Reviews

Lungs. Lungs are great. They contain lots of little sacs called alveoli which diffuse oxygen into your blood.

I mention this not because I've decided to take a wild departure from music reviewing to lecturing on human biology, but simply because lungs are one of the main features of Which Way Up's music.

To be precise, it's lead singer Russ Grimmett's lungs that we're talking about here. They're very powerful. Very powerful indeed.

Russ Grimmett

Power Pop

Where female pop stars have their bottoms insured and footballs insure their legs, it might not be such a bad idea for Mr Grimmett to insure his lungs. He'd be lost without 'em. Well, wouldn't we all?

Imagine, if you will, the sounds of Status Quo, the Manic Street Preachers and the Darkness put in a blender and served up with a large dollop of cheese.

This, in a single culinary related sentence is a fairly accurate description of the musical exploits of Which Way Up.

Over the top of this, Russ Grimmett's voice bellows out, stretching out words for an insane amount of time where other singers would wither away within seconds.

Just listen to the final line of "I Could Tell You" if you want definitive proof.

Stu Hall

Rocking the Suburbs

Which Way Up's tracks are a high octane treat that will tick the same boxes that Murdoc once did - and that Nukchorris continue to do.

With a foot firmly wedged down on the distortion pedal this band will rock your block off - whether you like it or not.

There are currently six songs available for your listening pleasure on the band's Myspace page, ranging from the fast moving guitar work of "Intro" (a kind of REM’s "Belong" on performance enhancing drugs) through to the power chord fuelled "Wasted".

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before - Part One

The lyrics are your standard rock fare: much soul searching and trying to find a path in life, coming to terms with a regret laden past and hoping for a brighter future.

This, in sum, is the theme of "Hard to Think" (not mentioning the chord sequences strategically borrowed from the Manic's "If You Tolerate This…").

It's also a sentiment that runs through "Hidden Lies" and "I Could Tell You".

Drink!

Elsewhere, their lyrics are, more imaginatively, about the birds and the booze.

Jim Adkins

"Once Before I Die" is the rather melodramatic pleading of a (probably not) dying man for a bit of TLC - and probably a lot more - from his "baby".

Unfortunately, it sounds less like a poignant final request of a man about to meet his maker, and more like a desperate (and rather sick) chat up line.

Honestly, whatever happened to "Here's 10p…"?

Still, the searing guitar solo towards the end more than makes up for any deficiency in the lyrics department, so it's not all bad news.

Girls!

Meanwhile, "Wasted" is a song all about what it says on the tin, cataloguing a drunken night.

The song bears all the trademarks of WWU's musical arsenal: a fantastically powerful vocal delivery from Russ Grimmett accompanied by the sort guitar harmonies and chords that most Guitar Heroes can only dream of.

Martin Edmunds

Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before - Part Two

For all the skill and passion that Which Way Up put into their music, it is, perhaps disappointing that certain parts of their music sound so familiar.

David Bowie's "All The Young Dudes", taking just one example, is indisputably a classic of rock history.

Whether or not its introduction deserves to be mangled up and served as fresh one minute and fifty three seconds into "Hidden Lies" is open for debate.

I just know which side I'd come down on.

Which Way Up are a band brimming with ideas - if not always their own. Nevertheless, their infectious passion for a good tune delivered with guts is worth a couple of listens at the very least.

And, I'd guess, they won't be too bad live either.

______________________________________

If you're involved in the Gloucestershire music scene and you would like Stephen to review your music, please feel free to get in touch. Either email gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk or send your album and a bit about yourself to:

CD reviews
BBC Gloucestershire Online
London Road
Gloucester
GL1 1SW

______________________________________

This article is an external contribution and expresses a personal opinion, not necessarily the views of the BBC.