Friday night me and the Photographer headed to the Brewery, laptop and headphones in hand with a pile of new music to listen to so you lot don’t have to. Suzie joined us, reknowned for her one word reviews and we started. The photographer decided to feed me very strong beer, I’m not good with relatively normal strength beer so the evening descended into a blur with shouting, staggering and laptops being left on benches, the reviews below are before the carnage ensued…
Zabus – Strangers of Non-Being
A Gothy dreary bassline and drums and a distorted Jim Morrison unreliable vocal, it’s okay but quite unfocused. The Photographer says he quite likes the twangy guitar bit but the voice is dreary and the song itself was dying a slow death, it’s not the worst one tonight. Suzie says cryptically it’s alright but it’s not… I don’t like it.
LUCKYANDLOVE – Lonely at Night
This one is full of Darkwave synths and has another dreary vocal. Is dreary the word of the evening?? It’s okay and gets better as it goes on with nicely layered droning synths. The Photographer says it’s dreary goth that wobbles on for ages. Suzie says that it’s very dark and dreary.
Home Front – Light Sleeper
US hardcore melodic and cool, better than everything Green Day have ever done, The Photographer says that it reminds me of ninetiesish punky but it’s not hard enough. The voice is energetic enough, another meh, Suzie says yes better.
Lost Marplas – La Ultima Cumbia
A wonderful laid back Surf groove for lying on the hot sand with a cocktail and feeling the sun soak into your skin. The Photographer says that it’s salsa surf music and it’s great. Suzie says that she is not convinced.
Sunflowers – I Got Friends
A post hardcore shouty noisy and angular song, it’s a decent track with a definite Devo influence. The Photographer agrees, yes, very Devo with the stops and starts. I can see plantpots on heads. Suzie has no idea what we are talking about and just says yes i like that one.
Maria Iskariot – Witte Rook
This is a melodic off centre poppy punk song in German, it’s a great track as it gets going. The Photographer says it sounds like early Sonic Youth, the first part is a bit wasted but when it gets going its a good track. Suzie just says No.
Sunshine Blind – Ghost of You
This has a very eighties alternative guitar pop feel, I would’ve played it at an alternative disco way back when. The Photographer says that it is a very eighties alternative and a very Siouxsie voice. Suzie says yes I like it.
Ragana, Drowse – In Eternal Woods Pt. 2-3
A big slice of Black Metal. Loud, suffocating and melodic with a screaming vocal it’s great stuff, enough movement to keep you occupied and interested, with a slow majestic from the middle until the end, only six minutes, as far as I’m concerned it could be longer. The Photographer didn’t get the part 2 and part 3 bit, it’s blatantly not a single, shouty and screamy and goes at 200mph and then it doesnt. Suzie don’t like that.
Bliss of Flesh – The Awakening
This one is Thrash Metal with a growly vocal, it’s intense and a bit long for me. The Photographer says that it has a hideously fast drum pattern then screaming, the trouble with songs like this is that they’re all a bit formulaic, screaming is less pronounced but it’s still screamo at the end of the day. Suzie says this is more me!
Modern Life is War – Homecoming Queen
An alternative rock song, slow and focused. The Photographer says it’s got the middle riff idles thing going on at the start, but the vocals aren’t as good. Suzie says it is okay.
Amadou & Mariam – Sonfo
A great piece of African groovy pop. The Photographer says that this is classic African music, definitely got the Mali sound and they’re both about 70 years old so you can hear how much they’ve influenced African music. Suzie says that she quite likes that.
Fleshwater – Green Street
Punk, sweet female and screamy shouty male vocal, good music. The Photographer says that it’s got a Green Day smell about it, so he has to say listen to Husker Du! It’s alright actually. Suzie says Yes I like it.
Diamanda Galas – Swing Low Sweet Chariot
Well, I challenge you to listen to this all the way through, it is fucking terrifying. The Photographer says if you like sopranos you’ll like this.. I thought my computer was broken. Suzie says fuck me! My ears are bleeding!
Moons in Retrograde – Mirror Obscura
It starts with wave sounds, then oddness. It feels like weirdo pop for goths. The vocals are interesting, they’re almost throat singing, and it gets really good for the last minute. The Photographer says it’s got a good beat and a nice ethereal vocal. Suzie says I like that, I could listen to this.
Tian Qiyi Jah Wobble – Watch the sunrise
A Sitar then soft drums with a deep bass and weird warbling vocal, it’s okay. The Photographer says that he doesn’t get it, just a bit too out there, I can see what they are trying to do but it doesn’t really work. Suzie says that it’s okay and very weird.
Studio Electrophonique – Too Many Lonely Nights
This has nice electronic sounds and soft vocals to make a sad pop song. The Photographer says it’s got a fey voice and a bit of electronics, it’s just boring. Suzie says that it’s a bit too chilled for my liking.
Sanan – Habibon
A Weirdo dreamy track with soft percussion and guitars and an ace arabic vocal, a lazy groove, I like this a lot. The Photographer says I quite like the vocals but not sure about the background, not sure if I like it. Suzie just says it’s alright.
The Surfrajettes – Satan’s Holiday
Now we’re talking, cue me and the photographer doing terrible dancing along. A seven inch vinyl slab of Horror surf grooviness – excellent in every way. The Photographer says Surftastic! I’ll have a burger as it says they are waitresses in the blurb. Suzie says I like it.
The Utopia Strong – Harpies
This band are great on record but I thought they were terrible live, this is a slow burning bass led groove leading into an ace krautrock song, nicely layered and constructed, I like it. Also the wonkiness comes through nicely. The Photographer says it is chilled out psychedelic electronics with a bit of Rock thrown in it, it’s what I expect from them and I’m guessing it’ll sound better in an album context. Suzie says yes it is very chilled out, quite like it, not too weird.
Kev Hopper – Not What
A squelchy squiggly electronic repetitive groove and I like it. The Photographer says i like this up until the point he puts his vocal on and then it seems forced and not open enough, great wonky electronics. Suzie says I quite like it but I like the cover picture better.
Hoax x PVC – The Samurai
A Hospital Records drum and bass track again, this one has a slow low intro and then decent Brit rap and nice bit of drum and bass, I like it a lot, wonky wobbly bass and rock solid beats. The Photographer says I like this, it may have been single of the week but dropped a bit too much in the middle. Suzie says yes I like that considering it’s drum and bass.
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By this point the beer had definitely impaired our responses but before we collapsed The Photographer and I decided that our single of the week is the salsa surf wonderfulness of Lost Marplas with La Ultima Cumbia, Suzie has been shouted down over this as she doesn’t agree but we don’t care. Her single of the week was the blistering drum and bass of Hoax x PVC with The Samurai. We nearly chose that too but the call of the surf was greater. As ever, have aread band listen then tell me what you think, the full playlist is below for your approval.
Beer and hospitality by the Twisted Barrel Taphouse in Coventry.
All words by Adrian Bloxham, Martin Ward and Suzie.
