It’s finally here! The long wait for that Bang Bang Echeless void to be filled has at last come to an end! The New Zealand band’s gritty and fearless mix of synth dance, punk and indie is once again set to set the alternative music scene alight upon its self release on November 2^nd and fans will not be disappointed.

Fist Full of Dollars- the opening track dives straight into a full blown, synth accented mix of sharp guitar and hard hitting drums. The digitally reworked and witty vocals hold the track together and the result is a relentless attack of grimy punk sounds, with the perfect kick of spiky synth effects. Arguably their best work.

You’re a Jerk- mellower instrumentally than ‘fistful of dollars’ to begin with (though not by much), the vocals of the track instead take centre stage for the majority, with that sly and ruthless edge that Bang Bang Eche have become so well  known for .

Beat up the Children- the pocket sized brawler of the EP; short, punchy and will leave you stunned at its sheer force! Shredding guitar and aggressive vocals make for a truly breath taking listen.

Dirt in the Water – everything you’d expect from Bang Bang Eche in a 2min 34sec rodeo of dance punk that shows just how far the band have come in their 2 short years on the scene. Once again the guitars and drums tear up the script, and along with a raw vocal performance show just what punk music can be at its peak, a savage sound, that music has been short on for too long. A driven and intoxicating track, it will leave you needing another fix of the coarse and radical sounds of Bang Bang Eche, stat!

Review by Michael Perry

‘Beauty’ takes intricate Gliss lyrics and floats them above a bed of hazy guitar, producing a reverb-filled comfort track, easy on the ears as well as the brain.

The vocals compliment the serenity of the track, not intruding on the the fuzzy guitar riffs and iridescent synth. Complimentary as the vocals are, it seems that if you’re a fan of The Strokes you may find it difficult to shake off the likeness to Julian Casablancas.

An intricate balancing game, calm vocal style and drifting guitar riffs make Beauty a beautiful track for the 21^st century indie pop star gazer.  Beauty is one of those safe, solid tracks you’ll forget you’re listening to, but when it finishes it’ll leave you waiting for what Gliss has to offer next.

7/10

Review by Ammo Dulay

Well known for his single ‘Torn on the Platform’, (which features on his first album Matinée), Jack Peñate’s style echoes The Maccabees with lyrics touching on love and religion, and blended with acoustic, indie and culturally eclectic sounds.

His second album Everything Is New was released in June 2009, and reached 16th in the UK official album charts. Awarded with better reviews than his debut album, which was described in a BBC review as ‘a rather average collection of rockabilly-tinged indie’, Jack Peñate has come a long way, and I can’t find a single track on the album that I dislike.

I was surprised at how many songs out of the nine tracks that I recognized on my first hearing. I’m torn between which track is my favourite. ‘Pull My Heart Away’ opens with strange eerie sound effects and breaks into a guitar riff that is echoed throughout the track. It has an ethereal quality due to the mix of Jack Peñate’s voice with the backing vocalists.

The title track ‘Everything is New’ has a gamelan-African style to it. When blended with Peñate’s voice it is surprisingly successful. ‘Tonight’s Today’ is perhaps the most well-known track on the album and sounds more pop/indie than the other tracks, with a very repetitive chorus and hand-clapping added to the mix of instruments. ‘Let’s All Die’ shares quirky sounds with The Kooks but with much darker lyrics, despite this, the song is actually very positive.

‘Body Down’ introduces a piano accompaniment and eerily what sounds like speech played backwards, sounding very different from the opening tracks. I would rate the album 8/10 as it sounds very original. My only criticism is that some tracks do sound similar due to reoccurring guitar riffs and the ethereal effect created by the backing vocals.

Jack Peñate is vocally like a male version of Lily Allen, but the instruments sound much more culturally dynamic, taking on sounds from other countries and blending them with electric guitar riffs, drums, and Peñate’s distinct voice. I would recommend the album to fans of The Maccabees, Lily Allen, Jamie T, and The Kooks.

Review by Imogen Paris

Fighting Fiction, the four-piece Bristol based band deliver in their debut EP, “A Lesser Of Two Evils”, a brand of indie rock that we have come to expect from upcoming English indie bands.

Described as a blend of indie rock and reggae, what some would call an odd combination, Fighting fiction manage to create a couple of exhilarating tracks with catchy sing along choruses that will remain stuck in your head for a long time to come.

Despite it sounding like quite a complicated mix the band manage to pull off the collision of indie rock and reggae quite successfully, although the opening and closing tracks feel as thought they never get going, prompting doubt about whether they can pull off this blend. However the band do save themselves, with 2 electrifying middle tracks, that see the band really turning things around.

‘Cameraphones And Choruses’ and ‘You Mean The World To Me’ present catchy choruses and  present guitar based sing-along’s reminiscent to that of Frank Turner as well as making good on the bands promises of ‘songs written with passion and anger’. With tracks like these its Fighting Fiction seem to have a bright future ahead of the, especially if they put down more tracks that follow in the same vein as ‘You mean the world to me’ arguably the stand out track of the EP.

Overall i would rate Fighting Fictions debut EP a solid 7/10 as the band competently pulls off the combination of indie rock and reggae, although its hard to see how in the long run they will prevent themselves becoming just another typical English based indie band.

Review by John Selby

Well what can I say. I picked it up from the office noticing the blue gun on the cover, thinking “well I’ll give it a go”. I must say firstly that this type of metal-pop isn’t really my favourite kind of music, but believe I have kept an open mind whilst reviewing it.

ITS TERRIBLE! It sounds like it has been recorded in somebody’s bedroom, the vocals are weak, average at best, and the lyrics are terrible. I can honestly say I have not heard much music which is worse, it sounds weak, the songs lack charisma; it really does just sound like some poor school band, certainly not good enough for a music contract.

There are some quite good guitar solos within “Bang! Bang! Assassin” which I would expect from this form of music, but too soon does the awful signer kick back in. If you don’t like this type of music keep well away, if you like this music type, well, its probably best to do the same.

1/10

Review by Alex Everden

Wee Small Hours could certainly be an shouted-across-fields-at-festivals anthem, if only I could hear the lyrics. For “quick, dirty rock and roll”, it lives up to it’s name but left me wanting a more polished final product.

The radio edit, while sounding relaxed and certainly influenced by the likes of Travis and for me sounding eerily like earlier Oasis material, suffers one major flaw. The production and mixing affect both the radio edit and the acoustic version, to the point where I was struggling to hear the South Welsh singer’s voice above the swinging, grainy guitars. Only towards the end of the song did they become slightly more clear and audible. The vocals are so low in the mix, dominated by all other instruments, that it really does detract from the overall listening experience.

Barry, home of ‘Gavin and Stacey’ is also home to We Know Mason, and We Small Hours could surely appear as part of an indie musical interlude in that program. Best heard in quick, short, instrumental bursts, full of riffs but not the complete package. A cheery, socially identifiable song, detailing the struggles of daily life for the average indie band and their audience, “digging in the sofa for spare change” and “working hard to make ends meet”.

While ‘Wee Small Hours’ is nice enough, ‘Something Tells Me’ (reminiscent of the old ‘Herman’s Hermits’ track) is the standout track on the single for me. While there is a more basic chord structure, and repetitive chorus, the diverse layering of plucked guitars harmonise perfectly, backing up the chanting lyrics. We Know Mason, until they can find a decent producer, should stick to acoustic tracks; they can do those well.

Standout Track: Something Tells Me

6/10

Review by Mark Fletcher

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Said to be the UK’s best girl band, The Kut are a mix of indie and pop/rock. Last month, lead vocalist and guitarist Maha became the first UK female to secure an endorsement with Marshall Amplification. Signed by the independent record label Criminal Records, the band originates from New Cross, London. Their debut Double A-side single is released on Monday the 19^th of October 2009.

The single will also be released in green vinyl as well as being available to download. I love the guitar riffs in ‘Doesn’t Matter Anyway’. The lyrics are about breaking away and rebelling from conformity and some of the backing vocals hint the Killers. Maha’s voice is very unique and she has been likened to Linda Perry, but personally I think her voice is like Avril Lavigne’s but with an English accent.

After a few listens the catchy chorus becomes addictive. ‘Closure’ is a much slower and deeper track. Here Maha’s vocals sound similar to Alanis Morrisette. The vocals are much more exposed as the guitar and drums are quieter and slower until the chorus. The guitar and drums become progressively heavier throughout, and there is also a guitar solo in the middle of the track. So far the band has had good reception on YouTube and MySpace, and they performed earlier this year at the 25^th Anniversary of London’s People Day to 30,000 people.

Overall I would give ‘Doesn’t Matter Anyway’ 8/10. It blends genres so people who like pop/rock may also like this, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes indie. I would give ‘Closure’ 7/10, it’s slower and more emotional moving away from pop/rock towards indie and ‘basement rock’. It’s refreshing to hear something that is totally different to what is in the charts at the moment.

If you like the single, look out for further information on the release date of their debut album ‘Lies my mother told me’.  Visit http://www.myspace.com/thekutgirlsrock for more information.

Review by Imogen Paris

To call A Place to Bury Strangers the emigrated bastard son of The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine; an initially jarring – or befitting, depending on which indie tap you drink from – proposition, implies only one thing. Lots of noise.  And feedback.  And distortion.

Not surprising given that front man, Oliver Ackermann, is also the founder of Death by Audio, an effects pedal company whose wares have been used by the likes of Wilco, Nine Inch Nails and TV on the Radio. Unlike the aforementioned bands however, A Place to Bury Strangers are lifetime subscribers to abrasive and cathartic guitar fury. This is exemplified on their new single from their recent sophomore album, Exploding Head.

Elaborating on the theme of anatomical exploration via sonic shrapnel, In Your Heart is 3 minutes and 12 seconds of pummelling bass lines, insistent yet constrained drumming and banshee guitar shrieks that pierce Ackermann’s hushed pleas of denial. There is not a moment of respite – the brevity of the track means it’s more akin to shot of adrenaline than a hit of viagra.

Those who are already fans of A Place to Bury Strangers should take to In Your Heart favourably, as well as fans of alternative and indie in general.

7/10

Review by Lap-Sun Lee

Real Late Starter is the first single to be released from Nerina Pallot’s long awaited new album, The Graduate. Long-standing fans may be expecting a more mature version of her usual chilled style given her three year break from recording, but instead receive a poppier, upbeat sound incorporating synthesisers somewhat incongruously alongside her usual piano.

This significant change of style is pulled off well; with a catchy bass line ensuring you can dance to the track and still be humming it several hours later, but the lyrics are disappointingly forgettable.

Although Pallot has seamlessly crossed over to a new genre with this offering, the track feels too commercial- a style that will probably appeal to the teenage market but may well alienate a lot of old fans in the process.

4/10

Review by Laura Kelly

Ok: so a Parisian four piece with a nice dreamy relaxed sounding piece of electro pop, plennnnty of synthesiser chucked in there and good use of a cowbell. Plus French accents.

It starts strongly by grabbing your attention with a slightly irritating siren style noise, but once the beats kick in and the song takes off, it never seems to get to where it’s going. So at first listen I was a bit underwhelmed, but have since found it’s a bit of a grower, especially after finding the acoustic studio version on their myspace page, I found the lyrics quite pretty and the harmonies a lot more melodic.

The production of the track overwhelms the song a little, and stripped down it’s a much floatier engaging tune. The E.P. is pleasant enough to listen to if you’re in an alternative electro kind of mood, reminded me a lot of Chromeo, particularly their track Needy Girl, but then the synthesiser beats can sound kinda similar to the untrained ear. Personally, the beats weren’t driving enough for it to be a good dance song, and the chorus wasn’t melodic enough for a catchy tune.

The two remixes of the track found on the E.P. didn’t really inspire me either. I instead preferred track 4 on the E.P, a remix of their previously released song Shadow, a rougher, dirtier mix which definitely caught my attention a lot more.

Review by Ali Butlin