Centuries

Temples - Shelter Song Midnight hallucinations dance amongst a...

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 22:25:43 +0100

Temples - Shelter Song

Midnight hallucinations dance amongst a landscape of tangible dreams and Dali-esque visions dripping through your field of vision on the debut single from London quartet, Temples.

A meandering melody of intoxication and kaleidoscope patterns fall like rose petals as the vocals weave their way in and out of the guitar hook and create visions of smokey clubs and dance halls from 60’s Britain. This is more however, than a mere homage to a golden era from yesteryear; the track is layered with subtlety and textures that give it depth and add an extra level, sharing the same space as Bentley Rhythm Ace and some early big beat artists.

The single is out on 12 November via Heavenly Recordings.

Ethereal & the Queer Show - Horses This is a song of two...

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 20:31:00 +0100

Ethereal & the Queer Show - Horses

This is a song of two identities; one a delicate and fragile whisper, like the morning dew that gathers on spider’s webs as the sun kings’ rays shine down upon it highlighting its diaphanous structure; the other a dark and brooding electro beat that stands in the shadows, hood up with only the glowing ember of a cigarette to show its’ location.

The track is taken from the forthcoming “Cosmotopia” LP, which features tracks born from a common passion of freedom of spirit. The fusing of the light and dark, and the balance therein, creates a dichotomy of nature and industrial elements, that, whilst at first seemingly disparate, actually work in partnership to successfully transport you to a world where being carefree is the norm, and where every corner turned is a new adventure with endless possibilities.

“Cosmotopia” is out on 30 October via Pour le Corps Records.

Borders - Morning Sun The swoon and seduction of taking things...

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:23:00 +0100

Borders - Morning Sun

The swoon and seduction of taking things easy floats past on a breeze on the opening track of the new EP from Barcelona’s Borders.

Reminiscent of “Bandwagonesque” era Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr and summer evening chilling out on the beach with mates sharing laughs, the gentle melody deftly carries you into a beam of light that, rather than blind you, awakens you to life and the real beauty that sometimes ventures for reclusivity. Despite it’s title, this is the musical version of a nice, relaxing, cold beer at the end of day that helps to dissipate the stresses.

A wonderfully structured track, full of poise, character, sun-kissed melody and desire. The more you hear it, the more you want to hear it. Good little trick that.

You can stream the whole EP, and download tracks now via the band’s Bandcamp page.

September Girls - Green Eyed Dublin all-girl quintet September...

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 08:26:00 +0100

September Girls - Green Eyed

Dublin all-girl quintet September Girls have an aesthetic and sound that hark back to an age before rolling news channels, reunion tours and the digital takeover. A hazy mirage of organs, harmonies, warped guitars and the dapples of spring morning sun fall from the Phil Spector-esque wall that September Girls stand atop.

The track has a texture to it that shows this five-piece are more than just fortunate, they know what they’re doing; they haven’t simply stumbled across a catchy riff, or a button they’d never seen before on a pedal or in the studio. They have successfully married intrigue (just listen to that Hitchcock guitar, full of suspense and drama), with pop dreamscape and a lo-fi fuzz that shudders in the roots of the track.

Get your mitts on the 7” when it comes out on 22 October via Soft Power.

Paws - Sore Tummy As the rain lashes against the pane, and all...

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 07:41:47 +0100

Paws - Sore Tummy

As the rain lashes against the pane, and all that stretches out beyond the glass in front of me are slate coloured skies, the blur of car headlights and people running for cover I press play on the new single from Scottish trio Paws. Suddenly, the clouds begin to part, the sun makes an appearance and I am whisked away on a magical carpet of harmonies, infectious melody, and some of the best lo-fi, garage rock I’ve heard this year.

Paws’ undeniable appeal is their ability to blend an array of characteristics including melancholia, dreamy fuzz, wit and self-deprecating charm with cuteness and depth, whilst not letting this palette suffocate their sound and be too complicated.

Make no mistake, this is a cracker of a single, and if it’s an insight into their debut album, “Cokefloat”, which is released on 9 October (a day after the single) via FatCat, it promises to be a highlight of the year.

ESP - 627 This new video from Los Angeles trio ESP is a...

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 19:24:33 +0100

ESP - 627

This new video from Los Angeles trio ESP is a dream-drenched, diaphanous gaze into a world of imagination and vision. The three members stand around a crystal that looks as if it were taken straight from Superman’s “Fortress of Solitude” focussing it’s energy, which then, after a an apparent metamorphosis, displays itself in the form of images of some peculiar creatures that appear on a screen behind them.

The hypnotic beat of the track is utterly captivating; despite an implied distance the warmth and feel of the track is so vivid you can almost feel it become tangible and hold you in an embrace. I’m pretty sure if you listen to it with your eyes shut you too could connect with a creature of your creation, and for that matter, vice versa.

The eponymous EP is out now via the guys’ Bandcamp page.

Fishing - Choy Lin Fractured vocal snippets and bass drum beats...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:40:00 +0100

Fishing - Choy Lin

Fractured vocal snippets and bass drum beats create shapes that oscillate in a vortex of possibility and imagination. Each line and layer is laden with colours and textures that juxtapose the digital with the natural, the definite and the ambiguous. This duality is mirrored in the sense of calm and energetic display that falls around you as the track spills from the speakers.

Questions, answers, vivid borders and adumbrate ideas; all sit side-by-side and thrive on this single from the Australian duo.

The single is out 23 October via Waaga Records.

Field Mouse - How Do You Know The new track from Brooklyn...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:10:00 +0100

Field Mouse - How Do You Know

The new track from Brooklyn quartet Field Mouse is a charming and captivating blend of pop, shoegaze and feather-like textures that help it wistfully soar over the dark world below. As if floating on thermals, Rachel Browne’s vocals effortlessly glide in over the metronome guitar lick, creating a feeling of a cool yet driven purpose.

The track’s is blessed with harmonies and melody that are more than just close friends, they are lovers in a relationship of depth and understanding; complementing each other wonderfully, as one drifts off into the ether, the other gently moves in to take the stage.

In case you needed any more reason to get hold of the single, released 16 October via Lefse, the b-side is the Twin Peaks theme “Falling”.

Mini Dresses - Hot Sun Echoes of that thin space between...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 20:35:00 +0100

Mini Dresses - Hot Sun

Echoes of that thin space between thoughts and the real world float down like a thousand leaves in autumn on this new track from the Austin quartet. Having said that, this track does not nestle neatly in the third season, this a track of spring; the new life and birdsong filling the space behind the track.

Ethereal and graceful in it’s vocal delivery, with a more sturdy base, albeit with a deliberately muted tone, give the track a sense of balance and a definite position in a never-ending horizon of shoegaze, and tie-die drenched contemporaries. This soars away from the others, the also-rans, and lights up the early April morning; announcing itself amongst the dew and the wildlife as something too full of life and hope.

Get your copy of the single via the band’s Bandcamp page.

King Dude - Jesus in the Courtyard This track, from the...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:35:45 +0100

King Dude - Jesus in the Courtyard

This track, from the forthcoming “Burning Daylight” album is the very definition of dark, menacing and atmospheric rockabilly.

An act played out amongst the shadows and back streets is given a flicker of light by the deep, gravel vocals of the eternal outsider.

“Burning Daylight” is out 16 October via DAIS.

Feeding People - Island Universe Delicate guitar paths meander...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 19:19:43 +0100

Feeding People - Island Universe

Delicate guitar paths meander to the sweet vocals of band founder Jessie Jones. before the track blossoms into a lush rainbow of layers and hues that create visions of daydreaming on a boat under an unspoilt summer’s sky.

Being protected in our own world, one where our dreams, loves and wants are reality is something we all yearn for. This is articulated quite wonderfully on the first single from the forthcoming album, making you wish you could relive those innocent days of youth once more, only this time appreciate it a bit more!

The album is expected sometime in 2013, but in the meantime you can get this single now via Innovative Leisure.

Wickerbird - Druids The hiss of an analogue age passes across...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:23:08 +0100

Wickerbird - Druids

The hiss of an analogue age passes across your gaze like an early morning sea mist, before the gentle guitar laps at your feet and the harmonic whispered vocals float overhead on thermals created by the warmth and waves that wash in and out.

Simultaneously soothing and arresting, this track from the forthcoming album “The Crow Mother” is packed with grace, charm, space within itself to allow the track to breathe and a full-bodied character that leaves you both wanting more and to surrounded by nature.

Sit back and lose yourself in the swirling vocals and smoke like melody that have you under their hypnotic spell from the opening bar.

New album, “The Crow Mother” is released on 25 September, and you can get your mitts on it via the ubiquitous Bandcamp page.

Mask Man - XYZ The music of Brighton duo Mask Man seems to come...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:46:24 +0100

Mask Man - XYZ

The music of Brighton duo Mask Man seems to come from the depths of the ocean, as the beats and pulses ripple up from the black into the blue water. Synth sharks swim through, with sinister eyes and shadows creating tension within the otherwise smooth aura of the track as extra textures and layers are added to this sonically stunning track.

Taken from the recently released EP “2020” the track soothes and excites in equal measure with deftness, balance and intrigue as integral to its appeal as the shapes and colours it paints.

You can check out the whole EP (and download it) at the Mask Man Soundcloud page.

Dan Croll - From Nowhere Juxtaposing serrated guitars with...

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 19:09:00 +0100

Dan Croll - From Nowhere

Juxtaposing serrated guitars with smooth vocals and a textured melody, Liverpool’s Dan Croll creates visions of colours, layers and lines on his debut single, akin to a 3D CAD technical drawing that oscillates rainbow hues as it moves on a screen, or a Spectrum game of Space Invaders. This isn’t a cold track though, it has a warmth and personality that many simply fail to attain.

A track of real maturity, character, charm and excitement; considering this is his debut single it certainly whets the appetite for what’s to follow. The debut album is expected sometime next year, and I for one can’t wait.

Get your grubby little mitts on this single digitally and on 7” on 17 September via Racquet Records.

Adult Books - Bedsit Infamies A warm glow shines from the depths...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:24:00 +0100

Adult Books - Bedsit Infamies

A warm glow shines from the depths of Los Angeles; rich layers of colour and texture rush over like an approaching storm, or the inner joy one feels when happy visions flood the memory.

Following their EP from early this year Adult Books have honed their sound, resulting in this mature, confident presentation that wonderfully blends elements from the likes of The Byrds with more contemporary bands such as Surfer Blood. Addictive and wonderfully structured, this b-side to “In Love Again” is as immediately moreish a track as you’re likely to hear this year. The strong vocals oscillate with the guitar hook that rises and falls in waves of hypnotising melody that it’s impossible to escape from, something you’d be, quite frankly, daft to even attempt.

Check out this track and the a-side, “In Love Again” at the bands’ Soundcloud page ahead of their release on cassette via Lolipop Records soon.

Silkies - Like One The debut track from Austin duo Silkies is a...

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:36:00 +0100

Silkies - Like One

The debut track from Austin duo Silkies is a wave of lo-fi garage reverb, and surf aesthetics washed with 60’s girl group harmonies. The inter-weaving guitar line that moves through the track like a serpent is sharp and clean, contrasting the fuzzy vocals and drums, and in doing so create a balance of light and dark in this summer stormer.

Formed about a fortnight ago, Lira Mondal (vocals, guitar, and bass) and Caufield Schnug (drums, guitar) recorded this track last Monday, which only goes to ask if they can knock something of this vibrancy and character out in a week, what can they do when given more time? Mouth watering stuff indeed.

Get your mitts on the track now via the duo’s Bandcamp page.

Astronauts, etc - Mystery Colors Californian Anthony Ferraro...

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 20:52:00 +0100

Astronauts, etc - Mystery Colors

Californian Anthony Ferraro produces spellbindingly delicate music, that seems to be configured from within an astral plain. This is the first track to come from the debut EP “Supermelodic Pulp” and features Ferraro’s hauntingly crystal crooning voice over an organ and drum machine backing.

The falsetto vocals soothe their way between the undulating syncopated beats creating visions of solar mirages and ghostly figures slowly passing across a sea of stars.

This gentle, capacious and seductive track certainly whets the appetite, and hasn’t stopped spilling from my speakers since I heard it.

The EP “Supermelodic Pulp” is out on 8 September. Get your hands on this track at the Bandcamp page.

Eagulls - Moulting A track full of despair, defeat and of the...

Sat, 04 Aug 2012 08:30:44 +0100

Eagulls - Moulting

A track full of despair, defeat and of the loss of control and direction over one’s life; or maybe more succinctly, the death of hope. This anguish and despondency is conveyed not only in the lyrics, but in the delivery of them; you can feel just how distressed vocalist George Mitchell as he yells his frustrations over the hypnotic guitar lick that is reminiscent of an early Oasis b-side; although that is where the comparisons with the Manchester-based progenitors starts and ends.

Unpretentious, and unaffected by the considered de rigour sounds of the moment, the Leeds quintet have created a track of undeniable appeal, successfully combining intelligent, tangible lyrics with a hook you’ll do well to hear bettered this year.

The eponymous EP is out now via Sexbeat.

Lee Bannon - Cope (The Flood) Intense, undulating waves of...

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:02:00 +0100

Lee Bannon - Cope (The Flood)

Intense, undulating waves of vibrating beats and cold echoes resonate across a desolate soundscape of forgotten memories and wasted chances on this new track taken from the forthcoming “Cope” EP.

The track drips with images of flickering neon lights, and flickering visions of people left behind in a grey wash world of dead hopes and survival mechanisms.

The EP, “Cope” is to be self-released on 4 September; if in the meantime you need some Lee Bannon in your life (and who can blame you) you can download the track from the ubiquitous Bandcamp page.

Spook Houses - American Everything about this track is real;...

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:22:21 +0100

Spook Houses - American

Everything about this track is real; the lyrics, the delivery of the lyrics, the spit that showers out from the speakers as the vocals grow in intensity whilst they match the beat that kicks it up a notch from the sure and steady pace that opens the track; not to mention the feeling it leaves you with of having just listened to something with enough energy, raw passion and drive to power a city.

Blending influences such as Weezer and Built To Spill with a crashing desire to connect to real life and get in your face, Spook Houses exhaust and thrill in equal measures. Check out their new “Trying” EP, available 14 August via Evil Weevil Records (12” vinyl), Double Double Whammy and Chill Mega Chill Records (cassette).