Muck and the Mires - Greetings From Muckingham Palace
Salted english pop rock outta Boston carrying on in a fine tradition. Stuff in here for dancing, romancin', break downs and fightin', cleverly lampooned via 14 songs light on the cheeks and strong on the leads. You're repeatedly thrown into a 007 caper immediately followed up by an rousing evening out like folks used to do. Strong songs abound here, well over half the tunes are powerful stuff, a couple stinkers and the dreaded english circus organ DOES rear it's head a few times. Yet the energetic rave ups and the Beatle boots kinda make ya wanna smile most of all. Experience is obvious, though I don't have a bio readily available to confirm the pedigrees but seems like I heard about these cats way back. Definite songsmith prowess, and yes the aforementioned lead guitars really do stand on their own. Only three numbers pass the three minute marks, so nothing here drawn out and over blown. Standouts: This Time I Know I'm Right, I'm Your Man, Strange Waves, Cupid's Not A Friend Of Mine, Messed Up Mary, Break It All. Get it via Dirty Water Records and at muckandthemires.com
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White Water - Dark Planet
Out of the United Kingdom, Whitewater bring us an honest, if melancholy, dishes of remembrance, forgiving, and at times speculative glimpse of todays reality. Hope of tomorrow criss crossed with full realization that today, our planet is dying, as portrayed on the title cut. That kind of tension exists throughout the album, at times just the right blend of sweetness and sorrow. Definitely reality mood a plus when indulging.
https://whitewater-uk.bandcamp.com/album/dark-planet
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Baby Sosa - I Feel Like Ballin'
Classic track out of the box with a semi-nod arpeggio riser about mid staff most somehow somewhere have heard before. It’s a stab outta retro scenes when just that piece some hot chicks cars and videos, yo mtv raps be callin’ yer ass.
But here we are going into the third decade of the 21st century and can the same flame still light up the skies? Yes it can with a tight update and spits real on the scene as credibility demand they be. Even if dude just blastin’ boast from the bed wit some ho’s.
Wait, is that PC anymore? Fuck it. Crank this bitch up.
Contact: Smash Many Records - https://www.discogs.com/label/1098819-Smash-Many-Records
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A.Chal - Six Zero
Testimony of life given into another after time, then taken back by necessity to affirmative ownership of the extender. Haunting backdrop made straight by trash lid click melded to sparse melodic weaves both with vocals and stabs. The over all appearance is a soaring platitude, but one which never lands too high, ditching what could possibly be too much drama, but it’s not there, thankfully, and the piece runs out before it allows itself to self destruct.
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The Penny Black Remedy - Owing To Certain Circumstances Part 1
Songs of pitched remembrance, struggle and lengthy travels, set to a western set of walking bass and banjo injections (Before I Go). Actually, there's not so much banjo hereafter, which is a personal disappointment going forward, cause I love the bangjer. A couple of folk nods herein (see Just Don't Say It Outloud) which had me back at the casa checking out the spanish mandolins. The strummed questioning which takes on the appearance of a statement (Halfway Between An Atom And A Star) appear often on this album. As do pseudo-romantic takes on the doorsteps of appalachia (Too Dark For Dolly), seen more as nods to gospels shouted from the back of pews as the snake handlers grovel, sweat, and pray. Good songs for ridin' (Choosing...), bluesin' (murder Is Almost Never Funny), or a spot of really not needed courage (A Long Way from Hopeless)on a blanket of hometown humor. All together, whatcha got? Owing To Certain Circumstances Pt.1 from The Penny Black Remedy.
Contact: https://yellowxander.wixsite.com/x-pr
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Black Hawk Down - Chapter One
Killer shit pretty much from start to finish. A few times it's a bit too much like vintage era STP, PJ or AIC even a time or two. Yet that classic west coast sound sounds pretty good sometime. This is sometimes a bit heavier, even funkier. So you gotta give it cred it earns on it's own.
Definitely the unpretentious stuff is better. When the band comes together singing stacked in harmony and ripping it up they forge their own path to victory. You can add The Smoke, good enough for a hard rock FM hit, Sick Kind which nothing but sick riffs throughout, and the first four numbers which kick off the album, are about as good you can get anywhere.
Contact:
https://open.spotify.com/album/16gjsyTAYxZaFRJEpShHPN?si=pqQ-C17SQ66TH32R2gcBOQ
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Ward XVI - Metamorphosis
Drama heavy, neo-symphonic circus roundtop electro rock which definitely will kill you if you call it that. Few tasty leads throughout and powerhouse vocals putting on a good show from Psychoberrie. I find the overall release somewhat more than listenable and a few numbers such as Mister Babadook a bit better. The just said Mister B has strange atmospheric resemblance to some late 80's Lita Ford without as much of the metal. Broken Toys is crazy time at the metal pizzeria. Imago brings in the pseudo gothic artful beat stirring vocals entry. It's a damn good one, one of the better tunes on the album. A Goodnight Shot is straight stage play, a narrative, chillin', about guns and madness. Burn The Witch has a cool wah solo, slithering around then coming in hard for the jam as the double bass kick in. Shadows is definitely top shelf horrifica, time spent with a dark friend. That one's pretty good. Give it a hard earned 6.5
Contact: https://wardxvi.com/
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AUTHOR & PUNISHER - Beastland
https://youtu.be/vpCXKroBuhM
Filaments of growl, arranged in megalithic prowl. The assertion of the heavy not above relapse, who also just happens to be the label. Tossing stone into steel, a might settling of the space time continuum. As a mountain lion above it’s prey, waiting, it strikes. Bringing torrents of pain, the warm blood dripping from open wound. Still the guitars rise, and the mind melts away.
Pulling vapor from the darkness, song such as Nazarene and Pharmacide set the scales with hints of industrial psychedelia. But it never strays at first from the void, remaining hidden in the swirl pitch of envelopment. Truly, as you can never get away. This is your destiny. Beastland. Final breakdown of your soul, as the soaring chords of the band, take you into the abyss.
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Beast 621 does Kevin Kruz @ Mad Monk Monastery: the-mad-monk-meets-kev-kruz-at-the-monastery-of-madness-beast621-the-mad-monk-of-mixing/
One of the best old school mixtapes I have heard in a really long time. The story behind the mixtape tells why it’s unique before you even spin it. When you play it, it moves from funky rhythm to trance with smooth transition and ease. All flavors here; house, bass, dancehall, minimal, groove, street, hip hop and techno. What it gives is over an hour of dance floor prime. This is a classic for the club and house parties alike.
Contact: redsunmusic.net
https://www.mixcloud.com/BEAST621/the-mad-monk-meets-kev-kruz-at-the-monastery-of-madness-beast621-the-mad-monk-of-mixing/
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