DATE ARCHIVES : March 2012

(Video) Neon Wolf – ‘All of it’s Yours’

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Neon Wolf popped up on the radar last year with a number of tasty slices of feel good indie.

The Thomastown lads have just released their debut video for single ‘All of its Yours’. The single was recorded with Leo Pearson (U2, David Holmes, RSAG) and the video is the handy work of MJ O’Carroll and Dylan Vaughan. If there was ever a song to sum up what a band is all about, it is this, wonderfully catchy indie-pop with unbridled feel-good energy, executed with perfection.

There’s an EP release on the horizon and tour to follow too. Happy days indeed.

ADULTROCK – Poplife (Feat. Jen Connell)

ADULTROCK has received much adoration on this blog before. It is of course the electronic project of Gavin Elsted, singer and guitarist with We Are Losers. Pray, let the music worthy of such applause continue.

His latest track ‘Poplife’, as the name suggests, is a more poppy affair than before. It’s a dreamy, relaxing track. It coasts along a crest of what can only be described as LCD style beats, while the soothing tranquility is crowned by Jen Connell’s calming vocals (formerly of Hooray For Humans).

Download ‘Poplife’ for free below and there’s plenty more tracks over Adultrock’s Soundcloud too.

Download: ADULTROCK – Poplife (Feat. Jen Connell)

Mystery Jets | ‘Someone Purer’ + Album news

Mystery Jets last record, Serotonin, left something of a stale taste in the mouth. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t necessarily a bad album, it was just some way off the standard of the near perfect Twenty One. Hey, no one said it would be an easy task.

Anyway, Mystery Jets are back with ‘Someone Purer’, the first single from their poorly titled and fourth album Radlands. Harrison’s vocals draw you in, slowly, leading into a massive chorus, before being hit with into a that recognizable blitz of wonderful indie. Dodgy album titles aside (it really does sound like an old NES game), it’s good to have them back and hopefully will surpass their previous effort.

Radlands is released on April 30th and will be followed by a pretty extensive UK tour, no Irish dates as of yet.

Mystery Jets – Someone Purer

Introducing: Byron | Articulate & Witty UK MC

Raised in grey, British suburbia of his hometown of Slough, MC and lyricist Byron, has been bubbling under the surface for a while releasing numerous mix-tapes and tracks. Fueled by a passion for poetry, a diet of UK Grime and Garage and a desire to have his say, he has turned his insight and frustration into something terrific.

His frustration, story-telling abilities and articulation culminate in intelligent and informed stories of what he sees all around him, lyrics are delivered with razor-sharp wit, humour and sometimes aggression and anger. The music has a very Garage and Grime feel to it. ‘Don’t Hate, Work Harder’ is a perfect example of this, while ‘All Part Of The Magic’ and ‘Don’t Judge A Book’ display his story-telling abilities.

Byron is a talent and a very promising one at that. There is no reason why we shan’t be hearing much more about him in the future. 

You can spin a few tracks below or dowload his latest release, Deep Lyrics Dirty Beats Part II for free.

Download: Byron – All Part Of The Magic

Download: Byron – Don’t Hate, Work Harder

Download: Byron – Check This Out (Freestyle)

Knoxville Morning – ‘The Lighthouse Song’

For many people outside Newbridge it must seem as though there’s something in the water, given the flow of music from the town right now.

The latest, Knoxville Morning, began life as a side-project of Band on an Island’s Ciaran Dwyer, before, in time growing into something far bigger. On this self titled debut he is joined by fellow BOAI members and the likes of Stefan Murphy, Gavin Elsted, Brian Gallagher, Claire Prendergast, Stephen Fahey and Laura Caffrey.

Before the album arrives in June it is preceded by single, ‘The Lighthouse Song’, a sweet, tender and ballad of friendship which tips gently along delicate acoustic strumming. It really is a beautiful little song. I have been lucky enough to hear some of the other tracks live too and they have been rather impressive.

You can stream / download ‘The Lighthouse Song’ below and judge for yourself.

Download: Knoxville Morning – The Lighthouse Song

Introducing: Clu | Dublin A/V Duo

Clu are Dublin A/V duo Sean Cooley (electronic productions) and Kevin A. Freeney (visuals). The pair are well adept in both areas, fusing their musical and visual interests together into something rather unusual.

Their sound is intriguing, playful and experimental, exploring many styles along the way, it maintains an ominous atmosphere. The tracks are widely varied and placing their work in a specific genre is a difficult task, but by all means be my guest. They released their debut EP, The First One, last year and what I’ve heard so far is incredibly impressive.

You can sample a few cuts from the EP and a tasty video below.

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Clu – Before

Clu – Willow

Twin Brother – The Grave

Twin Brother, Brighton multi-instrumentalist Alex Wells, impressed last year with his album Actors & Liars.

A fine record and a good year for Wells’ which included a slot at Glastonbury, while the festival may be taking its customary break Wells’ will be hoping to build on the successes of 2011 this year. New song ‘The Grave’, taken from from a forthcoming and so far unnamed EP, sets his stall out strong.

It is a captivating, soft centered, swooning love song of swaying sounds and a melancholic twist. Wells’ distinctive deep drawl filled with feeling and emotion, really bring home the lyrics.

Give it a listen below and keep an eye and an ear out for this guy over the next 12 months.

Twin Brother – The Grave

Mazes | Punchy Indie from Manchester

Manchester quartet Mazes should have been a commendable entry on here last year. I spent and continue to spend an awful lot of time listening to the Manchester quartet’s debut, A Thousand Heys. 

Mazes share an obvious bloodline with Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, The Strokes and scores of ’90s grunge and US alternative bands. There is an upbeat feel which echoes many late 90’s British bands, The Charlatans and The Bluetones in particular (‘Wait Anyway’ and ‘No Way’ /  ‘Surf And Turf / Maths Tag’ and ‘Centaph’). The Charlatans is less tenuous perhaps due to the similar locale with which both singer Jack Cooper and Tim Burgess are from. A Thousand Heys is jammed with short punchy tracks of brisk tempos and frazzled guitars charging into verse-chorus songwriting with more ooooooooh’s and aaaaaaaaah’s than Paul McGrath.

They have a while to go before reaching this level of, as they say themselves, waving “like the Beatles at JFK”. Beatlemania it may not be but they are a band full of ideas and charm and A Thousand Heys is both imperfect and superb.

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Mazes – Go Betweens via lustforlife

Mazes – Surf And Turf / Maths Tag via Okannie