This time around we give you, in the words of the bands PR divisions, ‘the pit-fuelling glory’ of Desolated.- Birth(defects) with their ‘uncompromising, raw, and deeply personal’ new album. Sally Shapiro who are ‘Taking inspiration from synthwave, italo disco, nudisco, indie pop and bossanova’. CLAMM give us ‘signature raw intensity, with frontman Jack Summers’ commanding vocals and incisive lyricism delving deep into the highs and lows of human existence.’ Filalete and a beautiful ‘collection of modern classical solo piano ambient works .’ Beige Palace / Lo Egin split Tape which is ’30 minutes of murky downtuned minimalism and unnerving skronk juxtapositions.’ K Of ARC delves ‘into spectral drones, electronic atmospheres, and ritual drums, creating zones of non-human encounters, magnetic urban hauntings, and cosmic horror.’ Lush Worker has made ‘Transcendental improvised free rock and drone compositions’ The Right Hand Is Doomed To Blacken who’s release goes ‘from experimental soundscapes, motorik psych rock, synth wave, gothic balladry, and industrial post punk.’ Vile Bees who are ‘melding propulsive punk energy with introspective storytelling that navigates themes of intergenerational trauma, loss, and the echoes of addiction.’ Finally this time we give you the excellent Dez Dare who gifts us ‘ his unique mix of existential wordplay and experimental riffage to create an album that is at arms with itself while cohesive; cheeky and upbeat, simultaneously breaking our hearts.’ So yes, that’s a lot of words from them, here’s some from me, have a read, listen and don’t be afraid to let us know what you think…
Desolated – Finding Peace
MLVLTD
This is an ace slice of hard core chugging, fast and nasty. Brutal and tearing at you as they goad you into punching, this lot live would be brilliant. There’s little variation other than different tempos of horribleness and slightly less livid vocals but who the hell needs it, a great album.
Birth(defects) – Deceiver/Mirror
Reptilian Records
A rough sounding punk rock record. It’s done well and has enough weirdness sprinkled around on top to make it very interesting. The guitars are loose, screechy and hit the riffs only after thinking about it for a bit, The backline is as solid as but the vocal is all over the place in a very good way, I like this one.
Sally Shapiro – Ready To Live A Lie
Italians Do It Better
This drips honey, sweat and glitter. Its a European disco synth and beat powered decadent night out wearing as little as you can get away with and sipping champagne cocktails as you spin around and around on the fluorescent dance floor. The Pet Shop Boys cover is cool too.
CLAMM – Serious Acts
Meat Machine Records
Australian punks CLAMM make angry noisy music. The first track sounds like a battered Suicide track with synths and beats overiding everything except the angry static vocals. But they pretty soon get into classic guitar bass and drum sounding punk nastiness and anger, a great listen.
Filalete – Aeternitas
Cruel Nature
This is beautiful, spacious piano music, the sea washes through the sound at various points and strings add to it. Two songs are merely synths, their sound spreading like water colour on paper. It’s so tiny and delicate you think it’s going to break and the fact that it doesn’t just makes this even better.
Beige Palace / Lo Egin – Beige Palace / Lo Egin
Cruel Nature
A split tape, three songs from Beige Palace and two from Lo Egin. Beige Palace are all angles and strained playing for their first two tracks, discord growing as they continue everything getting thorny and loud, the strained shouting vocal just adding to the feeling of alienation and dissolution. Then on their third song it’s clear guitar picking and singing without a mic sounding lost, frail and delicate which goes into noise, and is excellent. Lo Egin’s ten minute doom epic calls on growled angry vocals, what sounds like a saxophone and guitars, it falls to quiet but mashes back in with the noise. Their last track is more of the same, only a fifth as long. Ace tape.
K Of ARC – Antidrome
Cruel Nature
K of Arc have created a symphony in drone. There are rumbles, pounds, muffled beats and just general menace threaded through the layers of sound, but it is built on and by drone. There is one track that uses drums like they are calling you to war, but mainly it’s brilliantly crafted sculptures of drone. Excellent.
Lush Worker – Free Rock Compositions
Cruel Nature
Freedom in music is often scoffed at, just try telling people you like Jazz. But free expression, however chaotic and disturbing it may sound is always worth hearing and creating. This feels like a bunch of like minded lunatics went into a studio, set up and just started playing around, over, under and together. The results are liberating to say the least. Well worth an exploration.
The Right Hand Is Doomed To Blacken – Greenbridge 12.11.24
Cruel Nature
The tape starts with melancholy piano and a wavering synth line echoing emptiness, loss and shadow with a deep bass voice, think a broken Nick Cave trying to keep going with layers of sound underneath weaving around the voice. This carries on to the next track as the music buzzes and weaves and strings collide with bass humming, it’s meticulously created and placed together for a feeling of hopelessness and emptiness. The last track, just shy of half an hour long, builds on the ideas and notions of the former. Sad folk horror creeps in with a wobbly tune focusing your attention. Throbbing drones and static builds and falls, like darkness and the lights your brain makes to hide the fear, repetition and then a subtle change just to keep you guessing and afraid, the vocal comes back in and it’s visions of lost folklore. Dance the pagan dance around the fire.
Vile Bees – Joy Coughs
Seismic Wave
Who needs genres? I mean really, what’s the point. This uses the blueprints left by Nomeansno and The Minutemen by putting as many different ideas into each song as is humanly possible. You get, deep breath, post punk, emo, whining, post hardcore, real hard core, punk, opera, drunken, slamming, restraint, angular and rock’n’roll grooves and that doesn’t scratch the surface of this incredible release that keeps you hooked all the way through.
Dez Dare – CHERYL! Your Love Shines Down Like A Supernovas Death
God Unknown
Dez Dare is an Australian, based in the UK, who makes music that explores how his autism feels in his mind. The overloads, patterns of thinking and interactions are all here amid clashes, synths and guitar fuzziness. It’s not a conventional l;isten and thank God for that, it’s a full on representation of what is going on inside and as such, it’s bloody brilliant.
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Desolated are on Facebook and Instagram.
Birth(defects) are on Facebook.
Sally Shapiro is on Instagram and Facebook.
CLAMM are on Facebook.
Filalete is on Bandcamp.
Beige Palace are on Facebook and Instagram.
Lo Egin are on Instagram.
K Of ARC are on Bandcamp.
Lush Worker are on Bandcamp
The Right Hand Is Doomed To Blacken are on Bandcamp.
Vile Bees are on Facebook and Instagram
Dez Dare’s website is dezdare.com he is also on Facebook and Instagram.
All words by Adrian Bloxham
