Robyn Writes

Review: Bear VS Rhino – Vulture Song [EP]

Back in my teens, my best friend and I embarked on a short-lived and ill-advised music project that went by the name of Mr. Law. We didn’t really give melody or structure any time of day; the idea was to just play dissonantly and hit jam jars a bit. It wasn’t experimental, it wasn’t avant-garde and it certainly wasn’t art. We were just being weird because we wanted to. I get very much the same vibe from Bear VS Rhino.

On their new EP Vulture Song, London’s Bear VS Rhino document their first year and a half as band, and it sounds like three lads in a garage having a hell of a time making a racket. One of life’s simple pleasures.

The collection kicks off with ‘Beck Up, Back Up’ which opens with a grinding sludge riff before darting all over the musical landscape. You get a drawling Mark E. Smith vocal style occasionally giving way to some Mike Patton-esque swirls of craziness. You get gloriously dissonant guitar work trading phrases with almost anthemic pop rock tones that you wouldn’t be surprised to hear on a Reuben album. There are next to no production values (it was recorded in a shipping container) so this is about as lo-fi as it comes, but there are plenty of ideas and plenty of potential on show. This is just the first song.

Elsewhere on the EP, you get the slinky Gang of Four post-punk bass line of ‘Milli80seconds:publicist’ (not a typo) which underpins a slow, brooding piece of music with a schizophrenic exploding attack added in sporadically for good measure. You get the The-Fall-plays-jazz stylings of the brilliantly (or oddly) titled ‘A Letter To My Brother And Sister, Fuck Him, He Doesn’t Know What Paracetemol Is’. You also get the frenetic, more conventional punk attack of ‘If It Looks Dead and If It Smells Dead, It’s Probably Fucking Dead’. Variety is clearly the order of the day for Bear VS Rhino.

This is unquestionably a band playing for an incredibly narrow niche. There is potential here and you get the feeling that they could do something more conventional and with a much wider appeal if only they wanted to. That they don’t want to is a credit to them, and fair play. No matter what you think of the noise Bear VS Rhino make, they sound like they’re having an absolute whale of a time making it.

3 out of 5 high fives!

Review: Speaking in Shadows – The Lies We Lead [EP]

A big welcome this week to Speaking in Shadows, formed back in 2010 in the depths of the Midlands (Nuneaton, in fact). Now releasing their new EP, The Lies We Lead, SIS have bashed and crafted together a mix of pop-punk melodies, with prominent alternative rock tunes while skirting on the boundaries of post-hardcore.

To kick off the EP, SIS deliver ‘Splinters’, an addictive and straight-up rock melody with powerful drumming and jagged guitar lines. You get great melodies, a bouncing rhythm and a deep, dark bass. The chorus is especially radio-ready in the dynamic opener. It’s odd to notice the whiney vocals on this track, reminiscent of Ian Watkins (if we’re allowed to speak his name with regards to music these days), but they only seem to sound so nasally on ‘Splinters’. This isn’t really a criticism, unless you really dislike that sort of singing, it’s just peculiar that it’s much more noticeable on this particular track.

Second up, ‘Technicolour Trainwreck’ has a similar energy, and comes out swinging with riffs and rhythms planting down a firm intro. There is a definite swagger to it and more of a pop-rock attitude, which only adds to the commercial sound the band seem capable of crafting – making it definite radio material with an anthemic chorus. The guitar work is pretty nifty here, controlling the pace and power of the song, while getting as catchy as the riffs get on the EP.

Then we get to ‘Misled Soldiers’… In terms of the song’s structure, it varies away from its predecessors, being more progressive, slowly constructing each element at a time. The track builds up an aura of darkness and the vocals even reach moments of unbridled anger, crashing into metalcore growls. Unfortunately, it’s not all good. ‘Mislead Soldiers’, an anti-war song, is lyrically poor. In fact, it’s not just poor; at times, it becomes pretty tasteless. In its anti-war sentiment, it is far too obvious and the track loses any power the instruments build up. It’s a rant for the sake of being a rant. Not clever, targeted, humorous or really hard-hitting. It has the same political worth as BFMV’s Scream, Aim, Fire. You know exactly what I mean. It may do well with the jaded teens who still think that ‘the man’ is out to get them, if they’re not too busy listening to Black Veil Brides, but when bands keep prattling on about how “‘we’ won’t accept ‘your’ lies”, it just becomes tiresome.

‘Breaking Silence’ rescues us from the depths of ‘Misled Soldiers’ with abrasive guitar riffs and full force intensity, which subsides to allow Smith to unveil the greatly improved narrative. It is predictable at times, but still different to those that went before despite the mass voiced chorus and feverish energy. ‘Moths’ goes even further away from the rest of the EP with the standard once-in-an-EP slowed drown track. I’m not being disparaging though, I was actually pleasantly surprised by SIS’s acoustic delivery. Offering something that is yet again quite different from the rest of the release; it offers up more sensitivity until the abrupt drumming brings in an explosion of raw emotion. Bringing in the drums and riffs at the end works perfectly, helping to convey the sense of overflowing emotion, especially when it’s juxtaposed against the tender acoustics up until their introduction.

Finally title track ‘The Lies We Lead’ finishes off the EP, but I’m not entirely convinced I like the way it does it. It sounds as though the band were going for a feel-good, uplifting summer song, but it sounds misjudged, too obvious and far too cringey for me. At times the lyrics get more creepy than catchy “Take off your clothes and be who you wanna be tonight”, which is a disappointing end to a mixed but impressive collection of tracks. I say ‘collection’ because all six songs are clearly crafted to stand on their own, musically and lyrically, as if each was considered to be a single, quite the way EPs seem to be going at the moment. It gives us a good indication of what SIS are capable of, a great smattering of talent from all areas, but leaves me hoping that above all, they graft the tracks together with more well thought-out lyrics in the future. If an album release is around the corner, it will be interesting to see how the variety of sounds and obvious potential is blended into a consistent whole.

3 out of 5 high fives!

Notes from the Keybed – This Month in Synths: July 2014

Canadian dance-punkers Death From Above 1979 are back and sounding as vital as ever. It’s been ten years since the duo combined monumental fuzz rock riffs with danceable beats on 2004’s ‘You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine’, but their influence can still be heard in everyone from Bloc Party to DZ Deathrays. One of the biggest influences on my own music making I was beyond excited when the band announced that they would be touring and releasing new music this year. The result is ‘Trainwreck 1979’, taken from upcoming second album ‘The Physical World’, and it’s an absolute belter! Known for his huge bass tone that renders the need for a guitarist useless, it’s easy to forget that Jesse F Keeler also plays a mean synthesiser. His time making electro in MSTKRFT has clearly paid off as the new single is packed full of luscious string pads, twinkling arpeggios and a piano hook that lifts the chorus up. Matched by Sebastien Grainger’s trademark drawl and thundering drums it is clear that the two-piece are back to show the current crop how it’s done. The single is out now and the album is due in September.

A couple of months back we revealed how minds were blown by Emperor Yes at this year’s Great Escape in Brighton. It seems we weren’t the only ones wooed by the electro pop trio’s charms as the band have announced that they are now working with the fantastic Alcopop! Records to release their debut album later this year. First single ‘Paramesse to Tanis’ is a psychedelic tour-de-force of abstract lyrics about pulling mountains across Egypt accompanied by choppy synth chords, Phil Collins aping 80’s drum fills, and quirky sound effects. The vocoder backing vocals that dominated earlier releases have been replaced by floaty indie boy harmonies, but the change is welcomed by this listener at least as, contrary to popular belief, one can have too much robot voice. Definitely one to check out for fans of Friendly Fires and The Flaming Lips.

I want to end this month’s round up (don’t worry keytar fans, check the paragraph below) by introducing some of my favourite synth-based music from the local area. Michael D Wynn is a producer/musician from Worcester, who has been playing a variety of instruments in countless bands but is now focusing on electronic music. He was responsible for one of my favourite releases of this year back in January, combining contemporary pop hooks with analogue beats and Microkorg riffs ‘The Careerist / Pinks’ with Flossie-T on vocals is a must-hear. Check it out on Soundcloud and harass him to make more like this!

Another band from the Worcestershire area who have been making waves in the music scene are Shatter Effect. I first came across this group, who combine noughties indie rock with male/female vocal trades and catchy synth parts, a couple of years back and they’ve been going from strength to strength with each subsequent single release, always complemented with visually stunning videos. The band are currently in the studio recording new material and I’ve been constantly checking their social media for updates, as the results will undoubtedly be excellent.

Finally… Keytar Hero time! Here at TwoBeatsOff we like Boston (as in the city, not the soft rock band… okay, fine, both). it’s the home of hardcore troubadours Defeater as well as ace punk/emo label Run For Cover Records. Well, now we have another reason to love the Massachusetts capital as a Prince-loving anonymous man dressed as a bear has been spotted riffing out on a keytar, busking away whilst, in his own words, ‘killing racism’. Perfect. Keytar Bear, we may be 3000 miles away and we will probably never cross paths. But from behind a laptop in a middle-class haven of the Cotswolds, for services to keytardom and equality, we salute you.

Rise of the Two-Piece Band – Why Now’s a Great Time to Ditch Yr Bass Player

I’ve just returned from this year’s 2000Trees Festival and one of the things that struck me was the sheer amount of bands with only two members, leaving audiences wondering where they were hiding the extra guitarist or keyboard player! From Blood Red Shoes to Slaves, God Damn to Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip it seems that two is the magic number.

With new music on the horizon from stalwarts of the power-duo line-up Death From Above 1979 and the likes of Royal Blood and Drenge popping up on daytime radio there has never been a better time to ditch your lazy third band member, make dwindling gig fees go further, and claim some extra space in the van! Check out my top five new or underground two-piece bands that prove that whilst bigger isn’t always better, less is certainly more!

Slaves
Looking like you wouldn’t want to spill their pint and sounding like a cross between Gallows and the glory days of Dischord Records, Slaves are quite simply brilliant. From the unlikely hallows of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Laurie Vincent plays guitar through a wall of distortion whilst Isaac Holman skits around the stage playing a stand up drum kit and shouting. Live highlight ‘Girl Fight’ is only 15 seconds long, which says it all… Slaves are way more punx than you.

Also see: yr dad’s punk vinyl collection from the 80’s.

DZ Deathrays
If there’s one thing that two-piece bands like more than leg room its fuzz! This Australian duo play thrash punk that is loaded with the hairy stuff! Emasculating bassists everywhere, guitarist Shane Parsons has mastered the art of making his guitar sound like the apocalypse with double the amps and a floor full of effects pedals, whilst drummer Simon Ridley body-bangs his way through the gig smashing cymbals and eardrums in equal measure! Adding an extra guitarist for a few songs at 2000 Trees this year almost seemed unnecessary as they lit up the stage with pure party-starting fury. New album ‘Black Rat’ is out soon but in the meantime check out their often NSFW videos online.

Also see: Death From Above 1979, God Damn.

Slingshot Dakota
Carly plays keys. Tom plays drums. Between them they make happy-sad emo-pop with soaring melodies, intricate rhythms and thoughtful lyrics. The female/male vocal interplay and overdriven keyboard textures fulfil the absent-guitarist role as well as that of at least two other members. Latest release ‘Dark Hearts’ is out now on Topshelf Records.

Also see: Matt And Kim, Summer Camp.

Whoovez
Guitarist Jacob Campbell and drummer Dylan Chieffalo from Pittsburgh make feels-laden shouty 90’s emo in the vein of I Kill Giants or the recent output from Modern Baseball. Interlaced with film-audio samples and with titles such as ‘Do You Have A Kurt Vonnegut Book In Your Backpack?’ their latest release ‘Bantamweight’ is available on pay-what-you-want download from Bandcamp.

Also see: Nai Harvest, Playlounge.

Powder For Pidgeons
Another guitar and drums duo from down under that play the kind of hook-laden alt rock that takes Foo Fighters three guitars to pull off. Dirty low-down riffs and pounding drums, they’re everything a two-piece band is supposed to be.

Also see: Middle Class Rut, No Age.

2000trees 2014: The Definitive TwoBeatsOff Overview

This year, I decided to put a big middle finger up to Reading and Download. I said sayonara to Sonisphere and a big ol’ screw you to Glastonbury. No, this year, I decided to do something a bit smaller and a bit more local. I decided to do something where I didn’t need to camp, where I could just hang about and check out some stuff I’d never heard of before, and where I didn’t need to pay in excess of £200 for the privilege.

This year, I had a bloody nice time at 2000trees.

There were a lot of highlights, so I’m going to give everything nice headings and make it easier for you to dig out the good bits. There were a lot of great bands over the weekend, some gourmet food choices and plenty of glorious sunshine to keep us all going. Beautiful.

The one band you should have seen were…

The Blackout were on absolute top form this weekend. Those lads from Merthyr know how to party, as Sean Smith demonstrated early on by storming into the crown and starting a circle pit around himself. If you’re just a fan of witty stage banter, then The Blackout have you covered – during ‘We Are The Dynamite’, Sean Smith gave a bunch of uncool non-participants the choice of ‘have fun like everyone else or fuck off!’ And there were plenty of other golden moments too. But all in all, The Blackout have a great selection of big rock stompers, all of which came out to play at 2000trees and simply made the festival for me. Great stuff.

The five new bands you’ll love are…

Slaves – this two-piece punk band from Royal Tunbridge Wells are rowdy, abrasive, witty and disgustingly noisy. Entertaining to watch, unbelievable to listen to. Definitely your new favourite band and my top discovery of the weekend.
facebook.com/slaves

DZ Deathrays – it’s all about guitars and drums this year and nothing else. DZ Deathrays played a blinding set of scuzzy garage-punk thrashers to finish off the weekend. If you like it loud and proud with extremely catchy riffs, these guys are for you.
facebook.com/dzdeathrays

Youth Man – these Birmingham punks are equally terrifying and mesmerising. A bit doomy in places, a bit frenetic in others, they’re completely captivating. The music’s stupidly smart, and the live show is bloody mental. We reviewed them a while ago and loved them.
facebook.com/youthmanband

I, The Lion – if you like big Biffy Clyro-esque sounds but with more guitar smashing and lyrics that make even less sense, you’ll love I, The Lion. These Cheltenham locals opened up the Saturday and set the bar incredibly high for everyone else to follow.
facebook.com/ithelionuk

Jamie Lenman – can you count Jamie Lenman as a new band? I will anyway. You may not have heard him as a solo project rather than as the former front man of the now-defunct UK titans Reuben. This year, he did a proper hardcore set based on the ‘Muscle’ side of his incredible album Muscle Memory (see our best of 2013 for more) and drew one of the biggest crowds of the festival.
facebook.com/jamielenman

Okay, the other bands you should have seen were…

Gnarwolves, Johnny Foreigner, The Bronx, Blood Red Shoes, Arcane Roots, Tall Ships and The Computers were all pretty good as well. However, special mention goes to Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, who blasted out an amazing set of beats and bars. A massive rave went down on Thursday night, and it was great to finally catch DLS VS SP live!

The one band you’re going to miss are…

The last Kill Chaos set ever happened at 2000trees. Gutting. At least we’ll still have the records, right? PromisesPromises only just came out after all! I only discovered them last year on Jamie Lenman’s first solo tour and I am sad to see them disappear already. Here’s to seeing what happens next…

The most surreal festival moment was…

Seeing Dave McPherson off’ve InMe stroll out onto Jamie Lenman’s set to do a bit of screaming, without actually knowing the words, was a little bit bizarre. I know he was playing this weekend, but InMe were never really a shouty band at all. Kind of weird but mostly wonderful.

The best food stall was…

Props to Wide Awake Café for their delicious iced lattes and veggie burritos! Check them out at a festival near you.

The coolest item of merch was…

Uh, 2000trees sunglasses for a fiver? Yes mate.

Festival Dickhead of the Year Award goes to…

There was a guy who sat down under a tree and pulled out The Diary Of Anne Frank to sit and peruse on Friday afternoon. What a knob.

So, will we be doing 2000trees again? The answer is a great big resounding yes. What a good festival.