Reviews roundup – Josh Hoyer vs. Moulettes vs. Electric River vs. Basement Torture Killings

Reviews roundup – Josh Hoyer vs. Moulettes vs. Electric River vs. Basement Torture Killings

JOSH HOYER & The Shadowboxers
same
self released

 

A recent addition to the ranks of 9 piece soul, blues and funk bands, Josh Hoyer and The Shadowboxers hail from the MidWest, but they’re more than happy to get their Stax and Muscle Shoals jam on for you.

Kicking things off with their eponymous theme tune, ‘Shadowboxer’, they lay down a funky template that is a bit of a treat. Replete with excellent arrangements, backing vocals and a proper horn section, it’s clear that Josh Hoyer And The Shadowboxers know their way around.

A lot of their tunes hark back to the seventies, which is a good thing in my book, with ‘Illusion’ and ‘Til She’s Lovin’ Someone Else’ the real standouts for me.

So, if you yearn for the days when you could get your dancing shoes on to some proper music, then this will be one for you.

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MOULETTES
Constellations
Navigator

 

Hippies, eh? Can’t live with them, can’t beatthem about the head with a big stick. Which is just as well, as folk poppers Moulettes have made a rather good album here.

Formed in Glastonbury (natch), the core trio of Hannah Miller (vocals, cello, guitar), Ruth Skipper (vocals, bassoon, auto-harp), and Oliver Austin (drums, guitar, vocals), are joined by Jim Eliza Jaye (guitar, synth, vocals) and Emma Gatrill (harp, bass clarinet, synth, percussion, vocals), and an assortment of special guests including the one and the only, ladies and gentlemen, may I present the legend that is Sir Arthur Brown!

For your bucks you’re also getting bass player to the stars Herbie Flowers as well as youngsters like Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets), The Unthanks and Emma Richardson (Band Of Skulls). Brighton dubster Faye Houston and dub-step producer Mike Dennis.

But that’s never at the expense of the songs, and this third album has some corkers including the opening ‘Glorious Year’, which is, um, glorious and the aforementioned Arthur Brown aided ‘Lady Vengeance’, which is as dark and sinister as the name, and the presence of the God Of Hellfire suggests.

A couple of the mid album tunes smack of filler, but they rouse themselves for the closing couplet of ‘The Observatory’ and ‘Keep It A Memory’, on what is an excellent and engaging release.

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ELECTRIC RIVER
The Faith & Patience
Cadiz

 

Hey everybody! Remember when punk alt-rock was all the rage, what 15 years ago? Well so do Kent based Electric River just reeks of the days when Green Day were cluttering up the charts.

Sponge (yes. really), Chris Aldis, Will Whisson and Alex Mayland are certainly enthusiastic, and happily leap about the music of the late 1990’s with reckless abandon.

They’re certainly good at what they do, and when they stumble across a good tune, as they do on ‘In Your Name’, Hold Your Nerve’ and ‘Leap Of Faith’, it’s an engaging old school jaunt. Watch out for them on the indie stage at a festival near you this Summer.

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BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS
A Night Of Brutal Torture
Grindscene

 

Michty me! And Jessie Broon! But that was a noise and a half. Album number four from Londons premier (only) gore/serial killer death metal band isn’t one for the faint hearted.

And it’s old school death metal to the max as the Basement Torture Killings live out their Deicide and Morbid Angel fantasies through tunes like, koff, ‘Basement Bitch’, ‘Minus Fingers, Teeth And Toes’ and ‘Car Trunk Caroline’.

Rather cleverly, considering the racket they make, their is no bass player, merely, wait for it, Bertrand and Tarquin on guitars and vocals, along with thir member, The Fourth Killer on drums.

It’s exactly what you would expect from a death metal band who want to live their lives in the eighties. And more power to their metal.

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