I first heard the Rifles a few years back. I can’t remember where but what I do know is that when the song “Local Boy” finished playing I thought, thank God, these lads sound on the level – What I needed at that precise moment.
I went out and bought the band’s debut album “No Love Lost” and the initial buzz of hearing “Local Boy” was re-ignited and I found that I had a band that possessed a huge amount of song writing ability and the love affair began.
Think the swagger and Working Class attitude of The Jam and the confidence of The Clash and you go some way to describing The Rifles.
After three studio albums, the band are still going strong and looking in fine form for 2012 – Just have a listen to the band’s latest offering “Freedom Run” and feel the injustice that a band as good as this are not as huge as (C)oldplay.
We are sure that a lot of you will be drawing the curtains tonight and ignoring the knocks at the door whilst watching a horror film or two.
Before all of that, here are some songs that we have chosen for this most spooky time of year.
Trick or Treat?
This one was obvious but it’s a classic.
This song has the perfect atmosphere.
A song about one of the King’s of horror.
This is as dark and disturbing as hell with the lights turned out.
You’d hand over all of your possessions if this lot knocked on your door tonight.
Another band that looked as scary as they sounded.
Dave Vanian and his merry men. He looked the part and the Damned went all out Goth at one point.
The album that this track came from even had pumpkins on the cover.
A good friend once gave me a UK Decay compilation tape. He didn’t tell me about this song. I woke up in the pitch black with this in my ears. I practically wet myself.
Francois Sky (What a cool name), didn’t hang about today. We gave everyone on Facebook 18 minutes to pick a word and he took 2 minutes.
Today’s word is “Sky”. Well, with a name like that, why not?
Here are the three You Tube music videos related to that word.
This song could make Mr. Magoo raise a smile.
The best band of the 90′s. Enough said.
I first heard this song on the album Keep an Open Eye on the Sky. If you are having a bad day, this song will have you reaching for the Samaritans help-line number. Miserable and mesmerizing.
I can honestly say I have never been a fan of metal. It always seemed like piss watery songs were trying to sound tough with a bit of bass heavy guitar distortion. And those vocals, all that strange growling that always made me think, why the hell (no pun intended) would anyone want to sound like that whilst trying to be taken seriously? I nearly flaked out with happiness and surprise to find something that I could describe as having a hint of metal and that doesn’t make me want to run to the hills (Pun intended there).
Kerretta are a New Zealand band that defy most major convention. When I say most, yes there are elements of metal (This is getting bad now), but I would say that Kerretta sound like Black Sabbath doing Mogwai, whilst Beethoven conducts. Kerretta are what I think Muse would be like had they not been so fucking pompous and up there own arses, and of course if you got rid of the singer, as Kerretta is an instrumental project.
Let’s forget about Muse, as I am feeling angry already. Kerretta know how to put a song together. Every song I have heard by the band has gargantuan amounts of creativity, musicianship and sound production and each one totally floors you. The aforementioned has made me want to see this band live and this is music to watch Godzilla rampage through streets to whilst every building is crossed underfoot so joyously and unashamedly.
I managed to grab a few words with the band. Here’s what they had to say.
I would describe your music as a more metal inspired version of Post Rock. Do you think this is a fair description?
“Well, we grew up on bands that were fairly abrasive. Bands like Killing Joke, The Melvins, Faith no More and the Jesus Lizard.
It was never really the intention it just seemed to happen that way. Most of our music is improvised in the studio. When working this way you always tend to get louder and heavier, it’s often more challenging to make the quiet parts as subtle as possible.”
There’s no escaping the fact that your recordings contain lot’s of stunning musicianship. How long have you all been playing together and how did the band form?
“We do like to move quickly and have managed to get a decent amount of records out in a relatively short time . The band started out casually enough , more of studio based project at first. We were all playing in other bands at the time so Kerretta was almost a side project. It then just took over.”
What can an audience expect from one of your live shows?
“Well, we hope they enjoy it for a start. People are always surprised that the three of us make that much noise and there’s always enough pedal board stomping to keep the geeks happy.”
What has been the highlight of the band’s career so far?
“A few years ago, just putting out or 7 inch seemed like an achievement in its self . Since then we have put out more records and toured America, so its hard to put it down to a singular moment. I would say one of the greatest things is actually the people you meet along the way.”
What have the band got planned for the future and what have you released up until now?
“We have plans to tour Europe early next year, perhaps back to the States also but for now it reasing the new record SAANSILO, which is our second album, following VILAYER and ANTIENT (Four track Ep).”
The term post rock is used far too easily these days. It’s usually flung like mud at anything that moves at a slowish pace and has little in the way of vocals and originality. Sad but true, post rock self imploded and suffered from a triteness that had never been seen or heard in such abundance before.
Thankfully, for those of us who enjoyed the early records of the post rock movement, there are at least a handful of bands keeping the flame alive. At the forefront of latter day post rock bands is Absent Without Leave. Greece’s answer to the question of where does post rock goes next.?
AWOL is a project that contains more emotion and feeling than anything I have heard in a very long time. A musical journey of sincere enthusiasm and creativity. In all honesty this project haven’t put out a bad release and there is something spectacular with every new record that arrives. If you like Mogwai, Flying Saucer Attack and Epic 45, then AWOL will be right up your street.
Here is an interview I did with the man behind AWOL.
For people that may not know, who and what is Absent Without Leave?
“I’m George Mastrokostas and Absent Without Leave is my solo project based in Athens, Greece.
Absent Without Leave’s music is usually described as a mix of shoegaze, post-rock, ambient and electronica.”
How did you get into music?
“My parents bought me my first ever guitar at the age of 15, back in 1996, and then I formed my first band with some childhood friends. After playing in many different bands, it was in 2001 that I started recording my own music at home using a 4-track recorder and later my pc. Two years later I released two demos, an album and an EP. These releases were given mostly to some friends and some copies were sent to labels too and after a while I was being asked about doing some releases and compilation appearances.”
What album or band made you want to make music?
“All my first influences made me want to play and make music.
These include the grunge scene of the 90s and groups like Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Alice In Chains and of course many other older groups from the 80s like The Cure, Joy Division, New Order and Depeche Mode, amongst others.”
What have been the highlights for you since making music?
“For me, some of the highlights of my discography so far are the collaborations I have done with some really great artists like Port-Royal, Richard Adams (Hood), Stafraenn Hakon, Epic45, Yellow6, Televise (ex-Slowdive) Landshipping (ex-Metrotone) featuring Isan and Millimetrik (Below The Sea) amongst others.
As for the live appearances, my first European tour in spring 2011 was a really nice experience and of course it’s an honour for me that I have has shared the stage with God Is An Astronaut, 65daysofstatic, Port-Royal, Piano Magic, I Like Trains, Jeniferever, Arms And Sleepers, Manyfingers, The Samuel Jackson Five, Millimetrik, Section 25 and many others.”
What is on the horizon for Absent Without Leave?
“Recently I bought a new sampler and I have started playing with it, working on some news tracks that will probably be released sometime in next months as an EP.
This winter I will also do some more live shows promoting my latest releases, the Faded Photographs album and the ‘Neath The Tumbling Stars EP.
First confirmed live date is on November 27 in Athens together with Port-Royal, Dalot and Dergar.
Moreover, I’m planning new releases of some really interesting artists that will be out in next months on my own label Sound In Silence.”
Which current artist do you most admire the most?
“I really admire Olafur Arnalds and I believe he is one of the best composers nowadays.”
What is your favourite Absent Without Leave track?
“My favourite track is My Music Is Still Sad Though I Found My Happiness, which is dedicated to my girlfriend and is included inMagnitogorsk, my split album with Port-Royal.”
Lastly, anything else that you would like to add?
“Thanks so much for your interest in my music and for doing this interview.
Anyone interested in keeping in touch with Absent Without Leave can follow me here: “
Corpus Delicti were a French 1990′s Goth band and a bloody good one at that. CD were the darlings of the alternative music press of that decade but mainstream success eluded the band and the inevitable break-up followed.
Leaving a wealth of recorded material behind, the band gave many discerning music fans something to rave about. For years myself and many others lamented the passing of CD and and the band members seemed to slip of quietly and that was that. I was more than surprised when I heard that three of the original members of CD were recording under the moniker of Press Gang Metropol.
I must admit the usual trepidation came over me when I hear of a band getting members back together for something new – It always has the potential to be fucking awful and in many cases it is.
Not this time – It’s joyful.
The new band have influences like Wire, Crisis and Section 25 – Yes there is a distinct Post Punk influence, but add to this the more modern tinges of Editors, Interpol and The Killers and you have a band that embraces their peers but they posses enough originality keep you on your toes.
Energetic, pensive and with a darker edge that is strangely uplifting, there is really something additively hypnotic about this band.The demos that they have recorded posses more promise than a Turkish Delight (Remember that advert in the 80′s?). Something very exciting is about to follow from PGM…
Just you wait and see!
I managed to catch up with the band to ask them some questions.
So, for those who are unfamiliar with PGM tell us about the band.
Sébastien: ”The band was born in 2006, first with Chrys and Franck, respectively bass player and guitarist of Corpus Delicti. Eric, a professional drummer from our hometown joined them in 2009, and finally me in 2010.”
Franck: ”We all have been involved in different projects since Corpus Delicti broke up, Sébastien with Kuta, myself with Curl and Christophe with Kom Intern, PGM is a reunion, the pleasure to make naturally music together again, and also a new band.”
Who are the bands biggest influences?
Chrys: ”The new wave bands like The Cure , Joy division/New order and the new bands like Interpol and Editors…”
Sébastien: ”The fact is that we finally have all our own preferences and some different things we like, but this new wave sound will stay the base that found us back together, where we come from.”
As we know, some of the band members were in the popular 90′s band Corpus Delicti is PGM a new direction or do you retain any elements from your past?
Franck: ”I would say that PGM is a continuity of Corpus Delicti, as it’s the same composers, the same singer, the same person making music together… but 20 years after!”
Sébastien: ”So of course, I imagine you can hear from our music now the influence of our previous band, but the years of discovering other landscapes, trying something else and find other ways of making music gave us a great experience and an evolution in the way we’re playing and recording.
But Corpus Delicti is still us, that’s why we find a real pleasure in playing some stuff from the past during our concerts. We don’t feel like playing all the songs, as some are very far from what we are now, but some tracks as “Twilight” or “Saraband” for example are songs we still love and are really proud of.”
What are the band doing at the moment in terms of touring and recording?
“We just gave a few concerts, most of them around our hometown, as we are working hard on the album. Recording is finished, and now we are mixing. After its release , the beginning of next year (2012), we will try to tour in France, hopefully some dates in Europe, and why not going back to the USA?”
OK each of you must pick one album to take to a desert island for a week, which one would you choose?
Sébastien: ”David Bowie, “Ziggy Stardust”
Franck: ”The Cure, “Seveteen Seconds”
Chrys: ”The Clash, “London Calling”
Eric: ”Police, “Outlandos d’Amour “
You also can take one song, which one?
Sébastien: ”Today, I would say Clap Your Hands Say Yeah “Same Mistake”
Franck: ”Joy Division, “Atmosphere”
Chrys: “New Order, “Age Of Consent”
Eric: ”Police, “So Lonely”
Lastly. Anything else you would like to add?
“Thanks for the interview, and the interest shown in the band! Don’t hesitate to spread the word, many Corpus Delicti fans still don’t know that we are making music together again. All the news on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pressgangmetropol
This month sees the release of what we at Vivid Riot consider to be the record of the 2011. Strangely this release is an official reproduction of something that has become something of a musical epiphany. Disco Inferno’s 5 Eps is finally here.
I will take the usual Vivid Riot stance and not waffle on too much about DI (Or any other band). Basically, if you look online at any DI related musings, you will see how much of a cult this band has become. On forums people ask questions about lyrics, why the band were not huge and why the 5 Eps was never released officially. Only the latter has an answer and only now can we celebrate Disco Inferno’s Eps for the true genuis that they were/are.
DI were three lads from Essex who kicked against every trend and convention. The band used samplers when most musicians and music fans of the day thought the lumpen drudgery of Oasis and Blur were ground breaking. With front-man Ian Crause, Disco Inferno had the musical equivalent of a surrealist painter who could write existential poetry. Crause squeezed every nuance of working class frustration through samplers and the results are some of the finest music in the last 20 years.
I am not going to give you background information on the band. they left us with unbelievable music and for me and many others that is enough. The Eps that Disco Inferno released before their demise were collected together on a CD-R and then became an internet holy grail. Each curious listener having to ask someone on a forum for a copy of a collection of the Eps that left anyone who heard it in awe and wonder. And thus the 5 Eps were born.
One Little Indian have had the sense to release this collection and you know what, they sound even better than the first time I heard them on that CD-R that I once sought out
I’m not going to give you too much hyperbole. The Horn The Hunt are bloody clever, they are industrious and they make f**king good music. I am going to leave it just there, as this music doesn’t need superfluous words or introductions. Have fun…
We did a Q&A session with the band and here’s what they had to say. All answers are from Clare, unless stated.
For the uninitiated tell us about The Horn The Hunt. Describe your sound etc.
“We’re a pop band from Yorkshire. We like different kinds of music and making stuff that fuses our favourite sounds together. We call ourselves a pop band because we don’t think about sticking to any musical style when we are making it, we try to be inventive but also keep it accessible. We don’t want any musical or sonic restrictions, only that it should be about the song on a human, storytelling level. People have said we are quite dark, so maybe black pop would be a good way to describe us.”
How did you start making music together and how did you get into music originally.
We were both writing music individually whilst traveling around Europe and living in various countries at artist residencies. During that time we shared some ideas and wrote music together but weren’t really happy with it. Then at the end of 3 years traveling we suddenly wrote an album worth of music we liked and decided to release it independently and become a band. Joe had been in rock and punk bands since he was 13, but I was primarily a painter and pursued my musical ideas in private. We’ve both been obsessed by various bands since childhood. We met during the grunge era and I think it was those bands that made us want to write music.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
In no particular order; Rammstein, Bjork, Sonic Youth, Leonard Cohen, Babes in Toyland, The Knife, The Jesus Lizard, Tom Waits, Mum, The Fall, Smashing Pumpkins (early albums), Radiohead (later albums), Tricky, Angelo Badalamenti, Hendrix, PiL, the obligatory Kate Bush.
Which current bands most inspire you?
“Sexy Death, Mucky Sailor, The Arcade Fire, Die Antwoord.”
If your music could be used for any film soundtrack, which one would you choose?
“I could imagine Depressur Jolie being used at the beginning of a film set on the high seas. It was written with that surging feeling, of flying fish skimming past you and the wind blasting your face, thunderclouds gathering on a troubled horizon, not sure where you’re off to.”
Give us three of your desert island discs.
Clare: ”Sonic Youth ‘Dirty’, Bjork ‘Homogenic’ and something by Leonard Cohen, can’t decide which album.”
Joe: ”Anything by Angelo Badalamenti to lay on the sand to. Die Antwoord – $O$ to get pumped to and get up off the sand and dance. Rammstein – Herzeleid to do general work to ie chopping down coconut trees, hunting animals, painting the face on a ball etc.”
Looking on You Tube, I notice your videos have some a lot of interesting themes. What influences your videos?
“Something non-literal, elusive maybe. Primitive feelings. I was a painter for 10 years so I reckon there’s some influences there- photography vs texture, etc. The Animal Magic video was made by a friend who had his own ideas about what the video should be, whereas the Old Town Cow video was made by us and is very much about the landscape of Yorkshire, and the theme of reinventing and exposing oneself.”
What are the band up to at the moment?
“We have just released our second album- Depressur Jolie- and will be releasing a single- Animal Magic- from the album on 17th October. It has some remixes on it and will be available digitally through all good digital platforms- iTunes, etc.
And we are set to do an autumn UK tour, beginning in October, with a few dates in Europe too. We now have a drummer for live shows, so are officially no longer an ‘electronic duo’. We’re dead happy about that, that dynamic didn’t really suit us. As a 3-piece there is more concentrated energy on stage, which suits the nature of the songs off Depressur Jolie. Our music is made up of different elements and layers so it makes sense to expand our sound on stage with more musicians. This is something we’ll no doubt take much further in the future.
Also, we have started working on our third album.”
If you had to choose one song to introduce people to your music, which one would it be?
“Old Town Cow”
Name one band that you each despise with a passion and why?
Clare: ” Most mainstream pop and indie. No one seems to take risks anymore, popular music sounds so tame. Even Lady Gaga, who is supposed to be on the cutting edge of everything weird and risque in the mainstream, to me she simply borrows old ideas (mostly from Madonna) and turns them into triple x junk. Selling sex of the excessive and embarrassed type. Madonna, for all her excesses did have a real cauldron of animal passion inside her, whereas Gaga seems drained and absent of any real fire. But I guess a billion fans cant be wrong, eh? At least she’s trying to rock the boat a bit. I think bands like Two Door Cinema Club or The Wombats are frightening examples of what children and teenagers are being exposed to in music. Maybe they’ll all rebel when they get older and the powers that be recognize that many people have had enough of mediocrity and start investing their money in more innovating bands.”
Joe: ”Muse – this is what happens when introverted rock gets too extroverted. It’s Spinal Tap under the guise of quiet, sophisticated, refined, English seaside folk. Local nice lads made it big. Good musicians mind you.”
The Papertiger Sound are by far the best band I have heard this year. They make music for dark Autumn nights and cold sunny Winter mornings.
Acoustic electronica is one way to describe this transatlantic duo but that just wouldn’t go deep enough. The band has the ability to make you yearn for things past but they also make you appreciate what you once held dear but thought you had lost forever.
TPS are the musical equivalent of opening an old photo album that plays palpable songs as each memory comes vividly back to life.
Perfect.
Dan from the band took some time out to answer some questions from us.
Ok, let us start at the beginning. For those readers that are not familiar with the band tell us more.
Kerstin and I met in Leeds in late 2006, and we formed Papertiger Sound shortly after. Kerstin now lives back home in Nova Scotia, Canada and I live in Norfolk, England. We make music over the Internet by sending files to each other and talking on Skype, and release our music through the Auteur Recordings label. Occasionally Kerstin will come to England, or I’ll go to Canada, and we’ll play a show or do a session for the BBC.
Who are you biggest musical influences?
Kerstin and I share similar influences, like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Bjork, Fourtet, Sparklehorse. But I think we influence each other as much as other bands, which is probably why it works so well.
What are your influences outside of music?
Landscape has always affected how I write. The bit of Norfolk where I’m from, right on the edge of the Fens, in particular. It’s all flat endless fields and big skies. We’re both into David Hockney’s photography too, though I don’t know if that has any real influence on our writing.
What was the first record you ever bought?
It was ‘I started something i couldn’t finish’ by The Smiths, on 7″ vinyl. That video of Morrissey cycling around Salford with his lookalikes is genius. I’m still a big Smiths fan today.
And the last?
I honestly can’t say when i last bought anything new. I’ve recently been ripping all my CD’s to hard drive, so it’s been nice rediscovering music I’d forgotten about, like Ride, Lush, The Cardiacs and The House of Love. It’s a bit like buying it all over again.
I think I would describe TPS as Autumnal acoustic Electronica, similar in feel to bands like Hood, Epic 45 and July Skies. Do you agree with this? And are you a fan of any of these bands.
Yeah, that’s a nice description. Everyone seems to pick up on something different when they hear us, though funnily they all seem to include the words ‘Winter’ and ‘Autumn’ . It’s music for wearing big coats and gloves too I guess !
I’ve seen Hood a few times, and I think we share similar influences, like Bark Psychosis. I was also fan of the 555 label, with bands such as Empress. I’ve never heard of Epic 45 or July Skies, I’ll have to have a listen.
If you had to choose one TPS song to introduce people to the band, which one would you choose?
’Words Escape Me’ maybe. In fact I’d say the whole of the ‘Tiny Robot Love’ EP, which is free to download.
Which current bands do you listen to the most?
I’ve been listening to Friendly Fires and Everything Everything in the car this week. The new Bearsuit album is good too.
I get a feeling that a lot of your music is influenced by feelings of a lost childhood. I don’t mean in a negative sense but a deep yearning for days gone by. Do you miss childhood and what are your fondest memories of that time? Is adulthood all it was cracked up to be?
I like the fuzzy memories I have of childhood, but I don’t really miss being a kid. I remember I used to sit in fields all night with my telescope quite a bit, getting dizzy looking at the stars. And making dens with my friends and running around like a lunatic most of the day! It was all a bit Swallows and Amazons at times. But yeah, I do have that sort of nostalgic melancholy for childhood and it affects our sound. Adulthood is ok, apart from the bills!
Have you got any plans for any live shows or new releases?
We do have new music, but no plans to release anything at the moment.Maybe around Christmas time we’ll release something, we’ll see. As far as playing live, I may do something on my own nearer December, but not as Papertiger Sound.
Right, you are stranded on a desert island. You can have one book, one album, one meal and one drink dropped from a plane to you. Pick them!
Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman, Souvlaki by Slowdive, something Indian for the meal, and Lager.
Ok, I will say a big thank you for taking the time to speak to us and leave you with the final words…
Hello, we’re Papertiger Sound, and it’s been nice to meet you.
1994 feels like a very long time ago to me. Many gigs, lots of bands and memories now pickled and faded. Thankfully, one of my lasting memories of that particular year was hearing Macclesfield’s Marion for the first time. “Sleep” flew out of my speakers like a passionate, angry snarling dog that possessed the voice [...]
Call me a miserable fucker but I have always liked dark music. The Cure, Joy Division, The Smiths, Bunnymen and French band Baï-Kal.”Baï-Kal?” I hear you ask – Yes, a new band that deserve the 80′s raincoat award for service to the melancholic music industry. Lock me in a room, pull the curtains and just give me Baï-Kal’s [...]
Stoke’s The Blue Collars are what I would call my perfect band. I also say the same about The Jam, so I am not being flippant about The Blue Collars. Great songs, bang on lyrics and the feeling that they will never release a bad song. With youth on there side, they blow the cobwebs [...]
The Skuzzies are everything I like about ‘Real’ Rock ‘n’ Roll music. They look like they have just woken up after a night of serious indulgence and they sound like a beautiful cacophonous musical cocktail of hard living street urchins. The Skuzzies musically are a mix of MC5, The Clash, The Libertines and a darkly [...]
The third in this successful series is now on-line. Part three brings us up right to the modern day and from the comments we have had so far, it’s going down a treat. Part four will be a special in this series, because we are asking the listeners to pick the tracks that sum up the casual scene [...]
