One two blow
...And my opinion on this CD is that it's another
success for 25 Records - it features some good bands, some and some
truly excellent bands, so you should all buy it.
The bands and their songs.
01. Blaze: Prey for me
02. Osmosis: Lifeline
03. Firedaze: End of the light
04. Stoker: Girl in a flower shop
05. Stoker: Galaxy base spaziale
06. Addano: I haven’t told her yet
07. Red Ash and the Love Commandos: Build
08. Smiler: Love me always
09. Dan-T’s Inferno: Eyelinerrefinery
10. Plastik: Blow-up
11. Deckchair: What did I do to you?
12. The Hamptons: She couldn’t make the stretch
marks tan
13. Jeg: You’ll never be mine
14. Jeg: Home alone
15. Idiot Bear: Easter Island
16. Round Wound: Cosy
17. The Marked: Evolver
18. Drowning Boats: Absolute bliss
19. Malice in Wonderland: Now is the time
20. Parkstone Dub Foundation: Ducking and diving
A few words about each band
Blaze: Full on distorted guitar with a
great intro and the kind of ballsy stormer that could actually be
a reasonable sized hit.
Osmosis: The line up has changed somewhat
since recording the recording of Lifeline, so has the music . .
. more punked up! Oh, Sylvia’s had her long blond hair chopped
off and dyed the remains purple.
Firedaze: This is not roots, as we know
it, nor is it dance. This is roots dance, the traditional music
of the twenty first century.
Stoker: Margate trio who play guitar driven
pop beside the seaside. Formed in 1998, their first e.p. ‘In
the beginning’ was released shortly afterwards on Clocktower
Records.
Addano: We are brothers. We write songs
together, record them and perform them. We have progressed as songwriters
since recording the demo. We are from Liverpool.
Red Ash and the Love Commandos: This eclecticism
is mirrored in the musical pot-pouri of heavily rhythmic, hugely
catchy pop songs.
Smiler:Catchy no nonsense straight-ahead
rock-pop.
Dan-T’s Inferno: The homemade cobweb
tattoo on the elbow of love, burnt to a crisp even flow. A true
product of the fuck up factory.
Plastik: Blow-up: From Southampton, mix
dark alternative sounds with catchy pop chorus’s to serve up
sexy n subservient songs that promise to go down easy.
Deckchair: Deckchair prides themselves
in varying their musical styles from techno to indie. Always producing
the most fantastic melodic songs the world has ever heard.
The Hamptons: Surf ‘n’ girth
with The Hamptons.
Jeg: They have a catalogue of 54 songs recorded
since 1997 to date. Having gigged mainly in Glasgow, Jeg has sold
in the region of 800 CD’s.
Idiot Bear: One nice southern boy and
three northern bastards. The musical equivalent of Bryan Adam’s
head in a jar.
Round Wound: Head-burstingly gorgeous
pop.
The Marked: The Marked are a band from Harrow and London influenced
by Sonic Youth, Nirvana and various fine tobaccos. The Marked are
alternapunk at it’s finest.
Drowning Boats: In a power pop
world increasingly spreading thinly over safely conquered familiar
turf, The Drowning Boats flex into virgin territory.
Malice in Wonderland: From darkest Shropshire
introducing Malice in Wonderland. A free peace sweet band with acid
tendencies enjoying many original features with large garden at
rear.
Parkstone Dub Foundation: A howling fucker
of a track, searing, intense, urgent, violent. Hang on, let’s
play it again.
Some old friends, some new friends, some name changing and new
directions. The first of many planned releases for the year 2000.
Back to the top
Some good reviews.
The Original Sin
I'm the last person on earth who's going to tell that there should
be any limits to someone's freedom, but having sex with a blow-up
doll is something my mind can't understand. Maybe I have to try
before I judge, but there isn't a real change that something like
this will happen in the forthcoming future. Anyway, what has that
to do with this compilationalbum? Uumm…the cover, that's all!!!
And then there was the music… All the reviews I've read so
far were good but they had all one thing in common…they all
thought it was a nightmare to review it. And a nightmare it is cos
25 Records is presenting you an other compilation that offers you
19 bands who are all there with different sounds.
So how to start? Knowing that it costs £5 (only if you say
you've read it in The Original Sin…or any other zine that you
saw the review in) would make you say : "Shut up, Didier!!!
I don't want to hear….I'm going to listen to it myself!!".
But I know you won't so a review is needed..and really, believe
me, I'm not in the position to think that you're going to buy this
because a good review has been written down, but I can always try..
Is it so good then??? Honestly, yes… Just like on any other
compilation from unsigned bands, there are bands from who they can
rely on rich daddies instead of talent, but at least 60% from the
bands on here are topquality?
Highlights? For me, they are Blaze (indiepop meets Stereo MC's),
Addano (stupid name for a band but their dramatic pop noir makes
you say "When will Pulp be back?"), Red Ash & The
Love Commandos (why are they always the best band on 25 Records-compilations?
I guess I just like 'em, that's all….), Dan-T's Inferno (another
stupid name but I like their electro-pop that brought back memories
from Devo), Deckchair (Placebo-esque buzzpop), Idiot Bear (if you
think "Elizabeth, my dear" by The Stone Roses was a toptune
then you're surely going to like this as well!!) and Parkstone Dub
Foundation (I'm not even going to describe this, but it's dead dead
good). Whoever it might be who is going to review this, the fave
bands will be different, but the essence will be the same : a perfect
opportunity to discover new bands!!
Reviewed by Didier in The Original Sin, March 2001
Zabadak
Hard on the heels of Ooer, Missus. and 'Olive's Army. comes another
Sampler from 25 Records. As with all samplers this is a curate's
egg of the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Twenty tracks
from eighteen artists. There's not enough space for in-depth analysis
of each but here's a quick canter through the line-up on offer:
1 BLAZE .Prey For Me aggressive backing, low key, intimate female
vocals...changes around two thirds of the way through into a gospel
style chant.
2 OSMOSIS .Lifeline similar ingredients to the first but with nifty
acoustic guitar to the fore alongside a nagging wah-wah riff. 3
FIREDAZE 'End Of The Light' brisk, folksy with impressive fiddle
playing...just about the best track on the CD. 4 STOKER .Girl In
A Flower Shop'...sounds like The Jam but with Liam Gallagher singing.
Plenty of blustering energy.
5 STOKER 'Galaxie Base Spaziale more workmanlike power-pop...probably
very good live. 6 ADDANO .I Haven.t Told Her Yet'...acoustics strummalong,
a ghostly organ Iinterjects now and then -this is rather attractive
very good indeed!
7 RED ASH & THE LOVE COMMANDOS 'Build'...spoken vocal, piano, synths
and compulsive, repetitive drumming quite original. 8 SMILER I .Love
Me Always' a ringing telephone gives way to more power-pop served
on a bedrock of acoustic guitars and nimble bass playing a catchy,
almost Eurovision chorus wonderful!
9 DAN-T.s INFERNO .Eyelinerrefinery more electrobeat synths another
spoken vocal, this time sounding unnervingly like the late BBC folk/country
DJ Wally Whyton! fascinating to hear once! 10 PLASTIC 'Blow-Up'...lo-fi
indie affected vocals a grower. 11 DECKCHAIR 'What Did I Do To You?..this
is reminiscent of A Flock Of Seagulls -remember them? - but with
deliberately provocative lyrics "You can go to Hell-You should fit
in well".
12 THE HAMPTONS .She Couldn't Make The Stretch Marks Tan a surfin'
parody to the tune of the Beach Boys 'Do It Again' (almost). 13
JEG 'You.1I Never Be Mine short repetitive lyrics tedious. 14 JEG
'Home Alone better than the previous track, though still unexceptional
a basic, tight, fast thrash once again, probably better live.
15 IDIOT BEAR 'Easter Island jangly a la The La's nervous vocals
shoe gazing stuff. 16 ROUND WOUND .Cosy Oasis again rousing. 17
THE MARKED 'Evolver grunge guitar, amateurish drumming, Billy Bragg
vocals this is terrible! 18 DROWNING BOATS .Absolute Bliss but not
for us!...more power pop which by now is tending to blur together.
19 MALICE IN WONDERLAND .Now Is The Time'...terse, aggressive guitar
very much to the point and one of the best on offer here. 20 PARKSTONE
DUB FOUNDATION 'Ducking And Diving' laid back dub with appalling
'vocals' a most unrepresentative and disappointing end to the collection.
So there you are.
Despite the entertaining hyperbole of the sleeve-notes, nothing
here stands up to be counted as exceptional, but FIREDAZE, SMILER,
ADDANO and MALICE IN WONDERLAND are all worthy of further investigation
and the set as a whole is interesting with only a couple of real
'clunkers'.
8/10
Reviewed by Mick Capewell in issue 17 of ZABADAK Domaine des Palmiers,
124 Av Maurice Chevalier, Appt 103 Bat B3. 06150 Cannes la Bocca,
France.
Modern Dance
Another impressive collection of bands and artists from 25 Records.
I know it's bugger all to do with the music, but the cover's a cracker!
Twenty songs from the likes of Stoker, Deckchair, The Marked, Round
Wound, Malice In Wonderland, The Hamptons, Blaze, Firedaze, Plastik,
Jeg, Idiot Bear and Smiler. Blaze kick off the album with Prey For
Me, a cracking hard driven riffy type thing. Osmosis then cool it
down slightly with an acoustic(ish) Lifeline. If nothing else, the
one thing that stands out with the songs on here is the really good
production, even on their earlier releases, almost all the numbers
have a very good production. And whilst this might not mean much
to budding bands and popsters, it's the first thing that hits the
listener. Firedaze get a bit Celtic with End Of The Light. Stoker
have two tracks, and their guitar and bass work is well organised
- and the songs ain't bad either! Dan T's Inferno's Eyelinerrefinery
stands out (mainly because it is different). The Hampton's spoof
on the Beach Boys with their She Couldn't Make The Stretch Marks
Tan is a bloody goon 'un. Malice In Wonderland's Now Is The Time
is a nifty little number, bringing back those halcyon memories of
early punk and new wave. Like I say, another good compilation, a
great way to sample new bands.
Reviewed by Dave W in Modern Dance issue 29
CHANNELFLY
Twenty tracks, eighteen bands on this compilation
from the Dorset based 25 Records and as usual with these things,
it is an album of extremes. Some inclusions radiate under-funded
class, indeed two or three will make you thoroughly glad that you
stumbled across this obscure compilation. Some are stinkers, step
forward Osmosis and Firedaze, which confirm the suspicion that the
best A&R men aren't based in Poole. Stoker turn in a couple of sparkly
songs that initiate thoughts of The Stranglers, whilst the moody
electronics and Wrekked Train meets Terry Pratchett vocal ramble
of Dan-T's Inferno catches the ear, if only for the reason that
the all the rest are guitar bands. But the two real highlights are
The Hamptons' She Couldn't Make The Stretch Marks Tan, a puerile
but enjoyable, surf guitar romp and in particular Deckchair's What
Did I Do To You? an insecurely spiteful stormer, reminiscent of
Electronic and ready to be lifted into the nation's consciousness
at a moment's notice.
Reviewed by Danny Garlick in Channelfly
Fear and Loathing
20 tracks from a selection of 18 bands indie based bands, for a
mere £5. Probably loads of stuff you've necer heard of, but
with this deal, you can check it out with out much risk. Trust your
own ears! more reliable than the NME and cheaper than a month at
the Bull and Gate
Musicdish
The latest compilation from 25 Records, 'One Two Blow' is full
of catchy Brit-pop tunes. Okay, so it's pretty much all Brit-pop.
(The label is based in England.) Many of the tracks are quite contemporary.
Dan-T's "Inferno" and his "Eyelinerrefinery" is very futuristic
but somehow at the same time brings me back to the Bowie-era. I
can just picture this guy wearing blue eyeshadow on stage. How about
this one..."She Couldn't Make the Stretch Marks Tan"...The Hamptons
are classic on this track, but the lyrics are hilarious. This album
is a bit cultish- mostly and underground sound. Uniquely styled
pop with a tinge of Britain- definitely a different kind of sound.
Reviewed by Daina Kazmaier for Musicdish, April 2000
hEARd
A wonderful collection of artists brought to you from UK label
25 Records, spanning quite a few different genres & giving us some
very interesting listening which takes us across 20 tracks in total,
ranging from slightly eccentric to great indie pop. The opening
track "Prey For Me", coming from Blaze, takes a very cool line of
fuzzy & caustic guitar riffs, backed up by some great vocals & an
equally cool melody which runs the length of the track, melting
into "Lifeline" from Osmosis, another excellent pick here. The true
standouts for me come at the other end of the album, firstly with
the great fuzz-rock of Drowning Boats' "Absolute Bliss", which has
some sublime riffs to keep you happy, another pick for me being
Smiler's "Love Me Always". This is a great album full of bands I'd
not heard of before, but who I feel sure we'll be hearing of in
the near future again.
Reviewed in by Terry Allen in the spring issue of hEARd,
Australia http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hmag
A Cheery wave from Stranded Youngers
'ONE TWO BLOW' Another ace compilation CD from 25 Records kicks
off with a burst of fiery fuzz from Blaze, full-on distortion which
doesn't give way as they plea 'Prey for Me' until the gospel vocals
combine with happy-clappy finger-clicking and eventually slide into
an '80s acid house ending.
Retro, then, but as they're combining sounds from 20 years apart
it comes out sounding very new, and catchy too! As does the offering
from Osmosis, combining Spanish guitar with squishy sound effects
and Sylvia's pleasant vocals to produce their 'Lifeline'.
Firedaze are sounding more traditional; I'm going to pigeonhole
them as 'the indie Corrs', but they're much more exciting than the
bland pop act and make more sense with lines like "the end of every
silence must be loud!"
Another of the most excellent bands here, Red Ash and the Love
Commandos, provide a spoken-word waltz in the style of one of Arab
Strap's golden moments 'Hey! Fever' as Captain Ash recounts with
wry humour how he preferred his girl before she got fat. Very nice.
Idiot Bear show us some understated but well-played American style
college rock on 'Easter Island' and the singer claims to be like
basalt and marble, but this is much softer and a nice break.
Stoker have a couple of catchy tunes but their Shack-type singer
is too relaxed for their sharp Indie Rock, while Deckchair have
a kind of charm but come across as too desperate to be pop stars
with their lightweight New Order-ish sound. They sound like real
children of the '80s but on their 'Olive's Army contribution they
sounded quite old... Then there's Plastik, who come on like Elastica
making their 'Connection', fronted by Mr/Ms Young Offenders in old
age, going "oo!" a lot but not singing Oo-er...
The Hamptons are the Buzzcocks doing the Beach Boys, with the emphasis
on the cock-iness. They sound young like the Hansons but 'She couldn't
make the stretch marks tan' is pure '70s seaside resort cheek. Smiler
are how the Beatles might've sounded had they gone on into the '70s
(some would say they'd have lost it by then). 'Love Me Always' could
be played on daytime commercial radio if it wasn't for the clicking
sound at the start.
In contrast, Dan-T's Inferno makes slow dancey nonsense like that
piss-take techno band from 'Apocalypse Tube'. The Marked have some
good Sonic Youth guitars but then the tuneless vocals cut in too
loud over the top and proclaim that it should be a crime to have
opinions (!). Pah! To quote Vow, "opinions are like arseholes, everyone
has one" - and that's the way it should be. It's not nice to have
them shoved in your face all the time, but it's healthy to air them
occasionally!
And my opinion on this CD is that it's another success for 25 Records
- it features some good bands, some good-but-unremarkable bands
(so I won't remark on them) and some truly excellent bands, so you
should all buy it.
Reviewed by Al in A Cheery wave from Stranded Youngers, 6 Angotts
Mead, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2NJ, UK
Back to the top
BB
'One Two Blow' - 25 Records is getting quite prolific in their
ability to release quality compilation albums. In fact I have lost
track at just how many they have managed to put out in recent years,
but all have been more than interesting. 'One Two Blow', again highlights
the talents of some cool new bands including the likes of Blaze,
Osmosis, Stoker, Smiler, Idiot Bear, Jeg and Firedaze. It's not
all pretty though, but with 20 tracks you can forgive a few fillers.
The simple fact of the matter is though, if your into new music,
some of which is very different from the normal compilation material,
then 'One Two Blow' is well worth checking out indeed.
Reviewed in by Matt issue 34 of BB, 12 The Lawns, High Street,
Stonehouse, Glos, GL10 2NU. UK
The Advertiser
All hail the Parkstone sound: 25 Records return with One Two Blow,
a new CD showcasting the good, the radical and the ugly new talent
from around the country. The 20-track CD features local acts Dan-T`s
Inferno and Osmosis- and gets extra marks for the tasteful sleeve.
Reviewed by Nick Churchill in The Bournemouth and Poole Advertiser,
Feb 2000
Back Again
25 RECORDS sind ein Label aus England und stellen komplett unbekannte
Bands vor (jedenfalls ist mir noch kein Name annähernd bekannt gewesen).
BLAZE bringen uns einen witzigen, wirklich nicht alltäglichen Rocksong,
OSMOSIS ist ebenfalls mit Damengesang unterlegt und hat was folkmäßiges
(spanisch?)an sich, den Folkanteil hebt FIREDAZE dann noch, allerdings
wird es hier sehr irisch und auch hier gibt es wieder Frauengesang.
Danach folgen zwei Songs von STOKER, netter Rock mit sanfter Stimme.
ADDANO und RED ASH AND THE LOVE COMMANDOS bringen uns melodische
Songs außerhalb jeglicher Zeitströmungen, der SMILER hat richtigen
Schweinerock.
Interessant wird es dann mit DAN-T´S INFERNO, getragen, vor allem
elektronisch mit einem Mann, der spricht und nicht singt, wirkt
etwas bedrohlich und gefällt sehr gut. PLASTIC haben so´ne Art Glamour-
und Glitter-Rock mit durchgeknallter Stimme, danach folgt mit DECKCHAIR
ein irgendwie nett 80er-angehauchter Rocksong mit toller Melodie
und knisternden Gitarren. Danach kommt was zum lächeln, ein waschechter,
schöner Rock´n Roll-Song á la Racey von THE HAMPTONS.
JEG bringen und zwei Songs, die ich auch am ehesten als Schweinerock
bezeichnen würde. IDIOT BEAR ist recht sanft, melodisch mit wavigen
Gitarren im Hintergrund. Witzig ist wiederum ROUND WOUND, etwas
Reggae, etwas Beatles und viel Melodie macht eine interessante Mischung.
Noch witziger wird es dann mit THE MARKED. Schräge Stimme, dünnes
Schlagzeugchen und schrammelnde, verstimmte Gitarre, definitiv eines
der Highlights der CD. Ungewollter Punk vielleicht? Regina Zindler
der Punkmusik? Stark.
Die DROWNING BOATS sind dafür wieder etwas professioneller, schöner
Waverock mit wirklich toller Melodie und schöner Instrumentierung,
fantastisch! MALICE IN WONDERLAND dagegen ist nur mittelmäßiger
Schweinerock und zum Ende gibt es mit mit der PARKSTONE DUB FOUNDATION
noch mal elektronische Klänge mit eigenartigem Rhythmus und einer
verzerrten Stimme. So, nachdem hier in der Kritik zig-mal das Wort
Rock benutzt wurde, bleibt am Ende nur noch eine Erklärung übrig.
Eine Rock-CD für Rock-Fans, die Rockmusik mögen und auch gerne
neues Blut testen möchten. Im Internet findet Ihr mehr unter http://www.25records.com,
guckt mal rein! (H.H.)
http://www.backagain.de/
Back to the top
Flick
Blaze: B+ (3.5)
Osmosis: C+ (2.5)
Firedaze: B (3.0)
Stoker: C+ (2.5) A
ddano: B- (2.8)
Red Ash & The Love Commandos: B (3.0)
Smiler: B+ (3.5)
Dan-T's Inferno: B+ (3.5)
Plastik: A- (3.8)
Deckchair: B- (2.8)
The Hamptons: A (4.0)
Jeg: B- (3.8)
Idiot Bear: B- (2.8)
Round Wound: B+ (3.5)
The Marked: C- (1.8)
Drowning Boats: B+ (3.5)
Malice In Wonderland: B (3.0)
Parkstone Dub Foundation: B (3.0)
Overall: 3.27 (out of 4)
"Not 25 Records' best release, but it may not be their worst. Not
a lot of originality, but it does have it's highlites, including
Dan-T's Inferno, Plastik and Round Wound. Unfortunately, the good
is few and far between the bad. Overall, not a great CD, but for
the price, it is worth the buy." peter
Flick on-line
Back to the top
Feel free to contact the band at 25 Records anytime for interviews/Band
features/ gig info etc. at: 25 Records, PO Box 3006, Poole, BH12
2HU, England. Or e-mail
us.
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1. If there were 4 potatoes in a room, which one would be
the prostitute? The one that's labeled "IDAHO"
2. Why don't blind people skydive? Because it scares the
hell out of the dog.
3. What has four legs and an arm? A happy pit-bull
4. What is the difference between a peeping tom and a robber?
A robber snatches watches.
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