ALBUM: Asylums – ‘Alien Human Emotions’

Released via their own label Cool Thing Records, a strong sense of fun and frustration fuels Southend-based rockers Asylums‘ brand new album, Alien Human Emotions. The band’s second record is a turbulent, tenacious collection of tracks that buzz with enthusiasm and self-awareness.

After the success of their critically-acclaimed debut Killer Brain Waves in 2016, Asylums have embarked on a new aural adventure. If they were presented differently, the tracks on Alien Human Emotions would shrink your heart with sadness, but the band’s riotous delivery makes this record a hopeful, heart-swelling affair.

The album kicks off with ‘Day Release To The Moon’, documenting a grand, but turbulent emotional journey that will “pull us closer to the sun / annihilate everyone,” with Jazz’s manic guitar riffs masking the dark side of vocalist Luke’s pessimistic wish. Henry’s relentless percussion punches through on second track ‘When We Wake Up’, which assaults the senses from start to finish. Luke’s anthemic lyrics invite listeners to take a “front row seat for Armageddon,” which sounds tempting against their back drop of manic guitar noise. ‘Bottle Bank’ follows with more of Jazz’s trademark spiralling riffs and Mike’s thundering bass lines, leaving listeners sweaty and short of breath just three tracks in.

The eponymous ‘Alien Human Emotions’ comprehends emotional black holes via dense bass lines and thoughtful lyrics, before the gentler ‘Millennials’ provides a moment for introspective reflection. Named after a social label that’s doused in negativity, Asylums have reclaimed the term and turned it into a thought provoking, comforting tune.

Just as listeners are on their way back down to earth, the toxic punk blur of ‘Napalm Bubblegum’ blasts them back into the band’s sonic atmosphere. Luke’s visceral Essex intonation and Henry’s savage drumming provide the ultimate punk-infused sound to bounce around your bedroom walls to. ‘Pause’ is an aptly named interlude track – even Asylums need to take a second to catch their breath sometimes.

‘Graveyard Tourism’ is a distraction from “morbid fascination”, whilst the timely ‘Homeowners Guilt’ dissects feelings towards “characterless buildings” and the unfair working-class reality of having to always make sure ends meet. The penultimate ‘Sexual Automation’ starts the gentle descent down to earth, manically resisting the “impulses you can’t castrate.” The rawness of ‘The Company You Keep’ closes the record on an optimistic note – an ode to true love, friendship and a poignant reminder to appreciate the people around you.

Alien in the sense that it blasts you into an sonic universe, but Human in its quest to make sure no listener feels left behind, Asylums’ Alien Human Emotions is an intense, joyful second record that kicks and comforts in equal measure.

 

Order your copy of Alien Human Emotions here.
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Photo Credit: Kana Waiwaiku

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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ALBUM: Sabatta – ‘Misfit Music’

Sabatta are a South East London band who have always proven to be difficult to categorise. Their musical influences are endless – from Dead Kennedys to Parliament/Funkadelic. Now, with their sophomore album, aptly-titled Misfit Music, guitarist and vocalist Yinka Oyewole and bassist Debbie Dee have further established their unpredictable sound; a unification of punk rock, heavy metal, psychedelia, grunge, funk, and soul. Why limit yourself?

Oyewole has referred to their sound as “Grunge Soul”, and this is true of the abrasive opening track ‘Rock Star Shit’; a spoken word dissection of the glitz and the glam of the ‘rock star’ lifestyle, “but here’s the life that we be livin’. Take the bus at a quarter to eight, to the Morrisons reduced aisle but it’s too late.”

The raw fusion of riotous guitar riffs and funk-fuelled basslines on ‘Wicked Right Now’ -combined with a punk-rock attitude that wouldn’t feel out of place on a Bad Brains record -solidifies Sabatta’s mission statement: “fuck genres, fuck labels, fuck rules and fuck fitting in”. Just when you think track #2 has reached its logical conclusion, Oyewole breaks the silence with frantic fretwork reminiscent of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Slowing the tempo down for ‘Always’, ‘Feel It Too’ and ‘Prized Possession’, Oyewole and Dee invoke the spirits of Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy. The riffs are raw. The basslines are heavy. But the essential element that binds everything together is the groove. Track #6 (and lead single) ‘Scream of Consciousness’ plays like a dystopian punk anthem, opening with a deliberate drum beat – a slow burn from ex-drummer Adriano Siani – before breaking out into a blaze of fiery, charismatic vocals and thrashing guitar.

‘Innocence’ offers a departure from the heavy – but never from the groove, courtesy of Dee – by further showcasing the versatility of Oyewole’s vocal capabilities, and his proficiency on electric guitar with a melodic solo that closes the track, before ‘Speed of Life’ closes the album with furious intent.

Misfit Music is in-your-face, unapologetic, and diverse. Sabatta have created a sound that is uniquely their own, releasing an LP that is the black sheep of rock and roll. An outsider to the alternative. This is a duo that does not obey usual genre conventions – and fuck it! They never wanted to fit in anyway.

Misfit Music is out now via Blackfriars Entertainment

Ken Wynne
@attackplanetb

 

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ALBUM: LUMP – ‘LUMP’

The temptation on hearing that the much esteemed pair of Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay (Tunng) have combined forces is to assume their music will be just a nuanced blend of their individual musical styles. But, unlike many super-group ego projects, often weighted down by noodling, what really sets this duo’s self-titled album apart is its commitment to a clearly organic sonic development between the pair. Push them together, and a LUMP is what you get.

Their partnership emerged after a meeting at a Neil Young gig in London, at which Marling was the support. Inviting her to contribute lyrics and vocals to a sound-cycle he had composed, the album was put together at Lindsay’s basement studio.

On top of the collaboration between the pair, videos have also been created for lead single ‘Curse of the Contemporary’ and its nominal B-side (and album opener) ‘Late to the Flight’, featuring a free-spirited ginger eyeless Chewbacca attempting to break free of its domestic setting. Directed by Esteban Diacono, and fully-animated using motion-capture, the videos combine the overall sound of LUMP with some of the concepts in the songs’ lyrics. In another example of the project’s organic nature, the creature has become the mascot of the project, appearing on the album’s cover and alongside Marling and Lindsay in promo photos. As a final tip of the hat to its origins, the album’s closing track serves as its credits, Marling’s voice listing the contributors before stating, over and over again, “Lump is a product”.

A lo-fi tale of a middle-aged “crooner in crisis”, backed by twangy guitar, ‘Late to the Flight’ has Marling’s overlaid vocals commencing solitarily and echoing as the song continues. It’s reflective of the song’s story and its character’s split personalities of a gambler, teen in a smiley t-shirt and a dreamer, picturing its narrator. It’s arguably the most folky song on the album but the Moog underlays pave the way for second track ‘May I Be The Light’. Here, Marling spouts near-nonsense ‘moon/june’ verse lyrics in a robotic fashion over electronic beats that throb, sparse percussion and flute. If the verse’s lyrics might bear out the reference to Edward Lear’s work in the accompanying press, the chorus here is more explicable: “It’s a sign of the times”.

The album’s central track (‘Rolling Thunder’) is its stand-out – an unexpected, spectacular piece of neo-soul, built around Marling’s stunning vocals and the hum from the previous track, which turns into lite-funk spirals around her. “We were born under rolling thunder”, Marling intones before spitting “I’m your mother/ I’m your father/ Be a man…” as the track starts to crescendo. Amongst the many lyrics hinting at a generation bent on its own destruction, the words “New Atlantis” stick out, as does Hannah Peel’s all-too-brief blast of trumpet, scowling all over the middle eight.  

‘Curse of the Contemporary’ is an all together different bit of alt.pop, its picked guitar may be reminiscent of ’60s Cali folk-rock, but its off-key wonkiness is a perfect reflection of the broken-down world in its lyrics. As couplets go – “If you should be bored in California / I’m sure I’m not the last to warn ya” – they don’t get more seductively sinister. Later, Marling makes the message clear – “We can’t believe what we’ve become / Something else to prey upon / Evidently, another vanity / Another something to believe”. The emptiness of the image and the cultural death of those who “salute the sun” are the targets here, as the guitars grow ever more ominous and the elements of the song collide and, finally, cease.

‘Hand Hold Hero’ moves to Moroder-style synths whilst its vocals tilt towards Bobbie Gentry Americana, as Marling dissects our simplistic need for people to celebrate. Finally, ‘Shake Your Shelter’ is a trip-hoppy piece of work that finds Marling going angelic acapella in its chorus before her voices double, triple and expand over Lindsay’s synthwork. Its drums roll back before the album’s music closes with the sound of shaking shells and a reedy drone.

As surprisingly hooky as it is experimental, LUMP is a twisted take on alt.pop that sucks you into its world, dazzles you with its warped instrumentation and leaves you humming fragments days after.  

LUMP is out now via Dead Oceans.

John McGovern
@etinsuburbiaego

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ALBUM: Sharon Lazibyrd – ‘Half Shame and Half Glory’

Our ancestors once passed on their tales of caution, woe and political angst through the form of ballads, a theme explored in Half Shame and Half Glory. Throughout her new album, Sharon Martin – aka Sharon Lazibyrd – uses this tradition with her messages of modern life mixed in with foot-stomping, gypsy-folk tunes.

As its name suggests, Half Shame and Half Glory tackles head on our conflicting emotions in our day to day lives – all delivered through vocals reminiscent of music halls, cheerful ukuleles and passionate violins. Sharon Martin invited an array of musicians on board for her debut solo outing – which even included her own father! Having others along for the ride is evident in the delightfully whimsical sound, with many of the tracks being the aural equivalent of walking through a field of wildflowers with sunbeams on your face.

Half Shame and Half Glory dives straight in with the cautionary tale of ‘Mr Smilie’. Mr Smilie has known both love and heartbreak with Sharon bringing this character to life through traditional accordions and, despite the sadness which Mr Smilie has to endure, it’s hard to be drawn too far down when ukuleles are involved.

 

An album of ballads would not be complete without politically charged protest songs. ‘Opium of the Masses’ and ‘More For Less’ tell us what to expect from the title alone, before we even hit the play button. Although the title is lifted straight from The Communist Manifesto, ‘Opium of the Masses’ also pays homage to Tolkien with the lyrics embedded within the solemn violins. ‘More For Less’ does more to release Sharon’s political dismay at the powers that be, and demands that we pay attention – “Now listen to my story…” she tells us, before jaunty violins and rhythmic tambourines keep pace with her tongue-twisting vocals.

Half Shame and Half Glory isn’t just an outlet for political anger, gentle pianos can be found on ‘Winding Road’ which is a touching ode to maternal love. ‘Don’t Worry’ is a sun-fuelled track, reminiscent of Lily Allen’s early work, with spoken-word style vocals. Whilst ‘Blood on Bone’ takes us down a gothic path, ‘And They Danced’ closes the album with fun spontaneity with scattering vocals and a rhythm which will have you whirling around the room.

Sharon Martin has packed her debut full of hidden delights, igniting a free-spirited passion with each listen. Through her stomping ballads which wouldn’t be out of place in Fiddler on the Roof, Sharon not only delivers her truth, but causes her listeners to realise their own.

Nicky Lee-Delisle 
@Nicky___Lee

 

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