Black Manila – ‘June 95’

South London trio Black Manila are soon to release their debut single ‘June 95’. Strange that, considering the quality of their earlier slew of free downloads.

little has changed thankfully, as they continue their quest, resurrecting the licks, dirty guitar riffs and gravelly tones of garage rock bands of old. ‘June 95’ sees gravel-pit vocals from Gareth ‘Sun King’ Hoskins backed by a pretty formidable rhythm section. It’s hard to deny those heavy guitar riffs and that energetic drumming some love. ‘Tap Dance to the Hangman’ is a little more of a dander, than a sprint, but packed with just as much swagger as it’s counterpart.

‘June 95′ will be released on December 10th through Fatal Justice Records. Check ’em both below.

Fiedel – ‘Andreas’

One half of Berlin-based duo MMM, Fiedel along with Erik Wiegand having been making unashamedly brash, straight forward and to the point electronic music for close to two decade now.

Fiedel is launching a new label, Fiedelone, as you might expect, with a new 12″ single of his own new solo productions. ‘Andreas’ is one of the tracks from this first foray. Built around an incessantly repeating synth line going over and over, ever building toward the end. In other lands this could quite easily enter the realms of annoying, but thankfully Fiedel is a dab hand at this sort of thing. ‘Andreas’ is unlikely to win over new fans, but who cares about that? 

Teleman – Cristina

Sadly it would seem Pete & The Pirates are no more, although there has been no confirmation from the band but it looks pretty ominous.

Out of the ashes however comes Teleman, made up of former pirate trio; Thomas Sanders, Jonny Sanders and Pete Cattermoul. ‘Cristina’ is the curtain raiser of this new project, a simplistic slice of blissful pop with Thomas Sanders distinctive and bittersweet vocals at the centre, drawing you in bit by bit. A wonderful hazy introduction to this new venture.

‘Cristina’ will be accompanied by ‘In Your Fur’ for Teleman’s debut release, which will be part of the new Moshi Moshi Singles Club; it comes out on January 14th.

Lindstrøm – Råkost (Miaoux Miaoux Remix)

In case you missed it last week, Miaoux Miaoux was my pick in Nialler9’s excellent ‘40 of the best new artists of 2012‘.

The 26-year-old Glasgow based producer (real name Julian Corrie) impressed ever so much this year, releasing his first album proper, Light of the North. Prior to this Miaoux Miaoux had already proven quite the card, having been knocking out tunes as a remixer and producer for a few years now. As if to remind us of his capability as a remixer, Miaoux Miaoux dropped his reworking of Lindstrøm’s ‘Råkost’ just last week. No surprises, it’s a luscious seven and a half minutes spacey and uplifting electronica. 

You can give both Miaoux Miaoux’s remix and Lindstrøm’s original below. No excuses now.

Cold Blood EP – Cold Blood (Hannes Fischer Edit)

Berlin based producer Hannes Fischer, for whom I know very little about, has recently released an unofficial promo for the German flickCold Blood‘.

‘Cold Blood EP – Cold Blood (Hannes Fischer Edit)’ sees Fischer editing the movie’s title track, taking a sample from a “country song” to create a relaxing downbeat deep house track, with a captivating, head-nodding quality. The track requires very little explanation, just give it a listen below and you’ll get the picture.

You can download it gratis below too.

Introducing: Appo (At Long Last)

At long last indeed. If there was ever a post that was long overdue, this is the one. Bereft of an internet presence Appo (aka David Aspell) has managed to remain one of Newbridge’s best kept secrets for quite sometime.

That’s not to say he’s not been busy, quite the opposite in fact, doing things the old fashioned way hitting the gig trail; including a couple of BarryGruff gigs and support for Damien Dempsey. Always a scintillating live performer, the gravelly voiced troubadour’s blend of folk and blues is powerful, captivating and delivered with some gusto. A wonderful songwriter, who pours his heart and soul into his works of genuine veracity.

‘Cold Cold Rainy Night’, ‘Broken Love’ and ‘The Sea of Souls’ are taken from some studio work with Poggy Dillon in Newbridge, allowing others not privy to his shows a glimpse of his talent and blow his cover once and for all.

*Photo: Stephen Connelly

Simple Kid – ‘The Road’

In early 2011 it appeared for all intents and purposes that Simple Kid was no more, a simple message adorned website ‘Simple Kid RIP’. A brief but fruitful and exciting musical talent lost. Following a serendipitous discovery on spotify, it seems all is not lost.

Despite this announcement proclaiming the demise of Simple Kid, a new single, ‘The Road’ was slipped out well and truly under the radar in February through Static Caravan records. ‘The Road’ is simply wonderful. Always one for pitting his folk, blues and indie influences with electronics, it sees him push further in that direction. Electronics, beats, swirling synths and a (slight) computerised voice partner his own sweet harmonious vocals guitar strums. This is perfect pop song craftsmanship, the kind of thing Super Furry Animals have perfected over the years.

Whether this is the last flinch, a found farewell, or something more, only time will tell. Either way ‘The Road’ is magnificent, demonstrating the many reasons why Simple Kid has been missed. Till the next time, hopefully, ‘The Road’.

You can pick up ‘The Road’ from Static Caravan Records for a cool €1.

Introducing: Tiny Birds

Looking for a brief respite from the dreariness of the onset of cold and wet winter months? Look no further than Londoner’s Tiny Birds, who will warm the cockles of your heart.  

Tiny Birds radiate warmth as they straddle a line between folk and indie pop, as sugar-coated pop melodies meet folk arrangements. An enviable chipper vibe courses through the veins of Tiny Birds; jolly and joyfully fun lyrics provide a lighthearted air for these infectious, folk tinged ditties. This carefree and fun music at it’s very best, these sprightly songs do remind of the finer moments from The Rumble Strips or The Holloways. Quiet simply wonderfully nice and all round lovely, likable songs.

Like that’s not enough? You can ‘name your price’ and pick up their latest EP, Local History from bandcamp.

(Video) Eugene McGuinness – Sugarplum

Eugene McGuinness‘ second album Invitation To The Voyage was one of the more enjoyable of 2012. Nothing startling or groundbreaking but an enjoyable blend of quirky, left-of-centre indie with a glossy pop sheen. With bursts of brass, surf/’60s pop guitar, clever lyrical wordplay and a confident swagger; McGuinness found a perfect balance between catchy pop and exhilarating indie.

His latest single taken from the aforementioned album, ‘Sugarplum’, demonstrates this balance as well as any: an off-kilter swaggering indie tune with a bouncy electro-pop beat, usual dose of witty lyrics. A timely remineder from McGuinness to what he’s all about, before the year ends.

‘Sugarplum’ is out on December 10th through Domino.

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Ciaran Lenehan – ‘Control’

Fresh from ripping it up at ‘BarryGruff Presents’ #10 on Saturday night, Ciaran Lenehan has shared a brand new track, ‘Control’, a snippet of what to expect from his forthcoming debut album These Stories.

The album title is pretty apt, seen as one of Lenehan’s finest qualities is the ability to turn wonderful stories into fantastic songs. Lenehan has lost none of the charm that made his 2011 EP so likable, in fact, he’s getting better. ‘Control’ certainly demonstrates the Dublin singer/songwriter at his very best, it’s an upbeat and bright acoustic driven song, with his prowess for engaging lyricisms at it’s very core.

These Stories will be released early next year but ‘Control’ will keep us going through the cold winter months till then.