Dublin’s own #1s might have a hashtag in their name but if you can get over unusual typography, you’ll soon learn that they also have a knack for bashing the living crap out of their instruments with some pretty happy results.
In short, if you want some noisey noise, these boys can provide it for you.
They create such an entincing garage rock-style hullaballoo that it’s actually quite hard not to move around like some drunk lunatic as they thrash out each and every tune. Little Irish ditties these are not, more something the giants who built the causeway might have approved of.
Their Soundcloud page has more than enough to keep anyone who likes this ruckus as much as I do occupied and there are a couple of videos, too, if you fancy.
After that, you should could even go right on ahead and buy Sharon Shouldn’t ASAP via Alien Snatch.
Somehow, whilst browsing the internet recently, I happened across MS MR who, it turns out, have an enormous following on a certain micro-blogging site and who also released one of my favourite EPs I didn’t know existed – Candy Bar Creep Show. They reak of instagram and Apple packaging but I really like that about them.
They make a noise that many are calling “Tumblr Glitch Pop”, something which essentially means nothing, besides the fact they’re really very listenable. They have an abum on the way and have today decided to show off a brand new track from it called Fantasy. It’s a song you can file somewhere near Florence and/or Poliça.
If you haven’t heard the Candy Bar CreepShow EP yet, wrap your ears around it right now (it’s available on itunes). Maybe I’m just not fussy but there really isn’t a track on it I’d skip. Bodes well for the album I feel. Check out their Soundcloud page while you’re at it, there’s all kinds of gloriously neon shit on there.
Created by the internet and now giving the outside music world something to talk about, MS MR are in for a very interesting 2013. From Tumblr to the great beyond…
A while ago, I found out about a band called Engine, I got very excited about them, in particular a track called Motto.Now I’ve discovered that they released a six-track album called Notes back in December and I’m like the cat who got the cream. This album is made up of demos, acoustic and live recordings, the end result of which is a warm, rich, triumphant sound. It’s undeniably brimming with sadness and regret and at the same time, it’s jam-packed with some dazzling flashes of what can only be described as raw, brilliant talent. All of that makes for a particularly inviting combination, funnily enough.
Another highlight from Engine’s small yet mighty backcatalogue is Bury. It really is a prime example of all that can be great about folk music, bursting at the seams with brass, banjos and a very touching vocal perfomance from Sidney Sonnerberg.
Go forth and bask in the glory of it all yourself because all six tracks, including Motto and Bury are available to download for free via Bandcamp. Do it fast because some lucky bastard is bound to sign these boys and sell their addictive sound for a profit before too long.
Safe to say, there is now a huge smile plastered across my rather daft ginger face. These boys make such a lovely sound and 2013 could well be very interesting for them.
As unexpected surprises go, I’ve certainly had worse. There’s just something about Sidney Sönnerberg’s voice that is inexplicably easy to listen to. I maintain that Motto is the best track of all but the rest have potential by the bucketload.
Hopefully circumstances will allow for a full-length album some time in the not to distant future.
If Stevie Nicks and Siouxie Sioux started a band, it might be a little something like Deap Vally. They’re a double act from California known as Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards but, as they have themselves made very clear, they have ridiculous amounts in common with Thelma & Louise.
Essentially, these women have the same attitude as Ridley Scott’s heroines AS WELL as a lot of infectious riffs and great hair. If you think about it, they’re the perfect band to balance out Haim’s soothing, Californian pop. Deap Vally are just one of those band who make a noise that sounds so fucking good that you could probably chew on it.
Huw Stephens from BBC’s Radio 1 loves them, so does NME and about ten thousand people on Facebook. So, I suggest you jump head first onto this glorious bandwagon by watching the following videos and raiding iTunes for all the Deap Vally it’s worth – after you’ve downloaded Ain’t Fair for free right here.
Eric Mellgren is to all intents and purposes Shotgun Honeymoon, a Los Angeles based music machine of sorts and a not-so rough diamond and their video for Up To Something is a visual treat as well as an aural one. It’s not as dirty as it sounds, promise.
It’s essentially a YMCA-style pisstake of a poker game and it’s infectious to the point where you’ll still be humming the melody, that you didn’t realise you’d learnt, hours after listening to it. The bassline, courtesy of a lady with a cello, and some consistent finger snaps just hypnotise you into playing it again. And again. And again.
Seeing as there’s no way in hell one song is enough, here’s the Shotgun Honeymoon Soundcloud page. The only slightly disappointing thing is that Up to Something is by far and away the strongest track so hopefully there will be more where that came from in the near future.
Still, this track feels like a bit of a golden egg so enjoy.
Engine is the musical baby of Sonny Sönnerberg and Stephan O’Loan who met whilst at university. So far, things are still falling into place for the London-based band as they have recently recruited violinist Lorna Young, who is sure to add an interesting new dimension to their already delightful sound.
Their latest track, Motto, is an acoustic ramble that is all too easy to shove on repeat and the vocals are just the right amount of unpolished.There’s something captivating about this track so it’s good to know they’re recording in Soho at the moment and intend to release a new track in the New Year.
However, if you’re as curious as I am about them then you can find some of their previous work on their youtube channel.
Kilo Kish has been tipped by The Recommender (huge and brilliant blog) as someone who has the potential to be montrously successful in 2013. She deals in late night, hip hop-inspired… hip hop, fresh from Brooklyn.
As The Recommender point out, she is not the next Azealia Banks, she’s a bit less frantic and a little more soulful. Part of me loves her track Navy and part of me just isn’t convinced but the shuffling beats persuaded me to put it on again (and again) and it’s growing on me like some kind of warehouse party-going triffid.
There’s more where that came from, check out her Home School EP, this girl is more or less impossible to turn off. Should have been paying attention to this girl before; she’s going to be stuck in my head for a while yet.
The video for a song called Northern Lights caught my eye this morning as I was scrolling through Twitter, and for good reason. JaJaJa are going nuts for this girl from Sweden who goes by the name of Kate Boy.
The video itself isn’t really up to much, it’s nice and ambient in it’s own way (so is a public toilet) but the song itself is pretty damn infectious. It’s a really sharp pop song and it seems as though it was written for dancing to. It’s bouncy in an 80s way but it’s modern in a Scandinavian way.
You might find yourself hitting the replay button…
Mikael Paskalev is a fresh new face from Norway, now based in Liverpool, who has been championed by online hipster Scandinavian music experts JaJaJa and The Line Of Best Fit – rather excellent recommendations, but then again it’s pretty easy to see what all the fuss is about. This guy is something special.
On 14th September, Paskalev released his eponymous debut EP via Pretty Boy Floyd Records and it’s worked a treat. Now I, and anyone else who’s wrapped their ears around it, would be queueing up to pre order a whole album, should the opportunity to do so arise sometime soon.
Jive Babe is the first track on the EP and is just one of those songs we all wish someone would write about us. Guns, jiving, clapping and a generally bright feel to it make this song very easy to put on repeat.
It’s one of those songs that makes you feel like you’re in a film as you walk down the street with your headphones on. I genuinely believe that should be what more people look for in a song…
The rest of the EP isn’t half bad either. I Remember You is a little slower but it’s addictive in pretty much the same way. I Spy is a foot-tapping, you’ll be humming and clicking your fingers for a while after the song stops playing. Finally, Jailhouse Talk is a little slower, more regretful – there are no roadtrips or clapping sessions with this track but it is gorgeous to listen to.
Mikhael Paskalev is one to catch live. He plays with a six-piece band and, by all accounts, everyone leaves having had a rather excellent time. You can hear the amount of fun he’s having in the recordings, so a live show would be a surefire way to watch that stomping chaos explode, in a happy way.
It’s really good to wake up to something you can click your fingers to so I reckon everybody should set Mainline by Tensnake and Syron as their alarms. The week would definitely go faster, I mean just listen to this thing. It’s the best thing to dance around to whilst you pretend you’re not going to be late for work/school/whatever.
The single comes out on 5th November, just in time for a little Bonfire Night dance… or wiggle.
Syron is going to be absolutely fukcking huge and with good reason. If you missed her mixtape a while back, you can still download it from Soundcloud for free. Also, check out her video for previous single Breaking, that one’s a cracker too.
Dublin’s own #1s might have a hashtag in their name but if you can get over unusual typography, you’ll soon learn that they also have a knack for bashing the living crap out of their instruments with some pretty happy results.
fun to funky 