Nudes So Real

Its auto-playing. Just let it play a second. Stay with me.

Every now and then I feel we need to strip back. Layers off. Peeled skin. Exposed. Only then can we truly appreciate what is before us. So many twists and turns can make your stomach feel a bit funny. And thats pretty much been me for a little while. Rib tickling laughter, shallow cramps and lots of wooziness.
Ok press pause on the video below, you can restart it in a second. It added a little atmosphere I felt.

More interestingly, we have a brilliant event to look forward to in a months time at Shoreditch's Rich Mix being hosted by our friends at Restless Beings. Dec 20th, ReFused pits a line up of some pretty hot bands around at the moment.  And one of those bands, who's sound I have just fallen deep for is the delectable Baby Queens of Cardiff. Having already featured their brilliant song Red Light, a totally different vibe comes around for So Real.

Its like five songs genres and atmospheres all rolled up in one. The slow strums and that tinny beat that start the song off along with sultry vocals introduce us to stuff that just feels so real. At nine minutes, its an epic monster which picks up pace all the time. The morphing into a full hiphop song in the second verse just prepares you for more twists that the song brings. The chorus strips back all the sounds to a beautiful vocal which tells us an enchanting story of shit that just feels so real. 3.40 and the song wakes up to something magical - I can't even describe the sound apart from saying its such a mix of genres so much so that you are left singing along and then that bass at 5 minutes. Well its just something else. And then psycho crazy guitar riffs that take you to another plane, like a crazy 1970's themed party in the heady snow tops of winter 2013 which leaves you pining for those fresh vocals all over again. I wasn't sure about the last four minutes the first time I listened. But having listened a few times over, its actually my favourite part of the song now. These girls are gonna be huge. They are the sound of now.

And from the sounds of now, lets talk about the audio-visuals of now. Like a calming hypnotic culmination of everything that makes me wanna keep looking to that moment in a song when all you wanna do is to see where the song is going, Nudes get it bang on. If you ever read this Nudes, I desperately want you to play for us live. Please, I beg you. Like literally, I will beg you.  It messes with my eyes, it makes me wanna see beneath the blur. It messes with my ears, it makes me wanna hear what is being said. It messes with my head, making me wish to be able to produce music like this rather than write about it. The sound and the look of now. At least in my own trend-setting mind. I have a feeling you may agree though.

Manou

Its been a while. Sorry. Life has been a little hectic. Anyway, the good news is there is so much new talent to share. The bad news, its gonna take me a little while to get it all out.

I'm gonna keep this one quite short. I remember sitting many moons ago in my sixth form 'study room' studying many artforms of music and in those haphazard days, lovely floaty lyrics with awesome production was all the hype. I miss those days. Manou takes me back there. And I find myself 'studying' again.

Droplets of notes played on a backdrop of r'n'b esque synths and what not and a combo of lyrics which are about some dude or dudette called Sadie make for a hugely impressive debut. I don't know why I came across this on SoundCloud and not on the radio. That good. And she's only 16. 2014 here she comes...

Don't Go To Sleep

Ok so I woke up late for work. Like an hour late. So by the time I rolled in I was nearly two hours late. I slept in. But not because I followed my own advice about last night's blog, I didn't get to sleep till about 2am :/

Pretty shit really considering at some point in the next week or so I gotta ask for an extra two weeks holiday having just taken a three week holiday which ended last Monday. Need to win some favours with the boss-people.

Determined not to make the same mistake again, tonight's song conveniently called 'Don't Go To Sleep' is so good, you'll be humming to it long after you've finished listening to it. I actually found this song minutes after posting last night's blog.  Before I give you a proper run-down, I just wanna let you all know that I already know what I'm posting tomorrow, and it is lusciously sleepy with a mix of genres - exciting stuff. Anyhow, back to tonight's track.

I don't know much about Zach Nahome, but both his songs on his SoundCloud are pretty awesome. Don't go to sleep starts off with some pretty funky synths and the crazy vocals start.  Firstly a high pitched then a low pitched version of some addictive na-na-na-na-na's. Not in the annoying N-Dubz style, but those that run over again and again. 1.09 the beat drops, and an injection of energy which can best be described as midnight funk. This song is wickedly addictive. You'll be repeating again and again.  At 2.05 when the na-na-na-na-na's combine with the beat, you'll be hard pressed to not move some part of your body. Nobody's watching. Go ahead. Move. And then hit repeat. Liberating.

Sleep

I need sleep. I need it pretty soon. But when I close my eyes, I can't sleep. When I open my eyes, I want to sleep. I want to sleep as I type this.

If you need cheering up, sprucing up, energy enthralled music, tonight, you need to leave this page alone. If however, like me, you want sleep, I have a treat for you.

Come closer, yeah, come closer to the screen, lower your volume to the midway mark, click on either of the two tracks below, then slowly sit back, lean against something soft. And drift. But not for too long, because you have to hear the other song too. Actually, fuck it, just sleep. Listen to the other one tomorrow.

Because I want to sleep, I won't go into detail intro-ing the two tracks. Basically, follow the act, share the love. And yeah, go to sleep.

SizzleBird - makes loads of music, regularly, stunning producer. The song, Stepping Stones, what it lacks in vocals it makes up and then some with the beautiful violin. Listen and Sleep.

n u a g e s - know nothing about this artist, except to say everything on the SoundCloud is exceptional. The song, Faded features the immense Bijou of Iceland. No idea what the vocals are about, but this song feels like it has so many little stories within it. Waffle. Too much. Sleep. Goodnight. Love. xx

Stop, Don't Go

This weekend confirmed it. Summer is gone for sure. But, Autumn, my favourite season is here. The orange hues, the sunday's that force you to do nothing but take a second and take stock of life, the blustery windy weather, the occasional orange hues, the shedding of skin.

I've been back at work this week and its been a bit of a mixed bag. It's nice to be back in familiar surroundings and its horrible having to wake up at stupid o clock. I'm craving a routine and I'm pining of the care free summer all at the same time. Thursday night bought back a regular staple, late night drives from one end of the universe to the other. And then there was Friday, a kinda recovery, a kinda awakening. Late to work, zombie-ing around, pretty incomplete.

And now here I am on Sunday evening looking to get the week ahead under my belt, next weekend promises much. And the weekends after too, life generally promises many things. So bearing in mind all of the above let me introduce you to the magnificent Baby Queens of Cardiff. If I was singing this I would sing this to many things - the summer, the anticipation, the laughter, the love, Thursday - don't go, don't go, stop don't go.

Soothing r'n'b-esque vocals, a lovely lazy guitar and that soft brute bridge, this song and Baby Queens in general will surely be making splashes in the ocean of the music scene. Having said that, 12 SoundCloud likes and 600 odd FaceBook likes is emphatically underwhelming. I'm hoping that this is representative of how fresh these guys are, because judging by their EP, talent certainly justifies a few 0's to be added after the above stats. Lo-fi, meets r'n'b - not something I would normally go for, but these guys make it work and they make it work effortlessly well. Star Light is more rugged, more edgy, more grunt. But Red Light, well Red Light reflects just how I'm feeling now.

Look, there's a metaphorical red light. I cannot wait to see these guys live. Show them some love, this song is beautifully relaxed and poignant.

Lessons

This time I'll do things differently. Lessons learned. Bridges burned. This time I'll do things differently.

See normally, I somehow try to relate a part of my day or my life to match with the song I'm hoping to introduce to you through the post.  Mostly, its a ridiculously loose connection. 

And then sometimes, when the track is THAT good, you feel silly even beginning to try and connect the song with some sort of real-life analogy. The first three lines of this track are basically the complete antithesis of how I feel when I play this song.

I wouldn't do any of it differently. I would make all the mistakes all again.  I would re-live the glory moments all again. In fact the intro to this song and the perfection of the crescendo at 2 mins onwards, I would re-live hundreds of times.  Earlier in this week I watched this film about personal time and how we choose to spend it.  The most poignant moment for me was when the lead character, can't remember  his name at all, so for convenience will call him Jackathon, acts on his father's advice to live a day and then re-live it so that all the negatives can become blessings and all the positives can be seen as gifts. That struck a note with me.  

Anyway forgive me because I tried to make a connection with my life, which is simply unfair. This song is magnificent, and I can't remember feeling this strongly and enthusiastic about music for a long time. Sohn, is simply outstanding. And this song is more so. Listen to it. Share it. Love it.

Incidentally, the last line, 'This time, I'll keep away from you' - couldn't be further from the truth. 9 days need to hurry the f up.

We Are Together

The last time I posted was more than 2 months ago. Its kinda weird, I last posted in summer, on the cusp of one of the most defining periods of my life. And now, I post on the other side. A lot has happened. Tears, laughter, closing of chapters, opening of new ones, exhilaration, euphoria, relief, contentedness.

Yeah, not my usual summer. But it wasn't a usual summer. I know I kinda sound like a narrator of some dodgy american teenage high school drama thing, on the opening day of term. But it was my first day back at work. And it really was a wonderful summer.

To fully encapsulate the feeling I punted for Planet of Sound for my return. And boy does it hit the right note. From the gentle whistling intro to the introduction of a mesmerising guitar riffy acousticy sounding melody.  And that moment when all of it makes sense. Life makes sense at 1.05. The whistling and the acoustics all in one go. The frenzy leading up to the sabbatical-like bridge just prepares you for the whirlwind euphoria of bringing all the elements of the summer colliding back together again at 5.29.  And at last. We Are Together.

Another Tale From Another English Town

Yesterday was a real mixture of emotions.  A wedding, a funeral and some interesting conversations in between.  I've been neglecting a few things recently and I really need to, well, not.

If, like me you've traveled around the moors and fields of Britain a fair bit, you'll relate to the scene I'm about to set. Its a shame sometimes that we don't appreciate whats on our doorstep and look further afield for some sort of hedonism or escapism. I'm not just talking about the natural scenery and stuff, I'm on about stuff a bit deeper. I guess it's a case of what and how we appreciate things.  Anyway, I'm fairly sure I was supposed to be setting a scene.  I think I already have.  Well, not a scene, more of a tone. A tone of being able to appreciate what's at hand and not dreaming wistfully of a neverland or another life. Just being happy with what you have. Whether thats a beautiful scene, a nomadic approach to life, a content in the mundaneness of life or just being able to wonder at life and it's creation. I haven't posted some indie style indie stuff recently, have a listen to this beauty from Newcastle band Lanterns On The Lake - it's a real keeper, a real brilliant piece of bittersweet, and you will be babbling the same sort of stuff that I just did. Incoherent. But it makes sense. We don't want a fight, we want a quiet life.

Screenplay

I have been a bit distant I know, a little preoccupied but in a good place. Some good news, I cut my hair for the first time in 2013 after being hounded by so many people to do so. Some bad news, my old car packed in, so I bought a new one. The best news, whilst I've been away, some pretty hectic new music has been floating about, which I can hopefully start to share with you again regularly for the next week or so.

Right, now imagine you're a movie or TV exec and your job is pretty awesome in that you have to find the right music to fit certain parts of the film. Now, I reckon I would earn shit-loads doing this. Picture this: some sort of anti hero is finding out that somewhere along the line he has been misused, mistreated, manipulated. He visions flashbacks, when stuff suddenly seems to just add up, and on doing so, he feels a calling to get up and right some of those wrongs. But what or who does he turn to?..... I dunno, but this piece of music from the ever-so-awesome Bruised Skies would play to this screenplay beautifully.

Right, now not wanting to overkill on the screenplay thing, I'm gonna do the same for the second track for tonight. Cos it was fun doing the last one. This track is the first on FTSE's EP. Yes he has dropped an EP, so go scramble because it is pure brilliance and one that I was waiting for for ages. Here goes..

The camera pans to a guy lying on his bed with the sun peeking through in mid morning glory. He lies bare-chested and emotionless looking straight at the ceiling; he starts mouthing the lyrics. He turns to his left and sees an apparition of the beauty from the night before and suddenly at 55 seconds we are transported to a similar scene but in last night's said beauty's room. A few seconds of panning and she too mouths words emotionlessly. Again staring at the ceiling. And then she pulls out her battered Nokia 8210 and texts our macho bare chested dude to meet her for a coffee. At 2.15 we follow the pair individually to the coffee shop. Almost euphoric that they will embrace in some sort of romantic embrace.  But we're let down. At 2.33 the pair arrive at the coffee joint. They look through each other plainly, emotionlessly. And as the lyrics start to be heard again, they mouth at each other. No blinking. No smiling. No expression. Waiting.

Mi Amor

Things have taken a positive turn in the past 48 hours or so. Stuttering a bit. But getting there in the end. This weekend promises much and hopefully on the back of it, things will be much brighter.

If the sun comes out this weekend, you need to listen to this beautiful song Mi Amor by T.H.I.E.F.S. Ok I gotta admit, not a huge fan of the artist name, way too many full stops for my liking.  But if they are to act as some sort of hyperbole to the stuttering nature of the beat on this, then I would have to admit, I would be a smidgen impressed. Either way, this is definitely a weekend tune. A bit more housey than what I've had up recently, with some lazy vocals and heavily produced, almost masterful at  2.50 when everything just flows. It just works. And its glorious. Mi Amor.

Stay Forever

Take a fork. Smash it to your head. That's what this module in Political systems is doing to me. Liberalism, capitalism, marxism, neo classicism, post modernism - no idea where I fit within that spectrum. What's been making it the whole process a little easier has been this little gem from Catching Flies.

Following on from the 22 year old Londoner's highly impressive EP The Stars from late last year, a highly anticipated follow up EP is expected to drop within a week. Stay Forever kinda follows on from  the magical saxy jazzy sound of yesterday's post when at 2.55 a new sound is introduced. But Stay Forever is more than just that. Like an expression of space, sound, vocals and repetition, this song just lets you ease into a world of wonder...

Yeah. No complaints.

It's been a shit one. One to forget. One that needs to end. Quick-time. Complaints, moany shit, rejections. Lacklustre.

Being particular about who and what I post about, today's choice was easy. Someone familiar. Something familiar. Alt J and Ellie Goulding at the same time. Yeah. No complaints about that then. No moaning about this. No chance of rejection.

Anyway ranting aside, this is like a dubbier, jazzier, more sombre but more surprising version of Tessellate. And if you've had anything like the day I've had, you'll turn this up loud and probably sleep happy.

Let It Go

Sun. Sand. Laughter. Friends. Love. High. And then energy. Enthusiasm. Fresh. Start.

Lots going on at the moment, most importantly, being able to hand over something very precious to the custody of others for a while, and being ok about it. Thankful that this is all possible. I got this track literally minutes after posting on Friday night. But this is just luscious and perfect for a Monday evening.

Fema Knights aka Fe is definitely one to look out for.  A tempest of emotion. Think Mazzy Star. Think hazy summer evening. Think of letting go...

Polyethers

I'm going to the beach tomorrow. Hopefully this weekend will be a bit of a transition period for me, coming out of a little period of stress to hopefully some exciting pastures. In spirit of that and because I have been posting some weird stuff recently, I thought lets change it up completely.

Py is a brilliant London based singer with a huge future ahead of her. The effortless move from a zany opening two minutes which gets you into a frenzy, Py lends her deep range to a middle 15 seconds or so which sets the tempo for the rest of the song. Soft hearts and hazy fields with fresh coloured flowers. Yup, I'll take that! Click the pic below to be diverted to her soundtrack. (Gotta admit I prefer the Jimmy Edgar remix, but that may be a bit too dance for you lot)

Ambience

Strip it all back and there is just space and sound and how you feel. Nothing else really matters. The other details are like the finishing touches. I'm gonna be truthful, since starting up this blog, I think I must have shared about 12 different genres of music all loosely fitting under the umbrella of this blog's name, a sort of feet up eyes closed moment.

In the 30 odd posts I've shared though nothing is truer to that requirement of listening experience then what is to follow. I have one other requirement for the following tracks though. Don't listen on your laptop speakers or your dodgy phone speakers. Get some earphones, turn it up loud and give it a go.

Dark, moody, ambient, minimalist, ethereal. It all fits the bill.

Let me do a track by track intro of the brilliant Bruised Skies from these shores. Note, though, I have saved the best till last, Signs is by far and a way the standout.

Distant
Barely there. Can't feel the notes or melodies. A whirling swirling experience. It encapsulates you. It encompasses you. And until you've come to the end of the track, you don't fully realise how brilliant this is. This isn't ambient music. It is ambience.

Falling
You know that moment in Terminator 2 when the amazing soundtrack starts playing. Imagine that, but not to an action film about some demi robot. More a tale of complicated decisions which you may have misjudged. Until 2.08 when this transforms into a rally call for missed opportunities. A cry for perseverance. The trinkets lose pace then come into motion again towards the end.

Signs
You're sitting on a beach. Its been a warm day but starts to feel like a chillier evening as sunset approaches. You're reminiscing about the wonders of life, the colour of love, the optimism of childhood. Nothing matters apart from the fact that the sea in front of you is gently swaying in and out. The sand you sit on isn't warm like it was when you sat down a half hour ago. A gentle twinkle catches the corner of your eye as the first stars come out of hiding. A cool breeze runs over your shoulder sending a tinge of a shiver down your spine. You start to drift away with your thoughts. You feel like you're barely there. But being here has never felt so poignant. And as the sun descends and a shade of night falls, you treasure the last moments deeply. You don't miss the sun and the hope it brings until it fades. You'll feel the same when this song finishes. I wish it stayed forever.

Passion

Sometimes the stresses of life and the nuances of our society can get a bit much. Not like to wrist-slitting levels. But more so of when you think to yourself, 'whats the point, you gotta have other things that drive you, right? right?!'

So when I came across Little Robyn like minutes after posting the two awesome tracks from yesterday, that exact sentiment resonated. I'm gonna warn you now, I am now a humongusive fan of Little Robyn, so here goes...

In a Kate Nash telling a story-sort-of-way but with greater vocal range and a sweet ukelele, Little Robyn takes you on a little spiritual journey with each of her tracks. A little feature of some stand-outs now follows.

Passion
Basically read the introduction to this post. Add some folksy ukelele. Then a big dollop of cutesy, soothing vocals and a dash of lyrical irony and this is what you get. A question of passion.

The Word Love Is Over-rated
The desperate hippy in me believes love is the answer to everything. And so the lyrics don't necessarily hit the heart to me. But I like the story told. And I think I am a little addicted with how pain is expressed is so sweetly. Like a nervous feeling of feeling happy at Little Robyn's pain. The German's have a word for this - schadenfreude I believe.

Jealousy
Its the ahem and then the mouth organ that gets me. And I feel like I repeat myself when I then fall for the ukelele and those whispy/honeysuckle/floaty vocals. Not fully sure if I even understand all the lyrics, but at 1.10 'to me' resonating a few times with that combo of folksy instrumentals just knocks me dead.

Crazy
If I was allowed to have a wildcard choice it would be this cover of Crazy. Recorded live and probably on a phone or something, this is all about the vocals. The imperfections of recording just add to the atmosphere. I am seriously looking forward to seeing Little Robyn live!

Wait, I Wish I Could Tell You

The sun makes me lazy. And even though I have Ofsted in the building and I'm four weeks behind my course and have 740 unopened emails I feel lazy. And kinda happy. And I'm still grinding and getting on with it. Despite my laziness, I'm eager to atone for my inactivity in May and hope to laud you with loads of music in the coming days...

Misty Miller - Wait
Misty tells us about waiting and hating and makes it sound lazy and loving. Hazy and warm. Back in 1974.

Magic moment at 2.03 and those lazy vocals for a short time reach out and melt our hearts. Beautiful summer pop track

Wait. Misty Miller.

Chloe Howl - I Wish I Could Tell You
Normally Chloe does a bit more uptempo beaty pop. This is kinda like a soul pop some-sort-of-gaze song. Sweet. Painful. Lazy. Beautiful.

Era Defining

Mixed bag of emotions. One book closed. Another opened. I have been distracted the last month. I apologise. Saying goodbye is hard sometimes.

Trying to somehow rescue some sort of face, I have a few treats for you today.

Still Parade - Actors
I know hardly anything about this band but this track, released last week has been emailed to me from at least twenty people. Its worth all the hype. Press play and forget about everything.

Swim Deep - King City

My youngest sister got married last week. I have found myself remeniscing an awful lot the past few days. Good times and bad. Sad times and ecstatic times. The opening 40 seconds of this latest release sums up all that emotion perfectly. Self inflicting and analytical, this is right up my street. 'I wanna be everything I'm not....and...f**k your romance' - my life is far removed from such lyrics, but every now and then, I like to feel. And this is music to feel to.

 

Indiana

The sun is shining. I finally got this ridiculous deadline off my back.

Flowers and paint.
Birthday surprises.

And looking forward to going home to the spring sun. Looking forward to the days coming up. A little rush of adrenaline. A little bit of nerves.

A sense of epicness. And still a little rough around the edges. Welcome Indiana The Girl of Nottingham. She says 'I wanna hurt you just for fun'. That thought makes me smile a little.

A phat baseline and an infectious voice - this is Smoking Gun

And a completely different vibe to Animal. With a long drawn out semi silent intro and a lazy bassline and vocals that are a cross between Everything But The Girl and Kate Nash, Indiana flickers her brilliance in a doom electronica hype - 'Father's hold their daughters, I will hold myself instead'. My street. Yeah. Up it.

Soul

I'm not going to throw it all away. You've got a little soul in you. And you cry.

Freddie Dickson represents the silent sufferer in all of us. Resilience, strength, the soul.

Beautiful

It's been manic the last ten days or so. Started off this course at Oxford, which I've already managed to fall behind on. I have coursework to mark coming out of my eyes. One of my best mates is getting married in a week. And my sister is getting married three days later. Forgive me for my lack of posting.

I feel like I wanna share about a million tracks with you. But that would be overkill. So as I do quite often, I will play you something which best represents my current mood.

A beautiful night last night with friends. Celebrating. Enjoying. Looking forward. This doesnt even sound like me. But it was. And then the harshness of reality came rushing back today. Exams, coursework, stress. Life.

To escape a little, I fully recommend this beautiful remix by Skit. Those two words don't feel right next to each other. Beautiful. Remix. But try it. And tell me different...

Hiatus

Things around us are always temporary. They never last. Our institutions of hope, of love and of joy don't last. I want today to end. And I want to wake up to something different.

Morning sun rising. Cold air. But warm too. Droplets of dew. And a gust of spring sunshine. And then that beat and percussions at 1.04. A kinda hopeful eargasmic version of 'Walking on the air' - but grown up. And sure of itself. This is Parklands.

Londoner Cyrus Sharad is a genius. Then theres Kirtanaya's Indian humming vocals. A softness that takes you in to the curl of her sways of 'sitaram' - building up to a levitating outro which unfortunately ends. I would have been happy for this to carry on. I feel like I have been on a journey. I feel like I have been on a Hiatus. I want more.

Weirdness

Was a very weird weekend. I have so much work from work to do, and I did none of it over the weekend. Instead we launched our new space in L-town. And then had a part. Then made an announcement. Then partied some more. Then didnt sleep. Then had meetings. High.

I start my masters course today, at Oxford. Daunting.  My sister is getting married in two weeks. I miss her already. I feel weird.

I dont wanna play no games no more. Im just about sick of it all. Sounds just about right. Click the image below to hear the amazing Freddie Dickson's latest track, released earlier today. A moody number. A hopeless number. A brilliant number. The End.

We Are The Wild Ones

The past few weeks at work for me have been a bit shitty to be honest. Its time to move on. I' feel I have got too comfortable and need a new challenge. And saying all this, I feel under intense pressue, from every direction. I had a run in with an idiot this afternoon too. Too often in life those who do shit seem to comment most.

Basically, it's pretty dark over here at the moment. Perhaps the reason for my song choice today. Its determined. Its defiant. Its a bit self destructive. Its a bit New Order. Its why I like it. We Are The Wild Ones, We Are The Lost Souls. Welcome Nina. Even with your double //.

Reconsider

My weekend, was certainly eventful. I broke my car. I broke my back. And then there was Syntheties - Kirk Spencer and Law playing live blew me away. The sun was out. Too many things have gone wrong this past week and Syntheties was a good break away from it all. But back to wrongness.

In desperate need of a fix of something dreamwavey - I turned to The xx - obviously. And then I suddenly remembered something that I thought would be rude not to share with you. Think slow motion repetitive circles with your arms in the air. Remember, slow motion. Cronos mashes up an already brilliant song and adds an extra element of airiness, a bit of echo, and a more prominent beat. Reconsider.

Big Guns

Sorry for my lack of posting. Forgive me. Been a bit distracted with caring for the world.

Anyhow, yesterday I was in two minds whether to post or not. Mainly because two in my humble opinion big guns both released some new material. Split between them and adding a little April playlist for you, I whimpered into silence. But today, I'm back with a bang. Two Big Guns. A bonus. And a playlist. Yeah!

IYES - Daddy (demo)
Man if this is what a demo sounds like, I'd love to hear a jam session. And then a single. And then an album. Salivating. On Tuesday a bizzarely brilliant trailer vid came for this. And then this. Baseline which judders your ears. And some pretty madness electronic stuff on top. Hardly any vocals, but why bother when you have magic like this. The whole strip down from 4 mins in to the reintroduction at 5 mins just makes this more impressive. These guys are gonna be massive. And I love them. And you will too.

Wolf Alice - Every Cloud
Apparently this is meant to be a B side to Bros. Bros was pretty amazing. But this aint bad either.  This is like the most beautiful antithesis of Bros. The lazy vocals and the ever present synth with all kinds of worldy sounds to complement it make this one for the road. Definitely. No street lights. Just you alone on a highway to nowhere. Your lights dipped to point at the road ahead. Winding roads. Reminiscing about things you could have done. And then feeling better that you didnt do them. And stopping to listen to the panpipey sound. In your drive. Switch your engine off.

BONUS - Stay Bless - Always
I don't know too much about these guys - they're from London, they do electronic music. And this is a great pop song. Eager to hear more material. You know that feeling of looking into nothingness and thinking about stuff that doesnt exist. I'm searching for my complete-ness. This is what this does. And does it very well. Dream a little dream with me.

And lastly - a playlist. Enjoy, this is a little compilation of my April faves :)

Pulsating Vein

Tight schedules and lots of international time zone callings later, I can feel a weird pulse near my jugular vein. It can't be healthy. I should probably get some stress management or something. I guess thats why I listen to the music I do.

Jamie Isaac, London based maestro released Softly Draining Seas. And as the name suggests, its a piece of beautiful ambience music. Lazy vocals and a clicking strumming beat. The vocals become more apparent as the song progresses. Looking forward to seeing this guy live!

No Ceremony ///. Gotta say it was the /// that got me interested. But this song, Hurtlove is a beauty. Check out the video too, pretty awesome. The strong repetitive piano is met with a lovely building beat that explodes and resonates. I'm left wanting euphoric vocals at the end, but its controlled magically. More of a 'go' song. But not quite. Put's it in my music category. Its what gets that jugular vein pulsing.

Glo-Fi

Two lessons learnt from the weekend.  True happiness and joy can only come when the soul has nothing left to yearn. And a lesson about the ego. A beautiful but destructive thing. Nothing is more attractive than when the ego is sure of itself. And nothing is uglier than when the ego is obsessed with itself, tumultuous and over bearing. Drawing a line under my lessons, lets talk about truly joyous stuff, music.

Lo-fi, as you know is the one for me. But, I still like a good beat. And better than that, music which can take control of my current state and transform it to match the mood of its ambience. That's the power of music as an art. Treasure Seasons. Even the name excites me. Basically, a London/Sweden duo who make music 'inspired by the city'

Firstly, Secrets. Listen to this with a good system, or with a good set of headphones. Whirling swirling sounds are met with a thick beat. And then those synths. Are they the best you've heard in '13? The synths come together with the beat and swirling whirling stuff. Daydreaming. Repetitively. And suddenly I have forgotten everything else on my mind. I kind of fall into a trance and only get woken up once the track comes to an end. Desperately fumbling for replay button. And then. Escape. This is Glo-Fi

Fjords. Little droplets of water. And a brilliant, complex beat. I don't know what Ida sings about on this track. But the drops of water. The woody but polished beat. The synthy bridge. The humming. And those droplets. And that humming. And that beat. And thos droplets. Did I mention the drops and the beat and the humming and the synths? Yeah, that. Sick.

The Week-End

Basically after a pretty rough few days at work, I put it to an end today with a few sweeping statements with my bosses. This is my little weekend mix which I fully intend to rinse to get myself back on track.

1. Playing Truant - I don't know what Joshua Idehen goes on about in Playing Truant, but there are moments of magic a plenty on this soft dreamy track. Pale not to be confused with Pale vv is one of the freshest producers around. And he delivers on this. Big time. Kinda like spoken word but with a bass and beat that kinda makes you wanna move. Its ok. You can move.

2. A Little Sumthin - Bipolar Sunshine has been getting a lot of blog love recently for his recent releases Fire and Rivers. For me this is the standout. FTSE has had his say on this too. Smooth vocals, heavy bass, clicking along. I think I found it. You can be the only one.

3. Calling Me - Chillwave. Aquilo. Twinkle. Resonance. Calling. Me. And I wake up, its calling me on. I expect sun out, shades on, breeze. This is like the song you stick on after a big night. And drift.

4. Blue Out - I don't know much about Mohit. But what I do know, is the lazy vocals and the experimental arrangement before the beat kicks in at 55 seconds is a sound i could easily listen to a million times over. The beat gives the whole track a bit of fullness. That's not a bad thing. It's what makes this such a warm listening experience. Slow me down and sweep my feet of the ground. And then that guitar at 1.56 gets the teenage air guitar out in full force.

No Place Like Home

As I said a few days ago, work has been crap. Other things have been too, especially after a special weekend. A family death, stressful deadlines, a wind of change. I think that's what Lo-fi music was made for. Brooding, atmospheric and seriously contemplative.

It's been a real long time that I got heavily excited about new music. I mean its nice to stumble across stuff which pleases your ears for a few minutes. It's ridiculously rare that I come across a new band with whom I instantly fall in love with. But I have. I know it sounds like a massive big intro, but seriously, Watercullers aka Kris Lavin have smacked that void right up. So naturally, on their SoundCloud, I went down the track listing and every song I listened to hit the spot. I seriously suggest you listen to all of their music, but here are the three stand outs for me.

Repetitive Tape Jam - ok, no vocals, but puts you in that mood to just stare at the blank wall and think about stuff that doesn't exist.  0.59 to 1.27 magic moments with lovely guitar riffs

Window - 'I wanna lean outta windows with you' - have there been truer lyrics? Just a beautiful composition of supple undertones of pain. Sorrow. Yes, but it still makes me smile. 'Stand in silence with you'. Simply beautiful.

The Best Place to Live - A sample from Wizard of Oz or something, crazy play with that later and an amazing springy electro beat. Layered with hollow echoey vocals. Yes, please. Plenty of it. And that lovely glide into a song that sounds completely different. And that weird rumble thing. I love it. Then stripped back and...

Control

Slick production, smooth vocals and a feel good vibe. And I still wouldn't classify it as RnB. Siloet, a London outfit have put together a banger of a debut release. Control, kinda brings you back to 90's pop, with a little slice of garage beats and then theres those smooth as silk vocals. It shouldn't really work, but together, it sounds brilliant. Have a listen...

Together

Wasn't expecting to upload one from the mighty. A nice little surprise for a Wednesday evening.

I'm not a fan generally of songs written for movies. And this does veer a little off track with the symphonic minute or so from 4 mins onwards. But before that Romy's vocals are as sultry and atmospheric as ever. For a band that came from nowhere, to be playing a headline set at Coachella and now to get the nod to write from one of Hollywood's most anticipated releases, The Great Gatsby, must be a real thrill for the London trio that is The xx.

3.10 to 3.45 is beautiful. Together.

Waves

Works been a bit crap lately - silliness overcoming any semblance of sense and reasonability. No cure, but what makes it ok or bearable sometimes is a bit of new music.

Basically three bands have got me salivating this year. Pale, Wolf Alice and Echopark.  And its the latter that have dropped their debut album first.

Waves, my favourite off the album along with Teleportation is something else. To compare to The xx would be disrespectful.  While there is a strong sense of gentle minimalist guitar on here, the rest of the album is a lot more upbeat.  What makes this track the standout for me is the mashing together of quieter reflective hollow sounds with an upbeat more house beat which just crashes and collides all the way to the finale once it seems the two sounds have reached a strong polarity with heads bopping harder. As the two tracks fuse together over a long climax, all that remains is the 'Waves' at the death.

Overcoming Fear

Big moments. Like really big moments. Defining moments. Life shaping moments. Special moments. Nervous moments. Exciting moments.

I had one of them over the weekend, hence no post. But in those moments, what you needs is a track like this. Overcoming Fear.

Les Mistons of London are a cross between an indie outfit and a full on electro pop band. There's two lovely pace shifts - the mid shift echoes through with euphoric screams of 'don't let your feet slow down' and then a crazy shift from indie to electro. Beautiful percussions and drumming and the sound of summer 2013 is here. The freedom of being able to drive with your window down wind swept hair all in the way, with this beautiful song blasting loud, breeze running through the cotton of your shirt etc etc. Happy times indeed.

Only Real

Track 1 - Like a throwback to some 70's teenager's bike ride home as he greets the incoming summer holidays. Should he get that overgrown mullet cut? Its so hot and bothersome.  But then again Rosie from across the road had promised to spend an afternoon with him pulling straight his curls.

Track 2 - Rosie and said teenager sit on the porch of her terraced house watching the younger kids play marbles and she straightens out his curls

Track 3 - Said teenager is a bit grown up now. He waits to pick up Rosie in his slightly broken mini from her shift at Dulwich art college. These are rockier times. Boy wishes to reignite curls straightening porch sitting days

Track 4 - Weird dream like trance where teenager now a man imagines life without Rosie. He gets scared and presses rewind and starts on Track 1 again.

This is my little review for Only Real's mini EP. Yes, I know its weird. But this is what I think of when I hear this brilliant little EP. 

You: Give it some time

I didnt want to share it. But couldnt help it. I didnt think it would work. But it did. 9 million songs and samples all at the same time shouldn't ever work. But it does. I thought it was finished. But then theres the beautiful twist at the end. I wanted to press stop. But I didn't. Neither should you.

Hustle

I might have kinda did pull a sicky from work this morning. I wanted to kind of did laze around in bed till 12.30pm. I feel better for it.

Dreamy, floaty, whispers of the word Hustle repeatedly until at 52 seconds, the clappy beat kicks in and the lazy infectious vocals of Law take over to transform this into an amazingly experimental, electro/pop song that'll have you humming along till the end.

I was introduced to Law, by Young Father's manager. I'm hooked. I love this sound. You will too.

Two Wrongs

I didn't manage to write a post yesterday.  And normally I would feel a little guilty about that.  But today I don't, because easily the most exciting band of 2013, Pale, have literally just released their latest track, Two Wrongs.

Heavy retro synths open up the track to such eargasmic delight elevating you back to some retro electro dream from like 'Scarface' or something. And then those vocals. I can't describe them. But I will try. Its paradoxical in nature. Painful, soulful, hopeful. All in one. Sumptuous. Pale are going to be huge and they deserve every last drop of success. There is not one wrong with this track. It is brilliant. I think I may be in love. A lot.

Keep Me, Never Leave Me

Work at 8am on a Saturday is never a good way to start the day. Then a long drive to London is not the one. Normally that would be enough to get me keeling over. But not today.

Rain sometimes dampens the mood, but sometimes, like today its a blessing. So after some memorable antics which won't be forgotten in a lifetime, and a couple of political debates later, I'm sitting in my hotel room thinking, time for some music.  Lyrically this sounds like a heartbreak style anguish song which doesn't quite fit my mood.  But the perfect mix of synthy, bassy, housey beat does. And that moment at 1.46 is a killer that needs to boost Thief, hailing from London into the limelight. The lazy infectious sound of Charlotte's voice adds a touch of retro. What I most like about the Thief sound is that its not quite the finished article in that there are still some kinks and quirks rather than the lathery overly slick synths from the other side of the pond. And Thief's other standout track Friend/Lover is going to be the first music I listen to in the morning. And that definitely fits the mood. 

Expecting big things from Thief in 2013. Watch this space!

Youth

When you think about to your youth what do you think of? I'm not really sure what I think of. Of course like everyone, its all a bit of a mash of a load of experiences. This past week for me has been a little about re-living some glory blazing days, some tantrums, and lots of looking forward to some pretty major new things.

And having stumbled on Parks, Squares and Alleys' new song Youth, I have a little cocktail of emotions:

• Riding on a horse or something across some great moor or lush field in Ireland. 
• Feeling myself looking back and thinking that was good. 
• And looking forward and thinking this is going to be great. 

But mostly I see myself stretching out as I lie on a bamboo mat on a warm beach, thinking of a time I rode on a horse across a lush field in Ireland, looking back thinking that was great and looking forward thinking what's to come is going to be great.

Bros

One of my most favourite bands of recent times is upcoming Wolf Alice.  A couple of months ago they released a belter called Wednesday and now they're back with their upcoming single Bros, due for release in May followed by a UK tour. Definitely gonna have to check them out live.

Starting with a dreamy opening, the track comes to life in spectacular colour at 21 seconds when everything in life becomes ok. The soft vocals and that indie beat keep you skipping along in teenage joy with a flutter when she sings 'There's no-one quite like you'. Coming to a shuddering bridge at 2.20 with sultry vocals, Wolf Alice make some reference to something about 43 which I might not fully understands, but its ok, cos its just me and you. A beautiful song.

Science Is Eerie

Science is eerie when your still around.

Sometimes, musical talent, lyrical genius and a spark combine together to create a genuinely new and exciting sound. Let me introduce you to Young Fathers of Edinburgh. Not really hip hop, not really experimental, not really any genre, just three guys who clearly love their art.

I heard this late last night and was hooked from the first play. The organ like synths and the haunting vocals on the first chorus got me salivating. I don't even know how to explain how I felt when the cries of 'I'm there, I'm there, I'm there' start ringing. And then they hit the nail on the head. The Young Fathers. Not in a weird way. But actually what the word means. Unclean. Inside I'm feeling dirty. Only cos I'm hurting.

This song is genius.

The Sea

The sea has this unbelievable ability to humble me - and that's saying a lot for someone who is so sure about their insecurities. I've always found that the sea on a warm day brings with it feelings of hope and  motivation, whilst the sea at its choppiest always humbles me with its great waves crashing over my battered soul/soles.

Local West Midland's boys, Swim Deep are doing it. And doing it well. This track The Sea from their forthcoming album 'Where The Heaven Are We' transports me to the days when The OC used to play such a pivotal role in asphyxiating my mood. It makes me feel like a teenager, all over again.

Sleep Hop

Sometimes I have days where the word busy is redefined - seriously, sometimes I honestly can't believe that I cram so much into a day. And on those kinda days, and today was one of them, you need something to take the edge off of things. Much talked about, with a major hype following, is Bristol producer Sorrow whose debut album, Dreamstone, is due to drop on May 13. He is the exact scientist to be able to take the edge off. Some of his art and it really is an art, can get you in a jumpy vibe, but this couplet from the forthcoming album will definitely be the last things I listen to as I drift off. With a strong beat and soothing vocals, I give you, sleep-hop. Hip hop with the ability to make you dream.

'Post-DJ' DJ

No melodrama whininess today - straight to the music. FTSE, put simply, is quite possibly, the most exciting 'post-DJ' DJ/producer around. From SURVIVYIN to this latest release. The reggae vibes mixed with the dreamy pop in the second half of the song to the heavy beats in the first half and the electro synths running through make this such a pleasurable listening experience. Aside from this, FTSE has also been involved with quite possibly the best remix this year when he mashed up Pale's Too Much. Expecting huge things from FTSE!

SUNday

Sometimes in life, it takes very simple things to make people feel hints of happiness. Dinner with friends, heart to hearts, moments of peace. For me, its stumbling across something which makes my knee jump with the beat. And Valentina, London based singer songwriter does this really well on Ladders which is part of her EP Wolves due out at the end of April. The vocals during the verse are emotional and loaded and the chorus reaches for Kate Bush like highs - but don't get me wrong, it definitely works. There is a strong guitar riff with the occasional hint of an electro riff which is just sumptuous for a long car journey on A-roads, with the window down, sun out, bit of wind. After hearing this, that EP due out at the end of April is too far away. 

Deep Cave Rave

Sometimes, I like to be transported to a plane I don't really understand.  Like, for example, laymedown's latest song, Me & U, I feel like I am in some deep cave with a slow buzzing beat pushing me further and further into a trance, where the limbs kinda just move. And then when the alien like vocals kick in, they are so monotonous in nature that they just add more to the vibe. I feel like I have now experienced deep cave raves. It was fun.

On a serious note, every single track that laymedown have put up on SoundCloud - serious worth listening to!

Epic

In every sense of the word, today has been an epic day - I've spent more money than I can count upto, and details of a major event in my year was released (more to come about that in a few days). And then I came across Carnivals from Sheffield. And their track Kindness. The twinkle of the opening notes feels a bit dark, then a bit eerie and from the play of the first ten seconds you feel like something epic is about to happen, and boy do they deliver, but they tease you for such a long time before that dirrrrty beat drops. Some gentle vocals and then it drops. Through the middle minutes, that beat keeps you on a real hype, and then I'm not really sure how, it mellows, makes you feel like you've done the something epic and then leaves you with the feeling of that Maximus dude from The Gladiator at the end of the film, floating away in total content...

Something Different, Something Familiar

Today was a 'go' day - a few scheduled appointments, some unscheduled ones too, a short notice piece of work flying in at 11am with a 2 hour turnaround and all whilst battling my unforgiving manflu which has seen some pretty funky coloured liquid exits. I needed a 'go' song. And whilst something a little different from my first few posts, a little drum and bass always has a little space in my closet. Resotone takes music production, adds a little dream synth and induces all sorts of thoughts flying through my head whilst mashing it all together with a phat drum and bass beat. Have a listen, tell me what you think...

And after the excursions of the day, all I really wanted to do was kick-back. I'm telling you, there's something about Brighton.  Whenever I want a little slice of peace and to feel like I am floating away to lyrics that I don't really understand, Brighton seems to deliver. This time its Cave Painting with their guitar riffs and snares which carry me into a plane where I forget what I was thinking about before hitting the play button. Right now, the something different was good, but the something similar is where the heart is at. Cut to 2.13 where Cave Painting tell us "I won't go" and in retaliation, "I keep saying Rio" - I don't know what they're on about, but I agree. I so agree.

Desire Dems

Every now and then, as much as we try to supress them, a deep need, a calling, a love reaches out to you. A call you cannot deny. A desire.

This beat tempts you along all the way to a bridge at 3 minutes which is well worth waiting for, at which point, you know the drill, put your feet up, close your eyes and be lifted to the last chorus at which point, when the melodies are taken away and all you are left with is a vocal and an abrupt end, you are left begging to hit that repeat button.

Purple

When I get ill (a cold or something) I coerce myself into a false realm of depression, of loneliness and isolation. Its pathetic. I feel sorry for myself sometimes too. I forget this is a music blog not an outlet channel. Where I was going with the depression stuff, is that when I feel ill, I feel a bit blue. Like this blue.

Anyhow, in this blue state, I came across a Brighton based band called Phoria. A lazy, but well structured song, that makes me wanna hide my head in my pillow and reminisce about stuff that never happened. This sounds like a fairytale, mixed with some poetry and a hint of a crescendo which threatens but doesnt materialise. Thankfully. So in my blue state, and a few plays of Red later... Purple. Perfect.

It Doesn't Matter

The sun finally came out, lunch al fresco, some quality family time, big purchase, a day with lots of progress. I have a cold also, but it doesn't matter and having come across Nottingham producer Kirk Spencer and listening to his EP Wonderful and some of the delights of it, the song that stuck out was featuring Louis Scott. The words that keep resonating in my head after just one play...nowhere to go, but it doesn't matter.

There is a glorious bass and an electro synth that threatens to overpower but is pitched at the right tone to compliment the dreaminess mid play which is preceded with ecstatic whispers of 'it's all for you' at 1.48.

Enjoy. I did.

Resurfacing Old Loves

Jak and Sophie. Sophie and Jak. Before I Explode. Having discovered the mysterious duo's ethereality about 5 years ago, today, whilst recovering from a big weekend and a mammoth 14 hour sleep, feeling sluggish, slightly monged and lets be honest a bit vulnerable, this, this is what was needed. We can dream of electricity, we can live so unpredictably.  It's Beautiful Up Here.