#300: Kult Country - Trembling Moon (single review)

Kult Country

Trembling Moon/Atlas Haze

June 30 2014 (No Self Records)

9.5/10

When Kult Country released their debut single 'Slowburn' a little over a year ago, Manchester's music scene shook. It shook not only with the weighty bass and motorik force of the song's shoegazey sensibility, but with the cultural repercussions felt in the wake of the musical explosion that had just happened within the city as well. Brought about almost single-handedly by SWAYS Records, and spearheaded by the likes of MONEY, the movement brought about a definite change within some of the city's musicians, feeling like a breath of fresh air in a city renowned for it's laddish tendencies.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#286: Introducing...U&I Top Ten (U&I Music Magazine - May Issue)

Somehow or another, a whole year has gone by since I started writing for U&I and a lot has happened in those 12 months; I graduated, got fatter, saw some amazing bands and got fatter still. One thing which hasn't changed however, is the constant outpouring of good, quality music that comes out of Manchester. Now given that I can only feature one band a month, there's been plenty of top acts that I've had to pass on, so it seems only fair that I take this opportunity to big up some of the bands which didn't quite make my column, but could have done quite easily.

Jeremiah Ferrari

With their foundations firmly set in the traditional roots/reggae movement fused together with elements of ska and calypso, Jeremiah Ferrari are a far cry from Manchester's assumed indie heritage. Soulful vocals and upstrokes make for an ultimate party band, but that shouldn't detract from the solid song-writing and genuinely catchy melodies that perpetuate the band's music. Their live shows too, are fantastic.

Check out: Jazz Cigarette

The Gramotones

Another end of the spectrum now, The Gramotones' sound is a rich and melodic pop affair flecked with moments of solid indie and occasional camp theatrics. Having recently earned themselves a support slot on Paul Weller's forthcoming European tour, it's obvious that the band are going in the right direction; their lavish vocal melodies are steeped the '60s, affording the band a timelessness not often seen in such a relatively young act.

Check out: M62

Feed the Kid

Feed the Kid uphold an undeniable sense of the bucolic, their emotionally-driven folk building on a same foundations as bands such as Bear's Den. Those anticipating the Mumford and Sons branded arena folk will be disappointed, however, as there's a definite and appealing roughness at play too, which one can assume is an aesthetic decision given the polish over the anthemic 'Fellaheen'.

Check out: Kerry

No Hot Ashes

Reasonably new to the Manchester scene, No Hot Ashes fuse together funk with infectious indie that's hard not to sit up and take notice of. Championed by the illusive promoter/podcaster Mr Peeps it won't be long before No Hot Ashes follow in a similar direction to the likes of Puppet Rebellion; their music more danceable than Pup Reb's but both equally as solid in execution. Expect big things over the next few months.

Check out: Skeleton

The Backhanders

The Backhanders first caught my attention towards the end of last year, as much for their haircuts as for their melodic fusion of both punk and mod sounds. Seemingly causing a bit of a stir on the unsigned scene around Manchester at the moment, it's easy to see why. As the band flit from Stone Roses/Oasis-esque heady brit-pop to two-tone tinged punk, it's not hard to imagine a rowdy Manc crowd thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Check out: Don't Let Your Man Know

Lucky T. Jackson

Cheating a bit with this one, but the band, in this iteration at least, haven't been together all that long. With some members formerly of Manc band The Quangos, Lucky T. Jackson are fortunate enough to have people with a vested interest in them almost right off the bat. Having seen their debut gig at The Whisky Jar, I felt almost obligated to include them; their infectious blend of contemporary indie and sugary '60s harmonies proving too much of a draw not to mention. Potential for a full column piece in the coming months for sure.

Check out: This Particular Girl

Stolen Haven

Having seen Stolen Haven live a couple of times now, I know for a fact that they're one of the most promising live bands coming up in Manchester at the moment; their solid no nonsense indie earning them support slots with the likes of Puppet Rebellion. While their overall sound is nothing new, the confidence they have in themselves makes for some solid song-writing that just can't be ignored. Quiet on the release front of late, we can presume new things will emerge later this year.

Check out: Decent Shoes

The Lottery Winners

'Born in Salford, raised on romance' proclaims the Facebook page of The Lottery Winners, and from the first moments of hearing their bubblegum indie-pop, it's obvious how true that is. This is a band who don't so much wear their heart on their sleeve as wave it on a flag above their heads. You can almost imagine that this is what Morrisey might have sounded like had someone introduced him to Prozac.

Check out: I Only Want to Be With You

The Bluntskins

Not quite the usual fare here, The Bluntskins are one of Manchester's best hip-hop outfits who make their appreciation of cannabis culture known. Made up of two rappers, Bill Sykes and Cheech, and completed by producer DJ Pro P, the trio use a mixture of beats, bars and samples, resulting in a heady combination that just begs to blaze to. The lyrical content might not be to everyone's tastes, as might not the fractured but expertly mixed backing tracks, but for those who appreciate a little indulgence from time to time, or just like some good old fashioned hip-hop, then they could do far worse then checking out The Bluntskins.

Check out: High As A Helicopter

Kult Country

Part of Sways Records, (whose roster once boasted MONEY), Kult Country are a band without boundaries. Their music, though hard to pin down, draws from the likes of My Bloody Valentine, but isn't completely indebted to them, fusing together shoegaze and noise with elements of sparse post-punk and futuristic techno. It's an odd combination, but it's an exciting one, and we can hope to see far more of them this year, as they aim to follow in the footsteps of their previous label mates.

Check out: Slowburn

This article was originally written for this month's edition of U&I Magazine - you can read the rest of the magazine by clicking here.

#284: Morning Smoke - In Euphoria (EP review)

Morning Smoke

In Euphoria

May 4 2014 (Stray Cat Records)

9/10

Sometimes contrary to popular belief music journalists don't mind being wrong; in fact, we can actually quite enjoy it, especially if it means that a band followed from almost their outset have defied expectations and are slowly transforming into the band you knew they could be, despite a pretty negative first impression. For me, one such band is Brighton's Morning Smoke, a five-piece who blur the lines of contemporary indie and nu-gaze, and whilst they're not without their foibles, the way in which they've progressed over the course of the last 12 months really can't be sniffed at.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#279: Elastic Sleep - Leave You (EP review)

Elastic Sleep

Leave You

April 28 2014 (Big Tea Records)

8.5/10

When I first heard Cork-based dream-poppers Elastic Sleep last year, they only had one song - 'Anywhere' - uploaded online at the time, but it was one that left me clamouring to hear more. Thankfully, forthcoming EP 'Leave You' not only sees Elastic Sleep having built upon their sound somewhat, but also having managed to pique the interest of the likes of BBC 6 Music it suggests that 'Leave You' might very well be the release that the lifts the band up a league.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#272: The Darlingtons - Rotations (single review)

“Build me up, break me down. And pray for the rain again” laments Kiran Roy, lead singer of The Darlingtons on forthcoming single 'Rotations'. If there was ever a line that summarised a band almost completely, then that is it. Desolate, but not without a certain degree of optimism, Sheffield's The Darlingtons are one of the most exciting bands on the up at the moment; their blend of post-rock melancholia and shimmering shoegaze guitars setting them apart from some of their more upbeat contemporaries.

This review was originally written for Hooting & Howling. Click here to read the full review.

#244: Catching Up With...Patterns (U&I Music Magazine - February Issue)

The first thing one immediately notices about Patterns, is how inherently, un-Manchester their sound actually is. Paradoxically however, that in itself seems to be becoming something very much Manchester over the last twelve months, with fellow Mancunians PINS and Letters to Fiesta relishing in their own respective autonomy. And with such contemporaries releasing their albums last year, Patterns could have quite easily rushed to join the foray. Instead the band held off a while, refining their tracks and eventually releasing debut album Waking Lines early last month, in a move that has obviously benefited both record and band alike.

Filled with rich, icy textures, vocal ambiguity and soaring dream-pop soundscapes. The music the band are making isn't easy to pin down; drawing influence from the likes of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain, right down to more contemporary acts such as Titanics, their effortless blending of shoe-gaze, chill-wave and dream-pop (and any other hyphenated label one would care to give them) is a brilliant example of the kind of musical diversity that Manchester has to offer. Not only that, but it also provides more than enough moments of accessible indie-pop, affording the band a level of commercial appeal that will undoubtedly work in their favour when it comes to radio play.

However, whilst tracks like the previously released 'Blood' definitely lend towards a commercialness about the band, their live performances are anything but. Complete with tape-recorded, psychedelic film loops, it seems listening to the album alone is only half the experience that Waking Lines offers, the band eager to provide a full sensory overload to accompany the dream-like aesthetics of their music. Also, whilst Waking Lines has not only brought Patterns back in to the fore again, it's also allowed them a certain level of financial freedom, most recently securing funding from the Art Council in order to organise an orchestral show in a Church in Salford.

Whilst their certainly a band full of all the ambition, energy and drive of youth, they also come across as somewhat more reserved than their contemporaries; there's an intelligence behind their song-writing which, when coupled with their visceral live performances, belies their relatively young age and cements Patterns not only as one of the most exciting Manc luminaries of recent years, but also as one of the most promising young bands around at the moment, period.

U&I: Hi guys, thanks for taking the time out to have a chat with us. First of all, you've recently released your debut album Waking Lines on the 6th of January and we already know that many bloggers and journalists, myself included, have been singing it's praises, but how has been received by the wider public?

P: We've been really excited to see the response from people across the world. When you've spent so much time in isolation creating an album its a strange feeling to have people listening to it and interacting with it. We get a lot of stuff coming through Facebook and twitter but it only became real when we played our launch show in London and had so many people telling us how much the album meant to them.

U&I: What was the best part of the recording process, any particular favourite tracks that came together really easily, or conversely, were there any songs which caused disagreements or problems in the studio?

P: The album was recorded in a slightly unconventional way in that we did the drums in a proper studio but then everything else was home recorded; so part of the joy of the whole process was being able to take a lot of time on all the elements. The title track "Waking Lines" is a good example of that because we took a very long time to put together all the elements but it eventually produced one of the more interesting pieces on the record.

U&I: Being from Manchester there's obviously a certain stereotype people feel you need to live up to; something you completely try to distance yourself from on your website. What do you think it is about the city that make people envision artists in a certain way, or even make bands act in a certain way?

P: Well I think there are quite strong cultural associations around the Manchester music scene that colour peoples expectations of you as an artists. This often means journalists try to place you within the broader narrative of the musical history here. Certainly when we started playing there were a lot of bands who felt the need to embody the lad rock or "Madchester" aesthetic but I definitely don't think that's the case any more.

U&I: On the other hand, whilst people seem to try and leave up to some kind of stereotype, Manchester's also home to a multiplicity of bands from varying genres and backgrounds. What do you think it is about the city that makes it so diverse?

P: Yeah I think the reality of the scene is much more diverse and interesting now. There are so many distinct groups within the city making really interesting and different music. I think in that sense there is a positive side to the musical heritage because people associate the city with music and want to come here to form bands, put on club-nights, and open venues; its a musical city.

U&I: In a previous interview, Ciaran revealed he felt there was a “sense...within the music industry you are only ever taken seriously when you have an album...”. Since the release of Waking Lines, do you feel you've started to be taken a bit more seriously as a band, or is it still early days yet?

P: We've certainly felt things shift. When you only have a few singles out its very difficult for people to have a sense of who you are as a band or if you're even good enough to make an entire album of music. So now that our album is out we're really happy that people are responding so well to what we've created.

U&I: Manchester is a city full of different venues, from a completely vacuous arena to 50 people dive bars. What are some of your favourites either to gig yourselves or see a gig at?

P: The Deaf Institute has always been one of our favourite every day venues to both see bands as well as play ourselves. The best gig we've played in Manchester has got to be in the John Rylands library which is this amazing old Gothic building in the centre of town. We're one of only a handful of bands to have ever been allowed to play there and it was an incredible experience

U&I: Similarly, you must have heard about the sceptical future of the Night & Day venue due to a single noise complaint. What are your views on that, and do you think it will signify the start of a trend within the city, in which established venues are subject to stricter noise laws, despite their cultural significance?

P: I think there are serious questions here about how we conceive of the purpose of our city centers. You see this kind of problem happen in London a lot when an area becomes trendy because of genuinely interesting cultural development but then its over run by yuppies who just want to be buy flats there while not actually being part of the community. The quintessential Manchester example of this is the Hacienda which was far more lucrative as apartments than it was as a venue. We can't have the cultural value of our city centres eroded by the demands of property owners and the local councils who support them. The response to this issue has been great though so I don't think the city will take this lying down.

U&I: You've just announced a one-off gig in St Philips Church, Salford, complete with 30 piece orchestra. How did that come about and what can we expect from the gig?

P: A gig with a choir was something we've always wanted to do as choral music has always been an influence on us, but the costs and complexity of it meant we had to wait. It was only after getting funding from the Arts Council that we knew the whole thing would be possible. We're in the middle of quite a big rehearsal schedule at the moment with the choir, so its all really exciting that its happening. We've also got two great supports with Beaty Heart and U.V. so we can't wait to play.

U&I: You've seemingly made somewhat of a name for yourselves with your live shows, most notably for their visual accompaniments, how did these come about, and can we expect them to become more ambitious in the future?

P: Creating a complete live experience has always been really important to us. We do a lot of experimentation with video footage and when the venue is right we can go crazy with the kind of projections we do. As we tour this record we have some big plans for how we're going to evolve the live experience.

U&I: There's currently a whole host of bands from Manchester making a name for themselves, MONEY, PINS, yourselves. Most of which have a pretty different sound from your typical Manc lad band, why do you think this is?

P: Manc lad bands don't really exist anymore which is a great thing. One of our biggest problems with guitar music is its consistent association with a certain idea of masculine identity. Not only does this exclude women from legitimately being allowed to make "guitar music" but it artistically limits you to certain types of "austere "strong" and "ladish" male expression. Our music, as well as that of Money and Pins, doesn't feel reductive in that sense.

U&I: Finally, is there anything you'd like to announce to our readers? Tour news? Your next single? Or any parting words of wisdom you'd like to leave us with?

P: We'll be doing a tour across the UK from March 14th which we're really looking forward to. Also our next single from the album is "Street fires" which will be out soon.

U&I: Thanks guys, it's been a pleasure.

This interview was originally conducted for U&I Music Magazine's February issue. Click here to check it out.

#238: Ummagma - Rotation/Live and Let Die (single review)

Ummagma

Rotation/Live and Let Die

December 9 2013 (Emerald and Doreen Records)

8.5/10

Pop will eat itself, or so the time old axiom goes. And it's true; these days especially it seems we're rarely graced by anything completely original. Anything too leftfield, and an artist is dismissed as being experimental for experimental's sake, anything familiar sounding by comparisons, and it's disregarded as unoriginal. Fortunately, however, Canadian/Ukrainian duo Ummagma are managing to avoid such labels. The brainchild of Shauna McLaron and her partner Alexx Kretov, Ummagma's trademarked sound can be pretty much be summarised as dream-gaze, or should that be shoe-pop? And while some of you may well groan at the prospect of more of the same (there has been an awful lot doing the rounds at the moment), the band are doing more than enough to make them stand out amidst the multitude of dream-pop/shoegaze bands on offer.

This review was orignally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#228: Patterns - Waking Lines

Album review: Patterns - Waking Lines (2014)

This review was originally written for Muso's Guide. Click the link above to read in full.

#219: Art Class Sink - Illa (EP review)

Art Class Sink

Illa

November 25, 2013 (New Level Music)

910

Having shared stages with the likes of Skaters and Temples it seems that Oxford-based four-piece Art Class Sink are well on their way to earning the same kind of recognition that the aforementioned found this year. And well they should. Having featured the band earlier in the year, I was eager to hear how far they've progressed in the six months since then and with the release of their most recent EP Illa, it's clear that the band have matured, tightened and built upon every aspect of their sound.

Beginning with 'She', the record begins with a moody and atmospheric aesthetic that feels like being welcomed back to familiar territory. Built almost entirely around impactive instrumentation, the track feels like a statement of intent, hinting at what's to come, and while it ends on a rather heavy note, the opening vocal melody of second track 'Time To Go' offsets the weight brought on by the ever-present freneticism of the drums.

'A Cry For Help', on the other hand, offsets the energy and relentlessness of the previous two tracks, replacing it with a sense of melancholy that, rather atypically, isn't juxtaposed against an inherent optimism Art Class Sink purport in other tracks. It's quite a restrained track, but it's a welcome restraint, providing some brief respite from their driving guitars and pounding percussion.

The crowning point of Illa however, it's zenith if you will, comes in the form of the final track 'Someone to Try For'. Featuring some seriously blissed out grooves, it's the band mellowing, as much as they can mellow, and is the perfect soundtrack to a festival evening, a couple of months the wrong side of summer.

With Illa, the band have expanded on a sound that was already head and shoulders above most of their contemporaries. A fusion of different ideas and aesthetics, the EP brings that many different aspects of Art Class Sink to the fore, it's difficult to even label it. Relaxed and laid back indie-pop is nestled in side by side with moodier tracks that are, in turn, fitted in perfectly next to shoegaze elements in a combination that one wouldn't think would work. It never feels erratic or disjointed though, and that's the beauty of it, the band manage to create a huge sense of space and of openness, whilst never lacking the drive nor energy to keep things interesting, definitely a band to watch out for as we go into 2014 and beyond.

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#216: Jubilee Courts - Room With A View (single review)

Jubilee Courts

Room With A View

December 16 2013 (Stalkers Records)

8/10


Though they've been writing and gigging for some time now, it wasn't until earlier this year that Northants five-piece Jubilee Courts took on their “final finished form”. Their music - an unusual blend of post-punk, psych and shoegaze - feels as nostalgic as it does contemporary, and finally, despite numerous set backs over the last year, the quartet are set to realise their debut single 'Room With A View' and B-Side 'Strip Down'.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#181: Glasvegas - Academy 3, Manchester - 07/10/13

Live review: Glasvegas - Manchester, Academy 3 - 07/10/13

This review was originally for Muso's Guide. Click the link above to read in full.

#180: Introducing...Elastic Sleep

The 1990s was a brilliant time for music with many genres coming in to their own or starting, particularly through the decade's first few years. Of course, grunge found itself at the forefront of the world's attention, whilst smaller genres snuck in behind it. Two such genres were shoegaze, and twee-pop, who both found their footing during the decade and were popularised by band's such as My Bloody Valentine and Heavenly respectively. And whilst both genres are still enjoying relative popularity, at least within their individual scenes, it goes without saying that an amalgamation of the two would inevitably occur, giving birth to dream-pop, a genre taking the laid back almost lazy vocals of twee and fusing them with the less abrasive but no less encompassing instrumentation of shoegaze.

Even though dream-pop isn't exactly enjoying the same amount of popularity of as other genres at the moment, there's still a fair amount of artists, both signed and otherwise, creating the same kind of sonic texturing that transcends your usual alternative rock. One such band, Cork's Elastic Sleep, are more than embracing the genre's lo-fi tendencies, they've absorbed themselves in them.

'Anywhere', the one, tantalising track that the band have uploaded is a perfect example of what makes the genre so irresistible. Ephemeral, breathy vocals perpetuate the hook line “You could be anywhere” throughout the course of the tracks 2 and a quarter minutes; the vocal simplicity is it's beauty and the use of a female vocalist keeps it feeling genuine, there's just something about the timbre of a female vocal that lends itself to the genre so willingly and can probably be attributed to the twee influences that bleed through in to every dream-pop band.

Whilst the vocals are understated and simple, the music on which the vocals paint is far from it. A turbulent canvas of sonic evisceration, the juxtaposition of vocal and instrumentation is as blatant as it could be jarring, should one go in to this not knowing what to expect. It's exciting whilst verging on the violent, all the while at the same time being melodic and inviting, like the metaphorical carrot dangling from a stick, 'Anywhere' leaves us clamouring for more. It's obvious that Elastic Sleep are a band with raw, untapped talent. This, when coupled with their understanding of musical composition makes for fantastic listening and gives one a feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg, a brief introduction to the band and their idiosyncrasies before they show what their really capable of.

This review was originally written for Ears On, click here to check their site out.

#177: Dark Bells - Want (single review)

Dark Bells

'Want'

October 21 2013 (RIP Records)

8/10

Like their name suggests, there's a distinct melancholic beauty that surrounds Aussie trio Dark Bells. Building on a variety of aesthetics, the band's blend of psych and shoegaze has already earned the favour of the likes of Line of Best Fit or The Quietus and now, with their second single 'Want', Dark Bells look set to make a whole new host of people fall in love with them.



This article was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read the full review.

#170: Yuck - Glow and Behold

Yuck

Glow & Behold

September 30 2013 (Fat Possum)

6.5/10

Back in April when Yuck frontman Daniel Blumberg announced he was leaving to focus on solo material, those left in the band were adamant that it wasn't the end, announcing their second album on the same day as Blumberg's departure. True to their word, and with guitarist and ex-Cajun Dance Party bandmate Max Bloom stepping in to the role of frontman, Yuck are set to release their second album 'Glow and Behold' on 30th September and while it's certainly a consistent album, it lacks any of the youthful scuzz that endeared it's self-titled predecessor to fans and critics alike.



This article was orignally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read the review in full.

#167: Plainview - Years From Now (EP review)

Lancaster's Plainview are a band brought together, not by a shared appreciation of a certain genre but by a mutual ethos that merges aspects and elements from a plethora of musical stylings and a variety of previous experiences. This fusion of genres has allowed the band to create a sound that's not only fresh and varied but also wistfully nostalgic. There's a certain romantic energy about the ideas the band have, after all, why should a band be pigeon-holed in to playing just one kind of music when there's so much more at their disposal? And whilst most of the tracks from most recent EP Years From Now were available online prior to it's release, it's not until the songs are paired next to each other in EP form than the diversity at play really begins to reveal itself.

It's clear from even an initial listen that Years From Now aims to take listeners on a journey from genre to genre. First track, 'Golden Sound', is an indie-pop anthem which sees suitably jangly guitars paired with crashing symbols to make for an infectious and ultimately accessible introduction to the world of Plainview whilst other tracks on the record, such as 'Drift Away' eschews the youthful optimism of other tracks in favour of a darker, more matured and stripped down aesthetic. A clearly discernible bass guitar rolls the track forward, and lends some weight to the otherwise floaty vocals and guitar work of singer Darren Leadsom. It's a fine example of the musicianship within the band and one which iterates the lack of generic convention across the record brilliantly.

The records climax comes in the form of 'Warmth of the Sun', a five minute grungey shoegaze affair that features dreamy vocals from Leadsom and a particularly effective wall of noise forming the backdrop on which the lyricism can paint. Melodic vocal harmonies compliment what guitar can occasionally be picked out of the caustic tumult it creates. It's blissed out shoegaze at it's most commercial and yet a further example of just how little regard the band have for musical confines.

When bands try to give every track from a record a different vibe or aesthetic, it often comes across as fragmented and forced, tracks never truly roll in to each other one feels they should. That isn't the case with Plainview. What the band have done is create a record which showcases the band's influences without aping them. It blends them together in a decade spanning amalgam that builds on elements of 60s pop, jazz, rock and countless other genres in to one accessible and radio-friendly collection of tracks. It feels as if these songs belong next to each other, despite their differences and it's this that is the key to the band's appeal. Rarely does anything feel out of place and rarely does an EP this varied come off as tight as this one does, Plainview are clearly a band destined for bigger things.  

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#166: Exit Calm - The Future Isn't What It Used To Be

Exit Calm

The Future Isn't What It Used To Be

September 23 2013 (Club AC30)

7/10


From the first moments of opening track 'Rapture' it's clear that Barnsley's Exit Calm are a band with an exceptional amount of talent and an inordinate amount of ideas. New album The Future Isn't What It Used To Be is a record that defies any sort of categorisation. From the optimistic and anthemic exhibited in the likes of 'When They Rise' to the frenetic break-beat appreciating 'Albion' each track offers something different, something new. Rarely can a band merge this many influences and ideas in a record and still come across this coherent, this natural.

This article was originally written for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read the full review.

#160: Glasvegas - Later...When the TV Turns to Static.

Album review: Glasvegas - Later...When the TV Turns to Static (2013)

This article was originally written for Muso's Guide. To read the full review, click the link above.