#315: Stephen Steinbrink - Arranged Waves

Released: July 2014

Genre: Folk

Label: Melodic

“I’d much rather hear a folk song about how someone is frustrated at their iPad, because although the subject is banal, the relevancy isn’t” proclaims songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Steinbrink, suggesting a wisdom that hugely belies his 25 years. A wisdom though, that has almost certainly arisen from Steinbrink spending more than half of those 25 years in a reflective sense of wanderlust; not just taking in the sights and sounds of our world and its people, but trying to work them out as well, such was his inspiration for his latest record Arranged Waves.

This review was originally written for The Real Music. Click here to read in full.

#314: Kutosis - Dream It Away

Kutosis

Dream It Away

June 30 2014 (Jealous Lovers Club)

8.5/10

In 2012, Cardiff three-piece Kutosis came roaring out of the ether with a multi-faceted debut that cherry-picked elements from a host of genres, fusing them together to create something bold, abrasive and ultimately excellent in the form of 'Fanatical Love'. Two years down the line and the band haven't strictly lost their angular edge, but rounded it, an aspect of their follow up 'Dream It Away' brought to the fore by producer Rory Atwell (Veronica Falls, Yuck). Kutosis' propensity for genre-bending is still very much the driving force behind this record, however, flirting with post-punk, dream-pop, shoegaze and garage-rock all with wilful abandon.

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

#313: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Ruby Lounge - Manchester (2/7/14)

Gig Review: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Ruby Lounge, Manchester (02/07/14)

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

#312: Catching Up With...Kult Country

One of the most exciting new bands out of Manchester at the moment is Kult Country, whose impossible to pin down sound and incendiary live shows have become something of legend over the last few months. After being mightily impressed with their follow-up (to 'Slowburn') single 'Trembling Moon', which was released yesterday (June 30) - see our Track Of The Day feature, and 9.5/10 single review - we caught up with the band for a quick five minutes.

This interview was originally conducted for Little Indie Blogs. Click here to read in full.

#311: Warehouse Eyes - Carvings

Warehouse Eyes

Carvings

May 23 2014 (self-release)

8/10

Up until May, very little was known about the Minneapolis-based five-piece Warehouse Eyes other than what they wanted us to know. The extent of this knowledge fell at the feet of teaser track and their EP's inevitable lead single 'Tokyo', something which ultimately whet the public's appetite and left them clamouring for more than just a taste. Fortunately, their 'Carvings' EP works as a stepping-stone, sating said appetites and bridging the gap between single and full-length. At four tracks long it's the perfect length for an EP, and as the band's analogue synths entwine themselves around the luscious vocal melodies, building themselves up as the record progresses, any sense of mystique surrounding them breaks down, and the vocals of Jennie Lahlum soon feel familiar.

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

#310: Plank - Hivemind

With their debut LP Animalism, Manchester’s Plank! introduced both themselves, and their love of krautrock-inspired, instrumental prog-rock to the world. It wasn’t something to everyone’s tastes, but it was ultimately something which garnered them fans and allowed the band to develop confidently, even after the departure of  their previous drummer. Now, having dropped the exclamation mark from their name, Plank have released their second album Hivemind, a record that might have downsized significantly in subject matter from 2012′sAnimalism, but one that has absolutely grown in ambition.

This review was originally written for TheRealMusic. Click here to read in full.

#309: Jack Robert Hardman - I Don't Need An Answer (single review)

'I Don't Need An Answer', the latest single from solo singer/songwriter Jack Robert Hardman, sees a return to his unique brand of folk-pop, floating hazily forward on wave upon wave of melody. Taken from his current EP 'The Great Unknown', the track feels somewhat more radio friendly than other releases ('Plymouth', for instance) but it works in Hardman's favour: his pop sensibilities shining through, like a more polished Beulah, the vocals providing at times, an almost-gruffness that prevents the track from being too polished.

This review was originally written for Little Indie Blos, click here to read in full.