Cougar Microbes are marching in like army ants…

I love instances where people are investing their time and effort into independent music, often with little or no reward, so when Alcopop Records sent me 2 of their latest releases a few weeks back I was happy to give them a spin. Add that to the fact that Alcopop is sister label to the fantastic BSM (whose bands The Tupolev Ghost and Copy Haho were recently covered on Cougar Microbes) and you can understand why I was keen to dive deeper.

First up are scouse-core band goFASTER>> whose 5 track EP, ‘A Modern Education’, is a welcome reminder that the summer is round the corner. Imagine the melodies and immediacy of The Maccabees and the cheeky lyrics of early Blur combined. However, you’d be making a mistake to tar them immediately with the “Brit pop revivalist” brush as there are times when gF veer into the territory usually occupied by the likes of Bloc Party and Idlewild. This EP showcases the band as a prospect to look out for, now is the time to combine all these separate references and turn them into the goFASTER>> trademark sound.

Fusing different influences is something Northampton’s My First Tooth do with extreme proficiency hinting at Beirut orchestrations and Bright Eyes melancholy whilst maintaining a distinctly British identity. The resulting EP ‘My First Tooth And The Rubies‘ offers spacious song structures, haunting melodies and a habit for minor key laments. Equal importance is given to strummed guitars and gentle violins (with the occasional guest appearance from trumpets, xylophones and harmonicas) to provide the melodic backing leaving the vocals out in the open to provide The impetus for the tracks. A little trick that works wonders and provides the highlights here.

‘My First Tooth And The Rubies‘ is the complete antithesis to ‘A Modern Education’ in both style and approach, but is in no way less impressive. I’m surprised more people haven’t heard of these bands but hopefully these EPs will change all that.

MP3′s:

goFASTER>> – A Modern Education

My First Tooth – Honesty Honesty

Buy these release now directly from Alcopop Records

What the hell is The Tupolev Ghost? I hear you ask…beats me, but if you were to ask who the hell are The Tupolev Ghost (TTG)?…well that’s where I can assist!

TTG are a Post-Hardcore band from Cambridge (Yes, British Talent!), drawing many influences from bands which rank highly within my CD collection so of course I instantly relate to their sound. That’s not to say they are predictable or some kind of copycat band, their uniqueness is prevalent throughout their self titled EP.

Vocals in any band are vital and what I like about this gang’s vocals is that they are not afraid to sound English. Far too many bands pollute the airways with generic American vocals despite hailing from these shores; I have nothing against American vocals, I just prefer they come from American bands. The excellently delivered speak/sing/shout blueprint of TTG forms a tight and natural bond with the music.

Straight from the imaginatively titled intro ‘Untitled‘ into ‘Zeroes and Noughts” you can tell this band means business with their stampeding rhythm section and intricately layered guitars akin to early At the Drive-In and in some instances Minus the Bear. In my opinion ‘Diagrams‘ is the standout track, rhythmically cutting yet hypnotic all the same drawing you in with its staccato riffs and melodic breakdowns. You can’t help but walk away singing the line “…put pen to paper, spell it out for me…” and when you walk away with a line in your head you know you’ve succumbed to a cool vocal hook.

The next track on this mini-album is the truly epic “Giant Fucking Haystacks”, colossal by name – colossal by nature. It marauds through Fugazi-esque riffs with early At the Drive-In style arpeggios for company and melody; I cannot wait to hear this live! The band then show a darker side on ‘The Night‘ where again a Fugazi influence is evident on this angular slice of post-hardcore bliss. The middle 8 breakdown is simple, effective and sublime all at once as the track crescendos and picks up momentum before exiting to the soundtrack of an arpeggio duel and a brief riff-tastic flourish.

The final instalment ‘Our Great Destroyer‘ reminds me of the intelligent UK post-hardcore that The Copperpot Journals used spoil us with not so long ago, this can only be deemed a compliment.

The Tupolev Ghost are notorious for turning the volume up as high as they can for their shows and destroying all in their path, upon listening to this I say…BRING IT ON!!…yes even you Mr Haystacks!!!

MP3:

The Tupolev Ghost- Diagrams

‘The Tupolev Ghost‘ self-titled EP is out now on Big Scary Monsters

Buy it now on Amazon

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This is the first guest post on Cougar Microbes by the legendary Surge and hopefully there will be alot more coming from him in the coming months.

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