POSTS TAGGED : Alternative

Introducing: The Saturday Morning Cartoons (The SMC)

The Saturday Morning Cartoons (The SMC) are Kildare natives Morris Faderlum & Tommy Inowan, who together brew Sparklecore Thrash with a pinch of kink.

These are real songs, with real emotion steeped in honesty and vulnerability – something that jumps out and grabs you from the get go on their debut EP ‘A Shock For Jimmy’.

‘Getting Old’ jostles between the frantic and energised, and light and dreamy, while lyrics come with a Rat-Tat-Tat-Tat energy while ‘Good As Gold’ introduces a slunken groove and acts a bridge toward ‘Livin’ In A Bin’ and ‘Got Let Go’ which up the swagger, increase the bite and dials up the hard-hitting lyrics.

The SMC have created something wonderful here – brash, feisty and jarring yet also very, very catchy at times. A welcome breath of fresh air – it is unique and honest, and importantly damn fine tunes.

Morris Faderlum & Tommy Inowan are ably assisted in the production stakes by Poggy (No Monster Club/We Are Losers) & Stephen Fahey (Super Extra Bonus Party).

‘A Shock for Jimmy’ EP is the first of four planned EPs and with its release coming on July 11, I decided to have a chat with the pair, to find out more about the music and what makes them tick.

First off, what brought this collaboration about? “Absolute sheer boredom” says Faderlum , adding “wanting to escape the inner workings of my own head, spewing forth into the world while ranting to a backing track. That’s pretty much it. I love ranting and ranting, and giving out. Any excuse for a give out” he chuckles.

Inowan discovered a desire to collaborate with Faderlum while working on another project which he felt Faderlum would be very suited to and very good at. Going back further, having witnessed Faderlum perform live and leave himself behind and immerse himself entirely in the performance played no small part.

“You don’t see that sort of bravery an awful lot. it is one thing to get up on stage and plug in, we can all do that and bash the shit out of instruments and play. I think to get up on stage and be vulnerable, even if it is under a different name or pseudonym, whatever helps project reality and honesty – that just really gets me.”

Seeing Faderlum perform was not only impressive, it was inspiring and it sowed the seeds of working together.

Faderlum “had forgotten how much fun it was to write, I had done that shit in years and it was just great to do that track with Tommy and it just got the creative juices flowing.

It seems like an easy partnership from the outside, which is a good thing but how does the dynamic work?

Simple, says Faderlum, laughing “I get an idea for a song, I pass it to Tommy, he goes away and does all the hard work. It comes back and the song is made. Tommy gets an idea for a song, goes away and does all the hard work and the song is made.”

It is more interesting than that Inowan chimes in, “what I have done more recently is ask Morris does he have an idea or can he sing me a line and he might sing me a line or three [accompanied by a short hummed tune / melody] and then that is the end of the Whatsapp message. And for me it is interesting because even getting those few seconds of melodies or ideas, it is almost permission to explore with less judgement”.

One important thing they both spoke about from the off was honesty and vulnerability. Can we be honest enough with each other if we don’t like something to not take offence, to get more out of the other person and to compromise? That is more of a relationship thing that allows the music to come through.

Faderlum totally agrees. “We’re both easy going people, we both have good ideas and we’re both grown ups so it’s okay to bounce ideas around.”

Roughly speaking it is Faderlum who is responsible for the vocals and Onowen who looks after the music. The process worked out by demos being sent back and forth before meeting up to record together and hammer things out in person.

Faderlum has a jotter where all his lyrics are written down. “An idea might be stewing in your head and when you put pen to paper, it looks crap but then you stew it a bit more and you think, ah, now that’s good.”

Inowan says from the beginning he has been conscious of trying to not be too precious about the need to wedge lyrics and vocals mechanically into the structure of the song. “While I know Morris might have songs in mind but they could just as easily read as poems, they are articulate and introspective. I would like us to explore the spoken word element and the theatrical, as well as they Sparklecore. Essentially, engaged energy.”

The plan for the near future of The SMC is 4 EPS and then an album – and gigs, well that is just a case of getting together enough material for a live show.

Listen / Buy the EP below – the super artwork is from Egi23 – it is a short, sharp breath of sparklecore.

Introducing: Pelydron

Pelydron is the moniker of Keith Jones, the North Wales-raised purveyor of meandering cosmic dream-pop explorations.

Formerly a bassist in high-speed surf weirdos Texas Pete and punky indie-poppers Navvy, Jones now based in Birmingham, devised Pelydron after the purchase of a banana yellow bass guitar in the summer of 2020.

‘Canghenion’ is the debut single from Pelydron; featuring Jones on bass, guitar and assorted drum-machines It’ll reduce your heartrate with aural idylls of phaser, fuzz and reverb. Underpinned by a steady robo-beat, it is an epic nine-minute instrumental meander through melty melodies, jingle-jangle guitars, fuzz and distortion all bathed in psychedelic brushstrokes and cosmic awe. It is an expansive and dreamy psych jam with an experimental twist taking one on an intrepid excursion to the stars. This free-floating melodic mesmerism is matched by a lulling air of a sultry breeze,

Tune in to the sedate sounds below:

Rotation Round-Up #3

Time is becoming increasingly precious and difficult to obtain these days but I still have a grá on me for blogging.

So, this is an attempt cover more of what I am listening to on a regular basis, with a relatively quick roundup of what has been on rotation over the past week or two.

The aim is to keep them coming on a weekly / biweekly basis or failing that, I may as well pack this malarkey in altogether.

Stephen Durkan – ‘Prayer’

Glaswegian artist Stephen Durkan released his debut EP The Stories We Tell Ourselves About Ourselves last week and ‘Prayer’ is the latest single lifted from it. Less energised and meaty than previous single ‘The Acid Commune’, we find Durkan poetically reflecting on a lack of divine belief as hard-edged, introspective words play out amid muted swathes of downbeat electronica. Like the rest of the EP, ‘Prayer’ will captivate and will have you hooked from the get go. Durkan is a voice worth listening to.

Langkamer – ‘Teeth’

From Bristol in the UK, Langkamer are commonly described as country rockers (the best yet is Avon Americana, serious thumbs up) but they land somewhere between Pavement, Creedence, Wilco and Hooton Tennis Club. Their latest single ‘Teeth’ is undoubtedly a perfect blend of these components, crafting a supremely addictive, smart and contagious sound that is simultaneously familiar and excitingly fresh. There’s a lo-fi aesthetic to the drums and vocals, lending a garage band vibe as a slide guitar bathes ‘Teeth’ with an alt country shade. It is bright, catchy and playful, finding a sweet spot between off-kilter and hooky, it is a vivid and irresistible tune.

Captain Rico and The Ghost Band – ‘Dracula On A Skateboard’

French surf-rock aficionados Captain Rico and the Ghost Band will release their second album Fréquences d’outre-tombe (Rhythms from beyond the grave) on March 4, 2022, which promises 1’1 new instrumental tracks  featuring a kaleidoscope of guitar riffs, from powerful to simply off the wall’. Ahead of the new album, Captain Rico and The Ghost Band has shared lead single ‘Dracula On A Skateboard’. A free flowing and energetic ramble, it has a vintage yet timeless air to it, with serious echoes of 60’s surf sound of The Shadows and Dick Dale as bright, energetic surf guitars and glistening riff thrive over frantic rhythmic groove that hares off at a furious pace from the off. Wonderful.

Maida Rose – ‘Fallen’

Maida Rose is dream-pop pairing of Roos Meijer and Javièr den Leeuw from Dutch seaside city the Hague, and will release their debut LP Tales Of Adolescence on March 25. Ahead of the album, the pair share new single ‘Fallen’ which perfectly captures their prowess for rich and wistful dream-pop. It oozes with nostalgia and a pang of melancholy, as soft vocals purr with feeling and heartstrung melodies hover above a languid meandering groove and soft shimmering guitar. ‘Fallen’ is yet another beautiful and moving single from Maida Rose; the album promises a lot.

RIFLE – ‘Flag’

RIFLE are a North London punk outfit who’s debut EP, Holloway Demos was recorded live and in one take at Storm on Holloway Road, and all for the price of a tube fair. Fronted by blistering single ‘Flag’ – it, like the EP – is a short, sharp shock to the system, the proverbial kick in the bollocks if you like, filled with scintillating guitars played at breakneck speed, over a furious beat, while raspy vocals fight to be heard amid the barrage of noise. A bolt of biting raw punk energy; an absolute tour-de-force.

Rotation Roundup #1

Time is becoming increasingly precious and difficult to obtain these days but I still have a grá on me for blogging.

So, in an attempt cover more of what I am listening to on a regular basis, here is a quick roundup of what has been on rotation over the past week or two.

I’ll try keep them coming on a weekly / biweekly basis or failing that, I might as well pack this malarkey in altogether.

Melody’s Echo Chamber – ‘Looking Backward’

Melody’s Echo Chamber aka Melody Prochet has announced a new album, Emotional Eternal, which is due April 29 via Domino. The record will be the French musician’s third album and first new music since her excellent 2018 record Bon Voyage. Emotional Eternal is preceded by single ‘Looking Backward’; a dreamy and intoxicating psychedelic pop song with layers of shimmering synths, colours, soft grooves and woozy tones, with Prochet’s recognisable soft but euphoric vocals drifting above.

The first sampling of the new material is all that we would have hoped for and some.

Cate Le Bon – ‘Remembering Me’

Cate Le Bon has released her sixth album Pompeii, follow-up to 2019’s Reward, it is fronted by single ‘Remembering Me’. Difficult to box-off with a taste for offbeat folk but an equal propensity for psych, Le Bon is a treasure and ‘Remembering Me’ reminds us why. Sitting on a cool yet wonky waltzing groove Le Bon’s vocals are as otherworldly and stunning as ever while flourish of guitar appear amid an austere atmosphere; the latter reflected in the introspective and weary lyrics.

Looking forward to sinking the teeth into the album – there is also a rare and great interview in the Guardian for those interested.

Silverbacks – ‘A Job Worth Something’

Dublin-based post-punk outfit Silverbacks have kicked off 2022 in style with new album Archive Material, the follow-up to their superb 2020 debut Fad. The new record continues their propensity for brilliance; a colorful, vivid and exuberant record built upon irresistible grooves and propulsive rhythms, it is spearheaded by lead single ‘A Job Worth Something’. We find Daniel reflecting on his experiences working in insurance while his sister treated patients in a COVID ward, marked by the feelings of futility and guilt he felt at the time. A tight and pointed tune filled alluring guitars, hooks and jangly groove that veers from melodic meander to super focused.

More brilliance from long standing BG favs.

Deadletter – ‘Pop Culture Connoisseur’

Released toward the end of last year, ‘Pop Culture Connoisseur’ signalled the signing of Yorkshire outfit DEADLETTER to the always interesting indie label Nice Swan Records. Lyrically serious yet surreal, musically, it is brash and boisterous (yet very groovy) as a wall of post-punk, dubby bassline, swaggering guitars and impassioned vocals set the blistering tone. Think Gang of Four, Franz Ferdinand and lots of bite. Stellar stuff.

Simple Kid – ‘Failed Musician’

Another released and missed late last year, London-based Irish artist Simple Kid (aka Ciaran McFeely) continued his drip feeding of new material following a long period of musical hibernation with ‘Failed Musician’. A jaunty jam riffing on ‘I Feel Free’ by Cream, guitars glisten and shimmer atop a chugging bassline while McFeely’s recognizable vocals thrive amid the warm tones, charm and general sparkle. Long standing patrons will be aware of my fondness for Simple Kid, his two records – SK1 in 2003 and SK2 in 2006 – are also worth your time.


Stephen Durkan – ‘The Acid Commune’

Glaswegian artist, Stephen Durkan is preparing to release his debut EP in February and the second single lifted from the EP is ‘The Acid Commune’.

It is a thrilling, hypnotic and exhilarating post-punk jam that shifts seamlessly between driving (drums and bass) rhythms and acoustic strums to choppy bursts of dreamy guitars; it feels vast and somewhat sprawling and works perfectly as a backdrop for Durkan’s rhythmic spoken/semi-sung venting, offering a searing critique of individualism that cuts to the heart of our everyday experience. It is a hypnotic, groovy and mesmerizing post-punk sound that will have you hooked from the get go.

Listen to ‘The Acid Commune’ below – and keep an eye out for the debut EP coming in February.

English Teacher – ‘Good Grief’

English Teacher are a Leeds quartet trading in meaty and razor-sharp sprawling post-punk alchemy who introduced their wares with ‘R&B’ via the ‘Nice Swan Introduces’ series earlier this year.

English Teacher have wasted no time, following up with new single ‘Good Grief’. While its predecessor was a meaty mash of searing riffs, soaring guitars and crunching drums, ‘Good Grief’ moves with a touch more  buoyancy and sprinkled with hooky refrains. It swaggers along with confidence and attitude while basslines rumble and guitars bash and cymbal crash while Lily Fontaine’s deadpan vocal croon has all the bite and rasp required. Another superb tune from the Leeds outfit – very, very promising!

Take a listen below.

Vanessa Van Ness – ‘The Early Bus’

Vanessa Van Ness is a New York-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for eerie post-punk with psych brush strokes.

Van Ness’ latest single ‘The Early Bus’ is a very personal one, intimate and hypnotic, it is fraught with a harrowing sense of eeriness as it deals with her brother getting hit by a car when they were kids, and taking an early bus each day to visit him in the hospital over a span of six months. A stirring, emotionally charged and sentimental track that musically nods in the direction of 70s/80s UK post-punk and motorik krautrock. Melancholic vocals whisper and flicker above a hypnotic groove while guitars shapeshift and evaporate amid the sparse sea of atmospherics, synth and psych brush strokes. ‘The Early Bus’ is incredibly powerful, moving and captivating – it may be dark and eerie but is also extremely touching too.

Listen to ‘The Early Bus’ below:

Gushh – ‘Drifting Through the Emptiness of Space’

Gushh is the solo project of Bristol-based artist Richard Stockley who looks after everything involved; composing, recording, mixing, mastering and artwork.

Gushh revolves around the concept of looping elements and building tracks up whilst telling a narrative through old-timey samples from forgotten pieces of media. Lifted from a forthcoming – so far unnamed – EP, ‘Drifting Through the Emptiness of Space’ is the first new material since last year’s debut EP, and is a great example of the wonderful wizardry weaved by Gushh. Guitars shimmer and bright riffs burn atop multi-textured layers cinematic explosion in sound and colour as it is propelled by a hypnotic groove and unrelenting bedrock of beats. Sprinkled with space dust and cosmic aura, It builds and builds with an undercurrent of euphoria toward a triumphant climax of epic proportions.

Listen to the epic brilliance of ‘Drifting Through the Emptiness of Space’ below.

Moon Rituals – ‘Painting A Bird’

Moon Rituals is the project of Melbourne pair Sarah Hardiman (Deaf Wish & Brickhead) and Mikey Young (Eddy Current, The Green Child & Total Control) and together, Hardiman and Young craft playful and melodic psych-splashed pop.

Moon Rituals’ latest venture is new 7″ single ‘Aura’ – a melodic boppy synth-pop jam with an effervescent personality – and backed by playful and meandering b-side ‘Painting A Bird’, and it is the latter that concerns us today. ‘Painting A Bird’ struts along amid a playful melodic air as we are whisked off to a world of offbeat folk with psych brushstrokes. It is brimming with stirring defiance led by Hardiman’s powerful versatile voice that cruises above warm fuzz, meandering off-beat groove as it chimes with a unique musical whimsy. ‘Painting A Bird’ palatability draws from an oddity paired with melodic sweetness – an absolute gem!

Listen to ‘Painting A Bird’ below:


Anorak Patch – ‘Blue Jeans’

Colchester-based foursome – Effie Lawrence, Eleanor Helliwell, Oscar Ryland & Luca Ryland – Anorak Patch, are a formidable proposition who introduced us to their raucous rock sound with single ‘Irate’ earlier in the year.

Anorak Patch are back with new single ‘Blue Jeans’ – and unsurprisingly, it is back with a bang! ‘Blue Jeans’ is an exhilarating exploration of their penchant for raucous rock fueled by a relentless and furiously rhythm meted out with metronomic precession while guitars crunch and riffs burn before breaking down to a meandering pace and exploding into fiery life again. It is all topped off with uncompromising vocal delivery, threatening yet nonchalant, setting the tone for what is now their hallmark; powerful, a fierce and compelling grunge-filled indie-rock. 

Listen to ‘Blue Jeans’ below now – it doesn’t hold back.