This week we review the latest albums from Dananananakroyd, Billy Talent, Rebel Peasant, Fine, and La Coka Nostra.
4 stars (out of 5)
Raved about by NME and Uncut, this Scottish band is explosively in-your-face. Boasting two drummers and two vocalists, their energy is compounded.
Their sound is post-hardcore and indie - the well-produced type, mind you - and they brand their style as "fight-pop". It's a fair description. The album does sound like it is having a fight with you - and winning.
Shrieking riffs and brutally heavy breakdowns batter the listener, broken here and there by playful vocal melodies sung in sweet Scottish accents. Too full-on for repeated listening, but sure evidence of an incendiary live act.
Single download: Infinity Milk
For those who like: Fallout Boy, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Futureheads
- Thom Benny
> Billy Talent. III. Warner.
3 stars (out of 5)
This Canadian quartet claims influence from the likes of Mudhoney and Soundgarden. But their sound owes more to the melodic-hard rock prevalent today than to any band of the '80s or '90s.
Working with producer Brendan O'Brien (Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers) was obviously a calculated choice.
III goes for the wall-of-sound approach, relying on huge-sounding guitars and epic, crashing drums aided by equally dramatic vocals.
Billy Talent claims this album signifies its arrival as a major rock act and a musically mature group. But in terms of lyrics it borders on cliché, and in terms of arrangement it is highly predictable.
Single download: White Sparrows
For those who like: My Chemical Romance, The Living End, Jane's Addiction
- Thom Benny
> Rebel Peasant. The Walls Of The Well. Self-release.
4 stars (out of 5)
Phoenix Foundation drummer Richie Singleton recorded this all-instrumental album, his first solo effort, between finishing Happy Ending and starting work on the band's coming album.
With help from Foundation bandmates and other musicians from the likes of Fat Freddy's Drop, The Black Seeds, Little Bushman and Cassette, Singleton has created a beguiling piece of exotica, layered with muted horns, plaintive melodica, keys, accordion, guitars and percussion.
His soft-handed approach makes for 11 slices of tasty dub for the wee small hours. Affair At Fabyan is a particularly poignant piece.
Single download: The Walls Of The Well
For those who like: Conray, Sola Rosa
- Jeff Harford
> Fine. Ceol Manawatu. Jayrem Records.
3 stars (out of 5)
This New Zealand CD features original bagpipe compositions performed in contemporary settings.
It has been produced by Ceol Manawatu, "a music collective that performs original Manawatu compositions with a Scottish/Celtic influence". At its helm is Palmerston North musician Paul Turner.
Turner has gathered up to 20 musicians on various instruments, who back tracks featuring either the Highland bagpipes, the Scottish border pipes or the Scottish smallpipes.
The eclectic tune selection ranges from serious through to light-hearted jigs and celebrates the versatility of the pipes, making mighty "fine" listening.
Single download: Poyntzfield
For those who like: Battlefield Band, Wild Geese, bagpipes
- Louise Frampton
> La Coka Nostra. A Brand You Can Trust. Shock.
3 stars (out of 5)
The first thing that strikes you about La Coka Nostra is the blatant gangsta imagery ... it's hilarious. Surely these guys are taking the mickey.
Otherwise the rag-tag crew of hip-hop honkies have bought their own hype. As strange as it pains me to say this, La Coka Nostra is actually pretty clever.
Combining some of the best cross-over hip-hop artists (Everlast, Ill Bill, Danny Boy and DJ Lethal), the House of Pain and Cypress Hill overtones are instantly apparent.
Gritty slabs of guitar woven into shrewd multilayered vocal interplay, some kickass beats from Badsville ensure even ardent sceptics will be nodding along.
Single download: The Stain
For those who like: Cypress Hill, Snoop Dog, House of Pain
- Mark Orton
