Minimal Damage hail from the darkest wilds of Bedfordshire and play slow-paced ska as can be heard in the featured track, Subtle Statement. There’s a definite political edge to the lyrics, delivered in an almost aggressively-southern/London accent from frontman Boz. I like the stuttering, heavily-distorted guitar, and there’s a good contrast between the quietly menacing verse and the full-blown chorus. However, Boz’s delivery varies between being spot-on to jerkily hesitant when he struggles with syncopation and occasionally loses. I’m also a little unsure about the bridge section of ‘remember things can only get better?’, the contrast here seems a little forced.

What you do get from listening to this tune is the idea that Minimal Damage could be a very good band to see live - the mix on the track leads to the band being slightly background and leaves Boz ‘up front on his own’ as it were, where he sounds slightly self-conscious and unwilling to let rip with full force. Transfer this to a live setting though, and it’s easy to see how the band kicking up a racket to back up some vocals with the power to snarl rather than speak would give them an enormous kick, despite the relatively deliberate pace of the music. In conclusion, Minimal Damage sound unfamiliar with the world of recorded music, but offer promise in a live setting; a far better state to be in than when a sterile studio environment allows a band to hide a multitude of sins through mixing, editing and effects. Music should be built from the ground up, and I think Minimal Damage are on their way to doing that.

More: www.myspace.com/minimaldamage

The overwhelming feeling you are left with while listening to this album is an unsettling sense of déjà vu – like looking at slightly faded photographs of people whose name you can’t quite remember. There is a reason for this – Wade (and by this time the Dastards is pretty much a one man show) seems to act as an almost indiscriminate filter for a huge range of influences. There are songs that are laden with pop-punk melodies straight out of Blink 182 and Sum 41, songs that you think Nick Cave or Leonard Cohen might have written (albeit in a slightly better mood than normal), huge nods to bands like Muse, James and Placebo and to quite Americanised singer/songwriters like Paula Cole. And even a guest vocal performance by Darth Vader. It is hugely enjoyable to listen to, but I wouldn’t want to be faced with granting the copyright to it.

Wade’s voice is truly distinctive. It is almost as if he is the lovechild of Billy Corgan and Dolores from the Cranberries, and accordingly he veers from utterly enchanting to thoroughly annoying. I do wonder whether he sometimes fits in his recordings between synchronised swimming and forgets to remove the nose clip. When he avoids “nasal-ness” his voice is powerful, commanding and emotive, with a range that makes you wonder whether there are two singers at times.

“Scaffolds of Muscle” begins with a piano and distortion intro that seems somewhat out of kilter with the Blink 182 style jaunty pop-punk style it soon tips into to. There is also an old vibrato on the vocals, which are unfortunately a little nasal. Overall though a good, albeit a little too polite, romp through hope and rebuilding. The second track, “Life on the Edge” is one of my favourites – breathy, lulling with beautiful astral verses. The vocals and music both show more subtlety and I think are all the more powerful for that. The obvious musical ability displayed on this album at times seems to get in the way of the real songs waiting underneath by attempting a too eclectic style, “Life on the Edge” avoids that and the result is quite lovely.

Do you remember the Muppets show? 6 o’clock Friday evenings, Channel 4, about 1996? Well “What I Came For” sounds like the muppet band covering “In too deep” by Sum 41. Especially parts of the chorus which are so blatantly similar it isn’t funny. The single “Flashlights” is a truly welcome change in tempo with its Kraftwerk-esque keyboard line and modern “electrindie” infectiousness after the very flat and stilted “I Know”. “I Know” does showcase the lower end of Wade’s vocal range but this comes across more like Bill Bailey doing an impression of Nick Cave than anything serious. It is also one of the rare occasions where tunefulness parts company with him. “One More Night” is an almost Suede-like ode to temporary goodbyes which is rescued from uncomfortable sentiment-soddeness by being followed by the hugely enjoyable punk-wannabe-Levellers (public school boy) rampage of “Miranda”.

“Change Coming On” is another favourite. It is brave, naked, raw and controlled. The old-fashioned edge to the distortion of the vocals on more powerful notes is beautifully emphatic. This song also has what I consider to be the best lyrical offerings – “I fucking hate what I am becoming but I never think about it for long” being one of the highlights. This song also demonstrated the huge range of his vocals, but successfully this time. “Shoot From The Hip” is quite catchy but quite un-extraordinary . Unlike Spitting Roses, which for bizarre reasons is most extraordinary of all, interweaving guitar lines, very disciplined vocal performance, fabulous title AND THEN at 2:42 there is a vocal distortion effect that could only have been achieved by hiring Darth Vader as a session musician! Memorable, certainly…

Of the last four songs “Not Too Early” is the weakest. It combines Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me era Cure jazziness with slower starker verses. The chorus is one of the Darstards best and most memorable but it is completely wasted amid the inconsistencies of tempo and unsuccessful disjointedness. BRASS IS BAD. It somewhat spoils the previous “This Time” whose guitar line is so Placebo-like I thought my cd player had skipped onto “Bruise Pristine” of its own accord. The vocals have a James-like quality and overall it is very enjoyable mid-nineties indie. “Unknown Metaphors” seems made for an American teenage drama. I can almost picture characters from the O.C. walking alone in the dark scowling as I listen to this song. The piano is very pretty and drums cohesive but not distracting. It does, however, lay claim to the worst lyrics of the album – “This car is misty/ my eyes are too/ the doors and windows are close to you”. If these are metaphors they are indeed unknown to me.

The last song intrigues me the most. It embraces light melody and deeply felt emotion like a smashing pumpkins b-side. As the end of the track approaches the tempo changes, there is a more “dense” instrumentation and the acoustic is changed for the electric guitar. For the first time on the album the band seem to be fully in control of the music rather than the other way around. Every break is emphatic and eloquent. The vaguely Muse-style guitar in the last minute of Trouble is inspired, my only criticism is that maybe it should of kicked in a little earlier, 7 minute songs are difficult to pull off.

The Darstards have huge potential. It is no bad thing to be influenced by a diverse range of musicians. But not necessarily to wear this as a neon badge of eclecticism. To further develop the Darstards do need to tune and refine the way they filter these into a unique sound of their own. The overall evidence from this album is that they are well on the way to do just this. Just stay away from pop-punk choruses and the brass section eh?

More: www.myspace.com/dastards

Respect to Fleet Street - they're non-conformists in the extreme. Not only have they gone to great lengths to produce the least cool piece of music this reviewer has ever heard (so uncool there must be *literally* no audience for it), but they've decided to supply no information about themselves whatsoever. Audio-democracy.com approaches this review blinder than a masturbation obsessed hedgehog wearing a blindfold.

So anyway, 'I'm in Love Again' is a bland-as-you-like slice of formulaic rock-soul clearly produced by a band more jaded than Michael Jackson's defence attorneys. Even if any audience did exist for this type of music they would presumably fallen asleep in a gurning mess before even reaching the incredibly tiresome guitar solo that constitutes the middle eight. The best moment comes 4:50 in when the whole charade comes to an abrupt end and silence, the sweetest sound of all, can once again be enjoyed.

Not cool.

This track from Nottingham indie-rockers Zadkiel starts with a driving, vaguely Middle-Eastern sounding riff that quickly leads into Dan’s vocals, then after about 40 seconds drops down into a much mellower melody with echoing backing vocals. The chorus is further evidence of this gentler influence, and Zadkiel seem to have taken a departure from the usual ‘quiet/loud’ formula of song-writing by having the verse as the loud part. It’s a method that gives the majority of the song a more wistful element, albeit at the cost of a certain amount of power.

I’m a big fan of the main riff, and when the music drops away into the bridge and chorus the band seem to wander off into doing their own individual things but - and this is important - in a way that still provides a cohesive whole. The jumps from section to section are also handled well, with the riff kicking back in after the first chorus in a satisfactory and seamless way. The only concern I might have would be with the vocals - while endearingly earnest they can sometimes lack a little security, especially around the higher notes. This may be more of an individual preference though, as even when I’m listening to hardcore, punk and what not I still like singers who hit a note perfectly and keep it, while Dan’s more organic sound comes across as a little slipshod to my ears. That said, ‘Katharine of Katharsis’ is an engaging and well-constructed number that is far from the sugar-coated, easy-to-swallow indie currently dominating our radios.

More: www.myspace.com/zadkiel

Norweigan hardcore outfit Desperado have developed their musical style even from ‘All Hat No Cattle’ that us Audio Democracyers reviewed not that long ago. This is their new album, reviewed in full by us, and it’s something of a sideways step in terms of style. So eyes down, look in…

‘Intro From Hell’ is an album opener in the vein of AFI, a slow but menacing affair that leads into ‘Cut Some Slack For The Retarded’. Despite the misgivings I may have over the PC-ness of the title I cannot fault the music; high-energy hardcore punk that again recalls AFI, but with an element of Rise Against mixed in as well and a pleasant balance between singing and hardcore screaming. However, ‘Fehu’ is the first real signal that Desperado have matured as a band as it launches into guitar riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a modern Deftones record with an eerie, menacing guitar line floating above it. At the two minute mark there is a beautiful choral part that could have been lifted off ‘December Underground’ and really provides a counterpoint to Ryjord’s harsh vocals.

‘Hot Party And Summer Snakes’ has a powerful, driving guitar line, audible lyrics and a rip-roaring chorus of “I think they are afraid of us” with the sort of depth in sound that was lacking on ‘All Hat, No Cattle’. ‘Yesterday Ended Last Night’ wins a prize for Most Correct Song Title, but Ryjord sometimes gets caught uncomfortably between screaming and singing with a result that is slightly unsatisfactory in both regards; however, the music is as energetic as ever. ‘A Midsummer Nightmare’ brings out Deftones-style influences again with the rhythmic guitar line and, of all things, a 6/8 time signature from a hardcore band!

Now, imagine that you’re listening to the Strokes. And now imagine that you’re listening to an incarnation of The Strokes that actually has some energy and talent. That is the best way I can describe ‘Broken Hearts, Broken Bones’ and its deliberate guitar line; it’s slightly down-tempo compared to some other Desperado songs and seems a little more melancholic rather than outright angry, especially when Thomas Ryjord repeats the line “memories is our life”. ‘Torturing The Demons’ unfortunately fails to live up to what has gone before, mainly because of the vocals that sound like nothing more than a piss-take of that classic ‘Monster Mash’. No, honestly. It gets a bit better towards the end, but it lost me in the first 20 seconds. ‘Tribute To The Living Dead’ once more brings out what I can only think of as a Deftones sound with the slow, building guitar line. However, while I can live with the effects on the vocals in the verse, when the chorus (and a damn good chorus it is too) kicks in at two minutes I think the singing should have been left clean to allow it full impact.

‘We Wash Our Hands In Blood’ brings out the Deftones-style influence again with a flood of guitar noise and distant, choral backing vocals, before degenerating into a scream-fest near the end that is a little too uncontrolled for my liking. It leads into album closer ‘Temporary Shelter For Disease’ which is, basically, semi-organised noise. Sadly this is easily the weakest track on the CD and lacks the musical ability of its fellows, a factor that isn’t helped by the incessant monotone screaming.

Overall, Desperado have a CD which boasts far more maturity than ‘Beauty Is The First Victim’, their previous offering. If they’d taken out ‘Tribute To The Living Dead’ and ‘Temporary Shelter For Disease’ I’d have been singing its praises highly, but as it is they drag it down a way. Nevertheless, there really is ability here. My one regret is that the post-consumerist lyrics, incisive and potent in spite of being written in someone’s second language, are so frequently incomprehensible due to being screamed.

More: www.myspace.com/desperado www.myspace.com/stuntedrecords