Bridges sound like a band with huge ambitions, and with a single like “BFF,” these boys should be riling up a festival crowd or two in the future.
Starting quietly, the single builds into a fist pumping, lighters-in-air chorus that will have your head nodding and foot stomping along. Although the video is a little lo-fi, it does show the band at their beginnings, the start of something big, the calm before the storm. Their free b-side “Chimera” shows another shade to this anthemic indie four-piece and it’s good to see.
Obvious comparisons are Kings of Leon, and this isn’t a bad thing. We forget that Kings of Leon started their career from humble beginnings, not the shiny indie force we see today. Let’s hope Bridges stay slightly left of centre and a little less polished—that’s their charm.
London folk noir four piece Hawk have finally released their beautiful EP “Clock Hands,” an explorative five track piece of art. It’s an EP that kisses you sweetly good night and haunts your dreams like a dark lullaby.
Prevalent throughout are Julie Hawk’s stunning vocals which are the band’s ace in the hole. Unlike Daughter, St Vincent, or other female artists and female led bands, Hawk are a unit, they are a real band and a stunning one at that.
“Clock Hands” stabs you in the heart like a shadowy fairytale, it’s poignant and emotional. “Hush” however is the backbone of the EP, it’s a sound that the band execute perfectly—the thin veil between post-rock and noir folk that has had some tongues wagging online. In fact, it’s this sound that would probably best serve the band going forward as they end in a less memorable note with track “Guardian,” a track that’s a little folkier and has less direction than the rest.
Fable releases her latest single “Silence Myself” this week—a smokey slice of slow rising pop, which makes Fable our seductive Artist of the Week.
The track is a complete departure from Fable’s usually more energetic performances, but it doesn’t make it any less captivating. The video is simple but effective as Fable hardly breaks eye contact throughout, bewitching us, taking over us completely, and she knows we’ll be back for more.
It’s hard to imagine her only being 19-years-old as her voice and spirit emanate an older soul. There’s a confidence about Fable. She’s already written alongside artists Paul Hartnoll (Orbital) and Russell Lissack (Bloc Party) and she’s about to support Archive in London, a testament to this confidence and the road ahead—we predict big things.
“Silence Myself” was released yesterday, 23rd February 2015, via 74 Music.
Siv Jakobsen kicked off 2015 with a UK tour alongside friend and fellow musician, Sofia, and the release of her heartbreaking single, “How We Used To Love.”
Inspired by a car pranging incident in San Francisco and the break up of her relationship, the lyrics will strike a meaningful chord with anyone who’s had to witness their own gradual break up with a partner.
We are extremely proud to be able to present to you this exclusive first look at Siv Jakobsen’s performance of “How We Used To Love” for an Emergent Sounds Unplugged Session. Shot in the middle of a corn field in small town Germany and accompanied by a lone violinist, the song takes on a certain poignancy in the dappled summer sunshine.
Siv Jakobsen’s second single, “Dark” is released on 13th April 2015 via Nordic Mellow Records. Keep up to date on news about her forthcoming releases via Facebook.
Canadian three-piece We Are The City are set to take the UK by storm with their latest video for single “King David.” The single is taken from their forthcoming album Violent, which is due for release on April 27th via Berlin based label Sinnbus.
If you’re a little OCD about dirt or mess then look away now. The video features singer Cayne McKenzie being covered in some sort of brown liquid—is it chocolate sauce? Syrup? Muddy water? We’ll never know, but that’s beside the point. The track is really bloody excellent with a clear nod to Mew in the opening riff.
If this is just a taster of their album Violent, then its release can’t come soon enough.
Fable is a mysterious synth pop force to be reckoned with. Her attitude and mysterious allure set her apart from the high-octane pop princesses making waves on the scene. Lorde and FKA Twigs are more in line with Fable’s output and ethos. Single “Silence Myself” seems like just the tip of the iceberg.
With this single, Fable has stripped away everything and it’s just about her voice; it’s hard to charm new listeners with a voice alone, but hers is her most deadly weapon. The track feels almost like Fable is baring her very soul with a faint melody floating gently underneath heartfelt vocals.
She says the track was inspired by “transcendental meditation” and as she takes us seductively through to the end, you’ll emerge refreshed on the other side.
This single won’t set the world alight but it is an intriguing glimpse into Fable’s world. She’s an enigmatic, dark, soulful new artist who blends pop, synth, and soul perfectly with “Silence Myself.”
The Marks Cartel have returned with their single, “Curtain Call,” which hits digital shelves at the end of the month.
Following up their 2014 swan song, “Where Do I Go From Here?,” the new “Curtain Call” is practically the answer to the question posed by the previous single—louder, angrier, and rockier. THAT’s where you go. It’s a fist-in-the-air-lager-on-the-dance-floor anthem with some epic guitar work that harks back to the best of ’90s Britpop, and vocals that—despite their Welsh heritage—you’d be forgiven for thinking the band were born in raised in Manchester, England’s Northern Quarter.
With a studio album in the works, we’re sure it won’t be too long before we hear more from this Welsh four piece, but in the meantime we recommend everyone check out “Curtain Call.”
Curtain Call is released 23rd February 2015 via Hamill Records.
With their latest studio album Everything Ever Written,Idlewild are a band that have come into their own. From punk rock beginnings to Scottish tinged folk rock, their latest offering is an eclectic blend of their experiences—it’s the musical story of their journey as a band coloured by their environment and rounded by their maturity. It’s an album that marks the start of a new chapter and this is why Idlewild are our Artist of the Week.
The Scots indie rockers are much loved by their fans and their strong cult following is testament to that love.
Starting from humble beginnings in Edinburgh, frontman Roddy Woomble, guitarist Rod Jones, and drummer Colin Newton remain the core of the band and the combination of poetic lyrics, Jones’ signature licks, and Colin’s solid backbone are ever present. However, with the recent addition of Luciano Rossi and Andrew Mitchell, there’s a bright, fresh sound and a slight change in direction as they explore new ground together.
Scotland continues to be a breeding ground for alt-rock bands of various shades, with an abundance of bands making their mark up and down the country.
The most recent export from this burgeoning scene is Daydream Frenzy. Formed from the city of Aberdeen, the three-piece pop-punters have begun to make inroads into the hearts of the local music aficionados with their effervescent songwriting.
The band certainly know how to write an uplifting pop-rock tune with influences coming from their peers Angles & Airwaves and fellow Scots, Twin Atlantic. Emotive lyrics merge with choral harmonies and affected vocals as the chorus takes grip of the listener as the track builds to a crescendo.
With the band due to release their debut album at the end of March, it looks like 2015 is going to be a big year indeed.
The Marks Cartel are back with their amazing new video, “Curtain Call,” bringing you pretty much everything you want from a British rock band with an attitude.
The Welsh lads have honed that raw, authentic, British rock and roll sound. Heavy influences clearly include bands such as Kasabian, The Arctic Monkeys, and Royal Blood—you may have heard of them… Their video fits perfectly with the gritty, dark feel of the song; starting with a mysterious woman covered in smudged make up, which then rewinds to make for some pretty freaky cinematography.
Add to this some trippy live footage of the band in action to emphasise those heavy bass lines and you’ve got yourself a rather successful rock video. Congratulations lads, keep up the good work.
“Curtain Call” is released on February 23rd via Hamill Records.
Hailing from Manchester, England, Noir | Noir bring their debut video for “Claustrophobic Love.” and boy do we know it. The track immediately explodes with distorted guitar chords, heavy drum beats, and an all over creepy vibe which the video mirrors superbly. Immediately comparisons to Queens of The Stone Age and early Black Rebel Motorcycle Club can be heard, not only in the musicianship but also through lead vocalist Finn Sedas’ dark, gritty vocal tone.
Having already succeeded in a dark band name, it seems only fitting for the band to complement this with a song title and video to boot—inspired by Silence of The Lambs, no less.
For a band that are only starting out, it already feels like this experimental quartet has found a sound that is suitably dark and ominous and we could see them around for quite some time.
“Claustrophobic Love” is released February 16th via Nef Music.
Idlewild are a band that need no introduction, yet when you mention their name amongst ardent music fans, it seems as though they are still a band on the fringes, but that’s always been their allure.
Front man Roddy Woomble, guitarist Rod Jones, and drummer Colin Newton met at a party in Edinburgh twenty years ago and since then they’ve journeyed through eight albums together—eight albums that tell the story of their rise, retreat, and return. Feeling tired of the writing and recording process, Idlewild went on indefinite hiatus in 2009. The core of the band—Roddy, Rod, and Colin—remained, but they had been through several line-up changes and had outgrown the blueprint they had grown accustomed to over seven albums. Roddy began to strike out on his own as a solo artist, releasing folk records and touring, Rod had his solo project The Birthday Suit, and all three had gotten married with Colin and Roddy starting a family.
However, the forthcoming full length release, Everything Ever Written feels like the brand new start of a fresh chapter for Idlewild with the addition of Luciano Rossi and Andrew Mitchell. The band feels whole again with a sound they are calling “Hebridean Psychedelia”—twelve tracks that really do feel like it’s everything they’ve ever written, the sum of their parts, the highs and lows of their experiences, and a melodic maturity that fans, old and new, will be pleasantly surprised to hear.
There have been a lot of questions about why you went on hiatus and why you returned, but how are you enjoying it now everything is in full swing again? Is there anything different from before about writing, recording, playing, and touring together now you’re back?
We stopped playing and writing together in 2010 after Post Electric Blues. We were tired of playing gigs and no one wanted to make another record, so the best decision was to stop for a while. Two years passed with occasional phone calls and emails. I made two solo albums and toured consistently with a small acoustic band. In 2013, Rod and I started meeting up and writing songs again together. It was absolutely pressure free, and after we had about ten songs we liked we hired a cabin on the cliffs at Carsaig in Mull and along with Colin starting demo-ing what would become Everything Ever Written.
It’s great to hear the album sounding so eclectic. How did Luciano and Andrew influence the writing and recording of Everything Ever Written?
Lucci was involved from very early on. As soon as we had some decent demos of the songs we sent them down to him to add ideas. Lucci is a composer and producer in his own right, and so straight away he was developing the songs, taking them to new places. Andrew came into the band about three-quarters the way through. By this point we had already recorded some of the album. But we all did a writing session together in a studio space in the Scottish borders. Album tracks “Collect Yourself” and “Left Like Roses” came out of that.
BRIDGES release their fantastic single “BFF” later this month, but ahead of the release they’ve unveiled the video which gives you a feel for their cinematic, epic indie rock sound.
The video tells the story of a hard-working band—BRIDGES, of course—as they endure life on the road and on stage, sharing their massive sound with audiences up and down the country. There’s something wistful yet anthemic about the track and it’s a song you can definitely imagine being performed in stadium sized venues around Europe.
BRIDGES already sound massive and that’s half the battle won—we predict big things for these guys.
Between Mockingbirds are a Scottish three-piece from East Kilbride (that’s just outside Glasgow, for those who don’t know). Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 6 months, you may have noticed that over the pond Scotland very nearly packed its bags, took the kids, and split the record collection that it had accumulated with the UK in half. They very nearly gained independence.
Riding the wave of the national come down felt by Scotland’s “No” vote, Between Mockingbirds decided to put their feelings into their latest track, “Do You?” The lyrics are told from the POV of a “Yes” voter, and captures the disappointment felt by those who came so close to the change they’d been campaigning for.
The band have quite the smorgasbord of influences, and it will come as no surprise that Queens Of The Stone Age make the cut. This is ’90s college rock through and through, but with a mean streak.
BRIDGES are gearing up to release their second single “BFF” on the 23rd February. The track is nothing short of anthemic, with elements of The Teardrop Explodes and Kings Of Leon fused together to make a euphoric wall of alternative rock. The band’s raison d’être—to make people move.
With a UK tour on the horizon, and possible a few festival dates thrown in for good measure (they’ve already graced the stage at Glastonbury), we’re sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from this foursome before the summer.
“BFF” is released via Bear Pit Records on 23rd February 2015. Keep up to date with tour news on their official site.
