Album Review: Orphan Keys by John Allen

 I did something I've never done before last week. I asked an artist for an advance copy of their new album to review. I've never like to do that because I always think why on earth should someone let me have something they've worked extremely hard on for nothing? But this was a release I'm extremely excited for so figured I'd try my luck and ask. John Allen you are a gentleman. I was lucky enough to be put onto his last album Sophomore earlier this year and fell in love with his punk tinged folk music and has been played constantly since I got it. Soon he releases a new album named Orphan Keys. Here is my review of it.

The first song on Orphan Keys is a song named America and is a Simon and Garfunkel cover.  This, like all the songs is a piano driven song accompanied by Allen's trademark raspy vocals. The track is a slow moving song but the tune and melody really catch your attention. The next song, Criminals and Baseball Stars is an original John Allen track. This track is about nights spent in American Speakeasy and all the different reasons that people visit them. It's quite an eye opening song when you really listen to the lyrics, it makes you realise that pubs/bars/speakeasy's are a place where  people from all walks of life will go. Next up is a song named Thou Shalt Be Saved and is a six minute long epic and is about music saving lives and giving you a purpose. I really loved the verse towards the end of the song that reads "So If Life Treats You Unfairly And You Find It Hard To Be Brave, Put On Your Headphones, Turn On Your Favourite Record, And Thou Shalt Be Saved."

The next song is another cover song, a Tom Waits song named Ruby's Arms. Not be familiar with the original song at all it's hard to compare the two but I really liked John Allen's version. His voice is on top form throughout. Up next is a song named Breaking Waves. The opening of this song s very subdued, with a simple piano tune and a restrained vocal performance from Allen. This is another song that relies on John's voice to grab the listeners attention and it really does. He has one of my favourite voices, I find it soothing and quite calming. I like the way that his voices serves as the melody maker during the next song with the piano providing a backing beat. Named Close Your Eyes, it's a song where Allen's voice is allowed to build up to a big passionate section alongside the more subdued parts. The song is full of emotion has John talks about loving life travelling around on tour but also longing for home. Orphan Keys is finished with the song Home. Still using just his piano this song has a completely different feel to the rest of the EP, it's much much rawer. It's a reworking of a song from previous album Sophomore. The sound of the song makes me imagine seeing  John Allen in an old, smoky, western saloon.

I have a very strong suspician that Orphan Keys will be the only piano led album I review this year. I don't feel there would be much point doing another one though as none will top this. An excellent release from one of the best in the game. I can't wait to experience a John Allen live show, I imagine that's a magical experience.

Like John Allen on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/dearjohnallen 

Buy Orphan Keys here: http://dearjohnallen.tictail.com/products/music 

Now listening to The Dregs by The Tosspints

Album Review: Catch! by Moment 22

Moment 22 are a four piece punk band from Helsingborg in Sweden. Recently they released the first of a trio of new EPs named Catch! I checked it out.

The first song Pardon My French starts like all good punk rock songs should start, with some crashing cymbals. The song is about being frustrated about being stuck in the same place and feeling brainwashed. This is some strong melodic skate punk music, everything is either strummed or hit hard and the vocals are as good as anyone else in the genre. Axes has more of a poppy feel to it, reminding me of former Drive Thru Records band Midtown. That could be quite an obscure reference so I'll try and explain the sound. The vocals are delivered with a melodic hook but also have a bit more of a alternative rock edge to them. The chorus on Axes is really catchy and will get a whole crowd singing along. The third song is another that falls more in a pop punk territory. Blood On Your Hands is a fast paced, hooky song that again lodge itself inside your brain very quickly. In a world where music is released every minute it helps to have the ability to write a catchy tune to grab a listeners attention, this is a skill Moment 22 have in abundance. That's not saying it's all sausage and no veg though, there is also a lot of substance to the music. The fourth song Reverie really stood out to me the first time I listened to it. Beginning with some nice whoa-oh's before some rapid fire vocals are delivered during the verse. The chorus then goes towards a more rock and roll sound and the whoa-ohs return, creating a wonderful atmosphere. An absolutely brilliant song that seems to take you everywhere. Catch! is finished with the song Last Call. This sees Moment 22 return to the melodic punk sound we heard on the opening track. On this song the whole band really get to show off just how good they are at playing their instruments, with guitars, bass and drums all getting a chance to shine throughout the track.

Moment 22 have released a brilliant and varied EP and have really come out of nowhere with it. I thought I was pretty clued up on the European punk scene, clearly I still need to do some listening because on the strength of this release Moment 22 have the ability to be one of the very best.

Get Catch for pay what you like here: https://moment22.bandcamp.com/ 

Like Moment 22 here: https://www.facebook.com/Moment22music 

Now listening to Criminals & Baseball Start by John Allen

Gig Review: The Smith Street Band at The Lexington 1/8/15

 I don't know if you know this but I love The Smith Street Band. In the past year and a bit I've have seen them on four separate occasions, more than any other band. Kind of ridiculous when you consider that they are based in Melbourne, Australia - on the other side of the world. Earlier this year it was announced that The Smith Street Band would be appearing at Reading and Leeds festivals, a massive milestone in the career of the band. I tossed and turned on the idea of going in my head for days as it would be an expensive day out and my good friends Chris and Marilyn are getting married the next day. Of course I decided to go, The Menzingers and Modern Baseball are also playing so that really sweetened the pot. A European tour was scheduled for the month before the festivals before finally two shows in London and Manchester were announced. After my trip to the Manchester Punk Festival I debated going to both shows, but sadly work and not being rich got in the way so I settled for just going to the London Show. This is what happened. 

The gig itself was at a new venue for me, The Lexington on Pentoville Road in Islington. When I arrived at Angel  I decided to grab some food before the gig so headed down to a nearby Chipolte, my favourite fast food restaurant. On my way there I walked past a man I recognised, it was none other than Wil Wagner, front man of The Smith Street Band. I really should have said hello but I became awfully star struck and bottled it. This has happened to me since the time I saw Crystal Palace legend Clinton Morrison at work.

The first band up were a newer band named Shit Present. Lead by Great Cynics bass lady Iona Cairns and featuring members of Gnarwolves and OK Pilot, I was expecting big things from this four piece. As much as I love Great Cynics it's fantastic to see Iona fronting her own band, she's a brilliantly talented singer and musician who deserves a huge amount of spotlight. Heck of a songwriter as well, all the songs played tonight were fun pop tinged indie punk played with a lot of spirit. Throw in a cover of my favourite Ergs song Pray For Rain and you've got a awesome set from a band destined to do very very well for themselves. I cannot wait for their first release later this year.

Shit Present were followed up by another female fronted band - Exeter's Muncie Girls. Wil made this point when he was on stage how awesome it is to not only have two female fronted bands on stage but them being absolutely brilliant bands. This was my fifth time seeing Muncie Girls and I have to say that every time I have seen them they have been better than the time before. Playing a collection of songs from their previous EP's a three or four new songs from their upcoming debut album. All of these sounded great and make me very excited for its release but one song stuck out in particular. It was called Respect and is a song attacking the "lad culture" that goes on at Exeter University and all other the country. Muncie Girls are not only a great band because they are brilliant set of musicians and songwriters but they are also a very important band because of their message. I look forward to them exploding and getting the recognition they truly deserve. 

When I think back to April for the last time I saw The SmithStreet Band at The Dome with Gnarwolves I really was not in a good place. I head was so messed up with things that I nearly didn't go to the gig. But I did and like every other time I'd seen them I came out feeling revived. If I've said this once I've said it a million times - The Smith Street Band are the world's best therapists. Fast forward to now and my head is in a better place than it has been in well over a year and I was so excited for this gig. I was upbeat and happy and the set somehow reflected that. The last time I saw Wil, Fitzy, Lee and Chris the set was very heavy on songs from the excellent Throw Me In The River, including slower numbers like The Arrogance Of The Drunk Pedestrian and Calgary Girls. Tonight's set did not, it was like the boys had said let's play a proper punk rock show and pick our rowdiest songs. Perhaps to shake the cobwebs out after the long flight from Australia. Whatever the reasoning was it certainly got the crowd going with extremely loud singing and enthusiastic dancing from the opening song Something I Can Hold In My Hands to closer I Love Life and encore song Young Drunk. This was my fifth time seeing them in the space of a little other a year and I'm now quite convinced that they can't play a band show. Even with severe jet lag the whole set was just perfect. I could gush and gush for hours just how good they were. It's an honour and a privilege to be able to see such an amazing band in such a tiny venue. After their Reading performance I'm expecting a new legion of fans to arrive and opportunities to see them in tiny venues like The Lexington will be few and far between. I do love The Smith Street Band.

Now listening to Thou Shalt Be Saved by John Allen

Album Review: Sundown by Waco

Waco (pronounced Way-co) are a band I've been wanting to review since seeing them support Masked Intruder and The Murderburgers in May at The Borderline. I was really impressed with their charismatic and energetic punk rock & roll music and have now finally got their debut EP. Released back in February, it's called Sundown. Here's my review.

The opening song Wrangler begins with a huge shout of 1, 2, 3, 4! This is quickly followed up a with some big rock and roll chords and some rapid drum rolls. Vocalist Jak Hutchcroft has an interesting voice, it's part venomous punk and half arrogant rock star and is really engaging. There is an excellent lyric in the first verse of the song. It goes "If You Fall Down You Gotta Get Back Up, Evolve And Stop Giving A Fuck, You Can Be Free If You Believe." That really sums up what Wrangler is all about, learning from your mistakes and bettering yourself in the process. The second track Agitation is a massive sing-a-long song. Whether you are at a gig, in the pub, in a car at the park I can just imagine being with a group of my friends singing this song at the top of our voices. It's a mid-tempo rock song full of catchy hooks about having your heart broken by someone and knowing that despite everything you would take them back in an instant. Something I sadly know too much about and I imagine many other people do as well. Despite the subject matter it's a very upbeat feeling song and does put a smile on my face when I listen to it and shout along. The upbeat feeling disappears on the third song - Dusty. The tone of this song is much darker, with Jaks voice displaying a hint of angst as he sings the song. It's still extremely listenable though and shows that Waco can do more than happy, upbeat tracks. The beginning of the next song has a more stripped back sound to it. Named Jezebel, it's a slower paced song which would fit well on an indie rock compilation as well as a punk one. Waco could have a huge crossover appeal. This is another song about breaking up with a girl, again the lyrics are extremely relatable to anyone whose had a hard time getting over anyone. There is a bit of a crunchy finale to the song that comes out of nowhere and if the listener was beginning to to paying attention to the track they will definitely be pulled back in. Sundown is finished by a song named Dungeness. Starting out with some acapella gang vocals you know Waco are returning to the catchy punk rock they do ever so well. The tempo is raised on the song seeing that the EP is finished with a sing-a-long party. 

Waco could easily become the next big thing in punk rock. I really heard of them by chance but I'm so glad I did. This is really enjoyable punk rock music with a difference.

Buy Sundown here: https://wacoband.bandcamp.com/releases 

Like Waco here: https://www.facebook.com/Wacouk 

Now listening to Threw It Away by Grease Thieves

Album Review: Make The Noise by Rehasher

Roger Lima, bass player extraordinaire of Less Than Jake has an amazing other band named Rehasher. They have released two full length albums, Off Key Melodies and High Speed Access To My Brain - both of which were just brilliant, fast aggressive pop punk. No, after a six year wait Roger has released a brand new album under the Rehasher banner named Make The Noise, I was beyond excited to check it out!

The guitar intro of the opening song Don't Make Me instantly reminds me of one of my favourite LTJ songs Pete Jackson Is Getting Married. Rogers vocals on the verse are much more aggressive than we are normally used to before getting to a strong catchy chorus that will get a crowd jumping. The song itself is about fighting to keep following your dreams despite people trying to get you to stop. The music on song number two, On My Way To Get You is unrelenting, the drums in particular really going off like a machine gun. I like how Rogers vocal changes from a punk rock shout to a more melodic tuneful style at different points of the song. Punk singers so have some vocal range. What You're Seeking begins with an impressive guitar riff, showing Rogers talent as a guitarist as well as a bass player. This is the get right down to the front of the stage, get your fist in the air and shout style of pop punk that I love. That's what I've come to expect from Rehasher songs and so far it's not disappointing. The fourth song is called How To Lose Yourself and is a bit more mellow. It's a great song but I do question the placing of the song on the album as Make The Noise was just picking up some real speed. 

My Silver Platter is a total sing along song. With the opening cry of "Pick Me Up I'm Feeling Down" Roger's vocal carries the melody of this med tempo paced track. There is an interesting sound bite played over some bass midway through the song about the young generation expected everything to be handed to them. I'm not sure whether Roger is making a point towards the music industry or life in general but it's a very good point and observation on modern culture. I Might Explode brings us to the halfway point of the album and begins with a proper punk rock introduction. Musically this song could easily fit onto a Less Than Jake album, in my head I've easily worked out where Buddy and  Jr's horns my fit in. It's a fast paced, catchy pop punk song that will be stuck in your head for ages. Vast Minority is another fast paced punk rock track that doesn't really slow down until the last quarter of the song. Track number eight, S's B-Day feels like one of the more personal tracks on the album where Roger sings about accidently letting someone down even though he doesn't feel like it's his fault. This goes back to a mid-tempo pace with the emphasis really on the lyrics of the song.

Waste My Words is my favourite track on Make The Noise. From the very beginning I knew this would be a song that I loved. The tempo isn't the fastest but there is such passion in Rogers voice it really grabs your attention and makes you want to listen to what he is saying. As you might expect the chorus is super catchy and will have you singing during the first listen. For me that's the sign of a brilliant songwriter. Symptom Checker is a great, fast and furious punk jam with quite a serious tone to it. Another of the strongest songs on what is shaping up to be a cracking album. Symptom Checker is a song about worrying about the state of your mental health and wondering who you are supposed to be before learning it's okay to be  yourself. Good, positive messaging. The chorus of the penultimate song Right Here Right Now feels like it could be a massive anthem. Sandwiched between some super fast verses, it this is another huge and brilliantly simple chorus that will get a lot of crowd participation at Rehasher shows. Make The Noise finishes with a song named Petrograd. Petrograd starts out with a flurry of high tempo guitars that makes sure that your attention doesn't disappear by the final song. 

Make The Noise is another excellent album by Rehasher. If I didn't love Less Than Jake so much I would say it's a shame that Rehasher isn't more active. It's always a fantastic treat when they are though and you can guarantee that what they do will be first class. I don't know if Rehasher have ever made it over to England for some shows, my gosh it would be amazing if they did. Make it happen Roger!

Like Rehasher here: https://www.facebook.com/rehasher69 

Buy Make The Noise here: http://rehasher.bigcartel.com/product/make-the-noise-cd