Reviews

Strayhound
Self titled

Hamilton’s Strayhound open their account with this self-titled release. Recorded at Wintec recording studios towards the end of lat year the group describe it as an EP but at nine tracks, the definition is perhaps stretched a little.
The dominant flavour might be best described as ‘Americana’ and has a vocals/guitar/bass/drums blend with traditional spices of harmonica and mandolin. The vocal harmonies lean a bit towards the country end of the spectrum, and tempos range from mid-tempo to that almost-rubato feel that is evocative of big skies and wide-open spaces.
Two of the stronger moments are the more restrained ones. Alicanto matches the feel of REM.s Drive with the vocal harmonies of Rick Danko and Levon Helm and These Wings don’t Need to Fly, which is suitably evocative and subtly arranged.
In the more assertive moments the overall sound is perhaps still developing, and at times Strayhound should make sure the dynamics are more balanced over the instruments and the rhythm section settles down a bit. Two songs, Sonora remains and a suitably feedback drenched cover of tomorrow never knows point the way forward in this regard as both display cohesion and real power.
Strayhound have made a promising start here, and their next steps should be interesting indeed.

get the music here!

http://strayhound.bandcamp.com/

do the facebook here!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Strayhound/86163650591?v=wall&ref=ts

remember MySpace?

http://www.myspace.com/strayhoundmusic

Dynamo go
The Fool of Fountain city

Making music in the collective environment known as a “band” can certainly be fraught with many chills and spills- to misquote Mr Reed (who would certainly know) and making music this way involves as many downs as there are ups, so perhaps it is not surprising that a lot of independent operators in the 21st century choose to fly solo. Refreshing, then, to hear a recording by a band operating in its most traditionally positive sense in Dynamo Go.
The sound has very traditional roots-melodic guitar pop- and has a distinct non-electronic feel. Guitars tend to be acoustic or electric jangle; keyboards sound recognisable as organ or piano. Drums and Bass sound unprocessed and added timbres like strings really are strings.
This is music played by people together as an interactive thing, which is what lifts the songs above the ordinary and is a major strength of this CD. Tempos and dynamics appear to be defined by group interaction rather than clicks or fades and there is plenty of that “aural glue” that comes from people playing together in a room at the same time. The arrangements are intelligent and considered – the way that the choruses in Already Met your Mother and Route 17 use vocal harmonies and keyboard counter melodies to give a natural lift is an abject lesson in how arranging is done.
The lyrics and melodies are the other strong point in this collection. The subject matter purports to be about “living in Hamilton” but the flow is less like a story and more a series of snapshots or vignettes, the lyrics have a wry observational tone and nifty turn of phrase, and are refreshingly clear of traditional “small town” cheap shots. Sometimes lyrical depth comes at the expense of melodic interest, but that is not the case here – the matching of lyrics and melody is highly effective, making for enjoyable and memorable tunes.
This is an album of lyrical charm and musical warmth delivered with exuberance and wit and the high points are a real treat. The focus tends to drift by the end, though, and there are some production/mixing issues that don’t interfere initially but might prove irksome after repeated listens. None of these issues prove to be deal breakers, though, and this is a rewarding listen.

get the album free from:

http://www.dynamo-go.com/

Riverside Thrills
El Mihan

It is not often that a musician comes up an effective and succinct way of describing what they want to achieve, but with the phrase “electronic producer fusing electro with blues rock” Hamiltonian Luke Meehan has done exactly that, and given us some handy “criteria for assessment”, too.
Two things become important, then; 1) How well versed is the musician in the various genres that he wishes to blend? And 2) Just how successful is the resulting flavour?
Certainly with only five tracks, this release will perhaps be seen more as a statement of intent, but a very interesting one nonetheless. The mark of good electronic musicians and producers their understanding of three key musical elements- Timbre (or sound character) Groove (or ‘feel’), and Structure. These will tend to dominate over traditional ideas like melody and harmony. El Mihan has real strength here, and this is apparent right from the first sounds on the first track. Throughout the grooves sit “in the pocket”, with an effective balance of on-beat punch and syncopated swing. Perhaps the blues elements-which provide the melodic and harmonic interest- are a little less integrated into the sound so that the riffage on Riverside Thrills becomes a bit too repetitive, and there is too much harmonic confusion in More for a comfortable listen.
She won’t leave, Taller Than I and Mother to the devil are where the sound is at its most cohesive. The melodies take the blues flavour (and lyric content) and work effectively with the electronic grooves, and there is a real sense of the possibilities and directions that might arise with follow up releases.

The links effect:

http://soundcloud.com/el-mihan/sets/riverside-thrills-ep

http://www.facebook.com/pages/El-mihan/181035484433?ref=mf

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HLIWYG8O

you will still have to copy and paste, people!

The Bathtub Sophist
Transmission
A long time ago now, the 70s that is, guitarist Robert Fripp postulated making music as a “small, mobile and intelligent unit”, an idea which didn’t necessarily take on at the time, but serves as a marvellous way of describing how a great deal of independent music is being made in the early 21st century.
And one such example is Arron Stewart, who in the guise of the Bathtub Sophist has produced his second release, a digital only “EP” available on the Internet right now.
As such, Transmission is quite a marked development from previous release Music From an L Shaped Room, not only in terms of production values but also in focus and scope. The sampled vocals, processed beats, and electric guitars are still there, but the overall structures and dynamic awareness are much improved-making What was I thinking an enjoyably unsettling listen. The title track appears in two forms, both highlighting a melodic awareness in a traditional sense and strength in structure and development, while Life or Meth makes use of the recipe that Eno and Byrne used on My Life In a Bush of Ghosts.
Not many tracks to listen to, and hopefully Mr Stewart will move into longer collections in future and explore relationships between songs, rather than presenting each song as a completely independent idea.

  

Battletech
Radio over Moscow
And now to another a local independent (although we are stretching that definition a little this time) forward Mr Dan Satherly, aka Tracey Exenola, who has done somewhat of a reinvention (by evolution) for this debut release from Radio Over Moscow.
Make no mistake, this is an emphatic statement from someone who has clearly found his feet musically and lyrically. This is an energetic release and refreshingly free from clever twee artifice, knowing irony, and cooler -than-you indie-ness. As a result battletech is a thoroughly enjoyable listen.
The sound of Battletech has antecedents in previous incarnation Luna Spark especially in the 80’s flavoured rhythm section-the bass tends to sound synthetic and pulses and buzzes while the drums are (almost) tom-less and favour huge pummelling backbeats. Keyboard timbres evoke, and pay homage to- the Gary Numan/Ultravox approach favouring single melodic lines that emphasise the high and low ends of the textures. Over the top of this comes full on rock guitars and confident strident vocals as our hero has, it seems, finally come to trust the sound of his own voice- as well he should.
And that’s because lyrically ROW has a tendency to reflect a journalistic perspective to politics, relationships, topical issues and social justice, which is perhaps where the influence of the early manic street preachers is at its most obvious. These lyrics need the conviction of their writer to be delivered effectively as melody. And they are.
There is a real exuberance on Battletech, which is very compelling, and very- dare it be said-“rock”. The highlights are many, but perhaps a sample of “Pakistan” or “Capture one” would be a place to start.
PS At the moment I cant get links to work properly(someone help?) so here are the links, but you will need to cut and paste.sorry.
The home site

http://radioovermoscow.com/

The Blog (worth it on its own)
http://radioovermoscow.com/?page_id=26
Luna Spark

http://www.myspace.com/lunaspark