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Quality Not Quantity - Three To Enjoy

Totally Mild - Down Time - 'Street Date', August 7th, 2015, Bedroom Suck Records. Promo words - Totally Mild are a four-piece based in Melbourne, Australia. Fronted by Elizabeth Mitchell, a woman with an exciting tendency to sing in a falsetto not many can match, the band perform absolutely perfect, skewed, disjointed pop music that sounds as though it was handed down from the heavens. Zachary Schneider (Full Ugly, The Great Outdoors) follows close behind on lead guitar, his lines interlocking with Mitchell’s to form a structural frame. This is matched by Lehmann Smith (Kes Band) and Ashley Bundang’s rhythm section, an enigma in itself. The playing is sparse, accentuation perfect. The end result has got us wetting our pants. Since developing out of Mitchell’s solo project of the same name, Totally Mild have put Melbourne into a spin. They perform to fans who know the words to every song, and have been singled out to support the likes of Real Estate, Laura Jean and The Harp

Thursdays Top Two - Hanna In The Wars & Ilana J

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Hannah In The Wars - 'Only Wanna Be' Background Info -  Songwriter Hannah Curwood originates from the stark, remote region of Central Otago in New Zealand. Now based in London, Hannah in the Wars is the result of working alongside Roger O'Donnell of The Cure and a handpicked group of musicians. Hannah in the Wars' eponymous debut album, released earlier this year, is a collection of beautifully written melodies and emotionally engaging narratives, taking inspiration from life's trials and triumphs and perfectly showcasing Curwood’s distinctive and powerful vocals. Both 'Only Wanna Be' and B-side 'Sweet Release', lifted from the critically acclaimed album, were written following the breakdown of a relationship and Curwood's decision to move half way around the world to start afresh. Of the songs, she says their creation came easily and, despite the subject matter, they have come to occupy a positive space in her mind, particularly after s

2015 - Out Of Our Inbox - July - Four

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Baby In Vain - Muscles - The low down - Copenhagen’s all girl rock trio Baby In Vain recently released  a disorientating blues-sludge and ferocious new single ‘Muscles.’ Despite having an average age of under 20, these three musicians have amassed acclaim across the globe and shared stages with the likes of Ty Segall and Thurston Moore and are about to embark on a two week run opening up for The Kills. They kicked things off in LA a couple of days back and will return to LA for a headline slot at The Echo on August 11.  ‘Muscles’ comes as the band put the finishing touches to their debut album, due for release late 2015. Baby In Vain take the templates laid out by the likes of Black Sabbath, MC5 and The Melvins and skew them with youthful, experimental abandon, to create something completely unique and truly invigorating.  It is filthy rock with dirty guitar riffs, complex and detail rich compositions, ear catching hooks, and screeching callback vocals. Being but 19-21 years of age,

Little Feat - Richards, Atlanta 1973 (Internet Archive)

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We first featured this recording in December 2009. We have now replaced this with a vastly improved audio version from the Internet Archive which also includes the full set. This is Little Feat in concert at Richards, Atlanta, Georgia, USA back on the 17th September 1973. The bands first two albums, 'Little Feat' and 'Sailin' Shoes', received nearly universal critical acclaim, and Lowell George's song 'Willin' became a standard, subsequently popularized by its inclusion on Linda Ronstadt's album Heart Like a Wheel. Lack of commercial success led, however, to the band splitting up, with Roy Estrada leaving to join Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. In 1972 Little Feat reformed, with bassist Kenny Gradney replacing Roy Estrada. The band also added a second guitarist, Paul Barrere, who had known Lowell George since they attended Hollywood High School in California, and percussionist Sam Clayton. Both Barrere and Clayton added vocals on many songs,

Genre Skipping Monday

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Honey Ryder - Born In A Bottle (Album). The Story So Far - Having firmly established themselves within the inner circle of Nashville's elite, UK band Honey Ryder return to spearhead the British country crossover invasion with their third studio album, 'Born In A Bottle'. To celebrate this they have announced a mini tour.  Honey Ryder have already kicked off a busy festival season of touring with two performances at C2C at the O2 in March, followed by the Isle Of Wight Festival in June. Following this, they will be appearing at Weyfest and Fort San Antone Festival later it the year. The tour kicked off on the 30th July in London and the band will be on the road for the rest of year. 'Drink With Me' is the first single from the album. "We wanted to write a summery feel good song about hanging out with friends and partying, inspired by the bright lights of Downtown Nashville", explains lead singer Lindsay O'Mahony. "We had just come back to o

Sundays Alternative Globe-Trotting Take

Branko - Let Me Go (feat. Nonku Phiri & Mr. Carmack) Background - Some freshness from the Mr.Carmack camp- a team up with Branko (Buraka Som Sistema) called "Let Me Go." The track is the debut single of Branko's upcoming LP Atlas, and the perfect example of that tropical/tribal zouk bass vibe he's made famous.  After spending the day with the talented South African singer Nonku Phiri and L.A.-based producer Mr. Carmack at the Red Bull Studios in Cape Town, South Africa, Branko set out to translate this encounter into a song by pushing the limits of the kizomba offshoot we call zouk bass, introducing some much-needed R&B flavour to this thriving genre.  The story of this encounter is translated into an instrumental that reveals lush and dreamy synths dancing around a shuffling 90 BPM beat with an organic feel, built on Branko’s wide-ranging global influences and Mr. Carmack’s unique beat making skills, to which Nonku Phiri’s captivating Venda and English

Three To Please You This Weekend

Moon Types - Know the Reason (Jigsaw). What we are told - Here's yet another Jigsaw 7" from a new Swedish band, and like our previous one (by Animal Daydream - check 'em out!), this one features a set of easy-going and jangly pop songs in the vein of fellow Jigsawers, the Zebras and Ocean Party, as well as Ladybug Transistor (check out the trumpet in the title track!) and some more hipper bands like Real Estate. Though "Know The Reason" is the obvious hit, due to its instantly catchy melody and bouncy feel, the other two songs are no less dazzling in their own subtle ways, from the descending chord progression in the chorus of "Nothing's Holy" to the haunting feedbacky/ebow-ed guitar melody in "Do It All Over Again" . Jangle pop simple as that, easy on the ear and mind. A catchy song that pleases, more always welcome when they are performed this well. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August & September Releases - A Taste Of Something Special

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Connie Constance - debut EP "In The Grass" released 25th September 2015 on Black Acre. Some background words provided - Connie danced from a young age, having left school at 16, she moved to Hoxton where she began working professionally as a dancer, further opening her mind and soul to music through movement. In 2015 a friend introduced Connie to UK musician Blue Daisy, their friendship was instant and Blue swiftly became her producer and mentor. Together they set about carving a uniquely tripped-out sound. Wild dreams punctuated by stark reality. Speaking of her collaboration with Kwesi Darko AKA Blue Daisy Connie says; “Imagine your uncle is god and he only let's the people who enter his heaven know who he really is. (His heaven being a dark and cave like studio filled with stories of the utmost enjoyment of solitude). That's what working with Blue is like.” At just 20 years of age, Connie’s aura surpasses the time she’s been on this planet. She wanted to

Quality Not Quantity - And We Mean It

Ancient River - Keeper of the Dawn. Ancient River, the sonic brainchild of singer/songwriter James Barreto, is an ever-evolving source of rock n’ roll and psychedelia, its influences flowing from the swampy roots of the American south to the far reaches of space. The band's origins can be traced back the music scene in Gainesville, Florida and its thriving home grown DIY scene. Barreto began recording local bands, producing several albums as well as creating music for local independent films. His house soon grew into a fully-fledged home studio/rehearsal space, where like-minded musicians could be found tirelessly sharpening their wide range of sounds, encapsulating everything from noisy shoegaze and psychedelia to classic Americana. Locked away in the pursuit of his sonic vision, it took two years for Barreto to take Ancient River to the stage, emerging with an unmistakable space-rock guitar sound and creating a captivating live show accompanied by entrancing psychedelic vi