#288: Playlounge - Pilot

Album review: Playlounge - Pilot (2014)

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click the link above to read in full.

#287: Manchester Orchestra, Club Academy, Manchester (11/4/14)

Gig review: Manchester Orchestra, Club Academy, Manchester (11/4/14)

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click the link above to read in full.

#264: Owls - Two

Album review - Owls - Two (2014)

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click above to read in full.

#259: Johnny Foreigner - You Can Do Better

Album Review: Johnny Foreigner - You Can Do Better (2014)

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click above to read in full.

#184: Landmarks - Running on Empty (EP review)

Manchester isn't a city synonymous with punk in the same way it is with other genres, northern soul for instance, indie for another. That isn't to say it hasn't seen a certain degree of talent emerge from the city, perhaps most famously were Buzzcocks for example, or Sonic Boom Six more recently. And while it's fair to say that Manchester is, above all, a city with it's musical heritage lying mainly at the feet of the indie contingency, it would be unfair to dismiss other artists simply because they don't adhere to one's own musical expectations. One such band eschewing the stereotype are Landmarks, a five piece pop-punk outfit who's fast and furious blend of gang-chant vocals and skate-punk guitars are filling a void left open by the complete lack of this kind music within Manchester.

Having been a band since late 2011, it's surprising to see that new 6 track EP Running On Empty is also the band's first. Take that as you will, but the fact of the matter is that the lads in Landmarks have spent those two years honing their skills and making a name for themselves, helped in no small part through a constant stream of high profile support slots for the likes of Such Gold and Hot Damn to name but two.

From opener 'Backpacks and Train-tracks' it's clear that the band posses the youthful energy pivotal to making this kind of music believable. From the chugging guitars to the call-and-response vocals, everything here is quintessentially pop-punk and we're not talking New Found Glory or Simple Plan pop-punk here. It absolutely smacks of bands such as Set Your Goals or The Story So Far , and, put simply, it's infectious.

Gang-chants have always been a seminal part of pop-punk convention and this is something that Landmarks excel at, particularly on third track and first single “Better Men Have Tried and Failed”. From the word go, the band utilise gang-chants to create a huge sense of anthemics, this, coupled with the self-deprecating lyricism makes for a furiously emotive addition to the record. You can almost see the circle-pits forming.

Final track 'Growing Pains' exhibits the most candour of all the six tracks featured and is a memorable way to close Running on Empty. The bass that runs throughout is indicative of early Blink-182 whilst the shared vocal duties only seem to add to the emotion of the track. It's a fine example of just what the band are capable of, and one which leaves listeners clamouring for more.

Having been a fan of pop-punk from an early age, it's not only fantastic to be able to bare witness to the calibre of bands coming up at the moment globally, but to know that there's (at the very least) the beginnings of a scene formulating in Manchester is brilliant. And, if indeed there is a scene formulating, then Landmarks deserve to spearhead it. If not for their irresistible pop hooks and takes-no-prisoners gang-chants, then surely for their insatiable gigging and work ethic. They might not be breaking boundaries with what they do, but it's only a matter of time before Landmarks are breaking hearts, after all, what else do skinny boys in pop-punk bands do?

Check out the bands Twitter here.

This review was orignally written for Punktastic. Click here to see what else they've been up to.

#182: Kevin Devine - Bubblegum

Album review: Kevin Devine - Bubblegum (2013)

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click the link above to read in full.

#164: Balance and Composure - The Things We Think We're Missing

Album review: Balance and Composure - The Things We Think We're Missing (2013)

This article was originally written for Muso's Guide. To read the full review, click the link above.

#154: Dowsing - I Don’t Even Care Anymore

Many people view emo as pantomime punk; music without any real degree of resonance to it and, of course, we have Messrs Way and Wentz to thank for that. For some though, emo wasn't (or indeed, isn't) more than just a fringe and a Myspace profile, it's something far more ingrained and far-reaching than that. And while the glory days of the 1990s are over, with pioneers such as Texas Is The Reason finally drawing the curtains on 20 years of touring and emotional turmoil, the torch has been passed on; where record labels such as Jade Tree or Drive-Thru once dominated the scene, it's time for smaller, more nuanced labels and artists to wear their emotional scars with pride and make their own mark on a genre might have lay dormant, but was certainly never dead.

This article was originally written for Punktastic. Click here to read the review in full.

#151: Honorable Mention - Coalescence (EP review)

Since 2003, many bands have tried to encapsulate, channel or recreate the spirit left behind by the ill-fated yet ultimately seminal Long Island pop-punk outfit The Movielife. Few, if any, have managed, something which could conclusively be attributed to the zeitgeist of their particular scene having passed in a blur of bleeding hearts and contrived clichés from those who just missed the bandwagon. That is, until now.

This review was originally written for Punktastic. Click here to read the full review.

#149: Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue (Acoustic Reissue)

Album review: Yellowcard - Ocean Avenue Acoustic Reissue (2013)

This article was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click the link above to read the review.