Usually I need a good few weeks to listen to a CD before I do a review, but with Shouting Myke‘s newie there was absolutely no need because the Oxford crew are quite simply fantastic. ‘For Your Pleasure’ is the proof of the pudding; as original a record you will hear all year. It would be lazy of me to define the Myke as a post-hardcore band because they certainly are not, but there are passing elements of that sound alongside jazzier and metallic edges. It’s an original hybrid that puts lots of styles into one big melting pot and comes back with Shouting Myke, a band in a league of their own.
I know I’ve hyped them up a lot in the past, but this EP really is worthy of all that. There’s a sense of originality, adventure and purpose which when mixed in with the band’s obvious talent makes this EP shine like a beacon in a sea of tiresome regurgitated cry-baby emo. There’s an energy here which generally excites and refreshes, something difficult to actually put into words. All you need to do is listen and get sucked in as the dual guitars peel off riff after riff and the vocals switch from the sublime to the vicious in the flick of an emotion. Take opener ‘Spectator To Love’ for example – the first 15-seconds hint at a driving post-hardcore stomper, but the guitars smooth out and the vocals kick in with a fantastic melody which roars into action as the guitars and drums kick and spit. There’s a hint of System of a Down in the vocals, probably unintentionally, but with heady comparisons like that you can sense just how good this band are. The track itself also sounds like the band are taking on Muse and Hundred Reasons in a wrestling match – and winning. Big names there, but soon SM will eclipse them all, they are simply that good.
‘Only Someone’ is arguably the most accessible song on the EP, but even at over five minutes it’s not a song you’re likely to find hogging the radiowaves. The twists and turns within the song again shows their adventurous side, and it’s this method of refusing to stick to the rulebook which wins them so many points. The seven-minute epic that is ‘Can’t Move You’ is another stormer; without repeating myself the song again takes on so many guises it remains refreshing to listen to even after numerous listens. There’s a knack to being able to write songs that keep fresh, songs that allow the listener to pick up something new everytime you hear it. It’s something Shouting Myke have easily mastered.
I think you can sense I like this EP…but I can’t urge you enough to give it a whirl. The poetic and lullaby-esque soothing sounds of ‘Medusa’ show Shouting Myke‘s artier side. It’s something I’ve come to expect from The Next Autumn Soundtrack, but the Oxford mob are running them very close in terms of my favourite emotional (not emo) band. The track, which barely gets above a whisper, fits perfectly, calming everything down and acting as an emotional break before it leads into ‘Paycheques and Poetry’, which builds and builds and builds…and bam…hits you like a brick as a wall of guitars come out of nowhere, turning into one of the best vocal melodies you will hear from a British band all year. The lead guitar parts are fantastic and inventive, excellently performed and pack the required punch, taking up all of two minutes in the space of a few seconds. It goes on for nine minutes but don’t let it put you off, the majesty the band posess demand your attention. Everything about this band is amazing, it’s just…wow.
Having booked them to play at PB4 and owning two promo cds of some of these songs, I already knew how good the band were. ‘For Your Pleasure’ blows apart any misconceptions that the band may not be able to pull it off in the studio. Adventurous, original and fucking brilliant, Shouting Myke are headed for something very, very big indeed.
www.shoutingmyke.com
Paul