Review - The Cut Ups - The High And Mighty

The Cut Ups - The High And Mighty

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7 out of 10

Despite all the hype, not every other punk band in this country wants to be Gallows. The Cut Ups, for example, want to be Billy Bragg, judging by some of the tracks on their second offering (and their first for scene stalwarts Household Name Records). I'm exaggerating of course, but the vocals are uncannily similar, and some of 'I Know It's OK' could easily turn out to be lost verses from 'A New England'.

With band members having racked up plenty of time in and around the UK scene, it's obvious that they would know how to put together a decent punk rock song. So while you may think you've heard the component pieces of these songs before, back when it was Snuff or Against Me! riffing away, the experience means that their arrangement and the transitions between them sound anything but stale. The lyrics too, may occasionally seem a bit lazy, with quite a few easy 1-2 couplets, but there are still plenty of far deeper passages, telling the inevitable tales of growing up, missing home, and (if you hadn't guessed by the song title) Fugazi. And after a few listens, no matter which end of the scale they sit at, they all work their way into your brain without you even realising it.

So remember - you don't want to be the same as everyone else. That's why you got into punk. And it's why you should give this a try as well.

Listen: www.myspace.com/thecutups

Tracklist:
1. The High And Mighty
2. An Ode To These Isles
3. Last Night I Dreamt I Saw Fugazi
4. The King of Exwick
5. Liebe Hore Nimmer Auf
6. Jake Versus The Christmas Tree
7. The Wrong Side Of The River
8. These Bones Were Built On Rice
9. I Know It's OK
10. I Asked The Wrong Question
11. Let's Go Home

Review - 'A' Train, The - Black and White Memories

'A' Train, The - Black and White Memories

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5 out of 10

Mostly reminiscent of Squeeze in both vocal style and songs, The 'A' Train don't jazz things up much on this, their debut release. Where It Counts should be sold to the Black Crowes forthwith, as it seems desperate for voice with more howl and grit to turn it into a more stadium-friendly sing-along than light jazz-pop. Chimes at Midnight is pleasant, countryish diddle - a bit Dylan, a bit Difford. It's Place Of No One that finally brings all the strings, solos and harmonies together, though. Still, it's all a bit too 'nice'.

Listen: www.myspace.com/theatrainmusic

Tracklist:
1. Black and White Memories
2. Where It Counts
3. Chimes At Midnight
4. Place Of No One

Review - Swimming - Panthalassa / Crash The Current (Single)

Swimming - Panthalassa / Crash The Current (Single)

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4 out of 10

The nineteen-eighties, sir? Madam? All the 'tastemakers' are rubbing that decade frantic right now, and Nottingham's Swimming fit as snugly as a pixie boot. They've chosen an interesting bouquet from the day-glo garden; a sprig of Public Image, a few pruned spikes of Kajagoogoo and a spray of Sparks. And is that A Flock of Seagulls I see in the distance? Oh no, it's gone. Panthalassa blips and whooshes along fairly inoffensively, with an imaginative, swirling guitar breakdown. Crash the Current brings more of the same, with a touch more heaviness. The remixes tend to emphasise the childish nature of the music, which will please all the Casio lovers out there. So, a few silly outfits and a couple of ill-judged tabloid-friendly relationships and who knows?

Listen: www.myspace.com/swimmingband

Tracklist:
1. Panthalassa
2. Crash the Current
3. Crash the Current (LaLaLepus vs. Swimming)
4. Panthalassa (Russian Linesman Remix)
5. Panthalassa (Zero Theory Mix)
6. Panthalassa (Weshowuponradar Remix)

Review - Stephen Dale Petit - As The Years Go Passing By (Single)

Stephen Dale Petit - As The Years Go Passing By (Single)

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5 out of 10

Currently on tour with rolled Stone Mick Taylor and with a recent, well-received live session on the Paul Jones Show - Mr. Petit's Blues credentials are as solid as his Guitar Magazine 'Album of 2008' award. His second long-player The Crave is scheduled for an Autumn release and this is its lead single - a muscly reworking of the old Albert King tune. There are Folk-tinged strings swirling around, shouty Winehouse-ian backing vocals, a strong axe solo (strangely sounding a touch buried in the mix) - the whole is as blatant a pitch for a spot on Later With Jools Holland as you're likely to hear. A shame Petit's voice doesn't match his string bending - but that Clapton fellow isn't exactly famous for his singing, either.

Listen: www.myspace.com/stephendalepetit

Tracklist:
1. As The Years Go Passing By

News - The Cycle Still Has Soul Control

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Soul Control will release their new full-length album called "Cycles" on the 25th of August through Bridge Nine Records. The album was produced by Jay Maas (Verse, Shipwreck).

News - Pelican - "Ephemeral" EP

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Pelican will have a new LP/MP3 called "Ephemeral" available from Southern Lord on the 4th of June.

Their new track "Embedding the Moss" is up on their MySpace now.

Here’s an update from the band:

"Hey folks,

Our show in Tokyo this weekend was a blast. Thank you so much to our dear friends Mono and Tadashi for making it possible. It is really so amazing and unimaginable that we have been invited to play in Japan three times now - none of us every thought this was possible when we first started playing together. So thank you again friends and everyone who came out to the show.

We got CD copies of our new three song EP Ephermeral right before the tour. They turned out fanastic thanks to the design and printing ingenuity of our friends at Delicious Design League. Again, the CD version of this EP is limited to 1000 copies and is only available from us at our shows. Copies leftover at the end of the tour may make it onto our webstore, we will keep you posted on that.

At our Friday show in Birmingham, AL we will meet a shipment of the vinyl edition of Ephemeral and copies of our split 7" with Young Widows, which also features a brand new song not available anywhere else. Very sorry we couldn’t get these in time for the first few shows of the tour, folks, but that’s the way the cookie crumbled.

Anyhow, it’s time to pack the van and start the long drive to Austin to meet the ISIS tour already in progress. see you soon."

News - Blakfish Tour + Single Release

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Blakfish have the following UK tour dates in June with Colour.

14 Birmingham Flapper & Firkin
15 Manchester Kro Bar
16 Sunderland The White Room
18 Nottingham Bodega Social Club
19 London Purple Turtle (Hot Damm! Club)
20 Brighton Audio
21 High Wycombe The Roundabout
22 Portsmouth The Cellars
23 Guildford Boileroom
24 Derby The Royal
25 Leicester Firebug
26 Leeds Brudenell Social Club

They have announced the release of their first single which is called "If The Good Lord Had Intended Us To Walk He Wouldn't Have Invented Roller-Skates". It will be available on 7" vinyl at all the shows and at www.hasslerecords.bigcartel.com from June 14th.