September CD Reviews

Dark Sparks | We are just flies

Available on the jukebox now

Admittedly this is my first taste of Sheffield natives Dark Sparks. New single “We Are Just Flies” has a claustraphobic, darkly 80′s feel to it. Think along the lines of Depeche Mode and The Cure. In fact lyrically the song reminds me of The Cure’s “Lullaby” all spider webs and nightmareish visions albeit with heavy stop start guitar riff driving the song. Recently (according to their myspace) the band have added keyboard and a extra guitar to bolster their sound. It works, the band sound tight and dynamic, the song is well produced and singer Leigh Greenwood delivers a strong vocal performance.

With “Dark Pop” seemingly gathering a following in the last few years with Interpol, Editors and more recently White Lies garnering both critical and mainstream acclaim there is no reason Dark Sparks cant go on to find their own audience. The band have already racked up an impressive list of support slots and i hope to check them out live as soon as possible.

Dark Sparks on myspace

Geoff Rogers

Katsen | Let’s build a city

Plinky, plonky electro-pop still seems the genre of choice amongst the cool kids and I’m sure Katsen’s latest offering will slot right in. ‘Let’s Build A City’, taken from the forthcoming album ‘It Hertz!’, kicks in with what sounds like a mixture of the loading music from a Commodore 64 game and a 70’s science programme. With appearances on compilations such as “Bot POP” (Happy Robots) this is probably what they take their influences from but once the dual male/female vocals begin it just becomes linear and slightly monotonous.

The duo’s vocals do work well together and the music is well layered and constructed but personally I would have liked to have seen some more interesting twists and turns and more use of dynamics to whole sound (as illustrated on other tracks on the album) Don’t get me wrong, as a 3 minute pop song it does work to some degree and is quite in-offensive, its just a bit…obvious

I’m not the biggest fan of the electronic indie pop but I feel that this just doesn’t offer anything we haven’t heard before or does anything to push the genre.

Give me Clor or early Hot Chip any day.

Katsen on myspace

Adam Nicholson

Smokers Die Younger | I spy dry fear

Available on the jukebox now

Smokers Die Younger are the newest newest cool band in town to like. They are the kind of band that your cool step sister you have feelings for rocks out to before she hits the town cruising for like-minded flannel wearing dude called Curtis. They are a hard band to define, swaying from art-rock to hardcore to grunge with a spattering of dub.

“I spy dry fear” is one of the standout tracks from their debut album “X wants the meat” it’s not particularly revolutionary music, but all the band are ridiculously young, and I can’t tell if they are being ironic or not… it’s another take your brain out triumph, an obnoxious aggressive spaz-out that sounds even more outrageous after the third or fourth listen.

Sheffield’s art-rockers Smokers Die Younger are gearing up to release their follow up to their 2006 debut “X want’s the meat” with their new self titled effort this September.

I got beat up and hospitalised after their gig in Sheffield, July 2009.

Smokers Die Younger on myspace

Bobby Techno