DATE ARCHIVES : October 2017

Gulp – ‘Morning Velvet Sky’

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Back in December of last year, Gulp – Super Furry Animals’ Guto Pryce and Lindsey Leven – shared the cosmic ‘Search For Your Love’, with news that the duo were busy at work on album #2.

Now the pair have revealed that the follow up to their debut album Season Sun is on the way, penned in for release sometime in early 2018. Before then though, the pair are whetting the appetite once more with another tantalising new track, ‘Morning Velvet Sky’. It’s another hypnotic slice of intergalactic lush psych-pop from the duo, propelled by krautrock-inspired rhythms and glistening synths, and topped off by Lindsey’s airy vocals. ‘Morning Velvet Sky’ is effortlessly charming, wrapping the listener in a blanket of fuzzy feelings, providing us with a tantalising taste of what to expect from their next record.

Listen to ‘Morning Velvet Sky’ below and why not give Gulp’s debut LP Season Sun a spin here, too.

The Skullers – ‘Can We Do That Again’

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The Skullers are a rock & roll trio from New Jersey, whose sound is comprised by blues-rock, indie, mod-revivalist punk and post-punk.

While the trio’s bread-and-butter is a blues-soaked brand of modern rock and roll with a down-to-the-bone rockabilly soul, The Skullers’ latest single ‘Can We Do That Again’ takes a different tact, a testament to their versatility. The Black Keys-esque stomp is replaced by the Mod-revivalist swagger of The Jam or The Rifles. Upbeat and up-tempo, a whirlwind of punchy vocals, guitar swaying twangyness and sing-a-long choruses combine and weave in and out of rumbling post-punk basslines. A raw, rumbling and addictive track delivered with a suave slickness.

Do yourself a favour, listen to ‘Can We Do That Again’ below now. The entire debut EP is here, for your perusal.

Sorcha Richardson – ‘Waking Life’

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The last time we were discussing Brooklyn by way of Dublin musician/songwriter Sorcha Richardson was with the release of the superb ‘4AM’; a brooding, late-night anthem marked by Richardson’s wonderful vocals and captivating storytelling.

New single ‘Waking Life’ is equally as excellent as its predecessor. It’s a wonderful piece of electronic pop, with vivid lyrics and resplendent vocals remaining front and centre, set to a sonic background of electronic pulses, industrial paces and lush production. Yet another sublime, captivating piece of alt-pop brilliance and long may it continue – currently regretting missing the show in Dublin a few weeks back.

Click below to listen to ‘Waking Life’ – the single is out now. Also, Richardson is going on tour with Imelda May, view those dates after the jump.

OCTOBER

23 Wexford, Spiegeltent

24 Limerick, UCH

25 Limerick, UCH

27 Sligo, Live

28 Killarney, INEC

29 Cork, Opera House

31 Wexford, Speigeltent

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #27

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A regular slot on 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 #27 – Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist. Get stuck into the tunes & enjoy the weekend! You can follow me on Spotify here.

Introducing: Aircraft of Tomorrow

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Aircraft of Tomorrow is a creative collaboration between musician Paul Woodfull and visual designer Alastair Keady.

Paul composes electronic musical landscapes, exploring themes of melody and mood. Alastair independently responds to these musical compositions with visual interpretations.

What’s created is a gorgeous confection of ambient instrumental music that ebbs and flows through lush, atmospheric, cinematic drifts of retro futurism – of which the pair’s debut album entitled Alas Euphoric, boasts with stunning finesse. ‘Metro to Marco’ harnesses a deep, warm, winding synth, hypnotic chiming of keys and floaty atmospheric sounds to create a gripping, transportive and transfixing track, that will consume you. ‘Hundreds Of Eggs’ hypnotises as it pulses slowly and delicately through a gorgeous soft-focus of tick-tock percussion, ethereal synth and steady release of cloudy atmospherics. While ‘Pre & Post Redemption’ sounds like a cinematic soundtrack to a ‘70s BBC sci-fi drama. A gently building, moody and deeply atmospheric blend of ambient, cinematic retro futurism, Aircraft of Tomorrow’s debut record comes highly recommended.

Alas Euphoric is out now & you can stream it here; to get you in the mood, there are a few choice cuts below:

Introducing: Simen Mitlid

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Simen Mitlid is a precociously talented singer-songwriter hailing from the woodlands of Os, Norway, crafting lush, Nordic indie-folk a la contemporaries like Sufjan Stevens, Broken Social Scene and Patrick Watson.

Recorded in vivid locales including his hometown cabin, Oslo and Vancouver, his debut LP, Everything is the Same is a charming record, imbued with a warm inviting glow, optimism and playful wonder. Most recently lifted from the record is ‘This Time’; a magical, soothing, and endearingly optimistic gem. Opening slowly with a delicate acoustic guitar and rich emotive vocal, before being ushered gently forward with a swell of twinkling keys, chimes, percussion and gentle hand claps as pure and really beautiful female vocals come to the fore. Title track, ‘Everything is the Same’ sounds much more world-weary and melancholic, yet marked by an understated optimism. Again a gentle strum leads the way, giving space for tender, touching emotion to surge and swell. There is a real strength in the songwriting and in the vocals too, which offer a real delicacy in their delivery. These are charming, beautiful and warm folk songs with intricate and sharp arrangements – and the album is a delight.

Simen Mitlid’s debut album Everything is the Same is out now, and you can listen to it here.

As a taster, ‘This Time’ & ‘Everything is the Same’ are below for your aural pleasure.

Seazoo – ‘Shoreline’

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Welsh five-piece Seazoo have released their latest single ‘Shoreline’, the second track lifted from their forthcoming debut album out in November.

Having tracked and praised the North Walian outfit at every opportunity thus far, what more can said about Seazoo? They are one of the finest purveyors of indie-pop on the planet, consistently conjuring up majestic slices of indie-pop bursting with exuberance, fizzing with energy and undeniably brilliant! Latest cut ‘Shoreline’ exudes these many qualities and more. Quirky, catchy, with great vocal delivery, infectious guitar work and synth-skills. Try get through to end of this catchy, upbeat and happy-go-lucky beaut without bopping your head or smiling; impossible. Recorded between a decommissioned nuclear bunker and their home in Wrexham, North Wales, their long-awaited debut LP is out in November, which can’t come quick enough.

For now, treat you ears to ‘Shoreline’ below, and if that is too your liking? Why not sink your teeth into their previous work here.

AJMW – ‘Higher’

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London-based producer AJMW – aka Ashley Warden – has a preference for hip-hop inspired electronic flavours.

‘Higher’ is the third track lifted from his just released Loyal LP – and the single embodies the very essence of AJMW’s allure. Glistening production mingle with crunchy, click-clack beats and revolve around two intertwining guitars and tranquil tones for an elegant sub-three-minutes of mellow, gentle and relaxing escapism. The shuffling beat is the embodiment of ‘Higher’s sparkling and relaxing aura; the perfect escape from any of life’s tedious stress’. So, all you need to do now is just sit back, relax and hit the play button.

Loyal is out now and ‘Higher’ is below now for your listening pleasure:

 

Warning Light – ‘Little Hearts, Big (Interludes)’

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With a decade’s worth of work already to his name, Warning Light is to release new album At The End Of The Road on October 27, the culmination of three years graft.

Said to herald a sprawling return to his ambient roots, a deep synthesizer trip to the end of all charted spaces; the first single from the forthcoming record, ‘Little Hearts, Big (Interludes)’, certainly backs up that assertion. An exhilarating six-plus-minutes, it is spearheaded by minimalist analogue drones interlaced with pulsing techno rhythms, accented by spacey dub and motorik psychedelia, before eventually becoming consumed by waves of glistening chimes. An all consuming, immersive and hypnotic blurring of electronic genres. Without doubt, one of the most enticing, intriguing and dynamic songs you are likely to hear and needless to say, Warning Light is a producer at the peak of his powers.

New album At The End Of The Road is out on October 27, for now, enjoy the quite frankly stunning ‘Little Hearts, Big (Interludes)’ below.

Sad Palace – ‘Frostbeat’

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South Coast of England quartet Sad Palace are gaining a reputable name for their brand of melodic and pristine indie-pop.

With a couple of singles already under their belt, the indie outfit have released ‘Frostbeat’; arguably their best offering yet. ‘Frostbeat’ is an aptly titled glimmer of melodic, indie-pop that glides dreamily through crystalline and glacial tones. Evolving beyond its moody origins, it builds slowly along a delicate yet buoyant piano line until the mellow, melodic and addicting pop swells and swaggers to the point whereby a scorching fuzzed-up riff is unleashed. Smashing into action, it grabs the song by the throat, and thrusting it toward a scintillating finale.

‘Frostbeat’ is out now via Kissability. Check it below: