20-something Minnesota born Collin Ward, better known on the dream-pop scene as Observer Drift , and creator of bedroom-recorded shoegaze gem ‘Corridors’, and recently released EP ‘Fjords’, is a multi-talented singer/songwriter and producer whose lo-fi, electronic beats and gritty, synth-driven grooves are causing quite a cosmic stir. Observer Drift’s brand of pensive and wistful reverb-rammed, synth-stylings was first introduced to us in 2012 in the form of self-recorded debut LP ‘Corridors’. This corker of a debut, created in quite the DIY fashion, exposes not only Ward’s penchant for hazy electronica and meditative lyricism, but his unique [...]
Singing songs of a tormented past beyond her 21 years, Annie Eve has a debut EP this week on the ever lovely Young & Lost . There is soft desperation in her voice, that seems to be her outlet to stop the world swallowing her whole, as she intertwines heart-one-your-sleeve blues, and something much more personal and introverted. At her best on the stripped back Hunters, she is both magical and manic. [BUY] Annie Eve - Annie Eve EP from iTunes or AmazonMP3 [...]
Sometimes you wake up on a Monday morning, it's grey and dreary outside, and it's all a bit depressing. There is constant conflict in the world, and a monotony to our daily lives it is hard to escape. And then you remember just how amazing it is that we sit on this blue planet it the vast eternity of space, a place teaming with life and ready to give you everything you have ever wanted. Leon Else 's warm, beautiful, and reminds us that we're all here together making the same mistakes and we should [...]
We've got a great prize today for you lovely lot - a pair of Gemini HSR-1000 headphones . They offer low distortion with their 53mm drivers, along with a rich full bodied sound profile with their PET diaphragms. Clever. They've been kindly provided by the folk from HiFi Tower who also provide cheap hifi speakers for your next party if you're in need. All you need to do to enter, is like us and HiFi Tower on Facebook and follow us both on Twitter. Easy. Even easier - you can do it [...]
There are few topics of interest that musicians haven’t covered in song, but love, loss and heartbreak seem to be the most popular choice of topic, a topic that singer songwriter Richard Smith ( Facebook / Twitter ) is comfortable and familiar with. Describing his music as “melodic dark tales of love and loss” Smith sets the mood locking into his sincere and melancholic side. Heading down the Bon Iver route Ricahrd shut himself away in a dark bleak room in his native Sunderland for 6 months, following on from his warmly received 2012 debut two-tracker, "Autumn is [...]
It seems we're on a roll with our favourite bands and artists releasing new tunes recently, with Arthur Beatrice today offering a stream of Carter (Cut), the first release from their upcoming Carter EP. It has the same hypnotic rhythms that you've come to expect from the band, with the sound groove getting under your skin. And then there's Ella Girardot's rich and sultry vocals, which interplay with a 90s house piano line. They sound like no-one else around at the moment, and I for one, can't wait to hear the rest of the record. [...]
I had heard that Walrus favourite Tea Leigh had been in the studio recording both some new tunes and some new versions of old gems. For a musician whose lofi recordings I fell in love with, there was a worry in the back of my mind that the studio polishing would rub away some of the very parts that made it so special. I was relieved, then, when I first wrapped my ears around the studio Rushing In. More than that actually, it feels like a whole new song, yes without that smokefilled haze of the demo, but [...]
We got all hot under the collar about the rich beauty of Laura Welsh 's voice back in march last year, when the demo of Ghosts reached the interweb. She was also one of my picks for 2013 , and with her output so far this year I couldn't be happier with that roll of the dice. Back in March she collaborated with Dev Hynes on the slow sensual groove of Unravel, and now she's back with the subtle electronic delight of Cold Front. Oh, and it's only been produced by Walrus favourite [...]
It was around this time last year that we were introduced to a scrawny 18 year old kid from Nottingham called Jake Bugg. His nostalgic twany guitar pop generated a mass surge of interest and positive reviews from the music press. His influence lay in the heart and sound of 1960’s garage rock soul and the east coast folk stylising of Bob Dylan. I now want to introduce you to a man named Ian Lipson( Facebook / Twitter ). Hailing from the sunny dwellings of San Diego California comes the impressive tangled vocals of this charming singer/song writer. A talented [...]
V V Brown has decided to take her music in somewhat of a different direction to her earlier material, a direction that is defined by a darker almost art-house vibe. This thunderous slice of angst, Samson , is the first single to come from her upcoming album Samson & Delilah in September, and it's fantastic. Alongside the single, we've also got the premier of an hallucinogenic remix from Dedmon Diagrams V V Brown - Samson was originally published [...]
Once a groove gets into my head, it rolls around in there for days, something I blame for the far too common occurrence of me zoning out only to find my foot tapping to the beat. So it was with Jungle 's debut track Platoon which manages to find an electronic soul with its laid back groove and silky smooth vocals. Jungle's Platoon/Drops debut single will be released on the ever impressive Chess Club Records on 15/07 Introducing: Jungle was originally published [...]
We've been more than a little bit in love with Daughter on these pages over the last few years, with Elena Tonra's fragile voice never losing its beauty. I will admit, however, that I never expected to see her tracks remade in such a way that gets your foot tapping along with smooth electronic goodness, but that is exactly what Australian producer Ta-ku has done with Love. Calling his re-imagining LOVE LOST, Ta-Ku builds Tonra's voice and subtle guitar work into his own electronic landscape, punctuated with thumps. Oh the track is [...]
Swords have been slowly building a wave on enthusiasm as one of those new breed of acts from Ireland that are casting off the restraints of strumming and boybands and really finding their own sound. Whether it's Diane Anglim's rich vocals mesmerising you on Special, or the pop licks and foot-tapping groove of All The Boys, Swords are marking themselves out as a pop band to keep an eye on. Photo by Dara Munnis Photography [...]
Giant Fang – aka Glasgow’s newest music and production beacon Doug Wilson – has delivered an overwhelmingly powerful slice of euphoric pop in forthcoming single ‘Aqualung’. Released on June 23rd via Pop unLTD, the song is punctuated with swirling electronics, twinkling melodies and a rousing, stadium sized chorus – all of which are themes present in the second Giant Fang track that is available to stream online, titled ‘Kingdom’. Having already been lauded by Huw Stephens and Radio 1, it’s safe to assume that Mister Wilson has an exciting summer ahead of him, starting with the first full-band Giant [...]
Crystal Fighters remain one of the most exciting live acts around at the moment, seamlessly gliding from sun-kissed pop to dancefloor magic. Now they're back with a new track from their upcoming album Rave Cave in the form of LA Calling. Outside it may as well be autumn in London, but this is pure sunshine and grins from ear to ear. Rave Cave is due for release on 27th May with the band playing an actual rave in a cave in the Basque countryside near Pamplona, Navarre on 27th August . [...]
It sometimes feels all bit strange when things just fall into place. It was not even 24 hours after one of my friends (hello Claire) was explaining to me why I should check out The Graphite Set , did their debut EP drop through my letterbox. If that's not the universe telling me to turn up the stereo and have a listen then I don't know what is. The EP itself, These Streets , will be released by Thumbscrew Music on 3rd June, and sees Lily Buchanan's rich thunderous voice paired with some grungy blues and [...]
My introduction to Amber States was the fantastic Son of a Gun that I picked up on the Teeth Records Grapefruit compilation , and it soundtracked that summer for me pretty damn perfectly. Now with Breathe in the Water , their euphoric/melancholic sounds will be soundtracking the sunshine in 2013 as well. We've had the track on repeat since the showed off a video of them playing on the busk barge back in February , but its getting a proper release on May 22nd and comes with a hazy 90s sun-kissed video that [...]
Just a couple of days after I found my groove listening to Sydney-based producer Isaac Tichauer 's Take Over You (thanks Jamila ), the fine folks at French Express have decided to give away his whole Take Over You EP for the fine price of free. You can't help but love a label like French Press , who so consistently release highly acclaimed records for free to the masses. The five tracks of Isaac Tichauer's Take Over You EP has all the trappings of a classic house record from the deep deep intoxicating rhythms, hypnotic [...]
Lancastrian Rob St John has been on my radar for a while with his creaking, stripped back psych-folk recordings, but I've always found his songs a little too sparse for me to fully embrace. By reworking the traditional song of his county in Charcoal Black and the Bonny Grey, however, I have finally found a path into his sound. This was a song of the industrial revolution originally sung to Cecil Sharp by J Collinson of Casterton, Lancashire in 1905, and is the sound of worlds colliding. A world of folk music traditions , with movements of urgency, [...]
There’s a famous saying that too many cooks spoil the broth, meaning too many people working at once on same thing can ruin the task in hand. Too many elements working together at the same time conflicting against one another. The same can be said when it comes to making music, with so many ideas and egos floating about there is bound to be some hostility and they do say sometimes less can be more. This advice is not always seen to be true. Take for example bands like The Polyphonic Spree, Arcade Fire and Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic [...]
The Blue Walrus
Mikky Ekko – Kids
Holy living fuck the new Die Antwoord video is intense
Craziest Horse: The 15-Minute Like A Hurricane From Berlin
And now James Franco would like you to give him some money please
