ANOTHER NEW MILLENCOLIN VIDEO

    Some of you may remember that a while ago I posted some new songs and videos including Sense and Sensibility from Millencolin's latest offering True Brew. Their next video is for the track Bring Me Home. Whereas the previous was pretty much a performance video, this one follows someone in a giant bird costume trying to...well...get home...I suppose. The song is quite typically Millencolin at their more serious. Has a hint of Bouncing Souls about it. I'm hoping to check out the whole album soon and get a review done. Meanwhile, enjoy...

NEW TRACKS AND VIDEOS

   Once again, Punkalovich brings to you a 5-in-1 new track post.

Bleach Blood - London In The Rain

   Admittedly, I'm once again a bit late on this one. This single from London band Bleach Blood, led by former King Blues guitarist Jamie Jazz, was actually put out a few months back and the new album All The Side of a Circle came out on 2nd March. This is finally their debut album, including their previously released songs such as Let Your Heart Sing and H.O.P.E. Although only mildly impressed with the band's beginnings, this song has put me in my place with it's poppy verses, catchy chorus and anthemic hook. The video has Jamie walking around London with his own private dark cloud raining down on him. Although the song seems to have a gloomy element to it, the song itself actually sounds quite uplifting. That sort of ability is always a quality I find impressive in a song, like with artists such as Beck and The Eels (despite Mr E's monotone vocals). Check out the tune and check out the album if you like what you hear.

Love Amongst Ruin - Swan Killer

    Here's another London band with a former member of a well-known band. Love Amongst Ruin is fronted by former Placebo drummer Steve Hewitt and Swan Killer is the first song to be released from the forthcoming album Lose Your Way.
   From what I remember of LAR's earlier stuff back in 2010, the band always had a dark feel about it. This track has a more subtle darkness and basically just rocks.
   On a side-note, I have a bit of a strange connection to the band. While still living in London and going through a bit of a bad patch, I answered a drummer ad that happened to be for Love Amongst Ruin. I got in touch and practised the songs sent to me and went to the audition. I got to meet and play with Steve and the rest of the band. Unfortunately, I didn't get the gig. My move to Israel was actually pretty much depending on whether I got into that band or not. If I only they had said yes, I would have stayed in the UK. Just imagine....
   
      Check out Swan Killer on Soundcloud. The album Lose Your Way is due for release on 1st June.

Gevolt - Khokhotshet

     They're called Gevolt. They're from Israel. They sing in Yiddish. They play metal.

I've only just discovered this band but they have already been around in one form another for quite a few years and have now released a new "Nu Klezmer Metal" single, Khokhotshet (don't know what it means). Because of vocalist Anatholy Bonder's tonal similarities to that of Till Lindemann, the band generally comes off sounding a bit like Rammstein but with more klezmer elements, of course. So if you like Rammstein, folk metal and Yiddish, check them out.

Well Planned Attack - I'm Mrs Nesbitt, You See The Hat?

    You can sort of tell we've gone into pop punk territory based on the song title alone. Well Planned Attack are from Vincenza, Italy, and this song is taken from their latest EP A Place To Call Home. If you like fast, melodic pop punk, then you will not disappointed by these guys. This track in particular certainly isn't groundbreaking, but it is catchy and the band has great energy.

   

Idle Hands - Waste Of Flesh

    Finally, we take it back to my endz (I don't know....That's how the kids today talk, apparently). Idle Hands are another band from the London/Rucktion hardcore scene. Compared to their The Worst Times EP, Waste Of Flesh is the most Beatdown thing they've done yet. Pretty much the entire track is one giant fuzzy, sludgey beatdown. As heavy as it is and as much as it reminds me of one of my favourite UK bands of yesteryear, Eviscerate AD, it just seems all a bit too much. What do you make of it?

NEW TRACK FROM FORTHCOMING FOUR YEAR STRONG ALBUM

   I've always meant to get more into Four Year Strong. I've always liked some of the stuff I've heard from them and now new track We All Float Down Here from the soon to be released self titled album has made me realise I may have been missing out. It's one of those pop punk songs which even hardcore fans would find difficult to love, especially with its heavy section nearer the end.
   There's not much else to say except check it out! The album is due for release on 2nd June. 

Review: Dead Sara - Pleasure To Meet You [2015]

 

    I have been awaiting this album for quite some time now. Having fallen in love with the LA rock outfit Dead Sara since seeing the video for and hearing the song Weatherman, the self titled album blew me away. Frontwoman Emily Armstrong's voice stands out amongst many other singers out there right now, not even just the female ones. She is able to sing melodies that blend with guitarist Siouxsie Medley's sexy riffs in such a wonderful way. Dead Sara somehow manage to be both bluesy, heavy, energetic and mellow all in one album. The follow up, Pleasure To Meet You, has proven to have similar dynamics and just as catchy tunes.

   I already posted two tracks from this album already, Mona Lisa and Something Good. Mona Lisa was a little bit harder to grasp at first; there's quite a bit going on in the song. After a while, you find yourself humming the intro, playing the verses in your head and every so often shouting "I KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BUT IT AIN'T GONNA BE WHAT YOU LIKE!" Something Good comes at you straight away as just a really sweet and well-penned country-tinged song. The melodies, both vocal and guitar, are something your gran could even appreciate, but there's enough bite that it just doesn't seem like a cheesy pop song. This song has already had a bit of airplay and TV exposure that I'd be quite disappointed if it doesn't become a massive hit. It's like a slightly harder HAIM song....and everyone likes HAIM, right?
    The song Suicidal was a good choice for album opener...unless it was purposely made that way. It shows the band's heavier side, in a similar way to debut album tracks such as Weatherman and my personal favourite Test On My Patience. I haven't asked the band themselves the real meaning behind the song, but judging behind the lyrics it does seem to be speaking to those who have ever thought their life wasn't enough and telling them that they should never give up. It seems to be almost laughing at one's own concept of wanting to end their life, which I for one can relate to. If this is not quite the meaning of the song, then that's at least what I take from it when I head bang along to "Run and blow my life away. I wake up to another day."
   All the songs on this album have something special about them; there's a little bit of something for everyone. Lovesick, Greaser and Feel Right At Home all lie in the mainstream hard rock category, with catchy choruses and mixtures of heavier and softer parts. "Baby we're lovesick" is a chorus you won't be forgetting in a hurry and Greaser's chorus will have you waving your arms side to side while also trying not to break into Buggles' Video Killed The Radio Star (you'll know what I mean). Feel Right at Home has more of a groove to it than the others, coming off a bit like Black Crowes (whom I love). Mr Mr has an almost Black Keys vibe. It has echoey guitars and bluesy riffs along with pounding drums. There's a riff at the midway mark and at the end of the whole song which gives the song a headbanging quality.
    Radio One Two is possibly the nearest this album has to a punk rock song. Starting off with more of a new wave sound, it breaks out into a joyous singalong. Every song could be considered to have mainstream likability. There are also two slow songs on the album; Blue Was The Beautiful You and For You I Am. The former is bluesy with an explosive chorus and the latter sounds at times like it could be an Alanis song (which isn't a bad thing) and is slow but builds and builds into something emotionally beautiful.
        If you haven't listened to Dead Sara yet and you consider yourself a rock music fan, then I suggest you get on it straight away. They are a super cohesive unit, with Emily's voice definitely being at the forefront. This album has every chance to hit mainstream success; hopefully, it already is. It's hard to pick highlights as it changes at every listen, but Radio One Two and Something Good stand out for me right now. Whether the album itself is as good as the self titled album, I don't know...but it definitely hits a spot.

5/5
   

New Artist Promo: MOODKILLER

  I have been given the honour to bring to you, the Punkalovers (working title..might not catch on..), a new artist EXCLUSIVE!! (At least I think it's an exclusive...)

    From the "Occupied Cherokee and Creek Lands" aka Alabama comes new band MOODKILLER. For my Israeli readers, MOODKILLER is a punk-disco project including David of Sigfried and RoidRage. For those not from Israel or simply not familiar with him, David was travelling the world (parts of it, anyway) playing acoustic shows with punk songs he had written as well as some folk songs. After finding some amazing people in Israel, David formed Sigfried and RoidRage with Amit (Ex-Erev Rav/Bnei Zanot Nazim, Almunim Metim) and Guy (The Orions). David was beloved by the Tel Aviv scene but then moved back home (still beloved).
    Fortunately, David has teamed up with Jen (vocals), Tino (Bass/Drums/Guitar/Synth), Josh (Guitar/Bass/Synth) and Trevor (Drums/Bass) to make music which makes you think, drink and be merry. The band members have all been playing in bands (such as The Piss Shivers, Roll Tight and The Nightmare Boyzzz amongst many others) and/or at least been active in the DIY punk scene in the South for around 20 years. In the band's own words:

We started this band because there's too much macho bullshit going on here. We believe that celebration can be liberation. We are ardently anti-police and anti-fascist. We like to boogie. We like to shotgun beers.

  The band have 3 tracks on their soundcloud and hopefully many more to come soon. Violence takes us to the late 70s and early 80s to where punk and electro were starting to blend. Good Job verges upon the Blondie side of disco-punk along with an Atomic-like riff. The song in general is also reminiscent of Scottish band Bis. Surfing To The Apocalypse is a creepy sounding surf number, with echoed vocals and B-movie style riffs. The band have a really fun vibe, probably due to them all singing along and also swapping around on instruments, which must be great to see live. For someone who hasn't been in a band before, main singer Jen has a great riot grrl voice which actually gives the songs a little something more sinister about them. 


  
I'll leave you with some final words form the band: 

We've been in bands you liked. We've been in bands you've hated. All and all we're the kids in the back, waiting to hand you a flyer for something real, off the internet or trying to scam another drink ticket so we can forget this strange place that we all share. You can contact the band at: alabamamoodkiller@gmail.com

NEW VIDEO FROM VENICE HARDCORE BAND SLANDER

   I'm a bit late on this band, but then again I've never really known that much about Italian hardcore. Coming from Venice, Slander have joined up with Punkalovich favourites Kids Insane to make a split 12" which is due for release on 11th May through Tangled Talk Records.
    While Kids Insane are keeping their tracks a little bit under wraps besides showcasing them at shows (what I heard sounds pretty damn groovy), Slander have released a video for the track Give All and it's mental! If you ever liked playing old skool shoot 'em up, beat 'em up and/or platform games then you would appreciate this video. We see the band immersed in a virtual world, battling their way through to eventually prove that weed is the solution to all problems. We also see the band members playing in dustbins and getting pelted with rubbish bags. Two very different elements but both fun to watch. The track itself is no holds barred hardcore punk, with some elements that take me back to listening to London bands from the Rucktion scene.

   You can check Slander out on tour on these dates at the following locations:

April: 

• 16^th April: Vienna – Venster 99,
• 17^th April: Eisenhüttenstadt (D) – Club Marchwitza
• 19^th April: Mirano – secret show

May: Slander and Kids Insane release tour:

• 8^th May: Honky Tonky Club, Seregno (MB)
• 9^th May: Venezia Hardcore Fest 2015, Marghera (VE)
• 10^th May: 300 cocktail show, Verona (VR)
• 13^th May: Locomotiv Club, Bologna
• 14^th May: Libera Comunanza, S. Benedetto del tronto (Ap).
• 15^th May: Tigersuit Fest Le Macerie, Molfetta BA
• 16^th May: Dalla Cira, Pesaro (PU)
• 17^th May: FCE Party, Arci Cinciana, Mantova