The Wood Burning Savages - We Love You

It's always a pleasure to get some new music from Derry quartet The Wood Burning Savages. They last caused us to prick up our ears last summer, when they told us that they didn't care about the "Premier League" (although recent correspondence with the band might suggest that that might not be entirely accurate).

Fast forward a few months, and they've unleashed a brand new song on us, and it's a real doozy. "We Love You" is a heavy, frenetic 2 1/2 minutes of sheer musical onslaught, about being as mad as heck with how the world operates and not taking it anymore. It's a song that calls to mind Manic Street Preachers at their most intense, visceral and confrontational.

"We Love You" is out now.

Robocobra Quartet - Knotweed/Witch Hunt

There's no greater pleasure than coming across a local band who sound like nothing else that Northern Ireland has to offer. That's why it was great to be introduced to Belfast group Robocobra Quartet back in July with their single "Artbook Flipping". Its release helped the band to pick up quite a bit of local attention, and the band's subsequent live gigs have received heaps of praise, including the approval of Tom Robinson.

So there's no better time to check in with the band and the release of their latest double-A side single (remember when they were still an actual thing?) "Knotweed/Witch Hunt". The songs see the band mix improvisational jazz with "acoustically sampled melodies" (which we think is the same thing as interpolating) and hip-hop influenced rhythms and spoken word vocals from Chris Ryan*, which come together to create a cacophony of downbeat yet brilliant sonic explorations.

Of the two songs on offer, the highlight would be slightly less chaotic "Witch Hunt". The song is based around a melody by New Jersey saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and is an amalgam of a rather groovy bass line, duelling saxes, and some deadpan lyricism ('How did blue-collar Bruce get to be known as "The Boss"? And if this schedule's not right, how do I know if I've just missed the bus?').

Robocobra Quartet are the sort of band that even if you don't necessarily enjoy their music, you have to admire their drive, ambition, and pure originality. Their sound might be quite a challenging listen, and one imagines that if they tried their hand at a more 'accessible' sound, they would lose that spark of genius that makes them so unique in the first place. However, if you're willing to invest you time in them, you are going to fall in love with something very special indeed.

"Knotweed/Witch Hunt" is available now on a pay what you like basis.




*who's involved in another band we've featured on TMB before.

Melt Yourself Down - We Are Enough

Say what you like about Jools Holland, but 20 years into hosting "Later...", his show can still throw up the odd musical surprise. Anyone who watched the live show on Tuesday evening would have been treated to the musical delight that is Melt Yourself Down, performing their single "We Are Enough".

The band are made up of six individuals who have been part of London's jazz scene over the years with many different projects, including Polar Bear & Acoustic Ladyland. In spite of this, their sound encompasses many different genres, including electronica, punk, world beat and alternate rock. My initial thoughts on the group are as follows:

1. Melt Yourself Down sound like a screamo band with funky brass taking the place of scuzzed out guitars.

2. Melt Yourself Down want to be nominated for the Mercury Prize. I mean, they really, REALLY want to be nominated for the Mercury Prize.

3. I really hope that Kushal Gaya didn't destroy any of the studio's equipment during their performance. Amps aren't cheap.

4. They are very good indeed. Musically they're faultless, and it's fair to say that there isn't any other bands out there doing exactly what they do.

"We Are Enough" is taken from Melt Yourself Down's self-titled album, which is out on 17th June.

The Mobbs - Jolly Good

You can fit a lot into just 81 seconds. Just ask Northampton trio The Mobbs. On their debut single, "Jolly Good", the group manage to fit in a massive Clash-esque punk riff, three verses and a guitar solo in their own idiosyncratic style. It also marks the first time I've heard the word 'nonchalant' used successfully in a rock song.

"Jolly Good" is out now as an MP3, vinyl, and rather charmingly, as a CD single on BB Rex.

The Dissociates - Under Heavy Manners

On their track "Under Heavy Manners", London based fourpiece The Dissociates sound like an angrier, harsher version of The Hives, with its memorable riffage seeing the band taking punk as accessable as it can get without slipping inadvertantly into pop-punk.

"Under Heavy Manners" is taken from their "Drown this Town" E.P, which is available to buy now.

Sissy & the Blisters - Let Her Go

With their simplistic garage-punk sound and the dark barritone voice of James Geard, Guilford based four-piece Sissy & the Blisters were always going to get the inevitable comparisons to both The Vaccines and The Horrors. On their latest single, "Let Her Go", the band follow the familiar "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" chord progression for a tale about the break-up of a relation. 'But it's all been done before,' the critics of Sissy & the Blisters will inevitably chirp. But when a band make such fun out of rock and roll, is there any harm in that?
"Let Her Go EP" will be released on 10" vinyl and on MP3 on October 3rd on Fierce Panda Records.

Empty Lungs - Identity Lost

The members Belfast punk group Empty Lungs have been playing on the Belfast scene for many years now, playing in bands like Bomb City 7 and The Lobotomies. The trio formed less than eight months ago and are gearing up to release their debut single "Identity Lost" on September 20th.

Mixed by Oppenheimer's Rocky O'Reilly, "Identity Lost" is a powerful piece of alternate-punk that exhibits an intelligence and musical virtuosity beyond what you would expect from the genre. Definitely a band worth watching on the local scene.

The Vaccines - Norgaard

After the ridiculous amount of hype that surrounded them at the beginning of 2011 has died down, The Vaccines are now reaching the stage where their music is being examined on the basis of its quality, rather than the strength of its promotion. It is at this stage, fresh from the festival season, that the band release their next single from their Gold selling album "What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?"

Thankfully, "Norgaard" shows the band at the top of their indie-punk game. I've always felt the band have been at their strongest with their shorter, spikier, Ramones-esque numbers. The song harks back to their debut single, "Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra)", with it's 3 chord, sub 100 second length reminding us that bigger and longer is not always better.