Chybucca Sounds

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Self-Release.

Turku, a coastal city in the south of Finland, is an unlikely place for an up-and-coming prog band to hone their skills. Rich in 13th century architecture, the city has a long affiliation with classical and orchestral arrangements: the closet you will find to “guitar music” is the overbearing sound of the student’s karaoke night: drunken vocals and a distorted backing track.

For this reason alone, it is understandable why Nauticus feel the need for change. Ironically titled, The Wait, the experimental ensemble have been putting their time to good use; bridging the post-rock juggernaut of the ‘00s, with quirky, eclectic metal. Punctuated by woe-is-me howls and plenty of shredding, Nauticus’ wait has been long and chaotic.

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Full Speed Ahead.

Having played in a Slayer tribute band for the best part of 20 years, Florence’s Whiskey Funeral can be forgiven for toning down the heaviness. Inspired by the Hellacopters and the Ramones, their self-titled debut follows the primal template for high-energy punk’n’roll: loud, down-tuned guitars, relentless drumming and a vocalist with too much testosterone. Not to be taken seriously.

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Independent.

Hailing from the coastal city of Baltimore, Big Liquor Pond have been making a splash in their native Maryland since their 2007 debut, The Year of the Clam, bought them a slew of local followers. Blue Smoke Orange Sky retains its predecessor’s themes of time and space; rarely straying from wide-eyed wonderment and cross-legged abandonment, the band’s hippyish mantra culminates in dreampop jangles, sitar slides and faraway vocals.

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Chevstar.

Sorry for Nothing is a hit-and-miss name: Merging punk-rock rebellion with the self-pitting angst of tight-clothed emos. The Northumberland trio do neither.

Skipping emo and punk, Sorry for Nothing go back further; channelling the likes of: Black Sabbath and Motorhead, not to mention the fretboard fury of classic-rock alumni such as: Dio, Judas Priest and Witchfinder General. Psycho Monster Resurrection (as the name suggests) is united in its lyrical themes: B-movie imagery and occultism. Sticking rigidly to the rulebook and with a dedicated online following, Sorry for Nothing is proof that there will always be a place for traditional, ballsy rock ‘n’ roll.

Listen Here

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Election Records.

Anyway, here’s what we know: They’re four friends from the Czech Republic, who have released two full-length albums, as well as a series of limited edition, seven-inch singles, since 1996.

The first of a number of inquisitive questions that one must ask is: How does a band with such pedigree and longevity go unnoticed? Shrouded in faraway mystique, this self-titled effort is refreshing and honest: mixing the angst and anxiety of traditional, fast-paced hooks, with working-class honesty.

As is the blunt nature of ‘punk’, the album is littered with expletives (sung in English rather than Czech) and with a running time of just under 30 minutes, this could be a little ‘too punk’ for some. Still, the burning questions remain: When will they make it to Western Europe? Where can I buy their previous albums? Why have they remained in the wilderness? Simply listen and repeat.

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Self-Release.

You heard it here first: Smokehouse J will become a star. Born into the blues and raised on a diet of classic rock, this self-taught guitarist has a penchant for groove and melody that defies his years.

Like John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, and more recently, Slash’s Snakepit, the sole purpose of the Emergency Stash is to compliment the talents of a special individual with minimal fuss: objective complete. Beginning with the Hendrix-esque squeal of ‘Stoned Heart’, J’s immediate influences are clear: driven blues boosters, and fist-pumping guitar-heroes, from a golden age: Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Paul Kossoff and Ronnie Wood; the list goes on. Remember the name.

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Self-Release.

Rock and roll will never die. Yes, there will be passing fads that will relegate the genre to the back of the queue – at least in the eyes of the mainstream – but for the rest of it, it won’t.

Indiana’s Greasebucket know this all too well: a hard-working, backstreet band, whose persistence against adversity is the sort of thing that Neil Young has, and would again, write about. Recorded in just one day, Greasebucket is comprised of pent-up anger and regret; soundtracked by a Les Paul snarl and storytelling charm, that Young would approve of.

Release Date: Out now.

Record Label: Self-Release.

Not surprisingly, Buried Sleeper’s music is bleak and hostile (they’re from Glasgow after all) however, unlike Rangers, their future is bright.

Inspired by all-that-is dark and evil, Colosseum is an album of detours and surprises; as for every plodding Sabbath-fuelled riff, there’re moments of genuine ambition. ‘Finite Lord’, for instance, is a lesson in volume and drone; fusing post-rock ambience with the dreary roar of doom, while ‘Pale Blue Dot’ is equally mesmerising. The highlight of this collection, however, is the album’s title track: soothing guitar chimes, minimal percussion and chilling vocals.

Release Date: April 2012.

Record Label: Fruits de Mer Records.

By Simon Hadley

Ask any music journalist worth their salt about Hamburg’s legendary Brain Records, and the answer is always positive.

While Britain and America were loosing their minds to the sounds of brain-warping psychedelia; late ‘60s West Germany was a period of change, experimentalism and upheaval: protests were rife, communes were growing, and the nation’s music scene was wild and diverse; assimilating the influences of Elektronische Musik with loose-limbed rock and avant-garde noise-punk. Krautrock was born.

At the centre of this non-schlager movement was Bruno Wendel and Günter Körber: two A&R men who grew tired of working for Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser (founder of Ohr Records). Established in 1972, Brain Records saw Wendel and Körber release a series of now-iconic albums, by bands such as: Neu!, Cluster, Guru Guru, Harmonica and Klaus Schulze.

Marking 40 years since the birth of Brain Records, Head Music is a limited edition, vinyl-only release, containing 18 cover’s of classic Krautrock tracks, by the latest generation of disenchanted bands: From the warm, ambient glow of Black Tempest’s ‘Bayreuth Return’ to Temple Music’s freaky, fuzzed-out version of ‘Negativland’, Krautrock’s legacy remains intact.