Welsh lads Houdini Dax release new video

Some years back (roughly 6-7), my old London band, Ghostnotes, played a show at the Windmill in Brixton, London. I can barely remember that show. Not because of too much drinking or anything (at least I don't think so), I just have a really bad memory for these sort of things and I don't know why. Small moments I can remember of this particular show is getting to play and sing my sex song Sweating In The Alley for the first and last ever time and getting to check out and chat with these Welsh lads.

Cardiff's Houdini Dax have been rocking the UK circuit for years yet are still pretty much unknown. Basing their music heavily on the likes of classic acts such as The Beatles and Beach Boys, they  manage to make music which is still current.

This latest single, Found Love In The Dole Office, is catchy, coherent and just unashamedly British (Welsh is still British..you know what I mean). It's a bit dreamy, like some of the stuff Arctic Monkeys have done in recent years. It might not be breaking massive ground but it's a song which could almost fit into any decade. That's actually quite a feat. Same could be said about the video itself which, compared to other Houdini Dax videos, is kept a little bit simple with just the band in the studio with some lights and projections. Seeing as the song pretty much tells the story of meeting a girl at the "dole office" (British slang for "Job Centre" or "Social Welfare Office"), it could have been very cheesy to have that played out in a video, so they certainly went the right way.

Ghostnotes may not have lasted as long as we hoped but I am glad that Houdini Dax is still going. They seem to be getting success in their native Wales but surely the time has come for that to spread?

NEW VIDEO FROM THE FRONT BOTTOMS...IT IS NOT A BEATLES' COVER!

Here's another new song and video from the amazing Front Bottoms. HELP comes from their upcoming album Back On Top - Available September 18th on Fueled By Ramen. The lyrics are more direct than some of their other stuff, which is refreshing. The video is a little weird, but personally, I like the concept of getting other people to stand in as the band. Why they need to be in forensic suits, I'm not entirely sure. But hey..not everything needs to make sense.  

The 1840s release video for new song, Smile

   Those who have read my blog before will know that I have a soft spot for Israeli '90s-style alt. rockers The 1840s. Their sweet harmonies and bouncy rhythms really strike a chord with me. I put them on a show as headliners but the turn out was disappointing. I guess most Israelis don't get this sort of thing.
    Smile is from the band's latest release, The Eighteen-Forties, which officially comes out today (review soon to come.) Both the track and the video are sweet. Technically, they're both bittersweet when you really pay attention.
    If you have ever liked bands such as Pavement and/or Guided By Voices, you will certainly appreciate The 1840s lighthearted melodies.  

Some more new videos and songs by Israeli bands

  Once again, I bring you a compilation of new videos and songs from a variety of Israeli acts.

Free Sergio - So Far Yet So Close/Hate To Break It To Ya

   I am starting off this post with pop punkers Free Sergio as I stupidly forgot to include their song So Far Yet So Close in the previous instalment. They have brought out another song Hate To Break It To Ya, so this seemed like a perfect time to mention them both. The former is what could be considered an "easycore" track, with metallic riffs and melodic punk vocals. Although the Israeli accent is pretty prominent, the actual vocabulary is intelligent and the lyrical content itself is positive and relatable. It has a sort of Rise Against meets Millencolin feel to it, which is the impression I got of the band when I saw them do an acoustic set some time ago.



   Hate To Break It To Ya showcases the band's ska sound, again, similar to Millencolin or even Less Than Jake without the brass. The vocals on both tracks might be a tad weaker than I'd hope for, the band musically have the genre down and I'm looking forward to seeing them play as a full band some day.  

The Meatballs - Don't Waste My Time/Frowning Face

      Here's another 2-in1. The Meatballs are an Israeli band who have been in existence since '09. The band plays old fashioned rock and roll, pure and simple. Don't Waste My Time takes its influences from more the 50s blues based rock and roll, whereas Frowning Face is very much in the 60s surf/B-Movie vein, with the video even including scenes from what seems like a real 60s B-Movie. I've been told these guys are fun live, as can be seen in the first video. I'm still yet to see them. 

Both songs are singles from the forthcoming album Cut To The Chase.

Document - Disposition

  A while ago, I went to see a band called Document, after hearing about them from friends and thinking about adding them to a show. Admittedly, I may not have given them the best live review but I did believe the band to have well crafted songs. Their latest single Disposition is good example of that. It is heavier than their previous work and generally well produced. Whereas the band can initially be considered indie and/or new wave, this has an almost post-punk sound and is simply captivating. The video is arty and quite dark, which works perfectly with the song itself. 

Bones Garage - Birthmarks

    Sliding perfectly into the next video, the friends who informed me of Document were the band Jeronimo. My second time seeing Jeronimo live was with another young band, Bones Garage. Bones Garage recently released their album Massacre/Dance, which I must get around to reviewing soon. This is their latest video for the song Birthmarks. When I saw them live, I appreciated the band's style although wasn't 100% into it at all times. Birthmarks, however, is beautiful. It's one of those songs which would definitely get tons of airplay and would intoxicate people with the "Aaahh" and "Wooaah" parts as well as with the song's simple beauty. Both the song and the video are incredibly professionally produced, which is surprising for such a young band. The video itself is like a short movie, showing two separate lives of a boy and a girl all the way from birth to when their two worlds collide at a record store and we then see their relationship progress from thereon in. If you like really good indie music and/or dark pop, GET ON THIS! They starting to really make a name from themselves in Israel's underground scene. 

Heartrates - Rapunzel (Live at Keoss Studios)

   Finally, I am compelled to post a live video from a show I actually witnessed. Heartrates are an Israeli metalcore band who I saw as the opening act at an event at Keoss Studios in Tel Aviv. As readers of my blog may already know, I am not the biggest fan of israeli metal/metalcore, but sometimes a band comes along who just hit the right spot. Heartrates' style reminded me of some of the UK metalcore/hardcore bands back in the early '00s, such as Funeral For A Friend, Incoherence and Hondo Maclean. Not only was the style good, but the band had great energy, especially the frontman, who must already have girls swooning all over him. Looks aside, he has a great connection with the crowd and, in my opinion, wasn't heavy on the metal clichés like some other frontmen out here are. I'm hoping to see them some more times and am looking forward to any future releases.

Live Review: Photomat/The Dries @ Tachles Bar, Tel Aviv [23rd May 2015]

   OH MY GOD! Is this actually happening? Yes, that's right! For the first time in quite some months, I am reviewing a show that's not at Koro. SHOCK HORROR! Saying that, it still involves the Koro in a roundabout way.

The Driers

   Quite some time ago, apparently since the last time I actually reviewed The Driers, Ben (Mad Choice/Zaga Zaga/part owner of Koro) was recruited for drumming duties. As seen in recent times with Mad Choice, Ben's drumming has become more creative. Drumming for The Driers has given Ben a platform to really experiment and showcase his versatility. Even with songs which originally had a very simple rhythm pattern, he has used his techniques to allocate some complex yet still very suitable beats and fills.
    Tonight, the band is great as always. Bit of a weird set up on the stage, with Ben seated down left of stage (I believe that's what it is in theatre speak) instead of in the middle as is more common at shows, which kind of makes them all seem quite distant from one another. Other than that and the unfortunate technical hiccups experienced by bassist Tomer, the band and their songs are all on point. All the catchy songs that regular watchers of The Driers know and loves are here tonight, such as set opener Porchlight, the punky Fifty, the anthemic Lipstick Buds and the rave-inducing set closer Alarm. Guitarist Ronnie and bassist Tomer's vocal harmonies never cease to captivate me. The band also play a brand new song called Squeeze, which has an awesome groove in the chorus and made my face ache from smiling. 
    Even though the guys have been getting a slightly larger audience nowadays since their humble beginnings, it was really only myself and a couple of other friends of the band who were giving them any real support down at the front. Hopefully, those standing around at the back still enjoyed them and will see them again another time.
4/5

Photomat

    As well as coming here tonight to see The Driers (and to review a show somewhere new for a change) I wanted to check out a band I had never heard of before. That band is Photomat. I went into the show not knowing anything about them...and I still don't. 
   According to their bandcamp, their earliest recording, entitled Lekulam Yesh Ka'eleh (rough translation: Everyone Has Them/These) is from May last year but I still don't know how long they've actually been around. If their sound is anything to go by, they could have easily started in the late 90s/early 2000s. We've got here a girl bassist (Enav), a girl drummer (Noa), a guitar playing frontman with a trendy hairdo (Noam) and a samplist on the side (Alon) adding all the extra beats, keyboard melodies and other bits and bobs. That and the sound combined together had me thinking of the more electronic Britpop I used to enjoy. Actually, it sort of made me think of North and South, who I think only British people will remember from the TV show No Sweat that spawned the band.
   Photomat play electronic pop that has just enough edge to make it stand out form some of the other bands out here doing the same thing. Normally, I'm not a massive fan of Hebrew singing bands because I can't always fully understand when watching live, but that doesn't matter tonight. The melodies and the groove of the songs was enough to have me bopping along.  After checking bandcamp, the songs which really got my attention were Hakol Chutz M'ken (Everything But "Yes") and Hilacht Alay, Kesem (rough translation: You Walked All Over Me, Magic Woman). The former is an upbeat and catchy singalong (at least melodically for me, at the time) whereas the latter took the night's atmosphere down a notch to a sultry little number which beautifully built-up throughout the song.

   The band definitely have a few fans in tonight, who are standing at the front swaying and making up dance moves, but a few things bug me about this performance. Is one of them that the frontman forgot his words a few times? No. That's happened to me. Is it that he made a big deal about ruining the song? Yes. Although some people may have noticed, the most professional thing to do is just carry on. Luckily, the band continued and repeated themselves so that he could get back into it. Is another issue being the samplist? No. I even tried to introduce samples into Woolly Boy but haven't yet mastered it. Is it that the samplist was using beats which in comparison made the drummer look like she wasn't really doing anything? Yes. She seems like a very competent drummer, listening to the band through headphones and managing to hold the backbeat. However, she did just seem to be playing a simpler version of the electronic beats already provided. As a drummer myself, this just had me focusing on that a good amount of the time.
   The band in general were a nice surprise and definitely made this Britpop kid remember his youth. On further inspection, some of their lyrics are actually quite clever and relatable, which is always good. Whether this sort of thing really goes down well nowadays, I'm not too sure, but playing what you like to play is the most important thing. 
3/5

NEW TRACKS AND VIDEOS

   Once again, Punkalovich brings to you a 5-in-1 new track post.

Bleach Blood - London In The Rain

   Admittedly, I'm once again a bit late on this one. This single from London band Bleach Blood, led by former King Blues guitarist Jamie Jazz, was actually put out a few months back and the new album All The Side of a Circle came out on 2nd March. This is finally their debut album, including their previously released songs such as Let Your Heart Sing and H.O.P.E. Although only mildly impressed with the band's beginnings, this song has put me in my place with it's poppy verses, catchy chorus and anthemic hook. The video has Jamie walking around London with his own private dark cloud raining down on him. Although the song seems to have a gloomy element to it, the song itself actually sounds quite uplifting. That sort of ability is always a quality I find impressive in a song, like with artists such as Beck and The Eels (despite Mr E's monotone vocals). Check out the tune and check out the album if you like what you hear.

Love Amongst Ruin - Swan Killer

    Here's another London band with a former member of a well-known band. Love Amongst Ruin is fronted by former Placebo drummer Steve Hewitt and Swan Killer is the first song to be released from the forthcoming album Lose Your Way.
   From what I remember of LAR's earlier stuff back in 2010, the band always had a dark feel about it. This track has a more subtle darkness and basically just rocks.
   On a side-note, I have a bit of a strange connection to the band. While still living in London and going through a bit of a bad patch, I answered a drummer ad that happened to be for Love Amongst Ruin. I got in touch and practised the songs sent to me and went to the audition. I got to meet and play with Steve and the rest of the band. Unfortunately, I didn't get the gig. My move to Israel was actually pretty much depending on whether I got into that band or not. If I only they had said yes, I would have stayed in the UK. Just imagine....
   
      Check out Swan Killer on Soundcloud. The album Lose Your Way is due for release on 1st June.

Gevolt - Khokhotshet

     They're called Gevolt. They're from Israel. They sing in Yiddish. They play metal.

I've only just discovered this band but they have already been around in one form another for quite a few years and have now released a new "Nu Klezmer Metal" single, Khokhotshet (don't know what it means). Because of vocalist Anatholy Bonder's tonal similarities to that of Till Lindemann, the band generally comes off sounding a bit like Rammstein but with more klezmer elements, of course. So if you like Rammstein, folk metal and Yiddish, check them out.

Well Planned Attack - I'm Mrs Nesbitt, You See The Hat?

    You can sort of tell we've gone into pop punk territory based on the song title alone. Well Planned Attack are from Vincenza, Italy, and this song is taken from their latest EP A Place To Call Home. If you like fast, melodic pop punk, then you will not disappointed by these guys. This track in particular certainly isn't groundbreaking, but it is catchy and the band has great energy.

   

Idle Hands - Waste Of Flesh

    Finally, we take it back to my endz (I don't know....That's how the kids today talk, apparently). Idle Hands are another band from the London/Rucktion hardcore scene. Compared to their The Worst Times EP, Waste Of Flesh is the most Beatdown thing they've done yet. Pretty much the entire track is one giant fuzzy, sludgey beatdown. As heavy as it is and as much as it reminds me of one of my favourite UK bands of yesteryear, Eviscerate AD, it just seems all a bit too much. What do you make of it?

QUIRKY SINGLE WITH PORN PARODY VIDEO BY BRITISH WEIRDOS LA SHARK

   Sometimes I'm a little late in finding a new single/video, sometimes I'm a little late on properly discovering a band and sometimes it's both. This post is the latter. 

   I have known OF London based indie-pop/whatever-one-wishes-to-call-it band La Shark since about their beginnings in around 2009 but I never really paid attention to them. This is made worse by the fact that their bassist, Louis, and I are old college classmates. Over the years, he has evolved from a spiky haired wannabe DJ to a full on hipster Jesus. 
  Anyway...the band itself has gained acclaim with their quirky and catchy 80s-like songs, which has lead to going on tour with the likes of Paloma Faith (lucky bastards!) Latest single World Wide Babes has definitely made me sit up and pay closer attention for two reason. 1) The song is pure cheesy pop sounding, with clever lines such as "Worldwide fame on the worldwide web gets you worldwide babes with held wide legs" getting stuck in your head and 2) the video is a funny send up of popular porn sites and series. For those who know me and know me well, it wouldn't surprise you that I recognise almost everything they are parodying here, such as Fake Agent, Money Talks (I'm guessing, unless there's another one I don't know about) and even Chaturbate. It's good to see that the band and the girls involved all have a sense of humour.

   For those of you in London interested in checking these guys out live, you can see them on 1st May at The Bussey Building, Peckham. 

 

SOME MORE NEW VIDEOS

   Sometimes I post new videos separately but other times, like this, I like to just take a bunch of them and put them in one post. Now...I've noticed that sometimes I post stuff I like but this is a bit of a mish-mash.

Comeback Kid ft Poli Correia - Losing Sleep 

   Comeback Kid are one of those hardcore bands I always wonder whether I should have been more into. I remember seeing them at a really small show in London (at The Verge, I think) and I bought their Turn It Around album. At the time, I think I barely listened to it, so from thereon in, I never really paid much attention. A couple of years ago, due to a badly organised "hardcore"/metalcore show, Comeback Kid ended up stuck in Israel without a show until local heroes Kids Insane got in contact and hooked them up with a show at Koro, Tel Aviv. Instead of headlining, they were the first band and the place was absolutely packed and sweaty as hell. Great show, though, and since I've given the band more attention. This track from Die Knowing is heavy and groovy. Is it groundbreaking? Probably not, but I like it. The video is simply a mix of live and studio footage but shot incredibly well. 

36 Crazyfists - Swing The Noose

    Another band that I haven't really cared about over the years since about the release of their second album Bitterness The Star on Roadrunner. I was doing some street teaming for RR at the time and I think I had to hand out stickers for that release. I have to say, if it wasn't for a facebook friend still being really into the band (you know who you are) I probably would not have even known about this video and the new album Time and Trauma. Thing is, judging by Swing The Noose, their sound and even music video cinematography hasn't really developed since the early 2000s. Frontman Brock's vocals are a little off putting. It's similar to vocalists I do like, such as Claudio Sanchez of Coheed and Cambria and Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw etc., but he sounds almost constipated. It's certainly not the worst thing I've ever heard; chorus is pretty decent and the last minute has some good moments. Then again, it's not brilliant, either. The video is a tad confusing although at the same time captivating. What do you lot think?

New Found Glory - One More Round

   NFG's Resurrection album has been out since October, but has it been getting as much attention as earlier works? If not, I don't really know why it shouldn't. I haven't heard the album in its entirety yet, but the singles have so far been impressive. One More Round is standard NFG; it has those cool riffs and pop punk vocals mixed in with some gang chants and some heavy grooves. Video is pretty fun, with the band getting smashed to pieces. Seems to be in keeping with the song's notion of perseverance. I totally have to get this album at some point. Hell...I think I should just get the whole discography. I seem to be doing that a lot lately with a lot of bands i should have been into a long time ago. 

The Offspring - Coming For You

   Another comically violent video comes form yet another legendary (pop) punk band, The Offspring. Coming For You is the band's first release for 2015, with an album expected for later in the year. The song starts off with drums that sound not too dissimilar (to me, anyway) to those of Howlin' For You by Black Keys but we're then greeted by Dexter Holland's unmistakable voice. The song as a whole sounds like a number of their more commercial sounding songs from the last few albums. It's sort of hard for me to decide whether i like it or not. I was one of those people who actually didn't mind Days Go By on the whole as an album, so hopefully the next album might have some more hardcore punk stuff to go with this sort of thing. I don't want to give too much of the video concept away, but if you don't like clowns or mimes, watch with care!

Teenage Bottlerocket - Haunted House/They Call Me Steve

   Punk rockers Teenage Bottlerocket are releasing new album Tales From Wyoming on 31st March and it's already kind of sounding like it's going to be a good one. They already released a video for Misfits style song Haunted House back in February and this week premiered the Minecraft inspired song and video They Call Me Steve. The latter has that ever-so-slightly-slower-paced Bouncing Souls type vibe which I kind of dig. Even the vocals make me think of Bouncing Souls...but I guess the two bands are not that different. 

Blur - Go Out/There Are Too Many Of Us

   Yeh that's right! I'm moving away from punk and hardcore and going back to my Britpop roots. The legendary Blur's new album, The Magic Whip, will be out 27th April. We have so far been treated to two songs and videos; Go Out and There Are Too Many Of Us. The former has an almost new wave punk feel just with Damon Albarn's distinctive vocals over it. It's a little bit like On Your Own, a personal favourite of mine, but stranger. And then there's the video which is basically just an instruction video on how to make homemade ice cream. Incidentally, I used to have that same tupperware container...
   There Are Too Many Of Us is also a bit creepy in its sound but has more of a serious tone. The video is purely a performance video that looks very DIY. The band themselves look like they haven't changed a bit. It's quite solemn and I can imagine this song being used for serious scenes in film and TV. 

Sleater-Kinney - A New Wave

   Admittedly, this post is about a month late but I just had to post it. Sleater-Kinney are one of those bands I've always known OF, possibly since about the age of 13, but I never properly got into them. They have released their eighth studio album, No Cities To Love, on 20th January after a ten year hiatus. First single, A New Wave, has, funnily enough, a hint of new wave about it but is also essentially a catchy alt rock hit. I first heard the song as a live performance and was into it, but along with the video, I was converted. And I never really liked Bob's Burgers...

Live Review: The 1840s @ Rothschild 12, Tel Aviv [20th January 2015]

  

  I have heard of Rothschild 12 in passing but have never been there; neither for a show, for a meal or simply to hang out. I actually wasn't too sure if I got the right place when I turned up tonight. After asking if there was a show, I was directed into the establishment's main room which seemed fairly packed for a weekday night. There is a stage with the gear set up at one end of the room and almost everyone is seated at tables. Straight away, this seemed like one of those strange places to be holding a show. I certainly wouldn't have a punk show here...unless they moved the tables. That could work, I guess. 

  An hour later than expected (which was pretty late already), The 1840s take to the stage. I have come tonight in support of the band who I have not seen in quite some time. They were one of those bands I had gotten into during my first year or so living here. They might not be punk or hardcore, but they have great songs. They have also had a recent line-up change. Eviatar, who used to play bass, is now on lead guitar with new addition Dani taking over bass duties. Avishai (Efrat) is still the lead singer and Adam remains on drums. Once upon a time, the band was called Avishai Efrat and the 1840s but this new line-up helps to show them as a full force and one coherent unit.
  With the room already filled with a mostly seated audience pretty much right up to the front of the stage, I decide to stand in a small corner right by the stage. They start the set with new track Get To Me which we have already been treated to with a rehearsal room video. Despite being a new track, the song very much sets the tone of the rest of the set and doesn't deviate from the 1840s sound we are already familiar with. It's a sweet alt rock number with nice melodies and beautiful catchy harmonies sung by Avishai and Eviatar. It's very much reminiscent of Brit Pop and even American alt rock...basically that "90s sound" that people of my generation were treated to all over the radio and TV instead of the weak hip hop the kids get now. There seems to be a bit of an issue with the kick drum moving forward. This can happen to many a drummer at shows and although it happened tonight, drummer Adam showed no real sign of worry and it was most probably barely noticeable to the majority of tonight's crowd. 
  The rest of the set carries on in the same fashion as the band plays a mix of old and brand new tracks. We get to hear crowd pleaser This Different Life and the "heavier Beatles"-esque Rainbow both from the band's Pushing Squares Down Back To Size EP, as well as other memorable tracks from previous shows such as the thumping I Call Mine and the "track to end all proms", No. Newer songs do not disappoint; Heart Of Midnight especially stands out for me. The dreamy guitars on a bed of almost tribal drumming gives the song quite a psychedelic quality. The song is a bit repetitive but not dull in the slightest. The band also treats us to a cover of The Smiths' There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. As opposed to a straight forward cover, the song was quite unrecognisable to start with until I started paying close attention to the lyrics. It had the 1840s twist to it; slightly higher in pitch harmonies and just generally a different rhythm to the original.
  As much as I love the band, there is not much else to say apart from that they play sweet songs with beautiful vocal harmonies. I am not saying the songs sound the same but they do practically have the same blue print. If you ever liked bands such as Pavement, Flaming Lips, Ash and/or The Bluetones, then The 1840s are worth checking out.
 Whether it's because of the style of the genre or just how they perform, I feel like the band needs to put some more life into their performance. Everyone is competent at their instruments, but really only Adam is giving good drum face. In all fairness, tonight is a pretty formal affair so there's no real need for a lot of movement or head nodding.
4/5

The 1840s are planned to play Punkalovich's first show along with (my) new band Woolly Boy at Koro Tel Aviv on 5th February. Come check them out!

https://www.facebook.com/events/716180188489829/?fref=ts

Live Review: Lailah and Document @ Ozenbar, Tel Aviv [2nd January 2015]

Tonight, I bring myself to one of Tel Aviv's more well known music venues, the Ozenbar. I used to come here quite a fair bit in the first year or so of moving to Tel Aviv, but there hasn't really been many shows of interest here in quite some time. This evening sees a show put on by club night/line/whatever it is.. Reflektor featuring previously reviewed moody duo Laila and post-punk band Document.

Laila

  As regular readers may know, I already like Laila. I like that there's a singing drummer, the dreaminess of the guitars and, at times, the catchiness of their choruses. Especially tonight, with a shorter set than the headlined show at the Zimmer that I previously reviewed, everything seems more structured. Drummer Maya and guitarist Avishag play physically closer together which helps them to stay even more in time and also helps us as viewers see them more as a team. Laila's style of what I would consider "heavy shoegaze", due to its mixture of dreamy distorted guitars (Avishag), slow pounding drumming and heartfelt belted-out vocals (Maya), does not seem to have gotten that many people at tonight's show all that "pumped up". However, a crowd did form and some Laila virgins may have just found themselves a new band to get into. If they are anything like me, they have probably also gone away with the chorus "We've gone far and landed on Mars" swimming around in their heads.
Girls...when are we going to get some form of record from you two?! I'm sure I'm not the only one eagerly awaiting that.
4/5

Document

  Last band of the night before the Reflektor party is Document. I actually heard the band name in passing recently and was then contacted by frontman Nir directly after he discovered the blog. Despite classing themselves as post-punk, the vibe I got from the tracks and videos I checked out prior to the show was more new wave/electro indie. I guess there's a fine line...
  As the band open their set, we get dark and brooding guitars being played on top of electro beats. It seems pleasant enough, but I can already say that both Nir's vocals and the overall energy of the band could be stronger. Nir seems a little out of tune at times. There can be several reasons for this; the monitors may not be loud enough for him, he might already have a bit of a bad throat today or it could have been purposely out of tune. Either way, was a little off putting, personally. According to the setlist, the song is either called New or is a brand new song they've been working on and not named yet. If it's the case of the latter, that could be another reason why the vocals were not spot on. The band in general also seem quite static, but that can be considered normal for this sort of style.

Photo by: Nastya Levin
  Like the first song, second song "Made A Mess" is also dark with some beautiful jangly guitars (Jude and Yaniv), a solid bassline (Barack) and some ridiculously well played electro beats (Amir). To be honest, Amir's drumming is so good that it became a bit of a focus for me. The following songs Weeks and Can't Decide expose Document's more post-punk side. Weeks, the band's first song of the set to come off of their Reset Your Mind EP, reminds me of bands like Wire and Magazine. It's quite an upbeat and intense song yet I'm still not really getting that in the performance. Nir sings well but there is no real expression. The rest of the band, apart from the drummer, still remain pretty static. Can't Decide has some very nice harmonies, both vocally and instrumentally. It is on this track that the Flaming Lips quality of Nir's vocals shine through. It works with their style of music and does not come off as too much of a copycat. Songs Idiot and On The Wall are both nice, the latter especially having some interestingly menacing sounding verses and a bouncy chorus. Last two songs of the set, Where You Are and Settle Down are both off the EP. Where You Are has a strong Cure-meets-Flaming Lips sounds. Nice and upbeat with just the right amount of post-punk. The song gets a few people dancing but I still can't help but feel that if the band itself, especially Nir as frontman, was more physically active then that would have encouraged the crowd to dance more. Drummer Amir still remains the most enthusiastic and even moving the most...and he's sitting down! Final song Settle Down is also upbeat and quite a rocking number. The vocal melody at times is quite reminiscent of Nirvana's In Bloom but the song itself still sticks to the band's post-punk and electro indie ethic.   
  The band itself is tight and I can't really fault their musicianship. The songs themselves are also well written and the band has potential to really make a name for themselves in the post-punk/indie world. Based on their performance, they are not the most fun or interesting bands I've ever watched. I don't know if this was a one-off and they were all feeling a bit lethargic but even Nir's interaction with the crowd, talking about the EP and about the work they are doing on the album, all seems a bit lacklustre. If the band themselves just had a little bit more vitality in their performance, then they could be competing with the big names.
3/4

Live Review: Jeronimo and Bones Garage @ Radio EPGB, Tel Aviv [21st December 2014]

Tonight, I have come to one of Tel Aviv's more trendy "nightclub" type music venues, Radio EPGB. I have been here before for a couple of shows and there tends to be a mix of locals who come in for the bar's ambience and showgoers coming especially for the bands. Tonight is the same sort of thing. As soon as I pass the bar, I can tell that the American Taglit crew is in. A whole group of American girls telling the Israeli barmen how much they love Tel Aviv, despite having only been here for 5 hours.

Jeronimo

After a bit of a wait, young rock band Jeronimo take the stage. For those of you who follow my blog, you may have read a previous review of this band when they headlined at Koro. Despite impressing me and the handful of other onlookers that stayed to watch them that night, it was a disappointing night for them. The other acts they watched and enjoyed left without even apologising. I think we can all agree that's not on! Even if I have to leave early for whatever reason when performing or watching a show, I would explain why to the acts I was missing and try and see them at another show. I am here seeing them again because they are a good band and deserve the support.
There are luckily a few more people here tonight, not just the Americans surrounding the bar. Starting off their set with the slightly new wave sounding Doubt, there are a few people actually gathered paying attention and some of them were even dancing a little bit. As time goes on, more people are actively watching them and the venue itself fills up a bit more. We are treated to an array of fairly heavy tracks tonight including old skool rock number Scratch, groovy 'new' track Fast Walker and the full throttle rock track Aircraft Boneyard. The latter 2 both have dynamics within the song which help show the band's song structure abilities and that they're not just your average boring rock band. Frenzied track Geronimo doesn't quite get the reaction it should; a lot of people just standing around when they should at least be jumping or nodding their heads.
The band were playing well. Bassist Eilon didn't always sound precisely on point but he was moving about a fair bit. When a musician is physically involved in the performance, you have to allow the odd bum note or being out of time. Guitarists/vocalists Yonatan's and Auriya's shared vocals help set them apart from most other rock bands due to the difference in tones. Auriya has quite a British new wave sounding, raw vocal where Yonatam has a nice clean rock tone. Drummer Itamar sounded pretty flawless and kept the band together; played a few epic big finishes. Hopefully everyone here tonight enjoyed their set but I have been getting the feeling that a majority of people here tonight are here for the next band.
4/5

Bones Garage

Having not done any prior research on Bones Garage, I was surprised by the beginning of their set for 2 reasons. Opener A.D.D. starts with dreamy guitars and a pounding rhythm that eventually picks up the pace; has that 65daysofstatic vibe. Had a really nice guitar melody. Then out of nowhere, this girl arrives on stage and starts singing. I didn't see anyone else on stage so I assumed one one of the guitarists was going to sing. Ariel is the band's front woman and as soon as she starts we are treated by quite a low, mature voice coming from someone looking quite a lot younger than the voice suggests. It has an almost Nico (Velvet Underground) quality about it. At first, I was a little bit put off by her accent....but it grew on me. As the song went on, it grew into something more than just dreamy indie. Drummer Dor was banging out some trippy dnb type beats. Those familiar with my blog or who know me personally will know that I'm a bit of a sucker for these sort of beats. Anything danceable gets my vote. It was a great opening track, as my and most probably everyone else's attention was grabbed.

The rest of their set is full of dreamy guitars with sweet and catchy melodies, the odd noisy guitar effects, pretty dual vocals and moody vibes. They have a bit of an 80s sound with a hint of that of...well...more modern bands who are heavily influenced by the 80s. There are some catchy songs such as Equals, Losing Myself and Seasons Breaks which have you humming (if not singing) along. Stand out track has to be the song which sounds almost "horror punk" but softer....which is funny because it turns out to actually be called Horror Show. There are some beautiful vocal harmonies between singer Ariel, guitarist Edan and, although I couldn't see him, the magical extra voice coming from drummer Dor. A singing drummer...that's another plus!
The band did have a full house but it is not entirely clear if everybody there REALLY understood the band. I was pleasantly surprised by the band's mixture of styles. As interesting as the vocals were, it did seem a little off key at times. I did see Ariel cough a few times, so she may have not been on top form tonight. I hope to see them again on a bigger stage where they can have a bit more movement and where I can see the whole band.
3.5/5

Live Review: Laila and Haziz Veraam @ The Zimmer, Tel Aviv [27th November 2014]

Tonight, I come to The Zimmer, the place considered Tel Aviv's hub of the weird and wonderful, to see a band I have not seen in quite some time.

Haziz Veraam

As I enter the Zimmer, albeit a tad early, there's not that many people here but the first act is already setting up. The whole performance area was filled with TV monitors of different shapes and sizes. In front of the monitors was a set up of a sound desk, modules and sound generators. I'm not going to pretend to really know all that gets used in experimental, noise and found sound performances. I still haven't much personal experience with those sorts of things. I studied sound recording, using computer software and a bit of akai sampling and tape looping but not the gizmos that I witness here tonight. Haziz Veraam is an ambient music project from Zimmer owner and half of Hetzi Moakh Al Ketamine. To be honest, I think I missed a good part of this performance. When I came in, I just thought it was a bit of a soundcheck or simply some background ambience as an introduction to the evening. I left the place for a while and came back to a slightly fuller Zimmer. As the ambient music of rapid bass lines played, there was static, spirals and all sorts of weird visuals on the monitors. If I had more of an understanding of how this sort of thing is done (and I will start looking into it), I probably would be more engaged in it. It is however a nice calming start to the night and the installations and the visuals were a nice change to see at a show.
2.5/5

Laila

Tonight's headliners Laila are made up of Maya on drums and lead vocals and Avishag on guitar and backing vocals. I have seen these girls a few times before and I always enjoy them. They play moody, almost sludgey "shoegaze" music. They start off the set with a slow, heavy hitting intro which builds along with Maya's vocals. From the get go, Maya has a lot of emotion in her voice. From what I can make out from the lyrical subject matter, she tends to sing about love and/or unrequited love. Her feelings show through as she spits her lyrics with every breath. Changing her vocals from dreamy and seducing one moment to sharp and aggressive the next, her vocals match their musical stylings. Avishag's guitar playing has similar dynamics, using her pedals to good effect. Avishag also helps with backup vocals, which are nowhere near on par with those of Maya's; it's better than just standing there doing nothing. It is a little disconcerting that the two girls are a fair distance apart on the..er...stage, which is really just the floorspace. It's normally nicer to see a band a little bit closer knit, but musically the girls still manage to keep it together.
Having been a singing drummer myself, I can say first hand that it's not all that easy. If you're doing too much complicated drumming, it can make you run out of breath and disrupt your singing. If you're concentrating too much on the singing, you can get distracted from your drumming. Maya manages to play simple enough yet still effective drum patterns that not only help accentuate Maya's meaningful lyrics, it also frees her up to sing melodically. Some of the songs nearer the end have an almost indie feel with "ooohs" and "wooohs", which in this case I found quite endearing.
Throughout the set, the monitors which were set up help add a bit of atmosphere and theatrics with varying visuals such as cowboys, trains, fish and space. Whether these visuals actually had any real purpose...probably not, but this is expected at a Zimmer show. The barmy lot! During a more frantic part of the set, the monitors flash rapidly, adding to the intensity of their playing. That I found impressive. At the very end of the show, the girls swap roles and end the show with a more heavy, dirge-like piece. It's always good to see band members' expanded talents.
Moving from dreamy, low-fi rock to more harsh and heavy styles, Laila are captivating enough to keep your head a-boppin' and you toes a-tappin'.
4/5