POSTS TAGGED : Rock

Introducing: Strange Cages

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Strange Cages are a Brighton trio who don’t mess about; their sinister, sleazy psych-rock sound is compelling, intense and hypnotic.

Taking parts post-punk, surf rock, garage, krautrock and psychedelia Strange Cages stitch it all together to form a dangerous sounding gritty psych-punk. The Brighton trio are gearing up to release new EP The Cracks, out on June 16, ahead of which come title track and ‘Leader Of A Cult’ to whet the appetite. The latter fully realises their dark sinister tenancies with spine chilling effect. Punchy drums and jangley, off-kilter riffs are smothered with an eerie sense of dark perilous menace, with foreboding vocals adding to the sense of a paranoid nightmare. ‘The Cracks’, still somewhat wonky and weird, pushes infectious guitar riffs, driving drum beats and anthemic roars through a sea of distortion and psychedelic imagination. Two phenomenal tracks, on the back of which, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the forthcoming EP.

The Cracks EP is out June 16. Listen to ‘The Cracks’ & ‘Leader Of A Cult’ below now.

Introducing: Francobollo

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London-based Swedes Francobollo care little for labels or genres, and appear fearless in their quest to create songs which blend, morph and encompass styles by the bucket load.

Part indie, part glam, part electronic, part psych, prog and post-punk – and a whole lot brilliant – their debut album ‘Long Live Life’, out July 14, promises to be quite an adventure. Preceding it’s release is ‘Worried Times’; an irresistibly catchy psych-infused guitar jam. Buoyant pop melodies and light easy-on-the ear vocals are juxtaposed with wailing guitars, burning basslines and pounding drums that explode into periodic bursts of energy and screeching vocals. Previous single ‘Wonderful’ of a similarly irresistible and experimental lucky bag in nature; albeit with a much slower pace and swaying melody.

Francobollo’s debut album ‘Long Live Life’, is out July 14, via Square Leg Records. Ahead of that, please check out ‘Worried Times’ & ‘Wonderful’ below.

Bad Mannequins – ‘Buzz Killer Skinny Gene’

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Glasgow-based duo Bad Mannequins – Ross Hamilton (lead vocals/guitar) and Jamie McGrory (drums/vocals) – are here to fill your need for fiery, hyperactive garage-rock.

The pair are gearing up to release the first of a trilogy of EPs trilogy, Deny Til U Die Part I; ahead of which they’ve shared their new single, ‘Buzz Killer Skinny Gene’. It is a sub three minute blast of fiery garage-rock filled with scintillating riffs and stomping percussion. It’s fierce, fiery and profoundly catchy rock ‘n roll delivered with a piercing intensity that brings to mind the early days of The Strokes. A word of warning, so cathcy is this one, it’s likely to be traveling around your head for weeks.

Check out the blistering brilliance of ‘Buzz Killer Skinny’ Gene below.

Introducing: Loco Ono

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First things first, if there was a competition for the best named new band of 2017, Loco Ono would be way out in front with the shortest odds possible.

Handles aside, there are many more reasons to get excited about this London trio of Grace Zacarias, Pieter Stone & Nathan Edmonds. For one, with their ’90s inspired, lo-fi grunge hybrid, they make a hell of a convincing racket. Fuzzed-up, meaty riffs are driven by ferocious and insistent drums, all delivered with breakneck speed and electrifying intensity. There is dreamy quality too, in part due to Zacarias breathy, haunting vocals on ‘Black Hole’; and in the case of ‘Grizzly’, there’s an added dreamy feature of a ukulele interlude. Drawing inspiration from ’90s lo-fi and modern power pop, Loco Ono effortlessly blends fuzzed-up, buzz-saw guitars, catchy melodies with a fierce and fiery energy.

You can sample some choice cuts from their recently released debut EP Dog Massage, below.

Yonaka – ‘Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya’

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YONAKA are indie-rock juggernaut – Theresa Jarvis (vocals), George Edwards (guitar), Alex Crosby (bass/keys) and Robert Mason (drums) – from Brighton and judging by their form thus far, they look destined to take a spot at the top of Britain’s indie-rock table.

The quartet’s new single is ‘Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya’; and it is a heavy hitting example of what they are all about. This is heavy-hitting indie-rock with a dark pop heart which shifts from menacing, threatening riffy rock to anthemic, epic soaring variety. The hammering percussion and bass line pound incessantly, while when Jarvis’ stunning vocals enter the fray, it renders everything else secondary. A scintillating introduction by any estimation; file next to Wolf Alice, Joy Formidable & Estrons.

You can listen to ‘Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya’ below. Hopefully we’re hearing from these four very soon.

Luddy Mussy – ‘Is A Sound’

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Self-described as “colorful, almost cartoonish music made by lunatics”, Luddy Mussy don’t do themselves justice.

With their new single ‘Is A Sound’, the Boston-based five-piece have served up one of the most intriguing and imaginative releases of 2017. It is a sprawling thirteen-and-a-half-minute adventure through era, genre and the rest, taking in alt-country, rhythm & blues, ’60s pop and indie. Opening with over four-minutes of instrumental brilliance, it kicks into gear when the vocals arrive, and how. For its rather protracted length on paper, it remains coherent and captivating exploration of sound in a similar vein to The Stones, Dylan, The Kinks and Wilco. That’s about that, a great song.

No indication to whether it will form part of more substantial release but for now, listen to this 13-minute epic and imaginative adventure below.

Introducing: Kingdom of Birds

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Kingdom of Birds are a Canadian four-piece with a serious love for the last two decades of indie & alternative rock.

Their songs extensively name-check Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and Broken Social Scene, paying homage indie bands and artists from the past 20 years. To date, the foursome have released two albums, with a new released earlier this year. And here is the startling part; all of this, and Ása, Brighid & Zeul are 14 years of age and Sam is 9 years old. For fear of sounding remarkably condescending, the depth of confidence, talent, conviction and execution far surpasses their ages. ‘Rain Song’ is a smoky, slow burner with haunting vocals and instrumentation so full of atmosphere and emotion, it’s very hard not be moved by it. ‘Keep Trying’ is equally as stirring, albeit with an altogether more grungey, raspy energy. Two mightily impressive shots across the bow, this Canadian foursome surely have a bright future.

There are a couple of choice cuts below but you can also listen to their Keep Trying EP here.

Introducing: Bad Pop

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Bad Pop are the Vancouver-based trio of Chris Connelly (vocals/guitar), Catherine Hiltz (bass/vocals/trumpet) & Aaron Klassen.

Self-deprecating titles aside, this Canadian trio are anything but bad – and just a little bit pop. The proof, well, that would be wonderful recent double a-side ‘Same House/Masculism’. It displays two rather different sides of a band with an inherent capacity for the tongue-in-cheek and ace tunes. ‘Same House’ is a sort of hyperactive warped psych-disco-pop that’s as weird as it is wonderful, and catchy as hell. Jerky, art-rock guitar riffs dance with crashing cymbals and to-die-for harmonies. ‘Masculism’ on the other hand, is a hard-rocking stomper; delivering a ferocious brew of pounding riffs, sledge-hammer percussion and raspy vocals. An engaging, addicting and brilliant introduction to a band with exceptional promise.

‘Same House/Masculism’ is out now via Metropolis Recordings. Tune in below.

If the double a-side is to your liking, Bad Pop are playing a few shows in the UK in May: Sebright Arms, London (18/05), Bleach, The Great Escape (TGE), Brighton (19/05) & Canada House, TGE, Brighton (20/05).

 

Something for the Weekend: New Music Playlist #2

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A new feature to blog, a short weekly Spotify playlist series featuring some of the finest new music to prick my ears.

Clocking in or around and 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 top tunes for your ears. Well, without further ado, here’s #2. Enjoy!

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Dama Scout – ‘Paper Boy’

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Glasgow/London trio Dama Scout introduced themselves to us last year with two unforgettable singles, ‘Forget It’s Good’ & ‘All in Too’.

The trio are back with an equally enthralling third single, ‘Paper Boy’. Opening with a combination of hazy reverb-drenched guitars, floating vocals and fuzzy interludes of snarling guitars and harmonic modulations, ‘Paper Boy’ lulls you into a heady stupor before reaching tipping point – as everything free falls into an epic, climactic swirl of beautifully delirious noise. Once again, their sound pushes and pulls the listener. Rarely do polarising components feel so cohesive, but Dama Scout continue to impress and thrill. The future is a bright one for Dama Scout.

‘Paper Boy’ will be released on April 14th via RIP Records. Get a sneak peak below.