Jesca Hoop - New Album Release:
Moodily melodic solo artist Jesca Hoop is set to return this year with her third album The House That Jack Built, due for release on her own label on June 25.
The House That Jack Built follows on from 2009’s critically- acclaimed album Hunting My Dress; an album which earned her high-profile fans including Peter Gabriel, Jools Holland and Elbow’s
Guy Garvey. Hoop’s new offering is set to offer the same haunting
intimacy as her previous work, complete with eerie soundscapes and
perspective-warping lyrics.
Jessie J - New Video:
Feisty popstar and The Voice coach Jessie J has unveiled the video to her new track ‘LaserLight’.
Taken from the Platinum Edition of her debut album Who You Are, ‘LaserLight’ is a electro-house ballad which perfectly exhibits Jessie’s powerhouse vocals. Featuring David Guetta,
the master of all things dance, this track is set to be the soundtrack
to club summer in 2012, and it now has a slick new video to match.
The single is set for release on May 13, via Island and Universal.
Marina and the Diamonds - Free Track:
Gorgeous songstress Marina And The Diamonds has released an acoustic rendition of her track ‘Homewrecker’.
Showcasing the singer’s accomplished vocal talents, ‘Homewrecker’ appears straight off Marina’s new album Electra Heart,
set for release on 679/Atlantic on April 30. Witty, eccentric and
ravishingly tongue-in-cheek, ‘Homewrecker’ focuses on identity, love and
doomed romance.
This distinguished acoustic version of the track is currently available for free download on Marina’s website.
Paloma Faith - New Video:
Quirky, uber-glam popstar Paloma Faith has released the video to her brand new single ‘Picking Up The Pieces’, scheduled for release on May 20.
This cinematic video, dripping with wealth and drama, is just what you
would expect from Ms Faith, with the visuals complementing her powerful
voice marvellously. This lead single precedes the release of her second
album Fall To Grace, out on May 28.
2:54 - New Video:
Grunge-punk duo 2:54 have offered up the video to their new single ‘You’re Early’.
This atmospheric video and adjoining single, out now on Fiction,
demonstrates the Thurlow sisters’ cool brand of desert rock perfectly.
The girls, fresh from their highly successful US tour, will now be
playing a couple of London shows at Rough Trade East on May 31 and Scala
on June 7, in support of their forthcoming self-titled debut LP,
released May 28. Tickets are on sale now.
See this at TGA at:
http://www.thegirlsare.com/2012/04/16/read-all-about-it-jesca-hoop/
http://www.thegirlsare.com/2012/04/16/video-jessie-j-5/
http://www.thegirlsare.com/2012/04/16/read-all-about-it-marina-and-the-diamonds-2/
http://www.thegirlsare.com/2012/04/23/video-paloma-faith/
http://www.thegirlsare.com/2012/04/24/video-254-2/
Monday, 30 April 2012
Monday, 23 April 2012
MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Record Store Day Piece
Arguably, Rough Trade East is not a truly independent music shop, as there is currently a sister site at Notting Hill and a third site rumoured to be opening in York in the summer. For me, however, Rough Trade East is the perfect music shop experience and the best indie record store bar none. This 5000 square foot haven of independent sounds has quite literally everything any music lover could ask for and more. The store has a marvellous vibe that encourages you to graze and unearth new things. This is a more personal, more idiosyncratic form of organic musical experience, with obscure imports and innovative new concepts, such as the album badge (a badge based picture of the album cover, with a chip inside that contains the whole album to listen to in MP3 form). There is also a plethora of services to nurture and encourage musical exploration, (and a pleasant general in-store experience), including a fair-trade cafĂ©, a snug seating area, a tech booth and electronics store, a book and magazine section and an old fashioned photo booth which gives you four unique pictures for only £3. They even have in-store gigs on a regular basis, with a well set-up stage and a dedicated techie. This store, simply put, is pure muso bliss.
See this post at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/musings-on-music/record-store-day-2012/
MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Pinkunoizu - Free Time
Free Time is the first full-length release by Berlin’s ultra-cool
lo-fi fiends Pinkunoizu. This vibrant debut, released on Full Time Hobby
in March, follows on from the group’s November EP Peep, with plenty of
intelligent, harmonious math-pop featuring a subtle edge.
Lead track Time is Like a Melody kicks off this varied album with sweeping soundscapes, plenty of reverb, and haunting, saturated vocals. There are clear elements of Arcade Fire’s sound throughout this track (and indeed sporadically throughout the album as a whole), which is evocative and beautiful. The album is not focused on such calm sonic events however; the second track on Free Time - Myriad Pyramid immediately changes the music’s direction. Still present are the saturated samples and vague, distorted vocals, but these are placed within disjointed, syncopated rhythms and a curious flattened key signature. The track is very evocative of Middle-Eastern music styles, but also mirrors very cleverly the strange, exotic place pyramids and Egypt in general hold in Western culture.
Tracks vary further throughout Free Time, and each musical escapade is equally successful, original and interesting. One reason for such diversity throughout this debut is the huge selection of influences present. One minute the listener is subject to surf and country style guitars a la Cyborb Manifesto, the next, oppressive, futuristic synth timbres reverberate around the ears. The album is not a mess however. Yes, there are a huge amount of very different musical influences present, including Bjork, The Beatles, Matmos, The Avalanches, The Drums, Stereolab and The Grateful Dead, who are all audible at various points. There are also examples of other musical culture present, from folk bazoukis to Indonesian Gamelan, African tuned percussion and aboriginal music. Tracks are very varied, but each is under-pinned by subtle stylistic elements, such as the lo-fi production, the reverb-saturated vocals, and the harmonious interplay between the live recordings, the synth parts and the samples. The album is well produced throughout, without over usage of panning techniques, which can become disorientating when there is so much sound to listen to.
Free Time is a very good example of the new direction alt-indie music is heading the early part of this new decade. Tracks are complex, varied, with innumerate influences, instruments and techniques. This is everything at once, information age, highly post-modern music, and Pinkunoizu produce it very well. Every sound is well co-ordinated to create experimental music that is great fun to listen to.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/pinkunoizu-free-time/
Lead track Time is Like a Melody kicks off this varied album with sweeping soundscapes, plenty of reverb, and haunting, saturated vocals. There are clear elements of Arcade Fire’s sound throughout this track (and indeed sporadically throughout the album as a whole), which is evocative and beautiful. The album is not focused on such calm sonic events however; the second track on Free Time - Myriad Pyramid immediately changes the music’s direction. Still present are the saturated samples and vague, distorted vocals, but these are placed within disjointed, syncopated rhythms and a curious flattened key signature. The track is very evocative of Middle-Eastern music styles, but also mirrors very cleverly the strange, exotic place pyramids and Egypt in general hold in Western culture.
Tracks vary further throughout Free Time, and each musical escapade is equally successful, original and interesting. One reason for such diversity throughout this debut is the huge selection of influences present. One minute the listener is subject to surf and country style guitars a la Cyborb Manifesto, the next, oppressive, futuristic synth timbres reverberate around the ears. The album is not a mess however. Yes, there are a huge amount of very different musical influences present, including Bjork, The Beatles, Matmos, The Avalanches, The Drums, Stereolab and The Grateful Dead, who are all audible at various points. There are also examples of other musical culture present, from folk bazoukis to Indonesian Gamelan, African tuned percussion and aboriginal music. Tracks are very varied, but each is under-pinned by subtle stylistic elements, such as the lo-fi production, the reverb-saturated vocals, and the harmonious interplay between the live recordings, the synth parts and the samples. The album is well produced throughout, without over usage of panning techniques, which can become disorientating when there is so much sound to listen to.
Free Time is a very good example of the new direction alt-indie music is heading the early part of this new decade. Tracks are complex, varied, with innumerate influences, instruments and techniques. This is everything at once, information age, highly post-modern music, and Pinkunoizu produce it very well. Every sound is well co-ordinated to create experimental music that is great fun to listen to.
See this at MTTM at: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/reviews/album-reviews/pinkunoizu-free-time/
Monday, 9 April 2012
MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Focus on Festivals - Field Day 2012
Field Day is an independent, one day music festival now in its sixth year. Organised by a variety of blogs and collectives (including Eat Your Own Ears and Bugged Out!), the major focus for this festival has always been music, and once again, Field Day intends to be a celebration of bold, innovative and imaginative alternative sounds. This year’s line-up already looks pretty exciting, with some of the world’s most pioneering new and established acts due to perform. Major acts including Metronomy, The Vaccines, Beirut and Franz Ferdinand are due to appear, as well as excellent budding artists such as Blood Orange, Summer Camp, Errors and Friends.
Field Day has plenty else to offer putters however. Apart from their fantastic line-up, the festival should have an amazing array of food available, provided by the stalls of Venn Street Market, including Creole fishcakes, artisan sweets, and an award-winning hog roast. There are also plenty of additional activities to involve yourselves in when taking a break from the music. There is a quirky selection of “village green mentality” activities in celebration of the Jubilee year, including a tug of war competition, themed coconut shys, and even winkle picking contests.
This year’s Field Day festival is being held once again at Victoria Park in the East End of London, snuggled between Hackney, Homerton and Mile End. The date is scheduled for Saturday 2nd June, with gates opening at 11:30am. Tickets are currently priced at £45, although some early bird tickets may still be available for £39.50. Tickets can be purchased online, or at a number of hip venues across the North/North-East of London, including Rough Trade East and The Lock Tavern in Camden. This festival is for over 18s only.
See this at MTTM: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/focus-on-festivals/focus-on-festivals-field-day-2012/
Field Day has plenty else to offer putters however. Apart from their fantastic line-up, the festival should have an amazing array of food available, provided by the stalls of Venn Street Market, including Creole fishcakes, artisan sweets, and an award-winning hog roast. There are also plenty of additional activities to involve yourselves in when taking a break from the music. There is a quirky selection of “village green mentality” activities in celebration of the Jubilee year, including a tug of war competition, themed coconut shys, and even winkle picking contests.
This year’s Field Day festival is being held once again at Victoria Park in the East End of London, snuggled between Hackney, Homerton and Mile End. The date is scheduled for Saturday 2nd June, with gates opening at 11:30am. Tickets are currently priced at £45, although some early bird tickets may still be available for £39.50. Tickets can be purchased online, or at a number of hip venues across the North/North-East of London, including Rough Trade East and The Lock Tavern in Camden. This festival is for over 18s only.
See this at MTTM: http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/focus-on-festivals/focus-on-festivals-field-day-2012/
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