Bastions - Island Living EP

9/10

Up to now Bastions have made nothing but fantastic music and with their debut due out sometime in the not so distant future i thought that it was only fitting i give my take on what has to be one of the best British hardcore releases in recent memory.

Bastions have been quickly building a reputation as a force to be reckoned with, having recently finishing a tour with Gallows and a number of headline dates lined up for the end of the year with the excellent Kerouac, the band are more than ready to show us just what they are capable of. They released their Island Living EP late last year and to sum it up it is 3 tracks of noisy, heavy as hell and thoroughly interesting hardcore and should not be overlooked. It is clear that this band mean business and with out a doubt are currently standing taller than any British hardcore band in terms of quallity at the moment, the reason for this being that they dont just take their influences and create something that is identical or aim to replicate what has came before them. They create a sound that, to put it bluntly, sounds like everything good about hardcore, post-hardcore and noisy alternative rock pulled appart, studied and then built upon creating this machine of forward thinking brutallity.

The song “Island Living” kicks things off with a strong bassline, something that modern hardcore seem to be lacking, followed by the guitars and vocals bursting into the mix and its about now when Bastions sound really arives. The guitar work is nothing too complex, giving everything a much more classic hardcore feel with the sharpness similar to the likes of The Jesus Lizard and Young Widows, but having certain subtleties which keep everything sounding interesting and unique. Jamie’s vocals are fantastic. There is no question that his voice is perfect for Bastions, sounding as huge and aggressive as the name suggests. His gut wrenching screams, or shouts for the most part, sound just as tortured as the lyrics suggest, conveying nothing but raw emotion in every word. Everything about the two and a half minutes that make up this opening track is spectacular, ending with a huge breakdown (and i do not mean the god awful roundhouse kicking kind) leaving you well and truly bludgioned.

“Soar” follows sounding completely different, much faster and upbeat while still keeping the sense of dark agression throughout. The song flows well throughout with guitar that could make even the dullest crowd want to move their feet and smash headfirst into an amp, wall, band member etc. The song builds momentum, ending in a fury of pounding drums, heavy vocals and even heavier guitar to reinforce the beating the first song gave you.

“The Great Unwashed” stands as the longest and most intense song on the EP, starting up with an almost hypnotic guitar riff accompanied by bass and drums filling it out, giving it substance while remaining quite minimalistic. Soon enough things pick up again once the guitar comes back in with full force, sounding heavier than any of this unnecessarily drop tuned nonsense that is deemed heavy today. The faint, almost unamplified screaming that follows is as haunting as it is intense, showing vunrability and pure emotion similar to the likes of The Saddest Landscape. The song eventually fades out marking the end of possibly the best 7” to rear its head in a long time.

Cleary if you dont have Bastions in your life yet there is something wrong. This EP is the perfect example of the tallent coming out of the UK at the minute and Bastions deserve far more attention than they are getting at the minute. Keep a look out for new material from these guys and catch them at as many shows as you can get to because they are twice as intense live as they are on record and you would be a fool not to.

For fans of: Blacklisted, Botch, Breather Resist, Young Widows The Ghost Of A Thousand, Gallows, Converge, The Saddest Landscape

Basement - I Wish I Could Stay Here

8/10

Basement are a band that i have followed for quite some time now. I saw them live just as their Songs About The Weather EP was put out and it was the most inspired i have felt in a long time. They are so sincere in every aspect of their music and performance that it is hard to resist this bands charm. I have spoke to the band a few times most recently on their tour supporting Title Fight when they played Manchester and they are all very nice people who seem very dedicated to what they do.

So I Wish I Could Stay Here is coming at a time where there are a fair few bands playing a mixture of old school emo and pop punk and the competition is fierce. Bands like Title Fight, Such Gold, Transit, Man Overboard, The Wonder Years etc are all enjoying a fair amount of exposure at the minute and their popularity seems to have doubled over the last year or so. This means that to stand out from this crowd of great bands requires genuine tallent and putting all the heart and soul that the band shown on the EP into album form.

The album starts with the high energy “Fading” which shows everything that the band do well, with a chorus that has that live shout along appeal and some strong guitar work to carry it, this proves to be an instant highlight. The second track “Plan To Be Surprised” carrys on in the same way, feeling slightly more melodic hardcore influenced in places, slowing down only to build up for a great ending. Things continue with “Canada Square” sounding some where between Title Fights “Crescent Shaped Depression” and the slower Polar Bear Club Material. While losing momentum slightly, it still remains enjoyable with some of the best lyrics from the album.

The album wastes no time getting back to speed with “Crickets Throw Their Voices”. This is definately a favorite of the album and has a huge chorus that is impossible to ignore. Its a great example of this type of music done perfectly and the lyrics again are excellent. “Earl Grey” starts slow, showing the clear emo influence, similar to the likes of Texas is the Reason, but nicely building up momentum into another strong song. Unfortunately the instrumental “Ellipses” brings the mood down just as the album seems to get going again, although the song itself being one of the more impressive displays of guitar work. My only criticism of the album as a body of work is that not all people will enjoy the fast/slow dynamic going on here, especially if you are looking for something strictly either “pop punk” or “emo” and if you are looking for something that is consistantly fast then the slower parts may prove to be a bit off putting.

Intensity is regained quickly with the next few songs, being some of the most upbeat on the album, leading up to what can only be described as a fantastic end to a great record. The last two songs are two of the most enjoyable and if anything i would recomentd them to anyone wanting to give the band a listen, as they show all of the best qualities that make this band great. “Grayscale” is the song that sounds like it is best enjoyed live in a basement somewhere in England, with a huddle of misfit adolescents shouting so loud that you feel sorry for anyone who isnt there to share this experience with you because thats how good it actually is. Closing track “March” takes you to a polar opposite in the way that it sounds like it should soundtrack late nights at home after a day of dragging yourself through work or college. It has a very Jawbreaker/Jets To Brazil vibe to it, which for any self respecting music fan should tick all the boxes for you.

Basement have definately proved that they are ahead of the game making a record that is mature well beyond there years while still retaining all of the imperfections that make music like this so appealing. For anyone who follows this type of music, its a record that could easily be the soundtrack to your life and its easy to identify with every track on this album because of this. So if you haven’t already, open up and let Basement in. They could just be your new favorite band.

For fans of: Title Fight, Small Brown Bike, Transit, Hot Water Music, Texas Is The Reason, Lifetime, Touche Amore, Polar Bear Club.

The Ergon Carousel - Dead Banks

9/10

The Ergon Carousel are the most exciting British band i have heard since the likes of Gallows and Rolo Tomassi.

I first heard of this band through a split they put out not too long ago with a band called Throats (RIP) which was a Kyuss cover. That one song, although only a cover, was more than enough convincing for me to look further. Dead Banks is without a doubt the best mercilessly heavy album of the year and i dare you to find another that comes close to rivaling this.

Clocking in at just under 20 minutes, this 17 song collection packs more than enough punch to justify its length. the opening track “Broken Mirrors” wastes no time in showing what they are all about with intense screaming and instrumentation from start to end. The second track, “Entry Level Depressant” is an instant high point of the album. It may only be slightly longer than the opening track but it feels much more fleshed out and accessable for people who maybe arent looking for Grindcore at break neck speeds and would be the place to start for people who arent necessarily into albums as a whole body of work.

The album continues to impress with the next 6 songs, many of them reaching slightly longer lengths with consistant intensity. The guitar playing is another high point. With riffs similar to those of Daughters and Discordance Axis, the guitarists manage to create bodies of work that is technical without feeling pointless and is fast while retaining a sense of identity and memorability, leaving every song sounding very much like a song rather than half a minute of random noise. I believe this should be praised as too many bands lose sight of creating something genuinely fresh and interesting and end up making something very unsettling to listen to and not in a good way.

The title track “Dead Banks” is a big moment for this album clocking in at just about 3 minutes. It breaks up the two halves nicely by combining the ferrocious speed and riffs with more melodic parts making this probably the most interesting song. the best thing about this band is that the vocals never feel out of place and are delivered perfectly, this song being a perfect example, and although they are agressive and hard to understand at times they are really enjoyable and dont end up becoming monotonous.

The album presses on in the same vein as the first half, not letting up for a second. The songs remain very varied and interesting, “Survived By None” being the best in my opinion, yet again showing just how excellent the guitar playing is on this album. The last song “An Illustration Of Fear And Loathing” gives Dead Banks a send off just as heavy as it came it with what should be the deffinition of an abrupt ending.

this album just radiates positives, the main one being that it just flows so well through all 20 minutes, making it impossible to turn off. There is pretty much nothing to fault with this album, its length is perfect and although that may put some people off i dont think it needs to be any longer. My only small problem with the album is that in some tracks the vocals lack clarity, so until the LP is delivered next week (hopefully containing a lyric sheet/booklet of sorts) i cant really say anything regarding lyrics, but im sure that i will not be dissapointed.

This is a great release for British music this year and my best advice would be dont sleep on getting this album.

For fans of: Rolo Tomassi, Converge, Discordance Axis, Daughters (early stuff), Throats, Orchid, Dropdead