VEXINE Little Sin

VEXINE Little Sin [Release date 30.04.16]

Female fronted blues based rock bands are becoming increasingly ‘in vogue’, but Richmond, Virginia, based 4-piece Vexine have hooked a left at the crossroads and are taking the genre across country.

A seasoned bunch of players, the band – fronted by Sarah Gleeson – was formed in 2012 from the ashes of local alt country/cowpunk outfit The Velvet Marias. Blessed with torch singer vocals, Gleeson is perfectly suited to fronting a band whose raw, unpolished, ‘live in the studio’ feel is reminiscent of the punk/new wave era where it wasn’t about making the perfect record, so much as capturing a spark.

And Little Sin does just that. From the crunchy ‘Tell Me’, through the B-52′s style ‘Empty Hole’, the slow groove of ‘Hornet’s Nest’, and the acoustic balladry of ‘Catherine’, Vexine cover a range of bases with a deliberately low-fi, off the wall, devil may care attitude.

I’ve heard more polished playing, I’ve heard better crafted songs, and I’ve heard more cultured singing (especially when guitarist Paul Pearce takes the mic on a couple of numbers) but there’s an irreverence about Little Sin that that’s rarely heard these days. And inexplicably, it works. Perfectly. ****

Review by Pete Whalley

NARYAN Black Letters

An interesting twist from unsigned Finnish melancholic rockers Naryan – symphonic metal, without the symph.

A seven piece, now on their 2nd album, they serve up what might otherwise be considered fairly standard fare for the genre but with keys supplanted by flutes, violin and piano.

Blessed with a voice worthy of an Andrew Lloyd Webber production, vocalist Ville Korhonen lays on the emo in true theatrical rock opera style, and the violin, flute and piano underscoring works particularly well.

But when twin guitarists Lauri Kovero and Raino Ketola crank it up, they tend to occupy the same space, adding layers of riffs and rhythm, but without a huge amount by way of shade and colour.

The result is a very two dimensional sound – ‘tasteful’ widescreen operatic pieces, and ‘bombastic’ widescreen operatic pieces. Add a somewhat formulated song structure – gentle, cultured openings, pedals applied increasingly to the metal mid sections, and tumultuous crescendos, and it just feels overly contrived.

For me, the more cultured aspects work best, and if Naryan were to moderate the metal they could be onto something quite unique. But I suspect that isn’t on their agenda. ***

Review by Pete Whalley

SIREN’S SKY Cosmic

The ‘brainchild’ of Dutch songwriter / guitarist Herbert Kaptein, Siren’s Sky is a project with American vocalist Lydia Salnikova which, the PR blurb would have us believe encapsulates the meeting of U2, Fleetwood Mac and Heart.

But don’t get too excited, Salnikova is no Ann Wilson, and Kaptein no Edge or Buckingham.

Health reasons meant Kaptein putting the project together pretty much in a vacuum, resulting in him arranging, recording, mixing and producing. And yes, there are hints of The Edge and Buckingham to some aspects of his playing, while Salnikova’s ethereal vocals hit just the right mark.

But at the end of the day Cosmic is no undiscovered soft rock masterpiece, instead veering more towards electrified folk which, although impressively executed as a duo, lacks the focus external influences might have brought. As a result, while an undeniably pleasant listen, Cosmic Sky feels like promising, unfinished business. ***

Review by Pete Whalley

THE VIOLET HOUR Ignite

Don’t get over excited, this is not the proggy UK based Violet Hour fronted by Doris Brendel who surfaced briefly with The Fire Sermon in the 1990s.

No, this Violet Hour are a female fronted heavy rock band – from Arkansa. And with song titles like ‘Disfigured’, ‘Vice’, ‘Insatiable’ and ‘Lighter Fluid’ it’s fair to say I was expecting something fairly, shall we say, ‘flammable’.

But actually, for the most part the material is rather moody, gloomy and dank. And while vocalist Alli Chastain has clear potential, the playing and material is fairly perfunctory – standard doomy riffery, with a few Ork like vocals thrown in here and there for good measure.

And it’s not helped by a fairly limp production that does nothing to add any presence to proceedings. Live, The Violet Hour may be a different prospect, but Ignite does a good job of disguising any career potential. One for the bonfire. **

Review by Pete Whalley

THIRD LOVE About You

The fact this debut album by Viennese ‘rock’ band Third Love reached #1 in the Austrian download charts the week after its release, must say as much about the state of the Austrian music scene, as it does about Third Love.

Originally a duo of lyricist and singer Nora Frohlich, and songwriter and guitarist Martin Wohlmuth, a rhythm section was only added latterly, and in truth to suggest Third Love is a ‘rock’ band is a bit of misnomer.

The chorus line of the opener ‘Coming Home’ is heavily indebted to the Sixties pop scene and the set is one more suited to the dancefloor on a cruise liner for those ‘too old to rock ‘n’ roll’ to strut their stuff between onshore excursions and all you can eat buffets.

That’s not to say About You isn’t without merits. It isn’t unpleasant in a ‘background’ sort of way, but it’s not going to cut any ice on the rock scene, and frankly its way too ‘old hat’ for the pop scene. ‘Cabaret’, yes that sums it up nicely. **

Review by Pete Whalley

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)