demos15

EDITION 16
JAN 2005 DEMO REVIEWS

Marc Atkinson
The Wonderland EP

Marc Atkinson is the singer with the band Gabriel. Here we find him plying his solo project with a four song demo from his album 'Seasons Of My Life'. The songs are well constructed and certainly well produced, Marc is also blessed with a strong voice, however there's nothing here that's going to stand out from the other zillion or so singer/songwriters that seem to be plugging away these days. The songs aren't helped by the lyrics being incredibly cringe-inducing: 'Enya' named after the singers new born daughter could have been an interesting and touching song about impending fatherhood if it weren't for overkill with the sentimentality stakes. 'Wonderland' suffers from the same plight and has a couple of references to god that makes me want to run to the nearest atheists meeting.

Paul Bignell

Break Even
Out of Interest

Oh, how looks can be deceiving. Take Break Even for example. OK so they’re posing behind graffiti but the four cherubic faces floating amongst the clouds on the inside cover hide the talented raucous punksters that ‘Out of Interest’ presents. If only McFly sounded like this. All four tracks show a surprising maturity of song writing; catchy and clever punk rock ‘n’ roll and full of great riffs. Reading the cover notes I spy a thank you to The Sense, one of Hull’s finest solid punk rock bands. You can see the influence and know they’ve been in good hands. They are still a little rough round the edges although a) surely that’s to be expected at their age and b) it sort of adds to the charm of their game. You get the definite feeling you’re going to hear a lot more from Break Even. I look forward to watching these kids grow and grow.

Hanna Houghton

d./con

I’ll start by saying this demo has ten tracks on it and I have only 150 words, which is an average of 15 words per song, so (bearing in mind I’ve just used 26) I stand pretty much little chance on giving this demo the justice it deserves. Starting with a flirty instrumental type, ‘Snake Legs’, and progressing to the rougher sounds of ‘Warning’ to the funk breaks on ‘Yoda Eater’ to the blissed out folk of ‘Distance’ to almost House on ‘s12’, this is a thoroughly pleasant journey. Put together by a chap named Archie and contributors including Mug Punter, Filla Brazillia and Momma Gravy this fine demo demonstrates the more offbeat experimental music that Hull is also fine purveyors of and not to be forgotten.

The Lady

The Last People On Earth

When this CD was offered to me, the words I heard were 'The last people on earth are from Hull'. Thinking this to be some slight about that smelly coastal town, I agreed, and then I was handed a CD, which confused me. Now I understand that this is the name of a band, and the town they are from. If all this sounds like pointless meandering, then it is, I'm just trying to use up my word limit, because I can't think of anything to say about such a thoroughly average band.

There's a lot of keyboards on here, a rhythm that tends to plod along in 4/4, a singer who sounds like the guy out of Soulwax. It's a very retro sound TLPOE have here, pilfering The Beatles and The Kinks especially. This may sound potentially exciting, but they seem to have dragged out all the bits that have been used by every pub-rock band ever, and left all the experimentalism behind. In fact, so predictable is this demo, then track one and two sound so similar that they run in to each other like one overly long and very dull track. That's not a good sign. Can I stop typing yet?

Tom Goodhand

Fran Rodgers

Rodgers’ breathy vocals, with their desperate, deeply human fragility, fall somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Chan Marshall, but for all their stunning emotional power are never allowed to overwhelm the songwriting on this debut release. Intricate acoustic fingerpicking and delicate strumming power all four songs, whilst a stately viola and ethereal harmonies are (very) occasionally allowed to creep into the mix. She even has a sense of humour, as evidenced by the Smiths baiting defiance of self-pity that is ‘Happy Song’. Forget the Black Wires and Kaiser Chiefs of this world, the real musical strength of Leeds currently lies in its thriving network of singer-songwriters, of which Rodgers will surely soon be at the forefront. And when she holds the exquisite high notes of ‘Out of Time’, I defy anyone’s heart not to break.

Greg Elliott

Mr. Charming
In Modi di Funk EP

If you are going to release a CD that is obviously only demo quality, don’t call it an EP, and don’t make it five tracks long. If you are a funk band with a singer who has a tendency to veer off-key, then you should play very close attention to these suggestions.

Funk is a genre that when done well is seldom more than average, and when it’s done badly is appalling. Mr. Charming fall somewhere between these two poles. There’s some very impressive guitar riffs stuck in amongst the meandering songs, but the vocals sound like they’d be more suited to some miserable indie-pop than daft funk (and are far from charming), and seem to be not getting along very well with the tune.

Good vocalists may be tough to find, but if a band is serious about gaining fans, publicity and cash, then a crap vocalist is only going to hold them back. Sack the singer Mr. Charming, it’s the way forward.

Tom Goodhand

O Fracas

This is the second demo instalment from O Fracas and offers up yet another trio of choppy art-rock tunes to be proud of. Whilst lacking the immediacy of older tracks this is an ultimately more rewarding listen than its predecessor delivering more to think about and moving further away from those initial Franz Ferdinand comparisons.

O Fracas are impressively reluctant to rely on clichés and traditional models. Nothing seems to go exactly as you expect. Songs end in strange places, bizarre middle sections wander in out of nowhere whether they fit or not and coda sections seem to bear no resemblance to the rest of the song.

Cluedo is knock-about garage-rock meets art-school adrenaline-shot, Ishkebibel is a little more sinister with a great sense of momentum. However, it is the final track 16 Beats that really stands out. A beautiful elegiac essay with singer Ben by turns a whispering comforter then screaming banshee. A thrilling example of original songwriting.

Rob Paul Chapman

Sidewinder

Right then. I’ll tell you why I like this demo straight off. It is three tracks of bouncy summertime happiness, it gets your head bobbing, your toe tapping and puts a smile on your face. Sidewinder have been on the scene for a while and you can hear their experience come across in this tight and well written demo. They have also stayed true to themselves over the years and not followed fad or fashion. It reminds me of the optimism and chirpiness of early Brit Pop from the likes of The Bluetones, Dodgy, The Boo Radleys, working a nice juxtapostion with the melancholy lyrics of ‘Holy Roller’. Nothing earth shatteringly new or different but then I don’t think they aim to be and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Listening to ‘Living is Easy’ I can picture the sunshine on my face as we speed off on a road trip to sunny Scarborough. Exactly what I need in December!

Shane White

TremulousMonk

TremulousMonk is a more functional title than a good one, as this record seemed so fragile I worried for its safety in my CD player. Even the so-called 'dirgier' tracks seem on the verge of self-collapse and wouldn't scare a mouse with a nervous disposition. Still, I think that's more a problem with the sparse, unimaginative production rather than the songs as there's some nice ideas here: Opening track, 'Sparkle like your Shoes' is a likeable nursery rhyme with xylophones adding to its charm, the vocals reminiscent of Sparklehorses' Mark Linkous'. Unfortunately the pleasing arrangements are all to often not capitalised on - under developing due to their lack of ambition. Further on,'Trees' is pure Drakian' pastoral, folk whimsy and 'Sometimes She Needs Me', one of the, ahem, 'rockier' musings that occasionally perforates the album sounds at times like Spacemen 3. However, Jason Pierce reached for the heavens with that hugely influential band, TremulousMonk seems content to just sit under a tree.

Paul Bignell


	EDITION 16 JAN 2005 DEMO REVIEWS Marc Atkinson The Wonderland EP Marc Atkinson is the singer with the band Gabriel. Here we find him plying his solo project with a four song demo from his album 'Seasons Of My Life'. The songs are well constructed and certainly well produced, Marc is also blessed with a strong voice, however there's nothing here that's going to stand out from the other zillion or so singer/songwriters that seem to be plugging away these days. The songs aren't helped by the lyrics being incredibly cringe-inducing: 'Enya' named after the singers new born daughter could have been an interesting and touching song about impending fatherhood if it weren't for overkill with the sentimentality stakes. 'Wonderland' suffers from the same plight and has a couple of references to god that makes me want to run to the nearest atheists meeting. Paul Bignell Break Even Out of Interest Oh, how looks can be deceiving. Take Break Even for example. OK so they’re posing behind graffiti but the four cherubic faces floating amongst the clouds on the inside cover hide the talented raucous punksters that ‘Out of Interest’ presents. If only McFly sounded like this. All four tracks show a surprising maturity of song writing; catchy and clever punk rock ‘n’ roll and full of great riffs. Reading the cover notes I spy a thank you to The Sense, one of Hull’s finest solid punk rock bands. You can see the influence and know they’ve been in good hands. They are still a little rough round the edges although a) surely that’s to be expected at their age and b) it sort of adds to the charm of their game. You get the definite feeling you’re going to hear a lot more from Break Even. I look forward to watching these kids grow and grow. Hanna Houghton d./con I’ll start by saying this demo has ten tracks on it and I have only 150 words, which is an average of 15 words per song, so (bearing in mind I’ve just used 26) I stand pretty much little chance on giving this demo the justice it deserves. Starting with a flirty instrumental type, ‘Snake Legs’, and progressing to the rougher sounds of ‘Warning’ to the funk breaks on ‘Yoda Eater’ to the blissed out folk of ‘Distance’ to almost House on ‘s12’, this is a thoroughly pleasant journey. Put together by a chap named Archie and contributors including Mug Punter, Filla Brazillia and Momma Gravy this fine demo demonstrates the more offbeat experimental music that Hull is also fine purveyors of and not to be forgotten. The Lady The Last People On Earth When this CD was offered to me, the words I heard were 'The last people on earth are from Hull'. Thinking this to be some slight about that smelly coastal town, I agreed, and then I was handed a CD, which confused me. Now I understand that this is the name of a band, and the town they are from. If all this sounds like pointless meandering, then it is, I'm just trying to use up my word limit, because I can't think of anything to say about such a thoroughly average band. There's a lot of keyboards on here, a rhythm that tends to plod along in 4/4, a singer who sounds like the guy out of Soulwax. It's a very retro sound TLPOE have here, pilfering The Beatles and The Kinks especially. This may sound potentially exciting, but they seem to have dragged out all the bits that have been used by every pub-rock band ever, and left all the experimentalism behind. In fact, so predictable is this demo, then track one and two sound so similar that they run in to each other like one overly long and very dull track. That's not a good sign. Can I stop typing yet? Tom Goodhand Fran Rodgers Rodgers’ breathy vocals, with their desperate, deeply human fragility, fall somewhere between Joni Mitchell and Chan Marshall, but for all their stunning emotional power are never allowed to overwhelm the songwriting on this debut release. Intricate acoustic fingerpicking and delicate strumming power all four songs, whilst a stately viola and ethereal harmonies are (very) occasionally allowed to creep into the mix. She even has a sense of humour, as evidenced by the Smiths baiting defiance of self-pity that is ‘Happy Song’. Forget the Black Wires and Kaiser Chiefs of this world, the real musical strength of Leeds currently lies in its thriving network of singer-songwriters, of which Rodgers will surely soon be at the forefront. And when she holds the exquisite high notes of ‘Out of Time’, I defy anyone’s heart not to break. Greg Elliott Mr. Charming In Modi di Funk EP If you are going to release a CD that is obviously only demo quality, don’t call it an EP, and don’t make it five tracks long. If you are a funk band with a singer who has a tendency to veer off-key, then you should play very close attention to these suggestions. Funk is a genre that when done well is seldom more than average, and when it’s done badly is appalling. Mr. Charming fall somewhere between these two poles. There’s some very impressive guitar riffs stuck in amongst the meandering songs, but the vocals sound like they’d be more suited to some miserable indie-pop than daft funk (and are far from charming), and seem to be not getting along very well with the tune. Good vocalists may be tough to find, but if a band is serious about gaining fans, publicity and cash, then a crap vocalist is only going to hold them back. Sack the singer Mr. Charming, it’s the way forward. Tom Goodhand O Fracas This is the second demo instalment from O Fracas and offers up yet another trio of choppy art-rock tunes to be proud of. Whilst lacking the immediacy of older tracks this is an ultimately more rewarding listen than its predecessor delivering more to think about and moving further away from those initial Franz Ferdinand comparisons. O Fracas are impressively reluctant to rely on clichés and traditional models. Nothing seems to go exactly as you expect. Songs end in strange places, bizarre middle sections wander in out of nowhere whether they fit or not and coda sections seem to bear no resemblance to the rest of the song. Cluedo is knock-about garage-rock meets art-school adrenaline-shot, Ishkebibel is a little more sinister with a great sense of momentum. However, it is the final track 16 Beats that really stands out. A beautiful elegiac essay with singer Ben by turns a whispering comforter then screaming banshee. A thrilling example of original songwriting. Rob Paul Chapman Sidewinder Right then. I’ll tell you why I like this demo straight off. It is three tracks of bouncy summertime happiness, it gets your head bobbing, your toe tapping and puts a smile on your face. Sidewinder have been on the scene for a while and you can hear their experience come across in this tight and well written demo. They have also stayed true to themselves over the years and not followed fad or fashion. It reminds me of the optimism and chirpiness of early Brit Pop from the likes of The Bluetones, Dodgy, The Boo Radleys, working a nice juxtapostion with the melancholy lyrics of ‘Holy Roller’. Nothing earth shatteringly new or different but then I don’t think they aim to be and it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Listening to ‘Living is Easy’ I can picture the sunshine on my face as we speed off on a road trip to sunny Scarborough. Exactly what I need in December! Shane White TremulousMonk TremulousMonk is a more functional title than a good one, as this record seemed so fragile I worried for its safety in my CD player. Even the so-called 'dirgier' tracks seem on the verge of self-collapse and wouldn't scare a mouse with a nervous disposition. Still, I think that's more a problem with the sparse, unimaginative production rather than the songs as there's some nice ideas here: Opening track, 'Sparkle like your Shoes' is a likeable nursery rhyme with xylophones adding to its charm, the vocals reminiscent of Sparklehorses' Mark Linkous'. Unfortunately the pleasing arrangements are all to often not capitalised on - under developing due to their lack of ambition. Further on,'Trees' is pure Drakian' pastoral, folk whimsy and 'Sometimes She Needs Me', one of the, ahem, 'rockier' musings that occasionally perforates the album sounds at times like Spacemen 3. However, Jason Pierce reached for the heavens with that hugely influential band, TremulousMonk seems content to just sit under a tree. Paul Bignell