Chrome Hoof - "Crush Depth"

This is the third album from avant-garde freak-orchestra Chrome Hoof, and at this stage in their career the group have solidified their shift from the electronic roots of their early days as a duo towards a beefier full-band sound. The addition of new members over the years (there are now ten members in the band) has turned them into a more playful outfit overall.

This evolution does not necessarily mean that they sound like a completely new outfit - instrumental track "Vapourise" is an all-out disco-synth onslaught and could get away with being played in the most standard of clubs. There is still an electronic element to Chrome Hoof, but the variety of genres brought into the mix has increased tenfold. One track, "Sea Hornet" goes through a number of baffling sections, from jazzy breakdowns to cheese-synth onslaughts and back again. "Bunkers Paradise" is also a good example of many of these styles rolled into one, and the overall results are bizarre to say the least.

Lola Olafisoye's vocal style ranges from menacing whispers to excitable squeals. These can prove interesting, but the lack of commitment to one style can be tedious at times. Thankfully, the vocals are placed aside at just the right moments, giving way to a variety of interesting instrumental sections. However, these sections too are too shifty and slippery - as soon as one section gains momentum, the direction of this music will completely shift and a new section will be unwillingly forced upon you. The band obviously does this on purpose - everything they do is undoubtedly calculated and tight, but it more often than not verges towards dodgy-prog territory. This is most tedious on the ten minute long "Witches Instruments And Furnaces", which winds through a number of different messy passages and comes off as an endurance test more than anything. It is Crush Depth's biggest offender and demonstrates why this band needs to have more focus.

Crush Depth is certainly an interesting bag of different odd sounds and there is some material in here to be savoured, but sometimes it comes across as if Chrome Hoof are trying to hard to come across as weird and unpredictable. The band's tinfoil sci-fi image doesn't suggest a willingness to tone this down much. Note, it will be interesting to see these songs performed live - the band as a living, breathing entity will likely captivate and they will most likely put on a show to remember, but once the initial novelty of their recordings wear off, Chrome Hoof's schizophrenic attitude towards making music is ultimately a frustrating experience for this reviewer.

"Crush Depth" is out now on Southern Records.

Meursault - "All Creatures Will Make Merry"

Hearing the second album from Edinburgh band Meursault will inevitably cause comparisons to be drawn with more established Scottish acts such as The Twilight Sad and (early) Frightened Rabbit, who have made their names by belting out ultra-dour yet energetic anthems. Such connection-making is understandable, but this doesn't mean that Meursault don't have their own unique story to tell. This album helps to characterise the band as a notable addition to this family of promising Scottish players.

The production style here is relatively unusual when considering the aforementioned bands. Meursault sound more lo-fi than a lot of their contemporaries, at times sharing aural similarities with influential American indie-folk artists, the most notable of which is Mount Eerie/The Microphones who inspired Neil Pennycook's production on this record. Instead of creating soundscapes which evoke the autumn season, Meursault set up a distinct wintery tone with their music. The short introductory track "Payday" effectively creates a mood which is dour and dreary with the odd spark of optimism. The album continues very much in this vein. "Crank Resolutions" is a single-worthy song that manages to sound simultaneously weary and confident. The electronics are like hailstones or raindrops with Pennycook fighting through them and marching on, crooning 'I walked past the houses/of every friend I'd ever known/and I set off on my own'. He sounds distant in the mix, but voluntarily so, and instead of being drowned out or downplayed he is determined and in control.

There are a variety of instruments used on All Creatures Will Make Merry which all wash together to make an airy experience which is never short on intensity. Meursault make use of the banjo, ukulele, drum machine and strings among other things, and these all help to establish a strong sense of emotion. The more heavily textured tracks are immediate, yet on the stripped-down tracks like "One Day this'll all be Fields" and "Another", the desired effects are still achieved and the feelings this album teases out don't drain away until the whole thing has run its course.

It will be interesting to see where Meursault will go from here. All Creatures Will Make Merry is a genuinely satisfying self-contained snowglobe, but anything too similar in the future would feel like an unnecessary sequel. As a stand-alone piece, though, this album eventually reveals itself to be carefully thought out and seriously moving- an ideal companion to solitude.

"All Creatures Will Make Merry" is out now on Song, By Toad.

Masakari - "The Prophet Feeds"

Fenriz of the legendary black metal-turned-crust punk outfit Darkthrone recently honoured Masakari as his band of the week on the Darkthrone Myspace page. Such a nod seems fitting genre-wise; the debut album from Masakari shares more than a few similarities with Darkthrone's current punkish sound, yet there is a desire to explore other heavy genres that have enjoyed a recent revival as of late.

Album opener "XVI Rapid Dominance" kicks in suddenly with its rapid tempo- until the vocals kick in and the riffs thicken out. Even this early on there is a desire to shift from speedy hardcore to ultra-slow sludge/stoner rock. The album continues to change pace back and forth between the two throughout, though it favours the former. A greater balance between these two dynamics in the future would definitely help to separate Masakari from other bands within their roster, as The Prophet Feeds can become tiresome when it stays in the same place for too long. The vocals do not do much to commend this either as they are bellowed throughout. The drumming, however, is particularly brilliant throughout this album- it is tight, fierce and adaptable, giving the band a strong backbone.

Lyrically, Masakari touch on political and anti-war themes. Samples from speeches are also used sparingly throughout the record's brief yet busy twenty-seven minute running time, and these are actually the most powerful moments on the album. The climax of "XIV The Voiceless" contains a sample from a Christopher Hitchens speech surrounded by an intense finger-picking frenzy. These moments are particularly memorable as they provide timely breaks in the action as well as a more interesting alternative to the howling vocal style. They also showcase more adventurous guitar playing. "Outro" contains an excerpt from "Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan" in which an American soldier chillingly gives his account of racism in the army and speaks out against the greed of the American Government. It is the longest track on The Prophet Feeds- it is also its finest moment. The disturbing monologue is matched by the atmosphere created by the band's music here- everything is in its right place and the track gets more gripping as it goes along until it draws to a close and the listener is made to reflect on what they have just heard.

The Prophet Feeds is a strong start for Masakari. Hopefully they will continue to expand their sound and explore the different routes hinted at in the more audacious sections of this record on future releases rather than regress into a comfort zone.

"The Prophet Feeds" is out now on Southern Lord.

Planning for Burial - "Leaving"

It's pretty astounding that the solo project Planning for Burial's debut album, Leaving, is a product of home recording. The hard work that has been put into this is clear from the outset. Layers of sound build up and strip back down, evolve and regress - often within the same song - executing the loud-quiet convention commonly associated with post-rock successfully. But this isn't really a post-rock record. In fact, it's a product of many years worth of influences. Elements from the 80s goth/gloom and shoegazing movements have clearly influenced Planning for Burial's sound, yet these inspirations (among others) are morphed together in such a way that they work in harmony. Nothing here seems untidily stitched together, and that's an accomplishment.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Leaving is how it is layered and textured. Album highlight "Oh Pennsylvania, Your Black Clouds Hang Low" features echoed vocals buried underneath all of the noise, struggling to be made out. Subtle keyboard parts are strategically placed within the mix of cymbal taps and crushing riffs. Moments like this are peppered throughout the album, and they amount to a satisfyingly textured sound which remains rich and gripping if you're willing to pay close attention. Even on the noisier tracks there is always some subtle melody dancing away underneath all the racket. Not that this is a particularly heavy record overall - most of it manages to come across as approachable, even pretty or friendly, and it sounds incredibly professional for a D.I.Y. recording.

For the most part the record moves slowly, sometimes stealthily and other times abrasively, but it retains this droning, trudging feel which can be exhausting all at once. The closer and title track is a thirteen minute drone/mood piece which would have been overstaying its welcome if it wasn't so damn unobtrusive. Instead it tiptoes away to its exit without disturbing you even to say farewell. Nevertheless, it's a slightly underwhelming conclusion considering what has come before and might have been better as a shortened bridge to glide the listener through to another section of the record. It's the busier cuts on Leaving that were made to engulf rooms, such as the faster-paced and therefore somewhat ironically titled "Seasons Change so Slowly" and the aforementioned "Oh Pennsylvania...". Who knew that music made under these circumstances could sound so huge?

Leaving winds through several moods and drips with references to other genres, though being defined by any one of these does not seem to be in its primary interests. Instead, Planning for Burial has focused more on making an atmospheric record that sounds more accomplished than a lot of music coming from artists with much more backing. It is most certainly a credit to its label.

"Leaving" is out now on Enemies List and is limited to 200 copies before moving to digital only.