W/e 22/11/24 - Du Blonde, Linkin Park, She Drew The Gun, Warmduscher, Beta Band

Congrats to Du Blonde, just into our top 40 for the year. This is the 3rd of hers we've reviewed, and is sandwiched between the other 2. Lung Bread for Daddy is still in our top 100 overall.

Warmduscher might want to reflect as this offering is 300+ places below At The Hotspot from 2022.

Sam has the 😀 by a smidge from Matt. Adam takes his first ☹️ despite his personal favs in the quartet!

Beta Band take a rung next to Genisis and Aztec Camera on the classics ladder.

Andy

Du Blonde - I had to go back to her previous album as I didn’t remember her being this guitar based. Change of direction or not this was terrific. Cracking guitar based pop songs 7

Linkin Park - Unsurprisingly I really liked this, even though the pre album single Emptiness Machine is set at a high level the rest of the set doesn’t quite reach. Emily is a perfectly good singer, and clearly isn’t supposed to be a direct swap for Chester so all the incels can probably calm down to a panic. Wouldn’t be surprised to find myself returning to this a lot as the year runs to a halt 8

She Drew The Gun - Another success for the week. I really liked Louisa Roach’s last album and this might even be step up. Cracking vocals over a really interesting mix of guitars and electronic sounds. Very much one to keep an eye on 7.5

Warmdüscher - Irvine Welsh going on about how great crack is almost derailed this before it got started but after they start playing their poor man’s Cake OK art rock it’s, errr, OK I guess 5.5

TotW - Emptiness Machine by Linkin Park (basic I know)

Beta Band - Despite hearing a lot about them over the years, my only real knowledge of the Beta Band was Rob challenging himself to sell 5 copies of The Three EPs in High Fidelity. As a result I always thought they were something they’re not, at least not on this album which isn’t nearly as experimental as I thought it would be. It’s actually quite pleasant even if sometimes it gets too far from the avant garde and goes a bit Elbow 6.5

Guy

Du Blonde - Pleasant enough without setting the world on fire. Rockier numbers have the edge over the more wafty ones. - 6.5

Linkin Park - Never the biggest fan of this lot. Too heavy for me. This is probably sacrilege but I actually found them more listenable with the female vocals than with Chester. Over Each Other even sounded a bit like the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs which is no bad thing - 6.3

She Drew The Gun - Definitely an interesting mix of sounds on this one. Slightly ethereal vocals with some Yazoo! synths and even a bit of drum and bass. I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt and say it was novel rather than disjointed - 7

Warmduscher - typical of the current post-punk sound. Extra marks for the unusual xylophone use but too many tracks sounded like a tune-up - 6

The Beta Band - Nothing particularly wrong with this. Tuneful, atmospheric and in places had a hint of Bombay Bicycle Club or The Maccabees. But overall just too slow for my taste. Could have done with a few faster numbers to break me from my stupor - 6.1

TOTW - She Drew The Gun - Washed in Blue

Sam

Du Blonde : I like her , lovely bit of slacker rock . 7.7

Linkin Park : what a band , so many hits . I like the new line up . Still sounds like them , still packing a punch . 8

She Drew the Gun : definitely interesting , didn’t totally blow my skirt up : 7

Warmduscher: they can create big tunes for sure but some of this is bad batshit . 6

Beta Band : much of this could have been released in the 70’s and called ‘Genesis 2 ‘ I can see why Radiohead like them but Oasis ? Odd album ; 6 , sorry Simon

TOTW : the emptiness machine by Linkin park

Phil

Du Blonde 6.5

Mostly breezy uptempo indie but without much to distinguish it from the pack. Did enjoy Solitary individual but it mostly zipped by without getting me too excited.

Linkin Park 6.5

Surprisingly, since I wasn’t that keen on Meteora, I quite enjoyed this. There must be some sort of Venn diagram where the overlapping circles are thrash metal vocals, scuzzy guitars and pop tunes. This hit the sweet spot for me. You watch – I’ll be sewing patches on my denim jacket before long.

She drew the gun 6

A strange mixture of political raps, gentler tunes and yearning indie pop. I found it hard to engage.

Warmduscher 7

Warmduscher may have missed the trendy boat but they still make a fine racket. This album is pretty uneven, truth be told and whose idea was it to kick the album off with Irvine Welsh woffling on about smoking crack? No matter – Fashion week gets the party started (weren’t those vibes, Guy, rather than a xylophone?) and there are plenty of bangers dotted throughout. Not as good as Tainted lunch but still sleazily enjoyable.

TOTW – Warmduscher – Staying alive

Classic

The Beta Band 7.5

More mainstream than their earlier stuff, for sure, but they still don’t sound like anyone else. Mostly acoustic, on the folky spectrum, but with regular bursts of melodic noise. I enjoyed this a lot. Must check out Steve Mason’s solo stuff!

Simon

du Blonde: spirited and reasonably engaging blast of grungy alt-pop, unfortunately there's plenty of this stuff around these days and not sure there's much here that's going to make this stand out from the crowd. 6.5

Linkin Park: didn't mind this to start with but 30 mins of being bludgeoned by the same over-the-top vocal quickly became tedious. We've listened to a number of albums of this ilk and I'm still yet to hear a good one. 5

She Drew The Gun: like the icy synths and the singer's got a great voice - seems to remember their previous album had a bit more bite, this starts and ends well although does get a bit fluffy in the middle. Decent overall, though. 7

Warmduscher: saw them live in the summer and the singer certainly had plenty of charisma, and this comes across most strongly here - took a few listens but this has grown on me, the scuzzy funk/lounge music together with Clam's delivery makes an appealing combo. 7.5

Beta Band: released just a few months before disbanding because they were skint, this album split the critics but I think perfectly encapsulates what made the Beta Band such a unique act - it's eclectic and often eccentric but also intricate, warm and melodic. Sadly often overlooked and underappreciated in their time. 8.5

TotW: She Drew the Gun - Conjuring

Jim

Du Blonde 8

I think she’s one of the finds of this adventure, and the previous 2 we reviewed a few years back were terrific. This is not quite up there, but still more interesting and soulful than most of her grungy peers.

Linkin Park 7

Well at least I now know it’s screaming , as opposed to screeching, growling or anything else and that there are specific pants for it! Otherwise , this was decent heavy rock with thankfully only the occasional scream

She Drew The Gun 7.5

Another enjoyable mix of synth, indie and pop from these guys. Will keep an eye out for local gig.

Warmduscher 6

Didn't warm to this. There are some decent, original moments but thought it lacked a rhythm

TOTW Du Blond - Dollar Coffee.

The Beta Band 7

A new one for me. As with Warmdushcer, there were a fair few moments where I was engaged but then it quickly went down a differnt path so it felt a bit chaotic.

Adam

Du Blonde - From the cover didn’t think this was going to be quite so upbeat and poppy but glad it was. Reminded me of some other hits from Wet Leg and The Big Moon. Judging this book, not by its cover but its contents - 7

Linkin Park - Caveat, this is my favourite band of all time. Highly anticipated and I do love the new singer Emily. Just really happy they are back and the album was like an ode to what went before with different tracks not out of place across a variety of their back catalogue Some heavy, some more nu-metal rap, and the more recent pop lean as well. A solid 8

She Drew the Gun - listened through and nothing has really stuck with me, had to go back and try and remember a few of the tracks again. 6

Warmduscher - left me with a cold feeling and was glad to have finished this one. Seemingly trying to be too cool with what they’re attempting to do. Had hints of Viagra Boys at times, not a complete disaster but I wont be back. 3

TOTW - Linkin Park - Heavy is the Crown

Beta Band - bit grungy, bit funky - traveled across a few different planes on this one but some enjoyable moments 5

Annette

Du Blonde: 8

Linkin Park: 5

She Drew the Gun: 8

Warmdusher: 6

Beta Band: 5

TOTW: She Drew the Gun - Shine On.

Justin

Du Blonde - like her voice and a good variety of indie rockers on here 7.1

Linkin Park - always really liked some stuff of theirs and hated other stuff. This is pretty much in that vein. When there is less shouting it is definitely better. 6.7

She Drew the Gun - again good vocals and varied collection of indie pop electronica. Drifts a bit in places but still a good album 7

Warmduscher - Liked the Irvine Welsh spoken word at the start and the jazz at the end. Otherwise a bit of a tough listen but it did have some moments. 5.9

TOTW The Emptiness Machine - Linkin Park

Beta Band - heard of them but never listened to them. Enjoyed the folk prog stuff in the first half. Best album of the week. Will give it some more spins. 7.5

Mark

Du Blonde - another quality album from Beth Jeans Houghton (is that really her middle name..?). Dollar Coffee and some of the other buzzy guitar ones is like something by Weezer which is ace, although it loses a bit of momentum with the slowies - 7

Linkin Park - nu metal has always left me a bit cold to be honest, but I can see why this lot have become so big, even the screaming/screeching is just about palatable as it's so well produced - 6

She Drew The Gun - I really liked this, bit of Goldfrapp / Yeah Yeah Yeahs in there, played it loads this week and it's becoming one of my favourites of the year, great vocal and loads of variety in the tunes, many of which could have been my TOTW - 8.5

Warmduscher - a bit hit and miss compared to their last one, I've really taken to this kind of stuff but I don't think this is as good as Viagra Boys - 6.5

TOTW - Shine On, by She Drew The Gun

Erol

Du Blonde - very enjoyable. She has a beautiful voice and I quite enjoyed the (theatrical) slow numbers as well as the rockier tracks. Dollar Coffee and Solitary Individual stood out for me. 7.5

Linkin Park - a real blend of approaches here and a nod back to their earlier style. The new female singer is ace. The screeching is controlled and infrequent adding to the overall grunge-metal impact. Really enjoyed this. 7.9

She Drew the Gun - another strong album. A modern version of Portishead and Massive Attack combined, with a super dub vibe. Would like to see them in a small venue. 8

Warmduscher - I didn’t get on with this at all. Apart from the odd moment, it was just weird and I couldn’t wait for it to end. 4.5

TOTW - Shine On, She Drew the Gun.

Beta Band - never heard of them or listened to them before. But not bad, not bad at all. The prog rock vibe struck a chord with me. 7

Matt

Du Blonde- grungey and poppy, peppered with ear pleasing hooks and DB's (slightly) angsty vocals. Another accomplished outing. 8

Linkin Park - very happily surprised at this high tempo nu metal. The female vocals work really well. 7.9

She Drew the Gun - politically present electropop with with slightly ambient vocals. Might need repeated listens but initially didn't quite click. 6.7

Warmduscher - disappointed after their outing. An unnecessary monologue from Irvine Walsh segued into low key/languid scuzziness. 6

TOTW Du Blonde - Dollar Coffee