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Category Archives: EP Reviews

Reviews of digital a physical release EPs

The Jettes – Jette Stream EP

20 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by luthersboogie in EP Reviews

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Girl of my Dead Friend, Jette Stream Ep, Reading, Rock n Roll, Silver Knife, Take It Out On Me, The Dying Cowboy, The Jettes

The Jettes - Jette Stream EP

The Jettes – Jette Stream EP

The Jettes quite simply rock like a mutha, their debut EP Jette Stream is like squeezing an explosion of rocking noise, smothered in a sweet coat of lyrical loveliness, into a confined space with no doors or windows. I keep getting images of the band battle sequence from Scott Pilgrim vs the World running through my head. Though there’s noise a plenty here it in no way detracts from the strong song writing ability on show. It’s hard to pinpoint one influence, just a collection of influences from any decade from the 70’s on. For me personally I hear everything from The Saints to Mary Chain and The Kills to Mud Honey.

First track up is ‘Silver Knife’ with crunching guitars and wild harmonic ringing notes and driving bass, when that sweet vocal kick in ‘Take my heart, take my light…’ over that pounding beat it really grabs you in an instant, oddly whilst I’m listening to this the vocal for this song really put me in mind of Echobelly lead singer Sonya Madan. ‘Girl of my Dead Friend’ starts off like some heavy grungy noise laden Mary Chain number replete with a vocal harmony buried in amongst the noise and hand clap bouncing chorus, the bass guitar really crunches beautifully on this track and builds to final crescendo. Following on is my favourite track of all ‘The Dying Cowboy’ which spins the plaintive tale of a cowboy dressed in white, layered with haunting backing vocals and shimmering tremolo guitars, as the title would suggest this sounds like a rocking soundtrack to an awesome Spaghetti Western. The final track is ‘Take it out on me’ which kicks of with a fast pumping bass line and again highlights the cool way the harmonies between Sarah and Rich work to great effect, this track for me takes me back to my early years listening to scuzzy Punk and New Wave… wow what a great EP, I know it must be good because I had to put it straight back on again, and then again and… well you get the idea. Check out The Jettes, you won’t be disappointed.

Bear & The Woods – Sink or Swim EP

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by luthersboogie in EP Reviews

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americana, Bear & the woods, buoyancy aids, down down, folk, Jonah, Music, Reading, Sink or swim, Wolf

Bear & the Woods - Sink or Swim EP

Bear & the Woods – Sink or Swim EP

Bear & The Woods released their debut EP last week entitled Sink or Swim, for me it was a first chance to cop a listen of a band whose name is weaving its way around the Reading music ether. It’s odd how a name can conjure up an idea in the mind as to how a band will sound and in some respects I was somewhere near and in others I wasn’t. Rather obviously maybe I was expecting this to growl which it does in a youthful bear cub way but musically it is slightly more folk with a touch of a rougher irreverent edge.

It’s fair to say that Folk, Americana and Country are on the up in the UK of late with the chart friendly Mumford and Sons seemingly on anything and everything I tune into on the radio or TV. The upside of this though is the positive effect it’s having on this genre of music as a whole and, for bands like Bear & The Woods, that can only be a good thing. Their sound manages to do that tricky thing of straddling both US and UK sounds with a very English rough and ready folk vocal style, slightly aggressive but in not scary way, and although the singer professes in opening track Buoyancy Aids that “My lyrics are shit”, I think he may be fishing for compliments because I’m liking his lyrical style. There’s story telling here a plenty.

For me the opening track is the most instantly captivating with its seesaw arrangement scattergun drum beat and rattling guitars and mandolin riff, the more I hear it the more I’m liking it, which is always a good sign, I can imagine this being a great song live too. Wolf is a lovely, lilting song with some great harmonies which you can’t help but sing along with “I’m just a lamb dressed as a wolf, carry me home, carry me South”. Jonah has more pop sensibilities than the other three songs and is quite catchy but for me is the weakest of the four songs. They finally tick all the boxes by stripping it right down for the lament Down Down, a heartfelt song of sadness if ever there was one. The arrangements throughout the EP are very well thought out and considered with very nice earthy production, it sounds like real music by real musicians. All in all I think I’ll always enjoy Buoyancy Aids but Down Down is a song that I think I’ll be listening to in years to come.

This is definitely a band I’ll be seeking out to go and see, I’d suggest you do the same too. Check out Buoyancy Aids below and then ignore all the signs go feed those Bears, buy their EP…

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Twang Nation – The Best In Americana Music

Music to drink beer too whilst chewing on a brick.

'Rebel' Rod's - From Under The Basement

Music to drink beer too whilst chewing on a brick.

ninebullets.net

The Mad Mackerel

Americana | Country | Folk | Garage | Indie | Psychedelia | Punk

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