ANYONE else feeling a bit unsettled at the moment? I reckon our increasingly schizophrenic weather is partly to blame.
Just over a week ago, Noise Annoys was forced to break its strict rule of 'no central heating before September 1' as summer had apparently well and truly departed.
Barely 48 hours later, I was back to wearing shorts by day and failing to get to sleep at night even with all the windows open for the first time in months as temperatures soared.
In fact, at time of writing, we were on course to set a new 'hottest day ever' record – the prize for which, of course, is our accelerated extinction.
Meanwhile, as the world burns, the cost of living continues to skyrocket and the evening news has become a daily showcase of natural disasters, heartbreaking human suffering and political idiocy.
Thank Zod, then, for Da Share Zone's amusing skeleton-based memes inspired by humanity's current plight, and the soul-soothing sounds of the new Slomatics LP.
Since the latter is released this very day, there's no better time to give it a full review.
Nurse, the screens...
Slomatics – Strontium Fields (album, Black Bow)
IT MIGHT sound odd referring to the music of an apocalyptically loud/heavy act like Belfast trio Slomatics as 'soothing', but despite an abundance of thunderous sci-fi-themed psych-doom on offer across their new record Strontium Fields – their first full-length since 2019's cracker, Canyons – and the band's still largely indecipherable lyrics, the album definitely has a kind of cathartic, calming effect when consumed front-to-back.
Recorded at Start Together in Belfast with Rocky O'Reilly at the controls, it's an ideal soundtrack for these troubled times and possibly even a contender for enjoying some form of 'cross-over' success beyond their chosen genre.
Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age, but my favourite bits of Strontium Fields are its more peaceful and considered moments, rather than when Chris, Dave and Marty are revelling in the simple pleasures of combining atom-smashing riffage with sci-fi synths and pulverising percussion – though those who turn to the trio for sludgy head-nodding treats will still find plenty to enjoy.
Such base appetites will be sated by the powerful, slow-mo destruction wrought by opening chugfeast, Wooden Satellites, the gleefully groovy prog-sludge/grunge ruckus of recent single, I Neanderthal, and creepy, synth-enhanced fuzz-monster Like a Kind of Minotaur – though, tellingly, the always atmospherics-concious band make room for quieter passages on the first two ragers, foreshadowing one of the record's stand-out moments.
The shimmering, woozy synths-powered Time Capture is a mournful, funereal beat-backed ballad which allows Slomatics' smouldering fuzz pedals to cool while drummer/singer Marty's emotive vocals are brought front and centre to soar like never before.
"Somewhere in the darkness, the sun shone because of me... somewhere I am free", he croons.
It's an arresting, maybe even beautiful affair that might well leave you with something in your eye should it catch you in an off-guard moment – I'm admitting nothing (sniff).
Marty hollers with confident, melodically astute gusto throughout the record, but his real moment in the sun comes on Strontium Fields' jaw-dropping album centrepiece, Voidians: here, the Slomatics thumper stakes his claim as the Freddie Mercury of sci-fi-inspired prog doom metal (a niche calling, admittedly).
"We're all adrift together, we're running out of time / Take a moment to feel – anything is possible," he sings, emotively, over a slow and eerie, echo-laden guitar arpeggio, before snatching up his sticks to back powerful eruptions of evil sounding riffage cloaked in sinister synths as they smash their way out of your speakers.
This stand-out is followed by yet another excellent sonic curveball in the unexpectedly alt-rocky stylings of Zodiac Arts Lab, a plaintive ode to I'm not quite sure who/what – but it sure is pretty.
Two ballads on one record? You'd best believe it – and indeed that Slomatics manage to pull it off without compromising the considerable 'heavy' cred they've accumulated over the past two decades.
Elsewhere, ARCS mines a sweet seam between crush and hush for a quiet/loud sci-fi metal slow-burner, before Strontium Fields climaxes in an appropriately epic manner: With Dark Futures combines oodles of 'traditional' Slomatics sludgery with a pleasing, Pink Floyd-esque passage of psychedelic calm and lots of dramatic vocal wailing, neatly summing up their ongoing, fascinating sonic metamorphosis.
To quote guitarist, Dave, "Strontium Fields is, for us, a post-pandemic reflection – full of the joy of life, filtered through a wall of amps, fuzz boxes and ancient synthesisers.
"We are excited to release a full length album again, one on which we hope we have captured and developed every area of our sound.
"This album feels like both a consolidation and a leap forward, with more melody, experimentation and riffs than ever before."
I can't disagree. Buy now at slomatics.bandcamp.com – the life you save may be your own.
Problem Patterns – Lesbo 3000/Poverty Tourist (single, Alcopop!)
HOSTAGE situation averted: having taken heed of my warning in the last thrilling instalment of Noise Annoys the Alcopop! PR machine fizzed into life to furnish me with a digital preview of the latest Problem Patterns single, while the always caring, socially conscious band also decided to err on the side of caution by sending me a stream of their debut album Blouse Club – its October 27 release date highly anticipated by all right-thinking people.
Thus, I can now confidently report that:
A) Poverty Tourist is indeed a brand spanking new song, a squalling, punky/funky rich kid take-down that sounds not unlike something you might find on one of the recent Mudhoney albums – high praise indeed around these parts.
Hopefully, the Seattle veterans hear it, cover it and end up doing a split single or something. Maybe PP could cover Sweet Young Thing, or perhaps a gender-flipped Here Comes Sickness - Here Comes D***less, anyone?
B) Blouse Club is well worth waiting for: Poverty Tourist is one of five previously unreleased new tunes on the 12-song tracklist, all of which are class, especially pop punk anthem Advertising Services, A History of Bad Men Part II's sprawling, wah-wah-addled grunge-out and the pretty, spoken word slice of Sleater-Kinney gig-going life, Pity Bra.
You'll hear those and the rest of your faves at the Blouse Club album launch show on release night, October 27, at The Black Box in Belfast with support from Mucker and Touch Excellent.
Tickets are very much on-sale now via linktr.ee/Problempatterns, your one-stop-shop for all things PP.
NEW RELEASE RADAR
Various – A Litany of Failures Vol IV (compilation, Litany of Failures)
FOURTH edition of this reliably eclectic compendium of Irish alternative sounds curated by the Junk 'soon to be supporting Superchunk' Drawer bros: stand-outs among its 22 tracks include the bleepy, cacophonous indie guitar swing of I'm in Your Car by Search Results, Laurie Shaw's intriguingly Pulpy number The Re-Union, racist-bating electro-skronker Fred Perry Far Right from Jinx Lennon x Baby Nits, Danny Carroll's wonky indie-folk epic Cheesemonger and Documenta's brooding, synth-gaze sprawl, Feel Good About Yourself.
Get involved: litanyoffailures.bandcamp.com.
Brett Logue – Disney Girl (single, self-released)
THIS jaunty, jazzy jangler came recommended by Malojian man Stevie Scullion. It's the first tune to be released from the north coaster's eponymous debut EP, which also features an evocative, slightly more downbeat stand-out track called Small Town Beauty Queen.
Disney Girl is out now on all streaming services, with the full EP to follow on October 6.
