Jack Butler's debut album and new single set for release.

JACK BUTLER - FIT THE PARADIGM - Released on April 27th 2009

From the startling drum roll of the opening few seconds on first track, Hit It Out The Park,Son (their new single - released April 13th) – it’s evident that Jack Butler are a discernible force to be reckoned with. The Stirling-based four-piece are set to cement their status as one of the freshest bands in Scotland with the release of their long awaited debut album Fit the Paradigm on 27th April. First single, Are You A Hustler? has been paving the way for a grand reception by garnering encouraging reviews - allgigs.co.uk calling it, "a riotous fanfare of electrics and pulsing drum beats that punctuate the air like heavy rain on a tin roof",as well as enjoying airplay on Sky TV's Soccer AM and on Radio One.

Harking back to the early post-punk of the 1980s, previous single, Boy Vs Beast is a highly original slice of art-funk with infectious guitars, dynamic bass and powerful hooks. In contrast, Just Fit The Paradigm is a quirky, despairing pastiche of the generic nature of teenage life, music and consumerism layered over deeply textured guitar-work and a brass refrain. The angularity of the guitars often attracts comparisons to fellow Scots rockers Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice but there is something far more colourful to the arrangements – He Got No Game is a shrewd, jagged-edged confrontation. Other tracks such as Velvet Prose and Let’s Testify exemplify a soulful and expressive aspect with their raw yet stirring melodies and poignant lyrics. Continuing this tone, the twinkling opening synths of Surgery 1984 (Operations I & II) ,together with grand and graceful guitars lend this track a poised, elegiac quality akin to the stadium-esque feel of Bloc Party, Interpol and Arcade Fire but still with its own unique twist.

Throughout this esteemed record, an electro sheen saturates many of the tracks lending them a 1980s vintage sound, but they remain firmly rooted in modernity. The album is a colourful array, bursting with full-on aural delights with something for every ear whether you’re looking for the eccentric or the anthemic. With this debut, Jack Butler make an unquestionably powerful musical statement. Impossible to ignore, it is a clear indication that the band should have a flourishing future.

(Claire Gilligan)

http://www.myspace.com/jackbutlerpresents

The Shermans return with 'Venom'.

Stirling-based quintet The Shermans return with the follow up to their hugely successful debut single, Calling It Wrong, which reached number 20 in Scotland and number 23 in the UK indie charts. Released on Platform Records on April 13th, Venom is a rollicking, fast-moving, foot-stomping, soon-to-be indie anthem. Confrontational from the get-go, Shaun Aitcheson literally spits his acerbic lyrics over equally serrated guitars and pounding drums. The track blazes along while a dooming quality lurks – over the shoulder glances, whispers in the dim light of club over a relationship gone wrong. Venom is the sonic equivalent of the shifty guy you don’t want to turn around a corner and bump into.

The release is backed with You're just not getting enough - jangly,with military beats, Beach Boys harmonies and an angular guitar hook. Aitcheson’s vocals warble the ridiculously infectious refrain “and you just can’t stand still, not getting enough” - that no doubt, when performed live, will spark a lot of drinks-in-the-air-hoisting antics. Despite being a song about getting stuck in life – it’s a hopeful tune – with a warm and communal feeling.

Still paying homage to bands like Ocean Colour Scene and The Bluetones, it’s obvious with the new single that The Shermans are carving out an identity of their own and are clearly not a band to mess with. On the plus side, if you do mess with them – the result is “Venom”. (Claire Gilligan)

Venom is released on April 13th - cd single and download.
http://www.myspace.com/theshermansrock

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