Yeah, this is what happens when you're picking up after a couple of weeks - so many new tracks pile up and so little time to go into detail about them all.
Anna B Savage - Agnes
From third album You & i are Earth, out 24th January, a track featuring Irish folkie Anna Mieke on an album partially about Savage's move to Ireland and as spectral as ever even as the surroundings blossom outwards.
Beckon - Hands
Second single from next week's debut album Between The Bridge And Tree.
Bon Iver - THINGS BEHIND THINGS BEHIND THINGS
The most early trad Bon Iver track from his new EP SABLE,
Clarissa Connelly - Give It Back
Already a new track after the underrated album from earlier this year World Of Work, unspooling art-folk delicacy.
Fightmilk - Yearning And Pining
Last single from No Souvenirs, out 15th November. Did we mention they're not only playing next March's Leicesterval but the Sunday for which tickets, unlike the Saturday/full weekend, are still available?
Heartworms - Warplane
Finally an album coming, Glutton For Punishment on 7th February.
Laurence-Anne - Melancolia
La Sécurité - Detour
Pulling double duty in signpost new singles, firstly a dreamy, lovelorn song in Spanish (!), then the post-B-52s/Le Tigre art-punk collective she belongs to are newly signed to Bella Union and heading to the sprung dancefloor.
lobby - folding out
Goat Girl's Lottie Pendlebury is half of a duo that initially locate themselves amid the popular slowcore lot but meander and develop, with we detect a little Delgados influence, through string motifs and another bloody saxophone into a slow burn crescendo that peaks somewhere near Sonic Youth.
Man Lee - Best One
Brooklyn-based duo present their awkward groove as collage, managing to work "transubstantiation" into the lyric.
Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory - Afterlife
Yeah, that's how she's presenting herself on the eponymous we-suppose-technically-debut album on February 7th.
Snazzback feat. Grove - Equinox
Our longtime favourite basement rabble-rouser collaborates with fellow Bristolian "new wave dancefloor instrumentalists", come out with a spiralling jazzy groove.
Swansea Sound - Toxic Energy
An imagined duet between Elon Musk and Terry Hall. "The strange noise at the end is a recording of a Tesla Cybertruck accelerating, losing control and exploding as it hits a wall." Hey, we're bringing them back to Leicester on 29th November!
The Tubs - Freak Mode
Dead Meat in its Sugar-if-formed-by-Richard-Thompson glory was one of our favourite British albums of last year; next year's Cotton Crown, out 7th March and reflecting on Owen Williams' reaction to the death of his folk singer and journalist mother Charlotte Greig, seems set to be much the same.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Thursday, October 10, 2024
New sounds: 10/10/24
Dancer - Man Of Distinction/R.AGGS - Uncertainty
Bloody hell, Dancer, they've only just on Friday released their split LP with Whisper Hiss and now here comes another split, this time a limited 7" with Ray Aggs of so, so many great things that's included in the price of their 30th November gig at Glasgow's The Old Hairdressers, though there will we're assured be a limited number otherwise available. Dancer's half is jittery and hosts one of those repeated riffs that feels like it's always been around; Aggs for their part plays with gradually enveloping electro beats before the trademark hi-life spidery guitar makes a connective appearance.
Laundromat Chicks - Cameron
Our Viennese favourite return with a rattling uneven jangle of sexual confusion reminiscent to us of mid-00s Swedish contenders Cats On Fire. Third album next year!
The Pill - Scaffolding Man
Like A Certain Other Band, The Pill are two women from the Isle Of Wight who formed a band together in 2019 and deal in a forthright playful scrappy urgency and sexually sardonic lyrics. Bale Of Hay was possibly the year's most weirdly addictive debut single, and now they're dealing with being seen in the bath by the titular workman delivered in a way that makes it seem like they're not sure how to react. It seems like they'll be doing a lot of festivals over the next year; cult status, and potentially more, awaits.
Stuart Pearce - Fuck No, I Jangle
Well, that's your description right there. The band Stuart Pearce - from, yes, Nottingham - have been a lot more forceful, accelerating jerky and socio-politically driven over previous releases. Now they retreat to a vaguely stompy, psych-drenched shimmer that seems like it could have been released either immediate side of Madchester.
Winter Gardens - U/U
Brighton's Winter Gardens have been on the periphery of something big for quite a few years now and might be at least on the way to finding it with this not quite electro, not quite shoegaze, not quite post-punk meeting point of tension and uncomfortability where guitars alternately dart and swell, synths aim for the skies as if they got lost from an actual anthem and drums aim for the industrial, on top of which Ananda Howard delivers sung/spoken counterpoints.
Young Knives - Dissolution
Yep, he's still calling himself the House Of Lords. The brotherly duo's last two albums took a deliberate turn away from the associations of their hitmaking era to embrace dark electronics and industrial noise. Now, maybe due to reissuing those first two records last year, they've gone back to embracing something akin to it, not least in titling January's seventh album Landfill. So, stop-start riffs and rhythms and sardonic semi-spoken vocals meet the awkwardness - think early XTC or Pere Ubu at their most approachable - and the lyrical consideration of ego death.
Bloody hell, Dancer, they've only just on Friday released their split LP with Whisper Hiss and now here comes another split, this time a limited 7" with Ray Aggs of so, so many great things that's included in the price of their 30th November gig at Glasgow's The Old Hairdressers, though there will we're assured be a limited number otherwise available. Dancer's half is jittery and hosts one of those repeated riffs that feels like it's always been around; Aggs for their part plays with gradually enveloping electro beats before the trademark hi-life spidery guitar makes a connective appearance.
Laundromat Chicks - Cameron
Our Viennese favourite return with a rattling uneven jangle of sexual confusion reminiscent to us of mid-00s Swedish contenders Cats On Fire. Third album next year!
The Pill - Scaffolding Man
Like A Certain Other Band, The Pill are two women from the Isle Of Wight who formed a band together in 2019 and deal in a forthright playful scrappy urgency and sexually sardonic lyrics. Bale Of Hay was possibly the year's most weirdly addictive debut single, and now they're dealing with being seen in the bath by the titular workman delivered in a way that makes it seem like they're not sure how to react. It seems like they'll be doing a lot of festivals over the next year; cult status, and potentially more, awaits.
Stuart Pearce - Fuck No, I Jangle
Well, that's your description right there. The band Stuart Pearce - from, yes, Nottingham - have been a lot more forceful, accelerating jerky and socio-politically driven over previous releases. Now they retreat to a vaguely stompy, psych-drenched shimmer that seems like it could have been released either immediate side of Madchester.
Winter Gardens - U/U
Brighton's Winter Gardens have been on the periphery of something big for quite a few years now and might be at least on the way to finding it with this not quite electro, not quite shoegaze, not quite post-punk meeting point of tension and uncomfortability where guitars alternately dart and swell, synths aim for the skies as if they got lost from an actual anthem and drums aim for the industrial, on top of which Ananda Howard delivers sung/spoken counterpoints.
Young Knives - Dissolution
Yep, he's still calling himself the House Of Lords. The brotherly duo's last two albums took a deliberate turn away from the associations of their hitmaking era to embrace dark electronics and industrial noise. Now, maybe due to reissuing those first two records last year, they've gone back to embracing something akin to it, not least in titling January's seventh album Landfill. So, stop-start riffs and rhythms and sardonic semi-spoken vocals meet the awkwardness - think early XTC or Pere Ubu at their most approachable - and the lyrical consideration of ego death.
Thursday, October 03, 2024
New sounds: 3/10/24
Beckon - Festoon
The London six-piece fronted by Faith Taylor, once of Suggested Friends and Chorusgirl, describe themselves as "alternative folk/heartland rock" and, yeah, that's about as good a thumbnail description as we can offer, what with sax, forceful chorus and quasi-heroic solo plus violin, harmonies and shuffling beat. Debut album Between The Bridge And Tree is out at the end of the month.
Cheekface - Flies
America's Local Band return with what if their last couple of albums are any judge will be on an album to be given a surprise Bandcamp-first release one Tuesday in February. It features Jeff Rosenstock on sax. Don't worry in the slightest, you wouldn't automatically notice it.
Dancer - Didn't Mean To/Whisper Hiss - Go Again
The pair's split EP on HHBTM Records is out at the end of the week, our favourite art-post-punks more channel Dry Cleaning's big intricate guitar shapes against the taut groove this time around, though Gemma Fleet is as elusive as ever. On the flip of the 12"/just along the download Portland's Whisper Hiss similarly mine mutant new wave for the smart set dancefloor with the organ sound that all the best American post-punk bands had.
Florist - This Was A Gift
It's rather unfortunate that Florist's best album to date, 2019's Emily Alone which cracked our end of year top 50, is their only one as the title suggests to be recorded entirely by Emily Sprague. A new album, apparently featuring nineteen tracks *gulps very hard*, is on its way, preceded by a delicate, tender meander on the nature and embrace of love and heartbreak that would very much appeal to fans of solo Adrianne Lenker.
Geordie Greep - Blues
No, but what if Donald Fagen got really into Peter Hamill during a mescaline binge?
The Horrors - The Silence That Remains
Interesting in a way that they've returned to a Primary Colours sound of jazzy motorik drumming, gothic vocals, creepy synth and dark shoegaze-adjacent lengthy outro, having toyed with industrial noise in recent years and with a couple of line-up changes since their last album eight years ago. Night Life is out 21st... March?! We might be dead by then!
Lanny - ur an angel im evil
That'll be Lan McArdle, currently also of Ex-Void, an increasing length of time ago of Joanna Gruesome, well in with the 'if it's Owen Williams and your granny on bongos it's a Gob Nation band' collective, making herself at home with a surging cut that splits the difference between slacker power-pop and melodic jangle. What's more the album, bliss!! bliss! bliss, is out on the 29th.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw - The Boss
The shapeshifting but resolutely Windmillish kids are now on Fat Possum and have turned up the distortion to suit, symphonic violin parts rubbing like sandpaper against a weirdly theatrical thrust with noisy breakdowns. Produced by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band, whose credentials aside from those of his own group are starting to turn up on some very interesting records (Sprints, Lambrini Girls, GENN, Silverbacks)
WILLOW feat. Kamasi Washington - Wanted
Now then. Even if we discount Whip My Hair - she was nine! - Willow Smith has been quite the musical dilletante, playing with alt-R&B, 90s alt-rock singer-songwriters, neo-soul, dreampop, pivoting to pop-punk with Travis fucking Barker, and spiritual jazz on May's empathogen. The deluxe version of that album, ceremonial contrafact - I mean, come on - brings with it a high point, a psych-soul collaboration with the outstanding saxophonist that bridges the gap between the Janelle Monae of ten years ago and the Corinne Bailey Rae of last year.
Windowsill - Lasting
Nine luxuriant, ambitious minutes from the project of LA's Matt Maruskin, shuffling from acoustic lament to something more driven and eventually overdriven with guitar and what sounds like a pump organ. Second album Dwindlesill is out on the 18th.
The London six-piece fronted by Faith Taylor, once of Suggested Friends and Chorusgirl, describe themselves as "alternative folk/heartland rock" and, yeah, that's about as good a thumbnail description as we can offer, what with sax, forceful chorus and quasi-heroic solo plus violin, harmonies and shuffling beat. Debut album Between The Bridge And Tree is out at the end of the month.
Cheekface - Flies
America's Local Band return with what if their last couple of albums are any judge will be on an album to be given a surprise Bandcamp-first release one Tuesday in February. It features Jeff Rosenstock on sax. Don't worry in the slightest, you wouldn't automatically notice it.
Dancer - Didn't Mean To/Whisper Hiss - Go Again
The pair's split EP on HHBTM Records is out at the end of the week, our favourite art-post-punks more channel Dry Cleaning's big intricate guitar shapes against the taut groove this time around, though Gemma Fleet is as elusive as ever. On the flip of the 12"/just along the download Portland's Whisper Hiss similarly mine mutant new wave for the smart set dancefloor with the organ sound that all the best American post-punk bands had.
Florist - This Was A Gift
It's rather unfortunate that Florist's best album to date, 2019's Emily Alone which cracked our end of year top 50, is their only one as the title suggests to be recorded entirely by Emily Sprague. A new album, apparently featuring nineteen tracks *gulps very hard*, is on its way, preceded by a delicate, tender meander on the nature and embrace of love and heartbreak that would very much appeal to fans of solo Adrianne Lenker.
Geordie Greep - Blues
No, but what if Donald Fagen got really into Peter Hamill during a mescaline binge?
The Horrors - The Silence That Remains
Interesting in a way that they've returned to a Primary Colours sound of jazzy motorik drumming, gothic vocals, creepy synth and dark shoegaze-adjacent lengthy outro, having toyed with industrial noise in recent years and with a couple of line-up changes since their last album eight years ago. Night Life is out 21st... March?! We might be dead by then!
Lanny - ur an angel im evil
That'll be Lan McArdle, currently also of Ex-Void, an increasing length of time ago of Joanna Gruesome, well in with the 'if it's Owen Williams and your granny on bongos it's a Gob Nation band' collective, making herself at home with a surging cut that splits the difference between slacker power-pop and melodic jangle. What's more the album, bliss!! bliss! bliss, is out on the 29th.
Man/Woman/Chainsaw - The Boss
The shapeshifting but resolutely Windmillish kids are now on Fat Possum and have turned up the distortion to suit, symphonic violin parts rubbing like sandpaper against a weirdly theatrical thrust with noisy breakdowns. Produced by Daniel Fox of Gilla Band, whose credentials aside from those of his own group are starting to turn up on some very interesting records (Sprints, Lambrini Girls, GENN, Silverbacks)
WILLOW feat. Kamasi Washington - Wanted
Now then. Even if we discount Whip My Hair - she was nine! - Willow Smith has been quite the musical dilletante, playing with alt-R&B, 90s alt-rock singer-songwriters, neo-soul, dreampop, pivoting to pop-punk with Travis fucking Barker, and spiritual jazz on May's empathogen. The deluxe version of that album, ceremonial contrafact - I mean, come on - brings with it a high point, a psych-soul collaboration with the outstanding saxophonist that bridges the gap between the Janelle Monae of ten years ago and the Corinne Bailey Rae of last year.
Windowsill - Lasting
Nine luxuriant, ambitious minutes from the project of LA's Matt Maruskin, shuffling from acoustic lament to something more driven and eventually overdriven with guitar and what sounds like a pump organ. Second album Dwindlesill is out on the 18th.
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