She Rides Tigers - Cousin Kula - Frankie Lee - Lady Nade - James Clayton - Wovoka Gentle

From She Rides Tigers we have the debut album 'Scars' to stream in full, the trio deliver a powerful mixture of rock styles with enough pop sensibilities to ensure a mass of musical hooks along the way. Cousin Kula's 'Stacked' sees the psych pop element of the band in full flow, this is an imaginative song where their jazz influences are just nudging away in the musical arrangement. 'In The Blue' from Frankie Lee takes on the subject of ageing and loss and yet adds a tender and quite beautiful feel with this fine song. Lady Nade's fabulous vocals are a perfect fit for soul and jazz, so it's no surprise that 'Drive Home Safely' (a mixture of both genres) is simply wonderful. James Clayton sent us Avalene with a few personal comments, the song did the rest and with pleasure it's shared below. Wovoka Gentle have given us another song from their forthcoming album which includes The Kids Club Kampala Choir, it's our fifth feature for the London trio who just keep on creating great music. 

She Rides Tigers - Scars (Album).

Chicago trio She Rides Tigers have released their debut LP Scars which follows their debut EP, Standing On The Edge, which was released in 2015.

The band is made up of Joe O'Leary - Guitar, Vocals - James Scott - Bass, Vocals and Ryan Birkett - Drums

She Rides Tigers’ single "Roll With It" was featured extensively in the 2015 production of Grand Concourse at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company. The band has also been featured on Fearless Radio, Voclao (via NPR), WGN Radio, New City, Radio One Chicago and Static Multimedia.

She Rides Tigers is a fuzz guitar, riff-laden power trio blurring the lines between psychedelic rock and powerpop.

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Cousin Kula - Stacked.

Bristol based outfit Cousin Kula are sharing new single 'Stacked' - the second track to be lifted from their forthcoming second EP, due for release later this year.

Melding psych pop, jazz, and electronic pop to brilliant effect, 'Stacked' was lyrically inspired by singer Elliot's Mum going through a divorce. His band mate, Douglas said: "Although it's a song to his mum post divorce, I hear its message as being quite positive and hopeful, like: 'you've got it all stacked up against you, but I back you to come through it all on top.'"

Opening amidst a canvas of atmospheric electronics, reverb-touched synths, and stunning guitar motifs – 'Stacked' kicks into groove, with Elliot sending a message of encouragement: "It'll be alright / You'll find solutions / Yeah you got it stacked / But it's you you're choosing".

Walking into the Cousin Kula household you’re met by bundles of bicycles in the hallway, friends’ artwork on the walls and instruments everywhere. In the garden a self-made pizza oven and an array of home grown vegetables demonstrate their ambition for self-sufficiency. Cousin Kula are a band with an energy not just about the way they make music, but about their day to day life, which translates to the stage with vigour – turning audiences, into fans, up and down the country.

The 6-piece's undulating, refreshing brand of psych-pop was originally born out of Bristol’s progressive jazz music scene. Bonding over their shared love for an eclectic range of music from pop and psych through to prog, disco & afrobeat; the six members soon found themselves living together and with a rehearsal room in their basement became one of the tightest and most impressive bands on the Bristol circuit, blending these genres into something both modern and refreshing.

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Frankie Lee - In the Blue.

Frankie Lee is sharing the second single from his new album, Stillwater, with the beautifully dark rumination on aging and loss. In The Blue sees Lee taking a soft piano approach to the subject, somehow softening the stark reality that time comes for us all. Lee explains that the song “dramatises the confusion felt by the narrator as he watches the important things in life slip away.

Realising he cannot hold on to even one grain of sand, he is led to his final question whether all things are just a dream.” American Songwriter, who premiered the song, says “In The Blue finds the sweet spot between modern, soulful folk and old-school Western balladry, with Lee’s gentle vocal lending an emotional heft to the track’s understated, piano-forward arrangement.”

The video for In The Blue follows on from that of that of previous single Downtown Lights in using archival footage of Frankie Lee’s hometown of Stillwater, Minnesota from which the album takes its name. The footage was taken from the Washington County Historical Society’s John Runk collection by videographer Paul Creager.


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Lady Nade - Drive Home Safely.

Soulful, rootsy-jazz singer-songstress Lady Nade announces the release of new album Safe Place (digitally available from May 17th) impact date June 21st on Mintlime Records. Fresh from supporting fellow Bristolian Elles Bailey on her UK tour, Lady Nade will be embarking on a further tour supporting the 'Queen Of Country Soul' Yola in May.

Lady Nade's music has been likened to a rich fusion of musical greats, with comparisons to the soul-bearing velvet tones of Nina Simone with a heady, jazz splash of Jeff Buckley thrown in. Her songs fill your heart with nourishing words and melodies, her tender soulful voice drawing you in.

The success of her first debut album ‘Hard To Forget’ received support from BBC2 Dermot’ O Leary, Tom Robinson’s BBC6 Fresh Net show, BBC Bristol’s Introducing, France National Radio and Sam Bain (writer of Peep show and Freshman) ‘Yours Truly, Pierre Stone’ BB4 Radio Show. Hotly-tipped shows and residencies, performing in countless locations, from underground bars to festival fields and European cities, have continued to spark further interest and her increasing profile has earned her endorsements from Taylor Guitars, Sontronics and Icon Films.

Nade has collaborated with two familiar musical powerhouses on Safe Place and created with them a bright new world of sonic experiences. Dan Everett has brought his earthy, rootsy folk and Americana to enrich these sonic pastures, and mixing saucier Paul Isaac has conjured new and vibrant soundscapes to support and enhance the album. With Nade at the creative centre, these three chefs stripped down each track to its vocal base and painstakingly built up layers of melody and improvisation to release each song's full potential.


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James Clayton - Avalene.

Fuelled by nostalgia, “Avalene” is a psychedelic retelling of a euphoric night shared with your best friend.

“Avalene” is formless in both it’s composition and lyrics. The song always reminds me of a time where I felt more carefree, and I hope you feel the same way while listening.

Determined to capture the essence of a live performance, “Avalene” was recorded off the floor to tape with Peter Woodford at The Bottle Garden (his studio in Montreal) - James Clayton.


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Wovoka Gentle - Xerxes '19 (ft. Kids Club Kampala Children’s Choir).

London trio Wovoka Gentle have announced the release of their debut album 'Start Clanging Cymbals' on 7th June through Nude Records.

After releasing '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', 'Peculiar Form of Sleep', 'Sin is Crouching At Your Door' and 'Tell'em, Makoto!', Wovoka Gentle have now shared a new track from their upcoming debut LP. 'Xerxes' features glitchy electronics, soaring beats and the exuberant voices of Kids Club Kampala Choir.

They add: "You could say there’s an atmosphere of celebration in Xerxes ‘19, even though it’s more or less about death. There’s an imagined ecstatic moment of submission before departing a world running election campaigns for tried and tested tyrants, where legends are equal parts seductive and dangerous. The Kids Club Kampala Choir was recorded in Uganda by a friend of ours, originally for the Kids Club Kampala charity. We wanted to create a call and response dynamic between our vocals and their vocals; the conversation flung across continents."

Wovoka Gentle are an experimental three-piece from London, comprised of William J Stokes and twins Imogen and Ellie Mason. Taking its root in folk and Americana songwriting, the Wovoka sound draws upon the psychedelic soundscapes of the late 60s as well as contemporary experimental, pop and collage music; marrying classic instrumentation with sampling, analogue synthesis and sound manipulation.


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Bloom - Wovoka Gentle - The Leisure Society - Insomniac Bears

The dual vocals weave around each other beautifully on Bloom's new song 'Ground', whilst the musical backdrop adds further depth. It's our forth feature for Wovoka Gentle as the trio continue to create gorgeous music, and their debut album 'Start Clanging Cymbals' is due in June! The Leisure Society have just released 'Arrivals & Departures' a double album (streaming in full below) that is packed with fine tunes and variety. 'A Nod In The Darkness' is a fabulous song from Insomniac Bears, where the vocals and musical arrangement compete for our attention throughout.

Bloom - Ground.

Co-fronted by telepathic, harmonising best friends Emily Cluley and Megan Clifton (both on vocals, guitars & keys) - alongside Jamie Keogh (drums) and Scott Jones (bass) - Brighton-based Bloom is a culmination of entwined passions: layered harmonies, 80’s synths, heavy dance rhythms, a touch of bubblegum pop, PC Music, love, the universe, moss, thunder, lightning and magic.

Double-A single Ground/Escape is the first single to be released from Bloom since their debut album ‘What Is Life’ (self-released in 2016) which garnered attention from tastemakers such as The Quietus, The Line of Best Fit and BBC Introducing. Both tracks deal with issues of mental health and are, as Clifton explains, “essentially a reflection of the darkest parts of ourselves”.

Releasing two singles reflects Bloom’s fascination with pairs – light/dark, masculine/feminine, yin/yang – as seen by Clifton and Cluley’s always intertwined vocals. “We can’t present ourselves in one song” Clifton explains, “It’s hard to understand one without the opposing polarity. Once you have two combining, that’s when everything starts growing and blossoming out.” This polarity is clear in the tracks, yet they complement each other. Ground’s darker pop-shades represents what the band describe as “the wordless, alien void”.  Whilst Escape rushes in with a huge driving rhythm section, a childlike vulnerability and tinges of bubble-gum pop representing “the manic, chattering infinite”, with an equally upbeat message on self-love and care: “Know yourself by letting go, Love yourself by letting go.” – Escape

Ground and Escape are produced by Ed Chivers (Fujiya & Miyagi, AK/DK) who is currently working on Bloom’s debut album planned for release later in 2019. Both tracks will be self-released digitally and on a limited run of 300 violet 7” vinyl copies.


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Wovoka Gentle - Tell 'Em, Makoto!

London trio Wovoka Gentle have announced the release of their debut album 'Start Clanging Cymbals' on 7th June through Nude Records.

Folowing first three singles '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', 'Peculiar Form of Sleep' and 'Sin is Crouching At Your Door', Wovoka Gentle have shared a new track taken from their debut. Another example of their limitless sonic horizons, and of their winning way with a song title, 'Tell'em Makoto!' starts with a hint of sea shanty, goes Pure Folk, then deploys a sample of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson to devastating effect.

Will from the band explains that the song was inspired by the book ‘Culture Care’ by Makoto Fujimura. He talks about Mahalia Jackson and how people like her exist on the periphery of influence; they exert influence on people who are actual influencers, and that’s the role of art in society. And Mahalia Jackson is a good allegory for him. She was next to Martin Luther King during a speech that was flagging and she shouted to him, ‘Tell them about the dream, Martin!’ And that’s how the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech started.”

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The Leisure Society - Arrivals & Departures.

The Leisure Society release their stunning new double-album Arrivals & Departures via their own new imprint, Ego Drain Records. The new double-album has two quite distinct sides – loss and anger. "In our minds, it’s clearly a double album" the band explained. "We’ve had a sequence in mind for a while, with 8 ‘classic’ Leisure Society songs making up the first album (Arrivals) and 8 angrier, more experimental songs making up the second album (Departures)".

Going a little deeper on some of the lyrical inspiration behind the new album, Nick said: "I spent one restless night following the US election results on Christian's sofa. Before I left in the morning I scrawled on a Post-it, "Donald Trump is the American President!?!" I spent the following night drinking heavily and bashing out 'There Are No Rules Around Here'. It really seemed like anything was possible, no matter how depraved."

The album also features synth textures from Brian Eno (who championed the band from the very beginning) on 'I’ll Pay For it Now'. The band's fellow Midlander and go-to brass guy Nick Etwell leads the horn sections, with the band also enjoying a reunion with harpist Tamara who featured on The Leisure Society's second album Into The Murky Water (also joining them at The Barbican when they collaborated with The Heritage Orchestra in 2011). Heritage cellist Ben Trigg appears, alongside founding Willkommen members Marcus Hamblett, Emma Gatrill and Kristin McClement (whose debut album Christian produced a few years ago).

The album was mixed by Gareth Jones, who the band sought out based on his work on Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest (he’s also mixed/produced Erasure, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Wire, These New Puritans to name a few.) Speaking on their work together the band said: "This is the first time we’ve really let go of our tight rein on mixing, and we’re incredibly pleased we did. Gareth has brought a new level of depth and energy to our music." Additional mixing work was provided by Paul Gregory - perhaps known best for his work with Lanterns On The Lake.

Arrivals & Departures is the The Leisure Society’s most ambitious and diverse record to date, charting the journey from heartbreak, to anger, to hope, in 57 lavish minutes. With their previous efforts widely praised by The Guardian, The Line Of Best Fit, Mojo, Q, The Independent and more – the band will also be touring the UK in May.

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Insomniac Bears - A Nod In The Darkness.

Since the release of their debut single ‘Scenic Drives’ in 2017, Insomniac Bears have continued to deliver lyrical vulnerability, sonic experimentation and honest pop-anthems. The band is a vibrant combination of established Norwegian musicians; multi-instrumentalist Marius Ergo (Lukestar, Kaospilot & Snöras), Rumble in Rhodos-singer Thomas Bratlie Haugland, Team Me-frontman Marius Drogsås Hagen and songwriter/violinist Magnus Moriarty. Since their last release they have also included Axel Skalstad (Krokofant ++) on drums as a permanent member. The shifting combination of players has motivated the group to explore new sounds and ambitious arrangements that combine ferocious guitars and gleaming melodies that pierce through psychedelic backdrops. Perfectly marrying rock elements with pop sensibility, they travel to unexplored territory with their distinctive song-writing.

Following the release of well-recevied ‘Passing Trains’ in February of this year, ‘A Nod in the Darkness’ is the second track to come out of the studio sessions with renowned producer Lars Horntveth (Susanne Sundfør, Kimbra, A-Ha ++). The song combines vintage synthesizers, addictive hooks, and flavours of psych-pop. As songwriter Marius Hagen explains, the new single was born from the tragic loss of a close family member: “Listening back to how it turned out is not easy, but it feels 100% sincere and that’s why we decided to include it on the EP. Although the song, for me, will always be a difficult reminder of its inspiration."

Full of sincerity and vitality, ‘A Nod in the Darkness’ explores how to navigate independence in the face of heartbreak, and triumphantly advocates exercising self-acceptance.

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The Curls - Wovoka Gentle - The Underground Youth - Malihini - Post Louis

With a steady rhythmic vibe The Curls interact beautifully in terms of musicianship, add in the melodic dual vocals and this psych pop song is extremely catchy. We featured Wovoka Gentle a couple of times last year and their return with 'Sin Is Crouching At Your Door' where psychedelic vibes are everywhere on this charmer. The Underground Youth deliver some solid rock and roll where the distinct vocals swirl above the momentum adding some angst and emotion. Malihini offer us some refreshingly creative lo-fi pop, where the hooks gradually work their way in deep. It's getting on for a year ago when Post Louis were featured here twice, and the new song is another good one, where the musical textures are fabulous as are the vocals and harmonies.  

The Curls - Isn't It Funny (ft. Sophagus).

Chicago, Psych-Pop band The Curls have shared their new single "Isn't It Funny". The track features experimental artist Sophagus on lead vox and is one of the band's first songs solely written by their multi-instrumentalist Jen Marhsall. It was produced by long time collaborator Michael Mac.

The sextet group, led by vocalist and guitarist Mick Fansler, is comprised of Jenny Marshall on keys/trumpet/saxophone, Rami Atassi on guitar, Anna Holmquist on vocals, Matt Puhr on bass, and Carl Swoveland on drums. As they continuously experiment with blending genres, their music has been labeled Psych Pop, Art Rock, Nu-Angular Guitar and even Hardcore Experimental Power Adult Contemporary.

Following their 2017 debut full-length album Super Unit, The Curls will be releasing their sophomore album Bounce House out April 2019 on Diversion Records. The Curls are slated to play their first SXSW shows in March.

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Wovoka Gentle - Sin Is Crouching At Your Door (Radio Edit).

London trio Wovoka Gentle have announced the release of their debut album 'Start Clanging Cymbals' on 7th June through Nude Records.

After releasing singles '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', which was included in the official soundtrack of FIFA 19, and 'Peculiar Form of Sleep' at the end of last year, they share a new track from their upcoming debut. Of 'Sin is Crouching At Your Door', a psychedelic piece of cinematic experimental pop, the band say : "It could maybe be seen as the soundtrack to a sense of dread, a sense of being out of control. Tuning all the strings of your guitar to D and thrashing as hard as you can to try and regain the feeling that things can make sense. You then look within yourself, though, only to find desolation and destruction disguised as creativity; the metropolis has been bombed by individuals, and the only escape hatch down below leads to the middle of the waste land. Hopefully you don’t end up where you began."

The track comes accompanied by a video directed by Lies Scheps. The director said: "Working on this video with Wovoka Gentle, it was the song's build up of energy that immediately drew me towards it. As we all loved the idea of working with a dancer to emphasise this energy, we brought in choreographer Franka Marlene Foth to work with us. The band and I share a love for colour, so we turned the video into a playful outburst of colour and movement".


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The Underground Youth - Last Exit To Nowhere

On March 29th, Berlin via Manchester outfit The Underground Youth  will be releasing their ninth album, Montage Images of Lust & Fear, on Fuzz Club Records and it’s undoubtedly their most sincere work in an extensive, decade-long discography with which they’ve picked up a cult following across the globe – made evident in their millions of YouTube streams and relentless international touring. Following the album announcement just over a month ago, The Underground Youth are now sharing the second single from the album 'Last Exit To Nowhere'. Talking about the track, vocalist/guitarist Craig Dyer explains: "In an album divided between images of lust and fear, 'Last Exit To Nowhere' deals with the latter. Like the civil unrest and violence on the streets, as reported by the news, it's raw, fast and aggressive."

‘Montage Images of Lust & Fear’ is The Underground Youth’s most intense and honest record yet - in the ambitious songwriting and live recording (a first for the band), as well as the lyrical subject matter. Talking about the album, Craig explains “Montage Images of Lust & Fear is inspired by the succession of experiences we are increasingly dealt by the  media. Sex, violence, love, suspicion, desire, distress, etc. The album acts as a montage itself, the subject of each song dealing with an aspect of either lust or fear. Like flicking through the channels on a television. Until in the end you are overcome by white noise. Static.”

In its rawest moments (‘The Death of the Author’, ‘Blind II’), The Underground Youth’s haunting post-punk melancholia recalls the abrasive banshee-like noise of The Birthday Party and Suicide; jagged, shrieking guitars twist and turn as Craig Dyer’s dour vocals jerk from morose and impassioned to macabre screams. Though this is an album of two sides; the more intense and challenging songs punctuated by heartfelt and solemn ballads (‘Too Innocent To Be True’, ‘This Anaesthetised World’) that are aided by the additional lap steel guitar of Kristof Hahn (Swans) who plays on six of the album’s nine songs.

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Malihini - If U Call.

Lo-fi pop duo Malihini, a.k.a. Rome-based Giampaolo Speziale and Federica Caiozzo, have unveiled their new track 'If U Call', taken from their forthcoming debut album 'Hopefully, Again' (out through Memphis Industries on 8th March). ‘If U Call’, produced by Richard Formby (Ghost Poet, Wild Beasts) sees a lover’s plea get a stark domestic reality check (“If you call, my heart will go on dreaming / But my mum is betting that you won’t come”), as Federica explains:

“The song is about the beginning of a relationship, with grown-up behaviours hiding teenage feelings. She speaks to herself, asking him not to play games, and she doesn't want to be taken for granted. We wrote the synth refrain on the little toy Yamaha we used to write half of the songs on this album and recorded the vocals after a few drinks. It felt totally right and we tried to preserve that mood on the following recording sessions at Giant Wafer studios with Richard.  We played around on the modular synth with Richard to add some deep bass and replaced the original toy synth with our Korg faux horns”.

Malihini, which means ‘newcomers’ in Hawaiian, deal exclusively in the music of lived experience and time-honed emotional intelligence, their disarming musical universe never less than distinctive, yet resonating with a confessional, modern European pop sophistication of a kind elsewhere purveyed by the likes of Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jose Gonzalez and Our Broken Garden. Listening to the ten co-written songs that grace Malihini’s exquisite debut longplayer , 'Hopefully, Again', can sometimes feel like eavesdropping on a couple’s intimate emotional dialogues, such is the ingenuous honesty of the duo’s writing. Yet combined with their minimal, yet opulently textured arrangements crammed with subtle melodic hooks and an embarrassment of earworm choruses, they transform the personal into the universal with a delightfully unforced eloquence.


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Post Louis - Ghostwriter.

As spring starts to emerge, Post Louis have revealed a brand-new nostalgic pop gem, Ghostwriter. Originally a secretive late night phone recording by Robbie, this is the only Post Louis song for which he wrote most of the lyrics. The track then grew limbs when he shared it with the band. Robbie’s brother, guitarist Andy, sings lead vocals. His warm, sonorous, slightly ironic delivery embodies a pop sensibility and marks the track out as unique among Post Louis’s output. Bright 12-string guitars are layered with overdriven electrics while Mattis and Adam’s snapping rhythm parts underpin the track, crunching like gravel underfoot. On the recording Stephanie’s voice gently joins Andy’s as the band flirts with the form of classic male/female duets. As the song continues, her lines soar above his, exorcising the ghostwriter.

Discussing the song, Robbie said: “We sometimes think of Ghostwriter as the tracing or impression left behind by the rest of the tracks on the album we have been making. This ghostwriter is hiding in the shadows, shot through with hope and self-doubt, striving to tell someone else's story as a means of staving off his own collapse. It's a song about what it is to fabricate a life.” The lyrics reflect this, highlighting the interdependency between the writer and their subject: “ This past year I’ve been the ghostwriter who hides and slides and thinks he can cope I know my subject, my servant owes me everything but maybe that’s not enough”

Previously Post Louis released two EPs and a standalone single to immense critical acclaim. Following this and a European tour, they retreated to work on a long-player. This is a slow-burn, collective project built on intimacy, trust and patience. Robbie and Andy are brothers. Stephanie’s brother helps to produce their music. Mattis works at the beautiful, cavernous Norwegian church seen in Post Louis’ press shots. A base for many local musicians and a hive of performances and creativity, the church has been home for both Mattis and Adam and acts a second home and studio space for the whole band.

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Noctorum - Beans on Toast - Wovoka Gentle

Noctorum - Piccadilly Circus In The Rain.

Noctorum recently announced the impending release of their fourth album 'The Afterlife' - the duo's first long-play in seven years, which will be released exclusively on CD and gatefold vinyl to PledgeMusic contributors in November 2018. The general release of this album will happen in February 2019 via Schoolkids Records.

Noctorum is guitarist/singer-songwriter Marty Willson-Piper and producer Dare Mason. The duo present their new single 'Piccadilly Circus in the Rain', following up the first single 'A Girl With No Love'.

Named for the village Noctorum, located near to their childhood homes on The Wirral (near Liverpool), Dare and Marty liked its association with night and its Latin derivation. This collaboration has an eclectic focus, making the quiet loud and vice-versa, singing words that might be spoken and playing indoor instruments that should be heard outside. It has to be imagined to exist.

"Perhaps city-living is by definition a difficult slog - high rents, a constant pressure to earn, an uphill battle that traps you in a vicious circle that has you so focussed on the job of survival that your aspirations, your dreams, are swept aside, pushed out of reach as all your waking hours are spent treading water, your imagination drowning, your ideas lost in the rush hour," says Marty Willson-Piper.

"Piccadilly Circus In The Rain addresses the struggle and questions the romantic notion of London as a cultural melting pot - music, galleries, nightlife, history, energy, red double decker buses, unarmed friendly Bobbies, the cover of Abbey Road and the Queen. Singling out this city is purely coincidental but in truth, for most people with artistic tendencies "London brings you to your knees". WEBSITE.

'Piccadilly Circus In The Rain' explores the reality that London is not such a romantic and creative place to be as an artist. Having lived and worked there for many years in the past, I can see where this is coming from and can't really argue, the song itself is beautifully crafted and quite touching.

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Beans on Toast - Alexa.

British folk/indie singer-songwriter Beans on Toast is debuting his new single and video for "Alexa." The track and it's accompanying animated video (created using discarded Amazon boxes) is a commentary/cautionary tale that examines the future of voice-activated Internet and oncoming Amazon world domination.

Kicking things off with this spoken interlude from Beans: “This one’s got an intro that goes “ALEXA play Beans on Toast... ALEXA” so nobody can listen to it on their Amazon Echo", the track is funny but thought-provoking-- one of Beans trademarks. "Alexa" appears his 10th studio album “A Bird In The Hand,” set for release on December 1st.

For "A Bird In The Hand," Beans got back in touch with Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, who had produced his first album a decade ago, and together they hatched a plan.

Utilizing the hospitality of Lovett (whose band were spending much of their time at London’s legendary Church Studios making their next record), Beans found himself enjoying the same incredible facilities during off days and late nights, to lay down "A Bird In Hand," along with with the help of in-house engineer, Riley MacIntyre.

Calling in mutual friends, Ben and Beans arranged a team of incredible musicians, including Mumford & Sons’ live drummer Chris Mass and Dutch artist Christof van der Ven on guitar. Ted Dwane offered bass on a couple of tracks, and Ben himself took up piano and production duties to bring a clear, contemporary, and unique vision to the Beans’ songs. The result is arguably Beans on Toast's finest album to date. The album is diverse, easily switching between folk ballads, punk bangers, and swing numbers without ever losing sight of itself or it's listener. WEBSITE.

'Alexa' is a gorgeous and timely song, with some sharp and witty lyrics that anyone familiar with voice activated web devices might quickly identify with. For those more cautious about allowing such devices into their lives then the song might put you off even more. Me, I'll just play around with other folk's Echoes, I'm still coming to terms with Hal in 2001 A Space Odyssey - "I'm sorry Dave - I can't do that".....


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Wovoka Gentle -  Peculiar Form Of Sleep.

Following the release of the wonderfully titled single '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', which was included in the official soundtrack of FIFA 19, London trio Wovoka Gentle have now shared new track 'Peculiar Form of Sleep', out now on Nude.

 "It’s something to do with that moment between being awake and asleep, where thoughts bleed into dreams and everything seems to make both no sense and perfect sense", the band says. "You’re sliding between these contrasting, dense passages that still feed off one another and congregate around some kind of narrative, which maybe is the whole narrative. The title is from an E.E. Cummings poem: ‘to exist being a peculiar form of sleep’.

Wovoka Gentle are an experimental three-piece from London, comprised of William Stokes and twins Imogen and Ellie Mason. Taking its root in folk and Americana songwritng, the Wovoka sound draws upon the psychedelic soundscapes of the late 60s as well as contemporary experimental, pop and collage music; marrying classic instrumentation with sampling, analogue synthesis and sound manipulation. WEBSITE.

Back in September we shared '1,000 Opera Singers Working In Starbucks' and described that track as "upbeat, creative and oozing charm, this is a touch quirky and a whole lot addictive". Now we can follow up with their new piece 'Peculiar Form Of Sleep' where the bands creative charm and knack for merging musical styles and instrumentation is all apparent again.

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Marvin's Revenge - Wovoka Gentle - The Wave Pictures

Marvin's Revenge - Overlook.

Background - Marvin’s Revenge are a three-piece grunge/alternative rock band from the small town of Wirksworth, Derbyshire. With a distinctly sharp northern slur and a backline reminiscent of the best of DC, Seattle and LA’s music scenes this is just the revenge you were looking for.

They all originate from the town of Wirksworth but mainly play gigs in Nottingham as it is their biggest local city and has a reputable scene for live music. All members have been playing together for around 3 years and have been parts of different bands, but Marvin’s Revenge formed just under a year ago. They have been gigging and writing music together since.

Job (drummer) and Ollie (guitars) first started jamming together 5 years ago as they were in the same music class at school. Luke joined them soon after when he began to learn guitar. All of them went to the same secondary school so through seeing each other every day and developing common interests and friendship they eventually formed a band. Their three favourite bands and main influences are Foo Fighters, The Beatles and Radiohead.

They say about new single ‘Overlook’, “After our release of ‘D’EP’ we decided we wanted to record something in a studio instead of a bedroom. So, we were put into contact with Dubrek studios in Derby and we got straight to it. The single was released last Friday the 21st of September. If we could describe it ourselves we would say it’s a mix of calm, ambient melodies, gritty vocals and powerful drums with contrasting crunchy, bass heavy guitar tones and loud dramatic choruses. We feel that it is not particularly influenced by anything but past influences have had an effect on the creation of it.” FACEBOOK.

Genuine, natural and full of grunge rock passion 'Overlook' is powerful and poignant. Add in some alt rock maturity both musically and with the arrangement and the intense (and fabulous Derbyshire regional accent), and you have a notable song, and a band to keep firmly on your musical radar!

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Wovoka Gentle - 1,000 Opera Singers Working In Starbucks.

Background - London trio Wovoka Gentle returns with new single '1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks', out now on Nude. The new single perfectly showcases the band's composite sound, on which solid songwriting nods in different directions to experimental pop, electronics and a touch of psychedelia. Of the song, the band said, "We wanted to make a track that was almost disconcertingly upbeat while essentially being about a last-ditch cry for help. We took quite a lot of inspiration from old kids tv themes, particularly towards the end. The title refers to a kind of nightmare image; we wanted to make a track that was dreamlike, but with the potential to descend into a nightmare".

'1,000 Opera Singers Working in Starbucks' is accompanied by a wonderful animation video, created by Kate Woodland: "My style of animation is playful, I have an interest in exploring nonsensical themes through visual metaphors. The process begins by initially scanning pages from art and culture magazines, using Photoshop I cut out various parts of the images and combine them into a new frame. I manipulate and work into the cut-outs and build the scenes from scratch, frame by frame. I met Wovoka last year after a friend introduced me to the band. We discussed working on something together and after listening to the new track it seemed like a great opportunity to make this happen".

Wovoka Gentle are an experimental three-piece from London, comprised of William Stokes and twins Imogen and Ellie Mason. Taking its root in folk and Americana songwritng, the Wovoka sound draws upon the psychedelic soundscapes of the late 60s as well as contemporary experimental, pop and collage music; marrying classic instrumentation with sampling, analogue synthesis and sound manipulation. WEBSITE.

If we ran a song title of the year competition then '1,000 Opera Singers Working In Starbucks' would without doubt be a contender. Anyhow we don't, we just feature music we like (or love) with this track being firmly on the love side of the scales. Upbeat, creative and oozing charm, this is a touch quirky and a whole lot addictive.


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The Wave Pictures - Roosevelt Sykes.

Background - The Wave Pictures return with the promised second album of the year, Look Inside Your Heart - a warm, joyous record celebrating friendship, happiness and drunken party times. In addition to playing their biggest London headline show to date at Koko on 22 November, the band have announced a UK tour in January.

They have now shared the video for first single from the album, “Roosevelt Sykes”. The video was directed by Fraser Watson and features the band walking in the park where they encounter some people dancing. Dave Tattersall describes the song as; “Lyrically, a tribute to Roosevelt Sykes, a giant of piano blues, to all firemen, to my friend Giles, to John Fahey and to my dreams and to all dreams. Musically, an African pop party in the vein of Zimbabwe’s The Four Brothers and The Bhundu Boys but done with absolutely no puritanical slavery at any kind of authenticity or even accuracy.”

Like the first album they released this year, the more contemplative Brushes With Happiness, Look Inside Your Heart was recorded late at night whilst inebriated back at the tiny Booze Cube Studio in Stoke Newington, live to reel-to-reel tape with no computers of any kind. The album is peppered with giggles and chatter, which adds a sense of spontaneity and place.

As singer and guitarist Dave Tattersall explains: ”Look Inside Your Heart is intended as a rallying cry in the war against the machines; while a computer may have beaten world-champion human being Lee Sedol at Go, a machine could never have made music as joyful, spontaneous, happy, poetic, broken and rambunctious as this. Look Inside Your Heart is a bullet in the face of all pop-poseurs and robot wannabes, a die-hard continuation of the vulnerable rebel tradition of rock and roll music, a vibrant work of outsider art and a masterpiece of electric folk.”

Twenty years after forming in Wymeswold, Leicestershire as teenagers, The Wave Pictures have gone on to be one of the UK’s most prolific and beloved bands. Fond of classic rock, jazz and blues, they are also one of the most accomplished, with Tattersall’s guitar solos becoming the stuff of legend. They have collaborated with varying bright stars of the musical firmament, such as last year’s rock’n’roll surf-garage-rock project with Charles Watson from Slow Club, as new band The Surfing Magazines, or their ongoing partnership with ex-Herman Dune member Stanley Brinks, or the very close partnership with Billy Childish for 2015’s Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon.

They first experimented with recording an album all in one go, straight to tape with 2016’s acoustic A Season In Hull. They took the concept further with Brushes With Happiness, making sure that it was a magical album that was completely improvised, with no songs written in advance echoing the jazz and blues recordings that they admire. WEBSITE.

If Talking Heads were an traditional African band then 'Roosevelt Sykes' might just be their song. However it firmly belongs to The Wave Pictures, and it's a joyous lovable and exceptionally catchy affair. The video adds some more, as the bands talent seemingly pours out in all directions.


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