Birmingham: The Next B-Town Wave Part 1

The wave that hit the country last year that threw the spotlight on Birmingham with the emergence of bands such as PEACE, Swim Deep, JAWS and (now disbanded) The Carpels amongst others, seems like it was just the first flow of a tumbling tsunami. In the last few months a new handful of artists have slowly been working their way into local consciousness and are mow about to hit it hard.

The likes of the aforementioned Swim Deep, with their slice of summer shimmery last year with 'King City' and the psychedelic stirrings of  Peace have headed a recent deluge of bands pouring out of the city, amongst whom can also be counted Troumaca and JAWS, making Brum town one of the main scouting grounds for new bands.

And here's the proof. In the first of a two part feature we take a look at those we think will be creating the most waves over the course of 2013.



COLD FIELDS

Formed in 2012, Cold Fields combine a variety of styles and influences including dubstep and electro in what they hail 'melancholic indie'. Chris Newey's distinctly Brummie vocals are akin to The Streets. Infectiously likeable.
Cold Fields are: Christopher Newey - vocals/guitar; Stuart Lidgbird - guitar/vocals; Jon Perks - bass; Nick Wynne - drums/percussion





DUMB

Edgy young (none are out of their teens yet) dudes who look set to shake the bones of Brum with their first single release 'Dive' just released. Borne out of the ashes of The Carpels, their focus is on strong rhythms and very watchable presence of their frontman.
Dumb are: Dylan Williams - vocals, Tom Minchin - guitar, Adam Pyzer - bass, Jacob 'The Lips' McQue - drums






FOES

Until recently known as The British Kicks, the quartet have now adopted a new moniker, but retain their spiky edge; with a liking for the large drum sound and big guitar riffs, influenced by QOTSA and Nirvana. Working ethos: 'Be yourself. Everybody else is taken'.
FOES are: Tom Kearns - vocals/guitar, Drew Linforth - guitar, Marcus Williams - drums, Alex Regan - bass





FRIDAY CLUB

As yet still unsigned and unmanaged, four-piece rock n roll indie outfit Friday Club are just starting to get notice on the Brum live scene. One demo 'Fall Down Kids' online has started to attract interest. Recording their debut EP with Dom Ganderton (see Superfood).
Friday Club are: Josh Smithyman - vocals/guitar, Joe Davies - guitar/vocals, Doug Wootton - bass, Myles Adams - drums






HEAVY WAVES

Lo-fi fuzz-pop trio fond of scuzzy hooks and reverb-overloaded vocals. Formed early 2012 and have supported Swim Deep and Peace.
Heavy Waves are: Luke Morgan - vocals/bass, Ed Taylor - guitar, Matt Tucker - drums.






HOOPLA BLUE

Four-piece formed last year. Parade dark, dreamy 80s-style riffs and interesting vocal range delivered by Adam Tomes. One track online 'Holy Ghost' has received favourable reviews. The band have been recording with Ed Taylor (see Heavy Waves), working on two new tracks which should be appearing in next weeks: 'Hummingbird' and 'Beyond Pine'.
Hoopla Blue are: Adam Tomes - vocals/guitar, Thomas Hewson - guitar/vocals, Dario Chin - drums, Mitchell Baines - bass






LACED

The quintet formed late last year, and inspired by the sound of Warpaint and Smashing Pumpkins, they made their live debut just a matter of weeks ago, in February. They create a dual dynamic with male and female vocals. Unveiling their first track 'Jade Vine' a week ago brought them bouquets from contemporaries Swim Deep, and an avalanche of interest.
Laced are: Andy Parkes - vocals/guitar, Gracie Vee - vocals/bass, Josh Eggerton - guitar, Reece Hayden - guitar, Jamie Moorhouse - drums






PRAYERS

A four-piece post punk outfit (profiled here recently in our 'One To Watch' section http://littleindieblogs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/one-to-watch-prayers.html?m=0 ) of 18 year olds. Dark, dreamy sounds with a hard, somewhat twisted core and lyrically incising. One track online to date, the reverb-rich 'Bloodstains', fitting the description well.
Prayers are: Alex Aitken - vocals/guitar, George Maybury - guitar, Lewis Belcher - bass, Nathan Bunn - drums






SUPERFOOD

There is a lot - and not a lot - to be said, seen or heard about this outfit, and at the present time you are unlikely to find much about about them anywhere - and certainly no inkling of a soundbite. That, however, seems certain to change before too long. The four-piece indie/grunge/Blur-compared band - formerly known as Baby 100 then Junnk - and fronted by Birmingham kingpin Dom Ganderton - could well be major players before next year. Ganderton, still just 22 years old, has an impressive CV and is something of a legend on the Birmingham scene having worked with Swim Deep, Peace, Wide Eyed, Friday Club amongst others. Big favourite of Peace and JAWS, the former whom they will be supporting on their upcoming tour.
Superfood are: Dom Ganderton - vocals/guitar, Emily Baker - bass, Ryan Malcolm - guitar, Carl Griffin - drums




WIDE EYED

Think a synthless TOY or slightly less ear-shattering MBV. Only one demo 'Bleak' so far online, but that alone has been enough to stir interest. Made up of the remnants of bands Corelli and Shallow, judging by two recent demos we have heard from the band, we are laying money on their being show headliners before the end of the year.
Wide Eyed are: Jake Bellwood - vocals/guitar, Tommy Greaves - guitar, Max Fisher - bass, Aaron Singh - drums

Eight Easter Specials - March 29 2013

Laced - Jade Vine





Swim Deep - She Changes The Weather





Stubborn Heart - Better Than This





Strangers - Something New





Cave Painting - Rio





JAWS - Breeze





Swiss Lips - U Got The Power





Savages - She Will

Nick Cave Festival Dates And 'Mermaids' Single

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds will release 'Mermaids', the third track to be taken from their new album 'Push The Sky Away'. This special version of 'Mermaids' will be available as a digital download only. 'The Sky Away' is Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ 15th studio album and has charted at number 1 in seven different countries.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have also confirmed that they will be playing this year’s Glastonbury Festival. This is the band’s fourth appearance at the festival, having played there previously in 1994, 1998 and 2009.


In a historic first, they and Grinderman will appear over both of the Coachella festival weekends in April:

12th Apr Grinderman, Coachella

14th Apr Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Coachella

19th Apr Grinderman, Coachella

21st Apr Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Coachella


Other Upcoming Festival Dates:

25th May Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona, Spain

30th May Primavera Sound Festival, Porto, Portugal

13th Jun Bergenfest, Bergen, Norway

14th Jun Norwegian Wood Festival, Norway

15th Jun Northside Festival, Aarhus, Denmark

22nd Jun Body & Soul Festival, Ireland

28th-30th Jun Glastonbury, UK

04th Jul Open’er Festival, Gdynia, Poland

07th Jul Festival Beauregard, Normandy, France

11th Jul Lucca Summer Festival, Italy

13th Jul Pohoda Festival, Trencin, Slovakia

27th Jul Les Nuits de Fourviére, Lyon, France

28th Jul Greenville Festival, Paaren, Berlin, Germany

09th Aug Flow Festival, Helsinki, Finland

15th Aug Festival Le Route du Rock, St. Malo, France

16th Aug Parken Festival, Bodo, Norway

17th Aug Frequency Festival, Austria

Cloud Boat - 'Youthern' / 'Hammerspace' Single

London duo Cloud Boat release 'Youthern'/ 'Hammerspace', the new single on Apollo Records on May 20.

With their previous double A-side 'Wanderlust'/'Drean' and last year’s teaser track 'I Left For A Reason (It Escapes Me Now)' earning them plaudits from the likes of Pitchfork, Dummy, The Line of Best Fit and The Fader, Cloud Boat are slowly but surely carving out a distinctive path for themselves as purveyors of gorgeous, shattered-heart soul bar none. This new double A-side single continues that journey, combining majestic, choral soundscapes with alluring, fractured beats to devastating effect, and is taken from their forthcoming album, 'Book of Hours'.

Cloud Boat have also been making rare live outings this year, pulling in captivated audiences in London, Manchester and Birmingham with their compellingly unique strain of electronica. There will be another chance to see the band in all their enthralling glory come May, when they play a special show at the Lexington with their equally ascendant labelmate Nadine Shah.


UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS

May 29 – The Lexington (w/ Nadine Shah)



Listen to 'Youthern' here

Album Review :: Evening Hymns :: Spectral Dusk

Evening Hymns

Spectral Dusk

April 8 2013 (Tin Angel Records)

8/10


Words: Linn Branson



This is Canadian Jonas Bonnetta's sophomore album under new name ‘Evening Hymns’, and seemingly now reissued after having first seen light of day last year. Maybe it didn't see enough light then, hence its re-emergence, and it really should as this is a very fine work indeed.

‘Spectral Dusk’ is a highly personal album, serving, largely, as a chronicle to the loss of his father and the resultant emotions, feelings and reflections stemming from that relationship. The 11 tracks draw you in, in a way similar to a warm fire does on a cold and wintery day - much like the log cabin in Northern Ontario, where ‘Spectral Dusk’, like with debut ‘Spirit Guides’, was recorded out of the studio with the intention of bringing with it human reference. The warm and ambient tone of the record is often set by the cracking of fires and the popping of ice in bourbon.

Beginning in mono with gentle whirring electronics which could easily be a rustling wind, the sound of rain or even a sea element before a chuch-like organ drifts in, Bonnetta transports the listener into his world with vocals similar to Bon Iver’s ‘Creature Fear’. ‘Arrows’ follows with a tribal pulsing beat percussion opening that is complimented by piano and captures the notion of “singing hymns to call someone in”. ‘Family Tree’ explores the notion of severing ties with relatives and the restraints of traditional family structures that echoes Josh T Pearson’s ‘Country Dumb’.

The standout track of the album is possibly 'Cabin In The Burn'. Inspired by a wild wintery night at a cabin, it provides a lonesome disconsolate thread that achieves some of the darkest vulnerable moments of the record. Strong percussive beats resound throughout, lending backbone to Bonnetta's vocal that sends quivers along the spine as he draws you into and makes you feel you are there in that cabin with him, with the 'black spruce...[and] mighty pine' outside the door, while the 'wood stove is hissing and spitting'. One minor criticism might be the harmonies lend it in parts towards country territory, where the song stands well enough with just Bonnetta. That aside, it is a stirring six minutes worth of anyone's time.

Elsewhere ‘Asleep In The Pews’ opens with a gentle organ drone that resonates through the gentle guitar picking. The melancholic trumpet is adorned with uplifting strings that adds an orchestral quality. ‘Irving Lake Access Road’ goes back in time to a place that was frequently visited during their lives together. A solemn instrumental soundscape is filled with gentle drones and strings akin to Sigur Ros which prepares the listener for the tear jerking yet cathartic ‘Song To Sleep To’.

Bonnetta himself says he wanted to create "spaces for reflection, rather than bombarding the listener simply with eleven crisp songs...I often miss the opportunity of a mental escape."

'Spectral Dusk' is a work of depth and heart, and as such is one that is a welcome escape to, rather than from.

EP Review :: Birds Vs. Planes :: Narrow Angles

Birds Vs Planes

Narrow Angles (Music Bakery)

9/10


Words: Dave Beech


Since forming in 2006, Carlisle-based quintet Birds Vs Planes have developed a fan base across the north of England, before breaking out of the local scene and following in the footsteps of bands such as Wild Beasts and Little Comets in garnering fans nationwide. Now, following up their first single 'Sew Up the Sky' the band release their début EP 'Narrow Angles' on Music Bakery records.

The benefit of having several band members is that each member can bring a variety of different influences to the table when making a record. This is evident with BVP across each of the five tracks included on 'Narrow Angles'. Elements of math-rock are coupled with indie-pop sensibilities underneath a post-punk veneer, all the while singer Jenny belts out her vocal parts with unprecedented energy and emotion.

'Relative Worth' kicks off the record with an angular intro that's reminiscent of Paramore. Thankfully though, the similarities end with the intro as Jenny's vocals give a taste of things to come. During the verses her voice is acute, angular, meeting the aesthetic uphold by the guitar part. Throughout the chorus and pre-chorus however, her voice is silky smooth and glides over the song's instrumentation with ease and finesse, particularly excelling herself during the chorus.

The second track 'Romantic Assault' features further angular guitars and is somewhat evocative of early Bloc Party. Here the vocal track appears slightly repetitive and fairly flat when compared to other tracks on 'Narrow Angles'. That is only in comparison with the other songs featured, particularly track 3 'We Get to Drop' which sees Jenny sounding somewhere in between The Joy Formidable and electro indie band Kaputt. 'We Get to Drop' is the first song featured in which the bass line is prominent, and it benefits from the fact to a surprising extent.

'Little Blue' is undoubtedly the strongest song on the EP and, for the first 90 seconds or so, sees Jenny's vocals almost acapella, accompanied only by an understated-yet-atmospheric background and the occasional note from a guitar. At roughly a minute and a half the drums kick in and the song begins it's ascension to the evocative and crashing highlight that it is. Again comparisons can be drawn here between BVP and The Joy Formidable formulating themselves particularly in the shimmering vibrato of the guitar in the final verse. This will undoubtedly become a live favourite, much like the aforementioned Joy Formidable's 'Silent Treatment'. The charisma upheld by Jenny is evident throughout the whole album, but here it's coupled with fraught emotion that is both heartbreaking and endearing.

It's not very often a band manages to merge a multiplicity of influences and genres in to a record. Particularly one less than 20 minutes long. Against the odds, however, Birds Vs Planes have crafted a record that gives their influences a nod without emulating them entirely and keeping the record very much their own. 'Narrow Angles' is an EP that rattles along at a breakneck speed and takes several listens before the nuances and intricacies really begin to reveal themselves. But once that polished veneer has been scratched away it becomes clear that the band have a lot of time and a lot of love for what they're doing, this is proven not only by the care that has gone in to recording these songs, but also because of the length of time it's taken to release the record. Where a lot of bands these days try to record and release everything they can, BVP have taken the time and the effort to make an EP that perfectly exhibits their influences and their collective energies, and by god it shows.

Lewis Watson For UK Tour

After last week’s triumphant show at London’s Kings College, Oxford’s twenty-year-old musician Lewis Watson can now confirm that he’ll support Benjamin Francis Leftwich on his upcoming tour. The duo are integral figures in a growing movement of talented young singer-songwriters such as Ben Howard and Jake Bugg.

Backed by almost 60,000 subscribers at YouTube where his videos have received 5.5 million views, Lewis Watson will follow the shows with Benjamin Francis Leftwich by embarking upon a new headline tour in which he performs at cities and towns which weren’t covered by his recent successful tour:

May
(With Benjamin Francis Leftwich)

18 – Norwich, UEA
19 – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
20 – Glasgow, O2 ABC
21 – Newcastle, Northumbria University
22 – Birmingham, The Institute, The Library
23 – London, Forum

June
(Headline dates)

01 – Swansea, Sin City
02 – Newport, Le Pub
03 – Liverpool, East Village Arts Club
04 – Carlisle, Brickyard
05 – Dunfermline, PJ Molloys
07 – Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
08 – Stockton, Georgian Theatre
09 – Sheffield, Lantern Theatre
10 – Manchester, Sound Control
11 – Hebden Bridge, Trades Club
13 – Leicester, Scholar
14 – Bath, Moles
16 – Yeovil, Carling Suite
17 – Exeter, Cavern
19 – Guildford, Boileroom
20 – Oxford, O2 Academy 2
21 – Colchester, Arts Centre

This summer will also see Lewis Watson perform at festivals including Bestival, Live at Leeds, Great Escape and Camp Bestival.

A new video for Lewis Watson’s song ‘It Could Be Better’ has also been launched. The visually engaging clip follows Scottish illustrator Lucy MacLeod as she crafts a stunning portrait of him. ‘It Could Be Better’ features on Lewis Watson’s third EP ‘The Wild’ which will be released on Tuesday. Its lead track ‘Into The Wild’ shows how his sound has matured from stripped-down singer-songwriter material to a full band production which neatly contrasts delicate verses with an expansive hook.

Video :: Woman's Hour :: To The End

London four-piece Woman's Hour (brother & sister William, guitar, and Fiona Jane, vocals; Nick, bass; Josh, keys) further execute their excellence at the stripped back sound with their new single 'To The End'. Released on April 8 via Parlour Records, the band has this sumptuous new video below to accompany it. Featuring trampolining gymnasts Siphiwe Mosoang and Xolani Nxumalo, it was directed by South African duo Oliver Chanarin and Laurence Hamburger.

Woman's Hour play London's Hoxton Hall on April 6 for the official single launch show.


To The End - Woman's Hour from Woman's Hour on Vimeo.

Swim Deep Announce Single/Album/Live Dates

Swim Deep bring another of their summery Brum sounds to the chill days with details of a new single release, debut album and live dates.

Having made their live debut Stateside recently with a handful of shows at the recent SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, and selected ports of call in New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia, Swim Deep have announced their debut album, entitled ‘Where The Heaven Are We’, will be released on July 29 2013.

Recorded at the close of 2012 at ICP studios in Brussels, and early 2013 at Miloco studios in London with Charlie Hugall at the controls, ‘Where The Heaven Are We’ features the band’s recent single ‘The Sea’ alongside upcoming single ‘She Changes The Weather’ (set to drop on May 6) - which can be streamed below.

'Where The Heaven Are We’ will be released through Chess Club / RCA Victor and available on CD,deluxe CD/DVD, 12” vinyl and digitally through all reputable outlets. Meanwhile, the band will be playing their own shows in May and making various appearances at festivals across the summer.

Dates as follows:


30.03.13 Stockton Stockton Calling

02.05.13 Liverpool Sound City

04.05.13 Leeds Live at Leeds

18.05.13 Brighton The Great Escape

25.05.13 Bristol Dot to Dot

26.05.13 Nottingham Dot To Dot

27.05.13 Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire *

28.05.13 Manchester Deaf Institute *

29.05.13 London Village Underground *

31.05.13 Birmingham Institute *

* headline shows

Pulp Release For Record Store Day

Pulp have announced that they will be making available a new Soulwax remix of ‘After You’ on 12” vinyl through Rough Trade to coincide with Record Store Day on Saturday April 20.

The 12” will also feature the original version, recorded in late 2012 and produced & mixed by James Murphy (DFA Records / LCD Soundsystem), and the band’s own ‘The 4am Desperation Disco to Disco Dub Version’.

A recent live performance of the track on The Jonathan Ross Show can be viewed above.

Hungarian Psychsters Žagar For Second Album Release

You might not automatically associate Hungary with spacey psych and electronica, but Budapest's Žagar have been leading the way developing their beautiful cosmic sound for many years. Combining the epicness of M83 and Sigur Rós, with Jean Michelle Jarre synth explorations, the heady mix sounds like a future soundtrack to The Art of Flight 2. Their second studio LP, 'Light Leaks', is out worldwide on April 29.

Part of the burgeoning eastern European electronic scene, the five-piece Žagar create a fresh and unique sound based on wave rock, electronica and psychedelic soundscapes. The Hungarian band started out as three-fifths of the Yonderboi Quintet and after a few years and some critical success, keyboard player Balázs Zságer (Žagar’s namesake) and scratcher Dj Bootsie splintered off to form their own sound, exploring more experimental avenues in their music. They eventually added drummer Tibor Lázár, guitarist George Ligeti and bassist Ákos Zságer-Varga to complete the band and are now a hugely significant force on the Eastern European music scene.

Their last album ‘Cannot Walk, Fly Instead’, released worldwide on German label Mole Listening Pearls, was nominated twice for the regional award at the MTV Europe Music Awards and entered the Top Ten in the music charts. The album won numerous awards, including the prestigious Hungarian Record Industry’s Fonogram Award and hit single, ‘Wings of Love’ featuring Underground Divas, earned heavy radio play and secured the Number One spot for MTV’s Video Chart. The band went on to accept second place in the Independent Songwriting Competition in the same year.

Žagar are also attracting fans overseas, their music has been sampled in both short and feature films, and was included in the soundtrack for popular American TV dramas, CSI:Miami and CSI:New York, reaching millions of viewers worldwide. The band have so far played extensively over Europe including supporting Depeche Mode on their Budapest leg of their ‘Tour of the Universe’. Highly praised for their electrifying live sets, in which they consistently create an atmospheric and unforgettable live experience.

Their new album ‘Light Leaks’ explores expansive cinematic dreamscapes created with their perfect blend of cool guitar riffs, vintage synth sounds, psychedelic effects and Kraftwerk style vocoders. Speaking about the album, the band say that - “It is about the innocent and eternal moments of our childhood memories. Light Leaks exposes a miraculous and wonderful world where a child enjoys colorful fantasy, ignoring boundaries. It is this child we follow as we go through dreamlands or wonder around in a cosmic utopia.”

Video :: Ajimal :: This Human Joy

Newcastle based Fran O'Hanlon aka Ajimal precedes the release of his new single 'This Human Joy' (released March 25) with this stunning video.

Directed by Ian Hart, it features a series of images cast in black & white, of slow motion dancing - which works in perfect harmony with the crafted, flowing track that is augmented by guest harpist Emily Hoile, and produced by Mick Ross (Frankie & the Heartstrings, Let’s Buy Happiness).

Album Review :: Low Tide Theory :: The Big Sky

Low Tide Theory

The Big Sky (In At The Eye Records)

April 8 2013

7/10


Words: David Beech


It seems these days that more and more bands are finding themselves indebted entirely to the 1980s. There's and ever-growing reliance on synth patterns and effected vocals that, if truth be told, is growing really quite tiresome. Thankfully North Devon's Low Tide Theory manage to encapsulate an era, rather than emulate it. Take that as you will, but personally I've more time for a band who have perfected the nuanced conventions of a genre as opposed to just cottoning on to the obvious aspects and calling it a day.

Low Tide Theory's debut album 'The Big Sky' is a record ode to 1980s royalty. The overt influence of acts such as New Order, Gary Numan and Heaven 17 are all evident throughout the course of the album, as well as slight influence from more contemporary acts such as Editors. Combining these influences makes for a record that blends together a range of emotions and aesthetics from the undoubtedly uplifting first single 'To Begin Again' to the dark and brooding goth-stalgia in album opener 'Starting With Me'.

The whole album swells and moves effortlessly from track to track, at least in the latter half. 'Exit Ramp' is arguably where Johnny Campbell's strongest track vocally. There's an obvious degree of polish on his vocals, but the latter half of the track sees a distinct edge to his voice, as it's coupled with a second vocal track and a euphoric synth that's juxtaposed with the moody atmospherics the latter third of 'Exit Ramp' perpetuates.

It goes without saying the band have saved their strongest songs for the latter half of 'The Big Sky'. The last four songs are truly a testament to what this band are capable of. Rousing and uplifting synth tracks work their way throughout and become more and more infectious with every listen. Closing track 'We All Fall Down' is a particularly laid-back affair. A funky bass line beats below an unbroken surface of delicate keys and atypical percussion, constantly pushing towards a chorus that is particularly evocative of the decade to which the band is obligated.

Over the last 12 or so months there's been a deluge of bands who have allowed their guitars to take a back-seat in favour of synthesizers, personally, this is usually an immediate turn-off, however rather than try to incorporate the nostalgia of the 1980s with a more contemporary feel, like many bands do, Low Tide Theory have managed to recreate the sounds of the decade, and make music that feels like it belongs there. Quite often, fusing 80s synth pop with another genre leaves a record feeling somewhat erratic; in a state of musical purgatory. Here there's no sense of displacement and a complete lack of forced aesthetic, this has allowed the band to create an album that was undoubtedly made for the 1980s over twenty years after the decade came to a close. However while it certainly stays true to it's colours, there's not really any sense of innovation happening at the Low Tide Theory Camp. And while everything here is done to a tee, the overall polish and the fact that nothing here is particularly ground-breaking leaves an undeserved sour taste in ones mouth and an overhanging sense that this album could have been better.

March 22 2013 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Friday Club - Fall Down Kids





Les Mistons - Overcoming Fear





Glasvegas - I'd Rather Be Dead (Than Be With You)





Mt. Wolf - Shapeshift





Prayers - Bloodstains

Live Review :: Blank Maps :: Lock Tavern, London :: Mar 14 2013

Under the silver glitterball the upstairs room at Camden's Lock Tavern is filling up nicely. First act Tail Feather, a Reading quartet who parade a fairly somnambulant line of psychedelic pop, rustle up some tunes that could be described as the kind of music you might find in some Hollywood movie set in a small midwest town. It's nothing to write home about, and I doubt they will. Still, fair do's, at this time of the evening the first act on never has a full room or a crowd that is given to stage watching, more intent on still drinking down to the bottom of their glasses.

After the inevitable long changeover pause come Low Moon Low. And low it definitely was. This south London bunch seem to spend an inordinate amount of time looking at each other, fiddling with equipment, in a bewildered kind of way; occasionally hitting things (well, in the drummer's case, the others given to mere twiddling of knobs) and generally not just taking an age to get going, but also putting in long pauses between each song, so that their set felt way way longer than it actually was. They've been called moody and wistful, and given that their debut single 'Slow Train' of last year was produced by Paul Savage (Franz Ferdinand, Flaming Lips) who must have seen something in them, but you have to ask yourself what? One man's 'atmospheric' is another's 'zzzz', and when the vocalist tells the punters how they're still working on their stage banter, the retort in one's head is the obvious: 'I'd work on the songs a bit too, if I were you', although the songs and guitars were in fact better than the often out of tune vocals. Things pick up slightly towards the end of their set, but it's still painful.

Finally, and way past their scheduled stage time, night headliners, Blank Maps, take to the stage. The ambient four-piece have been picking up a name for themselves, both in their native Newcastle and further afield to Europe and North America - provided a solid, competent set that shown with a danceable pop vibe, melodic and reminiscent of The Maccabees here and there.

They get off to a fine start, using effects pedals on 'Intro' that glide rather than blast their way through the set's oeuvre - that only comes 30 seconds or so in as they segue into 'Madridista' (one of four new songs included in the set) where Thom Piddock's vocals reach into falsetto range on this amiable toe-tapper. The same mood prevails into 'We Go Way Back', given extra aplomb by some girls in the audience from the Maps' hometown. '4th Song' - which was so new on this outing that it was still going under a working title than an exact final name - builds nicely from the off with Piddock's own vocals joined by guitarist comrade in harmonising to hit just the right mood; while elsewhere 'Just Call' is suitably dramatic in parts with stirring drums and striking guitar chords. The best is probably left to last with 'Everything Ends', arguably their best song so far: atmospheric swelling guitars working in partnership alongside scintillating percussion and euphoric bass notes, while pinned aloft by the quivering vocal inflections.

Blank Maps have everything in the right place, from the welcoming blend of intoxicating melodies to a shimmery guitar glaze that even the Tavern's glitterball was hard pressed to equal on this evening.

EP Review :: Mt. Wolf :: Hypolight

Mt. Wolf

Hypolight (Two Sisters Records)

April 8 2013

9/10


Words: David Beech


In a year in which both electro and folk have dominated radio airwaves, it was only a matter of time before someone fused the two together. Enter South London-based quartet, Mt. Wolf and their eclectic blend of quaint folk, ambient atmospherics and moody bass. Their début EP entitled 'Life Size Ghosts' was met with favourable reviews, earning them comparisons to likes of Alt-J and The XX. Now with their sophomore EP 'Hypolight', the band look set to uphold the same positive praise that they found with their début.

The record opens with titular track 'Hypolight', which sets the standard exceptionally high for the rest of the EP. A delicate and subdued acoustic guitar coupled with an understated percussion section forms the backbone of the song while singer Kate Sproule's vocals really flesh the rest of the track out. Dreamy and ethereal, they paint pictures across an ambient canvas that swells and swoons in all the right places. An instrumental 'breakdown' towards the end of the track shows that the band are more than just backing for Sproule, and they themselves create the backdrop on which the vocals can decorate.

The second track 'Veins' is somewhat darker than it's predecessor, with some excellent percussion in the form of tight kick drums adding to the overall timbre of the song brilliantly. Once again Sproule's vocal part is mesmerising, in no small part to the range her voice is capable. At times she sounds like Ellie Goulding, at others, like a darker Florence Welch. There's a texture in her voice that's hard to put your finger on, but every song benefits from it hugely.

'Shapeshift' is the third and final (original) track on 'Hypolight' and sees the overall aesthetic of the EP get evermore darker; more broody. A moody synth bubbles underneath an equally dark veneer, and the even more impressive percussion that it's coupled with really drives the track forward. Here, Sproule sounds especially like Welch, circa 'Ceremonials'. The last quarter of the song develops in to a fantastically uplifting affair with some excellent string work juxtaposed against the perpetuated rumbling bassline.

The last track is an almost unrecognisable version of Usher's 'Climax'. Like the rest of the album before it, this track features gentle instrumentation which seems poised on the verge of crescendo throughout the whole track, but is never tipped over the edge. Again, Sproule's vocals are incredible; at times barely nothing but a whisper before surprising you with a sudden surge of power and raw emotion.

Even though it's just four tracks long, 'Hypolight' is a fantastic foray in to a world of ambient aesthetic: dark and brooding basslines and ephemeral vocals that shine and shimmer above the dark instrumentation. The talent behind these recordings is evident, as is the passion and the emotion that went in to making the EP. During the course of the record the perpetual moodiness of the bassline is almost tangible, but Sproule's vocals will pick you up and lift your spirits before you can even register the underlying melancholy that proceeds the more optimistic sections. This is an EP that everyone should listen to, no matter what your music tastes. It's not quite folk, it's not quite electro, it's not quite ambient. What it is, is a swirling dichotomy of feather light melodies and deep foreboding bass that will depress and uplift in a matter of minutes. Perfect.

Savages Release First Album Track

Savages have just released the first track from their forthcoming debut album 'Silence Yourself' to be released via Matador Records on May 6.

'She Will' is evidence that the girls look set to be the talk of the summer, after recently wowing audiences at SXSW.

One To Watch :: Prayers

Hype always abounds, particularly in relation to a new, largely unheard of artist. But just once in a while you hear something that just makes you sit up and take notice.

The Birmingham music scene has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months, and is now considered at the very forefront of introducing credible new indie sounds from within its boundaries.

One such is Prayers.

The four-piece - Alex Aitken, vocals/guitar; George Maybury, guitar; Lewis Belcher, bass; Nathan Bunn, drums - set of 18 year olds came together while Alex and Nathan were in a band together from schooldays; they were joined by George and Lewis (who went to a different school, but were similarly together in a local group) and "after a particularly horrendous double date involving Alex and George, the question "shall we form a new band?" floated around and it just took off from there".

After writing a few songs together the four lads decided they had something going - and Prayers were duly formed.

They describe their sound as "quite dark, but dreamy at the same time", which, for those who may have heard 'Bloodstains', would appear to fit the description. "We use a hell of a lot of reverb giving us that sort of 'post-rock' feel, although I think it is quite difficult to place a genre to us - and I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing!"

We think good. Take a listen to the two tracks they have online. The aforementioned 'Bloodstains' is a belter of a tune with a big thumping drum opening that leads into twisted,d ark lyrics, catchy hooks that play around in your head, and Aitken's vocal inflections on words ('vile') and lines ('the way you shake your hips') guarantee you'll be humming the chorus by the third hearing. The other, 'Fear To Fly', is an acoustic version of a song that, while not having been part of their live set for some time, shows that they are no one-trick ponies, in this simplistic guitar form that is augmneted by strings and again, Aitken's seering vocals.

As yet Prayers are unsigned, but are currently in the studio putting together a four-track EP for a planned June release.

Keep this band on your radar. Live date wise it appears they have a London show upcoming (as yet to be confirmed) and a home turf launch for the EP in Digbeth in June. But if they are as good live as they sound, you can be sure they'll be adding quite a few dates to their gig roster in the near future.

Charge Group For Debut UK Show

Australian art-rock band Charge Group will be heading over to Europe in April for a tour that will see their first UK show and that will bring them to Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Spain and Portugal. Their debut UK show will be at the Windmill in London on April 3, followed by Brighton's Nightingale Theatre on April 4.

The Sydney four-piece will also be releasing single ‘Run” on April 1.

The hoodied-up Charge Group create music that is at the same time beautiful and cinematic as well as scorchingly loud and chaotic - think Sonic Youth, Battles and Sigur Ros.

Dope Body Release 'Leather Head' Visual

Dope Body, the four-piece Baltimore noise rockers, begin 2013 where they left off last year with 'Natural History' with the release of their new 'Saturday' EP via Drag City.

Watch the video to lead track 'Leather Head' above, directed by Sheena Callage.

The band have also lined up the following European live shows:

5/18/13 Plissken Festival Athens, Greece
5/20/13 The Lexington London, United Kingdom
5/21/13 The Bay Horse Manchester, United Kingdom
5/24/13 Primavera Sound Festival Barcelona, Spain
5/25/13 Villette Sonique Paris, France
5/26/13 Le Romandie Lausanne, Switzerland w/ Hot Snakes
5/27/13 Summer Student Festival Padova, Italy
5/28/13 Arena Vienna, Austria
5/29/13 Kafe Kult Munich, Germany
5/30/13 Marie-Antoinette Berlin, Germany w/ Purling Hiss
6/01/13 Pilot Club Prague, Czech Republic w/ Excepter

Video :: Mt. Wolf :: Shapeshift

After the release of the title track from their forthcoming EP 'Hypolight' as a single last month, London-based dreamfolk quartet Mt. Wolf now offer a video to accompany 'Shapeshift', another track from the same EP which is released thru Two Sisters on April 8.

'Shapeshift', which was aired late last year during their live sets, is another in the electronic ambient vein that has slowly created a buzz around their name during the last 12 months.

One To Watch :: Skinny Dream

So, if you like your music shoegaze-esque - with a little sea-surf to it, for what this band hailing from Southend-on-Sea term 'beachgaze/grunge' - then Skinny Dream may be the latest to set your eyes on a downward drift.

The foursome are brothers James (vocal/bass), Luke (guitar) and Dan (guitar) with Kieran (on drums, and are a creative collective whose name 'Skinny Dream' was dreamt up by Luke - although James cryptically adds, "[it] might have some sorta loose relation to that Kate Moss quote "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" not that we are pro skinny as it were.. its just a name".

And the 'beach gaze/grunge'? "Shoegazing Beach Grunge is just an amalgamation of words that have been tagged to our music from the few that have listened to it - shoegaze being the obvious one."

So far, with just one demo online - the eminently appealing 'Crush' - they haven't been doing too badly. "After just one day online, it got picked up by three different shoegaze radio stations in the US. I spoke to a guy named Greg at DKFM who was really digging it: he said it had been posted all over shoegaze forums! We were totally unaware," says James.

They play their debut gig on April 5, at a hometown venue, Old Hat, followed by hitting the Smoke on April 18 to play The Macbeth.

Stream 'Crush' here:

LAC Give Free 'Borstal Boy' Download

New Warner Chappell signing LAC are giving away the track ‘Borstal Boy’ as a free download through the band’s Facebook page. This free download comes ahead of the band’s debut EP release on April 28.

LAC come from a depressing part of South East England, the kind of place a tabloid newspaper might feature in one of their regular splashes on ‘broken Britain’. LAC tell stories through their music, reflecting a life that has been hard and crazy at times, but always inspirational.

‘Borstal Boy’ is a dark tale of heartfelt recollections from front man Michael Davies. This moving acoustic track is delivered by Davies’s hushed vocals and showcases some brilliant songwriting from a real and tragic place.

To Kill A King Unveil Video To New Single

Indie/folk outfit To Kill A King have released the video for their forthcoming single 'Funeral'. Described by director Jack King as "what would happen if Ken Loach made 'Weekend at Bernies'", the dark yet weirdly feel-good nature of the video corresponds with that of the track itself, as a dead Ralph (Pelleymounter, the band's front man) is pushed around Hunstanton - encountering a hen do, skateboard park, fairground, as well as some familiar faces along the way.

The single is released on April 29 and is taken from their debut album, 'Cannibals with Cutlery'.

March 15 2013 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Velcro Hooks - A Love Song For T.S. Eliot





Dumb - Dive





Spotlight Kid - Budge Up





Decibels - Ruza





MUST - Just Wait

Video :: TOY :: My Heart Skips A Beat

Brought to you by the same team of Mark Donne and Joe Morris who previously worked on 'Left Myself Behind', TOY unveil the video for their latest single 'My Heart Skips A Beat', which was released this week (with previously unreleased tracks 'She’s Over My Head', 'Layered Electronics' and a Lauren Laverne BBC6 Music session version of 'Kopter').

First Listen :: Van Susans

Words: David Beech



Bromley quintet Van Susans have gone from strength to strength following the release of their 2012 début 'Paused in the Moment', which earned them support from the likes of XFM and BBC6 music. Drawing on a number of different influences, including Jimmy Eat World and Jack's Mannequin amongst others, it's easy to see how the band have come to sound like they do. Melodic and radio-friendly instrumentation serves as the backdrop for candid lyrics that show singer Olly Andrews wears his heart firmly on his sleeve at all times.

You'd be forgiven for tarring the Van Susans with the emo brush. After all, with influences such as theirs, and lyrics that uphold such emotion, what else can they be? Their Facebook page describes them as pop-rock; something that their shiny veneer and all round accessibility makes a pretty accurate if not ambiguous description.

'Bricks Not Sticks or Straw' is perhaps the least acoustic of the band's songs featured online. A piano melody runs throughout, a feature on all the tracks, and really lifts the song. Here, the band sound like a particularly polished college-rock band in the vain of Everclear or Third Eye Blind just without the occasional moments of roughness that make the aforementioned stand out. 'Served Cold' begins with some excellent guitar work before Andrews vocal part kicks in, sounding maturer and more sure of himself in this track than any others really benefits the song, which sounds as if it's drawn it's influence from Celtic folk music more than the bands listed on their Facebook.

A sleeker, more melodic approach to the band's music would be 'Fireworks' which is reminiscent of short-lived English band, Go:Audio, in pretty much every respect. The lyricism, as I've said before, is open and honest but it isn't breaking any boundaries. There are obvious rhymes littered throughout most of the songs which isn't strictly a bad thing, it's just a little too straightforward for my liking.

Van Susans are the kind of band that will garner plenty of fans but they won't be without their critics either. The music they make is clean, crisp and polished. There's no sense of immediacy, nothing raw about the emotion that goes in to it. While this doesn't alter their music any way as such, there needs to be something more to it than a polished veneer for it to resonate more.

New Video/Track & UK Tour For Spring Offensive

Oxford five-piece Spring Offensive put time and consideration into everything, from unique shows in churches, museums, art galleries and WWII bunkers, to self-directed music videos and hand-printed releases.

BBC Introducing in Oxford’s Band of the Year for 2012 Spring Offensive release a new self-directed video for a new song called “No Assets”. Recorded and mixed by David Pye in a house in deepest Wiltshire.

The band also kick off 2013 with a run of UK headline shows including their biggest London headline gig to date, at The Lexington on March 19 with support from Wild Swim and Olympians. They have also confirmed they will be joining To Kill A King and Gaz Coombes on their respective UK shows.

Headline shows:

15 March - Liverpool, Leaf
16 March - Newcastle Upon Tyne, The Newbridge Project
17 March - Oxford, Turl Street Kitchen (acoustic)
18 March - Oxford, Turl Street Kitchen (acoustic)
19 March - London, The Lexington
21 March - Cardiff, Undertone
22 March - Bristol, Rise Records
23 March - Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre


With To Kill A King:
09 April - Birmingham, HMV Temple Bar
11 April - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
12 April - Manchester, The Ruby Lounge
13 April - Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy


With Gaz Coombes:
16 April - Canterbury, St Mary's Church Ashford
17 April - Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
18 April - Cardiff, The Gate Arts & Community Centre
19 April - Gloucester, Gloucester Guildhall
21 April - Stockton, Georgian Theatre
22 April - York, The Duchess
23 April - Liverpool, The Kazimier

Cut Your Hair Go All Out With 'Mad Love'

After last year’s blissful and energetic debut single 'Utah In Pictures', Cut Your Hair return with the blissed-out euphoria of 'Mad Love', released on Mushroom Pillow on April 22.

Playfully loved-up, Cut Your Hair present three bristling pop songs about lost youth and lost senses. With lead track 'Mad Love' pondering the transience of youth and the possibilities ahead, with a new found clubby hedonism, Cut Your Hair move on from the giddy spark of their debut. 'Sweet Sensation' digs deeper into a sense of impending maturity, skipping across opposing territories of youthful abandone and adult reflection with agile finesse; while 'American Lullaby' belays a case of ‘early onset nostalgia’, a borderline ballad with plentiful gravitas.

Drenge Line Up April Dates With Temples/Blood Sport

With their debut single “Bloodsports”, released earlier this month on Mad Mark/Infectious, Castleton duo Drenge have won acclaim from publications such as Guardian, and more while also notching up an incendiary live reputation with shows with the likes of The Cribs, Deap Vally and more.

Next month, the band are hitting the road once again with two of their peers: the lauded psych rock revivalists Temples, and close mates (and track title inspiration) Blood Sport, to play a series of shows throughout the UK.

UPCOMING LIVE DATES

*- with Blood Sport +- with Temples

April

09 – Portland Arms, Cambridge*
10 – The Cookie Jar, Leicester*
11 – Esquires, Bedford*
12 – The Registry, Portsmouth*
13 – Oakford Social Club, Reading*
19 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
23 – Night and Day, Manchester+
24 – Westgarth Social Club, Middlesbrough+
25 – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh+
26 – Chameleon, Nottingham+
27 – Welly, Hull+

Breton Stream New Song 'Little Knives'

Breton have unveiled a video stream for 'Little Knives' as well as announcing a book and live date all upcoming.

'Little Knives' coincides with the release of an instrumental EP and a photography book compiled over two years of touring called Escalation.

The book and EP are self-released by the band and will run alongside their Escalation Exhibition at Proud Galleries, Camden, London. This special exhibition is an extension of the spirit of creative collaboration and excitement that has become an integral part of the project. It will showcase the images of visual artists who have worked closely with the Breton, namely Niall O’Brien, Nic Shonfeld and Andy J. Simmons, as well as videos and photographs produced by the band themselves.

The exhibition will run from March 28 - 31 at Proud Galleries in London, from 11am to 5pm each day. Breton will play a gig in the evening of the opening day, March 28 - their last in London show before they start work on their second album.

There will be a limited edition (100 copies) book to accompany the exhibition, also entitled ‘Escalation’ and comprising of images by O’Brien, Shonfeld and Simmons alongside Breton’s Adam Ainger and Ian Patterson. It will also include a download code to a four track EP, exclusive to the book and unavailable anywhere else in any other format. The book will only be available to buy during the three days of the exhibition.

First Listen :: Apollo Junction

Words: David Beech



Hailing from both London and Leeds you could be forgiven for thinking that Apollo Junction’s sound might be as split as their geographical location. However, the five-piece make their own brand of delightfully inoffensive electro indie pop that transcends the usual 80s obsessed synth sound in favour of something much more melodic and memorable.

'I Want To Be A Mystery' is camp and flamboyant, but that's the beauty of it. Proclaiming that he's “had a hangover since 2001”, singer Jamie is sure to appeal to more than a few people with his cheeky descriptions of youth and all it's foibles. A synth breakdown in the middle of song verges on overindulgence, but manages to avoid it, just, whereas 'Born for Now' starts with distinctly Killers-esque vibe before becoming a dance-fuelled party that would be right at home on some of this summer's festivals’ smaller stages.

'Begin' carries on in a similar vein. Uplifting synth perpetuates the song, giving off a distinctly euro-pop feel without the cheese that the genre upholds. The synth gives way to a gently picked guitar breakdown about two thirds of the way through which in turn sees itself become the fully-fledged dance song that was hinted at in the first half.

'Here Comes the Zombies' is a ska-inspired romp in which the intro sees the guitar playing the part you've come to expect from the synth. Sounding like at times like a bubblegum Gogol Bordello, this song is definitely out of character when compared to the other songs featured on the band’s Soundcloud. However that shouldn't detract from how good this song actually is. The chorus sounds slightly out of place, sounding a bit like Two Door Cinema Club, but the transition from that back in to the bouncy bassy verses is fantastic.

What sets Apollo Junction apart from many of the unsigned bands that one comes across is the fact that they don't take themselves too seriously. In a scene that's filled with New Order derivatives it's refreshing to see a band that utilises it's synth differently. Instead of creating something dark and atmospheric, Apollo Junction's songs are filled with tuneful melodies that you can dance to. While their overt synth use might put off some people, it's sure to appeal to fans of bands such as Bastille, or Friendly Fires. Given the current musical climate on radio stations such as XFM, it's a big surprised that Apollo Junction have yet to be snapped up by one label or another, but it's only a matter of time.

The band play Dublin Castle, London on April 20.

Apollo Junction are: Jamie - vocals; Matt - guitars; Jonathan - drums; Ben - bass; Sam - keys/synths

Album / Single Release For Wolf People

The new album from Wolf People, the Yorkshire/Bedford/London crew, 'Fain' will be released on April 29 on Jagjaguwar, preceded by single 'All Returns' on 15th.

Recorded in a beautiful and isolated house in the Yorkshire Dales, 'Fain' is the sound of a band at the peak of their creative powers. It's an honest and natural album that allows its stories, its melodies, its themes and structures to breathe. The album draws on more traditional English and Scottish folk melodies than anything they've done before, but not straying from the drop-out fuzz-rock route they've made their own, the influences are vast – British rock bands like Groundhogs, Dark, Mighty Baby and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac are evident in the swirling and distorted guitars throughout Fain, along with the 60s revival folk of Fairport Convention, Nic Jones, and Trees. Additionally they have looked towards Scandinavian's rich psychedelic tradition both new and old – you can hear the likes of Mecki Mark Men, Mikael Ramel and contemporaries Dungen. You can even hear the band's teenage forays into Hip-Hop in the drums of 'Thief' and 'Athol'.

It rained constantly throughout the recording process and the house was so packed with gear and recording equipment the band were forced to sleep in tents and caravans parked outside. Whilst performing, they could look out into the vast countryside and catch sight of buzzards, hares, curlews and hundreds upon hundreds of crows and gulls. The fire was on permanently, overnight and throughout the day. A serene experience that informs every track on the album. It was mixed and finished in the equally rainy London, with additional performances from Olivia Chaney on piano and backing vocals, plus Nic Kearey and Rachel Davies of Stick in the Wheel and Various (XL). Jace Lasek (Besnard Lakes) recorded backing vocals in Vancouver remotely for All Returns.

Wolf People have announced a string of UK shows, including a London show before album release:


March 28 BEDFORD, ESQUIRES

March 29 PRESTON, THE CONTINENTAL

March 30 SHEFFIELD, DETESTIVAL AT QUEEN'S SOCIAL CLUB

April 10 LONDON, SEBRIGHT ARMS

Wonder Villains Stream New Single Blonde

Wonder Villains make blistering two minute anti-pop songs full of homemade synth sounds, tight clean guitar riffs and some of the catchiest vocals you’ll hear all year - and which has made them the darlings of the likes of Huw Stephens who picked their new single 'Blonde' for the 'Next Hype' feature slot last month while sitting in for Zane Lowe.

'Blonde' had it's world premiere on Feb 28 on Stephens' own Radio 1 show and is now available to stream below.

The band are brother and sister Kieran and Eimear Coyle, Cheylene Murphy and Ryan McGroarty from Derry. Wonder Villains developed out of Kieran and Eimear playing guitar and singing together as they grew up writing songs about everything going on around them. Cheylene was born into a classical household and spent her day’s playing the violin in orchestras and learning TV themes on the piano. Her inclusion into the band came in 2004, becoming friends with Eimear and turning her attention to jamming in her garage and making podcasts. The Wonder Villains guitarist, Ryan, grew up perfecting the riffs and moves of his heroes KISS and originally jammed with Kieran in a different band until everyone decided that pop was the way forward, and the Wonder Villians were born as we now know them.

Album Review :: Spectres :: Hunger

Spectres

Hunger (Howling Owl Records)

March 11 2013

7/10

Words: David Beech

Being described by Artrocker magazine as a “tornado tearing through a nail factory” while their Facebook bio simply states 'We are loud', Bristol-based four-piece Spectres are making music without compromise. Blending sheer abrasive walls of noise with ephemeral vocals that glide above the face-melting evisceration beneath them, seemingly unfazed. Their sophomore EP entitled 'Hunger' is a step in a more experimental direction after 2011's 'Family' and sees the dichotomy of understated vocals and balls to the wall noise really come to fruition.

The first fully realised track on the album (discounting the 45 second introductory 'Pull') is 'Rattle the Cage'. At it's basest form, this is a traditional rock song. However, add the countless layers of texture, the swirling monolithic white noise, the almost-incomprehensible drums and you have so much more. As with the EP as a whole, there are slower moments here in which the feedback takes a back-seat. Here vocalists Hatt and Frost ask “if you ever feel hunger?” in a slow mournful drawl, before the inevitable happens and the song finishes in a cataclysmic climax of drums, drawls and sheer disregard for their own, or their fans, ears.

'I Was In A Box' starts with some highly atmospheric feedback before launching in to a full frontal aural assault. The song glides and bombs through the course of it's seven minutes but is constantly driven forward by a drum track that merges brilliantly with the periods of intense noise before asserting itself more clearly in rarer melodic instances.

Final track 'Threshing Machine' is just that. It starts of slow and ominous, with some excellent symbols from drummer Andy Came. By two minutes the song has hacked and torn apart any semblance of melody and focuses instead on cranking the amps to 11. Of course, like the songs it proceeds, 'Threshing Machine' has moments of melodic clarity, but before long they're once again stripped away in favour of the stomach churning noise that defines the record. And it's all the better for it.

What's obvious from the get go, is Spectres will undoubtedly have more than their fair share of detractors and they're definitely not a band for everyone. However those with a bit more stomach to them should listen to this EP, three, four even five times before they pass judgement. What they'll find is a record that stretches the band's dynamics to breaking point. There are moments of brief respite littered throughout the course of the five tracks that serve to lull listeners in to a false sense of security before their teeth are shattered and their ears made to bleed by the power, the ferocity and ultimately the talent that went in to making the 'Hunger' EP.

March 8 2013 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Younghusband - Dromes





Hoopla Blue - Holy Ghost





Girl Called Johnny - Heaven Knows





Horse Thief - I Am The Bear





Cold Fields - Egg Shells

Guards Are Ready To GO

Guards release their new single, ‘Ready To Go’ on April 22. It precedes the release of their debut album ‘In Guards We Trust’ on 29th, through Partisan Records.

New York City’s Guards don’t mess around. Their debut album, ‘In Guards We Trust’ erupts from the speakers, a whirlwind of Phil Spector atmospherics, stomping drums, hazy spiralling guitar lines, and harmony-drenched psychedelic pop vocals. The songs harness big hooks and choruses with enough fuzz-pedal to keep things suitably lo-fi, but with more melodies in each song than many bands manage over the course of an album.

“Ready To Go” is a bold, hook-laden pop song drenched in psychedelic guitars. It reverberates with an effortlessness that makes Guards so arresting, and is another fine introduction to this new band.

‘In Guards We Trust’ shares an affinity with sixties pop-psychedelia, and evokes all the colour and imagery of that era. And it’s a record that resonates with the depth and intelligence of musicians that understand and, indeed, trust each other intrinsically.


LIVE DATES:

SXSW - March 15 – Austin TX – Mohawk - Windish Party

April 13/14 – Indio CA – Coachella

April 20/21 – Indio CA – Coachella

May 22 – Barcelona – Primavera Festival

May 25 – London – Field Day Festival


Listen to ''Ready To Go' here