Gen & The Degenerates - Anti- Fun Propaganda (Marshall Records)
When I reviewed Gen & The Degenerates debut EP I said they were an amalgamation “Florence & The Machine, Gossip, Skunk Anansie, PiL and Turbowolf” rating them highly due to their right-on politics that lean; strongly to the left, support LGBTQ+ rights, feminism and anti-fascist philosophies all done with a wry grin, wide-boy cheek and a multi-layered musical approach that draws from many different places. From the synthy funk of Kids Of Wanna Dance, where an oscillating electronics pairs with some nihilistic disco. Recorded in Spatial Audio where available, it means that they sound full, the instruments shared across both audio channels, so no playing it out of your phone speaker if you please.
Welsh born, Canada raised, blues rock firebrand Philip Sayce has been setting light to stages across the world with his incendiary style of soulful blues rocking. This new album begins with a bang as Sayce has the biting tone and rock n roll credo that Gary Clarke Jr shares, take no prisoners, step out of the traditional and write music that means something but will also entertain the hell out of you.
Sayce takes vocals, guitar, bass and piano, as the record also features two well seasoned drummers, rock royalty in Fred Mandel on guest piano for the cover of John Lee Hooker's This Is Hip and some guest backing vocals for those oh so well used gospel singalongs such as ballad It's Over Now. The Wolves Are Coming is immediate and impactful, Oh! That Bitches Brew swaggering in with some Rival Sons/Led Zeppelin mountainous heavy rock, leading into some funk rock ala Lenny Kravitz on Lady Love Divine which has one of those choruses to die for.
On these two songs you can hear the production is just the right side of old school, there's an echo to the vocals, a bite to the guitars, it's retro but with some modern muscle behind it. Babylon Is Burning is tribute to Hendrix for sure, alluding to Philip's idea that this album would be drawn from his inspirations. His inspiration's of course being some of blues rock's best and brightest from the SRV scuttle of Your Love, to The Black Keys percussive stomp of Black Moon. Backstabber deals with his lifelong struggle with OCD and the poisonous music business itself while Blackbirds Fly Alone, brings acoustics and psychedelic wandering.
Philip says the recording this album as a freeing experience, the studio becoming a solace after the pandemic, so it's no wonder you can hear him letting loose on tracks such as The Moon Is Full. The Wolves Are Coming and they're bringing with them incendiary blues rock from Philip Sayce and company. 8/10
Louise Lemón - Lifetime Of Tears (Icons Creating Evil Art)
'The Queen Of Death Gospel' returns with her third album Lifetime Of Tears. Written on a plane as Lemón navigated her way through a breakup of a relationship. With Lifetime Of Tears she has used her compositions to fine son kind of solace after this massive emotional blow. Oddly it means that this could be the happiest album she has produced, as the search for joy fuels the keenly crafted musical explorations this album contains.
You get the full effect with headphones picking up the virtuoso nuances even when they go for a punk punch on the title track. The choppy guitars coming from Dr Feelgood, Tom Robinson influences while Girls! (featuring Uninvited) is a thirsty shot at the misogyny on the internet, Gen declaring that she loves it when girls do all the things society tell them not to and reciprocating with gusto. It’s a alt rock banger as the kids say Gen in full voice, as That’s Enough Internet For Today is a grooving desert rocker dismissing the thousands of keyboard trolls out there that feel like they deserve an opinion (I mean I realise the irony of me sitting behind a keyboard and giving my opinion, but then I’ve always been a d*ckhead). T
he bile is there but Gen & The Degenerates, favour just having a good time, yeah there’s dark times but if we discuss them, sing about them create around them and put a bit of humour around them maybe we won’t all go nuts. Big Hit Single pokes and prods at the continual quest to write a 'hit''viral' or any other buzzword song. All Figured Out pitches the British obsession with nostalgia against New York punk and post punk. They don’t feel neatly into one category, which is sort of the point as Anti-Fun Propaganda is a story of surviving youth, figuring out who and what you are in your own way, coming of age stories in an age unlike many others.
Recorded and produced by Ross Orton, the songs weave between different mixes, Plan B (Interlude) carrying a fireside, vinyl crackle ripe for its acoustic, pastoral tinge as Famous brings the fuzzy garage rock bass thump of The Hives as Post-Cool wields some EDM against post metal. Anti-Fun Propaganda comes to a close with the beautiful shimmering post rock of Jude's Song which simultaneously serves as a tribute to a loved one and a shot at The Fab Four. Gen & The Degenerates' debut album is absolutely fantastic, I loved every minute of it, the musical differentiations, the tongue-in-cheek lyrics, their modern take on Britishness, it's a stunner. 9/10
Philip Sayce - The Wolves Are Coming (Atomic Gemini/Forty Below Records)
Philip Sayce - The Wolves Are Coming (Atomic Gemini/Forty Below Records)
Welsh born, Canada raised, blues rock firebrand Philip Sayce has been setting light to stages across the world with his incendiary style of soulful blues rocking. This new album begins with a bang as Sayce has the biting tone and rock n roll credo that Gary Clarke Jr shares, take no prisoners, step out of the traditional and write music that means something but will also entertain the hell out of you.
Sayce takes vocals, guitar, bass and piano, as the record also features two well seasoned drummers, rock royalty in Fred Mandel on guest piano for the cover of John Lee Hooker's This Is Hip and some guest backing vocals for those oh so well used gospel singalongs such as ballad It's Over Now. The Wolves Are Coming is immediate and impactful, Oh! That Bitches Brew swaggering in with some Rival Sons/Led Zeppelin mountainous heavy rock, leading into some funk rock ala Lenny Kravitz on Lady Love Divine which has one of those choruses to die for.
On these two songs you can hear the production is just the right side of old school, there's an echo to the vocals, a bite to the guitars, it's retro but with some modern muscle behind it. Babylon Is Burning is tribute to Hendrix for sure, alluding to Philip's idea that this album would be drawn from his inspirations. His inspiration's of course being some of blues rock's best and brightest from the SRV scuttle of Your Love, to The Black Keys percussive stomp of Black Moon. Backstabber deals with his lifelong struggle with OCD and the poisonous music business itself while Blackbirds Fly Alone, brings acoustics and psychedelic wandering.
Philip says the recording this album as a freeing experience, the studio becoming a solace after the pandemic, so it's no wonder you can hear him letting loose on tracks such as The Moon Is Full. The Wolves Are Coming and they're bringing with them incendiary blues rock from Philip Sayce and company. 8/10
Louise Lemón - Lifetime Of Tears (Icons Creating Evil Art)
'The Queen Of Death Gospel' returns with her third album Lifetime Of Tears. Written on a plane as Lemón navigated her way through a breakup of a relationship. With Lifetime Of Tears she has used her compositions to fine son kind of solace after this massive emotional blow. Oddly it means that this could be the happiest album she has produced, as the search for joy fuels the keenly crafted musical explorations this album contains.
It's emotional and heartfelt, coming from the ethereal, sun-drenched wooziness of the California coast, bright melodies set to dark lyrical content, recorded and mixed without digital interference at Atlantis Studios in Stockholm joined by Randall Dunn for the mixing/mastering process to make it feel authentic and nostalgically retro.
The album recorded after a long period of touring with the same band, they are synced perfectly, the talented band behind her all play their part on the gothic Americana of tracks such as Midsummer Night or the smoky textures of the title track, as Feels So Good reminds me of some twisted 70's funk as Mourn His Breath and All I Get both carry regret in different laid back ways. Having lived a Lifetime Of Tears, this album releases a build up of emotion, in a positive way, through Lemón's own inevitable style. 7/10
D'Luna - Monster (Escape Records)
It's no secret that love the vocals of Jeff Scott Soto, from his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, to Talisman and Sons Of Apollo, his soulful hard rock pipes make him one of my favourite singers, so when I saw he was featured on this new record I had to pick it up. D'Luna is a project formed by David De Luna, he's the main songwriter, guitarist and producer, crafting each song as a way to show off his guitar chops through the medium of heavy rock songs, that add some AOR and prog. Much like Mike Orlando did with Adrenaline Mob.
D'Luna - Monster (Escape Records)
It's no secret that love the vocals of Jeff Scott Soto, from his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, to Talisman and Sons Of Apollo, his soulful hard rock pipes make him one of my favourite singers, so when I saw he was featured on this new record I had to pick it up. D'Luna is a project formed by David De Luna, he's the main songwriter, guitarist and producer, crafting each song as a way to show off his guitar chops through the medium of heavy rock songs, that add some AOR and prog. Much like Mike Orlando did with Adrenaline Mob.
De Luna plays a similar style to Orlando with some grooving swaggering riffs on Zombie, that unveil into virtuoso soloing. Locking down the crunchy modern metal riffs on tracks such as Rabbit Hole are bassist Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai) and Oren Halmut on drums, smashing it on One Truth, while Dan Meyers adds keys on the proggy last strains of Rabbit Hole and on the cuts that bring more classic rock melodies on Witness. Mixed by Rich Mouser (Dream Theater), it's got a meaty tone throughout, uplifting the prog elements on the moody Believe In Love or the thrashy but with a big chorus One Voice.
Musically I'd also compare D'Luna to a band such as King's X, no wonder then that dUg Pinnick adds vocals to the opening title track, coming in on the choruses to add to JSS's voice, the collaborative elements similar to the Frontiers bands. There's funky King's X rhythms too on 1-2-3 and as the final Blackened Heart wraps prog/metal and hard rock together. I compared Monster to Adrenaline Mob and there's so many thick riffs and killer solos that D'Luna will appeal to fans of that band. They've created a Monster and we'll see where it goes from here. 7/10