ARTHUR WALWIN: For One More Night: CD

Arthur Walwin is a singer, songwriter and producer from South East London, and has struck out from his band Paige to release his first solo EP. Arthur Walwin started on YouTube recording covers before writing his own original music and has put seven original songs on this release.

“Blame it On the Weather” starts with great piano before the drums kick in and gives you an idea of what the rest of the EP has in store. “All For You” has a great piano and rock guitar riff that makes for a beautiful balance of songwriting. I am amazed that more people have not heard of Arthur Walwin, he is a great singer and musician with real emotion in his music. “Older Posts” adds a female vocalist who gives the track a nice extra sound that makes for a real treat. “So Nice To Meet You” has some great guitar riffs and keeps the great music going. “Wisteria Lane Poker Club” is a heavier track on the EP and has strong guitar, confident vocals and precision drumming that is full of emotion and power. Final track “Don’t Lean On Me” is a great song that ends everything perfectly.

This was a very nice look into Walwin’s music palette and it’s full of colors that will brighten your day. Give this EP a spin and let the sound grab you.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1393540337621084/

http://www.arthurwalwin.com/

https://www.facebook.com/engineerrecords

http://www.engineerrecordsusa.com/

HEALTHY JUNKIES: Sick Note: CD

This female-fronted four piece hail from London and deliver thirteen tracks of trashy, punkish glam rock. They were formed back in 2009 by singer Nina Courson and guitarist Phil Honey-Jones, and they are backed by Tjay Tarantino on bass and Steve Nightmare on drums.

Opener “Copycat” is a great song to start things off, raw and rugged and a great vocal from Courson. “Manifesto” has a touch of a Blondie feel to it, but it doesn’t take away from the track being a treat. “Frozen Fields” is another catchy song that really keeps the energy going. “Glam Sister is a very tight and trashy, but blazing track. Trash My Love  is a frantic track with a chorus that gets stuck in your head and won’t let go. “Beaten Dog No More” has male vocals for a change with Nina’s vocals helping out and is another great track. “Little Groupie” is a tight song that burns up the grooves with its great beat. “Exile” has a terrific slow build that has to be heard.

The album has a fun sound to it that really catches a hold of your ears and won’t let go, kind of making you a JUNKIE for them, but that might end up being HEALTHY in the long run. I’m looking forward to more music from them, and hope that more people become JUNKIES for them.

https://www.facebook.com/healthyjunkiesband

OH MINNOWS: For Shadows: CD

Oh Minnows is a person by the name of Chris Steele-Nicholson formerly of the group Semifinalists, and For Shadows represents his debut solo album. Chris began working as Oh Minnows in 2009, following the break-up of Semifinalists.

Album opener and lead single “Another Volunteer” has fast stuttering guitar work, and then chills a little bit and becomes one of the album’s most melodic and catchy songs. “At The Rehearsal” gets things moving a bit more with echoed, distorted vocals and then going into a euphoric chorus. “A Performance” has the tempo going in and out of slower and faster parts before the soaring harmonic vocals kick in. “Trade” has a sharp electronic pulse that works well in with the laid back vocals. “Some Reasons Why” is a shorter more minimal track that has a great sound. “Everyday” has a gorgeously languid guitar and infectious, shuffling rhythm and is a very romantic and confessional song. Final song “By The Sea” is a blissful and thrilling end to the album.

There’s not really a weak track on For Shadows, it gives the listener a trip that takes you outside of the doldrums and brings you to a calmer, more fun place. The album is definitely recommended and while be something that you will come back to time and time again.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oh-Minnows/240980610045

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Young-and-Lost-Club/30450048616

http://www.youngandlostclub.com/

BEAR FIGHT: California Punk Rock: Download

Bear Fight is a four piece punk band hailing from Pico Rivera, Fullerton, & Newport Beach and based in the LA/OC area of California. These guys play punk mixed with hardcore that is fast, melodic, & dynamic.

We have five songs on this album and they are tightly played and full of energy, just what the Dr ordered for relief of shitty pop music. The band sings about Facebook (“Facebook Freakout”), and Justin Beiber (“Belieber”), so you should be prepared to have a sense of humor, but don’t think that they are just another bunch of goofs singing silly songs, they know how to write a song and make you think of just how stupid shit can be. The songs have a nice snotty attitude to them, mostly because of the vocals, but the songs are gritty and have a few awesome solos mixed in that really stand out, like on “So Frustrating,” a fantastic song.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and felt that they have a keen grasp of what’s going on today and can pair that with a more classic punk rock sound. I have to look out for more releases from this band, they really are a treat.

https://www.facebook.com/dreampollution

http://bearfightmusic.bandcamp.com/album/bear-fight

https://www.facebook.com/basementrecords

https://basementrec.bandcamp.com/album/california-punk-rock

http://www.basementrecords.com/

HOT BLOOD: Overcome Part 1: Digital Release

Hot Blood was formed in Red Bank, New Jersey in 2013. Their first release NO KINGS was put out on Asbury Park based record label Little Dickman Records in April 2014. This new single has four blazing hardcore tracks that come at you with the force of lightning and knock you on your ass.

“Rust” opens the album with the pounding drums of Billy Straniero before the guitars kick in and we are in the middle of a raging storm of power and energy. The song is a great start to the single. “Blood On My Hands” takes that power and amps it up a few notches more, so much that you are scared that the band is going to explode and cave in your head with the devastation on display. Now this is hardcore that doesn’t veer off into metal wanking or forget its roots in punk. “Cop in a Tank” talks about the police and the troubles that people have with the bad cops that are not there to help you. The song has so much venom and bitterness towards those police officers and hits close to home for a lot of people. “Class Warfare” has vocalist Mat Kiley starting things off with the banshee yell of “This Is A War” and he never lets up on the raw emotions that he has in this song. The band pounds away behind him, barely holding it together until they finally come to a thundering end.

This is one tight band, with emotional and pertinent lyrics that although have been brought up in the past, still need to be addressed. The band is exactly what the hardcore scene needs now, a group to be grounded in the past, but still playing in the here and now, giving the listener everything that they have and more.

https://www.facebook.com/HotBloodNJ

https://hotbloodnj.bandcamp.com/releases

https://www.facebook.com/basementrecords

https://basementrec.bandcamp.com/album/overcome-part-1

http://www.basementrecords.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Dickman-Records/286423488125706

http://www.littledickman.com/

WANG CHUNG: Mosaic: CD

Mosaic is Wang Chung’s fourth album and third on Geffen Records. Released in 1986, Mosaic was commercially successful due to three singles: “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” (reached a high of #2 on the Billboard Hot 100), “Let’s Go!” (#9 on the Hot 100) and “Hypnotize Me” (#36 on the Hot 100). Mosaic earned a Gold rating by the RIAA, and hit #41 on the Billboard 200 album charts.

Now that we have the stats out-of-the-way, let me just say that their second album, Points On The Curve is an album that I can listen to over and over again and hasn’t dated as much as this one has. Yes, this has “That Song” on here that everyone knows and thinks is the only hit that they had…WRONG! Sadly the song was cheesy when it came out and people laughed at the chorus then, as they still do now. I blame you Peter Wolf! Once you get past that song, (luckily it’s the first one on the album), you get better songs that are more deserving of your attention. “Let’s Go!” is the standout track for me since it does have a more pop sound than their previous album, but it still retained the spirit of the band’s sound, a classic track that stands the test of time…and you can dance to it too. “Hypnotize Me” and “The Flat Horizon” are a pair of great tracks that keep you wanting to hear them over and over again. “The World In Which We Live” is another song that I hit the replay button to hear again. These are the standouts to me, the songs that are truly ones that haven’t out stayed their welcome and are always a treat to hear. The other songs are alright, nothing to get crazy about, some slower tracks and some that are just nice, but they still deserve to be heard. The band sounds tight on here, not a note out-of-place, but it was the ’80s and by this time, there was no messing about in the studio, the producers were throwing everything into to sink and hoping it would work. The sound is great on this remaster, clear with the ability to hear little nuances that you couldn’t hear before, plus the way that it looks just like it did on vinyl is too cool.

So, an album with one of the most familiar and played (played out), songs is out there with a great sound and excellent packaging, just beware of “THAT SONG,” it may drive you crazy, but it’s worth the effort to hear the others on the album. I’m a fan of the band since I first heard them back in the early ’80s and always will be, so I’m glad that I get the chance to hear this album again and give it another shot.

https://www.facebook.com/wangchungband

http://www.wangchung.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Culture-Factory-USA/161614307253980

http://www.culturefactoryusa.com/

THIS LIFE: Lies About The Truth: CD

This Life from Toulouse, France has released their debut album with ten heavy hitting tracks. This hardcore band formed in 2012 and has put a lot of effort in this debut album.

The album starts with “Life Wire,” a track which is one heavy hardcore song with fast guitar riffs, pounding drums and a chugging bass line with vocals that are shouted and help to kick things into high gear. “Fire Your Dreams” goes on almost seamlessly and it is not until the vocals come in that is another blistering song. “Are We Ready” has a great bass solo, crashing cymbals and quick guitar chord changes to get you pumped. “Age To Thrill” features Seb from The Great Divide on vocals who adds his touch on this already great album. I love the bass guitar that starts “Mediatalks” off and carries on throughout the song. It’s played so fast and sinewy that I just kept on hitting replay. “Sunseeker” is another killer track that just would make the pit go nuts over with its feel of racing to the end. This album has a tight sound that I enjoyed, it feels like the band is ready to explode and wipe everyone out.

A very good debut that just gets better as you listen to it and it will make you re-listen to it. I think that I’m going to put this one in the car, roll down the windows and crank it up next time I’m out driving.

https://www.facebook.com/thislifehardcore

http://www.this-life.fr/

https://www.facebook.com/nevertrustanasshole

http://nevertrustanasshole.jimdo.com/

http://nevertrustanasshole.bandcamp.com/album/lies-about-the-truth

https://www.facebook.com/deuxpiedsdeuxdents

http://www.deuxpiedsdeuxdents.fr/

https://deuxpiedsdeuxdents.bandcamp.com/album/lies-about-the-truth

https://www.facebook.com/deleteyourfavoriterecords

https://deleteyourfavoriterecords.bandcamp.com/album/lies-about-the-truth

SALVATION CITY ROCKERS: Too Young To Die…Too Fast To Live…Street Punk Is The Only Way Out!: LP/CD

French street punks Salvation City Rockers from Paris combine old school punk, some ska, a touch of reggae and street punk on this LP to great effect. It’s always a treat getting an album from a band that goes beyond your expectations.

This album is incredibly varied, and every song comes with a lot of feeling, emotion and melody. The fantastic guitar playing, pounding drums, driving bass and Hammond organ mix together for a collective sound that borders on terrific. Singer Alteau’s voice suits everything on here, from the punk rock songs, to the more 2-Tone tinged numbers. This has the sound of a touch of RANCID, and in turn THE CLASH as well, but it still sounds fresh and exciting. Song after song are tightly played and sung with conviction and power, making you want to keep replaying the album again and again. I can’t pick just a few songs that I like, since I enjoyed them all and will for a long time. They do a great cover of the Teddybears song “Punk Rocker,” and you get to see Bernie Dexter doing her great pin-up look on the cover and inside too.

This was a great old sounding street punk album that carries on the great tradition of Oi! into the future with a performance that makes your hair stand on end. Grab a copy, lace up the boots, and crank this bad boy up!

https://www.facebook.com/SalvationCityRockers

https://www.facebook.com/JoePogoRecords

http://www.joepogorecords.com/

RENTAP: Summoning The Sun: CD

The name of Dutch five piece act calling themselves RENTAP translates from ancient Malaysian as “Shaker Of The World,” and doing some mighty fine shaking on this album. RENTAP is fronted by the gritty voiced Phi Nix, the guitars of Nik and Yoep, bass is handled by Bart, and drums by Yuma.

From the moment the EP kicks off with “Come Through The Fire” to the last melodic track of “Future World Skies,” this EP is a delight to the ears. The record has anthemic choruses to bluesy rock riffs that delight and electrify the air as you listen to the songs. “Come Through The Fire” is a hard rocker with great rhythm and solid vocals that gets things off to a great start. “Upside Down” has a heavy groove to it, the kind that gets you up off of your butt and forces you to move along with it, plus the riffs are super tight. “Insane” has a nice blues feel in parts, but never lets down on the kick ass intensity for one second. “Break These Chains” is a touch slower, but not a ballad, it does pick up the pace in parts, but the slower parts give it a nice thick sound. “Future World Skies” is another slower tempo track that has more modern rock touches, but still keeps the metal edge to it and is a great closer. Phi Nix has a fantastic voice, full of power, life and emotion, something that is missing with a lot of female vocalists who either are wispy or want to be opera stars. The band is on point too, playing tight with skill and energy that washes you along.

For a band that is still fairly new, they sound like veterans and give you all that they have in these five all too short songs. I really need a full album from this band and a live setting would just be a fantastic way to hear these songs too.

https://www.facebook.com/rentapband

http://www.rentapband.com/

https://rentapband.bandcamp.com/album/summoning-the-sun