Trogons

I've been trying to find some information about and hear more music of Trogons since better-blog Pinglewood posted about them back in November. I figured that I'd wait around and, given how great the song was that was shared back then, information, more music and a buzz of excitement would have fallen in my lap by now. For some reason it hasn't, and Trogons still seem as little known now as they did back then - a mere 138 Last FM plays from 51 listeners and only 1 post on HypeMachine, at time of writing.Trogons are based in London, and are apparently formed of current/ex members of the likes of Kasms, Betty and the Werewolvees, Spin Spin The...

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Releases: Best of the Week

Not the most exciting of weeks for alternative releases ever, but still a few well worth a trip to your local record store for.Week starting February 28:Dum Dum Girls – He Gets Me High EP (Sub-Pop)Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me HighLykke Li – Wounded Rhymes (Atlantic)Rainbow Arabia – Boys and Diamonds (Kompakt)V. A. – Before The Fall [Mark E. Smith Comp.] (Ace Records)Cave Singers – No Witch (Jagjaguw...

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New Years Evil

As much as I gripe and moan about Plymouth – its lack of cultural goings on especially in the field of music, its general right-wing attitudes, even its geographical location – it is good to know that there are some good things going on not all that far away.New Years Evil are based in Exeter. For those not so clued up on the south-west of England, that’s about an hour train journey (which, in these parts, is considered city-neighbours). I’m not overly fond of having to travel an hour for gigs and the like, but they’re making sounds well worth 60 minutes of bad company and cramped, smelly conditions. Kind of abrasive and almost grungey, yet still...

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Évariste Galois

This won’t be for everyone, but it will be for some people – which makes it worth writing about, right? Right. For those people it’s not for, please accept my apologies. Or give it a chance to grow.Évariste Galois are from Cardiff. They’re named after a mathematician, which makes them automatically awesome in my eyes. They, like many Cardiff bands, are made up of members of other bands such as singer and guitarist Matthew who plays drums in Saturday’s Kids and guitarist Sion who sings and plays guitar also in Saturday’s Kids.They play American inspired almost emo and pop-punk tinged alternative rock, which isn’t usually my cup of tea but which,...

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Promoting Wizards of Waverly Place

Selena GomezShe Goes Backless Promoting ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ In A Sxy Chic Mini!Selena Gomez is really showing off her sxy side lately in Tokyo on Feb. 21. Selena Gomez continued the trend, when she turned up to promote Wizards of Waverly Place in a copper shift dress by Asos.Selena Gomez is really showing a lot of skin with her back and long legs on full display, since the dress has a high neckline I think it totally balances out. Selena Gomez’ look manages to be both sxy and chic.So, do you think she looked totally chic or did Selena show off too much sk...

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Y Niwl: New Video

Don't usually care about videos, but I like the band, the song and even the video itself so why not. Y Niwl's video for Undegpedwar, a single taken from their self-titled deb...

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Ever been to a gig at an Anarchist club before?

I hadn’t before I went to Brighton’s Cowley Club to see Shield Your Eyes, P For Persia and Illness. You have to buzz a bell to get in, and then someone opens a little hatch before letting you in, which was actually a little intimidating. But the place had a brilliant atmosphere – a buzz of conversation and a pint of lager for only £2.50, which both meant it didn’t really matter that I was on my own. Unlike most shows, this had a real DIY feel to it. Chairs and tables were stacked up against the wall to clear some floor space for the bands, those in charge of the doors were the first band on, all the staff behind the bar at Cowley Club are volunteers,...

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BAANEEX

BAANEEX are a band from London. They describe themselves as “Dracula-inspired garage punk/noisepop/roarcore.” Although not especially useful in actually working out how their music is going to sound, this little bio does at least give you a hint that they might be a bit odd. Indeed they are rather odd. As well as odd, their sound is somewhat wide-spanning and incredibly difficult to pin down. Weird Dance 2 is two songs, or two bands even, in one. All kraut-y influenced weirdness – a looping bassline strutting alongside wobbling synth amidst moments of semi-shouty vocals and even some kazoo – takes up the first few minutes of the track, but is...

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Dan Amos Documentary

My fascination with the brilliant Dan Amos continues. His music, via band Burglarised, as previously posted about on this blog twice and on social media apps countless times, is distorted, effortlessly incredible pop music. Thankfully the guys from Illness are keeping my Dan Amos needs fulfilled, and have made this short documentary on him, his music, and why it's so brilliant and fascinating. Check it out below.DAN AMOS vs THE FANS from Illness on Vimeo.Download Burglarised/Dan Amos full album Thunderheart here, or listen to and grab some individual tracks below.Dan Amos/Burglarised - It Doesn't Happen OftenDan Amos/Burglarised - See What I Can DoDan Amos / Burglarised BF post | Illness BF post | Illness webs...

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Releases: Best of the Week

Plenty more new album, EP and 7” releases from the obscure, unsigned, and alternative crowd this week. Here's a pick of the best.Week starting February 21:Yuck – Yuck (Mercury Records)Yuck - The WallMeilir – Cellar Songs EP (Self-released)Frankie & the Heartstrings – Hunger (Pop Sex Ltd/Wichita)Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine (Carpark Records)Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie Xx – We’re New Here (XL Recordings)Cults – Go Outside 7” (In The Name Of/Columbia Records)Davids Lyre – In Arms EP (Mercury)Rainbow Arabia – Without You (kompa...

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Myrrh

So a few weeks ago I pretty much called Ryan Gabel a weirdo when talking about his music project Arc Light, in an introducing article over on ThisIsFakeDIY. I didn’t have much to base that assessment on, just an album or so of material under his solo work as Arc Light, but it looks like it may have been a fair assessment after all, with fresh evidence coming from his new project, Myrrh.This time Ryan is working with a friend (named Landan, apparently), who seems to bring out an even weirder side. Myrrh has a similar lo-fi and psychedelic feel to his Arc Light work, only it’s even darker and spookier. Club (Drum Sound Life), for instance, opens...

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Ratatosk

Ratatosk is the work of Cardiff musician Rhodri Viney. I posted about his band Right Hand Left Hand a while ago, but I should also mention his solo stuff too because, quite simply, it’s really good.Rhodri’s pretty well known and respected in Cardiff. He used to record under the name Teflon Monkey but had to change it because of some legal threats he got from a big, evil company. He also does solo work under the name Broken Leaf, plays in post-rock band Vito, and has contributed to the recordings of the likes of Brave Captain (Boo Radley’s Martin Carr), Sweet Baboo, Gorki’s Zygotic Mynci and countless others. But today I’ll be talking about his...

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Pheromoans: Release Debut Album

Pheromoans full length album is something I've been looking forward to pretty much since the day I heard they'd be releasing it, so it's pretty good to see that it - in all its 17 track glory - is finally out now. Technically released yesterday (and posted on here today because I'm rubbish), It Still Rankles is out through Convulsive Records and, although I've not heard it yet, is sure to be crammed full of brilliant pissing around, lo-fi punk racket.The Brighton/London/Gatwick Airport/generally south-East based five-piece were featured on this very blog back in November here if you want to read some superlatives. Otherwise head to Convulsive...

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Mrs. Magician

There Is No God is a pretty outlandish and bold statement to put as the title of a song. The type of statement that, although might catch the eye, make smile, and perhaps even improve the opinion (in a roundabout way) of a certain percentage of listeners, could put off a good portion of the band’s potential fans who are of opposing religious or spiritual opinion. Of course not all of those of the believing disposition would dislike Mrs. Magician simply for opting for that as the title (and chorus) of a song, it is likely to irk at least a small minority. But, if even the most offended of theists did give There Is No God a listen, they might...

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Eagulls: Debut 7" Released Today

For all the looping synth complexity, twinkling electro sounds, and fancy experimentation around today, it's still good (heck, even refreshing) to hear a band getting hype for writing trusty old guitar led punk songs.Eagulls are indeed much hyped, but perhaps it's for that very reason. There's no messing about and no pretence, the Leeds band just get on with fairly simple but importantly really good songs. Although their sound is more along classic British rock lines of the likes of Stiff Little Fingers, early Blur, and hints of The Cribs, it comes as no real surprise that Eagulls are formed from the embers hardcore bands. Guitar sounds softed,...

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Alexander Comana

Lead singer of sprawling post-rock-cum-big-pop band Among Brothers (featured here) and (recently ex) guitarist for hardcore five piece Goodtime Boys, Cardiff based Alex Comana’s solo stuff shows him edging into new musical territory less explored by his bands.Hints of the likes of Bon Iver and Real Estate pop up in the only recording I’ve heard of his solo stuff so far; his song Apnea showing he’s no plain old singer-songwriter aiming to bore you to sleep. Five minutes of intelligent and emotive folk with self-harmonised vocals, well put together acoustic guitar/banjo strums and plucks, and some moments of piano, electric guitar and wind instruments...

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Releases: Best of the Week

What a WEEK! Debut albums from two of the more hyped new bands from over the pond in the last 12 months, and new, much anticipated material from some of the more ‘experienced’ artists.Week starting February 14:The Babies - The Babies (Shrimper)The Babies - Meet Me In The CityGruff Rhys – Hotel Shampoo (Turnstile)Mogwai – Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (Rock Action)Ringo Deathstarr – Colour Trip (Club AC30)Bright Eyes – The People’s Key (Polydor)La Sera – La Sera (Hardly Art)PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (Island)Sonic Youth - Simon Werner a Disparu [Soundtrack]The Lovely Eggs – Cob Domino (Cherryade)A Hawk And A Hacksaw – Cervantine (LM...

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Voluntary Butler Scheme: New Stuff

I always thought Voluntary Butler Scheme was alright. Not incredible, sometimes not my cup of tea lyrically, but on the whole I enjoyed his music (and also his production on other people's music, such as Sweet Baboo) - but I really didn't foresee myself blogging excitedly about a new release from him in 2011.The Chevreul EP has just gone up on bandcamp and Rob, still based in the midlands if his tagging is anything to go by, has really developed and expanded his sound. It's never been straight down the middle and bland pop and has always been fairly varied, but here Rob takes a much more experimental turn. There's an increased focus on electronics...

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Harald Grosskopf

This is incredible, wonderful, unbelievable synth-led beauty from Harald Grosskopf's apparently seminal album Synthesist released in 1980, due to get a reissue in the coming weeks. I'm your average idiot and know very little about the Berlin artist, but even a fool like me can appreciate the brilliance of these songs. I quite often find myself amazed by bands from 30, 40 years ago, but this... Just listen.Harald Grosskopf - So Weit, So GutHarald Grosskopf - SynthesistRVNG Intl. are reissuing the album in just a few days time, along with a remix album Re-Synthesist. And just to think of which bands the 80s are best remembered f...

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Youth Castles

Nothing overly original or groundbreaking, but three tracks of Jesus And Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine heavy influence from New York/New Jersey’s Youth Castles.Hangover Kid starts with a fairly basic high-pitched guitar lick but a drum machine and countless guitar pedals and vocals effects later it becomes something all the more intriguing and interesting – like much of shoegaze, these are essentially pop songs wrapped in blankets of noise. Youth Castles do it pretty well, and tey also add interesting tweaks here and there, such as on Feel, where the typical MBV woo-ing synth noise is replaced by a female vocal sample which works really...

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Mood Rings

Mood Rings recreate the sound of yesteryear, just like many others bands do, but, unlike many of their peers who adopt similar approaches to songwriting, the Georgia-based group are very particular in their selections of which music from yesteryear to take influence from, and are also very good in their execution of this.Despite their sound being heavily influenced by the music of the past, it’s the types of music that the band are influenced by that also makes it very now. It might be that they just happen to love the music that is so popular and fashionable right now, or it might be slightly that the band know just which combinations of genres...

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Milezo

When a certain kind of middle class folk talk of ambience, they mean how many working class or rowdy people there are in any given place – a restaurant, a cinema, a gig venue. When I talk of ambience, I mean this – the music of Austin-based artist Miles Kelley.His free EP These Things I Know is five tracks of beautiful, laid back, wistful sounds, all of consistently high electro-ambient quality, with hints of folk and pop. These Things I Know, for instance, is 4 minutes of tender noise and crackles before a laid back and delicate bass-snare beat kicks in, with harmonic “aah”s, and Yr. Escape is of similar, though perhaps catchier, chilled out...

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Wanda and Wonder

So yeah. I listen to quite a lot of music. Lots of it is really good, lots of it really isn’t, and there’s lots of it somewhere in between.I downloaded an EP from Athens duo Wanda and Wonder (not sure what possessed them to decide on that name). Although I found the whole EP at times a little overly cheesey, felt a few songs have a bit too much going on, and generally found it a bit hit and miss and lacking consistency across its 5 songs, I did really like their song Bass Is Nice.It’s got a kind of Animal Collective thing going on at times, but then I say that about everything so don’t take that too seriously, and is generally just a brilliantly...

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Spacemonster

This comes lifted pretty much directly from The Pigeon Post, as anybody who follows this blog on Twitter or likes it on Facebook will know, so make sure you head over there at some point to find out abut other bands I might post about in a week or two.Spacemonster is the work of Kenny Hamilton and he makes the kind of lo-fi, scratchy bedroom pop that I find utterly impossible to resist. Kenny sings with a real honesty and his songs are built up piece by piece, fragile layer after fragile layer. On Swimmer Summer, for instance, Kenny sings to the noise of fuzzy layers of guitar, undoubtedly built up with both effects and loop pedals, and a drum-machine...

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Releases: Best of the Week

Some fairly long awaited releases out this week, both debut albums and follow ups. Don't forget, if you're going to buy these, support your local independent record store by buying it from them. Like this one in Cardiff. Or this one in Brighton. Or even this one in Manchester. Or if you're not in the vicinity of these cities and want to find out the closest record store to you, head here.Week starting Monday 7 February:James Blake - James Blake (Atlas/A&M))James Blake - Love What Happened HereThe Streets – Computers & Blues (679 Recordings)Cut Copy – Zonoscope (Modular)Harrys Gym – What Was Ours Can’t Be Yours (Splendour)Boxer Rebellion...

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Music For Your Plants

It’s not every day you stumble across a new band who are opting for the progressive rock sound. Sure, Mystery Jets started with some heavy prog influences and wrote a few 8 minute songs, but then they went all cheesey 80s pop on us. It’s understandable why lots of bands steer clear of the prog sound or perhaps even why Mystery Jets moved away from it. Given it’s a genre best known for being over-dramatic, pretentious, and boastful, and being eventually ended by the anger and lack of fussing around of the punk movement, it’d take a brave and perhaps foolhardy band to recreate the prog sounds - especially if they had any slight desire to gain a...

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Basement Fever

In case anybody was wondering, this blog is named after a song by an American band called Experimental Dental School, or XDS as I think they're currently known. They have the whole album, Forest Field, that the song is taken from for free at their website, here. It's guitar twang-and-shriek, drums rattle, and vocal sometimes-harmonised weird goodness.It used to be a guy on guitar and a girl on drums. Now it's the same guy on guitar and a new guy, replacing the girl, presumably on drums. They're in the process of making a new album and it'll most likely be good. Obviously thanks to them, but also thanks to Cardiff-based gig promoters Loose who...

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Colonics

Prepare yourself for a long ride with this one. 10 minutes of instrumental noisey, grungey rock jam from Brighton’s Colonics. They’re not the finished package just yet, but they’ve certainly got me intrigued and looking forward to hearing more. Colonics - PersephoneMySpace | Bandcamp | Facebook | Blog | Twit...

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New Animal

The thing with music blogging is that, quite often, you’ve only known of a band a few weeks and only listened to their stuff a handful of times before writing and posting about their music. It’s fairly obvious why this is the case (you know, the nature of blogging about new music is that the music needs to be new, really), but what it can mean is a lot of positive press and superlatives for bands who make music that immediately grabs you, leaving those bands whose music burns its way slowly into your mind sourly unrepresented.Take New Animal for instance. I was literally just preparing myself by listening to their self-titled album to put up...

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