If melodic hard rock with some delicious dark tones permeating its veins is your kind of flavour to relax to then the new release from Italian rockers Home Run has to be on your next list of bands needing attention. Returning with Black World, their follow up to debut Dont Stop, the band with its new line-up are pushing  to step up a few levels by giving 13 tracks of striking melodic rock n roll to please all hard rockers.

Formed in 2000 under the name Dead Poets the band soon moved from a cover band into creating their own strong songs. As they worked on a debut demo they changed the name to Home Run in reference to the Gotthard album and also as it represented the bands new sound and ideas that were as tight, fast and strong as a baseball homerun hit. Plenty of gigs followed as the band blended in their own compositions with covers  and then in 2005 they released a demo EP, Start Again to some strong acclaim. Work on their debut album Dont Stop began in 2007 accompanied by help from guitarist Frank Caruso of Arachnes and Stefano ‘Sebo’ Xotta in working on a deal to have the album released which happened in April 2008. The album too garnered strong acclaim from media and fans but then came a line-up change as members left. The following year saw bassist Paolo Luoni, drummer William Battiston, and guitarist Valerio Castiglioni join band founders vocalist Matteo Albarelli, guitarist Andrea Ringoli and Walter Borrelli who played the keyboards. With Black World completed early 2011 the sextet signed with Italian independent label Tanzan Music for its release and immediately found more strong praise.

The songs within the album run from straight rock, southern flavoured sounds, to melodic tunes with a power ballad feel. It is a light album even with the darker tinged elements and aggression and run throughout lyrics and music. After an ominous combative intro the album kicks off with Silences Broken. It too begins on a sinister edge before the track builds into a fine rock piece with flowing keys. Immediately one is impressed with the harmonies and melodies achieved  and the compulsive throbbing bass line beneath all the smoother sounds. Albarelli joins the mix with strong vocals and delivery bringing more of the defined hard rock sound, his voice using the standards approach and very well.

The hard rock sound is a set base for most of the tracks on Black World with different layers placed upon them and tracks like Ephemeral Light, the funky pulsating Intoxication Of Love, and the ballad As We Did Before all show the bands skill at writing songs to engage and please, each in their own way playing with ease within the ear and with strong satisfaction.

For non hard rock fans at times there does seem a sameness across the album and a lack of real surprises though three tracks do stand out to elevate the album into a higher level. No More hits firmly with strutting riffs and synth sounds that wrap pleasingly around the song, whilst the title track swoops in with a vibrant and enticing riff and flowing keys once more. The bass throbs with mischief as it leads one through the track with a wicked glint and the guitars play like a dancing girl swinging all their wanton skills for the ear to digest. The third song is the albums highlight and another where bassist Luoni is the mesmeric lure. Lipstick has a slight 80’s feel especially from the keys and the song itself is semi anthemic with its fist pumping chorus.

It is fair to say if the likes of Suicide Silence or Behemoth are your ideal sound there is not a lot on Black World to excite but for anyone who breathes in hard rock readily, the album though not a classic has more than enough quality and fun to spend plenty of time with. http://www.homerunrock.it

RingMaster 26/10/2011

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American Folk/blues songwriter David Stockdale has pleased audiences with his folk/blues music and albums for over a decade, sending his soulful sounds into eager hearts. With his fourth album Dark Riders released via Tanzan Music, he has returned with a new direction in his musics evolution.  Maybe direction is a bit dramatic but he has certainly expanded it with added pop and R&B sounds and across the release there is a pacier feel without any detriment to his trademark emotive essence lyrically and aurally.

Santa Barbara born Stockdale has brought an even deeper and attentive touch lyrically to his songs on Dark Riders, relating social themes and personal experiences with very adept skill and feeling. He gives the songs with his poetic words, a depth that behind the livelier sounds continues his reputation for bringing introspective and emotionally strong power into his music. Dark Riders has a freshness and familiarity that instantly endears itself to listener and brings one into its heart with ease.

From the opening grace of Here Comes The Night the album plays nicely within the ear. Stockdales vocals are smooth and full of feeling and he is immediately shown as an artist in confident control of his ability and vision. Behind Stockdale the delightful voices of Elisa Paganelli and Martha Tansini give a soothing and extra layer to the tone of this and each song, and whether on this mid pace opener, the ballad Oh To Be Loved or the poppy Boogaloo You the combination is eagerly welcome.

High As A Kite a song combining a soul groove and pop essences, is another to light up the senses with its easy flow, and the guitar of Marco Tansini, who also provides the album’s keys, bass, production and more, within it is a joy. He never overdoes things to become the focal point of any song but flavours them with distinct and exciting touches. The track is an example of the good variation within the album and even if your taste is for heavier and striking riff laden sounds there is plenty within Dark Riders to get enthused about.

Tracks like the touching Earthquake, the excitable and lightly bustling Who, plus closing song Right From The Heart featuring Sofia Fragile on backing vocals and another track that rings deeply with an honesty and truth most can relate to in some degree, show the strength of Stockdales writing and performance. Though this is not the kind of music that would be first choice on this reviewer’s daily playlist it is impossible not to become wrapped up in its flow and tender arms and certainly for all singer/songwriter fans David Stockdale and Dark Riders is worth more than a moment of your time.

RingMaster 23/02/2012

Copyrighted 2011-10-29 15:06:50 UTC

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Recently Essex rock/pop punk band Johnny Get The Gun released their new single containing two tracks that came from their Never Far From What We Know EP released earlier in the year. Because of the quality and overwhelming infectiousness of all songs concerned we are going to look at the EP to kill both birds with one review. In a year that has seen the glorious rise of rock lined pop punk infused with additive melodies, incessant riffs, mesmeric hooks, and sing-a-long choruses with the likes of Top Buzzer, Innercity Pirates and Max Raptor, the quartet of Johnny Get The Gun stand to the fore with music that gives something extra not only to the ear but the day, their sounds igniting impulses and the heart.

The band started in 2007 instantly gathering eager support and acclaim for their energetic and impressive live shows and even greater attention once their 2010 self-titled mini album and this EP unveiled their charms to a wider array of ears. With an album in the pipeline it is only a matter of time before the band explodes in to a bigger arena and further infatuation from a swelling mass of new fans.

The EP starts as it means to go on, revealing songs of anthemic ease, beckoning hooks, and compulsive melodies all wrapped in an eagerness and originality that cleverly is fresh and at the same time recognisable, like unknown friends turning up to brighten the day. Good As It Gets strolls in on a confident beat and throbbing bassline backing the instantly magnetic vocals of Wayne Lightowler  before exploding into a furnace of passionate riffs and emotive energy. As he proves throughout the release Lightowler is a stunning vocalist that employs and delivers all the emotion of the lyrics and energy of the music with stunning effect. The song is pop punk at its finest, a track that pulls one in eagerly to become part of and join in with the addictive chorus.

Hills & Knives takes over with a less instantaneous pull but as equal in quality and engagement. The guitar of Jack Lawson less crazed but more soulful and sensitively creative lies well amongst more great basslines from Joe Williams and the ever strong and powerful drums of Jamie Abela, the drummer able to play with unbridled aggression or a more delicate attack with equal skill and ability. The song is an impressively structured piece of songwriting with again Lightowler and his vocals taking a great track up a level, his voice finishing off a fine song with a glorious topping of emotive attachment.

Third track Lead Hearts follows on with more passion preferred over a direct punk attack though with driven riffs and enthusiastic energy it rumbles with a deliberate intent to excite the ear. The change of pace within it is smooth and as touching as the vocals, both switching seamlessly from stoked energy and back again to end on a stirring climax.

The final two tracks are the ones that make up their glorious recent single. In The Middle is a deceiving track, it reels the listener in with more infectious hooks and sweet sounding melodies that accumulate in another greedy siren like coaxing of the senses. What it does not make clear despite its delicious sound is how it will stay and linger long after it finishes, days in fact, the chorus and melodies repeatedly playing in the head to open the day and end its light. With a mix of Jimmy Eat World and Dommin sound wise the song is a triumph, a success similarly attained by closing song Take It.

Dynamic and consuming the track is not afraid to openly show its intentions to tease and entertain. With a voracious appetite the crashing and frenetic guitars uncork their pumped urgency as each member leaves nothing in their creative tank. The song is a non-stop burst of energy that leaves one spent by its end though the band do help out with a melodic respite for the listener to take a deep breath before the explosive ending.

Johnny Get The Gun makes music that flaunts its addictive melodic wares wantonly whilst inviting investigation of its deeper creative veins, the band melodic puppeteers of the finest nature. With their album planned for release early 2012 now is the time to sample their contagious pop punk sounds.

RingMaster 17/10/2011

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To be honest The RR is not one to offer up time for indulgence and music that ultimately is just showing off no matter the skill and undoubted talent on show.  No matter the ability and sound guitar led instrument rock generally seems to end up long winded and over played to levels that has lost our focus long before. Now that is our preference and possible lost but that is how the land and personal taste lies. Just sometimes though to reinforce the ethic of still checking things out before assuming there is a release that steps away from past history to offer something different and intriguing. Such is the case with The Shadows Compendium from French guitar maestro Stéphan Forté. The album still steps into areas that push our limits but it is impossible to deny the stunning and impressive sounds and creativity within its vibrant walls.

Stéphan Forté first drew attention his way with his first instrumental demo Visions of 1997, the neoclassical-oriented sounds soon bringing him to the notice of the guitar community. The following year saw him opening for Yngwie Malmsteen and more sponsors, endorsements and industry attention accumulating. 2001 saw the first Adagio album, a band of musicians he recruited to help realise his compositions. Sanctus Ignis drew further acclaim in his homeland and further afield as did the following darker and orchestral/ choral powered Underworld of 2003. After a further two albums Dominate and Archangels In Black and well received concerts and tours, Forté decided to stretch and push his own musical limits which has become the solo project The Shadows Compendium. Three years in the making the album is an intense, diverse and deep exploration that is musically astonishing.

Forté takes influences ranging from Bartok to Meshuggah, twisting his play and sounds in ways and into shapes no lesser mortal can imagine let alone produce. It really is hard to state how powerful and uniquely distinct the music and ability within the compositions are; only the ear can give true representation. From the opening title track and its dark atmospheric intro the album never ventures into predictable even if at times the expected rears its lengthy head. With tower high riffs and melodies that scorch the ear Forté mesmerises with his string play and caresses with wonderful piano expertise. The piece buzzes around the ear at times constantly insistent and eager before making way for truly inspired work from the composer. An array of guests feature on the album with Jeff Loomis of Nevermore aiding here though for these ears which parts he or the others add elude against the mastery of Forté, and these are talented guys.

The aggressive intense metal fuelled elements connect the deepest with these tastes but there is no doubting there is plenty for rock fans of all preferences on The Shadows Compendium. Tracks like the senses twisting De Praestigiis Daemonu with guest Mattias IA Eklundh of Freak Kitchen and the provocative probing of Duat with Glen Drover of Megadeth leave the ear and beyond happy but exhausted. These are power driven though never are the intricacies and elaborate melodies and ideas left to the side. Spiritual Bliss and Prophecies Of Loki XXI dazzle with a lighter but no less staggering manipulation and control of notes, harmonies and any other musical aspect you can imagine from Forté.

The Shadows Compendium is immense and any musician and especially guitarists will have wet dreams over the album. Personal taste stops it being an album to return to often, at times parts are still overblown and overlong, and dare one say even Forté treads the fine line of indulgence. Then again should it not be that way, the man is a genius whom very few can touch, and it would be crazy to keep such flair and ability restrained. If you want to hear an artist make his guitar squeal and sing with a technique and skill that any woman would pay to feel then Stéphan Forté is your first destination.

RingMaster 21/02/2012

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Vibrant and rich in brightly lit melodies the new album from Israeli duo Rendezvous mesmerises and tantalises with well crafted sounds that form a weave of electronic finesse and refined creativity. The eagerly awaited Another Round Please will not disappoint with its blend of classic synth and progressive melodic flows wrapped in a chilled yet expressive collection of electro expanses.

The pair of Itai Simon and Hagai Izenberg release their album via Rough Trade / Moot Records on the back of their recent single The Murf which reached number 5 in the UK club charts. The impressive video that backed up the song gathered over 150,000+ views online in a matter of weeks, the combination inspiring a sure anticipation for Another Round Please. Mixed by legendary producer Dave Bascombe (Kylie Minogue, Depeche Mode, Tears For Fears) the album is a kaleidoscope of dazzling sounds that sweep through the ear to invite and incite imagery and feelings. With what are undemanding but intriguing and thoughtful sounds it is a blend that finds a welcome home within the ear.

Another Round Please is actually surprising in its light and glowing sounds due to the fact that a large amount of the albums tracks were recorded during the “second Lebanon war”. With neighbouring cities and towns feeling the destructive might of Hezbollah missiles and a mere few miles away from the duo Israeli planes dropping bombs on Lebanon it would have been expected that the music reflected and was affected by it. Despite that though the album removes itself from the background it found itself created in and other than the presence of obvious shadows within tracks like the darker toned Prisoner No. 251, the tense and dramatic Hands Up, and the fractured melodic laced emotive End of The World, the release offers positives, hope and vibrant light.

From the dazzling crystalline melodies of opener C Sharp the album is a compelling release which admittedly across its length does at times rely on a familiarity and similarity within its compositions but is always thoroughly intriguing and inviting. Adagio For Tiesto is a strong example, through its well drawn travel the piece does not step into any avenues of distinct ingenuity but constantly winks and flutters its creative eyes. It is suggestive as it slowly unveils its charms to eventually and slowly evolve into a climax that is dramatic, stirring and elegant.

The wonderful soundscape of Egypt is the highlight of the album, vast and sweeping it takes one across warm addictive sands immersing into an ever expanding majesty and visualisation within the mind. This is closely followed by the exuberant Blues In Space, a track infectious in rhythm and engaging in melodies. It offers a sound that is very recognisable and feels like one of those glorious soundtracks to an eighties sci-fi movie. This only adds to the fun and makes it a friend to play with often.

Rendezvous has created an album in Another Round Please that does nothing less than satisfy and place a smile on the face. Whether it does any more than that is debateable and will depend on personal preferences, but for 46 odd minutes it certainly gives a warm glow.

RingMaster 21/02/2012

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There has been a lot of fuss over and feverish acclaim sent the way of Welsh duo Toy Horses ever since their early demos hit the internet in 2010. Those early songs took no time in becoming a constantly growing success that led to national and international radio play. The insightful melody lined and expressive uncluttered tunes the pair created rode a word of mouth wave that without any real self promotion from the band itself, took them to the ears and close attention of fans and media both sides of the pond. As things led to other things and more opportunities the stepfather-stepson duo Adam D Franklin and Tom Williams found themselves the attention of US radio guru Nic Harcourt who invited the band to perform at his SXSW showcase. Proclaiming them his highlight of the festival Harcourt then had the pair perform his KCRW radio show in LA. This led to Ken Coomer (Wilco) becoming aware of them and to be another to fall to their impressive indie charm. He contacted the band personally offering to produce their debut album which was subsequently recorded in Nashville and released in the summer of 2011.

The self titled collection of ten assured and vibrant tunes is re-released as a luxury edition on February 27^th and will surely sweep up many more eager followers which it missed the first time around with its captivating melodies alongside expressive lyrics and emotions. From the opening Play What You Want it is easy to see why so many have taken the release and band to their hearts. There is an openness to the songs in word and sound that simply endears itself far beyond the ear. The first song alone is an infectious tease with an air of mischief about it. It is a little romp across the senses tempered by the lyrics personal plea.

Every song within the album is crafted with love and attention, each obviously thought over and though some do not quite grab with the depth of others it is something relative to the individual which is which. The use of piano and strings in And It Was You and in the wonderful closing track Interrupt offer a depth and extra emotive touch that most bands either neglect or do not imagine showing the intelligent ideas Toy Horses give to their sound.

It is when the pair lift up the tempo and pulse rate that they really excel with an extra flair that marks them for big things. The brilliant Damage Done has a siren like appeal and within moments one is mesmerised by the pulsating keys and minimal rhythms behind the vocals. If ever the term less is more was more proven it is on this song. Matching its flair are the equally impressive Loyal To The Cause and No Ones Gonna Leave You. The first of the two reminds of eighties band The Bluebells with its incisive and irresistible melody whilst the other and best song on the album, has a feisty nip to it reminding a little of the likes of Babyshambles. It comes with a little more attitude and offers an energetic rockabilly like vein throughout that sparks. Across the release the songs generally have a sixties feel at times bringing a kind of Kinks/Beatles like essence which works nicely but it is with the sounds and tunes that have this bite or raising of intensity that the album is at its best.

Toy Horses the band and album is refreshing. The duo write songs that are instinctive and heart warming but with an eager wicked glint in the eye. It is clear why the band garnered such a response to their sounds so far and though this album does not quite blow us away it indicates it is merely a question of time.

RingMaster 21/02/2012

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Black metal comes in many malicious dark shapes and sizes to generally stretch and twist the senses. It is a genre that plays with fears, toys with emotions and intrudes with caustic effect, numbing and violating from the ear inwards. Austrian black metal band Hellsaw does this and much more. Their fourth album Trist, released February 24^th via Napalm Records, is a blistered beast that eats away at the flesh, consumes all feelings and leaves one a scattered pool of depleted energy and numbed emotion. It is an album that one finds hard to know if they liked it as all that is left at the end of its extreme and unpredictable sounds is a shell devoid of being able to conjure rational thought, it is that demanding, consuming and powerfully effective.

Formed in 2002, Hellsaw influenced by early 90s black metal bands began their destructive ride with their debut release Sins of Might, this coming a mere few months after forming, and  first album Spiritual Twilight in 2005. The band drew and gathered up strong attention, their uncompromising sounds setting them apart from other similar bands. Initially a project consisting of just drummer Svart and vocalist Aries, who also took the guitar and bass roles, the band had to evolve and began touring throughout Europe with session musicians, the expanded band garnering more solid acclaim and growing fan base. Subsequent albums Phantasm and Cold, this their first with Napalm, increased their musical stock and popularity. Guitarists Malthus and Isiul as well as bassist Desderoth were now permanent members of the band and the full force of Hellsaw being unleashed as shown with Trist.

The album is a gnarly beast, a release that rips at and abuses the senses with an evil intent that is openly and proudly carried like a flag of combat. Trist runs with traditional black metal sounds a lot of the time but avoid predictability by veining it with unexpected and intelligent intriguing diversions. It teases and taunts, never giving you what you assume, and just when it looks like becoming slightly formulaic the album will turn on its tail and writhe with something unexpected and diverse. It is these touches which makes the album worth full attention throughout.

The Devil Is Calling My Name opens up the infernal damnation of the senses, though at first its slow awakening is a deliberate falsehood to entice and beckon. As soon as one is hooked the track explodes into scorched riffs and a flurry of bullying drumming. The rasping vocals of Aries spew every word with acidic venom, coating the lyrics with sonic bile complimenting the razor sharp guitars. The song is malevolent, the bass of Desderoth lingering behind the assault of the guitars to grab its prey periodically, though that is more due to the fact that at certain times it is hard to consistently hear the growling basslines.

It is an impressive start to an album that maintains a strong level throughout but with definite peaks in the likes of the brilliant Doom Pervades Nightmares, A Winter Cold, and the imaginative closer Silence. The first of the three is an excellent nasty aural corruption, and the first of the more varied tracks offered within Trist. The groove and razor sharp guitars slice through the senses whilst the grouchy basslines are insistent and intimidating. Aries is pained and bitter, his demonic delivery distressing and enticing, a force as potent as the sounds. It is when the track steps off track into a melancholic mandolin led instrumental climax that the song truly unveils its beauty and uniqueness.
A Winter Cold is part chant, part frosted celebration, and all direct bitterness. The song is less about the violent assault than the creative melodic grandeur the band can also summon. At times it ventures into a blackened thrash sound that is inspired and a welcome diversity. Silence brings a wonderful melodic opening song but soon erupts into a full on confrontation but still with a melody driven core that is impressive, further proof that Hellsaw are musicians that can write and realise well crafted songs of blended beauty and malevolence.

The album does have its flaws, mainly in the drums production which is annoyingly tinny, and the slightly predictable vocals of Aries. There are moments one wishes his delivery was as diverse as the sounds within Trist. Despite those things, which are more personal preferences, the album is an impressive release that puts recent black metal releases in the shade. It is creative and at times adventurous within the defined limits of the genre, it is also ultimately enjoyable.

Ringmaster 20/02/2012

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Infectiously nostalgic, energetically unbridled, and irrepressibly excitable the self titled album from UK punks Johnny Throttle is the perfect album. Yes if you analysed it there are edges and elements that could be ‘improved’ but the point of music is to exhilarate, inspire, and give a good time and Johnny Throttle do this in abundance. There are plenty of good punk bands out there right now but there is nothing finer than real 70s punk and with this influencing the heart and attitude oozing vein of Johnny Throttle, there is no finer a bunch of punk reprobates than Johnny Quid and his cohorts.

Released on Dirty Water Records the album is a flurry of immediate and eager stabs of punk that light up the senses and revitalise old hearts and ambitions. Formed by ex-Parkinsons front-man Afonso Pinto (Johnny Quid), and aided by guitarist Hermano J, bassist Rory Seminal, and drummer Ricky C, their pedigree as ex-members of the likes of Menace, The Shakin Nasties, the Jackoffs, the Chinese Lungs, the Stains and Urban Shocks undeniable, Johnny Throttle go straight for the throat with blistering ill tempered sarcastic diamonds of sound and attitude. The band and each track offers up twin fingered salutes to whoever is in their aim and intent, it is garage punk without complications but bursting with vibrant riffs and catchy hook laden venom.

From the opening Heartbreakers/Ramones like Lost Sputnik the album lights up the senses and heart.  Song after song high energy and brief concussive blasts rolls through the ear with contempt and belligerence. The first track though spiky and forceful is probably the least rampant on offer but shows pop punks of today more than a thing or two on how to do it. Throughout the album Johnny Throttle or songs remind of or hint at other bands but the overriding similarity they have is to The Cortinas, a sadly overlooked band from the 70s.  The vocals of Quid have a definite Jeremy Valentine sound and both bands have a defined handle on creating irresistible hooks and melodies within their barbed tunes.

This review could go on for pages there is so much that could be said about and praised upon Johnny Throttle. It has been a long time since an album has thrilled as thoroughly from first track to last and there are fourteen classics here. If you want a taster before falling into the tempestuous arms of the album than first head to songs like the incessant longing of Ann or The Vibrators like Love Me Till I Come a spattered lust fuelled two minutes and a touch. There is also the cheerful sing-a-long casting aside of I Wanna Be Your Ex or the very early Blondie/Buzzcocks/Cute Lepers eager simple melodies of Heart Of Stone available and as sure to entice. Let us be honest here, every track will grab and pull you into their siren like well of essential punk and garage rock.

Johnny Throttle as one anticipates does not shy away from the controversial either saving that for the best song on the album in the brilliant Spazztastic. It defies anyone not to join in with its addictive chorus and heart tingling riffs. With a bass from Seminal to lose fluids over the song is immense and its brevity the only complaint, but leave them wanting more right?

Johnny Throttle is an album that revives the heart of true punk music and punks, its heart a reminder of days when things had an intensity and breath that has since dissipated, well until this band arrived came along. They have not only reminded of but ignited the heyday of punk and taken it forward with an album so impressive and enjoyable that one does not need to dig out those old vinyls, the new breed is here and its name is Johnny Throttle.

RingMaster 20/02/2012

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Like a colossal juggernaut the new album from Swedish metalers Coldworker thunders through to the senses before unleashed a bludgeoning and inventive mix of grindcore/death metal rage. The album is unrelenting and consuming like a violent unavoidable storm but it is tempered with grooves that manipulate and explode with a burning energy alongside melodic craft as sour as the intensity is tumultuous.

Released via Listenable Records The Doomsayer’s Call is the third album from the powerful quintet and the result of intensive writing and preparation by the band since previous album Rotting Paradise in 2008. The Doomsayer’s Call is not a major evolution to their sound but does feel more defined and focused within the acute grooves and melodic flows without losing any of the bands renowned intensity. This makes for a release that is not remarkable in any new direction but more inventively crafted than its predecessor and their debut album The Contaminated Void of 2006.

From the opening might of A New Era the album is a formidable and welcome intrusion within the ear. Without being overly destructive the track pressures and tests limits whilst offering a grind that is impossible to resist. The guitars of Daniel Schröder and Anders Bertilsson strike eagerly and deeply with riffs that coax and wind around the senses, taking them into harsh avenues that entice with dark menace. Equally though they enflame and ignite emotions with cultured grooves and imaginative melodies. The result is not a sound that is overtly addictive but is thoroughly intriguing and the inspiration to delve deeper within the album.

On the first song and throughout vocalist Joel Fornbrant growls and vocally grimaces, his words offered with malevolence and apparent disdain. Though he is not particularly diverse in his attack it works perfectly as a foil to the more expansive ideas the music brings. The songs come thick, powerfully and fast, an incessant probing and manipulation from heavyweight and incisive provocative sounds. Tracks like The Glass Envelope and Murderous rage with little regard for health, their eager aggression limitless whilst songs such as Monochrome Existence, turn the ear into a defenceless puppet as its sound commands and directs responses.

As The Doomsayers Call progresses it seems to get better and better. Vacuum Fields is a challenging explosion of brutality and smart songwriting, its diversity and ideas impressive whilst The Walls Of Eryx attaches itself with a groove that is infectious and a grind that demands obedience from the off. Drummer Anders Jacobson and bassist Oscar Pålsson, both excellent throughout erect a frame that is formidable and commanding allowing the others to wreak havoc upon the senses.

It is all wonderful stuff added to by the excellent Violent Society and impacting Becoming The Stench and with only the lack of a stronger diversity between tracks a downside, The Doomsayers Call is an impressive and striking album. Coldworker stand at the fore of grindcore/death metal amalgam bands and their new album has only gone to enforce their position.

RingMaster 20/02/2012

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The beginning of 2012 has already given many impressive and inspiring releases but not many are as essential and as completely fulfilling as Yes And Also Yes from Mike Doughty. The album consists of fourteen vibrant, witty and mesmeric indie pop songs which engage and inspire through quality song writing and captivating sounds. Alongside the album Mike also has an autobiography The Book Of Drugs out which deals with drugs, music, and the “weirdness, and messed-up-ness, of life in Soul Coughing” that have been part of life to date. With immense pleasure we had the chance to talk with Mike and ask him about the album, book, his music and more.

Hello and a warm welcome to The Ringmaster Review, thank you for letting us pry a little into your creative world.

2012 is starting off with a bang for with the release of your new album Yes And Also Yes and your autobiography. What is your overriding emotion as they find their way into the ears and eyes of the world?

I tend to keep distant from what the world thinks of what I’m putting out. I definitely feel obliged to the audience, but I think the way to do the best work is to keep your head down, pay attention to what you’re making, not how it’s perceived. Otherwise, I get delirious, and the machinery jams.

You have had a fair few releases under your belt to great acclaim but does the feeling ever lessen on the eve of releasing something new?

Like I said–I have to pay attention to the work, not to the reaction. That said, I guess the short answer is no–because there’s always anxiety.

Do you have different feelings, nerves, tension or whatever over the book compared to the album as it exposes a different and more personal aspect of you in many ways?

References to ex-girlfriends in songs can be super oblique, but in the book, they’re described in detail. That’s been a painful and weirdly exhilarating process, communicating with people from way-back-in-the-way-back. There are people I love of whom I tell some pretty gnarly stories–I’m very scared of their reactions. I don’t want to lose them.

Can we first talk about the album Yes And Also Yes? The title has been commented on everywhere I am sure but can you give our readers the inspiration behind it?

It was the title of an online dating profile. I improvised it–you had to type something in that box just to post it. Later I realized it was kind of weirdly suitable to where I was at. It also related to improv sketch comedy–Del Close and “the rule of yes” and that kind of stuff–and I’ve been doing a lot of comedy shows around Manhattan and Brooklyn, playing a couple of songs on a bill of five or six comedians. So maybe I absorbed some of that.

Any thoughts on those kind of sites, haha did you find any budding romances?

There were some almost-almosts, but nothing of substance, and lots of awkward shittiness. I met my girlfriend through friends–she’s basically been nearby me forever–and there’s a really intense connection that makes all that slogging through dates really ludicrous. Though maybe I had to scan the horizon before I realized she was standing behind me. I say to her, all the time, “Where the hell were you all this time?!”

How would you say Yes And Also Yes differs and has evolved from previous albums Sad Man Happy Man and Golden Delicious?

To a certain extent it feels very specific to where I wrote most of the songs–an artists’ colony called Yaddo in Upstate New York. A lot of it was coaxed from ideas that I’d been collecting since I finished the last album, but it was an unusually intense thing to have them all bloom in the same tiny span of time.

Am I right in believing not all of your fans were taken with and liked the directions you took with previous albums and were strong in their desire to share that with you?

Actually, I’ve been making them happy since Sad Man Happy Man, it would seem. There are always people who go, “He’s better acoustically, as in Skittish,” or, “He’s better with lo-fi electronics, as in Rockity Roll”, or, “He’s better with a full band”, and the “He was better in Soul Coughing” contingent is always a vocal and irritating minority

How did that effect you and has it has a bearing on your emotions and thoughts with this new album?

Sad Man Happy Man I definitely was thinking of a lot of kvetching about over-instrumentation, and I responded to that. This one I just put my head down and got the work done.

How much of you as a person, your emotions and feelings as well as experiences go into your songwriting and lyrics?

Absolutely all of it–though in mysterious, nebulous, sideways angles.

I am not sure if this question makes sense haha but do you ever fear you may expose to much of the real you in your songs or is that not an issue for you?

I’m a committed over-sharer. Totally suited to these times. It’s really not an issue. The only weird thing is when strangers think they know me well enough that they email me to come to their weddings and are taken aback when I decline.

The tracks within Yes And Also Yes carries a vibrant and uplifting tone throughout and even in its darker emotive moments still has a twinkle in the eye kind of mischief. Do you write a song with a particular emotional purpose or do they evolve their own expression and emotion as they come together?

I just write them. I don’t really know where they’re going when I start, and I try and figure out what the song wants to be, rather than try and force it in a certain direction. That sounds like corny hippie shit, but it’s true. In fact, what a song really relates to, on its deepest level, sometimes doesn’t become obvious until I’ve been playing it for years.

Listening to your lyrics one cannot but be in awe at times of the way you use and link unexpected words into a natural union. When you write do you ‘visualise’ the words, feel them rather than just play with them on paper if that makes sense?

They’re definitely not intended to look good on paper, they’re meant to work sonically, absolutely in tandem with the melody, and the pocket in the rhythm they dwell in. I think about how they sound, as opposed to visually.

Is there a particular track or moment on the album that gives you personally an extra warm glow?

When my cellist, Andrew “Scrap” Livingston, says, “Shall we do it again?” before “Rational Man” it is really hilarious and strange to me–as he is extremely hilarious and extremely strange.

The album is very varied with an array of distinctly different sounds and wonderfully enterprising ‘additives’ coming together to make a truly mesmeric release. How does your songwriting evolve from that first seed of a song to the distinct creation you finish with?

I think I have an idea of how I want them arranged when I start writing. I think

The track Holiday (What Do You Want?) features Rosanne Cash, how did your link up with her come about?

She called me a great songwriter from the stage at a benefit show, and my jaw hit the floor. Then, a bunch of months later, there was a note in the chorus of “Holiday” that I was unable to hit, so I thought I’d find a female vocalist to do a harmony, and I could duck it. Before I called up some female vocalists, I just thought, Well, I’ll drop a line to Rosanne, and see if, by some weird twist of fate, she might want to do it as a full-on duet. And she did. WHOA.

Any chance you can teach all other artists how to not make terrible Xmas songs too?

Boy oh boy, the ones that I really hate are the ha-ha-Christmas-is-dumb songs. Too easy!

As you mentioned you wrote most of the songs for the album at an artists’ colony called Yaddo? For us unaware of this place could you elaborate on that and did it make the writing experience better or strikingly different to how you have composed in the past?

It was super fun. I had a studio in the woods. I was totally sequestered. It was pretty great and totally new for me, of course.

The album again is released by yourself. Apart from I am sure an increased work load, are you happier having your music released this way and what are the advantages?

The increased work load is serious–as is the increased expense. Though, allegedly, I’ll make more dough at the other end. Actually, labels have been pretty nice to me over the years, though, at every label, there’s some dude saying, “You should put a piano on that song,” basically so they can play it for other people and tell them the piano was their idea.

Do you think you needed to have gone through being on a label to understand and see you could release your work by yourself and make a living from it?

Very good question. I have a super enthused audience, very sharp, very interested and engaged. And, of course, I’ve toured like a motherfucker. I think that’s got more to do with it than specific label situations.

Can you give some reassuring words for those unsigned artists who still hold on to the belief that a label is the only way forward?

There’s a zillion ways to do it–the sad thing about the labels is that they basically paid for a van and a sound guy. It’s hard to win an audience unless you’re zooming around from show to show for a few years. It’s more difficult for younger artists–even amazingly talented ones.

I read that you are bipolar? Do you think this adds something different or extra to your music that others cannot find within themselves?

Wow, I don’t really know. Since I got medicated and stopped the fucking horrible side of that shit, the songs have been really good, but they weren’t too bad beforehand, either.

Who and what are the influences in music or outside that have had the biggest impact on you as a musician and songwriter?

I was hugely influenced by David Letterman (very absurdist talk show host) when I was a teenager. He’s incredibly poetic. Also the playwright David Mamet is a Jedi of verbal rhythm. A lot of alternative stuff as a teenager–Replacements, Billy Bragg–hip-hop as an older teenager–Tribe Called Quest, Casual, Craig Mack, the Beasties.

As mentioned earlier you also have your autobiography The Book of Drugs out too. I have yet to have the opportunity to read it so can you give some insight to it and the period of your life it deals with.

It’s a long, long time to summarize. Weird childhood on military bases, coming to New York as an 18-year-old in the late 80s, putting together a band that turned into a total toxic shitshow, a long love affair with drugs that turned into a fucked-up nightmare, then emerging from that, and the world being even stranger than it was before.

How did the writing process differ for the book compared to writing lyrics apart from the obvious?

For a song, if you write 30 words, you’ve had a ridiculously productive day!

The book is an honest and stark of your drug addiction and recovery; can you without giving away too much to stop people needing to buy the book, give a little insight into this?

I don’t really know. You need to find your people. In 12-step stuff, meetings, wherever, find the people who have what you want.

Your addiction problems were more concentrated at the time of your band Soul Coughing or were they in place before then too?

Oh, sure. When Soul Coughing turned to pure shit, that’s when I just decided to say fuck it and stop trying not to be wasted consciously, because life just wasn’t worth it.

Was your experience with the band, which was without doubt not a great time a major accelerant of your problems?

Oh yeah, see above. Though if you’re a certain kind of fucked-up person–as I am–you’re gonna find horrible abusive people no matter what. Had they gone down in a shipwreck, I’d have found another three awful people to be in a band with.

Obviously the book holds much more than the things we just talked of but as the title suggests your problems with drugs and addiction are the major elements. How did you feel whilst writing about this period of your life for the book and future public consumption?

I’ll pretty much tell anybody anything about myself. I don’t have a lot of secrets. I’ve told pretty much every one of these stories over dinner to somebody. I worried, for sure, about people in my life being hurt by what I said about them, though.

Going by your lyrical style and music I can imagine along with the honest portrayal of your life there is a healthy vein of humour too throughout the book, did that humour give you a strength during your darker times?

Yeah, the dark humor, the weird consciousness, that’s basically all I’ve got.

Will you consider another book in the future?

Love to, if I have a good idea.

What is next for you once the promotion for the album and book has passed?

Songs, more songs, always writing songs.

Are there live shows on the horizon, hopefully in the UK?

I sure hope so. Love the UK.

A great thanks for sharing your time for our questions, it has been a real pleasure.

Anytime, I really appreciate the opportunity.

Would you like to leave us with any last comments or thoughts?

I’m sure I’ll think of something really interesting to add 90 minutes after I send this to you!

And lastly knowing you as an inspired poet too would you give us your favourite couple of lines from either one of your pieces or a poem that inspired you?

Rita Dove: “If you can’t be free / Be a mystery.”

Read the Yes And Also Yes review @ http://ringmasterreviewintroduces.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/mike-doughty-yes-and-also-yes/

RingMaster 17/02/2012

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