The Hazy Eyed Smiles - Redeemed

Hi all,

The Hazy Eyed Smiles who I reviewed very quickly last month or so have released their first EP on band camp.

Here's a taste of Redeemed. A song I know all the lyrics to already. I'd love to hear this at a festival somewhere. It's powerful, will scale well, with great guitar work and great lyrics.





There are elements of Oasis, Stereophonics and lots of others, someone mentioned Arcade Fire...listen for yourself, let me know in the comments.

You can find their EP here:

http://thehazyeyedsmiles.bandcamp.com/album/the-hazy-eyed-smiles-ep-1

Thanks for reading

thenewno2 - New album - thefearofmissingout

Hi All,

Beatles, Beatles, Beatles, Beatles. There we go, all gone (and google rank up).

This is thenewno2 with their new album "thefearofmissingout", and presumably space bars.

Thenewno2 are, from what I can make out, a poppy type dance music band. This stuff can easily be sampled and remixed by a bunch of unhappy DJs in small clubs just outside of Ibiza. I don't think professional DJs would bother, its great as it is, but falls short of the 45 minutes normal dance tunes require.

Their new single "Make it Home" is the only one that harks back into family history. It sounds very like late Beatles, but with a driving beat and piano riff that you wouldn't associate with the monsters of 60's rock and roll.

The album itself is dance driven, fast beats with slow lyrics splitting the difference. With driven bass beats and drums and lilting piano, you get a kind of dichotomous feeling. Like chilling out in the sun while having a small cat attacking your feet.

All in all, a great album. It'll be released on 17th Sept on H.O.T records.

Thanks for reading,

Bellowhead Album release - Broadside

"Will you stop jigging your legs!?" My wife screams at me.

No. No I can't. I'll tell you why. I'm listening to Bellowhead.

My secret musical love is Folk/Folk rock. I've listened to all sorts of stuff over the years, traditional folk (I'm from Devon originally) all the way up through to the more power chord and electric bass side of things.

Now here come Bellowhead with Broadside. Expecting more of the same from their last album I sat on one of my feet and turned the volume down. It didn't matter. Within about 20 seconds I was up.

From somewhere they have pulled an entire brass band. The sound you get is an epic strength of syncopathy, fantastic depth and a powerful new driving rhythm section.

Fans of traditional folk will recognise the metre of the lyrics, and the strength of the harmonies. Newer fans will appreciate the way in that they've have brought them almost literally kicking and screaming into the present.

What they have done here is brought their live show into the studio, and it works. I'm not going to do what they managed to get the fans to do in Sidmouth and break my floor, but its tempting.

Go and get the album. Stick it on at parties. Get a fire going. Get some beer. Get loads of friends round, turn it up.

What if you don't like folk? There's always Jedward for you I suppose. Help yourself.

Your biggest problem? Its not released until October.

Thanks for reading,

CANTO - Debut Album release 'HAHAHA'

Hi All,

When you are in a band, there is a lot to be said for the chemistry in the group even before you get together for a jam. This is made slightly easier when you have a band of brothers.

Canto consists of three brothers all under the age of 20; Seamus Blackwell (Vocals, Guitar), Aidan Blackwell (Bass) and David Blackwell (Drums), and this debut album is 10 tracks of brothers exploring their musical tastes.

The first thing that greets you on their debut album is a 2 minute instrumental track that hints at what you are going to find in the the rest of the tracks. Its a mad mix of Hendrix style riffs, blues, a little bit of Led Zeppelin, and some good rock and roll if you stuck them all under the psychedelia of 1960's "love not war" era.

They are pushing the envelope here in terms of bringing older musical styles into a more modern setting. The first 3 tracks are the most extreme and in my mind just don't work but by the time you get to "The Pit" its all forgotten, and you get to the place they want you to be. Enjoying some mind altering riffs from the history of rock and roll.

The best track on the album has to be William Byrd and his Contemporaries. Nice easy blues, self mocking and a set of amazing lyrics.

Here's the first single of their album with one of their more rocky tracks "Farewell well well":




Find them here:

http://www.cantotheband.com

Thanks for reading

Mark Grist vs Scroobius Pip - Video battle

Hi all,

What happens when you cross:
Scroobius Pip
Latitude festival
A camera
A bottle or 6 of red wine
10 minutes.

Well, if you are Mark Grist, you get a call out to do video battles. Here is the whole thing:







Thanks for reading

Vicky Musselwhite - Skylines EP Release

Hi all,

I'm sitting in a hotel in the South West, the kids are over on the sofa bed watching Harry Potter, my wife is beside me, and I'm lying on the bed with ear phones on listening to a new EP.

Its called Skylines and is an acoustic album released by Vicky Musselwhite. I like it, but only because its one of the few things I've listened to recently where I can write while listening to it. It just fits in the background.

One thing you will notice if you have been listening or following Vicky recently is the addition of a Bass and a mandolin to add an extra layer to the tracks. I'm not sure if its entirely needed as much as it is, but it does fill out the sound.

Of the five tracks on the EP I prefer "Shoulders Of Giants", but thats probably because I'm a fan of the more pop end of this spectrum. I'd love to hear a rock cover of it.

How to describe it? Soulful. Powerful. Emotional. Have a listen, let me know what you think.

It's available for purchase here:

http://vickimusselwhite.bandcamp.com/

Thanks for reading

Hazy Eyed Smiles - Love Rages

Hi all,

Me again. But then, it is my blog.

I came across these guys, who are based in Portsmouth, on twitter of all places. You know. The thing that has no audio whatsoever. What attracted me was the name. Hazy Eyed Smiles. Hmmm, is this a 1960's stoned covers band? What is going on?

In fact it's a million times better than that. Check out "Love Rages".
Crisp vocals, crisp guitar, really clean wholesome rock and roll.

Imagine U2 vs Rolling Stones and you wouldn't be far off for this track.

Lyrics are excellent. Definitely "in-car" singable.

Find them and it here:




Thanks for reading,

Michael Addison - Blinding Shadows review

Hi all,

Its the school holidays over here in the UK at the moment. All the kids are off, and the parents have been forced to have at least one weeks holiday during this time to look after their Offspring.

I decided I'd take the kids to a tank museum, as our big thing to do, as I thought it'd be cool. Small children, large explosions, tanks and things always, always go together. The only pain was that the vending machines were out of order so I had to ram one slightly to the annoyance of the staff.

I was shocked when I checked my bank balance. I had to blink. £182!
There was only one thing for it. Get drunk, although my wife doesn't like it when I ask her "What's my age again?" while falling downstairs on a homemade skateboard. No Regrets there. It's what you see in those college freshman movies right?

You will like this album if you are into pop rock. You don't need to listen with All Your Might.

Why the rambling story? Well, in case you hadn't noticed I've hidden most of my review in there. You'll find bands, tracks and comparisons. This is exactly what you'll find with Michael Addisons new album "Blinding Shadows". Inside the beats and riffs and lyrics you will find some of your favourite ear fodder. Some of it more blatant than others, but it does mean that it'll go down easily. You've heard it before, you're ready for it. You are already a fan.

My only negative point is that, yes, the album has a story but, it goes through several genres and feels disjointed. If you want proof of that, the one track you want to listen to is "You Tonight". Don't get me wrong, it's a good track. But all the varying timings, beats and fills just leave you reeling.

Vocally, if Joey Ramone never smoked, never drank and went down the Gym every Tuesday night with a guy called Terry, this is what you would produce. Its great. Lyrically, he's not brilliant. He won't paint a masterpiece in your mind while you listen. Saying that he will make you sing along, and thats the point. It's music to sing along to, not music to listen to.

Michael Addisons Album "Blinding Shadows" will be released on the 2nd October.

Thanks for reading