POSTS TAGGED : Alternative Rock

Idlewild – ‘Dream Variations’

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Scottish alternative rockers, Idlewild, are gearing up for the release of their new, eighth LP, Interview Music and, along with it, they have returned with brand new single ‘Dream Variations’.

Idlewild went on ‘indefinite hiatus’ in 2010, sparking a number solo projects before reconvening with 2015’s LP Everything Ever Written and a fresh focus, reinvigorated appetite, and with new single ‘Dream Variations’ the band are sound similarly revitalised. ‘Dream Variations’ is bright, upbeat & beguiling indie-rock embracing a harmonious, rich melodic pop rainbow of twinkly keys, bubbling bass, scorching riffs that leads us to a shimmering closing sequence, a place that drifts by with ease and breeze, with its dreamy and air of tranquillity. ‘Dream Variations’ is just a thoroughly nice, enjoyable and harmonious tune, aided in no small portion by Woomble’s welcoming and instantly recognisable brogue. Over the course of their 20-odd year career, Idlewild have made of a habit of such things and their debut album Hope Is Important, recorded in just four weeks and released in October 1998 remains a firm favourite of mine.

Listen to ‘Dream Variations’ below now:

Angry Saints – ‘Satan’s In Your Neighbourhood’

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Fresh off the back of releasing their debut album, Nothing New In The Human Zoo, Madrid-based alt-rock outfit Angry Saints have shared new single ‘Satan’s In Your Neighbourhood’.

Formed in Madrid in 2015, the foursome comprised of Lindsay Moxham, Ricardo Regúlez, Dave Robinson & Carol Viñe – from Spain, Australia & England – have a preference for powerful alternative rock with a bit of punk, psych and power-pop (among others) thrown in for good measure. ‘Satan’s In Your Neighbourhood’ captures this aesthetic perfectly with its meaty guitars, muscular riffs, rumbling bassline and powerful percussion set to a jarring, frantic and unsettling backdrop. Throughout their album the songs are set against a backdrop of varied landscapes – the sea, the desert, dreams and nightmares; your apocalypse of choice – and aptly with ‘Satan’s In Your Neighbourhood’ it is very much the latter two. What marks Angry Saints (and indeed the debut LP) is an enviable ability to strike a balance between the darker tones in the lyrics, sometimes menacing backdrop and the upbeat/uptempo nature of the sound.

A great track and a superb introductory point for their debut LP Nothing New In The Human Zoo. Tune in below.