Future Of The Left - Manchasm

The word ‘punk’ means many things. Before the 1970s, on the streets of San Francisco it meant a young hoodlum, a hustler. Punks, like lots of things need to evolve however, and the problem with a lot of modern punk rock is that it hasn’t.

When Future of The Left released their debut album ‘Curses’ in 2007, some were dismayed, others delighted, that the band had moved towards the occasional use of lead synthesisers to replace guitar.

The thing is, if you were a Mclusky fan, then you might have wanted Andy "Falco" Falkous, and Jack Egglestone (formerly of Mclusky), and Kelson Mathias (frontman of now defunct experimental electronic/punk act, Jarcrew) to just carry on in the same vein. Being true musicians, they were never going to do that though. Future of the Left’s sound is firmly entrenched within Mclusky’s unique tradition of hardcore indie music – but with a little something extra, and the little something is Mathias – his heavy bass sound and enthusiasm for electronics.

After the success of ‘Curses’, the band has emerged with a brand new single, entitled ‘Manchasm’. And it’s a corker, employing the new electronic synthesiser approach to full effect – Kelson’s now trademark hard hitting distorted fuzzy bass is the driving force, complimenting Falco’s distinctively harsh and political vocals. This isn’t punk, but everything that made punk good in 1970 went into this single – in the words of Tommy Ramone, direct pure and stripped down, no bullshit rock and roll. With synths.

iLIKETRAINS - We Go Hunting

Traditionally a historian is more like a detective than an artist, investigating past events and using hard evidence to reconstruct our past in a truthful fashion. The members of iLiKETRAINS would disagree though – they’re clearly history nuts! The inspiration for the Leeds bands’ music lies with re-imagined historical characters and events, and is portrayed through a powerful mix of baritone vocals, sung over potent post rock melodies.

The music is not the sounds of the past, rather the band use the past as an inspiration for their modern music. It’s epic, but not forced - the emotional focus is on the depiction of often harrowing events so Dave Martin (vocals, guitar) has the perfect excuse to be melodramatic.

The new single, ‘We Go Hunting,’ portrays a paranoid Massachusetts of 1692, steeped in religious fervour. It was here that nineteen women were accused of witchcraft, and hung at the hands of the church. The event became known as “The Salem Witch Trials” – Arthur Miller famously depicted the events in his play of 1953, ‘The Crucible’.

Through a dark post rock sensibility, the Leeds band is once again able to achieve an ominous sense of foreboding. Simon Fogul’s pounding, tribal drums compliment epic delayed guitars – the excellence of this single is in the way it builds tension, through a combination of clever lyricism and instrumental wisdom.

Martin’s vocal style is undeniable influenced by Morissey, as well as being comparable to Paul Banks of Interpol. The singer has said that he wanted iLiKETRAIN’s music to have a "sense of location" that was lacking in music like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Sigur Rós, and they’ve have achieved this – there’s a downside though. Out of context, this band might appear pretentious, in a thoroughly British way, and well just plain miserable.