“Played by the gate at the foot of the garden/My view stretches out from the fence to the wall
No words could explain, no actions determine/Just watching the trees and the leaves as they fall” - Joy Division
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| Horns Up |
New Horizons
Mike Neaves – You’re Welcome
Creating techno music that doesn’t consist of four on the floor bangers but still manages to enthral is a tall order for some. Not Mike Neaves (The Eurosuite, Sly & The Family Drone). Supposedly made on "not that much" equipment with all live takes from a sequencer, what we get is the sort of record that Omni Trio should have put out circa ‘Skeleton Keys’. It’s loud, it’s abrasive and it’s fun.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Pound Land – Violence
Returning with a sixth album of sludgy, psychedelic industrial punk, as well as featuring Steve Watson of Iron Monkey, Pound Land continue to let us know the state of the nation in a way that Sleaford Mods would kill to. Heavy without resorting to metal cliches and with electronics that sound dirty, ‘Violence’ is their best record to date as well as their most challenging.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Dragged Up – Hex Domestic
Describing themselves as “…an off-kilter psych-garage proto-punk band” from Glasgow, Dragged Up also take influence from the city’s history of indie pop: the title track hints at both Teenage Fanclub and Dishevelled Cuss while ‘Hurricane’ would give The Primevals a run for their money. ‘Blame the Weather’ garners the ‘best song’ title due to its slow build from post punk ballad to upbeat rocker.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Gendo Ikari - Rokububgi
This Glasgow group have been on the go for a while (I saw then opening for Agoraphobic Nosebleed in 2017) and so a debut LP has been a long time coming. Thankfully, it’s one that does justice to the band’s chaotic grind in that the production is scuzzy enough to retain dirt, but clear enough to allow the madness to shine through. ‘Die’ gets the nod for the cheeky Ozzy Osborne pinch. Excellent.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Golden Oldies
Discharge – Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing
Undoubtedly the greatest punk/hardcore album of all time, time has not eroded its abrasive, nihilistic edge and blunt force. Distilling the raw anger of the first wave of punk as well as stripping away melodies and reducing the lyrics to slogans, what we got was an astonishingly concise soundtrack for the four-minute warning.
Amebix – Monolith
Although not as immediate as its predecessor (1985’s exceptional ‘Arise’), an Amebix album will always be an experience for the listener, and ‘Monolith’ is no exception. Leaning a little heavier on the metal side of their influences (particularly doom and thrash), album closer ‘Coming Home’ is the standout number due to it being the sonic equivalent of Tyr preparing his troops for battle.
Schoolly D – Schoolly D
Anyone who starts off an album by sneering that “this ain’t Prince” has my undivided attention. One of the original gangsta rappers, Schoolly may not have been the most technical rapper but his presence and his willingness to piss people off, as well as some excellent scratching from DJ Code Money, make this an undeniably powerful debut.
The Orson Family - Bugles, Guitars, Amphetamines
One of the many bands who formed in the wake of The Cramps’ astonishing blend of rockabilly, garage and punk, this English psychobilly group may not have had the same formidable vocals or presence of Lux and Ivy, but this live album demonstrates that their songwriting craft was on a par. ‘River of Desire’ is an obvious highlight.
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.
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