Stemming from the city of Jaén in Spain where no doubt the climate is far warmer and the general mood of a more upbeat disposition, the newly formed trio Oddhums is certainly at odds (no pun intended) with the location from which they originate. By coming together only last year, Oddhums and their four-track EP ‘The Inception’ diverts immediately from anything that could be suggested as welcoming with their sound entrenched in a shifting combination of stoner-rock, sludge, post-rock, grunge and elements of ambient music. With the EP being recorded and mastered by Kike Gutiérrez at Black Bunker Records Studios, and artwork by Procesonegro Art Studios, Oddhums open their account in an atmospheric haze of guitars that erupts abruptly where sludge and stoner-rock collide and stretch their sounds to incorporate flashes of shoegaze during the opening track ‘Dimgaze’. From there the atmosphere of this EP becomes somewhat claustrophobic during ‘Big Brave’ where vocals are coming from the depths only to be lifted somewhat in clarity with the far more robust ‘Wounds’. Oddhums provide a compelling interpretation of paranoia as ‘Under Siege’ closes ‘The Inception’ EP in magnificent fashion and sets out this three-piece band as one to watch in 2017.

Daylight is just breaking once Ukrainian quartet, KROBAK, get underway with their latest long player ‘Nightbound’. At least that’s the idea given by opening track ‘Stringer Bell’ with its steady progression of shimmering guitars and subtle hints of violins that provides a visual impression of sunlight gradually finding its way through the cracks and crevices of a desolate location somewhere in the wilderness. After such an impressive introduction, the rest of ‘Nightbound’ follows in similar fashion as KROBAK draw on their experience and create a richer post-rock sound than what has gone before, by way of a few new and additional influences such as Swans, King Crimson and The Mars Volta as well as picking up on previous references Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mono and Yndi Halda. No matter the reference points as KROBAK serve up a truly engaging sonic adventure via a total of four tracks that grow from minimal sounding structures to fully fledged workouts such as ‘No Pressure, Choice Is Yours’ and ‘Marching For The Freedom We Have Lost’. KROBAK’s new offering ‘Nightbound’ is an album that you should get to know on a very intimate level as you will be duly rewarded for your time.

A surprising addition to the Simple Minds catalogue considering their early electronic roots have been making waves during the past few years, but acoustic it is with pared back versions of a number of their hit records as well as a couple of lesser known songs. With lead singer Jim Kerr declaring that “…we wanted to create a Simple Minds party album, not a traditional, introspective acoustic album – more something that people will play during goods times,” such a description rings true when hearing the still uplifting ‘Alive and Kicking’ that retains its sparkle via fresh sounding instrumentation and joint vocals from Sara Brown. With earlier material such as the excellent reworking of ‘The American’ and softer version of ‘Glittering Prize’ really impressing, there are one or two songs that fall short here; most notably ‘Promised You A Miracle’ even with the talented KT Tunstall joining ranks, this particular rendition sounds jumbled in its execution despite its brave attempts to make this version sound like a completely new song. There’s a darker shade to ‘See The Lights’ with Charlie Burchill’s guitar adding subtle touches throughout and really improving on the original. By finishing with a cover of Richard Hawley’s ‘Long Black Train’, Simple Minds continue their recent tradition of adding new touches to other musician’s songs, but also reveal an impeccable taste when it comes to their own record collections. Not to be viewed as a replacement for older versions of their hit songs, ‘Acoustic’ is, for the majority of its contents, a pleasing ride that will appeal to older fans as well as opening the door to new followers.

Transmitting their creative thoughts from the distant heights of Jupiter, the Harvey Steel show continue doing what they do best, and that’s following their own musical journey judging by the contents of latest EP ‘Beefheart High School Dropout’. Long may this continue because the fluidity of the creative processes of the Harvey Steel show continues to weave and work its magic, only this time around the band sound more a resident of planet Earth than the aforementioned distant neighbour. It’s the opening track that gives way to such a feeling with a surprising introduction via an instrumental that sounds as if it’s coming from a lonely bedsit while it works out its destination via Thomas Bergsten’s solitary guitar, and before the rest of the band decide to join in and add their input. Track two, ‘Hunting Shadows’, sees a gradual increase in temperature and sound where guitars, organ, drums and vocals fade in and out as well as crossing paths across a scorched earth, before building to an immense crescendo that is equally The Doors as it is Captain Beefheart. It’s a song that will go down as one of the band’s highlights, not to mention in a live setting, when the history books are written. Ending on another highpoint is ‘Running From The Law’, which is a thing of genuine beauty considering its association with the subject of murder, where instruments sound delicate and fragile and create genuine awe in the manner that Explosions In the Sky has made their own. No guns, No hatred, No war, only love for the Harvey Steel show. RESPECT!

With artwork more suited to London’s Tate Modern gallery than a post-punk album, the music served up by longstanding four-piece The Tigerlilies has found a welcome home here at Famous Last Words. By piecing together a six-track EP, the decision to trim the edges and rein in the record’s playing time was a wise choice by The Tigerlilies as the condensed playlist creates a more immediate impact, therefore leaving the songs to reside fresh in the memory bank. Such song writing is largely down to the band’s knack of creating a post-punk sound that is full of melody but one that has coarse edges that suggests a definite linkage to 90s-era grunge, which has not gone unnoticed from other musicians ranging from Violent Femmes, Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Guided By Voices and Superchunk. Opener ‘Easy As It Seems’ has a sense of familiarity about it with an 80’s post-punk sound giving the impression that one has visited this place before (A positive chaps!) despite being The Tigerlilies own composition. The song itself races along on a tight rhythm with vocalist Pat Hennessy stripping his emotions bare and it’s a fine start. Links to the past continue with the mellow sounding tribute to David Bowie entitled ‘Bowie’, and then followed by ‘Green Eyes’ that has a touch of Blondie considering its edgy and melodic rhythm. ‘Darlin’ opens with a honey-dripping guitar line and tender vocal that radiates warmth in the direction of its nearest and dearest. It’s a love song, pure and simple, and it works wonders. There is nothing to fear here, least of all the No. 7, as The Tigerlilies ‘123456’ requires a fast reeling action to bring it into your life and as close to your heart as humanly possible because you will not be disappointed.

The name Dylan Mondegreen will be familiar to those who remember his album ‘While I Walk You Home’ (2007) that was full of melodic soulful pop, and brought comparisons with Josh Rouse and Prefab Sprout. In 2016, Dylan Mondegreen is ready with a brand new album by the name of ‘Every Little Step’. This latest creative excursion is Mondegreen’s fourth long player, and marks a change in tactics when it came to recording as he decided to record the album in a short timeframe with as little help from any studio technology. The end result was ten songs recorded live at Rune Berg’s studio outside of Oslo with additional accompaniment via Olaf Olsen (drums), Bjørn Holm (bass) and further contributions via Maria Due and Geir Sundstøl. By adopting a more simplistic approach to the recording methods of ‘Every Little Step’, Mondegreen has described it as his “punk album”. The change in working methods also sees the inclusion of two songs performed in his local dialect as a means to answer any curiosities Mondegreen was feeling at the time with ‘Mens I Føl De Hæm’ and ‘Slepp Taket’. With the rest of the album being open to a wider audience, Mondegreen sets out his personal insights to a largely indie pop acoustic beat that reflects coming-of-age tales (‘For The Innocent And Young’) and the precarious nature of life as a musician and attempting to survive the music industry (‘Nothing Lasts Forever’). It remains, however, the breezy acoustic simplicity of the song ‘Every Little Step’ that has hints of Roddy Frame in terms of its delivery, and touches a nerve with its honest lyrics that stands out above the crowd here. The decision to create a “punk album” was a wise one by Dylan Mondegreen because, despite offering a personal insight of his own world, the themes brought to light will resonate with many, and likely see this album being played in years to come.