Beige Palace/Cassels - Waterloo Sublet/About Not Writing Split 7"

 Labels: Human Worth/God Unknown Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 07 Apr 2023

Tracklist:

1. Beige Palace - Waterloo Sublet

2. Cassels - About Not Writing

Some years ago now I went to an all day gig at The Brudenell in Leeds. The two bands that I remember from that day were Hoof Glove (members of Famine/Khuda at the time if my memory serves me right) and Beige Palace. Despite the foggy memory, coming across this split that was released earlier this year via London label Human Worth and God Unknown Records, memories came flooding back. Beige Palace is an experimental/art-rock trio from Leeds and London duo Cassels play a combination of arty post-punk/noise rock.

It feels very late in the day to be writing about anything noisy (especially as I’ve only recently complained to a neighbour about their tenant playing loud pop music at 4am on a weekend). Adulting aside, let’s dive into some noisy rock starting with Beige Palace and their song ‘Waterloo Sublet’. I think I must have seen a very early iteration of Beige Palace back in the day because I can’t remember them sending like this. It’s a somewhat minimalist song instumentation-wise, while the vocals are a mix of clean shouts and harsher screams. I love the multi-vocal approach. It reminds me of the warmth and experimentation that encompasses the rock/punk/heavy community in Leeds.

Cassels are a new band to my ears but one that immediately strikes me with the stark sound of their song ‘About Not Writing’. It goes from cocky London indie/spoken-word to dissonant noise and back with ease. It reminds me of early Franz Ferdinand in places, which is where the post-punk similarities come about, except they’re much heavier towards the end. I really don’t know how else to describe this song. Cassels definitely deserve more research/listening if you haven’t heard them before.

This split release demonstrates just how diverse the DIY/grassroots music scene is in the UK. Both Beige Palace and Cassels approach their craft from different angles, yet they both compliment each other. Despite there only being two songs on this split, that’s still more than enough to get you started. Another great little 7”. We need more of these.

You can stream and purchase this split digitally below from both labels, where it's also available to buy on 7" vinyl:-

Beige Palace - https://www.facebook.com/beigepalaceband

Cassels - https://www.facebook.com/casselsband

Human Worth - https://www.facebook.com/HumanWorthMusic

God Unknown Records - https://www.facebook.com/godunknownrecords

The Infested - Raw Ensemble

Labels: EHC Records

 Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 21 May 2018

Tracklist:

1. Believe

2. Hoax

3. Shackles

4. Shackles (Part 2)

5. Fight Or Flight

6. Dopamine

7. Monsters

8. SSRI Or Die?

9. Buy To Survive

10. Another Life

11. Outro

12. Turn The Page (Demo/Bonus)

It's safe to say (and it has been said many time) that Leeds (West Yorkshire, England) has one of the best music scenes of anywhere in the UK. From the most extreme metal right down to the artiest punk, Leeds has so much to offer musically. It makes sense then for the city that gave birth to Slam Dunk festival to be producing punk rock and ska bands that could rival any band that appeared on that festival's stage in it's early days. The Infested have been building their brand of "Punk Rock Ska-Core" since 2003 and are due to release their third full-length "Raw Ensemble" in a couple of weeks. The album title bares a cheeky little nod to Slayer (War Ensemble anyone?), but the music could not be further removed.

My frame of reference when it comes to punk rock bands employing Ska is the likes of Mad Caddies and Less Than Jake, but I’m probably a bit out of touch with such bands in the UK. Believe proves that The Infested are all about fun, while having a serious message within their lyrics. The music is solid but the vocals take a bit of getting used to, even for someone who likes hardcore and noisy punk. On Hoax, the melody from the guitars and the grittiness of the band as whole is great. In fact they could be the UK’s answer to Zebrahead, but with more bite. In true punk fashion they don’t hang around at any point on this record. Shackles exhibits their instrumental song-writing, which is super good. Shackles (Part 2) is a ridiculously fast number that makes use of a lot of hardcore influence but retains the band’s infectious punk as well. 

By the time The Infested reaches Fight Or Flight, they seem to have definitely found their song-writing chops. The longer running time and the added melody in the vocals seem to thrust the record to another level (in my opinion!). They stick to a briefer formula with Dopamine and the up-tempo urgency really stands out. It drags you kicking and screaming into the album’s second-half with raging drums and old-school punk flair. Thrash metal riffs and dual-guitar harmonies greet you on Monsters and that should give a clue as to how heavy this song is. That said, The Infested does still throw down plenty of skilfully played ska during it’s latter passages, creating a song of two distinct halves. They dial things back slightly on SSRI Or Die? but the ska is still alive and present, in a song that’s probably the angst-ridden anthem of “Raw Ensemble”. Absolutely brilliant! The further you get into this album, the better it becomes and the better in makes you feel. 

On Buy To Survive, The Infested play their longest song. Once again the longer playing time suits their music just as much as the fast stuff does. They’re even classy enough to throw an acoustic song into the mix. Another Life gives you more restrained musicianship but with the same intense vocal delivery. The Outro, which is actually the penultimate song of the album is an orchestral song complete with the usual pomp and drama. it’s really cool though in a slightly cheesy way! There’s a demo/bone song stacked on the end of the record called Turn The Page and it’s the closest song The Infested has to something nearing pop-punk. Overall this is a great record with bucket loads of energy. The harsh vocals may be a bit abrasive for some but this is punk rock and it was always meant to go against the grain. Nice job!

You can stream album opener Believe via EHC Records below:-

It's currently available to pre-order via the bandcamp page above on all formats.

The Infested - https://www.facebook.com/theinfested2004/

Hundred Year Old Man - Rei 12"

Labels: Gizeh Records/Wolves And Vibrancy Records

Formats: Vinyl/Digital

Release Date: 26 Jan 2018

Tracklist:

1. Sun & Moon

2. A Year In The North Sea

3. Rei

The first foray onto vinyl for Leeds' ambient/heavy post-metal band Hundred Year Old Man is a glorious one. The above three songs were pressed onto sumptuous single-sided black wax, with the other side being etched, by UK label Gizeh Records and German counterparts Wolves And Vibrancy Records. HYOM are currently carving a path across Northern Europe with Row Of Ashes, taking in stops in France, Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic in support of this release. 

We’re just over a month into the year and great music seems to be flying from all directions. Hundred Year Old Man are no exception to that and Sun & Moon is a swirling mass all of it’s own. Calming melodic ambience is joined by restrained drumming and guitar work, that backs up harsh vocals that are both towering and claustrophobic. Pushing boundaries seems to be in the DNA of many Leeds bands and HYOM truly encompass that here. A Year In The North Sea is a bizarre and sometimes jarring instrumental (mostly anyway) that builds in volume, though it’s a contrast to the song it follows as it’s length is kept to a minimum. 

Rei is filled with the band’s familiar ambient layers as it begins, before turning towards off-kilter territory. There’s a structure that seems to switch between eerie horror soundtrack-like passages and heavy sludge. It’s definitely unsettling but it provides you with a tangible feeling of just how experimental and unique HYOM are as a band. The engineering/production/mixing job of members Tom Wright and Owen Pegg is brought to life via the skilled mastering of Magnus Lindberg, which helps this record sound and feel very alive indeed. “Rei” has left me paralysed within these four walls. I don’t quite know what else to say about this except that it really needs to be heard, as me trying to describe it doesn’t do it justice.

You can stream "Rei" and purchase it digitally below:-

Hundred Year Old Man - https://www.facebook.com/hundredyearoldman/

Physical copies can be purchased from the links below:-

Gizeh Records - https://www.gizehstore.com

Wolves And Vibrancy Records - http://wolvesandvibrancyrecords.tictail.com/products

Gizeh Records - https://www.facebook.com/gizehrecords/
Wolves And Vibrancy Records - https://www.facebook.com/wolvesandvibrancyrecords/