Robyn Writes

Review: Hamilton – Faint Ideas For Tired Minds

Hamilton are a “little” pop-punk band from the heights of Ottawa in Canada. With members pulled from various previous bands such as I Refuse, Scheme and New Teeth, as well as more active projects such as Alaskan and The Vanishing Act, it seems near impossible that they’ve had enough time to put together an EP. But an EP there is, in the form of Faint Ideas For Tired Minds, which you can check out at their Bandcamp page, an action I thoroughly recommend you undertake. Why? Because Faint Ideas For Tired Minds is a wonderful little gem in an otherwise monotonous and overrated genre.

It’s arguable whether the EP itself is pop-punk after all. When I think of good, “classic” pop-punk, I think Fall Out Boy, New Found Glory, Sugarcult. When I think of this new wave of an awful excuse for pop-punk, I think You Me At Six, All Time Low, Kids In Glass Houses. It’s impossible to put Hamilton within that frame because this EP is so much bigger than that. The band themselves have said that they often draw comparisons to bands such as Living With Lions and Hey Mercedes and that kind of sound is indeed somewhat present in this EP. A band that I feel more comfortable comparing them with is Armor For Sleep, and in particular, Armor For Sleep before they moved onto that terrible “the media is watching us all” concept album. I’m talking Armor For Sleep with What To Do When You’re Dead, with those big hooks and wandering guitar lines that make you think “damn, I wish that I’d written that”.

The EP itself contains five songs; Flirting With Royalty, Sweat, Dreams, Forfeit and It’s Only Momentary. Each song counts on this release and every song has its own stand out features. In particular, Sweat’s gang shout of “hey hey hey hey hey!” captures that good old familiar punk rock heart-sweller of a feeling inside me and a breakdown to die for. Flirting With Royalty has an insanely catchy opening riff that I’m going to be humming for days. Listening to Dreams is where I get that Armor For Sleep feel from that lives up to its title, the wandering guitar line reminiscent of a dream-like state. Forfeit opens up like a Bouncing Souls song might (palm mute ahoy!) only to launch into something completely different with one of the greatest singalong moments of the release in the chorus (“It’s not much, but it’s a staaaaart!”). It’s Only Momentary is a great finisher, again with a killer opening hook and some of the best lyrics on the EP. FIFTM is most definitely a summer release – there’s songs about sitting on rooftops, songs about not quite being grown up, but the lyrics also go so much deeper than that. It’s not quite Jesse Lacey style metaphor, but it’s honest, it’s from the heart; there’s no pretension here, which makes the release even more wonderful. It’s clear that all that previous band experience has culminated into a fantastic pool of talent here with everything fitting together so well. Out of all the unsigned music I’ve listened to recently, I haven’t heard anything quite as tight as this. On my initial listen, I thought that it was perhaps a little vocally underwhelming, but on each and every re-listen, I find that it fits just so perfectly with the tone of the songs. My one complaint is that it’s just too short – even after five or so listens, I’m still wanting more every time it hits that end track.

The tagline on their Bandcamp reads “This album was inspired by rooftops, basements, and backyards.” That might be the origins of this EP but it surely isn’t going to be the end of it. This EP deserves to be noticed. Hamilton might just be my new favourite band. Make sure they’re yours too.

4 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Screaming For Scarlet – Five Lights

Screaming For Scarlet (who have a very snazzy website for a free one), hail from the South much like most things fantastic these days and have been described as “post-punk”, a genre they’re not entirely sure of themselves. They’ve also previously been matched up to heavyweights Fightstar and Hell Is For Heroes and have passed on their single Five Lights and a couple of demos for our delectation.

The single opens with the eponymous track, starting off slow and building up to the vocals. Despite this initial weak start, the track psyches itself up into a storming chorus with a truly memorable bass riff that pervades the entire song. The Hell Is For Heroes comparison becomes clear in this instance, as SFS demonstrate their ability to craft those initial slow burners that win you over in no time. An interesting echo effect on the vocals midway through, followed by the pained shriek of “We’ll be alright!” hits hard and the gang vocals are, while minimal (perhaps a few more voices required), pretty impressive.

The b-side to the single, Bridges, features some more of the same. It starts off shaky – there’s a bit of dodgy timing on the guitar – but as soon as the chorus breaks, the track immediately picks up with a killer hook. It’s a tightly controlled romp, but less interesting than its cousin in ‘Five Lights’, hence its B-side status. There’s still plenty to like though, particularly that verse riff when it’s timed right, and the instrumental section about two thirds in kicks into a definitely heartfelt and emotional chorus.

‘LXV’ starts off a bit differently, vocals kicking in first but continues on with the same kind of guitar lines shown before. Reminiscent of several songs from InMe’s first album, Overgrown Eden – the pedal effects sounded suspiciously familiar – they’ve certainly retained that early 2000’s feel. Out of all the tracks sent to me, this is by far the weakest, but still an enjoyable listen even if it doesn’t stand out from the rest.

The Raven, described to me by bassist Bam as a bit of a ‘bonus track’ opens up with an absolutely awesome riff and to begin with, has a bit of a Juneau-esque vibe to it. The synth effects in the interludes really add to the track and vocalist Matt seems to have hit the right style in this one, alternating between clean vocals and a haunting rasp for ‘Never more!’ Although lyrically, the band aren’t wonderfully proficient (there’s a few choice lines here and there throughout all the songs sent to me), it simply doesn’t matter with vocal lines as strong as they are in this song. Great stuff.

Although hitting the nostalgia part of my brain with tunes reminiscent of last decade, there’s still a lot of new and exciting stuff here. There’s clearly bounds of potential in these few tracks and with news that they’re introducing a new guitarist into the mix, it’s bound to get a bit interesting. If you’re a fan of Hell Is For Heroes, InMe or Hundred Reasons, give these guys a listen and I promise you, there’s a lot to love.

3.5 out of 5 high fives!

Live: Panic! At The Disco – HMV Institute Birmingham, 3/5/11

The sweat. The adrenaline. The screaming teenage girls. Oh it’s certain, Panic! At The Disco are back in town and they are better than ever. Vices and Virtues is a great return to form for the guys, especially after the Beatles-inspired trainwreck that was Pretty Odd. The departure of Ryan Ross and Jon Walker certainly hasn’t hurt Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith in the slightest, instead inspiring them to create awesomely catchy tunes with a hell of a hook. But can they still cut it live?

Before we could get down to business, London louts Love Letters lumbered onto the stage. From an aural perspective, they were relatively competent, playing rock and roll inspired electropop. However visually, they were a complete shambles. The lead singer clearly looked like he should have been passed out back surrounded by beer cans, wearing shades on a dimly lit stage and with a terrible 80s look. Duff McKagan can pull it off still, this guy couldn’t. At times, it was also highly uncertain whether or not he was miming – it could have been some clever effect pedal. This element still ruined the set for me, proving that Love Letters rely on over-production even on stage. The music itself is pretty catchy, the performance extremely uninspiring. They’d be perfect for Radio 1 but not much good elsewhere.

And then Panic! At The Disco get on stage and bring it. Although nowhere near as elaborate as some of their previous shows, Panic! clearly still have an eye for flair and showmanship as Urie bounds on stage, dressed in white and black, bow tie on firm and a backdrop containing the new logo flourishes dramatically behind Smith. After all, if there’s anything we’ve learnt since Panic! last graced the stage, bow ties are cool. The band immediately break into new single, Ready To Go, an absolute anthem in the making. The band are happy, eager to be back on stage and it shows – the screams are momentous.

I’m going to take a break from music for a paragraph to just emphasis how LOUD that screaming was. And teenage. And kind of weird considering that most Panic! fans are now about my age (I’m getting towards 21). The sheer enthusiasm in that crowd was awesome, if a little intimidating. I personally know the trials and tribulations of appropriate gig behaviour and when to throw it out of the window. I know that my fellow writer Kitteh was not impressed. I kind of get the hype. Not going to lie, Brendon Urie and co are looking gorgeous still. It’s easy to forget that Panic! are still in their mid-20s, despite their insane talent. Fangirls being back in full force was an interesting experience, perhaps not one I would repeat quite so readily though.

But back to Panic! now, the balance of material was excellent. There was a great mix of old and new material, picking the best songs from each album, but left Time To Dance out. Crucial mistake? Not so much, considering their inclusion of Camisado, a song I’ve always felt more suited for the dancefloor. Only two of the singles from Pretty Odd made an appearance, which I expected and was more than happy about. An unexpected Smiths cover proved interesting and signifies a return to one of Panic!’s favourite features in their live shows. Urie showcased his musical talent, flitting from the keyboard to the guitar to timpani, and every member, including new friends Dallon Weekes and Ian Crawford, getting a go at the drumming. It is this that makes it more of a show than a concert as everyone moves frenetically across stage, giving it their absolute all. The sound quality was more than awesome in songs, but Urie’s stage banter came across somewhat more unclear. But we didn’t need to hear him talk to know that Panic! were having a great time there. As a quick grin from Smith to Urie showed, Panic! love what they do and in turn, we absolutely love them. Charming as ever and fantastically fun, Panic! At The Disco, and their reintroduced exclamation mark, have an extremely bright future ahead of them.

Upcoming shizzle, yo.

Hey dudes and dudettes,

Plenty of stuff going on this week. Kitteh and I have hit up about four shows in a week. Jinkies. So we’ve got reviews/video stuff heading your way very very soon.

Also, if you have a demo you want us to listen to, then send us your tracks! ripper [at] twobeatsoff.co.uk is the place to go.

xoxo – Ripper

Resolution 242 – Resurgence EP


Resolution 242 from Stratford-upon-Avon describe themselves as a “three piece, dub influenced, progressive punk rock band” and have already amassed an impressive number of shows, playing alongside the late Ghost Of A Thousand, The King Blues, The Skints and The King Blues to name but a few. Their second EP, Resurgence, is a cheeky little precursor to their upcoming debut album and a bit of an interesting release.

Opening track, Pyramids and Poltergeists begins as a bit of a slow affair, opening with a powerful bass riff courtesy of Oliver Taylor and a great guitar tone. The vocals are spot on here with a memorable and soulful chorus which grabs you from the start. About halfway through, that punk rock begins to shine on through with a great mix between the two different styles shown in the song. It finishes off with a penetrating solo, leaving you ready for more.

Next up is Blueprints, which to begin with is fairly similar to the opening track, but towards the end takes a completely different turn. This is where the dub really comes apparent with a bloody fantastic rap section and some awesome bass. Combining this with an incredibly punk edge works well – the pounding guitar with the rap overlay sounds great. By far the best song on the EP, Blueprints is a political anthem and a half.

Finishing on Speak Of The Devil, this takes a bit of a departure from the rest, starting off on a heavier riff and blending into a slower verse, all with that dub echo throughout. The chorus is again really memorable and effective and the vocals are simply brilliant. Alex Johnson clearly knows what he’s doing. That isn’t to say that the rest don’t – Adam Payne’s drums are ace in this track, showing himself to be a highly diverse and skilled sticksman, and this features one of the best bass riffs on the EP. The song builds itself up to an absolutely epic finish, creating the perfect final track for a fantastic EP.

The EP is excellently produced but sadly, just isn’t long enough! There’s still plenty to shout about though and this shows a lot of potential. Hopefully, the debut album is going to be just as good if not better, truly highlighting the diversity that I know these guys can achieve. I’m very excited to see these guys around.

3.5/5 high fives!