Mandown reference Rage against the Machine and the Prodigy. Certainly they bring the sound and attitude of both of these bands to what they do. Vocalist Ian Turner and drummer Lawrence Arnold are just the kind of intense and committed musicians we need right now. “Try or Die” leads off with big monster riffing. The RATM influence is writ big but this is no bad thing. “We Want Blood” is a big confrontational song with demanding vocals over big boomy riffage. These tracks are short, intense and mesmerising and this is a stirring call to arms. This EP is 12 minutes of monstrously good riffs and epic melodic vocals so I say never mind we want blood, we want more Mandown! Written by Paul Bamlett
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Here we are with our tenth singles round-up of 2020. This one features six rather spiffing tracks, which appeared in recent weeks. This roundup is a little different to all the previous ones though as the reviews are from not just me, but also a special guest. I was joined for this online listening party by one of the most well liked people on the York music scene. He presents radio shows, he is a talented gig promoter under his Northern Radar banner and above all that he has excellent taste in music. Let me introduce you to Simon Pattinson!
These six tracks feature another eclectic mix of bands and singers from Newcastle, Bristol, Wales and three from London and all of these acts are new to With Just A Hint Of Mayhem except Cat Ryan and I am sure that they will all feature again sometime in the future. Fill your ears with them now!
Bill – I liked the kind of eastern sounding guitar and drums with a very prominent bass line holding it together. Catchy and percussive, this will be a great live song.
Simon – I found it enchanting with a sound like South American pan pipes (similar to the pan pipe buskers who play in York sometimes). I would definitely be keen to book Cat Ryan for a future gig.
Bill – This is really chilled and relaxed night music and it reminds me at times of the Beloved. A dub mix of this on a great sound system would be awesome.
Simon – This reminds me of James Blake, supremely mellow. The perfect track for sitting down with a bottle of wine and a great book.
“Music Shall Live” – Denise Sherwood featuring Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
Simon – I like this one a lot, perhaps a contender for a huge Ibiza summer tune, back in those pre COVID-19 days. This is a track that would get you in the mood for a good night out. It reminds me a little of early Chase & Status.
Bill – This is Adrian Sherwood’s daughter and her Dad gets a credit on the track too. I love the production and vocally Denise reminded me of Neneh Cherry. It has a vibe similar to the Groove Corporation or Gary Clail.
Bill – Superb vocal range, it is rooted in mid 90s Brit Pop but gets much heavier towards the end before easing down again. The lyrics are bleak, angry and very much about real life. I definitely want to hear more from this band. I also think they would work incredibly well on the same bill as Avalanche Party.
Simon – I am already a YOWL fan. Most of their tracks are quite long and this one is even a little hillbilly in parts. The angry break catches you a little off guard at the end and the still from the video looks quite creepy.
Simon – This is groovy and haunting in equal parts. I was expecting it to change up a gear but it didn’t, although that is no criticism. I was reminded of early Wolf Alice and Sonic Youth.
Bill – I love the vocals, it felt like a cross between a softer grunge sound and classic hook laden pop. I agree with Simon on the Sonic Youth link too.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Referencing the early incarnation of Soft Machine in their publicity this band include Prog, Psychedelia, contemporary jazz and choral music in their armoury. Melodic purity and harmonic surprise are key . First track “Sail Away” has an innovative opening with distinctive vocals and great guitar parts. An intriguing rhythm and a hint of Orange Juice. “Documentaries” has a good soundscape opening and a distinctive jazz feel. The vocals are strong with lovely falsetto. “And Where Have You Gone, Mr. Wolf?” has a more prog opening with wonderful melody and a superb bass breakdown. This is the strongest track here for me with fabulous harmonies. What the Long Faces present here are a multiplicity of potential musical futures. The dilemma will be which one to choose . Whatever their decision you can guarantee that the results will be fascinating.
Written by Paul Bamlett.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
DITZ have been championed by Idles and Slaves and their music certainly fits the bill for these endorsements. This EP has excellent sound with spoken word and some great melodic interludes. It all kicks off with “Role Model”, the rising tension in the vocal is reminiscent of Slaves and harks back to early Wire and the Members. “Seeking Arrangements” is more full-on Hard core Punk with a great guitar sound full of energy and menace. “Fuck The Pain Away”, which is a Peaches cover has a gritty full on sound and feel and a touch of the Stranglers at times. The scary noise and full on punk chord thrash make this EP an interesting ride. DITZ are exciting enough on record, live I imagine they are a whole other ball of fury!
Written by Paul Bamlett.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
In an expression of purest irony, the collaborative efforts of two of the most experimental musicians of the 20th century has led to some of the most accessible & radio friendly music of either artist’s career. Personally, I was expecting something along the lines of droning noise music of ‘The Weight Of History/Only Once Away My Son’, Eno’s recent collaboration with My Bloody Valentine mastermind Kevin Shields. All ambient soundscapes and abrasive, distorted violas. Instead, ‘Wrong Way Up’ is a collection of upbeat, optimistically melodic Synth Pop music.
Eno and Cale had collaborated previously (Eno had produced Cale’s 1974 album ‘Fear’ and Cale played Viola on a couple of tunes on Eno’s 1975 album ‘Another Green World’) but ‘Wrong Way Up’ was the first album they recorded as a collaboration. Recorded in the dying days of the Soviet Union, the dawning of what Francis Fukuyama called ‘the end of history,’ there are certainly elements of nostalgia and retrophilia in the futuristic sonic landscapes. “I scramble in the dust of a failing nation,” Eno sings on opening track “Lay My Love”. Eno said they expected the album to turn out “quite stark and sort of, industrial.” In light of the upbeat, almost optimistic nature of this album, this contributes to the sense of irony I mention above.
In the most part, the songs are built around looping synthesised chord sequences and arpeggios, but there’s something organic and jam-like about many of the compositions. This is likely due to the array of interesting instruments used (Shinto Bell, Little Nigerian Organ) and an impressive array of guest musicians involved. Are there ghostly slivers of Eastern European folk melody embedded in the lush soundscapes of arpeggiated synths and drum machine loops? The ensemble of “non-standard” (for Rock and Pop music) percussion instruments like dumbeks, tablas and Indian Drums probably contributes to this atmosphere. These heavily processed acoustic instruments mix with the looped soundscapes and drum machine loops fantastically.
The bonus tracks added to the new rerelease, “Grandfather’s House” and “Palanquin”, are much more organic and traditional sounding than the parent album. “Grandfather’s House” is a mournful ballad sung over a folkish drone. Bursts of noisy viola, warm synth pads and reverb soaked piano notes create a cinematic soundscape for John Cale’s solemn, hymn like vocal. “Palanquin” is similarly downbeat but way more minimal. A simple Piano composition, instrumental, played with a huge amount of reverb, creating ghostly swirls of warm, immersive sound.
‘Spinner’
Like ‘Wrong Way Up’, ‘Spinner’ was a collaboration with a key member of a pioneering and genre-defining band. Jah Wobble famously the original bass player in John Lydon’s post-Pistols, Post Punk group Public Image Ltd. However, this is probably not a useful starting point when approaching ‘Spinner’. Originally conceived as the soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s film ‘Glitterbug’. As such, ‘Spinner’ is a much more experimental and instrumental album than ‘Wrong Way Up’, consisting of immersive dronescapes, hypnotic rhythms and discrete background noise.
Another major way in which ‘Spinner’ differs from ‘Wrong Way Up’ is in its production methods. Whereas the former album was a controlled, in-studio endeavour with both John Cale and Brian Eno working together to write and record everything, the latter was produced as a result of Eno passing partial tracks to Jah Wobble and allowing him to embellish upon them as he saw fit. This would have been quite unusual in the mid-‘90’s but is fairly commonplace today. The democratisation of music production, the ease of digital communication and the standardisation of digital audio file formats allow this kind of “file swapping” collaboration to prosper. This is just another way in which Brian Eno set the templates for the way the music industry works today.
Much of ‘Spinner’ is built around the kinds of Ambient minimalism we’ve come to expect from Eno over the years, the twinkling arpeggiation and glitched out machine noises of “Space Diary 1” or the droning synths of “Where We Lived” are one side of this unique album, but not the whole picture. The expressive bass playing in tracks like “Like Organza” lift the soundscaping up into a completely different place and, when coupled with the excellent drumming of Jaki Liebezeit (of Krautrock pioneers Can) we get to hear some of the most immersive and hypnotic music on the album. “Steam” is all sampled strings, swirling synths, dub-influenced bass riffs and the kind of motorik drums that define Krautrock. There’s a sense of building atmosphere which is truly engaging. “Marine Radio” is the place where Post-Punk and Dub collide, creating a kind of maritime Trip Hop sound. The menacing syncopation and digital vibrations of the title track create a sinister, action-packed centrepiece of the album, preparing us for the 8-minute epic, “Transmitter And Trumpet”. Marimbas and excellent drumming form a backdrop to some of the most Dub-like bass lines on the album, submerged in the Eno Wall of Sound. The effect is trancelike, hypnotic in the extreme and later on it descends into swirling swathes of noise, swooping around the stereo-field like a dive bomber.
Of the two bonus tracks added to the release, one is an original Brian Eno piece (from the ‘Glitterbug’ soundtrack) while the other is an original Jah Wobble piece. Eno’s “Stravinsky” is a classical inspired exercise in looping, improvisational orchestral sounds. High register violins duelling over lower tones reminiscent of oboes and cellos. Knowing Eno, they could be either live recorded and heavily processed or synthesised/sampled. They’d sound equally as good, either way. Wobble’s “Lockdown” is a semi-funky bass workout over sampled brass and motorik drum machine rhythms. It’s moody and atmospheric like the best material on ‘Spinner’. Pitchshifted vocals echo spectrally around the soundscape.
‘Wrong Way Up’ and ‘Spinner’ are released on 21st August on All Saints Records. It will be the first time physical media of the two albums have been available in fifteen years.
Written by Tom Ray.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Ionne is a new and refreshing talent in the world of electronica. ‘The Other Side’ starts with a Tangerine Dream style opening which moves into a soundscape. This artist has a beautiful voice and this is real singing with a wonderful falsetto set over a fabulous dance track which features some excellent melodic touches. Track 2 is a remix of “The Other Side” which points up the exquisite idiosyncratic vocals and melancholic lyrics. “Distance” is a mesmerising synth instrumental . This is good thinking music, melodically uncomplicated but deeply interesting. The remix of “Distance” features soulful vocal harmonies and is a completely different take on the track.
Something More Than Love” features a very strong melody. This is a thoughtful song and for me the strongest song on the recording. There is a hint of Erasure here which makes it even more interesting . This track has huge commercial appeal. The remix of this track has a more Depeche Mode feel. There is a more experimental touch and the mix really plays with the track to great effect. This is a very strong collection of well developed and constructed tracks from Ionne and I have no doubt that we will hear a great deal more from this undoubtedly talented and skilful artist.
Written by Paul Bamlett.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Those spiffingly cheeky punk tykes Faux Pas released a new single last week, it is an alternative acoustic version of one of their live favourites “Gorilla Man”. Front man Ru squeezes every bit of emotion he possibly can in a sublimely beautiful tune. This version will be a phones aloft gig and festival classic when live music returns as it surely will one day. What I love about Faux Pas is that they never rest on their laurels, they are always open to do something different, something inspiring as they have with this song.
This track and the rather splendid video that accompanies it keeps my faith that great music will not be killed off by COVID-19. With all the shit that is going on in the world music like this is a shelter from the madness and a light at the end of the tunnel! Faux Pas are on the long list of bands I want to see playing live again when all this is over!
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
One thing that a crisis usually throws up is usually great protests and great protest songs. This pandemic is no exception, but with artists in lockdown and restricted like all of us it has had to be very different. Some bands and singers have used live streaming sessions to introduce new songs or covers of the greats. There are way too many protest songs to mention in this post, although feel free to contribute your favourites in the comments below. I will include three here, one very much from the current generation, one from my generation and another from the generation from before me, well kind of, the latter at 74 is 13 years older than me 🙂 The three tunes cover Black Lives Matter, the UK government and the Orange Moron in the White House.
First up is British singer Jorja Smith who had her first hit back in 2016. Her song, “By Any Means” is the first single from an upcoming Roc Nation Records compilation that collects together other great protest songs focussed on a social justice theme. Jorja said this about the song “It really came from going to the Black Lives Matter protest and leaving thinking, what can I do to keep this conversation going? It’s not just a post on social media, its life.” The music is a sparse and dark take on modern R & B which fits Jorja’s exquisite vocals and powerful lyrics perfectly.
Second it is the turn of West Yorkshire Superheroes Percy, one of my favourite current bands. “Rubbernecking In The UK” is the third single to be taken from their rather spiffing album ‘Seaside Donkeys’. The song is perhaps more of a protest about modern life, misogyny and voyeurism. However the video, produced by Hot Frog Animations, no doubt with lots of input from the band takes it to another level. The portrayal of UK Government Tsar Dominic Cummings and his cuckold Boris Johnson is funny and scary (because of the reality of where the UK is) in equal measure. The song is an infectious driving slice of post punk perfection.
Finally the older generation is represented by Neil Young. This is not a new song but an acoustic reworking of “Lookin’ For A Leader” from his 2006 album ‘Living With War’. But he hasn’t just given it an acoustic makeover, Mr Young has rewritten the lyrics to point a finger directly at Moron in Chief Donald Trump, a man who makes Dubya look like a genius. I always loved this song in it’s original guise and the new take is perfect for these times.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
Nearly August and maybe that is a small light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. Which makes it time for our ninth singles round-up of 2020. This one features six cracking tunes, whiche have all found their way into the world over the last few weeks, and I bloody love them!
These six tracks feature another amazing and eclectic mix of bands and singers from Sweden, London, Dallas, Philadelphia, Birmingham (UK) and . All of these acts are new to With Just A Hint Of Mayhem except Nia Wynn and I reckon they will all feature again sometime in the future. Get on them now! That’s an order!
Swedish instrumentalists Gösta Berlings Saga released their sixth studio album on July 24th via InsideOutMusic. The title track “Konkret Music” is the second single from the LP after the highly acclaimed “Basement Traps”. The track is dark, atmospheric with a kind of hard prog rock influence. The band describe the tune (and to a degree the album) as, ” Being partly a play of words with the term “Musique concrète” – a compositional tradition of modifying recorded sounds to create new sound identities” The video is rather excellent as it is filmed in a Karaoke setting with a bloke doing the kind of dancing that I excel at! Well worth checking this band out.
We reviewed Nia’s single “Who Asked You” back in April and we had some very good things to say about that tune. This time around she has issued a brace of new singles in “Atlantis” and “Ghosted”. Once again this pair of great modern R & B tunes showcase Nia’s fine vocals and exquisite lyrics. I can still feel the Amy Winehouse influence, but Ms. Wynn is a true talent in her own right. “Atlantis” seems to be about starting over while “Ghosted” appears to look with dealing with anxiety and the shallowness of modern relationships conducted using social media. I am most definitely a fan of Nia Wynn. I really want to see her live, and maybe that opportunity will arise in her support slot on Paul Weller’s rescheduled tour in March 2021
“Animals Haunted By Love” is a single from Welcome Center’s new EP ‘ ‘This House Will Be Filled With _‘. It is a bright, breezy and highly infectious slab of electro pop perfection. If you like electronic music or maybe if you’re a fan of Arcade Fire you will love this. Welcome Center formed in 2017 and consists of Jesse Smith and Aaron Sternick. I will definitely be listening to more from this bunch!
On their FaceBook profile the Novus describe themselves as “Black Sabbath’s art-raged Grandchildren” and that is a pretty good description. Although there is more of a pure pop strand here than Ozzy’s gang ever mustered. There is a wider influence too from the Move, to the Kinks, via Blur and maybe even Pulp. “Man On The Bridge” is pleasantly and amusingly weird and takes residence in your head pretty quickly. This is a band that could well go a long way. I reckon as a live act they will become pretty bloody special!
This instrumental is brimming over with emotion from a relatively mellow bluesy start reminiscent of Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac through to a full on Iron Maiden style metal onslaught from around the three minute mark. Khiev’s playing is impeccable perfection personified and his sonic influenec may come from the likes of Joe Satriani. This is a truly uplifting piece of music.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
The opening to this fascinating album is very interesting. Ringing guitars and straightforward rhythms. The music is heavy but very melodic and well developed. The synth sounds have an ambient feel with hints of melody. There is a more riffy feel places. Doomy guitars are plentiful but beautifully crafted melodic passages are never far away whether suggested or overt. The album is a clever mix of differing though not conflicting ideas. There is intensely heavy riffing of a Sabbath , Metallica style. In places there are reminders of ‘In Absentia’ era Porcupine Tree. The album concludes with ambient drone and bassy thrum. I really enjoyed listening to this but have one suggestion for this clearly talented group of musicians, change the name? I know people will say what’s in a name (look at the Beatles!) But I think it could help. Whatever , I hope to hear more from this band, whatever they are called.
Written by Paul Bamlett.
If you have enjoyed this article feel free to follow the blog, or follow us on;
With Just A Hint Of Mayhem 