The Fratellis - Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied

Scottish Trio Take A More Laid Back and Subtle Approach In New Record

Almost 10 years ago now Glaswegian rock band The Fratellis released their debut album 'Costello Music', a classic record full to the brim of indie and garage rock anthems with catchy hooks and instantly memorable lyrics. This was followed in 2008 by 'Here We Stand' a more toned down, yet very similar sounding LP which got the group their second Top 5 album, after a hiatus which saw all members do very different sounding musical projects, the boys returned in 2013 with the more blues influenced 'We Need Medicine', this saw The Fratellis ditch the rock and roll anthems for guitar driven tracks with storytelling lyrics, all while still staying naturally fun to listen to.

And now, two years after the release of 'We Need Medicine', the boys are back with 'Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied', an album which shows off The Fratellis attempt at more guitar driven rock and roll rather than the catchy indie/pop that made them big. The album is full of stomp and clap along tracks, examples include opener 'Me And The Devil', probably the strongest track on the record, it best sums up the new sound of The Fratellis whilst still demonstrating their ability to write catchy lyrics, the other stomp along track is the more forgettable 'Getting Surreal' which is simply 4 minutes of stuff we've heard a million times before.

It's clear the boys are going for a more bluesy, american rock and roll sound with this album. Jon Fratelli projects his voice with just as much twang from his guitar to give off real 50s/60s vibes in most tracks, and whilst it does sound impressive, most of the tracks themselves are rather forgettable, they all follow sound the same generic route. One track that does offer something different is 'Dogtown' a more bass driven track with a grand brass lead chorus, but unfortunately this track is as much of a let down as it is experimental, just like the album itself it builds towards something but always falls flat in the end.

'Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied' is a very laid back, instrumentally charming album which shows The Fratellis playing in their true comfort zone, but even though they might have found their new sound, there is still a way to go for the Scottish trio.

5/10  

BLUES ROCK / ALTERNATIVE ROCK

FAV TRACKS: - Me And The Devil -
LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Dogtown - Getting Surreal -

Don Broco - Automatic

Don Broco's Sophomore Effort May Be Catchy, It Lacks In Everything Else

Don Broco broke into the British mainstream back in 2012 with their début album 'Priorities', they were praised by critics and fans for their catchy, alt rock filled with heavy riffs and well polished instrumentals throughout. Although their début does deserve praise for those reasons, the album was just as generic as other bands in the genre (You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis) but also took a lot of influences from mainstream pop, with lyrics that lacked drive delivered soullessly by vocalist Rob Damiami. Negatives aside, this record has helped Don Broco gain a respectable fan base who are all casting an eye on them and their latest album 'Automatic'.

To sum 'Automatic' up simply, it's a horrific step back for a band who were never really going anywhere. Don Broco's latest album is flat, dull, uninspired and alienates a good portion of the bands initial following, almost completely ridding of their guitar driven alt rock, and trading it for synth beats, 80's funk vibes and even a few attempts at arena anthems, all of which fall heavily flat.

All songs feature infectiously catchy choruses, and even though this album is a pretty uninspiring attempt by Don Broco of moving away from their previous sound, the band show promise in their delivery in the more funk-orientated tracks on the album, especially the opening tracks 'Superlove' and 'Automatic' where Damiami's voice perfectly suits the style of music they deliver at the start of this album. What lets these tracks down, alongside all of this album, is the blatant commercialisation and radio-friendly precautions that the group have took, it makes the Bedford group look like they're trying way to hard to change, something many core fans of the group may not approve of.

I feel like the main redeeming factor about this album is Don Broco's determination to not stay as a run-of-the-mill alt rock group with a one dimensional sound. Even though their first attempt here with 'Automatic' is more of a step back than anything else, this can only be a sign of better things to come right?

3/10

/ POP ROCK / FUNK ROCK / R&B /

FAV TRACKS: - Automatic -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - What You Do To Me - Nerve -  

  

Pissgrave - Suicide Euphoria

Pissgrave Take Death Metal Back To It's Roots With A Raw And Punishing Record

Up and coming death metal band, Pissgrave from Pennsylvania, have been causing a stir in the underground scene for the past year with a string of live shows and supporting slots which built up to the release of their first demo last year, the demo sold out instantly and has helped Pissgrave gain a large underground following, especially in the USA.

With their first full release, titled 'Suicide Euphoria', Pissgrave have created a death metal record that brings the genre back to it's roots, whilst still managing to show the versatility of modern and technical death metal. This album has the pacey, straight to the point personality of classic death metal, with monstrously raw and brutal vocals delivered straight from the gut with unbelievably disgusting vocal deliveries that savagely spew out of the vocalist's throat. The guitars are ruthless throughout and are accompanied by the unforgiving, merciless pounding of the drums, the kind that sounds like some psychopath just went batshit crazy when recording.

'Suicide Euphoria' may be a sick and violent record, but it's not just a one dimensional onslaught of  true brutal death metal. There are some tracks, like 'Impaled Vibration' and the title track 'Suicide Euphoria' that show hints of melodic and groove metal influences, with parts in the song that have some real moments for head banging and the odd two-step, some real mosh pit moments there.

Amongst the influences, there are still many tracks on this album for the elitist fan, tracks that are just pure 100% heavy, punishing and angsty death metal, especially 'Pain Enchantment' and 'Prevail In Hell' both tracks which are just noise topped on more noise.

The only track on this album that I wasn't all that keen on was 'The Second Sorrowful Mystery' which was very different from the over tracks with a more slam/deathcore feel to it, which don't get me wrong I love both of those genres, but it's not something you should expect on an album that aims to be as raw as it is, it just didn't fit in.

All in all Pissgrave have created a record that is creative and varied within the genre of death metal, while remaining to be all out gross, violent and morbid at the same time.

7/10

/BRUTAL DEATH METAL/DEATH METAL/DEATHGRIND/

FAV TRACKS: - Impaled Vision - Prevail In Hell - Pain Enchantment -

LEAST FAV TRACKS: - The Second Sorrowful Mystery - 

    

Counterparts - Tragedy Will Find Us

Counterparts Offer a Purging Journey Through Their Music

Ontario based melodic hardcore band, Counterparts, are back with 'Tragedy Will Find Us', the follow up to 2013's 'The Difference Between Hell and Home', an album which was heavily praised by critics and helped the group to garner a worldwide following and become one of the big names amongst the melodic hardcore community. Since then the group have undergone line-up changes and signed to Pure Noise Records, the label that Counterparts' latest record has been released under.

'Tragedy Will Find Us' is dark to say the least, this is made instantly clear by the raw, throat tearing vocals that accompany lyrics which explore themes of lead singer, Brendan Murphy's, self antagonism, all while continuing Counterparts' prime blend of heavy and soft, best demonstrated in 'Tragedy' and lead single 'Burn'. The album opener 'Stillborn' demonstrates the bands ability to create a track that can change tempo in the blink of an eye, and carry the hectic energy from start to finish. There are a lot of overwhelming moments on this album, the lyrical content and the amazing vocal delivery mixed with the stunning instrumentals, delivered with the same passion that we've come to expect and love from Counterparts. As well as all of this there are some tracks on this album that employ talking and muttering, that resembles Code Orange's 'I Am King', Counterparts pull it off perfectly, using it to create a great contrast between their speedy, high energy hardcore.

Counterparts have managed to once again improve on their last effort, which is a huge achievement for the group, considering the quality of their previous album. At the moment Counterparts are looking like a band who can do no wrong and if they continue to better themselves the way they are, then they'll quickly find themselves at the top of the hardcore genre.

(If you're interested in reading the story behind the lyrics by Brendan Murphy click here)

9/10

/MELODIC HARDCORE/

FAV TRACKS: - Tragedy - Burn - Stillborn - Solace - Choke -
LEAST FAV TRACKS: - Drown -
    

The Bunny The Bear - A Liar Wrote This

The Eccentric Post-Hardcore Duo Return With Matured Sound

The Bunny The Bear are arguably one of the most unique post-hardcore bands currently on the scene, blending synthpop, metalcore and experimental rock to create a sound that is as weird as it is identifiable. Essentially a one man project of Matthew Tybor as he writes all of the lyrics and music himself and performs mainly unclean vocals with the support from a constantly changing studio band and clean vocalist Chris Hukta, who has provided the clean vocals since the début album back in 2010. 

'A Liar Wrote This' is the first The Bunny The Bear album to not feature Chris Hukta's iconic voice that is rich in range and emotion. Hukta was replaced in 2014 by studio partner and friend of Tybor, Hayley Roback, after they released a bunch covers onto soundcloud and as Roback started to join The Bunny The Bear on tour, she was eventually announced as Hukta's official replacement.

It's pretty clear from the start of the album, the opening interlude 'Vows' and track 'Love, Trust and Compromise' that the band's sound has matured, with the synth as good as completely removed from the whole album. Tybor's lyrics get more stirring and emotive in every album and he has once again bettered himself in 'A Liar Wrote This'. Matt Tybor has also improved vocally too, this latest record features his finest sounding unclean vocals since 2011's 'If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say', in this album he also provides a lot of the clean vocals alongside Hayley 'Bear 4.0' Roback. Unfortunately this leads to one of my main issues with this record, I don't know if it's because I'm personally biased towards former singer Chris Hukta or if it's just that Roback isn't that good of a singer, but I find her clean vocals hard to bare throughout the album, Tybor and Roback do partner up together well, creating a smooth contrast between vocals, especially in 'Lover's Touch' and the revisit of 'It's Not Always Cold In Buffalo', but I feel like although she does shine in one or two tracks, Hayley's cleans really let the record down.

It's safe to say The Bunny The Bear are moving forward and 'A Lair Wrote This' is a stepping stone in the right direction definitely, the more anthemic songs on this album like 'Love, Trust And Compromise' 'It's Not Always Cold In Buffalo' and 'Sleep Sequence' had moments that gave me shivers or made my hair stand on edge because, negatives aside, it's great to see a band change their sound so much and still have beautiful moments of genius. Hopefully the next step for The Bunny The Bear is to really focus on a more complete version of this new sound and really get the best out of Hayley Roback.

6/10

/ POST-HARDCORE / EXPERIMENTAL ROCK /

FAV TRACKS - Love, Trust, Compromise - Lovers Touch - Sleep Sequence - Somewhat Standards -
LEAST FAV TRACKS - Curtain Call - Sick, Sad Eyes - Loose Lips -

INTERVIEW WITH MATT TYBOR

Matthew Tybor (The Bunny The Bear) Interview

With The Bunny The Bear's latest album 'A Liar Wrote This' due to come out on the 24th I managed to ask Matt Tybor a few questions regarding the project and what to expect in the future.

Q. How do you feel the project has changed since the arrival of Hayley Roback?

Matt. As far as change, I think the project and the sound has matured, I don't know if that means I've been "thinking out of the box" or what. I do think the more recent albums have been more consultant from track to track.

Q. Is this mature sound a sign of what to expect in the future or will you be more unpredictable when it comes to genre and sound?

Matt. When it comes to the future I have no idea what [The Bunny The Bear] will become, I suppose it depends on what I want it to be at that time and where I am mentally, emotionally and musically.

Q. Do you plan on revisiting anymore tracks like Its Not Always Cold In Buffalo?

Matt. I wouldn't be closed to the idea, so it will most likely happen.

Q. Finally do you see yourself working with Hayley in the future or would you like to experiment with different vocalists?

Matt. I'll definitely be keeping Hayley around. 

'A Liar Wrote This' By The Bunny The Bear is out 24th July 2015, with a review available from 25th July. 

Being As An Ocean - Being As An Ocean

BAAO Mix Previous Sounds and Find Perfect Medium

Being As An Ocean stormed into the melodic hardcore scene with their 2012 début album 'Dear G-d' which I still think to this day is the best album the genre has to offer, with a blend of spoken word and strong conceptual lyrics, emotional storytelling and breathtakingly beautiful instrumentals. 'Dear G-d' still stands out as vocalist Joel Quartuccio's finest album of BAAO's discography, his clean vocals are unbelievable and they flow so well with his uncleans which could give deathcore's finest a run for their money. Then in 2014 they returned with 'How We Both Wondrously Perish' a more diverse album which stayed firm to the melodic hardcore genre, the first notable difference being new guitarist and clean vocalist Michael McGough, the second was how the similarities in tracks made this album seem like a step back from 'Dear G-d'. 'How We Both Wonderously Perish' sounded great musically and had the emotion but lacked the depth and passion that made 'Dear G-d' so breathtaking.

With their latest effort, the self titled 'Being As An Ocean', the Alpine based group have once again not settled for a similar sound, this time mixing the immersive storytelling and the beautiful, hard hitting vocals of 'Dear G-d' with the strong musical structure and hardcore influences in 'How We Both Wonderously Perish'. 

Musically this is Being As An Ocean's strongest album, McGough's clean vocals are eerily beautiful from the opening line of first track 'Little Richie' right to the powerfully direct conclusion '...And Their Consequence', McGough employed a more limited range compared to 2014's 'How We Both Wondrously Perish', but this is definitely not a bad thing as the tone perfectly matches the extremely touching lyrics throughout this record. Joel Quartuciccio's vocals are intense and unrestrained all the way through this album, matching the raw anger of 'Dear G-d' but with added excitement brought on by Joel's more diverse vocal range.

Being As An Ocean have been more experimental with their sound, blending a number of genres to their core sound and, on occasions, even drifting away from their core genre of melodic hardocre and almost completely removing breakdowns and guttural vocals to give the record a more post-hardcore sound to it. The opening tracks 'Little Richie' and 'Ain't Nobody Perfect' perfectly capture the albums concept instantly through the atmospheric guitars and no holds barred alternative rock style. The best example of BAAO still being able to pull off their classic blends of melodic hardcore and spoken word are 'The Zealot's Blindfold' which shows off vocalists Joel and Michael's ability to create the perfect contrast between the clean and unclean vocals without the transitions sounding forced, which is a common occurrence in modern hardcore sub-genres. 'The World As A Stage' shows off Being As An Ocean's core melodic hardcore skills, with an intro that resembles that of fellow bands Hundredth or Counterparts, with a fast tempo start which slows into a mellow more clean vocal lead middle which fades out beautifully.

Though there are many great examples of spoken word in this album, there are a few tracks that do fall flat, in particular 'St. Peter', which sees the lyrics completely eclipsed by the instrumentals, this also stands out as one of the few tracks where McGough really fails to shine. The other track on this album that falls short is 'Sleeping Iscarii' a song that plain and simply bored me, unlike every other song on this album there wasn't a stand out moment throughout the track for me, this is also the only track where the lyrics failed to grab my attention.

Very few negatives aside, 'Being As An Ocean' shows a more established sound which helps it shine just as bright as their début, and shows a definite improvement from their previous album. Being As An Ocean are once again just a few steps off pure musical nirvana.

8/10

/ MELODIC HARDCORE / SPOKEN WORD / POST-HARDCORE /

FAV TRACKS: - Little Richie - Ain't Nobody Perfect - The Zealot's Blindfold - The World As A Stage - ...And Their Consequence -
LEAST FAV TRACKS: - St. Peter - Sleeping Iscarii -