Last Under The Sun – Windfall (CD)

Description

There might be just eight tracks to grapple with, but the quality of the music more than outweighs the accompanying quantity as the harsh riffage of ‘Threads’ hears this Birmingham-based trio pummel into a severely attention-demanding strain of punk hardcore with a definitive melodic edge.

Bizarrely, the actual line-up of the band is being kept secret and band members – allegedly – always seem subject to change… a line-up that has, at one time or another, seen a Pigfish member join in with the fun.

While the singer sounds like The Stranglers’ Hugh Cornwell being ravaged by a shoal of flying piranha fish, come ‘Ride Your Ride,’ the aggressive-sounding front is down and it’s time to get genuinely poetic.

In fact, ‘Ride Your Ride’ is an incredible song, starting out with a dead-fast punk jolt before a sublimely bittersweet and acoustic-primed interlude startles the senses. The extraordinary song arrangement echoes the style of hardcore metal band PSP who use similar, breathtaking dynamics from hard-&-fast beginnings to slow-&-soulful mid-eights.

In their anti-corporate prime, these guys are passionately imbued with the spirit of Jet Plane Landing, before ‘This Business’ further impresses with a strong melody and sublime harmonies… and while ‘Days’ starts out slowly, their over-riding love of heavy hardcore soon wipes that out. Still, ‘MIR’ – the final track of this, the band’s debut LP – is atmospherically chilled to the sounds of some more clashing acoustic chords and compelling samples.

A windfall like this is surely worth investing in. Steve Rudd ‘Black Velvet’ magazine.

Last Under The Sun – Windfall

Iron Man – 1 May 2004 Metaluk.com Publication date: 15 May 2004, 17:33:14 | Author: Stuart A Hamilton

An interesting one this, as Last Under The Sun attempt to straddle a fence somewhere between emo and hardcore. Something which must be uncomfortable, but when it works, it makes for a very interesting ride.

Unlike a lot of bands from those camps, they remember that writing a good song is the all important factor, and there’s plenty of hummable melodies contained here, with “This Business” being the undoubted highlight.

The easiest link to make is to a pop oriented Fugazi, which makes more sense than you’d think. They’ve a fair bit of pedigree having worked their way through former members of Stepback, Eastfield, Eggraid, The Hot Tortoise, Pigfish and Damn Dirty Apes, before settling on their current 3 piece lineup.

They’re going for a moody vibe, which they prefer to term melodic punk influenced post hardcore. However, it’s far removed from anything else with the words ‘melodic’ and ‘punk’ attached which brings to mind the horrific image of Sum 41, and Last Under The Sun couldn’t be further removed from that particular nightmare, with every song taking a distinct stance, separate, yet part of the same audio blast.

There is a lot to recommend this release, and with fresh recordings in the bag and a growing reputation for their live work, they could be ones to watch, especially with a bass player named after a Hawkwind song!

here’s a 2004 review from REASON TO BELIEVE #10 fanzine:

LAST UNDER THE SUN – Windfall CD I saw this band at the Cardigan Arms recently and they were fcking ace(they reminded me of MANIFESTO JUKEBOX in terms of intensity – with a bit of LEATHERFACE and FOUR LETTER WORD thrown in.) This cd is really really fucking good – and on this they sound great – and like their own band ie not a clone of another band. Excellent coarse singing – great hooks and a furious sense of energy driving the whole thing. This is one of the best punk rock records I’ve heard recently from Britain (Birmingham). Go buy this now… (RPS)

“Last Under The Sun are one of the best hardcore bands around they create songs with a clear message and deliver them in crushing and uncompromising style.” Will Munn Rhythm and Booze Fanzine

“..great hooks and a furious sense of energy driving the whole thing. This is one of the best punk rock records I’ve heard recently from Britain (Birmingham)” Reason to Believe #10 Fanzine