Album reviews

Holly Throsby

Under the Town
Woo Me

�Not another bloody acoustic(y) singer songwriter record!� I screamed inwardly as I pulled away the press release that obscured the front cover of Sydney based Throsby�s second album. Sometimes the realisation that one is jaded and presumptuous is very welcome indeed with this most definitely being one of those times. more… “Holly Throsby”

The Little Ones

Sing Song

Some bands just seem to appear blazing brain-banging pop hooks; impeccably fashioned indie numbers firing from their holsters like Sub Pop�s back catalogue loaded into an untamed oozy. Enter the Little Ones, then more… “The Little Ones”

Alexisonfire

Boiled Frogs

Not my cup of tea. But, let me finish, I actually quite like this. Aside from the generic screamo-ing and undeniable eau d�Enter Shikari, I�m inexplicably impressed by this track. Well no, not impressed, �Boiled Frogs� isn�t a big steaming bowl of genius, neither is it an epic in abstract lyricism; but what it is � or what it could be � is one of those stuck-in-your-head seasonal anthems, � la �Patience� (don�t even bother to deny that you hummed along to the pop comeback of the century at least once).

Anyway, these boys have got it right: layered �whoaaa�s, hand-clapping and some deliciously ripping guitar parts in places. Then, of course, we have rasping screams and thundering drums that are necessary criterion for any successful screamo track. But, even if that turns your stomach, don�t retreat to your Bright Eyes albums. Be the bigger person and have a go at looking past it. See if you�re not stuck with the melody in your head after the first listen.

Just to finish, I felt it necessary to admit that I played this track for someone who actually likes Alexisonfire and they told me that �Boiled Frogs� wasn�t up to much�shows what I know.

Sam Pollock

The Twang

Wide Awake

There�s something about singer Phil Etheridge�s voice that�s a strange hybrid between Ian Brown and, oddly, Preston of Ordinary Boys/CBB �fame�. As for �Wide Awake�, listening is like stepping into a Tardis and emerging in the 90s Britpop era more… “The Twang”

The 4th Parallel

Ultra-Extra

The title track from these Glaswegians� debut promo is ready to catch you from the beginning, with a bassline that can only be described as delicious, wanting to break out into a funk experimentation, only to be reigned in by spacey synths and the swaggering tones of Michael McCahill more… “The 4th Parallel”

Captainface

BOOM
Fat Hippy

There�s some things you certainly may need to know about Captainface. They�re named after a Boer War casualty (officer Captainface of the imperial Light Horse Regiment to you). They hail from Kinmundy (nope..us neither) and they peddle a peculiar blend of Politico-punk funk and hard rock more… “Captainface”

Various

Free Download Compilation
Transformed Dreams

This is an interesting look at the diverse Amsterdam based label. The flavour is mostly punk (Sex Pistols punk as opposed to moronic ‘middle class American life is so hard’ punk thank god) with the occasional astract folk and electro pop numbers thrown in for good measure. There are a few wee hidden gems in here, particularly for fans of Yeah Yeah Yeahs etc. Though not all of it will be preffered listening for everybody (as often is the nature of the compilation) overall it’s a compilation which is definitely worth a listen. Fans of the late great John Peel may recognise bands Persil and Seedling from their numerous sessions. Even if you don’t like anything on it, which is really rather unlikely, it won’t cost you a penny. Can’t say fairer than that!

Download fromwww.transformeddreams.com

Stuart Torrance