Rural France - SLOTHS.

 

Today appears to be a celebration of what's happening over here, long needed after all the tumbleweed we see. It is also a second opportunity to mention Meritorious Records and confirm my love of Rural France. our review of the Wiltshire duo's previous album, Exactamondo!, is here.

I say duo, but this is a trio with Jeff Hamm on Drums. SLOTHS feels a little more laidback than previous offerings, there's less of the early Teenage Fanclub Guitar histrionics. This change of pace, allows the lyric adeptness to shine through.

Indeed at times, there are real comparisons to prime time Go-Betweens, particularly on a song like Someone You Forgot. My long time favourite, Lonely Heart Pyramid Scheme is enhanced by the horns of John Hare as is the closer, Electrical Tape.

Electrical Tape is a stunner of a song that is melancholic and brooding and yet builds and builds until the Effects Pedal allows the Guitar to come in and then the Brass. Jukebox Weepie even gets all Half Man Half Biscuit again and has a wonderful twang to it.

High Hopes (Ballad Of Rural France) is a real let's do the song right here and with a bigger arrangement could have been a Brit Pop classic. It also has a loveable weeping jangle to it. Thirty-Seven Forever is splendid jaunty C86.

How You Gonna Get Even is Guitar Pop of the highest quality, a great Pop song for all times. Rural France's lyrical wit and strength often gets overlooked, the pen is as mighty as the sword. SLOTHS is a wonderfully crafted album, mellow and completely hypnotic.

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.

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He's Dead Jim - Ludovico Technique EP (Bandcamp Name Your Price)

 

Hot on the heels of the These Men, These Monsters album release at the start of the year, a real favourite of followers here, comes a follow up EP and is as interesting as this quartet ever are. I suppose you might call this lot Art Pop, but that doesn't nearly tell the story.

Each song comes in on a different angle packing so much into its time. Glam Droogs is all 1974, a year that I still apparently live in, all Flares and Butterfly collars. Slumber Down is so 80s smooth with Sax and everything, a song that you can imagine Sade singing.

Love Plus Death shows a more default approach, wonderfully all over the place. A little Brit Pop, a little Noise Rock. rocking your socks off, even a little Punk. I can't help imaging Liam Gallagher or John Lydon  singing it. It doesn't half rock.

The real surprise is the cover of Sheila & B. Devotion's Spacer. There's not a hint of Chic about it. this is more Indie Rock anthem and inspired. It would be on tomorrow's Listening To This Week if we allowed cover songs on it. This band is so ultra interesting!

You can listen to and buy the EP at Name Your Price here.

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Sumos - Luck.

Near to home as the excellent Manchester quartet release six cracking songs on the equally excellent Meritorio Records label. You've already heard the title track on a recent Listening To This Week Playlist and it sounds as great as ever.

Sumos offer up a mix of Indie Rock and Brit Pop with side orders of Guitar Pop and Power Pop. All six songs reveal an outstanding variety and ability. Indeed, at times they have a tint of something from the other end of the East Lancs Road, a Scouse 90s Pop feel. I live somewhere in the middle of the two cities, so both suit well.

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The increased pace of Icebreaker allows the band to get noisier and come across as a rockier Housemartins. whereas Hunting Tracks is more Brit Pop, the poppier type around the edges of the genre rather than the bombastic nonsense. If I Would shows a more reflective Acoustic side, sounding more than a little Deer Tick.

Aram is brooding late 80s Scouse Pop with a corking hypnotic feel. Honesty is great 80s Indie Guitar Pop, too melodic for C86, It may be the best thing here. But the whole affair is a great listen revealing the strength of melody and the guitar. Wonderful!

 

You can listen to and buy the album here. It is available on Vinyl, CD and as a download.

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Slow Century - Goodbye Oblivion

 

I love it when a release catches me by surprise, particularly when it offers up things that we wouldn't normally make our ears prick up. Goodbye Oblivion sounds a little 80s at times, but not in a dreadful Synth Pop or New Romantic way.

There's a lot going on, Post Punk, a little darker Synth Rock, but at times it is wonderfully angular and the choruses grab you in an anthemic way. The Synth Rock is largely covered by Old World and that breaks out wonderfully into a slightly shouty Post Punk.

At times, there's a slight latter day Skids feel, Absolute Game like pensive, particularly on the title track, a corking listen. Scatter Atoms is splendidly Angular, nearer Guitar Pop, Field Music with more attitude. Cover The Bruise sounds very mid 80s and is funky as funky can be with another stellar chorus.

Paint The Shadows starts with a My Sharona like riff, but is nowhere near Power Pop, being a much darker anthem with yet another stellar chorus and a killer brooding guitar track. This Portsmouth five piece have an ability to engage without ever being ordinary.

You can listen to and buy the EP here.

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PM Me Babe!

 

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. I've had a viral infection that just won't go away. The last week has brought Brain Fog, being unable to concentrate on anything. Enough of all the attention seeking, let's get on with what this place is supposed to do.

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Listening To This Week 4 May

29 songs on this week's LTTW Playlist. Including the Glam Power Pop debut of The Fourth Act, showing all the Yorkshire Wit of a Terrorvision and the magnificent return of The Loft with Sad Comedian and an inspired appearance from Stewart Lee.

The song order is not about song preference, but how the playlist flows.  All embeds open in new windows to aid scrolling. Links to the artists will also appear on I Don't Hear A Single Social Media sites over the next 24 hours. This will help you to discover more about those who appear here. 

The Fourth Act - Filthy Rich

Change Life - Smile

Radio Weekend - Circles

The Loft - Sad Comedian

Vanilla - Sweetshop

Beaten Docket - The Winston O'Boogie Band

Beaten Docket · The Winston O'Boogie Band

Florence Dore - Abacus

Tigers Jaw - Primary Colors

Slow Century - Scattered Atoms

Mythical Motors - Solid Wall Of Light

The Response - Hollow Hour

The Response · Hollow Hour

Secret Molecules - What's Come Over Me

Scott C Park - Marlene

Johnny Marie - Down A Long And Lonely River

The Hanging Stars - All Your Yesterdays

Gian Solo - Come With Me

Jenny Gillespie Mason - Rungs Of Love

Faiyaz And The Wasted Chances - Bleeding Out

Larlin - Sondheim

Larlin · Sondheim

Big Liz - Long Long Time Ago

Mark Crozer - Everything Must Change

Illuminated Sidewalks - Mazes And Faces

Gomez Addams - Let's Blow Up The World

Scott Fisher - A Billion Suns

Jonathan Segel - World Still Burns

Martial Arts - Before The Fire

The Bernadette Maries - ESO

Modern Holiday - Beware The Robots

So Beast - New York

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Cape Crush - Place Memory

 I've been loving the singles and been waiting impatiently to tell you about the album and now I can. On first listen, the Massachussetts quartet seem guided for other great female led bands pile that includes the likes of The Beths and Fortitude Valley.

There is certainly similar depth to that pair and songs are just as melodic and Guitar led. Ali Lipman's vocal is sugar sweet, she could sing the phone book, but there is much more to this band. They are the sum of their parts and carry with them a much edgier sound.

The songs are beautifully arranged, offer up surprise diversions. This is Guitar Pop, wonderfully melodic Guitar Pop, but the twin Guitars take the songs into much rockier directions such as Indie Rock, even emo without ever detracting from what the band are good at.

Without those diversions, songs that take surprise directions mid stream, solos that rip, Place Memory would be a Power Pop album, but those heavier interests make the offering more unusual and even more satisfying. The choruses are killer as is the Guitar work, but the whole thing never rests on its laurels.

North Street shows restraint, even hinting at Americana, Dotted Line is even more bare, even a little Cranberries, beautifully sung. Also-Ran even reaches into 90s Rock and I Care Too Much About Everything gets all Big Rock.

But it the Guitar Pop that rings out most, lyrically adept and real foot tapping joy mark this album out as one of the years best. Catchy as catchy can be, but not afraid to blow the doors off. Melodic Joy, wonderfully performed and so well brought to market. Absolutely outstanding!

You can listen to and buy the album here. This album demands a physical release! It has one. You can buy the Vinyl here.

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