Blog: Music Liberation

We first discovered Californian trio Therapist at the back end of last year with the release of their debut EP ' Heart Beats ' through Indian Gold Records . From that record is the track ' Suicide Box ', which has the honour of being the chosen song for the band's first music video. Shot and edited by Adrian Carmona , it's a relatively simple video yet still manages to ooze cool and show off a band full of punky energy and desire. [...]

We've been following the progress of Derby based twosome Crushing Blows for quite some time now. Last year saw the band release their debut self titled EP, a four track record which showcased a mind inducing blend of intricate guitars, pinpoint drumming, and ghostly vocals, which all hinted at great potential and was certainly heightened when we caught them playing Londons' Old Blue Last to much crowd and critical acclaim. They return in 2012 with a slightly different sound, which is much more complete and demonstrates a [...]

Alby Daniels is a 22 year old self taught musician and producer from London, with his debut EP ' This Dawn ' showcasing his abilities in the electronic music genre. As a record it doesn't fail to deliver, however you can't help but feel that something is missing and it doesn't leave you completely satisfied. The track ' Loss of Ego ' can only be described as an outro, which is something that I can only associate with Hip-Hop albums of the early 2000's and they were just as infuriating back then. The three [...]

Dead Wolf Club are pretty energetic. Single ' Radar ' starts with a lone guitar line that sounds like the song is going to explode into a raging flurry of head-nodding, chaotic rhythms and riffs that will make you want to lose track of space and time in a dingy indie club somewhere off Charing Cross Road as you slowly inhale tequila and cover yourself in a thin balm of stale beer and sickly sweat on a packed dance floor. It's unfortunate then that such a hypnotic climax seems [...]

Dead Wolf Club are pretty energetic. Single ' Radar ' starts with a lone guitar line that sounds like the song is going to explode into a raging flurry of head-nodding, chaotic rhythms and riffs that will make you want to lose track of space and time in a dingy indie club somewhere off Charing Cross Road as you slowly inhale tequila and cover yourself in a thin balm of stale beer and sickly sweat on a packed dance floor. It's unfortunate then that such a hypnotic climax seems [...]

Having made the Music Liberation ' Future Sounds of 2012 ' list, Lucy Rose was a name we were always going to look out for during the year ahead. So when the opportunity came about to catch her playing her largest gig to date at the Jazz Cafe in Camden , we jumped at the chance. Not even the ' heavy onslaught ' of snow which decided to engulf the capital the moment we set off could dampen the spirits and anticipation of checking out the young lady from Warwickshire, who in a [...]

Having made the Music Liberation ' Future Sounds of 2012 ' list, Lucy Rose was a name we were always going to look out for during the year ahead. So when the opportunity came about to catch her playing her largest gig to date at the Jazz Cafe in Camden , we jumped at the chance. Not even the ' heavy onslaught ' of snow which decided to engulf the capital the moment we set off could dampen the spirits and anticipation of checking out the young lady from Warwickshire, who in a [...]

A little while ago an emerging apparel company from the USA called ooShirts.com got in touch to find out whether we would like some Music Liberation tshirts printed. They specialise in creating custom tshirts for their clients, with a user friendly website which makes designing your own professional looking shirts easy. So we gave it a go and were super pleased with the results! The material of the shirt is of a high quality and the logo itself doesnt feel as if it will peel off in the first [...]

Cloud Nothings used to be mediocre. Cloud Nothings used to be forgettable. Cloud Nothings used to be a solo-project. Of their show supporting Crocodiles at the Camden Barfly , this time last year, I referred to their " brand of jangly pop-punk " as " upbeat and energetic but exceptionally bland and generic ". However, Cloud Nothings' new record – ' Attack On Memory ' – is the sound of a band revitalised. It is the sound of a band emerging as vital . [...]

With a slightly odd and potentially unfavourable name, The Cast Of Cheers make up for it somewhat with their brilliant debut single ' Family ', which will be released through School Boy Error / Cooperative Music on February 20th. It's jaunty, mathy, and unquestionably fun, and the video is splendid too. We are very much looking forward to keeping an eye on these guys over the forthcoming months. You can catch them playing alongside Theme Park (who you might recall from making the top 5 of The Blog Sound [...]

Better late than never, here is this years 'Future Sounds' post, which contains a collection of artists we can't wait to hear new material from this year. Hysterical Injury // Facebook / Twitter Ever since we put forward Hysterical Injury for the Emerging Talent Stage for last year's Glastonbury, we've told anyone that will listen just how great they are. At the back end of last year that even included [...]

To round off the Music Liberation's Writers takeover week we have Moker ... "Well this is a little surprising. Looking back at the artists I've managed to review in 2011, the one thing that's abundantly clear is that I've heavily favoured music with female vocals and showgaze, layered guitars. This must be some kind of subconscious shift in my tastes as I'd never have normally ticked such boxes if I had to describe my favourite music. [...]

Here's Clive Rozario with his thoughts on 2011 and his tips for the forthcoming year. "Do you know what I told myself on New Year's Day, 2011? I promised that after burning myself out in 2010 attending endless gigs, squandering (the majority of my) funds on an unnecessary eight festivals, clogging up my accommodation with Cd's that were only used once (to upload to my iPod), and destroying my Mac with an addiction to downloading new music, that I would [...]

Day 2 of the Music Liberation Writers takeover week. Chris Meredith picks his favourite reviews of 2011 and gives us his tips for the year ahead. "My top 3 reviews are: 1) The Bullitts & Jay Electronica – Run and Hide 2) Modual- In all Kinds 3) [...]

The week Music Liberation is being taken over exclusively by its Writers , as I, Mr 'Editor', hang up my boots and have a week off before we get back into the usual new music loving swing of things next week. First up, our newest writer, Tom Nash , kicks things off by choosing his favourite review of 2011. "Coming to the ML team late in the year, I only covered two [...]

Here is the top 5 artists of the The Blog Sound of 2012 ... 1. Friends 2. Theme Park 3. Beth Jeans Houghton 4. French Wives 5. Daughter

1. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints // Reviewed 4th July by Moker "Past Life Martyed Saints is an organic beast, seemingly fluid, changing with each listen. Anderson has gone headfirst into these songs and the results are so honest, so desperate, so vulnerable that by the time the superbly somber and well placed ' Red Star ' unfolds as the closing track, you'll feel dazed; plunged into Anderson's crazy world and gently escorted out the other side once [...]

1. Daughter - The Wild Youth // Reviewed 9th December by Jon Sidwell "Elena and Igor have an ear to create space within their music, moments where their instruments can breath and the listener can fully appreciate the beauty that is being played out before them. The poignant combination of Elena's lingering vocals and the delicate acoustic/electric guitars demonstrate how simplicity in music is something to be applauded." || Daughter [...]

We begin our round up of this year with our top 5 tracks that we reviewed in 2011. This will be followed later this week by our top 5 EPs, Music Liberation writers picks of the year, and finally our top 10 albums of the year... 1. Cloud Nothings - No Future / No Past // Reviewed November 18th by Jon Sidwell "Beginning in a haunting fashion with distant [...]

Merry Christmas from Music Liberation... Lucy Rose - Driving Home For Christmas by weaponofchoice