Review // Kwes. – ‘Meantime EP’
Monday sees the release of London based producer, Kwes. ‘s first EP in two years. Why the two year gap between them? – he’s been busy working with Damon Albarn, Speech Debelle, DELS and Ghostpoet to name but a few. The EP, which is entitled Meantime, opens with the very ambient ‘Klee’ which...
Review // Marina & the Diamonds – ‘Electra Heart’
In the words of Marina Diamandis herself, “welcome to the life of Electra Heart.” If you have no idea who Electra Heart is yet, you have some catching up to do! Electra Heart is the title of Marina and the Diamonds‘, notoriously difficult, sophomore album. The album is entirely concept-based upon the idea of identity....
Introducing // Severin
London based band, Severin craft dark electronic music with a grungy edge provided from Elizabeth’s vocals and Dan’s distorted guitar. I caught up with them in a bar in Shoreditch before their Everything Breaks EP launch show at Electricity Showrooms. So you’ve just released an EP. How do you feel about it? Elizabeth: Yeah, we’ve just released our...
Review // Breton – ‘Other People’s Problems’
It feels like such a long time ago that South East London band Breton released their first downloadable EP, Sharing Notes, on Hemlock Recordings. It’s probably because they have been so busy releasing more EPs and shooting films to go alongside the tracks. Finally, on 26th March, they will release a full length album on Fat...
Review // Miike Snow- ‘Happy To You’
Releasing their self-titled debut back in 2009, Swedish trio Miike Snow had disappeared off our radar with not even so much as a clue to their return, until now. Leaving our brains yearning for more after showcasing their live shows in ridiculously small venues across the country (Liverpool Barfly-RIP-anyone?), their second endeavour, ‘Happy To You’,...
Review // Grimes – ‘Visions’
Grimes (Claire Boucher) presents one of the most highly anticipated albums of 2012- Visions. It is her fourth album in two years and this one-woman band from Montreal has creative a work of art which takes its listeners to a futuristic ‘other world’ that’s fuelled with trance and psychedelic revelry. The LP itself...
Review // Xiu Xiu – ‘Always’
Xiu Xiu are not the easiest band in the world to listen to. The frank honesty of Jamie Stewart’s lyrics and the haunting vocal delivery allows the broaching of taboo subjects to sound earnest, and as far away from gimmicky as possible. On opening number ‘Hi’, Stewart takes a direct approach with the opening...
Review // Sleigh Bells – ‘Reign of Terror’
Sleigh Bells have always drawn comparisons with Crystal Castles ; in majority because they combine electro with a feisty female singer, one who knows how to scream in a way that has the potential to create brilliant tracks, whilst simultaneously making your ears bleed if you get too close. New album Reign of...
Review // Perfume Genius – ‘Put Your Back N 2 It’
Remember in 2010 when everyone went a bit crazy for then generally unheard, lipstick wearing, piano playing, Perfume Genius when his album Learning was released on Turnstile? Well, this week he released his second album, the oddly entitled, Put Your Back N 2 It. This album also possess beautiful, piano accompanied songs with the same heart wrenching...
Review // Chairlift – ‘Somebody’
Somebody is the sophomore album from Brooklyn duo, Chairlift and as far as I’m concerned, cements them as one of New York’s most underrated bands. Their first album, Does You Inspire You was brushed over far too much and I only hope that this doesn’t happen to this beautiful piece of art too. Perhaps it won’t as...
Review // Tribes – ‘Baby’
It’s been suggested in many quarters over the last few months that British indie guitar music is dead. Now they may have a point. It does seem that 2011, which gave us the boring parodies of Viva Brother and The Vaccines, alongside the drab solo offerings of indie stalwarts Liam and Noel Gallagher, only...
Review // FOE – ‘Bad Dream Hotline’
I probably shouldn’t admit this but I actually know nearly all of the lyrics to this album. ‘This album’ being wig wearing indie pop starlet FOE‘s debut effort, Bad Dream Hotline. It’s been firmly lodged in the CD player of my car since early December, only to be removed for DJing purposes. It’s...
