BarryGruff’s July 2015 playlist

BGJL15

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.

We//Are//Animal Return with ‘Ideologies’ & ‘Set Your Beard On Fire’

We Are Animal 2015

Members of We//Are//Animal have been busy with their various and excellent side-projects (Hippies Vs Ghosts & CaStLeS) but we haven’t heard from them as a collective unit for a while now.

That’s all changed though, as the North Wales band have returned to the day job so to speak, unveiling two new tracks, ‘Ideologies’ and ‘Set Your Beard On Fire’. Information at this point is pretty scant but what can be deciphered from the band is: a new record is on the horizon, along with a Pledge Music campaign to fund it. Excellent news indeed. The follow up to their superb 2010 debut, Idolise, has been far too long in the making. So what of the new tracks then? ‘Ideologies’ marks an emphatic return.  An urgent, frantic and vital mix of oscillating guitar scuzz, disco punk rhythms and resolute stomp that demands your attention, and feels somewhat like a call to arms. ‘Set Your Beard On Fire’ is less frantic, preferring a low-key hypnotic drive, powered by chugging bass, rhythmic groove, jangly layers. As we’ve come to expect from We//Are//Animal. Be it irresistible hypnotic grooves, dancefloor juggernauts or primal anthems, it all feels extremely organic and marks a dynamic evolution of their sound. It’s certainly good to have them back.

There’s no more info on the new record as yet, but it is time to get acquainted with ‘Ideologies’ & ‘Set Your Beard On Fire’