The Special Pillow - The Orange Peels - Umbra & The Volcan Siege

The Special Pillow - Hudson River Dreamboat.

Background - For the past two decades, The Special Pillow have operated from the margins of the marginal, creating a distinctive string-driven sound—a heady brew encompassing concise ’60s-flavored pop gems, dreamy psychedelic reveries, and a propulsive drive redolent of the antipodean indie acts of the ‘80s. In 2015, Yo La Tengo shined a light on the Pillow’s shadowy demimonde with their cover of the band’s “Automatic Doom.” Now, The Special Pillow unleash Sleeping Weird, their senses-shattering sixth album.

Since the dissolution of cult heroes Hypnolovewheel, songwriter and majordomo Dan Cuddy has played bass with such notable combos as Sleepyhead and XL Kings, but has reserved his own compositions for The Special Pillow.

Sleeping Weird is the group’s third project with engineer Mitch Rackin, recorded and mixed at Brooklyn’s Seaside Lounge recording studio. Featured players are charter Special Pillow member Katie Gentile (Run On, Mad Scene) on violin and viola; longtime collaborator Peter Stuart (Headless Horsemen, Tryfles) on a staggering arsenal of guitars; and Eric Marc Cohen (Fly Ashtray) on drums and percussion. All the band members contribute vocals, and the ensemble is enhanced by the keyboards of Ariella Stok (Sloppy Heads) and horns courtesy of Steven Levi and Cheryl Kingan (The Scene Is Now).

A much-abused hyperbolic trope of recent years posits that a given work of art has special resonance with “the way we live now” or is needed “now more than ever.” We won’t attempt to convince you that Sleeping Weird is such a topical watershed. The Special Pillow are in it for life and their lives are reflected in these songs: The days are getting dark and they want a way to keep the world at bay, sweep everything under the rug, and retreat to a cryogenic tomb. But it’s getting older every day and they’re concerned about it and it seems as though their skulls may burst into flames if they don’t speak out loud. They’re floating on, and singing. WEBSITE.

'Hudson River Dreamboat' is a fine example of 'Sleeping Weird' an album consisting of eleven finely crafted songs. The Special Pillow's musicianship is of a high calibre, the vocals and harmonies polished and melodic. However it's the natural feel, the differing levels of energy and brightness, and variety, that makes this collection really stand out.

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The Orange Peels - Trespassing (Album).

Background - If The Orange Peels got paid each time a music critic said, “It’s the kind of music that makes you feel like you’re speeding down the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down,” they’d be billionaires. The Orange Peels formed in 1997, rising out of the ashes of Allen Clapp and his Orchestra—whose debut album 100 Percent Chance of Rain was heralded in the heyday of the burgeoning American indie-pop movement.

The band has featured members of The Mummies, The Ocean Blue, Half Japanese, and Continental since its inception, and has never stopped evolving. In this decade, the lineup has solidified with Clapp on vocals, guitars and keyboards; Jill Pries on bass; John Moremen on lead guitars; and Gabriel Coan on drums. This incarnation is now into its third album together, exploring ever more sophisticated pop landscapes while keeping melody as its North Star.

Clapp’s ear for pop magic has landed his tunes and vocals in major ad campaigns for Coca Cola, Target, and Samsung. On the band’s last tour opening for Matthew Sweet in the summer of 2015, Sweet fell in love with guitarist John Moremen’s playing during the soundcheck for their first show together. The next two years would see Moremen recording and touring with the pop legend leading up to the release of Tomorrow Forever.

On its 7th album, Trespassing (April 2018, Minty Fresh), the band doubles down on melody and experimentation making perhaps the ultimate Orange Peels album. Recorded at the band’s redwooded retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, it’s a study in contrasts—organic outdoor drums vs. programmed digital computers; tack pianos and string quartets vs. icy synthesizers. After all, they’re looking at life from both sides now. In the dawn of 2018, it almost feels like the world is finally ready to discover The Orange Peels. WEBSITE.

'Trespassing' is a gorgeous album and being able to share it in full, makes describing it less of an issue. Right from the opening song 'Camera 2' my anticipation was set very high and the band fulfil that promise with style and beauty. Describing the collection as Indie pop feels like something of an understatement, calling it future gold is to cheesy and an over used expression, pressing play, kicking back and immersing yourself, is the best option, and by far...

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Umbra & The Volcan Siege - Someone Will Love You But Its Just Not Me (Album).

Background - Chicago psych collective Umbra & the Volcan Siege have released their fourth full-length on vinyl, cassette (via TMB Limited) and for digital download.

The album features bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Jim Licka (The Luck of Eden hall) accompanied by a core group of musicians (Curtis Evans on guitar, Russ Mallord on drums, Pete Trillo on bass) and joined by guests from the bands Blood People, Oh My God and The Luck of Eden Hall on various tracks.

Umbra and the Volcan Siege was founded in 2006 by Jim Licka embracing his "super hero ultra-identity" as Umbra.. Umbra is surrounded by his siege of musicians which help create a sound-scape of genre bending music.
 
Umbra and the Volcan Siege has released 3 albums and have now released their 4th "Someone Will Love You But It's Just Not Me". WEBSITE.

Psych rock and a whole lot more, 'Someone Will Love You But Its Just Not Me' is a delicious collection of brand new rock and roll, that deserves the "timeless" accreditation. In fact the band visit so many differing points within the rock genre directory, that I am relieved to share the whole album. From psychedelic to blues to prog and more, there is something for every rock fan, the fact that this collective are just so good, really does seal this deal. 


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GRDNS - Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread - Steven Adams & The French Drops

GRDNS - Roulette Love Gun.

Background - Psychedelic rockers GRDNS share Roulette Love Gun, the third cosmic offering from their forthcoming EP out this summer via Dance To The Radio.

Loaded with intricate, soaring guitar lines and hazy, atmospheric vocals, the quartet’s latest reverb-laden number ebbs and flows with precision and shows a band brimming with creativity following widespread acclaim from the online community.

Having fast established themselves within the Yorkshire music scene and beyond, the four-piece will look to build on impressive support slots alongside Gengahr, Husky Loops and whenyoung with their debut festival appearances at Live At Leeds and Gold Sounds in the next few months.

Produced by James Kenosha (Pulled Apart By Horses, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Rhodes) GRDNS’ Roulette Love Gun is out now and will be available on all platforms. GRDNS is Jacob Lyons (vocals/guitar), Sam Gledhill (guitar), Cameron Harrison (bass) and John Fitzpatrick (drums). TWITTER.

Our third feature for GRDNS this year, again with another track from their forthcoming EP  this time we have 'Roulette Love Gun'. There is a lush and expansive feel from the opening moments as the band tease us again, taking another musical direction and doing so with style. Dreamy alt rock with a dash of psychedelic overtones, on the strength of these three tracks I think it's safe to say the EP is stunning.

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Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread - Less Than Positive.

Background - Michael Nau will release his new, full band album ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ through Full Time Hobby on 3rd August. ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ is the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed album ‘Some Twist’ and its extension ‘The Load’ EP. 

The band have unveiled the first track from the album, ‘Less Than Positive’. Of the song, Michael says "This song's been around and part of the live thing for a long time. I'm not sure how or why it came back around during this session, but it was recorded on the final day. The apartment where we recorded this album has a big spiral staircase in the entrance of the building - we set up drums in there for this one, and hung a mic from the ceiling. Other than harmonies, nothing was overdubbed.".

“There was a musical language that we created; something without a guiding pattern that you could really just jump into and see where things could go,” Michael Nau says of the process of recording ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’. He’s wildly poetic, especially when recounting his dedication to music, and the work that led to this particular collection of delicately passionate songs. “These things became the vehicle by which we traveled, giving us reason to spend most of our lives in a van of uncertainty.”

The sprawling new album was recorded in guitarist Benny Yurco’s one-bedroom apartment in downtown Burlington, Vermont. Nau and his collaborators had a cool little set up going in Yurco’s spot — drums and bass took over the bedroom, the guitar amp in the bathroom, Nau’s vocals and piano in the living room, and a vibraphone in the kitchen. It’s the first time one of Nau’s records happened all in one place, and “it feels most like a band record than ever before”. Nau and this particular group of musicians held it down together as a true team, which is why Nau named the record in their honour.

The songs on this layered record sound sunny and familiar, like sharing stories and worries with a close friend on a late summer day. In a gorgeous and natural way, he contemplates his own process, those feelings of uncertainty. “Making it too hard just comes easier,” Nau croons on ‘Funny In Real Life,’ an exquisite meditation on creation and self. “Truth is such a beautiful force/And every time we find the chorus/There’s no second-guessing the real/I don’t ever know how I feel.” FACEBOOK.

Michael Nau's vocals are everything Alt Country and Americana needs to set the mood and feeling for these styles. The first taste of the album due in August is 'Less Than Positive' a steady, personal and beautifully natural song that is totally engaging from the opening moments. Without any exaggeration, I am left eager to hear some more...

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Steven Adams & The French Drops - Ex Future.

Background - Steven Adams & The French Drops share the video for their new single "Ex Future", taken from the album Virtue Signals, out this Friday, 4 May, via Hudson Records. Anger seldom sounds as enticing as it does on Virtue Signals. It is an album that rails against the iniquities of the world and meshes the personal with the political, without ever smacking the listener around the head. Adams (former songwriter/singer/guitarist with The Broken Family Band and Singing Adams) can’t help but be witty and empathetic even as he rages, and the fury is wrapped inside his characteristically sweet melodies.

Virtue Signals captures the sound of a band finding “its own thing”. Laurie Earle (Absentee, Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards, Wet Paint) plays guitar with a loose, intuitive touch; Michael Wood – who had played bass with The Singing Adams – switches to keyboards here, while Daniel Fordham (drums) and David Stewart (bass) from The Drink complete the band.

Following a few years of performing and recording solo (see 2014’s House Music and 2016’s Old Magick), Adams says he wanted to put together “a band where everyone was following their noses. I’ve been calling the shots for ages now, and now I can lean on these people, make more noise. It’s fair to say we share a lot of the same thoughts and feelings about the state of the world. But mostly we talk about food.”

It’s over 16 years since Adams started making music with The Broken Family Band, generating critical acclaim with each subsequent release and maintaining a dedicated cult following ever since. So, all these years later – having been called a national treasure enough times to fill a pirate’s chest, without ever having become an actual pop star – why does Steven Adams still do it? “I write songs and I play them and I try not to overthink it or to feel reliant on this for anything other than what it is; sounds, words, feelings, and an excuse to hang out with good people. That’s virtue signaling, in case anyone asks.” WEBSITE.

With a deep bass riff and lighter vocals 'Ex Future' begins to build layer by layer, into a polished and addictive alt rocker of sorts. The lyrics add intrigue, the band are as tight as anything and the emotional feel builds with intensity, totally play me again music!


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Brooke Annibale - Paper Hawk - Phillip Broussard - Frog Eyes

Brooke Annibale - Glow.

Background - Singer-songwriter/guitarist Brooke Annibale will release her third full-length album Hold To The Light on June 8th. The new record marks Annibale's return following her 2015 critically acclaimed album The Simple Fear and features several major departures in terms of both songwriting and production. Annibale sheds a few layers of her folk-acoustic skin and introduces a new indie-pop direction offering a fusion of textured electronic and traditional instrumentation centered around Brooke's stunning voice and keen, soulful lyricism. This week she released her radiant new single "Glow.

The songs on Hold To The Light develop like Polaroid photos: each reveals a memory suspended between the perspective of the past with all its wistfulness, pain, and joy, and the revelations of the present. Produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive) at his Great North Sound Society in Maine, Hold To The Light features contributions from seasoned artists Zachariah Hickman (Ray Lamontagne, Josh Ritter) on bass; Josh Kaufman (The National, Josh Ritter) on accompanying guitars; Sean Trischka on drums; and Matt Douglas (Sylvan Esso, Mountain Goats) on woodwinds. Brooke's thoughtful, layered songwriting anchors the production to explore a range of narratives working through themes of seeking truths, letting go, and reconciling the past with the present. WEBSITE.

Tour Dates:
06/02 - Newark, OH @ The Bootlegger
06/03 - Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
06/08 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Three Rivers Arts Festival
06/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ Philadelphia Folksong Society
06/16 - New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall
06/17 - Northampton, MA @ The Parlor Room
06/19 - Burlington, VT @ The Skinny Pancake
06/21 - Boston, MA @ Fraser Performance Studio
07/03 - Edgartown, MA @ Harborview Hotel - WMVY Porch Concert Series
07/14 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe - 2nd Stage (w/ The Sweeplings)
07/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Neck of the Woods (upstairs) (w/ The Sweeplings)
07/16 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge (w/ The Sweeplings)
07/18 - Spokane, WA @ The Bartlett (w/ The Sweeplings)
07/29 - Allison Park, PA @ Hartwood Acres
08/16 - Fort Collins, CO @ Magic Rat.

The soft melodic vocals glide above the musical arrangement on 'Glow' a rhythmic and flowing indie pop soundtrack, where traditional instrumentation mixes alongside imaginative electronic swirls of sound.


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Paper Hawk - Written In The Lines.

Background - Crafting an intimate, ethereal sound, inviting you into their private world, Paper Hawk’s debut EP The Tide is released this week through Brighton’s boutique record label Folklore Sessions. The 4-track record signals the beginning of a new adventure for this emerging band. Alongside digital distribution on iTunes and Spotify, a limited run of 50 physical copies will be available in June, a month after the digital release date. Each record comes with a handwritten thank you letter, additional artwork, and a signed art print. Although new to the scene, Paper Hawk have swiftly left their mark playing across the country with sets at Glastonbury, 2000 Trees, YNOT and the Alternative Escape Festival.

Recorded in the living room of their Brighton flat the record marks a cathartic release from a tumultuous few years. From the defeated notes of ‘Trails’ - a hypnotising whisper chronicling the throes of a volatile relationship - to the comforting promise of support in ‘Northern Sky’ - The Tide is a collection of songs written with a hand-on-heart approach and striking honesty.

Produced by Josh Trinnaman (the brain of jazz-IDM fusion band, Luo), the intimate guitar and vocal arrangements are brought to life with rich soundscapes and electronic ambience, creating a dream-like atmosphere that draws you in and keeps you captivated.

Paper Hawk is an alt-folk duo currently based in Brighton, who combine intricate guitar driven melodies with hushed tones and raw confessional lyrics. A collaboration of two songwriters, Rebecca Brandler and Scott Booth, the project began after the two met a few months after both moving to Brighton to study. Rebecca heard Scott playing a cover of ‘Ocean’ by John Butler and instant musical sparks were ignited and she knew she wanted to write music together. The bond was then nurtured in a cold basement flat with muted rehearsals to avoid complaints from the neighbours but has proven to pay off, being nourished into a harrowingly beautiful EP with layers that muster unique strength, blanketed with velvet vocals.

We featured the song 'Trails' from the new EP just last month, and it is with pleasure to be able to do the same for 'Written In The Lines,' with Paper Hawk's splendid new EP being released just yesterday. The latest song features some beautiful vocal harmonies, accompanied by a refined musical soundtrack, driven along by a resonating bass line.

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Phillip Broussard - All Over Again.

Background - In November 2017, Seattle-based acoustic blues-pop singer-songwriter Phillip Brousard released his debut EP, "Wavelength." The EP was dedicated to the memory of his father. First single, "Just Wanna Believe" thrust Phillip into the national spotlight, garnering critical praise and radio airplay.

Born and raised in Washington State, Phillip Broussard discovered his passion early in life, when his father brought home a guitar. His father's original intention was to play the guitar himself, but he soon found Phillip picking up the guitar, when he didn't think anyone was watching. Phillip grew up under the influence of his father's favorites, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, and Eric Clapton. What started as just a few chords, ignited a desire to share his new found passion with the world.

Then, tragedy struck at 18 years old, when Phillip's father, grandfather and uncle passed away within 6 months of each other. Phillip put down his guitar and enlisted in the United States Navy, in an attempt to quell his grief. Early on in his Naval career, someone handed Phillip a copy of John Mayer's cd, "Room for Squares". This album reignited Phillip's passion for the guitar. In 2007, Phillip deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. During this time, he refined his guitar skills… TWITTER.

'All Over Again' has some notable Americana characteristics to it, as the accomplished acoustic guitar playing and natural vocals of Phillip Broussard accompany each other, within this engaging and inviting song.


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Frog Eyes - Your Boss's Shirt.

Background - Frog Eyes are set to release their final album Violet Psalms May 18th on Paper Bag Records, and have shared the new single "Your Boss's Shirt." 17 years after their teetering debut, the Vancouver band unveils Violet Psalms—a giddy lament; a gnashing jubilee; a rain-drenched allocution on hope vs. horror, paradise vs. pride, Marx and Brexit and bad acid trips.

It's an ending like a beginning. "We were trying to pretend it was our first record," Carey Mercer says. This is their final record, Frog Eyes' last gasp—but the art-rockers wanted to capture the energy of a debut, the freedom you feel "when there's no expectation that anyone will actually listen." They made it at home, burrowing under the house where Mercer lives with drummer Melanie Campbell. The goal was to blot out the world, focusing on what they could grow down there, four musicians in a basement. Could they squeeze out ten songs? Was there enough paste in the tube to squeeze out 10? "In the end there was. Which is rad."

No guests, no engineers. A self-invention. Violet Psalms began with its frantic, reverb-drenched guitar, squiggling over a modulation pedal. Next Mercer and Campbell concocted the drum parts—imagining them as onomatopoeia then recording them in fragments, kickdrum by kickdrum, tom by tom, with tailored effects. "The goal was to disorientate," Mercer explains, but also to work by instinct, gut—a cut-up of music and image, songs that coil back and kiss. The band pruned as they went, adding Terri Upton's bass parts, taking other parts away. Whereas past LPs used piano, Shyla Seller worked with shimmering synths—chords like bleeding watercolour, shadows casting on a wall. TWITTER.

On the 1st April we featured the track 'Idea Man' (you can also checkout the bands tour dates in that edition), and now just over a month later, we have 'Your Boss's Shirt' to enjoy ahead of the bands final album release later this month. Once again the vocals are distinct and fascinating, as the band develop some slow chunky beats and more, all of which interacts beautifully.

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Yonatan Gat - AHI - Shriekback - The Goon Sax

Yonatan Gat - Cue The Machines.

Background - Yonatan Gat recently shared his new album Universalists' opening track "Cue the Machines". The undefinable track opens with an Italo-Spanish choir recorded by Alan Lomax in 1950s Genoa – but it only takes 20 seconds for the voices get manipulated, chopped and mangled beyond recognition into stuttering rhythms below Yonatan's live band – guitar, bass, saxophone and drums working up an uncontrollable maelstrom of punk and free jazz.

Since his days as co-founder of legendary Israeli garage-rockers Monotonix, Gat's music has always had a strong sense of chaos. Getting his start in a band that was wild enough to get banned from their home country has certainly sipped into Gat's manner as a bandleader. And the far-and-wide world travels that come with playing over 1500 shows in 50 countries and 5 continents made another mark on his sound.

Universalists lists numerous collaborators, the most important of which being Silver Jews frontman David Berman credited as album co-producer, in a rare collaboration during a quiet 10 year period. "We were talking about how to contain the live energy in a studio recording," recounts Gat, "Berman was there all along, encouraging me to edit like a writer, filmmaker or painter does. To break the cycle, to capture live energy into wax we talked about subjecting fiery performance to post production, which is another way of saying being hard on yourself."

Leading the release of the 3-year-in-the-making highly anticipated LP, Yonatan will perform a unique concert in NYC's Le Poisson Rouge which he describes as "immersive", in which different musical projects—all led by Gat—will all be playing separate sets in different parts of the venue, blending into each other with no breaks between the sets. Opening the night will be legendary jazz double bassist, multi-instrumentalist, poet and composer William Parker. WEBSITE.

Having heard just three tracks from the 'Universalists, I'm not sure there will be just one song that typifies the collection, such is the eclectic nature of this material. 'Cue The Machines' is a fabulous piece, that I would struggle to describe without just reiterating the above promo description in my own words. It's a case of please listen and I hopefully you will understand where I am coming from.


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AHI - Breakin' Ground.

Background - Canadian singer/songwriter, AHI (pronounced EYE) has today announced details of his forthcoming album ‘In Our Time’ which is set for release via 22nd Sentry/Thirty Tigers on August 10, 2018. In-line with announcing the new album, AHI is sharing new single ‘Breakin’ Ground’, his first piece of new music since performing at Nashville’s DIY Musician Conference 2017, attracting the attention of NPR who would later invite him in for a Tiny Desk Session in January 2018 - watch at this link here. AHI will support the forthcoming release date with a string of UK dates to be announced shortly.

First single ‘Breakin’ Ground’ arrives as an inspirational tale stimulated by the songwriter’s own experience of overcoming adversity. It highlights AHI’s honesty, warmth and authenticity, capturing his ability to unify his range of folk, soul and rock influences, personal philosophy and penchant for melody.

AHI’s 2016 independent Canadian debut ‘We Made It Through The Wreckage’ was released digitally worldwide in January 2017. Without any promotion, publicity, marketing or budget to pull from, AHI’s songs were gradually discovered, reaching and converting one new fan at a time. His intimate and captivating live performances only enhanced and accelerated interest. The album began to receive recognition in Canada and beyond with AHI winning the 2017 Canadian Songwriting Competition award for Folk/Singer-Songwriter and the 2017 Stingray Rising Star Award for his infectious song ‘Ol’ Sweet Day’, a song that would make the  Billboard Spotify Viral 50 Chart and go on to receive over 2.4 million streams. WEBSITE.

What a voice AHI has and his delivery on 'Breakin' Ground' is just so good! Bluesy, rocky and soulful the song is addictive, simple as that.


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Shriekback - And The Rain.

Background - Seminal British alternative rock outfit Shriekback has announced they will release their fourteenth album ‘Why Anything? Why This?’ on May 25. As a teaser, they are previewingthe first single ‘And The Rain’, along with a darkly intriguing video filmed by Howard Davidson (a.k.a. Hodah).

Shriekback was formed in 1980 by ex-XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews and bassist Dave Allen on his departure from Gang Of Four, in collaboration with guitarist Carl Marsh from Out On Blue Six. Under the auspices of the visionary Y Records label (home to The Slits, The Pop Group and Pigbag), the group found their voice experimenting in EMI Music’s KPM demo studio in London, refining a uniquely recognizable sound in 1982 on their first full-length album ‘Care’ and eventually achieving wider recognition with the singles ‘Lined Up’ and ‘My Spine (Is The Bassline)’. In 1983, they were joined by drummer Martyn Barker (King Swamp, Billy Bragg).

A move to a major label, Arista, allowed the band to fully realize their sound on ‘Oil & Gold’(1985), a milestone album that remains the band’s best-known (helped by the success of the single ‘Nemesis’) and the foundation of their popularity on the US college circuit and elsewhere.

‘And The Rain’ is dark and infectious, conjuring up steamy, swampy, Southern Gothic blues. This 14th studio album, which boasts a wide, organic and detailed sound, is already being described by early listeners as their best since the landmark album ‘Oil & Gold’. The sound is dense, woody and fibrous. Here we find evolved Bo Diddley beats and African blues”. However you describe it, this is Shriekback refocused, reinvented and reinvigorated.

Band members have also pushed themselves musically and sonically – Barry contributes a lot of guitar, Carl has essayed some slide guitar and keyboards and Martyn has brought in a whole arsenal of world percussion alongside his drumkit. Regular Shriekback listeners will hear more guitars and live drums and fewer loops and electronics. The sonic palette is very broad.

New collaborator Scott Firth (of P.i.L) adds irrefutable bass to selected tracks, while Shriekback regulars Wendy and Sarah Partridge contribute their ever-invaluable backing vocals. Live drums were recorded by Ian Caple (who’s been with Shriekback since the beginning) at Yellow Fish in Lewes and Christoph Skirl at Echo Zoo in Eastbourne. The album was mixed and mastered by Stuart Rowe in The Lighterthief Bunker, Swindon – his fifth Shriekback album in this role, an indication of the value placed on his objective ear and technical skill. WEBSITE.

The second of ten tracks on the forthcoming album is 'And The Rain' a song that typifies the sheer quality to be found across the collection. Shriekback explore differing directions always with fabulous vocals and a musical set up that is sublime. Rock & Roll lovers from all points on the musical compass should give the album a listen, it's a goldmine of musical treasures from a band whose music has matured into something quite epic!


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The Goon Sax - She Knows.

Background - Freshly signed to Wichita Recordings, Australian teen trio The Goon Sax announce a brand new album, We're Not Talking, due out on 14 September worldwide. They will be heading to Europe for shows at the end of May supporting Frankie Cosmos, including a date at Gorilla in Manchester on 28 May as well as their own headline show at London’s Sebright Arms on 29 May, before heading off for their first US tour in June.

They share the first single, “She Knows”, which marries sublime indiepop with frenetic, scratchy post-punk. The song is full of surprising angles and jagged sounds to create a perfectly awkward pop gem.

Taking the lead on this track is James Harrison, who explains further: "She Knows has become a very fast song, which took us a lot of practice to be able to finally hit and strum our instruments fast enough, with a lot of string breaking. I hope it makes people energetic and excited to listen to, it’s a song about losing hope, stubbornness and heartache. I’m not sure if it’s our saddest song, but maybe if you lock yourself in your room for a couple of days and only listen to it you might not feel so happy, it is also okay if you feel happy to this song! Even better!!!"

The Goon Sax are James Harrison, Louis Forster and Riley Jones from Brisbane, Australia. Still in high school when they made their first album Up To Anything in 2016, their brand of awkwardly transcendent teenage guitar pop took them into end of year lists for BBC 6Music, Billboard and Rough Trade, and earned them raves from the Guardian, Pitchfork, Spin, Uncut, Rolling Stone and elsewhere. According to Metacritic, Up To Anything was the 8th best-reviewed debut album anywhere in the world in 2016.

The Goon Sax toured UK and Europe twice on that record, played shows with Whitney, US Girls, Twerps and Teenage Fanclub, graduated school, and then turned their focus to album number two. They flew to Melbourne to record with James Cecil and Cameron Bird, respectively former/current members of Architecture In Helsinki. TWITTER.

Fresh, catchy and unpretentious 'She Knows' is a feisty indie pop/rock song that delights. The vocals and harmonies are backed by some simple yet energised rhythmic music & combined the hooks just dig right in.


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