POSTS TAGGED : Gwenno

Gwenno Announces New Album; Shares New Single ‘Tir Ha Mor’

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Welsh artist Gwenno – former Pipettes front-woman, Gwenno Saunders – is releasing her second album, Le Kov, on March 3 via Heavenly Recordings.

Le Kov is the follow-up to Y Dydd Olaf, Gwenno’s spellbinding debut solo album, which intricately weaved mixture of moods and textures, soft-edged synths, blissed out Krautrock and Motorik rhythms. Ahead of the hotly anticipated record, shared a video for its first single, ‘Tir Ha Mor’. The first single follows a similarly sublime formula, sung in Cornish, it is lush, sweeping, sparkling and brilliant. The video features Gwenno singing and dancing, and reflects ‘Tir Ha Mor’ colourful psychedelic leanings.

The album, Le Kov is sung entirely in Cornish and translates to “land and sea”, and while it has an awful lot to live up to if it’s reach the heady heights of Y Dydd Olaf but judging by ‘Tir Ha Mor’ at least, Gwenno is on the right track.

Sit back and enjoy ‘Tir Ha Mor’ below:

BarryGruff Albums of the Year (2015)

BGs Albums of the year 2015So it is that time of year again, lists, lists and more lists. Well, not be out done, here are my 41 (yes 41, and yes it’s a weird number) albums of 2015.

It has been such a good year for new albums, probably the best since I started the blog back in 2010. So much so that there is very little difference between the top 5, top 10, top 15 and so on. So without further ado, here are my favourite records from 2015:

There is also a Spotify playlist of the Top 20 albums, to save you time and hassle (it’s here).

41. Only Real – Jerk At The End of the Line’

40. Rozi Plain – ‘Friend’

39. Wildling – ‘Molecules To Moon’

38. The School – ‘Wasting Away And Wondering’

37. Sweet Baboo – ‘Boombox Ballads’

36. The Stammer – ‘Days In Between’

35. SexWitch – Sex Witch’

34. Faith Healer – ‘Cosmic Troubles’

33. Girl Band – ‘Holding Hands With Jamie’

32. Joanna Gruesome – ‘Peanut Butter’

31. Fort Romeau – ‘Insides

30. Soft Serve – ‘S/t’

29. Applescal – ‘For’

28. Zefur Wolves – ‘Zefur Wolves’

27. Hot Chip – ‘Why Make Sense?’

26. Drenge – ‘Undertow’

25. The Charlatans – ‘Modern Nature’

24. Gaz Coombes – ‘Matador’

23. Bill Ryder-Jones – ‘West Kirby County Primary’

22. Drinks – ‘Hermits on Holiday’

21. The Expert – Dynamic Drift

20. Boxed In – ‘Boxed In’

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Millions Like Us Podcast: Episode #3

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Delighted to share ‘Episode #3′ of ‘Millions Like Us’ – a music podcast hosted by myself & craft beer, pastie and fast-food safari enthusiast, Justin Beats – in conjunction with Vancouver news & culture site 604now.

A bi-weekly digest of music from metro Vancouver and BEYOND. The third installment is a mix of new tunes, musings and general chit-chat, with an eclectic mix of musical styles too. Obviously these are still early days but we’re hoping you’re enjoying them so far and we’re looking forward to developing it further and further, over the coming weeks and months. Not much else to say really, aside from thanks to 604now and we hope you enjoy the show. You can read more on it here and listen to episode #2 below, and the tracklist (with links) is after the jump.

You can follow us on SoundCloud | Mixcloud | Twitter

Episode #3:

Zoo Strategies – ‘An Anthem For Angry Country Kids’

Mesa Luna – ‘Don’t Let Go’

Gwenno – ‘Patriarchaeth’

Mourning Coup – ‘I Will Never Die’

Jade Statues – ‘She Don’t Evn Smoke’

Rozmosis – ‘Rain ft Azrael’

Fold – ‘She’

Turn To Crime – ‘Can’t Love’

The Stammer – ‘Kate & Chris’

Other Jesus – ‘Repetition’

Bloody Knees – Daydream

Girl Band – ‘Paul’

BarryGruff Playlist September 2015

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A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

September was pretty damn good, aside from saying goodbye to summer! We had tunes from Sexwitch, Gwenno, Hinds and The Altered Hours ahead of their respective, new and forthcoming albums. There were excellent new singles from Slow Riot, Tuff Love, BUCK, H. Hawkline, Freedom Fry, Gulp & Miaoux Miaoux. Oh, and their was the launch of ‘Millions Like Us’, Justin Beats & I’s new music podcast extravaganza for 604now (if you missed them? Why not listen to episodes #1 & #2)

Also featured on this month’s playlist are great tracks from Avid Walker, Mesa Luna, Ghost Culture, Boxed In, Anderson & Peaness. So yeah, pretty good alright.

Listen to BarryGruff’s September 2015 playlist below.

Gwenno – ‘Patriarchaeth’

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Y Dydd Olaf, the debut solo album from Gwenno (former Pipettes front-woman, Gwenno Saunders), got its full release back in July via Heavenly Recordings after an extremely limited release on Peski Records last year.

The album, mainly sung in Saunders’ native Welsh and inspired by a 1970s Welsh sci-fi novel of the same name, is a revelation. Y Dydd Olaf is a subtle, spellbinding and intricately weaved mixture of moods and textures, soft-edged synths, blissed out Krautrock and Motorik rhythms; of which, her gorgeously hushed vocal sits atop of. Taken from said album, is latest single ‘Patriarchaeth’, spectacularly demonstrates all the aforementioned attributes perfectly. A cosmic cascading sequence of crackling, frazzled electronic tones combine with an undeniable groove that bubbles away amid an alluring mix of kraut-tinged synth pop. Gwenno’s smooth, light and mellifluous voice seems to breeze above all else. Magnificently catchy, ‘Patriarchaeth’ is one of Y Dydd Olaf‘s many triumphs.

The Ian Watson directed video is rather excellent too. Check it and everything else below.

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BarryGruff’s July 2015 playlist

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A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

July was pretty ace! We had new tunes from The School, The Stammer and DRINKS ahead of their respective, forthcoming new albums, and the return of WE//ARE//ANIMAL. There were excellent new singles from Neon Wolf, Galants, Lethal Dialect, Manor, Kelly Lee Owens, The Expert, Glass Sines and Koloto.

Also featured on this month’s playlist are great tracks from Bedbugs, Effin, Gwenno, Trails and Ways, Open Window and Joan. So, July was pretty good. And that’s all before mentioning that Justin Beats gave Jamie xx’s new record In Colour, the once over, Johnny Feeney reported from Knockanstockan and we had a chat with Trails and Ways. And the small matter of my albums of the year so far list.

Listen to BarryGruff’s July 2015 playlist below.

Stealing Sheep – ‘Not Real’ (Gwenno Remix)

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Liverpool trio Stealing Sheep – Becky Hawley, Emily Lansley and Lucy Mercer – released their second LP back in April. Slightly odd, peculiar but brilliant new record, it is one this year’s favorite records so far.

The trio’s sweet and heavenly voiced psych-pop, choral harmonies and quirky delivery is immersed in a colourful mix of electronics and leftfield ’80s pop, incorporating synthesizers and drum machines to their psych-folk tendencies, it is an admirable evolution of their sound. Equally meritorious is their label mate and former Pipettes front-woman, Gwenno‘s remix of the title track. Stealing Sheep‘s utterly contagious, infectiously off-kilter pop gem ‘Not Real’, is transformed into a blissed-out chugging, hypnotic electro-kraut-pop jam. An insistent, urgent backbeat gives shape to the more dreamy, ethereal tones and the echoing vocals flashes of psych moments only add to a most ear-catching, immersive and irresistible of tunes. Ruddy marvelous!

Stealing Sheep’s Not Real is out now, while Gwenno’s album, released late last year, is getting a reissue later in 2015.