Gideon's Army - King Of The League (Album)

Gideon's Army - Don't Mind.

Background bio - Formed at the nexus of New York and New Jersey, Gideon’s Army is a Classic American rock band. They combine the heartfelt storytelling of R&B, folk, soul, and country, with the foot-tapping and heart-pounding uplift of Rock and Roll. On their debut LP Burn for the Living, Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Robert Bray weaves stories of adventure, love, heart-ache, desperation, defiance, redemption, rebellion, and longing.

Gideon’s Army was founded by singer/songwriter/guitarist Robert Bray. Born in New York City to an Irish Catholic father and a Jewish mother, Robert grew up predominately with his mom in Tenafly, New Jersey, spending weekends and holidays with his father in Queens, NY. Robert’s first musical experiences were playing the violin for the Stillman elementary school orchestra and town-select Super Orchestra. He picked up a guitar for the first time in the 7th grade, at 12, but his youth was spent devoted primarily to athletics. Competing in baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, and track and field, Robert eventually accepted a scholarship to play baseball for Division II Eckerd College in Florida’s Sunshine State Conference. 

It was at Eckerd that Robert took his first acting class and began a torrid and on-going relationship with the performing arts. Robert left Eckerd in the middle of his junior year to move to NYC to pursue a career as an actor. He graduated from the prestigious Actor’s Center Professional Conservatory and spent several years working in film and in NYC’s downtown theatre scene. It was during this time that he picked up the guitar again and began to build skill and get creative with the instrument. At a certain point in his development, songs started to come at a furious pace and Robert knew that he had found his life’s calling. 

Drawing his lyrical inspiration from his life and surroundings, Robert’s musical inspirations are as varied as his life’s experiences. He has a special affinity for classic rock, modern alternative and hard rock, contemporary country, soul, blues, and R&B. In October 2014 he released his first full-length album entitled Burn for the Living, written entirely, music and lyrics, by Robert Bray, and recorded entirely in Woodmere, NY with producer Steven Wise. Gideon’s Army recently completed their follow-up album King of the League at Virtue and Vice studios in Brooklyn, NY with producer/engineer Anthony “Rocky” Gallo (Bon Jovi, Norah Jones, John Legend, Cat Power, Gavin Degraw, Perry Farrell, Warren Haynes, Travis Barker, Common…)

OK so the featured song and the album have been around for a few month's however I did not want the album 'King of the League' to slip off the radar without giving it a mention. 'Don't Mind' was the first single and one of twelve good old rock'n'roll tracks on the album. Songs drift across a number of genres, some reminiscent of an early Bruce Springsteen, other steeped in southern rock vibes, and even a more modern and fresh indie rock feel. Robert Bray has a natural rock singers voice, he can hit the right notes, come across mean and gritty and on the song 'Valentina' there is even a slight hint of Morrissey. All in all this is one solid album with a good number of stand out tracks. Rock music fans would do well to spend a little while checking Gideon's Army out. 
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Monday Double Play: Honeymilk - Vogue Dots

Honeymilk - Time Will Kill You.

Background words - Honeymilk, based in Stockholm, Sweden, is seven years of friendship originating from episodes of police dogs, speakeasies in scout cabins, a spontaneous boat ride to Gotland, stolen exes and vandalized scaffolds - and music as the only life support. Thats why it comes so natural that the band Honeymilk is no more, to instead turn into a duo. Not like Bobbysocks or Japandroid, but more like Milli Vanilli or Foxygen.

The new era in Marcus, Nikkis and Honeymilk's lives starts with three new singles. The songs are written, grown and recorded by Marcus and Nikki themselves, with help from a group of blumbers and friends. The first track to be released is "Time Will Kill You", out now!

Honeymilk previously released an album and an EP being hailed by Q Magazine and Music Week among others, and already done several UK-tours. The latest single was a duet with De Montevert, produced by Mats Björke (Mando Diao). 

'Time Will Kill You' is my personal introduction to Honeymilk and it's a good one, despite me being rather late to the party. The guitar alone hooked me in & everything else is just so cool and re-playable.

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Vogue Dots - If You Stay.

Background info - Vogue Dots is a collaboration between producers Babette Hayward and Tynan Dunfield. Formed in the nadir of winter, their songs juxtapose pastoral sensibilities with busy, precise pop.

Producing electronic fixations with surrealistic edges, the result of Vogue Dots’ dynamic is nocturnal; filled with swooning emotion and throbbing with meticulous layers of dark, beautiful noise. Their music is a controlled catharsis - melancholic melody contradicted by glossily sunny tones.

The experimental-pop duo, create dreamy melodies which have been compared to MS MR, Beach House and Purity Ring.

'If You Stay' is one of three well crafted and contrasting tracks on the current EP. It's an assortment of dreamy and synth orientated music, with seductive vocals that glide soothingly above the soundtracks. The comparisons above are merited, as is the description of their music.

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Quality Not Quantity: Lawrence Arabia - The Talentless - Scarlett Saunders

Lawrence Arabia - Another Century.

Background promo - Absolute Truth, the long-awaited album from New Zealand-based chanteur Lawrence Arabia, is set to be unveiled come July. The second single ‘Another Century’ follows on from Absolute Truth’s sublime first output, ‘A Lake’. Engineered and co-produced by Mike Fabulous in the Hutt Valley amidst the album’s recording under plastic moulding factory Gyro Plastics, ‘Another Century’ is a contemporary love story like only Mr. Arabia can deliver.

Akin to the quirky epic love poems Lawrence mastered on Chant Darling, the song pairs a knowing nostalgia with a ripe sexual tension to dramatic effect. A shuffling disco beat ushering soaring strings lures the listener in like an expert fisherman before Larry even drops his first line. Always one to cast the mundane in a new light, the song’s opening hints at a crisis of global warming (“It's impolite to say this is the best summer ever/ Especially not in the presence of farmers/ Who're living through disaster”).

‘Another Century’s’ backstory looms large with contemporary anxiety before zooming into sweetly proposing a new era for lovers alone: “...these sun-kissed loves / So doomed and so fragile…  why should we now end this? Just cos the sun's going down/ Just cos the air's getting cooler / I think we're going to be another century.” Mastered by Mike Gibson, featuring Alistair Deverick (Boycrush) on drums and violinists Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper and Jess Hindin, ‘Another Century’ is both sardonic and sentimental, clever and charming, and sure to elate thoughtful feelers and feeling thinkers alike.

Lawrence Arabia’s album Absolute Truth is due for release on Flying Nun on 8 July 2016. Pre-orders are available via Flying Out.

If my memory is correct we featured Lawrence Arabia a few years back. Anyhow as soon as his name appeared on my inbox I was keen to listen, and as it turns out, rightly so. 'Another Century' suggests we are in for a good album next month, beautifully produced both vocals and music complement each other, in what is a pleasing upbeat song.

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The Talentless - Mr. Losemore.

Background promo - The Talentless is a Melbourne based music project started and lead by Rob Bennett. After years of writing and playing in and around the nooks and crannies of Melbourne’s live music scene, Rob decided it was time to draw the line. He decided it was time to dive deep back into the hibernation of his writers cave, otherwise know as his garage.

Rob created an array of songs that have mingled flavours of Alternative Rock with sprinkles of Pop. Recorded by Arik Blum and mixed by renowned engineer Scott Horscroft (from EMI and The Grove), the songs range from moody ballads with theatrical piano lines, to intricate guitar rockers driven by an often pulsing rhythm section.

Rob began looking for musicians to transform the studio recordings back into a live soundscape. To do so, Rob enlisted Drummer Evan Lineham, Bassist Dave Seedsman and guitarist Chris Kenworthy. This project would come to be know as The Talentless. The first single from the forthcoming album is “Mr Losemore”, a song that lyrically is a very real story of a man named Andy Losemore that Rob cared for during a three year stint doing disability care work.

“The song in a way is tribute to Andy... a man that was a past alcoholic, ex-drug dealer/bikie, who late one night in Richmond in the late 70’s stumbled out of a bar stoned and drunk into oncoming traffic. This tragic incident shaped the rest of his life, however, despite been crippled for life both mentally and physically, it was the constantly joyful person that he somehow managed to continue to be, that inspired the song. It was his amazing ability to simply keep smiling, which made me put pen to paper,” says Rob on the creation of the track.

But why the band name “The Talentless”? - The answer: “Simple, we don’t believe in talent...what we do believe in, is hard work and hours and hours spent practicing and honing your craft, whatever that may be...but ‘Talent’, well thats a word we feel is thrown around by people who admire someone for what they do but have never been willing to take the massive action, often over a long period of time, to develop that skill within themselves. We're not gifted or special, we just work our butts off because we love making music!” 

'Mr Losemore' tells a bitter sweet story, and is a gorgeous song. Having taken on board the bands view on what talent may (or may not be), let's say that it is clear they have worked hard and sharpened their skills, it's another must hear again song.

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Scarlett Saunders - Windmill.

Background bio - Creative polymath Scarlett Saunders is an old school artist. Kickstarting her days by painting on foraged wood, she then makes her way to acting school for a twelve hour stretch before going home and working late into the night by channelling her remaining creative energy into wonderfully poetic pop music. For Scarlett, all mediums of creativity reflexively bleed into her work. 

Music is one of several mediums open to her, all of which are tended and watered with equal dedication. Her fixation with art stems not from any ego-flattering preoccupation with being an artiste or celebrity. She entertains no highfalutin dreams of top 40 stardom. Instead it stems from something much purer; a driving need to express herself purely to entertain and enrich her life. Growing up in a house where her mother didn’t believe in TV or games as a form of entertainment, she would sing or read to occupy herself. The result, as manifested in her music, is a close emotional connection to her subject matter. Music and lyricism are as natural to her as eating or breathing. On her debut EP ‘Blue Again’ she goes some way to prove that, producing four graceful and lyrical compositions that explore human relationships and remembrances. With writing as concise and direct as hers, all the world will surely be her stage.

About Blue Again - Poignancy simmers beneath ‘Blue Again’, the new EP by Felixstowe (England) artist Scarlett Saunders. On the one hand it’s a pop record - the immediacy of the music makes this much obvious. On the other, it’s something literary and harder to define; a probing exploration of love lost and time passing. It’s a record that is just as much at home in a casual pop lover’s library as it is in the most zealous followers of leftfield music. 

'Windmill' is one of four delightful and individually distinctive songs on the new EP. The gentle, understated music allows Scarlett to demonstrate her fine vocals to the full. It's hard to pigeonhole her music, whatever the definition, this is one very good set of songs.

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Saturday &: Shapes On Tape - Otto Niklasson Elmerås - Night Lights

Shapes On Tape - Personal Enemy #1

Background promo - Shapes on Tape's latest release is a tongue-in-cheek exploration of the merit, or lack thereof, of the quite possibly the most insufferable lawyer in all of New York City. Over a bouncing baseline and neon synths, the duo expounds on the extraordinary suckitude of this profoundly hateful individual. The track is synthy dance rock with a dark edge.

Said the band: "The practice of law can be profoundly frustrating and has required me at times to say things like 'This is the kind of dumb ass pissing contest that makes the practise of law so unpleasant so often. You know that, right,' or 'I have no interest in hackneyed lawyer games. Life is far too short for me to engage in such trivialities. I cordially invite to you refrain from them and I will return the favour.' Sometimes, though, a person--a particular guy in this instance--is just so unpleasant, so incapable of professional courtesy, so inexplicably (and ironically) insulting, that the only way to really show him is by retreating to your bedroom and telling him what's up in the form of song. Yeah, I really showed him. ;) So, yeah, this song is just a very short lived and perhaps just a little bit petty and most certainly very hyperbolic rage fit. But it sure made me feel better at the time."

We featured Shapes On Tapes back in February, and the new song 'Personal Enemy Number 1' is already proving popular judging by the number of listens already. It's another bubbly synth laden song with hooks galore and words that helped their writer get something out of their system.

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Otto Niklasson Elmerås - We Fell Asleep When We Were Young.

Background words - Otto Niklasson Elmerås has been working on his debut EP for 3 years, while promising himself he would finish this project no matter how many times doubt would hit him along the way.

And now we’re finally facing it – four tracks liken a patchwork of the past 10 years of Otto’s life. The songs reflect life itself, pending between depressingly hopeless and euphorically hopefull with a soft soundscape filled with finesse, unique for 2016. From the initial, heavy ”We Fell Asleep When We We’re Young” via the break up in ”Johanna” to the deeply apocalyptic ”When You Drown”.

Otto tells us: ”This song is based on an idea I had of the brain slowing down the perception of time to a level where time appears to cease, while it exhausts its last endorphines in an eternal rush. 

'We Fell Asleep When We Were Young' is a touching song, and one of four really good pieces on the debut EP. It's indicative of how rich and personal all the songs are and how finely developed the soundtracks are.


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Night Lights - Expectations.

Bacvkground promo - Night Lights will be releasing their upcoming EP, Expectations, in June 2016. With members from Mexico, Japan, California, and Norway, Night Lights brings together an eclectic assortment of indie, rock, and soul influenced sounds effortlessly moving the listener in a different state of mind. Like an upbeat lovechild of Coldplay and Keane.

Night Lights is a mixture of "hooky melodies, danceable tunes and intriguing harmonic progressions. With releases like "Childish" and "Gimme," the band has garnered praise from L.A. Weekly to taste makers like Indie Shuffle and Earmilk, and their debut EP, Expectations, prepares to showcase Night Lights own unique styling of indie rock.

The title track 'Expectations' is pretty indicative of what's in store on the six track EP. Musically upbeat and somewhere between power pop and indie rock, the band delivers a tight performance, along with some very catchy songs.

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Genre Wander: The Blackheart Orchestra - BKBirge - George Sarah - Staycations - The Medicine Hat

The Blackheart Orchestra - Keep The Light In.

Background promo - Manchester based singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist duo The Blackheart Orchestra bring a heavenly fusion of acoustic folk, progressive pop and modern classical composition with new single “Keep The light In” released Friday 24th June.

Minimalist and fragile, “Keep The Light In” weaves melodies and atmospherics to create an ethereal musical landscape drawing comparisons with the likes of The Cure and London Grammar while Chrissy Mostyn’s captivating vocals soar, reminiscent of Kate Bush. Combining ancient synthesisers and modern songwriting, The Blackheart Orchestra create an enchanting masterpiece leaving the listener with no choice but to cling on to every note through to the track’s rich and rewardingly layered climactic end.

Often mistaken for an 8-piece band on first listen, The Blackheart Orchestra can be found on stage with a multitude of instruments ranging from guitars, piano and electronic beats to vintage synthesisers, omnichord, and flugelhorn. Comprising of long term collaborators Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington, the duo have seen their 3 previous albums, extensive touring across the UK, Europe and Australia and playing close to 1000 shows amass a large and loyal following ahead of their forth album to be released later this year.

11/06    Hartlebury     Hall
18/06    Colmworh     St Denys Church
25/06    Nantwich     Worleston Hall
13/08    Ravenglass     Muncaster Hall

'Keep The Light In' from The Blackheart Orchestra (Chrissy Mostyn and Richard Pilkington) sees the duo presenting a lighter and quite minimalist song. Melodic and with the vocals well up in the mix, it's a very pleasing song.

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BKBirge - Imagination Town.

Background promo - bkbirge is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience behind and in front of the glass. He has written hundreds of songs, produced for dozens of artists, and performed as a solo artist on several records. He brings an encyclopedic knowledge of musical style to every project while adhering to the “if it sounds good it is good” philosophy of production.

His solo albums “Down The Hole” (2014) and "Imagination Town" (2016) have been released by Nub Country records distributed by The Orchard. They have elements of psychedelia, funk, jazz, and rock; for fans of Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, Ian Drury, XTC, Bootsy Collins, The Tubes, The Cars, Mike Oldfield, Vangelis, Roxy Music, John Hyatt, Steve Earle, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Meters, Gang of Four, Dwight Yoakam, The Cramps, Bill Laswell, Stump, and Booker T.

As a bass and keyboard player as well as writer he has worked with the influential art rock psychedelic groups the Sealers and the Ex-Sealers. The Sealers single “Wombat Rhythms” was picked for inclusion into the weird-out album “Topped With Fudge” (VA). His brush with greatness came when Frank Zappa heard a Sealers album given to him by his daughter Moon and called up the guitar player to say what a cool record it was. The guitar player thought he was being pranked and told Frank to eff off. He has also worked with Pat Boone and was once uncomfortably touched by Jerry Falwell.

Engineering and production credits include Iggy Pop, North Carolina State Symphony, underground punk pioneers Sloppy Seconds, Grammy winning gospel artist Sandy Patti, Royce Campbell (longtime guitarist for Henry Mancini), upright bass virtuoso Ratzo Harris, and Latin Grammy nominee guitarist Juan Manuel.

I was not sure which song to feature from the album Imagination Town, so I took the easy way out and went with the title track. The album takes the listener in a variety of directions and musical styles, sometimes quite off the wall, but always interesting and sometimes quite stunning.

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George Sarah - Min and Elsa.

Background promo - George Sarah's new 3-track EP takes the electronic composer in a more mellow West Coast chillwave sound, with three instrumental tracks that are much more dance floor-friendly and optimistic than the at-times harsh onslaught of his previous release Timelapse. Gentle beats, arpeggiated synths, sweeping pads, and piano make for a lovely experience on the title track “Min and Elsa,” while “Reverence and Unknowing” references a bit of Sarah’s dark industrial past. Side two’s extended 11min. track “Forgotten Animals” has a driving, minimal feel evoking early 80’s electronic music.

Electronic composer and multi-instrumentalist George Sarah has been a mainstay on the Los Angeles music scene since 1985. He has achieved critical acclaim for his unique brand of electronic chamber music. Sarah performs his original compositions from a bank of synthesisers and drum machines alongside a trio of live strings, bridging the normally discrete musical worlds of electronic and classical

George Sarah has scored 28 episodes for the Discovery network. In Aug 2008 he composed music for the ceremonies at the 2008 summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. His songs have been featured on the hit CBS shows "CSI", CSI NY, Paul Haggis’s Family Law, the Oprah Winfrey show, HBO’s “Addiction” "History Detectives" on PBS, Chris Rock's "Everybody hates Chris" ‘Everwood’ on WB, scored 1 episode for EWTN and performed his songs on the hit TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Three Episodes), and has had his music played on Buffy spin-off ‘Angel’ as well as in eight feature films and documentary’s including “Bra Boys” narrated by Russell Crowe and “On the line” featuring Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen. His songs have been licensed to many networks including Style, TLC, and Spike.

'Min And Elsa' is one of three good tracks on the new EP. It's a synth lovers dream, full of good west coast vibes and highly catchy melodies.

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Staycations - The Enemy.

Background promo - Having recently played alongside the likes of Lonely The Brave, High Tyde and playing sets at festivals such as Secret Garden Party and Rhythms of the World, Staycations new material is a statement of intent. Full of racing guitars and strong drumbeats reminiscent of LA-style surf pop, there are also influences of Peace, JAWS and Superfood to be heard here. Staycations music is familiar but it remains individual throughout thanks to the beguiling idiosyncratic vocals from frontman Lewis Hall and the satisfyingly off-kilter guitar riffs and intricate rhythms from the rest of the band.

Speaking about 'The Enemy' the band said: "The Enemy is an anti-love song. It’s about the feeling of an unrequited sense of admiration towards someone you really care about and who you’d do anything for but you know they wouldn’t in return. It’s kind of depressing the more we think about it."

With real heads for song craft on the bodies of such young musicians, their new single perfectly captures the spirit, zeal and electricity of what it is to be young and restless in 2016. As a taster of what’s yet to come ‘The Enemy’ is over before you know it, and is likely to leave listeners and their well-earned fans eager in anticipation for their next release. This is material is completely new territory for Staycations, and it’s one that is likely to please fans and newcomers alike.

'The Enemy' showcases the Staycations' in a very positive light. Hook laden alt or indie rock sounds, the vocals punch above a very tightly delivered soundtrack. It's one of those play it again songs, always a good sign.

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The Medicine Hat - New Survival.

Background promo - The Medicine Hat is a five-piece band from Hamilton, Ontario making experimental pop music. Front woman Nabi Sue Bersche's nimble, raw lyricism is illuminated by a voice like holy fire: blistering and purifying. Focused guitar work dances with the hypnotic timbres and soaring melodies of analog synthesisers.

Deft lines and dangerous grooves are intoned by a disciplined drum & bass combo. Chaos lurks beneath the surface of The Medicine Hat's tight motifs and rhythmic trances, erupting into moments of prophetic ecstasy. Their live performances are wild affairs. Brimstone at their heels, The Medicine Hat's contagious energy turns rooms into reveries.

The Medicine Hat has played festivals and dark rooms across Canada with innumerable class acts. They recently collaborated with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in an ambitious and innovative performance piece. The Medicine Hat will be debuting songs from their self-titled record in June of 2016.

It's always good to finish off a new music round up with something special and 'New Survival' does the job very well. There is a sense of restrained emotion in the vocals, whilst the music is melodic and so well delivered. More please!

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