Musings: Iron Chic / Thousandaires

I wanted to group these two bands both together because I basically got into both of them though If You Make It and because I didn't want to feel like I had to write a whole lot.

So this is the demo that's been floating around the wide world webnets since 2008 but I only became aware of how awesome this band is on their next release entitled 'Shitty Rambo'.

Iron Chic's formula are part Latterman, Small Arms Dealer and a sprinkle of Agent, so it's already awesome right there. If you were (and still are, in a listening sense) into Latterman then this is the one for you for sure. Five songs of dynamic Punk Rock that even touch some melodic hardcore or even '90s influenced emo like Braid and that. It's the sort of sound that most bands only find on their second 7" or EP, this right here, is straight off the bat from a demo.

RIYL: Latterman, Get Bent, Polar Bear Club

"Steel Wall Method"


Download the Iron Chic Demo (and donate to IYMI) here at If You Make It
Iron Chic on Last.fm
Iron Chic on myspace
Buy Shitty Rambo on Dead Broke Records



Thousandaires comprises members of Get Bent, Bridge and Tunnel and Halo Fauna. The 'Land Seal Demo' is just three tracks of solid indie punk rock, it actually makes me want to sing along every time. Really feel weird for saying this but...kinda reminds me of Bear vs Shark too.

RIYL: All of the above.

"20 40 60 80 90"


'Land Seal Demo' on If You Make It
Last.fm
Myspace

Small Brown Bike - Composite Vol. 1

So we've all heard the Small Brown Bike are back, writing and touring since late last year...well I guess it's one of those things that you don't 100% believe until you've either seen them live or heard new material, well happy times, here's some of the latter.

This 7" courtesy of No Idea Records dropped on 31st October last year, it's taken me a while to even mention it, let alone talk about it (I was secretly hoping for news of newer material and more shows). Anyway here goes.

The first track on the 7" 'When We Run' sounds just like anything amazing SMB have done before, it's quite hard to believe that this is the first new bit of material the boys have recorded since 2003's 'River Bed'. It fits in as though their last record was released last week. The bass rumbles and the vocals are unmistakable to any SMB fan and part time listener alike. Fast yet sludgy, melodic yet rough, it's starting to sound like a bit of an old school gruff anthem too.

On the flip side 'Hourglass' is the other song on this record and it sounds a little less produced, maybe rushed, it's still Small Brown Bike but yet sounds like it's lacking something. More duelling vocals on this, kinda sounds like one of the newer "gruff types" that last.fm always recommends you. Still, I could never hate it, not with that name on the front of the record.

Listen to it here on No Idea Records