More Miscalculations!

The phenomenal English duo Miscalculations blew my mind with their 2013 debut album - to such a degree that I'm writing about this band for the third time in less than a year! Today, the occasion is the release of a new single on No Front Teeth and the band's own Glass Eye Records - a limited item that's sure to sell out fast! Heck, for all I know it might already be sold out! The A-side, "A Silent Defence", is actually from the band's LP. If you're unfamiliar with Miscalculations or haven't heard the album, think cold, angular post-punk with a sharp '77 U.K. punk edge. If you already own the LP, there are two reasons why you'd desire this single: because you're a super fan and want to own every last item this band releases (understandable!) or because the B-side alone warrants the purchase price.

So for a lot of people, then, the brilliant "Clairvoyant Stare" is the featured attraction of this release. If you don't want to cough up £6 for only one new song, I would at least recommend a digital download of the song you haven't heard. If this track is a sign of what's to come from Marco and Shaun, then Miscalculations ' forthcoming second album is not going to disappoint! "Clairvoyant Stare" has a touch of synth to it, but it's mostly guitar/bass driven and very much on the icy side of late '70s punk/new wave. I don't want to give away the concept/story, but I'll just say that the lyrics are so creepy that they actually bother me. I don't dare listen to this song within four hours of bedtime! Can you imagine the dreams I'd have? Again I hear hints of Wire, Warsaw/Joy Division, and even Gary Numan. If I hear anything that might distinguish this track from the band's previous offerings, it would be that it's a little closer to the new wave side of the punk/new wave continuum. But that's not necessarily a bad thing (yes, I know - a surprising statement given my personal preferences!). The recordings of Miscalculations are the musical equivalent of a bleak, futuristic art film that I cannot stop watching. I sense that the new album (due out early 2015) is going to be a little different. And when you're talking about a band with this kind of talent and vision, different is usually good. I'm guessing that "Clairvoyant Stare" will be on the new album, but why wait until next year to hear it? We could all be dead by then.



-L.R.

https://www.facebook.com/miscalculationslondon
http://miscalculations.bandcamp.com/album/a-silent-defence-clairvoyant-stare-7

Stitches v. Miscalculations!

Talk about a clash of the titans! I can't think of two bands in the world that are better suited to collaborate on a split than The Stitches and Miscalculations. Musically speaking, they are true kindred spirits. When I heard that they'd done a split, I thought that had to be the best idea since the deep-fried Oreo. So, then...does the actual product (out on No Front Teeth Records) live up to expectations? Of course it does! The concept is that both bands take a signature song of theirs and do it two different ways. There's a "punk" side and an "electro" side to this split - each featuring both bands. And what blows my mind is that I don't necessarily prefer the punk side!

The Stitches' contribution to the punk side is a previously unreleased version of "Automatic" mixed by Pete Dee from The Adicts. Miscalculations answer with "Factory Life" - a great track in an early Buzzcocks meets Warsaw vein. Even if those had been the only two songs on the record, I would have been totally happy. I love this alternate mix of "Automatic", and "Factory Life" is one of Miscalculations' best songs to date. But the electro side pushes this split from good to truly great. Both tunes from the punk side are reinterpreted in a synth-punk/new wave fashion, and it's like they're entirely different songs! The Jet Set electro version of "Automatic" is the closest thing I've heard to The Screamers in a long time, featuring one of Mike's snottiest vocals ever and utilizing synthesizer with the seeming intention of ripping open your eardrums. Brilliance! Meanwhile, "Factory Life" gets an icy Gary Numan style makeover. In art, film, and music alike, I've always been a huge fan of 1970s visions of the future. That's what this version of "Factory Life" reminds me of, especially combined with the stark minimalism of the packaging and artwork. I'm struggling mightily to determine which of the two versions I prefer. Five years ago, I would have picked the punk version just on principle. Today, I'm calling it a tie. Good on Miscalculations for constructing a song that works equally well in both modes!

As you might expect, vinyl copies of this highly collectable split are going fast. So get on it now it if you still need a copy. Having received word that Miscalculations have already completed a second LP, I am understandably psyched! Hopefully we'll be hearing that in a few months. In the meantime, be sure check out their first one if you haven't already!



-L.R.

http://miscalculations.bandcamp.com/album/7-split-with-the-stitches 
http://www.nofrontteeth.co.uk/

Miscalculations!

I do realize that in the vast and chronically under-publicized world of independent punk rock music, even the best of us will remain unaware of many incredible bands and remarkable records. Even if I sat here eight hours a day and did nothing but work on this blog, I still wouldn't catch every gem that's out there. Nonetheless, I view my lack of Miscalculations coverage in 2013 as a massive and indefensible failure. I mean, come on! I'm supposed to be the '77 punk guy! How did I miss a 7" and an LP from a band featuring members of the Gaggers, Disco Lepers, Ladykillers, Shanghai Wires, and Electric Cocks? Worse yet, how did I miss one of the best albums of the entire year? Am I losing my touch? Should I be switching brands of energy drinks? Let's be honest, dear readers. I totally let you down!

The driving force behind North London's Miscalculations is the duo of Marco Palumbo Rodriges (Gaggers lead singer) and Shaun Clark (Ladykillers bassist). Marco and Shaun collaborated on all the songwriting and production for the band's debut album. Released this past November by Dead Beat Records, this 12-song LP takes that classic '77 U.K. punk sound I've always loved and melds it to the dark sensibilities and jagged guitars of synth/post-punk. I'm reminded an awful lot of the Buzzcocks - but with additional echoes of Wire, Warsaw, The Adverts, and Screamers. If I have a frequent objection to post-punk, it's that the "punk" part is too often missing. But in the case of Miscalculations, I hear a band that would have fit in perfectly with the early U.K. punk scene. Improbably, this band manages to take songs of a bleak and troubling nature and actually make them catchy. The lyrical tone ranges from cynical to downright sinister, and the album almost plays like a soundtrack to a highly disturbing apocalyptic art film. That may sound like a bit of a downer, but actually it's not. The band's melodies are consistently alluring, and there's more than enough vocal snot here to please fans of all these guys' other bands. This is that rare record that succeeds as both a work of art and a killer slab of punk rock.

While Miscalculations' debut definitely brings to mind the art-damaged Brit-punk classics of yesteryear, by no means is this a band stuck in the past. And like any truly good band, Miscalculations are far more than the sum of their influences. They've truly made an album for contemporary times - with songs seemingly inspired by both the industrial squalor of their immediate surroundings and the generally woeful state of the world today (you may have guessed that "Asbestos City" is not a love song). Had I heard this release before the end of 2013, it would probably have been my #2 or #3 album of the year. It's fucking brilliant, and you absolutely need to own it. Oh, and the band just put out a split 7" with the almighty Stitches! Given my track record, I'll have that one reviewed by Christmas. 

 
-L.R.

http://miscalculations.bandcamp.com/