Browsing Tag

Black Rebel Motorcycle club

Max Diaz – Mr. Manson: A Snarling Furore of Fuzzed Up Alt-Rock

American solo artist Max Diaz has already racked up over 1-million streams with their visceral take on alt-rock, based on their standout track, ‘Mr. Manson’; he is still criminally under-appreciated.

It has been a while since a feat of alt-rock allowed my curiosity to pique so intensely, but this snarling furore of macabre garage rock reels you in hook, line and sinker by using Manson’s infamous line, “I’m nobody, I’m a tramp, a bum, a hobo, I’m a boxcar and a jug of wine and a straight razor …if you get too close to me”, as a prelude. What kind of outlier could resist that Kerouac-style resonance?

It’s a fuzzed-up obsession-worthy track that fans of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are going to appreciate. Although it is safe to say that the distortedly electric choruses are infinitely more infectious. Instead of retaining an (archetypal) rebellious sense of ‘cool’, Diaz opted for no-wave aural insanity, allowing the soundscape to match the unstable state of Manson’s mind.

Of course, a track like Mr. Manson wouldn’t be complete with a burst of sonic guitars forming a wall, but this wall of noise comes wrapped in razor wire It really wouldn’t be a surprise to see Max Diaz signed to Ipecac Recordings or Sub Pop soon.

Mr. Manson is now available to stream via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Giant Buddha give us all the hurry-up with ‘Better Do It Now’

7 More by Giant Buddha

There’s a rich vein of ‘the right bands’ running through the Giant Buddha’s bio – Oasis, The Cure, Bauhaus, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and the Stones. Now, that by itself doesn’t guarantee a killer track – owning a great record collection doesn’t, of course, automatically translate to creating great original music – but what we have in ‘Better Do It Now’ is a trippy, hippie, stoner grind full of layered guitar crunch and hazy vocals, snippets of harmonica and a droning, driving wall-of-sound groove that’ll be familiar to anyone brought up on B.R.M.C. and Black Market Karma.

There’s a little bit of Velvet Underground garage rock in all of us.

Check out Giant Buddha on BandCamp and Facebook.

Review by Alex Holmes

The Fall of Ego don’t hide away with darkly-rocking release ‘World In Disguise’

Newly formed Nottinghamshire-based alt-indie rock band The Fall of Ego have released their new track ‘World In Disguise’.

Drenched in gratuitous levels of overdrive and wrenching with anti-capitalist overtures, ‘World In Disguise’ plays against some widely-regarded sentiment about today’s society. Its frequency maxing and furiously penned lyrics mirror the incredible amount of angst many today can relate to. It’s easy to admire where the feeling is coming from too – our reality is not normality and pretending it isn’t amounts to, well, insanity. 

It’s a track that stands strong through its devotion to its unabashedly protestory lyrics. Plus, it’s not phased about being too reliant on avoiding the numerous traps many of its contemporaries might, and so ‘World In Disguise’ manages to fit The Fall of Ego, quite suitably, into an enjoyably mouthy set piece of counterculture. Check it out. 

You can check out ‘World In Disguise’ on The Fall of Ego’s Soundcloud page here.

MURMAN – Panama: The Antidote to Indie Mediocrity

https://open.spotify.com/track/0cm5iGX14TKgdpgdIXAUgr

North London three-piece MURMAN has shaken up the mediocrity in the contemporary Indie scene with their high-octane single Panama.

It’s the kind of hit play on, get ensnared by the explosive instrumental hooks and instantaneously decide that MURMAN is a band you need to witness live. The biting despondency of the track is one thing, the authenticity of this feat of Psych-laced kaleidoscopically chaotic track is quite another.

Growling basslines and popping guitar notes lead the way into a frenetic progressive hit which ensures that the buzzsaw riffs offer just as much palpable vitriolic bite as the blazing Psych Rock solos. Fans of the Cramps, Desert Mountain Tribe, Bauhaus, and Black Rebel Motorcycle club will definitely want to check out this aural juggernaut of a release.

You can check out MURMAN’s single Panama for yourselves by heading over to Spotify now.

Keep up to date with the latest releases from MURMAN via Facebook.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Warbly Jets release snarling anthem The Lowdown

LA’s Warbly Jets have been building buzz locally and nationally since the release of their debut single last November. In addition to being named an Artist to Watch by KCRW and earning praise from both LA Weekly and LA Record, they’ve also racked up spins on Beats1 and KROQ, caught the attention of Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green (who used “Alive” as the official song of its SS17 line), and landed slots opening for acts like The Dandy Warhols, The Mystery Lights, and Night Beats.

Today, Warbly Jets share their second single, ” The Lowdown .” A snarling anthem meant to call out the music industry and its endless games, it’s the band’s way of saying that they’re here, and they’re here to stay. You can stream the new single where it premiered with Self-Titled Magazine or via Soundcloud .

“The Lowdown” was written last year, beginning with a backbeat and bass lick constructed by keyboardist Julien O’neill. From there, the band added guitars, vocals, and additional melodies, along with a heavy dose of confidence and a playfully brash attitude. Inspired by their own experiences with the music industry at large — specifically the empty promises of stardom and money, all while major labels go bankrupt pumping out heartless music — “The Lowdown” is Warbly Jets’ way of asserting that they got where they are on their own, and they’re not going to wait for anyone to give them the green light.

The band’s tour kicks off next week, as they head to China for their first shows outside of the US. See below for a full list of upcoming dates.

Warbly Jets on Tour :
7/14: Beijing, China @ Mao Live House
7/16: Shijiazhuang, China @ Hongtang Live House
7/19: ZhengZhou, China @ 7 Live House
7/21: Shanghai, China @ YuYinTang
7/23: HangZhou, China @ Mao Live House
7/26: Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy Theatre
7/29: Salt Lake City, UT @ Diabolical Records
7/30: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake
8/2: Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
8/3: Rock Island, IL @ RIBCO
8/4 – 8/5: Appleton, WI @ Mile of Music
8/6: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
8/8: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (Pond Magazine Presents)
8/9: Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (Pond Magazine Presents)
8/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
8/11: Washington, D.C. @ DC9
8/15: Nashville, TN @ The Basement
8/19: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar
8/20: San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
9/5: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms
9/12: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms
9/19: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms
9/25: London, ENG @ The Shacklewell Arms