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ATLANTIS BLACK- Demo
It is very hard to pigeonhole Atlantis Black's music as there doesn't
appear to be one theme running throughout their songs; however, their
sound could be compared to the best in traditional British rock meeting
the laid back tunes of a US road-trip. OK, so I've cut and pasted that
sentence from the band's biog, like many other lazy journalists around,
for the griping gits amongst you who want to get a "real"
idea of the music and not hear my opinion on the subject. Now sod off
and go wank over your copy of the NME or paint your room black and stop
bothering me.
Because opening song "Don't love you" and later track "End
of the day" sounds to me more like Extreme: i.e. the sort of emotion-fuelled
stuff they will play to death on your local late-night love programme
on all good commercial radio stations. This duo further reminds me of
Cambridge's latest protégés, Saint Zoë. Now this
is a band that I will tap my toe to, though only in a subdued fashion
that may look like I've got an itchy big toe or tourettes or some similar
minor affliction. Because, despite their enthusiasm and ability to play,
and as much as I like a good portion of cheese on my crackers, they
are just ever so slightly cringeworthy. Yes, Atlantis Black have "Shake
and roll again" which sounds like "Love in the elevator"
by Aerosmith, or something along the lines, and, indeed, these tunes
may be large enough to fill a large arena. But then Bon Jovi are playing
Wembley when it reopens. To get to the point, there will always be a
person that thinks this is classic and, as long as there are lonely
housewives weeping into their comfort food, that will see a market for
it. That person is unfortunately not me. It was never going to go well
with this band though. They have possibly one of the worst lines of
a press release I have ever read. "Two guys both just turned 22
with one common interest… music". That might help then. Let's
hope so, eh?
www.manillapr.com
VENA CAVA- Yellow Top Theory
This summer I had a scary incident in a Cornish pub masquerading as
a dark and dingy nightclub, in which I was stalked by the somewhat large
DJ named Terry who, we decided, went home after a days accounting, donned
his eyeliner and spiky necklace, listened to some generally bad music
and encouraged poor unsuspecting holidaymakers to do the same. He, and
his mates down the front, would like Vena Cava. Though, personally,
they are not for me, falling somewhere between System of a Down and,
through claiming that they also include influences of 80's pop and grunge,
the most pretentious hardcore band in the world. Ever.
Because this is essentially just lots of screaming and shouting over
raging heavy metal interspersed with the odd slow bit. And I mean lots;
opening track "Beneath the pavement, the beach" best displays
this, lasting well over five and a half painstaking minutes, over a
minute of which is the finale of some of the most self-indulgent guitar
work I have ever had the pleasure to lay ears on. In short, I can guarantee
that Vena Cava are good at what they do. But whether they can find someone
who can be arsed to listen to them is anyone's guess. In fact, such
full-on musical masturbation makes me want to run away and join a convent,
where only then will I be safe.
www.myspace.com/venacavauk
Anna C
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