Hullo hullo, it’s your editor-in-training, Orestes P. Xistos and I’ll be doing this week’s EP round-up. In honour of how good The Avengers are doing, I’ll be assigning some cheap ass nerd taxonomy to these bands. Apologies in advance. Shyeah right.

Bayone – 1866 EP

A Sheffield punk duo…wait, “And if the cops catch us we’re fucked”… You fuckers been writing about my life? A punky EP with a lot of energy and the right amount of noise (i.e. 11) and a very rough around the edges attitude. This works wonders in ‘Bones’, the one that gets you pumping your fist in the air (until middle management catches you, pfft). Very good ending. More? Sure, ‘Gums’ is still frenetically punky, with slow interludes that lull you (and have some math rock finger picking for you guitar geeks). Likey. Much. Good solo too. ‘Homes’ follows suit and this sounds less of a straight attack and more of a couple of flanking velocirraptors being clever. ‘1866’ even feels like a bar sing a long, the one that ends like the opening scene from Dudes, where The Vandals get people moshing to ‘Urban Struggle’. So, Bayone, well done, this is good. Where can I get it?

This EP is: Hawkeye. Right on target and thanks to Mephisto, single.

Great Deeds – Teach yourself Jazz-Punk : Vol 1.

What? Another Sheffield band? So it goes. Mixing punk with Jazz is like mixing an 18 year old scotch with root beer: good tasting but frowned upon. Fuck it, let me tell you how it works: take the guitar and bass doodling of jazz and put a punky voice that’s not shouting the lyrics but still having that sandpaper edge. ‘Numbers’ and ‘Quantum’ managed to smooth out the most splinter-infested planks of wood. That stupid analogy means they are suave and rocking. Now, it’s ‘Chainsaw’, the maniacally mute (as in instrumental mute) track that does some rad spins. This yarn is both frantic but with enough jazzy ideas that play wingman to the very punk attitude displayed. If you love bass like most of the people that write for this dive bar of a site (still my haunt, though), you’ll enjoy ‘Walls’. Btw, these dudes have a new EP coming up. Just sayin’.

This EP is: Iron Man. Suave but rough and technically precise. No, wait, that’s War Machine! Even better.

Dead Sea Navigators – Uncharted

Don’t let the cover fool you: this is not a “train friendly EP” (love a duck if I know what I just wrote). What Dead Sea Navigators peddle is a baroque sort of rock pop, bits of chamber pop (piano, rightfully and elegantly used – ‘Actors’) and a drenched-in-port voice that sways you back and forth (and steals your significant other. And your wallet). ‘Actors’ is the very classy, ballroom dance opener, where indie kids leave their cans of (insert stereotypical indie drink…) and square dance the night away. Yes, there are some rockier moments, but this is a very classy affair, more vinyl seats (the cool 70s ones) than crates of organic veg as furniture. Check ‘Crellin’ and fall in love with piano-driven music (the real star in this good EP).

This EP is: Namor. Royalty having fun for a while without losing the rocking trident.

Zahed Sultan – Reuse Me EP

The world music genre is a strange beast. It usually comes pre-packaged with beats and a dancey mood and Zahed Sultan’s EP is not an exception. ‘Reuse Me’ is chilled down, relaxed and catchy, a strong song by its own. ‘Like this (ha-ka-tha)’ goes for the groovy sunshine coasts of dub and reggae (a little political there, too). This is the one to crank your stereo up. Real hard. If you can hear the wind whistling, you’ve failed and your family should disinherit you. The ‘Reuse Me’ mix doesn’t do it for me, but it is a logical continuation of the dub foxhole Zahed has dug, one he crawls out with ‘Like this’, full of glitchy bits that break your chillaxing ways. 3 out of 4, not bad.

This EP is: Wonder Man. Died twice, but still is around, with a groovy dub beat.

 

Until next time, keep your ears peeled and Jarvis ready with the martinis. Mooyah.