DATE ARCHIVES : July 2017

Introducing: Stoat

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With an extensive back-catalogue, an indie/post-punk sound similar to HMHB meets Sultans of Ping FC and Irish to boot, it is a mystery how Stoat existence remained unknown (to me at least) until very recently.

After taking a breather for a few years, so far in 2017 Stoat have been revealing new material with a view to releasing an LP called Try Not To Think About It later in the year. The latest single lifted from the forthcoming record is the title track, providing a welcome introduction to both band and LP. Spearheaded by militaristic drums, jerky and somewhat jagged punky-reggae guitars and wry, sardonic lyrical quips. Delivered with hawkish precision, they tap along in perfect time regaling tales of the downside of fatherhood, domesticity, and steady employment. Striking a balance between bashing out a memorable jam and being light-hearted is a tough ask, many have tried and many have failed. But thankfully – like the aforementioned HMHB & Sultans – Stoat deliver the goods. Hopefully there’s more to come from Stoat in 2017, an excellent – if somewhat belated – discovery.

Check out ‘Try Not To Think About It’ & other recent single, ‘Talk Radio Makes Me Feel Alone’ below.

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #17

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A new regular feature to blog, a relatively short weekly Spotify playlist featuring some of the finest new music to prick my ears over the course of past 7 days.

Clocking in at just over an hour, it’s an easily digestible slice of new music, just in time for the weekend. There’s a nice mix of genres and styles too, allowing me to share even more top tunes for your ears. Well, without further ado, here’s #17 – Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist. Enjoy the tunes & enjoy the sun!

You can follow me on Spotify here.

Omaloma – ‘Aros O Gwmpas’

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‘Aros O Gwmpas’ is the brand new single from Omaloma, the latest musical incarnation from Welsh artist George Amor; formerly of now defunct Welsh psyche supremos Sen Segur.

Following on from shimmering, psychedelic escapism of debut single ‘Ha Ha Haf’ and ‘Eniwe’, with this new one ‘Aros O Gwmpas’, Amor has distilled the very essence of summer. Self-described as ‘Welsh language psychedelic space schmooze’, the song dazzles us with three minutes of shimmering, sun-kissed and gravity defying and dreaminess. A slinky soft-disco groove, spacey-synth and alluring, peaks through the haze to mingle gracefully with floating vocals, delivering the poetic welsh language. This is soft, soothing and effortless psych-pop perfection. Ladies & Gentleman, we are floating in space.

Tune into the sound of summer below. ‘Aros O Gwmpas’ is out now via Recordiau Cae Gwyn.

Introducing: Little Glass Men

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Little Glass Men is the moniker of San Francisco-based musician/producer Ryan Claus.

Describing his sound as a blend of sampling and synthesis, with live instrumentation, echoing the likes of Mt. Kimbie, Bonobo and Flying Lotus, Claus creates beautiful sound palettes that gently washes over you with ease, leaving you feeling all the better for it. ‘Be So Love’ is both beautiful and tranquil as gently dripping, liquid sounds, dreamily twinkling keys, shimmering synths, flickering clutches of angelic vocal and stuttering percussion that will transport you into the very depths of chill. The beautifully compelling ‘Crystal’ meanwhile, does much the same, transfixing with harmonically rich soundscapes, encapsulating rhythms but with a selection of heavier-hitting beats; this is music that whisks you away, to a place to inspire peace-of-mind. Beautiful, slick and tranquil: ‘Be So Love’ and ‘Cycles’ are both taken from the recent Until It’s Gone EP and demonstrates Little Glass Men’s prowess for world’s of absorbing and relaxing electronic sound.

Check out the two aforementioned tracks below. The EP can be found here.

 

Candice Gordon Announces Debut Album; Shares ‘Nobody’

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Berlin-based, Dublin-raised Candice Gordon is set to release her debut full length album Garden of Beasts on the 9th of September 2017 via Proper Octopus Records.

Gordon has featured on here numerous times over the years, with a series of glorious gothic-tinged singles and EPs, so it’s great to learn that an album is finally ready for release. Garden of Beasts is produced by labelmate A.S. Fanning, and mixed by Ingo Krauss (Swans, Iggy and the Stooges), and preceded by ‘Nobody’. The album is inspired by moving to Berlin and observing the very dark and heavy history that is visible and inescapable everywhere in the city, and as such, it is now surprise that the lead single is a gloriously gothic-tinged thunderbolt of punk and garage. With a stomping rhythm, ‘Nobody’ explores a richly dark sonic landscape, with which Gordon’s powerful voice routinely pierces in flourishes, continuously and potently driving the song’s momentum forward. Exceptional. We’ve been waiting for this album for quite sometime but so far, it looks like it has been worth the wait.

Tune in to ‘Nobody’ below & keep your eyes peeled for the LP in September.

 

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #16

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A new regular addition to blog, a relatively short weekly Spotify playlist featuring some of the finest new music to prick my ears over the course of past 7 days.

Clocking in at just over an hour, it’s an easily digestible slice of new music, just in time for the weekend. There’s a nice mix of genres and styles too, allowing me to share even more top tunes for your ears. Well, without further ado, here’s #16 – Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #16. Enjoy the tunes & enjoy the sun!

You can follow me on Spotify here.

La Bête Blooms – ‘Lost and Found’

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Hull alt-rockers La Bête Blooms introducing themselves to loudly last year, blazing a trail of unabashed rock ‘n roll wizardry.

Little has changed for 2017, in fact, The Hull-based quartet of Daniel Mawer, Jack Gallagher, John Copley, and Louisa Robinson, continue on their quest of deliver fierce, firery and spikey indie-punk. Latest single ‘Lost and Found’ is is explosive from start to finish. A two-and-a-half minute blast of razor-sharp guitars, menacing basslines and gritty vocals that remains surprisingly upbeat and catchy despite its portrayal of an apocalyptic world. All ends up, La Bête Blooms’ dynamic and visceral concoction of alt-rock, grunge and post-punk makes for one hell of an exhilarating experience – one can only imagine it is ever better witnessed live.

‘Lost and Found’ is out now via Adult Teeth. Tune in below.

JW Ridley – ‘Blitz’

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Following swiftly from his recent single, ‘1990’, JW Ridley returns with a new release in the form of single ‘Blitz’.

It follows on nicely from ‘Everything (Deathless)’ and ‘1990’ in what has been a staggeringly assured run of early releases. This latest effort from the London artist is a short, punchy and urgent three minute sliver of new-wavey-y/post-punk. ‘Blitz’ is all at once, brooding, gorgeous and frenetic. It harnesses its power from riff-tapping, propulsive synth, as urgent verses – in a haunting, reflective vocal – make way for a chorus that envelopes expansively into an immense scenescape as motoring, post-punk guitars, driving beats pushes ‘Blitz’ on, ever forward. Yet another captivating and compelling cut from JW Ridley, hopefully it is but a prelude to even great rewards with an EP coming later in the year.

For now, listen to ‘Blitz’ below now.

Maggy France – ‘Woman’

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Maggy France is moniker of Montreal resident Emma Austin who crafts dreamy, melancholic lo-fi indie, with utterly beguiling results.

The spellbinding nature of her music is immediately apparent, even with a cursory listen to France’s debut, self-titled EP was released in 2016. Latest single ‘Woman’ gently bobs along a steady waltzing beat with lo-fi and garage tones joining a beautifully hazy guitar-jangle. It manages to be both dreamy and melancholic at the same time, as Austin’s tender vocal exudes a sense of fragility, heartache and loss. It is a sweetly hypnotic song, tiptoeing the listener delicately into a transfixing haze. A beguiling introduction to the delectable talents of Maggy France.

Listen to ‘Woman’ below & if you’re taken by that, you can listen to Maggy France’s self-titled debut EP, here.

Johnny Kills – ‘Let’s Talk About Me’

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‘Let’s Talk About Me’ is the debut single from Brighton/London/York based garage-surf trio, Johnny Kills.

Now, by debut, just to be clear; this is their first ‘official’ release; the trio of noisemakers have already stolen hearts and minds with a series of tasty demos. With ‘Let’s Talk About Me’ they build on said promise, delivering a completely and utterly infectious hybrid of racey garage rock meets the early britpop stylings of Blur. Fuzzed-up and powerful riffs dance with unforgettable sing-along choruses, infused with a joyous melodies, pop sensibility and hooks you can hang your hat on. Undeniably brilliant and irresistible guitar pop with just the right amount of scuzz and fuzz to zap the sweetness of the pop. Just listen to the “la la la la la” of the chorus and you will be powerless to resist the persuasive prowess of this new single.

‘Let’s Talk About Me’ is out now, ignore it below at your miserable peril.