OCTOBER 2007 CD REVIEWS

SYSTEMYK : CROSS CONTAMINATION

Hull’s resident Industrialists have been bringing the noise to the North for years. Recently having been signed to Casket Records, they have completed work on “Cross Contamination.” The standout here is “Promises” with it’s “poppy” keyboards blending nicely with heavy guitars very reminiscent of Zeromancer’s best work. The vocals are raw, deep and serve to separate Systemyk from other prominent acts in East Yorkshire at the moment. “Questions” is furious and cutting, while “Fear Inside” is a dancefloor filler with a bucket load of barking riffs and a painful bite. Penetrating beats and passion for all things loud form the foundation of this record.
It’s good to see “Can’t Carry On,” a track surviving from early demo’s has been re-designed and given new life for the album. This time it’s much more dance-friendly, and the disco beats complement the tribal element of the drums incredibly well. The band have taken a far more intelligent approach to recording, this and other tracks like the heavier sounding “Victim” are a perfect example of how the band have improved since they have found major label backing. Systemyk have become truly relevant on this new record, and they hope to reach a wider audience and tour Europe with their unique sets in the coming months. Check out the Goth-metal powerhouse, blink and you might miss them…like a flash of red and black strobe light. dom smith

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Syncrownized : Delirious

Three-track single from a York rock three-piece who’ve been quietly but surely building quite a sturdy reputation. This is pretty good stuff, tight, quite crisply produced and bearing all the hallmarks of a band who’ve paid plenty of dues (the press section on their website has reviews going back to 2002, so they should know what they’re doing by now). Lead track ‘Delirious’ immediately grabs, with Ben Darwin’s metronimic bass almost reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age, while Leon Banks weaves a tale of domestic grubbiness – obviously the right choice for the main side. The b-sides (are they still called b-sides anymore?) explore more varied territory – ‘Angels Don’t Cry’ really strains for big anthemic rock peaks and it oh-so-nearly reaches them, held back by the slightly gutless guitar and the fact that Leon Banks’ voice doesn’t quite hit the requisite heights. Nevertheless it’s a strong song and done on a bigger budget could sprout a monster of a memorable chorus. ‘Northern Lights’ brings the acoustics and the funky rhythms and is probably the least engaging track here, but again proves that the band can really lock in together. Overall this single gives the impression of a talented band who are probably in their element live, maybe not world beaters but a surefire bet for a good night out. tim procter

Defiant Kinetics : 4 track promo

More evidence of a trip-hoppy undercurrent bubbling away round these parts, these tracks are taken from DK’s full length album. They’re not a million miles away from fellow spaced-out Bristolsound travellers The Projects, with excellent production, jazzy-flecked sashaying beats, and brass stabs, although where the former are vocally female-fronted, on this promo DK’s sole vocal input is from a wired MC named Kareem. The track featuring him, ‘Technicolour’ (present in both original and “clean” versions, though quite what needed cleaning out I’m not sure) is the best track here, loads of nods to hip-hop and plenty of squelchy squiggles and beats and a wonderfully wheezy organ sound under the verses. The vocal-less tracks, ‘Definium’ and ‘Quiver’ are less immediate, but the latter’s rolling beats and keyboard-down-a-hoover-tube noises does get you nodding along the more it goes on. The promo probably isn’t the best way to appreciate DK – there’s a bit of a lack of variation in pace here for example; their sound probably better develops over the course of a whole album, but anyone who’s heard The Projects or appreciates playful, good-natured electronics like Global Goon should definitely check the album out. tim procter

His Mighty Robot presents : The Conflict.

A “concept” album is something I have never understood…I mean I just love good quality progressive music, and fortunately that’s what this album from New York trio His Might Robot, has in abundance. Of course it’s not for everyone and lengthy songs can test the patience, but this (although a lot softer,) would give Maynard James Keenan’s lot (Tool) a nice run for their money.
This band make sophisticated and varied songs that remind us of the true remit of experimental music, to challenge the audiences perceptions of what music can communicate through great musicianship and time.. “Starlite Broken” conjures images of your darkest nightmares in musical form with some exciting sounds that serve to tease your senses, reassuring you with steady drums but breaking away with erratic guitar waves. This is followed by “Embrace”, drums take the back seat while the two vocalists take up conversation perhaps reflecting on the trials of celebrity culture on the youth of today? There’s also some nice solos at the conclusion of this effort that will make any serious guitarist melt with antici-----pation.
“The Condemned” is simply the darkest “spoken-word,” minute long song I have ever heard. It’s dark and it works with the narrative flow. This leads into the wonderful acoustic effort “Your Body As A Crucifix.” Female Vox “H-rocker” and male lead “Soda” again work well together on this effort, changing tempo and tone, proving that “progressive” rock can be minimalist and really catchy at the same time.
HMR are a complicated band. They blend relaxed easy listening with chaotic and rampant pace to create a great record that speaks to an audience who will really listen and really want to. If you love music, if your heart is held together by guitar strings, and these strings go insane when you hear the opening to The Pixies - “Monkey’s Gone To Heaven” then check these guys out. dom smith

Hard Fi : Once Upon A Time In The West

An album named after a beautiful spaghetti western masterpiece is one that is clearly aiming high. Hard Fi’s second lives up to the ambition of the film of the same name, if not its unquestionable brilliance (I’m a fan, in case you hadn’t guessed). Following on from the sharply crafted song writing of their first effort, Richard Archer and co. have penned another album that turns the everyday into the anthemic, full of hymns to the under paid and over looked. The knock out first single, “Suburban Knights” is trademark Hard Fi. A hook resembling the most harmonic terrace chant ever heard, it is glorious and punchy, but it is after this powerful opener that the album reveals its real character. Drenched in strings and walls of production, it is very much a departure. “Tonight” combines mournful piano and electronic beats before introducing solemn backing singers and a cello backed outro. Possibly the most sonically original piece, “Watch Me Fall Apart” allies a drum kit and bass with a string quartet to create something resembling a stately ballroom dance. Even “I Close My Eyes”, while conceivable as old Hard Fi, gives us a chorus of such intensive production and melodic dexterity that you wonder if Archer has eaten a bit too much Muse for breakfast. Second Album Syndrome strikes occasionally, when the desire to sound unlike the first album from the very first second of a track results in a slight loss of the tightness of material and attitude of performance that made Hard Fi such an exhilarating proposition the first time around. They do, though, generally end up on the right side of the quality control line, as you would hope from a band who’s first album did not entirely lack attempts to embrace differing musical styles. A brave and diverting, if not always successful, second collection. martin cordiner

The Thurston Lava Tube : The Thoughtful Sounds of Bat Smuggling

The Thurston Lava Tube is a geological feature in Hawaii, known locally as Nahuku. It’s also the name of my new favourite band. People who like no singing at all, oceans of reverb and silly song titles will find much to love here. The tried and tested twangy guitar/cheesy organ instrumentation calls to mind surf titans like Dick Dale and Laika and the Cosmonauts - surely everybody’s favourite Soviet-influenced Finnish surf band. Opener “Miserlou” is, thanks to the efforts of Quentin Tarantino, the most famous surf-guitar riff around. Its inclusion seems a little obvious, particularly in the light of the rest of the album’s freshness, but as a taster to draw the listener towards some of the band’s more esoteric destinations, it works just fine.
“Fear the Bat Smuggler” is more like it. A marvellous tune, one of those that makes you think you’ve known it for years on only the second listen. The organ sound alone is enough to plant the smell of candyfloss in your nostrils. To come over all Jazz Club for a second, there are some lovely changes of meter in “Hair and Plants”. There is also what sounds like an elastic band solo, albeit one worthy of New York Jazz Noisenik Arto Lindsay.
There are other highlights. The splendidly-named “Tide of Jam” could be a lost Morricone Western theme, while Space 1752 has echoes of Calexico’s psychedelic mariachi groove. “Bag Territory”’s considerable power as a tune comes across well, despite a large and tuneless dollop of drum-heavy noodling in the middle. There is also a sprightly, if completely demented, cover of “We’ll Gather Lilacs in the Spring Again”. Mad as fishcakes, but it kept me grinning for two and a half minutes. At one point I’m sure I could just detect the distant whirring of Ivor Novello spinning in his grave. If you like a bit of twang, a whiff of cheese and a dollop of daft, you’ll love this band. I do. pete Mitchell

ODIN DRAGONFLY : OFFERINGS

Odin Dragonfly (Angela Gordon and Heather Findlay) are also part of York folk institution Mostly Autumn, but this self-released album proves they’re not just a mere side-project. ‘Offerings’ is fantastically produced, crystal-clear and rich, which particularly allows Gordon’s lilting flute and chiming piano to take centre stage, with Findlay’s guitar generally acting as the propulsion for the songs. Not surprisingly for two singers rooted in folk, their voices are clear and pure, I personally prefer Gordon’s slightly gentler tones, but they harmonise . While some of the material here edges towards a more mainstream singer-songwriter style – standouts “Given Time” and “Waiting For The Snow” have an early Tori Amos-ish touch about them – in the main they stay firmly in folk territory. For fans of the genre this will be a deeply satisfying listen, superbly played and executed, and there’s much here to enjoy – the closing cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Forsaken Love” for example is an unexpected curveball, the LA moodiness successfully transferred to an Autumnal English landscape. Non-believers in acoustic music are hardly likely to be converted by their cover of Jethro Tull’s “Witches Promise,” lyrics about ravens and magpies, and especially the evocative flute playing, but for those who only occasionally venture into the amp-less realm, Odin Dragonlfy (OD??) are well worth checking out. tim procter