Robyn Writes

Skeleton Key – Gravity Is The Enemy

After multiple line-up changes, seven years since their last EP and a decade since their last abum, it must have looked as though as a second album was never going to happen for Skeleton Key. In fact the band, with a newly revamped line-up, took to an online crowdfunding website in order to finance the production on this album. With Slaves to Gravity, it seems as though it was worth all of the time and effort.

Lead singer Erik Sanko descried his vision on the band’s website saying: “I wanted it to sound like the film score to a freight train flying off the tracks, but a freight train that was filled with flowers.” If this seems like an oddly metaphorical way of describing something, then so will the majority of the lyrics on Gravity Is The Enemy.

What Skeleton Key creates is a mesmerising yet eerie sound, which will undoubtedly get stuck in your head. One thing that stands out to the goth/emo inside is how the entire album wouldn’t sound out of place if it was used as the soundtrack to a Tim Burton film. That eerie generally isn’t created by the subject matter of the songs alone. The raspy voice of Erik Sanko certainly adds to the mood Skeleton Key creates. As well as showing the power of his voice, at times it sounds like he’s whispering gothic lullabies. The unconventional sound is also emphasised by the odd percussion of Benjamin Clapp who plays alongside drummer Bob Vaccarelli. It sounds as though Benjamin is hitting pots, pans and any junk he can find; but instead of making the album sound unorganised, it adds superbly to the atmosphere being created.

The album opens with “Gravity Is The Enemy”, which brings in funk-esque bass lines and broken guitar riffs. The whole album has a consistent sound, powering from one raw song to the next. There’s a nice change of pace in the middle of the album, with “I’ll Walk You to the Door” & “The Mowing Devil”. The former takes the creepy sound to a new level, with Benjamin clattering away at his scraps and junk being the only accompaniment to Sanko’s distinctive voice, crowning about an unrequited love. The latter sounds even stranger than you would already expect from Skeleton Key. The banging of junk fills the background as whole band seems to break out in chain gang chants, until the noise subsides leaving only Sanko and a piano – frankly it’s creepy as hell.

A personal highlight from the album is the eleventh track: “Machine Screw”. The verses might sound like a lot of everything else on the album, but the chorus is infectious! It brings back the funky bass lines but delivers them with catchy riffs and a prominent drum beat while Sanko showcases more of his vocal range than anywhere else on the record.
If forced to criticise any point, maybe the final song is a little repetitive. It builds up to a hell of a crescendo of noise and static at the end, but you have to listen to the same verse for four or five minutes before you get there. But otherwise, Gravity Is The Enemy is a masterpiece.

4.5 out of 5 high fives!

The Bastard Sons – Bones [EP]

The Bastard Sons are an interesting bunch. Formed in 2011, the York rockers are difficult to place. Their debut EP, Bones, is really a testament to that as they combine elements of blues, metal and hardcore in order to get the party well and truly on its way. It would be easy to compare them to Every Time I Die or Fight Paris, but The Bastard Sons have a more distinctly British feel to them and craft tunes that are far tighter than the latter, in more ways than one…

Hot Town starts with a bone chilling chant that quickly descends into a hellishly delightful bluesy riff. Throughout the EP, JJ’s vocals are stellar – swapping easily from hardcore screams to pure rock and roll glory, but on Hot Town, they’re so unexpected in contrast to the music and it completely shatters any expectations that you might have. This leads the way for some excellent breakdowns that make a stark contrast to the rest of the track. Make no mistake, for all the fun twiddly guitar bits from Ollie and Alex, they know how to throw down and a combination of different styles of playing make for a ridiculous amount of fun all the way through. Soul Fur Coat takes it in that opposite direction, playing up to the metal influences far more with a solo to die for. Some frantic, but tuneful riffage and plenty of bass swagger marks it out at one of the best tracks on the release. However, that honour is reserved for final track Salem’s Rot. Combining a classic rock feel with some almost Bullet For My Valentine-esque balls, it really should belong on the Supernatural soundtrack. Clocking in at five minutes of pure groove-laden rock, the chant of “We throw ourselves in shallow graves” comes back again at the end, and putting the EP on repeat results in a perfect cycle.

While there is nothing distinctly bad about Bones, it does start to feel too familiar in the middle of the EP. In Case Of Emergency and Therapists Get All The Girls are still good fun, but it gets difficult to distinguish between the two. Nevertheless, Bones is still an excellent debut and if The Bastard Sons are this polished and this fearless so early on, then any future release is bound to be spectacular. And in the meantime, you’ve got the perfect party starter.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Fatal Smile + Scarlett Riot – The Yardbirds, Grimsby 13/9/12

As far as venues go, The Yardbirds is a hard one to place. Home to the ‘Lincolnshire Warlocks’, an aging biker gang with a fondness for self-promotion and Americana, its purpose is oddly divided. Functioning partly as a biker crèche and partly as a tribute band support centre, you’d be forgiven for presuming that nothing of any real creative merit occurred within these walls. But thankfully, every now and again, they open their doors to original bands and patrons who can’t ride a bicycle, let alone a Harley. Although you’re greeted with a grunt and a deeply suspicious look, the drinks don’t require a bank loan and the atmosphere isn’t that frightening. Oddly, they have a projector running continuous live music DVDs and a sound system so powerful, it damn near dropkicks your eardrums. As far as the evening was going so far, the £6 entry wasn’t looking too bad, but with only one support band, we are all very aware that we wouldn’t be partying into the early hours.

Opening the evening of glamour and time-restricted debauchery were Scunthorpe’s finest Scarlett Riot (4/5), a hard rock outfit that sat comfortably somewhere between The Runaways and Halestorm. With amazingly catchy riffs and an originality that begs to be captured in an overly-expensive studio, to say they were impressive would be a huge understatement. I found myself to be truly aghast at how such a musically accomplished act could still be playing the lower realms of support slots. Nearly every song could have been deemed ‘a future classic’. As far as vocalists go, they’ve certainly got themselves a catch with Scarlett (Chloe Drinkwater) bearing a voice so rich and multi-faceted that you’d be hard pressed to admit she was born to do anything other than sing. Oh, and she’s pretty decent on the guitar too? Consider me sold. Saying that, the rest of the band were by no means surplus to requirements. The lead guitarist shone at every available opportunity and the drummer (despite being sat ridiculously high on his kit) was clean and crisp with a great natural groove. The bassist continued the trend and was certifiably hypnotic throughout their set, capturing my attention in every song; although his posture did impact slightly on the quality of his screams (although they were few and far between). Scarlett Riot were professional, original and more than a little bit exciting. With a new EP on the horizon, I’m sure their name will be cropping up a hell of a lot more.

When Fatal Smile (5/5) took to the stage, there were stunned looks and audible gasps aplenty. Imagine Motley Crüe had a sordid affair with The Defiled…in Sweden, all while listening to Queensryche, and you’ve just about got it. Fatal Smile encapsulates everything you ever loved about hard rock and glam, then they went and pushed it a little further. With big hair, bare torsos, tight jeans, pyrotechnics and sex dripping from every pore…  they certainly know how to make an impression. Harnessing the power chords and dirty grooves of 80s rock, they mix them with the vocal delivery of a European power metal band and create something rather bafflingly wonderful. This blend results in an overall sound that is both nostalgic and simultaneously fresh. The entire experience, at least in a venue of this diminutive size, was jarring to say the least. With enough stage makeup to make Black Veil Brides weep, smoke machines and lights crammed into every corner and custom mic stands that could well have cost more than the venue itself, the whole experience was akin to cramming an arena band into your living room. When their set came to a close, the powerful strains of their anthemic  S.O.B  transformed this tiny, sticky room into something far greater than any of us could’ve imagined. Although audience numbers couldn’t have exceeded seventy, they played their show as though we were ten thousand strong. They certainly won Grimsby over; it’s just a matter of time until the rest of the world follows suit.

Motion City Soundtrack – O2 Academy Birmingham 2, 23/9/12

Before The Big Bang Theory made nerds cool, there was Motion City Soundtrack. MCS have always been a little bit quirky, very clever and a ridiculous amount of fun. Fifth album Go made a slight deviation in terms of content – it’s hard to say that Motion City Soundtrack have matured but Go represented a definite shift in their musical style. Did that shift transfer over to their live performance?

We weren’t going to find out straight away. Redditch locals Page 44 (3/5) took to the stage first. If I was sixteen, I’d probably be dating their guitarist and at the front singing every word. As I’m 21 instead, I was stood listening to songs that echoed a dead scene. There’s nothing inherently bad about Page 44 – they seem to be like hard working guys and they’re completely natural on the stage, but the songs just fall flat, lacking the dynamism of the bands they’re trying to emulate. The newer material they were playing (including the song with no name yet) seemed to be slightly more interesting and complex, and it’s those songs, along with a hardworking attitude, that might get them somewhere yet.

Now Now (4/5), in contrast, were really impressive. The Minnesota three piece performed soaring indie rock without losing the audience’s devotion at all. Jess and Cacie’s vocals are sublime and came through wonderfully clear thanks to the excellent sound production that held steady throughout the evening. Although you could easily class them as a band that would likely have a track or two on the OC soundtrack, there’s nothing cliche about their act, or their tracks, at all. The electronic element of their sound works well live and incorporating some more non-traditional instruments (like the xylophone. Bitches love xylophones) kept their performance interesting and involving, which is sometimes pretty tricky in that genre. I’m definitely going to be checking out new album Threads.

Motion City Soundtrack (5/5) just can’t be faulted live in any way, shape or form. They get as crazy as they can for such a small stage and yet, every song just sounds perfect. Although the setlist was mostly formed with tracks from Go, Justin said, “we will proceed to play songs from that album! And four other albums” and the band brought forth classics from all five as the night went on. The tracks from Go hold up well live and enter a whole new level of excitement, despite appearing more sedate than their previous material on record. The entire band are completely charming, but Jesse really steals the show at times – nobody plays the Moog in quite the same way. Justin’s story about seeing Dementors in the Holloway Circus subway was also pretty cute, and it’s this kind of stage banter that really makes a difference – MCS don’t hurl insults at their crowd, or brag about their stage presence, they’re just genuine guys who love playing live music and that makes all the difference in today’s music scene. It just helps that they’re bloody good at it too. From the opening chords of Better Open The Door to the final chorus of The Future Freaks Me Out, me and about half the room couldn’t help but grin. If you want a completely uplifting live experience, then I implore you – check out Motion City Soundtrack.

Milhouse – Thrillhouse [EP]

Self coined “nerd punks” Milhouse arrive with a brand new curious four track E.P – Thrillhouse. Hailing from Sydney, the Australian pop punk three piece are relative newbies on the scene. Intelligent and quirky, the E.P is a thoroughly enjoyable listen and the mark of a band who have already found their niche in a genre chock full of clones and bands with the imaginative capacity of a puddle. Musically, they are really nothing more than a sum of their influences – relying on tried and tested techniques, chord progressions and dynamics that channel Into It. Over It and Australian pop punks Blueline Medic. Simple, stuttering guitar work remains tight to the accomplished drums. However, it is the vocals and to a greater extent, the lyrics, that make these four songs flourish. Joyous vocal harmonies courtesy of the rhythm section lift the music into a wondrous new dimension, layering their otherwise more one-dimensional sound with sumptuous melodic hooks. The one word song titles such as ‘Cereal’ and ‘Laundry’ may be a desperate attempt at a metaphor or allegory; or, they simply denote what each song is about. A song on the subject of cereal doesn’t sound like a very inviting or revealing prospect but there is a flair and wit to the lyrics that is instantly recognisable and engaging. The song may be about a relatively bland food product but the lyrics deal with the singer’s observation of the correlation between the eating of said food and social interaction. ‘Laundry’ can be perceived as one big metaphor about relationships or on the other hand, a fast little pop punk song concerning “spin cycles” and other laundry related dilemmas. ‘Monday’ deals with the tribulations of – you guessed it – Monday, going to back to the life of work and drudgery after a few days of fun. Yet, the song possesses a decidedly Weezer-inspired chorus the gives the greatest inkling of the band’s melodic capabilities. All in all a great little record of lyrically enticing pop punk with a glaring melodic emphasis.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!