Wednesday 27 November 2013

Unkle K's Bands of the Week


Gig of the Week
Kadavar (Germany), Blues Pills (Sweden) and Looking Glass. Thursday 28 November at ANU Bar.
Berlin trio Kadavar (Bandcamp) play 70’s retro rock similar to Witchcraft and Graveyard. Highly recommended. Support comes from Sweden’s Blues Pills and Canberra’s Looking Glass, with the return of Clinton on drums.

Video of the Week
The Psyke Project - "Winter": YouTube

Playlist: lxp
1. Vhol - S/T
2. Windhand - Soma
3. Melvins - Tres Cabrones
4. War Wolf - Crushing the Ways of the Old
5. Golden Bats - I, II, III, IV and V
6. Occultist - Death Sigils
7. Grails - Black Tar Prophecies Vols. 4, 5 & 6
8. Lumbar - The First and Last Days of Unwelcome
9. Noisem - Agony Defined
10. Sun of Man - I

Unkle K

Sunday 24 November 2013

Upcoming gigs

This Thursday marks the start of an awesome run of shows over the next three weeks that will see Canberra well and truly rock its way into the silly season with all the volume we could ask for. See you there!

Thursday 28 November at ANU Bar
Kadavar, Blues Pills and Looking Glass

Saturday 30 November at Magpies City Club
I Exist (launching their new album, From Darkness), The Fighting League, Sumeru and Hygiene

Wednesday 4 December at the Basement
Guitar Wolf, Little Mac and the Monster Men and Bacon Cakes

Thursday 5 December at the Phoenix
Lecherous Gaze, Gentlemen and Hygiene

Wednesday 11 December at ANU Bar
Kylesa, Looking Glass and Rise of Avernus

Thursday 12 December at ANU Bar
Melvins, Helmet and guests
lxp

Thursday 14 November 2013

Whores - Clean

There is a lot to be said for music that gets straight to the point without fucking around. And that is exactly what Whores do on Clean (Brutal Panda).

The driving first riff of opener "Baby Bird" sets the tone from the outset. There are no long, self indulgent, meandering intros. No prolonged attempts to wring the life out of any of the songs. Just a dangerously infectious succession of heavy, straightforward, pissed off grooves set around breaks that would be miserable downers if the slightly-slower-than-comfortable rhythm section didn't plough through it all so steadily. The huge, rumbling bass and the pounding, meat-and-potatoes drums don't allow the songs, or the listener, to stray. And the way the hook-laden noise rock guitar lines carry the enormous groove immediately and consistently shines.

Christian Lembach's entertaining vocal performance is a real highlight. He snarls, drawls and barks out some great lines drenched in tongue-in-cheek bitterness. His yell tempts its breaking point, and the scratchiness in his voice gives the songs both pointed ferocity and comedy.

Whores are deeply rooted in the Melvins, Unsane and Helmet schools of rock, but they really build on those influences to great effect. The sarcastic swinging rhythm of "I Am Not a Goal Oriented Person", which later churns under a single chord breakdown, a la "In the Meantime", is a great example...and catchy as all hell. Pissed Jeans could be another reference point, but Whores incorporate much more sludge, and the fantastic production of this recording brings all that heaviness to the fore. It seems strange to write this, but the final track, "I Am an Amateur At Everything" almost sounds like the bastard child of Future of the Left and Bongzilla. And it really works.

But enough with the facile comparisons. The point is, if you like no-nonsense noise rock that's heavy on the sludge, then Whores have delivered what you need.

Listen to Clean here.

lxp