Le Reno Amps -‘Appetite’ (Armellodie)

Le Reno Amps seem to be diversifying their sonic palette on this, their third album. It is a very impressive and rewarding listen which shows a band who genuinley do avoid pigeonholing, and who know their way around the musical world.

‘Never Be Alone’,which starting circulating last year around Hallowe’en, is a wonderfully creepy song, making you wonder exactly what horror films the band had been watching. Some songs ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Saturation Day’ are more in the category of indie bopper, but rather than being run of the mill, instead lead you to consider the effects of a cross polination between Weezer and They Might be Giants in Scotland with a filter to remove any excessive quirkiness. Yet ‘Cottonmouth Rock’ takes us back in time, and makes us wonder what might have happened if Robert Plant had not gone on to front Led Zeppelin, but had instead fronted a kick-ass glam rock band. ‘Weight’ is in 3/4 time (i.e. waltz time. Yes, like ‘Golden Brown’ by The Stranglers). And it all sits together wonderfully.

There’s a number of great songs on here -and the album revels more and more with each successive listen, and adds up to a very impressive whole. Le Reno Amps have claimed they are a ‘Marmite’ kind of band – you either love ’em, or hate ’em. Well i love Marmite and I’m loving this.

You should, too…

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Appetite is released on Armellodie on April 18.

Cottonmouth Rock by Le Reno Amps by Armellodie

Bad Blood by Le Reno Amps by Armellodie

Never Be Alone by Le Reno Amps by Armellodie

…and indeed, Happy Hallowe’en!

This is a suitably spooky track and I figured that something like this would do the trick.

Le Reno Amps will return with their new album in the New Year, having delighted us with the fine Tear It Open LP and the equally good The Stand Off EP last year.

There’s not much info on this now – although they are playing at the 13th Note in Glasgow this week on Thursday November 4 – the same day that labelmates The Scottish Enlightenment play Edinburgh’s Art College (with 17 Seconds Records’ very own The Last Battle in support).

This is creepy as, and very, very good…

Never Be Alone by Le Reno Amps by Armellodie

Le Reno Amps -‘Tear It Open’ (Drift Records)

At this stage of 2009, this sophomore album’s opening track ‘Outlaws’ is one of my contenders already for my track of 2009. As has already been reported, this is a mad stomp in the vein of the Birthday Party and Sons & Daughters. But what should probably be noted is that this is not the side to Le Reno Amps.

Whilst many bands claim to have many influences (and allow only one or two of them to shine through on their records, usually the most obvious ones), Le Reno Amps’ strength is that wildly different songs can sit next to each other. ‘Outlaws’ is followed by ‘If you Want A Lover’ which is like a slightly more countrified Bluetones firing on all cylinders, while track three ‘You Do Your Thing’ evokes Ben Folds Five. On paper this might sound like someone’s made a slightly insane compilation. Yet on album, this works amazingly well.

Over the course of elevn tracks what you have here is an album that has many standout tracks, to the extent that many could be singles and even though I haven’t seen them live yet, I’m now desperate to. Le Reno Amps are a scottish band full of passion, and to these ears, their time is is now. Give these tracks a listen, watch the videos (see the post on them a few below!) and buy the album when it’s out in a few weeks’ time.

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Le Reno Amps -‘The Stand Off.’ mp3

Le Reno Amps -‘Dangerous Boy.’ mp3

Tomorrow sees what I reckon is one of the releases of the year so far, the single ‘Outlaws’ by Le Reno Amps. In which a girl’s parents are trying to dissaude her from seeing a guy ‘because he’s always eyeing other girls.’ It’s a fantastic stomp of a record that reminds me of early Sons & Daughters jamming with the 1990s and being gatecrashed by the Birthday Party after a particularly frantic gig. Here the outlaws are not the likes of Cowboys, but a bunch of disapproving parents (based on personal expereicne, they sound like the sort of idiots who fill their living room with pictures of their children, solely because they have done nothing else worthwhile in their lives but breed. In particularly shocking cases they read the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph. They are a threat.)

Le Reno Amps -‘Outlaws’

This scottish act consist of Scott Maple on Vocals and Guitar, Al Nero on Vocals and Guitar, Lindsey Scott on Bass and drummer Jason Sinclair. Shamefully, I have been meaning to write about them for weeks, put with the dawning realisation that If I love this track I should be writing about it and encouraging people to go and buy it if they like it, I really should get on and do so.

This track is taken from their second album Tear It Open, which will be released in a month’s time. It’s the follow-up single to last year’s ‘Send me On My Way.’

Le Reno Amps -‘Send Me On My Way.’

And no, no mp3s here, go and buy the singles and the album.

Le Reno Amps webpage/Le Reno Amps myspace