Unsigned & Independent (November 2015)

KING KONG COMPANY

THE CUJO FAMILY LAND OF THE GIANTS CORRINA JANE DISSENSION RISING BARRY JAY HUGHES THE SCOUSE HOUSE THE MANC TANK THE SHADES

NOVEMBER 2015

THE MANC TANK

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THE CUJO FAMILY

DISSENSION RISING

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KING KONG COMPANY 6

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LAND OF THE GIANTS

CORRINA JANE

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SCENE & HEARD 21-22 THE SHADES (single launch) 23-25 GIGONOMETRY 26-36 37-46 47-48 49

ALBUM REVIEWS EP REVIEWS SINGLE REVIEWS NOVEMBER 4x4

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OUR FRIENDS IN THE 15 NORTH OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH

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EDITORIAL

U& I Mus ic Magazine 26 K ings Inn S treet Dublin 1 Editor-In-Chief: Phillip Ó’ Baoighealláin Deputy Editor: Greg Clifford Writing Staff: Jamie Kelly Sean Brennan Marky Edison Liverpool Correspondent: Joe Loftus Manchester Correspondent: Dave Beech U&I Gigs Photographers: Peter O'Hanlon Shari Denson Dom Marceleno

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Editor-In-Chief

KING K Everything this year has seen you guys turn up on the radar of everyone for all the right reasons, yet it would also appear, from the outside looking in, that it is mirroring the success of last year and building on that – a band with a plan if you will.

Part planned, part luck and a lot of hard work! The biggest thing we’ve planned so far is the album launch at The Academy. It’s by far our biggest gig. We have an album out two weeks after the gig, but everyone buying an advance ticket to the gig will get a free advance copy of the album on the 27th! Planning our debut album, our biggest headline gig and doing an Irish tour is a lot of hard work!

But we’re lucky to be here. Our big turning point was September 2013 when Body and Soul asked us to play on their mainstage at Electric Picnic. It was about 8pm on the Sunday night and we were running around setting up in the pit of a rather empty natural amphitheatre.

The sun was coming down to a red sky and we suddenly turned around and the place was heaving. I think it was safe to say we had a mix of fans and newcomers to that mix. Festival season was over and went out with a major bang for us. We kinda got the nod from the Body and Soul guys that we were sure to meet again and we did in 2014!

It’s a sort of tradition for us every year now to sit down at the end of it or the start of the new one and come up with the plan. I think our biggest fear is stagnation and those meetings are put in place so we never have to mention the word for the rest of the year and so far it seems to work.

Last year was certainly a big year for you as a band which has been built on this year in a big way. Looking back on 2014 overall did that give you a sense of realisation that put things into perspective for you collectively?

delight to lift the crowds back into party mode after 2 days of hard going.

But if you also put all that aside you are also a band who very much let the music do the talking. In our opinion you are one of the best live acts to currently be found on the Irish circuit.

Do you place a high emphasis on working on the showmanship side of things when you play live or do you think that you naturally find your mojo when you play because of what the musical dynamic tends to bring with it when you guys cut loose?

Most bands have a frontman/person, usually a singer and a lot of the important interaction with the crowd comes from that source. As we are largely instrumental we knew from the start if we didn't do something about the performance and showmanship we would lose that all important connection. So we did a few things. We have our dancer in various characters for different tracks. A lot of these characters derive from the videos we have done so whenever we get a projector at a venue its put to good use. We get to gel the characters with the videos we have done and a very important part too is the lighting so we have our own lighting guy (the mighty Stress) there to help us with the lifts and downbeats. In terms of our own experience and mojo, well we are not skinny teenager’s (anymore) with attitude.

We know how lucky we are on that stage every time and if that doesn't give you the mojo you need then I don't think much else will.

The really big thing that has happened for you is working with Tim Holmes on your album. When you consider the acts that he has worked with in the past it is an impressive list – Death In Vegas, Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream and Tame Impala are just a few. How did that all come about?

We literally emailed him and he said yes.

Heading into 2014 and after that success at Electric Picnic we knew we had a full year ahead to really make our mark on the summer of festivals that were to come. The plan was to get out there and play as many festivals as possible and we gave it a rollicking good go. Our profile had changed and upped so to speak. I think the highlight that year was getting to play the main stage at the Body And Soul Festival.

That year the only stage that could take our full set up was the main stage and with the stellar line-up of international acts there we naturally got pushed back to earlier in the day. In fact we were the second band on the Sunday, it was lunchtime and yet like zombies parading out like some epic scene from The Walking Dead there they were again. That summer solstice was a scorcher and it was a pure

Has working with him added to the dynamic you now have as a band?

I think Tim gets us and the tracks that we gave him to produce have come back to us very empathetic of what we wanted him to do. He has put his stamp down here and there but we have been 99% on the same page in terms of production and direction which was very comforting to engage in.

From being in the studio has that seen you up your game now when it comes to the music?

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Yes. We all think this album is basically our testament after years of doing this and it became very precious to us. We've got some new tracks here and some old but every single one has been worked on and re-worked again to try to get them to the best they can be. It can sometimes drive you to the point of frustration but it was really important to us to give each track the time and dedication they needed to be the best we could do. One important element that we felt was sometimes missing on previous recordings we did was to try and convey a sense of the live experience of the tracks. We have done a lot of work to try and get this feeling across. One thing we did was to focus on the live percussion for each track and to try a get a better balance on the analog v digital aspect of the music.

What can we expect from this album that is signature King Kong Company and what can we expect that is going to be completely new?

If you a have seen us live over the past year or so you will get that on a plate basically – the album is made to be played at a party. If you haven't but have heard some and seen some of the stuff on YouTube there is new material there and we have one there that hasn't been played anywhere yet. The old ones have been dusted off and given a good polish and the new ones are defo in true KKC style… so no major shockers there.

Momentum is certainly with you guys now. November 27th is also firmly fixed on the horizon for the album launch. The anticipation for that gig must be immense in its own right, but how much are you guys looking forward to that gig over any other big gig that you have done in the past?

It’s gonna be a belter!!! Everyone who buys an advance ticket to the gig will get a free advance copy of the album on the 27th. That’s a full 2 weeks before anyone else will hear it on Spotify/iTunes etc. We’re excited about the "big gig" but there are always some nerves there too.

I think our two big concerns are always 1: we play well and 2: people have a good time (in no particular order). One does bounce off the other so all going well we will all have a good time. It’s going to be a big part; it’s always a big party but this one is to mark the birth of our first proper release.

You have also a tour planned to promote the album, and you have also taken in gigs in London recently. Let’s talk about London first. We heard outstanding reports about how well the gig in The Islington went. We are very familiar with London. It is not just that it is a tough music scene to crack and get noticed but it is also a very tough city too in the same

KONG COMPANY regard. It is ruthless and extremely cut throat.Given that was your first London gig how important was it for you to leave your mark? Looking back on it now, knowing how hard it can be to crack that music scene over there, did that give you and added sense of motivation to show them what you are made of?

We are about half way through the tour right now. It’s always nice to play somewhere new. We are in Sligo for the first time near the end of the month and we will be looking forward to seeing what kind of a reaction we will get there. We had a stormer of a gig there a few weeks ago in Dolan's in Limerick. It is a great venue and the crowd were deadly. We had some party with them after.

Believe it or not I think this was our third attempt to get a gig in London. We had 2 quite serious offers on the table before but they fell through at the last minute. But hey it takes a lot to get 5 band members, our projectionist, lighting guy, soundman and Boxhead on the road, and we don't travel light. It was great to do it, to be there and tick it off the bucket list. I don't think we cracked any nuts while we were there. London is vast and the music scene over there is massive.

There's so much interest in different types of music over there but I also think there is an openness to hear something different and something new. It’s somewhere we would really like to get our claws into alright.

We will just have to wait and see how that goes, but yes we got a taste and we would welcome the taste of more of that.

Gigging at so many festivals over the summer really made us hone our set and each gig we’re getting better and better. It all bodes really well for the album launch at The Academy on the 27th!

Are there any plans to hit London again or any part of the UK in the near future or 2016?

We hope so. One of the things on our "to do" list for this year back at the end of 2014 was to get a gig in the UK and we did that, in fact we did three. We had a great time over there and got a wonderful reception at all the gigs we did there so I think we will be looking to build on that if we can.

There is also the small matter of the nationwide tour to promote the album as well. Has going into the studio given the band a new sense of ambition as well?

Yeah, well we kinda did the tour around this time last year as well. It seemed sort of fitting to do it again. It’s nice to get in out of the cold and rain of the Irish festivals and do a few indoor ones. Festivals can be hectic. We take a good while to set up, we don't use a "normal" drum kit for example so there's always a bit of a rush to get up, plug in and play. It’s nice to go to a venue and get more time to do a proper sound check. I do think it’s good for us as band too as we get to hear things a bit better and there's always a bit of tweaking to be done and it gives us a good opportunity to have a listen out for that, certainly from the live prospective of things.

Is there any particular gig on the tour that you are looking forward to more than the others?

We have always noted the balance in your sound that seems to draw comparisons with The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers among others. But it is also very definitive in its own right.

Who were the influences on the band growing up?

We all had different influences. Growing up some of the lads were into heavy metal…they had the long hair to go with it too. I was more into Pink Floyd and Grunge and some of the guys had a real love for reggae. I guess they were a big part in getting me and all of us into our love of reggae music. When we originally started many years ago we kinda had the intention of becoming a dub reggae band. We would have been influenced by people like Zion Train and Dreadzone. At the time the surge in dance music was massive. We were all living in Waterford and the Metroland and The Roxy was going mental with big name DJs all over the place so we started to basically buy into that scene. I guess the sound we have now does date back to that golden era of the legends such as The Chemical Brothers, Leftfield and Underworld and it’s a sound and an era that is very close to us today.

We still have an undercurrent of reggae in a good few of the tracks too, our sound has really stemmed from there.

Another key thing about what draws people to your music is your love affair with the music video.

You can take any King Kong Company video and each one is brilliant in its own little way. Even though you are now releasing your debut album in 2015 you were getting noticed for your videos back in 2011 with ‘Acetate’ seeing off Villagers, James McMorrow and others to win at the IMTV awards. That was also a viewer’s choice award. But how did it feel to walk away with that award?

Amazing. At the time we were doing a track a month with a video to go with it. That was the plan when we got back together so we were only really starting off again. I think the award was not only for the ‘Acetate’ video but for the other 11 that followed too. The brilliant John

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Loftus did all the videos and we did the tracks. John does all the projection for us now and we make great use of his van to get us everywhere too. It actually seems like it was such a long time ago now but it was well worth doing and I think it worked in terms of getting us on the map again.

The old saying is that video killed the radio star, but do you think in the age of YouTube it is a whole different playing filed when it comes to the music video in comparison to when that phrase was coined?

It has to be. Back then music videos needed a budget. Now you can make a music video on your mobile phone. I think the great thing about that though is that it’s another media to get your music heard. I think our most popular video is "Damn You Dorothy". I don't think it’s our most popular track but it is our most popular video and that's probably because it one of the more funny ones. But in a way that's irrelevant. You are getting your music out there, it is liked, its shared and its directing you to the KKC YouTube channel and that's what matters. Music videos were always about promotion but it was only the "elite" could afford to make them in the past to be shown on MTV. These days it’s far more of an effective promotional tool to get your music heard.

We are of the opinion that video is just as important for a band as having a proper social media strategy because it is a key tool for reaching new fans and connecting with your existing fan base. Where do you see the importance of video for what you want to achieve as a band?

What we have done with the videos is to give people something good and sometimes funny to watch but what’s great about it too is the branding. We have strong characters in some of the videos like Monkey Man and Boxhead and we get to bring these characters to the live shows too which is great and really ties in with what we do live.

We always have fun making the videos and it is very important to us to do them whenever we can.

What is next for the band in 2016?

We will have our yearly meeting probably at the start of next year this time and discuss. There are a lot of things we want to do, that's for sure! https://www.facebook.com/KingKongCompany/

Northampton’s Corinna Jane is a real rising star of alternative pop. First discovered on MySpace by an American producer as a teenager, she now plays her self-penned tunes with a full band behind her. Her new EP, a four track album sampler, ‘Hard In Love’ has just come out and is reviewed in this issue. She made the TOP 5 Solo Artists category at the Rock The House finals last year and we were very impressed by a recent London show.

Corinna Jane was both reflective and gregarious when U&I caught up with her recently:

different eras; singers like Tori Amos; all kinds of different bits that I pick from here and there and then it comes out the way it comes out.

You have your own voice and have found your own style.

It took me a few years to work it out. I used to get compared to Avril Lavigne. I got that a lot. So I had to shake that off for a while and after a while you do find your own voice, your own style. You don’t even have to think about it, it just comes out. Some people can think about it too hard and sound a bit contrived.

Sometimes the best songs just appear.

You were born in Germany and you’re half French half British. You’re a proper international in all sense of the word.

I’m a mongrel, so to speak. There are all kinds of bits of everything in me. My mother is French, and half Spanish. And my father is British. We’re all bits of European. So I guess I’m a mongrel.

The ones you didn’t mean to write. The ones that just appear in your head at three in the morning when you’re trying to fall asleep.

And suddenly you hear a melody. Those are the ones you respond to. They just come by accident. And of course you can sit down and write something and it can be technically great. You can get good stuff that way but I think the best stuff is the stuff that just comes to you without thought.

proper gig with me and the band. For the past few years I’ve been doing acoustic gigs. That place has such a good atmosphere. The stage is quite quirky.

There was such fun and excitement with everyone together. The buzz was great.

And going from playing the acoustic shows, finally getting the chance to rock out. It was like this is what it’s all about.

How does it feel now with the band playing behind you?

I enjoy the peace and tranquillity you get with an acoustic set but with the band it's easier to get across what we're about. This is what the songs are about. We can rock out and have a good time. Get the people more involved in it. You really get to put on a show. You're not a shy, introverted solo singer. You're really demonstrating what it is that you're writing about. I would be really theatrical when playing acoustically and I’d try to put on a show because I didn't have the rest of the band. It really feels like a big show with the band.

What do you reach for when you're performing?

And you’re classically trained.

I started playing piano when I was five and I started singing lessons at nine. I did up to grade six and I had to stop because other stuff got in the way. I know enough that it allows me to do my own thing and I can make up the rest as I go along, and take influence from everywhere. The classical training expanded my range and allowed me to sing in a higher register. If it wasn't for the classical training I wouldn’t be able to reach the high notes that I can now.

I was singing at my cousin’s wedding, so I went and got proper training for my voice. It really unleashed something that I didn’t know was there.

You’ve the new EP that has just been released and it’s songs that will appear on the album.

Earlier this year and most of last year I was working on this album. We got all the songs together with the intention of releasing the album. But I thought it would be nice to release an EP now with four tracks on it so people can get a feel for what it’s about, and get a feel for the idiosyncrasies of the music. So I decided just to put something out and see how the response went. A preview. A sampler. Try before you buy. It’s like a test drive. When you see a new car and you can see if you like driving it or not, and if you do then you can buy it.

You were a big fan of MTV in the 90s.

That’s the thing…it’s all about technique isn’t it? A lot of people can sing and can pitch themselves. But if you can’t use your tools, you can pitch the notes but not with the same power and stability. And you need that. Not only to hit the note but to project your voice.

It was so much more comfortable singing after that, less like hard work.

You’re classically trained but it's pop singing you’re doing really. What were your big influences and what style were you going for?

I find it hard to narrow it down because I listen to a broad range of music and it all influences how I write. Sheryl Crow was the first person I really got in to. I was three when ‘All I Wanna Do’ came out. I absolutely loved it and asked my Dad for the CD. I got her album for Christmas. It was quite a grown up thing to ask for a three year old. I liked crap music too. That album Tuesday Night Music Club really had an impact on me and it made me want to get into music. I grew up a bit and listened to pop bands like Green Day and The Killers; the older stuff like The Kinks and The Beatles, and pop music from

MTV was highly responsible for my love of pop music. I had it on as a child in the living room. I watched cartoons too but a lot of the time I had MTV on and I’d be singing along and dancing around. I loved watching music videos. I loved the visuals. I loved the stories. I miss that era. I love the internet and it’s done me a lot of favours but at the time everything was dependent on the pop culture that MTV was giving out. A pop culture which everyone gravitated to and it formed the zeitgeist.

Nowadays it’s harder to pinpoint what a decade is about. It’s wonderful that so much new music is coming out but it does mean that everything is becoming a little more stark. There’s no cultural touchstone. Which is sad in a way. YouTube is great and people share what they've seen. But there isn’t the shared experience of everyone watching something at the same time.

You'd be excited for a particular video to come on again.

What is the best show you've ever done?

The best show I’ve done recently was playing The Water Rats. It was the first

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All of the songs are autobiographical. Each song has a particular feeling. For me to write a song I have to be inspired by some kind of emotion. Sometimes I don’t know what the song will be about. The melody will come to me first. Some lyrics will come from the melody then I just go with it. And the lyrics will come. Generally speaking the melody will come before the rest of the lyrics. It can be a cathartic thing. It’s open to interpretation too. It’s satisfying after playing a song when someone comes up and says “I was listening to that song and it meant this to me. I don't know if it was the same for you but for me it means this”, and instead of being your song it is their song now. The theatrical thing I was talking about. It’s me trying to put on a show. It’s about trying to get the lyrics across. It's me being me, rather than playing a character.

You've a lot of recordings on your Soundcloud. Even some covers like Ralph McTell.

We don't do that many covers. We like to go out and demonstrate our own style when we do though. The Ralph McTell song meant a lot to me when I was a child. My dad would play at the piano and the family would gather round the piano and sing Streets of London.

Apart from the album what else is going on with you?

I’ve recently been involved with a new clothing company, the RED Clothing co.

They’re just launching and you can design your clothes on their site incorporating the letters R, E and D. I've done an ad for it and it's going out soon. I've been doing a lot with them. I'm becoming “Little Miss Product Placement”…plug, plug, plug.

So you'll be doing the next Bond soundtrack then?

Totally! I can dream

CORRINA JANE

Interview by Marky Edison

It’s wonderful that so much new music is coming out but it does mean that everything is becoming a little more stark. There’s no cultural touchstone. Which is sad in a way.

For a band that started off only last year you seem to have accomplished quite a fair bit in that time, From doing our homework two things stood out for us – the first of which is how much you have achieved in a short space of time in comparison to how other bands would start off. While the second thing which struck us is that you are very much a band who has a plan. To pull off something like that means everyone has to be on the same hymn sheet effectively from day one. When the band got together were you looking for people who had the same ambitions as each other?

We were looking for people with the same drive and passion, simply put pure raw talent and musical ability that complements and brings something new to our own skill set. People with a hunger to get where we wanted to go.

What are those ambitions? How much of that has been realised in the last 12 months and how much has been a learning curve?

We needed people that were prepared to work flat out and strive to be the best and make their dreams come true.

When you strive to accomplish all that we have done there is a huge learning curve. We have learned a lot in the forming of this band, having previous individual experiences of varying levels, this band has taken those experiences and learned from the mistakes made.

In terms of what you have learned in the past year what has been the most important lesson?

The most important thing we have learned is that you need to treat it like a business as much as you can. Of course it is important to enjoy what you are doing but everything has got to be planned out right and to the best of your ability. Over time each performance, gig, rehearsal writing session brings something new to the table, a new idea or an improvement that can be introduced, we are open to this and strive to constantly grow, improve and push our music and individual abilities. It has been quite the experience, but an amazing continual growth and it will never end.

You also hit the United States this year but before you did that you got management with Clint Clore. A lot of bands at an unsigned and independent level never opt to go down that route because of the obvious financial costs involved. How did you come to work together?

Our manager, Dorothea Carroll, is the unseen workhorse of our band, like any successful band.

Through her background work and push we came into contact with Clint Clore and he really wanted to work with us as he loved our music and our message.

When you look back on it now, what were the main advantages to having someone like him on board and what were the main things you benefited from as a band by having his support there?

Together with Dorothea, he supported us by pushing our music out there with the contacts they both have amassed. Together they pieced together the basics of an American tour and the rest as the say is history. It was great to work with people from across the pond.

You spent a reasonable period of time over there as well. Plus you went in the summertime which is pretty much the busiest period for everywhere when it comes to live gigs and festivals. Where did you guys end up playing for the period you were over there? What were the main highlights?

We kicked off our tour in Ohio and we finished in New Jersey. The biggest highlight of the tour was our last show in New Jersey at The Legendary

Brighton Bar. This was also one of our biggest challenges to date, having been told by the organisers that if we can break New Jersey and the Brighton Bar in particular, you make it anywhere. With Danni being carried off the stage after the set by the fans, an instant booking for the Jersey Festival 2016, the organisers and promoters said we didn't just break it, we smashed it and the fans really killed it. There were also crazy moments we didn't expect like fans recognising us at Carolina's airport.

Looking back on it now, the whole tour was made by everyone's kindness and passion for what we do. It was all a hugely surreal dream come true.

America is a very tough place as well as it being cool for live music. There is really little or no room for any kind of complacency or error with promoters over there.

We are very familiar with how tough the industry and the music scenes are over there through our co-op network. There really is no way you would get away with a half –arsed approach that you can get away with over here. Having said that, the bar and the standards are incredibly high to allow you to get back what you put in when you do get the opportunity to play there.

Overall, how did you find your experience?

Do you have any plans to tour there again in 2016?

There are distinct differences between the US and Europe when it comes to live gigs. However this is never an issue for us in this band; we treat every performance like it is going to be our best show, we keep our standard for ourselves high so that we do not get complacent. We discuss every performance amongst ourselves and our manager, looking at what needs to be improved or tightened. That being said, we felt that our standards would stand to us and we were right.

We gave it our all, like we do wherever we preform, so we enjoyed the experience rather than being in awe of it.

The audience in the States, be it fans, new listeners, promoters, radio and media in general are quick to let you know if you are good, bad or indifferent. We got an instant great response from them all particularly the radio DJs, the promoters and most importantly the audiences. As stated earlier being carried from the stage and having people recognise us makes the experience worthwhile and confirms that we are moving in the right direction and making the right decisions thus far.

We also mentioned that you appear to be a band with a plan. In March this year you released your video for ‘Heaven Knows She Tried’. Before that you announced in January that you would be touring the United States. Again that was before you even had anything released. Did that bold statement give you some impetus to create the output? Or was it a case that you already had all of these things lined up so that when you arrived in America you had something to show people that were interested in what you guys are about as a band?

Well actually our US tour was already in the pipeline from 2014. Our Single "Heaven Knows She’s Tried" was actually recorded in Westland Studios in January. Before the video was ever released in March our Single was being circulated among radio stations in the US, France, Netherlands and the UK. So yes, our music was already out there for people to hear, then the video release gleaned even more attention for Dissension Rising. Having the tour in place also gave us something to work towards. We all think that having a goal in mind or a deadline works a treat when you are working in a band. It keeps you centred and focused so you can achieve what you have planned to do. It’s been working since day one.

With your video for ‘Heaven Knows She Tried’ you turned the editing, shooting and

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production around in a very short period of time. Was that your first time recording a video? In terms of the people involved outside the band who were the main players that made all that happen?

From the time we sat down with VidBlitz with our concept for the video until the actual release of the video was a little over 4 weeks. We were determined we were going to create a music video that people could relate to, the same can be said for our song "Heaven Knows She's Tried" which was written to help raise awareness of mental health.

It was a first time experience for some of us. Some members had already released music videos with previous bands. We worked with VidBlitz Productions but our manager had a big input with the scripting. We also had great help from Taran, the sound engineer from Fibber Magee's. The whole experience was fun for everyone.

Let’s talk about the band dynamics. One of the quotes we found from Danni was this one: “I’m an artist and I’m doing everything my own way. So I don’t need your opinion”.

How much of that is attitude and how much of it is a signal of intent?

It is a little of both. It was a statement in response to negative people and I still stand by that statement.

How did the band actually get together in the first place?

It was formed by myself and Keith, our lead guitarist, in 2014. We had the same ideas about how a band should be run and the same goals in mind. It came quite naturally to both of us and we complement each other immensely. We also have the same opinion in regards to the genre of music we love. We wanted to put a band together that was completely raw and hard and we are well on our way to achieving that goal.

How soon after you all got together did the song-writing begin to take shape? How do the band dynamics work in that regard?

Does someone take sole responsibility or is it more of a collective process for you all as a band?

The song-writing process began immediately.

Most songs tend to start from a set of lyrics Danni presents to me or a riff idea that I'm toying around with. It takes off from there and other band members give their opinions and suggestions as the song is moulded into shape.

With your EP, how long were you working on it all the way through from writing, recording and mastering? Where did you record it? Are you recording at the moment or do you have any plans for any further releases?

Well the single was written in 2014 when we first came together. The writing was always constant from that point onwards. The entire EP was recorded in May 2015 at Carnage Studios. We were doing our first tour of the US so we decided to wait to release it. Our next release will be our album which is being worked on currently.

The band logo is also something that is quite cool. Who designed it?

The band logo was designed by our friend Keith Bogan who is a fantastic designer. He also designed our EP cover and t-shirt design. We all love how they turned out.

What else is in store for Dissension Rising for the rest of this year and in 2016?

We are currently working on our album which hopefully will be completed in the new year. In December we are gigging at various venues around Ireland. In 2016 we will be returning to the US for our second tour and possibly a tour in Europe later in the year.

Sometimes it is all about being in the right place at the right time. In 2012 we were e-mailed by a band playing in Dublin who had been let down by a promoter the week before they were due to come here. It was short notice, Halloween weekend and Bank Holiday to boot…but somehow Lady Luck shone down on this Plymouth band. We managed to catch them play on that eventful trip and, as it turned, happened to be the only person who caught their gig. It was one of those fantastic gigs that stay with you for all the right reasons. Since then we have followed the band intently and we caught up with them again for a second interview to see what has been happening since they graced the cover of our June 2013 issue. We sat down with Andy Quick and here is what he had to say -

I can’t speak for every songwriter but I’m definitely living in two worlds. If I’m not engaged in a conversation or asleep, I’m probably working on a tune in my head. Which is a blessing when it’s going well and a curse when you can’t get it out…especially as obsessiveness can easily spill over into daily life I've found! Frustration and release are big themes for me. It has taken me a long time to get things sorted around me so that I can produce and manifest the ideas that I get without having to lug them around with me. I’ve had long periods of not getting things out for many reasons, before and during Land Of The Giants. But these days when we do get together we are bloody good at communicating ideas. And everyone brings their own energy and sound to the table. Makes for a good mix and you can’t pin our sound down because of that. Another blessing and curse in today’s music industry!

When you look back at things over the past 18 months it has been an incredibly busy and productive period for you as a band. Not only did you celebrate the landmark of being together for six years, but it also saw you take in The Isle Of Wight Festival, Glastonbury, Ireland and India. You have just released your new EP ‘Surrender’ which we reviewed in our October issue. We very much liked it and we gave it a well-deserved 10/10 after we checked it out.

So we will take that as a starting point for the interview.cIt was in April last year you announced that you would be releasing ‘Big Steady Eddie’ as a single. When you made that announcement were you already planning to record the EP or did that happen by proxy once you started to record that track?

In terms of you being the artist you have expanded your palette, so to speak, by directing the band’s two videos for ‘Alright Cheryl’ and ‘Holy Funk’. When a musician attempts to do that it can go one of two ways- you can get it right or it can go tits up and become a vanity project. Luckily it proved to be the former in this instance on both occasions. Was it an easy transition for you to make?

We just needed to put something out that represented where we are as a band in 2015. ‘No Pressure’ was released in 2012 with 3 ex members in the band. I’m still proud of those songs and that EP but yeah, that's not us anymore.

How did the process of making this EP compare with your previous release ‘No Pressure’?

We wanted to take 5 big tunes including ‘Big Steady Eddie and make them sound as good as they can. That was really the only concept going into the studio this time and I honestly think we did that. Everybody smashed their parts, my voice is in better nick on this record, and the producer Gareth Young really kept things tight and fresh for us. Also we had Cy playing lead guitar this time and he comes from a jazz background and had a lot of ideas around chords and vocals that we wouldn’t have thought of without him. So if it sounds good it’s because we have been gigging these songs hard and really worked hard in the studio too.

With there being five tracks on there, how does the song-writing process work for you all as a band in terms of the dynamic becoming a collaborative process?

In terms of songwriting and how things come together it’s still a mixed bag. I write songs on my acoustic and I write a lot so have lots of material ready come band practice. Then I can sit back and watch as someone brings a riff or a beat or whatever to the table and I'll try to bend or snap my song onto that. That seems to work well. In the case of ‘Surrender’, Tom played that funky calypso bass line. Kev naturally raised the funk level with his beat and I took that away with me on holiday to Sri Lanka and came back with some lyrics, a chorus and a horn line. ‘Holy Funk’ was written on a guitar but after a lot of pre-production and various live incarnations it became what it is now. We worked our asses off on that tune. We did many whole days pre-production and after the last one up in Durham I swore by the end of it I was ready to quit the fucking band and get a nice little job in a flower shop!

We tracked down a great quote from you while doing our research for this interview: “I’m what you might call obsessed with songwriting”.

How much of that quote reveals the artist in you and how much do you think is there for people to find in the music?

I did a bit of film production back in college and I do love it, although I’m no film maker. I would love to be in a position to make lots more vids. Maybe I will get some funding from somewhere and take this on a bit. I did definitely take a bit of a chance on these projects. With music videos there’s always the option to play safe and formulaic. Choose stylistics and try to appeal to the mass consumer crowd who are spoon fed glossy, sassy looking bands looking like they’ve just stepped out of music school via H&M. That’s not us though and it’s definitely not what our crowd would expect or even enjoy I don’t think. I reckon when you’ve got the chance to be creative you may as well do something totally unexpected that challenges your viewer a bit and something that stands alone apart from the track. I like to think a grown man falling in love and moving in with a gorilla does that.

As we also mentioned it has been an impressive front from the band on the gigging front. You are now working with Midnight Mango and that has seen the touring be extensive with appearances at The Isle Of Wight Festival, Glastonbury, “MTV Crashes” when it came to Plymouth, India and Ireland among many.

How has having a dedicated company behind you as a booking promoter benefited you that might have been something that wasn’t necessarily there or as fine-tuned before?

They are really good at what they do. And we do work pretty well together, so no complaints there. I do honestly think that our growth and the amount of new adventures we get does depend on whether we take on a manager in the next year. I think despite things growing slightly year on year it is time to smash though now and show the world what we have created in Plymouth. I think once you have a live show that can excite a thousand people you may as well be exciting 100,000. It’s just a matter of exposure and opportunities now and agents can’t always deliver that but a good, connected manager could.

To see out 2014 the band played in Bangalore, India.

Are there any future plans to return to play some gigs over there and build on the success?

Wouldn’t that be great! Yeah I love travelling Asia and have personally been to India 6 or 7 times. To play there and be treated like celebs was a rare thing and really good fun, and we took it well and had a great laugh with everyone we met. There's nothing on the horizon just yet but then that opportunity came outta nowhere so maybe the next chance might be like that too.

There was also a sense of momentum with the band this year as well. From May right through to August you just gigged and gigged….and then gigged some more.

How important was it to keep that momentum going for the band?

Are there any more plans for you to direct more videos for the band?

I think it’s Kev’s (Kevin Greep – the band’s drummer) turn next. He’s off on holiday to Thailand and he’s taking his Go Pro so we want him to get some footage and fit it together for our tune ‘Bangkok’. It’s the story of a man just fucking his life off and becoming intoxicated with that city. We’ve given him a big list of horrendous acts to carry out and to film himself doing them all. It should be interesting.

The videos are also quite classy and there is a lot of thinking behind them both, but ‘Holy Funk’ is something that is a bit more out there. Where did the idea for the theme come from?

I’m a big animal lover! Both vids were produced by film tank who are a young company based in Gloucester. The beauty of working with those guys is they are madly professional but also open to an amateur like me directing. It’s a really good working relationship and I feel in safe hands with them. That’s whatgives me the freedom to come up with crazy ass film treatments and know that they are gonna turn out well. ‘Holy Funk’ was the first music video we’ve made without any cutaways to the band playing. It’s a full four and a half minute narrative of a man who falls in love with someone who is hard to love. That’s exactly what happened to me a few years ago.

It’s not so much a break up song. More of a ‘how the fuck are we going to make this work?’ song.

In my case, my particular monkey is now expecting my first child so it’s a happy ending.

LAND OF TH - 12 -

That’s how it’s been since week one six years ago. Other than taking a month or two off in winter it’s been constant touring. I think it’s really helped us become a good band and when we are on form we are definitely a great band. I’ve seen first time crowds go mental for us and I think that’s down to us giving it beans every time we play. We are a bunch of show offs at the end of the day!

You also took in two trips to Ireland this year – you played in March which saw you take in Galway this time around, and then in the summer you played at Knockanstockan. Are there any more plans to come back over here in 2016?

Definitely. That's our fourth year in a row touring Ireland and it’s as much a part of our schedule now as any of the UK stuff. We do really love coming out there and have defo noticed how much people look forward to us coming over.

That Galway gig was one of the best things I did this year. 3 debauched nights in Dublin sleeping in a van then we rock up in Galway and the gigs in this beautiful old hotel. I had a bath, a hot meal and free Guinness all night. It was bliss! I also spent a summer in Dublin a few years ago and I personally love it there. It’s a great city, no doubt about it.

And as for Knockanstockan, that’s gotta be the best independent festival anywhere right now. It’s so well run and at the same time such a messy festival. And the standard of music is shit hot. Long live it I say.

Part of me does think it might be better to do less gigs to make LOTG shows rarer and more special. We will also benefit from spending more time in the studio writing and less time on the road this winter. But when people are waving money in your face to come and smash out your own music in brilliant venues it’s really hard to say no.

Glastonbury was another excellent showing from you guys and you managed to play seven gigs over the course of three days. So it would be safe to say that you played the fuck out of it?

Yep that’s safe to say. We arrived as six full blooded young-ish men and came back as six crumbled biscuits.

With the mini tour to promote the EP seeing you take in a few gigs what is next in store for the band? Are you planning to release any more new material?

As much as it underlined the assessment of you being a band that thrives on playing live, it was also your third year in a row to be on the billing. How did this summer compare to playing at in 2013?

Well, after 6 years of non-stop touring we've given ourselves 6 months off to travel, have kids, write and recharge. I guess that’s the benefit of not being on a label or with a manager whipping you forward!! We have come a bloody long way in our time and for me it feels a bit like taking a breather at the top of a big hill. We'll start touring again in May 2016 with fresh songs and fresh energy and that’s what this band needs. People come to a Giants gig expecting to dance and be uplifted so we need to make sure we're buzzing ourselves.

Once we start regrouping again in Spring we can start putting an album together and until then we've got a shed load of EP's to shift!

Everyone will have a different opinion on this but me personally I can’t see that much difference really in our last few summer festival seasons. They are always hectic, hedonistic and ultimately glorious. Some of the slots have been better and the moneys gone up and the stages seem bigger and there’s more beer in your backstage fridge but other than that I feel the same about it really. It’s just good times with good people.

Photo by Meg Hope

You maintained that highly productive streak and made your bow at The Isle Of Wight Festival. Where does that one rank for you in terms of the bucket list as a band?

It’s a very cool festival and I loved it. One of my highlights of this year. It was so sunny and the lads were in great spirits which is what makes it for me. The gig was good but not as good as watching The Prodigy, Blur and the Mac! And how did you find the experience overall in comparison with Glastonbury?

I personally took it pretty easy at IOW as I was there with my preggers girl and I really enjoyed coming home on Monday and feeling well and like I’d been on holiday. As for Glasto I was completely steaming from round one till round 12 so they were very different beasts. I just love it all mate.

HE GIANTS - 13 -

THE CUJO FAMILY Interview by Sean Brennan

The Cujo Family have been an indelible part of the Bray music scene for a decade now, mixing their eclectically influenced fusion of bluegrass, country and folk. We had a quick catch up chat with drummer Reuben about their most recent album release, what it means to them and how a town such as Bray has helped shape them as an outfit.

The eponymous Cujo Family demonstrated influences in Bluegrass, country, folk and even reggae; whereas Pigs in the Pen emanates a more rock/bluesy feel with a slightly darker rocky tone. Was this direction a conscious decision or was it just a more natural stylistic progression for the band?

It was definitely a natural progression.

We've always made music for ourselves first and foremost. As we have gotten older our influences have also changed.

How did the approach to “Pigs in the Pen” differ from previous albums in terms of writing, recording and production?

It was recorded live for the most part, and in six days so it was a bit of a different buzz from the previous album. You could say it was more lived in maybe!

Many of your stylistic influences seem to be drawn from the 20th

century music of the Deep South.

How did the band come to be so influenced by this music?

I don't think we have a specific influence, we like real music. We're all coming from different times and trends so the music that influences us is an eclectically mixed bag, bar the mutual.

Considering the presence of these influences, have you ever performed in the States and is it somewhere you would like to experience in the future?

We have been to the States and it was a bit of a blur. Phil was there. We would play anywhere that would have us, subject to viability. The States might be a bit tricky though!

There seems to be an enriched emerging music scene in Bray. Was this present ten years ago when you were starting out and has the town itself influenced your musical development in any way?

Bray has always had a rich musical tapestry, playing host to Roy Orbison and Thin Lizzy back in the day, to name a couple. Having said that, when we started out things had perhaps fallen by the wayside but Bray definitely shaped our musical development because it shaped us.

What’s the story behind the album

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title ‘Pigs in the Pen?’ Is it a symbol or a metaphor for anything?

We liked the idea of using a lyric from the album as a title. With that in mind a couple of us wanted to call the album Fuck The Police as it's a recurring lyric, and for the times we live in. We're not juvenile delinquents or anything like that but when you look around and see a system designed to impoverish and demoralise Joe Bloggs for the benefit of the soggy biscuit gang! Yeah, Fuck the Police (for being the heavy hand of that system) and the rest of them. We decided "Pigs In The Pen" carried the same sentiment without running the risk of people dismissing it out of hand based on its title.

What are your future plans? Do you plan to follow up this album with a tour or is it straight back into writing for the next album?

Our plans for the future include playing more, trying to connect with people more and loving more. We’re playing at the Harbour Bar November 20th, Sin E December 19th, and Whelan’s December 26th. Come one, come all and sundry.

Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.

We reviewed ‘Pigs In The Pen’ in last month’s issue. The Cujo Family’s music is available via itunes.

You can also find more information by visiting www.thecujofamily.bandcamp.com

OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH

BARRY JAY HUGHES You started off this year by saying it was all about big plans.

You backed it up with the release of your debut EP ‘This Way Up’ back in April. That is just over six months ago.

When you look back on it now, how has everything been for you since you released your EP? The journey since the release of the EP has been amazing and exceeded all expectations of what I thought it would be. I’ve worked very hard this year and done some amazing things in such a short space of time. It’s true what they say – hard work does pay off eventually.

When you began writing the EP and recording did you know which tracks were going to make the final cut before you went into the studio or did you decide on it ad hoc after you began the process as a whole?

I had chosen the tracks in advance of going into studio but the arrangements took their own path once we started recording. I prefer to go into studio with somewhat of an open mind but at the same time having a plan of action always helps.

As a solo artist what elements in the recording process came to you more easily because you had the freedom to do things your way? Likewise what aspects, if any, were made all the more difficult from having to do everything yourself?

Being a solo act worked to my advantage in a way as I know my songs inside out and I knew where I wanted to take them but I took guidance from engineer/producer Alwyn Walker in Westland Studios who was an amazing guy to work with. I also had the help of some session musicians for the drum and fiddle tracks. (Kyle Walker – Drums and Lisa Butler – Fiddle) Are you writing any new material at the moment?

There are always ideas rattling around in my head, but yes I have some new material written and I’m constantly working on songs to bring to the stage to keep performances fresh. The writing can be tough at times when you’re constantly travelling and gigging but I use that time on the road for gathering ideas and inspiration and then put that into action when I get back to base.

Getting any release out there as an artist at an unsigned and independent level is never easy.

In terms of being a solo artist what made the promotion easier for you and what was it that made it difficult for you?

What made it easy for me was sheer determination and drive. I’m a very focused and driven person by nature so I use that to my advantage. The difficulty sometimes lies in the fact that I do all the work myself. The promotion, marketing, booking etc., and that can be draining but still enjoyable.

But you also began to make more an impression on the Dublin music scene. How does being a solo artist in Monaghan compare to playing down here? Have you anywhere that you feel a closer association with over other venues or club nights?

I love doing Dublin gigs, I was quite anxious about trying to break into the music circuit in Dublin but I found most people quite welcoming and helpful. There is such a great community of singer/songwriters in Ireland and Dublin is no exception. Dublin

has an amazing music scene with some of the best venues in the country. Monaghan can be a tough nut to crack at times when it comes to original music but for the most part it’s well received. I put on gigs regularly in my hometown of Carrickmacross and have a great fan base throughout the county. Monaghan town also has a great original music scene with some great acts coming onto the scene.

Another highlight of the year for you was finishing second at ‘War At The Buttons’. That was a competition run by Searchlight. Winning isn’t everything as they say…sometimes it is the taking part that counts more than anything. How and ever, while you may not have won there was obviously a lot to take away from that experience. What do you feel you gained most from that?

You have also been kept busy with touring the rest of the country. You have also a good working relationship with a number of your fellow musicians. We interviewed Grainne Hunt as our featured artist for this column last month. You played a small part in making that possible. She was just back from touring with Glen Hansard as well. Have you any plans to tour abroad?

That whole experience was priceless. To be able to play the Button Factory on three separate occasions over the summer was fantastic.

I started that competition as a solo act and entered the final stage with a full band which was an amazing feeling for me to be able to ‘vibe’ off other musicians on a stage. I suppose to bring it down to basics it was really good to see how a venue such as the Button Factory is run and how a team like that operates.

Grainne is just amazing. I admire her for how hard she works and I was delighted you guys got in touch with her. I am currently working on some dates for Germany and France for 2016 and I am chasing up some leads for gigs in America too. So an exciting year ahead by all accounts.

Those guys (Searchlight Productions) were great to work with. Each act was judged on a number of different aspects, and it pushed me to think more about what songs to pick from my catalogue, which made me look at my overall set in a different way. Getting 2nd place in the competition was a real boost for me. Of course it was great to meet the other acts who were competing – I was up against some stiff competition there.

Glen Hansard is someone who you would list as musical hero. But who else would be your influences?

At the moment my biggest influence would be Wallis Bird and I’ve always been a Damien Rice fan. The vocal ability of Eddie Vedder made a big impression on me from a young age too. In a way I take influence from whatever I am listening to at the time. And right now that’s Wallis Birds Live album “Yeah!”

When did music become that calling for you?

I’ve been a musician from a very young age and originally fancied myself as a drummer at the age of 4 when I used to go around banging an empty biscuit tin that was tied round my neck, (most probably around Christmas – and the tin was most likely an empty Danish Butter cookie one – we always had them at Christmas).

Piano and guitar came after that. I began writing at the age of 12 or 13 and it wasn’t until my late 20’s that I decided I wanted to take the music more seriously and that’s when I made the decision to leave my well paid job and find out what I could achieve. It’s worth noting that I’m very happy with that decision.

But to take things back home for you, you played an intimate gig at St Peter’s Church in Laragh quite recently.

That was a very intimate gig by all accounts. But if you could play a gig anywhere where would be your ideal location, venue and who would you have on the bill?

That gig was a really special one and one I will never forget. The videos are worth checking out too. I think a gig is what you make it.

And an ideal location for me is somewhere I feel comfortable and ideally with a good audience who are there to hear some good music. I’ve played some great venues around Ireland, from the smallest stage you can imagine in a cafe to some of the larger stages and venues and to be honest I’ve enjoyed every one of them.

I know musicians and singers have dreams of filling Wembley Arena or sitting back after a sold out tour and being able to say ‘We’ve made it’ but for me it’s simple – I just want to continue enjoying what I do every day, and keep setting goals for myself and hope that I can achieve those goals. If the rest comes at some stage then that’s a bonus for me!

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At the moment the north of the country is experiencing a truly rich vein of form for new artists. We were already familiar with a lot of artists before we launched the ‘Our Friends In The North’ feature in the magazine. Initially we intended to run it for six issues, but it has become a regular column now. Of all the emerging artists that are coming through are there any that you would recommend to our readers?

There are quite a lot to be honest. But a few names would be Grainne Hunt, Elephant, Rubenne, Lighthouse, Brendan McCahey… but as I said there is no shortage of artists in this part of the country, the list is endless.

In terms of playing locally, where would you feel at home playing a gig?

I love the Iontas Theatre in Castleblayney, where I launched my EP earlier this year. It is a really great set-up there, and I hope to visit St. Peter’s Tin Church in Laragh again soon.

In terms of resources and other avenues for artists, what is available to artists in the north of the country as a platform that you would recommend to other artists and why?

I would definitely recommend checking out your local Arts Network to start off, after that, there are endless singer-songwriter showcases happening every night of the week around the country and if you are willing to travel they are a great way to build a fan base.

What lies in store for you in 2016?

Studio in Jan/Feb. Release some new material in late spring, and continue gigging and touring. At the moment I’m planning a headline tour around Ireland for 2016, so watch your local gig listings! http://www.breakingtunes.com/barryjayhughes

by Joe Loftus

PARAFIN OIL LAMP @ Leaf – October 31st It has been almost three weeks since the gig. Twenty one days. Yet still there are no words that seep through the thin veneer of my consciousness to talk about it. How do you review a band like this? A band like that? I am plagued with questions as I listen again and again to the live recording of the gig. I think of what they were; of what they could have been. Had they formed in a different place, or a different time, or if the mere timing of circumstances had panned out a little differently they could have amounted to the world.

Paraffin Oil Shop are one of the saddest stories in music history.

It is not easy for me to review a band like Paraffin Oil Shop. Their music has, and will forever, play a pivotal role in my life. If there was no Paraffin Oil Shop there would be no me – not who I am today – that’s a definite fact.

The first time I heard Paraffin Oil Shop I must’ve been about ten years-old.

Pe Finney, the drummer’s dad, picked me up and took me to the practice room. It was a sweaty room beneath The Appo. Old water pipes and dim lighting. I have never thought this thought until now but perhaps that was the very moment I was driven from being a child into adulthood. I was mesmerised. I was blown away. I sat on top of Ant’s amp for hours listening to them play. The Frame, Towers and Sky, Stabs, Good Morning Garden, Angel and Elephant, Electricity, The Start. As a ten year-old aspiring guitarist I idolised them all. I still do. I must have drove them mad at times.

Popping up to them on MySpace and Facebook every day like a One Direction infatuated fan girl.

After that I went to see them every time I could – right up until they split up in 2011. The Appleton, The Vic, The Studio, The Brindley, Manchester Academy, Club Academy, The Picket. I couldn’t believe it when they broke up. They were the soundtrack behind the very essence of my youth.

Right now, it is 7:45am and I am sat in my office block in Manchester looking out of my window as the city beneath me moves. I have Paraffin Oil Shop blasting in my headphones. Towers and Sky to be specific. When I was in that practice room some eight years ago the music touched me. The music is perfect. It still excites me just as much. However the lyrics are what drive Paraffin Oil Shop that extra mile from being a great band to being an exceptional band. They are the definition of lost talent.

They were the last band on. The room full with people sitting at tables.

Young, old. But it was Paraffin Oil Shop that livened the dead. They were the anticipated. Johnny Sands, stood by the microphone, announced, 'yeah... this is Paraffin Oil Shop' and allowed the crowd to burst into a wall of noise. I strolled to the front.

For the first time in four years they graced the stage – and they started with ‘Cancel The Guardian’. It was the first time they had played it live but we, the crowd, screamed the lyrics along with the band. Those opening few strands of music – that deafening thud of bass drum and snare. I nodded along. Half pissed. It is hard to describe just how good it was to see this band again.

Dan looked like a boxer. A bust up black eye, the living reminder of a drink fuelled night before. He reminded me of Andy Lee. Only instead of boxing gloves grasped in his hand it was the guitar.

The crowd cheered.

Without uttering a word they drove straight into ‘Angel and Elephant’. For some reason or another, when I was somewhat younger – ‘Angel and Elephant’ was one of my favourite songs of theirs. The scenic opening lyrics - 'Cold night, walking home to the same site, jet black sky and the star lights' - and that accompanying upbeat major musical construction used to fill my thirteen year old mind with imagery. The music is almost in juxtaposition to the lyrics. But then the music fades into a painful realism as Dan shouts 'I am ready, I am ready to fall apart'. Towards the end of ‘Angel and Elephant’ the song dips into this complex rhythmic composition which builds and builds… and builds with drums tightening and doubling up, cymbals coming in, harder and harder, before 'I am ready, I am ready to fall apart' and then the crippling and sudden bang of the ending.

A lone fan shouts 'fucking hell!'. How could I ever sum it up any better. This is what we have all been waiting for.

For the first time of the night Dan approaches the mic and says 'Happy Halloween - this one’s called Traffic' before the band power into the complex and rhythmic clean opening of ‘Traffic’. When I hear ‘Traffic’ I hear The Frames. I hear Coheed & Cambria. I hear Biffy Clyro and At The Drive In and The Mars Volta. But most of all I hear Paraffin Oil Shop. Paraffin Oil Shop have the hardest thing acquirable for a band – they don't really sound like anybody, anybody but themselves. However as a guitarist the best part of Traffic has to be the climax. Traffic concludes with a simplistic but crippling guitar orgasm. It's the sort of aggressive and repetitive riff that just screams 'fuck you' through its noting. It is perfect. It depicts anger and aggression and utter fucklessness. There couldn't be a better ending to such a song. It isn't long before they plough into their next tune – ‘Good Morning

Garden’. ‘Good Morning Garden’ does, and always has, touched me more than anything else Paraffin Oil Shop have ever written. There is something hidden deep within the fabrics that is very dark. As beautiful as it is as a musical concoction, I can never listen to it without every hair on my body standing on end. There is something very deep and haunting structured within the foundations of this song.

As that violent strum of Ant's lone guitar kicks in I am reminded yet again of that sweaty practice room in years gone by. I remember being blown away by that guitar when I was 11 years old and now again, almost eight years later, I am left in that same state of amazement and bewilderment, enticed as Dan shouts with spite and venom, roaring, 'Cos I'm so messed up.

When you get so wrapped up in your own life. I'm not compromising this time.'

I wish I could sum this song up better with my shitty and lousy words but it isn't an easy task. Not now, not ever. I feel awful and inadequate but no matter how hard I try I just cannot capture this song’s beauty and brilliance.

It is one of the best songs I have ever had the privilege of hearing. Christ, these are one of the best bands I have ever had the privilege of listening to.

But ‘Good Morning Garden’ has it all. Lyrics that were scrawled out onto paper with passion, with anger, with doubt and sadness and upset; ridden with heart – and music that has it all too. I am reminded instantly of Eugene O'Neill. When O'Neill had planted that ultimate seed of ink onto the manuscript of his masterpiece - 'Long Day's Journey into Night' he wrote: "this play of old sorrow was written in tears and blood."

And as chorus fades into verse and drums tighten, bass and guitar become more experimental I sink into my state of pure admiration – witnessing this song 'of old sorrow'.

I remember one Winter morning. I believe. I am not sure. Pe Finney called round to our house with a copy of the final mix for ‘Life For A White Light’.

We (myself, my father, and Pe) sat in the conservatory and listened to it on repeat for a good half hour. ‘Life for a White Light’ followed the genius that is ‘Good Morning Garden’. ‘Life For A White Light’ is, I would say, Paraffin Oil Shop's most complicated ensemble. The guitar, drums, and bass fall into a clean cut and peculiar timed dip before the climax. The dip is melancholic.

It is innocent and sad. Strangely, I am reminded of Sakamoto, and of The Frames' ‘Santa Maria’. I think to myself, 'every member of this band is necessary. No single one of them is better than the other', before we are yet again thrown into a powerhouse of music as the song reaches its 'white light'.

Almost every time I got to see Paraffin Oil Shop live before their breakup – they concluded their set with Stabs. Why? Because the last minute of Stabs is wholly flawless. As a final song it delivers everything which a final song ought to do.

'This is gonna be our last song.'

‘Stabs’.

As those symbolic first virginal two chords of ‘Stabs’ are strummed I am thrown into a world of reminisce. I think again of Paraffin Oil Shop. I think of what they were and what they could have been. I think of myself. I think of being in that practice room. I think of four boys with instruments in their hands in that sweaty underground basement. I think of their dreams. Their ambition to 'make it'. I am sad. I think of Ryan Brown. I think of our dreams to be in bands ourselves. To make it. I think of how we emulated Paraffin Oil Shop. I think of how we idolised them. I think of how we sang their songs while walking home under starlight. I think of late nights and underage drinking. I think of smoking joints and going white. I think of my youth as a whole. I am filled with sadness as I think back. Stabs makes me do that. Those first two chords of ‘Stabs’ drive me back to a whole world of thought. Just as Marcel Proust thinks back after swallowing a mouthful of Madeleine's, I think back after hearing ‘Stabs’. As the song moves forth I look up at Paraffin Oil Shop – on stage once more, mere ghosts of what they used to be. I am yet again embedded with awe. As Andrew Finney rolls on the snare and Ant plays that forever melancholic lead guitar. The crowd sings as Dan sings too.

"Did I not live up to your expectations. My minds been dark in the brightest places."

I drum on my knees. I fucking love this band. I love everything they have ever done. I fucking love ‘Stabs’. I scream every lyric to the song as if to show my passion in drunken awe. 'It's not the way it was supposed to be.

But when things change they change so suddenly'. The chorus rolls in, with that ever familiar repetitive banging on the bass drum, floor tom, and snare.

This is as good as music gets, I tell myself. The music slows into a distorted fusion of noise. The quiet before the storm. Before that iconic and brilliant ending is pounded once more into every instrument of the band and every anticipating eardrum of the audience. Kez's bass. Ant’s guitar. Dan's guitar.

Finney's drumming. That banging. The definition of cacophony. The power.

The glory. The energy. The anger. The passion. The youth. The drive. The upset. The torment. The brilliance. The genius. The band. Paraffin Oil Shop.

We scream for more. But silence.

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Los Angeles

DAENA JAY An emerging female artist who is fast leaving her mark on the music scene in general. Her tunes have a readied showing about them with melancholic touches contrasting against pop and soul elements. In how she embraces the notion of being an artist her musical endeavours result in a rich foray that highlights a diversity of influences in equal measure against a similar standard of output.

TWIN OAKS With their impressive set-up, Twin Oaks corner a darker derivative in their sound which piques interest for anyone searching to discover a new band. The alternative trappings etched out in their sound are matched by a well versed backing in the sound. As to what they are capable of producing as a live band they can also relay that into being on stage with their shows steadily attracting new fans every time.

THE BAD YEARS Despite their name, this band are having a very good year. Having released their EP earlier this year, which we loved, everything about this band seems to be moving in the right direction. If they can build on the momentum they have so much earned this year they will have a very bright future ahead. The sleight of hand in their sound inhabits a sense of style that is modern, chic and inspired.

Yet you can draw suitable comparisons with Mamas And Papas for how innovative it is in places.

TURTLE GIANT A Brazilian band who are residing in LA, but all the same they are a band with real credibility. The timeless qualities on the approach and there is a togetherness to the sound which harks back to the golden era work of Phil Spector. With a solid emphasis placed upon the arrangements, key strokes and rhythm each time they very much prove themselves to be a band heading in the right direction.

STREET JOY Brandishing a sense of cool and bravado in their sound, Street Joy are a band with a solid edgy distinction also comes to pass without anything feeling too far leftfield. They also occupy that fine indie territory of being darling enough for the mainstream but off centre enough to keep the indie kids happy.

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BALLERINA BLACK A band with a very forward way of thinking which is expressed in the alternative trappings of their sound. Owing a great deal to bands who have gone before them such as The Smiths, Cocteau fact. The intrinsic worth of the sound is invested time and time again. In turn this brings the retroindie apparel of the sound to the fore and also confirms their credentials as contenders.

DESTROY MALIBU The sound that this synth artist is rather keenly felt. The synching of retro qualities results in a sound described as Chill Synth. It is a highly industrious effort with a noted calling to everything which comes across with a square sense of balance while maintaining an allegiance to the genre as a whole.

NÉONHÉART Another lavish inclusion on our list this month. Noted for the clean caress in their sound, this electronica outfit are picking up a fine reputation as both performers and for how they call upon their own sense of style. The European influence on their music is also something which is making them stand out for the right reasons on the live circuit. A committed texture is also worked into proceedings each time which takes hold when they take to any stage.

JETBELLY Sometimes the tunes call the shots on account of how cleanly they come across. It is certainly the case here with each track carefully constructed to bring a proven sense of style and substance to the table. The sound here has a powerpop vibrancy but it is an approach which is carefully developed.

As such there is a neat sense of volume to be found on the tracks to really justify the inclusion on our list this month.

STEALTH CLUB Another electronic act deserving of their place on our list this month. The evoking of prowess in the tracking shines through. Also allowed for in the careful orchestration is a defining sense of depth and scope. Credit where credit is due, they are highly capable of adding some serious groove to their tunes. While their club appearances have also become the stuff of legend, all sings point in the right direction for them. And rightly so.

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THE MANC TANK

by Dave Beech

Whilst last month saw me arguing that Manchester's was a music scene resting on its laurels, there's also an argument that says for every two bands rehashing aesthetics, there's another whose musical understanding goes beyond that of appropriation, allowing acts to tap in to rich veins of influence that are perfectly of the moment.

One act poised to take Manchester by it's ageing balls, are Blooms. A three piece originally from the Midlands, the band have since relocated to Manchester and set about dragging the city in to the 21st century from the inside out; their understated pseudo-tropicana bridging the gap somewhere between 1990s indifference and contemporary slacker-pop.

BLOOMS

Despite 'Waves' being the only track available online at the minute, the six-minutes of blissful pop occupies the crystalline waters between dream-pop, chill-wave and surf pop, and as such as the perfect antithesis to the perpetual grey of a looming Mancunian winter.

Though 'Waves' alone is enough to carry us through to the other side of Christmas, the murmurings of new music from the band in the early stages of next year mean we shouldn't have to wait too long to be able to bask in Blooms' welcoming haze.

Different but no less impactive than Blooms, fourpiece Góða Tungl are simultaneously abrasive and melodious, spiky and jarring whilst retaining a smooth production quality that allows the band's tracks to segue seamlessly in to one another. All bouncing bass and off-kilter rhythms, the band owe as much to '00s indie disco as they do to the poppier side of '80s post-punk.

As a result, it's difficult to pigeon-hole Góða Tungl, instead the semi-skittishness of their compositions is arguably appreciated best in an environment where the band's grooves can flourish, living up to the organic, almost free jazz-like flavours they slightly hint at on record.

Having just put out their second EP in September, it's unlikely there's going to be much in the way of new material this year. Instead, the band have a slew of shows that will take them in to 2016, so we'd recommend heading down to one of them and catching Góða Tungl live, as it's looking like 2016 will be the year to see the band really take off.

Photo by Baesha Blue Ward

Góða Tungl - 20 -

THE SHADES - ‘‘I Give Up’’ Single Launch The Grand Social (13-11-2015)

While the rest of the country were supporting the boys in green on a fog filled night in Bosnia, we were here doing our own bit of grass roots patriotism by supporting home-grown Irish music. The purpose of tonight’s visit to The Grand Social was the launch of the debut single ‘I Give Up’ by The Shades. And in support tonight was Late City Edition.

The band have been somewhat quiet as of late- and for good reason as they have just finished recording their debut album which will be released next year. While they have been absent they have lost none of the swagger in the meantime. As they launched into ‘Down To The River’ the momentous weight carried through testified to that by carrying it through with an impressive turn of urgency. There is also a splendid sense of gravitas to be found on the opening line which yields impressively to the overall dynamic here. Overall the band possesses a solid sense of consistency in their sound, which is confirmed by the secondary pick-up that has “inspired” written all over it. Then they followed up with ‘Blink Of An Eye’. Again the proficiency shows through by keeping the dynamic of the band very much in focus. It is well fronted, while the lyrics also dispel a sense of relevance to denote a tune of real significance.

The clever way ‘Turning Of The Tide’ is handled brims with class. From the confident way it is pitched there is a calculated leaning from which the inspiration is drawn. There is also something seasoned manifest in the determined way it comes to pass. It allows everything on show to press ahead in a most tidy fashion. They then truly hit the ground running with ‘Two Times A Lover’. In the formidable heft it draws a conclusion of not, yet this is unleashed in a way that counts. The richness of the guitar also finds the band digging deep to come up with the goods. With a set like this a cover version can be excused. They paid their allegiances to The Jam with a decent version of ‘Man In A Cornershop’ that was on a par with the original.

As they performed on stage here tonight they showed that none of the hunger has dissipated in the time they have been on hiatus. ‘End Of The World’ is energised and the charged showing masterfully crafts everything. It is also highly creative. From the bigger impasse in the showing they sensibly lock it down to give the way it sounds a more loaded sense of contention. Giving the vocals more prominence is ‘Bury The Hatchet’. Also found here is a neat sliver in the play which gives the tune a slight ‘Song For The Lovers’ by Richard Ashcroft vibe. The way it comes to pass is truly exceptional and has truly whetted our appetite to hear the album when it is released. Instantly you are grabbed by the full on projection of ‘She Saves My Soul’. Cornered in the robust showing is a capable sense of admiration that the vocals ably lean upon. It leads a charmed existence by design and the Britpop calling found underlines this. The resounding countenance of the rhythm helps it charge the air in a way that sees them cut it. To close out everything slowed down to allow the tender moments of ‘Love Is Real’ come to pass. This is well developed instrumentally. But where it really draws strength is the reflective allocation in the lyrics and how they give it freer licence. As the patient flashes display their brilliance the pick-up is rather ample and becomes noted at the same time.

What a great set and it is great to see this band back on the live circuit.

LATE CITY EDITION - 21 -

Well tonight was all about The Shades. We have been following this band for a long time now and they also feature former U&I alumni in their ranks with their drummer Mark Lynch. The B-side to their debut single ‘Be Bop A Lula’ is a nice offering in its own right which owes a lot to the old-school rock’n’roll charm they have in abundance. Then there is a confirmed sense of stature that sets the night’s proceedings neatly onward. That is found in how ‘Come Over Kiss Me Baby’ moves. The gratification of the rock’n’roll is very well schooled indeed. Element of Little Richard are also displayed with relative ease and for a first live playing they nailed it. Again they hold down the fashionable presence they possess with ‘Don’t You Cry’. The proficiency on show proves highly productive and how they contain it denotes their potential in spades.

One thing they really have worked on is locating a sense of movement in the delivery and it finds its way through on ‘Take Me Back’. The old-school values give it shape in a sensible way. This is the enhanced further from how the steady beat is cornered. As the harmony comes across it cuts to the chase in an attractive way from start to finish.

What follows next in ‘Down On 59th Street’ really should have everyone checking this band out as of now. There is a comfortable sense of expertise that proves they have their own style. Initially people may dismiss them as another band hot ion the trail of The Strypes, The Whereabouts et al but they are far from it. Everything here is on the money and boy does it show. Continuing on in that determined form is ‘I Don’t Need Anyone’. Driven on by the eagerness of the band they also display a calmer sense in the practical way this one is realised. The flush of harmonica is a clever touch and the anticipation inhabited in the delivery is nothing short of top drawer. It also underlines the steady pull that has been suggested from their set as a whole up to this point.

Letting it all out and retaining the identifiable tightness that they have collectively is ‘Monday Mourning’ and it is a fantastic unification from them. The smart vocals, the piano arrangement…well everything adds up here. It sees a shift in the rhythm called out on the bass. How they step out here shows that they more than look the part here tonight. From the merit found in the tracking, ‘Bad Mother’ is carefully released. Doing so presses the sense of depth by giving the configurations on show a leaner calling. What comes to pass is impressive but they tightly turn a corner here. The approach brings with it an added sense of modernity at the same time.

‘Feeling Blue’ leaves you feeling anything but. They develop this one with the apparent reworking in the medley of sections. However it is sharp and direct. It also sees a rich appreciation for the blues on show and that counts for a great deal here. Again they display a sense of being comfortable in exerting a sense of control with ‘Nancy Grey’. What comes across is big in terms of composure and truly shakes it all up. They bring a very relatable sense of appeal through at the same time which corners the imagination in a most sterling way as it checks in. It does hold onto the old school rock’n’roll adage but it also displays so much more.

We gave their new single ‘I Give Up’ 10/10 this issue and it easy to see why here. The live showing equals the effort that they recorded. It is a true testament to how good they are as a band when they turn on the magic. With how the performance matches up here they do go that extra yard.

By reeling in ‘Hips Keep Shaking’ they provide the delivery with a calculated showing. It becomes a more favourable effort in doing so. What is also taken stock of here is an older teen idol vibe. Yet it is developed to give it a keener sense of identity. Really it is a tune which piques interest for all the right reasons. A medley of ‘Boom Boom’ by Johnny Lee Hooker lead nicely into a storming version of The Rolling Stones classic ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ which really had their audience in the palm of their hand. With that securing their showmanship credentials it also proved to be their curtain call, but it left the crowd wanting more.

THE SHADES - 22 -

HAWKLION We have been admiring this band from afar all year long and they have always interested us in the musical sense we will admit. They bring something imaginative in the artistic sense which spills out when ‘Croatoa’ gets going. There is a slight ‘Wicked Game’ by Chris Isaac vibe of it from the initial twinning of the guitars and then the rest of the band come in over that. The good showmanship present hinges off a telling sense of resolve which allows it to build in a big way. This is especially underlined by the line ‘I won’t be here in the morning’ which cuts into the execution in a full on manner.

With ‘Soldier’ there is a solid charisma that sells you on the band.

Overall it is an impressive effort in terms of how it is all brought to bear.

They seem to capably embrace this higher sense of dynamic which gets behind the delivery in an impressive way of note. After that the room is filled with a lean tranquillity which reflects the broader formations on show with ‘Pressure’. It allows the broader sense of composure found when it steps out to hold court. The outline is another carefully managed aspect which adds up as the licence given from the change in arcs allows everything to weigh in alongside the dropped resolve in the tempo.

On ‘Rekord’ there is a sharper degree of tact exerted upon the rhythm which gives it buoyancy. Here tonight you could see how that mesmerised an audience. As the preparedness moves off that backing it gives the delivery a neater sense of flight. They also cleverly hold the compact qualities in place. What makes them a band to really check out is ‘Miami’. Here they cleverly give the running a subtle retro touch. This handsomely falls into place off the guitar hooks. Yet they gave it some further providence here tonight from how the caress of the vocals ably contends with what is set out here. Another interesting touch was found in how the interchanges creep in and galvanise it, which sits pretty with the manner from how the lyrics also add up.

‘Turkish’ is a tune with an ardent sense of volume which is located in a way which very much holds firm. They play to their strengths here and it is a big draw in terms of how it all adds up. The clever contention of the pace underlines all of this as it pitches up quite distinctly. The room warmed to the wanton fixations as ‘Gold And Silver’ came to pass, but then the catchy hooks caught everybody off guard in the right way. How well presented everything is here. With how it allows the indulgence mentioned they cut loose in a free way that brings with it a fuller sense of appreciation. While the beat deliberately moves through it all cleanly picks up, which adds a frantic quality to the pace. An interesting pique begins everything on ‘Y Tu’. This then leads to a legitimacy coming through that is stowed away with a great calculation in the overall dynamic. It sees them turn on the style by energising everything and keeps it moving forward.

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I AM NIAMH We have always admired Niamh Parkinson and her debut album ‘Wonderland’ is definitely one to track down. It was also the title of her first tune here this evening. What she conveyed on stage inhabited a finite sense of orchestration which was picked up on in the arrangement. She brought through the careful refined pique she is noted for rather fairly. That intrinsically saw her performance ably enhanced by doing so. Having comfortably settled into her set she located the opacity in the rhythm of ‘New Home’ to build in a leaner sense of fortitude in the delivery. That careful consideration accommodated her leftfield style. Yet at the same she capably brokered a fine sense of investment from pulling off those enigmatic aspects so abstractly. It is refreshing to see an artist like her live because you get to see her in her best environment.

Her inventiveness showed again on ‘Wait Until The Morning Comes’. She wonderfully ventures to a place of real majesty with her whimsical approach. This in turns sees a charming effort fall into place and the weight of the sentiment does add distinction.

She ably carries it all off, but what is most telling here is the lyrical narrative and how it props up the song because this is what really brings it all home.

Despite its title, ‘Bell End’ is a neat little number. The ornate trappings hold precedent. This in turn is carefully developed in the arrangement as a whole and brings a high level of artistic merit through at the same time. An effectual grandiose calling sets in on ‘London’. Doing so works rather well for the approach and holds a pertinent sense of noir in place which enriches the bolder strokes in the rhythm. The kitsch stowed away empowers a telling sense of femininity which in turn shows with true distinction.

As the intricacy of the intro presides a highly attractive trait envelopes the sound in the process with ‘Hang On’. The vocal loop worked in behind adds to the creative flair. What is also impressive is the sense of steadiness in how this one builds. She contains the leftfield margins to allow the full potential to be realised. You can make some appropriate Feist comparison about how animated and eccentric she is. This very much the case with ‘Cyclops’. It is a highly attractive number. How she flits between a spry ditty and something entirely unique takes your breath away. This sees the depth of her resolve in the alternative calling dig deep and find the treasure within. To see out a very clever set was ‘Creep’. She has an upcoming video for it in the works and her animation on stage adds presence. As to how the richer sense of rhythm is found, a lot is down to the application of the synth because of how it enriches the texture. A vacuous calling is also carefully considered here and kept in line. It becomes a warmer tine that draws you in as it progresses and the vulnerability in her performance underlines that fine calling superbly.

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WE RAISE BEARS The headline act here this evening underlined what Gigonometry is all about- getting a live gig for a decent band who are not mainstream and giving them that platform. The second the pensive calling of ‘As The Buzzard Flies’ took hold you could sense that this band were going to take you along for the ride with them. What is patiently played in trades firmly upon the scarce value of the lyrics. They also favourably called out the more measured dynamic which gives it movement. From this approach they necessitate a deeper reach in the vocals and this in turn imbues an ambience upon proceedings which is noted from how it is bequeathed. ‘This Sad Parade’ is a moody number but also a celebratory one. The rich sullen texture also pushed the artistic integrity upon the audience by the stern sense of attentiveness found in the arrangement. It allows the more sheltered aspects to take hold and bring out the full potential artistically.

With the greatness of the observations and the pick-up in the pace, ‘Adler’s Call’ deservedly embraces a fine folk calling. The kindled enchantment holds sway. Also present are electronica touches which fuse modernity upon proceedings. An air of confidence abounds here which was a true spectacle to behold. ‘When The Bell Tolls’ is a more reflective number. The harmony that opens it is a rather select affair. It reconciles an allure between the apparent deftness of touch which presides over affairs.

This is slightly strained but what it does bring to the live showing as it closes out is absolutely fantastic.

Maybe it is the intricacy of the organ on the introduction. Or maybe it is the rich conveyance of the grandiose stature. One thing is certain though, and that is ‘A Way Home’ is an effort that laden with an innate sense of richness. The lyrics keep their place and they help to build a competent sense of structure in the process. How everything is assembled here convenes furthermore in the live showing. They allows a steady feed filter through with ‘Some City Sketches’. The heightened pitch of the drumming stands it good stead. What it allows into the rhythm is a certified kick which brings a great degree of heft with it. Yet they seem to rein that in. This sees a contention fill out which gives it gravitas and showcases the true class of the band. ‘Lines Written In A Far Away Room’ is a title that screams contention. Luckily the exactness of the vocals mirror that as they come across with an added touch of sincerity. The endearing terms take stock of a commitment here that the forlorn sentiment carefully processes. It gives the forsaken distinction something that is on a par with The Waterboys.

The fine whip of ‘Bedlam Blues’ comfortably goes with the running. You sense the stature it possesses from the off. What is brilliant about this is how they are able to call upon a higher degree of worth here. How it is worked left the audience wanting more because it was truly astounding. And leaving the audience wanting more is always how a band should bow out.

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ALBUM REVIEWS GALIA ARAD This Is Lost

Galia Arad is one of the most accomplished performers we have ever had the privilege of seeing perform live. With her second album she underlines everything we have come to expect from her over the years. ‘Hearts In The Heartland’ gets proceedings underway and the earnest value is apparent. This genuinely finds its way through from the sweet caress of her voice and marries expertly to the deliberation of the delivery’s lyrical substance. Her knack for capturing the devil in the detail comes to pass with ‘Hope It Was Worth It’.

The essence comfortably controlled from the solid sense of conviction shown in the commitment she brings to the performance. You also sense the personal coming through from her as well. As things step out with the intro, ‘Mr. Detective’ draws you in. The direction adheres to a sublime calling which is full of zest at every turn. The opportune calling is comfortably processed to allow the idealised contention come across in a way that proves her credentials furthermore.

What speaks volumes about her songwriting ability is ‘It Coulda Been Love’. The referential reach reveals a great deal, while the balanced fortitude called upon in the arrangement heightens the appreciation in a meaningful way.

Emitting a grand sense of charm is ‘The Elvis Costello Song’. While it has a whimsical calling there is a finite level of depth to the lyrics which adds conclusively. Yet the conveyed sense of resolve detected aligns with the tragedy found in the substance of the song’s worth. Noting how ‘Leave The Light On’ gravitates towards the breakdown of a relationship seems to situate a providence which invests a telling sense of the real. This empowers the song with a virtuous distinction but also captures the hurt in every line. Taking licence with the hindsight of the sexual dynamics gives to ‘Whoops I Forgot To Say’ in a lasting way. But it is colourful and

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rich, with her capably drawing from the observations of womanhood giving it a freer sense of motion in the narrative sense. That channels the notion of the modern female in an empowering fashion. After that comes an ode to a dog in the shape of ‘Wally’. It is such a gentle effort and the ambiguity of the lyrics leaves it open to interpretation depending on how you read into it.

As the candid demeanour shapes ‘How Much Trouble Are We In’ you are taken aback. The tidy execution carefully walked in captures the picturesque essence of the delivery. Here is a tune which sees her ability as a performer pry the true essence across in a paramount way. She extensively finds the value in an integral way. Her approach then takes you along for the ride from how it holds true. She locates herself in the opening line of ‘Somethin’ To Say’ and this gives it a more enamoured feel. A lot is said from how the lonely attributes find the romance. This locates a sense of forlorn tragedy that projects a mindful sense of the real into the delivery. The impartial attributes duly noted have their say as well and the longing sentiment truly savours the moment here. ‘What Am I Gonna Do’ shines through from the delivery of the first line. With the spry feel of the acoustic guitar it has a splendour to it that sees it step out admirably. The chorus is also cleanly caught here. Overall it is an incredibly astute tune that brims with confidence. A diligent acoustic guitar sits right with You Really Shouldn’t Be Here’. The agreeable blues/country style gives it a looser fit which tightens the sound. As it is told from the perspective of the other woman the pangs of guilt give it a fine calling. But so too does her justification for her actions getting the better of her conscience. This is where it really comes into its own and seduces the listener. The eponymous title track ‘This Is Lost’ closes out a rather fine album. Her voice wraps around the emotive considerations here. It allows the kindness of touch procured take it where it needs to go.

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FUNERAL ADVANTAGE Body Is Dead

There is a consistency to the texture that carries across on ‘Equine’. It initially seizes upon a somewhat meta calling as the tempo accentuates so deliberately. From the countenance of the retro elements stowed away it is all provided for in an industrious way and the vocals are also offer a fine quantum of solace in how they are presented.

‘Sisters’ process a more upbeat dynamic that strikes out from the off. It moves in an affluent way but there is a denoted keel to the way it flows which confirms the substance in the breakdown here. But it is carried off with real prominence also. Then you really have to sit back and admire what they do with ‘Should Have Just’. In a way it feels like a song that The Cure could have produced in their heyday because the tempo exudes finesse. With how the stray feel of the vocals are handled the delivery is an absolute top drawer effort. In how it freely flows there is a depiction of style and substance found at every turn to underline the Robert Smith et al comparison.

Seizing upon a garnered continuation in their sound sees ‘Gardensong’ cleverly gain momentum. The sharp aversion in the tempo confirms this, but the heightened sense of development suitably gives it lift. Yet the way the advantage is pressed gives it an added degree of stature which is squarely considered. After that comes ‘Back To Sleep’. Here the intro is all about the emphasis on development and this gives the arrangement a true sense of gravitas. Then the vocals ushered in bring parity to the

9 delivery which allows a slightly intimate awning in the trappings take hold.

The affluent nature of the delivery become central here yet also invigorates the track from how it all falls into place by design. With a heightened sense of balance to the orchestration, ‘That’s That’ comes to denote a heightened ambition in the artistic sense. The intro is a broader affair which fills the air in a celebratory manner and the rest of the arrangement feeds in off this. It works incredibly well as an instrumental.

Returning to their cool indie style is ‘Cemetery Kiss’. Again things pick up handsomely and what drives it on is a subtle shoegazer calling that latently presides over everything. Straight away the attractiveness stands out. But when the vocals cleanly come to pass their velvet touch is the final piece it needs because this is an almost perfect tune. In terms of structure, ‘Then I’ll Look’ follows a steadier lead but also accommodates a heightened sense of definition that comes through in the scope of the arrangement. The precision in the harmony and shared vocals are dispensed collectively. The approach also serves a calculated alternative approach without it veering too far leftfield. ‘You Sat Alone’ opens in a rather subtle way with the richness of the synthesised elements providing well for it. Then the foray of the arrangement is layered on top of that and proves most inviting. It commits a patient virtue upon proceedings that calls the shots in a determined way by retaining a noted sense of reserve. From the approach fastened the potential is tellingly realised as it slips into gear. ‘Body Is Dead’ is the last track and it is another fine effort from the band which gives due consideration to the artistry and emphasises a broader sensibility as it builds. It has a laissez faire chic to it which leads eventually to a long outplay that closes the album with somnambulism.

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THE GRAVITY DRIVE Testament

We are big fans of this duo and the opener here is ‘The Wilderness’. The intro comes across as an old school Bond theme meeting Moby. Then the cool calling of the vocals adds substantially to the appeal collected in the delivery. Overall it is incredibly well felt out and the lustre of the chorus gives it added flourish. This is carefully outlined and handled with exceptional diligence. Sitting well from the offset is ‘Fun’. As the tidy aspirations consummately build the essence is beckoned forth.

This owes a great deal to the steady attributes of the vocals an arrangement which give it a sensible pop calling. Yet there is an astute modernity in the lyrical observations called upon which give it further substance. ‘Trick Of The Light’ is a richer affair. The subtle electronic aspects clock in productively. From this approach the nouveau chic carefully brings through the lighter touch.

Overall, this steadies the pace while closing neatly around the arrangement at the same time.

They broker the passive qualities of ‘Circles’ in a way that sets a high standard. This is a tune that is realised from the steady vogue that carries across.

As the patient calling sets in there is a commendable sense of reach abounding at

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the same time. This comes true and the depth of the lyrics comes through in the running most favourably. Taking the direction of the album in a more positive direction is ‘Cherry Ripe’. The notoriety in the arcs adds kick to the running as it takes flight. It is confidently pitched and the wonderment gives it a noted sense of stature that pushes the approach forward with a solid sense of deliberation. Things then drop down to a more tender affair with ‘Hearts And Minds’. Brought along with the saunter in the arrangement is a keepsake virtue that happens upon everything in a highly fortunate way.

The lyrical showing to ‘Tear Me Apart’ is high on the wow factor.

Yet this adds splendidly to the overall composure. With the latter progression the delivery finds a fine sense of front which leaves its mark. This is a track of an exceptionally high standard and the processes behind the arrangement cleanly get everything right.

‘Boy’ is an effort that brings a maturity to proceedings. In the dutiful and safe procurement on show the emotive aspects are cornered. This is an approach leveraged in the more descript tenderness that is located and where the delivery centres upon those aspects it finds what it strives for.

‘Blindfold’ closes the album and continues that softer calling. The versed approach in the movement underlines this and there is a sense of reflection here which allows the softer touch come across without being over-sentimental.

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HAYBABY

Sleepy Kids This is an album that opens stylishly with ‘Old Friends’.

As the indifferent touches all come to pass it becomes an affirmed effort with a noted sense of direction abounding in how it is all contained. In the raw correlation there is a fashionable notation that apprehends the raw suitability. As such the delivery teems in terms of how captivating it becomes in the process. It is followed up by the equally restrained ‘New Friends’. This joyously embraces a disenfranchised calling. Doing so brings an assured sense of cool that lights it all up alongside the lingering touches, but it is how it confidently comprehended that exudes this in spades.

Continuing that rich vein of form is ‘Sharks’. How the pensive style is competently handled here displays a knowing sense of stature. It is angled unequivocally and the lush herding of the vocals also stands it good stead. The truly catchy bass hook is also a big draw and the clean way the running is controlled is where the dynamics really show.

They move away from the languid style with ‘Pizza Party’. Here there is an apparent sense of weight that gets behind the intro and it then cleanly leads on through. It builds in a more pensive direction to the sound that is rather

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determined for an interlude. Then there is the brace and skip of ‘Her’ which confidently comes to pass. It is highly stylised with the anomic temperament cleanly building. Overall the emphasis on development is something that is noted and keenly felt in equal measure. Maybe it is the context of abandonment in the lyrics but ‘Elevator Song’ comes across with a clean sense of conviction in the lyrics. All of the tracking keeps it together neatly and the volume behind it adds credibility.

They keep to a leftfield calling with ‘Shy’. None the less it is still rather favourable and the rounded signature of their sound is cleanly picked up on. It is executed in a subtle way which keeps everything on course. By doing so the broader sense of structure also carefully carries on through. You initially pick on a heightened sense of progression with ‘Edelweiss’. As the vocal performance is taken into consideration there is an added touch of class. While there is a lingering touch in show there is also an unbridled showing when it cuts loose. That brings some urgency and it also corners a higher sense of intent in doing so, while also flitting between a contemporary latent shoegazer style.

The final track here is ‘Doored’ and it has elements of grunge that are easily picked up on. The steadiness of the groove gives the delivery an accountable curve that is smartly pitched. The forlorn projection of the vocals ascertains the angst in the lyrics while also giving it a more relatable sense of context as it comes full circle.

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THE SOAPGIRLS

Call For Rebellion This recommendation from our South African co-op holds everything in place with the first track ‘Pretend Friend’. It feels comfortable on every turn. The pressing of the deft rhythm is met by a hardy vocal showing that underlines the raw context found in the narrative. They lock that down and the refined motion of the tempo brings an implicit seclusion that also adds a favourable face value to the delivery.

‘Welcome To The Neighbourhood’ hangs off a more languid rhythm. In the etched guitar riff the kitsch in the vocals also gives it a good showing. It is a minimalized showing and it lightly begins to pick up. The lightness of touch presides favourably and denotes a sleight of hand that gives a telling nod to a punk influence. Third track ‘Voodoo Child’ brings more of the same. Yet there is a comfortable sense of showing to how they process the calling on this one again. It does keep to a bit of a formulaic approach but they also take it where it needs to go. The vocals are planted at the fore and they carry it at the same time.

With ‘Bloody’ things touch on a mature calling. The brokerage of the rhythm deadens the resolve in a piqued fashion. They bring it to life and it shows here. The channelling of the raw vocals gives it a punk allegiance, yet they suitably allow the development in the play lock it all down to bring out the full potential of the delivery. A youthful exuberance is picked up on with this album and it shows even more so with ‘Hater’. Ironically it is a tune with a lot to like. Through and through the leaner calling holds its own and they ground out the edgier apparel in a foremost way. This is absorbed by the chorus as it all clicks into gear and they do give a solid account of themselves in the absolved showing here. Again they trap the tempo on ‘Pretty Good Looking. It catches your attention in the conventional sense but it is brought around with a sobriety in the tone which breaks it down cleanly.

They display a sense of being very clued in with ‘Cigarettes And Medicine’. One of the key things they have as a signature is a lightness of touch in their sound. It gives this track a whimsical contention, and the rounded feel of the chorus

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impressively takes flight and corners the ideals of what they have outlined here. ‘Hold On Tight’ hits the ground running. Also on show is a sense of a sheltered calling. What that adds to definition is noted when the compacted deliberation sees it step out and the taut sense of contention yields impressively in the process. Returning to their Riot Grrl style is ‘Nymph’. The lurking touch in the tempo deadens the beat and gives it licence. It also displays an enamoured sophistication how the tidier showing is dispensed. With the rotund angle relayed it all follows an outline which gives it a sensible benevolence and certified lowly appeal. Slowly brought through is ‘Waiting In The Wings. As the intent weighs in the listless fervour captures a noted sense of abandonment. Yet the stray feel on show is also smartly processed and gifts it a broody tone. As this gives the running a heightened contention the ardent touches in the vocals also turn it around. We then come to ‘House Of Fun’ and the opening line sees it all collect. What connects the dots here is the drowned parlance of the tempo and the inspired lyrics add favourably. The patient virtue in the delivery cleverly gets it going but it feels somewhat complacent at times. While it does come across there is enough on show to overlook this. What also shows in the breakdown is an unapologetic sense of identity as they bring some attitude across in the latter progression. ‘Black Mass’ sees the album come off with a Suzanne Vega vibe. Then it moves front hat readied approach to a strong punk track that goes all out. It is a full on front shown that doesn’t hold back and the impact that hits you is carefully measured.

It flits between both approaches but doesn’t come up short.

With how the lyrics capture everything on ‘Snakes And Ladders’ a lot is revealed. The contention in the delivery suits the approach. In how they auger the dropped down elements a supple degree of weight is landed which sees them seize upon the opportunity it presents. This is one of those tunes which meet expectations.

‘Champagne Cocaine’ returns to their punk calling. How it hits head on usher the delivery through. The mojo of the band is also located here and they run with it in a way that gives the charm offensive on show further merit. As ‘Ugly Underneath’ takes its time to build there is a fundamental sense of development to how it comes full circle. It has a calculated appeal that corners the hardy proviso on show which gives it added pep. The last track here of the 16 is ‘Real’. Again things clock in with a gradual rock style that is underplayed to give the shoegazer style precedent. It toils away descriptively and the tasteful demeanour adds up and it is willed through with a good balance between grit and determination.

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Nowhere To Run The album opens in readied fashion with ‘Nowhere To Run’. Off the back of the steady handling of the intro it confidently pitches a change in the playing arcs which comfortably leads the running into a harder industrial organic. The angling steeps the sound in a rich post-modern New Wave style that is inherently fluid.

‘Long Way Down’ also benefits from the patient build on the intro. Again an appreciation for the playing side of things tees up the delivery admirably. Also adding substance is the subtle lyrical context which denotes a defined sense of purpose in how the vocals exert influence as the overall dynamic is brought through.

They display a courteous appreciation for developing a catchy hook into their sound with ‘Nothing To Lose’. The opening line brings a sense of salvo and the continuation takes the track where it needs to go.

The impressive handling doesn’t come across as over explicit either. It just corners the fine balance between determination and grit as it cuts loose.

Hints of ‘Sabotage’ by Beastie Boys meets you on the intro to ‘Head Over Ground’ before it proceeds to become something in its own right. As it takes flight the reserved tempo is evenly pitched to allow an accommodation of a harder derivative in the right places. Again this

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underlines the band’s ability to play and the graduation displayed is highly realised on all fronts. Channelling the piqued reserve of other contemporaries sees ‘Bones’ come across with familiarity. That is not a criticism, merely an observation. It is however a welldeveloped offering with a comparable level of distinction pulled off in how it breaks down. The higher sense of appreciation denoted is readied as the harder calling bears down. It also marks a committed sense of development which finds what it is looking for. Things move up a gear with ‘Time Is Calling’ because they really come up with goods. Adding to the tempo is the chagrin vibrancy which adds to the kick in the pace handsomely as things step out.

Smartly calling the shots from the off, ‘Take Down’ draws you in and the pensive drop down adds up. As the rotund showing builds the intensity the vocals see it through in a way that matches. In how the equilibrium develops in the running there is a forthright prominence that abounds. The rock calling is apparent on next track ‘Trust Me’ as they run with it. However it is on the light side and the lyrics also feel laboured. Where they manage to get things right falls into place but it is hard to shake off the feeling that it is sold short. They make up for it with ‘What I Say’. While the broader calling held in the execution, there is a sleight of hand tidied away on the pitch which gives it a spirited pep. ‘Darkside’ brings the curtain down. Here the solemn trappings are proactively called upon. This approach sees the fuller scope on the bridge then carefully craft an ambition in the arrangement and is very much a tantalising affair on every turn as it goes all out.

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LUSTS

Illuminations The album opens with an ‘Intro’ which orchestrates a kaleidoscope of broad psychedelic flourishes before things step out colourfully with ‘Sometimes’. From the off this track signifies the intent. A neat oeuvre trapped in the rhythm steadily brings it all through as much as the latent retro shoegaze flourishes are held in place. Third track ‘Careless’ is anything but. How it all falls into place is there by design and counteracts the play in a way that draws suitable comparisons with The Smiths.

From the sharpness the lyrics there is an astute observation captured in the lyrics that fundamentally enhances the appeal here.

After that comes the highly attractive ‘The Chair’. What comes across in the dynamic here is of an impeccable standard on all fronts. Nothing is left to chance and the catchy hooks deliver a real sense of purpose that connects with the listener. The cool fervour in the sound doesn’t go amiss nor does it see the band come up short. They again trade on a clever sense of poise with ‘Temptation’. Not only do the calculated shoegaze flourishes quicken the pace but the retro apparel found in the overall arrangement truly energises it by giving it something of note in how they add up. The eponymous ‘Illuminations’ is another great track. In the lulled partition of the delivery everything comes through in a committed fashion. How this suits the withdrawn calling also shows a smart move on the band’s behalf by building attractively on the neat guitar riffs that carry on through.

10 With the somewhat pensive intro, ‘Attraction’ takes its time to build. It retains a sense of the ornate which gives the ensemble calling true recognition for all the right reasons. Then they get back to basics with ‘Waves’. While the hazy sound keeps the indie calling incredibly fresh there is also something of real note in how the pace shakes it up and adds vibrancy. What is also kneaded in the vocals fits well the nimble fleeting of the arrangement at every turn. ‘Bad Weekend’ is another excellent track on an album that demonstrates true pedigree. Here a sterling account is given from how the play gets beneath the delivery. This carries the momentum forward but also keeps everything in check at the same time in a calculated fashion. Make no mistake about it, this is a top drawer tune from the off.

How ‘Don’t Kiss Me’ calls the shots oozes confidence and class in equal measure. What hangs off the rhythm is equally matched by the smart footing of the vocals. Another favourable quality on show is how well versed the scintillating lyrics are and how they weigh in. How this one is kept on track really shows why they are a band heading in the right direction. ‘Fountain Of Love’ again sees them play to their strengths by delivering a slower effort that attractively draws the listener in. What is relayed in the countenance here is backed by how the urgency behind it all is carefully constructed. It teases the best out of it by motioning through the rhythm in an almost flawless manner. The last track ‘Mouthwash’ is also another belter that adds up. The bolder flow that meets with the hardened running is leveraged squarely but also driven home to excellent effect. Overall, this is an album that cuts through all the bullshit and lets the music do the talking.

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SHOWSTAR Self Titled

Opening track ‘Adults’ clocks in with a sensible Post Wave fissure worked into the dynamic. It is commandeered by the languished intent in a direct manner, yet everything embraces has a neat sense of modernity on an artistic level.

The telling virtuosity is undeniably edgy and chic alongside the balance of the measured apparel of the delivery. Slipping into a hybrid of shoegaze with a grunge leaning is ‘Casual’. As the listless calling of the vocals envelops the tune the tracking comfortably slips into gear. It is carried off with a sterling degree of confidence that is a true meeting of style and substance in every sense.

We then come to ‘Mistakes On Fire’. Here there is a deadened piqued factored into the equation that attractively lulls the sound. Again the envelope is pushed and the inspiration drawn upon is an incredibly astute showing here from start to finish.

Showing proficiency is ‘Rumblings’. It tees off with an exemplary confidence abounding. The clever and neat way it gets beneath the delivery takes you along for the ride. From the measured fluidity it capably captures an impeccable enigmatic turn. After that comes ‘The Liar’. The upward trajectory in the determined de facto precedent afforded it from the retro attributes shows. How this effectively trades upon the indie calling heightens the appreciation by pitching up in a way which reflects impartially. How they call the shots here is excellently taken into account.

Clocking in at almost 9 minutes is ‘Happy Endings’.

Attentive in the opening, it

10 patiently builds. This is a more art-house offering because it retains an infatuated style that develops a refined oeuvre. It is also a somewhat heavier affair rhythm wise with the withdrawn anomic sensibilities lingering in a confirmed manner throughout.

Seeing a slightly progressive calling in the approach is ‘Smile. No’ and it bodes well for the delivery as a whole. Alongside the languished allure of the pursed vocals the sedate nature finds something proven. It allows a patient virtue come to the fore that is kindled, yet also relies on a sleight of hand in the tempo which lights it all up in a practical way. ‘Nightbird’ hits the ground running. While it is a more compact effort, the turn of pace quickens the way it is laid out. Overall it is a slick tune that moves with an invigorated calling that is all of its own design. Another tune benefitting from a similar lift in the rhythm is ‘Follow Me Follow’. It also adheres to the withdrawn signature in part but how everything steps out sees the band revel in how they cut loose here. What stands out on this album is the diversity. With ‘The Trouble Is’ a neatness prevails in the undertone which travels well. The breakdown here is also highly favourable and the heightened touches on show envelope the delivery in a rotund manner.

This approach adds up and the worth located also gives the leaner pick-up a noted sense of calculation. Taking you along for the ride is ‘Full Time Hobby’. Found in the lighter foray is a supple projection. How it is relayed is proven further by how deft it all becomes. It is beckoned in a forthright way that cleverly condenses the elements in the playing. The last track here is ‘(I Wish I Was) Awake’ and the lay alternative fissure is telling.

Downed in terms of temperament, the bass hook leads into a neater keel; while the secondary calling is also highly effective. Another highly inventive attribute is the bigger flourish in the sound that is traded upon from how they take the shoegazer style and run with it here.

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SHAG HAIRED VILLAINS Red Lake

Things cut to the chase in a clean way with ‘Break Through’. From the apparent drive in the guitar the sound breaks through in a solid fashion. What helps to sell you on this approach is the comfortable commitment that spills out in the tempo. After that comes another proactive number in the shape of ‘Cut & Run’.

From the neat way it is structured the indie calling is favourably picked up on.

This allows the checked urgency give the running a solid sense of contention.

‘Beyond The Road’ pitches up in a way that goes straight for the jugular. The robust kick in the rhythm travels well but it has an edgy countenance that is mirrored by how the vocals are leaned into. With how they meet up alongside the lyrics it goes the distance.

Again there is a full-on showing in terms of how the dynamics of ‘Breaking Point’ add up. The fluid pace is delivered with a measured degree of accuracy. This sees the buoyancy come across in a forthright manner which snaps steadily into place from the off. They up their game with the intro to ‘Shot In The Dark’ but it is a bit unsteady when the vocals come through. That is overcome as the latter progression bonds well with the delivery as a whole to make up for the lost ground. The contention adds weight but they

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also adopt an approach that attempts to develop the arrangement.

While not necessarily pulling it off they do enough to warrant appreciation. Even though there is a whimsical essence to it, ‘Shag Haired Villains’ is actually something which leaves its mark for the right reasons. You can put this down to the choice element coming through in the tempo. Alongside the dandy temperament, this also gives it lift which invigorates everything in a correct fashion.

Drawing on a more downward derivative in the tempo gives ‘Magnetic’ an impressive sense of heft. With how the drawled vocals also add up there is a clever expectation met here. Overall, the standard in how it is pieced together is noted for the sense of conclusion found on every turn. Again a higher standard is found in the calling with ‘Most Alive’. Off the back of the opening line there is a signal of intent which is carried through. The worth of the dynamic here is equally relative but it is the unrestricted way things cut loose within the revered temperament that sees the band come up trumps. ‘W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G.’ again sees the band embrace the musical side of things as a long player with a large bridge section that allows the expressive touches their place. It all leads in off a bolder fell and the integrity attempted sees the largesse of the exchanges linger over it. Closing the album is ‘Comin’ Home’. What impresses on the opening gives it that spark to ignite. In terms of tone things linger in a heavier style, but it is also a prevailing touch that helps bring it all full circle in a calculated way.

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STEPHEN YOUNG AND THE UNION Eagle Fort Rumble

We have had this album in our possession since September but the band requested we review it in this month’s issue to coincide with the official launch. We duly obliged and the first track ‘Shiver’ sends out a definitive statement of intent. In the intrinsic blues touches everything is carefully brought through. This approach sees the urgency add substance in a way that adds up. They develop the album on second track ‘Duty Free 200’. By proxy the softer touch displayed adds a credibility which suits the lyrical context and arrangement. The enamoured feel grows in stature as the delivery plays through. Gracefully stepping things out and upping the tempo is ‘Lately I’ve Rescued A Rose’. From the fluid distribution of the intro the breakdown leads into a more rotund showing. This fine degree of industry pushes the thinking of the band forward by bringing finesse as it takes flight, but the attention on the bridge displays outstanding artistry.

‘The Blind Leading The Blind’ champions greatness.

It is a faultless display with the agreeable depth of the lyrics adding flavour. A whimsical charm also falls into place here by design that takes you along for the ride.

Also boxing clever is ‘Land Leg Blues’. The lulled sensibility embraces the comfortable styling but also allows an appreciation in the breakdown to accommodate the

10 folk influences. This carries the feeling through in the lyrics but also pays its dues attentively where required. Another attractive tune follows with ‘Monsoon Season’. What is celebrated in the forthright calling gets everything right. It is also collected directly and the harder showing considered bears down astutely on proceedings. Not only is ‘Shadowman’ a sweet track but everything about it sits right. The intricacies in the delivery denote a fine level of appreciation and musicality. A deadening in the sound calls the shots but doing so locates a realised sense of worth which carries it along expertly.

Taking a slower approach with ‘Beautiful Dead’ sees the tender showing tentatively add up. The elegance of touch presses the fortunate aspects on show in a highly presentable manner. All of the fonder attributes add up and the wonderful sense of completion noted from the running underlines how carefully they take stock of everything here. From the off ‘Shuffle (In The Quicksand)’takes you along for the ride. What a tune. Everything on show here is very much on the money. The hardy apparel in the rhythm adds the necessary kick, yet the overall dynamics are incredibly top drawer on every turn. Next track ‘Teardrops (On The Sidewalk)’ sees the languished autonomies connect the dots. In the pensive approach the elegance holds but there is a structured approach undertaken which impressively yields the full potential. Closing out proceedings is the heartfelt ‘Someone You Dream Of’. The strong piano arrangement presides over the showing and adds a softer flow. In the reflective context of the lyrics the sentiment is found but is not overbearing. These reliant qualities are consistent and enable everything to be carried off.

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THEA HJELMELAND Solar Plexus

When our Norwegian friends recommended this artist to us this year we knew that our Scandinavian network had sent us a real gem. This album is a proven testament of that fact.

In the opaquely structured ‘Cornwall’ the album opens in a telling fashion. It is walked in and her voice relays a listless projection. As the breakdown is built upon there is an intricate attention to detail which urgently collects the innovation in a carefully balanced way.

As ‘Your Wall’ plays through you can sense the richness which brings a comparison to the lighter affairs of PJ Harvey.

The deftness in the flight displays an exonerated sense of completion, yet the finesse of the flow here is also a carefully considered application which gives the appreciated aspects further reach. The developed sense of purpose found in the lyrical narrative of ‘Feathery’ is sensational. The impact created from the fine meeting of the vocals heightens the depth of the lyrical metaphors. It is an absolutely exceptional effort that would make Kate Bush proud.

‘Caravan Of Illusions’ builds on a hip countenance that grabs you in the right way. The solemn drift of the guitar riff deadens the tempo in a capable way. It has this hazy allure in the showing which is incredibly well checked. Yet it is comfortably developed in the alternative sense. Circling the delivery are lingering touches which give it a further sense of carriage from how they are cleverly angled and traded upon in the latter progression.

After that comes ‘Define’. This is a rather tidy affair that lays it all out with a fine sense of

10 precision. It has a lay quality about it but in how that is brought to bear the richness of the tune becomes more apparent and relevant. Another track that pulls through with a high degree of class is ‘Breathe’. The yielding touches in the tempo are carefully measured. The strong showing here is rounded upon and it collects in a way that brings all of the relevance to the fore.

With it consisting of only spoken word, ‘Nylons’ is an interesting offering.

The sexual context of the song breathes life into it as well and brings it into consideration as something more than a mere interlude. The exquisite lightness of touch helps ‘Grow’ to…well…grow. A jazz sensibility is carefully grasped and employed in the outline of the arrangement. A broader sense takes hold in the right places but it carefully hangs back to give the vocals their moment to shine. The wanton torn infusion of her voice brings a becoming quality to the performance on ‘Make Believe’. As the sleight of hand in the playing carries through it brings a careful touch to the fore. It is an exceptionally impressive number which benefits tremendously from this showing of counter-balance.

You are seduced by her next effort ‘Quererte’. Sung in her native tongue it displays a keen sense of texture and volume which is lovingly considered in the performance. The approach undertaken captures the emotive touches in a forthright way which gives it something for the listener to believe in.

Her last track is ‘Cold Hands’. Again the lightness of touch carries a noted sense of relevance. Her voice sinks into the sullen trappings which gives it a great deal of notoriety. A subtle brevity is found from how it is built around this calling and it becomes noted all the more from how it collects.

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EP

Irish Artists REVIEWS

TELEPHANTOM

Good With Words A true sense of class abounds with ‘On My Own’.

This comes across in the settled determination of the vocals, but in the heightened accentuation of the synthesised elements the appreciation for the track shows further more. It has this highly developed retro apparel felt in the breakdown yet the impressive saunter in the tempo gives it a neater sense of resolve from how it hangs back. The shared harmony is also another astute move on a flawless track. After that comes ‘Thumbtack’ and it is another excellent offering. Here the clever running in behind the tracking gives it a solid sense of fluidity. Also cleverly marked out is the direction the vocals capably take it. With the neat sense of charm collected and relayed you can draw suitable comparisons with the whimsical manner of Belle And Sebastian for how it colourfully lights up.

The third track here is ‘Good With Words’. Again they come up with the goods by brandishing a stern unassuming presence into the projection of the delivery. It adds up in a determined way yet the charm offensive on show here is also something that is of an outstanding pedigree. That a three track EP can contain so much is a true testament as to why this one should take pride of place in any aficionado’s collection.

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ROSIE JUNE

Post Listening ‘Disappearing’ is a good showing. As an opening track it gives a good introduction to the listener by enveloping the ensemble approach in a positive way. This is seen through with a competence in the handling which capably accommodates the broader aspects of scope found in the arrangement. In its own way ‘Good News’ is a tune to really celebrate. Straight away the pop sensibilities are caught dead on. By allowing an elegant sense of chic carry it all off it brings a noted competence through in the delivery. What also backs this appropriately is the careful way it steers the execution through with a noted level of competence. Providing a brief interlude is ‘Falling Out’ and it has a patient allure that fondly drifts across to give it pride of place.

Again there is a delectable sense of style most excellently felt on ‘Cat Comes Home’. Winning you over with the sense of completion granted from the pop calling it also showcases a fine level of appreciation in the calculated stirrings of the tempo. Alongside the sultry appeal of her pursed vocals you can sense that the worth of the song has been extensively worked on and brought through. Removing any notion that she is a pop act is underlined by ‘Start Promising’. It is an incredibly layered tune that is worked accordingly. In how the appreciated touches are taken into consideration it retains a patient virtue that steadily takes flight. A tethered sense of appreciation is also kneaded through and the comfortable manner displayed is akin to Air circa their ‘Moon Safari’ album days. ‘Conveyor’ seems to give the EP an anti-climax which brings the heightened showing to a prominent sense of conclusion. By doing so it also brings everything full circle in terms of the stern sense of direction provided from this as an approach.

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HAPPY DAGGER Pareidolia

As the attentive touches come to pass on the opening track ‘Who’s Waiting?’ things draw you in appropriately. Not only does the lighter outline offer something sublime but there is a pique found in the secondary pick-up that is equally inspired. As this sits alongside the vocals it brings a faithful calling through that adds up. Again there is a decisive sensibility processed on ‘Comedown’. They channel the reflective psychedelic touches through. Not only is it neatly collected but the inspiration drawn upon sizes up the track and offers a finite sense of completion in doing so. Another engaging tune follows with ‘Mariposa.

The content appreciation in the follow of the guitar adds volume on the intro. From there a lingering touch processes the dynamic in a truly fundamental way. A glorious richness finds its way through in this ensemble piece and it is a beautiful work of art in every way. With the paunch in the rhythm you also note the elegant touches that give ‘U Won’t C Me’ resounding buoyancy at it steps out. The confident pitch in the running is apparent but it is the charm offensive that truly locks it all down here. In particular the emphasis placed upon embracing a high level of musicianship on the bridge is nothing short of superb here.

Calling upon a defined Beatles influence is ‘Revolver’. The strident 60’s revisionist vibe on show is excellent. It also benefits from a looser trapping in the rhythm which allows a casual sense of being come through in a committed fashion. It is an appropriate track which earns its place on the EP for all the right reasons. Without missing a beat they dive straight into ‘Phantom’. Again there is an ornate calling found in the creative lightness of touch adhered to in the delivery. What is pulled off here has a stirring counter-balance in the guitar work and is enriched in appeal by the engaging sensibility of the vocals. Some more top drawer playing prevails with ‘Pyramid’. Again there is a heightened sense of definition found in the arrangement that embraces a finite sense of context and substance, but delivers emphatically on the potential. They branch out with their closing track ‘Always’. Here there is a more telling sense of an alternative calling embraced and it is backed up in telling fashion. Vocally there is an extra dimension added with the admonished leftfield experimentation cleanly giving it further value.

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BEACH SLANG

Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken?

Celebrating the disenchanted approach sees the harder edge of the tempo fittingly get beneath the delivery of ‘Filthy Luck’. It is driven on by a combination of determined heft and a slew of hazy guitar riffs. In how the concise showing here is neatly controlled there is a tasteful appreciation factored in which gives it a calculated sense of lift which is caught squarely. We then come to ‘Kids’ and it lets loose in a most apparent way. The bellowed calling slips in comfortably alongside the upper margins of the tempo here in a way of prominence. Keeping the fluidity in the rhythm stirs the movement in the erratic touches in an equally telling way.

Where things lose something is on next song ‘Get Lost’. It has a seeped temperament found in the play that slows it down, yet the overbearing feel of the vocals doesn’t fully add up here. The lyrical narrative is not as developed as the other tracks have been and they come across as somewhat laboured.

Kudos are earned with the fourth track ‘Punk Or Lust’. In particular the way the rhythm guitar presents here galavanises the raw edge in the delivery. It powers along and the fired up way it comes to life is angled in a way to give the leaner derivative a sense of calculation in how it is called out.

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ISLANDS & TIGERS Getting things off to a certified start is ‘Groundhog Day’. In how procedural the playing comes together you could easily dismiss it, but when the vocals come through the committed appeal shows. It seems to locate a lingering kitsch that is underrated and unassuming in equal measure. Yet it draws inspiration from the approach in a way of true prominence as it all plays out. As the bass hook plays in on ‘My Imaginary Friend’ the attraction is instantaneous. It rides in with a high degree of relativity and the shoot-thebreeze essence of it also captures the volume in a way that hits you in the right way. This is excellent from start to finish and the underground charm of the band further cements the credibility on show.

Bringing it all down a notch but upping their game is what sees ‘Catch Me Like A Butterfly’ through. A nonchalant Reggae influence is tightly processed in the handsome shape of the track and gives it an added sense of virtue in how it is embraced. Brilliantly closing out everything is ‘Monday Night’. A fine wall of sound hits you here and it has a reclusive edge to the way it comes across. As the exerted control holds firm it grows in stature but preserves the indie identity of the band in a way that sees them lose none of their cool.

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NO VACATION Amo Xo

‘Late Morning Brekkie’ opens in an attractive way and serves well as an interlude before ‘Laundry Day’ sees the charming reference of what this San Francisco duo are all about. The opportune flight of the acoustic guitar smartly gives it an attractive calling. As the awning distinction of the vocals carry across the richness in the playing details also become more apparent. It perfectly enriches the trappings here in how it is all delivered. Not only is ‘Beach Bummer’ incredibly hip but the imaginative way it plays out grabs the listener in the right way.

The slick showing in the rhythm is comfortably brought through and it enigmatically feels everything out. ‘Café Beat’ is a slight instrumentation that sees the band play and it is captured live, but it is really a slight little jam impromptu and nothing more.

Grasping a more mature reasoning in the opening line is ‘August’. It beckons a more reflective countenance in the truthful way it is structured. The sentimental yearning for the bygone days does carry it through in a convincing manner and it adds a neater sense of resolve. As the splendour of the arrangement carries it through it comes across as a well commanded affair. An elevation then filters through that locks down the seamless virtue of ‘Lovefool’. In the articulate manner of how it presses through gives the fondness an added sense of reach. ‘Bedroom Melody’ is a brief acoustic affair that is handled well. Things don’t get over complicated despite it being warmly thought out and matched in the delivery. The final track here is ‘Pillowcase’. A diligence presides over it and it is an astute touch to close out the EP when considered in full.

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GANSER Less

As the lo-fi credential of ‘Gomer’ comes across there is a nonchalant style about the track that is equally fitting. The prevalent New Wave is influential in a prevailing way. It has this edgy quality about it that abounds in a way that calls the shots all on the terms of the band. Yet how it lingers in the shoegazer fervour is another fashionably hip and astute move which adds up. ‘Sun Ghosts’ reliantly draws a stark comparison with Pink Floyd in places because of the sense of isolation in the scope. Here they hedge their bets and the shapely pick-up in the flight also carries it through impressively. The clever fluctuations in the play develop it in a quantifiable way and the alternative showing here is a highly active one. ‘Low Blow’ embraces a more leftfield calling it must be said. It does so in a most interesting way. You sense the pushing of the envelope and it avoids being pretentious at the same time. This is a good tune and everything called is done intelligently.

As the intricacy of the intro carries on in you are intrigued by what ‘Neue Menschen’ has to offer. The sullen allure of the tapered delivery embraces a coveted and opportune calling. In the way they lean on their shoegazer calling here a true sense of admiration is earned for their efforts. The fortified volume of the tempo is executed in a detailed way and each element is carefully considered in the approach.

You warm to the sultry display of ‘Fortune’. It is somewhat seductive and as a tune that has a determined footing, there is a precedent about it that cleanly abounds here. It adheres to a starker derivative that adds the necessary weight in how it is kneaded. The final track here is ‘Black Box’ and relayed in the opening is a formidable sense of projection that develops the scope of the arrangement. It seems to see everything close around a shapely dynamic that embraces the anomic touches in a prevailing way. Yet there is a rich noir that textualises everything on show in an exact manner that really exemplifies everything good about this EP.

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FOREVER CULT Fuxx

Sometimes you come across an EP that keeps it simple and lets the music do the talking. That is certainly the case with the first track ‘Sinking’. An acknowledged punk affair with everything gathered in a way that ruins with am edgier apparel settled into the groove. It is a raw affair and the leaner pitch is also something which gives it additional gravitas as it all furthers the intent of the band. With ‘Graves’ they also get behind the play.

There is a distinct American influence coming across in the sound as well here. It draws comparison with West Coast garage bands and it brings a solid sense of contention across in the weight of the play.

That is deliberate you feel and it ticks so many boxes in the handsome way it gets down to business.

8

‘Luck’ plants itself in a way that extends the harder showing. But it matches style and substance in how the compact attributes squarely trade here. The urgency of the rhythm is noted in the dropped down temperament that holds across the bow of the delivery at every turn, but the vitriol spirit of the vocals cleverly lands upon it all ever so favourably also.

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PROGRAMM A brilliant sense of modernity is identified with on the eponymous ‘Like The Sun’. As the shoegazer apparel opens on the song it contextualises everything in a brilliant way.

The deftness in the flight also rises in an appreciated way that is superbly condensed in the sound. The purse of the vocals adds to the extensive way the flushed components bear down here. ‘We Barely Escaped’ is another prevailing effort with everything going for it. Again they creatively chase down the creative side of things and the emphasis on integrity pays off. It sees a resounding New Wave touch add the necessitation it needs. The towering pensive quality if the rhythm lingers favourably as well and adds consistency in the deadening of the weight.

Again there is a sense of note to how ‘Soft Shadows’ reliantly softens the calling. Yet there is an animosity in the way it sounds which carefully constructs the lusher attributes. It hinges on this and that neatness is what keeps it in vogue. The token feel of ‘ZeroZeroZero’ allows the delivery to centre upon a more abject sense of touch. In doing so there is a minute calling seized upon which is able to illicit a veritable sense of reach that is admonished further by the minimalist trappings. What comes across in the deadened appreciation is collectively relayed to determine the underlying face value of what they have set out to achieve here.

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GIFTER As things open with ‘Leave It All Behind’ a lot comes to pass that denotes a rather commendable sense of the opportune. It languishes in a way that is most prevalent. Yet the finite withdrawn shape of the delivery holds over proceedings in a valuable way of note. It retains that reasonably well in the abject flight and this seems to give the cursive layering an additional sense of comfort. Taking the grandeur of ‘Who Are You’ at face value can see it feel somewhat like a by-the-numbers tune. yet a closer inspection brings the detailed characteristics to the fore. As such the warmer sentiment is actually a more astute call and extends it beyond its contemporaries slightly.

Seeing the emphasis of their songwriting ability come to fore is ‘Read My Mind’. A detailed tune that is worthy if anyone’s time. It floats in on a determined presentation that presides fully over affairs. The harder showing is equally engaging and gives the rotund sense of scope something to really get behind. They very much cut their teeth here in a way that exemplifies the fruits of their labour. With ‘Don’t Look Down’ the lighter resolve on the opening carefully leads it all in.

The slower sense of rhythm carefully lets it all out and from there it all connects as a broader conclusion is drawn as it takes off. It does build to a noted crescendo that does leave you in awe for the boldness of the endeavour displayed. The steadfast attributes of ‘Home Again’ close proceedings. The glint of a calypso derivative in the undertone invigorates the rhythm in a telling way. It extends outward in a pleasing way which deftly carries it all off and keeps it together cleanly. The composure of the vocals are also finely managed, while the joie-de-vivre temperament retains a noted faithfulness that carries through.

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CORRINA JANE Hard In Love

The descript and upbeat flourish of the piano on ‘Floodlights’ sees proceedings step out with true confidence. The exactness of her voice also underlines this but she also captures a sense of the imaginative in the refined touches depicted. As the execution of the playing arcs toy with the direction the delivery is also given an added sense of meaning which is realised by the approach.

She is competent and the depth of the narrative shines a spotlight on the solid conditioning of her worth as a songwriter.

As the elation neatly gets behind ‘Three Faces Of You’ everything becomes apparent.

The clear sense of direction draws you in, yet she scores it all favourably and her voice is comfortably felt here. As the telling touches bring the revelry across it develops a valuable sense of notoriety in the secondary calling that collects.

‘Echoes Of My Mind’ is a softer affair. By bringing through a broader countenance in the piano arrangement it is consciously backed. The approach is very clever and it transcends any notions of predictability.

She cleverly feels out the song and it shows favourably. Proceedings close with ‘Hard In Love’. The Hammond organ in the intro is sweetly placed. Also coming to bear in a noted way is the tightness. With the relay of the cursive forays she really grinds out the true value of this in an enriched way.

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INSPIRED AND THE SLEEP Eyelid Kid

These guys are an office favourite here for us here at U&I and underline everything great about our San Diego co-op.

There is a formidable degree of innovation displayed and crafted from ‘In My Labyrinth Mind’. The traipsed loops in the play are spun with real flair. This gives the delivery a valuable sense of conditioning which brings an apparent alternative showing through. But an allowance is made in the arrangement for them to develop the intrinsic turn in the temperament. Fantastic sums up next track ‘Time Travel’. Guided through favourably there is a delectable intimacy explored tastefully. It corners a darling attribute and this is neatly traversed in an inferred way. Yet there is an extension to it all which locates the handsome derivative in a richer sense of context that cannot be ignored. You are swayed by the attractiveness of ‘Sleeps Well On Knives’. It is an effort which is cleverly composed.

What also shows is the committed way it rides in on this approach. As the charm offensive brings a pensive styling they also locate a neater sense of totality at the same time.

9

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What serves ‘Hen Wings’ so well is the careful way it is processed. They embrace this. The wonderful warmth of the tempo also seems to mirror the softness in the approach. The careful texture in the handling allows the alternative conditioning to blanket the direction of the arrangement. But they also allow a balanced approach to the playing elements, both individually and collectively, which comes to pass in a most telling fashion. Deadening the intro proves to be an astute move for how ‘Peripherals’ opens. This approach sees a commanding sense of movement come across. The acknowledged way the developed touches are heightened also proves par for the course. You are caught up in the distant fronting in the imaginative calling here. This is extremely leftfield.

Avoiding any notions of pretentiousness owes a great deal to how they stare down the ambition of the developed approach and making it work. ‘Die Slow’ is the last track.

Checked on the intro by a dutiful drum beat a lay calypso style presses ahead. The intricacy of the dynamic shines and comes to pass in a way of note. Throw in the value of the traipsed vocals and it is hard not to admire this for everything it has to offer.

HAUTE

Reciprocity As the EP opens you can see how well this Montreal dup have placed an emphasis on development from how secure ‘So High’ comes across. It allows a heightened deliberation in the slower handling fall across. In turn this gives the casual demeanour a sense of parlance which sees additional flourishes in nuanced traces in the sound. A good account is given from the unassuming projection as well. Deserving of praise is ‘Sound3’. Rich in distinction, the synthesised calling sits back and the collected drive of the vocals sees the latter half develop the tune proficiently. Arresting a surly sense of resolve, ‘Your Ki$$’ is turned in off the back of a highly realised sense of touch. In the flight there is a patient working and the select richness is collected in a way which presents in a modest way that apprehends the relativity at every turn.

Things are very much kept in vogue with ‘Reciprocity’. Pushed out in terms of being more referential, the tempo also allows a fine sense of intimacy to push through. From the justified presence here there is a throwaway sense of the regal noted. How this is called upon is duly noted and the stronger calling benefits fully from the approach. Showing they have the smarts to produce a mainstream track with indie credibility is ‘Holdin’ Me Back’. A very faithful tune indeed, it boxes clever and there is nothing found wanting here. The conclusive way the texture collects here it all adds up in what counts – the music. The final track is ‘U Should Know’ and it is something bordering on pop. Yet the way it retreats inward makes good use of the anomic sensibilities that stir those tidings. While not as apparent in terms of how it is pressed there is a modest sense of mood developed. As this is treated it gives everything an elegance which fits the overall calling.

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MAN MADE Bring Some

This three track EP is something to admire. It flies the flag for the current healthy state the emerging music scene in Manchester is and there in an unbridled quality which hangs off the rhythm on ‘Bring Some’ which listlessly lingers. The proverbial is brought, and the way it lights up corners a commendable sense of fluid indie credibility. Also hiding away in the staunch attributes are neat pinches in the sound which underline the resolve factored into the equation. Then we come to ‘Don’t Thank God’. As a middle track it operates like a middle child by demanding your attention by displaying a greatness.

The lean way this is caught is brought to bear and backed all the way. Have they got the bones of a great tune here? Certainly.

In the inspired way they call upon a flitting regale in the delivery the deadening captures a true sense of purpose.

They call upon a darling sentiment with their closing track ‘Everything And All Of This’. As a trinity this is something which takes everything in a totally different direction to the others. The diversification is an absorbing process each time. Here the proven totality is located with real distinction. It has a well-worn walkabout temperament. Also imparted in the delivery is a resounding sense of being which finds its purpose from how the latter progression truly develops the arrangement.

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UMMAGMA Frequency

A clean narrative is noted in the intricacies of the opening track ‘Orion’. It seems to occupy a spacious allure but also captures something truly capable in doing that. You can pick up on how invested in the artistry they are from the delivery. It is an astute tune which understands the balance between correlation and appreciation. After that fine foray into induced electronica we come to ‘Lama’. It opens in a broader sense and the content manner in how it is all let out comes to pass favourably. How the rhythm neatly riffs gives it a necessity which lingers in a most favourable way throughout.

‘Winter Tale’ is a steadfast tune which also embraces an engaging sense of sincerity. The bespoke reach of the vocals hold in a tantalising way over proceedings. It seems to imbue the overall aesthetic with a notable ornate quality. As this filters through the process as a whole very much brings you onside. The development of proceedings is fastened down further by the imbued ensemble piece that is ‘Galacticon’.

Justifying the appreciation for the EP as a whole is the solemn ‘Ocean Girl’. It cleverly closes in around the sophisticated touches to bring a derivative which embraces a dreamlike transition in the full expression of the delivery. A very short tune but a sweet one all the same.

Listing Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, Malcolm Holmes of OMD, and Marc Joy of Lights That Change as collaborators sees their stamp put upon their individual remixes of ‘Lama’. It diversifies the running order and makes it one for the purists to track down for how they work as a trinity.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS Heartline

We have been watching the progress of this Northern Ireland band in recent weeks and they coin something of merit with their opening track ‘Heartline’. A clever lead is expressed in the resurgent brokerage of the harder elements in the sound. It does rock out in a way which is significant of a lot of similar bands, but you can also see something akin to the earlier works of Manic Street Preachers on closer inspection. Getting behind the delivery in a wonderful way is ‘Television’. It breaks out and the restrained hold in the rhythm galvanises the tempo. Add in the traipsed worth of the running you appreciate the harder turn. It is a proficient effort that locks everything down and leaves everything to their own devices. What is also very well judged here is the running time. ‘

6

The Jokes On You’ denotes a heavier American apparel and influence at work.

Here though there is a bland turn in places and it detracts from appreciating it further than that. You can overlook it to a certain extent but the same doesn’t apply to ‘Friends’. If anything this is a tune lacking inspiration. It doesn’t draw on anything of relevance from the lyrics and overall it is a very tired effort. The tempo is maintained and kept in check, but it doesn’t go anywhere and it hangs off the lack of the direction but not in a good way.

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FUZZ GHOST Fuzz Ghost

They land something imperative that carries through on their opening track ‘Sandy Bum’.

Seizing upon a kind kick in the tempo it also develops a neat pastiche. Not only does it contain a well thought out underground fervour but there is a level of potency found in the charm offensive here. As the class prevails over proceedings here they also display a solid sense of contention as the running comes to pass. ‘Lost Mind’ confirms why these guys are a real gem of a band. They lean on a clever pinch in the sound which is both raw and highly referential in equal measure. The sturdy resolve adds a bounce to the step which jumps in. the feeling that they garner in the sunken derivative plays away and the fine way of words prevailing in the lyrics fronts it tremendously.

All the cards are on the table with ‘Dead Fish’.

Again they allow an unbridled flourish in the tempo call the shots. It is charismatic in the thorough manner it is processed. Behind the rhythm is a formidable punch which carries it all through and connects in a solid fashion with the listener. Removing the punk sensibilities sees them place an emphasis on development when it comes to ‘Eye’. Placing a lingering allure in the sound reverts to type in a justified way. Yet there is a shoegazer style which is lazily brought on and it finds its feet resoundingly. They remain with the track throughout and from the clever way the developed lustre comes to pass they see it go the distance at the same time here. Matching ambition with scope feeds ‘Sunshine’ with a noted signal of intent. Luckily they back it up in the lean fluctuations in the tempo. All of the rhythm cleverly rounds on each aspect to harden the showing, but the lazy demeanour of the vocals is what really fleshes it out here.

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FLIGHT BRIGADE Stealing Fire

Straight down to business with opening track ‘When We Were Young’, there is a majesty to be found in how the retro projection in the sound comes across. The stern touches are capably pushed across.

The elegance brings a catchier hook in the sound through yet there is so much more.

Again they find a sense of the cool which defines the sound on ‘The Phantom’. You can’t deny how emphatically hip this tune is. The nouveau disco apparel allows the essence of cool to waft on through. It is a flawless tune brimming with appeal.

Another real point of note is how the dynamics all gel with nothing feeling out of place at all.

‘Housefire- Alternative Mix’ is also a rather splendid affair. Here the accentuated placement of the vocals carries weight. It proves rather proficient and the candid demeanour frames the turning incredibly well. The patient outline allows the extension in the rhythm step out with a high level of credibility noted as it does so.

Closing proceedings is the impeccable ‘Our Friends Our Enemies’. A more stationary affair in terms of the absence of a more fluid rhythm it benefits from a patient approach. They bring out a more impressive showing by laying on an appreciation for developing the arrangement and carrying that through with a higher emphasis on instrumentalism in the way this one works.

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THE ACADEMIC Loose Friends

The band everyone is talking come up trumps here with the first track ‘Different’. What they land builds in an impressive way. It captures an impressive degree of heft. How this holds off and then picks up on the chorus takes you along for the ride. It is equally catchy and substantial in equal measure and has potential written all over it. It could be safe to say that this EP could still hold relevance and sound as fresh in twenty years, and to underline this assessment we have the excellent ‘Northern Boy’. The fray calling brings a sense of the real through but they also process a rotund sense of weight which captures an honest appreciation in the vocals. Off the back of the sincerity comes the lean rush of the guitar work, yet a closer look at the lyrics also showcases another level they have collectively as a band.

They play another fine card in the shape of ‘Sometimes’. It is fiercely catchy it must be said and they have worked on that you can sense. How they take to the approach here holds on every turn. As the urgency drives it forward they seem to embrace a wonderful sense of momentum here which is embraced as much as it unleashed. While it is not necessarily formulaic there is a repetition in the way everything sounds with ‘Chasers’. However it is readied and chased down all the way. It is not that they do things by numbers here but, rather, a case of them finding a sense of comfort that sees them unleash in a way they are comfortable with. There is nothing wrong with the approach undertaken because they are able to weigh in and back it all up musically. As the opening line of ‘Thought I Told You’ holds in the air the languish is then met by a careful calculation in the breakdown. The solid footing found as it begins to gather momentum benefits from the gains in play. It also builds in an additional sense of purpose to the playing arcs which doesn’t go unnoticed. They very much call the shots here. It is taut in the right manner which sees them nail it down and get it going in the right way.

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STELLA DIANA Alhena

In terms of what is on show this is a rather interesting EP. Cornered in the opening track ‘Shohet’ is a knowing sense of brevity. A heightened electro track it is also furnished with a remarkable sense of resolve in the lo-fi calling. Alongside the indifferent calling of the lyrics it brings the finesse through. Second track ‘Caulfield’ stows a way a meeting of 60’s Revisionist vibrancy in the courting of the rhythm guitar. But the nuanced feel of the song embraces a rich sense of anomie in the other side of the sound. This hybrid provides well in the arrangement with both elements complementing one another in a choice way all through the delivery. By bringing it through carefully it lands squarely.

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Third track ‘Bill Carson’ is a more rotund affair with a charming feel to the intro. Again there is a careful consideration played through in the vocals which stands it good stead. While the capable touches in the play are rounded upon there is a brilliant sense of aspiration contended with here as it steps out.

Keeping in contention is ‘Mira’. Building on the stature of the bass hook draws comparisons with a ‘Warsaw’ era Joy Division. It is a telling effort which an endearing measure of charm procured in the running. A lot holds up here and it is easy to see why. The stoic investment drives the track and it is a replete effort with an interweave exchange in the playing arcs capably locking onto the change in direction as proficiently. ‘Govinda’ is a more sullen affair but also has a heightened sense of definition found in the tempo. A freer sense of movement works across the vocals with the Krishna values of the undertone creating mood. Lingering behind it here is what also vitalises the delivery. They find this in a way that is vindicated by the resulting music.

SINGLES

REVIEWS

International Artists

HAWK Once Told Music should be allowed to be the voice of those who have none, and this latest offering from Hawk tackles the subject of abortion laws in Ireland. The brooding sentiment is cleverly check and adds a careful sense of poise to proceedings. What is also favourable placed here is the lyrical narrative. It is a more considered effort and the concise elements do display a sense of anguish without having to be overly aggressive. That is a very sensible application in how it enables the tune as well.

10

BEACH Arabia

10

What you pick up on first here is the patient manner and the resolved approach that leads the tune in. This richness of texture allows the rhythm to collect in a steady way, yet it also accommodates something mature in the light way everything sits. As the vocals bellow out the depth is relayed in a controlled fashion which is highly fashionable and industrious. When it steps out the track is an overall construct of all the elements elegantly fitting together.

International Artists

THE SHADES I Give Up

Straight away this hooks you. As it settles into an old-school sensibility it also finds its groove. The robust calling of the lyrics also gives it an added dynamic that reaches out and grabs you. This is reflected in the fluidity on show which also adds an endearing sense of charm in the Teddy Boy styling. How everything is conditioned here tows the line in a way that cleanly brings the conviction through. It is a qualified offering which has all of the hallmarks of a band with real potential.

10

STRANDED MERMAID A Smalland Saga

10

This is a choice offering from a band we have really come to be huge fans of here at U&I. They procure a stern sense of value in the listless way this track evolves. The passive foray in that regard embraces Scandinavian folk elements and the encouraging way the tune is nurtured is suitably impressive. With how the select touches are brought to bear the lingering allure retains a finer sense of touch that stays with you for all the right reasons. Add in the seasoned calling of the chaste vocals and lyrical narrative and you are left in awe of something that will take your breath away.

EVERYWHERE Shades At Night As the rotund running in the tempo tidies away on this track it becomes very abstract. The progressive turn on show in the delivery cleverly sees it click into gear. With the pop callings brought to the fore there is a defined approach undertaken in the approach which duly pays off. It is a clean tune and they do rely on the safer side of things. However it works by allowing them to play to their strengths, while the pomp in how the flight takes off is a tad light you do sense this is intentional because it works to very fine effect.

8

DECO Turn Around

8

This Nottingham band have impressed on every occasion we have checked them out. With this track they cleverly allow a calypso style come to pass but also season it with an astute modern indie calling. The blissful manner to how it all works reflects a showy dynamic that meets with substance. The stylish vigour is properly placed and the overall emphasis gives the flow something passive which has a steady degree of urgency in the resolve which helps it go where it needs to.

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HOLOGRAM TEEN

Tracksuit Minotaur In terms of a track being far out this is a certified contender. The innovation is what impresses here and it smartly embraces an alternative sense of direction from the off. Spurred on by a loyal degree of temerity in the approach this is a truly defining effort. The cursive undertone gives it a glorious sense of elegant noir, yet there is a stellar commitment to forging ahead off the back of the rich retro leanings the delivery carefully constructs in the process. An odyssey of certain proportions in all the right places; this is a tune to zone out to in a big way.

10

KID RUNNER

Different Kind Of Love

10

As this song opens the whimsical brilliance hits you in the right way. The catchy hook in the rhythm grabs you in the right way. Then it falls off and the pensive distinction shows they have it going on. The lyrics add vibrancy. They are pretty sharp but they are completed by the fine showing in the vocals. The elegance of touch keeps it on the right side of indie pop but it is characterised by the precision carried through in the telling way the delivery is pitched. Top marks all round here.

MEMORY FLOWERS Life Is Gorgeous

International Artists

You immediately get into this tune. It has this tangible degree of primal finesse in the glorious texture of the rhythm. A learned retro appeal collects on the intro. Then the delivery seems to corner a sense of glorious fashionable integrity with the pitch of the vocals. It steadies proceedings in a warm way which richly plays through with a noted integrity in the showing all the way through. Perhaps it could be developed a little further to offer a slight constructive criticism.

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BETTER ENEMIES Future

8

The urgency of the delivery meets with the tempo in a direct manner. This sees the compact qualities of the hardened derivative move to the front. It embraces some anthemic attributes and they do go for developing a direct sense of impact. This approach is closed down and there is some room for improvement. However things don’t feel beyond the band either from what they have come up with here. Rather it suggests potential but it is just not the finished article yet.

MARK MAXWELL Say It Again

This recommendation from Brisbane has produced something that puts house music into a good spotlight. As the looser turn in the tempo hides away it creates a subtle lightness of touch which brims mildly. Yet the clever hooks and pitch are co-ordinated here. It is more of a slower effort than a full on dance classic. However some tunes benefit further from being carefully balanced like that and this time around this proves to be the case.

7

INDIGO FACE At The Gate

9

Alternative Pop…two words that go together all the time. In some cases they don’t work and in others they produce something incredibly timeless. This is a tune that meets the latter consideration. It is assisted ably from how well fleshed out it is and the ethereal fronting manages to convey that approach in a most convincing way. An effectual essence soothes away as the delivery carries across and it allows the bespoke beauty of the song to come to the fore in a truly committed way. As it unfolds it also relays those qualities in a most faithful way.

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PAINTED PALMS ‘Refractor’ (San Francisco)

STARBENDERS ‘Powder’ (Atlanta)

LAND OF THE GIANTS ‘Holy Funk’ (UK)

ROBB MURPHY ‘Headstrong’ (Belfast)

U&

UNSIGNEDAND INDEPENDENT

SOLIDARITÉ AVEC PARIS 13 Novembré 2015