POST CATEGORY : Introducing

Introducing: Golden Fable

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Golden Fable are two imaginative and creative musicians from North Wales. Inspired by the natural world and varied landscapes that surround them, together Rebecca Palin and Tim Joy create rich, haunting and powerful music.

To date, Golden Fable have released two albums, Star Map and Ancient Blue, through their own record label, Full of Joy Records. Most recently however, in October 2015 in fact, the duo announced a new and ambitious project: a series of releases, coming out on the first Monday of each month. The latest in the series, ‘Through the Night’ is a stunning, reflective and unhurried beauty. Gentle, hushed drums and finger picked electric guitars drift slowly by, providing the emotive backdrop for Palin’s delicate but striking vocal. ‘Weather Station’ meanwhile, is six minutes of gorgeous instrumental bliss. A warm and gentle strum and twinkling synths set the dreamy ethereal ambience, before the twinkling synths and mildly motorik beats come to the fore, surging to a epic, euphoric finish. On ‘The Crossing’, Palin’s voice is once again the key, constant and central, her beguiling otherworldly vocal soars atop of the initially mellow, drifting acoustic melody steering us toward an emphatic soaring climax where dizzying guitars swirl.

You can sample some of their beguiling and majestic cuts below, or if you fancy some further investigation, there are loads more where that came from on Bandcamp, Spotify and iTunes.

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Introducing: Honey Moon

Honey Moon - Photo by Niralee Modha

Honey Moon are four piece from London, comprised of Sam, Peter, Jack and Zack, they’ve a real talent for crafting 3 minute pop gems.

This aforementioned flair is patently obvious from Honey Moon’s recently released self-titled EP. It is an enchanting and whimsical illustration of classic pop-craft, brimming with sinuous melodies, lilting hooks and jangly guitars. It’s a laid-back, woozy, gentle and heartwarming brand of wistful alt-pop, like a perfect blend of Real Estate with Spectrals. From ‘Ellie’ to ‘Waiting, there is more than a hint of melancholy amid the enchanting haze of the subtle, undulating and ever-so-mild psychedelic tendencies. These are good old fashioned pop songs, pop in the old fashioned sense, played by a band, and with an assured sense of style and class. Not only do Honey Moon have a flair for 3 minute pop gems, they’ve got a right knack for creating tunes the right side of familiar.

You can check out some choice cuts from Honey Moon below or pop over here, to immerse yourself entirely in their lazy day – you won’t regret it.

 

Introducing: Exmagician

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Cast your mind back a few years, to 2011, you may remember a delightful debut album from Belfast’s Cashier No. 9.

It was called To the Death of Fun and was produced by David Holmes, it is an album which I have retained an enduring fondness for. Alas, Cashier No. 9 are no more, having called time on the band earlier this year – but fortunately, it has been revealed that two of the guys from the band, Danny Todd and James Smith, have been working on new project. The new band is called exmagician and their debut EP Kiss That Wealth Goodbye will be released via Bella Union on November 20th. Prior to their forthcoming EP, exmagician cast a first spell (*ba dum tss) with a brand new single of the same name, and it is glorious. It is a lot more urgent, hard-edged and rockier than their previous band. Still present, though, is their preference for shimmering psychedelics, echoed instrumentation and melodiousness. It is anthemic and quite cool, mixing up swirling melodies with a catchy groove to fall somewhere between BRMC, Supergrass and Cashier No. 9. It is an extremely promising start to Smith and Todd’s latest musical project.

‘Kiss That Wealth Goodbye’ is the lead track from exmagician’s debut E.P, which will be released on November 20th. Check it below.

 

Introducing: A. S. Fanning

A.S. Fanning Photo by Maren Michaelis

A.S. Fanning was the front-man of the criminally underrated Dublin band The Last Tycoons, now based in Berlin, he’s returned with his own solo project.

With this news comes new music, and he’s debuted a first single in the shape of ‘Carmelita’. Opening with a rich organ hum and scratchy acoustic strum, he regales dark tales from his native Dublin, perfectly complimented by Fanning’s world-weary and distinctive Dublin-accented, vocal. The organ seeps into every fibre of this four-and-a-half minutes of melodic, further accentuating Fanning’s finest attribute; namely his profoundly brilliant songwriting and storytelling abilities, which enables him to depict a vivid, yet dark vision. It is a strong and extremely promising start Fanning’s latest musical venture, of which, hopefully there is more sooner rather than later.

You can listen to ‘Carmelita’ below and it is out now via iTunes.

 

Introducing: New Cardinals

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New Cardinals are Seattle duo Peter Tilton (guitar/vocal) and Sam Rice (bass/keys), who are tapping into a rich vein of psychedelia, ’60s sunshine filled pop, ’70s proggy vibes, new wavey guitars and synth sounds.

All that said, on their recently released eponymous debut EP, New Cardinals supply an ample amount of their own distinctive twist, while channeling various influences from both past and present (some contemporary comparisons to Tame Impala, The Bees and a touch of Django Django). Opener ‘Window Days’, is a free-flowing, idea-filled psych-pop wonder. Lush sounds combine and cascade upon shimmering guitars, blissed-out swirling atmospherics and synth work. ‘Let’s Talk’ is just so silky smooth, as a slinking and utterly irresistible groove mixes it up between swirling keys, choppy guitar, synth wonder and some pointed post-punk riffs. Aside from overwhelmingly joy-filled blissfulness and spacey wonder, New Cardinals’ EP is anchored by alluring layered vocal harmonies and an undeniable groove, which combined, is the pièce de résistance of a magnificent sound.

There a few choice cuts below and if they are to your liking, the entire wonderful EP is available from Bandcamp, just ‘name your price’.

 

Introducing: Auramics

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Comprised of Kristi Scarvelis and Glen Lee Flynn, Auramics is a psychedelic dream pop duo based in Brooklyn, New York.

Together the pair have struck a perfect and seductive balance between woozy late ’60s psych and pop, contemporary shimmering dream-pop and trip-hop grooves. There is no greater exponent of this majestic fusion than the pair’s thrilling and chilling new single, ‘Founders of Time’. Scarvelis’ crystalline vocals emerge from the murky shadows and cut through a majestic collage of spectral swirls of dark and haunting atmospherics, trip-hoppy beats and shimmering guitar jangle. Calibrated to simultaneously channel parts Broadcast, Portishead and Melody’s Echo Chamber, it is an irresistible and utterly bewitching, beguiling and beautiful record. ‘Founders of Time’s spooky, haunting and otherworldly aura is pertinent, given the time of year it is; regardless, this is one of the finest tracks to be released all year and I for one am completely besotted with it.

You can check ‘Founders of Time’ and its video below, along with ‘Mysterious World’ – and there’s plenty more to sink your teeth into on Auramics’ SoundCloud.

 

Introducing: Soft Serve

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Vancouver indie lovers Soft Serve, serve up an upbeat, glorious guitar-jangle-racket – with an instinctual ear for hook-laden melodies – and it is infectiously catchy.

The trio have just recently released their self-released full length and it is a magnificent blend of classic ‘indie’ meets early ’80s post-punk, fastened with flourishes of shimmering guitars, frenetic guitar work, a swift, driving rhythm section and frontman Kyle Thiessen’s world-weary vocal delivery. With guitars bright and shimmering, the likes of ‘Sons on Your Side’ and ‘Better Off When You’re Gone’ recall the sparkling brilliance of Echo & The Bunnymen at their very best, or The Smiths, the nifty guitar work anyway. Rather than just a casual throwback, these sounds are very much grounded in today. Blossoming through repeated hooks, verses and choruses, Soft Serve’s songs get inside your head and never leave, such is the insatiably catchy nature of them. Absolutely irresistible and brilliant stuff from Soft Serve, take a bow.

‘Sons on Your Side’ and ‘Better Off When You’re Gone’ are available to stream/free downloads below, while the whole of Soft Serve’s debut LP is available for purchase/stream now from Bandcamp. Enjoy!

 

Millions Like Us Podcast – Episode #4

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Delighted to once again to share a brand new episode of ‘Millions Like Us’, a music podcast with myself & Justin Beats, in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now.

A bi-weekly digest of music from metro Vancouver and beyond, the fourth installment has the usual chatter and top tunes, comprised from an eclectic mix of styles and genres. There’s also a chance of winning tickets for the excellent Girl Band, for their show in The Media Club, Vancouver on November 20th.

Edit – Girl Band have unfortunately had to cancel all their upcoming shows, including Vancouver, due to health reasons. We wish them a speedy recovery and hopefully we’ll see them visit Vancouver in the future.

That#s about that then, we hope you enjoy episode 4. You can read more on it here and listen to episode #4 below, and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump. If you would like to get in touch the show, you email them at millionslikeuspodcast[at]gmail[dot]com.

You can subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter. Until Episode #5, here’s to good listening.

Episode 4 Tracklist:

Silver Matter – ‘Punks Grown Up’

Joanna Gruesome – ‘Last Year’

Knife Pleats – ‘One Step Too Far’

Girl Band – ‘De Bom Bom’

New Pope – ‘Christopher’

Martha Ffion – ‘So Long’

Mt. Wolf – ‘Hamburg’

BOUSADA – ‘Cast in Gold’

Lil Dicky – ‘Professional Rapper’

Auramics – ‘Founders of Time’

Fake Tears – ‘Second Wind’

Dead Soft – ‘The Wind’

Half Man Half Biscuit – ’24 Hour Garage People’

 

Introducing: Jade Statues

 

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Every now and then, I like to step aside and let others air and share some thoughts on acts/music they feel are much deserving of more attention. On this occasion, it’s my good mate and ‘Millions Like Us‘ co-host, Justin Beats who is here to persuade you of the virtues of Vancouver producer, Jade Status. A big thanks to Justin for taking the time to write this up. Now then, I’ll leave you in his capable hands.

Jade Statues is the moniker of Vancouver’s ambient-electronica experimentalist Jacob Sexsmith. Last month he released a 9-track record, Executive Towers through the UK based Internet label ‘DREAM catalogue’. Previously releasing tracks online through Vancouver’s creative ‘Mountainous Collective’, his 2014 track ‘Phtallo Green’ received much positive exposure. This most recent project sees JS propel his experimental sound into newer, unknown grounds and to mind swelling effect.

A proportion of the JS sound makes you want to throw it through a sizeable sound-system and watch the walls pixelate until they digitally melt. Others are best sampled alone through headphones, preferably with a wide open space to vacantly stare into, that or a blank word document. Sounding like we’ve broken through to the 4th dimension? The Executive Towers digital journey would certainly be my imagining of what that sounds like; swirling vacuous synth, Tibetan mountainside bells, the glitchy inner workings of Microsoft 95, surreal vocals that beguile, as much as they haunt. Sexsmith openly admits such influences as Brian Eno, Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin have shaped his sound, it’s easy to hear this. What’s more entrenched is the deft sampling of abstract vocals, video game snippets and inanimate accapella and borrowings of trap style.

Executive Towers is out now & available from bandcamp, or if you’re into the full immersive experience it doubles as a sountrack to an online surrealist game.

 

Introducing: Silver Matter

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Silver Matter are a Vancouver foursome who play noisy, lo-fi dream pop.

Fronted by Rory McClure, also of Shimmering Stars, they have been tempting us by drip feeding songs that will appear on a six track cassette, which shall be out before the end of 2015. Amid the shroud of murky DIY distortion, ‘Punks Grown Up’ has a gorgeously warm melody and shimmering guitars peaking through as we’re presented with a bittersweet tale of rebellious punks growing up to become rather more conventional. ‘Off Paxil’ is meanwhile, just as warm. A full on supernova of sensory overloads, as they flood the senses with a heady rush of shoegazey noise, with shimmering guitars and semi-euphoric vocals managing to poke through the distortion and hiss of static. Etching out a sublime balance between atmospheric broodiness and undeniably irresistible and warm melodiousness; it is an emphatic and intoxicating introduction. Something tells me you’ll be hearing a lot more from Silver Matter.

Both tracks will be released as a part of a six-track, cassette release called ‘Punks Grown Up’. If you can’t wait that long, ‘Punks Grown Up’ & ‘Off Paxil’ are currently available on bandcamp for a cool $999. You can also listen to them below if you wallet doesn’t stretch that far.