One Blood – Mind Museum

Even thought they are a Bristol based outfit, through their working relationship with Swindon based Secret Chord Records, Mind Museum are slowly becoming part of the local circuit.  Couple this with the fact that the most common complaint I hear from the heavy rock fraternity around the town is that there is a severe lack of new, original bands being courted by our venues, it would seem that Mind Museum have arrived on our radars with fortuitous timing.

Although maybe not ticking enough boxes for the old school, classic rock die-hards, their eclectic blend of influences from Biffy Clyro, At The Drive In and Muse to less obvious, darker undercurrents of The Cure and Nirvana means that the resulting alt-rock creation is both retrospectively influenced and forward looking.

Their latest e.p. One Blood, becomes commercially available this week and it’s ten tracks are a real lesson in how to make music that is both heavy yet approachable, something that is too often missing in a genre that seems to revere speed and power over accessibility. It goes without saying that they have the heavy weaponry to hand when needs be but this is tempered by a bag of accessories that range from ear-worming riffs, gang choruses, a brilliant understanding of musical dynamic, not to mention killer songs. It is this musical arsenal that means that they whilst they are working in a genre with a fan base that favours the stroppy teenager, they continue to create music that is mature and has universal appeal.

It is a mix of post-punk sensibilities, grunge scene ethics and straighter, yet clever rock drives that has coalesced into a sound that will pave the way for the future of heavier music.