Celavi – Anima EP Review

Celavi – Anima EP 

Meraki Records 

Release date: 31.10.20024 

Running time: 20 minutes approx 

Review by: Alun Jones 

8.5/10 

Celavi are a Goth, Industrial Nu-Metal project created by Sarah and Gwion, two spirited individuals from Bangor in North Wales.  I picked up a copy of their new EP, “Anima”, which is a surprisingly fresh and fierce attack on all of the above genres, not to mention a whole load more. 

The first track is ‘lowercase’ which opens with an Electro Rock flourish and hammers the listener with a mix of danceable beats and aggro power chords.  The rest of the EP follows in a similar vein, with satisfyingly crushing Metal guitar melded to infectious Electro and embellished with glorious female vocals that run from sweet to tormented. 

‘Bite My Tongue’ features whispered vocals over a restrained, pulsing beat before an enormous chorus crashes out of the speakers.  ‘Iodine’ is a fast paced, punch the air rocker with a relentlessly infectious chorus and ‘Eyeliner’ is the most uncompromising track here.  The catchiest song though is probably ‘Lullaby’, an Industrial Pop Metal confection that’s equal parts magnificent melodies and brutal guitar riff.   

“Anima” wasn’t on my radar, but thanks to being in the right place at the right time, I’ve been able to absorb this work and enjoy it immensely.  Anyone who’s a fan of Nine Inch Nails, Linkin Park, Lacuna Coil or Rammstein should be able to find something to get stuck into here.  Ideal music for an unhinged time in a vampire night club, Celavi are ones to watch. 

Check out the Celavi website here. Or find them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or X (that’s Twitter, folks).

This review is brought to you by Platinum Al in association with Ever Metal. 

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #31

Gather ye round, Hot Tubbers! Tis time once again to dip our toes into the warm waters and enjoy another Singles Night.

What am I babbling about? Regular readers will know that Platinum Al likes to spend an evening playing through my collection of 7″ singles, both sides, one after the other. I have a large unplayed pile of 45 rpm records that need spinning, so sometimes I like to blitz through ’em, accompanied with a few drinks (or several).

Why? Because it makes a fun evening! You never know what’s crept in to the “play me” pile: old or new, good or bad. And when the night is over, these discs can be safely added to my collection.

Let’s check out what I played this time:

  1. Boney M. – “I’m Born Again” / “Bahama Mama”
  2. Sounds EP: The Perfect Disaster – “55 Miles” / “Mega City Four – “What We’ve Got” / Cerebral Fix – “Eternal Winter” / Killdozer – “New Pants & Shirt” / Pussy Galore – “SM57”
  3. Men Without Hats – “The Safety Dance” / “Security”
  4. Third World – “Now That We’ve Found Love” / “Night Heat”
  5. Bomb the Bass – “Beat Dis” / “Beat Dis (Dub)”
  6. Phil Collins – “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” / Mike Rutherford – “Making a Big Mistake”
  7. Hale & Pace and the Stonkers – “The Stonk” / Victoria Wood – “The Smile Song”
  8. Bob Geldof – “Love or Something” / “Out of Order”
  9. The Whispers – “And the Beat Goes On” / “Can You Do The Boogie”
  10. Queen – “It’s a Hard Life” / “Is This the World We Created…?”
  11. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Jamming” / “Punky Reggae Party”
  12. Sweet – “The Six Teens” / “Burn On The Flame”
  13. Belinda Carlisle – “La Luna” / “Whatever It Takes”
  14. Baccara – “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” / “Cara Mia”
  15. The Stranglers – “Bear Cage” / “Sha Sha a Go Go”
  16. Bucks Fizz – “One of Those Nights” / “Always Thinking of You”
  17. Rod Stewart – “How Long” / “Jealous”
  18. Ghost – “Kiss the Go-Goat” / “Mary On a Cross”
  19. The Beach Boys – “Darlin'” / “Here Today”
  20. ZZ Top – “Gimme All Your Lovin'” / “If I could Only Flag Her Down”

A mixed bag, as always – with a few left overs from my “100 singles for a fiver” car boot sale purchase. But this is what Singles Night is all about – you take the rough with the smooth, learn to appreciate stuff that you might’ve previously written off.

There are a couple of stinkers in that list, but surprisingly the Comic Relief single ” The Stonk” isn’t one of them. Daft it may be, but it features Brian May, Tony Iommi, Dave Gilmour, Cozy Powell and Roger Taylor in a Quo-esque rock boogie that I quite enjoyed.

I love the Boney M. single, as the B-side reminds me of being on holiday in Greece. “Safety Dance” is brilliant, Bomb The Bass is class, and I even enjoyed the Phil Collins song!

Obvious highlights in this set came from Queen, Bob Marley, Sweet, The Stranglers, Beach Boys and ZZ Top. Always wanted to hear that Bob Marley B-side, as he name checks several punk bands such as The Damned, The Jam and The Clash.

I was a surprisingly cool dad, thanks to the Ghost single (coloured vinyl, nice). Apparently the B-side is a social media craze, so my daughter was impressed!

Great tunes, fun times exploring music – that’s Singles Night. More soon!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #26

Welcome, music lovers! Yes, we’re back at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub for another leisurely evening of spinning 45 rpm records and drinking a hell of a load of cocktails. It is on, brothers and sisters!

So what’s going down? It’s pretty simple. I have a stack of vinyl singles (hence “Singles Night”) and I’m playin’ ’em in order, side A then B, just for the heck of it. Because it’s fun. And you might just hear some great tunes. No cheating: play each single in the pile, with no skipping (even if it’s a dud).

Here’s the latest playlist. Grab a drink, this is gonna be fun…

  1. Dread Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven” / “Jailhouse Rock”
  2. INXS – “Suicide Blonde” / “Everybody Wants U Tonight”
  3. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising” / “Lodi”
  4. Rainbow – “All Night Long” / “Weiss Heim”
  5. AC/DC – “Heatseeker” / “Go Zone”
  6. INXS – “New Sensation” / “Do Wot You Do”
  7. Budgie – “Keeping a Rendezvous” / “Apparatus”
  8. Eagles – “New Kid in Town” / “Victim of Love”
  9. Free – “My Brother Jake” / Only My Soul”
  10. Village People – “In the Navy” / “Manhattan Woman”
  11. Mike Post ft. Larry Carlton – “The Theme from Hill Street Blues” / “Aaron’s Tune”
  12. Sammy Davis Jnr – “What Kind of Fool Am I” / “Gonna Build a Mountain” / “Someone Nice Like You” / “Once in a Lifetime”
  13. Giorgio Moroder w/ Philip Oakey – “Together in Electric Dreams” / “Together in Electric Dreams (Instrumental)”
  14. S’Express – “Superfly Guy” / “Funky Killer”
  15. Sting – “Demolition Man (Soulpower Radio Mix)” / “Demolition Man (Film Version”
  16. Slade – “Far Far Away” / “OK Yesterday Was Yesterday”
  17. Shakatak – “Feels Like the Right Time” / “Corina”
  18. Roy Orbison – “Only the Lonely” / “Here Comes That Song Again”
  19. Earth Wind & Fire – “In the Stone” / “Africano”
  20. Little Eva – “The Loco-Motion” / “He is the Boy”

And were there any duds in this selection? Well, nothing disastrous, though “Hill Street Blues” was a bit of a mood changer.

But just look at the strength of the list over all: some absolute beauties from AC/DC, Free, Rainbow, CCR and double INXS. Plus that Budgie single (which is a really nice 7 inch picture disc, by the way) is totally cool.

Some great pop classics in there, too. Village People and Giorgio Moroder? Floor fillers!

Thanks for joining me for another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub. Let’s do it again soon. In the meantime, keep your media physical and your drinks cool.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #21

I promised you lucky readers more Singles Night fun soon – and here you go. Another twenty 7″ vinyl singles, played one after the other, to create this sensational playlist.

Pour yourself a drink and join me, as we delve into the deep recesses of my thus far unplayed record collection for a night of rock’n’roll mayhem. Prepare to have your socks well and truly rocked…

  1. Chris Cornell – “Patience” / “Nothing Compares ” U”
  2. Sweet Apple – “I’ve Got a Feeling (That Won’t Change)” / “Dead Moon (Demo Version)”
  3. ABBA – “The Winner Takes It All” / “Elaine”
  4. The Knack – “My Sharona” / “Let Me Out”
  5. Free – “Wishing Well” / “Let Me Show You”
  6. Thin Lizzy – “The Boys Are Back in Town” / “Emerald”
  7. Cheap Trick – “I Want You to Want Me” / “Clock Strikes Ten”
  8. The Who – “5.15” / “Water”
  9. Bachman Turner Overdrive – “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” / “Free Wheelin'”
  10. The Beach Boys – “Break Away” / “Celebrate the News”
  11. Stakker – “Humanoid” / “Humanoid (Part 2)”
  12. Flying Lizards – “Money” / “TV”
  13. Faith No More – “Anne’s Song” / “Greed”
  14. Hi Tek 3 ft. Ya Kid K – “Spin That Wheel (Turtles Get Real) 7″ Pizza Mix” / “7” Pizza Dub Mix”
  15. Phil Collins – “In the Air Tonight” / “The Roof is Leaking”
  16. Forrest – “Rock the Boat” / “Loving You”
  17. Stan Ridgway – “Camouflage” / “Rio Greyhound”
  18. Ella Fitzgerald – “Desafinado” / “Stardust (Bossa Nova)”
  19. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Green River” / “Commotion”
  20. Python Lee Jackson – “In a Broken Dream” / “Boogie Woogie Joe”

Boom! What a great collection. My favourite Who song, Thin Lizzy’s best (?), BTO and Free. That Knack song is, of course, a classic – as is the Cheap Trick track. All were from a record fair (remember those?) if I recall correctly.

That Faith No More song is their very worst, by an otherwise spectacular band. I’m no Phil Collins fan really, but that track is pretty good, admit it. Throw in Flying Lizards and The Beach Boys and you’ve got a helluva playlist. And if you don’t love “Camouflage” there must be something wrong with you.

The Chris Cornell was a Record Store Day special which I picked up from VOD records in Mold. Great shop who also organised the record fair I mentioned above. Check them out here.

Till next time – keep rockin’!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #12

The pile of 7″ singles in my music room continues to grow.  They arrive from all manner of sources, in various conditions, and wait patiently for me to spin them.  It’s a never ending task – like that old cliche, painting the Forth Bridge.

But it’s fun – making my way through the collection of random vinyl goodies; having a few drinks and enjoying the music.

I play both sides, A then B, and then move onto the next single in the pile.  All manner of tunes could be heard, from the classic to cheesy nonsense.

Here’s the latest batch:

  1. The Fatback Band – “(Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop” / “Gotta Learn How to Dance”
  2. Earth, Wind & Fire – “That’s the Way of the World” / “Africano”
  3. Tom Jones – “Letter to Lucille” / “Thank the Lord”
  4. Belinda Carlisle – “Little Black Book” / “Only a Dream”
  5. Betty Boo – “24 Hours” / “24 Hours (Instrumental)”
  6. Jan Hammer – “Miami Vice Theme” / “Miami Vice Theme (TV Version)” / “Miami Vice Theme (12″ Edit)”
  7. Survivor – “Burning Heart” / “Feels Like Love”
  8. The Kinks – “All Day and All of the Night” / “You Really Got Me”
  9. Roxy Music – “All I Want is You” / “Your Application’s Failed”
  10. Owen Paul – “My Favourite Waste of Time” / “Just Another Day”
  11. The Simpsons – “Do the Bartman (7″ House Mix/Edit)” / “Do the Bartman (LP Edit)”
  12. Edelweiss – “Bring Me Edelweiss” / “Kitz-Stein-Horn”
  13. Roy Orbison – “You Got It” / “The Only One”
  14. The Lovin’ Spoonful – “Summer in the City” / “Bald Headed Lena”
  15. Elton John – “Song for Guy” / “Blue Eyes”
  16. Ohio Players – “Fire” / “Together”
  17. Kool & The Gang – “Cherish” / “Celebration”
  18. Diana Ross – “I’m Still Waiting” / “Touch Me in the Morning”
  19. The Real Thing – “You to Me Are Everything” / “Keep An Eye (On Your Best Friend)”
  20. David Soul – “Don’t Give Up On Us” / “Black Bean Soup”
  21. Kelly Marie – “Feels Like I’m in Love” / “Shattered Glass”
  22. Dusty Springfield – “I Just Don’t Know What to do with Myself” / “My Colouring Book”

I really enjoyed that Singles Night session.  There were a fair few out standing funky numbers, as well as songs by my favourite pop babes ever, Belinda and Betty.  Lovely.

Plus – how great is that Kinks single?  An all time classic couple of tracks – and a great record for my collection.  Along with a few other legendary rock tunes, this was a great evening of music.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #10

Playing music, having a few drinks – it’s fun.  In this case, what I do (as regular readers will know), is play through a stack of 45 rpm singles and see what Lady Luck decides to bestow on me.

Some of the singles are classic, some less so.  Some are cheesy, some have at least some small notion of integrity.  One thing’s for sure: one way or another, all of the following 7 inch singles are part of my vinyl collection – there’s no hiding from the shame.

Lets see what we got this time:

  1. Elvis Presley – “The Wonder of You” / “Mama Like the Roses”
  2. Chris Isaak – “Wicked Game” / Angelo Badalamenti – “Cool Cat Walk”
  3. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – “Happy” / “Twenty Three” / “Hour Toothache”
  4. Duran Duran – “The Reflex” / “Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me) – Live”
  5. Inspiral Carpets – “This Is How It Feels (Radio Mix)” / “Tune For a Family”
  6. Transvision Vamp – “Sister Moon” / “Oh Yeah” / “Walk On By”
  7. WAR – “I’m the One Who Understands” / “Corns & Callouses (Hey Dr. Shoals)”
  8. Frank Sinatra – “My Way” / “Blue Lace”
  9. Rocky Sharpe & The Replays – “Rama Lama Ding Dong” / “When the Chips Are Down”
  10. Gene Vincent – “Say Mama” / “Be Bop Boogie Boy”
  11. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – “Without Her” / “Sandbox”
  12. Tracey Ullman – “Move Over Darling” / “You Broke My Heart in 17 Places”
  13. Billy Joel – “Uptown Girl” / “Careless Talk”
  14. Boney M. – “I’m Born Again” / “Bahama Mama”
  15. The KLF – “What Time Is Love? (Live At Trancentral)” / “What Time Is Love? (Techno Gate Mix)”
  16. Billy Fury – “Because of Love” / “Running Around”
  17. Nat King Cole – “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” / “Let There Be Love”
  18. The Crusaders – “Stomp and Buck Dance” / “A Ballad for Joe (Louis)”
  19. Bobby G – “Big Deal” / “It’s All for Jan”
  20. Duane Eddy – “Rebel-Rouser” / “Stalkin'”
  21. Ricky Nelson – “It’s Late” / “Never Be Anyone Else But You”
  22. Tears For Fears – “Shout” / “The Big Chair”
  23. Yannis Markopoulos – “Who Pays the Ferryman?” / “Fanfare for Charon”

 

a selection

There you go: and those selections (random as they are) weren’t all that cheesy after  all.  Boney M.?  Under rated.  And that b-side reminds me of summer.  So rather than a few pungent offerings, there’s quite a few great ol’ rock’n’rollers dominating that playlist.

A final word regarding Ned’s Automatic Dustbin and Inspiral Carpets.  Both indie bands, my least favourite genre of all.  I found those singles super cheap in a charity shop, tried ’em and they weren’t too bad, really.

Still hate indie music though.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #8

OK, so Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub is not a dating service.  What it is, is me spending an evening playing through my ever growing stack of 45 rpm vinyl singles and having a drink or three.

Here’s the latest batch of 7 inch goodness:

  1. Elvis Presley – “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” / “Patch It Up”
  2. Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Song From the Edge of the World” / “The Whole Price of Blood”
  3. The Rolling Stones – “Undercover of the Night” / “All the Way Down”
  4. Queen – “Headlong” / “All God’s People”
  5. Ozzy Osbourne – “Shot in the Dark” / “Rock’n’Roll Rebel”
  6. The KLF – “What Time is Love? (Live at Transcentral)” / “What Time is Love? (Techno Gate Mix)”
  7. Linda Lusardi – “Eye Contact” / “Eye Contact (Club Mix)”
  8. Philip Bailey – “Easy Lover (with Phil Collins)” / “Woman”
  9. Albert King – “Born Under a Bad Sign” / “I Got the Blues”
  10. Isaac Hayes – “Do Your Thing” / “Ellie’s Love Theme (Instrumental)”
  11. Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell” / “(Do Not) Stand in the Shadows”
  12. Kim Wilde – “Love Blonde” / “Can You Hear It”
  13. Aerosmith – “Love in an Elevator” / “Young Lust”
  14. Talking Heads – “And She Was” / “Perfect World”
  15. Shakin’ Stevens – “Because I Love You” / “Tell Me One More Time”
  16. Samantha Fox – “Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me)” / “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again”
  17. Can – “I Want More” / “More”
  18. ABBA – “Knowing Me, Knowing You” / “Happy Hawaii”
  19. KC & The Sunshine Band – “That’s the Way (I Like It)” / “Queen of Clubs”
  20. Madonna – “Into the Groove” / “Shoo-Bee-Doo”
  21. Dean Martin – “Return to Me” / “Forgetting You”
  22. Roxy Music – “Pyjamarama” / “The Pride and the Pain”
  23. Steve Winwood – “Valerie” / “Talking Back to the Night (Instrumental Version)”
  24. Glen Campbell – “Why Don’t We Just Sleep on it Tonight (with Tanya Tucker)” / A Daisy a Day”

The selection above was, as always, determined by whatever was next on the pile.  There’s no choosing songs involved, it’s just playing the records in order.

But what a great selection that was!  Not one, but two 1980’s Page 3 legends; plus a load of tunes from classic rock to pop, country and soul.

By the way: What’s Madonna and a piece of toilet paper got in common?

They both get into the groove!  HAHA!

I had a great time spinning these tunes, more soon.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #5

It’s been a while, but time to work through that stack of 7″ singles again.  I had a few beers and listened to the tunes in my collection – good and bad – in order, both sides.

There have been a few stinkers in previous editions.  This week, however, the good outweighed the cheesy for once.  Just about.

Here we go:

  1. Jimmy Barnes & INXS – “Good Times” / “Love is Enough”
  2. Tubeway Army – “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” / “We Are So Fragile?”
  3. Black Sabbath – “Paranoid” / “Snow Blind”
  4. Rod Stewart – “Sailing” / “Stone Cold Sober”
  5. The KLF – “Justified and Ancient: Stand by the Jams” / “Justified and Ancient: The White Room Version”
  6. Bobby Gentry – “Ode to Billy Joe” / “Mississippi Delta”
  7. Sweet – “Fox on the Run” / Miss Demeanor”
  8. Generation X – “Ready Steady Go” / “No No No”
  9. Atomic Rooster – “Devil’s Answer” / “Tomorrow Night”
  10. Blondie – “Call Me” / “Call Me (Instrumental)”
  11. The Incredible Bongo Band – “Bongo Rock” / “Bongolia”
  12. All About Eve – “What Kind of Fool” / “Gold and Silver”
  13. Level 42 – “Something About You” / “Coup D’Etat (Version)”
  14. Dave Brubeck Quartet – “Me and My Shadow” / “At a Perfume Counter” / “Frenesi” / “Mamselle”
  15. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass – “Casino Royale” / “The Wall Street Rag”
  16. ABBA – “Does Your Mother Know” / “Kisses of Fire”
  17. Hank Williams – “Honky Tonkin'”/ “Howlin’ at the Moon” / “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But Time” / “You’d Better Keep it on Your Mind”
  18. The Rolling Stones – “19th Nervous Breakdown” / “As Tears Go By”

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #4

Yes, it’s that time again – a playlist of 45rpm singles that have provided me with an evenings entertainment.

I have a stack of 7″ records that haven’t been listened and filed away yet.  So I spend a night listening to them, both sides, in order.

As you can imagine, there are some dodgy songs in amongst the good stuff.  And this week, there are some corkers.  However, the rules are: the songs MUST be listened to.  I own them, so I must be responsible!

Here’s the list:

  1. Joe Dolce – “Shaddap You Face” / “Ain’t No Hurry”
  2. Sinitta – “Shame Shame Shame” / “Maybe Someday”
  3. The Charlie Daniels Band – “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” / “Rainbow Ride”
  4. Rod Stewart – “Angel” / “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)”
  5. Kate Bush – “Babooshka” / “Ran Tan Waltz”
  6. Tom Jones – “Help Yourself” / “Day by Day” / “Delilah” / “Smile”
  7. Bananarama – “Love in the First Degree” / “Mr Sleaze”
  8. The Timelords – “Doctorin’ the Tardis” / “Doctorin’ the Tardis”
  9. Pig Bag  – “Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag” / “The Backside”
  10. Blondie – “Union City Blue” / “Living in the Real World”
  11. The Sweet – “Hell Raiser” / “Burning”
  12. The Who – “I’m a Boy” / “In the City”
  13. Depeche Mode – “Enjoy the Silence” / “Memphisto”
  14. Free – “My Brother Jake” / “Only My Soul”
  15. Nazareth – “Love Hurts” / “This Flight Tonight” / “Broken Down Angel” / “Hair of the Dog”
  16. Lalo Schifrin – “Jaws” / “Quiet Village”
  17. Rainbow – “I Surrender” / “Vielleicht Das Nachster Zeit (Maybe Next Time)”

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #2

Here we go again!  Quick recap:

I’ve bought loads of 7″ singles; some good, some bad, some ugly.  I decided to listen through the pile by having an evening playing them all in the order in which they were bought; oldest first, A side then B side.  This is the list of what I played.

As before, some of these songs are absolute gems – some are absolute stinkers.  Don’t judge me; this is already difficult enough for me to confess.

Yes, there’s another Sinitta song.  I know it’s terrible, but in my defence she’s in my record collection ‘cos she’s a babe.  Trust me, she’s well foxy on the cover of this single.  So, sorry about that one.

All in all, though, I feel this is a much less cheesy selection than last time.  There might even be a few cool choices.  And remember – this is all 7 inch vinyl only!

Now, shall we proceed with the embarrassment?

  1. Steve Winwood – “Higher Love” / “And I Go”
  2. Sinitta – “Hitchin’ a Ride” / “I’m On My Way”
  3. Madonna – “Papa Don’t Preach” / “Ain’t No Big Deal”
  4. Bob Dylan – “Is Your Love in Vain?” / “We Better Talk This Over”
  5. Peter Gabriel – “Games Without Frontiers” / “The Start” / “I Don’t Remember”
  6. George Harrison – ” My Sweet Lord” / “What a Life”
  7. Madness – “Shut Up” / “A Town with No Name”
  8. Toyah – “Thunder in the Mountains” / “Street Addict”
  9. The Jam – “Town Called Malice” / “Precious”
  10. The Beat – “Ackee 1-2-3” / “Monkey Murders”
  11. The Selecter – “Missing Words” / “Carry Go Bring Home”
  12. Blondie – “Denis (Denee)” / “Contact in Red Square” / “Kung Fu Girls”
  13. Herbie Hancock – “You Bet Your Love” / “Knee Deep”
  14. Stevie Wonder – “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)” / “Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday”
  15. Roxy Music – “The Same Old Scene” / “Lover”

Any comments/abuse on the above are welcome, I’m getting used to it.  Otherwise, I hope you enjoy – will be back soon with more.