alston's profile

Stapleton’s fourth album, and their first since their move from Gravity DIP sees no change in the band’s style. Thank God. For this Scottish four piece are great at what they do. A two-hit combo of slow ambient music and cracking indie-pop. And there’s a fair amount of potential singles amongst this latest assortment. ‘Chez Chef’ is a spine-chilling number that simultaneously encourages a little dance. ‘Borovets’ is reminiscent of Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World, and the album has fluctuating vib...

Fast-paced, power chord-laden rock ‘n roll. Could easily feature in the soundtrack to a US teen comedy, and as song titles such as ‘Teenage Rampage’ and ‘School’s Out’ suggest, Sound And Fury are pretty young. But unlike a lot of bands their age, the music stands up to the test of being played at high volume. Very adept musicians producing high quality songs that don’t become less so when the decibels increase. They were tour support for fellow Canadians Sum 41 recently, and with a mix of cla...

Not actually an album, but a genuine collection of treats for fans of the band often accredited with helping to pioneer the Oi form of punk. Three covers of varying origins and five live nuggets unearthed from their 1982 performance at the London Marquee club. Kicking off with an obscure choice of the Status Quo song of the same name as this CD, the energy is abundant, and great versions are done of ‘1-2-3’ and ‘’Till The End’ by The Pistols and The Bruisers respectively. As someone who wasn’...

About 5-6 years ago, 4Ft Fingers were in demand. Signed to Golf Records, headline tours and support slots with Dead Kennedys and the like. Now, after an apparent demise and a few years out of the spotlight, they return with their fourth full-length offering. Another 12 songs of much the same pop-punk that saw them reach those heights. And that’s probably the problem. It is the same. Nothing really makes or breaks the album, and it does kind of blend in with their back catalogue. ‘The Tale Of ...

Two of The Matches’ more softer numbers combined for a split single. Anyone familiar with their pop-punk debut full-length ‘E Von Dahl…’ will notice the alt-rock detour the band have taken for their second. Touring with Biffy Clyro on their UK tour, the Californian quartet have here two songs that are complete growers. Not ground-breaking tunes, but definitely with the potential to add to their growing fan base, especially with the genre shift. ‘Salty Eyes’ is sombre and orchestral. Simply be...