The fact that these testosterone filled, perverted bastards feel that they can prey on young women without consequence is just abhorrent. I’m not saying every man is like this but it seems like the majority of men I come across are privileged arseholes, you might say it’s just a loud minority but when we live in a society based upon male dominance then surely the majority of men are going to get a sense of entitlement and abuse their power. When I hear stories of mental, physical and sexual abuse. When my friends lives have been torn apart because some scumbag noticed they were vulnerable or perhaps were doing the high crime of not watching their drink closely enough. When you get straight white men strutting about like they own the place, but is it a surprise when it is 99% of the time a straight white man does indeed own the place? I feel such hatred towards these scum. I myself am a white man coming from a middle class background and yet even with that privilege I can fucking control myself unlike these filth. You get men crying “crazy SJW libtard” whenever a woman stands up for herself or simply gets sick of the system. You get male politicians strangling female protestors. Male rockstars and sports “heroes” raping young girls who’ve been brainwashed by the media to submit to them. Men who feel they are well within their right to impregnate a girl half their age and then leave them with a baby to take care of and not pay child support. To the minority’s who have to struggle under the patriarchy allow me to apologise for the members of my gender who decide to act in such awful ways. There are those of us who aren’t like that, as rare as we may seem. You aren’t alone. You have allies. You are powerful. Keep fighting.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

Despite being heavily into Skinhead culture, I’ve always remained on the punk and ska side musically and never really explored reggae that much, despite it being the roots of the scene and being a great genre of music in its own right. So when One Drop Pony asked me to review one of their songs, I chose the chilled out electro reggae tune Home to either endorse or eviscerate, depending on my findings (Really? Your findings?Oscar you’re a music writer not a detective you tit). Anyway I am definitely not going to eviscerate these lovely chaps, as Home is a banger. Admittedly a slow, chilled banger but you’ll still find yourself nodding along to this absolute tune.

Home has got all the hallmarks of a reggae song, a booming subby bass, flaring horns, a steady guitar and drum groove. Yet the addition of synthesisers adds a really cool electronic vibe which I would not expect in a tune such as this. The vocals are also excellent, very psychedelic and chill, thanks to both the production and overall tone and pacing of the vocal track. Can I just say? That guitar solo is freaking awesome. Such a delicate tone yet it has such a fat groove to it. Whoever the guitarist is, props to you my friend. Then again props to everyone who worked on this single. It’s brilliant! I really enjoyed the organ solo/swell towards the end. It really adds a some dynamic before the last chorus, giving it quite a bit of punch.

What I really like about One Drop Pony as a band is their variety of influences and unique sound. The influences I can hear vary from Frusciante to The Beat. You can’t tell if these guys are black, white or anything in between. You’ve got the melding of a more typically white electronic sound with the slower dub grooves generally associated with black people (and before anyone has a go at me, yes I know people of other skin tones listen to the other genre, I’m making a point to do with musical context. Deal with it). The multicultural sound of One Drop Pony give them both impeccable style and important edge, two things any band desperately needs and the two things I mention most when talking about any band.

All in all I can highly recommend One Drop Pony for their electro reggae grooves and chilled out attitude. They’ve got such a great vibe and as all the American politicians are saying on their tv adverts at the moment, My name is Oscar Quick and I support this message.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

Bea Kristi, or as she’s known to her legions of fans Beabadoobee has achieved massive success in the past couple of years, and for good reason. Starting out as a simple singer songwriter, she managed to garner three hundred thousand views without even realising it on the first song she ever wrote on guitar. Coffee, a song that she called in an interview with Vice “the cringiest love song” kickstarted her career and got her signed to Dirty Hit. Not too bad then eh Bea? Truly a case of hidden talent popping up and changing lives. Coffee now has a whopping Eight and a half million listens on Spotify, with her other tracks not far behind. Her original stripped back vibe, taking influences from Simon and Garfunkel, Nineties angst and even her Filipino roots, brings forth a simple and fresh sound .

Over time Beabadoobee’s sonic vibe has developed, her latest track She Plays Bass, released just a few days ago, is a far cry from Coffee, yet it is still unmistakably Bea’s work. That same stripped down atmosphere and vocal style is still prevalent despite the new additions of drums, bass and electric guitar. She Plays Bass is brilliantly awkward and harkens back to bands like Pixies, while still maintaining a modern pop sensibility. I get kind of a slower Wolf Alice vibe on this one and is a welcome change from her earlier work without excluding her original fan base, which is a very hard thing for any artist to do, especially one so inexperienced. While I gather from a bit of searching on the internet that Bea has a boyfriend, the lyrics have an LGBT+ edge to them which is a nice touch and adds an air of mystery about her sexuality. Mystery and edge are a winning combination for an artist to have, it garners interest and attraction, which are the biggest things up and coming acts need in this brutal industry.

Beabadoobee’s success is proof that an artist can change their sound without completely ruining what makes them unique. Bea maintains her awkward, stripped back songwriting and lyrics, yet in a whole new context. So many artists change their style, and I’m not against that, however the band must maintain their original voice. If they don’t, they lose what made them interesting in the first place. The fact that Beabadoobee has signed to a label, changed her sound and not (while I hate the term, it’s appropriate here) “sold out” is a rare feat indeed, especially for one so young. heartily recommend that all my readers pay close attention to Beabadoobee’s future work, I reckon she will achieve even greater success in the next couple of years.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

I find something wonderfully funny about the fact that while I write this review of Gaffa Tape Sandy’s brand new EP/LP Family Mammal my own family mammal Chop is sat behind me licking the back of my head. He’s been doing it for like five minutes now and I don’t know why. Just thought I’d let you folks know that. Anyway, I’m supposed to be doing a review here. So. Family Mammal. What a record. Now they’ve marketed as an EP however it’s definitely album length with an assortment of charming yet angry tracks to choose from, including four new never before heard tracks, along with four songs released as singles in the past. Beehive however has a slight edit with a new intro of a man and a little boy, Isaac, discussing Gaffa and their banging tunes, which is a funny and charismatic start to Family Mammal. I bought the vinyl for this the moment I could and I heartily recommend my readers do the same as it’s a brilliant record and there’s only a few left. Instead of going over the tracks we’ve heard before (though they are definitely worth talking about) I’m going to discuss the four new banging tunes on offer from our favourite garage punks.

The first of the new songs, My Desperate House starts almost jazz like with a clean guitar intro and walking bass line, but fear not punkheads after a few seconds it hits you in the face with a massive distorted punk pop power chord sequence before the guitar dies down, giving rise to a mighty bassline from one of my personal bass heroes Catherine Lindley-Neilson. The hook of this song for me comes with guitarist/singer Kim Jarvis’s repeated lyrics “I was choking, I was choking out”. It’s not even in the chorus but for some reason it’s been stuck in my head since I first heard the song and that’s a serious thing to say because the entire vocal track is brilliantly catchy. A banging tune and my favourite off of this stand out record.

The second of the new tracks Dinner Jacket slows things down with a slower steady drum beat from the wonderful Robin Francis and Catherine’s beautiful vocals complement Kim’s expert rhythm playing perfectly. The drums are so tribal and is an unusual choice of beats for a song such as this. Dinner Jacket kicks in with force just after the two minute mark to finish out the song and the build up before hand makes it definitely worth the wait. Another banging tune for sure.

Turnstile is up next and while it’s my least favourite of the new tunes it’s still wonderfully catchy and powerful. The lyrics here are arguably the strongest the Gaffa crew have ever put out, definitely for me the most emotional. “I’m Apathetic, happy, passionate and sad at the same time” is such a powerful lyric for anyone who struggles with mental health to hear. The backing instruments support the vocals excellently. I only say Turnstile is my least favourite on Family Mammal as the other tracks are so astonishingly awesome. This is still a banging tune. What else can you expect from Gaffa Tape Sandy?

Kill The Chord is the last of the new songs and the final track on Family Mammal. And what a finale it is. That opening riff my god. The little bass and guitar runs aswell, so awesome. This song hits with such impact in the chorus and yet has such atmosphere in the build up to it, Catherine continually singing “I’m getting sick” over and over before that equally sick guitar riff kicks you in the teeth for the chorus. Don’t underestimate the drums either, Robin is easily one of the best drummers I know and should not be overlooked. Yet another banging tune.

So, four new banging tunes on a banging record from a banging band. We haven’t even discussed the other other tracks which are also, banging tunes. Family Mammal has my vote for EP of the year and Gaffa Tape Sandy have cemented themselves as my favourite band. As little Isaac says. Banging tunes.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

PS: Chop is still licking the back of my head. I think he means to eat me. Slowly. Send help.

With a sonic vibe that sounds more appropriate in 1960s America than in 2019 Switzerland, psych/surf rockers Valhalia hail from Geneva and bring forth a blast from the past in a modern context. I can perfectly imagine these boys playing Woodstock in that oh so famous summer of love, and yet Valhalia are wonderfully suited to modern times, their refreshing take on surf rock mixed in with psychedelic influences really make this band stand out in today’s music scene. I’ve been going to gigs for years and I’ve never heard another band sound quite like these guys.

First released in 2017, their debut EP Hula Hula, Valhalia is a brilliant example of nostalgia done properly. Far too many bands look to the past and completely mess it up, yet these unlikely chaps completely get it right. The pure musical skill displayed on this record is astonishing. The guitarist in particular has written his parts brilliantly to accompany the vocalists soaring highs. His playing is just brilliant. Displaying a technical knowledge while still keeping it tasteful. There are plenty of good guitarists out there, but this guy is clearly a master of his craft.

The rhythm section is also well put together, doing exactly what any rhythm section should be doing in this context, supporting the rest of the band. Sure you have a frankly blindingly good guitarist and epically powerful vocals but without those subtle bass notes and without that gentle drum beat they would be nothing. Any band is only as good as it’s foundation. Consistency, drive, energy. All these things this rhythm section provide and I encourage any of my readers who want to start playing bass or drums to look at these guys as they are an excellent example of a rock n roll rhythm team.

Lastly we come to the vocals, which should not be underestimated. Hauntingly beautiful the melodies hear really bring out some emotion. You can really hear the rawness in his voice, which in an age of auto tune and overproduction is something to be applauded. All in all the parts come together flawlessly. Seriously, keep an eye on these guys, their sound is pure nostalgic euphoria. The place to start with Valhalia is the first track on this stand out EP Under Your Spell. It has all their strengths on display and cuts absolutely no corners. Hugs Time is another brilliant tune. Then again all these songs are stellar. Anyway that’s all from me, check out their Facebook and Spotify, you won’t be disappointed.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

Before I begin this particular rant, I want to put a little disclaimer forward, I in no way whatsoever harbour any ill will towards Pale Waves or any other band I criticise in this short piece, while I obviously am not a fan, I am merely using these bands as an example for my point. This is simply my take on their music, look and the impact or rather the lack of impact of Pale Waves and bands like it on the music scene at the moment. I am not questioning them as people, I’m quite sure they’re quite lovely. I strongly believe in supporting young acts and I genuinely hope that the band has continued success in the music business, after all not many people can make it out there and every young musician we get out of a dead end minimum wage job and into doing something they love is hugely important. Now that’s been said I can continue with a clear conscience.

Pale Waves represent a problem the indie music scene faces at the moment, this eighties nostalgia gone wrong. Now I love the eighties, especially the alternative scene, from post punk Joy division to alt rockers Hüsker dü to alt-pop sensations The Cure, I love them all. I grew up listening to Boys Don’t Cry in the car on the way to school, or rather on the way home from school after I’d been sent home for misbehaving, misbehaviour inspired by Robert Smiths lyrics. However in this modern age of indie music, that sound has been imitated by many bands but has unfortunately lost it’s all important edge. The Cure were a pop powerhouse, but they maintained an attitude influenced by punk from the previous decade, hell, The Cure started out doing punk songs like I Want To Be Old as many new romantic and new wave bands did. So why has indie lost its edge? Is it due to new technology? After all tape and analog equipment have a different quality than modern digital production. Is it the record labels pushing for a poppier sound to sell more records or is it these bloody millennials ruining things? I don’t know if I can answer this today but I’ll sure try.

It’s obvious Pale Waves are taking elements of eighties pop culture into their style, from a power gothic vocalist to a subdued indie kid bassist, and that’s just talking about their look. The music has the cornerstones of eighties indie music, synthesisers and jangly guitars, and yet Pale Waves fails to add the emphasis and impact to their sound that a band like The Smiths or (early) Depeche Mode, and Depeche were more dance pop than indie, even if they had started on an independent label. Morrissey had haunting vocals and powerful lyrics and yet Heather of Pale Waves has overly processed generic pop singing and writes basic love songs. The production as a whole is far too much. Over production can work on a song, such as Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, but on a song that’s claiming to be cut from the same cloth as Siouxsie and Banshees? Come on!

Pale Waves have found mentors in The 1975, yet another band ruining the good name of indie music. They toured together and it’s clear they rubbed off on each other. They both have that same bad pop songwriting that’s all too prevalent in today’s music industry. I’m not saying all pop is bad, look at an artist such as Prince, or for a more modern example, Billie Eilish (ignoring the fact she did a song with Bieber) both Prince and Eilish possess a darker, edgier sense of songwriting. But this is what I mean, music has to have an edge, otherwise it just doesn’t have the same emotional impact. Some might say it’s great that indie guitar music is coming back into the mainstream, but these guitars are watered down, processed and in my opinion lacking the ability to inspire young budding musicians to pick up their instruments. Some areas of guitar music are doing things especially well such as in the modern punk scene but indie? Indie is really struggling to retain the emotion heard in earlier generations of indie music.

To summarise, this modern age of indie pop lacks that all important edge largely due to poor songwriting and over production. However, as I like to keep this blog largely positive and don’t want this whole rant to be me shitting on a band, a few good bands have shined through in spite of this modern pop rubbish, such as Blossoms, who also have an eighties vibe, are quite heavily produced and write love songs. Yet the songwriting and atmosphere is so powerful and brilliantly raw despite the production. It just feels more genuine and therefore has that needed edge. I hope you’ve all enjoyed this ramble I wrote at two in the morning.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

Now I don’t normally review the more heavy rock/metallic music on this blog, as my main focus is punk and indie music but this does not mean I don’t throw up the devil horns from time to time. In fact I’m a huge fan of Trivium and I always end up jamming their stuff with one of my best mates when I see him, it’s sort of a ritual of ours. So do not think me a stranger to the genre. Anyway, I had a brief chat with Rajeev of prog rockers The Multitude and after checking out their stuff I told him I’d be happy to do a review of their debut album Passing Into Time. And what music it is.

Soaring vocals, chugging guitar, heavy bass and pounding drums along with some more delicate moments make this album an emotional listen. You cheer, shout and headbang at the thrash riffs and pummelling drums on tracks such as A Clarion Call To Retribution and yet some of the occasional beautiful orchestral violin work (or is it viola? I can never tell) on Friends of Mine bring a tear to the eye. I’m now going to talk about my 3 favourite tracks on Passing Into Time.

Passing Into Time starts powerfully with the short introductory track Kyrie Eleison leading into the first full song and title track Passing Into Time. I’m going to talk about both here as one track as they are connected. The slow lead guitar in Kyrie Eleison almost has a stoner vibe before the follow up title track kicks it up a notch with blasting chugs and pulverising drums and bass, not to mention the expert vocal performance.

As I mentioned this album has its tender moments, especially with the collaboration between Multitude and Naviin Ghandharv On High Seas. The bass, while subtle and arguably drowned out on the rest of the album particularly stands out on this track and plays a wonderful counter melody to the beautiful guitar and orchestral arrangement while still laying down the rhythm which is exactly what a bass player should be doing on an album such as this. Loads of bands simply have the bassist follow the guitars but the bass player here has really shown his chops. Well done indeed.

Now my favourite track on this stellar album is the final track Friends of Mine. It seems to perfectly balance the slower moments to the smashing riffs we know that The Multitude are capable of by now. It sums up the album perfectly and is absolutely the right choice for the final track. Too many albums have the wrong choice for the finale, but this band have nailed it.

In summary this is an excellent example of progressive rock/metal and I urge any of my readers, especially those into the heavier side of rock to check this band out. Passing Into Time is available on the majority of music platforms including Spotify and iTunes.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar.

“The noisiest thing from Barnsley” is noise rockers Toronto Blessings claim to fame, and while I don’t know Barnsley, from the sheer sonic force emanating from this cacophonous three piece, I’d reckon they are correct in this assumption. This is a rock trio out for blood.

Their latest single U V U is a stand out track from their short but mighty discography. With just 5 songs on their Spotify, U V U no doubt has the most impact, thanks largely to the brilliantly raw vocals. You can really hear the emotion and rage there. The singer is belting out lyrics with the impact of a battle axe, and when you hear his voice straining, it just adds to the sound, countering the harshness of his shouts with the higher register of the more stressed moments of the vocal track.

The other instruments are not to be scoffed at either, in particular the bass, it’s consistent drive and tone is reminiscent of Adam Devonshire of Idles, which I can assure you is the highest compliment I can give a fellow bassist. The rhythm section as a whole is wonderfully tight, with the quirky drum beat catching your ear while still maintaining a simple groove.

Lastly we come to the guitar, which provides a perfect accent to the track. Generally In a rock three piece such as this a guitarists job is to provide both the lead and rhythm guitar parts simultaneously, a difficult task indeed. Many three piece bands have the guitarists simply play rhythm guitar aside from a solo as it’s a lot easier, however the guitar here goes in the opposite and more difficult direction, taking a largely lead approach, counter balancing the steady bass and drums so excellently.

In summary, a powerful song from a powerfully under-appreciated trio. I still can’t believe that these songs haven’t hit a thousand listens yet, they are a superb example of noise rock. To any young budding musicians thinking of getting into noise rock, start here. Toronto Blessings have all the elements which make noise rock great, yet with their own unique voice.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

The Velvet Ditch EP new from punk duo Slaves is an excellent example to show anyone who wants to start listening to Slaves. The contrast between the two sides of the record perfectly shows both the light and the dark of Slaves. From the fast paced punk beats of It Makes Me Sick to the delicate piano quotas in When Will I Learn, this EP is a brilliant entry point to this sonic powerhouse of a band.

The first track One More Day Won’t Hurt has a mighty bass riff akin to Bugs from Slaves’ previous release Acts Of Fear and Love with a massive drum sound and Isaac’s spitting rap lines giving it an all together different but no less powerful blunt force. This track punched you in the face so hard you’ll have no idea what hit you.

Second we have It Makes Me Sick which while being my least favourite track on The Velvet Ditch it is still no doubt ferocious. That intro guitar riff from the wonderful Mr. Vincent is so reminiscent of the legendary Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath before the track launches into hardcore punk guitar chords, blasting drums and vocals harsh enough you wonder how Isaac hasn’t lost his voice yet. The song isn’t necessarily a bad one, but I never found hardcore punk that appealing so this track has less impact for me, despite being so heavy. Still, live this will be insane and I’d recommend it to anyone into the heavier side of punk.

The title track is up next and let me tell you, this track took me by surprise when I first listened to this EP. The massive 180 degree turn from the tracks prior was a brave choice from the duo. This soft guitar and vocal only piece has a steady rhythm with Laurie echoing Isaacs lyrics with a haunting pitch. The guitar riff is so simple and hypnotic, it’s the kind of riff that makes think one of a children’s television programme. My only complaint is that compared to the rest of the EP, this lacks the force previously and further heard, and in my opinion does not deserve to be the title track. A title track is meant to represent the entire piece of work and for me this track is too far removed from the other songs to do that, but again, maybe that was intentional.

And now we come to the end, the grand finale, and what a finish it is. When Will I Learn is so eerily beautiful and yet still has the catchiness to be sung along with. This is a song hugely different to anything Slaves has ever done before and yet is still unmistakably a Slaves track, thanks hugely to Isaacs vocals and lyrics. The production is also excellent and I don’t think the track would be as good as it is without the stellar producing. I can see many people, young and old shedding a tear to this.

The Velvet Ditch is so powerful, so uniquely contrasting that I urge all my readers to listen to it. It’s available on all major listening platforms and for to those who’ve never heard Slaves, this is the definitive jumping off point into your new obsession.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar

I was watching one of my favourite youtubers today (Tomska) and he mentioned in the particular video I was watching that as much as he believed in gender equality, he did not describe himself as a feminist anymore because he could not handle the backlash that comes from using that label. The fact that a large portion of our society has decided that the term feminist is somehow a bad thing has really upset and angered me. As a proud feminist and believer in social justice I strongly believe in equal rights for all. Hell, I’ve even got Riot Grrl tattooed on my knuckles. So this throwaway phrase from Tomska has been on my mind for a few hours now and frankly I’m seething. I know some might say the people who are saying anti feminist things on the internet are just trolls trying to get a reaction, and that in modern society nearly all people believe in the western world believe in women’s rights. I’m afraid that’s just not the case. The right has been rearing it’s ugly head of late, and you can see it’s influence all over the net and in real life. It used to be that Nazis were considered the root of all evil, the evil that millions died fighting, and yet today we find them everywhere, from little, basement dwelling children calling anyone with a sense of respect for their fellow human an SJW liberal (which by the way, I am proud to call myself both SJW and liberal) to sieg heiling far right terrorists attacking mosques and waving swastikas. Even our leaders are leaning further and further right. Whether it be the Tories here or Trump over in the U.S. sexism is everywhere. It’s just awful. Also, the imbeciles who claim that they have the right to be discriminatory because of free speech can simply fuck off. Free speech is great and all, but not when it’s being abused to hurt others. You might say it’s just words but words have a huge impact on our society. Hateful words fuel hateful actions and people have, can and will die from it. Something needs to be done. I don’t know what, but we cannot stand for this kind of behaviour. All I can do as a blogger and musician is simply write and shout about it as much as I can to raise awareness. I encourage all of my friends and readers to vote responsibly, and even go as far as to email your local MP demanding they condemn any sexist, transphobic, homophobic or racist act, and to hold their fellow politicians accountable for their actions, such as a certain Tory bastard strangling a young female protester, or a particular president claiming he didn’t rape a woman because “she’s not his type”. These vile pieces of filth must be rooted out. They have no place in a civilised society.

Peace, Love and Cowbells,

Oscar