MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Introducing Disappearers

Disappearers are a new band from London who are almost completely shrouded in mystery. You cannot currently download or purchase any of their music, and although they have an album in development, the only way to access their tracks at present is via streaming on SoundCloud. There are no pictures available of the band online, so their set up is almost a complete mystery. Their website continues this elusive trend, containing an interesting selection of artwork and concepts, with band information only interspersed sporadically throughout the collection of pictures.


In spite of all this mystery, Disappearers are starting to gain a degree of notoriety, especially through their recent press as one of the NME’s 50 new artists to watch in 2011. They have performed a smattering of gigs between bouts of recording at very hip London venues such as The Victory, The Lexington and The Old Blue Last. With such cool ambiguity one might expect Disappearers music to be equally inaccessible. I personally was expecting a loosely connected soundscape of lo-fi experimentation, but actually Disappearers work is fairly traditional. Instrumentation contains typical staples such as drums, guitar, bass and piano, and tracks are cut to a completely accessible maximum length of four minutes.


Disappearers music also has a fairly commercial production style, with vocals placed high in the track mixes, without too much obtrusive effects. This music is not simple or facile, however – Disappearers’ music uses some interesting techniques and timbres, clearly created by clever and agile minds. Lyrics are curious and intelligent, and are conveyed through amiable, sedate vocals with a pleasing, measured tone and slightly raspy timbre. The vocals are in fact a highlight of Disappearers’ work, full as they are with attractive male/female harmonies, coupled with a general, pleasant, whimsical edge.


Disappearers’ music is a little bit indie and a little pop, with some healthy lashings of folk, rock and alternative. It is a bit striped down and a bit calm and collected, but intriguingly so. However, these guys do not really fit directly into any one genre, and without any blatantly audible influences, they are creating some mildly innovative, enjoyable, upbeat and interesting music which has a pleasant degree of nonchalant character.


See this at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/the-next-best-thing/introducing-disappearers/

GOD IS IN THE TV POST (EP Review): Chad Valley - Equatorial Ultravox

Equatorial Ultravox is the debut EP from Chad Valley, the much hyped, burgeoning chill-wave artist from Oxford. Chad Valley, real name Hugo Manuel, is a key figure within the Oxford music scene, and is part of the notable Oxford music collective Blessing Force, which also contains key alt-indie acts such as Fixers and Trophy Wife. Describing themselves as “a community of musicians, artists & writers”, Blessing Force is currently pumping out a variety of clever, subtle and curious music, and Chad Valley is no exception. Bordering on innovative, Equatorial Ultravox has a strong vibe of experimentation and sonic alchemy, and demonstrates genuine new developments in the chillwave genre.

Initial impressions of Chad Valley’s work with Equatorial Ultravox are typical of the genre. There are the vague conceptual rather than artist-based influences cited, such as the beach, pool parties, swaying and sunsets. Instrumentation, whilst very interesting, is also perhaps typical of the genre. There are numerous, but unobtrusive, delicately balanced synth timbres, polyrhythmic drum machine fills, various percussion samples and numerous effects, from bit-crushing to flange, oscillations to overdubs. The production of the EP is also fairly atypical, with layered vocals parts, a general wash of synth sounds, and the rhythm section placing low in the mix.

There is however a notable air of consideration throughout the EP that makes Chad Valley’s work more remarkable. When listening to Equatorial Ultravox, one feels that there is a deep and concentrated interest on Chad Valley’s behalf of the specific dynamics of the music. The balance of the stereo fields, the depth and impact of each sound, its decay and reverberation all feels contemplated. Each song feels like a studied, assessed, tweaked and re-tweaked sound collage.

This EP also has a number of tracks that have a punchier, more upbeat vibe than what is typical of the chillwave genre. To me, these more buoyant songs actually work better than the more typical chillwave fare as they have a more innovative concept base, where rich soundscapes and dense washes of sound meet a more dance inspired vibe. Tracks such as ‘Fast Challenges’ have a brighter, more effervescent feel, with peppy drum sounds and crystallized synth timbres obviously reminiscent of 80s dance-pop circa Like a Virgin era Madonna. Tracks like ‘Fast Challenges’ and ‘Now That I’m Real (How Does it Feel)’, whilst clearly remaining within the chillwave confines, are pushing the genre and expanding its horizons. They are more multifaceted, fitting well into an alt-indie context, but also have elements of dance and pop music in catchier moments.

Whilst Chad Valley’s excellent recent press is demonstrative of his audible talents, perhaps it is also related to the chillwave genre finally filtering down and making sense to more mainstream audiences through his work. There is a definite commerciality to Equatorial Ultravox – it is just about catchy and accessible with some nice hooks, and is certainly less of an overwhelming cacophony of ideas, styles, timbres and samples, as much other chillwave music can be. Perhaps with Chad Valley we could have the first UK based successful chillwave act to crossover into significant mainstream popularity.

See this post at GIITTV at http://godisinthetvzine.co.uk/index.php/2011/06/29/chad-valley-equatorial-ultravox-loose-lips/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist for the Week - Glastonbury

With this year’s Glastonbury Festival looming imminently, we at HCE though it would be fitting to focus this week’s playlist around great acts that will be playing at this year’s festival. Acts included are a mixture of artists, from ones we anticipate will provide an excellent performance, to ones we know have been fantastic live in the past. Some are more obvious selections of the festival’s artists, but we have also included other less known, or lesser-hyped artists that are definitely worth checking out, whether you are lucky enough to be at the festival, or watching it on the red button.

Darwin Deez – “Radar Detector”
An odd looking chap he may be, but Darwin Deez is a quietly charismatic performer, with wonderfully, calmly upbeat songs. “Radar Detector” is perfect for a summer festival, with its spangly guitar riffs laden with up-strokes, cute but not overly romantic lyrics and a generally positive disposition. It should definitely get the audience boogying away.

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector by LuckyNumberMusic

Gruff Rhys – “Shark Ridden Waters”
Gruff Rhys is somewhat of an unsung hero of the new-folk scene. He has received significantly less press than contemporaries such as Mumford and Sons, but to my mind has just as much talent and a fair degree more intrigue, with interesting and clever lyrical concepts and a quaintly arresting guitar accompaniment. Make sure you catch him if you can.

Gruff Rhys - Shark Ridden Waters by CulturedeluxeDotCom

Jimmy Eat World – “A Praise Chorus”
Jimmy Eat World always put on a good show, with their idiosyncratic style of intelligent pop-punk. “A Praise Chorus” is a typical track of theirs – punchy, swift, with great guitar riffs, diverse vocals and proactive lyrics.



Caribou – “Odessa”
HCE saw Caribou perform at last year’s Offset Festival and he was fantastic. Surrounded by a collective of talented musicians, he created a wash of mellow, intriguing and satisfying sounds, full of interesting timbres and subtle hooks. I am sure Caribou’s Glastonbury performance will be no different.

Caribou - Odessa by hollyfruits

Janelle Monae/Big Boi - “Tightrope”
Monae and Big Boi are actually playing consecutive solo slots on the West Holts stage on Saturday night, but as they are such good friends, and prolific musical collaborators, I am sure they will guest in each other’s sets. The performance of “Tightrope” is sure to unite this pair of R&B’s most talented and innovative performers.

Janelle Monae - Tightrope by Arwind

Beyonce – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Yet again there has been the habitual bitching from rockist camp over Glastonbury allowing a pop/R&B/rap artist to headline at the festival. This is to my mind a tired and staid argument – Glastonbury is about all music, not just rock and indie, and Beyonce will undoubtedly provide us with a fantastic performance. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” will be a fantastic highlight of her performance - perhaps even of the whole festival.



Barenaked Ladies – “Be My Yoko Ono”
Barenaked Ladies make music that everyone can enjoy. “You Can Be My Yoko Ono” is a perfect example of their work: its heartfelt, but not earnest, fun and romantic, with an upbeat ska-cum-country vibe that is sure to uplift a potentially very wet Glastonbury Friday. I just hope they play the Big Bang Theory theme tune…

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Preview of Secret Garden Party Festival

The Secret Garden Party is an independent arts and music festival which is now in its eighth year, set amongst the grounds of a Georgian farm house, with its own lake, river and landscape gardens. This is one of a special new breed of festivals; one that connects many varied creative disciplines and develops the aura of a kind of temporary community for a few short days. The theme of this year’s festival is “Origins and Frontiers”, and there are lots of exciting, quirky activities to get involved in, from tree houses, massages, fine dining and bespoke shopping to cocktails bars and ale tents. There is even a cross festival train service! Secret Garden Party is also a genuinely independent festival – they have no sponsorship or any corporate partners.

Music is also very important to the Secret Garden Party. The festival has 15 stages, most of which are tent stages with marvellously idiosyncratic names such as “The Living Room” and “Where the Wild Things Are”. The music is an electric mix, mostly made up of independent and new bands, although there is still space for many established acts such as Chew Lips, The Guillemots, The Mystery Jets, Peter, Bjorn and John, The Pierces and Blondie. There are also open mic stages and a barefoot disco.

This year’s Secret Garden Party is being held near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire from Thursday 21^stth July. Unfortunately weekend tickets are sold out, but some are still available as part of their boutique camping package. This is a child and dog friendly festival, although under 17s must be accompanied by an adult aged 21+. – Sunday 24

See this at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/focus-on-festivals/secret-garden-party/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - Duos

Duos are a very enigmatic and curious band set-up. Whatever the gender arrangement within the duo might be, to me there has always been an intriguing dynamic within the relationship and music of two people writing and performing together, often within very close intellectual and physical conditions. There is an assumed depth of understanding and intimacy, even an emotional idyll placed onto the duo concept, between two individuals who can work collectively to create beautiful songs, unlike bands where there is often a consent fight for supremacy. There is also of course an additional appreciation of musical diversity that duos have, in that usually both members of musical duos are multi-instrumentalists, and their live performances can often require a huge degree of intellectual and logistical chorography. Duos are very hip at the moment. There are a lot of duos gaining popularity, especially within the alt-indie scene, some of which are listed below. I have also thrown a couple of staple duos from music past; just to add a slice of intrigue to your weekly dose of HCE playlist action.

Tennis – “Marathon”
Gorgeous husband and wife duo Tennis have with “Marathon” created a quietly upbeat track, full of tight little references to American popular music cultures of yore. It ticks all the hip alternative boxes - girl vocals, lo-fi elements, striped down production etc., but it also retains a quirky, retro feel. They have a new album out imminently.

Tennis - Marathon by Vicente P

Peter Wolf Crier – “Crutch & Cane”
All-English, all-male duo Peter Wolf Crier fall into the new Mumford/Marling school of roughly produced, bittersweet anti-folk. For me though Peter Wolf Crier have a certain je ne sais quoi; an indiscernible difference in their disposition and musical delivery that put them at the pinnacle of the new British folk scene. “Crutch & Cane” is my favourite song of theirs, with beautifully harmonic melodies in the chorus especially.

Peter Wolf Crier - Crutch & Cane by The Drift Record Shop

Oh My! – “Run This Town”
This very young, new girly duo are on the cusp of fame and fortune. They are very much a pop band, but they have an edge and an attitude that proliferates the music much like girl bands that existed before the likes of The Saturdays and Girls Aloud. With hints of 80s hip hop and early 90s electro pop, they are a lot more interesting than the usual.

OH MY! Run This Town by OhMyOfficial

The White Stripes – “300 M.P.H. Outpour Blues”
Any excuse to throw in The White Stripes. This is my favourite White Stripes song, from my favourite album. Yes, Jack was the major creative force behind this duo, but in my opinion he has not churned out any work through his other projects that even approach the glories of this album. Meg must have been doing something right.

The White Stripes - 300 M.P.H. Toorrential Outpour Blues by sound is vibration

Outkast – “Ms Jackson”
I laboured hugely over which Outkast track to pick here – they have created so much fantastic music over the years. Ultimately I had to go for an song off the masterpiece that was Stankonia, and although it is an obvious choice, “Ms Jackson” is a classic for a reason.



Slow Club – “It Doesn’t Have to be Beautiful”
Even if you are not knowingly familiar with Slow Club, chances are you have probably been exposed to their unembellished brand of simple folk rock before, as it has been used in TV advertising. There is something lovely, youthful and infectious about this track; it may be rather fatalistic in its lyrical subject matter, but its effervescent positivity is wonderfully enjoyable.



Summer Camp – “Round the Moon”
Summer Camp are a band that continue to be shrouded in mystery. Little is known about them, apart from that they are a male/female duo from London. They make interesting C-86 meets Californian synth pop, nodding significantly to chill-wave along the way. This is a lovely single of theirs from last year, with an eerily bewitching synth lead and touching vocals.

Summer Camp - Round The Moon by blckdmnds3

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (ALBUM REVIEW): The Computers - This is The Computers

Recently The Computers released their first full-length album on One Little Indian Records. An Exeter band with an American sound, the group recorded This is The Computers live in San Diego, directly on to tape, with no over-dubs and no computers used throughout the entire recording process. They have made a point in professing that the album has had no tweaks, corrections or autotuning, which to me reeks of purposeful concept-album pretensions masquerading as “rawness” and “grit”. I was therefore fairly apprehensive of this record’s quality, and was uncertain of how exactly their self-determined style of garage-soul-punk would manifest.

I was however pleasantly surprised with what is actually a very cohesive album, with tight and accomplished performances full of a palpable and infectious energy. This is music that has an immediacy; it is aggressive, but not angry; punky, but not simple; blues inspired, but not boring. Tracks are quick tirades of hardcore inspired pungency, and the album crashes by in less than 25 minutes, leaving you thoroughly exhilarated at the end of their rapid eleven song stint.

The most predominant element of the entire album is the lead vocals, which are made up of raspy vocal shredding, which lends the album the vast majority of its belligerent vibe. These vocals are very much inspired by American hardcore/post-hardcore punk vocal styles, similar to the likes of Fugazi, Rights of Spring and Black Flag, although the general sound of the album draws from a far more varied palette than hardcore punk. Whilst every track on the album is saturated with screaming vocals and thick, heavy guitars, certain tracks have other influences, such as Rhythm Revue, which exhibits a-typical 12-bar blues, and Blood is Thicker has a strong indie-pop guitars sound similar to that of The Womabts.

The mixture of various guitar music styles with a continues hardcore vocal somehow works, creating a new genre of hardcore punk & roll. It is clearly an album of influences however, and is retrospective even to the depth of tiny details, such as the creation date of the track audio files being dated at 29/11/1979. There is a degree of pretension in this respect, and This is The Computers difficult to digest without a degree of cynicism. At times it feels like they are trying too hard to allude themselves to a lost golden age of music.

See this at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/the-computers-%E2%80%93-this-is-the-computers/

HERE COME EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week – Good Stuff Released 6th June 2011

Cults – “Abducted”
There may be a time when we are all sick of talking about Cults, but that day is a long way off yet. Cults are a fantastically innovative young couple from the US who have only been making music for year. A bloody year! This single is a perfect example of their interesting, outrageously developed sound. It’s almost familiar with its dream-pop vibes, but it is subtler in its intelligent timbres and samples, and more guitar driven, with less overpowering synths than most US indie of late. This track has hints of Best Coast, and a California pop in general, but with a cooler, sedate edge, less sun-kissed with older bones.

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Emmy the Great – “Iris”
Emmy the Great’s singles are always interesting affairs. She is a very talented musician, with an agile and curious mind, which is clearly a hot bed of creativity. This is a quirky, subtle track, which demonstrates these qualities well. There is an endearing and familiar set of influences and chord progressions, with Emmy’s lovely, rounded vocal style. Very enjoyable.

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See this at HCE at http://t.co/G453Chr