Blog: Mad Mackerel's Blog

Firstly, a great name. We have a strange fondness for bands with Owls in their title, and Owls Of The Swamp don't disappoint on any level. In truth it is the atmospheric indie-folk project of Australian songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Pete Uhlenbruch. Following the release of 20112s much vaunted Go With River album, he has returned with a gorgeous new single, The Hypnotist which tells the story of a haunted relationship between a hypnotist and his estranged lover. It is a masterpiece of elegiac fingerpicked folk, softly spun melody, and ghostly backing vocals from special [...]

Our videos today come from Grandchildren , Fenster, Cheek Mountain Thief and Wax Fang. Grandchildren kick us off with a surreal trip through a forest of stuffed animals accompanying their otherworldly tune Sunrise.  And talking of surreal, next is Fenster's brilliantly animated video for Spring Break , a trip that ranges from parties on the back of a killer whale, people being zombified by tainted "Dude Ale", humans being turned into dogs, killer dolphins, and the most outlandish scenes from a party poisoned by bath-salts. [...]

We posted the video for Strange Bones by The Outfit recently, which came from their 2011 release Broken West Wishbone Test . However, new track Caesar is their first for two years and is an excellent combination of slick guitar riffs, echoing garage-rock tones, and boisterous harmonies. Stream it below, or just go and grab it for a pay-what-you-want deal from Bandcamp here . Follow @madmackerel

Super Lonely will release their debut album  Attachments on the 9th April. The album will be released digitally and physically on a very limited number of hand decorated flash drives available from Ernest Jenning Record Co. and at live Super Lonely performances. Super Lonely is the solo project of Joel Bravo, guitarist and lead singer of Vancouver, BC's The Albertans . The lead track from the album, also titled Super Lonely is a first class excursion into indie rock territory and bodes very well for the album [...]

The excellently named Lost Souls Club have followed up the success of their recent High Noon EP by making this track, the also excellently named Son, You Look Like You Need Jesus as a name-your-price download from Bandcamp . While comparisons to the White Stripes, the Black Keys and Nick Cave are legitimate enough, don't be fooled into thinking this is mere imitation. No sir! Taking its cue from the darker end of the psych-blues spectrum, this track gleefully careers off the road into the verge, happily [...]

Having released his debut record, Songs of Praise and Scorn , last year to a flurry of critical praise, Christopher Paul Stelling now presents us with his follow-up, False Cities , to be released on May 21, via Mecca Lecca Recording Co (US) and Dollartone (Canada and Europe). However, all pre-orders will receive an immediate download of the record - you can pre-order from his Bandcamp page here . Even more so than his debut, this is a record with teeth. It holds on desperately in spite of it all. Relentless in both [...]

Raspberry is a new track from Sun Angle off their upcoming debut album Diamond Junk , out May 7th. Confidently treading a fine line between chaos and pop, the band blend raucous layers of sound, frenetic energy, and SST style punk under a surrealistic wash of psychedelia - unique doesn't come close to describing it. Have a listen. Follow @madmackerel

Our videos today come from Great Peacock ,  Decades ,  Golden Rabbit and Wavves. Great Peacock ooze the authentic sounds of the deep south with their new video for Family Home , then for contrast we have the kaleidoscopic In Sequins from Decades . Watch the snowy road trip from Manchester to London that makes up Golden Rabbit's video for I Saw Red (and grab her Radiohead cover of Thinking Of You at the same time) and finally [...]

Weirds are four disenchanted teenagers with a penchant for the disturbed. That fact alone was bound to be enough to get our interest. Having launched some neo-psych demos on the unsuspecting world, they have quickly followed these up by recording their debut track Crocodile with MJ of the excellent Hookworms. We will have to wait until May to see the band formally venture into the public domain with their debut single release under Nottingham label Denizen Recordings . It will feature Crocodile and [...]

The compilation The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver  sees an official release today and features artists including Sharon Van Etten, J Mascis, Evan Dando, Lucinda Williams, Josh Ritter, Emmylou Harris and many more reinterpreting some of the pop icon's classic tunes. Listen to a few choice selections from it below and order it via iTunes (USA)  here . Follow @madmackerel

New York based five piece  Hey Anna joyfully bring you the salty shores of the coasts and the fast-paced excitement of the city. Featuring three sisters and two long-time friends, they play a mixture of intimate vocal harmonies perched atop poppy folkish melodies that meet soaring, atmospheric alt rock. The sisters swap lead vocals and instruments, with Anna and Erin Rauch-Sasseen on keyboards/rhythm guitar and Katie on the bass. Completing the band on lead guitar and drums, Andrew Smolin and Matthew Langner energize the outfit with their enduring hooks, restless drive and intricate, foot-stomping rhythms. [...]

We were big fans of Hailer's  single  Spooky Clams, which was a regular on the MM turntable at the end of 2012, so we have no excuse for taking so long to give their long player Another Way a proper spin. From the slightly sinister, metronomic swell of opener Stroke Of The Night to the closing croon of Two Feet, the record more than lives up to expectations. The band happily mix rock, pop, psychedelia and krautrock, shaping and bending the ingredients to meet their will and creating something as unusual [...]

Wild Wild Wets  have been honing their sound along the west coast for over a year now, tripping out audiences with their freaked out psych pop and their latest EP Criminal Blue is released on the 20th April via Grizzly Records . Order it here . Listen to the title track below. Follow @madmackerel

Here are the very best of our downloads from March's posts together with a few new tunes for your listening pleasure. So close to 30 tracks in all - a perfect playlist to kick off April. Quite Parade - Edge of the Ocean A perfectly judged slice of Canadian indie rock, it is an anthem about a dying town that seems hopeless but is still worth fighting for. . Conner Youngblood - Vegas Kicks off with some ominous ringing guitar over [...]

Today, dive into videos from Young Rival ,  Big Deal, The Boxer Rebellion and Choir Of Young Believers . First, watch the most inventive video we've seen all year from Young Rival for their track Two Reasons , which takes face painting to a whole new level (especially the baboon's arse at 26 seconds in). Next we have  Big Deal's trippy, surreal road trip for In Your Car , and indie rockers  The Boxer Rebellion's stark and emotive film for new track Diamonds , and lastly the orchestral [...]

In contrast to our post about Rosy Street earlier today, Deadbeat Echoes occupy the more frenetic end of the musical spectrum and their most recent single No Bones released last week has much to commend it. It is a pulsing, menacing slab of punk inspired indie rock that perhaps has the Dead Kennedys as its closest touch point as needling guitars duel and the drums sweep all before it in a overwhelming tide of percussion. The b-side, if anything, is even better, a pulverising, bruising take-no-prisoners anthem that [...]

Despite Rosy Street hailing from New York, they eschew the buzz of the metropolis to mine an altogether more rural, twangy seam of music with gorgeous pedal steel and deep, deliberate vocals that evoke Leonard Cohen. Currently they only seem to have two tracks streaming on Bandcamp , and bar a Tumblr blog and Facebook page , not a lot more information is available. However,  both tracks really are excellent and are well worth spending some time with. One of our favourite discoveries of the month - [...]

London garage rockers Hollow Giants recently released a tasty double A sided single titled Panic Bill / Brother. Have a listen and also grab a free download of earlier release Dreams/Fears . Follow @madmackerel

This week, Steady Sun released Eyes Wide , it is apparently the second single off of their upcoming album Good Evening . We don't have much information about them, but sometimes the music is good enough to do all the talking and this is one of those times. It is a lovely blend of gentle psychedelia and pastoral folk and can be yours on a pay-whatever-you-want deal. . Follow @madmackerel

Some cracking videos for some cracking songs today. Delta Spirit have offered up their video for Yamaha and   Sad Baby Wolf have a live performance of their cover of a Jesus & Mary Chain classic. Singer-songwriter  Sam Sallon's animated video for You May Not Mean To Hurt Me (But You Do) is well worth watching, and The   Whispering Tree's video for Where Have You Gone comes from their forthcoming Escape EP. [...]