Nuggets - 16 July 2008

by New-Noise

Mugison, Rose Hill Drive, Five O’Clock Heroes, Junior Achiever

"Following the next-album-could-be-great buzz generated by their above par debut ‘Bend To The Breaks’, ‘Speak Your Language’ fails to communicate in any tongue."

Five O’Clock Heroes – Speak Your Language
By Lisa Holmes
There isn’t any point holding out for these heroes anymore. Following the next-album-could-be-great buzz generated by their above par debut ‘Bend To The Breaks’, ‘Speak Your Language’ fails to communicate in any tongue. The Agyness Deyn track ‘Who’ is a high point in an otherwise unenlightened trudge through the indie dark ages. Songs like opener ‘Judas’ and the title track splutter to life but succeed in casting only a short-lived glow, and as promising as some of the later tracks could be they are rather like Edward Scissorhands – brought to life unfinished.

Mugison - Mugiboogie
By Jon Drake
It wasn't exactly helpful that this record from the man they call the 'Icelandic Beck' didn't come with a press release, nor that everything on the sleeve is written in Icelandic except the bizarre lyrics, but this record is intriguing before you even put it in the stereo. Mugiboogie is a very different sound to anything we've heard of late. There is some really grimy blues here (title track 'Mugiboogie', 'Two Thumb Sucking Son Of A Boyo') mixed in with some Johnny Cash meets The Beach Boys ('George Harrison'), some doomy metal ('I'm Alright') and some funkier Marvin Gaye tinged material ('The Animal'). It's not quite Beck but it is quite good.

Junior Achiever – All The Little Letdowns
By Lisa Holmes
This could be defined as pop punk, but frontman Gene Champagne has a light touch which ensures Junior Achiever are more Weezer-gone-wild than One Night Only. Each track contains a hefty dollop of ‘niceness’ but irony is like, so over; it’s cool to be kind. With songs like ‘Suburbs’ and ‘Dumb It Down’, these guys know their market. “You’ve got to put things right if you want to keep good company,” sings Champagne on ‘Underrated’, which espouses the value of good old fashioned manners and self respect. Summer definitely brings the best out of childishly enthusiastic pop punkers.

Rose Hill Drive - The Moon Is The New Earth
By Jon Drake
Rose Hill Drive sound like a decent band to open up a show for a band like Queens Of The Stone Age, The Who or Led Zeppelin. They play old school, bluesy rock music at times sounding quite like Cold War Kids without the piano. The problem is that they don't have the hooks of any of these great bands. The Moon Is The... is perfectly pleasant to listen to but doesn't have anything to really catch your ear. They come close with album opener 'Sneak Out', acoustic number 'One Night Stand' and 'Do You Wanna Get High?' but ultimately the songs don't grab your attention with the right force or energy to make you get fully on board with it.

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