She Drew The Gun – Memories Of The Future

Fronted by and centred round songs inspired by the real life experiences of Louisa Roach, She Drew The Gun is a proposition easy to get physically and emotionally involved with, especially with debut album Memories Of The Future leading the way. The eleven track release is a romance of evocative sound and insightful word wrapped in the most delicious melodic and harmonic temptation. It is also a collection of songs unafraid to embrace shadows of the heart and life in its often wistful but always mesmeric weave of voice and sound.

The Wirral hailing She Drew The Gun sound lays somewhere between dream pop and folk punk, the former the predominate hue in the project’s unique proposal. It is a sound and certainly style honed by Roach through her early days performing at open mic events and various acoustic shows. The linking up with percussionist Sian Monaghan added another depth and shade to her music which soon after found eager support from Steve Lamacq. With bassist Jack Turner joining up, the trio received an invitation to perform a BBC introducing live session at Maida Vale last year which was backed by numerous acclaimed underground releases, all leading to the creation and unveiling of debut album Memories Of The Future. With the line-up since completed by keyboardist Jenni Kickhefer, a jump to 2016 sees a year looking like being a major event in the emergence of the band led by the release of  the James Skelly (The Coral) recorded album’s and new adventures into the UK live scene, not forgetting that She Drew The Gun has just been announced as winners of the Glasto ‘Emerging Talent’ Competition.

Memories Of The Future opens up with Where I End And You Begin, a gentle swing of a song with fuzzy air and the instantly distinctive tones of Roach enveloping ears with seductive prowess. Harmonies only add to the coxing as rhythms add their slightly darker but no less forceful touch. There is a bit of fellow UK band Horse Party to the song but quickly it shows itself an individual as Kickhefer’s keys lay a tender evocative breeze upon the senses and an imagination already stirred by Roach’s lyrical charm.

The excellent start continues with the similarly magnetic Since You Were Not Mine, a siren of melodic and harmonic enslavement from band and Roach. For indefinable reasons, and as its predecessor, there is something familiar about the song but nothing easy to pin down as it has thoughts and body swaying to its poetic waltz before If You Could See takes over charming ears with its slightly darker emotion and more haunted ambience. Spatial yet intimate, the song finds increasing zeal in its gait and catchiness without ever hitting anything beyond second gear, a restraint which bewitches as potently as the wash of melancholic beauty serenading ears.

From its opening rhythmic shuffle Chains has feet in eager movement with hips, increasingly so too as its infectiousness roams the low key but open drama of rhythmic and electronic enterprise as vocal captivation plays. The song is an enslaver of body and appetite, as too the following Pebbles with its acoustic hug where Roach steals attention from the world with voice and guitar. It is a success she constantly repeats as in the jazz and folk scented What Will You Do. It is a glorious enchantment that quickly and increasingly seduces the passions especially with its touch of  creative theatre which reminds of Gabby Young & Other Animals but also in its relaxed but virulent tempting too. The track is just another triumph in an already lofty range of such and joined straight way by Poem where voice and word command attention as around them guitar and keys provide an equally provocative climate; this time Young Marble Giants being sparked as a relatively close hint to its majesty.

A pulsating resonance echoes across the sounds of I Am Not Alone next, the song a hypnotic pop croon as emotive as it is infectiously compelling, whilst the following Be Mine takes ears into another acoustic romance courted by the romance of stringed and key spun shadows aligned to rhythmic drama. Both tracks put a hex on the senses, inciting rapturous smiles in return for their unique endeavours before the rawer tenacity of Pit Pony takes the album into another enjoyable twist of imagination with its Red Blood Shoes tinged pop ‘n’ roll which has the body bouncing and appetite greedier still.

Closing on the warm solemnity of Or So I Thought, voice and keys an emotive ‘psalm’ for the senses, Memories Of The Future leaves ears and pleasure basking. It is a spellbinding collection of tracks bred from songwriting which seems to instinctively connect with the listener. The buzz around She Drew A Gun has been feistily brewing in past months and now it is very easy to see and hear why; with even greater things surely yet to come the way of the band and us.

Memories Of The Future is released April 22^nd via Skeleton Key on CD, vinyl, and download across most stores.

Upcoming Live Shows

APRIL

22 YORK – The Fulford Arms

24 GLASGOW – The Hug & Pint

26 BRISTOL – The Louisiana

28 LONDON – The Victoria

29 LIVERPOOL – Buyers Club

30 BIRMINGHAM – The Sunflower Lounge

http://www.shedrewthegun.com/   https://www.facebook.com/SheDrewTheGun   https://twitter.com/shedrewthegun   https://www.instagram.com/shedrewthegun

Pete RingMaster 21/04/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com

The Machismo’s – Share One With A Friend

At times listening to Share One With A Friend, the new album from The Machismo’s, it is hard to decide whether it is a kaleidoscope of its author’s talents and imagination or a bedlam of the same. It is one of the most eclectic and unpredictable escapades you could wish to be confronted with and one of the most inescapably enjoyable.

The album consists of fifteen one of a kind slices of creative exploration and mischief, and the first new songs from the band in eighteen years. Its sound ranges from indie and alternative to punk and noise rock with experimentation at every turn. The band itself probably described their music and release best via their Facebook page where it says they are “Putting the Punk and the Weirdness back into Indie.” with “Now includes added poetry….” as an extra essence. It is a suggestion that they certainly live up to within Share One With A Friend.

The band itself is the brainchild of Sam Marsh, once of the compelling and irresistible Jacob’s Mouse. Initially a solo project, The Machismo’s formed in 1995 and recorded two full albums in Sam’s home cassette portastudio. Recruiting additional members for their live exploits, the band never really exploded into serious action though and disappeared with many recordings put aside unreleased as Sam moved onto other projects. Almost two decades later though, he relooked at those songs and releases that lay awaiting attention and realising their quality and worth, released the 1996 recorded debut album Good Things About To Happen in 2013 whilst also reviving the band with Rachel Marsh and Karly Stebbings. The album was a striking invitation for those of us missing the Bury St Edmunds hailing band first time around to explore, and it seems a spark for Sam himself to push The Machismo’s on with new zeal in what is a very exciting music scene within his home town right now. As mentioned, Share One With A Friend offers the first brand new tracks from the band in a long time whilst equally offering reasons to suggest that The Machismo’s is one of the most compelling propositions within the British music scene, past and present.

The album opens with the warm and fuzzy indie pop of The Loveliest, the song a sizzle of melodic guitar jangle and robust rhythms around the expressive tones of Sam. It has an echo of the tracks within that debut album as a raw and unfussy elegance captivates as potently as the catchy swing of the song. It is a straight forward start, in comparison to things to come, and an alluring one with its additional folkish hues before the unpredictable tango of Vrrrm! takes over. Beats throw their agitated lures all over the place from the start, though finding more restraint as punkish flames of guitar align with the great dual vocal persuasion. The further ears get into it, the more volatile and thrilling things become; all the time a debut album era Squeeze essence adding to the off-kilter indie punk attraction of the song.

The outstanding Collapse To Be Rebuilt grips ears and imagination next with its garage punk infused punk ‘n’ roll. With an addictive swagger as riffs and rogue voices add their unconventional roars, the Iggy Pop meets Pere Ubu like stomp has ears and body bouncing, and an already awoken appetite licking its lips and greedy to indulge in the following dark theatre of Bad Dreams.  Straight away a grumbling static storm crowds and rumbles around vocal poetry as a single slim guitar melody adds its own melancholic emotion to that of the vocals within the thickly compelling piece.

It is hard not to think of Jacob’s Mouse a little as the sultry sway and bewitching climate of When You Know It’s Real seduces ears next, its bulbous rhythmic swing the spine for flirtatious melodic vocals and the percussive imagination making equally irresistible advances within the excellent track. It has a brilliance of presence and fun which is emulated instantly by the punk devilry of Rise Again. Snarling guitars opens up and a flirtatious noir lit hook pushes on the irresistible encounter; the latter swiftly joined by the swinging vocal persuasion which as much as anything urges hips and spirit to get involved. Twanging bass groans, sonic sighs, and ear clipping beats only add to the smile inducing adventure of drooping hopes and their Viagra crafted resurrection; whilst the combined festivity of all creates one of those moments that only lingers.

Through the likes of the muggy aired and sonically bracing Should Recognise and in turn the folkish canter of Plastic Surgery, with Sam again leaning on his poetic craft as much as his musical prowess, band and album surprise and enthral, using the following Belvia to stir up an even stronger hunger with its scuzzy pop punk trespass. It has an old school punk tone to its rapacious character and energy too, a hue which only adds to the dirty and inviting bait rushing through ears.

Post punk meets indie discord is maybe the best description for the ear grabbing, pleasure giving lo fi stroll of Gotcha!, bands like The Three Johns and Swell Maps coming to mind for certain essences of the song. To be fair though, any references are hints to portray the individuality of song and The Machismo’s free and rebellious experiments of sound and imagination which continue to evade expectations with the folk laced croon of A Better Man and the addiction forging shuffle of The Storm. Like The Jazz Butcher meets Mark E. Smith but not, the latter track is manna to ears and passions; the kind of stripped back rock ‘n’ roll with a grin in its heart that all music should be bred from.

The album concludes with the trio of firstly, the melodically salty and slightly Cajun scented However Nice You Are, There’s Always Someone Who Think’s You’re A, the Pixies-esque garage punk rumble of Class A High, and finally the nursery bred and chimed ingenuity of Machismo’s 4 Tha Kids!; all three songs offering yet more fresh twists in the album’s tale to feel stimulated and refreshed by.

The Machismo’s is not exactly a new band but their presence and invention within the album feels like something that is, which of course the album’s songs are.  So if you are looking for the unconventional but something damn good too, then go Share One With A Friend.

Also worth noting as treating yourself with is The Poets Pendulum: Is It Good Or Is It Shit?, an album of Sam Marsh’s poetry which he has been bringing to the band’s live shows for quite a while to eager responses. Both albums are available as Name Your Price Downloads @ https://themachismos.bandcamp.com/album/share-one-with-a-friend with Share One With A Friend also available on very Ltd Ed vinyl.

https://www.facebook.com/TheMachismos   http://themachismos.tumblr.com/

Pete RingMaster 21/04/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com

Boudain – Way of the Hoof

For those with a lust for the groove and the fattiest slabs of heavy rock ‘n’ roll flavoured meat, the checking out of US stoners Boudain might just be the best order of the day. The quartet has just unleashed debut album Way of the Hoof,  a ravenous swamp of stoner and sludge infested waters  which preys on the psyche whilst feeding the appetite for dirty and fiery rock ‘n’ roll. Influences to the band include the likes of Sleep, Melvins, Kyuss, and Fu Manchu which their album does not shy away from bringing to the party in flavour across its eight thumping trespasses, especially the last of the four. To that though, Boudain add their own meaty sauce for something which mighty not be breaking the banks of originality but certainly feeds the soul and appetite for imposing metal and invasive rock.

Consisting of bassist/vocalist Chris Porter, guitarists Brian Lenard and David Karakash, and drummer Stephen Jester, Boudain released their first EP in 2013. The self-titled six-track offering caught the ears and attention of a great many which Way of the Hoof is now poised to escalate, to easily assumed, broader heights. Opener Sleazy Feats swiftly has ears wrapped in almost salacious grooves as rhythms badger and bear down on the senses with a hefty hand. Riffs and vocal swipes only add to the highly agreeable introduction, a potency which continues as the song swings with zeal and enterprise across its fiery body. Surprises are not an open proposal though a freshness to the familiar landscape is, and increasingly so as Lenard and Karakash incite their grooves and toxic melodies to breed an even stronger strain of temptation.

Some might suggest that the album is a touch muddy but as the opener and following Neptune alone show, it is a thick smothering which adds to the swampy, at times almost delta blues like, intensity and richness of songs and release. The second track brings a bit of punk to its contagious confrontation too, clashing percussion uniting with the predation of the rhythms as the song simultaneously swings and prowls. Quickly it eclipses the impressive strength of its predecessor, continuing to impress and inflame ears with its thickening web of grooves and sonic acidity before allowing CODA to share its own imposing wares. Whereas the first pair flew at the jugular and senses, this track prowls, almost stalks the listener as its tar thick sludge breeding consumes ears. Porter’s vocals, or Lenard’s as the two apparently share duties across the release, again provide a great mix of growl and dirt encrusted infectiousness as they match the textures of the sound around them.

A cosmic ambience lines the sweltering lure of guitar as 3 Man steps up next; that sultry invitation and suggestiveness lying upon a great rhythmic rumble led by the swinging throaty infectiousness of the bass. The song soon slips into a more expected stoner blaze though drums and bass continue to cast their rhythmic hex on ears and appetite as the guitars weave an intoxicating tapestry; a knit which continues right to the end even as the song becomes more aggressively volatile.

First Class rips into ears next, it taking the listener back to the more hellacious type of assault the album opened with as tangy grooves and scything beats take their share of attention along with the brooding bass and attitude soaked vocals. Once more, a recognisable air to the track is rife but only within that welcoming Boudain character that ensures nothing is as simple as being a copy of those earlier mentioned influences or others.

Through The Mighty Turn Around and its sonically spatial exploration, and the rawer bruising stroll of Disco Jimmy, ears and album continue to be bound together. The first of the two has some of the most mouth-watering bait in its grooves and psyche infesting rock ‘n’ roll whilst its successor is a psych rock igniting of the imagination which lights the flames of thorough enjoyment if not the major excitement some of its earlier companions provoked. Nevertheless both leave ears more than content with the closing cover of Blue Oyster Cult’s Godzilla adding its enjoyable feed; the band treating the track to its prowling strain of sludge and stoner predation.

It is a fine end to an album which might have provided its major moments in its first half but from start to finish only inspires a real want for more and the idea that Boudain have the potential to sculpt major temptations luring equal attention ahead. They have plenty to get a little lustful over right now too which Way Of The Hoof offers with relish.

 Way Of The Hoof is out now @ http://boudain.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/boudainla/   https://twitter.com/boudainmusic

Pete RingMaster 21/04/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com

Richie Syrett – Silhouettes and Outlines

If we had not read that Richie Syrett was from England’s North West, we would have sworn he was a southern bred artist from the US taking new single Silhouettes and Outlines as evidence. The song is a hazy slice of country rock and Americana spiced folk which infectiously strolls along with a warm smile over an emotive spine while all the time suggesting its origins are as its authentic charm and tones certainly hint at.

Syrett though is a Manchester hailing singer/songwriter and fair to say that the more you listen to his new single, the more British spawned flavours in sound are glimpsed. He is no newcomer to pleasing ears either; a well-received self-titled debut followed by the equally embraced Good Morning Midnight in 2011 drew potent attention which was pushed again by third full-length From the Feet Up last year.

Silhouettes and Outlines looks like being able to continue that attention luring success; the song a hug of melodic and harmonic enterprise with guitar and voice finding themselves awash with sultry waves of southern air. Syrett’s voice has a great warble to its expression and potency whilst the backing female harmonies are siren-esque as they dance on the throbbing bass lines and magnetic weave of guitar.

For three and a half minutes, the song provides a warm and catchy proposition which is very easy to like. Fair to say, the style of music Richie Syrett that masterfully creates is definitely not our usual cuppa but the fact that even our feet were bouncing to and voices getting involved with Silhouettes and Outlines tells all you need to know about the song and his “Americana flecked folk/rock.”

Silhouettes and Outlines is released April 22^nd via To Die For Records.

http://www.richiesyrettmusic.com   https://www.facebook.com/richiesyrettmusic   https://twitter.com/richiesyrett

Pete RingMaster 21/04/2016

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

For more exploration of the independent and promotional services check out http://www.zykotika.com