DATE ARCHIVES : July 2012

Machines Don’t Care – Feelings

Supergroup is a far to often bandied about term but when you have the collective talent of Toddla T, Hervé, Sinden, Detboi, Drop the Lime, Fake Blood, Trevor Loveys, and Affie Yusuf, what else would you call it?

To celebrate the upcoming release of their new single, ‘Beat Dun Drop’, out September 3rd,  Machines Don’t Care are giving away a new track, ‘Feelings’, from their upcoming mixtape. It is an absolutely thumping electro track full of a truly heavyweight beats and energy.

Download ‘Feelings’ below, and check out the video for ‘Beat Dun Drop’ ft. Meleka, which ain’t too bad either.

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Coastal Cities – ‘Relief’

Coastal Cities are a 5-piece indie-dance band from High Wycombe in West London, who formed while still at school through a shared love of 80’s New Wave and dance music. It is something that certainly resonates in their music.

The band’s latest single ‘Relief’ sails on a crest of New Wave influences to form slick and stylish dance-floor ready guitar pop, with a healthy dose of math-rock inspired rhythms and angular guitar lines. It’s lively, upbeat and an irresistible and very welcome spiky indie-dance delight. 

‘Relief’ along with b-side ‘The Voyage’ are out now and follow up their debut EP, Think Tank, which was released late last year. Check ’em out below.

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Introducing: H. Hawkline

Wales is no stranger to psychedelic, slightly odd-ball musicians, it has after all, nurtured the aberrant talents of everyone from Y Niwl, Super Furry Animals, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and We Are Animal.

Now we can welcome Cardiff based H. Hawkline to this illustrious list. His rough ‘n’ ready approach fuses his experimental whims with gentle, somewhat surreal lyrics into songs that are beautiful, easy to listen to and startlingly strange at the same time. These odd ball eccentricities come to the fore in everything he does.

Take the title track of his new EP, ‘Black Domino Box’. It is upbeat and bright, revolving around a gently strummed acoustic guitar before veering off into a slightly warped space normally occupied by Syd Barrett or HMHB. A marvelous, exciting and special talent.

It’s probably best for Gruff Rhys, who oversaw proceedings, to have the last word “H.Hawkline is the beatiest thing to emerge from Lundy Island since the 2007 Norovirus outbreak”. You’ll hear no quarrel from this quarter.

Black Domino Box is set for release August 20, via Trash Aesthetics, and followed by a pretty extensive UK tour.

Introducing: Permanent Collection

Beginning as a solo project of Jason Hendardy in 2011, Permanent Collection, soon saw the addition of Brenden Nerfa, Megan Dabkowski and Mike Stillman before the year was out.

The San Francisco four-piece is set to release their debut album Newly Wed Nearly Dead in August, bringing with them two fine tasters in  ‘One Thousand Sins’ and ‘It’s Alright’. Their sound is a mish-mash of post-punk, shoegaze and garage influences with Hendardy’s vocals emerge from the squall of noise and atmosphere. Yes, this is a well traveled path but there is just something endearingly likable about these songs, something hopefully than comes through on their new album. 

If this sets your heart racing then mark off August 7th in your calendars, that’s when their new album is released. For now, here’s ‘One Thousand Sins’ and ‘It’s Alright’.

The Annulments – Birds Don’t Cry

The Annulments are a Dublin quartet (including one former Last Tycoon).

Their sound is derived from a broad blend of influences, taking in blues, folk country, dixieland, mountain minstrelsy, soul and rock and roll. Combined, these influences are met with an emphasis on the folk songwriting tradition; tales of mislaid plans, unjust love and labours lost.

It is an approach which serves them well and captured perfectly by their teaser track, ‘Birds Don’t Cry’. While it couldn’t sound further from what you would expect to emerge from Dublin’s fair city and wouldn’t be out of place on Deadwood’s soundtrack, it is a joyous sound & one with which I look forward to keeping an eye and ear on in future.

(Video) Crocodiles – ‘Endless Flowers’

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Crocodiles latest record Endless Flowers has been on the receiving end of a lot of attention over the past few weeks. The album has a kind of ’80s feel, owing a debt to Psychedelic Furs in particular and none more so than latest single and title track, ‘Endless Flowers’. One of many delights on the album, swaying back and forth, saturated with dirty distortion and fuzzed up post-punk influences.

Endless Flowers is out now.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – ‘Only in My Dreams’

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti have unveiled a brand new, summery track from their forthcoming album, Mature Themes.

The LA based pop-experimentalists shower us with a shimmering summery sound. ‘Only in My Dreams’ is a magnificent song filled with joy and sunshine, a ’60s pop feel, sweet guitars but tapered with a touch of oddball weirdness. The Coral meets Field Music if you will. Of course, that’s in no way a bad thing. In fact, it’s a great thing. The band’s work has until now eluded me, how? I don’t know but it is something I’m about to set straight.

Check out ‘Only in My Dreams’ below and the album, Mature Themes is out via 4AD Records in August.

Mp3: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – ‘Only in My Dreams’ 

via Fuckyeahgoteam

Tame Impala – ‘Apocalypse Dreams’

Aussie psychedelic rockers Tame Impala are back! They will follow up to their dazzling 2010 debut Innerspeaker with Lonerism in October.

‘Apocalypse Dreams’ is the first taster of what to expect and it seems that recognizable blend of dazzling Beatles-esque psychedelic-rock is here to stay, but it’s been kicked up a notch, or two. It is a spectacular six minute shimmering spectacle which swirls and bends this way and that, as the vocals wash over an even hazier, more psychedelic sound.

It’s so, so good to have these guys back with us, even if we have to wait till October for the album. ‘Apocalypse Dreams’ would be an ideal companion for some summer sunshine, if it would ever show it’s face that is. Check it out for yourself below.

(Video) Cornershop – Who’s Gonna Lite Up (ft. Izzy Lindqwister)

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Remember Cornershop? (Yeah these guys). I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was surprised to find that they were still on the go, I’m sure I’m not on my own. That said, it is a pleasant surprise. Their new single ‘Who’s Gonna Lite Up (ft. Izzy Lindqwister)’ is magnificent fusion of rocking riffs, funky percussive’s and Lindqwister’s smokey vocals, which are meld into a slightly Kills-esque sound.

Their latest LP, Urban Turban, deserves a shout out and it’s well worth a listen too. Cheers to Phillip for the nod on this one.

(Video) Sina – ‘Remembrance’

Belfast producer Sina (aka Barry Gordon) released his debut EP From Love To Dust back in November last year, via German label, Project Mooncircle.

Sina has just recently released a video for ‘Remembrance’, one of the standouts from what is a very strong debut release. ‘Remembrance’ like the EP, is a jittery journey though his obvious hip hop influences, fused with a dose of gloom and darkness into a chilling, haunting, and relaxing sound. There’s is an overwhelming amount of top class electronic music emerging from Ireland right now and this stuff from Sina is right up there with the best of it. 

Check out ‘Remembrance’ and ‘From Love to Dust’, the title track from the EP below.

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