Mix CD #15 - Raise A Little Hell

Hello and welcome to the fifteenth installment of Sapphire Bullets! Again, there's no theme this time, just more songs I liked. There seems to be a lot of mid-range heaviness though. And George 'King Of The Ukulele' Formby. I'm pleased with the way the mix came out, it sounds just fine playing too loud in my car, even George.

I've no set plans for what comes next just yet. There's a Halloween mix in the pipeline along with a mix of my Albums Of The Year. I might do a Christmas mix when the time comes but we'll see.

Anyway, for now enjoy this mix, read all my blurb and get in touch if to want to know more about any of the bands or just to pass on feedback even.

Cheers,
Luke

You can raise your own little bit of hell HERE

Tracklisting
Life, Sex & Death - Raise A Little Hell
L7 - Just Like Me
Shihad - FVEY
Jackdaw4 - Why Don't You Come And See Me When She's Not Around?
Grorr - Alone At Last
Molotov Jukebox - Get Ready
The Loyalties - Ashtray's Empty
Faster Pussycat - Jack The Bastard
Chris Caffery - You Gotta Be Fucking Kidding Me
Alice In Videoland - Emily
George Formby - Why Don't Women Like Me?
Polkadot Cadaver - Bloodsucker
Bluto's Revenge - Things She Said
Scheer - Wish You Were Dead
Dream Theater - As I Am
Stan Bush - The Touch
Huntress - Fire In My Heart
Downer - Born Again
Emily Kinney - Last Chance
Steve From Accounting - Acacia

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Life, Sex & Death - Raise A Little Hell
Taken from the 1992 album Silent Majority

This Grunge/Hard Rock band were fronted by a chap known only as Stanley. Stanley was apparently homeless, in the "eats out of bins" sense rather than "lives on friends' Sofas". Personally I'm not sure of the honesty of that and it was very likely just a gimmick. They released one album that was patchy but mostly pretty good. These days they're mostly known as the band that, AntiProduct main man, Alex Kane used to play guitar in. 

L7 - Just Like Me
Taken from the 1991 album Smell The Magic

I've been listening to these pioneering Grunge/Punk/Riot Grrrlers a lot just recently, dunno why. They've recently reformed many years after they split so hopefully there'll be a new album soon. In the mean time this is from their second album, Smell The Magic, that was the one before they broke big with Pretend We're Dead and all that.

Shihad - FVEY
Taken from the 2014 album FVEY

FVEY, the most recent album from this Kiwi rock band, saw a return to their harder, more angular, roots. Producer Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke might have had something to do with that. The title track is about Five Eyes, the intelligence network shared by Australia, New Zealand, US, UK and Canada. It has a big, rumbling, repetitive riff that's jolly good

Jackdaw4 - Why Don't You Come And See Me When She's Not Around?
Taken from the 2013 album Dissecticide

When 90's Britrock band Honeycrack split, main man Willie Dowling dabbled with a few bands Cat People, The Sugar Plum Fairies and The Celebrity Squares before finally settling in Jackdaw4. They were more Indie Rock than the Punk influence of Honeycrack but Willie's inate sense of melody and fantastic lyricism were as strong as ever. This song, from their final album is one of their most frenetic songs, and if it's not a tribute to Queen then May and Taylor ought to be suing! Willie is currently one half of the equally excellent The Dowling Poole

Grorr - Alone At Last
Taken from the 2014 album The Unknown Citizens

Grorr are a French Progressive Metal/Djent band and The Unknown Citizens is their second album. Both this and their debut, Anthill are concept albums with this one being based on a poem by W.H. Auden. I really like them and they don't deserve lazy Gojira comparisons. 

Molotov Jukebox - Get Ready
Taken from the 2011 single Get Ready

Molotov Jukebox are a Gypsy Folk band from London. They play simple, happy, foot tapping stuff. This song is a cover of the standard by The Temptations. Singer/Accordionist Natalia Tena is also an actress, among other things she was Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter, Osha in Game Of Thrones and that girl Marcus fancies in About A Boy

The Loyalties - Ashtray's Empty
Taken from the 2013 album 'Til The End Of Rock And Roll

Another band based in London but much different to Molotov Jukebox. The Loyalties are a Rock n Roll/Punk band similar to singer/Bassist Tom Spencer's old band The Yo-Yo's. They also feature Rich Jones who was briefly in The Yo-Yo's too but was also in Black Halos, Atari Teenage Riot, Amen, Ginger Wildheart Band and Sorry & The Sinatras, He's currently the guitarist for Michael Monroe as well as The Loyalties. They've had a couple of albums now and both are great, this was their most recent.

Faster Pussycat - Jack The Bastard
Taken from the 1992 album Whipped!

Ah, good old 80's Sleaze Rock, I thought Faster Piussycat were so cool when I was 15. I wonder if I could get away with Brent Muscat's bare chested leather jacket and police cap too? Whipped! was their third album and last before splitting and reforming as two different versions of the same band both fighting over the name. The first three albums are all pretty good, especially if you're a big fan of unsubtle sexual references. Taime Downe's version of the band went down a wholly ill-advised Industrial route and it's not the best. 

Chris Caffery - You Gotta Be Fucking Kidding Me
Taken from the 2007 album Pins And Needles

Chris Caffery is the guitarist in, probably my favourite band, Savatage and also in the much more well known Trans-Siberian Orchestra. He's released several solo albums since Savatage became dormant in 2001, they're more Heavy Metal than Savatage were but there's still some Progressive elements in there too.  His voice is perhaps an acquired taste but fits his music well and there's no denying he's an incredible guitarist.

Alice In Videoland - Emily
Taken from the 2005 album Outrageous!

Alice In Videoland are a Swedish Electroclash/Disco Punk band. They're edgy and full of attitude as well as having massive choruses and big, bouncy songs that'll put a smile on your face. This is what Pop music SHOULD sound like! They're apparently due a new album this year which should be good.

George Formby - Why Don't Women Like Me?
Taken from the 1933 single Why Don't Women Like Me?

I jokingly started calling our George Forman grill a George Formby but now it's stuck and I do it without thinking. People just think I'm an idiot that doesn't know what it is.
When I was a kid I used to love George Formby's movies. He played the same bungling fool that inevitably saves the day in all of his films. His ukulele would undoubtedly make an appearance at least once. His songs are most definitely of their time but still retains some naive charm and wit. 

Polkadot Cadaver - Bloodsucker
Taken from the 2011 album Sex Offender

When the Avant-Garde Metal band Dog Fashion Disco split in 2007, several of the members reunited in Polkadot Cadaver, another Avant-Garde Metal band who sounded very similar to Dog Fashion Disco, though perhaps a little more restrained. 
Dog Fashion Disco have since reformed so I'm unsire of the current status of Polkadot Cadaver, though I don't think they're officially split. Also a couple of members have surfaced in another band called Knives Out! with members of Hellyeah, Again, they're similar to DFD and Polkadot Cadaver but are very much a Metal without the fiddly bits band. Anyway, this song is about the way modern society glamourises vampires when they're an evil, horrible thing we should fear. There's likely a metaphor in there somewhere.

Bluto's Revenge - Things She Said
Taken from the 2000 album Use Once And Destroy

I don't really know much about this American Punk band; I bought this CD about 15 years ago and still listen to it regularly. This is probably my favourite song on the album, it's about loving someone so much you believe anything they tell you and them exploiting that for their own amusement. 

Scheer - Wish You Were Dead
Taken from the 1996 album Infliction

This Irish Grunge band juxtaposed punchy riffs with Audrey Gallagher's lilting, fragile voice to great effect. They only released this one album before splitting in the late 90's. A second album, ...And Finally, was posthumously released a couple of years after the split but it didn't capture the same magic that Infliction did. This was one of their lead singles that's fairly self explanatory

Dream Theater - As I Am
Taken from the 2003 album Train Of Thought

Probably the biggest and most well known Progressive Metal band around at the moment. Back in 1992 their second album Images And Words was like nothing I'd ever heard before; shockingly technical but still heavy and catchy. It blew my little 18 year old mind. These days bands like this are ten a penny but Dream Theater still stand out. They've had more than a few dodgy moments and ropey albums but this album was one of their better ones.

Stan Bush - The Touch
Taken from the 1986 album Transformers: The Movie OST

What a song! What a movie! Kill Michael Bay! This song is everything that was great about 80's Kids cartoons. Yes it's cheesy, yes it's incredibly dated but it's the catchiest, most uplifting song you'll ever hear and it's the anthem of a generation. RIP Optimus, sniff x

Huntress - Fire In My Heart
Taken from the 2015 album Static

Huntress are a traditional Heavy Metal band from California, At times I think they maybe play on Jill Janus and her skimpy outfits a little too much but, to be fair, she wears more than Manowar ever did! Their music easily answers back to any claims of superficiality though. They're pleasantly heavy and she has a great voice and persona and all three of their albums are worth checking out if you're into this sort of thing. 

Downer - Born Again
Taken from the 2001 album Downer

Back in the late 90's this band got lumped in with all the Nu-Metal that was around but it's an unfair label really. They're much more Progressive Metal than bands back then were and have more in common with say, Tool than they do Korn. Maybe it's because their songs were quite short and full of big choruses I dunno. Their sole, major label release more than holds its own these days and hasn't dated at all, I don't think. 

Emily Kinney - Last Chance
Taken from the 2015 album This Is War

Emily is probably best known for her role as Beth in The Walking Dead. She's now singing Folky, Acoustic Pop that's fairly inoffensive but enjoyable and well written. In the last few years she's released a couple of albums and EP's that have been pretty good. Lets hope she doesn't get shot in the head again.

Steve From Accounting - Acacia
Taken from the 2015 EP Genus

A couple of years ago I stumbled across Remission, the debut album from this Instrumental Progressive Metal duo and ended up reviewing it for ATTIWLTMOWOS HERE. Their stuff is choc full of riffs and is hugely enjoyable. Of late they've been adding more  Heavy Metal and Thrash elements to their sound but it's still very much Prog Metal. I like them a lot.