Charlie A - Sunny Blues

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Yet another early bird and regular to this review list is fellow Londoner Charlie Armour, a familiar name to most of my readers that's for sure. Of course, you could have just joined Soundclick or never (God forbid) read my Rebelriffs blog and therefore woefully ignorant of the musical doings of various unsigned (but not unappreciated) musicians. There again, maybe you just don't give a ****. Despite his leanings towards the evils of soundtrackery, Charlie and I have bumped along quite nicely, thanks to his particular knack for making a piece of music first and foremost. Even if it does end up as some kind of soundtrack. Charlie has a knack with the melody, you see, and that allied with a nose for the right sound and/or instrument puts Charlie right up there with the best of them.

Sunny Blues sees the first (of many) appearances this month of one Chas Holman (aka 333maxwell) and is the first time these two have worked together. Now I personally love it when 333maxwell goes off on a jazz tip (as the many Must Haves I've given testify) and Sunny Blues shows his imprint everywhichway. I'm pretty certain the piano lines are coming from Charlie and almost equally certain that the sublime (nay orgasmic) saxophone is courtesy of 333maxwell. The intro belies the Jazz rating but believe me this is a lovely piece of jazz in its truest form - brought bang up to date incidentally.

Sunny Blues is also, to its eternal and blessed credit, a fully fledged, got a grip on your heart song that keeps getting better every single time you hear it. Not sure which of the two gentlemen are supplying the understated, but very effective, vocals but whoever it is needs to take a bow for a really splendid job. Moreover, the intelligence of the arrangement and the sheer effectiveness of the musicians blind you to the fact that this is a) jazz and b) nearly five minutes long. You'll just be hearing a perfect bloody song, raving about it in much the same manner I am. Dazzled? I should coco.

MUST HAVE song (albeit Jazz)

The Lull Between - Artist Overview

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Although The Lull Between are on Soundclick, this review request is the first one this month from my blog. A solo project, the name comes about because this musician is the bass player in a band called Belle's Wake who are - apparently - on hiatus. This project is so named because it only occurs in 'the lull between' Belle's Wake projects. So there you go, more information than you possibly want and not one bit of it anything to do with the music The Lull Between bring to this party. Alt Power Pop is the name of the game and - believe me - this is a stunningly hard genre to get me to appreciate. Mainly because most of it isn't either Alt, or even Power Pop, at least not as I recognise it.

'It's not as good as the stuff you normally review' Brooks Robinson (for it is he) says in his accompanying email and I think that would be my first point of contention right there. Believe me, as bad as you might think your own material is, I guarantee I have heard far, far worse. To get a flavour of what The Lull Between was about, I sampled three tracks: Bloodletting, Over You and Walk In Your Shoes and the reason I did this was because the first track left me with such a mixed impression I had to see what else was there. Bloodletting is a fairly simple, straight ahead sub-Johnathon Richman track that, although reasonable, you will have heard a few times before.

Like a lot of home produced material, there is a lightness of being about all the tracks but when you are plumbing the territory between (say) Syd Barrett and the aforementioned Richman feller, that may not be a bad thing. Unless you forget the golden rule that governs the success (or otherwise) of material like this; beneath it all has to be a cracking song. The closest that came to that was Walk In Your Shoes which has some very interesting vocalising and a halfway decent arrangement. To be sure, its early days and I can see some potential here but the game would need to be set considerably higher to really start raising a fuss.

Lo-fi, lo-tech Alternative that feels a bit bare. Worth a listen though if you like that.

Thomas J Marchant - Second Hand

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Might as well start August off the same way as we have most months this year with Mr Eager Beaver himself, Thomas J Marchant. I think he is under the impression that having snagged my Artist Of The Year Award 2008, he's going to be on track for another one if he keeps me busy enough. The beauty, however, of the AOTY title is that it can only be held once so Thomas, wouldn't matter how many tracks you yakked at me. I'm only joking of course, like most of his long term fans, I can stand any amount of Thomas's musical tics and contortions. T'wasn't always so, of course, but Thomas has always been his own man and that often adds to a musicians appeal and definitely is a feature with Thomas (or his alter ego's of The Antennaheadz, Black Zarak and even the Men From San Diego)..

So many names, so many memories...

Second Hand isn't, I suspect, a track that Thomas J fans are going to be expecting. Certainly it's darker in tone than a lot of his recent material, but I personally like that. Again, too, Thomas's skills as a saxophonist make an appearance and that's never been a bad thing on any of his works. Thomas J doesn't just work outside the box, he works outside most peoples comfort zones too, and Second Hand will be one of those tracks you either love or hate. Having said that, I find myself in exactly the opposite direction, I love some of it, hate other bits and generally get a bit confused. Nothing new there then.

I have become used to Thomas's somewhat ramshackle production and - because of the quality of the songs he writes - mostly pass on the little fluffs and errors that dot his tracks. Afraid I can't in this case though, they be too damn glaring. Ah but this is Thomas J we are discussing right? Part of his broader appeal is that self same rough and ready approach and his willingness to experiment with it. While I like the tenor and tone of the track, the phasing of the vocals really grinds my gears, especially around the words 'you built your your house with a pack of lies' where is sounds - to be blunt - dreadfully unsure of itself. Moreover, the sax line is persistently out of tune, yet works in other places; enough to make you tear your hair out. Nonetheless, there will be enough for devotees to pick over for a while.

Recommended (and original) Alternative.

Ofelia Dorme - Sometimes Its Better To Wait EP

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The last track up this month is a six track EP that came through a request to my Rebelriffs blog. Ofelia Dorme are a four piece band from Bologna, Italy and I'm glad they approached me to review this EP, and that is just from my cursory listen to To Wait (the opening track) while downloading the whole EP. Damn, what a great track this is, so catchy it hurts. More to the point its got the ultimate deal maker in Francesca Bono, whose vocal shines out of this track like the talent it is - and what a voice. Brrrrr, know what I mean? New Pieces of Science (track two) shows that not only can this band deliver extremely high quality product, they also know EXACTLY how to wring every nuance out of their music.

I think this material is self produced and a huge pat on the back for everyone involved is well in order; some of the best overall sounding tracks I have heard this year. It's the quality of the songwriting and performance that nailed me though and I suspect you'll probably be influenced by them too. See, I do like my music to be intelligent, to do things I wouldn't have expected, to challenge what is considered 'commercial' In two tracks, Ofelia Dorme had satisfied that need and 6.17 (track three) went so much further, showing that all the material has considerable chops.

Bells sounds almost German in its style and execution, and it adds to the charm of the song; a beautifully recorded acoustic piece that raises bumps on my arms. The kind of track of track you need to lie back and enjoy. This World starts like a Paul Simon song on speed, then REALLY picks up traction when the main song kicks in. Another absolutely top class production and another great song. The Ballad Of The Bitter End completes this really stunning collection of highly complex, yet very listenable songs. This EP is definitely something that should be listened into its entirety, it will give you a great insight into this band. Whatever the EP's title, in this case it's better to grab and run!

MUST HAVE what? rock? acoustic? Whatever, best thing I've heard all year. Don't miss this.

Cinnabar - Naked Eye

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OK, here's the skinny direct from the Cinnabar Soundclick page ' for fans of: Genesis, Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, Queen, Esoterica. Now don't say you weren't warned. Mind you, the combination of Gary Judge, Matt Tyson and Mokee Dugway (collectively Cinnabar) definitely made me sit up and listen when I reviewed Visit With A Vision (April 2009), the first of their tracks I had heard, even if I heard each of the members individually before. It's a complex piece, a blend of classical and rock that actually works. If you imagine that melding these two sounds is easy, even with samples, think again. It's a very, very hard thing to pull off convincingly and Visit With a Vision did it perfectly.

One of the first songs, I am informed by Cinnabar, that is written using a 7/4 time signature which should automatically raise the red flag of prog rock warning. Hand on heart, as much as I try, I simply cannot abide prog rock in any degree but I do recognise it's validity as a genre - if not to me personally. For example, my very, very first exposure to this genre came way back with The Soft Machine and pre-fame Yes. There is no doubt in my mind that what Cinnabar have captured here is extremely close to the sound the original Yes were making back then. I don't think, though, that Naked Eye was made with that in mind, it's just an incidental byproduct.

Outside of jazz, how many other musicians dabble in weird and wonderful time signatures? Most of the population get lost unless there are exactly four to beats to every bar, and a nice lyric to mangle and distort. Obviously, Naked Eye is not for your average music fan then but if you like music to be (a bit) challenging, while retaining some melodic content then Naked Eye should do the trick. To be honest, there are huge parts of this track I do like and would like to see more of (those harmony vocals, some beautiful piano licks and the sheer weight of musical ideas) but even so it's prog rock leanings would still grate on me. Yeah, sad I know...

Highly Recommended prog rock tinged pop song.

Big Wheel - Love Is In The Air

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Seeing as there are a lot of new faces on Soundclick at the moment, this might be the right time to introduce an old face. Big Wheel recently re-appeared on Soundclick a while ago after a year's haitus. I first came across this electronica artist in early 2006 when he delivered a series of really excellent IDM/DnB/house and even a drop of funk tracks until he dropped off the face on Soundclick. Fire (embryo) (May 2009) soon showed that not only was Big Wheel back, he was firing on all cylinders. It's a nine minute plus jaunt around some of the more rhythmic parts of the Big Wheel armoury and gained a Must Have from me.

Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. Ahhhh.

I have to say that this enthusiasm was greatly tempered when I had visions of this track being a remix of the turgid John Paul Young disco song. The only time it ever made sense to me was when sung by Rupert Everett and Colin Firth in the St Trinians movie, then he truly was comical. Needn't have worried though because, as the man says, '[I] just wanted to make something sweet and groovy'. That's exactly what he has done and any reference to the OTHER track of the same name is completely exorcised. And thank God for that eh?

While it's true that this version is also a disco track, that's only loosely and - to my ears - in the time honoured Big Wheel fashion. He's always had a good ear for catchy little licks and interesting progressions and the same is true for Love Is in The Air, despite it being fairly straight forward disco fodder. I don't know, maybe time has calmed my eternal fury at the whole genre, or maybe Big Wheel knows better not to rub that sore spot, who can tell. While you ponder on that thought, do grab a listen to this very slick slice of dancefloor.

High quality disco (no, honest Guv). Highly Recommended.

Larry Ludwick - Noted Rain

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Although Larry Ludwick has only been on Soundclick for just over a year, it's amazing the impact he has made both in the Soundclick forums and in his own musical endeavours - as his ratings will testify. Doing very nicely, thank you. As indeed he should because when this musician was introduced to me with Nod's Ascent To Dave (July 2008) and Weary Waltz For Rueben (August 2008) I automatically jumped to the assumption he was a smooth operator, music so slick you could skate on it. Since then he has consistently demolished every single one those assumptions with a range of musical styles that could bewilder a wildebeest, let alone us poor schmucks racing to catch up.

Gazelle-like is not a word I'd apply to this audience...

This time we find our hero Larry tall in the saddle romping throughout the land of Yeeehaaawww. If I didn't know Larry better, I'd be off and running too but I know that even in Alternative Country, this is a musician with safe hands. Personally I have a soft spot for all things country (except the glitz of Nashville) and in particular Americana which this track rightly belongs to. At heart, I think Larry would have to admit that its songs that float his boats, as much as his instrumental work is right up there. You can tell by the amount of work and love he pours into them, the emotion he drags out of them.

One of my biggest gripes against American songwriters these days is the sheer amount of schmaltz that hangs around the genre like a ghost at a wake. As personal as Larry's songs can be, he never dips into the maudlin, he never takes the easy way out. All good stuff as far as I am concerned, in other hands this would have me running for them thar hills (where there is undoubtedly gold). Noted Rain is an excellently produced, well performed classic country rock ballad and you KNOW how much I hate the B word. Unless its in the hands of the old whiner himself, Neil Young and funnily enough Larry even sounds like him.

Excellent Country(ish) song. Highly Recommended.

Closer Productions - Herb Off The Curb

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Or shotting as its known in the UK. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you're too damn old. I suspect, that despite the thirty plus songs on this artists Soundclick page, Closer Productions is newer to Soundclick than appears. As you might be suspecting, Closer Productions is also what is known as a 'beat factory' - almost a cottage industry on Soundclick. In other words, beat factories make instrumental tracks that people can lease and then rap over them. Many a would be rapper on Soundclick uses this method and it usually works. Mind you, we are talking about the biggest independent hiphop scene (and therefore market) online right now and the competition is fierce.

Yes, as in grrrr...

If you have ever had to go shopping for some greenery (hint, hint) and you had to do it right out in public, think of the state of alert you'd be on. If you weren't that psyched out about it, then you were probably the one dealing out said greenery. A bit of an unnerving experience, or that's what my mate said ;) Anyway, Herb Off The Curb manages somehow to convey that tenseness into this excellent little rhythm track, along with the elation at knowing you have it in your hand. Or... yes, maybe I am reading a little bit too much into this...

Obviously it's going to be more use to those people actually looking for beats to work with and seeing as a few of these read these shoddy goods, maybe I can become matchmaker. For the usual fee, of course. So what would I get for my quid/buck/yen/loon/euro? Actually you'd be leasing an extremely interesting and varied musical track that sounds fine on its own, all it needs now is for you to come along and f*** it right up. Now, was that the right expression? I suspect not but there is no doubt I'm probably going to be reviewing this in another form, it is that good.

Highly Recommended beats instrumental

The Empires - Love Is The New Black

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The Empires, who I came across a while ago, are confusing me. When I reviewed You Won't Make a Fool of Me (December 2008) it was obvious that this particular side of the band was - in fact - a guy and a guitar. Not that I have anything against song demos you understand, I've heard enough of them to be able to tell what I'm hearing. You Won't Make a Fool of Me as it happens was actually a really good song. After all, there isn't really all that much you can do with a guitar and voice, unless you happen to be blessed with some unique talent. As good as You Won't Make a Fool of Me was, it wasn't unique. In my closing statements I wrote 'I'd want a bit more meat on the bones before I'd commit to anything with any certainty'.

Well, Love Is The New Black certainly helps on that score because it does sound like a band this time - the fully monty as it were. Like the first track, this one shows that The Empires do indeed know their own genre well, because fans of alternative will like this a lot. Unfortunately the track is marred somewhat by some out of tune vocals and a general wooliness of sound, especially in the louder sections. Now probably most people won't notice these things, in which case terrific, but it does qualify my enjoyment of the track which is a shame because it is a good song.

It took me a while to pin down what else was bugging me about the track but I finally decided that (only IMHO of course) the arrangement meandered a bit too much for its own good. What should have been pace and excitement turns into a leisurely stroll with a sing along chorus thrown in for good luck. If it sounds like I didn't like this track, think again, I did. I like songs like this, I just like them to work as well as they can and, personally, I think this could have been better. Still, as it is, its good enough.

Recommended Alternative

Conory - I'm Still In Love (Directors Cut)

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Third time around for UK based musician Conory and out of the three tracks at least two have some extremely good reviews from me. Mind you, he made a big impression on me first time out, and that always helps. Conory is an Alternative musician, although he tends to stretch the genre somewhat but not, as it happens on I'm Still In Love (Directors Cut) which is about as Alternative as it gets. The term alternative to me means a good, usually guitar based, track with distinctly rock overtones and a vocal to match. I'm Still In Love has all those and is a killer track into the bargain.

Especially if you are in a retro mode.

Reminds me a lot of the classic songwriters, and that for me is its main appeal. There is a loping jauntiness to the track and definitely a Doors feel about the whole shebang. All good things in my world that's for sure. The track is produced as clean as possible, leaving the track to stand or fall on its own merits and its a sign of how good a song it is to need so little musical backup. That's not to say that the track is sparse musically, it isn't. There's lots going on, in a rock kind of way, but nothing gets in the way of the main event - the song.

I personally liked the differences in feel between the straight ahead verses and the more laid back chorus, although the chord progressions in the verses came a close second. It took me a while to properly appreciate this little beauty so, as good as its first impression is, I do advise setting a bit of time to get to know this track - it is well worth it. Conory has always impressed me with his abilities but I think this is - by far - the best thing I have heard from him and one of the best listens I've had this year. Bowie eat your heart out...

MUST HAVE song.

Bright Midnight - Floating Feather (Sleepy Mood)

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A brand new name to me (and Soundclick apparently) Bright Midnight is a Alternative: Post Punk artist from the Lone Star state (Ed: Texas) who cites some very interesting influences. Ahhh but does the music and/or ethos of those influences come to bear in the music the musician makes? Unfortunately not, in this case although I can see a lot more modern references so much so that one Soundclick reference should be one Thomas J Marchant, whose approach to music is remarkably similar. Obviously a lot of the problems with Floating Feather (Sleepy Mood) have more to do with Bright Midnight's recording situation, as will be obvious on first playing this track.

Lo-fi is the name of the game then, but believe me I've heard a lot, lot worse than this. Like a lot of home producers, I think Bright Midnight has a problem with self-restraint, both performance and arrangement. For example, Floating Feather could easily have lost a minute or so and been none the worse for the cut. The vocal, also has that specific 'home produced' sound that seems to accentuate even the mildest deviation from vocal pitch. It doesn't happen often, sure enough, but enough to make me hear it everytime this track came up on my playlist for the week.

Although the tune and performance are carried out with a fair bit of energy, it doesn't - to my mind - cover up the tracks problems. Sure I can appreciate little bits, some of the ideas are particularly interesting but overall I found the whole thing a bit scrappy. A track of ideas, rather than a coherent song. I suppose a good thing that could be said is this is a track where nothing repeats itself, and it would be a good thing, providing it had flow and to my ears this track didn't. Mind you, it's early days yet, and I've reviewed tracks similar to this from musicians who learnt very quickly from being in a community like Soundclick.

Rough edged Alternative (still not sure about the post punk thing...)

Zone Music Inc - Shaper

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Considering that Jerry Miller (aka Zone Music Inc) has been on Soundclick for fricking ever, I am surprised that I don't seem to have ever reviewed any of his music - certainly read enough of his posts :) Zone's musical frolicking ground is pure unalloyed electronica, glittery in every aspect. Citing references like George Clinton, Jean Michel Jarre and Kraftwerk should give you a really good idea of what to expect and surprise, surprise Shaper doesn't let you down. Now I am a big fan of the beginning of both p-funk and raw electronica so I am bound to get Zone's angle on this so there is my bias right out in the open.

I'm well aware that there are a great many people who don't respond well to electronica, so obviously best to stay away from this. If, however, the names I mentioned raise your interest then by all means grab a listen to this track. It's base certainly stretches back to Kraftwerk but has shades of Yello mixed in there too. Whatever, it works, and tracks this ambitious don't usually manage that trick. Certainly, it kept me amused while listening to it a few dozen times and THAT is a surprise; normally by that time my electronica threshold is running on empty.

Shaper is surprisingly propulsive, and it's that feature that will initially drag you in, long before you notice the little touches that make that impetus really fly. Like all good instrumentals, it flows from feature to feature rather than cuts, exploring a progression to it's conclusion as it were. There are a great many musicians on Soundclick who claim to make electronica and indeed many do. It may not be electronica this catchy or involving though and that's a fact. Wonderful nod to the past in a track that's as fresh as a daisy.

Highly Recommended Electronica.

Mike-K - Shuffling Along (The Drunken Shuffle)

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The man. The leg end. DJ, Soundclick stalwart and musician, Mike Kohlgraf (for it is he) has been around longer than me, which means he must be well up there in the Methuselah stakes. Hey, you are only as old as the music you are playing and the women you are fondling so I contend that both Mike and I are 12 in real terms. So nrrr. Anywayyyyy, As much as I admire Mike for his dedication to the cause of indie music, and really respect his ears, with his own music we often disagree. Most of that problem is down to my own antipathy towards anything smooth - outside of a pint of beer that is.

He has been quiet of late, the last track I reviewed was Jazzy Blues (February 2009), an intense collaboration with Kephas that hit all the right spots - for jazzy blues. Mind you, the track before that - Mad!! (January 2009) - was the side of Mike that I most prefer - the rocker and Shuffling Along - The Drunken Shuffle is that same straight ahead, no nonsense, no compromise rock of the old school. Mike's getting some lovely things happening with his lead work, that's all I can say. The tone on the guitar on this is superb and Mikes playing is fast, furious and toe-tappingly good.

Moreover, the whole track smacks of care, devotion and attention to detail, a not unusual trait for this musician but I think Shuffling Along stands out somewhat more than previous tracks. The whole arrangement and production is livelier, punchier than I recollect Mike doing before. Or maybe the break between tracks just made my ears better :) Since he has worked with Kephas I've noticed more and more a much more expanded, almost Latin, feel to the instrumental that IMHO works a treat. It seems like you can, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks - now go fetch!

Highly Recommended no nonsense rock guitar instrumental.

- LMS - - Blind

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Its been a good long while since we last heard anything from Miami based rapper Last Man Standing (aka - LMS -). The last time I reviewed any of his material was Empire!! (June 2008) whereas he had kept me happy with some very slick raps over the preceding two years, a bit of a hiphop highlight of the time IMHO. The change (or rest or whatevah) doesn't seem to have done him any harm, because Blind will show that the man is right back there, as lippy as ever. As a rapper, LMS has always got respect from me even if the musical backings occasionally leave something to be desired.

This is definitely not the case with Blind (produced by Hazardis Soundz) because the track is absolutely right on the money and features one of the catchiest vocal samples I have heard in ages. Blind is a bit like a cut of slice of rock (the soft jangly kind) mixed with some hefty beatz and I KNOW that opening vocal from somewhere. The end result is a welcome return to LMS and certainly one of the most coherent and edgy tracks I have heard from him so big kudos to everyone involved I'd say. A track to be proud of.

One thing I have learned about indie rappers, they absolutely will not post lyrics online and usually I can't be arsed to try and figure them out and go more for the flow. LMS is one of the few rappers on Soundclick who I will take the time to get the sense out of the words, and that has always been the case from day one. What makes it a pleasure with Blind is that its such an easy track to play - and as commercial as all get out. A great collaborative effort and a very, very strong performance from a rapper who has always shown promise and Blind is about as good as anything at there, and so catchy it'll probably infect from the first listen. Tick tock boom!

MUST HAVE topical hiphop.

The Schwa Sound - you so hip!!

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OK colour me puzzled. I could have sworn on a stack of bibles that I had reviewed The Schwa Sound before but I can find absolutely no trace of the event outside my fevered imagination. Surely, you would think, I'd remember music that was 'neo buzz post alt rockin out' or even the slightly less lustful 'solid riffin buzz rock'? Alas, t'was not to be unless nixon1972 (for it is he) can enlighten me further. There again that depends on the state of this review so I suppose I'd better get on with it before I'm accused of wasting peoples time...

...not an unknown occurrence.

You so hip!! is a very satisfying slab of power rock which slammed into my consciousness from pretty much the first play. Fair dos though, it IS rock and I always find that hard to resist. I must say that I loved the retro sound of this track, pulling this together took a lot of effort. The Schwa Sound is essentially Kevin Boyle but helped out in this case by Chris Bakos (bass) Bill on drums and mastered by Steve Duff. It definitely sounds like a team effort too, big, meaty and right to the point. A lot of this punch comes from the mastering and its nice to see a musician making that extra effort. Even if he is a Sufferin Man ;)

The list of influences The Schwa Sound cites contains a great many of my own favourites including, I note, Neil Young (in his Crazy Horse years). Neil Young has delivered an absolutely blistering series of festival appearances throughout the UK lately, including headlining Glastonbury where his set was one of the best live sets I've seen in years. That same energy and excitement (and yes a tinge of Young in Kevin's vocals) is what really makes you so hip!! so well......hip. It's a given that you like rock of the old school but this still sounds fresh and rocking enough that it should turn a few heads.

Excellent rock treatment. Highly Recommended.

Rob The Rockstar - Clap Ya Hands

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Another review request from the Rebelriffs blog, this time from MP3 Unsigned based hiphop musician Rob The Rockstar. Can't quite see where rockstar and hiphop mix but hey, we all know its been tried often enough. Still maintain that the only one that actually worked was Run DMC and Aerosmith. Still, it's just a name, right? Absolutely nothing whatsoever on Rob's page about who he is or where he comes from so obviously this is one musician who wants his music to say everything for him - as it should be. Mind you, MP3 Unsigned looks like its going through a fairly extensive revamp so the fault may lie with waiting for the new, updated site to take effect. Have to say, on the sites behalf, it's looking REAL good. If you haven't been there in a while, maybe it's time for a little swing by...

and tell 'em Gilmore sent ya....

Having been spoonfed a lot of demo quality indie hiphop over at Soundclick I have become inured to a lot of it - and that's probably a shame but par for the course. It's extremely gratifying then that Rob The Rockstar seems to grasp the principle that less is more, delivering in Clap Ya Hands a very slick piece of listenable hiphop. Moreover, the man has done it with a stunning funk feel that sneaks up and mugs you and you are going to love it. A few things need to snap into place for me to really get behind a hiphop track, principal amongst which musical ideas has to be top of the list.

And its amazing how many fail right there.

Ideas, musical progressions that make sense and propulsion and a lyrical flow that dominates are almost the entire winning recipe. Finally, I do like to hear a rap/hiphop artist who delights in their ability to - literally - play with the language and in Rob The Rockstar we have a very able lyricist indeed. Some lovely lines in this excellently produced and performed smokin' little track and I will put money on it, you hear it once, you are sold. It's a given, of course, that you should like hiphop and unsigned hiphop at that but Clap Ya Hands is way above the norm in every way that counts.

Highly Recommended hiphop.

Charlie A - Going Backwards

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For those of us who know him, Charlie Armour has been a very welcome addition to the little scene we all inhabit. Its a sure sign that an artist is mixing well when he starts to collaborate with all and sundry and Charlie has almost made a career of it. Not only that, he's a very nice chap into the bargain. Not that this would save him if he delivered a turkey to me (or any other reviewer) especially when his chosen musical frolic field is none other than Gilmore Nemesis #1: Film Soundtracks. It's a good job then that Charlie has become somewhat fire and bomb proof because of his musical skills because - believe me - this isn't yer normal filmic wonder. Nope, Charlie actually uses a fine sense of melody and pacing to make a piece of music that could stand on its own two feet - regardless of genre.

Got to love that attitude.

'Life is like this sometimes, when you think your going forwards your actually stepping back without even knowing but this song is about that' Charlie says in the song comments. Obviously aware of the one step forward, two steps back rule of modern life. I swear every time I played Going Backwards I could see an enormous desert stretching out in front of me, such is the instant high this quiet, seemingly inoffensive track delivers. Charlie has always been a bit of a dab hand at encapsulating a feeling in two minutes or less and IMHO I think he's outdone himself this time.

No if I were being brutally honest I would have to admit that this doesn't do much for me, but I wouldn't expect it to because I don't particularly enjoy Film Music anyway but I do like (and recognise) when a track creates a certain mood. Going Backwards did that instantly with me and didn't stop even after the normal run of plays. Along with that knack for a good tune, Charlie never puts a foot wrong with instrument choice either, as Going Backwards amply shows. I have no problem imagining Charlie scoring a real film one of these days (he's done some shorts already...)

Excellent Film Soundtrack. Highly Recommended.

The Dead Company - How Do You Feel Now

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Over the years I've had a few opportunities to work with spoken word artists and - for the most part - enjoyed the experience. I think it's probably the main reason why The Dead Company caught my attention when I first stumbled on them in early 2003. At the time the band was a three piece with the main vocal role being picked up by one Sean Boyle (aka Black Circles), but it was the combination of Jon Bushaway and Sean set the pace for a great many people around at the time. Groundbreaking was not the word, to this day I have never had another experience like it, and I've encountered more than my fair share of musical oddities. Nope, TDC were special then, and they are special now, Sean's place being more than ably filled by one Larry Ludwick - a name many Soundclicker's are well aware of.

It's the combination of Jon Bushaway's sombre musical vision and the intense lyrical style that have always been one of the major hallmarks of this artist, and one of the serious draws for me. I was always attracted to the musical side of their work at the beginning, even the most soundscape structured pieces because I recognised what was successful at: painting musical atmospheres. The twist in the tail is the WAY The Dead Company uses these elements to either frighten you senseless or shock you rigid. The Dead Company, as you can well imagine, do not take prisoners.

Nope, torture is much more fun.

Mr Bushway has always been a dab hand at fearful, glance over your shoulder music and How Do You Feel Now is a shining example of how to tighten people's minds tighter than a tick. Nervous people REALLY should avoid this like the plague. I am perfectly well aware that music of this type couldn't appeal to anything but tiny sliver of the music-loving audience, but that sliver is certainly wide enough to sustain The Dead Company for many more years yet. I am amazed that the feeling and style of How Do You Feel Now is as close as dammit to the way it sounded back in the day. Not for everyone but God, I really like this sound.

Highly Recommended experimental mood music.

Patrick Lew's Band - Sailormoons Date

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Patrick is a (and I quote) 'Rebellious Chinese rock star' although there may be more than a few people who would argue the toss about that one' Rebellious certainly, at least as far as most musical rules go. Patrick, bless him, delights in baffling and confounding almost everybody who comes into contact with his music - including this reviewer. In the six years I have been reviewing Soundclick artists there has been an ever changing rota of musicians whose idea of what works directly conflicts with all known natural (and supernatural) laws. Patrick merely happens to be the one holding the torch right now. Yeah but, you say, you are a cranky, sad assed old buffoon who wouldn't know cutting edge even if it jumped up and slit your scrawny, wrinkled neck.

My, my we are feeling feisty today...

Take, for example, Sailormoon's Date. When I first played it, I thought maybe Patrick had slipped an actual tune to me but no, there were plenty of wtf moments but not as many as on some of his more notorious tracks. In fact, Sailormoon's Date sounds positively normal and I never suspected that one day I would use that word in conjunction with anything from this quarter. If, like me, you are fascinated by Japanese anime, the the name Sailor Moon will already be extremely well known. Now a worldwide phenomenon, the cartoon features the usual plethora of underage females and deep, seemingly mystical plotlines. Here, is where Patrick and I are in complete agreement - Asian women really are the best.

But not, I contend, the under age ones.

My only real quibble about this track (also another first I suspect) is that the whole tune is carried almost entirely in high register and, I have to be honest, it started to really grate on my after a while. Mind you the same thing happens to me with some anime shorts music so guess it's about right. As I say, possibly one of the most musical tracks I have ever heard from Patrick Lew which shows that - despite his record - he has all this stuff inside him. We just haven't see it come out of its nervous state yet. Gawd knows why it would be nervous though after some of the stuff he has made us all listen to, better is a blessing. I think you'd have to like both anime and soundtracks to really get much out of this but for Patrick, it's positively commercial.

Recommended Anime soundtrack.

Thomas J Marchant - Nancy 2009

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In what seems like a lifetime of reviewing tracks from one Thomas J Marchant - in all his various guises - I have dished out some harsh judgements, especially in his Station for Imitation personna which never sat well with me. However, things turned around somewhat when he adopted the name Antennaheadz and - surprise, surprise - changed tack quiet dramatically. Loveless Blues (October 2007) scored Thomas's very first Must Have ever from me and Mr Panache (November 2007) did the same, indicating that the change of direction was a passing phase. Since then not only has he become my Artist Of The Year 2008, he's gained a few more high rating from me into the bargain.

Matter of fact, I reviewed the original of this track and - to prove that not everything was rosy always - I wrote that 'this is nothing like as inventive as other tracks we've already discussed and probably wouldn't appeal outside of fans and admirers'. Having said that, the original featured just guitar and vocals for the most part and I know that Thomas has improved that side of his work considerably since then. As lo-fi as the original was, so to is this extended mix, although in a totally different way. One thing is immediately obvious so I warn you ahead of time, the vocal is totally swimming against a tsunami of reverb and delay and takes some getting used to.

Mind you, I felt that about some of John Lennon's early solo work and it took a while for it to sink in so I assume the same will be true here. I mention Lennon because that is the overriding influence at work here - intentional or otherwise, the comparison is obvious. There is a fair bit of clipping from that deep well of reverb too and that is a shame. I think, re-reading my original review, that I didn't think Nancy was that good a song and - unfortunately - I think I still feel that same, even in this slicked up modern retake. I think, however, that this may well appeal to people more than the original and that's definitely a step forward.

Recommended Alternative alternative (if you know what I mean).