The moment we tire of getting submissions from Nordic bands we haven't previously come across with full EPs and Albums to get stuck into will be the day we hang up our headphones - we'll never forget the impact the likes of 'The Stillwalkers' made. And whilst it's unlikely that Danish band 'Melba Vision' will be heading our Releases of the Year list as the Finnish band did, their new EP 'Favours for Favours' is a highly enjoyable and at times intense alternative rock release, with a couple of real stand out songs.
So to introduce them, 'Melba Vision' are a 5 piece band from Copenhagen, and over the last few years they've released (through slightly different line-ups) a steady stream of EPs, which started way back in 2012 with a self titled debut which experimented with electronica - you can still find all their releases through streaming services, and it's an interesting mix of sounds.
Their latest release is 'Favours for Favours' and the 1st track is the direct 'Onesixtyeight' with a 'New Model Armyesque' guitar line, before it opens up with heavier rhythms, and all carried along with melodic vocals and a thumping bass line - these guys really do make a good noise. 'The Man with No Faces' has a conventional Indie guitar opening, it develops with plaintive almost 'Idlewild' vocals and I really like their melodic intent. I'm still not quite sure if the vocals at the start of 'Hypocritical Load' works perfectly, but I love the way the guitars howl out the theme, and it's a passionate upbeat track with different shades of darkness and light.
However the stand out track is definitely 'Burn the Wealth', searing vocals and lyrics, a huge chorus and the thumping instrumental contribution just before 3 minutes, complete with time signature change (if not quite Cardiacs or Major Parkinson) is delivered with style and definitely the highlight of the EP. Maybe after the excellent 4th song, anything else was going to be a disappoint, and 'Off You Go' maybe loses it's way slightly, but maybe redeems itself with a big instrumental section to finish the EP.
So we probably haven't featured many 'noisier' sounding Alternative Indie style bands so far this year, having reviewed a fair few Indie Pop and Folk influenced artists, and 'Favours for Favours' by 'Melba Vision' is a really enjoyable listen, with good contributions from across the line-up, listenable melodic chorus and great guitar sounds to enjoy - go listen, playlist, follow on Facebook, and we'll always keep looking out for bands who don't get the attention of the mainstream media.