JOHN GRANT GREY TICKLES, BLACK PRESSURE
Lizz
John’s feeling a bit sorry for himself these days, approaching middle age (“Tere are children who have cancer, so all bets are off, cause I can’t compete with that”) and still crossing those thin lines between lusty obsession and hatred, between inevitable disappointment and hope. “You think you’re super special but you’re just a big twat”. Te oceans of longing and pain that burden him are cut through with a biting tongue in cheek humour that plays off perfectly against the sadness. Snug Slacksis Max Headroom with a hard on, all thrusting synths and leers.. “If you’d be so kind I could use some help with my thesis on the carpet burn”. Disappointment boasts an incredibly catchy clappy chorus and bags of energy. Black Blizzardis a bleak moment with a phat beat building throughout and ending up with John’s swooping vocals battering you from the dark Icelandic skies. Get your lighters up for some classic Grant torch songs as well; No More Tangles, Geraldineand Magma Arrives are grandly lush. Grey Tickles (middle age), Black Pressure (nightmare) is another magnificent triumph from John Grant; he’s still angry, he still hurts but he’s got his heart a little more under control, and overall it’s more upbeat than Pale Green Ghosts. Te cover of the album sums it up; it’ll make you LOL. But it will also hold your hand while you weep. Spot on.
CLUTCH PSYCHIC WARFARE
Stuart
A new Clutch album is a major event. New jams to get your head round, new lyrical wonderment from Neil Fallon, new chops from ace drummer Jean-Paul Gaster to study. It takes many spins for each new Clutch record to fully reveal itself but so far this feels like a very special release. Teir best since Blast Tyrant? It sure feels like it. First track and lead single X-Ray Visionsis made for opening every show on their current tour – I can hear the crowds shouting “Telekinetic, dynamite!” With 11 albums under their belts the band have well and truly settled into their groove; the days of innovating with every release may no longer be their main concern, now it feels like they are all about the fine tuning of what they do best. Sucker For Te Witch may well be the album’s highlight with its heavy groove and killer chorus, but Our Lady Of Electric Light also stands out with its ominous slower pace like Regulator before it. Expect to hear this on an episode of Te Walking Dead real soon. Clutch get bigger with each new album, so I suggest jumping on board before bloody everyone likes them.
NOTHING BUT THIEVES NOTHING BUT THIEVES
Alex
Having supported Muse in front of tens of thousands of people this summer before even putting out an album, Nothing But Tieves have no end to the pressure they’re under as their debut record lands its release. Fortunately, it’s phenomenal. Opener Excuse Mesays it all with crescendos of wailing vocals and gargantuan guitar licks combining to create a musical force to be reckoned with. Ban All the Musicups the tempo in a Royal Blood-like rock barrage and Itch pours lo- fi vocals into the mix like lighter fluid, ignited by pumping drums and grinding bass. Delicacy and heavy rock rarely go hand in hand but frontman Conor Mason’s pristine vocals alongside James Price’s solid drumbeat foundation proves a divine combination on If I Get Highand the murky depths of Graveyard Whistling. Elsewhere, the sinister Trip Switch details “rubbing shoulders with some unknown lovers” in a tense ascension, culminating in fiery riffs and staggering drops. Drawing Pins shows off Phillip Blake’s immersive bass talent before aggressive guitar riffs punch in with power the White Stripes could only dream of. Tempt You (Evocatio) closes the record with dystopian synthesizers and safely seals the deal on the debut record by the best new band in the country.
44 / November 2015/
outlineonline.co.uk
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