Ship Captain Crew has experienced a rather successful year thus far, having made their debut at this year’s Warped Tour and serving support slots with the likes of Knuckle Puck and Real Friends. Such victories look set to continue with the release of their latest EP ‘The Ocean Floor’. The sentiments echoed throughout this EP have more in common with the title of Ship Captain Crew’s current offering, but the tunes this crew (sorry!) serve up are far more resilient. It’s the band’s knack of writing strong melodies that lifts the songs out of the doldrums where crushed emotions often exist, but are soon answered with a fighting spirit by the likes of the pop punk ‘Honesty’, which possesses a real kick to its rhythm that constantly propels the song forward, and then followed by a moving vocal turn from Roger Alexander Moreno during the equally impressive ‘Hollows’. With two acoustic tracks added to the set Ship Captain Crew reveal another side to their song armoury, and one that shows up under a closer microscopic view the depth and details that go into the band’s song writing. Life on the bottom of the ocean is not a bad place to be when you’ve got Ship Captain Crew for company and their ‘The Ocean Floor’ EP, as there is enough here to suggest that these songs are focused on moving forward, despite the reflective stance of the narratives, and that is something to be greatly admired.

There are personal and external issues at stake when it comes to the debut album from Cashavelly Morrison. With the title of ‘The Kingdom Belongs To A Child’ playing a significant role here, the album explores issues of loss whether relating directly to this songstress or reflecting upon those around her, as well as tackling issues of a sociological and political nature relating to inequality and empowering women for example. It’s powerful, emotive stuff that really deserves to be heard. Another part of the persuasion here is the Americana and folk roots ‘The Kingdom Belongs To A Child’ pays reference to. More specifically, it’s the darker edges of these particular genres; explored by their narratives and quoted here as ‘Southern Gothic’ as portrayed by artists such as Gillian Welch, Lucinda Williams and Neko Case. By meeting her now husband, Ryan MacLeod, who was in the process of earning his stripes in classical guitar performance at UNC-School of the Arts, it was this meeting of the minds between Morrison and MacLeod which sparked a genuine creative process between the two once their love of authentic folk songs and admiration for Hank Williams had been expressed, and therefore a form of common ground established. Within a brief period of time, the songs making up the debut album ‘The Kingdom Belongs To A Child’ were recorded by use of vintage equipment at the renowned Echo Mountain Studio in Asheville, NC, and the rest is now history. Musically, the songs are of a delicate nature, with beautiful vocals and acoustic guitar often leading the way, and accompanied by the minimalist of instrumentation; notably upright bass and the occasional outings of pedal steel and banjo. Equally sensitive are the subjects Cashavelly Morrison voices concern over in terms of the contents of ‘The Kingdom Belongs To A Child’, with songs reflecting harrowing tales of loss including miscarriage, police brutality and the working conditions of miners in one particular town (’29 Bells’). In addition to this, there is a real sense of emotions conflicting with each other, and expressed between the lines of these narratives with grief and guilt weighing particularly heavy, with a suggestion of dirt on the hands in some instances. With the entire album being played out exquisitely and evoking memories of an old-timey sound brought to life by the banjo during ‘Emory’ and ‘May 5th’, Cashavelly Morrison has created an album of genuine beauty, but one that is touched by much sadness and personal loss yet never shies from such sensitive topics; something of which is to be commended because in her own words, “exploring your grief can lead to empowerment with the ultimate empowerment being the freedom to speak these things through music”.

A composition of strong beauty is the best way to describe the latest single from Oslo-based Rattlers. Comprising of six musicians and namely Live Miranda Solberg (vocals/acoustic guitar), Knut Rand (drums), Thomas Langård (bass/vocals), Einar Næss Haugseth (keys/vocals), Halvor Falck Johansen (guitar/vocals) and Mads Johansen (percussion), Rattlers deliver a sound that is suitably Americana and one that is held in high esteem after the band’s eponymously titled debut EP of last year received recognition on the national airwaves. Latest release, ‘Rattlers’, will not put a dent in such recognition as what starts off in a fairly minimalist approach, gradually develops into a fuller sound with a bit of a country rock coming out of the guitars and lead vocalist Live Miranda Solberg raising the decibels somewhat by remaining in defiant mood and letting her feelings known that a period of solitude is good for the soul when it comes to relationships. A second notch on the Rattlers career trajectory to further recognition as ‘Rivers’ is blessed with many qualities, and performed with an assured attitude that belies their years together.

Rather than idly passing the time away, due to the daily duties of regular band line ups remaining on sabbatical for now, the four band members making up new project, Dead Ahead, decided to get together and lay down some new material. As far as first recorded works go, the decision to pursue this fresh project was indeed a wise one, as all four tracks making up this debut EP are of the highest quality. Such has been the positive reactions to this four-track EP that Dead Ahead is likely to be pondering the next step in this new line up, which could evolve into a full-time project if the band continue along similar lines. So, to the music because it’s generally a gritty, punk rock sound, but one that contains enough melodic segments, set to raw and honest lyrics that often greets the listener. The urgency of opening number ‘Cold Truth’ is one such example of this sound, where a few (personal) realisations are coming to light and publically aired. The noise is more airtight during the caustic tone of ‘Rose Lenses’, where impassioned vocals provide a real edge. There is a fine line between the music Dead Ahead is peddling and the grunge (pop) rock influence of say, Buffalo Tom for example, albeit with a tad more dirt under the fingernails when listening to the former, where the sweet and sour ingredients of pop and punk meet and produce these coarse yet melodic songs. Such an example rears itself on closeout track ‘Exit Letters’ with its crushing confession, “From a time you had a heart” brought to life via the song’s driving rhythm and sometimes dual vocals, seemingly united in their contempt, that really touches a nerve and serves up a clear winner for song of the set. Long may this project continue, as there is only one direction that Dead Ahead should be looking in.

This is definitely an odd one and therefore something of a disappointment due to being a supporter of the band’s previous work. Unwittingly, B And The Bops seem to have sprung open their own trap because the title of their latest album perfectly sums up the majority of the contents inside. There is no doubting the energy levels and enthusiasm of this band, where a close resemblance to Gene Vincent in both appearance and sound certainly appears to be one of the ideas for ‘All Tangled Up!’ And this is where the problem lies because it’s the amount of ideas presented here that gives the impression of band lost in their own creativity and direction. That is not to say that B And The Bops should not be commended for their creative thinking because they spring a few surprises compared to their previous work which, when it works, is definitely a positive. ‘Breathin’ Down My Neck (Fast)’ certainly presents a different side for reasons concerning its vocal, which needs to be heard, and for the song being a dark, edgy number that tips just over the minute mark before fading out. ‘Rockin’ Rhythm Mama’ falls back down to earth with a straightforward rockabilly sound, before taking a ride with the aforementioned Gene Vincent via ‘Serves Me Right’ and its direct guitar sound and tense vocals, “I can’t eat, I can’t sleep…” and you get the picture here. Once the instrumental ‘Spitzmaus’ enters the fray, superbly executed it should be said, the feeling at this juncture is of an album losing its direction. Another example of this is ‘The Man From The Other Side’ that sounds at odds with those Gene Vincent inspired moments (‘Weekend’) due to its heavier country leanings yet gives a vocal performance that is part Cash and well, a very different side to lead vocalist Branko which, again, needs to be heard. Where B And The Bops get back to their best, however, is during such numbers as ‘Crazy Over You’ and ‘Slam The Door’, with both songs providing the band with a stronger identity in terms of their rockin’ roots. Another take of opening song Breathin’ Down My Neck (Slow)’ offers another interpretation of this track, before further oddities expose themselves with the early 60s feel of ‘I’ll Just Keep On Loving You’ and instrumental ‘Wrangle’. ‘All Tangled Up!’ would’ve best been served as an EP from the songs ‘Crazy Over You’ up to ‘Tangled Boogie’ as it would have provided a clearer indication of what B And The Bops were actually trying to achieve here. As it stands, the album contains several good points which, unfortunately, do not work as a complete whole as it’s the sound of two different bands when one would have sufficed.

Having amassed a total of fifteen years writing, recording and touring together on the rockin’ circuit, The Houserockers add to this incredible milestone with their latest long player, ‘Blue Swingin Mama’. Totalling 16 tracks, with two of these numbers being ‘lo-fi’ covers of ‘Susie Q’ and ‘Slippin In’ that really ought to be heard simply for the added realism of snap, crackle and pop that an old vinyl can possess, The Houserockers pay tribute to the musicians of the past with a selection of 50s covers, as well as adding a few compositions of their own. Not only has this lengthy period of performing together as The Houserockers provided a means of truly learning their craft and therefore creating one heck of a tight unit, but the main bargaining chip is frontman Rob Glazebrook who knows how to write a tune or two. More notably, it’s Glazebrook’s vocal that often contains a charismatic turn that can pull the listener in without any additional persuasion from the rest of the band. The album itself provides a feeling of several genres coming together, but with rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll being the most prominent. Such examples can be heard from the lonesome and reflective ‘Blue Moon Baby’, to picking up the tempo and running with it during the album’s title track, ‘Blue Swingin Mama’. The temperature increases further during ‘Slippin’ In’ where Rob Glazebrook sounds like he’s letting off steam after a particularly bad day at work. Variation is provided with the light, swinging feel of ‘Baby’s Got Two Left Feet’, and then pursuing similar ground with the rather excellent ‘Give Your Heart To Me’ that is played out to a reasonably pared back beat. The final fling of energy is reserved for the rockin’ ‘Trapped Love’ that is matched in the coolness stakes by ‘If I Had Me A Woman’, which has a certain aloofness about it and partly down to the use of mics as detailed by the liner notes. Paying their respects to rock ‘n’ roll history in fine style, as well as adding enough of their own personal touches, The Houserockers dig in for the next fifteen years with ‘Blue Swingin Mama’ being the perfect start.