DATE ARCHIVES : April 2016

BarryGruff April 2016 Playlist

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Your regular monthly round up all the blog action, in a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured throughout the month.

April was good, as was the weather but even better tunes and whatnot (although I was pretty busy with matters away from the blog). We had tracks courtesy of Amber Arcade, FFUG, SALES, Holy Fuck and Foreign/National from their respective, new and forthcoming albums. We had introductions to Supermoon and OMALOMA, while there were excellent new singles/EPs from Colleen Green, L.A. Witch, Koloto, Peaness, The Orange Kyte, Estrons and Pavel. Oh, and there were two new episodes of ‘Millions Like Us’, Justin Beats & I’s music podcast for 604now (if you missed them, check ’em here). You can also subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

Well then, that’s that for another month – listen to BarryGruff’s April 2016 playlist below. Enjoy!

Pavel – ‘Beginner’s Mind’

Pavel is the solo-project of Alex Cooper, one half of Vancouver based duo Mesa Luna; purveyors of rich, melodic and rather exquisite electronica.

Having unveiled the new project with debut track ‘Alright’, Cooper is back with ‘Beginner’s Mind’, a second single from a forthcoming 10-track EP, which is out May 13th. The latest effort offers a slightly different side to Pavel’s sound. It’s a downtempo, chilled electronic excursion with a slow and steady beat, mellow organ and a generally laid-back, late night demeanor. ‘Alright’ was a wonderful introduction to Cooper’s new side-project and ‘Beginner’s Mind’ builds on that. With a 10-track EP set for release in May, thankfully we won’t be waiting long for more. Definitely looking forward to hearing it!

You can check out ‘Beginner’s Mind’ below and if you’re in the Vancouver area, you can catch Pavel along with a whole host of others at the Toast Collective on May 13th – all the details are here.

 

Introducing: Supermoon

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Vancouver indie-pop foursome Supermoon have announced they will release their debut full length Playland, on May 20th via Mint Records.

Continuing the thread started in the 2015 EP Comet Lovejoy – as evidenced by the new album’s first singles ‘Bottleships’ and ‘Witching Hour’ – Supermoon continue to spread the feel-good vibes with their tasty confection of bright, breezy and rhythmic indie-pop. ‘Bottleships’ is a gentle little jangle which for all intents and purpose, sounds as pleasant as a cool, refreshing sea breeze on a scorching summer’s day. The chiming guitar line and bright keyboard alone, should be enough to seduce you but if not, the sugar coated vocals will seal the deal.Meanwhile, bouncy, catchy little shuffler ‘Witching Hour’, combines sunny riffs, poppy guitars and soft percussion, with light, melodic vocals. Yet for all of its obvious sunny disposition, their is a hint of something darker at play. Assuming they make good on the feel-good promise here – and there is no reason to suggest they won’t – we shall be in for quite a treat come May.

Playland, is out on May 20th via Mint Records but until then, check out ‘Bottleships’ & ‘Witching Hour’ below.

FFUG – ‘Love Is Stupid’

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FFUG (pronounced ‘Feeg’ and Welsh for ‘Fake’) have shared their raucous new single ‘Love Is Stupid’, which is taken from their forthcoming self-titled second album.

Due out on August 5th through Strangetown Records, the record was recorded and produced by Super Furry Animals‘ drummer, Dafydd Ieuan. ‘Love Is Stupid’ is feisty, explosive indie-rock-meets-punk, as it hurtles forward, bludgeoning its way through with heavy, distorted guitars, pummelling beats and a sort of understated rasp. This barnstorming bluster is dished out with youthful energy, aggression and exuberance. Two minutes long it maybe, but what a exhilarating two minutes it is. Their name may be Welsh for fake, but these four guys from Cardiff are are a genuinely ferrous punk-rock powerhouse.

You can check out ‘Love is Stupid’ below, while the forthcoming second LP, FFUG, is due out on August 5th.

 

Millions Like Us Podcast – Episode #15

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Yip, it’s that again already and we’re thrilled to share yet another Millions Like Us Podcast with you all.

Every two weeks, Justin & I, in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now, aim to deliver an eclectic selection of top class music. There’s plenty to chew on for Episode #15, well over an hour in fact, of great tunes and plenty of chat, encompassing everything fro, Bluetooth headset wearers, Siri bashing, Fergie time, NOFX hoodies, the Rocky Mountains and of course, music.

You can read more on it over here and of course, listen below (and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump too). You can subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic, Mixcloud & SoundCloud, or find us on Facebook & Twitter. Or you can email us at millionslikeuspodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.

As mentioned in this episode, Justin has been busy compiling tracks featured in the series. If you’re a Spotify user, then you can access this 6 hours plus playlist here.

Thanks for all the support and once again, till next time, thanks for listening! We hope you enjoy Episode #15. And last but not least, thanks to Caroline for the stylish image.

Continue reading →

Foreign/National – ‘Tristesse’

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Having wooed us with a series of sublime singles and self-titled EP, Foreign/National are almost ready to share their debut album with us.

Accompanying this news is new single, ‘Tristesse’, a sneaky peek of the Melbourne band’s debut album, produced by long-time pal Joey Walker of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Unsurprisingly (and thankfully) it is the latest in a long, long line of stellar singles which draws on their love affair with warped, nostalgic­-pop, and it is utterly mesmerizing. Strutting along with an irrepressible groove, sense of coolness and an underlying hint of melancholy, it moves fluently through a swirl of these aforementioned predilections, mixed with a spread of wonderfully colourful, breezy, brightly imaginative and saturated fuzz-pop, fused with 70’s disco, Motown and funk. Foreign/National say themselves that ‘Tristesse’ is a lovesick postcard from the end of an Australian summer but for those of us outside of the Southern Hemisphere, it is a tantalizing reminder of what is yet to come. In terms of summer and, importantly, from Foreign/National.

No firm date on when the album is to be expected as yet, but for now, get your ears around ‘Tristesse’.

 

Colleen Green – ‘Green My Eyes’

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Colleen Green has recorded six brand new tracks for a forthcoming self-titled EP, Green’s contribution to the latest instalment of the Infinity Cat Cassette Series, due on May 13.

‘Green My Eyes’ is the latest track lifted from the forthcoming EP, which follows 2015’s I Want To Grow Up, yet on the surface at least, has more in common with her earlier work. Having briefly dispensed with her trusty drum machine  in favour of Casey Weissbuch on drums for the 2015 LP, we find Green back on a DIY perch. ‘Green My Eyes’ is a short, sharp, slice of super-charged fuzz-pop with a steadfast drum-machine beat, underscoring her recognizable self-aware ramblings. A superlative blend of mildly punchy, sweetly sung and irresistible fuzzy-pop; Ms. Green’s modus operandi.

You can listen to ‘Green My Eyes’ below, while you will have to waiting till May 13th for her self-titled EP, out on metallic gold cassette only via Infinity Cat Recordings.

Koloto – ‘Fay’

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Canterbury based producer Maria Sullivan has been creating music for over a decade. Sullivan was the bassist in Delta Sleep and most recently, working under the moniker of Koloto, has demonstrated a passion and prowess for glitchy, homemade, hand-crafted sounds; treating us to a series of first-rate electronic compositions.

The latest of which, comes in the form of new single ‘Fay’. Released through Abandon Building, it is a typically intricate and delicately constructed, beat-driven cut of gorgeous, glitchy, electronic music. Profoundly wonderful and imaginative, it is matched in all manner of greatness by the accompanying animated video by Sabine Volkert, an animator, illustrator, and designer currently based in Nürnberg, Germany. While there can be no complaints with Koloto’s output thus far, here’s hoping that we get an album, or another EP, sooner rather than later.

You can stream ‘Fay’ below and it is available from Bandcamp now, just ‘name your price’.

 

Amber Arcades – ‘Fading Lines’

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Netherlands native Amber Arcades, aka Annelotte de Graaf, has shared the title track of her debut album, Fading Lines, due on June 3.

The second single taken from her forthcoming debut, following the amazing ‘Right Now’, ‘Fading Lines’ is another dazzling piece of ‘60s tinged, psychedelic jangle-swirl. It sparkles with a warm glimmer, as de Graaf’s dreamy vocals majestically hover above an abundance of floating pop melodies, hypnotic, lush jangly guitars, swirling psych atmospheric effects, all coated with light layer of fuzzy distortion. This is flawless jangly fuzz-pop with an upbeat groove and distinct ’60s retro feel, but importantly while sounding familiar, it stays on the right side of familiar. Produced by Ben Greenberg (Beach Fossils, The Men, Destruction Unit) and backed by a band comprised of members of Real Estate, Quilt and Kevin Morby, the album is a culmination of songs written over the years; so far so good.

Fading Lines is out June 3rd on Heavenly Recordings. Check out the magnificent title track below:

Estrons – ‘Drop’

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Cardiff-based Estrons announced themselves LOUDLY with their debut single ‘Make A Man’ – a powerful ‘indie-rock’ juggernaut – and guess what? They are back with an equally exhilarating new single, ‘Drop’.

Tali Källström and co.’s latest effort ‘Drop’ is just as good and just as loud, as the previous effort, showing yet again why they are a band to keep an eye on. A three-and-a-half-minute burst of coiled up aggression, ‘Drop’ gets in your face from the get go and never relents. Spiky, uncompromising and muscular, it is a frenetic and scintillating explosion of energetic, blistering guitar riffs, pounding drums and Källström’s incredibly powerful, searing vocals. ‘Drop’ is a dizzying display of what makes Estrons a very, very exciting proposition indeed. It is a hell of a ride, just hold on.

You can check out ‘Drop’ below:

Accompanying the new track, ESTRONS have announced a headline show at London’s Waiting Room, on May 5th. And they also support Dilly Dally on their upcoming European tour.