This time we bring you the ‘shimmering, heathen drone from TenHornedBeast’. The Rogues with their intention ‘to shake the foundations of Irish rock and spread their “rebellion” beyond borders.’JOHN CARPENTER, CODY CARPENTER & DANIEL DAVIESlatest collection of music ‘Inspired by a book of stills from noir films’. Enablers with their ‘unparalleled fusion of post-rock, noise rock, indie rock, post-punk, and spoken word’. Rated Eye’s ‘captivating blend of classic hard rock, New York no wave, jazz, and proto-punk.’. Pokey LaFarge with ‘his newly heightened devotion to making music that channels pure joy.’ Read about them all below.
TENHORNEDBEAST – Capra Hircus
Cold Spring
You are standing on the edge of a shale scattered slope, looking down into a valley as the sun rises slowly behind you, the black and white vision of night time and early dawn has transformed into the colours surrounding you. The sky is blue with a wash of grey cloud and in the valley the goats stand. This is where Capra Hircus takes you, into a heathen drone landscape echoing the hills and valleys of dreams of the ancients.
The Rogues – Songs of Praise
Atypeek Music
I wondered about the name but then read about it and realised it’s supposed to be one letter away from The Pogues. The thing with the Pogues though was the sheer abandon of their music and the utter beauty of the lyrics held together with little more than spit and a promise, as Shane sang they just slotted into place and made spirits soar while the crowds turned feral and celebrated the sound of chaos personified.
This however is not the Pogues, one letter makes more of a difference than you can imagine.. The majority of the songs here are rooted in alcohol, fighting and rebellion, there’s a good dollop of glorifying and deifying criminals, a little bit of supernatural vengeance and an ode to the joys of bondage complete with ecstatic female moans. The music is lumpy, unimaginative punk with an Irish twist but to be honest, it’s just not very good. It’s uninspiring and quite boring really. Not for me.
John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies – Lost Themes 4: Noir
Sacred Bones
This was inspired by a book of film noir stills. It is instantly recognisable as the work of John Carpenter but where the best, in my humble opinion, of his music lay in the use of synths and electronics for horror or science fiction themes this is just more of what made him famous and it’s not very inspiring. The tracks definitely have atmosphere and the baks of synth sound wonderful but the picked out piano notes leave me a little cold now and as for the guitars, unnecessary is the word I’d look for. If you like John Carpenter’s work then give it a listen, it may be right up your street, but I’m going to pass.
Enablers – Almost To Who Knows
Atypeek Music
The music is dense, alternative rock, post hardcore, nasty and thickly layered, it’s great in itself. But the thing that makes this double retrospective album as good as it is, and trust me, it’s great, is the voice. The voice telling us stories, poetry, prose, slices of life, points of view, descriptions of whatever is a voice of experience and perfect for the job. The way he speaks makes you listen to it more and more.
Rated Eye – Rated Eye
Wax Donut Records
What the actual Hell? This is properly messed up Southern boogie with a vocalist that has seen the worst in the world and wants to tell you all about it. The music goes from competent to barely holding itself together. From Birthday Party rudimental swamp blues to nasty, horrible boogie hip shaking grottiness. The lyrics are genuinely disturbing and most of the music is not far off a mental collapse either. A brilliant mess.
Pokey LaFarge – Rhumba Country
New West Records
Pokey LaFarge is a maverick, I don’t think he cares at all what anyone thinks of his music, it feels to me like something he has to create, it’s bursting to get out of him. This record is a mixture of pop and crooning dance songs. It’s a rhumba treat, well, if I knew what a rhumba is… There’s spots of Motortown soul, Brazilian dancing, finger clicking strutting and lots and lots of grooves. Because in the end that’s what matters, the groove, the movement, if it makes your hips wiggle, and this most definitely does.
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TENHORNEDBEAST are on Facebook and Bandcamp.
John Carpenter’s website is theofficialjohncarpenter.com, he is also on Facebook, Instagram and X as @TheHorrorMaster
Enablers are on Facebook.
Rated Eye are on Facebook
Pokey LaFarge is on Instagram, Facebook and X as @PokeyLaFarge
All words by Adrian Bloxham
