Describing themselves as an ‘American instrumental rock ‘n’ roll combo recreating the savage guitar sounds that ruled the world in the 50s and 60s’ is, more or less, a perfect way to describe The Sabres recent, and eponymously titled album. Where this album differs is when it decides to stray from such a description by applying the brakes and taking a more relaxed approach, or picking from a wider number of musical reference points that make this album more than a straightforward surf guitar instrumental long player. With so much expression crammed into opening number ‘Pussy Footin’ despite only running for a brief time, this particular instrumental manages to spin and twirl its way throughout, in addition to sliding down the fretboard of frontman Casello’s guitar to great effect. After such a dramatic entrance, there is no let up as far as the detailed expression is concerned with ‘Stink Bomb’ sounding like an additional number to a film score, and ‘Hamhocks’ free flowing use of guitar and Hammond organ possessing a real 60s flavour. ‘Tsunami’ really lives up to its title with a combination of surf guitar and drums maintaining a hectic pace. It’s no surprise that a calmer tempo is applied to the following ‘Always Blue’, which is executed to perfection with, naturally, Casello’s guitar leading the way and supplemented with a light, shuffling percussive rhythm. There are moments to ‘Nutrocker’ that really captures the senses, only for the song to take a less desirable route via a nauseating section of 60s kitsch. ‘Ride The Savage’ gets back on track by way of some red-hot guitar, and then proceeded by ‘Chin Tiki Swing’ showcasing the band’s skilful musicianship to wonderful effect. If ‘Chin Tiki Swing’ is not enough for some to suggest a suitable conclusion due to its sheer brilliance, then a cover of Link Wray’s ‘Jack The Ripper’ is definitely a fitting finale to the talents of The Sabres.

Produced by Forrest Lee Jr. and recorded at the Cash Cabin Studios is the debut album from Norwegian country band, Løiten Twang Depot. With a forewarning of troubled times ahead by way of the storm brewing as depicted by the album’s artwork, as well as the title itself a dead giveaway to the contents inside, Løiten Twang Depot is a band that is not afraid to tackle its inner demons head on. In order to do this, the five musicians riding this ‘Trouble Train’ cleverly disguise the emotional turmoil of the lyrics by means of country tunes that are often sprightly and therefore fitting of the American tradition when it comes to this genre of music. Evidence of this approach from Løiten Twang Depot is the light feel, musically, of ‘Devil’s Touch’, with nice use of backing vocals, only it’s a song not to be taken lightly due to having its foundations in a particularly troubled time in lead singer Bjørn Flaaseth’s life, but without giving any direct indication here. ‘If I Give My Soul’ presents a different angle by openly confessing a life turned bad, despite having everything at their disposal, and whether redemption is still within their grasp. It’s the calm delivery of the wrought love affair of ‘It’s All Over’ that also follows the tradition of American country music, where the vocals never resort to histrionics in order to relay its tale despite residing in deep despair. A cover of Merle Haggard’s ‘The Fightin’ Side of Me’ sends out its warning as it’s a song full of patriotism, which in the context of the band performing could equally be referring to their homeland. With Merle Haggard among the influences in relation to ‘Trouble Train’, the song ‘Chasin’ The Sun’ is a tip of the hat to another hero, Johnny Cash who receives a more direct acknowledgment via a cover of his ‘Big River’ composition. By writing an album that fits in with the traditional country sound that America has become renowned for, Løiten Twang Depot provide a timely reminder of what country music should sound like given the current gloss applied to this genre in the 21^st century.

It’s the halfway stage in a year that has seen much activity from Norway’s Benjamin Finger. In order to continue this creative momentum, ‘Motion Reverse’ is the latest addition with nine fresh tracks detailing the thought processes running through the mind of this Norwegian DJ, producer and songwriter. Kicking off this latest exploratory creative venture is recent single ‘Vocal Limited’ that hisses, pulsates and rattles at different intervals as well as joining forces to give off a general sense of foreboding.  Such emotions, generated by use of electronics, overlaps somewhat when ‘Frontal Waves’ gives the impression of a journey in motion, yet the direction is unclear as sounds flicker and the faintest of vocals can be heard intermittently in the background with the softest of horns that suggests it’s trying to recall lost memories. The probing continues with the subsequent and rather similar in sound ‘Dubstore Light’, only the search is more thorough with Benjamin Finger adding numerous droplets of electrical pulses that give way to moments of intensity where the sound is attempting to hack its way to discovery. ‘Black Hat’ ratchets any lingering tension with an almost metallic feel to its sound and its mood considerably black where sounds swirl and clash in a circular motion. Light relief arrives in the form of ‘Sunny Echoes’ where segments of its sound are lighter in tone, as well as utilising other instruments with what sounds like the electric guitar and giving way to the idea that this particular track was recorded live such is the overall natural vibe. The atmosphere of ‘Spacecore Dust’ is captured to perfection by sounding as distant as its title and then concluded by ‘Dream Logic’ which, despite its ethereal beginnings, blossoms into a glorious sound that can be described visually as a blinding white light before fading and drifting further in the vacuum of space. By creating a fuller sound and general consistency where songs interconnect more closely, ‘Motion Reverse’ functions as a complete album. Furthermore, it is the sound of Benjamin Finger attempting to make sense of the past, as well as trying to fathom the present, which makes perfect sense once this latest album opens up its contents. Quite possibly his strongest accomplishment yet, but then again the halfway point has only just been reached with promise of more to come. Either way ‘Motion Reverse’ is a major step in the right direction for Benjamin Finger.

Prolific when it comes to their song writing, The Wise Guyz are back with a fourth album release, ‘Hot Summer Nights’. Charting similar territory to their previous album releases, this latest instalment raises the temperature somewhat with a variety of rockabilly numbers, but also shuffles in a few other influences and ideas to keep The Wise Guyz’ creative pot bubbling. With sixteen tracks to transmit their often wild rockin’ sound, ‘2 AM Rock’ is the first offering and what a way to make an introduction! Full of conviction, these Ukrainian cats will be rockin’ until the sun rises because ‘2 AM Rock’ is everything its tile suggests as it’s wild, it’s fuelled with energy, and possesses a real sting in its vocal that will raise even the dead into a boppin’ frenzy! Next in line, ‘Crash’ lets the instruments take the driving seat by kicking up a dangerous and menacing rhythm, greatly emphasised by the additional saxophone that adds a real intensity to the song. ‘Miss Chris’ pays its respects to Gene Vincent and really shows The Wise Guyz at the top of their game where guitars are flexing much detail and remain light and surefooted, with howls of derision from the backing vocals every once in a while to accentuate this confidence. A notable difference with ‘Hot Summer Nights’  compared to say, the band’s debut album, ‘Don’t Touch My Greasy Hair’ is that the music assumes a greater role over the lyrics when considering the songs ‘Bop Disease’ and ‘Do It Bop’, for example, where the words are surface considerations. Elsewhere, ‘Rude Bad Boy’ introduces another facet to The Wise Guyz’ sound with rhythm and blues edging its way in and lead singer, Chris Bird, showing his range with expertly handled vocals. Sometimes less is more, however, as the high number of tracks would have benefitted from a little trimming because there is a tendency for one or two songs to get lost in the overall mix. With ‘Sad’ nearing the end of this fourth album, and providing another example of the band’s versatility with its ballad-esque approach reflecting on a love departed, The Wise Guyz provide enough wild excitement and drama to warrant a fifth long player when the time is right. For now, ‘Hot Summer Nights’ is more than enough company to keep those limbs boppin’ to the wee small hours.

Two volumes celebrating the guitar maestro George Barnes. Volume one ‘Quiet! Gibson At Work’ covers the years 1938 – 1957, with the second volume compiling a selection of Barnes’ work and input from 1952 – 1962 via ‘Restless Guitar’. By compiling two comprehensive albums, the name George Barnes receives a welcome revival as he was at the forefront helping to pioneer the electric guitar during its early years. Not just a jazz session player, George Barnes turned his attention to a variety of genres and earned his stripes by tackling everything from blues, country, rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll to name but a few.  As mentioned, ‘Quiet! Gibson At Work’ focuses on those early years and really provides a vast amount of material to wade through, complete with comprehensive notes from Dave Penny to provide the historical details. With blues and country jazz making up the first side, before shifting to swing and country jazz, there is much to discover whether from the enigmatic singing via The Yas Yas Girl (Merline Johnson) ‘Love Shows Weakness’; lively country jazz of ‘I Love My Fruit’ (The Sweet Violet Boys), or the blues strum of ‘New “Sail On, Little Girl”‘ (Jazz Gillum) and George Barnes providing detailed guitar patterns from behind. Volume two, ‘Restless Guitar’, tracks the development of the guitar sound where the rhythm is of a different nature and really gets moving with two numbers by Dean Hightower with the early groove of ‘Plunkin’ Party’ and expressive ‘Moon Rocket’ that really provides the listener with an idea of its subject matter. Once more there is great variety on display with ‘Restless Guitar’ that will take you on a romantic ride by way of ‘Harbour Lights’; set you on edge via the tough attitude of ‘Purple Monster’, or create some serious rhythm with the superb boogie-woogie of ‘Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie’ (Lawson-Haggart Rockin’ Band), showing that the works and times of George Barnes are really worth (re)discovering.

The storm clouds were circling leading up to Florence + The Machine’s third long player, ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’. In order to set the creative wheels in motion for this latest inclusion in the works of Florence + The Machine that seemed to involve a personal cleansing of the artistic soul, so to speak, has been suggested by the band’s leader, Florence Welch herself: “I was thinking about my own self-destructive side, and how you can make something only to tear it down, enjoy/destroy, create/devastate etc. When you’re in that whirlwind, you often end up breaking the thing you love the most”. Such words refer to, in particular, current and ubiquitous single, ‘Ship To Wreck’. It’s this very single which kick starts this latest chapter fully into life, and deserves all of the plaudits it’s currently receiving and blanket coverage in terms of TV networks and radio stations because it’s a glorious comeback considering the personal chaos that was threatening to engulf this artist. Producer Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Björk, Coldplay) also plays a role here by applying strict guidelines to the song writing (i.e. no more songs about water apart from the previously mentioned single) in order to derive a fresh way of thinking from Florence + The Machine. With contributions coming from John Hill, Kid Harpoon and Paul Hepworth, the combined efforts pay dividends as Florence + The Machine roll out a succession of well-crafted and thoroughly engaging songs. From earlier single release ‘What Kind Of Man’ with its inflections of blues held in its rhythm, to the sublime title track with its glorious conclusion of brass horns, to the thought-provoking duo of ‘Queen Of Peace’ and ‘Various Storms & Saints’, the troubled times Florence Welch underwent has seen her come out the other side a much stronger artist as ‘How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful’ is a triumphant success.