In the last couple of weeks I have heard two excellent EPs that are highly worthy of your attention; Future of the Left’s “Polymers are Forever” and The Soft Moon’s “Total Decay”.
Future of the Left – Polymers are Forever (Xtra Mile Recordings)
The Cardiff rockers return with this six track EP of acerbic, witty polemics. After producing my favourite album of 2009, “Travels With Myself and Another”, I have been waiting with ill disguised impatience for some new stuff from Andrew Falkous and co. A new album is on the cards for 2012 (“The Plot Against Common Sense”) but this taster will serve as a rather spiffing stop-gap.
Future of the Left are another of those bands that I came to late, like an errant party goer turning up when the party is already in full swing and you look around at the select crowd wondering what you’ve missed as they all seem to be having so much fun! So Falco’s output was another case of working backwards after being blown away by TWMAO. I listened to their debut “Curses” and recognised single “Manchasm” from seeing the video one late night previously on MTV2 and being a bit baffled at the bizarre lyrics, “Colin is a pussy, a very pretty pussy, Colin is a pussy, a very pretty pussycat”. I then went further back and investigated mclusky, the more visceral first incarnation of what would become FOTL. Mclusky developed a clutch of very devoted fans which led to the new Future of the Left playing their first few gigs under aliases to avoid them just being swamped with fans wanting to hear mclusky tunes! Borne out when I finally got to see them live last night at The Cockpit in Leeds and one of the biggest reactions from the crowd was when they played the mclusky favourite “Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues“!
Polymers are Forever gives us six more tracks of crunchy rock and excellent lyricism, you should investigate it post-haste!
“in an attempt to integrate I joined a gang outside the local Spar/but it ended in disaster when they stole my car, oh no” – destroywhitchurch.com
“he’d called in sick for years/but no-one ever answered/and pressed against the mouthpiece/he practiced sounding hoarse/he’d called in sick for years/but no-one thought to tell him/the plant had relocated/and moved to Solihull” – My Wife is Unhappy
The Soft Moon – Total Decay (Captured Tracks)
In the words of Monty Python; and now for something completely different! The Soft Moon are a band (well, I say band but apart from live outings they are just Luis Velasquez!) from San Francisco who produced a fuzzed up synth/goth/punk noise that puts me in mind of a mash-up of The Cure, Joy Division and A Place To Bury Strangers. Their self titled album that came out last year would have made my end of year list had I actually heard it in 2010!
This four track EP is another taster that makes me eager for their next full length outing, it’s dark, sinister yet groovy and danceable. His vocals, when they do appear, barely register more than a whisper and when they do they are more staccato yelps and moans than actual singing. The tracks on the new EP have a far more krautrock, motorik repetitive feeling than the album, but I really like their hypnotic qualities. The distorted synths and dark atmospherics of the title track are a real contrast to previous track “Alive” with it’s echoey guitar work and dancey beat sounding like a track off an early Cure album.
The only problem with this EP is it just isn’t long enough! At just under fifteen minutes it’s over way to quickly, leading to me having to play it over and over again! 😀
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlTxrlkKzyI] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKrk0aqp79o]
"I Prefer Their Old Stuff" 