James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
Pray For Hayden - Chances
Energetic post-hardcore in the same vein as Hundred Reasons and Lit, these guys hit the ground running with Chances. Energetic and irresistibly catchy, ‘Death of Me’ opens the record with some thundering guitars and commanding drum beats. Follower ‘Never Let Go’ features more of the same but with added synth, perhaps a little misjudged. However the strings are a welcome change, bringing another layer to what came become a somewhat repetitive sound. ‘Pictures of You’ changes pace slightly, enough to nicely balance the record but not so much as to lose interest. ‘Torch In The Dark’ follows suit, the piano adding that extra flavour. The record finishes with ‘Lies’, which features the best vocal line of the EP, although that now mildly annoying synth makes a reappearance.
However, this genre of angry teenage post-punk can be done well, so long as the songs don’t last longer than 2:30 minutes. This kind of energetic, attitude music requires it. Yet all of these tracks come far closer to the four-minute mark than they should, and as a result lose some of their power and become a little repetitive. Overall, this is a clearly talented band, with an impressive first record. I’ll watch Pray For Hayden with interest.
Yawn - Yawn
If Animal Collective, Yeasayer and Guillemots were biologically fused then this would be the result. The debut EP from Chicago band Yawn is eccentric, surreal, psychedelic and at times tribal sounding. Opening with ‘Toys’, Yawn start the record at a relaxed pace with carnival-like sounds and a gentle, almost hypnotic melody. Moving on through the record we have ‘Kind of Guy’, a track that showcases the vocal talents of the band with some impressive harmonies. A wonderfully simple structure and uncomplicated melody; it is difficult not to become enthralled in this track. (The official video for this is below, the song actually starts about a minute and a half in). The more upbeat ‘David’ balances the record well, with a darker section towards the end. However, by this point, listeners will begin to notice too heavy a reliance on obscure percussion instruments to fill out Yawn’s sound. Although entertaining, it begins to drag and comes across as overdone.
See past the name. These guys will definitely keep you entertained, if only in small doses.
What The Cat Dragged In – The Abstract Noun In My Concrete Metaphor
One will always be somewhat wary of a band whose debut EP title reads to any normal person as “My Abstract Head Up My Concrete Arse” (thanks Rich). Well, the cat has dragged in a 4-track record of post-rock slowcore. Easily the best track is opener, ‘She’s Just A Line (In A Song)’. Unlike the following three songs this one has a bit of pace, but, like the rest of the record, it’s let down by some weak vocals. The remaining tracks are also somewhat of a disappointment: there are parts that are noticeably out of time, and the songs themselves are drawn out for far too long – seven-minute tracks make these flaws all the more obvious.
What The Cat Dragged In remind me a lot of bands I used to hang out with when I was about fifteen. At the time we thought they were brilliant, but in hindsight their music obviously wasn’t going to change the world and revolutionise the music industry as we might have hoped. Thankfully now, a good five years later, they’ve all matured as musicians, have gained an abundance of talent and are becoming relatively successful. Let’s hope the same thing happens to What The Cat Dragged In. I’ll be sure to check back in with them in a few years to see how they’re doing, but for now this particular EP is remaining firmly out of earshot.
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