Hey guys!
Completely forgot to put this on the site – I suppose that’s what having ridiculous amounts of media outlets available to you plus the impending Sherlock episode will do to my brain.
It’s a bit of a long one, but hopefully my English charm and inventive straw-signs will convince you to buy several brilliant albums.
Enjoy! We’ll have new reviews up next week.
…and I don’t feel any different.
Sorry, cheeky Death Cab For Cutie lyric! No, the site doesn’t feel any different – yet. I’ll be working on a new project for Kitteh, something about Reeves and Mortimer, and while I’m doing that, I’ll be getting my coding brain on and making this site look beautiful.
We’ve kickstarted the new year with a review of arrowcat’s Only Until EP, which you can check out below, and I’ll be uploading my top 10 albums of 2011 tomorrow. In video format. Exciting.
xoxo – Ripper
arrowcat (lower case please, Microsoft Word) is the reincarnation of Fourth Wave, a ska band formed at Warwick University. For all intents and purposes, it’s the same band with a far less presumptuous name. Nevertheless, they’ve released their new EP right at the beginning of 2012, and if we’re all going to die like the Mayans say we are, this is probably a good idea; it means as much exposure as possible. Because after all, when the end comes, wouldn’t we rather be skanking?
The EP starts with Look Inside, which kicks off the release with a bang. Some epic brass and guitar solos at the beginning lead us into Alex’s soulful vocals. They work well – the band aren’t exactly ska punk, so there’s no need for the aggressive rasp of Itch or Chris from Less Than Jake. That’s not to say that those punk influences aren’t there; there’s some pretty punk-as-fuck solos and riffs scattered throughout the EP. However, the band aren’t afraid to reach out to some of the other spheres ska has touched, such as dub and even prog. Woah.
Round about track three, Run, the EP loses a bit of momentum, which is a shame considering its blinder of a start. Run is probably the weakest song overall – it’s not bad and has some great guitar, but around the middle, it lacks a lot of the intensity which I’ve seen from arrowcat under their previous guise. It does build up quite well towards the end, but the brass could be a bit more forceful, much like it is on London Sky, instead of just underlying. However, once it moves onto Modern Ways, that dub sound comes creeping in and turns that laidback feel into something with real purpose.
I have the feeling that this is an EP firmly crafted with a live performance in mind. Even finishing track, Leviathan, with its totally killer proggy bits would sound ace live. Everything’s kicked up a notch in Leviathan, following the firm “first and last song must win” ethos, and it becomes one of the most skankable songs on the album.
It’s a great new start for arrowcat and no doubt, they’ll be round and about the Midlands any time soon. Although this time, probably not trying to start a new wave of ska, because after all, possibility of the apocalypse and all. I don’t doubt there’ll be trombone foot solos though.
3.5 out of 5 high fives!
Hello everyone!
As it’s the Christmas period, things are a bit slower than usual on the site. We do have some content lined up over the next few weeks, but primarily, I’m working on a new design so a lot of reviews/interviews/videos etc are taking a back seat. If you have a release you’d like to send us and don’t mind waiting, we’ll stick it on the backburner and hopefully have it out later this month or in time for the new year.
Alternatively, if you’re a writer and would like to contribute to the site, let us know! Send a sample of your work to ripper@twobeatsoff.co.uk. There’s only the two of us at the moment and Kitteh’s MIA so l’il old me would appreciate your efforts.
xoxo – Ripper
Actions! are a female fronted pop-punk band from the south coast. Their single, Devil’s Words, is out today on various formats, so we take a look and see what it’s all about.
The truth is with any female fronted pop-punk band, it’s really hard to try and put any Paramore comparisons behind you. In the case of Actions!, those Paramore influences are so clear. However this time, it’s not in the vocals, which is a very pleasant surprise. The guitars are akin to early Paramore (and therefore obviously, when the Farro brothers were still in the band). This is in no way a bad thing and helps to create a summery feeling without all the angst that new Paramore has picked up. Vocalist Emily Cracknell has a very delicate voice and doesn’t try to emulate Hayley Williams like so many other bands with a similar set up at the moment. In the verses, this is perfect and works really well. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough power for the choruses which otherwise, would be a massive high point in the track.
Although, the major issue that I have with the track is this – in the middle of the song, there’s a particularly dodgy bit where Emily’s doing some wailing which completely ruins it. She just doesn’t have the power for that kind of vocal effect. Without it, it’s a decently bouncy pop-punk tune. It’s difficult because it’s the kind of part that can make or break a song – in this instance, it pretty much breaks it.
However, that aside, it’s a reasonably catchy tune. The potential is there. With a bit more practise, Actions! could be a really exciting band. Devil’s Words falls a little bit flat of that, but I’ll keep looking out for them – if they can properly harness Emily’s strengths, they’ll be one to watch out for.
2.5 out of 5 high fives