Tag Archives: listen

Elstow | Music Profile

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elstowIn July 2012 Jared Shaw and Chel Browne sent a couple of low-fi demos to Peats Ridge Festival on a whim. Having played only one live show together, their obsession with music was very much a private affair up until then, and neither expected the illustrious Sydney music festival to respond at all. But respond they did, and just a few months later the duo stood together on stage in the eastern-psychedelic-themed ‘Chai Tent’ and warmed an unsuspecting audience with hazy sixties-inspired songs about love, loss and death, blending delicate vocal harmonies with somber misty tones.


 
Borrowing the name of the building they lived in, and guided by a deep appreciation for the folk and psychedelic pop of the sixties and seventies, the duo quickly expanded to five members as they explored their wider musical tastes. Drawing on the psychedelic sounds of bands like Jefferson Airplane, Jimmie Spheeris, and early Pink Floyd, coupled with an infatuation with nineties alt-psych idols Brian Jonestown Massacre and Mazzy Star, Elstow started work on their debut EP in 2013. Released the following year, AS  THE SUN FALLS was five tracks of dreamy psychedelic landscapes fused with a moody folk sensibility. Both personal and surreal, bloggers described it as “music to lose yourself to,” and “a psychedelic romance.”
 
Harnessing an atmospheric and increasingly dynamic live set, the band spent 2014 playing all over their hometown of Sydney, winning over unsuspecting hearts one mind-bending show at a time. Their sound, which has been described as ‘neo-psychedelic-dream-folk,’ has been evolving slowly and surely, refusing to remain static.

In the late months of 2014, Elstow went back into the studio to record their new single, ‘Evil Dreams.’ Despite the sinister sounding name, and promises of a “very weird” video to accompany it, the new song is described by Shaw as “a little more upbeat than the EP,” and combines Elstow’s dreamlike psychedelic overtones with a breezy sunshine-laden chorus. ‘Evil Dreams’ swings between verses of doubtful self-reflection and a chorus of daydream surrender. Carefully woven vocal harmonies float amidst an abundance of tremolo guitars, delay, and crisp tambourines; ‘Evil Dreams’ is as ambitious as it is timeless.

 

 

Los Trasgos Muertos | Music Profile

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Los Trasgos Muertos
Eponymous EP 
2 February 2015

From Manchester, Los Trasgos Muertos are Captain Reed (Bass/Vox/Organ), Von Beek (Guitar/Vox) and Il Fleishe(Drums).
Prior to forming the band, all three members spent time honing their musicianship and songwriting skills with other bands on the vibrant Manchester music scene.  As a result they have known each other for years, sharing similar passions and frustrations, influences and experiences.  Writing came easily and before the trio knew it, they had an album’s worth of material ready to record at Eve Studios in Bredbury, one of Manchester’s best kept secrets.

Los Trasgos Muertos are influenced by a range of musicians from Billy Childish and Deep Purple to Ty Segall, The Beatles and Prince.  This eclecticism inspired them to find their own sense of individuality; they strive to produce records with a strong melody and hook, substance over style, but it’s important to them that each track captures their sense of fun too.

Gareth (Bass/Vox/Organ) describes their sound as ” Loud music for bodies in small hot sweaty rooms, this is physical music.”


The Band in Their Own Words…

Slumbering over decades, awoken by the call of screaming hordes, ‘Los Trasgos Muertos’ were born in blood. The blood running through 5th chords, trashy cymbal crashes and broken amps.

Captain Reed, the endless traveller, has known many names. His rage built over millennia broken and fragmented, unknowingly cradled and forged into a mirror focused on the world. Von Beek has been with us all, the knotted charm we prayed to when all else was hopeless, a blank vision when our eyes were blackened by doubt. Il Fleishe is the collector, master of possession. Within his realm, time was twisted and shaped into endless caverns where souls were left to rot over millennia.

And so the three of us found ourselves in the storm, and lo! ‘Los Trasgos Muertos’ became flesh. Taking Garage/Psyche Rock and twisting it to our own devices with our fleshless skeletal fingers, we traverse the wilderness, a trinity, savaging audiences and all in our path.  Join us!

 

 

Boy + Kite Are Back With Blueprint | Music News

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Boy + Kite has opened up for acts such as Ume, An Horse, Quiet Company and The Toadies, as well as played at SXSW 2012 and the Center of the Universe Festival in Toronto, CA while hitting the Top 10 Charts on KUT 90.5 in Austin, TX. 2013’s We Can Go Anywhere I Want EP, which was recorded by Nada Surf’s Louie Lino at Resonate Studios, expanded on the bands knack for lo-fi ghost-pop. Their sound also landed them kudos from My Old Kentucky Blog, furthering their momentum as an emerging band…

Then, in December 2013, Darvin Jones suffered a traumatic head injury and spent a considerable amount of time hospitalized in critical condition with his synapsis in both ears broke and the left and right hemispheres of his brain severed as well as a fractured skull. Jones wasn’t sure he would ever play music again and the adversity only made Jones’ desire to play music stronger.

After a miraculous recovery, Boy + Kite was ready to fly again.
Boy + Kite

The newest three singles, collectively referred to as Blueprint, were a brutal and euphoric release for Jones and company, now consisting of Jones, Puorro, Giuseppe Ponti and Marc Henry. The songs were crafted in their practice space, which sits inside a massive film equipment warehouse, and were then taken to Public Hi-fi Studios in Austin (owned and operated by Jim Eno from Spoon) where tracking commenced. The resulting singles, “Either Way”, “Turned Sideways” and “Touching the Sun” showcase the most balanced work of Boy + Kites career.

 

 

 

Vision the Kid & Tru Somewhere In A Dark City | Music News

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visionthekid

Artist: Vision the Kid
Similar to: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, J. Cole, Brother Ali
Label: Be Easy Music
Accolades:
* VTK was voted Best Local Rapper in a poll by Minneapolis publication Vita.mn
* Tru’s production was featured in Minneapolis publication City Pages’ Gimme Noise Beattape

Bio:
Vision the Kid & Tru are a rapper/producer duo based in Minneapolis. They are set to release their second full-length album, Somewhere in a Dark City. In 2013, Vision the Kid was voted Best Local Rapper in a poll by Minneapolis publication Vita.mn. In 2014, Tru’s debut instrumental album, Smokers Lounge, earned a glowing review from Minneapolis publication City Pages and inclusion in the fourth volume of their Gimme Noise Beattape.

The duo first saw success with Vision the Kid’s debut album, Lost Summer, which lasted over 10 weeks on the College Media Journal’s Hip-Hop charts, peaking at #12. The debut music video, “Lost Summer,” is featured on MTV.com, along with an MTV artist page. The duo’s most recent Ep, BrokenRadioLove, also appeared in CMJ’s Hip-Hop charts, holding a Top 40 spot for multiple weeks. Their single “Live from the Midwest” has been featured on both MTV’s The Real World and E! Network’s Kourtney & Kim Take Miami.

Somewhere in a Dark City displays the type of growth listeners and critics want to see from artists. It is densely personal, at times vulnerable, but overall an invitingly listenable record. Mixing true stories of drug addiction and heart break with tracks of pure, danceable braggadocio, Vision the Kid & Tru set out to make a Hip-Hop record that sounds as current as it does timeless, as personal as it is universal, and as much party as it is poetry.

Fractions Reveal Second Single Burst‏‏

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Fractions – Fractions EP released via Edils Recordings on September 29th
 

North-East five-piece Fractions are set to release their ethereal self-titled EP this September. A momentous piece developed from sweat, blood and glorious determination, this is Fractions’ debut EP and marks the beginning of an exciting new future for the bourgeoning outfit.

Fractions EP Artwork

Originally a concept for creative outpouring with no concern of marketability or listener numbers, Fractions has roamed gloriously feral amongst the subconscious outback of its originators. This endless freedom reverberates in the EPs sound; an untamed beast basking in its unbridled and limitless landscape. With Fractions organically becoming an increasingly honed and sleek sound over a number of years, steps are now being taken to concentrate more on developing the band and revealing their output to the world.

On describing the mindset of Fractions, guitarist Martin Downing explains it as “a combination of all of our individual strengths rolled into one. We are all fractions of Fractions as we all contribute our own part to what you hear”. A large majority of Fractions’ work is created by its member’s sending work back and forth between each other in secluded home studios, building on each other’s brilliance to create a single entity that is truly great. This insular working environment reflects the multi-disciplined and novel sound of Fractions, above and immune to external pressures or influences.

With their music concentrating heavily on the notions of isolation and abandonment, Fractions take real-world grit and steel and back it up with elegant poise; are a flawless rose wrapped in barbed wire. Into The Earth laments the end of youth whilst Burst highlights how truth is a thin veil purposely chosen by others. One of Fractions’ most poignant pieces, Resist, is a melancholic wonder, focusing on the inevitable onset of old age. Based in the North-East of England, a region that has suffered more than most in the recent economic downturn, Fraction’s EP reminds the listener, in their 21st century insta-happiness ideology and app-savvy stupor, that the real world isn’t always bright mundane skies but is often filled with beautiful, poignant and breathtaking tears.

Fractions’ debut EP will be released on Edils Records (Liverpool) on September the 29th on both physical and digital formats.

 

 

The Hertz Complex – No Control

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Following brilliant reviews and international airplay for ‘Maybe I Know’ and ‘Bassy’, from their forthcoming EP ‘A New Habit’, we’re highlighting another track from the EP that shows a very different side to the band.  

The Hertz Complex - No Control

No Control is stripped back to focus on Neil O’Keeffe’s vocals, a simple yet utterly beautiful song that contrasts perfectly with the lo-fi fuzz guitar and shimmering Post-Punk creations the band are known for.


Neil O’Keeffe (lead vocals, guitar) and Paul Keane (guitar) have a songwriting partnership that transgresses borders.  Hailing originally from Cork, Ireland, they have set up camp in the emerging artists’ haven that is Deptford, London. 

Here they draw on a mix of influences from their Irish roots to bands such as The Chameleons, Joy Division, Whipping Boy and Howling Wolf, resulting in their own eclectic version of post punk.  Joining Neil and Paul are Benjamin Balan (drums) and Chris Keelan (bass). Originally from Canada, they form a solid, driving rhythm section that provides the foundation to The Hertz Complex’s dynamic interlacing guitar work.
 
The four-piece aim to bring a forgotten passion back into music and this musical salvation has certainly been delivered – an ever-growing army of fans, festival appearances and a headline slot at LA’s legendary Whisky A Go Go are testament to that fact.  The Hertz Complex’s highly anticipated debut EP comes on the back of news that one of their songs will be featured in a movie soundtrack, another sure sign that this band are making music that is essential listening.

 

 

Jubilee Courts The EP: Go From The Blue Light Into The Moonlight

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Release Date: 4th August 2014

Format: Digital Download

jubileecourt

Jubilee Courts are Josh (21), Matt (21) and Harry (19) who were brought together in 2011 by a mutual dissatisfaction with the current music scene and a motivation to do something different.  Gigging throughout their hometown of Northampton in late 2012 to early 2013, the buzz around the band grew and Frank (18) joined as their drummer.  With two members now based in London, Jubilee Courts’ music reflects their changing surroundings and eclectic influences.

 

The band quote My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Bauhaus and Joy Division as musical inspirations.  Lyrical influences come from the literary works of T S Elliott and Delmore Schwartz.

 

The single ‘Room with a View’, released on Stalkers Records in December 2013, was mixed by James Bagshaw, singer of Temples.  A further seal of approval from the Temples frontman came in the form of his percussion performance on the track.  Their debut EP ‘Go From the Blue Light into the Moonlight’ was written in mid-2013. The piece is a minimalistic portrayal of where the band began, a reflection of them growing up in the provincial midlands with some tracks representing the routine and monotony whilst others offer a contrast through undertones of romanticism and the avant-garde.

 

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Tour Dates:

Saturday 2nd August – Roadmender, Northam