Monolith Cocktail Blog

BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP FOR JULY – INSTANT REACTIONS

UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE ALL RELEASES CAN BE PURCHASED RIGHT NOW.

Bigflower ‘Strange Days’
Single (Self-Released)

“Strange Days” is an atmospheric gem of a beauty, a tune in search of a movie. As I’ve said many times before about bigflower, they have a cinematic elegance, a widescreen view of musicality. There really aren’t that many artists making music like bigflower. They have their own sound, an echoing cavernous emptiness that is both enriching and steeped in a melancholy that is thought provokingly wonderful.

Comet Gain ‘Only Happy When I’m Sad/ Dreams Of A Working Girl’
Single (Spinout Nuggets)

What else can you expect from one of the finest guitar bands from the last thirty years or so, but a splendid slice of summery pop. Two songs that whistle and breezes, so full of summer goodness you will have to take hay fever medication after hopefully hearing them drift from the radio in the coming months. The phrase Pop gems was invented for this fine double sided delight of a single.

The Legless Crabs ‘No Condoms Just Satan’
Album (Metal Postcard Records)

The sound of rock ‘n’ roll future and past collide in this nineteen track beauty of anger and attitude: songs that deal with the strangeness of living in this world today.

From the Cramps like “I Catfished My Brother” and the sonic escapades of “Rope Bunny”, to the heaviness and sludge-rock dark humour of “Shark Lover” this is an album that should be all over alternative radio, and once again, has to compete with far less talented and easier and blander beige alternative rock.

The legless Crabs over the years have become one of those bands that never disappoints and takes from punk, electro and indie pop grunge and mashes it all into a strange kind of Alternative musicality with fine lyrics shouted/whispered /spoken or sang over.

They’re are one of the most important bands in the current underground musical scene and this album should be heard and loved by all as darkness, humour and danger really does need to make a comeback into mainstream music as an alternative to the current worship of pleasant but far to healthy and clean and wholesome pop that currently filling the Ticketmaster friendly airwaves today.

Neon Kittens ‘Minutes Of Fun’
EP (Metal Postcard Records)

This brand new four track EP is as good as you would expect it to be, depending on how much you love the kittens. And I adore them, so of course I love this EP. As angular sexy as no-wave and avant-garde as always – and really would we have it anyway else -, the sound of Miss Kitten bitching to a friend on her smartphone whilst the Fire Engines rehearse in the same room is pure bliss.

New Starts ‘Asbestos Roof’
Single (Fika Recordings)

I have always liked the songwriting of Darren Hayman. I love his pinpoint accuracy in the details of relationships gone right or wrong in his lyric writing. And once again he has supplied us with another gem, which has me looking forward to the forthcoming debut album from this his brand new band.

Red Tory Yellow Tory ‘Omni–Party’
Album (Highest Common Denominator)

Its all very nice all very good, it’s new music, it’s the future, it is no longer important it is a model of your greatest fancy sculptured out of Spam – the kind you used to get on rations in the good old days when we were getting bombed by Nazi Germany. This is the kind of album people who employ friends to clean their house would hate. It has no jangly guitars or songs about being broken hearted because the girls of your dreams are just a figment of your imagination. No, this is an album that takes the beats of late 80s early 90s chill dance music and indie with sampled vocal layers of synth and repetitive yearnings of art that reminds one of Throbbing Gristle or Add N To X or the KLF in their more mellow moments. This is an album that will appeal to those who used to enjoy listening to John Peel and now try and catch every show on Dandelion Radio at least once every month. This album is fun it has a sense of humour and an enjoyability that I find humorous and enjoyable.

Kevin Robertson ‘The Call Of The Sea’
Album

“The Call Of The Sea” is the fourth solo album from Kevin Robertson, a man who is also one of the vocalists/guitarists from Scottish guitar band The Vapour Trails. And here we have him once again showering us with sublime melodies. Melodies that are wrapped in Byrdsian like guitar jangle and vocal harmonies that have just stepped from scratched vinyl copies of ye olde mid-sixties beat boom collectables stopped for a cup of the finest Earl Grey with late 80’s early 90’s Scottish indie guitar wunderkinds’ Teenage Fanclub and Superstar while scribbling on postcards to send their love to those old scouse reprobates Shack and The La’s and the Coral.  I will be honest, I get sent loads and loads of albums to review all showing these very same influences but the main difference here being Kevin is a very good songwriter with a gift for melody that would have had him stood head-to-head, shoulder to shoulder with his influencers. And if was performing in the 1960’s would no doubt have been a regular on Shindig and Ready Steady Go, and signed to Decca or Fontana or Pye.

The Sad Eyed Beatniks ‘Ten Brocades’
Album (Meritorio Records)

The sound of The Velvet Underground, The Pastels, The Go Betweens, the question is, if I was asking a question, would be do you like them? If the answer is in the affirmative, no doubt this album would be right up your street as it’s full of the things you associate with the said bands: the lovely jangling guitars, the raise of the arched eyebrow – like if Roger Moore was the Beatnik James Bond -, the blissful melodies, the soundtrack to wearing a black polo neck jumper. Yes indeed this album is the sound of the local music scene, the sound of youth and the still wonder you can find from the strumming of the electric guitar.

The Sad Eyed Beatniks will indeed bring tears to your eyes. But they will be tears of memories of romance and yearning and failed romantic dalliances and the memories of the guitar chord playing British Bulldog with your heart. 

Vinyl Kings ‘Big New Life’
Album

Now I was not expecting this. For some reason I was expecting just another power pop album, but no, this is an album of 70s radio friendly pop rock tracks that had me hurling back to my preteen days of having the transistor radio glued to my ear; the days of me wearing flared jeans and T-shirt’s with the Silver Surfer on them while my older brother looked resplendent in Star Tank Tops and flared cords.

Yes this is one of those albums of pure perfect pop, just like they used to make: 70s Cliff wrestling with the sound of ELO, David Cassidy singing the songs of Harry Nilsson. “Smoke Rings For Renee” is an example of drop dead gorgeous pop songwriting. McCartney/Billy Joel like ballads, “So Easily Fooled”, rubbing shoulders with guitar tones that have not been heard since the days of the Grange Hill Theme. This is a beautiful album of pop finery that should be treasured by all.