Piskie Sits / The Spills

Dogs are Faithful and Cats are Clever

Two Wakefield bands have combined forces to release this EP featuring a brace of songs from each. Quartet The Spills have generated a cult following with a string of well-received live shows recently. 'Ghost of the Day' and 'Testing' attempt to recreate this, although the opener owes quite a lot to Franz Ferdinand's 'Jacqueline'. Their second effort exhibits a harder feel, blending Pixies with Sub-Pop with a twist of Northern Indie. The overall result is fairly decent for their first recording. The two Piskie Sits numbers are the first since 2007's debut album 'Secret Sickliness'. Bolstered by two new band members, the now 6-piece continue with their favoured slacker rock in the two new tracks featured on this EP. It makes a refreshing change listening to "Sonic Oof" and 'Out' as the sound is clearly influenced from beyond these shores and that can only be a good thing for them.

Mike Price

Twisted Wheel

You Stole The Sun

They may have been tipped for the top by Zane Lowe and the NME, as well having scored a lucrative record deal with Columbia, but this Oldham trio aren't doing anything new. The title track is catchy for sure and attitude-wise it at least gives a nod to the band's punk influences, but there is very little innovation on offer here, the band sticking to the formula of regional charm and big choruses that's far too overused these days. What's more, as pleasant as 'You Stole The Sun' is its three outings on this EP as 'clean', 'dirty' and 'instrumental' versions feels like overkill. Thankfully a live recording of 'Let Them Have It All' and the two demos also included - 'Racket' and 'What's Your Name' - impress more with their stripped-back sound, hinting at a sense of fun absent elsewhere on the record. Whilst the rest of the world seems more than ready to embrace Twisted Wheel I'm still not fully convinced. For me, if they want to survive in an overcrowded market a little more sense of individuality is needed, especially with local rivals The Courteeneers currently enjoying so much chart success. Game on...

Tom Bailey

Raised by Animals

The Raised By Animals Review

Hailing from the wilds of Barnsley, Raised by Animals fall into a category I'd describe as 'old school RnB meets power-pop' and are very competent musicians, as you have to be to pull this off successfully. And pull it of they do, on each of the varied and enjoyable tracks here. They released their debut album 'As Nature Intended' in April, and are now following that up with their new EP 'The Raised By Animals Review'. 'Old Flame' stands out as the track I'll be sticking on my iPod, with it's Jeff Beck guitar, and Brothers Johnson vocal treatment.

Vivian Bonzo

Ocean Bottom Nightmare

We Are Serious

Down at the depths of the British sea (or more precisely the River Trent) lies the fine line between sanity and bizarre. Under the riverbed lie Ocean Bottom Nightmare and the latest present We Are Serious. Opening with Defiling Apep With The Left Foot, the word defiling is utterly deceptive. In any case, its totally enhancing and possibly what apocalypse should sound like. Complete frenzied and trouncing cadence like accuracy sets the tone for an impressive roster of songs. The boisterous march of Blade Was Rusted, Like Aquatic Machines confirms that this EP sets to be faultless. Quickly followed by the highlight track Navigator safely nods to Queen Of The Stone Age-esque vocal harmonies and unconventionalism. Before Itchy. Tasty closes, it's apparent that the balanced and insane floods of Ocean Bottom Nightmare's handiwork is frighteningly apt and natural punk ethics are tremendously significant if they desire to continue with this train of the rail tacks approach to music. Three indeed is a magic number, especially with We Are Serious.

Sean Stanley

Kieronononon

Brutaltechnopunk

Carrying on the trend for bands with names that don't know where to finish (that's two now), Hull's Keironononon are here to defecate on your hi-fi separates and ruin your ears with unspeakable noise. They have silly pseudonyms too. Naturally, I am enamoured. No, really. When you open with a sludge-riffed anecdote of a rubbish anecdote ('No One Laughed') which simultaneously sodomises the B52s and ridicules social inadequacy, you can't help but grimace. No-one said it was going to be easy. Stick to it though, and you'll hear the wonderful pronky parody of trip hop on 'Moral Decay,' the splicing of swing, Dead Kennedys and outrageous French accents on 'Roulette In Paris' and the electronic-techno-thrash foolishness on 'Temporal Conflict.' "That does not compute" indeed. Not for everyone - this is fairly horrible stuff- but it's heavier than pronk and wittier than post-punk so for lovers of tuneless drivel - a hit!

Rob Wright

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