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SINCE EVER Isolation
Does the world need another symphonic metal band? Discuss.
When symphonic rock burst onto the scene it sounded fresh, vibrant, and most importantly gave rock something ‘different’. But for some inexplicable reason, the genre has become formulaic, like no other.
Semi-operatic female vocals are a requirement. Tick. Linda Lundberg is up there with the best. Purveyors, must be Scandinavian. Tick. Since Ever, come from Stockholm. Accomplished guitar and keyboard players are a must have. Tick. Niklas Johansson (guitars), and Andreas Bohlin (keyboards) possess both style and dexterity. And Orc-like growling must intersperse the most metallic moments. What, no tick? Thankfully Since Ever have side stepped that most irritating peculiarity of the genre.
So do Since Ever bring something new to the party? I’d like to say they do, because the absence of any Orc-like nonsense does make Isolation a far more enjoyable listening experience than the releases of some of their contemporaries. At the heart are, of course, the songs delivered dramatically, in cinematic metal style. And some, ‘One Last Time’ being a prime example, are as good as any you’ll hear.
In some ways Since Ever perhaps have a shade more rock than symphonia to their bow and at times I was reminded of the now defunct Touchstone. But there’s no getting away from the fact that material wise they’re largely indistinguishable from so many others.
But if symphonic rock hasn’t yet run its course for you, then Since Ever at least have no irritating features. Check Isolation out at sinceever.bandcamp.com. ***1/2
Review by Pete Whalley
SMELL MY PILLOW Strawberry Lipgloss [Release date 02.06.15]
Having recently bought a duck down pillow that smelt like the donor’s rotting corpse still lurked within its pungent depths, ‘smell my pillow’ may not always the best advice. But the strawberry lipgloss kiss, ‘do not disturb’ sign, and ‘fuck me’ red shoes on the cover, suggest a good night’s sleep isn’t on the SMP’s agenda.
And with track titles like ‘Asphyxia’, ‘Rotting From The Inside’, ‘Swallow’, ‘Dirty Bastard’ and ‘Down South’ (a not so subtle blowjob euphemism), something altogether more seedy is what you can expect from this female-fronted band from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
With hints of just about every genre from punk, though alternative, grunge, and acid to southern rock and country, ‘SMP’ have no single ‘modus operandi’, instead wandering where guitarist, songwriter and founder Marc ‘Kwall’ Kowalski takes them.
Co- fronted by Amy Shaw on lead vocals a lady who ‘channels’ Ozzy and Grace Slick (and who even looks a little like Ozzy when he was carrying a few extra pounds), the lyrical content means Strawberry Lipgloss is never going to get played on the family outing (other than on headphones).
Which is a pity because, while there’s a confusing melee of influences and styles on offer, there’s some pretty fine songs, playing, and singing lurking under the bedsheets. ‘Hung On You’ and ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ are impossibly catchy, and ‘Swallow’ does the seemingly impossible in marrying classic Skynyrd southern rock with heavy metal and some scorching lead guitar lines (even if the ‘oral’ nature of the lyrics are somewhat cringe worthy).
Sadly, taken in the round, the lyrical content is a nail in the coffin for anything more than a pubescent teenage audience. More subtle content and SMP could have a remarkably broad appeal. But that isn’t on the agenda with Strawberry Lipgloss.
But if you’re not too easily offended, lose the pants, smell the pillow and ‘get ready to receive’. A good time is guaranteed, but your sensibilities may feel a little tender and violated for a short while afterwards. ***1/2
Review by Pete Whalley
MIDORI & EZRA BOY Midori & Ezra Boy [Release date 08.15]
Midori is a web browser, it’s also the Japanese word for green, and a bright green-coloured, sweet muskmelon-flavoured liqueur. So could it also become a name synonymous with rock?
The cover of the eponymous second album from San Francisco-based Midori & Ezra Boy doesn’t really give any clues the glamour shot of lead singer Midori Longo her blue/ green locks adorned by a golden crown, hint more at pop orientation than serious rock aspirations.
But drop the needle and ‘So What’ surprises with its Journey, ‘Don’t Stop Believing’-like construction (it actually borrows on Loverboy’s ‘Working For The Weekend’ from the same year). All that’s missing is Steve Perry, but Midori’s vocals are just perfect in transporting the listener back to that early 1980′s golden era. It’s a trick that’s repeated on ‘Burned’, which has mild hints of Air Supply from the same period brought up to date with a modern ‘kick’.
Sadly it’s a false start because from thereon in the album descends into fairly standard angsty pop/rock that brings nothing new to an already overcrowded genre. ‘Mile High’ takes a brief walk in the direction of The Runaways, but it’s a little too polished. ‘Killing Me’ rocks out, but still sounds a little too contrived to convince.
And there’s the rub. Midori’s got the pipes and the looks. No question. And Ezra Boy (Dave Briggs drums, Sean Zilla guitars, and Tiger Yakimoto) are no slouches. But in the round, the album sounds too much like it’s been constructed ‘by numbers’ than from the heart. The two terrific opening numbers did, however, make me realise there remains a void to be filled. ***
Review by Pete Whalley
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In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024
ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
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