"PSB take sampling to another level, adding on the one hand the jazz-infused drums of Wrigglesworth, and on the other an intricate net of banjo, guitars and electronic instruments..." Public Service Broadcasting | Inform-Educate-Entertain If this writer had to describe Public Service Broadcasting to some of her ‘musically unenlightened friends’, they’d be something like “the gold-diggers of electronic music”. In fact, the London-base duo comprised of Willgoose, Esq. and Wrigglesworth effortlessly evades genre classification, meshing electronica, bluegrass, ambient and neo-post-rock. However, there is much more to taste, when it comes to Public Service Broadcasting’s debut [...]
"It is a bold move and an unprecedented one; this might be the first Gallagher-related release where the act has been nudged out its zone of comfort..." Beady Eye | BE “It’s better to burn out, than to fade away”, warned Neil Young in 1979. As loud-mouthed, drug-dabbling, bar-brawling Liam Gallagher burst onto the scene with Oasis in 1994, few would have been surprised to see him disappear at the peak of Britpop; in a spiraling cloud of excessive money, models and cocaine. However, nearly twenty years on, the younger Gallagher is still here [...]
California four-piece Trails and Ways have become something of a favourite of ours. Their infectiously sunny melodies have made previous singles - 'Mtn Tune', 'Border Crosser' and 'Nunca' - joys to behold that pitch them somewhere between Vampire Weekend and Local Natives, if both were even sunnier than they already are. The group are readying the release of their new EP, Trilingual , on the 11th June and have just unveiled further single, 'Come Te Vas'. Ian from the band explains the meaning behind the song: "It's i nspired by Emma's last days before leaving Spain, cold-water [...]
Prince Edward Island quartet Paper Lions release their new album, My Friends , in August and ahead of time have released its first single, 'Philadelphia' as a free download. Beginning with their four voice singing acapella before entering into a booming, fuzzy guitar riff, it doesn't sound a million miles from what Fleet Foxes would sound like if they spent their childhoods listening exclusively to Weezer. So in love with them are we that we interviewed the band recently in a lovely little Introducing peice , during which guitarist Colin Buchanan assured us that [...]
We're always a bit sceptical of artists that shroud themselves in mystery. Other than the fact it's ridiculously hard to write anything about them, the whole 'no name/no contact info' persona is simply rather annoying, and more overdone than the first sausages at a BBQ. We cant hold Fyfe's mystery against him though, as it turns out the distinct lack of information before last year's 'Solace EP' was more of a communication breakdown than PR stunt, as Paul Dixon (formerly of David's Lyre fame) chose to plug his own work rather than hire someone else. Now the [...]
The return of White Lies somewhat caught us by surprise earlier today, as we were suddenly transported back to 2007 and the catchy chorus hook of breakthrough single 'Death' began to ring around our heads all over again, not to mention the memories of countless festival crowds singing out of time to 'To Lose My Life'. It would be fair to say that the three piece failed to capture the raw intensity that oozed out of tracks from their debut album on their follow up (20102s 'Ritual'), and instead attempted a new grandiose style that ultimately fell flat [...]
The French Lycee school in Kensington, London, doesn't have the best record of churning out musical greats. In fact, their only notable graduate (on the musical front) has been, er, Mika. Anglo-French six piece The Night VI are out to change all that, and are the latest recruits to the time-honoured Parlophone label who are releasing their debut EP later this summer. They're going to smash it too, because debut single 'Thinking of You' shows more than a sliver of mesmerising promise. Bobbing along neatly on an almost Motown-esque backline, guitars shimmer over the top, as [...]
There are many good things about May ending. Firstly, the weather here in London has been ludicrously terrible. More importantly though, stumbling into June means that we can finally make our Summer Playlist. Summer is perhaps the season linked to music more strongly than any of the others. Whether it's festivals, outdoor stadium gigs, or simply listening to some tunes in the park, there is undoubtedly a very strong connection. There is also some amazing music kicking around at the moment, which is why we've scooped it up and stored it in one place for you. [...]
Brighton's Great Escape festival always seems to bring a fresh crop of artists that were seldom heard of before the festival season, yet will no doubt dominate the summer ahead of them, a fact that makes us kick ourselves year in year out. This year that mantle falls onto 'Straw Bear', a five piece from Cambridgeshire who you will no doubt confuse with every other band that have 'bear' in their name, yet will become a must-have on your summer playlists. In the wake of an acclaimed performance on the BBC Introducing Stage at TGE and [...]
Brighton's Great Escape festival always seems to bring a fresh crop of artists that were seldom heard of before the festival season, yet will no doubt dominate the summer ahead of them, a fact that makes us kick ourselves year in year out. This year that mantle falls onto 'Straw Bear', a five piece from Cambridgeshire who you will no doubt confuse with every other band that have 'bear' in their name, yet will become a must-have on your summer playlists. In the wake of an acclaimed performance on the BBC Introducing Stage at TGE and [...]
If you haven't heard of The 1975 yet, you either A) have never visited this website before, or B) haven't turned on a radio for the last six months. Each single from the floppy haired Manchester quartet seems to take them into huger venues, with a sold out Shepherds Bush Empire show set for September and a Brixton Academy gig on the horizon, along with appearances on the biggest festival stages this summer, all before the long awaited debut album drops in the autumn. Needless to say, they're one of the most talked about bands in [...]
Fresh from supporting the likes of Jake Bugg and Tom Odell tomorrow 19-year-old Londoner Misty Miller releases her second EP, Next To You , which is full of earthy rock n roll and headstrong melodies. Case in point is the single 'Anything For You', a two-and-a-half minute stab of bassy rockabilly. Throughout it Miller showcases her straight-down-the-line, unfussy vocal style while showcasing her knack of writing melodies that will stay in your head for days on end. It's the sound of a very promising young talent. Listen to 'Anything For You' below, and [...]
If the likes of Savages and PINS are anything to go by, 2013 is most definitely the year of 'Girl Power's' return (in a post-punk sense of course). The latter broke through last year with the visceral 'LuvU4Lyf EP', a series of tracks that found an immersive quality through the ample use of reverb and distortion against a gritty, charmingly angered vocal style. Since then, the Manchester four piece have lost a drummer, replaced her, and started to prepare a debut album set for release later this year on Bella Union, reigniting the hype by dropping [...]
We've got a huge soft spot for bands that describe themselves as power-pop. Pretence free and sure of melody, there is usually gold to be found by mining an often overlooked (here in the UK at least) sub-genre. Prince Edward Island quartet Two Hours Traffic are the perfect example. They released their fourth album, Foolish Blood , earlier this year, a record chock-full of top down, road trip FM pop-rock that sounds magical when the sun is out. 'Last Star' neatly captures this. It's subtle, chiming guitar lines and classic smart-casual chorus are reminiscent of [...]
"It takes the listener places he has never been before, and produces deep-seated reactions throughout. It is entirely new and exciting. Field in Reeds is a complete success on all levels..." These New Puritans | Field of Reeds For a group whose prior work has relied so heavily on programmed beats and maximalist compositions, London-based These New Puritans have made drastic changes on their third album, Field of Reeds . This nine song collection is something of a curveball, if not a full blown departure from their previous releases, showcasing markedly sparse percussion, and less [...]
"I think it's more exciting than ever to be in a band. If you are smart and ambitious, the possibilities are pretty much endless..." Colin Buchanan, Paper Lions. Every band is shaped by their past experiences, both as individuals and a collective. This is particularly true of Prince Edward Island quartet Paper Lions. A complicated and at times soul-sapping backstory that involves a name change, signing to a label only to receive none of the sales money, releasing copious amounts of free material and EPs, and eventually splitting from said label, the group are, almost six [...]
"The expanded line up of synths, drums and female backing vocals free his tracks from the limits of bedroom production and create a more refined sense of dread..." Ghostpoet | Gorilla, Manchester 28.05.13 For most performers, tiredness is something to be avoided at all costs; purged by excessive amounts of caffeine and onstage adrenaline. With Ghostpoet, fatigue is all part of the experience. ‘I don’t want to be hit by any beer cans,’ he tells us a few songs in, ‘I’m too tired to dodge tonight’ . It may be a strange admission [...]
"It’s been a masterful performance, and one that will sound fantastic when booming around the country’s arenas, which is surely where it will take them..." The 1975 | Heaven, London 29.05.13 “We’ve come a long way in a little time”, says The 1975 singer Matt Healy to Heaven, the modest-but-by-no-means-tiny venue playing host to the penultimate date of a sold-out UK tour. He’s not wrong either. A trip to London as recent as December of last year saw the Manchester group playing in the 200 capacity Barfly. Not even six months later and [...]
If 'anti-folk' is a thing, then Marika Hackman is the definition of it. Offering a much deeper perspective than her acoustic melodies would initially have you believe, the 21 year old has been at the centre of some justified hype recently, her mini album 'That Iron Taste' receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews since its release back in February. New single 'Bath Is Black' is the latest track from Hackman's mini album to be given a confusing, borderline repulsive video accompaniment, as the clip features gangsters, lapdancing, and black bath water (everything you would expect from a folk video then). [...]
Gold Panda is readying the release of his second album, Half of Where You Live , which is due out on June 10th. We've already heard the wonderful 'Brazil', and now comes its follow-up single 'We Work Nights', which has hit us hard. Middle-eastern guitar and what sound like flutes flutter over the top of a tight, almost thin digital groove, giving the track an atmoshpere that is hard to pin down. That it never lets itself settle before thrusting more sounds (dying cat vibes anyone?) and ideas down your earhole only adds to the charm. [...]
When The Gramophone Rings
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Jerome LOL – Tell U.
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Free Spirit
