All Eyes West + Above Them - Split

I picked this 7" up along with a bunch of other records from Specialist Subject Records - I think they had a sale on, or a discount across everything, so I stocked up. I bought it because I love Above Them and didn't have this song anywhere else. It's a great song so worth the purchase alone - a great fast-paced chorus and could have been a strong song on any of their albums.

All Eyes West are an American band who toured with Above Them in 2011 (which I guess was when this came out), and I saw them together in Kingston. I've not played their song here that much, but it's instantly familiar (but maybe it just sounds like some other gruff punk - hints of Latterman and Iron Chic, with a bit of Leatherface). It's nice, but never set my world on fire.

Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £2.29 new
Bought: Specialist Subject Records website
When: 03/08/17
Colour: Red
Etching: Side A: "Deayer is a weiner" Side B: "Fish and chips"
mp3s: Download code

Above Them - Water Lane

I've been a fan of Above Them for a long time. Back when I lived in Cardiff we saw them all the time and it was always great fun. I saw them a handful of time after moving to London, but shows became less frequent as, I suppose, real life started catching up. The last time I saw them was in 2014 (at the Deadpunk all-dayer) and before that was 2012 in Brixton. The fact that they made one last album is something of a treat then; they could have easily just drifted away. I'm very glad they didn't.

Water Lane is a great album, even better than the second in my opinion. It even made my end of year list for 2015. As we've come to expect there are huge choruses and great songs. I enjoyed it from the start, although it was Young & Petrified that really turned the album from being a good album into a great one - sometimes I just need a song to kick me into really listening and that song was it on Water Lane. The rest of the album has some great moments too, like We're All Going Down and Sink or Gin.

I got this copy as part of my Specialist Subject Records subscription, which has been great. I tend to buy most records they release anyway, so it's nice to have them sent to me every time. There have been some nice discoveries from other bands that I didn't know too (which I'll write about in due course).

On hearing Water Lane my friend Sarah asked if it was a compilation of other songs because it sounded familiar. I see that as praise for the album - Above Them have written an album that sounds so perfectly like Above Them that it sounds like a best-of, which is all I ever wanted them to do.

Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 12
Cost: £10 new
Bought: Specialist Subject Records subscription
When: 21/09/15
Colour: Mint green
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code

Above Them - Are We a Danger To Ourselves?

I had some trouble getting this album and, strictly speaking, this is the second copy of it I bought (although I never actually saw the first). I'm a big fan of Above Them and when I was living in South Wales we saw them play all the time. I try to go and see them play now whenever I can, but it's less often these days. I pre-ordered the LP as soon as it was announced from Yo-Yo records and waited eagerly. The album was released and people started getting their copies but mine was yet to arrive. I spoke to Jan at Yo-Yo who said some records got stuck at customs. The postman would often leave records on the doorstep, so there's the possibility it got stolen that way, or maybe the postman fancied it. Either way, I never received that record. 

I eventually gave up waiting and bought this copy from Banquet when they got it in. I passed comment on Twitter about my missing copy and the guys in the band said they'd sort me out with a copy (proving what excellent guys they are). I didn't take them up on the offer - I thought that of the four parties involved, Yo-Yo Records, Above Them, Banquet and me, it'd be better that I pay twice than an independent business/band take the hit (plus, two copies of this LP still costs less than most new records these days). Also, I was mostly just really keen to actually hear the record.

Are We a Danger To Ourselves? is as strong as Blueprint For a Better Time as far as I'm concerned; again are the huge hooks and great songs - there's nothing not to like. It starts off strong with A New Year and Concrete Forgiveness (two of my favourites), Feel Alive and Something to Keep You Positive are great too. In fact, the final trio are all really strong and "woah-ohs" are a brilliant note to finish on. I like it.

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 12
Cost: £11 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 09/07/12
Colour: Brown
Etching: Side A: "Rainbow, riches and cider", Side B: "Regenbogen, Reichtum und Apfelwein"
mp3s: no

Above Them - Blueprint for a Better Time

The first time I saw Above Them was either in the upstairs of The Gower in Cardiff, or in Le Pub in Newport. I was certainly in the upstairs room of a pub somewhere in South Wales. They played a lot in the two years I was living in Cardiff so it's hard to pin down exactly where and when I saw them. My old housemate was friends with them and they'd often stay in our spare room after they played nearby. They were known almost equally for having great songs and being nice guys, and their shows were always a mixture of both. It would be ages until I met any of them sober.

Somehow it took me absolutely ages to actually buy any of their records. I remember trying to at Punk 'n' Bowl, but there was no one at the merch table. I eventually picked this up in Banquet one day but went on holiday the next day so still didn't get to hear it for another week and a half. By the time I played it I knew half of the songs from hearing them live so often, but it was great to hear them on record. They often get compared to Hundred Reasons, but somehow I hear that more live than here; you can pick up more of the gruff-punk influences, albeit with much less gruff. And if they've written a bad song, they certainly haven't pressed it onto vinyl. The eleven here are all great and I've put For Those Who've Paved the Way onto many mixtapes (and played it on my short-lived university radio show). This Complex Life and Keep Smiling are two of my favourites both live (for their sing-a-long moments) and on the album.

So all in all, Above Them's debut is great and they're an awesome band. To spoil the surprise for when I write about We Are a Danger to Ourselves, I think that's great too. Hopefully by the time I get round to putting a post up about that I'll have learnt some more adjectives.

Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 11
Cost: £9 new
Bought: Banquet Records
When: 22/06/10
Colour: White
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Cheap Girls + Above Them - Split

The All In Vinyl series of records is a great idea - two bands per 7", one American, one British, four songs, colour vinyl, limited runs. I like everything about it. They seem to be picking from a pretty awesome pool of bands too. I don't have many of the records yet, but plan on picking up as many as possible. This is the last in the first series.

I first saw Cheap Girls supporting Lemuria last year and enjoyed them a lot. I'd heard good things about them and they lived up to my expectations. More on them when I come to write about their albums I'm sure. Their two songs here are nice examples of their style. As I said before, I'm a big fan of Above Them and they contribute another two great songs here. The Take seems like a nice affirmation of what they're doing. This record is another from the Specialist Subject haul last August.


Format: 7", insert
Tracks: 4
Cost: £2.80 new
Bought: Specialist Subject records
When: 31/08/11
Colour: Red
Etching: no
mp3s: no

The Amistad + Above Them - Split

Ok, today I'm going to try and work through all the 7"s that I have at my house (a lot of my older ones are in storage for the moment). They're probably going to be shorter posts than usual. First up is the split by The Amistad and Above Them.

I don't know an awful lot about The Amistad. I've seen them at least once (recently with Bangers and The Dauntless Elite in the Cocks) but possibly again before that. I like these two songs, especially No Hope Radio, chuggy guitars and gruff vocals are always a winner in my book.

I'm a big fan of Above Them on the other hand and couldn't tell you how many times I've seen them now. They're always a good laugh and put on a good show. I'll rant more about them when I come to write about their albums. Nice guys with great songs, and these two are great examples.

I bought this record on my first ever trip to Banquet along with a whole bunch of other vinyl. It's always nice seeing records in there by bands who I consider friends alongside record by huge, famous bands. The blue vinyl is nice and the insert is covered in pictures from a drunken night in Swansea after Above Them played. All in all, everything you want from a 7": four cracking songs by two great bands and a nice attention to detail.


Format: 7", a4 insert
Tracks: 4
Cost: £4 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 18/01/10
Colour: Blue
Etching: no
mp3s: no