With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

“Gonna Get It” – BUKVE February 11, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:46 pm
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BUKVE is the solo project of songwriter Sveinung Fossan Bukve of Bergen in Norway. He has just released a new single under the name “Gonna Get It”. It is the second single which precedes his forthcoming album due out in the spring. (“Alive” was released in January). It has a happy indie vibe which propels you to the supremely positive chorus. The opening jangly indie guitar has a faint feel of Hank Marvin in his Shadows heyday. BUKVE says that the song “bears the message that despite a hectic everyday life, you should aim to give others a chance, try to be generous, listen and put yourself in other people’s situations before you judge them harshly.” It really does make you feel good listening to it. All the music and lyrics were written by Sveinung and it was recorded in the Black Valley Studios in Oslo where it was produced by Stamos Koliousis. I am a BUKVE fan now!

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“Where The Music Comes From” – poto&aby

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:19 pm
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Polish artist and musician Przemysław Tymiński records under the name poto&aby and he has just put out a single called “Where The Music Comes From”. It is a deeply reflective and melancholy piece of music. There is a repeated lyric line which for me does suggest sources that might inspire where music arises from, “The first stars at dusk, the rustle of distant railway tracks“. What do you think? The lyrics apparently come from fragments of a novel started 20 years ago by Przemysław. There is a dark tone to the music with some element of ‘Low’ period David Bowie, particularly in the saxophone sound. The vocals are rather good too.

He released his debut album 12 years ago in 2012. It was called ‘Football Won’t Save The World’. The original Polish title was ‘Futbol nie zbawi świata’ and it was described at the time as “a kind of philosophical acoustic punk” and there is definitely the spirit of punk in the new track. “Where The Music Comes From” is the first release from the third poto&aby album, “The Window Of His Room” which will be out later this year. The video is simple and old school and brings together footage shot in 2006 when Przemysław was testing a new video camera. poto&aby is an intriguing and talented artist and I am looking forward to the new album!

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“Lose Control” – Mandi Crimmins February 10, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 5:23 pm
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Massachusetts-born, Los Angeles-based artist Mandi Crimmins has just released a very heavy, hard, dark, deep single called “Lose Control”. Apparently, it is about a traumatic time for her, where she was groomed and trafficked by someone she thought was her friend. Which explains the stygian darkness in the music and the subconscious underlying menace. The bass drives into your brain like some kind of heavy metal maggot with the tenacity of a robot woodpecker. I love everything about this track. Mandi’s lyrics are brutally honest and very raw. She suffers from her own mental health issues but uses her experiences to talk to and connect with her listeners. Describing “Lose Control,” she says ““I was groomed and trafficked by someone older who I thought was my friend. It took me nearly 7 years and a lot of therapy to accept that it happened. Because accepting it happened meant accepting that I was never in control and that I was a pawn. I wanted to tell my story publicly without shame, in hopes that it might bring peace, validation, and community to someone who might be struggling with the same thing.” She has also said that some of the lyrics in “Lose Control” are drawn directly from her diaries. I need to listen to more from Mandi Crimmins she has a supreme musical talent!

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“Stop The World” – Porcine February 9, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:20 am
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Barnsley’s Porcine is back with a delightful and fun-packed new single via Safe Suburban Home Records. It is called “Stop The World” and frankly I suggest that you make yourself a hot beverage of your choice sit down comfortably and then press play on the video below. It is the sort of song you need to listen to to take away the stresses of your day. I bloody love it, I just listened to it twice while nursing a rather decent cup of black coffee (Aldi’s Sumatran blend if you must know).

This is the first track from their new self-titled album which comes out on 1st March. The song has a kind of poppy, slacker shoegaze vibe with some splendid harmonies. The song and the forthcoming album were produced by Andrey Pavlovic (Allusinlove) and mastered by David Watts (The Fall, The Reytons, OMD). Was that the “I wish I could be like David Watts” David Watts? The video is like a throwback to 70s TV and features some rather odd characters, all of whom might be a tad too surreal to appear in ‘The League Of Gentlemen’. Apparently, the band met and formed while ghost hunting in Barnsley market back in 2018. Let’s hope that they didn’t cross the streams. So if the music’s strange in your neighbourhood, who you gonna call? Porcine……. Obviously!

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“Time To Let Things Go” – Skylights

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 6:17 am
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Skylights are back with a stunning new single, “Time To Let Things Go”. Is it their best yet? Possibly. It has a gorgeous soaring and emotive vocal, and the orchestration takes the tune into cinematic territory. The guitar which underpins the song is exquisite. This is a band on fire, and this is the song where the band has really come into their own with so many of their influences are receding in the slipstream of their continued rise. Last year was a big year for these boys, and I believe 2024 may be even bigger for them.

Click here to listen to the song on Spotify and click here to buy a physical copy.

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“Love You Not” – The Dizzy Ducks February 8, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:06 pm
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Aussie rockers the Dizzy Ducks are a tight four-piece band from Camden, New South Wales. Their new single is an anthemic rock tune with gargantuan hooks, pop sensibilities, and a guitar solo that time travelled from the 70s. Cat Sexton’s vocals are perfect and playful and Jon Valenzuela’s guitar sound is immense and intricate. Meanwhile, the motor is kept running by the metronomic magnificence of Michael Boundy’s drums and Mark Kenny’s bass power. It is impossible to not move when listening to “Love You Not”. The song, I think, is about breaking out of a controlling relationship, so perfectly timed for a dark, alternative Valentine Disco. This band has got something special and you need to get listening to them! An obvious bonus is that the band name is a great, albeit slightly silly, one!

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“Make Ya Dance” – Digital Opium February 7, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:45 pm
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Digital Opium is from London, the nicer one in Ontario though. They released a cracking single called “Make Ya Dance” a couple of months back. I am slowly catching up on reviewing stuff that I have been sent and these guys have sent me at least six emails asking me to take a listen and I am pleased to say that I did. Their blurb says their influences are as diverse as the Beatles, the Black Keys, and Harry Styles. I can hear some tiny elements of those artists, however, the biggest kick for me with this track is how it takes some of the finest UK glam tropes from the early 70s and weaves them into a 21st Century Indie Disco anthem. “Make Ya Dance” is a glam stomper and proud of it and yes it does make you dance!

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“Waiting For The Britpop Revival” – Fran Ashcroft February 6, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:45 pm
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Fran Ashcroft is a producer who has worked with some great artists including Damon Albarn. He has just released a single taken from his forthcoming sophomore album, ‘The Songs That Never Were’. It is called “Waiting For The Britpop Revival” and it is a truly original piece of work with overtones of ‘Hunky Dory’ era David Bowie and Pulp in their full pomp mid-90s phase. It has a simple pop psychedelia style and a chorus that simply won’t let you go. It has been on repeat tonight here at Mayhem Towers! It even comes with a B-Side which is a mostly spoken-word history of the song’s origins. The lyrics are bloody hilarious, take the Oasis line for example, “don’t talk to me about Oasis, that’s a shit band name if there ever was one.” I bloody love this song, but seriously we really don’t need a Britpop revival, do we?

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‘TEN THOUSAND STORIES’ – AVALANCHE PARTY

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:12 pm
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‘TEN THOUSAND STORIES’ – AVALANCHE PARTY

A SHORT FILM BY EAGLEBURGERMEDIA. AVALANCHE PARTY // …& YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD. EUROPEAN TOUR STORIES. RIDE THE HELL TRAIN

Avalanche Party are back, this time with a tour diary film montage that details their eventful trip, and it was a trip, around Europe with …& You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. The subtitle says ride the hell train, but the film shows that they rode the hell bus, or rather they didn’t, as that jumping jalopy failed to jump on too many occasions. It is quite a stark and intimate recording of events, and a ten-minute film showing what being on that tour was like gives you a feel but not the full experience. Will there be a Director’s Cut? Sometimes it feels like an updated visual version of what I believe is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll book ever written, Ian Hunter’s ‘Diary Of A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star‘. I have watched it twice, and something new has jumped out at me each time.

This is shaping up to be a great year for Avalanche Party. A few live dates are coming up later this month and their sophomore album ‘Der Traum Über Alles’ is on the near horizon. For me, it is already pencilled in as a contender for album of the year. Take a look at the film and get Avalanche Party into your life in whatever way you can!

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“Kills Me To Be Kind” – Crawlers February 5, 2024

Filed under: Review — justwilliam1959 @ 8:30 pm
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Holly Minto, Amy Woodall, Liv May, and Harry Breen are Crawlers one of the best bands to arise from Liverpool, and let’s face it there have been some great ones over the years, right? They are one of the most social media-aware current bands and, they use that skill so well in support of what is important to them. They have previously said, “It’s really hard to find a safe space – especially for young people, queer people, and other misrepresented or underrepresented groups – and being able to do that with our platform is something we’re looking forward to exploring and breaking boundaries with” and I have huge respect for what they do. But on top of that conscience is their wonderful music, in advance of their album, ‘The Mess We Seem To Make’ due out later this month they released a new single a couple of weeks ago called “Kills Me To Be Kind.” It has a classic lo-fi punk kind of feel and it crawls (no pun intended) into your head and sets up home like it was meant to be there, and it probably was. The riffs drive it nicely and the vocals and harmonies shine so well. The lyrics are sharp and cutting. Just this part alone is lyrical perfection for me, “I heard you fucked somebody else. Despite how bad you felt. Need somebody in your bed. To drown that noise in your head. But I keep you in my mind. Though I faked it every time.” The “faked it every time” line is a magnificent payoff. I have seen them live just once so far, at the Leeds Festival in 2022, I need to change that, and I will!

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