Art Of Noise // Action Beat

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Welcome to our brand new monthly feature: ART OF NOISE. It’s a simple concept. We ask bands we love to make us a mixtape and tell us exactly why they picked each track. Thus, you get some free kick ass music AND find out more about some of your favourite artists taste. Everyone literally, is a winner.

Kicking things off this week are the self proclaimed ‘Noise Band From Bletchley’; Action Beat. Freshly signed to Southern Records imprint Truth Cult Records, these guys seriously know how to make a big, loud fucking racket. And we love them. To describe what they sound like is a fairly difficult task so I’ll just refer to their myspace page: “Raping de-tuned guitars. Abusing old drum kits. Molesting golden Basses. Dean Gaffney.” Nice.

Heres Don McLean from the band to guide you through his twelve choices. Download link is at the bottom of the post… Remember to look out next month for a mixtape from FatCat Records’ newest signing..The magnificent Gregory & The Hawk. Enjoy.

1. Trencher: ‘Nightmares On Crack St.’
The name of this track is reason enough to pick the song!! A nightmare on crack street would be a horrendous torment!! We love Trencher and their humour… describing themselves as ’20 dying spastics’ for instance. To us, they’re one of the few ‘good’ grind bands, and we’ve put them on more than once in Bletchley. They offer something different with their kiddy keyboard, furious basslines and tumultous drumming styles!! A lot better than the shite third rate locust ripp offs!

2. Melvins: ‘The Kicking Machine’
I picked the Melvins because I simply love the band, and it’s not hard to see why they are one of the most important bands in rock history. They’ve gone a bit more ‘kiss’ recently, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing!! hahah!! Big rock riffs, and 80′s singing!! I love the way the two drum kits sound on record, and live, they kick the shit out of most bands!!

3. Asva: ‘A Trap For Judges’
Atmospheric, powerful, brutal, loud, intense. I like this a lot more than most doomy, gloomy earth influenced jive…. I have just recently got into ‘Asva’ and never seen them in the flesh. I’m sure they’re even better live than on record.

4. Sofa: ‘ON/OFF’
This is simply an amazing song!! I ordered this from the southern mailorder years ago, and it made me continue buying constellation records. Think I was 18 or so, so it was a long time ago now, but sofa had an influence on my first bands sound. I believe this song is called ‘ON/OFF’, because you can here the guitarist switching the distortion on and off to cut sustain etc. Is that just me?! mmm. The Ian Curtis style vocals are really haunting and give the band a very dark sound. Listen to the hook at about 3 minutes in!! Fucking incredible, everyone should own this record!!! Wish I had seen these guys live!!

5. Death Sentence Panda: ‘A+ Cannibal’
Carney bought this vinyl when we were on tour with Parts and Labor. He had heard them before, but I just loved the artwork. This song is extremely erratic and experimental, and we love this shit. It sounds like a big Baritone saxophone, but in fact it’s a pitch shifted clarinet!! Brilliant!!

6. Enablers: ‘Glimpses, Audio: Driving Late’
Enablers are a very important band in Bletchley. I am ashamed to say that I’ve still never seen them live, but everyone says the front man has a very intense personna. I am attracted to the poetic, Johnny Cash style vocals, and the post rock sounding riffs. I mean, I have gone off post rock, and the riffs in general. You know, the third rate Mogwai/God speed bands. Enablers definitely don’t deserve to be lumped in with these bands, they are in a league of their own.

7. Fugazi: ‘Smallpox Champion’
Fugazi are one of the best bands in history, period (Ha, Mackaye abuse’s that shit). I am absolutely head over heals in love with this band and everything they have stood for! This song was my favourites on ’in on the kill taker’, not just because it has an incredible sound, but because it is about one of the most dispicable acts in US history. The way Guy Picciotto deliver’s his lyrics are so unique and original. I’d go as far to say he is one of the greatest singers ever!! This song is so fucking good. “Small pox Champion, U S of A, give Natives some blankets, warm like the grave!! This is the pattern, cut from the cloth, this is the patten, designed to take you right out, right out”!!

8. Bellafea: ‘Depart’
I heard this song a few weeks ago, and I am a big fan of the 90′s indie rock sound. Youth, Sebadoh, Pavement. I think that’s where they’re coming from!? It sounds like Polvo. The female vocalist delivers well, and the riffs are super sounding!! Give me more!!! I need to put this band on before they get too big!!

9. Ten Grand: ‘Fuck You Guyses Teams’
Man, I am absolutely gutted that I never saw Ten Grand live. Carney and my brother managed to catch them on their last UK tour, and I was speaking to the band about booking another UK tour for them. I loved the way they described themselves as 4 men of average intelligence (Henry Rollins influenced for sure). When Matt Davis tragically passed away, I remember feeling so sad. Not that I had any real connection with the band, or that I had ever seen them, or met them. I just knew that they were going to be a very important band and make alot of great albums. They remain to be a very important band to a lot of people, including ’Action Beat’. ’This is the way to rule’ is a must have!

10. Karate: ‘The Roots and The Ruins’
Man, Karate are a strange band. They went from a heavily influenced Fugazi sounding band, to an all out sexy jazz ensamble!! hahah!! The riffs are out of this world man. Farina is a poet, and singing and playing that shit an outstanding accomplishment!! Pretty gutted that they had to give it up. Tenitus is a bitch man. I have to look after my ears these days.

11. Sweep the Leg Johnny: ‘Walking Home On The Emergency Bed’
Listen to this song!! How good is it?!?! Listen to the break at 2.32!!! Man, it’s so beautiful!!! Fuck man, this track is unreal!! It’s schitzophrenic, hypnotic, incredibly well arranged!! The ending of this track is mind destroying!!! What a dark band!! Again, gutted that they called it a day!! I hope they can get together again and make more music. Whos is the erratic guitarist?!?! Daly?! There is a clip on you tube, where he climbs into the ceiling, falls through it, and lands very awkwardly, just to continue playing!! Fucking animal.

12. Dalek: ‘Distorted Prose’
Dalek are our boys man. We have a great respect for this band and what they have accomplished over the years. You should hear their collaboration with ZU!!! Played with them a few times now, and we have dates with them in Spain and Germany. I put them on in Bletchley this year, and they absolutely destroyed it!! One of the best gigs I have ever put on. It was an exteremly intimate show, with only about 40 people there. They played on the floor, and we even managed to get an encore out of them!! Dalek was like “Yo Bletchley, you mother fuckers are live O”!!! hahahaha!!! He told me aftewards that they hadn’t done an encore in years!!! hahah!!

Download: Art Of Noise Vol.1 : : ‘Action Beat’