Tag Archives: Wikipedia

The Xcerts – Scatterbrain | Music Review

Posted on by

I’ve never been to Scotland; never felt the need or desire. I watched a documentary called ‘Trainspotting’ when I was a kid and felt I’d seen enough. However, they do produce a disproportionate amount of good music for the 5 or so million population. Not so fresh off the production line are Aberdeen rockers The Xcerts, who, according to their Wikipedia entry at least, formed after meeting in their headmaster’s office at their school. Boys after my own heart.

‘Scatterbrain’ is the band’s 2nd album and one they’ve actually been touring since it’s release in October 2010. If I’m honest I’d ignored the band. I couldn’t stomach the name and, rather incorrectly, assumed they were some sort of electro laptop-band, a genre I loathe. Rather fortunately I’ve just managed to enjoy them before they return to the studio to hibernate.

This is a good record and one that brilliantly occupies the space between twee indie-rock and the sonic noise of alt-rock. Demonstrating their sounds perfectly the track ‘Young’ has two versions on this record, one with their powerpop sound and the other, the album’s closing track, a stripped back acoustic strum-along.

Still only in their early 20’s this record has at times the feel of a band more mature than their years and at others they sound like mid 90’s punk-pop band Midget. At times it’s clever and exciting. Imagine Biffy Clyro back when they didn’t take themselves too seriously. ‘Tear Me Down’ even sounds like it has borrowed a wee bit from Biffy’s ‘Justboy’.

The criticism of the record is that it plunders rather obviously from other bands. It’s a band still finding their feet and developing their sound, which you would be at 23, but it’s an album worth listening to and a band worth taking note of. That they haven’t yet carved their own niche is not necessarily a bad thing. This record shows the band have plenty of potential. Watch this space and buy this record, I can think of few things better to spend £5.99 on right now.

 

Scatterbrain is out now via Xtra Mile. Catch the band on tour in May.

 

Swearing at Motorists – Burn Down the Wire EP | Music Review

Posted on by

Swearing at Motorists – Burn Down the Wire EP

Dave Doughman is a tough man to please if Wikipedia is to be believed. According to the website, always an infallible source of information, the Swearing at Motorists singer has seen 16 changes of drummers during the band’s 17 year existence.

S@M were originally formed in Dayton, Ohio in 1995 when Doughman teamed up with Don Thrasher, formerly of lo-fi kings Guided by Voices and since then he’s averaged one new drummer per year. Impressive too considering that “Burn Down the Wire” is the band’s work since 2006.

This four-song EP begins with the lovely Stop, Drop & Roll, which is typical S@M, built around Doughman’s scraggly voice with him strumming away with a beautiful melodic guitar sound. This is trademark ‘motorists. A cover of The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” gets put through the mincer and comes out rather nicely with the trademark S@M sound – often described as “the two-man Who”. I know I’m supposed to but I couldn’t have put it better myself.

It’s a lovely offering and one that you hope will be followed by more. And more. What the band do best is good songwriting, vocals that are at times angry and at others fragile and a mix of melodic guitar and skuzzy garage rock riffs. Imagine Thin Lizzy mixed with Queens of the Stone Age and you’re close.

Has it been worth the 6 year wait? Burn Down the Wire’s splendid but a mere morsel at four songs short and so hard to judge on that basis. A bit like when you’re thirsty – the quality of the water’s hard to tell with any clarity, you just need to ingest it quickly. Anyway, I’m still thirsty – more please Dave!

Burn Down the Wire is out now via http://swearingatmotorists.bandcamp.com/album/burn-down-the-wire