Album Review: Dear Darkness by Dan Andriano & The Bygones (by Lara Roberts)

I’ve been a big fan of Alkaline Trio ever since I first set ears on Fuck You Aurora all those years ago, and I always loved Andriano’s smooth voice juxtaposed against Skiba’s vocals, with them both complementing each other. I always enjoyed Andriano’s songs and craved more of them, lapping up solo projects he’s worked on.

This album starts off as I had expected and hoped, with Narcissus, Amateur Classic Narcissist providing the reassuring familiarity of Andriano’s silky vocals melting over his guitar, and Sea Level and Dear Darkness both sounding straight out of the books of Alkaline Trio. There’s plenty of Andriano’s distinctive sound from the start – beautiful, rich, and smooth, just like that first cup of coffee in the morning.

However, despite the coffee being one you could easily drink all day, you find yourself reaching for a different taste – the flavours on your tongue are getting a bit stale after a few mugs of the same brew. You’re looking for a pick me up to carry you through the rest of the work day. Wrong provides that something a little different. It starts with the familiar, deep vocals over gentle piano, before building up to more of an anthemic sound, incorporating a weird 80s metal guitar line before ending with a fade-out. Unfortunately for me, the song ends up living up to its name. The Excess suffers the same fate, with a strange jazzy start and 80s metal-esque ending.

It’s at this point that you find yourself reaching for the first batch of coffee that you ground that morning. You realise that there was nothing wrong with the first cup – it was dependable, likeable, and much more enjoyable than the others. Which is good, because Andriano’s brooding voice and stunning lyrics in both The Rest Of You and Into Your Dream (The Sophie Moon) take us back to the original blend of the album, carrying us through to the end, ensuring a strong finish with no bitter aftertaste.

Stream and download Dear Darkness in all the usual places and like Dan Andriano & The Bygones on Facebook here.

This review was written by Lara Roberts.

Album Review: Humbucker by Moving Targets (by Chris Bishton)

Moving Targets are a band I've loved for decades. Alt-punks from Boston, Massachusetts they formed in the early 80s, split in the mid 90s, only to reform again thanks to the force behind the band – lead guitarist, vocalist and all round powerhouse, Kenny Chambers. Apparently he wasn't finished as he set about recruiting new members Emilen Catalan and Yves Thibault, resulting in a comeback album and European tour last year.

Humbucker is their sixth album and the second in the last two years. Great news for us that they didn't come back for one last hurrah, rather Chambers seems reinvigorated, although apparently it nearly didn't happen as he needed a nailing biting dash to the airport to get on one of the last planes out of the US to Canada before the COVID lockdown in order to record the album.

I love the fact that he made that flight. Wires, their album from last year, was one of my favourites and it marked a glorious return after 25 years. Truly brilliant to hear a band that I have such a soft spot for put out such a great record after such a long time away. A second album in quick succession was always going to be a bonus and Humbucker provides that great alt-punk sound from a band that's been reborn.

The first track is The Hole. It's got a typical Targets vibe to it. A bit of Hüsker Dü, meets Pegboy, meets Dinosaur Jr. Is that indie, alt-punk or simply punk? I dunno, but it's a great song and possibly my favourite on the album.

Opposite is beautiful. It's mid-tempo, but with peaks and troughs of alluring guitar and lead vocals from Chambers and delicate ahhh-ahhh backing harmonies. Lost incorporates an acoustic guitar at the start of the track and has me kind of hypnotised once the electric guitar kicks in. I love it.

Feed is heavier. Big, strong guitars that almost have a grungy feel about them, before Harder Than The Rest follows which picks up the pace. Chambers' guitar dominates for over a minute before his vocals kick in. It's another contender for my favourite on the album.

World Gone Mad comes half way through the album. This song, along with Make It Right, are familiar as they were released on a split with The Swipes earlier this year. They're good songs but I do now find myself wondering why they've been included on this album when they were also on another release just a few months ago. But, I quickly admonish myself – you can't have too much of a good thing right?

Waiting For You is also on both these releases although on the split it's an acoustic track whereas on Humbucker is gets the full electric treatment. It's unusual for bands to "reimagine" tracks this way round. Usually it's the electric tracks that get the acoustic makeover, but this way round leaves me loving the new supercharged electric version.

Throughout the album there are massive guitars, but it's not agitated, distraught or out of control. Having listened to Humbucker all the way through many times now, I'll say that I don't rank it as high as Wires. But then again, I never expected to. Wires really was spectacular. But the thing for me is Humbacker is still a great album that, critically, doesn't leave me thinking a band can't sustain quality after what must have been a huge effort to start making and releasing records again.

There are a lot of songs on this new one. Fifteen to be precise, which I also think makes it a little too long. Twelve is the optimum number for me, but this is nit-picking. I'll take this as a sign that their creative juices are flowing and they've got more to come.

I should have seen the band when they played London last year, but in the end I couldn't make it because the gig turned out to be a matinee. As I'm writing this, I'm kinda aware that pre-COVID I would having been planning to go to The Fest about now where they would have been one of my must see bands. I was so looking forward to both of these until the universe conspired against me, so now I'm spinning the latest album and looking forward to next year when it has to be third time lucky.

Stream and download Humbucker on Bandcamp here.

Like Moving Targets on Facebook here.

This review was written by Chris Bishton.

Album Review: Le Feu Et Le Sable by Airstream Futures (by Chris Bishton)

It doesn't seem very long since Chicago's alt-punks Airstream Futures released their debut album Spirale Inferale. In fact, it's been over two years. So, it's actually about right that they should release the follow up now, another with a French title – Le Feu Et Le Sable – and on one of my favourite labels, Sunderland's Little Rocket Records.

Unfortunately, language skills were not my strong point at school and having failed to pass GCSE French it means I'm forced to Google the translation – 'Fire and Sand.' I'm not sure why both their albums have these French titles, but hey, there were a lot of things at school that weren't my strong point. (Spirale Inferale translates to Infernal Spiral in case you're wondering – I'm sure you weren't.)

Cemetery Sparrow is the opening track and is also the lead single from the new album. A fast and seemingly upbeat track, the song actually addresses mental health, anxiety and depression, whilst set in an old cemetery.

It's a subject that we've written about and held dear at CPRW (if you haven't already, check out CPRW's release for the mental health charity MIND to discover some new favourite bands) and huge credit should go to Airstream Futures for opening the album with this song.

It's also a subject that the band have written about before. Their previous 7" single, If I & PR Nightmares, addressed depression but is a banger. I've listened to Cemetery Sparrow repeatedly now, and it too is a cracking track. It's my favourite on the album and is both a great way to kick off the record and set it up for the rest of the record.

The following 11 songs all knit together very neatly. Listened back to back, I do find they merge from one to another, but that isn't meant as a criticism; rather it feels as if the album flows really well.

The guitars are all fast and Devon's vocals are really strong throughout. I find they're kind of haunting, but extremely melodic. She's a great singer. Brighter Blue, the penultimate song on side one, is one of the tracks that really brings this home. Soaring vocals that fit majestically with the rhythm and guitars.

This new album is definitely a progression from their first. But that's not to say it's markedly *better* because Spirale Inferale was a fine debut. It does feel that the band members work together in a more coherent way though.

Even though Airstream Futures are relatively new as a band, the members have pedigree having been in some of my other favourites including The Methadones, The Bomb and the hugely underrated Noise By Numbers.

It's produced by Rodrigo Palma of Saves The Day and Derek Grant of Alkaline Trio and, to top it all, the godlike genius Frankie Stubbs even sings backing vocals… so let's face facts, I was always going to enjoy this album.

Stream and download Le Feu Et Le Sable on Bandcamp here.

Like Airstream Futures on Facebook here.

This review was written by Chris Bishton.