Quality Not Quantity: The Goldhearts - Me & Mark

The Goldhearts - Rise And Fall.

Background promo - If it not for Kenny Rogers advice to bass players to write and sing their own songs, this catchy album of grunge, hooks, harmonies, and twang may never have seen the light of day. With a batch of original songs in hand, Bass Player/Songwriter Margy Joughin (Dream Poppies) gambled on the wisdom of Kenny Rogers, sage to all bass players. Intending to record a few songs, producer Govinda Doyle (Big Jet Plane) gently coaxed Margy across the line from backing to lead vocalist to accidentally record an album. The Goldhearts came to life with with ex-Brisbane mates Tracey Kick, (Dream Poppies) Claire Harris (Razel, Dream Poppies, Godnose, The Shortfall) and Daren Williams (Haba Dudes, Secret Assasins).

The Goldhearts’ debut album, “The Rise and Fall of the Goldhearts” draws inspiration from the female led indie bands of the 90’s, and the melodic traditions of Australian music. The album is tweaked with twang and leaves a tasty grunge hangover. Be warned, legendary DJ, Rodney Bingenheimer on KROQ in LA, won't play those catchy Goldhearts tunes last in his set for long, as they keep him awake at night.

The Goldhearts have been playing for a year and have released 2 singles through The A&R Department, quirky alt-country swagger “On the Run” in April 2015 and straight ahead indie pop/rock infector “Here’s the Thing” in November 2015. Both songs received national and international attention. Reviews and references have been made to PJ Harvey, The Kills, Nirvana, The Breeders, Garbage and The SuperJesus. Released in conjunction with the Album is next single “Rise and Fall”, a sweet anthem of redemption and triumph for the broken, broken hearted or broken up.

Internationally, The Goldhearts’ two digital singles have caught the attention of LA's KROQ being featured regularly on the famous program,Rodney on the ROQ. “On the Run” charted at 20 in the USA Submodern Charts. “Here’s the Thing” earned spins in Tokyo and Spain, charting in Lima, Peru, and the Netherlands. Nationally the band has received regular airplay on community radio, including 4ZZZ, SYN Radio, InnerFm, Coast Fm, Harvey Community Radio (Track of the Week), 2SER, FBi, and Radio Adelaide.

Upcoming Shows:
Sat 28 May - The Bearded Tit, Sydney NSW (4-7pm)
Fri 24 June - The Back Room, Chardons Corner Hotel, Annerley QLD
Sat 25 June - New Tatts Hotel, Lismore NSW
Sun 26 June - The Gap Farmers Market, Brisbane QLD
NightQuarter - Gold Coast QLD (album launch) TBC.

We featured The Goldhearts back in November last year and were impressed on hearing just one song. Fast forward to now and we were right to be so. The debut album “The Rise and Fall of the Goldhearts” from which the featured song 'Rise And Fall' is just one of thirteen tracks, is a real good collection of hooky, guitar driven music, and spot on vocals throughout.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me & Mark - When Rich Find Gold.

Backgrond promo - Mia & Mark have a wide range of experiences in music and have grasped a new sound they call "story-pop". All the songs are written by Mia and the stories she tells are all based in real experiences.
  
Mia is an amazing talent. Energy to spare and a voice that can only be described as "generational" . She captures your attention with her voice but it is the delicate songwriting that keeps you mesmerised. With experience on the stage, both musically and theatrically, since the age of 5, Mia brings a veteran's poise to everything they do.

Mark Axiak has collaborated with some of the worlds best producers, artists and institutions, including touring the world with world famous bands as a bass guitarist. He also works as a producer at Urban Sound and is looked up on as one of the finest engineers in his field.

This is one fine song. 'When Rich Find Gold' is described by the band as story-pop, which makes sense and adds additional interest to their music. It has all the vital ingredients, melody, hooks, superb vocals and tight exciting music. Another description might be pop music with heart, soul and intelligence.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday Two: The Iron Horses - Kwesi Foraes

The Iron Horses - Any Other Way.

Background promo - The Iron Horses formed in early 2015 after numerous late night boozy jamming sessions. With a great enthusiasm for cheap bourbon and nothing but time to kill on a Friday night, a group of songs began to emerge. Duncan (vox/rhythm guitar), Ciaran (lead guitar/vox), Raul (Bass) Pete (Drums).

There was no shortage of ideas and the songs came through thick and fast. After months of gigging each and every one of Sydney’s bars, the boys had accumulated enough money to completely fund their debut EP. The energy that hits you is immediately captivating and none of this is by chance. With two albums of balls out Rock & Roll already written within a year, the hardest part was deciding which songs made the cut for the Stop To Start EP.

Each song tells a story, every harmony and riff reverberates inside you. The energy that hits you is immediately captivating and none of this is by chance. With almost two albums worth of material already written, songs were handpicked for the Stop To Start EP. The hardest part was deciding which ones made the cut. The easiest part was “where to record?” and “who with?” The bands second home House Fox Studios was the studio of choice, recording with the owner Ryan Miller. After several recommendations the choice of producer was a no brainer, ex-Thirsty Merc guitarist Sean Carey.

The live performance is a hard hitting, guitar slamming, melodic Rock & Roll spectacle. 2016 looks like it will be a huge year for The Iron Horses.

Fri 27/5 - The Reverence, Melbourne VIC
Fri 3/6 - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW (EP Launch)
Sat 2/7 - The Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle NSW
Sun 3/7 - Frankies, Sydney CBD NSW

First of four tracks on the EP, 'Any Other Way' is fully energised, however it's anything but a live jam, where the band started out from. With a good ear for melodies the band deliver exciting well played (and sung) songs. The 'Stop to Start' EP will be released 27th of May 2016.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kwesi Foraes - Heroin. 

Background bio - Twenty-three year old Kwesi Foraes, a folk-soul singer-songwriter, grew up in Long Beach California where he submersed himself early into the music scene studying, folk, rock n roll, and blues.  Foraes spent years experimenting with different music styles and bands.  But after a surge of 3 family deaths all within a year, Foraes faced a hard internal battle while struggling to overcome his personal demons that almost took his own life. 

Foraes at a point with few options of release searched for an escape & sense of truth in his music and found it like never before in darkest and most raw pockets of folk, expressing himself at the most vulnerable and visceral levels, embracing all truth and confronting all ills head on.  Writing in trances of personal experiences and vivid encounters with spirits of his past, Foraes dedicated the last 4 years to bringing a perspective that is rooted far beyond just the music.

Kwesi Foraes - 27 EP, Street Date, May 27th, 2016, Self-Released.

I was so blown away by the the song 'Pentacle 13' featured here back in early April, that the opportunity to feature another song from the excellent forthcoming six track EP is irresistible. 'Heroin' demonstrates the exciting talent that Kwesi clearly has. It also shows he is capable of developing and delivering quite inspiring music on more than one occasion. Clearly one person to watch out for.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genre Mix: Josh Flagg - Wailing Loons

Josh Flagg - The Floor It Shakes.

Background bio - After two EP’s, 2011’s full-length Devastate Me and relentless touring, New York City’s own Josh Flagg releases Tracing Shapes on June 3, 2016. It’s a record focused on small moments with enormous consequences. Marriage, friends, birth, rebirth, alienation, intimacy, art, compulsion, loneliness and history are themes mined and explored throughout Tracing Shapes ten tracks and they take the listener on a ride not easily forgotten.

Flagg focuses on the humanity of the characters and versions of himself in these songs. He’s looking for the right words, even when he knows they’ll hurt…especially when they hurt. It’s a darker, harder, more complex set of songs featuring a three pronged guitar attack, soaring vocals and asymmetrical songwriting.

Produced by Kieran Kelly (Sufjan Stevens, Better Than Ezra), Tracing Shapes’ sound pulled together as Flagg added a third guitarist to his live show. The three driving guitar lines allowed him to experiment with different rhythms and textures and encouraged him to push lyricism. On “The Floor It Shakes,” Flagg sings about the need to persevere through one’s faults and reoccurring mistakes. The single delivers exactly what Tracing Shapes is about - guitar driven modern rock with catchy hooks and melodies.

Of Josh Flagg's last EP (Lights Out) we said "Lush powerful guitar hooks and an equally powerful voice compete and compliment wonderfully throughout. Indie rock with a punch". The forthcoming full length 'Tracing Shapes' continues in that catchy mode, with ten more modern rock songs all demanding your attention, as they follow on from the potent opener 'The Floor It Shakes'.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wailing Loons - Death Canoe.

Background bio -  Wailing Loons create Music for Good, driven by a mission of writing and performing music that reflects and transforms society. The Loons are now six strong, with Dan on guitar and vocals, Emilie on vocals, Casey Pavek on banjo and vocals, Nick Neylon on upright bass, Erin Manlove on viola, and Matthew Marshall on drums.

2016 will be a huge year: in partnership with Eat for Equity and Oxfam America, the band returns to play #MusicForGood on the Solar Powered Stage for two nights of Bonnaroo. The Loons also headline the Wild Springs Festival, immerse in community at MBOTMA Festival, and return to raise money for local YMCA Camps at the 2nd Annual Prairie Burn Festival in Wisconsin.

Wailing Loons just released their debut mini-LP "Fire in the Cold" in April of 2016 after recording with Neil Weir at Old Blackberry Way. Here's to building a stronger community through music together!

Minneapolis based folk/bluegrass/rock band Wailing Loons, released 'Fire In The Cold' a wonderful album last month (April). Featured song 'Death Canoe' was also a single release. This is a band who come across as just loving to play, you can feel it in the songs. Musicianship is top class as are the delightful vocals and harmonies. If you are unsure about folk or bluegrass, tip your toe in the water with this album, there will be no looking back!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Globetrotting: Elk & Mammoth - Silent Wave - Cairobi

Elk & Mammoth - Shiver.

Background promo - Four-piece indie rock outfit Elk + Mammoth are stoked to announce the release of their debut EP, Culprit, with the single “Shiver” (recorded and produced by James Clark) out now.

Described as like a funky Lynchian dream, Culprit combines sinister staccato vocals and guitar riffs that could have been lifted straight out of the original Twin Peaks soundtrack. The result is both playful and unsettling, but be warned, the groove is infectious and side-effects may include drinking coffee black as midnight on a moonless night.

Since forming in 2014, they have established a herd of followers, performing their signature blend of unpredictable humour, unusual subject matter, and mid-set-on-stage outfit changes at venues all over Melbourne. They have played with artists such as The Pierce Brothers, Slim Jefferies, and Pockets, and gained traction with the release of their single “Fabric”, in 2015.‘Culprit’ EP will be released 3rd of June 2016 and features the single ‘Shiver’.

'Shiver' is one of four songs and the single from soon to be released EP 'Culprit'. What is particularly striking about the release is the bands distinctive sound being taken in a variety of directions. The melody is always there and they are happy to slow things down on a couple of the songs. It's a fine collection that displays musical maturity and creativity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Silent Wave - War.

Background bio - Electronic pop trio Silent Wave release their anthemic single "War" as the first offering from Gothenburg-based label Silence Productions, a new extension of Luxury Records focusing on limited vinyl singles

Silent Wave first began as a collaboration between artist Tildeh Hjelm and producer Hans Olsson Brookes. In 2013, Hjelm  approached Brookes with a pair of tracks intended for her solo-project to employ his production expertise. Their straightforward studio sessions began to evolve into something more kinetic. Inspired by the creative energy, Brooke suggested they turn the songs into a new project entirely and so Silent Wave was born.

From its genesis, Silent Wave’s power has been generated by the members’ eclectic backgrounds. An accomplished visual artist and film student, Hjelm not only writes most of the lyrics and melodies but also produces the project’s music videos. Brookes boasts an impressive resume for his work as a producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist having mixed intentionally renowned Swedish artists like I Break Horses, José González and Junip.

The same can be said of Hjelm and Brookes’ converging musical influences. Hjelm kneels at the alter of RnB and Hip Hip set while Brookes leans more towards electronic-minded artists like Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Kraftwerk and The Cure.

Silent Wave released its debut single “Dream On, Dream On” along with b-side track “Only Love, Nothing More” in November of 2014. The duo followed the tracks with accompanying music videos produced by Hjelm. During the spring of 2015, Silent Wave added member Martin Öhman to the mix, a trained jazz drummer who brings an organic and acoustic, percussive human groove to the electronic beats.

'War' is indeed something of an anthemic piece, but definitely not a wall of sound. It's musically precise allowing space for the melody and instruments to stand out, along with the ideally suited vocals.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cairobi - Lupo.

Background promo - Cairobi have announced their new single "Lupo," which will be available on July 1, and debut self-titled album Cairobi which will be released on September 16 through Week of Wonders. They have also announced a headline show at London's Birthdays on July 25.

Cairobi are a headily eclectic globe-crossing four piece of Giorgio Poti (vocals,guitars), Alessandro Marrosu (bass), Salvador Garza (keys) and Aurelien Bernard(drums). Their psych-pop, world music bordering sound reflects their various backgrounds from Italy and Mexico via France, and has received support from the likes of 6Music and Huw Stephens at Radio1. "Lupo" follows the band's 2014 Distant Fire EP and the single "Gristly Words," which is taken from their forthcoming debut record along with EP track Zoraide. Lupo is a hypnotically lush yet despondently exultant track featuring exotic grooves and synth-dappled psychedelic haziness and can be listened to here "Lupo."

Their debut self-produced album was written in Berlin and, fittingly with their diverse nationalities, was recorded between Berlin, London, Rome and New York. Music and this resulting album was Giorgio's means of finding his way through health problems, as after relocating to Berlin, he started to suffer frequent, violent migraines that would incapacitate him for an average of twelve days a month.

"I could either stay still, in silence, eyes shut, or take the medication and hope it worked so I could move on with my day," he recalls. "Even when the medicine worked, it would make me extremely sleepy, so some of the music and lyrics on this record were written in a state of drowsiness. That part wasn't particularly fun, but maybe it helped me get rid of some filters. Luckily, the headaches stopped after about a year." The finished record has an inventive hazy psychedelic sound with gorgeous pop-song structures and experimental arrangements, yet there is also an intriguing,melodious melancholy across the 11-tracks.

Following live dates last year, the band are already confirmed for two UK headline shows in July along with performances at summer festivals. Full lives dates announced so far are as follows:

July:
Sat 23rd Huntingdon Secret Garden Party
Sun 24th Reading Oakford Social Club
Mon 25th London Birthdays
August: - Wed 10th Italy Contronatura Festival
September: - Fri 23rd-Sat 24th Liverpool Psych Fest.

If it's melody and hooks you want 'Lupo' has them in bucket loads. A rich musical texture under scores the dreamy vocals, on what is a highly likeable, play it again type song.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------