Echobelly – Anarchy and Alchemy

Echobelly will forever be tagged with Britpop, but with albums released in 2001 and 2004, they have already proven they can outlive that bubble. They return with their first single in 10 years after successful acoustic and full band tours in recent times.

With the use of a stand up bass, 'Anarchy and Alchemy' takes on a distinct jazz foundation. Meanwhile, Sonya's vocals add a sense of anxiousness, particularly within the abstract chorus. It's a terrific reflection of the times, the chemical sense that things are going nowhere or often backwards looms larger all the time.

Sonya's chief partner in crime, Glen Johansson, is also on fine form too. His guitar playing stokes the fires and provides the anarchy to Sonya's alchemy on this subdued yet raw single. What a pleasure to have them back once more.

You Can purchase this now via their Pledge Music page here:

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/anarchy-and-alchemy

Listen to the new single and Sonya in conversation with BBC6's Stuart Maconie here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b088nkyy

Elbow - All Disco

Oh Guy Garvey, that voice, from the first word it instantly feels like your best friend has come home from a long spell away.

‘All Disco’, inspired by an interview Garvey did with Pixies legend Frank Black, details how he learned to let go of his ‘be all end all’ attitude towards his songs. This seems odd, as Elbow have always sounded at their best when their mind body and soul have been left out there for all to hear.

That said, fans should rejoice at Garvey’s new reflective stance. The world lost too many heroes last year and to have another one slide into murky waters trying to be perfect would be a tragedy.

Elbow’s archetypal sound is out in full force here, lending itself to all things beautiful in the world. So, to combine it with a wise message of letting obsessions will hopefully have a positive effect on the simplistic dialectical discourse the world has adopted of late. 

Temples – Strange Or Be Forgotten

A great pop music return for the Northampton psyche band.

James Bagshaw vocals beautifully borrow from Mercury Rev’s Jonathon Donahue and Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. Sonically, this is similar to their Aussie peers as well, however, it’s a four minute pop song. The conciseness of this record proves that pop music doesn’t need to boring.

Lyrically, this is the most symbolic to date. Questioning the necessity to be so individualistic that no-one cares about you is one all bands could heed presently. Identity is great, but, if you cannot make it tangible to something real and make fans feel anything then what is the point?

The way Temples have driven their love of psyche and prog into the realm of pop music is remarkable. It feels the right time Tame Impala to become path makers and allow Temples’ pop majesty to flourish.

The Slow Revolt – Sketches

Aiming to become Peckham's finest export since Del Boy is Joe Mirza, aka The Slow Revolt. He recently released the Sketches EP. Here's our track by track review:

Lean

The spirit of Bon Iver’s debut album is invoked with the infectious guitar riffs on this EP opener. Vocally, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a hidden Jeff Buckley track. The upwards inflections lend a pleasant riff a anxiety which lifts ‘Lean’ above his peers.

Stitched Hearts

The more measured and downbeat approach taken showcases Slow Revolt at their best. It allows for the intricate vocal harmonies to bounce around the subtle production as if they are one in the same thing.

The looping keys deliver a tension which rub against the angelic vocals expertly. The feeling that this melancholic Everything Everything-esque number will explode into life or sink further into despair constantly looms with this loop but neither outcome emerges. Yet another indicator that brave song writing will define their future.

Messina

Perhaps Mirza’s most soulful effort to date. The feeling stems from the recurring line “the plague is mine” with a rawness rarely seen in the electronic genre.

Small Fires

You’d be forgiven for thinking Burial had a downbeat pop track on Small Fires. The beats and synths, although firmly from the world of Burial, are delivered immaculately. Furthermore, set to these sublime vocals, it raises itself into more accessible realm of industrial music than perhaps the brooding genius of Burial ever could. 

Ocean Flaws - 20:22

What a remarkable step up in class from one of 2016's most promising bands. Previously, they have touched upon The Verve circa ‘Storm In Heaven’ and ‘A Northern Soul’ but, here, they take the genius of Nick McCabe and spliced it with their own magic.  

The throbbing riff that pulsates throughout is a demented heartbeat in this slow building epic. It could, trip along like this and be fine but, the addition of Olivia Russell on dual vocals allows them to expand their sound monstrously.

It would be remiss not to mention the insatiable bugged out psyche via rock n roll solo in this song. As brilliant as Tame Impala have been in the past decade, this solo is serving notice on them and all prog-psyche, it’s time for psyche to get dangerous once more.  

British Sea Power - Bad Bohemian

BSP guitarist Martin Noble recently told the NME:

“It was made to a background of politicians perfecting the art of unabashed lying, of social-media echo chambers, of click-bait and electronic Tonka Toys to keep us entertained and befuddled. All this can easily make the individual feel futile. But I think we’ve ended up addressing this confusion in an invigorating way, rather than imprisoning the listener in melancholy.”

Noble’s sentiments are clear from the off as their archetypal wistfulness soars all around you. In the early days, there was a sense of trying to two foot the doors of hinges with ‘Apologies to Insect Life’ and ‘Favours in the Beetroot Fields’. The charm still remains intact but, it comes with a wisdom and a loving arm around the shoulder. In such a divisive world, BSP’s alternate reality of love and hope is needed more than ever. 

Matt Edible & The Obtuse Angles - Advent Beard

With Christmas fast approaching, the will inevitably be a slew of shite Christmas songs being released. This is not one of them!

Holy Orders frontman Matt Edible has taken time out from the band, and served up what a Christmas classic. It’s a raucous and funny pop song that should be echoed around pubs for the following days of Advent.

Edible's infectious nature is larger than ever and the love just oozes from him. Not even the shit stain Teresa May could fail to feel a bit happier after this jaunt. The bass stomp invokes Slade whilst the backing vocals provide a drunken sense of fun to be shared by best friends.

If you make one Christmas single purchase this December, make it this. 

Luna Bay - Smoke & Mirrors

London four piece Luna Bay have been making solid inroads in 2016 but, they have saved the best till last. Their new single ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ is going to announce themselves as serious players for 2017.

The gorgeous opening will transport people back to those closing moments of a great party in the sun. The dreamy riff just floats about, almost touchable but always out of reach. It feels like a big ecstatic release is coming but, never quite does. Nevertheless, The Maccabees and Foals to find that magic formula and Luna Bay are inches away from it already. 

High Hazels - Joined At The Lip

Sheffield's heir to the Dreampop throne, High Hazels, are back with their new single 'Joined At The Lip'. Small steps are made away from their wistful roots but, their ability to produce beauty remains strong.

Vocally, James Leesley gives a nod to Fury and Como’s crooning skills here, but via his Sheffield roots, much like his great peers George Waite (The Crookes) and Richard Hawley. Lurking lazily in the background is Lou Reed circa the Velvets, which, lends the song an aloofness not yet witnessed from the band.

The closing moments of this song are a thing of majesty. The gorgeous licks on Scott Howes’ guitar float by carelessly, whilst, the synths and faded vocals conjure a gentile haze.

Paul Draper – EP 2

Former Mansun Paul Draper returned earlier this year with EP One. He is back again with, yep, you guessed it, EP Two. here's our track by track review:

Friends Make The Worst Enemies

Draper’s ability to make grandiose anthems sound twisted and brooding has not diminished one iota. This EP opener will drag you in into his world of distrust head first and scream in your face until you understand that he “feels like my life is imploding”.

The way he tempers bravado with helplessness creates a unique world light at the end of the tunnel doesn’t exist.

Some Things Are Best Left Unsaid

The tender, yet wayward vocal begins to forge a calmer path following the intense storm that is ‘Friends Make The Worst Enemies’. With this clarity though, comes a bout of regret through the simple yet damming line:

“I wish I had told you when we first met”

This line, like the song, is so simple and so effective. Commuters the world over will be glued to the landscape drifting by them out the window pondering the whys and hows of secrets they should never have kept.

Don’t You Wait, It Might Never Come

For those who grew up with Mansun in the mid-90s, they will undoubtedly have their younger selves and dreams sound tracked by the ambition and hopefulness embodied by Oasis’ ‘Live Forever’.

Now their youth is behind them, a sense of last chance saloon is something that will appeal to those whose lives have not panned out as planned. That’s where this track comes in. Four minutes of frantic desperate rock n roll spew out of this last roll of the dice and it doesn’t disappoint.

Friends Make The Worst Enemies (Acoustic)

So often, acoustic versions of the lead track are just filler. Not here. Draper’s solemn version of the opener adds much needed sonic ballast to this delightfully unsteady EP.

Furthermore, the softer vocal allows the lyrics to sound more like a tale from a deeply wounded elder statesman full of resentment.

Cabbage: Old Blue Last, London

For 20 minutes of this 30 minute set, Cabbage are the best band on the planet.

They open with 'Uber Capitalist Death Trade' and hone the ramshackle beauty of The Libertines via the oddball genius of the Happy Mondays.

With barely time to draw breath, they launch into ‘Kevin’ cause everyone to question everything they know about music. A pulsating channeling of The Sonics via Bo Ningen provides a superbly violent anthem for this small but adoring set of fans.

Some light relief comes in the form of the decadent 'Fickle'. It strides drunkenly wherever the fuck it wants before a warped guitar solo chimes out like an acid ridden four minute warning siren.

Closing the show out are ‘Necroflat In The Place’ and ‘Free Steve Avery (Wrong America)’. The intensity remains, but, the quality dips ever so slightly as the peculiarities of ‘Kevin’ fade. What you are left with, is another dose of Palma Violets or Libertines b-sides. To be clear, they are matching their quality, no mean feat!

Cabbage, at their best tonight, are setting the agenda and blowing all their peers away. Be sure to be on their tour in the New Year.

James Dey - The Night Time

It’s been a decade since Leed’s James Dey released an album, and, on this showing, a decade too long.

The Yorkshireman’s hiatus from recorded music has not diminished his ability to write hushed and angelic folk songs. Opener, ‘The Yawn’, is never more apt than right now as winter draws in. Blessed with the warmth of Stornoway’s debut album, this quaint number is the perfect avenue for you amble into this album.

This is a consistent album, often serving as good background noise or relaxing commuting content. However, every now and then, Dey produces genuine moments of magic, often around the simplest and intimate discourses.

‘Hedgehog’ is one of these instants. Dey’s vocals adopt a whispered gravel and traverses its way to enriching and rousing blast on the trumpet. On paper, this has the hallmarks of Billy Bragg and Sam Duckworth. However, an amusing tale of a mid-twenty something being locked out of his parents and a dead hedgehog, not so much.

Dey is adept at writing songs about the imperfect like ‘Smokers In The Corridor’ and ‘Andrika’. The former is a majestic piece of folk-pop. Only Tom Williams has rivalled this level of intimacy in recent times. The mood and tone brings Noah & The Whale to mind as Dey evokes memories of a seaside holiday.

All kids should grow up with holiday memories like this. On paper, they’re shit, but those vague memories of your elders free from everyday stresses breeds a warmth as you get older and kudos to Dey, he encapsulates this beautifully.

Meanwhile, ‘Andrika’, is a boat that doesn’t sale in the garden of his childhood. A glorious display of childhood imagination of what this boat once was and the battles it once endured. Fans of this song, should read Andrew Collins’ ‘Where Did It All Go Right?: Growing Up Normal in the 70s’ now!

This is an album that you might be able to ignore because of under exposure, but, put it on and you will find it tough to put back down again.

You can and WILL download 'The Night Time' on James' bandcamp page here

https://jamesdey.bandcamp.com/album/the-night-time

Cabbage – Uber Capatalist Death Trade

There should be no doubts right now, Cabbage are the best band in the UK right now. Here’s our track by track review of their scintillating EP:

Uber Capatalist Death Trade

Danger lurks around every corner with an unerring confidence and originality, the like not seen since The Libertines in 2002. The power and ferociousness on display here will make recent excellent work of Palma Violets seem old hat.

It has everything to unite the alternative world. Blistering guitars for the mainstream Radio X crowd, feral post-punk vocals a la Lydon with PiL, and biting lyrics to boot.

Fickle

All the stomp and pomposity of the recent Arctic Monkeys albums is made to look irrelevant in this 5min affair. This is a fragile juggernaut rampaging its way around town with a bottle of port in one hand a sledgehammer in the other hand.

The opening is a death storming stomp, the lyrics are dark humour at its best and the guitars, well, they are crazed and escapist, they raucous and offensive. This does it all!

Tell Me Lies About Manchester

Hilarious from start to finish. A tale of a monster bullshitter, bigger than Jay Carwright and Del Boy put together who claims:

“I've had a pint with every member of The Fall”

And

“Rowetta rubs my feet”.

BBC6 stalwart marc Riley recently told the NME that Cabbage are the rightful heir to Happy Mondays throne. He is not wrong. The music grooves along with the wayward effortlessness embodied by the Mancunian icons and embodies the wit and charm of Shaun’s great lyrics on ‘Bummerd’.

Free Steven Avery (Wrong America)

Musically, this is most light hearted on the EP. It’s a spritely thigh slapping pub song. Fittingly then, the lyrics are cutting and profess to killing Donald Trump.

The Treatment - Treatment

Nothing this aggressive has ever emerged from Cambridge surely? The Treatment have the spite of Slaves but combine with the style and substance of The Horrors and The Doors.

Here is our track by track review of their self-titled and FREE EP (available here http://treatment1.bandcamp.com/releases):

The Dead Whale

A dark brooding assault of distortion combines with a Joy Division riff on the opener. Mid-way through, comes a surprisingly uplifting section hinting that chart domination may soon follow. This is closely trailed by a killer baseline as the song draws to an end.

Pride On The Fire

A glorious ode to The Fall via The Horrors circa ‘Sheena Is A Parasite’.

Aboriginal Splendour

Imagine Franz Ferdinand’s catchy guitars and baselines given an injection of fury and you’ll be carted to your favourite sweat dripping venue for this banger.

Last Mirror

The rage drops some gears but lurks dangerously throughout. Especially as it builds towards the Libertines’ ‘I Get Along’ territory before resetting to their own unique guitar part.

Beyond Hunger

The EP closes with baselines reminiscent of Dogs’ debut album ‘Turn Against This Land’ combine with distorted post punk vocals to create another menacing gem. 

Whistlejacket – Oh Brother

The Fierce Panda label have unearthed another beauty in the London five piece Whistlejacket. Championed by both Simone Marie and Faris Badwan, they are band destined to join the rock n roll psychedelic elite sooner rather than later.

Here is our run through of their new four track EP:

Oh Brother

This opener takes the swirling psyche of Temples and injects it with Primal Scream’s sense of counter culture. Its big riff is demonic and intent on partying at the gates of hell.

Lyrically, ‘Oh Brother’ tells you all you need to know about their head-space, they don’t give a shit. As cinemas gear up to embrace the Gallagher's at their peak, this song feels an apt modern day nod to this spirit.

GB Ache

Another set of heavy hitting guitars combine with distant vocals on this Broken Hands meets latter day Arctic Monkeys effort. Throw in the bugged out production and the etchings of something special are clearly materialising on the horizon.

Hotter Than Heaven

The immediacy dissipates but it feels like they're searching for it at times. However, when it lets go, a beguiling, fuzzy and understated guitar solo emerges in the closing seconds to redeem itself.

March Hare

If this were a Facebook status it would state:

"when a band pulls everything together to create magic"

Combining the distinctive guitar work of The Cure at their peak with everything great about The Horrors, Whistlejacket have found their groove. Doing everything at once is a commendable effort but an almost impossible trick to pull off consistently. Allowing everything its space lifts them from 'great support band' to 'get the fuck out of the way, its our time'.

Farewell to The Enemy

Ten years have passed since Coventry's three-piece The Enemy rolled into town. They were a rare working-class voice in British rock music and Friday witnessed their last-ever London gig at The Forum. Although, from the riotous atmosphere, you’d think it was a band on the brink of the big time.

Nobody left Kentish Town without losing a stone in sweat and jaded vocal cords. It’s what all gigs aspire to be. For anyone who reads TT regularly, sentences such as “why are Radio X and BBC6 not playing this” feature regularly. A sentiment echoed by frontman Tom Clarke on stage as to why they are splitting up.

It’s a cast-iron fact that their debut album is a classic. This should have given them the right for their singles to be a-listed when they returned for the second album. But the indie bubble of the time burst because major labels were destroying it with Scouting For Girls and the fucking Hoosiers, so they deemed The Enemy irrelevant. The presence of these tuneless gutless witless fucktards made the band more vital than ever. Clark’s venom and lyrical insights were needed to uphold a generation of indie fans who were about to be left behind.

Already the UK is a poorer musical landscape without them. As much as we love Frank Turner and The Vaccines, their middle-class and private school backgrounds can never write a song like ‘You’re Not Alone’ or ‘Be Somebody’.  Let’s hope Nicky Wire never gets bored of music!

The night itself was a joyous send-off for the band and its fans alike. The crowd was bang up for it from the moment the DJ played ‘Parklife’ 30mnis before they came on. Any opportunity to sing “now this song is about you” in-between songs was gladly taken, especially in the tube station and, for some, all the way to Bank.

The chink of light for fans should be Paul Weller. His varying and consistently high career since The Jam split will hopefully provide the inspiration for Tom to carry on in some guise.

So. Farewell to Tom, Liam, Andy, and everyone I’ve shared a sweat-filled room with since 2006. You’re not alone!

The Academic - 2003 Mixtape

As a generation of Olympic heroes like Bolt and Ennis are reaching the end of their careers it’s impossible to not feel nostalgic for their glory days. Sound tracking this feeling, is The Academic's '2003 Mixtape'. 

Musically, its indie-rock drowning in sunshine and so carefree. However, can a tale of nostalgia ever truly signify happiness? Despite its unrepentant feelings for yesteryear, you wonder hurt has hit the pause button on this part of their life.

As with all their previous singles, The Academic have produced great riffs and euphoric vocals but, the highpoint emanates from Craig Fitzgerald’s delivery of the chorus:

“You and your mistakes / Me and my mistakes / Nothings gonna change the way I feel” 

Fitzgerald cuts a British version of Julian Casablancas in despair and, for anyone hung up on missed chances, well, expect to feel forlorn afterwards.  

Man & The Echo - Distance Runner

Fresh from playing Billy Bragg's curated Leftfield Stage at Glasto this year, the Warrington four piece recently released the single 'Distance Runner'. 

It has the drum roll hallmarks of Milburn's 'What You Could Have Won' and vocal cadence. However, this is just a small part of what makes this cracking single. The Northern Soul swagger radiates from every pore and is certain to have audiences both young and old clamouring for more.  

As with all their work to date, ‘Distance Runner’ is blessed with a warmth which feels cathartic and has the ability to unite. Now more than ever, we need Man & The Echo.

Hello, World!

The Rumble Strips - The Lightship Recordings

It seems an eternity since we heard from The Rumble Strips but, at the end of July, they released a new EP ‘The Lightship Recordings’. Here’s our track by track review:

Another World

All memories of Rumble Strips tend to lean towards their sun filled pop numbers, so, Another World is the perfect comeback for them. The pianos and guitars breeze on by without a care in the world as the chorus reflects perfectly:

“when we're living in another world / what a feeling” 

Around The World

Who needs melancholy when you have this? For anyone pondering the point of meetings where nothing happens and officious emails to 30 people when only 1 is needed, this, this song is the answer:

“Gonna buy me a car / Gonna put you in it/ I’m gonna die in that car when I’m old / all around the world”

Bistro Paris

Where do they conjure these melodies from? The deeper tone to Charlie Walker’s vocals lends this quaint lullaby a different tone to the previous two ‘sing your heart out’ numbers and, is much the better for it.  

South Harbour

This is a pleasant and jaunty affair but never really goes anywhere. This is a pity because, as the vocal harmonies 2mins come in, it threatens to do something interesting but sticks to the status quo.

Ticking Over

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Plods along pleasantly but there are no real lifts of excitement or escapism as seen elsewhere on this album. 

Wildlife

Walker’s opening howl of ‘wildlife’ is a thing of beauty, much like what he is describing. The power he summons is like a melodic town crier. Couple this with the Belle & Sebastian meets King Creosote indie-folk-pop verses lead to an encapsulating end to this EP.

King Creosote - Wake Up To This

Fife’s Kenny Anderson, has become best known for his experimental work of late, including the bad ass Mercury nominated collaboration with Jon Hopkins. On ‘Wake Up To This’, he has returned to his intuitive pop sensibilities which saw him rise through the ranks of folk royalty during the late ‘00s.

His trademark electronica combining with his infectious acoustic melodies and Celtic vocals is joyous and evokes memories of ‘You’ve No Clue Do You’. The use of strings is a no brainer for Anderson’s brand of melodic folk but, not one we’ve seen a lot of. When you revisit classics like ‘Marguerita Red’, ‘678’ and ‘Home In A Sentence’, thoughts of a full orchestra and the Albert Hall become a burning desire

Whatever it is KC is striving to achieve, surely lies within this single. The combination of folk traditions and electronica offers everything that’s ever been great about him and still finds space for innovation.