Haim, The Wire

Tags

alternative, Days are Gone, folk, Haim, R&B, rock, The Wire

If you haven’t heard of these girls yet, where have you been? Seriously?! The Haim sisters are cool, funny and incredibly talented… what’s not to love?

The Wire is their third single to date, not including unofficial releases and EPs. I wrote about their first single, Forever, just over a year ago (see that post here) – even then, I was very excited to see what else they had in store. They’ve since gone from strength to strength, releasing track after brilliant track, and receiving praise from pretty much everyone in the industry. You may well have seen them sharing the cover of NME with Palma Violets back in January, after having released just two singles.

The question that’s been on everyone’s lips since then is “when’s the album out?!” Thankfully, Haim have finally announced that we can expect their debut album, Days Are Gone, on September 30th. It seems The Wire will be released with the album on the same date.

All that there’s really left to say is that this single is just as fantastic, catchy, and punchy as the others… if not one of the strongest so far. And the video is bloody hilarious, so enjoy!

Lissie, Further Away (Romance Police)

Tags

alternative, america, back to forever, Country, folk, further away (romance police), lissie, rock

Further Away (Romance Police) is the third dose of new material that we’ve had from Lissie this year, following the release of her single Shameless back in April, and free EP Love in the City in June.

It’s good to hear that she’s not moved too far in the pop direction, which was a genuine fear of mine after Shameless. Okay, fear may be too strong a word – Shameless was a great track, it just had a little less “country” in it than Lissie fans were used to. In Futher Away (Romance Police), however, Lissie shows that she’s still very much the country-rock siren that we know and love. At the same time, her recent releases have just enough of an edge to promise that her next album won’t just be a reproduction of her first.

To be honest, with that wonderfully raw, powerful voice, complete with just the right amount of southern-American twang, Lissie could sing almost anything and make it sound good incredible. She even gave Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance a new lease of life when she covered the track back in 2010 (hear that cover here).

I’ll be eagerly awaiting the Lissie’s second album, Back to Forever, which is due for release on September 9th in the US/October 14th in the UK. Current single Further Away (Romance Police) is available to download now.

Jake Mattison, Golden Friend EP

Tags

Americana, Country, EP, folk, Golden Friend, Jake Mattison, New Music, Swn Festival

Last time I posted about Jake Mattison was way back in November, after having been lucky enough to catch him at Swn Festival (see that post here). Now, he’s back with a new EP entitled Golden Friend.

It’s a beautiful, slow-and-steady kind of EP. Mattison doesn’t need loads of instruments – he let’s his strong, clear voice do the talking, accompanied by a guitar and very little else. A slight echo on his voice also creates a wonderful illusion of space, giving the individual elements of the songs room to breathe. Title track Golden Friend is a prime example of this. An ode to the sun, you can almost hear the summer breeze.

Michigan and Idle Protest, the other songs on the EP, follow much in the same vein. The latter is the punchiest song on the album, with less of a relaxed vibe and more of Mattison’s American-country influences shining through.

I’ve had this EP on repeat since first-listen. It’s easy listening at it’s very best, without any of the dullness which that  usually denotes.

Jake Mattison’s Golden Friend EP will be available from July 15th. You can see the video for title track Golden Friend below.

Stornoway, Knock Me On The Head

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alternative, Beachcomber's Windowsill, folk, Knock Me On The Head, Stornoway, Tales from Terra Firma

Knock Me On The Head is alternative-folk band Stornoway’s first release since their  2010 album Beachcomber’s Windowsill. It sounds a bit more polished than anything we’ve heard from them before, but with singer Brian Brigg’s distinctive voice and the band’s characteristic harmonies, it still has that unmistakable Stornoway sound.

This is the first single from the band’s forthcoming second album, Tales From Terra Firma, which is due to be released in March. It seems Stornoway’s fascination with the maritime will be a continuing theme in this album, which is a good thing – it sort of gives a sense of identity and a consistency to their music.

As well as being one of the first bands to emerge during the current revival of the folk scene, I think Stornoway are still one of the most exciting. They may not have kicked up as much as a storm as have contemporaries like Mumford and Sons, or Noah and the Whale, but their music is certainly on a par with these bands. I can’t wait to hear what the rest of the new album sounds like!

Tom Odell, Can’t Pretend

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acoustic, alternative, BBC Sound of 2013, Brit's Critic's Choice, Can't Pretend, folk, music, singer-songwriter, Songs From Another Love, Tom Odell

I’m afraid I’m a bit late to jump on the bandwagon with this one, as music enthusiasts have been raving about Tom Odell for a while now. And for good reason!
The singer-songwriter – who has just been revealed as the 2013 winner of the Brit’s Critic’s Choice award – has a clear, powerful voice. Mixed with a haunting piano part and ghostly background vocals in Can’t Pretend, this has the effect of creating a very atmospheric, dark-folk kind of song.
In a similar vein are the other three songs on Odell’s Songs From Another Love EP – the lead single from which, Another Love, is arguably even stronger than Can’t Pretend.
Having also been named as one of the artists on the BBC Sound of 2013 longlist, Odell is tipped for big things next year!

Ellen And The Escapades, By The Fireside

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acoustic, All The Crooked Scenes, alternative, By the Fireside, Christmas, Ellen and the Escapades, folk, Leeds

I couldn’t resist sharing this gorgeous Christmas single from Ellen And The Escapades, an acoustic/alternative folk band from Leeds.

The band have been together since 2008, but have really started to gain popularity in the past year or so, with their fantastic debut album – All The Crooked Scenes -having been released last April. They’ve also got a great back catalogue of EPs and singles prior to the album.

This single was first released in 2010 as By The Fireside With You, and was re-released this Christmas (With You has been dropped from the title).

Jake Mattison, Sorrow

Tags

Americana, Cardiff, folk, Jake Mattison, singer-songwriter, Sorrow, Swn Festival

It’s been a while since I last posted, but I’ve been SO busy since being back at university. No excuse, I know, but don’t judge me too harshly!

Anyway, Jake Mattison is worth the wait. I was lucky enough to see him at Swn Festival a few weeks ago, and his was definitely one of the stand-out performances of the whole weekend. He held the whole room captivated with his brilliant voice and his own brand of folk-meets-Americana.

Sorrow is Mattison’s first single, and it is surely a sign of great things to come. Although there are a lot of singer-songwriters out there trying to breathe new life into the folk scene at the moment, there’s something quite different and refreshing about this single. Perhaps it’s the honesty of the lyrics, or the fact that it is so unashamedly stripped-back.

Mumford and Sons, I Will Wait

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alternative, Babel, Country, folk, Hottest Record, Huw Stephens, I Will Wait, Indie, Mumford and Sons, Radio 1, rock, Zane Lowe

The wait is FINALLY over! (No pun intended.)
I Will Wait, The first single from Mumford and Sons’ forthcoming album was played for the very first time, mere moments ago, on BBC Radio 1. It was, quite rightly, crowned as tonight’s “Hottest Record in the World”. And what can I say?! It’s everything I could have hoped for and more.
Catchy lyrics? Check. Rasping vocals? Check. Trade-mark Mumford hoedown-worthy instrumental with a banjo? CHECK!
I’m in love with it already. See what you think.

Of Monsters and Men, Little Talks

Tags

Dirty Paws, folk, Iceland, Indie, Little Talks, music, music video, My Head is an Animal, Of Monsters and Men, pop

Words can’t succinctly express how much I love this song.
Of Monsters and Men are an Icelandic indie-folk/pop band. Although Little Paws was originally released last year, and attained a number of respectable chart positions throughout Europe, it has recently been re-released, complete with this fantastic video. It is an epic, triumphant sounding kind of song, although the lyrics are actually rather sad. It is also peppered with cries of “Hey!”, a theme that seems to run throughout their songs.
If you like Little Talks, also check out their previous single Dirty Paws. Their debut album, My Head is an Animal, is due to be released in the UK in August.

 

Haim, Forever

Tags

alternative, folk, Forever, Haim, Indie, LA, music, music video, pop, R&B

Everyone’s going crazy for these girls at the moment! And for good reason.
Straddling the worlds of folk and R&B are the three Haim sisters from LA. Decidedly cool and summery (is that an oxymoron?), Haim have a very unique sound.
This song is definitely a grower. I mean, I liked it initially, but now I really love it. Like REALLY love it, as in a listen to it over and over and over and over kind of love. Plus, judging from the video, the girls seem to have a great image and sense of fashion – and some cracking crazy dance moves.