Punk, garage and alternative rock: High Vis, Corker, Why Bother?, Black Doldrums

On Friday 18 October a whole host of albums were released by bands that I mostly not heard of before, but all rocked, hard. One belonged more in this niche and others in another one. Scanning them I thought, oh, yes, I think I would like to write on this album. But there were simply too many of them with too little room. So, I decided to write a little on all. That will not do justice to the whole album, but hopefully it sets you on the trail of band and album. Here we go.

Guided Tour. High Vis

High Vis?, what does it mean in English?, as vis = fish in Dutch. High Vis is from London (U.K.) and has two faces. The first is how Guided Tour opens with melodic rock and with angry rock moving towards punk next. Singer Graham Sayle's spitting out his lyrics here, while he does his best containing the spittle in the other songs, like The Who's Roger Daltrey in the 60s. The two faces do the band really good. A song like 'Worth The Wait' is a great example how this works out. This band has a great melodic side that it shows regularly and has an enormously energetic side that does it credit as well. Singer Sayle is a huge part of that energy, while live he may have the same impact that Tramhaus' Lukas Jansen has. I'm not familiar with the band's two previous albums. Guided Tour is a good album to start a High Vis adventure with.

Hallways Of Grey. Corker

More punklike is Cincinnati's Corker. With Hallways Of Grey the band released its second album a year after its debut 'Falser Truths'. Corker presents songs that sound like a Joy Division light with the same intent. They seem to have one foot in the past and one in the present. Corker is Luke Corvette (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Cole Gilfilen (Guitar, Synth, Vocals), Ryan Sennett (Bass, Synth) and Alex Easterday (Drums, Percussion). The lead guitarist is not afraid to take a prominent role, giving 'Night Ride' a very distinctive sound. 'Distant Dawn' is loud, a true energy boost and yet has a hint of pop that makes the song stand out more than anything else. Corker may have DIY written all over itself, the result Hallways Of Grey is one to be proud of. The mix between raw energy, melody and musicality is about perfect. 'Forever Silent', with Angie Willcutt on lead vocals, is an odd one out. Corker may recreate a lot what came before and well before the band's members were even born judging a photo, it does so with with the attitude that makes it deserve its a spot in the 2020s.

Hey, At Least Your Not Me. Why Bother?

Punk and garage rock bands come a dime by the dozen these days. Yet, many have their own angle to the niche in rock music. Why Bother? returns to garage rock bands like can be found on the 'Nuggets' box and add the speed of The Ramones to their music. The combination leads to punkrock songs with a truly far out psychedelic solo like in 'Chasing The Skull'. Over the top is actually an understatement here. Why Bother? is from Mason City, Iowa and consists of Terry, Vocals/Synthesizers, Speck, Guitar/Vocals, Pamela, Bass Guitar and Paul, Drums. I'm not sure but the band may be the first I know coming from Iowa. Does anyone know other examples? Why Bother? is not one for subtlety and goes for it with loads of enthusiasm. No, it's not the best band I've ever heard, but it simply does a whole lot of things right and that makes for interesting listening.

In Limerence. Black Doldrums

London based Black Doldrums return to the blog but for the first time with an album, the band's second. In Limerence kicks off with one of the singles, 'Hideaway'. It's a song that rocks hard, in a psychedelic rock niche that reminds me of The Black Angels mostly, except that the Londoners rock this little extra. Just listen to the bass runs new bassist Matt Hold is making. He joined Kevin Gibbard (guitar and vocals) and Sophie Landers (drums and vocals) for this album. Black Doldrums' music starts in the doom and gloom of the 1980s. As much the guitar based bands as the ones who also had a keyboard on board, like The Cure. Gibbard likes to throw his voice down an octave as well. The difference is that the band prefers to rock also and is not afraid of throwing a little pop influences into its melodies. It results in an album that is a perfect hybrid of two ages, the 1980s new wave and the 2020s psychedelic rock. With In Limerence, "a state of intense, all-consuming romantic longing", Black Doldrums hits all the right notes. In March the band embarks on a European tour but no Dutch dates as yet unfortunately.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

You listen to and order the albums here:

https://highvis.bandcamp.com/album/guided-tour

https://corker.bandcamp.com/album/hallways-of-grey

https://blackdoldrums.bandcamp.com/album/in-limerence