Grace Records
Stopstarts
- Short Breaks (single)
So, the second single from Scottish uber-label Grace's second phase and
we return north of the border after Sheffield's Fury Of The Headteachers
got us off to a blistering start. The pace is pegged back a little for
stopstarts' second single on the label but when every single note, every
plucked bassline, every chirping guitar hook, each metronomic drum rattle
is draped in this much quality you don't need it to go at a hundred miles
an hour. We were pretty much sold on stopstarts after their debut but
its nice to see them confirm suspicions and drop another pop masterwork
in our laps.
Linear
- Think Cynic (single)
It's not
exactly favouritism but there's a kind of magic that happens in the offices
of Grace Records that seems to pass so many other labels by. Their oeuvre
of spiky, angular post punk has a sparkle to it that lifts it from the
rafts of new bands that batter down our doors every day like a pack of
wolverine bailiffs with their eye on our hire purchase TV. Linear's second
single manages to add layers of depth to the sharp fretwork and pained
vocals of their debut and while they may not be the best on the label's
impressive, if compact, roster, the people at Grace aren't the types to
let themselves down with any selection.
Zapped
By A Million Volts, What's The Miles Per Gallon, Alan? (single)
A tongue-in-cheek
name and a student-oriented song title aren't the best ways to introduce
yourself to the jaded, ten-seconds-to-impress atmosphere pervading the
UK music scene at the moment. Luckily for recent Grace signings Zapped,
the rigor-mortis bass and wiry, stuttered songwriting on display here
should cause all but the most cynical muso to nod in agreement that, if
not the most understated of singles, What's The Miles Per Gallon, Alan?
holds its own in an increasingly overpopulated musical niche. With this
completing the recent lineup and the first five singles available on limited
edition compilation, the future of Grace - the little label for vinyl
lovers - is looking very, very bright indeed.
www.myspace.com/zappedbyamillionvolts
All reviews by
Aidienn Ellison
www.gracerecords.co.uk
