Crosby, Stills & Nash by Crosby, Stills & Nash Tom Radigan 11 Jul 2022 During the late 1960’s music had changed to more of a prolific and influential way than it ever did before with enlightened passion, being true to oneself and making a profound statement in one’s art. Three musicians from the biggest bands of the 60’s got together to make beautiful harmonies, and sophisticated lyrics. David Crosby was from the Byrds, Stephen Stills from Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash from the Hollies. Together they would become bigger than they ever were before with their other groups. This first album had a body of classic songs. Especially the opening track which is known as their most signature song “Suite Judy Blue Eye" written by Stephen Stills over his relationship with folk singer Judy Collins. Then the next track is Nash’s folk rock tune “Marrakesh Express.” He actually tried to record it with the Hollies but it did not turn out well. The next two songs continue the folk edge until the 5th and 6th track. Another Nash song called “Pre Roads Down” brings the rock elements of the late 60’s and style from other artists like the Beatles. Then going into my favorite track of the album “Wooden Ships” co-written by Stills, Crosby and Paul Kanter from Jefferson Airplane. The interplay of Still's rough but soft vocals to Crosby’s soothing and gentle voice brings a type of magic to one's ears as they listen to it for the first time. Then after hearing the heavy instrumentation from the guitar, bass, keyboard and drums makes you realize this band is special. Another essential track would be “Helplessly Hoping” which is another good example of the famous harmonies between the three singers. This song features a genius use of alliteration that Still’s was able to possess in his lyrics. Their other rock gem “Long Time Gone” by David Crosby brings out his rock persona that we would see carry on in their next album. This song is one example of their political statements which was written the night Bobby Kennedy was assassinated. Crosby has said the song is about losing great leaders with powerful voices like the Kennedy's and Dr. Martin Luther King. But don’t take just my word for it listen to the album yourself to experience a collection of three unique songwriters making music together.

Forgetmenot by Five Pebbles Chris Peters 31 Dec 2021 Picking a name for your project can be hard. You need something that sticks in people's memories but is unique enough for you to stand out. Perhaps something that embodies the style of the sounds you are creating or holds a connection to some aspect of your artistic work. There are no rules in this game though which is why the simplicity of The Beatles worked equally as well as the ambiguous and difficult to spell Lynyrd Skynyrd. It seems nowadays however we can just give a different name to each individual product of our creativity. Are we here to discuss Sputnik, Weatherday or Five Pebbles? You decide... The answer is Five Pebbles! Forgetmenot is the noisy new EP from Five Pebbles, a pseudonym of Weatherday which is a pseudonym of Sputnik, a mysterious, unseen Swedish producer. This EP dives headfirst into twenty minutes of synthetic shoegazey noise pop with its opening track 'down softly' which employs fourteen thousands guitars or so to wake the entire nation from its wintery slumber. Similar melodic themes persist throughout keeping the track from descending in to cacophony but it is clear that Sputnik has melted down a copy of Loveless and mainlined it prior to conceiving this piece. 'Cat's tongue' is more adventurous musically and with vocals that, although heavily augmented, just about manage to poke their head above the ocean of noise if only momentarily. 'Kiss' doesn't offer me anything I haven't already been given elsewhere on the EP but does begin with one of the most pleasing melodies. Sadly it feels like four minutes of experimenting with where to take that melody. It's a four minute exercise rather than a song. 'We know the devil' is the first time since the opening track that I feel I'm being given a finished product. It's a slow moving train with a trance like rhythm that has a surprising amount of variation to it's, albeit synthetic, instrumentation. The vocals are much more prominent which isn't saying much but they do play a key role in the tune and move things along through the composition. The closing track 'förgätmigej' was put to the end for a reason. I think the noise approach has been misunderstood and the drum machine has, as far as I can tell, malfunctioned! The last three quarters of this two minute track lack any obvious purpose and simply drum a steady beat through your skull until you are forced to match the rhythm with your face against a brick wall. This EP may have been a way for Sputnik to experiment with some news sounds away from what they are doing with Weatherday and I hope it served it's purpose from that personal perspective. There are two tracks here at most that are album worthy but the rest come across as incomplete work in progress. Aside from the opener the rhythm section is naive and underdeveloped. The drums require far more attention to provide much needed structure to the tracks and the layered guitars need to be used more considerately. This is a genre that, when done badly, will only cause migraines and mental breakdowns. When it is done well with thoughtful and educated arrangements it will entrance the listener, keeping them locked time and time again. Five Pebbles is clearly a very early stage project but may have some scattered potential. Please take a listen and let me know what you think. Chris Peters

Pressurelicious by Megan Thee Stallion ft. Future Cashway Cashway 23 Jul 2022 With cover art like this I was always going to be pretty quick to give Megan Thee Stallions new single a listen. It's such a striking image that wouldn't be out of place marketing a Kanye record in another universe. If it doesn't make you want to listen then you've got no right brain. As an artist who seems to be on the receiving end of a disproportionate amount of hate online, I've always wanted to like Megan. Especially when, from my perspective at least, she comes across as a genuinely likeable girl in interviews. You can't watch her on her recent Hot Ones interview and not be won over. With all that said I have struggled to find a version of her sound that really clicks with me. Some of the collaborations she has done have been fire, such as Lick with Shenseea and of course, the soundtrack of 2020, WAP by Cardi B. When Megan is one of many ingredients to a track and is there to deliver a couple of killer verses I feel she always add that flavour you expect her to add and does it with the perfect mix of confidence, sexiness and aggression, and sexiness. However her solo work struggles with variety. It's like she has found a gear that she likes and just coasts on that one rather than mixing it up anymore. This problem has meant that her solo collections have only ever really had a first listen from me and unless people have it sitting in the background I don't know how they are get multiple plays. So on to the new single. Pressurelicious is a collaboration with Future produced by Hitkidd. The beat is sexy and mesmerising with it's foundation being a shaky three note motif repeated through most of the tune. The hi hat is manic which is good, the snare's a little thin which is bad. If we only care about the production and not pay too much attention to the two main acts then I think it's hard to deny that this will be a club hit. This beat is going to make peoples bodies want to rub against other peoples bodies. Unfortunately, the fun ends there for me and not through lack of trying. Like I said, I want to like Megan Thee Stallion but there's just not enough variation to keep me here. The hook is barely a hook, the verses are disjointed and the split of vocals in the composition is a bit random. Future sounds like he's literally drowning under his reverb but that's nothing new for him I guess so the only criticism I can make to that is it's not my thing. Overall I think this probably works as an album cut surrounded by more exciting material but as a single I don't think it's got enough flesh. If this is supposed to get me excited about Megan's coming album then it's failed unfortunately. It hurts to have to criticise her because there's far too much unjustified criticism out there for this artist but I'm afraid it's a no repeat from me. Thanks anyway Megan and I still love ya!

is this what i look like by Yours Truly Jesse Keel 15 Jul 2022 Australian readers have probably already heard of Yours Truly since their debut in 2020 did pretty well down there. Outside of the US though Yours Truly are still just beginning to break ground. This week they released a new EP, Is This What I Look Like, and it has captured my attention in all the ways I did'nt expect. Walk Over My Grave is a powerful opener. Mikaila sounding like Hayley Williams back in 2007 - I'm sure this comparison is going to get old. Disappointingly this opener does lack the memorable hook that many of the other tracks have but that's a minor criticism and potentially a matter of opinion. It's a heavy tune with fast, aggressive guitar, relentless rhythms from drummer Bradley Cronan and unexpected breakdowns. It's easy to think you know what's coming for the remaining 16 minutes after this track but don't be fooled. Careless Kind was released as a single earlier this month and is a slightly gentler offering. The track opens with layered vocals and a simple, defined riff. A muted guitar then makes way for the bass line to bring the song in to the chorus. Here is a much finer example of the Halestorm-esque hooks that this band is capable of. The track ends a bit prematurely but it's got the makings of a radio hit in every way. No reason why this shouldn't do well with a US audience on the West Coast. Careless Kind is followed up by the title track which starts out as a programmed drum and bass rhythm with scratch effects. The whole tune has much more electronic production than the rest of the EP with endless vocal effects chopped up and layered, repeated echoing guitar and a bass drum that has moved away from the shotgun sound of the earlier tracks and is now a machine gun. The transition to the following track Hallucinate is absolutely flawless and without looking at the listing you will miss it first time. Hallucinate is the shining star of this EP and deserves to be shouted about. It features guest vocals from Josh Franceschi of You Me At Six and that collaboration could not have gone any better. His voice fits perfectly and he sounds like a full time member of the band. The electronic effects carry over from the title track but the whole band are at play here with Mikaila scoring 10s all the way through, the guitar is magnificent and the drums follow the lay of Franchesci's voice in a way I can't explain. This should have been a hit. The EP ends with Lights On which falls a little short for me. The composition is incredibly poppy, the lyrics include a few too many oh-ohs but at least it has a hook that you'll be singing for days! A lacklustre ending to the record doesn't matter too much when the rest of the offering is the quality it is. I strongly recommend giving this a listen and I will be digging in to the prior releases by Yours Truly as well.

The New Home Of Independent Music Reviews? Aaron Meeks 5 Aug 2022 If you are a music nut, like me, you likely bore everyone around you with endless facts and opinions they didn't ask for. But it's no different to all the golfers boring us senseless with the arc of their swing or whatever rubbish they talk about. Everyone's got something they need to shout from the rooftops and that's why the internet God's gave us blogs. I dread to think how many golfing blogs there are out there - I almost fell sleep just typing the sentence. Thankfully though, scattered between the coma inducing sports publications, musos gathered en-masse and began filling the cyberspace with sites as creatively named as Johns Music Blog and Marlene's Review Site. The birth of the blog was an exciting time for those of us with rhythm in our veins. We were so used to journalists spewing out reviews for albums they had listened to once under strict instruction that they should 'have an article on my desk before 5pm'. Nothing says all engrossing passion like obligation through employment and a deadline. No, the blog was different. These people were getting nothing in return. They just needed to get their thoughts out there. Marlene's Review Site averaged a view a week and that was normally her husband. Did she care? Did she bollocks. This was therapy for her. Joking aside (I hope you understand there is a lot of joking going on here!) that one view a week was the problem that has become more apparent in recent years as the internet fills up with more and more Marlenes. I don't have the time or energy to be hunting down these blogs and visiting 400 different sites a week to get my fill on music reviews and opinions. There are now platforms out there that catalogue blogs and there articles but it's not the sexiest experience. What the music world needs is a master blog if you like. A repository for all the Marlenes and Johns to come publish their articles in one place. Those articles can then be presented in an accessible, digestible format and that would give me my fill of musical nerdery all in one location. You might call it the new home of independent music reviews and that home might look a lot like this. I believe that's what we have found here at SuperfanNews and for that I'm ever grateful. Marlene and John no longer have to bother with the upkeep of their own blogs. Marlene's opinions have far more reach and impact. The reach and impact they deserve. Most importantly I have reduced my open browser tabs from thirteen thousand to just one. Beautiful. Now, if you don't mind I'm off to read about Derek's 10 Favourite New Wave Albums 1980-1985. What a rush!

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Do No Harm, Take No Shit: A Vulture Wake Chris Peters 30 Jul 2022 Do No Harm, Take No Shit is the mantra of punk inspired hard rockers A Vulture Wake. In 2018 their debut album, The Appropriate Level Of Outrage, painted the reality of that mantra with its heavy, aggressive guitars and powerful rhythms juxtaposed with the largely positive and empowering lyrics. The fact that the members had all served in a number of other bands around Colorado and further afield meant that when they arrived on the scene they had already refined their own unique sound. The easiest aspect of that character to grab hold of is the voice and its punk tinged delivery of front man Chad Price. Four years down the line from that initial offering, A Vulture Wake have given us two further EPs and a slew of singles. This month they brought out Lost Cause Of The Year, a previously unreleased track that is hopefully suggesting that there is a second album in the works. Lost Cause Of The Year opens at a deceiving pace for the length of one riff before a short break brings the music back at a gentler rhythm. Price's characteristic voice is equal parts formidable and promising as it talks us through a disastrous, dire situation in which he chooses hope over despair. 'Race to the finish line as the world disappears It’d be so stupid now to throw it all away I choose instead to live.' Brandon Landelius and Price use the guitars to differentiate the elements of the composition with foreground parts ranging from chugging muted chords to slow metallic strums left to ring out. The drums still carry that violent energy of some of their punkier works but manage to keep it under control to help deliver what is a far more accessible hard rock tune. The track is impactful, emotive and memorable. Think the musical version of the closing scene of a dystopian horror in which Chad Price has overcome the ultimate evil and now stands on a mound of bodies ready to restart civilisation. Lost Cause Of The Year will be playing loud as the credits roll. Stay on top of all things A Vulture Wake at https://avulturewake.bandcamp.com/ or stream their music on all major platforms.

First Signs Of The Aftermath Chris Peters 23 Mar 2022 If there’s one thing that most math rock bands have in common it’s that they either don’t like to be called math rock or don’t know what math rock is. For First Signs of The Aftermath (FSOTA) they are simply focused on creating the music that they find fun and engaging and if it fits in to one of our predefined genres then so be it. This Nottingham three piece have been making music for over 15 years so by the time they released their debut EP in 2020 they already had a pretty solid idea of who they were and what they sounded like. It’s loud, it’s fast and it will keep you balanced so far off the edge of your seat it’s going to be uncomfortable. 2020’s three track EP, Ekwensu Ocha, is a no holds barred power house of riff trickery, unexpected shifts and what could only be gymnastics at the drumkit. For a band that is defined by their ability to constantly change up volumes, tempo’s and rhythms they have begun their commercial journey in music much tighter than most other bands at that point in their careers. This is largely down to drummer Neil who has such mastery over his kit that he is well above keeping regular patterns and instead uses his fifteen arms to keep his bandmates constantly on their toes and confuse the hell out of audiences. Thom and Scott, on guitar and bass respectively, follow suit by consistently throwing the rulebook out the window and every time you think you know where things are going, they will take a sharp turn. In 2021 a second EP was released. The ambiguously named Plain Clothes Burt Reynolds has a marginally heavier sound to it but really continues the story that was started with Ekwensu Ocha. The opening title track showcases the speed and flexibility of Thoms playing from sharp, mocking riffs to crashing swells of volume and distortion. Machine gun snare fills crop up at all the right times although the right times are increasingly difficult to pinpoint as once again FSOTA surprise with relentless twists and turns. FSOTA may have taken their time with regards to entering the market but now that they have made the leap they are pushing forward with all the momentum built up from creating together for all these years. A third record is in production currently with a hopeful release this year and it brings with it some newer sounds so follow the band on Bandcamp to be notified as soon as it’s released. Both of the EPs mentioned above can be streamed or purchased via Bandcamp and the added bonus of visiting the site is to view the amazing cover art by Rich Barber that is a recurring motif across both records. One thing that is evident with these guys is that their character and brand both in the music and the meta is clear and well formed whether that is deliberate or coincidental. More than likely it is the organic result of having spent so many years playing together, creating together and finally showing themselves to the world as a polished and shining finished product. Check out First Signs of the Aftermath wherever you listen to music.

The Many Faces of La Casa Al Mare Chris Peters 3 Apr 2022 It had been 20 years since shoegaze’s heyday in the United Kingdom when pockets of revivalists really began to surface noticeably across the globe. In Rome, Italy, in 2008 three different projects ranging from noise rock to dream pop merged their pedal boards together and formed La Casa Al Mare. Over time they evolved their sound in to etheric, psychedelic shoegaze which is as comfortable in 2022 as it would have been in 1993. It seems shoegaze is back. La Casa Al Mare’s debut release was their EP, This Astro, back in 2015. 7 tracks masterfully selected to showcase the flavour of the band. As expected, the layers of sound are thick as porridge and encompass the listener from the outset. Alessio Pindinelli uses his guitar to paint wandering soundscapes of reverb and distortion that often contrast shockingly to his hazy and sparing vocals. In At All the band show their versatility with a much more melodic folk pop influenced number with muted drums and a much gentler blanket of noise leaving space for Pindinellis voice to come through. Similarly, Tonight or Never, a stripped back, dreamy, faux-acoustic number adds another face to La Casa Al Mare and variation to an EP that could too easily become overwhelming if the effects weren’t under control. Since 2015’s debut La Casa Al Mare were slow to get back in the studio but a double A side, Otherwise/Autumn, was released in February 2021. Two songs so wildly different but delivered in characteristic style that is just as recognisable 6 years on from This Astro. Marco Poloni and Paolo Miceli’s rhythm section pulls Otherwise along at an entirely unexpected tempo and then slam the breaks on to soothe us back to sleep with Autumn. Although these guys are firmly grounded in shoegaze, a genre that sometimes struggles to find different gears, they have many angles to their sound and understand how to engage their listeners with anticipation and mystery. Now that the unfortunate global events of the last couple of years are starting to take a backseat La Casa Al Mare are getting ready to hit the studio and finalise their long awaited LP. At a time when, the affectionately labelled, Italogaze is gaining steady popularity we expect to see great things from La Casa Al Mare in the years to come and since Pindinelli has stated ‘We see La Casa Al Mare playing music until death’ that could be a somewhat lengthy career! Keep an eye out this summer at lacasaalmare.bandcamp.com for the album and be sure to listen to that amazing back catalog on streaming services.

Brass Monkey: Grungy Blues Rock from the North East of England Chris Peters 21 Mar 2022 For almost a decade the man behind Brass Monkey has been hopping open mics all across the north east honing his skills, finding himself and gaining invaluable experience. It was then in June 2019 that Brass Monkey debuted with the dark bluesy number Breadline. A funky bassline and a gentle southern rock flavour is the vibe that Brass Monkey was first introduced to the world but its that distinctive gravelly baritone that sticks with you and defines his sound. A further three singles have come out since that initial release all exploring various interpretations of blues rock. The second single, Nowhere, displays similar influences to Breadline but we then see a softer side to Brass Monkey with the upbeat ballad Miracle. The most recent single, Another Day, leans heavily in to the mood of Brass Monkeys guitar sound which varies from a clean bassy riff shadowing the whole tune to the slick, understated solo after the first chorus. One of the benefits of being a solo act is the ability to experiment with your style and explore the reaches of your sound without the restricting influence of other band members. It certainly appears that Brass Monkey is showing the different faces of his character before melding those faces together for a debut album release. The plan is to hopefully have that record out by the end of the year and with the UK live music scene finally getting going again that will be accompanied with a nationwide tour. As someone who has worked with and around bands for over a decade, Brass Monkey is familiar with some of the difficulties he is avoiding by going at it alone this time. “The best thing about working solo is that there's very little that can go wrong that isn't your own fault. Anyone who's ever organised an event knows with every extra person the potential complications multiply. I've known so many great bands miss so many gigs and opportunities through one member not coming through…”. In a way this approach suits the image of Brass Monkey that is slowly formed by his vocal tone and guitar style. I picture a travelling musician, scarred by his past, with dusty boots and a guitar slung on his back. He’s probably hitching rides on the back of trucks to get to his next gig and he’s almost certainly playing those gigs for just a sip of whiskey and a bed for the night. Keep up to date with everything going on for Brass Monkey over at www.facebook.com/funkmonkeymetal and find his music on all major streaming services. Don’t forget to keep your ear to the ground for that debut album release later in 2022.

New Age Healers Tease Their Fourth Album Chris Peters 14 Jul 2022 Seattle's New Age Healers have come a long way since their debut LP, Ghosts, back in 2016. Although they have always recognised as a 'shoegaze/psych rock project' those early releases were much cleaner and reserved than you might expect. 2017's Where The Tragic Happens started to build upon a theme of layered, repeated guitar motifs forming a bedrock for Owen Murphy's vocals to wash over. At this point we started to hear a J Mascis energy to Murphy's approach and certainly a character that would develop and become more recognisable as the catalog progressed. 2019 saw the release of the bands third studio album Debris. This was immediately denser and more advanced in its layering of the guitars as well as Murphy's vocals. The far more signature production now assists the voice at melting in to the fuzz and effects behind it. The lead single, Satellites, features one of the most memorable hooks to date and a stunning minimalist, guitar break with just a couple of notes ringing out proud over the instrumental foundation. This year, whilst we are anticipating the release of their fourth LP, Demolition Stories, in August, New Age Healers have blessed us with a teasing single, Scars. The overall production and musicianship on this track could not be a better example of how far this band have come. The level of depth in Murphy's vocals, the oily grunge of the bass and atmospheric guitar swirls all come together to create a majorly accomplished psychedelic alt rock anthem. The story behind the lyrics is one of passion and the decisions Murphy's own grandmother had to make with the little money she had. 'They grew up in poverty, with no father around and the safety nets we have today did not exist' he says. 'As the story goes, [my grandmother] had some cash to buy a refrigerator but instead purchased a piano. She chose joy over food in the house.' This inclination has obviously carried over to Owen himself who says 'Music is joy, love, God, hope, etc. It speaks in ways we cannot. It touches us in ways that words cannot.' The single's B-side, Don't Let Me Go, opens up immediately in to an early 90's shoegaze protest with a relentless bass drum keeping the listener focused. The wash of noise opens up periodically for the voice to come through as drummer, Adam LeVasseur, calms the the approach down to reflect the sincerity of the lyrics. Both tracks set an amazing stage for the album to come. When speaking to Superfan News about the coming record Owen said 'This one goes further sonically. We’ve added more voices, instruments and artistic perspective and have never settled on any of these songs. Each one has been pushed, pulled, flipped over until it’s as strong as it can be. We’ve taken chances, redone arrangements and more'. We've certainly found that the New Age Healers sound is best when the keys are respected, when the effects are layered and thought out and even with the addition of backing vocals in the new single Scars. Talk of additional instrumentation and voices in Demolition Stories is good news. The single, Scars, is out now on Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms. Keep up to date with the band's releases and activities on https://newagehealers.bandcamp.com/ and look out for the album, Demolition Stories, next month.

Forthcoming Live EP from Silver Haar Chris Peters 13 Jun 2022 For a band that debuted less than twelve months ago Glasgow based Silver Haar have wasted no time in getting material out. Why throw your life away with such frivolities as taking your time or finding your feet when you can get straight to the good stuff. I imagine that's why starters are so much smaller than the main course. I couldn't tell you what Silver Haar's starter sounded like because even their debut EP sounded mature and polished but luckily the main course is plentiful. July 1 see's the release of the bands second EP which is accurately named Live. Although these recordings are marketed as live don't be expecting washed out, muffled versions of their prior releases lost in a din of pub noise. These are solid quality recordings taken from the comfort of a studio. The live aspect is almost unnoticeable other than the occasional vocal part evidently more distant than it should be. A really nice touch is that all three tracks are introduced. Keeping that in adds a nice personal touch and helps transport you away to the front row of a poorly lit Glasgow bar. Three tracks is the absolute minimum the music God's will allow for an EP but it should be enough to tie us over until that anticipated debut album. An added bonus is that one of those three tracks is not previously released so this live version is it's debut. The opener is a live rendition of the title track from 2021's EP Lights Out. This is a buoyant retro indie rock tune that leans on its vocal melodies and gorgeous guitar tone. This version actually displays greater depth in the guitars that gives the song a slightly heavier feel than the original. The largely instrumental bridge at 4 minutes is much grimier than the more polished 2021 release and that's welcomed. It's Over slows things down a little and gives Tom a chance to prove his voice is as strong live as it is in the studio. The airiness of the vocals with the occasional harmonies perfectly complement the playful lead guitar to make for a gorgeous landscape. The record closes with the previously unreleased Reasons. We are first treated to an introduction held up by a lead guitar drenched in buttery reverb, confidently displaying itself in the foreground. Behind that sits the motor of a determined rhythm section. The chanted backing vocals of the chorus and bridge are at risk of making this a real sing along number for Silver Haar and I see this becoming a live set favourite. On the whole Silver Haar have once again given us a brilliantly produced top tier EP. This is a group of guys that clearly have between them plenty of experience and knowledge and are using that to hit the ground positively sprinting with Silver Haar. It is a disappointingly short record but the sooner a debut LP comes along the quicker I will be able to forgive them. Live is available for streaming from July 1 so follow Silver Haar now.