shoegaze / post-punk / alternative rock

Things you do not want to experience as a band: arriving at your rehearsal room only to find out that someone had broken in and stolen the equipment. That happened to Belgian post punk act The Mary Hart Attack and, needless to say, they were devastated. Still, they stubbornly kept working on their debut full-length and crowdfunded themselves some new equipment. Now, that album is ready to be released, and it's a blast.

The album opens with the song 'In Dreams' which is basically Joy Division meets Sonic Youth. There is a lot of noise and feedback, tonnes of energy and a dark, aggressive atmosphere. In short, the perfect opener for a brilliant post post record. From then on, the band takes on a what can only be described as a vintage post punk journey. The earlier mentioned bands are never far away, which is a good thing.

'Spiders' is a great song too, slower but immersive as hell. It is followed by one of my absolute favorites here, the uptempo and mesmerizing 'All Wrong No Bliss' which drives on an almost industrial drum beat. This one will get many people shaking their butts off at gigs, no doubt about that. Who knows, maybe I will be one of them too. My feet are already tapping along and my head nods like a madman.

By now, we're halfway through the album and I have decided that this album is one where we Belgians should be proud of. It's one of the most dynamic and entertaining alternative rock albums I've heard recently, just listen to the murderous 'This Room' (after it's strange intro). If that doesn't get you off your feet, you might as well amputate them. That was a little joke, please do not amputate your feet.

Anyway. I guess it's clear by now that The Mary Hart Attack is a firm candidate to become the next big thing in alternative Belgium. I won't be surprised when these guys appear in Humo and on Studio Brussel a lot from now on. I will be surprised if they don't end up on the bills of Pukkelpop, Rock Werchter or Marktrock. They definitely deserve it, especially with such a vintage sounding and immersive album as this one.


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psychedelic / alternative / rock / post punk

I always wonder how bands like to tag themselves, what kinds of music they claim they play, and then compare it to my own opinions. Sometimes, we seem to think very different things about the music. With this album by Polish rock band Manescape, that is exactly what happened. Their bandcamp mentions 'rock, psychedelic and stoner' but I politely disagree. It is rock, that's true. There are psychedelic aspects, that's also true. But this is not stoner rock, although you can easily enjoying it while smoking a joint.

So, you might wonder, what is it? Well, in short, 'Antibodies' is an excellent alternative rock album where post rock, post punk and shoegaze meet psychedelic rock. At least, that is my opinion. 'Antibodies' contains ten songs, and each of them makes me long for the summer festivals. Songs like the brilliant opener 'Helium' or the energetic 'Beautiful Agony' make me wish I was on a sunlit festival terrain, shaking my hips and tapping my feet, much like songs by Soulwax, Placebo, Muse, The Twilight Sad, The Pixies and many of their colleagues do.

I also hear a lot of references toward English new wave or post-punk bands like Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen and so on. But what I hear most on this album, is enjoyment. These guys love to play music together, which results in music that will easily bring a smile to your face. Their enthusiasm is contagious. I have been tapping along with each and every song so far. 'Helium' remains my favorite but I also adore the uptempo yet melancholic 'Decadence And The Wind', a song that will often appear in my day-to-day playlist from now on.

So, the question now is, who to recommend this album to? To stoner rockers? Well, yeah, why not. This might not really compare to Karma To Burn, Kyuss or Queens Of The Stone Age, but it is superb rock music with some nice groovy riffs. Besides, 'The Yearning' somewhat reminds me of Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, so that's that. Furthermore, of course, all alternative rockers should really try this one. I am absolutely sure that some of you will find a new favorite song on this album. I know I have...


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alternative / post punk / noise rock

Some people say that the current state of a country can be measured by the music it produces. That makes sense to me. Over the years, I have been listening to dark and aggressive albums by bands from countries that aren't doing that well in the political, social and financial regions. One of those countries is Greece, homeland of The You and What Army Faction. Their new album 'Rite' is a gloomy piece of art, reflecting political-economic tensions of contemporary Athens.

Opener 'Body Horror' immediately shows what this four-piece stands for: a gritty and dark blend of post-punk and noise rock. The whole album is filled with mean songs that balance on the edge between alternative rock and experimental music.  It also shows a nice contradiction between the lingering guitars and energetic drums. This awesome contradiction often appears on this album and I like it. It provides the overall gloomy atmosphere with a sense of urgency. 

Although basically described as a post punk band, the song 'Fraternity' is a pounding piece of music, a bit like Morphine on LSD, especially with that saxophone. That song follows my favorite one 'I See You Stalking Me', one where Sonic Young shakes hands with The Jesus and Mary Chain. Other bands I often think of while listening to these songs include Dead Moon, Melvins, Zu, Swans and Fugazi.

'Rite' is loaded with howling, complex and harsh but immersive songs that will slap you in the face, kick you in the nutsack and drag you over musical cobblestones. It will confuse you, maybe even hurt you. But it will all be worth it. This album is a testament of despair, much more so than most post-punk/noise rock album. Of course I will recommend this to all noise rock fans out there, this just might become your soundtrack for 2017.


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black metal

Vault Of Dried Bones

Aah, a new edition of Brieviews, and why not simply kick of with what will probably prove to be the most raunchy and ghastly piece of musical extremism in this article. Sorguinazia is a duo, dwelling in the deepest, darkest caves and tombs of the black metal scene. Don't expect musical ingenuity on this one, but prepare to get molested by fierce guitars, haunting vocals and a relentless tempo. One these three songs, the duo constantly balances on the edge between primitive black metal and harsh noise. This is not music, this is either an exorcism or an occult ritual and it's definitely suited only for the chosen few who can handle the extremest of the extreme.

stoner doom

On the slower part of the metal spectrum, we meet up with Brazilian psychedelic doom band Ruínas de Sade and their self titled three-track debut. I'm not sure when this band formed, but my guess is "not that long ago". However, despite the fact that the whole thing sounds like a first effort by some enthusiastic youngsters, there is some bloody awesome potential to be found here. The tracks are long and loaded with monolithic riffs, rough vocals and psychedelic solos which even bring Pink Floyd to mind. Of course, I would recommend this to all doom fans but another shoutout goes to labels: sign these guys, lock them up in a studio for a year, add a solid producer and they might come out with a classic. This is talent!!!

post rock / electronic / doom

Onto one of the most unique releases in this edition of Brieviews, an astonishing cooperation between Bulgarian doom metal band Smallman and drum & bass producer Ivan Shopov (Cooh/Balansky). The result of this cooperation is an often perplexing blend of styles, contrasting rhythms, dark ambient, folk and post rock passages and intense outbursts of metal. Bands that come to mind include Massive Attack, Coldplay, Primordial and Anathema. There is plenty of atmosphere and more variation than you can imagine but most of all, these are simply excellent songs, dressed in a modern and epic sound.

progressive metal

Since we're dwelling in the experimental and somewhat unusual corners of the music industry, allow me to introduce Jupiter Hollow. In the past few years, this duo has been absorbing all things progressive and now come up with a stunning blend of everything between Rush, Opeth, Pink Floyd, Dream Theater and Tool. The five songs on this album are complex, often downright confusing pieces of progressive rock, interlaced with ambient passages. They not only show tremendous technical abilities but also a decent flair for songwriting. Fans of progressive rock should definitely get their hands on a copy of this. This is pretty much everything you like, pressed into one ep.

progressive rock

On the somewhat more gentle side of the progressive rock spectrum, we reconnect with Finnish masterminds Grus Paridae and their new single. I remember writing a review for this act in the early days of Merchants Of Air and I remember being quite charmed by their music. On this single, that is no different. 'Forthcoming Nonintellectual Decadence' is a classic progressive rock anthem, one where I can clearly hear influences from Pink Floyd but also elements from classical music. The piano and violins have a central role in this atmospheric and beautiful piece of music and the whole thing sounds well balanced, varied and as anthem-like as this kind of music should be. Nice work.

death metal / thrash metal

thrash metal / black metal

dark ambient

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noise / experimental

dark ambient / experimental

black metal

post punk

progressive / power metal

Modern melodic metal from Canada, suited for fans of Kamelot, Symphony X, Alter Bridge and Tesseract, that's what the biography mentioned. Yet, I'd like to add bands like Moonspell to that list, certainly after listening to the brilliant opener 'Guillotine', which is an epic dark metal anthem. The rest of this ep is pretty much equally interesting with some very strong metal songs. Red Cain somehow managed to blend progressive, technical and dark metal into a mesmerizing journey. Personally, I really dig the clean but forceful vocals with this kind of music so in that Red Cain certainly delivered the goods. Closer 'Unborn' is my second favorite, especially with that epic intro. 

black metal

progressive / alternative rock

progressive metal / djent / post metal

Some more relentlessness from our neighbours in France, this time with a genre called "djent". I'm not very familiar with it and many of the bandnames don't really ring a bell but I know what I like, and I like what I'm hearing right now. Short, nervous riffs, energetic drums, loads of atmospheric sounds and a harsh, screaming voice create a captivating blend of post metal and hardcore. No doubt that songs like 'The Wall' and 'Broken Streets' will be absolute blasts when played live, certainly with that amount of energy and intensity. This definitely is one for the newer generation of metalheads, but I think Meshuggah fans can easily appreciate this slab of aggression too.

indie rock / psychedelic

black metal / crust punk

symphonic metal

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funk / alternative

synthpop / electronic

post punk / alternative / indie

hard rock

black metal / shoegaze

grunge / alternative rock / punk

rock 

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post punk / alternative rock

alternative rock / noise rock

hard rock / heavy metal

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grindcore

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With Travis Ryan of Cattle Decapitation on vocals, San Diego grindcore outfit Anal Trump comes up with a short and vicious assault. The longest song on this album is eighteen seconds long and I had to listen four times while writing this thing. So yes, this is sick, gore grindcore in perfect Anal Cunt / Napalm Death tradition. It comes with a lot of shit that someone named Donald Trump has been spewing out, like 'I'd Date My Daughter', 'Build That Wall' and 'Breastfeeding Is Gay'. So if you miss Seth Putnam, hate Donald Trump, think music should be torturous and have no problem with the fact that downloading this release will last longer than actually playing it, you need this.

black metal / thrash metal

black metal

punk / alternative rock

doom / sludge

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alternative rock / post-punk

A little bit of Ramones, some Sonic Youth, a flash of Teenage Jesus And The Jerks and a touch of Slowdive, that might get you an idea of what Turkish garage rock act Reptilians From Andromeda have released upon the world. The ep opens with some rough, mid-tempo tracks but suddenly dives into noise-rock insanity with the eerie 'We Are Who We Are', which sounds like Hole on some weird drug. Right after, they pour a synth-poppy shoegaze thing in our ears. Weird, very weird, but damn immersive and definitely ready to make their entree into the world of noise-rock and garage rock, and entree through the grand gate if you ask me. Interesting stuff...

noise rock / experimental / post punk

Epileptic Media

An experimental rock act that reminds me of bands like Cabaret Voltaire and Crash Course In Science, that is odd. I think the last one that managed to do that, was Black Dice. Anyway, Postman seems to draw influences from everything between Ween, Joy Division, Sonic Youth and the aforementioned bands to come up with some surprising songs. The set-up seems to be minimal, synth, drums, guitars but what they do with those instruments, is far from limited and often results in decent gloomy pop songs. 'Escape Velocity' is one of my favorite tracks but I strongly suggest to check out the album if you're a fan of strange, out-of-the-box releases. Hell, there's even a hint of dub and reggae here, or even Iggy Pop, or post-rock... Great stuff!

electronic / electro-rock

Somewhere in California, this duo is barking out a strange blend of glitchy electronics and rock music which kinda reminds of something between Lydia Lunch, Archive and Autechre. The songs on this ep are quite danceable pieces of music, but come with a gloomy new wave atmosphere. Their main influences seem to be Glitch Mob, Sleigh Bells and Purity Ring but, to be quite honest, I like this little ep a lot more than those acts, especially the somewhat industrial 'Edge Of Infinity'. There is a certain gritty feeling about this one, an impending atmosphere. It reminds me a bit of some Tricky songs but, again, way better. 'Parish' is a brilliant piece of joyful glitch electronics, something you definitely should check out...

metal / metalcore

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French extremists Aanod move somewhere between metalcore and the melodic death metal of the Götheborg scene. Yet, somehow they combine it with a modern sound, plenty of variation, electronics and epic ambient textures. The result is a massive and pounding ep, loaded with energy and sheer violence. The music feels suited for the tiniest of venues and the biggest of metal festivals alike, which isn't easy to accomplish I think. For the record, metalcore isn't really my thing, but I can surely respect the level of songwriting and the technical skills of these guys. So, all you metalcore kids, check this one out, it might as well become one of your favorite bands.

post metal / doom

Hailing from Poland, Moanaa have released a debut in 2014, now followed by a blast. With elements from post-rock, doom, sludge metal and psychedelic rock, they create a highly immersive sonic adventure. In some strange way, these songs remind me of a heavy and more intense version of some Cure songs, played by a mishmash of bands, including A Place To Bury Strangers and Cult Of Luna. The overall atmosphere is intense, dark and downright crushing at times. The vocals usually are clean, except from a few growling outbursts, something I can truly appreciate. In all 'Passage' is a tremendous album, perfectly suited for any post-metal fan out there. Check it out, you need this.

shoegaze / alternative 

Alternative rock and post-punk, interlaced with joyous dreampop, that's what you get on this ep by Finnish quartet Mumrunner. The four tracks on this album remind me a lot of acts like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive and even The Cure. 'Shawshank' is my favorite song on this ep, an uptempo earworm that gets stuck in your head, an ability most of the songs actually have, even the punky shoegazer 'Cascais'.  This truly is stuff for the dark and murky dance floors all over the world, which obviously comes highly recommended. I hope I get the chance to see this quartet soon. I'm sure they will guarantee an immersive live performance, causing entire venues to dance the night away...

psychedelic / blues / folk

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Oh man, I absolutely love this newfound interest in seventies music. Take this French trio Dätcha Mandala and their latest ep for example, a brilliant piece of psychedelic blues rock which could have come directly from the studios where people like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles recorded their stuff. 'Misery' is a gloomy blues ballad (with a beautiful guitar solo) while 'Mojoy' is a pretty heavy rocker, somehow reminding me of Black Crowes. Both songs are excellent examples of how this newfound interest should sound: vintage, convincing and perfectly executed. I hope this single will be followed by a full-length and a tour soon. 

death metal

Portuguese horde Colosso have released a behemoth, a pungent blend of death metal and industrial, loaded with soundscapes and sheer ferocity. The result might indeed be one of the most impressive death metal albums in 2016. Somehow it reminds me of a mix between Carcass and Limbonic Art, crushing the boundaries of one genre and smashing right into another one. This album is a ranging assault of blast beats, haunting screams and vicious, often droning riffs and pure noise created with the sole intention of demolishing anything in its path. I admit, you have to be used to some level of crushing death metal before you can handle this, but once inside, the beast never lets go.

electronic / techno

Dance music right after death metal, because why the fork not? Besides, this isn't ordinary, stale and unimagined techno. In fact, there's only one true techno tune on this ep (and its remix), 'Obsession'. True, it's not my favorite but it might get some people dancing. Opener 'Vanished Breath' is more like an eerie ambient tune while a great track 'The Ritual' is a breakbeat inspired vintage electro act. Speaking of vintage electro, 'M.U.M.' seems to come directly from the seventies when people like Klaus Schulze and Kraftwerk were pioneering in experimenting with electronic music. So yeah, this fits perfectly on this edition of brieviews. 

electronic / ambient / experimental

Speaking of acts like Kraftwerk, Schulze and Tangerine Dream, here are two pieces of circular synth and tape-loop music, courtesy of Italian artist Marta De Pascalis. Both are long tracks, seemingly based around a central theme but constantly moving and changing. Title track 'Anzar' really takes me back to those early electronics pioneers, often coming up with some folkish melodies along with the cold synth sequences. 'Emerso' sounds a bit darker, somewhat nudging towards the ambient scene. In all, I like this one a tad better than the opener, probably because of its lingering soundscapes. In all, this certainly is an interesting release, which comes highly recommended to anyone who loves those old, almost psychedelic electronics. But be quick, there are only 100 copies of this tape...

experimental / ambient / noise

Silken Tofu

Another strange two-track album comes from Belgian label Silken Tofu, who released this one-session recording of Jonas Van den Bossche & Benne Dousselaere. These two tracks are elaborate audio-adventures with drones,  noise, soundscapes, synths, guitar and minimal percussion. On hand hand, the music reminds me of acts like De Fabriek, Machinefabriek; Maurizio Bianchi and Tim Hecker, while there's also a hint toward ancient electronics and gloomy eighties electro. It constantly changes, mostly driving on one or a few drones. In fact, the only thing that remains a constant on this album, is the quality. This thing definitely comes highly recommended.

black metal

From "meh", over "hm, interesting" to "fuck yeah" in mere thirty seconds, that's not an easy task to accomplish but this German trio somehow managed to do exactly that. I wasn't fond if the opening of this ep, but gradually it grew on me and halfway through 'Eyes of the Scythe Wielder', I was heabanging along with their chaotic and primitive approach to black metal. Nothing fancy, no over produced feel good shit, just sheer violence and intense blasphemy. This ep sounds like it comes directly from an underground bunker in the early nineties when the blackened scene was just beginning to make headlines everywhere. If you like your black metal true, bleak and vulgar, this is your album of the week.

rock / psychedelic

Wait, can anyone tell me what year it is exactly? Am I back in the late seventies, listening to my dad's old records on his old turntable? Am I witnessing the exact moment when blues turned into rock music? Of course not, I'm just being lured into another revival and quite frankly, I'm really enjoying it. Like I mentioned in an earlier review, it seems like current bands are finally writing and recording the songs that their predecessors forgot.

Especially in England, certain musical trends emerged around a number of venues, clubs and record stores before they slowly conquered the world. Manchester was one of those cities who proved to be elementary in the success of Brit pop. In 1999, the cities saw the birth of Politburo, a bunch of teenage dreamers. Gradually, the band build a solid reputation. They built their own studio, named '11STSQ', where they recorded this odd little gem.

The music on 'Barrington Way' could be described as classic rock, seemingly influenced by bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop and Jefferson Airplane. Sometimes, as in opener 'Umm, Rhombus?' it takes the form of punky party rock while on other occasions the psychedelic influences shine through, as it does in my favorite song 'A Crack In Staturn'.. Besides, there's also a touch of blues present in 'Deep, Down, Deep' and 'Zoos Of The World'..

Most of the songs are rather short pop songs which could have indeed been written in the sixties or seventies, but I guess that's usually the case with quality Brit pop. Yet, unlike a lot of Brit pop bands, Politburo do not sound like they write the same song over and over again. True, songs like 'Her Long Shadow' and 'Under The Ground' are quite elementary and inelaborate pop songs, but that simply makes them catchy and a good counterweight to the more psychedelic driven anthems like the title track and the previously mentioned 'A Crack In Saturn'.

So I mentioned a heap of brit pop related stuff but there's one more aspect I like to mention. There seems to be some influences from post-punk and new wave present, hidden behind the quite joyful sound of the whole. Here and there, I can't help but think about acts like Joy Division, which definitely makes this album more interesting than any Brit pop thing I've heard in the past ninety years or so. So yeah, I think I like this album...


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noise rock / post punk

Here's another slab of gutripping Belgian noise for your aural delight. Two young bands from Ghent, pretty much the musical capital of Belgium by now, have been thrown on a split album with no other intent than utter destruction of your sanity. I guess that's what you get for living in this strange little country. I mean, we know our noise rock, Vandal X, Evil Superstars, Perverted, Hypochristmutreefuzz, Blægger,... the list goes on and on.

We kick off with Crowd Of Chairs, a band with members from Youff and Deer. Their contribution to this split, is a three-track assault of punkish riffing, hyperkinetic drums, screaming and loads of hypnotic guitar sound. Opening with the frenzy 'Hieronymus', these guys rage on with their strange and nervous music, even in the calmest passages. Closer 'Mind Control' is a massive beast, an anthem of every noise they can get out of their instruments. The other song? Well, that's up to you to discover. It'll be worth it, I promise.

Some people hate Maze. They say it's thrash, shit or crap. I know, people aren't very friendly when they talk about music they don't really understand. But what's there to understand about this band? Pretty much nothing, except maybe for the fact that their deranged post-punk is damn infectious and loaded with stuff you'll never expect. They threw three songs on this split, opening with the repetitive and eerie 'Experience' and causing a punk induced moshpit of noise into the others. 'Other Convictions' is somewhat Ministry meets The Jesus Lizard, or maybe not.

As a fan of Belgian underground experimental noise post-punk rock, or whatever you call this stuff, I can definitely recommend this to all you noise-rockers out there. If you're a fan of anything between Sonic Youth, Melvins and Fantomas, this certainly is your thing. If you're not, you have just wasted your time reading this review. You could have spent that time to listen to the split, tell the internets how "fucking awful" this is and go back to listening to fucking Adèle. Belgian noise rules, let's just agree on that...


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shoegaze / post-punk / new wave / dark wave

A few weeks ago, I mentioned this album in my 'albums to look forward to in 2016' list (read). Today I have the pleasure of reviewing this brilliant piece of work. Yes, pleasure, and yes, brilliant. This album proves something that I have been claiming for years now: "The KVB is one of the most interesting and promising things in the dark music scene today".Let's go back in time for a while, before I guide you through this album.

The first time I encountered this duo, was in a bar during the Incubate Festival in Tilburg (NL). Back then I really liked their music, which reminded me of something between Sisters Of Mercy, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Jesus & Mary Chain and so on. I wasn't the only one by the way. On my right was a guy dancing almost ecstatically and yelling 'thank you' after each song. Usually it's the other way around but hey, music is freedom.

After their show, I asked Nicolas if he had any cd's. All they had was one copy but they forgot it in their hotel room. We agreed to meet up later and so we did. I still got the CD and it's still being played often here, currently not as much as 'Of Desire', but that has a good reason as you will read soon. When 'Always Then' came out, we met again, at Trix in Antwerp this time. It was a good show and a great album. Hell, I don't even remember who headlined that evening...

Anyway, on to some days ago when I received 'Of Desire', perhaps one of the most anticipated albums in this household. We quickly unwrapped it and fed the disc to our cd-player. What came out was exactly what I predicted in Tilburg some years ago, a very strong album with great songs. An album that proves how a band can grow and evolve into a mature sound while still being loyal to their influences.

So yes, Kat and Nicolas have truly grown into their role as convincing musicians, delivering a number of tracks that can easily stand next to most of the 'New Wave Club Classix' compilation. Opener 'White Walls' is an immediate club hit. It reminds me of the gloomy sound of bands like A Flock Of Seagulls or even The Cure. 'Night Games' repeats that atmosphere, be it deeper and even somewhat darker.

'Lower Depths' is actually the first true surprise for me. In a way, I reminds me of Public Relation's 'New Beat Mind', driving on slow electronics and a monotonous bass lines. Above these, the subdued vocals and slashing guitars create something quite epic, a first highlight indeed. 'Never Enough' is another one, and once again a genuine classic. Here, I'm reminded of Suicide, another one of those cult acts from the eighties, and so is the stunning shoegazer 'In Deep'.

If you were a new wave fan in the eighties, if you have ever enjoyed attending those parties where every single person was dressed black and dancing to gloomy, obscure music, if you sometimes feel nostalgic or in a dark romantic mood, you need this album. 'Of Desire' is not only The KVB's best, most mature and experienced work, it's one of the best albums in the amalgamation of dark music we like to call 'new wave' in the last decade or so. 


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post punk / shoegaze

Aah, Winter is coming.  The wind is getting colder, the bats are on the hunt one more time before going into hibernation and my cat's fur is getting fluffier.  While the light of the sun softly fades away, I crawl into my couch and listen to some dark rock music.  For a short while I'm confused about the language used, which I shortly after recognize as Italian.  Once I'm over the first few items of confusion, I really start getting into the gloomy atmosphere.

The band's name is Stella Diana and they have been around since 1998.  Over the years they have been regarded as one of the finest post-punk/shoegaze acts in Italy and perhaps also in Europe.  However, for some reason I have never encountered them.  I have been hanging around in different musical styles over the years and only recently rediscovered this genre.  This website I founded has proven to be a good step in my career.

The ep opens with 'Shohet', a splendid piece of shoegaze music, harsh, with loads of deep bass sounds and energetic drums.  Those drums were the other elements of confusion by the way.  It took me a while to get into this song.  I love it now, make no mistake about that.  What follows is even better.  'Caulfield' and 'Bill Carson' are brilliant songs, something between Joy Division, Slowdive and Jesus and the Mary Chain.

By the end, Stella Diana even come up with some awe-inspiring psychedelic music in 'Govinda', which I now think is my favorite track on this piece of work.  A repetitive bassline, free floathing guitars and an Indian mantra, what else do you need to experience bliss?  I'd love to hear more of this Master Musicians Of Bukkake meets Ozric Tentacles things.  Highly recommended stuff for shoegazers, that's for damn sure...


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post punk / indie rock

It doesn't often happen that I start writing a review with a lot of things to work with but when it does, I'm the happiest man in the world.  Take this nice tape for example.  It was delivered in my mailbox by a member of the band who lives in the same village as I do.  It was accompanied by a small paper, wishing me a lot of joy listening to this.  That and the previous emails I received, indicate that we're dealing with humble, friendly people and I always admire that.  Then, there's the hilarious title, which is also an absolute truth and finally, there's the music.  Such great music.

Dead High Wire is an indie band from Antwerp and Mechelen (Belgium).  They claim not to be technical wizards but want to focus on make decent post-punk and garage rock.  Now let that be exactly what they do.  The music on this e.p. is far from complicated, there's no layers of sounds, no fierce distortion and no brutally raised vocals.  What we do get, are four highly enjoyable pieces of post-punk music, inspired by the likes of Joy Division, The Ramones, Morphine and Sonic Youth.  

At first, in the opening notes of 'The Cabin', you might think you're listening to a post-rock band.  But then the drums, guitars and vocals kick in and turn the whole into a cheerful sounding rock song, seemingly influenced by surf rock as well as by the previously mentioned bands.  'Black Widow' takes it a bit darker, driving on an eighties electro rhythm and a bit more noise on the guitars.  It's a bit like old Neon Judgement meets Johnny Cash, which is bit strange but simply great.

That country element is also present in 'Dark Passenger', which sounds a bit like a clean Ramones song, mainly in the vocals.    'Metropolitan' closes the e.p. in style by being a well-varied piece of uplifting rock music, again with a little bit of noise and a lot of enthusiasm.  If you buy the tape, you will find a great remix of this song on the b-side, as well as an alternative version for 'The Cabin'.  So, you should buy the tape. That enthusiasm is very contagious, even to the point where I'm shaking my ass in the chair I'm sitting on.  It's not very practical to type in this position.

But I'm going to stop writing about this highly enjoyable e.p. anyway.  Fans of indie rock, garage rock and post-punk can't go wrong with this.  They're label mates of The Mary Hart Attack (at Oddie Records) and it's a bit of a shame that Dead High Wire isn't playing Incubate along with their brothers in arms.  I can imagine this being great fun in the one of the gloomy, gritty venues of that festival.  However, since they're from this neighbourhood, I'm sure I will have the chance to see them soon...


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punk rock / post punk

With all the overproduced, extensively complex and often electronic music these days, one might almost forget that there's also a wide range of musicians who love to keep it simple.  They don't need anything but their guitar to make their statements.  If we're speaking about making statemens, the punk rock scene should clearly step to the foreground.  Since the seventies punkers have been kicking against the pricks, standing on the barricades and shouting out their anarchy lifestyle everywhere in the world.

Punk indeed never dies.  It ages a bit, that's true but it's always nice to hear some uncomplicated songs about everyday observations.  Enter Kansas City punk artist Este Leon, the man behind the solo project Braggers.  Russian Winter Records released this fine debut and it's a great throwback into the early days of punk, and post-punk for that matter.

The eight songs drive on a mid-tempo drum beat and simple guitars which accompany a rough but strong voice.  Most of the songs remind me of old punk icons like Sex Pistols, The Clash or Dead Kennedys but also of post-punk bands like Joy Division, Psychedelic Furs or The Jesus and Mary Chain.  Yet, we're not done there.  At times Braggers comes close to the darker, experimental scene where projects like Bain Wolfkind roam.

In all their simplicity, songs like 'Brighter Day', 'Better Life' or 'Brand New Day' are excellent songs with a pretty decent live-capacity.  Here and there I can imagine an enthusiastic audience singing along with the lyrics and building a party in front or, or why not on, stage.  I just might be one of them but more likely I will be shaking my ass somewhere in the back with a strange smile on my face while I observe all these people dancing.  



Serge

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The Mary Hart Attack is a young band from Ghent, Belgium.  The band formed in 2013, after recording a credit roll track for the documentary ‘Cells’.  They decided to stay together to write and record some more songs.  We witnessed them live several months ago.  Their noisy post-punk somehow charmed us and the promise of a first release was very welcome.  This first release is now available as a cassette through Oddie Records and it's a pretty damn great one too.

The album opens with the powerful 'The Collision Course Of My Destinty'.  Like all songs, this is a combination of shoegaze, no wave and noise rock with a solid bass line, distorted guitars and subdued vocals.  'The Sky Awakes' somehow reminds me of a combination between The Cure and The Pixies. 

Of the five songs on this e.p., title track 'A Dark Green Light' is my favorite.  This up-tempo shoegaze track remind​s​ me of The Jesus And Mary Chain combined with Sonic Youth.  These references appear throughout the entire album, making it sound both 'vintage' and refreshing. 

'You Talk Too Much' is not only the song with the most striking title (I actually know a lot of people who really talk too much), it's also the fastest track on this e.p.  This is a solid rocker with a serious punk attitude.  'Martin's Call' is a worthy ender for A Dark Green Light, a weird, unsettling ballad that ends in a bit of noise.

So here you go, another highly recommended​ band​, capable of getting every dark and gloomy party started.  The Mary Hart Attack has clearly found their niche in today​'​s rock scene, combining some of the most interesting genres in history.  This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.


Serge