Happy Saturday to you all. Have you been out enjoying the glorious sunshine, or have you been stuck indoors, rocking silently back and forth and weeping softly? I haven't been doing the latter. Well, I haven't been doing the latter since lunchtime anyway. But enough of my strange proclivities - I could write a book and still have enough left over to paper a tart's boudoir. What can I offer you in terms of great music today?
Please be upstanding for Cross Wires, please to be.
I do love it when bands e-mail me with their music (and if you're reading this and you're in a band and you'd like a feature, then that is an invitation - thegeneralmusicblog@googlemail.com). This week was no exception and Cross Wires really kindly sent me their new EP "Assembly"
So, first things first - get thyself to a nunnery (or bandcamp) and avail yourself of the free download of said EP:
crosswires.bandcamp.com/
I felt it was a really good kick in the trouser creases this record. I loved it from start to finish and wanted to feature it straight away. This is proof that punk is still alive and kicking. It's four tracks of energised, sparky brilliance. It actually isn't that often you come across a genuinely brilliant modern punk band (and I know I sound like Nanna - I was only just born when punk was grabbing it's ventolin inhaler and breathing it's last). But this is genuinely brilliant - it's got a fantastic exuberance about it and each track seems to offer something different.
The stand out song for me, is track number two "Acid Bath". It's got a real Gang of Four feel to it - the opening, slightly reminiscent of "At Home He's A Tourist". It opens into a rolling, revving highly charged run of a number - it's driven and it speeds along so nicely, ending with a brilliant repetition, which hammers home the urgency of the song. It's followed by the equally brilliant "I Want To Be Your Man (Again)", which has a fab popping, grinding bass line to it and a great, part shouty, part discordant vocal which makes the song seem so much more plaintive in a way.
In truth, though I've singled out those two numbers, each track is fantastic - it's an EP which doesn't rest on it's laurels, nor does it run out of steam - as sometimes anything punky can do, it can sometimes feel a bit exhausting. This doesn't, this keeps your interest and keeps your focus. It feels fresh, it feels inventive and it was just what I needed to revive my very jaded, tired out soul this week.
Give it a download and give their other releases a test run too. Cross Wires are a genuine gem of a band and a must listen.
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