Occoeur
We were recently contacted by Occoeur, a Birmingham based Rock/Pop Punk/Alternative 5 piece with a passion for creating music. The chaps were good enough to put us onto their music to see what we thought, so being the helpful folks we are here at Loud-Stuff, we jumped over to their Facebook page to see what was going on. Stating that they formed out of a thriving passion for creating music and saying that enjoyment is at the heart of what they do, I was looking forward to seeing what was on offer from these guys!
Opening with All I Can Be there’s an immediate display of all out musicianship through a funk tunged guitar line, the drums and bass coming in afterwards to form a sound which is akin to stadium rock in some ways, and far more raw and exciting in others. Throwing in some female vocals to elevate everything from a sludgy dark sound to a cleaner and more atmospheric level, straight away this is the sort of track which is going to convert fans of hard and soft music alike to the ways of the band. The key to this track though has to be the chorus – offering us a vocal line which is going to have people singing along and everyone feeding off of the energy of the band – it’s a hell of an achievement and something which marks these guys as a serious force to be reckoned with!
Moving on to FearFall the theme of drama and power seems to fade out completely at first, opening with a soft and acoustic line under more of those soft and clear vocals. The emotional weight of this track is clear from the off, immediately sitting you back and making you simply take on board what the band have got to offer, not making you jump or throw down but instead connecting with your soul in a manner that few bands can achieve. This ability to craft tracks which really connect with the audience is something that sets these guys apart and shows that what we’ve got here is a band to keep a serious eye on. Villain backs this up further, once again opening on a softer tone to allow the audience to be part of the build-up of the track. Not sticking to the soft approach for long, soon enough we’re back in the groove orientated dark riffs of the band, once again getting into a track which roves between fast and slow but all the time, keeps you involved and makes you want to be a part of the track. As you’d expect, there’s another catchy chorus here and further evidence (as if it were needed) that this is a band who are going to find their full potential on the live scene, their sound is simply perfect for the stage.
Taking Over marks a serious high point on the selection of the tracks for me, and shows of the more punky side of the band, launching us into a raucous melee of off clean guitars, soaring vocal lines and pounding drum lines. Once again using the vocals to fully accentuate the mix here, what’s most striking is how clean the main sections of the track are before descending into the distorted pit for the chorus sections, it’s a mix that few bands would try to achieve yet these guys have pulled it off with ease. Closing with You’ve Got It All the band seem to have saved another highpoint for last, opening with a guitar line based around Canon in C (or is it D….I can’t remember!) under soft yet powerful female vocals. There’s a certain degree of mainstream style to this track, showing that this could be a band that could find some serious recognition through the bigger radio stations if they got some attention, confirming once and for all in my mind that this is going to be a band to keep an eye out for.
I was caught a little off guard by Occoeur when I first hit play on their tracks, and I’m not entirely sure why. I think that it’s largely down to the sheer power that they’re capable of achieving, showing that this is a band that can take simple tracks and bolster them into something bigger, something new and something which a hell of a lot of people are going to connect with. Definitely one to keep an eye out for on the live scene as if they can pull this off live, we’re on to a winner!
To find out more about Occoeur, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Opening with All I Can Be there’s an immediate display of all out musicianship through a funk tunged guitar line, the drums and bass coming in afterwards to form a sound which is akin to stadium rock in some ways, and far more raw and exciting in others. Throwing in some female vocals to elevate everything from a sludgy dark sound to a cleaner and more atmospheric level, straight away this is the sort of track which is going to convert fans of hard and soft music alike to the ways of the band. The key to this track though has to be the chorus – offering us a vocal line which is going to have people singing along and everyone feeding off of the energy of the band – it’s a hell of an achievement and something which marks these guys as a serious force to be reckoned with!
Moving on to FearFall the theme of drama and power seems to fade out completely at first, opening with a soft and acoustic line under more of those soft and clear vocals. The emotional weight of this track is clear from the off, immediately sitting you back and making you simply take on board what the band have got to offer, not making you jump or throw down but instead connecting with your soul in a manner that few bands can achieve. This ability to craft tracks which really connect with the audience is something that sets these guys apart and shows that what we’ve got here is a band to keep a serious eye on. Villain backs this up further, once again opening on a softer tone to allow the audience to be part of the build-up of the track. Not sticking to the soft approach for long, soon enough we’re back in the groove orientated dark riffs of the band, once again getting into a track which roves between fast and slow but all the time, keeps you involved and makes you want to be a part of the track. As you’d expect, there’s another catchy chorus here and further evidence (as if it were needed) that this is a band who are going to find their full potential on the live scene, their sound is simply perfect for the stage.
Taking Over marks a serious high point on the selection of the tracks for me, and shows of the more punky side of the band, launching us into a raucous melee of off clean guitars, soaring vocal lines and pounding drum lines. Once again using the vocals to fully accentuate the mix here, what’s most striking is how clean the main sections of the track are before descending into the distorted pit for the chorus sections, it’s a mix that few bands would try to achieve yet these guys have pulled it off with ease. Closing with You’ve Got It All the band seem to have saved another highpoint for last, opening with a guitar line based around Canon in C (or is it D….I can’t remember!) under soft yet powerful female vocals. There’s a certain degree of mainstream style to this track, showing that this could be a band that could find some serious recognition through the bigger radio stations if they got some attention, confirming once and for all in my mind that this is going to be a band to keep an eye out for.
I was caught a little off guard by Occoeur when I first hit play on their tracks, and I’m not entirely sure why. I think that it’s largely down to the sheer power that they’re capable of achieving, showing that this is a band that can take simple tracks and bolster them into something bigger, something new and something which a hell of a lot of people are going to connect with. Definitely one to keep an eye out for on the live scene as if they can pull this off live, we’re on to a winner!
To find out more about Occoeur, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls