ICE CREAM FOR QUO
Is mainstream music really all rubbish? Surely not all of it? Can cutting edge music be mainstream at the same time? Should it try to be? What is 'mainstream' these days anyway? What is 'cutting edge'? It's a good title if it's making you think about these sorts of things.
Fast, loud and probably quite dangerous, these tracks come at you with a machete (and also a free fanzine). If you like urgent thrashy music with guitars and a healthy dose of igdignant anger, this comprehensive TNS sampler could be exactly what you need. Great for playing just before you go out. If you don't get out much (I don't) it's great for playing just before you don't go out too.
BLACK VELVET MAGAZINE
A fan of the up and coming UK punk scene? have a strong disdain for manufactured chart drivel being rammed down your gullet? Then you will love this colossal two disc compilation boasting choice tracks from 37 underground punk and ska bands. Brought to you by TNSrecords, Mainstream Music is Shit treats us to must hear acts such as the Autonomads, Cartoon Violence, Just and Monsters and the Hostiles. In fact, take your pick from any of the exciting bands being showcased and there's suddenly a striking realisation of what a thriving scene we actually have over here. A lot of these bands are already creating a buzz on the live circuit and ammassing secret popularity, so this is the ideal crash course to get yourself clued in too. This is the ultimate pick of what's on offer, so have a listen and go check out more. You have no excuses now.
LEEDS MUSIC SCENE
Another credit-crunch busting compilation from DIY, not-for-profit punk label TNS Records. Following on from the success of their Vol. 1 compilation 'Music By People Who Drink Cider In The Gutter,' TNS have gone even bigger, with the double CD, thirty-seven track Vol.2 'Mainstream Music Is Shit.'
While the main purpose of this compilation is to introduce predominantly Manchester-based bands to a wider audience, there a few familiar faces. First up, are TNS regulars Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man, and the two-hundred-miles-an-hour 'Blackpool ROCK,' while Sounds Of Swami match them racing-riff for racing-riff, with the abrasive rush of 'Bandwagon Hi-Jack.' The Shadowcops keep those all-important speed and aggression levels sky-high, while packing in the rock and roll riffs. 'The Sleeper Awakes' marks them out as a band who take the oldschool punk blueprint and develop it into something far more rock-orientated.
But, it isn't all about no frills, punk rock nastiness. This compilation also features a clutch of ska bands TNS fans will recognise. These include the horn-studded rattle of Harijan's 'Portland Street' and John Player Specials' 'The Isolator,' which replaces the 'punk' element with a funky Caribbean groove, in a rare moment of laidback cool. At the opposite end of the scale, is the brass instrument-strewn carnival of Stand Out Riot's 'Spacesuit,' a song that, thankfully, falls just short of being irritatingly chirpy; and the rousing ska-punk call to arms that is The Fractions' 'Down And Out.' While 'Down And Out' could do with more guitar-heavy sections and battle-horn trumpets, and less clattery, ska-by-numbers interludes, the song's high points are very high indeed, making this an album highlight.
So after, seven bands who've enjoyed dedicated TNS releases before, we move onto the lesser-known acts.
'Mainstream Music Is Shit' is conveniently split into two halves. The first CD focuses on punk rock, with shades of hardcore, deathcore and punk 'n roll; whereas the second CD focuses on ska-punk. The second CD is the strongest, largely due to the variety and the fun many contributors seem to be having playing around with the genre.
To a certain extent, anything a band can do to make themselves stand out, in the context of a compilation, is a good thing, and second CD highlight, The Hostiles' 'Bad Day For Shorts' does just that. Their piping brass instruments, off-kilter Madness rhythms and cartoonish vocals, are mixed up with thunder storm sound effects. There's a mid-song lag where The Hostiles draw a line under their skanking first half and build into a Bring Me The Horizon-style breakdown, but when those gang vocals and meaty riffs kick in, it's definitely worth the wait.
The other album high points all have something that distinguishes them from the crowd. 'Seat Up High' by Jimmy the Squirrel, and 'Empty Boxes' by Los Salvadores, both have a twangy, tinny, almost Oriental-sounding edge, and the impassioned holler of Just Panic's 'Killer Fairytales' is a surprisingly dewy take on the genre. But, that doesn't mean 'Killer Fairytales' compromises on brutality and speed, as a furious drum line leads this sparkly-edged cyclone of sound in a headlong charge. It's furious, emotionally-charged ska, with a lead singer who either desperately believes every word he's bellowing, or is a damn fine actor.
But, all the aforementioned eclecticism pales in comparison to Sense Of Urgency's 'Lowbrow.' A blast of discordant hardcore-punk, laced with deathcore vocals and euphoric gang vocals, shot through with merrily tootling horns; it's an acquired taste. But, it's an interesting exercise in pushing the ska blueprint to extremes, and by keeping the pedal firmly to the metal, Sense Of Urgency don't outstay their welcome.
Cartoon Violence and Bootscraper stand out on this CD, because of their distinctively-voiced frontmen. Cartoon Violence frontman Chuzz's voice is noticeably deeper than most ska vocalists, although the rumbling piano notes, and their runaway-carnival chorus also help to give their 'Kite' its own identity. Meanwhile, Bootscraper frontman Tim has the kind of soulful voice that makes you think of dark, trendy jazz clubs, and the woozy accordion strains, jangly beats and twangy mandolin complete the picture, making this a folky, jazzy piece of musical exotica.
But, unusual vocals aren't always a positive thing, as The Medicine Bow prove with 'This Side Of Town (Train Song).' Vague, drooly vocals means they lack a strong vocal presence. It's a shame, as its quirky combination of racing riffs and yelpy harmonica is musically intriguing; it's just in the vocals department that The Medicine Bow struggle to make an impression.
The second CD may be firmly rooted in ska, but A War Against Sound and Kickback UK manage to squeeze in elements of metal and good old fashioned mosh. The former's 'The Premature Chokehold' has a doomy, bass-heavy chorus that's guaranteed to please those with a metal disposition, even if the rest of the song doesn't quite hang together right. Kickback UK's 'Reality Check,' mixes chirpy brass instruments with mosh-friendly rhythms, and will have you torn between skanking like a merry idiot, and banging your head.
One of the criticisms often levelled at ska, is that it has a tendency to be irritatingly cheerful. If buoyant trumpets and giddy keyboard flourishes put your teeth on edge, then it's probably best to restrict your second CD experience to The Hijacks and The Autonomad's contributions. The latter's 'Supermarket Sweep' has a more bass-orientated groove, with only subtle touches of blunted brass; whereas 'Greed And Fear's combination of abrasive riffs and gang backing vocals, puts the 'punk' into ska-punk. 'Supermarket Sweep' and 'Greed And Fear' are essentially ska songs, for those who aren't major fans of ska.
Faintest Idea's 'Why Don't Rich Kids Go To War?' and Rasta4Eyes' 'Oscar And Arthur' are two songs that are probably better experienced live. The former's chorus is crammed with gotta-sing-along-with "whoa!" and "oh!" backing vocals, while the oompa-oompa beats and flamboyant keyboard flourishes, will no doubt incite mass skank-alongs when this is played live. Meanwhile, 'Oscar And Arthur' has a one-two, one-two beat that's slightly repetitive and one-dimensional on record, but will undoubtedly get a live audience moving.
For anyone with a soft spot for ska, this CD is an encouraging snapshot of the unsigned, Northern ska scene, offering insanely upbeat ska, downbeat ska, folk ska, soul-infused ska, ska-for-those-who-don't-really-like-ska, and ska by several intriguing vocalists. This eighteen track voyage around the ska world, will have fans of the genre excited about what's going on at the local level - which can only be a good thing.
Meanwhile, the first CD is all about rough-and-ready punk rock, played at triple speed, with gang vocals and shout-along choruses aplenty. Dangerfield's 'Gimme Gimme Rock 'n Roll' is a perfect example: an uncomplicated roar with racing riffs to rival punk-rock speed-kings Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man. 'Short, sharp and to the point' is also the apparent mantra of The Nova Fives and Acid Drop, who contribute 'Love Letters' and 'Polly Piper,' respectively. 'Love Letters' is a bristling, cider-splattered bellow about drinking 'til you're blind, and other such suitably punk activities; while 'Polly Piper' is all super-charged riffing and the sound of someone beating the hell out of their drum kit.
The Emos follow in a very similar vein, although their 'Jason Bourne Ready' clearly has one eye firmly on the live arena, with a call-and-response chorus of "are you ready? - Jason Bourne Ready?!" that was made for crowd interaction. 2 Sick Monkey's confrontational effort, 'Why?' does occasionally smack of a juvenile tantrum but, again, this is a song that's probably meant to be experienced live. It's easy to imagine the bellowed chorus giving the audience a severe vocal-chord workout. It may be slightly obvious in terms of lyrics, but it's fast, furious, doesn't outstay its welcome, and is probably good fun to shout along to down your local punk venue.
Although the first CD lacks the eclecticism of the second CD, there is some variety to be had, with a triple-whammy of punk 'n roll in the form of The Hyperjax's 'Talkin' New York,' The Great St. Louis' 'Safe' and a contribution from The Kirkz. The Hyperjax's contribution is the strongest, offering up a blast of snappy, drum-led, rock-infused punk, with twitching backing/main/gang vocals that ensure the track shakes with barely-contained energy. 'Safe,' has a more melodic slant, with smoother riffing, pub-rock vocals and lashings of euphoric "whoa-oh-oh!" backing vocals making for an accessible, but never boring, punk 'n roll experience.
The Kirkz featured on TNS' 'Music By People Who Drink Cider In The Gutter' compilation, and they're back for more, with the punk 'n roll of 'Brain Dead.' This song has a nasty habit of taking it down a notch and blasting out simple, crunching riffs. 'Brain Dead' is actually at its best when it's at full pelt, laying meaty riffs over a backdrop of chuggy guitars. The Kirkz would be advised to keep the pedal firmly to the metal in the future.
D'Corner Bois' have a moodier sound, with heavy bass lines that slowly unfurl through their mid-paced punk. However, it's not until Fair Do's that this compilation gets seriously dark, with the snappy metalcore of 'When It All Goes Wrong.' It's this double album's heaviest moment, with the occasional riff that could have been lifted straight off a Bullet For My Valentine record. Fair Do's do themselves a disservice though, by clinging to the galloping drumbeats and shouty, snotty vocals, which may be staples of the punk genre, but sit uncomfortably next to metalcore riffing.
Also on the decidedly darker side of things, is Just Add Monster's effort, the doomy, bass-heavy 'Discontent.' The brittle, angular riffs perfectly mirror frontman Mr T's shrapnel vocals, and it's consequently sure to please fans of The Ghost Of A Thousand and Gallows.
At the opposite end of the scale, is 'Mainstream Music Is Shit's most accessible moment, the pop-infused 'Heads Up' by The Dead Reckoning. Not only does their frontman turn out melodic vocal lines, but he has a tendency to break into hooky cries of "whoa-oh-oh!" The Dead Reckoning play up these accessible vocals, with melodic guitar lines, toe-tapping drums and brassy, ska-punk flourishes, making this a welcome bit of light relief. Also on the lighter side of things, is The Terrors' 'Disasters Only Get Worse.' Its brisk punk and bucking guitar rhythms, comes wrapped in jangly drumbeats, and feels incredibly catchy after so much aural nastiness.
Two more songs that probably need to be experienced live, are The Dangerous Aces' hit-and-miss effort 'Lock In' and SmackRats' brilliantly (if a little un-P.C) entitled 'Dead Men Don't Act Like C****.' The former is decidedly uninspiring on record, where you'll have trouble deciphering what the frontman's yammering on about. However, when the chorus kicks in, the furious chant of "'av a lock in, 'av a lock in, 'av a lock in" with gang backing vocals all howling their agreement, will have you wishing you were watching The Dangerous Aces live, so you could shout along with them. 'Dead Men Don't Act Like C*nts's expletive-riddled chorus has even more shout-along appeal, with skank-friendly verses of twitchy, scratchy guitars and lashings of fun "whoa-oh-oh!" gang backing vocals to boot. It's a thoroughly enjoyable shout along, and even better its appeal isn't solely restricted to the live arena.
And, finally, there's the one song that could have gone terrible wrong. Despite a tragically synth-studded intro, Rising Strike's 'Force Of Habit, Habit Of Force' isn't some weird, electro-pop oldschool-punk mash-up, but good old fashioned punk rock that manages to keep proceedings suitably abrasive, even when it's caught up in its more 'experimental' moments.
While the second disc has more range and pushes the boundaries of its chosen genre, the first CD is still an encouraging snapshot of the no-frills, grassroots punk-rock scene. Taking classic, cider-swilling bursts of aggression as its starting point, it then blends in elements of hardcore, metalcore and mosh, making for a sound that, although not incredibly varied, is far from stagnant.
With thirty-seven tracks of punk and ska to chose from, you're bound to find a few things you like on this mammoth double-disc. A more comprehensive round up of the Northern ska and punk scene, would be pretty much impossible to find.
NEGATIVE REACTION
A 37 track double CD full of new punk, with a hefty representation from TNS and Do The Dog labels. A cheap way to check out bands you’ve seen touting their wares all over My Space. Most of these bands benefit from a hefty production and good musicianship but more often than not the singing comes in and my head starts to hurt (usually either screamo, rocky or Americanised pop punk stylee). Very hard to pick a standout apart from the excellent DCORNER BOIS who’s song has already been comped, and is on their split CD with Barse. The other bands are pretty much equal in standard, so it would be unfair to name-drop. Good to see a label having faith in new bands though, and you certainly can’t argue with the title!
YOU CAN'T SAY NO TO HOPE
Two CDs crammed full of UK punk and skapunk from TNS records here, a total bargain way to get an insight into what's going on in one part of the UK scene at the moment. Unusually the two CDs are split into different genres, so the punk stuff is on one and the ska on the other... I'll def be playing the first more often, heh! 37 tracks, 37 different bands, most new to me, and mostly pretty cool. Dirt cheap, so no excuses not to get hold of a copy.
BIG CHEESE
Sometimes review CDs are a joy to (eventually) get through to post. With a title like that I pretty much expected this double CD to be full of virtually unlistenable piffle recorded by talentless numpties with a chip on their shoulder mistaking the fact that nobody wanted to see them or buy their records not because they were all ‘underground’ but because they were crap. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact is that this CD illustrates just how much talent there is out there just overlooked because they are in either the wrong place or the wrong time but probably both. The majority of the tacks on here, a mix of Ska and Punk with liberal bastardisation, and there are 37, of them would easily fit into high-profile label rosters. The sleeve requests that you support your local bands and scene, judging by this you shouldn’t need asking twice.
SCANNERZINE (NEW ZEALAND)
I have a lot of respect for the fellas at TNS. I don’t always favour the collective’s musical preferences, but behind the record label - a label that puts out a 37-band double CD comp like this for the absolute steal of £6 - is a fanzine, distro, radio station AND a collective that hosts shows in the Manchester, UK area. This slab continues the label’s value-for-money ideals with one disc a decidedly Punk affair while the second allows the Ska-based bands to shine. The TNS bands come off well with SOUNDS OF SWAMI, REVENGE OF THE PSYCHOTRONIC MAN, STAND OUT RIOT and HARIJAN all being highlights. Other moments? D’CORNER BOIS, HYPERJAX, ACID DROP, the femme-led TERRORS, HOSTILES and KICKBACK UK all provide sonic stimulation. Each band has previous contact to the TNS Collective. Packaging gives contact details for the bands, it looks good and there is a sincerity about this whole collective that I would place alongside such bastions of UK Punk as Household Name and Boss Tuneage. The collective’s principals of anti-corporate influence and ‘Pay No More Than...’ grounding should be applauded. And this, if you have any so-called affiliations with the UK Punk Scene, is something to support. (29.11.09)
RIOT 77
With the collapse of the cd market we just don't see the same volume of punk rock compilations we used to. They were ten a penny in the 90's and early half of the 00's, when almost every label had a comp out to promote their bands. So this is the first punk comp I've heard in a while. It's a double disc collection of up and coming UK punk and ska bands. It covers a lot of ground and caters for all shapes and sizes. From the full on hardcore attack of Sounds of Swami to Belfast punk n rollers the Dangerfields, and lots more besides, this creates a good overview of stuff for anyone who thought young DIY had gone away. Lots to get your teeth into with representations from labels like Hells Tone, boss Tunage, Do the Dog and naturally enough plenty of action from the label that's putting it out. All are good quality recordings with a neat booklet providing info on all the bands.
MILD PERIL
I came across Manchester based TNSrecords a year or two ago when they sent their first compilation "Music By people Who Drink Cider in the Gutter' which definitely opened my eyes to a load of new bands out there. Looking into TNS, I'm a bit bloody jealous actually, cause not only do they release some great records butthey also put on fantastic gigs, put out an awesome free fanzine and run their own radio/pod type thing. They obviously work hard up north, not like us lazy southerners. Anyway, what can I say about the new compilation they have bought out other than it is fantastic and everyone should own a copy. They have gone all out this time putting a whopping 37 bands over two CDs. With 37 bands on you are pretty much guaranteed to like a fair few, personally I think there were only about four I wasn't keen on. All the bases are covered from all the sub-genres of punk, rock n roll and ska. I might as well just list a load of my fave bands on here: Sounds of Swami, the Shadowcops, Revenge of..., Dangerfields, Rising Strike, Kickback UK, Great St. Louis, Just Add Monsters, SmackRats, Jimmy the Squirrel, the HiJacks, Faintest Idea, Just Panic. £6 off their website! Fair do's!