Sara Lowes – The Joy Of Waiting

Photo Credit Emily Dennison

There is no other way of saying it, the voice of Sara Lowes is sheer mesmerism, an inescapable siren drawing the listener into adventures which musically transfixes ears and imagination just as potently. Her new album The Joy Of Waiting, is complete evidence of the fact, basking in these bewitching elements and in turn immersing the listener in charming and imaginatively charmed embraces. The successor to her acclaimed debut Back To Creation of 2011, The Joy Of Waiting is a quite simply a soul mate for anyone with a taste of melodic and harmonic alchemy.

Based in Manchester and North East bred, Lowes is the keyboardist in The Earlies and has working with the likes of Daniel Johnston, King Creosote, Jens Lakeman, Jim Noir, Jesca Hoop, and Dawn Landes on her CV. Her music draws on a diverse maze of flavours and styles, classically bred arrangements entwining and invigorating essences from progressive rock to pop, jazz to seventies psychedelia, and more besides. First album Back To Creation, as mentioned drew potent praise and support which The Joy Of Waiting can only emulate and reap greater rewards upon itself. Inspired by J.B Priestley, with a track using his name as a title, and looking at “observations on our perplexing relationships with time”, the lady’s new full-length is a spell of beauty and evocative reflections, and quite breath-taking.

The album’s title track starts things off and immediately is flirting with gypsy folk like strings which swirl provocatively around ears and emotions, their colourful expression joined by just as picturesque keys and melodies. There is a baroque like scent to the piece of music too, an older drama which wraps around the more fiery and sultry climate which emerges as the song continues revealing its heated landscape. Eventually the song drifts away and within a swift taking of a breath, the album swings straight back as Most Things and a riveting pop contagion which is soon dancing with the compelling tones of Lowes its puppeteer. The track is a ridiculously infectious kiss, a quite magnificent encounter courting sixties beat pop vivacity as fizzy tendrils of carnival-esque keys sport a creativity which reminds of The Stranglers Dave Greenfield.

Lowes has a voice which is hard to compare to another, though on the first songs and a few others tracks, she bears a resemblance to Brighton singer songwriter Cate Ferris, the following new single I Find You another blissful example. The song is a smoulder of thickly simmering melodies and enchanting harmonies over a great distortion kissed rhythmic tempting. Keys again bring psyche spinning enterprise to spice up the song’s enthralling canvas, whilst the ethereal radiance of voice and surrounding sweltering sounds merge like a mix of Solar Halos and The Capsules. It is pure creative majesty and has ears and appetite enslaved by the time it makes way for the courtly hug of JB Priestley. Lowes straight away has ears and pleasure cupped as orchestral spices back her sunny presence, the opening gentle lure a passage into a feistier but no less radiant stroll of warm jazz seeded pop catchiness. As across all songs, there is a tapestry of different flavours and styles colluding in their support of the vocals, each song as here, as unpredictable as it is immediately accessible and magnetic.

The intimate balladry of Bright Day smooches with the senses next, its refined texture and voice a warm glaze over ears, even if not quite igniting them as its predecessors do. That success, is sublimely achieved by Chapman Of Rimes, a seventies bloomed pop rock flight with celestial harmonies and bold hooks under a blaze of brass seduction, and even more so right after by the excellent With A Mirror. The opening lure of bass and keys with rolling rhythms is enough to seduce unbridled attention for the new song, helped all the more by the vocal hints which whisper within the sultry enticement and rays of brass bred sunshine which light up ears. Like being lost in your lover’s arms, the song strokes and infuses body and thoughts with a romancing croon of voice and sound. That alone would be enough to wax lyrical about the song but with unpredictable and superbly infused twists of ideation amidst wrong-footing turns, the song is a master-class in songwriting and aural theatre.

Given the hard task to follow such a triumph is Little Fishy, and it makes easy work of keeping enjoyment clasped. From a celestial yet intimate soundscape cast by wistful keys and harmonies, the song emerges as something akin to progressive rock and lounge/electro pop, weaving its own virulent aural carnival.

The quiet reflection of For The Seasons calms things down next, the captivation a haunting ballad with a 10CC breeze to its air, before Cutting Room Floor slips into ears and simply radiates elegance and beauty whilst adding further fascinating diversity and invention to The Joy Of Waiting. The song is a gorgeous soar of melodic enterprise setting up the listener enthusiastically for the final pair of songs which are seemingly placed in different order on the physical and digital copy of the album.

The Clock Plays It’s Game provides a melancholic temptation which blossoms with the dark and light suggestiveness of strings against the just as potent call of Lowes’ voice and classically dramatic keys. Maybe not as immediately impacting as other songs, it is a lingering kiss increasing its stature with every listen, whilst Horizons is a track which just lifts emotions and spirit with sublime craft and open relish. Its swirl of hooks and melodies is a gala of folk pop smiles and sixties pop merry making and quite sensational. Whether the last song on the album or not, we suggest you make it that anyway as you leave its company with a song in the heart and melodic manna in the ears, a remedy sure to cure all ills and chase away dark shadows, much like The Joy Of Waiting as a whole really.

The Joy Of Waiting is available now via Railings Records, digitally @ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-joy-of-waiting/id963782296 and physically @ http://www.saralowes.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/SaraLowesMusic

RingMaster 25/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @ http://www.thereputationlabel.today

 

Furyon – Lost Salvation

Anticipation for the successor to 2012 debut album Gravitas has been pretty much in top gear from almost the release day of that acclaimed success, and even more so after a four track cover mounted CD on Classic Rock Magazine UK last year, gave a very potent teaser for Furyon’s sophomore full-length. Now that Lost Salvation is upon us, it is fair to say that an already impressive and skilfully accomplished band has come of age, in sound, craft, and songwriting. Furyon is ready to stand with the big boys of classic rock and heavy metal, and show a few of them just how exciting rock ‘n’ roll is done.

Not being an instinctive fan of either heavy metal or classic rock, certainly of the more old-school styled offerings, we have demanding and probably unfair requirements and needs in order to be really impressed and even more so truly excited by a release but Furyon, as they did with their first album, succeed with ease. Again their songs upon Lost Salvation come with no excess baggage and are as hungry and at ease either forging big epic anthems or more intimately nurtured and designed propositions. This time though they feel like they come with more personal connections and inventiveness behind them; a new maturity to an already mature enterprise which is unafraid to explore broader essences of rock music within its core seeding. Produced by Rick Beato (Shinedown, Fozzy), Lost Salvation is Furyon’s aural masterpiece, but it still feels like just one more step in a continuing ascent; damn that anticipation is already kicking in again.

The album grips attention immediately, the tasty electronic infused opening of All That I Have inciting intrigue and appetite, especially once it blooms into a coaxing of riffs and firm rhythms with a delicious rich groove right through the middle. Relaxing a little as vocalist Matt Mitchell brings his fine delivery back to ears, the song seems to grow in weight and height with every subsequent chord and new flush of sound. It never explodes though, even in the chorus, just raising its temperature and intensity enough to enthral as the guitars of Luca Faraone, Tiago Rosado, and Chris Green, weave inventive designs. The song is the first anthem of the release, one as pungent and gripping as any peddle to the metal charge.

That kind of stampede comes with the album’s title track, the following Lost Salvation emerging as a thumping and contagious stomp which seamlessly blends vocal and sonic roars with predatory incitements, as well as a mystique woven solo which leaves lips licked and imagination lit. The dark tones of Alex Bowen’s bass go a long way to adding that sinister and intimidating edge to the song, backed by the sinew swung beats of Lee Farmery and a heavier growl of riffs from the guitars. This is anthem two and swiftly followed by the third in These Four Walls. To be honest every song can be talked of in that way, even the more involved and exploratory tracks still holding that inescapable bait which has feet, neck muscles, and voice enlisted. The song is also partly a prowling croon, musically and vocally leaning heavily on the senses and emotions around more expressive crescendos. Maybe not as instant a persuasion as its predecessors, the song immerses ears and impresses more with every listen, leaving satisfaction brimming with pleasure.

The already in full flow invention and diversity makes another strong bow with the outstanding Scapegoat next, the track almost grouchy with heavy rock influences and grunge bred enterprise as it roams the psyche with its menacing rhythms and antagonistic riffs. Tempering its dark side though psychedelic rock like colours which ignite around the impressive tones of Mitchell, the song is a creative blaze to get happily lost within before Resurrect Me leads the listener into familiar Furyon territory with the kind of grooves and sonic adventure the band is renowned for. Flames of guitar invention are a persistent temptation to the band’s songs too and once more light up a not exactly startling, but definitely a thoroughly compelling slab of fiery rock ‘n ‘roll.

Left It with the Gods is another which maybe does not torch boundaries but definitely leaves ears and pleasure afire with its bellowing mixture of rock and metal whilst Good Sky calls in dark clouds and tempestuous intensity to leave thick pleasure in its wake. Epic in presence and tone, the track reaps some power metal tenacity with classic rock enterprise, as well as a slither of seventies metal spicing, moulding them in a potent roar which sets the appetite up for the excellent Dematerialize which casts its own dramatic shadows next. A far more intimate offering compared to its predecessor but also able to spread into a more expansive presence, the song bewitches with its blending of dark invention and sonic fire.

Lost Salvation is brought to a fine end by firstly the slowly strolling and richly grooved What You Need, a song suggesting an energy and anthemic potency to unite crowds in a live setting, and lastly the outstanding Wiseman. Again grooves and virulent riffs align to powerfully inciting rhythms and diversely delivered vocals, ensuring the album goes out on not only a bang but in a thought provoking tempest of invention.

The last growl of Lost Salvation is another of its loftier peaks, whilst the album itself is destined to be one of the classic rock pinnacles of 2015. It will take some special offerings to surpass it and convince our testing demands that is for sure.

Lost Salvation is available now on CD and digitally via Dream Records/Cargo Records

http://www.furyon.net http://www.facebook.com/furyon

RingMaster 25/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @  http://www.thereputationlabel.today

 

 

Fashion Week – Prêt-à-Porter

US noise breeders Fashion Week have a sound which is as scathing as it is caustic yet treats the listener like a king with regal melodies and provocative nuances within the ferocious encounters they call songs. As proven by new album Prêt-à-Porter, it is a striking and intimidating proposition but one that ears and emotions, certainly with the band’s fresh provocation, find hard to get enough of. The NYC trio prey on the senses, torment the psyche, and persistently inflame the imagination, whilst through Prêt-à-Porter provide one of the year’s most compelling releases so far.

Fashion Week consists of guitarist/vocalist Josh Lozano (Inswarm, Jarboe, Cobalt, Family), drummer Carl Eklof (Victory at Sea, Lidia Stone, Inswarm), and bassist Oscar Albis Rodriguez (A Great Big World, No Way, Nakatomi Plaza), and began its sonic explorations, if you go by the band’s bio, supposedly around the late 1980s. Three albums have been tucked under the band’s belts, though we can only find evidence beyond their words of the excellent EPs, Applicator (2011) and Coextinction #11 (2013), whilst and similarly again according to their bio, 1994 saw the death of Lozano, though this tragedy has been apparently followed by his ghost ripping up sounds and invention in bands like Family and Inswarm. There is a ripe confusion and humour to the band which certainly in the case of the latter, spreads to the music in many ways and adds to the fun of digging and exploring deep into debut album Prêt-à-Porter to reap all their inventive twists which come with the choicest rewards.

Opener Fendi Bender instantly treats ears to a sonic smooch before expelling a flavoursome blast of agitated rhythms and spicy riffs aligned to a delicious growl of a bass presence. A respite is in place as the clean tones of Lozano open up the lyrical narrative over those still highly tempting beats, a moment carrying a definite Nirvana-esque whiff to it. It is soon immersed in a wall of sonic hostility and vocal ferocity but gains a foothold again as the raw wave ebbs back readying itself for another intensive return. It is a captivating slice of diversely flavoured noise rock which swiftly has ears and appetite enlisted in the album’s potential and soon to be revealed addictive adventure.

Chorusace is the first to reinforce and feed that promise; its vocal sufferance an angst driven squall over transfixing rhythms and seductive grooves, both courted by just as magnetic shards of sonic ingenuity. Thoughts of Converge and Melvins come to mind during the track’s brief tenure, but also suggestions of the inventiveness of bands such as At the Drive In and Coilguns. It is the same with the excellent Meek is Miznabble which follows, the song’s beats and sonic tenacity, a maelstrom of unpredictable and furiously agitated ideation, though it too embraces a calmer and more relaxed passage of clean vocals and winey grooving.

The slow enticing of Summer Line keeps the fire of album and enjoyment burning next. The carnivorous tone of the bass is a thick instigator of the song’s prowling gait and oppressive shadows whilst Lozano’s guitar winds melodically around them with seductive tendencies. Again the eye of the storm moments of the provocation has a Cobain and co spicing whilst the tempestuous roar and corrosive brawl of the track is all Fashion Week designing.

The swinging sticks of Eklof provide a contagious trap as Fur Free Friday leaps into ears next, his inventive enticing an infectious lead into the melodic intrigue and creative maze of the song. Its sinews and bellow is not far from the surface though, expelling ire and antagonism within the magnetic landscape of the outstanding encounter.

The piano led Klosstrophobia explores a web of sound straight after; post and noise rock colluding with elements of death and post hardcore for an enthralling and intensive examination of songwriting and listener. It takes time to fully reveal its strengths, casting a slower persuasion compared to other songs but finding powerful success ultimately, which is not quite the same for “FASHION”=~S/(\$)/COLLAPSE/GSO. A patchwork of vocal samples over a mist of sonic distortion, the track is more an intro to the closing Haute Topic, though if not meant that way its intent was missed by our understanding. It is ok but easy to pass over after a couple of runs of the album foiled by the urge to dive into the triumph of Haute Topic. Grunge, noise, and melodic escapades all twist around each other for a thrilling and explosive conclusion to the album. It is the pinnacle of the release, helped further by the incendiary mixes of vocal delivery, sonic styles, and simply warped imagination, and almost alone gives the reason why Fashion Week should be on the catwalk of your attention.

     Prêt-à-Porter is a treat which might take time to steal your ardour but eventually will become one of the year’s favourite events.

Prêt-à-Porter is available now digitally, Cd, and 12” vinyl via Solar Flare Records @ http://music.solarflarerds.com/album/pr-t-porter

https://www.facebook.com/FashionWeekBand

RingMaster 25/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @  http://www.thereputationlabel.today

 

LongFallBoots – Wait For The Echo

Though not exactly psychotic or schizophrenic, Wait For The Echo, the debut album from UK scuzzers LongFallBoots, definitely has a certain deranged edge and tenacity to its sound and character which makes it one of the most fascinating and enjoyable releases to hit 2015 so far. Brewing up a sound from a maelstrom of noise and punk to stoner and psych rock, and that barely covers it all, the Warwickshire band create a fuzzy sonic smog which almost visually ripples with ideas and imagination within its caustic surface. That again is only half the picture as rhythmically, the album is one of the heaviest predatory treats you are likely to come up against in rock music this year. It all makes for an intriguing and thoroughly exciting proposition from a band which manages to actually offer something new.

LongFallBoots is the creation of friends Alex Caithness (KOSS, Cincinnati Bow Tie) and Ben Holdstock (Paralus, Cincinnati Bow Tie), and came about by accident when the rest of the line-up in the pair’s other band failed to turn up for a rehearsal. That moment in time was filled by the duo writing first EP It Was Duke and the birth of LongFallBoots. Since its release in August 2012, the band has released a further six EPs, the first five in a 12 month period whilst the last, Good At Television was written after the new album and recorded before its completion to ‘keep busy’ as the band managed the logistics of scheduling in and recording the full-length with the numerous guests which feature on Wait For The Echo. The album was written by and primarily recorded by Caithness and Ben Holdstock, though with extended contribution from live bassist Chris Childs, who has since left the band, and vocalist Amy Smith, who has subsequently replaced Childs on bass and additional vocals, and recorded the Good At Television EP with the band. Further guests on the album include Andi Chamberlain (Eagles Born Vultures), Claudio Aníbal (Ash Is A Robot), and Marc Shinner (Those Loathsome Fishmen/Devi Ever) amongst many. LongFallBoots like to work fast when it comes to writing and creating songs, a frenetic approach to their recordings which again applies to the album yet does not in any way corrupt the quality and energy of the release, in fact it probably goes some way to make it as intensively dynamic and gripping as it is.

That strength is immediately on show as opener Transmission stirs up ears and senses; the opening scuzz of guitar and slapping rhythms a raw and feisty coaxing catching the imagination with ease, especially as it broadens with rich melodies and mellow vocals. It is a potent mix which from an early strong position becomes a much more instinctive persuasion as the band’s vocals fiercely roar and bellow from behind the more relaxed delivery of guest Jonathan Martin. The track continues to grip tighter as beats get more agitated in tandem with the general manner of the song, the returning sway of Martin’s gentle caresses seeming to gain extra impetus from this for the magnetic ‘chorus’.

The 2nd Technic offers an instant increased snarl with its riffs and air, employing a post punk chilling around incendiary bursts of noise rock intensity. That alone is a compelling mix but with little flirtations of melodies and harmonic vocal mumbling, the song becomes an irresistible creative raging whose masterful heights are matched by the following False Flag immediately after. It rolls in on a contagious rhythmic enticing, a nibbling guitar adding to the exciting lure. Vocal squalls and tempestuous urgency break through soon after, not quite brawling but certainly bringing greater intimidation and thrilling rapacity to the encounter. Already thoughts of Melvins come to the fore but only as a scent of the raucous creativity being expelled by LongFallBoots.

Thoughts are thrown a curve ball in some ways by Thousand Hands, its fuzz pop breeding a warm and intriguing embrace, especially with the angelic tones of Amy Smith adding to the rosy colour of the song. Of course it is again only part of the picture as the surface of the sounds are woven with bracing fuzziness whilst throughout there is a veining of acidic heavy rock enterprise. The song is pure magnetism but does not quite light the appetite as those just before it, or the next up Loaded Question. Punk infused, the track is a thumping roar in ears with a warped mentality and design to its addictive presence and textures. There is a slight touch of The Zico Chain to it and at times Torche, and for just over a minute it provides another enslaving highlight of the album.

Both the groove bound Displacer with its rhythmic dance and the doomy prowl of Noctavia bring further diversity to the album and new adventure to ears, each in their individual persuasions worming under the skin and deep into the psyche before the riveting and infectious devilment of The Cruel Institution steals their thunder with its sonic winery and sinuous invention. It does not take long to become a firm favourite within Wait For The Echo, though the sultry twang and spicy croon of A Peculiar Hell gives food for thought before the bedlamic By Design hits with its Converge-esque vocal attitude and continually shifting landscape. At times it is a brawl on the senses and in other moments a sweet seduction; a post-hardcore like fury which as all songs is ultimately hard to pin down.

The Sham basks in a heavy rock predation as a Mastodon intensity mixes with a Kyuss like melodic blazing driven again by caustically delivered vocals. It is a slow burner compared to other tracks but has ears and appetite enthralled whilst Simultaneous Man simply has each turning somersaults of pleasure with its voracious and uncompromising punk raging equipped with a deliciously throaty bassline and sinister sonic endeavour.

A final piece of expectations defeating excellence comes with the closing An Apology, the band again slipping into mellower waters with charming melodies and the siren-esque voice of Smith; anticipation is already expecting special things ahead with her voice now a regular feature of the band. The final incitement cannot leave without a trespass of the senses though, guitars and hoarse roars adding to the increasing intensity and inflamed climate of the song as it brings the album to an impressive close.

   Wait For An Echo incites and delights in equal measure. It is an album for all fans of heavy and noise bred rock music to explore a healthy new adventure with, and whilst LongFallBoots is still a secret to a great many right now, the new release could change that privacy as it ignites more and more ears and emotions. And if it falls short, let’s be honest there will probably be another tasty EP or two right around the corner reinforcing its fine temptation and fighting the cause.

Wait For The Echo is available digitally and on CD now via http://longfallboots.bandcamp.com

https://www.facebook.com/LongFallBoots

RingMaster 24/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard on Reputation Radio @ http://www.thereputationlabel.today

Wolfetone – Silence Is Acquiescence

A slow burner which takes time to getting going in some ways but emerges as a quite tasty slab of adventurous rock ‘n’ roll, Silence Is Acquiescence suggests the UK has another highly promising proposition in its rock scene under the rather cool name of Wolfetone. The release loudly hints that this is a band we should definitely be watching out for ahead, and with its rampant potential and increasingly persuasive songs, the band’s highly enjoyable debut album suggests why wait, a sentiment we can only concur with. It is a attention holding start to Wolfetone’s persuasion on a national spotlight, one with a few things needing ironing out ahead, but a collection of dynamic and exciting songs which do what all encounters should, leaves ears eager and satisfaction full.

Hailing from Northampton and Milton Keynes, Wolfetone has taken little time luring in eager support and attention through a live presence which has seen the band pick up highly favourable reviews and increasing acclaim whilst sharing stages with the likes of Heart of a Coward and Scholars. Their dynamic mix of alternative and melodic rock is bred with inspirations from bands like Billy Talent, Sikth, Protest The Hero, Foo Fighters, Reuben, and Hundred Reasons but as Silence Is Acquiescence shows, but it is a sound with its own emerging and distinct personality as shown by the album.

It opens up with Blame Culture, a track which personally did not grab as quickly or fully as following songs subsequently do with greater ease. In saying that once the big healthy bassline showed its lure and a potent wiry hook bound a flame of riffs, the track certainly had interest and appetite engaged. In hindsight it is a relatively low key song in comparison to many of its successors, but doing enough to tempt and certainly showing the strength of the band’s songwriting as well as their individual and united skills. The firm and punchy rhythms of Baz Woodsford and the increasingly alluring dark throated tones cast by Ollie Young’s bass make the strongest impression in a song which ultimately lacks the spark to ignite personal tastes. That success though is swiftly solved by the following Tanks, a vibrant and immediately striking slice of melodic rock veined by another spicy bassline and a potent blaze of enterprise from the guitars of Andy Simmons and Dan Moloney. There is also a pop punk contagion to the stride and chorus of the encounter, offering a dynamism lacking in the last song which in turn feeds a new energy in the craft of the band. The vocals of Moloney also have a new lease of life, ably backed by the rest of the band in a three pronged harmonic adventure.

Born Human steps up next and is similarly loaded with an eager attitude and adventurous nature; the album in full swing now and providing all the proof as to why Wolfetone is beginning to stir up a buzz. The prime hook of the song is a tangy temptation too which steals the show from equally robust and tenacious elements within the seriously catchy proposition, whilst the changing gait of the song adds to the easily accessible but unpredictable nature of the track.

The feverish Enemies with its emotional intimacy and thumping heartbeat has ears and imagination greedily involved, a tempting reinforced by the excellent slip into melodic and harmonic calm with just an edge of angst. It is a passing breath though as the song is soon flexing creative and rhythmic muscle as hooks bite and melodies flame over the captivating frame of the song. Another highlight of the album, it is matched in success by the impassioned drama of Lost Boys, where guitars and voice create a colourful scenery of lively melodies and reflective emotion respectively, and the punkier exploits of Milton. An immediate favourite on the album, the track stands toe to toe with the listener through abrasing riffs and bracing rhythms whilst vocals croon and hooks spread infectious enterprise. Once more the bass Young feeds instinctive likes as if it already knows what the listener wants, his growling instrument the darker intimidation of a song which is prepared to brawl but would rather rigorously party with the listener.

Another highlight of Silence Is Acquiescence seduces straight away, The Constant a song which is happy either stirring up a tempest of sound and endeavour or laying warm melodic hands on the senses, and does both with invention. There is certainly a depth to the sound and songwriting of Wolfetone which is untapped but hinted at throughout the album, this song the strongest evidence of that further promise and potential which we will hopefully be exploring over future releases.

The album is finished by an acoustic version of Blame Culture, a wholly captivating offering with bewitching strings, but one which does emphasize the only issue with Silence Is Acquiescence, and that is the production on the vocals. Less prominent on the first couple of tracks but increasingly obvious as songs pass by, the excellent voice of Moloney and the supporting tones of the band come in a hollow embrace. It is a slightly cavernous effect surrounding them which is almost as if the vocals were recorded in a large cold bathroom rather than where the rest of the songs were laid down. The fact it cannot stop the songs making such strong impressions is testament to the band and the writing but it does just temper and stop an impressive debut from being a truly striking introduction.

Nevertheless Wolfetone has set down a potent marker and base for their next steps, and bred a definite appetite for their highly enjoyable sounds with their impressive release.

Silence Is Acquiescence is available from February 23^rd @ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/silence-is-acquiescence/id955979528 and through all stores.

https://www.facebook.com/wolfetoneuk

RingMaster 23/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from http://www.thereputationlabel.today

The Permanent Smilers – One Real Big Identity Crisis

One Real Big Identity Crisis, the new album from UK band The Permanent Smilers, is a release with no apparent direction or framework to its intent and enterprise; a release which basically lives up to its title but boy is it a slab of irresistible fun. Through thirteen songs, band and album take on a torrent of different styles and nostalgic flavours which really should not work alongside each other as coherently as they do, and all come with a humour and mischief which adds to rather than overrides the adventure of the individual characters. It is slightly deranged but not chaotic and thoroughly unpredictable yet not messy considering the vast sounds employed from song to song. Most of all though it is simply a compelling proposition which comes from left-field, keeps its heart there, and leaves the most enjoyable experience in its wake.

There is little we can tell you about the band itself, though The Permanent Smilers is fronted by Richard Lemongrower who was the songwriter behind Norwich band The Lemongrowers, a band releasing two albums on Noisebox at some point in time. Produced with Jonny Cole and mixed by David Pye, One Real Big Identity Crisis takes little time in lighting ears and imagination, though it opens with maybe its weakest song. That is a little misleading as it takes a song to get a handle, or try to, on the release anyway but certainly Identity Crisis did not really grip attention as much as elsewhere and left thoughts with a slight wondering of what have we got ourselves into. Strongly swung rhythms and similarly intensive riffs clasp ears within the first breath of the song, their bait a jabbing lure against the unpolished yet engaging tones of Richard. It is an easily flowing and energetic slice of rock ‘n’ roll with the bass of Jonny Cole pungent bait at the centre of the stomp. Truthfully there is little wrong with the song but it lacks a spark in its presence which evades the reaction it probably deserves and is easy to imagine being found with others.

The good if unsure start is soon a thing of the past as Uh-Oh takes over with its festive folk swagger and emerging carnival like devilment. Sporting a splash of Tankus The Henge to its relaxed but vibrant stroll, the song is a constant swing of melodic hips as it moves towards an unexpected and mouth-watering slip into a Dukes of Stratosphear like ethereal psychedelic charm and climate, returning back into festive mood soon after as if it had just emerged from a dip in the sea. The song is fascinating and bewitching, and just the first of numerous adventures into different landscapes, as shown next by the punk pop devilry of You Know Where To Go. Bred from seventies power pop and carrying a mix of The Flys and The Lurkers to its hookery, the song just hits the sweet spot with its insatiable energy and mischief, before making way for the more relaxed melodic embrace of Elastic. The keys and guitars of Richard weave another enthralling web of sound here, this time with a sniff of sixties pop to it which is punctuated by the crisp beats of drummer Pete Fraser and dark bass lures of Cole. By its close, the song somehow becomes a thumping anthem without losing any of its melodic and gentle elegance, a potent feat for any song to offer.

Both Just No Good and It Doesn’t Work Anymore keep album and ears bouncing with energy and pleasure, the first using a garage rock spicing again teased by a sixties almost Doors like toxicity, whilst the second again spawning from the same kind of seeding brings a rawer punk grouchiness with its presence. Each has feet and emotions joining their rigorous coaxing before Ghosts allows a breather for the body if not the imagination with its Simon and Garfunkel meets Burt Bacharach like embrace. The brass persuasion of Dave Land seductively flames over similarly captivating keys and vocal caresses through the song but as always there is a scent of devilment to the song with thoughts wondering at times if they should be enjoying this as much as they are. There is no escaping its thick charm though.

The next pair of songs brings a rich sense of XTC to their enterprise and persuasion, Rebel broadening that over time with a seventies kissed soar of progressive fuelled psyche rock whilst its successor, Voodoo has the stamp of Andy Partridge to its flirtatious pop and virulent enterprise. The pair leaves nostalgia glazed lips licked and, through the latter especially, ears basking in psyche pop of the most delicious kind complete with jazzy brass and funk spirited unpredictability.

You Know When To Go dives straight back into punk infused rock ‘n’ roll for its brief but sparkling instrumental before Unforseen manages to conjure an encounter which recalls the quirky indie pop of The Monochrome Set and the plainer but no less tasty essence of Tom Robinson. The song alternatively stomps and swirls around ears, every passing hook and melody it conjures an intriguing and quaint yet voracious tease before it moves off into the distance allowing the outstanding See Through You to make its lingering mark. Acoustically shaped with an avalanche of panzer gun delivered rhythms, the song initially is a smouldering and majestic sway of sound. It subsequently explodes though into a tempest of energy and revelry which only lifts a great song to a heady plateau. Imagine the volatile energy of De Staat at their most devilish with the epidemic hunger of eighties punk/power pop and you get a sense of the glorious treat.

One Real Big Identity Crisis closes with the acoustic lullaby of Sleepyhead, the album ending as it started with a track which does not catch the ardour triggered elsewhere but certainly graces ears with tantalising propositions. This album is one unexpected and seriously enjoyable adventure; not breaking down boundaries or venturing into the unknown but never providing a moment when you are not surprised or wrapped up in its refreshing simplicity woven by skill and invention. There is only time left to lick lips all over again as we close off and dive straight back into The Permanent Smilers’ irresistible arms, something we suggest you do too upon release.

One Real Big Identity Crisis is released in April via IRL Records with new single Identity Crisis out in March.

http://www.thepermanentsmilers.com/   https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Permanent-Smilers/1539697962929725

RingMaster 23/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from http://www.thereputationlabel.today

Sacred Wind – Sacred Wind

Having had our pleasures goosed by Odin’s wind courtesy of Metal and Curry, the recent single from Welsh Viking bred rockers Sacred Wind; there was no option but to check out the album from which it comes. Released towards the rear of 2014, the thirteen track adventure, also going under the name of Sacred Wind, reveals the full landscape and creative emprise hinted at by our first introduction to the band.

The album is a tale of bold knights, even bolder flatulence, and a rampant hunger for cheese, not forgetting a few buxom women draped around a curry or two. Even more potently the album is bulging with glorious heavy metal and classic rock psalms of heroic deeds and Norse seeded challenges. From its first moments there is no doubting that Lord of the Rings/ Game of Thrones have found a richly mischievous companion in Sacred Wind, an alternative reality comparison, but that cannot hide or devalue the impressive craft and roaring sonic might of band and album.

Opener A Time of Magic is a vocal introduction between grandfather and child, be it a kid with the squeak of an adolescent aged forty plus with one ball dropped and one hovering. Questions from the latter bring an unveiling of the scenery and drama behind the album’s premise from the former, a telling of the background to the quest undertaken by the noble warriors regaled through the songs. These brave souls are called Sacred Wind and the following album title track, their opening scene. Hefty rhythms and fiery riffs make an immediate impression upon ears; the guitar hooks an almost predacious lure matched by the heavily throated bassline courting their attitude. Subsequently keys and raw melodies add to the canvas upon which Memphis bred Viking and vocalist/guitarist Olaf the Berserker reveals the narrative. It is a pungent offering, old school and swiftly anthemic.

The impressive opening song is matched straight away by Metal and Curry, the track similarly an inescapable anthem but with a lighter swagger to its gait and harmonic roar. Whilst meaty hooks and melodic tenacity from Olaf and Grundi the Windy are thrust through ears to seduce the senses, a rhythmic stomp provided by bassist Smid the Merciless and drummer Agnar the Hammered ensures neck muscles and imagination are flush with an appetite to devour the song’s tremendous contagion.

Already Sacred Wind is lighting body and emotions like a mix of Gwar meets Green Jelly meets Judas Priest, though that only narrows down what is a much broader flavour to the album. The band’s humour is just as open and ripe too but only in the lyrical and thematic adventure, their sounds a blaze of creativity and exciting endeavour which has plenty for all metallers, let along those just honed in with just a taste for classic rock ‘n’ metal. It is fair to say though that Hurricane Ass next is purely steeped in seventies metal bred in a bed of similarly aged classic rock. Begging for the power of a certain bodily function to help woo a prospective love, the song flames with sonic enterprise and vocal harmonies, transfixing ears as it heads towards to a firework like display of a finale, beats exploding across its melodramatic sky.

The combative character of Warriors of Asgard takes the success of its predecessor to new heights next, the track sinew and ferocity as the warriors take arms to rescue damsels in distress. Equally though it is unafraid to light their way with beacons of melodic ingenuity through the guitars and the symphonic yawn and soar of keys. The track is a delicious cinematic like escapade, not only a potent visual offering for the imagination to run with but simply an infectious slice of melodic metal.

Both the eighties kissed Sail with Me and the climactic bellow that is Rock, Rock, Rock, Rock Ragnarok keeps things on appealing and satisfying course, though neither can rival the some of the previous encounters. The first covers an emotional realisation brought by romance and the other an apocalyptic incitement to the Gods. Each brings new diversity and intrigue to the album leaving thoughts engaged and enjoyment contented is without setting a fire in their attention, something the power ballad Frigg certainly manages with its dark grouchy shadows and sonic balladry of vocal and melodic expression. Strong the first time and increasing its lure thereafter, the track is a slow burner which as quite a few songs upon Sacred Wind has the ability and persistence to flirt with the memory whenever it wishes.

Fart for Odin, by title alone, needs no help in explaining its narrative to the imagination, it a bar room ode and mead fuelled anthem within a tempestuous sonic and rhythmic turbulence. It is another thumping antagonist to body and fun though soon surpassed by the outstanding Dragon Ships and Women’s Hips. Impossibly virulent from its first sweep of vocals and initial tease of melody, the song brings rock pop from the late seventies, glam metal from the eighties, and nineties folk metal in one irresistible catchy croon. Think Alestorm meets Duran Duran and you get an inkling of the majestic lure of the pinnacle of Sacred Wind.

The battlefield brings the background to My Sword is my Sword firmly into thoughts, the power metal offering soon expanding its tale with horn like calls of the keys and predatory rhythms around the vocal roar of Olaf, all courted by the cantering invention of the guitars. Its spicy persuasion is followed by the celestial instrumental hymn of The Sheep’s Lament, which in turn makes way for the closing celebration of The Power of Cheese, though why anyone would want to crow so favourably about the mouldy stuff beats us. The song, as the previous track is a bonus offering on the album, and brings the release to a riotous yet melodically sizzling end.

It would be wrong to think of Sacred Wind as a one off good time to file away as you might a Green Jelly or in some ways a Steel Panther offering. Lyrically yes it is a roaring laugh but musically album and band stand side by side with any power metal, classic rock offering, just with an extra dose of mischief. Produced and arranged by Andy Coffey, who has a much bigger hand in things then you might suspect, including writing the excellent books which accompany the album’s story, the album is recommended to anyone with an appetite for strong, accomplished, and most of all enjoyable full fat metal.

Sacred Wind is available now via iTunes, Amazon etc. and the Scared Wind books @ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Coffey/e/B00LXLNW64/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sacred-Wind/136135083263791

RingMaster 18/02/2015

Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright

Listen to the best independent music and artists on The RingMaster Review Radio Show and The Bone Orchard from http://www.thereputationlabel.today