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Showing posts from November 29, 2015

Genre Mix: Why We Run - Jenn Vix - Vandaveer - The Chambermaids

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Why We Run - A Moment To Return. Background/Promo - Emerging only earlier this year Why We Run have returned with energetic third single 'A Moment to Return'. Their previous two singles received over 200K streams across Spotify, YouTube & Soundcloud, as well as glowing reviews via everyone from Zan Rowe (triple j) to Rob Thomas (yes, the Rob Thomas). 'A Moment to Return’ is the first track from the Sydney quartet's forthcoming debut album (due April 2016).  Produced and mixed by Wayne Connolly (Boy & Bear, Cloud Control, Paper Kites), the song’s nostalgic lyrics and driving energy are reminiscent of indie stalwarts like The National, The Killers, Joy Division and Silent Alarm-era Bloc Party. It’s a vibrant and moving taste of the great places Why We Run are sprinting towards . 'A Moment To Return' might be a good song to play to someone, if you were trying to define what good indie rock music is. The song flows beautifully, with delicious music and

Friday Four: MRCH - Golden Daze - La Sera - Nightair

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MRCH - Spin. Background - College found the members of MRCH immersed in the worlds of jazz, opera and speciality coffee. Fast forward three years and two bands later, the trio has settled into their own unique brand of electronic indie. With two thirds of the group living in Phoenix AZ and the remainder in Sacramento CA, their songs are crafted primarily through file sharing via Ableton. Falling musically somewhere between the creative production and ideals of Phantogram and the smart pop of CHVRCHΞS and Purity Ring, 'Spin' is an accessible, cerebral outing from the trio that has seen significant label interest already. CMJ described their last track, ‘Highway Drivin’ as “…a big, squashy, glitter-glam beat and ice queen crooning”. MRCH holds high the principle of recreating their music live, often performing songs that are still being written, allowing their sound to evolve as “organically as possible.” Though much of their creative process happens remotely, the band pla

Rock Of Ages: Oracle North - Plum - The Missendens

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Oracle North - Communion. Background - Having previously collaborated on numerous projects and having released material on labels such as Kitsuné and Palms Out Sounds, Swedish four-piece Oracle North are currently getting ready to release their debut EP. Drawing inspiration from life-embracing warm and ambient soundscapes and colder forms of new-wave and punk; their new EP moves around themes as loss and alienation but never hits a dead end, rather a supposition for rebirth, for becoming your own origin. As a complete entity ‘Communion’ is both a distinct and consummate release, which when broken down calls to mind the sounds of New Order and the Manchester post-punk scene, whilst seamlessly applying osmotic pressure in the form of darkwave textures and 80’s influenced electronic sections to merge and create an EP full of rich yet dark, atmospheric colours and an orchestrated bohemian individuality. Talking about their forthcoming EP, the band said, “I think our music is touchin

Midweek Three: Sinnet - Peppermint Heaven - Justin Sawicki

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Sinnet - Houdini Hands. Background - Aaron Spransy knows a thing or two about Midwest Manners. The Wisconsin native has been settled in Boston for some time now, playing around town as guitarist for indie-pop melody makers The Fatal Flaw, but his own musical vision recently crystallised with Sinnet. His two-mikes-and-a-laptop bedroom project now evolved into a full-fledged band. That fleshing out of sound nicely augments songs like Castlevania, a smooth-as-f66k electronic pop soul-sucker that's the lead single off, an eclectic collection of lush sounds and lively spirits on their e.p. Midwest Manners. - Mike Marotta / Boston Phoenix. Sinnet brings to mind the dusty, stoic Midwest of Steinbeck and the "The Last Picture Show". This Boston group rips its way through a very studious, carefully arranged, and sometimes cathartic slew of inventive indie rock. - Matt Parish / Boston Globe. Sinnet has received airplay on Boston's WFNX and WMBR radio as well as features in

Stella Diana - Shohet. (From The EP Alhena)

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Stella Diana - Shohet. And the promo says - Stella Diana have confirmed details for the international release of their vast, compelling EP ‘Alhena’, which will be available through Italy's Vipchoyo Sound Factory and Britain's Raphalite Records on December 4th. The first single ‘Shohet’ foreshadows a release full of melodic gems. Tracks spirit you into a state of bliss, underpinned with a harmonic complexity that both beguiles and entrances. Welcome to your new favourite Italian band. Stella Diana are Dario Torre (vocals and guitar), Giacomo Salzano (bass guitar), Raffaele Bocchetti (guitar), and Davide Fusco (drums). This EP was mixed and mastered by Marc Joy of Lights That Change and Alexander Kretov of Ummagma.  Hailing from a city more known for pizza and opera than shoegaze and new wave addicts, Stella Diana possess not only the spirit of late 80s/early 90s British bands like Catherine Wheel and Ride, but also the dark wave seeds of Joy Division and the stylistic und

Alternative Take: Thug Entrancer - Liskka - FERDI-F - The Weather

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Thug Entrancer - Curaga. Background - Thug Entrancer, aka Denver-based producer Ryan McRyhew, has announced his sophomore full length Arcology is arriving via Daniel Lopatin's forward-thinking electronic label Software on March 4th. A sonic narrative of an imagined alien colony existing between the fabric of known and unknown worlds, Arcology explores high tech / low life society, mechanical structures, and data-driven humanity in an evocative techno framework. Though conceived in a similar improvisational womb as McRyhew's debut, the new album moves from the free-form foot workouts of Death After Life with an expanded palette vibrating brightly with melodic deployment. McRyhew did not sculpt Arcology's universe alone. Milton Melvin Croissant III designed the album's artwork, live visuals and forthcoming video pieces, the offspring of an expansive collaboration and a lifelong friendship between the two Coloradans. At the outset of recording, McRyhew and MMCIII spok