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God is in the TV Review: 'The Criminal Sessions' 4/5 by Benjamin Short
"‘The Criminal Sessions’ is Exhibit A in the trial of Criminal Records, the UK ’s most exciting, visionary and eclectic new record label. From the comedy skiffle of Shuffle, to the elegant noir-pop of The Kut, every track on this compilation is superb. Sonja van Linden Tol is a funksome female Jamiroquai, and Lowstars’ ‘Out of Control’ sounds like Radiohead at their most tense and powerful.
Other bands who deserve to be filed under “you heard it here first” include electro-punkers Crayon, the jazzy Morviscous, and The Mystery Artist. On this evidence, Criminal Records are found guilty of possession of class-A tunes, with intent to supply"
Joyzine Review: 'The Criminal Sessions'. Review by Ian Viggars
"Criminal Records, according to their website, is the UK's fastest growing independent record label. They've certainly got enough bands to back this claim up as nineteen of them appear on their new compilation the Criminal Sessions, and happily more than half of these tracks are worthy of your attention.
As you'd expect from any UK based independent, rock and punk music is well catered for, by the likes of Kaibosh, Crow, Spider Redundant, and Kallinger Co (with the delightfully named track Punkslutz.com), while Lowstar offer a helping of promising, good quality indie rock fodder that has feedback, jangly guitars, and passionate vocals in all the right places.
What makes this compilation truly interesting though is it's smattering of random out-there bands. Shuffle's 'My Friend's Girlfriend' is an insane mash up of samples, scratchy guitars and lo-fi synths played over a jaunty polka (yes, polka) rhythm, and tells the tale of someone, well, pulling his friend's girl, if that wasn't obvious from the title. Lines like "she came over for a bite, my my my what a thrilling night" and "she told me it was over and I tried not to smile" are delivered with a faintly absurd air of student humour, but the track manages to maintain it's sprightly shambolic charm.
Morviscous also present an example of experimentation gone good- their 'The Weaver Speaks' is a brain melting fusion of space-rock, funk, scary voice samples and general jazz skronk that brings to mind an instrumental version of the Mystery Jets.
Dead Eye continue this trend of musical hotwiring with their six minute sludge blues freak-out called 'Die', which sounds thrillingly like the Coral waking up with a really bad hang over."
..."The highlight for me is by far a band called The Dirty Pins. Brilliantly, their track is called 'I Feel So Milton Keynes', and is a raggedly charming if slightly lairy gutter punk gem that calls to mind lost seventies new-wavers the Only Ones. The lyrics are a genius mix of melancholy ("in eighteen months I've smiled only once") and hilarious sarcasm- that Milton Keynes is used as a metaphor for feeling shit is quite funny, although I can't really comment as I've never been there. To top it all, their album is called 'Deaf To The Middle Class'- what more could you want?
On this proof Criminal records have got some interesting acts under their wing (and they're still looking for more, check out their site), and it'd probably only take one breakthrough band to get them the level of attention and acclaim they deserve. Let's hope it's the Dirty Pins."
TrakMARX Review: The Criminal Sessions by Evan Halshaw
"this vibrant compilation showcases the cream of the Capital’s underground purveyors of quality popular music"
"My favourite track on the LP:
The Dirty Pins – “I Feel So Milton Keynes” – Almost the riff from “Another Girl Another Planet” - hastily redecorated with a coat of matt-finish wide-boy vocal paint. The ghost of The Libertines thrash around in the background. Superb. Somebody please let me know what feeling so Milton Keynes actually means – I’m dying to know."
"A mish of genres, a mash of styles, a ton of commitment & just a wiff of DIY. What more can you ask of an independent concern in 2005? Answers on a demo tape to the following address: www.criminalrecords.cc"
Kiabosh: "Their Led Zeppelin meets The Doors hybrid often ending up nearer QOTSA epic freak outs... KKKK" (Kerrang!)
Shuffle: "Music's next big things..Shuffle..Watch this space" Music Week
The Mystery Artist: “In The Shadows” – Engaging weirdness from the outer reaches of sanity.
Spider Redundant (Jasmin Qureshi): "Finally young Londoners Spider Redundant will keep up the high energy levels, as well as increasing the noise levels, of tonight’s show with their fusion of visceral grunge vocals and metal grooves. They have recently released a self-titled EP on Criminal Records which will be show cased on the night, which in turn shows heir influences of Nirvana/Tool."
Norton: “Ladybug” – Effervescent, educated song-craft with one eye on Damien Rice’s throne.
Kent Thompson: “Love’s Eye” – A medium-fi Lenny Kravitz for the ASBO generation.
Lowstar: “Out Of Control” – Convincing Emo-tinged populism complete with raging gtr solo of distinction.
Kaibosh: “Los Ojos” – Soulful old skool classic rock.
The Kut: “Don’t Want You” – Ska-informed blues with just a soupcon of soul.
Shuffle: “My Friend’s Girlfriend” – Shambling, sampldelic celebration of betrayal.
Crow: “Carry Me” – Emotionally pertinent balladry with one eye on balls-out rockism & the other on the charts.
Crayon: – “They” – Art-core flecked miserablism.
Spider Redundant: – “A Place In Your Mind” – Grooved up punk-metal with the emphasis on tuneage.
Morvicious: – “The Weaver Speaks” – Jazz-core? Lounge-metal? Chamber-rock? You decide.
Kaibosh: "The raucous Kaibosh go down equally well on the Lounge Stage - a twisted hulk of de-tuned riffs and fiery dynamics." (Virtual Festivals.co.uk)
Kallinger Co: Single of the week – Punkslutz EP [Organart] - Spitting old school pissy hissy punk rock energy, vitriolic lines, hey there honey, ironic anger and bite those thousand yard stare and sad looser and holy grails bought in auction sales – bang bang…. A little more of a future than flip-flop career in bugger retail in your best Kurt T-shirt…. Martyr for the kids punk rock with a killing joke bite and Johnny Rotten sarcasm and New Model Army drive. God save the NRA, fear and hate, the perfect state. Hey there honey don’t you think it’s kind of funny how your anger has become such a farce. Merchandise that brand now, household name, big cheese, Ford Cortinas,house hold names……
Rocking with the punkslutz, buy those T-shirts. Hey there honey don’t you think it’s kind of funny how your anger has become such a farce. who thought up Busted? Ain’t it funny how they sell teenage arse – avoid all those senses, save for your pension – and that riff sounds like Castles but that’s being extra obscure and no one remembers Atom Seed now – A pissed off hissed off punching spitting scathing Killing Joke with Pistols energy from the land of hope and glory (or maybe South London), with overdriven drum machines and Carter USM bite - I like this band, the single’s been out for an age but that’s what comes of being on a label with a name like that…. www.kallingerco.com"
Kaibosh: "It's apparent that these guys are going to be able to stand their own on a stage much larger than that of 93 Feet East. Certainly with tracks like Curse This Day and it's epic Foo Fighters style chorus you can easily imagine Kaibosh at next year's Reading. Live they take a much darker and heavier sound - tracks like I Took That From You lie more closely with the dark musings of Soundgarden and QOTSA ." (Londonist.co.uk)
Sonja Van Linden Tol: – “Soul Lullaby” – Subtly funked-up pop soul.
Giantkind: – “Confusion” – Elbow-esque tune-craft with additional sonic interference.
Daniel: – “Yellow Bus Of Hope” – Introspective croonage drenched in acoustic ambience.
Kaibosh: "Performing at their loudest and finest.. heavy, well crafted, angst driven. You will love what you hear!" (Pleasure Unit - Reuben Review)
Read more reviews in the 'Bands & Artists' section of the site.