Lick Online - Demo Reviews

>> Ultra Extra Promo

‘..And their unique signature sound..’ claims the press release with this promo of the Glasgow 4-piece, and yet the 4th Parallel do what every unsigned band does best – fail to be unique. HOWEVER! This is not necessarily a bad thing, as every genre, every style, every influence and every stage dive has been done and done again. So why claim to be something they are not? The 4th Parallel at first glance seem to heavily rooted in their influences, but are good at what they do.

Taking an ingredient or two from the 90’s indie movement in opening track Ultra-Extra, especially in the Gallagher/Brown vocals the band start slowly with an ear-friendly track that doesn’t quite set the world on fire. There are some nice ideas here, with a quirky bass line and keys adding a slightly killers-esq aftertaste – however as a whole the track fails to deliver and the four minutes seem to drag on slightly.

Unfortunately the rest of the promo is very similar. However, the future may be bright for this band, as there is a willingness to be creative here with percussion and other instruments added in the final track Pure Coincidence. But first, the band needs to find some strong melodies and crunching tunes to be able to experiment with.

Easier said than done.

>> Joe Sach

www.the4thparallel.co.uk

>> Fire In the Sky
>> Measured Records

Bloody hell, the Hazey Janes has had a shit-kicker of a year. Playing the world over; supporting the all-conquering, stadium-straddling Snow Patrol; releasing a critically acclaimed album in the form of ‘Hotel Radio’ – sometimes everything just falls into place.

The release of ‘Fire in the Sky’ sees the third and final single lifted from Hotel Radio, and if you have to round of a perfect year then why not do it with the perfect single? Fire in the Sky has the kind of loveably lairy personality last seen in Dr Emmett Brown’s wild-eyed raving. The verse sounds like a chorus (which is always good) and the sun-kissed harmonies remind you about all the good stuff you got up to while the summer sun was out. With a rhythm section sounding like The Fratellis set to 33rpm it gives the impression of an older sibling showing the upstarts how it’s done.

The b-sides are notable for the hugely impressive ‘Meet on the Ledge’. Song writing of this quality on a secondary track hasn’t been heard since the days of early Oasis – as Acquiesce is to Some might Say, so Meet on the Ledge is to Fire in the Sky. In fact, everything about this single should put a smile on yer face. It’s pure song writing brilliance from people who clearly care about putting out quality records.

The Hazey Janes play ABC2 on October 25th as part of their Autumn UK tour.

>> Russell Moore

INTERVIEW:

Hello Hazey Janes, how are you?
Andrew - Just been recording some demos at home all day, so a little slow at the moment. Apart from that, fine thanks.
Matthew - Yep, a good day's work. I'm okay.

Last time I saw you was up at Belladrum. You enjoy the festival? Any other bands you manage to see that impressed?
A.- I had a great time; Belladrum seems to have the perfect consistency for a festival of its size. It was amazing to finally see the legendary Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Our Small Capital and Camera Obscura were also excellent.
M.- Yes, it was a lot of fun. The Martial Arts from Glasgow were also great. And it was cool to see The View at last.

You’re touring the UK with your third single ‘Fire in the Sky’, looking forward to it?
A.- Oh yeah, hopefully we'll see some new and old faces. I don't mean the elderly. Though, if an elderly person wanted to come to one of the shows that'd be fine. Guest list.
M.- Yeah, I love going on tour. It's sort of like going on holiday for me.

You seem to be a bit of a household name in Scotland now – how do you find crowd reactions when you play down south?
A.- I'm not sure if you could call us a household name. Maybe just one room, the bedroom?
M.- The Southern crowds have all been very nice so far. They're a bit happier because they can smoke while they're watching us.

Scotland’s better though isn’t it?!
A.- Probably, although London's a close second.
M.- I love London. And Manchester.

What are the plans after that? More recording?
A.- Hopefully, yeah. Like I mentioned, we've started demoing things at home in preparation for the next record.

Are you still writing songs whilst gigging this batch of songs? And will you be throwing in any new-ones when you tour in October?
A.- We're always writing new stuff, whilst tampering with older ideas.
M.- We'll be playing some new stuff on the tour. It's good to play it out a bit before going into the studio.

Who are the influences when you write songs?
A.- Everything really - the late greats, new music, strolling whilst hungover etc.
M.- Daria.

I’ve never been to Dundee unfortunately – can you give me some good reasons to go there?
A.- Alamos, Steve Miller, Uncle Fritz, Spyamp, Laeto, Mercury Tilt Switch, Perineum, The A Forest, Otterley, to name just a few bands. Also, the people.
M.- ...peh on a roll?!

Here’s your Lick Quick fire questions:

Up or Down? A.- Up (DFC, please). M.- Up, up and away.

Electric or Acoustic? A.- Very tough....both. Sorry. M.- Electric.

Black or White? A.- Black. M.- Black.

Glasgow or Edinburgh? A.- At the moment, Edinburgh. M.- Glasgow.

On top or on bottom? A.- On top. M.- Either way's good.

Boxers or Y-fronts? A.- Boxers. M.- Boxers.

Beatles or the Stones? A. THE BEATLES! M.- I shouldn't even answer that. Beatles, OBVIOUSLY.

Kylie or Danni? A.- Kylie. M.- Kylie.

Football or Rugby? A.- Football. Easy. M.- Aye, fitba.

>> www.thehazeyjanes.co.uk
>> www.myspace.com/thehazeyjanes