Gilla Band - Most Normal
Rough Trade
Released: 7th October 2022
We wondered how the change of name would affect Girl Band and whether it would leave an emotional scar on their psyche, but Most Normal goes a long way in proving that not to be the case as it screams every bit as loudly as the band's previous two albums. Yet as they dubbed their name, so they have dubbed their music, this new offering being heavy in studio craft. As Eno said, dub is the art of subtraction and there is much that has been taken away in exchange for the opening of new horizons. Most Normal doesn't smash your skull open, but enters your body like an infection and eats you from the inside. We struggle with critics who say that Gilla Band are deliberately weird, like they have some sort of plan. Life is dislocated; it is not sunny most of the time: it is filled with worry and regret. Gilla Band's music is the sound of real life; it is what music should be. Dara's lyrics are life's truths, earthy poetry that dwells on the mundanity of all of our existences. Like the best bands before them, Gilla Band are not seeking to be pop stars and refuse to be caught up in the shambles of competition and commercialism. They are just content to be the best band in the world.
Alvvays - Blue Rev
Transgressive
Released: 7th October 2022
Alvvays have been around for over a decade now, though Blue Rev is only their third album in that time and their first in five years. Their time away appears to have been well spent, however, as the band's sound has developed remarkably, their indie pop sensibilites being fused with a greater degree of edgy experimentation that pulls their songs in different directions without ever losing focus on the overall picture. For at heart this is definitely a pop record, though it is often a thrilling and challenging one. Guitars jangle with Marrsian splendour, shudder with a gentle wooziness inspired by MBV, or distort just enough to add a decided cutting edge. There are even moments where the trio threaten to duck into the shady world of shoegaze, though at heart the band and that genre remain at polar opposites as Alvvays burst with energy and belief. There may be emotional turmoil in the lyrics but the world always feels a bloody lot brighter when the music shines like this.
Girls In Synthesis - The Rest Is Distraction
Own It Music
Released: 14th October 2022
Not many people make punk albums any more. Not proper ones which are overflowing with frustration and rage with guitars that lash out painfully and ideas that come flying out of the leftfield. With The Rest Is Distraction, Girls In Synthesis have made a genuine punk album that must rank among the very best of its generation. There is a distinct move away from the post-punk inventions of their last collection and though every elderly punk cliche is included, with GIS these are made to sound fresh and alive. This record is all about the punch and the one its packs is mighty indeed. As they say, the rest is distraction and the message, the howls of frustration and rage, are the be-all and end-all. This is music that gives no consideration to time and place, yet makes everything about what is happening in this time and this place. A righteous punch in the jaw you should all feel. This is hardcore.
IO Audio Recordings - Awaiting The Elliptical Drift / VVK
Weird Beard (UK)
Released: 14th October 2022
There's little doubt that the sharing of releases by labels throughout the world is helping some very worthy recordings on to vinyl which otherwise might have been overlooked. Released by Fuzzed Up & Astromoon Records (EU), Weird Beard (UK), We Here & Now (CA), Echodelick Records (US) and Ramble Records (AU), this release from IO Audio Recordings gathers together the band's last two EPs, Awaiting The Elliptical Drift (three tracks) and VVK (two tracks), which have only previously seen light of day on cassette and CD formats produced by the band themselves. Of course, the run of vinyl is still limited, with only 300 copies worldwide being pressed, but these will quickly find their way into good homes where undoubtedly they will be put to good use. IO Audio Recordings describe their sound as "unequal and ever shifting layers of noise, propulsion, surrealism, and serenity," listening to which the listener "can and will experience a wide range of effects from euphoria to nihilism and everything in between." It is no small claim to produce music that generates every emotion known to man, but modesty is vastly overrated and if you let these tunes into your head they are certainly going to knock you sideways. The title track of the first EP opens almost classically with riffing reminscent of early Loop but when the music has time to breathe, it expands in multiple directions, often at the same time, where guitars flicker and vocals almost form real words. Before five minutes have elapsed we are ushered into 'Luminous Suspension' where sitars and whispered voices merge in an overwhelming brew that leaves you woozy as the killer ten-minute 'Sunrise And Overdrive' sends you into space. This does everything right as guitars sizzle as the music gains critical mass and your senses flash past your eyes.
'VVK' is of a similar length, building through an ominous drone and occasionally shimmering prettily through the music's salient fitfulness. This is a lesson in uncertainty. The song nearly gives up halfway through before deciding to battle on without seemingly knowing what conclusion it wants to make. It is a nicely disturbing prelude to 'Gaminita' which is the longest piece here and which is equally unsettling, heading eastwards and upwards before embarking on a wholly new path in an unknown direction. Or two. Unearthly voices moan, unembodied shapes rush past and the engine is left in neutral before running out of fuel. Another fine release that will disappear from sight all too quickly; it would be a shame not to dive in. Available here.
Korb - Korb III
Dreamlord
Released: 21st October 2022
In the field of interplanetary psychedelia, Korb are unique. The British duo of Alec Wood and Jonathan Parkes do not appear to be restricted by time or space as they create a blend of space rock that is achingly classic yet truly exploratory. They dip into the past to embrace the sounds of the seventies; leap forward to borrow some modular synths; head to the present to dabble with contemporary effects and then charge millennia into the future to surf the astral waves of deep space. All of this is thrown together to create a sound that is impossible to pin down: it is both retro and futuristic, of every year and of no year. Korb appear to be the Time Lords of the psych scene with a Tardis tucked neatly into their garage. There's no problem here with the difficult third album. Korb do not appear to exist in linear time, so this record could have been recorded ten years before you were born, or yesterday, or in a thousand years. It sounds like Korb doing what they they do, which is fitting different shapes into a expansive whole, building patterns you will believe were always there and making you wonder why you have never noticed them before. Korb's music is so assured. Synths carry these songs along, while guitars dip in and out, making your spirit soar or your brain shake. There's a worrying edge at times, though Korb always guide you past any danger, allowing you to see the threats but also demonstrating their ability to simply brush them aside. As they travel through infinity they meet gods, hunters, lords and priests; nothing phases them. They build their third android. Soon it will be an army of millions. Korb are irresistable. Korb III is available at the Dreamlord and Korb Bandcamp sites. Do not miss out.
Big Joanie - Back Home
Kill Rock Stars
Released: 4th November 2022
We love to see bands from the DIY punk scene grow and with their second album (four years on from their debut) Big Joanie have done just that, creating an impressive collection which is full of exciting new textures and layers. From its opening seconds, the sound is both rich and fluent, shaking in every direction, with guitars shuddering in almost gothic splendour. Throughout this album the vocals rise to meet new challenges, harmonising, fronting each other and walking their own paths. The synths are still there to lay down some rules and add to a collage of sound that takes pieces from everywhere but melds them together so well it creates harmonious patterns that we can all admire. There is still a nice punk edge to some of the songs, still frustration and a call to arms, but this is far from abrasive and the whole is embracing rather than confrontational. Listen to this album three or four times and you will be hopelessly hooked.
Helens - Somewhere In Nowhere
Bud Tapes
Released: 18th November 2022
After nearly a decade of existence, Helens finally released their first full length album, Somewhere In Nowhere, at the end of 2022. Their previous two EPs, 2019's Pollen and 2020's Flora, laid the foundations for this eight-track collection that is a nicely-recorded, atmospheric series of songs, again rooted in the shoegaze genre. Guitars shimmer and shine over some impressive rhythm tracks which are lit by some sympathetic drumming that is a touch more sussed than you will find on many other such releases. The vocals of Jordan Portlock and Aspen Koch lay gently on the carpet of sound, occasionally blending almost unnoticeably, at other times reaching out for the heavens. There are Slowdive moments (of course) which are nicely done as the sound simply flows through you, nudging your emotions but not disturbing them. This really is an impressively put together and well performed collection of songs, worthy of attention.
Fabriccio De La Mora - Entropy Death
Dirty Filthy Records (UK)
Released: 4th December 2022
Better known as the guitarist of Guadalajara's Par Asito, Fabriccio De la Mora is now becoming a prolific solo artist, this album following hard on the heels of Grand Unified Theories which was only released in April this year. If that album represented a scintillating trawl through the galaxies, Entropy Death takes everything a step further with more potent fuel and a wider vision. It's clear that De La Mora has huge ambitions as he describes this album as "an interpretation of the different stages that constitute the death of a supernova, as well as the heat death of the universe"
and he fits it all into six songs over thirty-seven minutes! There's no time to mess around then and much of this album thrashes along at pace, the rhythms galloping but still metronomic. Drummer Gustavo Jimenez is kept busy while Sergio Florean is needed to reinforce the battery of guitars. Opener 'Star Dust' injects speed as it progresses, starting sedately but building in tempo and power until it sprints away into the distance, its complaining guitars struggling to hold it in check. 'Gravity Bump' also storms along after a nervous start, guitars gaining in power and confidence as they brush uncertainty aside. 'Gas Giant' is more complex as it bounces off a huge bassline with drums scattering down below. It is filled with paranoia as guitars lash out without any apparent aim and ultimately attempt to run away from themselves. It's a beast of a tune; a relentless seven minutes. 'Proto Star' is a serenade of guitars that thrashes by, while 'Red Giant' is equally aggressive, pounding with force and daring anything to get in its way. The album conludes with its longest track, 'Black Dwarf' stretching over eight minutes. Scientific theory recognises this as the end of all things when a dead star no longer emits any energy; the 'heat death' De la Mora has previously described. The music is suitably funereal, guitars clash as they mourn until the universe takes a grip and hints at rebirth. The bass takes the strain before Jimenez crashes in at full pelt and the circle of stellar life begins again. Entropy Death is available in a limited run of 250 copies pressed in orange vinyl. In the UK you can find it at the Dirty Filthy Records webshop. If you are in the USA it is available from Echodelick Records. It won't be around for long.
