DATE ARCHIVES : September 2017

Anna of the North – ‘Always’

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Having drip-fed and teased us with a series of stellar synth-pop singles, Norwegian-New Zealand electro-pop pairing Anna of the North released their wonderful debut LP, Lovers, early this month.

Comprised of Norwegian singer-songwriter from Gjøvik & New Zealand born Brady Daniell-Smith, together they craft the fabulous electro-pop something acutely obvious from their debut LP, and latest single ‘Always’. Like we’ve come to expect, ‘Always’ is a sublime slice of glacial, crystalline electro-pop with warm edges. Quite restrained, it shuffles along a slow groove allowing Lotterud’s soft vocals to shine and upping the lushness of the song. It’s a pristine piece of electro-pop from a duo who have an innate the knack for combining stunning soundscapes with thoughtful songwriting.

Listen to ‘Always’ below and if you like what you hear, check out Lovers here.

Introducing: Michael Rogel

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New Mexico native Michael Rogel has a touch of magic about him when it comes to producing big, banging tunes; Influenced by industrial techno and house, Rogel deals strictly in big old dance club classics.

Rogel is a pretty prolific producer too, in the last 12 months he released LP Hail Mary, a string of singles and an EP. The most recent product of this prolificy is ‘Street Night’; a track that encapsulates what Rogel is all about in just over three minutes. It is a dancefloor-ready blend of big beats, heavy bass, rickety percussion and feverish energy, combined with all manner of electronic noises, alarms, sirens and heavenly vocals. The same can be said for ‘In The Air’ albeit a more tempered take on the floor filling classics. Rogel is well worth keeping tabs one, for both the quality and quantity of his output is on point.

You can check out ‘Street Night’ & ‘In The Air’ below now.

KA-TYA – ‘Beautiful Faces’

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KA-TYA is Soviet-born Australian artist and musician living in NYC, who flagrantly and playful defies genres, skipping boldly from haunting, synth-driven ballads to joyfully irreverent quirky-pop.

The latest single to emerge from KA-TYA is ‘Beautiful Faces’; a supremely catchy and glorious piece of indie-pop perfection. A happy-go-lucky breakup song imbued with joyfully irreverent quirkiness, ‘Beautiful Faces’ is ever so bright, bouncy and catchy while adorned with an unconventional melodicism and theatrical vocal styling. Aside from the unforgettable vocals and alluring array of artistry, the truly irresistible potency of ‘Beautiful Faces’ emanates from the bright guitar-jangle and bouncy drumbeats. You’ll will be hard pushed to uncover a finer, more soul-consuming piece of indie-pop this side of heaven.

If you still in any doubt? Check out ‘Beautiful Faces’ for yourself below now:

Anderson – ‘Makes Me Feel For You’

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Dubliner Daniel Anderson – aka Anderson – has returned with his first new material since the release of his beautiful and beguiling debut album Patterns in 2015; a stand-out record from that year, in Ireland or anywhere else for that matter.

Anderson’s latest, ‘Makes Me Feel For You’ is in keeping with the extremely high standards we’ve come to expect from him. It is a simply gorgeous, meticulously crafted song influenced by late ’60s pop and early ’70s singer-songwriting. Its sullen, late night ponderous feel is brushed aside as the lush psych-sonics and guitar twang come to the fore, taking us far, far away. ‘Makes Me Feel For You’ provides the best possible follow-up and transition to Patterns that we could have asked for. Not only does it retain all the qualities which marked out his previous work while gently (and perfectly) introducing some new and glorious elements, it is also one of the finest pieces of work he’s produced to date. If you have a spare 2min 33secs in your day, ‘Makes Me Feel For You’ is the best way to fill that void, and will leave you better for it.

While there’s no release date as yet confirmed, Anderson is currently working on a follow-up to Patterns but ‘Makes Me Feel For You’ is plenty to be getting on with. Listen to it below.

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #24

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A 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 seven 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 crackin’ tunes. Well, without further ado, here’s #24 – Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist. get stuck into the tunes & enjoy the weekend! You can follow me on Spotify here.

James Wyatt Crosby – ‘Nobody Else’

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James Wyatt Crosby continues to charm our ears with new single ‘Nobody Else’.

Having already treated us to the sanguine sounds of ‘Candy Floss’, the Toronto-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has delivered another pristine piece of stellar pop-craft – not to mention the splendid video. Warm, melodic and infectious indie-pop, it is sparkling with jovial warmth as it bobs along an irresistible wave of hypnotising breeziness that will be bopping around your head all day. Garnished with a delightful touch of brass, it leads to a sonic and unforgettable climax. The kaleidoscopic vintage video – shot by a deserted lighthouse on an uninhabited Georgian Bay island, Crosby’s brother, Stephen, using a 1960’s Bell and Howell 16mm camera with LomoChromo Purple film – is the perfect companion to the shimmering delight. Guitars set to shimmer – this is guitar-pop perfection!

James Wyatt Crosby releases his debut LP, Twins, today, Friday, September 15.

Howie Payne Announces New Album; Shares ‘High Times’

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Howie Payne, frontman of cult Liverpool favourites The Stands, has announced details of his long-awaited follow-up to his solo debut album Bright Light Ballads.

Recorded in London and mixed and mastered in Los Angeles, the new record, Mountain, will be released on October 27th on Full Stack Records. Ahead of the album’s release next month and to give us a flavour of what to expect, Payne has shared ‘High Times’. A bright, positive blend of ’60s inspired sounds (Dylan, Young, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield et al) with irresistible easy-on-the-ear and timeless melodies and Payne’s lilting scouse vocal bring a real warmth and a nice rough edge, every rustling rhythm and jangly chord leaves an indelible mark on your soul. Howie Payne’s work to date – solo endeavours and with The Stands – has been brilliant and on this evidence, Mountain looks like it will follow suit.

Mountain is on October 27th but for now, you can listen to ‘High Times’ and fellow single ‘The Brightest Star’ below.

Photo Credit: Jacqueline Passmore

Feiertag – ‘Bunraku (feat. David Harks)’

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David Harks is a name that regular patrons of the site should be acquainted with, given that his work has been in receipt of much deserved praise in the past.

The British-born, Berlin-based artist and singer has had a busy summer with his Safetalk project and collaborations, and on this occasion it is the latter with draws our attention. Harks has teamed up with Dutch producer Feiertag for new single, ‘Bunraku’ – one incredibly chill indie-electro delight. The song unfolds with a slow and steady groove, with a combination of light synths, melody, hooks and an enchanting bass line, creating a chilled, atmospheric vibe all mirrored by Harks’ echoey vocals. This is an effortlessly smooth soul soothing sound; you’ll be all the better for letting it into you life.

Check ‘Bunraku (feat. David Harks)’ for yourself below – video & all.

Introducing: Marius

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Marius is a 21-year-old producer from Norway, and he’s releasing an EP on Pelican Fly – the Belgian label behind Cashmere Cat and Lido – later this year.

Based in Oslo, Marius has been making waves with his colourful and imaginative sounds thus far; combining everything from electronica, new wave, trap, psych and rock together. Latest single ‘Lame’ wonderfully whisks together hard-hitting beats and glitches with some supremely potent psych tones, for a full-colour, shimmering and sparkling psychedelic pop meets electronica experience. The delights don’t end there with the genre-defying producer, his previous single ‘Easy’ is an even greater heady brew of wonder. It pushes and pulls in all manner of directions, it shifts and shoves as it crashes, thuds and explodes with a ferocious energy and electric potency. Its gritty, the beats are compelling as they are potent as they shatteringly shuffle with wicked rhythm, as ‘Easy’ slides from light to dark, and calm to stormy in no time. The transition is smooth and the track is a beast.

As yet, the date for Marius’ new EP is unknown but go off what we’ve got here, it looks like it will golden.

For now, check out ‘Lame’ & ‘Easy’ below:

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #23

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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 seven 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 crackin’ tunes. Well, without further ado, here’s #23 – Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist. Enjoy the tunes & enjoy the weekend! You can follow me on Spotify here.