The Usual Pleasures - Kevlar Hearts

Hear The Track Here

A request now from the Rebelriffs blog, and you have to admit it's been very productive for introducing me (and you) to a great many REAL bands. You know, men and women playing real instruments. In this case, a five piece UK band hailing from up North somewhere (Ed: Sheffield Gilmore, now stop being lazy), playing a kinda rock/punk mix that seems to have become almost a standard amongst certain UK bands. Put it like this, I know one guy who will see the sense of this track right off the bat. If you like the approach taken by musicians like Thomas J Marchant, Bakers at Dawn et al, then The Usual Pleasures are going to become well known to you but, if I had to choose, I'm not sure that Kevlar Hearts is their best track. I personally liked the snarly, in-your-faceness of The One You Dream Of.

I wasn't disappointed by Kevlar Hearts, in fact it's quite a good track. This version is apparently a remix, and it sounds punchy, raunchy and to the point. Nonetheless, I felt that some of the energy was missing from the mix that other tracks still retain. This is often the problem between squaring what a band sound like live as opposed to a studio environment. It changes the dynamics of the music. Still, Kevlar Hearts has enough bluff and bluster and sheer rock bloody mindedness to it not to worry me too much. Certainly the members of the band are pouring their hearts into the track, that much is obvious.

However, I did take a listen to the other tracks on the bands MySpazz site, and it does IMHO give a slightly different, and maybe more energetic picture. There are actually six tracks on the page and I do advise you to listen t them all to get a flavour of the possibilities of this band. There is no doubt that Mark Fletcher, Chris Jones, Craig November, Amelie De Candolle and Sam Taylor (aka The Usual Pleasures) are showing some considerable chops here, even though it is obvious that they are just starting out. If they ever hone this sound they have, the power and energy is going to be something to behold. As of right now, it's certainly a good, if a bit rough, listen.

Punk lives!! Recommended for its energy