Promo Album Reviews

Promo Index | Page 4 | Page 3 | Page 2 | Page 1

Review Index (Page 4)::
* Riotmind - 'Look Out Westy!'
* Pink Punk - 'Zoo Politics'
* Jethro Tull - 'Aqualung Live'
* Crashed Out - 'Pearls Before Swine'
* Caplyn - 'Underdogs'
* The Eighteenth Day Of May - 'The Eighteenth Day Of May'
* Stick Finlays - 'Progress On Paper'
* Silver Sun - 'Immediate'
* Various Artists - 'WarfRat Tales - Unabridged'
* The Conway Story - 'Photogenic'
* The Cutters - 'Jesus'
* The Fondas - 'Be Alone'
* The Morenas - 'Dance For Your Dictator E.P.'
* Stillman - 'The Weightless E.P.'
* Moonshot - 'Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow'

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Riotmind - 'Look Out Westy!' (2006)

The latest release from one man project Riotmind, this raw and scuzzy rock n'roll has emphasis on Clash and Pavement styled melodies. Some stop-start lo-fi guitars (see 'Dead End Kids') and glimpses of pop sensibility (see 'Take The Knife') break from the norm, showcases some of Riotmind's better moments on record. In fact, the chorus to 'Take The Knife' is bugging me because it sounds so similar to an eighties track that is on the tip of my tongue. Damn my memory…

Pretty much all these tracks are mid-tempo, gruff vocals influenced by Joe Strummer. The album works as a collective work, as no one song stands out distinctively from the rest - pretty much all is of equal weighting. The seventh song on this shiny disc has the honour of containing the line "make a movie of you, kill kill kill" and 'Sister Siren' sounds remarkably like The Replacements, capturing the "college rock" vibe. 'Look Out Westy!' is pretty hard to analyse in great detail, it's one of those albums which doesn't need to be analysed or dissected otherwise it loses its vitality. If you picked up any of the previous Riotmind E.P.'s such as Wrapped In Plastic, Where Did You Go?, Out Of Your Mind; then this album is a natural progression, and dare I say it - an improvement in terms of tighter song-writing and more concise use of melodic structure.

To find out more visit http://www.riotmind.com

Pink Punk - 'Zoo Politics' (5 Dec 2005) Freeport Records Ltd

"Bleed for me at least, buy that T-Shirt for me at least or can I not compete with Ozzy's monkey children?" - so goes the main hook on 'Thrill Or Be Killed' by former One Minute Silence frontman Yap's on his new project Pink Punk. Two years since the demise of the Rage Against The Machine aspiring One Minute Silence, Yap had no intention of returning to the music industry, instead creating a niche for spoken word poet on the angry and naturally political 'Zoo Politics' album. This disc is full of hard-hitting and stream-of-conscientious lyrics performed over producer John Hendicott's samples and beats, sometimes amusing, other times stark and adamant. Completed by backing vocalist Donna Williams, Pink Punk are an intriguing prospect as if Michael Moore's books and films have been put to music. Take 'Yapolitical' for example, one of the most prominent tracks (and I say tracks, and not songs) on this album, harnessing youth anger at governments, war, pop culture and all the topics covered in counter-culture literature that many twenty-something's feels strongly about. The band aim to shake up the establishment, raising awareness in the youth audience it hopes to connect with, the lyrics being the focal point, as third track 'Controversy' so bluntly puts it - "twinkle twinkle little fucking star simple, how else do you want it?". To compliment Yap's distinctively Irish accented spoken word vocals, Hendicott layers subtle electronic landscapes underneath, full of little piano lines, mid-tempo beats and synth strings to keep my attention.

The first half of the album is the strongest, 'Cockmonsters' is especially stellar in delivery, with some melodic singing at brief points. As 'Zoo Politics' unwinds, the delivery does begin to feel like a sledgehammer trying to open a walnut, drilling the point home that most things in life are bad which we certainly all know.

The little moments are what raise the album above the average political musical outbursts:

a) 'Hope' opens with the entertaining lyric - "Hope, fuck hope, you must be smoking the Pope's dope" - not exactly rocket science to rhyme the word Hope with Pope and Dope, but still sears on the brain.
b) A robotic rhythmic beat unwinds as Yap repeats the phrase "Ozzy's monkey children, hahahaha" before unleashing an effective chorus of "thrill or be killed, your 15 minutes start now" - one of the more memorable tracks 'Thrill Or Be Killed'
c) Some heavily distorted guitars enter the mix during 'Porn Beat' which makes a change from the usual electro-tinkering on other tracks
d) The television bashing 'Monkey TV' which attacks banal TV shows, peaking with the stupid jingle "monkey TV, monkey TV, Jonathan Ross, Jonathan Ross", which make me laugh first time I heard it.
e) Final track 'Do The Right Thing' which is actually a fully fledged song, yes, a melodic and brooding acoustic song with Yap singing instead of doing spoken word.

So there you have it, a decent political and current affairs disc which would make some people think about their corrupted leaders, how meaningless the cult of celebrity has become and other such delights of the modern world. Angst-ridden youth intent on finding a suitable soundtrack to their strong and bitter feelings as they find their feet in this cruel and unfair world will find 'Zoo Politics' a close-to-the-knuckle companion piece.

To find out more visit http://www.ppunk.com

Jethro Tull - 'Aqualung Live' (2005) Randm Records

This live limited edition of Jethro Tull's 1971 big seller 'Aqualung' was recorded in front of an invited audience for US radio station XM with royalties being donated to homeless charities. With the album's premise over, let's discuss the new re-workings of songs approaching 35 years old. The first side is the story of a homeless vagrant called Aqualung and the second side is an attack on organised religion. Band leader Ian Anderson introduces his songs politely; the band plays faithfully and professionally, each song pretty much what you'd expect from a band playing these songs for several years. The downside is Anderson's weak vocals, not much variation and lacking the bite of his youth. The trademark flute does get annoying after a while especially on the extended flute solo on 'My God', maybe it's because I'm not a "flute" fan, thus missing out a large component of Jethro Tull's appeal. The hunger is missing on this re-recording which is understandable as the flourishes of youth are long gone. And let's get one fact straight, this is Ian Anderson's band with an ever rotating list of musicians, so all you need to know is that Ian Anderson plays along with only other original guitarist Martin Barre - the rest are some other blokes who actually do a sterling job; the guitars are fairly complex and the rhythm section does a fine job in holding the record together. The performances are restrained through, as if the band are holding back, preferring to play the notes in the correct order rather than letting rip.

The undoubted highlights - 'Aqualung', 'Crosseyed Mary' and 'Locomotive Breath' are classics in the progressive rock field, but there are a few clunkers in the form of 'Wondering Aloud' a Moody Blues pandering pop piece which comes off as trite and 'My God' is a dark song obviously against organised religion which starts off interesting but just goes on and on with that blimin' flute solo, killing any velocity gained. The acoustic intervals define the word "prettiness" but are really insubstantial fluff, resulting in a maddening inconsistent album with moments of sublime greatness. Of course, Tull-fanatics will not care one bit about the flaws and kinks, because this is a better recorded version that the original 1971 version. The limited edition disc also contains short interview snippets which cover themes such as how 'Aqualung' is NOT a concept album (okay, you got that!) but a "bunch of songs" and discussing how riffs are really simple using the same permutation of notes. This is all very insightful for fans and non-fans alike to understand the thinking behind the record.

To find out more visit http://www.j-tull.com

Crashed Out - 'Pearls Before Swine' (Oct 2005) Captain Oi Records

Old-skool rabble-rousing punk rockers Crashed Out are a fine example of how to pull this fairly limited genre off with aplomb. Influenced by all those late seventies punk bands, Crashed Out don't forget to include really strong choruses and remarkably catchy hooks to their Rancid/Clash inspired long player 'Pearls Before Swine'. Formed 10 years ago when the band were just 15 and 16 year old school kids, Crashed Out have constantly toured the gig circuit supporting the likes of UK Subs in the process. The songs are either mid or fast paced, with gritty, sing-a-long vocals that don't differ much from each song but does create a single-minded attempt to bludgeon the listener into pogo-bouncing goons. It's hard to pick favourite songs as they are all of high standard - take 'Freakshow' which sings the praises of all the freaks from the band's hometown in South Shields. For sheer novelty value 'Fat Punks Don't Pogo' is a play on how fat punks - yes, you guessed it - don't pogo anymore. The guitarist uses all kinds of finger licking trickery on his fret board throughout the album's duration, making these songs sound like a cross between AC/DC and English Oi Punk. The guitar playing is by far the most interesting instrument musically, always finding ways to make the riffs as melodic as possible. The threatening 'Sink The Ink' could even be a nod to AC/DC's similarly titled 'Sink The Pink'.

It helps that the songwriting is good too, lots of woo-whoah backing vocals and chugging rhythms contributing to the overall sum. Possibly the best song on the album is 'I'm The Outcast' which dabbles with Reggae chords in the verses before unleashing a feel-good chorus of not fitting in but not caring. The other highpoint 'The Jarrow Song' is another tasty track with first person perspective of a Georgie with more threats in the lyrics; "And if they don't give us half a chance, Don't even give us a second glance, Then Geordie with my blessings burn them down". To finish with yet another AC/DC reference, these songs do not differentiate from a well-worn formula; there are no soppy ballads, no electronic layers, no wussy sensitivity - this is street punk attitude with king-size balls.

To find out more visit http://www.crashed-out.co.uk

Caplyn - 'Underdogs' (17th Oct 2005) Manilla PR

Formed as recently as May 2004, Caplyn have two E.P.'s under their belt in the form of 'The Walk Back Alone' and 'Underdogs'. One of their tracks ('My Desert Mind') was on the soundtrack to 'In A Mans World', a New York Independent Film winner, which is an enticing selling point for this five-track E.P. So how can I describe 'Underdogs' to the causal listener? Using allmusic.com's "Moods" dictionary as a template, words that jumps into my subconscious are: brooding, dramatic, earnest, searching, cathartic, yearning, angst-ridden, passionate, visceral and fiery. Okay, these words describe Pearl Jam, but for some reason I see the similarities. Both bands have a confident and edgy singer, both play straight-forward rock n' roll and both concentrate on well-crafted, heart-on-the-sleeve dramatics. The most prominent song 'The Revolution Will Come' is a slow burner, strong and melodic in a mid-period REM way. The quality is matched by 'Shadowesque', a fairly intense song with sturdy rhythm playing and some nifty drum fills.

The next two tracks 'Shine On' and 'Give As Good As You Get' are again guitar-driven, well-composed and performed slices of bluesy rock, perhaps lacking the impact of the opening two numbers but not too shabby either. This leaves 'My Desert Mind' - the song used on the award-winning soundtrack mentioned earlier, the highpoint of this pensive rocker being the groovy riff and some neat bass playing. The song sounds very retro; some classic rock styling is apparent - going for that timeless experience. On the whole, Caplyn leave a good impression and have made a sturdy E.P. - let's not go over the top and say this is astounding and go off into hyperbole, rather a worthy addition to the growing number of decent rock bands popping across England.

To find out more visit http://www.caplyn.com

The Eighteenth Day Of May - 'The Eighteenth Day Of May' (17th Oct 2005) Hannibal Records

Formed - funnily enough - during the month of May, this modern folk group are pleasant to the extreme, this is wistful music to chill out to and an autumn day. With a background of performing traditional English folk songs, The Eighteenth Day Of May blend West Coast pop (think of timeless groups like The Byrds) with psychedelic loveliness. Comprising of six members and playing a diverse range of instruments (everything from flute, harmonica, mandolin to the autoharp) you cannot accuse The Eighteenth Day Of May of being limited in the instrument department. The songs though are fairly limited, not much variation is offered throughout their self titled album, sometimes it gets slower paced with Allison Brice singing engaging trad-folk with twangy guitars as on 'Lady Margaret'. Other times, a song like 'Sir Casey Jones' is steeped in good old fashioned values - the sort of song Cameron Crowe would use to soundtrack his movies.

Over its 47 minute duration I'm getting languid - just let the songs soak in and don't expect too much. If you dig relaxing and undemanding folk, then The Eighteenth Day Of May are very good in their chosen field. I just cannot get into the album; there are no strong melodies to grab onto, the closest being 'The Highest Tree' which at least has some liveliness. This album will be a matter of taste - some people will find plenty to adore, but the music just doesn't click with me.

To find out more visit http://www.theeighteenthdayofmay.com

Stick Finlays - 'Progress On Paper' (Oct 2005) Hackpen Records Ltd

Stick Finlays are a young Scottish three-piece that plays Mudhoney styled "grunge" rock, with moments that could pass for early Placebo era. I use the word grunge loosely as the eight songs on 'Progress On Paper' has little in common with Alice in Chains or Soundgarden. More contemporary acts spring to the forefront of my mind, At The Drive-In and My Vitriol, retaining their hunger for snarling vocals and crackling surges of distortion - this is an exciting band to listen to. The small town atmosphere of hometown Jedburgh on the Scottish borders is apparent in the determination within the songs. When a band goes through struggles it makes the music feel more honest - so many bands lack passion which cannot be directed at the Stick Finlays.

The stand-out track is 'Return To Zero' which intentionally or not nabs The Smashing Pumpkin's chorus to 'Quiet' and turns it into a revitalized rock song. Maybe the nod to the Pumpkin's track 'Zero' in 'Return To Zero' is the blatant clue. Even 'Cultural Vandal' reminds me of The Pumpkin's 'Bodies' carried by its descending riff and full throttle guitars. Difficult to separate the band's influences at an early stage in their career, I'm sure the Stick Finlays will find their own identity in the near future, as this band show so much promise. Vocalist Tommy Hunter has a voice that suits this type of music - gritty post-grunge that doesn't show his accent, you could mistake them for an American band. The production is also well-handled, Funeral For A Friend producer Joe Gibb managing to record a raw sound without unnecessary gloss which taints so many modern rock records. The combination of an aggressive rhythm section, uneasy guitar tones and anxiety-ridden lyrics makes this a welcome shot in the arm for Scottish rock music.

To find out more visit http://www.stickfinlays.com

Silver Sun - 'Immediate' (14th Nov 2005) Invisible Hands Music

On the rare occasion, I get sent promos of bands I have been an occasional fan of in the past. Silver Sun is one of those very rare bands. Making some sizable splashes in the UK rock scene back during the mid-nineties most notably with the popular singles 'Lava' and 'Golden Skin', Silver Sun's sugar coated and insanely melodic tunes wrapped in fuzzy guitars made them the UK's answer to Weezer. Then they dropped out of the public conscience and I forgot about them. Now back with single 'Immediate' from the album 'Disappear Here', the quartet of James Broad, Richard Buckton, Paul Smith and Richard Sayce still make exactly the same music - commercial power-pop guitar music influenced by Cheap Trick. Showing absolutely no musical progression or growth does not really matter for a band like Silver Sun, since they are so damn good at what they do.

Displaying a wry sense of humour, the single sleeve notes instruct "please do not set volume below 6 when playing" is sound advice - the wall of guitars sound made by the band makes for good driving music - joyous and good natured - putting The Beach Boys into a hard rock blender, adding some Summer sunshine and leave to stand. The B-Sides 'Dance With Me' and 'Sweet Baby' keep to the same standard of quality that 'Immediate' sets as a benchmark. Really short in length, these songs just fly by and the handy "repeat" button comes into play to get the same sugar-rush experience. 'Dance With Me' is pretty much a Ramones song, molding care-free, throw-away disposable pop into something memorable. Yes, this is insubstantial music, which will not win any awards or change someone's life in a meaningful way, but screw it - that's why we have other bands.

To find out more visit http://www.silver-sun.co.uk/

Various Artists - 'WarfRat Tales - Unabridged' (2005) Avebury Records

Uncovering the early eighties LA garage rock scene of 1983, this compilation re-issue brings together several long-forgotten bands on one handy compact disc. Sprawling over 28 tracks, 'WarfRat Tales' is a long and sometimes exhausting overview of close-knit scene. Amongst the expected ordinary recordings there are many gems to savor. The Rain Parade delivers a very sixties sounding pop song in 'I Look Around', its Eastern garage vibe brings to mind The Beatles during their Indian experimentation phase - no bad comparison! There's so much music here, many artists could get ignored - so let's dive in at random and choose any song. Right - track 21 - Artist Name: To Damascus, Track Title: 'And Leave And Leave Me', Opinion: A bit of a tuneless and bland song all told - definitely not a highlight, the female vocalist lacking any musical talent. Let's move on and pick another track at total random - track 9 - oh, it's To Damascus again, that's a coincidence. This time with the song 'Night Surfing', an instrumental which is a vast improvement, mainly due to the fact the female vocalist doesn't sing and is a proficient jaunty surf rockabilly.

Changing tactic, I shall choose a song based on how much I like the band name. Let's see….. I like the band name Hector & The Clockwatchers so let's give them a chance. A very old-fashioned (even for 1983) and highly paced song, I can't even describe what type of genre the song 'Mishap At Greebsley's' falls into, above average at best. Moving onto the frankly creepy 'Stop The Clock' by Earwigs, this track is enjoyable fun with a waltzing beat and monotone vocals and …. I can't review all the artists here so shall make a general synopsis of this good value-for-money compilation. Playing these songs brings back the times I was part of a Los Angeles scene spurning on kids to play in their parents garages tucked away in the suburbs, some acts were hit, some were miss. Actually, I lied - since I was only five year's old living in not-so-glamorous West London when these songs were originally recorded. But this disc makes you feel like you were part of a small and self-sufficient scene, such is the enthusiasm and youthful vigor in this simplistic garage rock songs. I suppose the re-issue achieves its main objective in re-enlightening a generation too young to have experience the scene first time round.

To find out more visit http://www.aveburyrecords.com/warfrat

The Conway Story - 'Photogenic' (14th Nov 2005) Independent Records Ltd

This multi-cultural group (band members hailing from as diverse countries as Germany, Chile, USA and Spain) are on tour with former Brit-pop heavyweights The Bluetones and judging by The Conway Story's passionate playing on 'Photogenic' should blow those dullards off the stage. Big drums start banging, a juicy riff starts up and vocalist Nik's strangely alluring voice builds into a flashy and smart rock song. Touching the right emotional buttons, 'Photogenic' keeps up the high energy during a tight three and a half minutes of Foo Fighters styled modern rock cutting edge. Short and compact, it grabbed my attention and now I'm ready for some more rock action. That second track 'October' on this two-track single is a slow, somber acoustic reading without much happening is a slight let-down. The vocals don't seem to work that well, in contrast to the fiery passion on 'Photogenic'. Not a bad song, 'October' is easily overshadowed by the single and feels like a standard B-Side. So to wrap things up, The Conway Story are grandiose without indulgence and could take up the mantle from Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo and all those big name nineties bands who mixed crunching riffs with soaring choruses. Of course, The Conway Story has a long, long way to go before matching those talents but I'm sure the story is only just beginning for Conway.

To find out more visit http://www.theconwaystory.com

The Cutters - 'Jesus' (7th Nov 2005) Manilla PR

Not messing with the well-worn formula of a solid melody, good musical chops and pleasant singing, Middlesborough based The Cutters are aspiring to join the dependable likes of Paul Weller, The Who and a host of unyielding English artists. This three track promo shows plenty of promise, all three tracks 'Jesus', 'One Look Back' and 'Star' have undeniable appeal - proper songs with proper melodies, this is not your forgettable, strum the chords and sing any old lyrics over the top which so many bands are victim to. The Cutters have put effort into the timeless art of song writing, all three songs are of same quality, it's hard to pick out what the most distinctive song could be, no one song sticking out as far better than the others. Little highlights include the questioning lyrics of 'Jesus': "If you were Jesus would you come back here" before long the pay-off line "Yeah, I think you know the answer" is given. Another nugget is the opening chiming guitar on 'One Look Back' which closely recalls U2 and their also chiming 'Where The Streets Have No Name' intro. This gives an air of familiarity as does most of The Cutters music. Which brings me onto the main point - there is something so familiar with this band, nothing is off-the-wall or dangerous - but The Cutters write songs that would make Oasis or even The Verve proud, songs that would work well on both radio and in concert.

To find out more visit http://www.thecutters.co.uk

The Fondas - 'Be Alone' (7th Nov 2005) Levelsound Music

With their self-coined 'Slum Rock' genre description, The Fondas have set their sights on claiming some of the rock action. With just one track 'Be Alone' to judge, The Fondas are showcasing a punky basic guitar chord side to their repertoire. Built on the undeniably catchy "you want to be alone" chorus, the song is over in a blur of vigor. The Fondas know how to write memorable rock riffs that you can then hum to yourself later on in the day. Rough, raw electric distorted music, the guitar playing sounds like similar to Nirvana on their most straight-forward moments. With vocals ranging from falsetto to deeper range, the nagging feeling is the falsetto gets kinda grating after a few listens, the chorus becomes too repetitive despite being really catchy and there are countless bands playing this type of music to the same level of quality. What makes The Fondas stand out from the pack I can't fathom, as this is yet another really, really catchy rock song with spunky attitude which is nothing extra special. Good song, but not jumping off the walls great.

To find out more visit http://www.thefondas.co.uk

The Morenas - 'Dance For Your Dictator E.P.' (7th Nov 2005) Bleach Records

Blazing full of energy and the sound of a band going places, 'Dance For Your Dictator E.P.' is a bunch of tightly packed melodies with plenty of confidence. With Paolo on vocal and guitar duties, the band are underpinned by his enthusiastic singing and New Wave inspired guitar lines. Tim Jackson (Bass) and Steve Wilson (Drums) give suitable rhythm backing, with the bass heard loudly in the mix, 'My Violent Femme' especially driven by its rumbling bass line. Many commentators have compared The Morenas to The Killers, and it's easy to understand why the connection is made, both are noisy and edgy with emphasis on catchy hooks rather than playing chords for noise sake. The distorted guitars really rip through the speakers, the songs are so reliant on pop melodies it doesn't sound harsh or at all clunky. Some bands sound tired and force out their songs, here The Morenas come across as blasting out the songs effortlessly; the spirit is in place and attitude not too calculated. The best song is opener 'I Just Wanna Be Someone' mainly down to the really catchy chorus, as if the band were connected to the electrical mains. Sums up the band's purpose - to deliver some toe-tapping tunes infused with incessant guitars and indie ethics.

To find out more visit http://www.themorenas.co.uk/

Stillman - 'The Weightless E.P.' (Oct 2005)

When Chaz Craik nearly grasped success with Britpop band Cab only to suffer disappointment as the Britpop bubble burst, Craik spent a long time on the fringes of commercial acceptance. His solo project Stillman is another throw of the dice to gain some attention. Over the course of this wholly impressive E.P. Craik has managed to craft solid and concise acoustic driven songs which are rich in texture, showing an understanding of how to pull off this singer-songwriter lark. Highly professional sounding production glosses these 5 tracks which is impressive in that Craik worked on his compositions using an old computer and some guitars lying around. When you consider so many artists record their music in what sounds like a disused garage with tinny and harsh production values, 'The Weightless E.P.' is of good sound quality. Always a welcome sign for this type of music - lush, dreamy Elliot Smith influenced gentle folk-pop. Craik sound like a more demure Grant Nicholas from Feeder, so imagine Feeder's quieter moments for an idea how Stillman sounds. That's not to say Stillman can be pigeon-holed into one category, as the likes of 'Weightless' and 'The Worst Is Over' are achingly slow and beautiful with introspective lyrics. 'The Worst Is Over' details insecurities with lines such as "Stay home tonight, shut the world outside, it'll suck you dry, it's over now" and title track 'Weightless' goes into metaphors to express feelings - "Here we are weightless, drifting free, numb and memoryless". To add a little assortment, 'Born For Show' is more uptempo with jangly guitars and more pop feel. This leaves the 'Foreword' and 'Afterworld' which bookend the E.P., the former a minute long introduction to the record and the latter a 3 minute swirling mostly instrumental piece which goes for studied atmosphere rather than songwriting kudos. There is plenty to recommend with Stillman and it's good to hear acoustic and lush pop that usually turns out to be dull and forgettable ditchwater in the wrong hands to be pulled off successfully here.

To find out more visit http://www.stillman.org.uk

Moonshot - 'Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow' (7th Nov 2005)

Having been established since 1988, Moonshot are a UK-based collaboration between three musicians Daniel Kent, Jeremy Grant and Richard Wolfe who have released several records during their existence, 12 albums on the last count. This 10-track album is full of electronic pop in the style of New Order, sometimes dark with heavy synth lines, and on rare occasions verging into pure lightweight pop. With no chosen frontman, the band shares vocal duties, although the difference in singing talents is not easily distinguishable, they are all capable if unimaginative singers.

When the band focus on their trip-hop influences, as 'Painted Madonna (Brave New World)' demonstrates, the music becomes more compelling. The lullaby melody complements the throbbing bass line and stirring string arrangement, the languid pace has a calming effect and pretty much sums up the vibe of the whole album. When Moonshot do pick up energy as on the bouncy and breezy 'Wonderful', the song seems too quirky for its own good, although as the song progresses it gathers momentum with a strong hooky melody - out of place on the album when you consider the Massive Attack jamming with New Order vibe. There's enough electro wizardry and trance like beats here to satisfy people curious enough to find out what Massive Attack jamming with New Order would actually sound like.

A song as topical as 'Where Is James Bond?' with its dead-pan delivery has to aspire to matching a typical David Arnold soundtrack score of dramatic strings and stylish grooves. Here Moonshot mostly succeed and 'Where Is James Bond?' is one of the few times when something out the blue grabbed my attention. A song worthy of anyone's consideration is opener 'Making Decisions' which is most indebted to New Order even down to the Bernard Summers singing style - could even be considered a tribute song. Over the course of 10 songs, 'Fear Today, Gone Tomorrow' with its pun filled title is a consistent and not particularly diverse collection of soft electro atmospheric songs. Accomplished is a word often thrown at Moonshot, and with their prolific output, it's obvious they have finely-honed their expertise in this genre of music. Maybe too mature to go crazy about, Moonshot tick the right boxes in stylish and level headed electronic music. Which may come across as, well, boring, but we're leave the excitement elsewhere.

To find out more visit http://www.moonshotmusic.com