Hovering, mildly brooding, synth pushed and occasionally soaring lounge/pop cries  out feelings of bemusement and delusion at life and love through a new non-album track, ‘Animal’. Former opera student, Nika Roza puts in a controlled, well projected vocal performance, bouncing off the gliding synths and rat-tat-tat percussion to give her Zola Jesus project some sincerity, soul and ambience.

The lounge impetus continues in ‘I Can’t Stand’, as this offering from the lauded Stridulum II album, acts like a pat on the back for someone who has just lost out in the game of love. This Wisconsin born starlet provides an outlet for those who like reflection, meditation facilitation, soul and an atmospheric slant to their pop music.

www.myspace.com/zolajesus

Rating: 4/5

Moody, backward gazing new wave spirited femme provocation with the odd nod, wink and snarl at Queen Adreena and Siouxsie and the Banshees, encapsulates the spirit of the gruelling and sometimes reflective, ‘Milk Teeth’. The rumbling bass-lines of Johnny Seymour and gritty percussion of Steve Wilson that touches Metallica level at times, matching the occasional grizzly vocal injection from Romily Alice. Spasms of Kitty pitched spewing of the term “Fresh Meat”, adds to the potency on show in this advert for the pending debut album, ‘Yolk’.

Some soul backing, heart and wandering guitar led instrumental touches, provides for a change of pace and focus for the racing indie/alt rocking, ‘Godzilla’. It sees Romily Alice giving this sub-two minute teaser oodles of playful spirit and the odd foxy nudge.  Japanese Voyeurs mingle the lurid with the salacious, the paranoid and the sordid. Providing for an alternative to your run-of-the-mill rock, indie and alt’ music.

www.myspace.com/japanesevoyeurs

Rating: 3.5/5

Slowly rising electronic soundscaping sets the way for the lagging, yet fuzzily reassuring vocals of Dom Barber, as ‘South Pacific’ provides a snippet of their forthcoming debut album. They seem to be settling into a groove with their new their new label. Digital tinkering and cruising percussion, strokes along the vocals, it helps to proffer some mystery to matters. The song merges together an image of a place and sounds that are intertwined. Wherever and whatever you imagine those to be?

There’s exploration and digital harmony in the right quantities here, giving off adventure and a groovy vibe. Low-key electro pop could well have a new and sturdy mainstay.

www.istropical.com

Rating: 3/5

Fuzzy digitally intoned, slow vocal soared disco rock, sets this double A  sided single off to a relationship musing, groovy start through, ‘Take My Advice’. Vocalist Lincoln Kreifels slings in the odd echo to wretch out bemusement that's related to a significant other, as the full bodied percussion trot gives some texture to this reflective, groove friendly mini-epic.

The Brandon Flowers comparisons will flow like forced criticism from Louie Walsh’s mouth, for ‘Life’s Too Short’. Kriefels’ vocals take on a lower register and he dominates this disco-ballad with his earnest ramblings for this lament about the lack of understanding about an object of desire.  Wild Party shows that they are not just going to ride to success on the back of The Killer’s comparisons. Some instrumental spark and grit, as well as some striking digital touches, take them in a slightly different direction.

www.wearewildparty.com

Rating: 3.5/5

Lounge doused Shy Child and the atmospheric quirkiness of Aphex Twin conjoins for ‘A4 In Ecstasy’. It represents another down-tempo snippet of Iain Campbell’s digitally intoned, fuzzy vocal instilled quest for salvation and represents his bid to understand the world around him. Funky soul backing rubs against his stern vocals, combining mystique and a warming touch. It contrasts with the topic of the single that represents an exposure of the harshness of life.

There’s just enough searching ambience and rising vocal profile to give this post-three minute saunter, enough to justify the chilling boxing feature. That Campbell has chosen to soundtrack in the video for this partly gruelling single

Rating: 3/5

www.kidadrift.com

Two can be as powerful, potent and full bodied as four. This has been a point well proven over the years by the likes of Winnebago Deal, The Black Keys, Death From Above 1979 and, to a lesser extent, The Kills. It’s a trend that’s built upon by the briskly atmospheric rocking, Sacramento pairing of Sean Stockham and Zack Lopez, in opener, ‘Busy Bein’ Born’. That strikes just the right balance between paranoia, rhythmic drive and hanging atmospheric implanting. Vocal potency makes several appearances on this bracing full length, an example being the tearing screamo jaunt, ‘USA’. Pace changing ability glares out through the haunted, emo/slow rocking bemused stammer, ‘New Low’. Blending in an urban edge and twining guitars that produce a retro feel.

Racing Winnebago Deal skirting, metal tinged racing rock, sees this pair explode, ‘Lifelong Dayshift’. Lopez’s gritty, angst ridden vocals and crushing rock guitars ram home this tale of bemusement. Lashing out at the self-centred:

                             “Your life, isn’t worth wasting mine on.” 

Intensity and an ability to instil a hanging, reflective touch to proceedings provides for a mixture of energy and reflection. It also results in some variety that gives the album an edge. ‘Alive Or Dead’, uses rumbling atmospheric guitars and trotting percussion to chilling mood building effect, an unexpected rockabilly slant shows that diversity is becoming a friendly bedfellow for this pair. The vocals merge together nimbleness and grit, promoting this self-loathing tale out of the categories of self-centred and self-pitying for the sake of it.

Feelings of entrapment are escaped out of through controlled catharsis and rhythm, ‘Sad To Know’. This song also gives off a fuzzy retro vibe, as the volume increases without having a forced feel to it. Racing guitars take over in the intensity stakes, as the vocals take on a refreshing distanced echo, almost as though they’re drowning in the ripping guitar led melee. Discordant guitar profiling and clanging percussion sets the tone for the 70s rocking romp, ‘Thought I Was’. Grimy nasal pushed vocals hang just the right side of arrogance and fall short of you being able to throw in a Beastie Boys comparison, but, only just, sometimes.

Middle Class Rut have taken their time and used the EP format well to lead up to this crunching, roving and gritty debut album. Potency and hanging atmospherics provide for the variety and the sincerity flows naturally out of this pair of genuine performers.

www.myspace.com/middleclassrut

Rating; 4/5