The Kreoles – Psycho

the_kreoles_RingMasterReview

Psycho is the new album from Italian melodic metal/ alternative rock quartet The Kreoles, a release which makes a highly enjoyable first impression but continues to sneak up on the imagination as each track passes with diversity and inventive fun; the result an encounter very easy to get rather excited about.

The Kreoles emerged in 2011, the realisation of an idea by founder Ivan McSimon, a Como-based producer, songwriter, and guitar player who previously played with Dyve. The new project was born from the intent to explore new creative paths and subsequently saw McSimon linking up with vocalist Valentina Merlo, bassist Marco Francesco D’Elia, and drummer Davide Piccolo. 2014 saw the release of their well-received debut album Touch The Sun, the potent base from which Psycho now blossoms from with even greater adventures.

Released through Sliptrick Records, Psycho makes a strong and steady start with opener The Last Man. Coaxing attention with its initial country scented melodic jangle, the track soon breaks into a muscular stride with swinging rhythms, an irritably steely bassline, and the fiery roar of guitar. In the midst of it all, the instantly engaging and impressive voice of Merlo lures with siren-esque quality drawing ears even deeper into the rousing heart of the song. Slips into melody rich emotively calmer passages only adds to the alluring drama of the encounter, McSimon scorching the senses with his volcanic melodic tapestry as the album roars into life.

Disease takes over with the same kind of imposing but welcoming intensity to its body, more classic metal hues colluding with the band’s enterprising canvas of textures and sounds. Again there is an instinctive nagging snarl to the underbelly of the song driving the melodic fire consuming and pleasing the senses; Merlo enticing and the open individual prowess of the band uniting in a similarly explosive and anthemic proposal.

With exotic keys to the fore, Empty steps forward next, that early charm soon entwined and vocal in a web of sonic and rhythmic rapacity embraced by an Animal Alpha like character of song. Infectiously irresistible and a fierce flame of melody and tenacious energy, the track stirs the spirit before making way for the equally creatively hungry and energetically dynamic Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die. Breeding a great punk pop essence recalling seventies bands like The Photos and The Adult Net whilst infusing it in a tapestry of heavy rock/melodic metal enterprise, the song similarly catches attention with swift ease and potency, only increasing its hold minute by minute.

Though just as heated, a calmer climate embraces next up Don’t You Know, a Pretenders spiced offering with more of the southern hues which the band skilfully infuse in many of their songs. With the vocal beauty and expression of Merlo sheer magnetism, the song boisterously smoulders, its touch a burning seduction as catchy as anything upon the album.

Through Obsession with its rhythmic irritability and melodically metallic confrontation and the tempestuous confrontation of Like A Scream, The Kreoles keep enjoyment high even if neither song ignites the appetite as imposingly as their predecessors. Both tracks are missing the same kind of surprises lighting up those around them but ensure there is no wandering of attention before Dolomites installs itself as our favourite moment. A rolling contagion of country punk pop as inescapably infectious as the flu but a hell of lot more fun, the song just cannot fail to place a smile on the face and in the heart with its virulent exploits.

Black Star’s Night is another which weaves familiar essences into its own creative domain to forcibly satisfy without turning emotions lusty before the album’s title track brings things to a thrilling close. There is cantankerousness to the rhythmic enticement of the song, a predatory edge lining riffs too as among them Merlo beckons with every syllable shared. Its eventful presence though is also a haven for melodic imagination and an evolving intensity as unpredictable as it is scintillating.

Psycho, song and album, is a masterful enslavement of ears and imagination from a band destined to real and eager recognition ahead and if their new enticement has its deserved way, beginning right now.

Psycho is out now through Sliptrick Records across most online stores.

http://thekreoles.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheKreoles/ https://twitter.com/thekreoles

Pete RingMaster22/11/2016

Witching Waves – Crystal Café

Feb26

Photo by David Garcia

Of the albums most anticipated by our particular ears was one from UK duo Witching Waves. They had us on line with their ltd edition cassette Concrete/Chain Of Command in 2014 and inescapably hooked with debut album Fear Of Falling Down later that same year but things have just got contagiously fiercer and even more sonically fascinating courtesy of their second full-length Crystal Café. It is a stunning roar of sonic and emotional dissonance fuelled by cutting hooks and feverish melodies, and that is not to forget the ever darkly mesmeric and often challenging lure of the vocals.

A mix of corrupted psych and surf rock fever with punk and post punk attitude, the Witching Waves’ sound mighty be better suggested by casting it as a union of the punk antagonism of The Raincoats and the garage punk ‘n’ roll devilry of The Creeping Ivies in collusion with the raw and virulent off-kilter pop of The Adult Net , Morningwood, and Delta 5. To be truthful, the London band has a sound which has always been its own individual but now forcibly so on Crystal Café. Intrigue for what the band will reveal next is always company to eager anticipation and indeed expectations, and it was no exception this time around, especially with the duo of founding members, vocalist/guitarist Mark Jaspar and vocalist Emma Wigham, having grown by one with the addition of bassist Ed Shellard since that previous impressive album.

Crystal Café opens up with Twister, a song shedding drama with its first surge of guitar. As it hits a heady stride with scything beats lining the brooding bassline of Shellard, the track has ears and imagination onside with ease, even more so as the siren like tones of Wigham collude with Jaspar’s sonic tendrils, all hot spice and raw flirtation. Not for the last time, a scent of The Cure certainly hits the rhythmic side of a song, adding appealing hues which engagingly merge with the fiery enterprise of guitar and voice.

art_RingMaster Review The outstanding start continues in the concussively seductive Seeing Double, a roar of scuzzy guitar and alluring vocals with a sniff of almost Xmal Deutschland like post punk coldness. It is a grouchy encounter, epitomised by Jaspar’s aggressive vocal outbursts, but simultaneously also a raw melodic enticement which simply grips the imagination.

The following Pitiless uncages an anthemic rumble of rhythms as Wigham’s captivating vocals get entangled in the citric lines of just as compelling guitar spawned imagination. Juicy hooks are as frequent as searing sonic endeavour, being caught up in a bracing infectiousness which has the body jerking and senses wilting, though they do get respite from the alluring repetition sculpted instrumental Red Light Loop that follows. It is the first of a few imagination sparking interludes, a break before the raw trespass of contagion continues, in this case with Make It Up. There is a Wire like quality to the song which only adds to the pop catchy theatre that evolves to seriously excite and involve the listener. The track is as irresistible as a fondle in the shadows; offering a warm moment of pop slavery in the senses whilst they get intruded upon by the dissonance soaked soundscape of the album.

Anemone spreads a portentously melancholic instrumental breeze next, its starkly lit prowl a rising smog of discord as invasive as it is intimidatingly bewitching. The track sets up ears and imagination for The Threat, it a melodically cultured temper to the previous trespass with its boisterous surges of muscular beats and flowing vocal warmth over less kind but as riveting grooves. It too brews into a swarming sonic assault but without losing any of the pungent temptation it began coaxing ears with before the brazen temptress that is the excellent Red Light wraps its raw hunger and salacious beauty all over the listener.

The scathing sonic air and vocal angst of Receiver then takes over, its Jaspar voiced tempest bold exploration of the senses with underlying seduction added by the harmonies of Wigham, whilst after its pleasing encroachment and the evocative caress of instrumental Inoa, the album comes to a mighty close with new single Flowers. Wrapping around a glorious bassline echoing early Cure as crisp beats descend with resonating effect, strings of melodies and atmospheric suggestiveness come together, in turn swiftly joined by a dual smooch of vocals to captivate and entrance to which Wigham further adds her spellbinding lures. As seductive and inviting as it is, the track equally offers a host of descriptive shadows and sonic discordance that fester in thoughts and emotions to fine effect.

The track is an enthralling end to a simply superb release; another from Witching Waves and easily their finest moment yet. Hopefully this time around, the band gets the attention and surge of fresh appetites for their unique sound which previous releases warranted but Crystal Café demands and deserves.

Crystal Café is available on vinyl, cassette, and digital download from released February 26th via Soft Power in the UK and HHBTM Records in the USA.

https://www.facebook.com/witchingwaves http://witchingwaves.tumblr.com/

Pete RingMaster 26/02/2016

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Select All Delete Save As – Ultra Cultura

Apr27

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It is not only a slight shift in band name which is offered by new album Ultra Cultura, but also a richer maturity in songwriting and sound from its creators Select All Delete Save As which at times catches the breath. The band’s previous self-titled debut showed selectalldeletesaveas, as their name was written in 2011, as a highly mischievous and unpredictable proposition. It was a raw and promising encounter which ebbed and flowed in success but nevertheless ignited the imagination of a great many, and a potential soaked seed which has bred the tremendous Ultra Cultura. The new ten track release from the Jersey bred duo of by Antony Walker and Terry Emm is a tantalising and eclectic persuasion which has not lost any of the pair’s devilish intent to wrong foot and constantly surprise the listener. It more impressively though shows a big leap in the quality, writing, and musical craft of the band, showing a maturity which has the potential to bring the band intensive attention.

The pair of Walker and Emm met on a music course at the University of Gloucestershire, and it was when the former was commissioned to record an album, that the two linked up with Selectalldeletesaveas, band and first album the results. With tracks recorded over a year ago, the two musicians have returned to spread their lyrical and musically revelry, Ultra Cultura a natural but to be honest far greater continuation than maybe anticipated. Linking up with sound engineer Jono McMillan, who also provided drums and percussion on most of the tracks, Select All Delete Save As has sculpted an album to steal attention and imagination from its opening seconds, something it never relinquishes until the closing of the final festival of devilment and intrigue. As with its predecessor, certain moments on the release shine stronger than others, but there is never a moment when attention gets seduced away from the release this time around.

The title track sets things off to a strikingly potent start, sparking an immediate increase in an already eager appetite inspired from the band’s last release. Electronic pulses and percussive teasing toys with ears initially, coaxing their focus ready for a raw rub of guitar. Already something feels different to the band, a more honed and concentrated enterprise stroking thoughts as mellow vocals smoulder within the brew. A stronger indie breath seizes control soon after as a shoegaze like warmth permeates the still nicely grazing texture provided by guitars. It is an absorbing persuasion which really ignites with the stunning voice of guest vocalist and fellow islander Rachael McVay. With tones which seduce note by note and a fire to her delivery, the singer ignites the already pleasing track to new levels, which in turn seemingly sparks a greater intensity in the sounds wrapping her contribution. The song is a magnetic start to the album, the first character of a multi-faceted release.

The following Human Error merges chilled electronic premise with guitar woven melodies, vocals plain and emotionless tempering the emotive flames around them. It is a more testing blend than the previous song but also growing to a proposition easily successful with the imagination, its mix of Radiohead and Joy Division coldness with expressive post rock like enticements permeating incessantly until the listener is immerged within its shadowed grin. Its place is sandwiched between the opener and the excellent Modern Life is War and does it no favours but the song easily holds its own before its successor lights another fuse of ardour. Again featuring McVay, the song makes a restrained entrance before a sizzling shot of guitar spirals across the ceiling of the emerging track. There is a feel of House Of love to the track at first which with the alignment of vocals between band and McVay sparking a broader smile of energy, the song glides sultrily across the senses like a mix of The Adult Net and Some Kind Of Wonderful era March Violets. Mesmeric and ravenously seductive, the song is an evocative breeze of indie pop and quite delicious.

Both the melancholic Temperature and the Archetypal Woman simmer in their temptations but croon and dance respectively their way into the affections, the first with the band’s skilled humour and precisely invasive melodic bait within another emotionally haunted atmosphere and the second with its jazzy meanderings and very English relish to refuse predictability and expectations. Whereas Temperature plays with a post punk seeded lack of light its successor romps like The Monochrome Set meets The Jazz Butcher, a distinct British kind of eccentricity which as its companion only expands the diversity and boundaries of the album further.

The pair of Service of the Lord and Nectar of Instruction also takes longer to wrap their persuasive toxins around the passions though imagination is soon enlisted by the temperate yet solemn caress of the first and the anti-folk smile of the latter. The evidence of their success is the lingering enticements which swim around the memory after their leaving, the jazz funk invention of guitar in the second of the two leading into an eagerly catchy chorus one of the persistent lures.

The virulent seduction of instrumental Slowcore Puck absorbs next, its impassioned climate and melody hued colours flirting with thoughts before the post punk/electronic minimalism of The Sun & his Sunglasses brings its entrancing psyche encircling hypnotism to the party. The humour of the band as everywhere simmers and spills with glee, adding to the fun and creative irreverence often at work as in closing song Charge my Pad. An infectious stroll of guitar crafted indie rock with pop spice and drama which seems seeded in The Cure, band and song turn on its audience with a great flume of Bowie inspired mischief, this passage of the song simply the illegitimate yet endearing bastard son of Starman. With blossoming keys and a constantly flavoursome throaty bass line, the song leaves album and its recipient with a gleefully wide grin.

It is probably fair to say that Select All Delete Save As is still an incitement for a certain audience but as we stated in our review of the last album, the band does not care when it comes down to it as long as they light up their own and some other hearts somewhere. Ultra Cultura is sure to recruit a great many more adventurous appetites to the band and its ever evolving presence which has really leap in impressive growth between albums.

The self-released Ultra Cultura is available now @ https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ultra-cultura/id868037607

http://www.selectalldeletesaveas.com

8.5/10

RingMaster 27/04/2014