Battersea Shield - Orb & Meat Beat Manifesto

Advantages: Dubby and Dancey all in one
Disadvantages: Not as stand out as some counterparts

...somehow I love the touch of bands adding this into the album, I just love reading it. The booklet also has a small "This album is dedicated to the memory of Lisa Grayley" on the back of it, I felt I should mention this as Orb felt they should. TRACKS (14) ONCE MORE (4:18) A relaxed start to the album takes us in with simple church style opening with female vocals over the top. This is interlaced with natural sounds (water and the like) which all blends away so the song can actually start. Its quite fast for dub which is odd but its not overpoweringly fast. Its still good for an eyes closed sway. The drum beats flow in and out knowing where to fall away to let the vocals take over with a nice funky understated bass to keep you going with it. The drums are in places cliched style Dub which gives an older feel to the track (this album... Read review

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Advantages: Bombastic operatic excellence
Disadvantages: Some may baulk at length of songs

...the verses that build to a rollicking bridge and supremely bellowed chorus from Meat Loaf and backing singers. The piano is particularly well utilised in parts, as this mass of individual sounds collide and merge together for a belting track, loud and irresistible to sing along to. The backing vocals do grate in places though. The track fades to a lonely 'marching' bagpipe blast. 9. 'Good girls go to heaven (bad girls go everywhere)' Where do i start? A sleazy jazz sax opens, and in come funky drums and horns! Incredibly retro camp kitsch vocals follow, then a monstrous 'buzz-saw' guitar riff changes the direction completely, and the real song starts, led mainly by a simple and repetitive drum beat and keyboards. Meat Loaf belts out the relentless and uplifting vocals, interjected by that 'buzz-saw' guitar riff and pounding drums that fade... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing, intelligently written Skacore
Disadvantages: None

...'Everything Goes Numb' is another album from the mind of Tomas Kalnoky (of 'Keasbey NIghts' era Catch 22 and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution fame). Streetlight Manifesto, the amalgamation of half of the original Catch 22 line up and half of One Cool Guy, specialise in writing intelligent, lyrically outstanding skacore that is influenced by a number of musical styles which - going past the obvious mentions of punk and hardcore - include anything from classical to russian folk. 'Everything Goes Numb' ineveitably faces comparisons with (effectively) its predecessor 'Keasbey Nights' and in every way (originality, quality of music and lyrics etc) it is a much stronger, and darker (without infringing upon the inherent upbeatness of ska), album. Here is a quick run down of the tracks on the album: 1.Everything Went Numb - An excellent... Read review

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