Bluebottle Kiss
Slight Return + Out Seeds
Nonzero/Shock



Last years rocking 'Doubt Seeds' album was only the tip of the iceberg for Bluebottle Kiss - but that seems to always be the case with the band. Other than the single Slight Return, the seven other tracks on this mini LP / maxi EP are unreleased recordings from the album sessions, hence the apt name. As decent as the songs are, there's a reason why they're B Sides - their punch just doesn't have the same impact as those on the album. Secondly, Bluebottle Kiss are an album band who have the luxury of being able to choose from a multitude of songs to form a theme that carries across fifty odd minutes. 2002's 'Revenge Is Slow' was probably the epitome of the Bluebottle Kiss's thematic genius, filled with radio hits like Gangsterland and O.

Five years ago, Bluebottle Kiss would have released an intense live song on their EPs, to really spice things up, but '...Out Seeds' and last year's 'A Little Bit Of Light' sadly, have gone soft. Absent is the album cohesion that has never wavered in strength and brilliance, absent are the really gritty explosions. What's left is a collection of decent songs that don't captivate. Slight Return is a good song, filled with trademark feedback and distortion, but doesn't cut the mustard in comparison to the singles that the band have released before it. Guitarist, Ben Grounds gets his competent song-writing chance on Here It Goes Again, but essentially this is a trial release that does not live up to the high standards that Bluebottle Kiss have previously set.

Steven Williams