Sometimes the classics are the best – from the Motown of the Isley Brothers and Smokey Robinson to soul legends like Gladys Knight and Etta James, there is a timeless appeal to beautifully crafted songs performed with soul, verve and above all, honesty – Berri Farley is a singer who clearly understands this power. Soon to release her debut, self titled E.P – Farley’s voice is powerful and rich, more suited to a woman twice her age, yet [...]
If this were a film narrated by Morgan Freeman, we’d say, “every story has a beginning”. This is certainly true of the relationship between Superstar Destroyer Records and Black Market Serotonin. After three skinny twenty-somethings approached the original Superstar Destroyer team (then planning an alternative clubnight), and asked if they were into progressive rock, who could have known that this would be the result, six months later?
Combining the Nirvana-meets Radiohead aggression of the first Muse album with a [...]
Islet are a sonic trip, it’s great to listen to them while you’re travelling because every tune has got different sounds like a landscape changing outside your window.
They released two EP, Celebrate this place and Wimmy, the first has got a curious tracklist because nearly every song has a name of woman as title and it’s characterised by a huge variety of sounds, in fact every tune is made of more than one song, like a suite. The [...]
Reverb is becoming a must in the Brooklyn area. After MGMT, Yeasayer and The Drums, now Minks adopted this stuff to give their vocals a retro sound. It’s hard to rival other bands to be the best of their area and I think Minks are not still strong enough to compete with the three I mentioned before. Brooklyn is a very prolific place in this period, with a particular taste for electronic experimentations but Minks are suspended in midair between [...]
Lonely Galaxy, aka the Londoner Harry Granger-Howell, writes heartbreaking ballads defining his music soul/gospel. He’s right in part if you consider that there are loads of organs and echoes, but this is not enough, there’s more than simple gospel, Lonely Galaxy joins the best of brit pop music (U2 and Coldplay above all) and dark atmospheres typical of 80s new wave (The Cure). It’s interesting that they are unsigned, they can easily follow that music scene inspired by soft melodies [...]
Golden Glow is a curious artist to discuss. Gaining popularity as a result of Jacob from The Drums’ label Holiday Records, Golden Glow manages to surpass anything that his mentor has ever produced. Rather than gaining from a demand for 80s revivalism and surf pop, Golden Glow has managed to create something that seems far more timeless than all that.
Golden Glow is one of those acts that restores your faith in pop music. The project of Pierre Hall, Golden [...]
Hailing from Stockton, California, Craft Spells are reminiscent of a plethora of bands. This two piece is a softly spoken, smart, vulnerable mixture that results in something that is really quite special. So what makes Craft Spells a different band to anything that you have heard before? Well, the band manges to avoid being indie rock or psychedelia, impressive considering the band’s origins and instead the sound is dream like at the same time as being an insatiable digitalized pop [...]
www.youngthegiant.com
Young the Giant write the sort of soaring, melodic rock ‘n’ roll that’s bound for greatness. From the jolting percussion and anthemic chorus of “My Body” to the lovesick fervor of “Cough Syrup” to the uptempo, sun-stained pop of “I Got,” the California five-piece’s stunning debut features an arresting collection of songs that announce the presence of a vital new band. “Islands” marries off-kilter jazz rhythms with vocalist Sameer Gadhia’s haunting falsetto to create an unnerving effect; the electric slide [...]
Hailing from Oxnard in California and recently signed to Captured Tracks, the future looks bright for Catwalk. Emerging in 2005, Catwalk have always stayed true to their lush garage pop sound and their honest lyrics paralleled alongside insatiable riffs shows the band as having discovered the formula for success.
The modern music scene requires a mix of a reminiscent sound at the same time as a vivaciousness and originality that allows bands to be inspired by the past but not reproduce [...]
2011 gets off to a great start for new music with the release of the infectious debut single ‘Headstrong’ from charismatic London quartet The Collectable Few on January 24th through Laissez Faire Club Records.
With its sun-kissed melodies and dance-worthy beats The Collectable Few have crafted the perfect slice of fuzzy guitar pop to shake off the winter blues in ‘Headstrong’. Recorded and produced in London, the single was mixed across the pond in NYC by mixmaster Andrew Maury [...]
