DEMOS

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IF YOU’RE AN UP AND COMING BAND OR MUSICIAN, AND WOULD LIKE YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED IN OUR DEMO SECTION, EMAIL A TRACK TO NARCMEDIA@GMAIL.COM AND TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF!

WORDS: MATT YOUNG

Demo Of The Month

Diago – Wild

Diago’s recent single Wild immediately shows the undeniable zeal the Newcastle-based band have, the type that only bouncy pop music can deliver when it’s embraced properly. The opening a capella vocal bars and the happy bassline do a huge amount of scene setting for what is, at heart, a tale of mutual romance/horny attraction.

There’s a great mix of exuberance here; think about the melodies of the early noughties when bands like 1975 or Bombay Bicycle Club pinned their colours onto compact hook-driven songs that earworm indefinitely. This is easily the pick of the demos this month, and I’m mightily curious to hear what else the band have up their sleeves.

www.linktr.ee/officialdiagoband

Moss – True

Put the needle on the record. This brooding trip-hop ode is the work of two friends –electronic artist and producer Moss and vocalist Oui Bee. The darkly lit foundation, soaring, grand vocals and everything about the songs production leans into the 90’s Bristol area sounds with a slightly more rock flavour than their forbears, but as the beats and howling lyrics ask “How am I supposed to love you now?” the yearning and tormented vocals sound desperate. There’s an abrupt finish, which smacks you around the ears too soon, as this has scope to wander into some other interesting places if it wants to. www.facebook.com/mossmusicpage

Moon Glider – Shelter

There’s a guitar part in this song around one minute and twenty seconds in that’s reminiscent of the Arctic Monkeys Do I Wanna Know?. It’s close, distractingly so for a little while, and then I’m over it, my attention is drawn instead to the strange sounding mouse clicks dotted throughout the remainder of the track. That is to say, Shelter grooves along at a comfortably gentle and woozy pace, as softly hushed vocals breathe over the piano and bass licks. It’s a nice tune and feels good, but it’s the anomalies that stand out more to me, which is a real shame. www.instagram.com/moongliderband

Jenny Say Kwa! – Really Don’t Think Ur Right 4 Me

There’s a German word: ‘Sprechstimme’, literally ‘spoken voice’ that whilst not acutely applicable to rock and pop music is perhaps the closest you may get to describing things like Phil Daniels’ vocal cameo in Blur’s Parklife, or the laconic tones of Fiona Shaw from Dry Cleaning on their Stumpwork album, and let’s not forget Wet Leg here who are the talk-singing Grande dames. Well, I’m really not a big fan of that stuff. If it also comes wrapped up in a Cockernee accent direct from Only Fools ‘n’ Horses and with a lyric that seems hugely underwritten and repetitive, then unfortunately it’s an uphill battle I have little inclination to engage with. www.facebook.com/jennysaykwa1

Midnight Jazz Club – Stand

The slow build of Stand, prowling around with meandering bass and guitar riffs is right up my street. The post-rock vibes are strong and the quiet/loud dynamic is duly present too when the wandering turns to a fully-fledged rock out, in what could be described as ‘chorus -like’ moments. Heads down, pedals on full, drum kit thrashed like a prison riot. Then there’s a shift halfway, a split off into an entirely different tone and song almost. It’s not unwelcome but is a little jarring, however it’s not long before the initial melodies reappear and we’re back in sync again, this time with some enormous chugging metal riffs. No jazz then, but a beast of a track.

www.midnightjazzclub.bandcamp.com