Joy Division – Closer (Remastered)

Oh hell, this has been covered a thousand times over but I’m diving into the abyss to revisit an old favourite of mine, Closer.

If you have not heard this legendary cornerstone of indie music then go sit in a corner and suck your thumb. If you’ve never heard of Joy Division then shoot yourself in the nuts with a Taser gun…. twat.

“This is the way step in side“ chimes out of my speakers with nasty glorification and a massive smile spreads across my face. There really is no words for this, it is pure originality that went before the history of clone heads. Paved the way for a new music revolution in sound. Post punk godliness and not a muso in sight. Errors n all to digest the magic.

Remastered

The stories I’ve heard over the years about this album are legendary and too numerous to account for here but I started to hear all sorts of things way back in the day before I ever played it. Most notably are the ones about having listened once and dare not replay due to suicidal thoughts. I heard this first hand from a close friend who thankfully is still around. I do understand the reasoning as it is very dark and thought provoking. Personally it makes me happy, I want to drive through cityscapes and urban jungles with Colony and Heart and Soul blasting out. I’m young and angry all over again.

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Johnny Come Latelys – Collateral Damage

What a surprise! Bands come & go, some fragment and morph into other forms and carry on the crusade. Just when I thought Johnny Come Latelys had done all three, here they are with a return to the fold.

History in brief: Johnny Come Latelys release two EP’s Messiah Complex (2016) and Judas Factor (2017). They reappear in 2019 as Distance From Zero including the excellent What’s it Worth. Each release grew from the other, almost a follow on, raw, fresh and none conformist. We’re back with JCL and it feels right and so the mission continues.

10 track album ‘Collateral Damage’ is a rage at society and all that is wrong. Delivered with venom, it rocks out all the way, snarling bass lines and chopping distortions smash through your speakers and slap your ears with the likes of ‘Suicide Club’ and ‘Wake Up’.

I think this is the best JCL release to date, I’m loving the sub synth melodies that float in and out whereas before it was more of a chord. The political samples are a release too. I’ve been fortunate to have been spinning this pre release for a while now and expect it to be in my playlist for some time to come.

Grab your free copy over on Bandcamp – Collateral Damage out now

Maasai – Maasaï

Casting way back to the 2nd of November 2015 saw the birth of Canned Static music blog with our very first review from Canadian rapper SHAM (check out SHAM – Fast Life Cafe). The lyrical wizardry of SHAM first came to my attention with the Illmatic influenced Street Tape. Other releases include Chains of Freedom & LOST. Since the 2015 release of LOST we literally did loose sight and sound of SHAM the man until now.

June 2019, enter Maasai, an electronic experimental Hip Hop duo from Montreal featuring Emmanuel Dusautoir (Drums) & SHAM (Vocals).

Freaking wow, this is very different from what I expected. It has all the hallmarks of a ‘Fast Life Cafe’ but with so much more edge. It’s a musical roller coaster that crashes and explodes but keeps going, you’re on for the ride and don’t wanna get off. It’s dark and light, good & bad ass.

Opening with ‘I woke Up’, a minimal experimental rap with sparse bass, “I woke up in the morning in a bag of roaches, I know death approaches”, “I just wanna blow my mind”. Sets out the feel of the entire album, rebellious, abstract and out there in head space.

‘Astro Trip’ hits a tribal feel with a subtle swelling bass drone (another thing I’m diggin with this album… the subtle bits in the backdrop), its originality is rife and I just wanna keep it spinning. The spirit of Maasai is here, the tribal feel is just brilliant. ‘Lion’ follows in the same spirit, the African Maasai tribe would dance to this in their PJ’s, I love it and can’t get enough

Maasaï the album & band need to be seriously checked out. Real just got more real, go and grab this fantastic release over on Bandcamp, it’s a steal at a mere $5, also if you are in the Montreal area look out for these guys live.

Steam or Download Maasai on BandCamp

 

Dead Captain – Carte Blanche

Back in June 2017 we reviewed the excellent Dead Captain EP, a 4 track wonderment that sprang out of a discarded box outside of a pub (Dead Captain – EP). Fast forward to now and we have this single release ‘Carte Blanche’.

True to form, Dead Captain’ maintain their own distinct sound keeping faith with their vision and views in an urban undercurrent. There’s an edge to this sound, sort of a rawness on the edge that drives along and bites under the clever lyrics. There’s even elements to that ‘UK rock era’ of the late 70’s in there, a slight hint of a vintage ‘Police’ with a more snarling guitar. Ok, I may be getting a little carried away here but take it from me it’s a hell of a good sound.

Like the title suggests, Dead Captain are doing what they want, when they want with all the freedom to move. I hope they keep doing it cos it’s good, nay, it’s brilliant. Carte Blanche is Out now from all the major downloaders.

Download – Apple Music

Johnny Come Latelys – Messiah Complex Part 1 (EP)

Manchester, the sprawling metropolis of the north, home to so many of the coolest bands ever to have graced our music scene and within this melee of clambering talent sat Supajamma, fronted by ex Audioweb vocalist Sugar. Sadly the band with the wonderful fronting Sugar demised and dispersed into the world of ex band members.

Two of these ex band member, Simon Collier (bass) & Dan Adams (drums), re-emerges in the form of ‘Johnny Come Latelys’ where Simon conceived, composed and performed almost all of this 4 track EP alone with a little help from Donna Marie Stevens (backing vocals). Take the vocals away and the overall sound still carries the ghost of Supajamma.

It oozes northern urban grit, harsh reality, just getting out of bed and trying to survive knowing you can see what others seemingly pass unnoticed.  It’s all rolled and mangled into one in this, the ‘Messiah Complex Part 1’…

Kicking off is ‘The Truth Behind The Lies’, with its harsh undercurrent of distortions and wavering vocals (aren’t pretty but suit to a T) washed in echo, its angry, its real and raw. A politically charged rant at the bad world we get spewing from our TV sets, the evil that men do, the lies that glorify and the possible bleak future facing us all etc. It’s a biting snarling track making its point very clearly and in the context of the whole offering is the ideal starter.

The following three tracks (from this 4 track EP), have more of the same subject wise but do vary the groove, being clever, well produced & interesting. The vocals are nowhere near sublime but suit the style and blend into this dark world of the Messiah Complex Part 1. For me, the stand out track has to be ‘Saved the Day’. A beautiful slow groove that drives on and on, the message remains the same but the feeling has dropped into a more acceptance of the World and society that we have no choice but to live within it.

It’s a solid EP, with a true message that’s delivered well, so head on over to Band Camp (links below) and downloads your copy of the Messiah Complex Part 1. Get mad about it!

Links – Band Camp