Tag Archives: Mexico

MESA COSA.

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Australia is home to some incredible bands. From the likes of Royal Chant to Amyl and The Sniffers- the bands there are not afraid to be loud, and to tell us their story. Bands like The Chats and Dumb Punts make music to trash a bar to, but amongst all of these insanely great bands are another that must be heard- Mesa Cosa.

Mesa Cosa have been around for some time, but I’m late to the party again but it’s been worth the wait. They recently supported The Cavemen (how cool is that!!) and they just have this wild sound that reinforces your love for music like this- noisy, passionate and a bit like a bar brawl on a Thursday night with no regard for work in the morning. It’s a proper riot and a delight to listen to. I’m currently hooked on their release from 2017, El Es Demons.  There’s a song on this record called Blood & Brains, and it sounds like it should be on some dodgy Horror film soundtrack. It’s a real gruesome song, and hilarious. They’ve got this wicked sense of humour flowing through their songs, and Blood & Brains really does capture this the most.

Their songs are made to be chanted back at them, and this just gives you real insight into how gnarly their live shows probably are. I don’t know if they’ve ever played the UK but knowing my luck I’ve probably just missed out on a tour, usually happens! But anyway, my point is when you listen to them you really get a feel for their live shows and how it’s probably the most chaotic fun you’ll ever have! I just can’t over the fact that they’ve played with The Cavemen! That must have been a crazy show!

 

 

I really love how Mesa Cosa have this gang-like feel to their sound and within the band. They’re not here to please anyone or make music to appease the masses. They make it because they want to, and because they are clearly one of the best bands around within the Garage Rock scene, but they go beyond that. I love how they sound like something from a creepy 70s Horror b-film but also sound like something from the future. They are so talented, and they just make you wish you could see their live shows every night. They have a real basement dive bar sound, and they make you want to throw your drink around and break stuff. I mean, maybe don’t do this because no one likes an asshole, but you get what I mean. Maybe just throw cushions about in your room- play it safe.

El Es Demons is an incredible record. From beginning to end we have got proper rowdy Punk songs to chant along to, and to just play constantly. From Melbourne via Mexico, Mesa Cosa have created something that you just cannot get enough of. I love this record a hell of a lot, and I feel stupid for not finding it when it came out in 2017. I think it’s one of those records that when you listen to it, even if you’ve listened to it hundreds of times- it still feels brand new. It’s just a great listen, and everything about the record is a real work of art. I love every single song on this record. A proper timeless record that you cannot get enough of. Sincerely one of the most exciting bands around, trust me. Aside from this record, they have the equally great Ya Ya Brouhaha record. That came out in 2014 I think, and again when you listen to this, it feels and sounds timeless.?

If like me, you’ve got an addiction to Garage Rock- then you’re probably going to adore Mesa Cosa (if you don’t already, you probably do already to be honest!) Their songs are made to be played loud. Their songs are made to be screamed back at them, and to just become obsessed with. I cannot give you another band to liken them to, and I guess that’s what makes a lot of Australian bands like this standout. They may sort of fall into the same style, but they all have their own unique sound.

 

 

Mesa Cosa truly have something in their music that makes you feel as if you have waited your whole life to find THIS band. I don’t think you can be just a casual listener of Mesa Cosa; I truly feel you become obsessed with them. And when it sounds this good, how on earth could you not be?

XENU & THE THETANS

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Here is something to invest in and play super loud: Xenu & The Thetans. You are welcome.

If you want fast and raw Punk, then get this record in your ears. Their debut record is everything you could possibly want from a Punk record; in fact, it is just everything you’d want from music. It is the kind of music you’d play to impress your cool uncle (basically, I’d play this record to my uncle and I’m pretty sure he’d love it, because he’s cool!) Every song feels like a smack in that face in the most euphoric way imaginable.

Xenu & The Thetans are a supergroup based in Mexico. Punk and Mexico go hand in hand, and the scene there should not be ignored. I’d go there if 1- I wasn’t scared of flying and 2- My passport wasn’t expired. I need to sort that, but I keep spending money on other things. I like to put things like this off because there’s always something better to do isn’t there. Anyway, the record. Yes.

 

 

I have no idea what the songs are about, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying the record. Besides, hearing music in another language is just fine! This is the record you get drunk to and trash your room to, isn’t it? Guess my weekend plans are sorted. I jest, I’m going to sleep. A lot. Hopefully. What I love about this record is that I don’t feel like I’m listening to a band from now. I feel like I’m listening to a band that could have been buddies with the likes of Die Böslinge, Kraut or Bad Brains. They’ve got something about them that’s just effortlessly timeless and so, so cool. You cannot deny that Tee Crees Mejor Que Yo is probably one of the best Punk songs you’ve heard in a long time. It’s such a great record, and it’s probably a really great way to learn/improve on your Spanish.

You can always tell when a band plays with a lot of passion, and this band most certainly do. You’ve got one of the best humans around, Brandon Welchez ripping this record apart beautifully, and members from Davila 666 and Descartes A Kant (Johnny and Cristi) going apeshit on this record too. It is everything you’d want from a real Hardcore Punk record. Only a couple of songs go over the 2-minute mark, and it is enough time to just make you throw your body around in an insane way and probably smack someone in the face during it. Careless dancing- we’ve all done it. Xenu & The Thetans are the band you want to hear when you should really be heading home, but they pull you in and once they’ve got you- you’re done for. There is absolutely no denying just how excellent this record is. It’s fast, ferocious and loud- it’s the Punk record we all need. Like I mentioned earlier, it really doesn’t sound like a record from 2019 and that’s by no means a bad thing at all.

This tough and raw sound just makes you fall in love with the sound instantly. Every single song sounds like it should be chanted back at the band. Alternatively, you can just do it at home and have a great time. There’s only one way to play this record, and that’s loud. Super loud to the point where you wonder if you’ll ever hear again. You know how it is. The singer of this insane band, Julián Name keeps up ferociously and effortlessly with the intense drumming of Cachi. I love the sheer colossal sound on this record, and how you can hear influences from their own bands, and like I mentioned, Bad Brains etc. too. The songs are fast and powerful; a true Punk record to let blister your ears.

 

 

Sometimes I just hear something, and it makes me want to carry on writing about music; Xenu & The Thetans have created a record to keep going back to and appreciating every single time. Nadie Por Quién Morir is one my favourites to play on repeat and louder than the others, I love the slickness to it and how it just sounds like a drunken bar brawl. This record could have worked in the (greatest film of all time) The Warriors- it’s got that feel to it. I just really love this record.

Anyway, I’ve gone on enough about this record. Go listen to it, religiously.

CROCODILES: Dreamless.

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“If you want somewhere to run to, and if you want someone to tell you the truth- go look out your window, baby.”

I’ve got a handful of things in life that make me truly happy. The obvious one being music. However, getting to write about a band who I adore (they’re not just a band, I’m lucky enough to class them as friends.) Writing about a band you love when they’re about to release something truly beautiful, well, that’s another great feeling entirely. I’ve had a copy of Dreamless by Crocodiles since May. I was given it at a point where I needed something, and I got it instantly from Dreamless. Hopefully when you hear it, you’ll get what I mean. I know I like to take apart each song when writing about a record, but I’m getting by on not much sleep at the moment so it probably won’t start or end well.

It’s so obvious how much I love Crocodiles music. From the moment I picked up their first record based on the artwork to fast forwarding to now, writing about Dreamless. Summer Of Hate and Sleep Forever had this amazing aggressive sound. Effortlessly menacing that left you wanting more. Endless Flowers took this menacing sound and mixed it with something so delicate which fully bloomed (pardon the pun) on Crimes Of Passion. Boys flirted with all their previous records- so what is left for them to do with Dreamless? Oh dear reader, they are just getting started.

I’ve looked through the records I own and also the music I haver stored on my laptop, and I can easily reel off the names of bands who much like Crocodiles change with every record. These are the kinds of bands that make you want to make your own, the kind that keep your attention constantly. Bands like The Kills and back to the likes of Captain Beefheart, Ramones, Patti, Morrissey- I could go on. And on. These are the ones who are gloriously fearless and can make each record sound as if they are a brand new band but still maintain a style that makes them tower above others. Crocodiles do it with every record. Dreamless is no exception. Although record in Mexico City, it sounds like it was born out a damp ridden apartment in Berlin circa early 70s. They’ve always given me that feeling, and for me- that’s how I want something to sound. I want it to take me somewhere I have physically yet to go, but mentally I am always there.

The record opens with Telepathic Lover, which consists of my favourite lyrics to any song I’ve heard all year. When I played it for the first time, it blew my mind. I felt this, massive connection to the lyrics, and they have been the backbone to a lot of thoughts I’ve had this year and god knows what else I’ve carried. “Telepathic Lover, please don’t look into my mind. Telepathic lover, you won’t like what you find.” Hands down my favourite lyrics of the year and probably my favourite by them, ever. There are so many songs by them I could list as being my favourite or what have you, but this one has something that just leaves me in awe of them. This is the one I keep going back to. It’s like meeting someone who really gets you.

Time To Kill has some gorgeous words to, and is beautifully sung. Brandon’s voice sounds like a gentle whisper on this one, and it makes the words echo more in your ears, and brain. It’s got a haunting sound to it, and this eerie tone lures you in. You feel secure but slightly scared all at once. Aside from the whole damn record being a work of glorious art and me obsessing over Telepathic Lover- you should know that Jumping On Angels is also one of the finest moments on the record. If this makes their live shows (I can only hope it does) then I’m pretty sure it’ll make the song sound greater than it already is. What I love about this record, is that the lyrics really make you think. I’ve spent a lot of time going back and forth over songs I love and finding lyrics that I love, and lyrics that mean something. With this record, Crocodiles have again made something that just makes you think and see things differently. They challenge themselves and the listener with every record, and that alone is a reason to completely love and respect them. Produced once again by Martin Thulin, it’s really no surprise that this is probably the best record you’ll hear all year.

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Welcome To Hell has this groove to it that makes you want to dance, but when you delve into the lyrics- you’ll again, see just how brilliant they are at writing songs that just make you take your mind elsewhere. Welcome To Hell makes you feel like you’ve wound up in a fight in the middle of some dodgy bar, and as you stumble home, the trouble just doesn’t leave you be. You just need to get yourself home and shut off.Welcome To Hell also has the brilliant line, “I never should have been a Peeping Tom.” Wonderfully perverse, in the best way. I’m Sick has this way of making you feel less alone with burden of self you can carry around at times. An easy song to relate to- listen to it and don’t be too tough on yourself.

I guess it shows at times I never re-read anything I’ve written, and I know I’ve probably missed out so much. I know I could have said so much more about Dreamless and how stunning it is. But, if you’re already a fan of Crocodiles then you’ll already know what to expect. You’ll already know that with every record, they blow your mind and do something to just make you love them even more. Songs like Go Now are perfect to play when you need some quiet time to get it together.

Crocodiles are currently on tour in Europe and will be coming over to the UK within the next few days. I’m skipping the London date and going to Manchester instead. You can’t miss seeing your favourite band at one of your favourite places, can you?!

Come out and see them at any of the following dates. Dreamless will be released on 21st October on Zoo Music.

1th October 2016 – Leeds Headrow House
13th October 2016 – Glasgow Broadcast
14th October 2016 – Manchester Night and Day
15th October 2016 – London Hackney Wonderland