No band is perfect. There are some that have the ultimate craft, guile and song writing abilities that whet appetites and take breaths away in equal measure. Then there are those who maybe rough around the edges, but when it comes to a live event, have you jumping off balconies in sheer ecstasy and elation. New Cornish band Crowns show that where maybe a short sense of naivety in their song writing is apparent, they more than make up for in a hugely enjoyable three minute romp. Arguably forget the content and lyrics, put a kilt on and dance like a lunatic to what is a ceildh for the new generation. Having already supported arguably their most noticeable influence, The Pogues, and further shared stages with no other than Brandon Flowers and Gallows, for a band so new, they are picking up fresh fans all over the place. The Cornish shanties have obviously had a big impact, as this is a big, rousing and silly sing-a-long anthem that has all the folk-punk attitude to have you dancing through the streets. It is fun, if nothing more and I would keep a close eye on where they go next.
‘Girl Walked Out Of Town’ is taken from Dennis Hopper Choppers second album ‘Be Ready’. The 12-track album was produced by Ben Hillier who has previously worked with the likes of Depeche Mode and Blur. ‘Girl Walked Out Of Town’ kicks of with a Marvel super hero film theme, before breaking in some illustrious electronic organs into the equation. If this sounds all like a jokey type of number then the introduction of the epic and powerful vocals of Ben Nicholls hit in to readdress this. Nicholls’ heroic and intrepid voice cascades the number into a serious and undaunted love song. There’s a calculated yet daring mix of guitar rifts and electronic strokes that provide a modern western soundtrack number. This track wholeheartedly embodies the motifs of spirit and demise that flood the epic western genre and in Nicholls and his Nick Cave-esque, masterfully profound vocals the track has the perfect protagonist whose tale of love and woe we want to listen and hold onto. To write the songs that would become the album ‘Be Ready’, Ben Nicholls holed up in a house in the desert just outside Tabernas in the South of Spain. And in ‘Girl Walked Out Of Town’ Dennis Hopper Choppers seemlessly creates an ambience of a desert’s wistful and disconsolate bearings in a tidy and fluent track.
My Tiger My Timing’s ‘Endless Summer’ was exactly that, a bouncy, vivacious energetic bundle of a good song that was destined to remain a timeless ‘ah remember summer’ hit. The South Londoners latest offering ‘Written In Red’ manages to both hold onto that effervescent angle whist propelling a more purpose composition. Starting off with an early 90’s summer holiday programme style theme ‘Written In Red’ soon develops into a collaboration of dancehall rhythms, hypnotic bass and shimmering guitars. Released through the band’s own Snakes and Ladders label, this tropical day-dreamy modern pop will be the band’s fourth single and again teases us with how good their debut album could be when its released next year.
Post-dubstep is a silly term, but it seems like it’s becoming a fully-fledged genre of its own thanks to purveyors such as Jamie xx, Jamie Woon and James Blake. Even though neither of them are called James (or a variation of the name), Hiatus & Shura’s collaborations seem to fall under post-dubstep’s jurisdiction, with Shura’s vocals layering perfectly over Hiatus’ looped ambience. Much like the photo on the cover of the songs’ sleeve, both ‘Fortune’s Fool’ and accompanying track ‘River’ have something natural about them, as though the music isn’t computerised or made with technology so much as it was borne from a natural connection between two people. And that is, first and foremost, why the songs exist. Hiatus & Shura are good on their own, but putting them together creates something masterful. ‘Fortune’s Fool’, with its chorus homage to Des’ree’s classic ‘Kissing You’, is delicate, like Shura’s vocals, but Hiatus’ input of fingerclicks and a strong but slow beat underneath soft, sad guitar strumming, allow the song to possess a strength that it would not have had otherwise. The end result really is something beautiful.
Summer may be over, but that doesn’t mean catchy indie-pop needs to go away for half a year; in fact, all it means is that lazy journalists can’t use phrases like “the soundtrack to your summer,” which can only be considered a good thing. Kidda’s single ‘The Whistler’ does what it says on the tin when it comes to extra sounds. Isn’t there just something inherently nice about whistling? That said, it takes a backseat to Laura Vanes’ spectacular vocals. There’s something frail and feminine to them, but at the same time the upbeat tempo she sings at is strong and refreshing. This may sound as though elements of the track are at odds with each other, but in fact everything adds up to a perfect whole. Lyrically, it’s not the most inspiring thing you’ll hear all year, but the vocals, coupled with the horns alongside a radio-friendly beat, are too good for you to care.
A sparse intro gives way to a sound that really is a little bit jazz, with elements of salsa and psychedelia that keep ‘Faking Jazz Together’ from turning into elevator music. Mockasin’s ‘unique’ vocals (because there really is no other way to describe them) are tucked away here and there, occasionally producing an elongated “Oooh” or nonsensical lyric, and becoming a highlight towards the end of the song, but the lyrics, like much of the song, wash over you like an ambient light. At five minutes long, ‘Faking Jazz Together’ does drag on a bit, and confusingly almost grinds (or rather, fades) to a halt over a minute early. The tropical psychedelia leisurely ambles along once more after the premature ending, but the structural experimentation feels a little pointless, and stranger still, when the song does end, it ends abruptly, breaking the trance the single puts you in. Connan Mockasin should be a bigger name by next year, but there’s no denying that the music is an acquired taste.
There’s something very exciting about the Norwegian music scene of late, and Casiokids only add to the brilliance with their newest single ‘Det Haster!’ However, despite the song’s title translating to “It’s Urgent!” there’s more of a laidback vibe to the track, partially due to Ketil Kinden Endresen’s almost calming vocals. There’s a persistent beat to the song which yes, would insist on urgency were it heard at a club while you were still at a bar; its electro-pop rhythm is easy to dance to and catchy enough, as the B-side would suggest, to warrant remixes from more well-known names. The Of Montreal remix takes the cosmic synth of the original track and adds more thunderous percussion, which works well in its sporadic appearances. The echoing effect of the keyboard and vocals notes makes for an interesting rework, but it isn’t necessarily better than Casiokids’ own song. So what can we take from ‘Det Haster!’? Well, listening to Casiokids should definitely be marked down as ‘Urgent’ on your to-do list, that’s for sure.
Malian rap isn’t what you’d call mainstream, but SMOD look set to readdress this, following on from their nomination for ‘Best African Act’ at the MOBO Awards this year. ‘Les Dirigeants Africains’ is a catchy, laidback tune, and the fact that it’s in French doesn’t detract from the fact that it’s a good song. The mix of rap and singing during the song is aided by the well-balanced harmonies of the trio’s vocals, which intertwine and add to the catchiness of the single. The acoustic guitar, meanwhile, adds another level to this interpretation of rap, as the song stays simple but somehow, is still catchy and hypnotic. It’s no wonder that the trio have massive potential; SMOD member Sam Bagayoko is the son of worldly pop duo Amadou & Mariam, whose house was apparently the recording base for the group’s last album.
The sun-kissed country guitars of ‘Sundial MMXI’ don’t for a second suggest that The Travelling Band come from anywhere other than rural America. Adam Gorman’s vocals similarly disguise the fact that they are, in fact, a product of the northern giant that is Manchester. It’s not that the band try to hide their backstory, but if you were listening to them for the first time, it wouldn’t be immediately obvious. On the other hand, with the resurgence in folk music still going strong, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised to find that the group are from our side of the pond. Instead, let’s be proud that a British band created the powerful, rousing ‘Sundial MMXI’. The hints of country, like touches of a banjo in the background, offset the gravitas of the strings and create a unique track, which is made all the better by the strong guitar riffs and driving percussion. Don’t be mistaken; The Travelling Band aren’t another Mumford & Sons; they’re better than that, carrying about them an unmistakeable air of authenticity, and they’re almost certainly destined for better things.
From the out start Born Blonde sound very familiar. They claim to be influenced by The Doors, Cluster and Verve, but they sound uncannily like Doves. Propulsive beats and soundscapes come in and out at every different stage to winning effect and Arthur Daley’s vocals mirror that of Jimi Goodwin. This may sound like they are lacking in originality and could be seen as mere imitators, but what they lack in fresh sounds they truly make it for in intensity, verve and drama. ‘Radio Bliss’ is hypnotic, widescreen and often spellbinding and if we have lost Doves for a number of years or a career, then Born Blonde would be affable replacements on this basis. It may be a one off and they may need to expand on this sound for the sake of a full album, but their lyrics offer mystique and you can almost sense this single ringing round larger venues as an old favourite in years to come. What they’ve managed to achieve here is evidence enough that this soulful British five-piece are exciting prospects to look out for in the near future.
