Haerts' previous single, 'Wings', was without doubt one of our favourite singles of last year and on it the group displayed 'a Haim-ish bop indebted to Fleetwood Mac, sunset drives and a delicious groove.' Their new cut, 'All My Days', premiered today over on Elle and the results are once again rather charming. Showcasing a darker side of the group than the sunshine-inspired 'Wings', this has a subtle sinister streak running through its bouncy blood. There is something about Nini Fabi's voice that makes us sit up and take notice. That it's sitting [...]
It's almost unbelievable to think that The Old Silent have only been an actual, like, existing band since February of this year. What's so incredibly exciting is that their debut single, released on 17th June, shows so much damn promise. Consisting of four gents from the Liverpool music scene that at last seem to have struck on a winning formula, The Old Silent are an alluring mix of grungy guitars, folky harmonies and wistful melodies. According the group themselves, 'Ill Wind' is "a song about a time when I was feeling restless and anxious about [...]
We love interesting projects. And DAVIDS, whose tunes dropped into our inbox today with a particularly engaging note, certainly seems like an interesting project. Hailing from Canada and going only by the name of DAVIDS, this is the product of a move back into his parent's house and features vocals from Mitch Bowden. As to who DAVIDS consists of - well, we're not too sure yet, but they drop their debut EP on 4th June. The video to 'Dead Walkie', which was shot in Lyon, directed by Christopher Mills (Interpol, Broken Social Scene, Modest Mouse, Rush) [...]
"It’s just two sides to the same coin so two different perspectives concerning the one same story. And when you see it that way... I dunno – there are so many ways to look at one thing, and it’s very sad that we like to put everything in little boxes and name them." Like it or in the case of Alex Zhang Hungtai loathe it, we're lumped with this monstrous modern-day predilection for compartmentalisation. Call it a reluctance to accept the unknown, or accredit it to a crippling fear of an unexplored other though that's the [...]
Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter have, needless to say, predominated over the music news for the duration of this past month or so, even making deathly black headlines in the wake of the untimely demise of sporadic collaborator Anthony Moore, aka Romanthony. The vocalist eminently immortalised on what remains arguably their most stellar hit to date in One More Time, it therefore feels somewhat fitting that the truly blinding instances of galactic brilliance here compiled should be those which feature the multifarious, if in some cases questionable vocal talents of contemporary players from Julian Casablancas, to Noah Lennox. [...]
Back in his native Australia Matt Corby’s last EP, 2011′s Into The Flame , went quadruple platinum, not bad for a 23-year-old who finished second on Australian Idol in 2007. Boasting model looks, a voice that could melt butter and being backed by the ever-wonderful people at Communion we’re gonna state the obvious and say the future looks incredibly bright for Mr Corby over here on these shores. After a plethora of EPs throughout the last few years, it would appear that Corby is finally knuckling down on a proper debut album. Today he releases [...]
"Not enough has emerged to be able to pinpoint whether MS MR are the real deal or predictable bullshit. One thing’s for sure though, they’re pretty MOR..." MS MR | Secondhand Rapture The elusive MS MR are part of the latest gloom brigade to break out from the waiting room of future talent, and as with most hyped-up fledging acts they have been charged with the over-familiar fate of ‘saving pop’. Their entry into the musicsphere was in the same vein as Lana Del Rey; opting not to release too much information too early on, letting [...]
"Get inside, and light it, see cash/ Cross your legs, break your neck." So trills When Saints Go Machine's Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild during Love And Respect – the Killer Mike-featuring opener to their third full-length record, Infinity Pool . We're diving in at the deep end; joining the great Danish eccentrics on another voyage across the bedazzling spectrum of pop surreality. But as the album ignites, has it taken a turn for the darker, and indeed more oppressive as the lead single appears to suggest? With lyrics of snapped rachides [...]
"Crystal Fighters have one of the top albums of the summer, and possibly even of all 2013, so there can be no doubt that they got it right…even if it did take them almost three years..." Crystal Fighters | Cave Rave It is fairly routine for a band’s sound to evolve in between their initial album and subsequent efforts. This is especially true when the band in question take a lengthier period of time in crafting their follow-up, such as the three years it took for Crystal Fighters to create Cave Rave . Successor to [...]
The Weeknd's Abel Tesfaye is finally readying the release of his debut album proper, after the mixtape sagas of 2011 and 2012. 'Kiss Land' - the title track from it - is the first glimpse we've been given. A sprawling, eight-minute epic, it is a fascinating listen complete with twists and turns, odd samples and of course, Tesfaye's mesmerising croon. Amazingly, earlier this year The Weeknd announced an arena tour of the UK, a bold move for such a new artist but it pretty much encapsulates the confidence that drips throughout his work. Listen [...]
Every now and then a first single comes around that is so assured, so positive, so damn good that it stops you in your tracks. LA four-piece Smallpools have just unleashed one of them. Let's get this straight, 'Dreaming' isn't going to change the world - it's not trying to - but it is going to put a spring in the step and a smile on the face of an awful lot of people. It's had 20,000 plays on Soundcloud in 2 days for Pete's sake. Pete will probably like it too. 'Dreaming' is a near [...]
'Random Access Memories sees Daft Punk attempt to take dance music forward by looking back, presenting a love letter to the 19702s enveloped in electronic modernity...' Daft Punk | Random Access Memories Lets be honest, Daft Punk’s inevitable comeback was never going to be a restrained and subtle affair, but no one could of predicted the wave of anticipation that has engulfed us all in the last few months. Since March alone, the robots have managed to pretty much break the internet with a 15 second instrumental hook, make Giorgio Moroder one of the most in-demand men [...]
As we slowly but surely reach summer (well, the clocks have gone forward at least), the subconscious search begins for a band who can soundtrack those midsummer nights and make your overcast BBQ feel a bit more cinematic. Luckily, we may have found a sunset montage worthy future in Embers. They haven't been around for long, but the Manchester quartet already have a majestic, fully formed sound, which is perhaps why we're so excited for their forthcoming new single which hit the web yesterday. 'Part Of The Echoes' is vast and grandiose, making an impact with urgent vocals [...]
As we slowly but surely reach summer (well, the clocks have gone forward at least), the subconscious search for a band who can soundtrack those midsummer nights and make your overcast BBQ feel a bit more cinematic begins. Luckily, we may have found a sunset montage worthy future in Embers. They haven't been around for long, but the Manchester quartet already have a majestic, fully formed sound, which is perhaps why we're so excited for their forthcoming new single which hit the web yesterday. 'Part Of The Echoes' is vast and grandiose, making an impact with urgent vocals that [...]
There aren't many things more on trend right now than a Brooklyn synth-pop duo, which is good news for Holy Ghost because that happens to be exactly what they are. Having impressed with 20112s self-titled debut album the pair are back armed with a new record, Dynamics , set for release this autumn. It's first single, 'Dumb Disco Ideas', is a glorious, glorious thing. It starts in modest LCD Soundsystem-esque pop song trappings and over the course of its eight minutes develops into something utterly transcendent. The video, which delightfully uses New York [...]
San Fransisco duo The Dodos release new album, Carrier , in August and have today unveiled it's first single, 'Confidence'. The release is the first of the band's since the passing of touring guitarist Christopher Reimer in February of last year and singer Meric Long has explained the influence of Reimer on the new material. “Chris was a huge influence on the way I think about guitar, songwriting, and music in general,” reveals Long. “Seeing how he could transform and shape sound with an electric guitar inspired me to [...]
Unless you're a dedicated soul connoisseur , you probably only know Mayer Hawthorne from his feat. on Sebastian's brilliant 'Love In Motion' back in 2011. Well, this guy and his smooth voice have been around for a while, with three albums to his name and a string of guest appearance and production credits to boot. Although we haven't really covered Hawthorne's music before, seeing Jessie Ware's name (we know you've heard of her) got our ears pricked, as the Mercury Award nominated songstress has a pretty great track record when it comes to collaborations. The pair have worked together on [...]
Oxford four-piece MMX released their debut EP earlier this year. A collection of ice cold synth-pop beauties, these are dark diamonds that shine very brightly. The group have just unveiled a video for it's closing track, 'Ritual'. The monchrome clip sees the band perform the track in near darkness, which nicely captures the sound of this nocturnal noise. The track itself is strong. Shards of synth and spacey guitar weave in and out of each other underneath an emotive, soaring vocal. Basically, it's really good yeh. MMX's Child EP is out now [...]
In just under a week The 1975 release the last of four EPs that will preceed their debut album, scheduled for release in September. We've already heard the EP's thumping lead single, 'The City' - which we were very honoured to premiere - as well as the echoey dream-pop of 'Haunt // Bed' . Now comes 'fallingforyou'. When we've chatted with the band they've been keen to express that these EPs showcase two very different sides of the band: the radio friendly and the opaque; the atmospheric. This certainly falls into the latter [...]
There's an inimitable off-kilt pop dexterity to all that Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild's When Saints Go Machine contrive to fabric, and no longer is Iodine merely 'a chemical element with symbol I and atomic number 532 but instead also a massive splash from the Danes' forthcoming third, Infinity Pool . It's a record which, released in conjunction with EMI, may see the Scandinavian eccentrics enter into a more widespread cognisance and along with the Killer Mike-featuring Love And Respect , Iodine is an incontrovertible highlight that serves as a nebulous billow of avant-garde suavity pumped out of the experimental [...]
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Thursday Music News
[Listen] Stream Disclosure's Infectious New Single "When A Fire Starts To Burn"
