Coves - Cast A Shadow EP

Wondering what to get your music loving mate for Christmas? well look no further than Coves' debut EP 'Cast No Shadow'. Here is our track by track review.

1. Cast No Shadow – A fantastic blend of rock psyche and pop music opens this EP and sets the standard very high. The looping beats/keyboards coupled with the Pond-esque guitars lend the song a mature depth in the same mould as the early Belle & Sebastian albums and the Reverend & The Maker’s single ‘Silence Is Talking’.

2. No Ladder – This is the stand out track of the EP. It is a joyous psychedelic march through a Ennio Morricone’s vision of the wild west. Anyone who enjoyed Oasis’ ‘To Be Where There’s Life’ is going to immediately fall in love with this tune.

3. Run With Me – It seems almost everyone has had a favourite band from Brooklyn these days and Coves have lended their influences to theirs here with joyous nod to Here We Go Magic on 'How Do We Know' and Grizzly Bear's on 'Yet Again'.

4. Fall Out Of Love – This is the weakest of the four tracks but do not dismiss it lightly. It has some genuine moments of Mary Chain and pre-signed Glasvegas genius embedded. It feels a little confused when the Mary Chain fuzz crosses with electronica of Animal Collective but with the right producer honing Coves’ talent TT feels the two will merge push music forwards once more.

Dingus Khan – Support Mistley Swans

Vitriolic, passionate and aggressive: this is what all debuts should sound like right? The combination of ‘My Body’ and ‘Mad As Hell’ is the most exciting opening to a British band’s album for many a year. It is a full on noise assault, caused by their 8 members, 3 of which are drummers and 3 others are bassists. However, they have this amazing knack to maintain catchy melodies and leave us wondering are we witnessing the birth of another Blur-esque band. Dingus Khan are far more untamed compared to Blur so it’s probably safe to say ‘Tender’ and ‘Universal’ are off the menu, but heavier modern day versions of ‘For Tomorrow’ and ‘Song 2’ are all in the realms of possibility.

 As major labels retreat further into conservative signings, a doff of the cap is in order to Fierce Panda. ‘Bag For Life’ is the kind of exciting and bedraggled genius the charts has been missing since the Libertines ‘Up The Bracket’. If someone ever asks you to describe how you felt at a Crowns or Pulled Apart By Horses gig then just play them this song. It gets across the drunken, penned in sweaty nature of those bands perfectly.

‘Knifey Spoony’ sums this album up with its compelling mix of raucous guitars and undeniable melodies. At the point when you think you can’t take any more of their 3 drummers smashing the skins to within an inch of their lives, their riffs will reel you in and the vocals will send you off into a state of bliss (albeit a slightly aggressive one).

 Album closer ‘Ambulance’ has the kind of vocal brilliance we came to expect from Frank Black with The Pixies and has the youthful naivety of Frank Turner that we, at TT adore so much. However, what we really like about ‘Ambulance’ is something very tenuous indeed, its track placing. After the pasting Dingus Khan deliver to your senses in the previous 9 songs, medical attention will be required.

Then there is fierce uncontrollable beast ‘How Do You Like Me Now’. This is so intense that there are rumours (which we’re starting) that riot police sing this each other every morning as their national anthem. When Pulled Apart By Horses managed this level of viciousness with V.E.N.O.M in 2011, TT could envisage nothing as visceral emerging from the UK rock scene for a while but here we are, staring in awe once more.


 Many argue that rock music has ceased to reinvent the wheel of late and they’d be within their rights to continue this argument when listening to ‘Support Mistley Swans’. Nevertheless, they cannot say it has not been reinvigorated by this release. The energy and passion on this debut can only be the start of great things.

Bo Ningen - Line The Wall

Bo Ningen are a Japanese four piece based In London who have been championed by Marc Riley on BBC6 – a public service for which Marc should receive a knighthood, in TT’s humble opinion. They released their self-titled debut album in 2010 and have returned in 2012 to produce what is easily one of the year’s finest albums ‘Line The Wall’.

They open their 2^nd helping with rock n roll so desperate and so uncontrollable it won’t just escape into the ether it will lend you a magic carpet to transport you there. The drums on opener ‘Soko’ are pure punk rock to begin with, before cascading into a rock-cum-disco extravaganza not seen since The Music’s self-titled debut. Accompanying these exhilarating beats are the My Bloody Valentine on coke guitar parts which make this a truly barnstorming opener.

Hypnotic vocals and guitar licks are key to this album’s success. Bo Ningem have an ability to create a feeling of tension so daunting it is as though a decade of celibacy has been installed. Henkan and Daikaisei Part 1 are prime examples of this in subtle yet spectacular ways. Henkan utilises mesmerising vocals to lure you in before unleashing a ferocious frenzy of guitars reminiscent of Primal Scream’s paranoia classic ‘XTRMNTR’ album. Then there is the guitar solo. DAMN! It goes one way, then the other, twisting the listener inside out. It’s the kind of genius which we pray John Squire can produce on the Roses’ comeback album next year. Meanwhile Daikaisei Part 1 hooks you in with a nod to T-Rex’s ‘Get It On’ before evolving into a synth laden Pink Floyd epic to take you into a state of euphoria.

‘Shin Ichi’ is another track which resembles Primal Scream’s ‘XTRMNTR’ era. Couple this with a Yeah Yeah Yeahs ‘Date With Night’ sounding riff and Bo Ningen have conjured yet more magic. Only one word can aptly describe this tune: filth. It reeks of sex dugs and degradation without a hangover or the accompanying regrets in sight.

Rock pyschadelia has made welcome return in 2012 from various factions. Tame Imapla made it great and complex with ‘Lonerism’, Weller made it poptastic on ‘Sonik Kicks’ this year and Richard Hawley made it harrowing on his bereavement based album ‘Standing On The Sky’s Edge’. However, Daikessi Part 2 is rock psyche at its most potent. It sounds death defying and carefree like all good rock music should and puts the great James Dean imagery and symbolism back into rock music. It doesn’t feel like a career with regular 1-2-1 meetings with your supervisor, a feeling we are often left with by Coldplay and The Killers. In a week where Led Zeppelin have dominated the music press for the release of ‘Celebration Day’ people should take heed of this ‘Whole Lotta Love’ inspired tune and recognise the future is still unwritten.

You may have noticed we haven’t commented on the lyrics in this review. This is a deliberately lazy ploy by TT. The feeling Bo Ningen gave us was so pure and primal on first listen and after 10 or 12 plays it was still having the same effect. It took us to levels of hysteria that had us all frantically re-writing our favourite albums of the year and decade alike. Due the powerful way in which the album moved us, we felt it best to leave their lyrics in the realm of the unknown to add to the mystique their music has built up. We do not implore anyone to do the same but we do urge you all to purchase this glorious demonstration of acid rock ‘n’ roll.  

Live Review: Luls @Hoxton Bar and Grill

 The London based three piece open with ‘Never Let It Go’, Best Coast meets The Rapture ditty which comes alive when the guitarist/vocalist adds his deep Ian Curtis tones. Bassist, Adam, is a star in the making and carries the tune gloriously but when Shaun joins him the band become a force of nature. Their influences come at you like a flurry of Manny Pacquiao blows. One second your hearing Mars Volta the next its Joy Division and its joyous (all this in the first song, you really should have been there).

TT is really impressed with Luls’ ability to hook the crowd with catchy guitar riffs and epic choruses and yet sound off the beaten track at the same time. New single ‘Swing Low’ is the perfect example of this. It has a raw primal sound that Grouplove and Biffy Clyro can only dream off.

The highlight of their set is ‘Young’. It displays just how much ability this group has. Just when you think you have them pinned down as a brilliant new rock band they toss out this euphoric Arcade Fire meets Young Guns number. TT was at the 02 on Tuesday night to see Radiohead, where every song sounded like a poignant moment in a David Lynch film. Well, ‘Young’ sounds like the climax to a Ron Howard film (excluding the Da Vinci Code obviously). All edgy on the fringes like ‘Frost/Nixon’ or ‘Cinderella Man’ but at the heart is something very engaging and poignant for us ordinaries to grab hold of and sing in our bedrooms.

They end with ‘We’re Coming Again’ which is a classic in the making. It’s so beefed up it makes Tribes’ efforts look like haute cuisine. The baselines are fantastic on this, forget the toss your reading about Muse at the moment, Luls have the best bass player you will have heard in a long time. ‘We’re Coming Again’ will be closing sets for a long time to come.

New single ‘Swing Low’ is released on the 22^nd October.

"I Was Born A Fiery Child"

Josephine Foster – Blood Rushing

Many may not know that Foster trained as an opera singer, but when you hear the diverse and unique delivery on ‘Blood Rushing’, you will not be surprised. Foster manages to create a chaotic sound that always seems to make sense. How? We’re not quite sure, and therein lies the beauty of this record. At times it will leave your brain frazzled but her ability to master classical US folk rock traditions always manages to keep the melody leading the narrative and as a result, enjoyment levels remain high.

Album opener ‘Waterfall’ is some of the most distinctive pop music heard in a long time. The combination of the long lost hippy tones of Linda Thompson with a 1930’s broadcast voice is inspiring and will hook you immediately. The accompanying guitars are reminiscent of Real Estate’s ‘Municipality’ but far more immediate, which adds to Foster’s unique intensity and oddness.

‘Panorama Wilde’ and ‘Sacred Is Star’ are two contrasting songs but both show the vastness of Foster’s songwriting ambition. PW will cart you off to the American wilderness, help you set up camp and leave you with the optimistic feeling that you can conquer it alone. Meanwhile ‘Sacred Is Star’ offers up a more twisted side to the image of the wilderness Foster previously created. The acoustic guitar plucking will leave you unsettled and wondering what lies beyond the darkness, as if the attempted conquering has gone horribly wrong and left you desolate and without hope. The orchestration which kicks in half way through has the feel of an evil Pagan ceremony, merely serving to heighten the sense of dereliction and isolation created in the opening verse. If Nick Cave had a time machine there is every chance he will be returning to 2005 to add these songs to ‘The Proposition’ official score.

After discussing the vast and the grand, it would be rude to not to mention the genius simplicity on ‘Child Of God’. ‘Child Of God’is a spectacular homage to Joni Mitchell, circa ‘Blue’. It is impossible not to visualise yourself in the summer sunshine of the Eastern Plains of Foster’s home state, Colorado, drinking a cold beer and watching the world go by.

‘Geyser’ is arguably the most interesting track on the album. As an opening 10 seconds go to a song, you’ll be hard pushed to find a more insane 10. We’re not even sure what is making the noises but if Hitchcock or Kubrick were alive today, they would be using this intro to psychologically disturb audiences. When the guitars kick in, you’ll be forgiven for thinking Mark E Smith is about to sing. What you get instead is Foster mashing up her opera singing and love of Northern US folk rock to splendid effect.

Meanwhile the track ‘Blood Rushing’ is yet another slice of progressive yet loving folk music. The violin solo conjures up a wrath of morbidity in this tale of embarrassment. Foster retreats to her operatic past in the climax of the song and the lyrics become indistinguishable except the line “I begin to begin again”. If you read up on the history of Foster, this lyric sums her up perfectly. She struggled when training as an opera singer, often unsure what type she was. Well, she has begun again and with glorious results we hasten to add. Blood Rushing is one of 2012’s must listens without a shadow of a doubt.

Top 10 Creation Records Singles

With the exhilarating news that Alan McGhee is to start up Creation Records again TT has compiled a joyous top 10 singles from their last stint to see you through to 5pm on Friday.

 1. Oasis - Live Forever


2. Primal Scream - Come Together


3. Jesus and The Mary Chain - Upside Down


4. Super Furry Animals - Fuzzy Logic


5. Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies


6. My Bloody Valentine - Soon


7.  The House Of Love - Shine On


8. Hurricane #1 - Step Into My World


9. Boo Radleys - I Wish I Was Skinny


10. Ride - Twisterella

The Minx - No Friends

The single ‘No Friends’ is littered with punchy riffs and a kickass bassline which will have you sprinting for the dance floor. So far, everything you have ever wanted in a pop-punk band right? Well, there is more! Not content to be another replica in The Clash and Green Day legacy, keyboardist, Kieran McIntyre gives the tune some mod-flavoured soul and a hint of Subway Sect’s classic: ‘Ambition’.  Meanwhile, it is the guitarists Chris Haddon and Paul Robinson which give the band real identity. The manner in which he uses his riffs reminds TT of Steve Craddock’s work on ‘Mosely Shoals’ and ‘Marchin’ Already’. The guitar parts on both are often understated but always manage to drive the narrative of the song forward and on occasion that they are prominent they are as infectious as athletes foot in a swimming pool.

Like The Clash and Green Day however, The Minx have a social conscious. With the Coalition returning to Westminster this week and talk of yet more cuts, The Minx’s call to arms (“Too many public hiding heads under the covers, your looking after number one…”) could not come at a better time.

The first b-side ‘Cold Outside’ demonstrates The Minx’s ability to jump in and out of the genre pool and produce class pop music. We’re certain that if Bombay Bicycle Club had grown up loving The Ruts and Skids then this would be the end product.

The 3^rd and final track is ‘Scoops’, and is another 2 and half minute…….whaaaaaaaaaattt???? It’s actually 4 minutes 25 seconds!!!!!!! But don’t worry, they haven’t gone all Rick Wakemen on us yet. This is a prime example of the potential The Minx have. Sounding like a hybrid of Stiff Little Fingers and Secret Affair, it’s a good old fashioned “unite the crowd” anthem. Vocally, there is a smidge of early Alex Turner in there which should give burgeoning indie kids their way in but make no mistake Chris Haddon is his own man and will make his mark in a venue near you soon!

The combination of “Billie-Joe-with-and-English-accent” vocals and quintessential English rock n roll gives The Minx that ability to flirt with influences like Andy Gray and young female intern. The results are already proving dividends and the future of this band is going to be one to monitor very closely, folks.

'No Friends' is out now on Queen Street Records.