so fun to listen to.

anyway you can check more out down here, you can thank me later!

New Build - Yesterday Was Lived And Lost (Album Sampler)

-karl

Keep an eye out for 'The King Blues'

The King Blues

The King Blues are a highly political punk band from London, England. They use a fusion of folk and ska to create a highly unique sound which is both fun to listen too and memorable. They claim to have influences from Public Enemy, The Clash, The Specials, Black Flag and Minor Threat. 

Bit of Background

The King Blues originally started as a duo with Johnny 'Itch' Fox (pictured above) playing the ukulele and vocals; and Jamie Jazz playing the acoustic guitar, as well as backing vocals. In 2004 they self released a demo EP titled "All Fall Down" featuring 5 tracks recorded by Itch on guitar and vocals. The cover and CD body art was a stencil of a fuse bomb and the band's logo, each one was hand sprayed.

In June 2006 they released their debut album 'Under The Fog' with the single 'Mr Music man' being voted the best punk song of 2006 by Radio 1.

In October 2008 the band released 'Save the world, Get the girl' which is an album I would personally recommend. It has everything from the slow, melancholy feel of 'Out of luck' to the upbeat, anger infused 'The Streets are ours'. The first song I heard by this band was off of this album called 'I got Love' it is a song that I would recommend to everyone and anyone because it is a very good song with a very good message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYOEGymrYCk

After a band reshuffle they finally released their 3rd album 'Punk and Poetry'. In this album The King blues ditch the acoustic guitars and pick up the Electrics as they take a heavier approach to their songwriting and finally give their political rants the backbone it needed.

So i'm a huge fan of this band and I recommend this band to anyone who has a strong interest in political restitance as well as enjoying punk/ska.

Josh K.

Another quick post - sorry about this.

So, posts made by THIS account will be alerts and V Log posts and links from all four of us; Ollie, Ollie, Karl and Josh.

Quick Technical Alert...

I have converted the account to be used by authors, therefore I have added my own personal address to the author permissions - any posts that are posted by 'Wax Music Reviews' are posted by all four of us, this will include any announcements and probably links to V logs we will be releasing shortly.


Stay waxy people. xD


-OAS


P.S - All previous posts made by what now appears to be 'Wax Music Reviews' were posts by Oliver Askew. All future posts by the account will be a joint effort from all four authors.

What I have been listening to - Every Time I Die

Another generic photograph of a band :D

I stumbled on another Metalcore band (I promise I don't listen to just Metalcore guys, believe me) which I think has to be one of the best I have heard in a while, and unlike the other two I have written about, these guys have been around longer and they have 5 albums and a whole bunch of compilations as far as I know, and they are from America. I am very excited!

Who are these guys?

Brothers Keith (Vocals) and Jordan Buckley (Guitar) formed the band back in '98 in Buffalo, New York along with Micheal Novak (Drums), Andy Williams (Guitar) and John McCarthy (Bassist). After a tour around the local area, they released their first EP 'Burial Plot Bidding War' under Goodfellow Records in 2000.


In 2001 McCarthy left the bad to be replaced by Aaron Ratajczak before the band released their first Album with Ferret Records, 'Last Night In Town'. This was followed up by a tour with Killswitch Engage by their side.


Since then these fellas have released more albums such as 'Hot Damn!' in 2003 and 'The Big Dirty' in 2007 and have been touring worldwide.

Haha :P

Awesome - That one word that sums up what I think.


Even after getting a few of the albums I have only had time to listen through 'The Big Dirty' and a few pieces off 'Hot Damn!'. I think that each and every song I have heard has awesome! The songs are not so much melodic or heavy as other Metalcore bands I have heard, but the music doesn't have to be heavy to be good at all - it is against the point anyway.


ETID has a very hardcore, somewhat punky feel to it, as well as including some southern and mathcore elements in the music, and it is definitely a good mix - and it works! Some of the sounds sound very trashy with the symbols, which adds more awesomeness to it.


New Album Alert! Where is my noisy horn?!


If you already knew these guys, then you probably already knew that they have a new album scheduled for release later this year, titled 'Ex-Lives'. Here is some more on that...


Epitaph Records has some cool behind the scenes videos on their YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/EpitaphRecords


Links 'n' Sh*t...


Alright, so my favorite album (so far) is probably 'Hot Damn!', with my favorite track (so far) being 'Ebolarama', which is just great, and I think if you are into this stuff you should listen to it if you haven't already...

And here is their site! http://everytimeidie.net/


Cheers for reading! Ollie.

Ben Howard 'Every Kingdom'

Every Kingdom is Ben Howard's debut album. Ben Howard is an acoustic artist from Devon, his music is described as folk especially since many of his influences include the likes of Joni Mitchell, Donovan, and Richie Havens. 


He's been surfing since he was 11 and in his music you can hear the laid back feel of surf rock/folk as well as being able to picture the ocean and beach whilst listening to his music.


The whole album has a very relaxed feel about it and is currently one of my favourite albums. 






Track Listing

1.	"Old Pine"
2.	"Diamonds"
3.	"The Wolves"
4.	"Everything"
5.	"Only Love"
6.	"The Fear"
7.	"Keep Your Head Up"
8.	"Black Flies"
9.	"Gracious"
10.	"Promise"
11.	"Seven Bottles" Old Pine was released as the albums first single and still remains my favourite song on the album. Ben Howards guitar technique is a wonder to listen too as he developed the technique of using his knuckles to hit the body of his guitar in between strums to create a percussive effect, this technique is also used by other acoustic artists such as Newton Faulkner. I must admit, listening to his singles such as Old Pine and The Wolves gave me high hopes for this album but some of the songs don't quite meet the standard set by these singles. 'Only Love' is one of these songs; the guitar riff and back beat is all there but it is let down by the way the vocal line is written in the versus (my opinion). Unfortunately the rise of Ben Howard has been overshadowed by Ed Sheeran. On paper both these artists are very similar but by listening to them you can hear a strong distinct difference between the highly commercial ginger nut and the homegrown surfer boy from Devon. I believe that Ben Howard is one of the best singer/songwriters around at this moment in time and I hope that a second album is in progress. If a new album is in the working I hope that he can fix some of the problems that are seen on the 1st album because I believe that this man could have the world in his pocket very soon. Old Pine <--- My Favourite song, take a listen. Josh K.

What We're Listening To - American Football

It seems a little clichéd to label an album 'emo' these days but here is an emo rock/ math rock album that is a staple for any music library. Released in 1999, this self-titled LP was their debut and also their last before their breakup shortly thereafter. Filled with raw emotion that any teenager can relate to and reinforced with a restrained and precise musicianship that merges seamlessly the shuffling time signatures and fractured guitar patterns as if it was any old 4/4 rock track. The constantly flowing teardrop guitars sound like what you would get if you took a 45rpm 'Smiths LP and played it at 33 instead; there's a certain emotion and atmosphere captured here that can be revisited time and time again, and is successful not only on its lyrical flawlessness but the extended instrumental patterns that build and build to such beautiful harmonic resolves. This is genuinely a classic album and one that anyone can enjoy and relate to, one to keep on the record shelf for a rainy day, a soundtrack to your memories. Give it a listen:

Awaiting a new album by While She Sleeps

Image by Nick Warwick

Yet again I am going to be looking at a Metalcore/Hardcore band similar to Rise To Remain which I talked about in my last post - Here is my research and my own opinion!

A spot of background research...

While She Sleeps is a 5-man Metalcore band from Sheffield in the south of the UK that have been playing since around 2006. They are very popular for their live performances - flailing and jumping around, all that good stuff.

Members include:

• Lawrence Taylor (Vocals)
• Sean Long (Guitar)
• Aaron Mckenzie (Bass)
• Adam Savage (Drums)
• Mat Welsh (Vocals/Guitar)

They have supported names such as Enter Shikari and Bury Tomorrow and they have done a great job and it paid off as they now regularly tour around major cities in the UK and Europe.

The North Stands For Nothing - Debut 2010

Well, after all that hard work the guys released their debut album 'The North Stands For Nothing' in mid-2010 with the label Small Town in the UK.

What do I think?

I grabbed myself a copy of TNSFN, and at first glance I was disappointed to only see 8 tracks lasting just under half an hour, but that was just me being pre-judgemental as always.

I went straight through the album - one song after another, and I loved it. Each track is very melodic and there is a great balance between these melodies and the input of hard drum crashes, juicy bass lines and fantastic riffs, not forgetting Taylor's screaming of course.

In a way, I find the melodic nature of these guys and Rise To Remain quite similar, which is awesome.

New Album Alert! Later This Year!

Yes, WSS is indeed releasing another bag of epic craziness, and most likely a tour to go with that - however they have released very little info on this, which is damn frustrating to say the least. I will update you all if I hear anything however!

Links!

Here is my pick off the album, I definitely recommend it:

And here is a link to the official site where you can listen to other stuff they have done, get tour dates, images, videos ad merch! http://wssofficial.com/

Cheers for reading! Ollie.

VHS head and thoughts on SKAM

Thoughts on VHS Head

First of all, nobody really knows who he/she/they is/are. Second of all, whoever it is, is signed to SKAM, the legendary IDM label that had Boards of Canada and Autechre under their wing in the early nineties. So who is it? Aside from the token Richard D. James speculation there is a long list of possible blokes... I suppose the place to ask would be blockbuster video, because im sure one branch will have had an alarming rise in complaints about mangled, screwed up tapes.

Thoughts on The EP

Made completely out of samples from old rental videos, this is a fuzzy, glitched-out mess of a record. However, this only adds tho the purcussive effect that a split second of silence can have, these moments of clarity keep this record on the very edge of the waterfall, and instead of being impossible to follow, this is an INCREDIBLY funky EP.

Listen for yourself 

and to the full EP

Final Thoughts on SKAM

The golden years were the nineties, now the boards and autechre have moved on to warp and SKAM have gone relatively quiet, with the odd release like this not picking up too much publicity or having too big a release (the vinyl version is limited to 300)

There are some kick ass artists on SKAM still, and if you are interested in electronic music, take a look at their wikipedia page for a little history lesson. Meanwhile, I'm holding out for a SKAM comeback, and a new VHS head album. Maybe there is a future still for IDM's biggest label...   

Leila - U&I (Warp) [2012]

Leila's 4th LP (second on Warp Records) dropped last month and as would be expected is another eclectic collection of indie-fused electronic pieces, many featuring Berlin-based DJ turned producer 'Mt. Sims' (Matthew Sims) on vocals. The album kicks off with semi-ambient prelude 'Of One', which works well as a stage-setter for the album as a whole before marching head-on into 'Activate I'. This track is somewhat in your face particularly with being right at the start of the album, the synth sounds come across a bit dated/cheesy and the lack of any sort of reverb or softening in the track makes this one grind a bit for me, but I tend to forget about it in the light of the next segue of tracks: 'All of This'; 'Welcome to Your Life'; and 'In Consideration', all featuring the vocals of Mt. Sims.


The first of those tracks mentioned heads almost straight into a semi-melancholic psycho-skittering array of saw waves, sine waves and a satisfactorily glitched gritty drum bank. The track has energetic feel and is where the ball really starts rolling for this album; the slow addition of elements to the central composition builds up quite an atmosphere which cuts back away and ends on a cliff-hanger sort of feel in the last third of this piece, moving onwards into 'Welcome to Your Life' (the second single from this album). Again straight in there with the vocals and saw waves, and a high BPM D'n'B inspired drum beat, this track is a certified foot-stomper, unusual vocal timings build up a tension towards the first chorus of 'Welcome to your life again...', and after this moment the production and electronics really start to go wild and interesting. The atmosphere is cut away and rebuilt through towards the second chorus, drumming in the impact of it before the track comes to a quick halt. Personally I find this track probably the most energetic from this LP and certainly puts the vocals of Mt. Sims to the most effective use. Next up is the vocal-layering ambience of 'In Consideration', this track certainly has a very eerie feel to it and the reverbed vocal styles here are somewhat reminiscent of How to Dress Well's 'Love Remains', this track slows the pace of the album and acts as a bit of a turning point before the next track (non-vocal) 'Eight'.


'Eight' sort of tries to grab at the feeling of the previous track with some synth pads starting it off, then the addition of a drum track and soon after a harmonising acid-style bass line, this track isn't terrible in itself but its short length and relative lack of direction leave it feeling more of an interlude before the next track drops '(Disappointed Cloud) Anyway', the first single from this LP. This track has a much more fun and also more avant-garde, experimental feel than the rest of the album up to this point, it builds up with layering parts twice before entering a semi-bridge-like section, which still doesn't seem to go anywhere particularly, but the track still retains an attractive charm and it's unusual structure makes it one for the replay-ability factor. Next up is the abrasive synth-noise interlude of 'Interlace' which can seem a bit out of place but in the context of the whole album actually works quite well as a bridge between the previous track and 'Colony Collapse Disorder', the next track on the album. Again with the vocals of Mt. Sims, the album seems to take a darker turn here; disorientating off-kilter drum beats and an ominous and abrasive bass line draw immediate attention with this track, which quickly descends into a chaotic, manic, dark frenzy of sounds and vocal samples. The off-kilter beats really make it hard to ignore any parts of this track and make it one of the up points of the album, as well as a signal of the album entering yet again slightly different territory with 'Boudica'.


'Boudica' builds up over time into a groovy, almost AFX-esque dark synth jam, but is also on the slower side of the tracks and acts as a pointer to the album slowing down towards its end with the final segue of three tracks, the first being 'In Motion Slow'. The clue is in the name with this track, a slower track, and without drums, one that is again touching on the ambient side of things; a gently dripping array of saw waves with build up and up into eventually what is like a giant soft sound blanket, and incredible ambient moment actually, although I can't help but think the track would be improved without its final minute where it returns to where it began, but the chord sequence does become more interesting there. Second to last is the title track, and the last to feature Mt. Sims on this album, the track starts with vocals and synths, in a semi-melancholy, semi-optimistic chord progression... ballad-eqsue, maybe? This comes to a halt an the song enters another section with a different chord sequence and more layers, but a similar timbre overall, and the track sounds like the beginning to a melancholic end of this album, slowly disassembling itself before the final track begins, 'Forasmuch'. This track picks up the mood again in another semi-ambient composition, the harmonies and melodies created here keep interest up and give a great feeling for the end of this album.


Overall I'd give this album 7/10, it's my first experience listening to Leila to any massive extent and there's some great stand-out tracks on here, ones to come back to. The flaw with this album for me is that it seems to have a lot of different things going on in different places and it does affect the flow and integrity of the album, but maybe that's the way it is meant to be, I can't put my finger on it exactly. The album definitely showcases a wide range of abilities on Leila's part and the vocals of Mt. Sims add a separate and more interesting dimension. I'll be looking forward to the next instalment of this project.


- OM


Buy at Bleep.com: http://bleep.com/index.php?page=release_details&releaseid=33133


Buy at Boomkat.com: http://boomkat.com/cds/466462-leila-u-i

Band Spotlight - Rise To Remain

Today I am going to take a look at the band Rise To Remain, a British metalcore band that has been on the rise (excuse the pun there) that has been been seen at large festivals such as Download and Sonisphere and has covered famous heavy bands such as Iron Maiden and Korn.


A bit of research...


They formed in in London in 2006 starting with members Ben Tovey (Lead Guitar) and Will Homer (Rhythm) and later in 2007 Austin Dickinson (Vocals) and began playing local gigs, later travelling around the UK to play at various venues.

The band showing 5 members before 2 left early this year.

Rise To Remain then went on to tour with big names such as Bullet For My Valentine, Suicide Silence and Machine Head.

In 2011, the band finally got signed to EMI Records and the song 'Serpent' from their debut album was released receiving thousands of downloads within the first day. Their album 'City Of Vultures' was released on the 5th September reaching #83 in the UK and a rather impressive #10 in India. They then began their headline tour 2 days later with Bleed From Within and The Safety Fire supporting them.

The band plans to tour the US and Canada later this Year.

My Opinion...

I think that these guys have potential to do well; after hearing through City Of Vultures I found my self thrashing around my room, which probably means I was quite enjoying it.

Sure this band is not as heavy or old-school as some other bands out there, but I find that what they have produced is unique in its own way, and the songs on the album are great to listen to. I look forward to seeing them at Fibbers in March!

Fun Fact : The lead singer is the son of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson!

Oh, and here is my favorate out of the whole album - Power Through Fear:

Cheers for reading! Ollie.

Tyler, The Creators 'Wolf'

Hey Guys,

So, this is my first ever Blog and today I'm going to talk about an album that I am currently very excited for; this album is Tyler, The Creators 3rd album 'Wolf' which is scheduled for release in May 2012.

Tyler, The Creator is the frontman of the infamous Hip-Hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA). Wolf will allegedly continue Tylers psychiatric sessions with the fictional character Dr. TC, this was hinted on Tylers first album 'Bastard' where Dr. TC says 'this is the first of three sessions'. Tyler himself has said that this album will focus more on the beats rather than the rapping.

Tyler has said the he wants to use his favourite beats that he's been creating since he was 15. There are a few confirmed tracks such as, 'Good Morning' featuring Domo Genesis, and a song called 'Berlin'. 'Llama' featuring Earl Sweatshirt was meant to be on 'Goblin' (Tylers 2nd album) but was not used due to Earls mum not giving Tyler permission to use Earls vocals, as much as I would like it to be on Wolf, Tyler is not expecting to get permission to use it. (FREE EARL)

Tyler plans on producing the whole album himself, except for the odd song done by Left Brain, this is how Goblin was created.

This is all I know at the moment, any updates will be posted here.

Josh K.

Welcome to our blog!

Hey!

This is Wax Music Reviews, we are a blog starting out hopefully to get bigger. We aim to review up and coming artists and recommend the best ones to you along with any good albums and singles we stumble on.

We also may make the odd ridiculous post about something crazy we might have done (:

Oliver Askew, Oliver McNally, Josh Kenyon and Karl Sherwin.