Author Archives: Anna LeBeau

London is changing, and has been for a while now. For as long as people can remember, the city’s character has been siphoned off, bit by bit, in a strange tidal flow that sees areas attract creativity, gain popularity, and then implode under the weight of sanitised gentrification. The creativity moves on, the cycle repeats. It’s happened to Camden, which has been a glorified open air shopping mall for a while now. It’s happened to Shoreditch, where anyone with an unlimited budget and a recipe for cupcakes can get their big break. It’s happening East, West, North, and South. Soon, the city will be nothing but bankers, expensive boutiques and coffee shops, and pseudo artisans who own said boutiques and coffee shops.

What does this have to do with White Ape’s “Kick It Down”? Quite a lot. White Ape represent part of the city’s culture that is slowly getting phased out. Living in London is becoming increasingly expensive and before long, bands like White Ape will be confined to the provinces once again as pubs and venues, once champions of the local live scene, are shut down, redeveloped, and replaced with luxury accommodation.

In short, that’s what this EP is about, and it’s fitting that the band have tipped their hats to ’70s British punk, with surfy guitars, two-tone beats, and lyrics with an overt message. “Kick It Down” is a fist raised in the air and a shout of defiance from kids forced to pay the previous generation’s tab.

If you have a place in your heart for honest garage rock that rallies against the status quo, then you need this—White Ape’s “Kick It Down”—in your collection.

There’s a delicate sadness to Siv Jakobsen’s latest single, “How We Used To Love” that will speak to anyone who’s gone through a break up.

From the haunting minimalist string, guitar, and piano combo that forms the introduction, the scene is set even before Siv’s voice makes its subdued entrance. And what a voice it is, blending elements of Joni Mitchell’s relaxed diction with Joan Baez’s intense range to create a brand new dynamic that defines Siv’s sound.

Even without the press release, which states pretty explicitly that the song is about one of Siv’s previous relationships, the themes behind the song couldn’t be any clearer. Some of the lyrics read like a transcript from a doomed couple’s conversation, stuck in a cycle of pain and remorse. It’s heavy going stuff, but far from being depressing, it’s like giving your soul a spring clean.

In just over three minutes, you get to feel the ache of extreme loss, remorse and then acceptance, and come out the other side refreshed and ready to take on anything.

Gaz Coombes’ album Matador is out on January 26th, an LP guaranteed to shine a warm reflective glow on an otherwise dreary January.

The video for “2o/2o” was recorded live at 229 in London and for anyone expecting the upbeat, cheeky indie of yore will be in for a pleasant surprise. Supergrass this ain’t. Coombes wears his introspective heart on his sleeve with the track building from an eerie start to a triumphant, climactic end—it’s pretty much perfect.

Gaz is on tour in February across UK and Europe. Tickets are available here.

With the new year ahead of us and a set of exciting new releases to look forward to, Blair Jollands’ latest video for “Stars Will Descend” is a welcome treat.

The single is out 23rd March and is taken from the album Half Life, out in April.

The video follows Blair’s perspective as we see images of a woman, the city in lights, and love’s most intimate moments. It’s a small but perfectly formed window into Jollands’ poetic soul.

This one slipped past our end of year deadline (so many bands, so little time to write about them), but we just couldn’t let India Mill’s last single, “Morning Song,” pass without a mention.

It’s taken from their debut album, Under Every Sky, and has an immediacy to it that had us hooked from the first bar of reverb soaked drums and guitar. Conjuring images of the repetitive daily grind, but soaked in Americana—all it needs is a couple of whip cracks and a choir of children yodeling Ennio Morricone style and it could fit in a spaghetti western. You can almost taste the desert dust blowing through your speakers.

Al Smith’s vocals are pitched perfectly, dancing up and down scales like a psycho on a piano, and at times in danger of overwhelming the entire song, but that’s what makes the song so great. “Morning Song” projects a big sound molded by a band that we’re hoping to hear a lot more from in 2015.

India Mill’s “Morning Song” is released via Bold Venture Music/ AWAL.

At this time of year, we can get a little nostalgic. It’s colder, the nights are longer, and it’s time to huddle into warm pubs for cosy chats over some mulled wine. Feldspar’s single “Hang Your Head” is equally reflective, but their message is a little more political, perhaps a little heavy for this time of year, but it’s important nonetheless and we should take heed.

“Hang Your Head” is the final single that completes the four single set to promote their Compass Tour. Singer Will Green explains the premise behind the single, “It’s anger at the way a select few have turned the most basic of human needs, having a roof over our heads, into a way to get rich and thereby suppress the rest of the population.” A very poignant message and one we should remember as we’re huddled in the comfort of our own homes this Christmas—not everyone is as fortunate.

The single itself is a passionate statement of intent and one of the band’s best of the Compass Tour singles. Hopefully we’ll hear more of that in 2015.

Feldspar Official | Facebook | Twitter

Having impressed audiences with their single “Stay,” this Welsh duo’s second EP is impressive for this young twosome. The “are they/are they not a couple,” Jessie Jallett and Luke Searle met whilst studying music technology in Bridgend, South Wales.

The EP is a real focus on their connection as a music making duo, and their chemistry is electrifying. Although there may be a slight folky edge to this EP, Remembering August have modernised the genre, injecting an exuberance into each track. “Brother” is honest and down to earth, whilst “Stay” stabs you in the heart (in all the best ways).

Fans of Milo Greene and The Civil Wars will especially enjoy this young duo’s second musical offering. It’s an exciting time for Remembering August—if this EP is anything to go by, there will be nothing but good things to follow.

Norway’s Petter Carlsen releases his third album Sirens this week. Carlen’s unique voice, harrowing lyrics, and beautiful melodies have become his calling card but Sirens is even deeper—it’s a more personal record as Petter says some of it was inspired “by a girl.”

It’s easy to compare Petter to fellow Scandinavian bands like Mew as he bends electronic and organic elements together creating a compelling sound, but it’s the more intricate moments that are the most inspiring.

The album is released on UK indie label Function Records and is available as of yesterday.

Read More »

Miss Kenichi is Katrin Hahner from Berlin. She’s about to release her third album, The Trail on Sinnbus—eleven tracks that explore nature, emotion, and delve deep into Katrin’s introspective side.

“The Ghost,” unlike her last single, “Who Are You” is a little more direct. Katrin stares directly into the camera, she commands your attention, and it’s another side to the artist that we haven’t yet seen. The music has more purpose here and as the melody drives on, we see a man running through a field. Katrin is obscured, we’re not sure if he sees her or not…is she “the ghost?”

It’s uncertain what message Katrin is sending, but that’s the charm—it’s almost better that we don’t know, and we just take this beautiful journey with her.

It’s a dreary Wednesday night but there’s a buzz in the heart of East London’s Brick Lane—Ex Libras are about to hit the stage.

It’s been four long years since their debut album Suite(s) impressed music fans across the board. These three boys from Hounslow built their own recording and rehearsal space, lovingly called “The Shed” and this is where they birthed their first few releases as a band. Shortly after Suite(s), EP “Cut(s)” was released and their fan base slowly grew and the press had taken notice.

After this short burst onto the scene, they almost disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared. In the time they’ve taken out, they’ve experimented and moulded their sound, smoothed the edges, and that’s very much evident tonight from the new songs and frontman Amit’s performance.

Every word is a bullet now—Amit emotes this power more than ever before on stage, even during their “older” songs. But let’s stick to the new for a second… “Leap Of Faith” is massive, it feels like the venue is being sonically stretched and pitted against the band’s will. The audience is fully engaged and newer fans seem intrigued. “Woe” is another new track that showcases their strength as a live unit—Ross’ drum beats are tighter than ever, Kieran on the keys gives the track a dreamy depth which marries perfectly with Amit’s powerful vocals.

Read More »

HAWK are the lucid dream between post rock and indie.

Their video for single “Hush” not only demonstrates Julie Hawk’s exquisite vocals but the band’s wonderfully eerie compositions as the music crescendos into a climactic cacophony of guitars and Julie’s sweet voice threading the song together as if by magic.

Julie and Matt Harris met in 2012, collaborating whilst Julie was still concentrating on her solo work. However, shortly after meeting, the pair was introduced to Chris Handsley (bass) and Sam Campbell (drums) and the rest, as they say, is history.

“Hush” is officially released on December 8th as a free single and only the start of things to come as the band are set to release their EP “Clock Hands” in 2015.

Le Very’s EP “Playground” is just a small snippet into their world which is rich in electro pop.

The EP starts with a bang as the title track stirs something from within, you’ll be singing along by the end for sure. The chorus is possibly one of the catchiest you’ll hear and it’s what gives the band room to stretch beyond the boundaries of mere electro pop—there’s something epic about this opening track that sucks you in.

“The Dive” has a somewhat sweeter sound, it’s a little softer and more ’80s driven. If you imagine the sound that Zoot Woman honed with their 2001 debut album Living In A Magazine, Le Very have taken this and given it their own spin. The track sounds like a dream somewhere between Zoot Woman and Goldfrapp’s earlier sound.

Read More »

Back in the heady days of groups like Led Zeppelin and The Who, it was taken as a given that being in a band was one of the most awesome things you could do for a living. It was up there with Astronaut and racing driver, for goodness’ sake!

Since then, despite a brief resurgence in the ’90s where Madchester and Britpop once again made life on stage and on the road something that looked exciting, a 24/7 party where you were the centre of attention, it’s all calmed down a bit. With companies like the Norsk casino predicting that the financial bottom falling out of the music industry, being a successful musician has been revealed as a fairly low paying job considering the amount of effort required to make it to the top and stay there.

However, there is still hope! The Marivaux have arrived on the scene with a music video celebrating everything that’s great about being on the road. There are no flea-infested motels, no depressing pictures of four people jammed into a dressing room with a broken sink; these Manchester boys are having the time of their lives and want everybody to know about it.

Read More »

With their album Furious Finite, Little Arrow take us on a journey from the eccentric to the soulful. They’re more than just another quirky folk band, and once you get past the rollocking folky fun that is “Medicine Moon,” the rest of the album presents a much more cerebral side. There are moments of ambience, languid soundscapes, and a band that paints a hazy, dreamlike picture with layers of beautiful melodic precision.

The Welsh band prove that there is substance underneath those quirky layers but they never lose their humour throughout. There’s something a little Blitzen Trapper meets Local Natives about these guys, blending their folk roots with something more cerebral.

Furious Finite will no doubt put a smile on your face and have you tapping along in no time. Little Arrow are a promising band and something tells us this is just the beginning.

Jo Mango is one of Scotland’s loveliest gems; her music transcends the physical plane and floats toward the clouds and the stars beyond.

Her delicate voice and beautifully composed tracks on album Murmuration were impressive to say the least, but Jo presents her experimental side with her latest album Transformuration, a remix of this album featuring an interesting mix of international artists who have reworked all ten tracks.

The result truly is a transformation and these remixes breathe new life into the songs. Jo is one of the scene’s most respected artists having worked with the likes of Conquering Animal Sound, ex-Frightened Rabbit guitarist Gordon Skene (Fraction Man), and many more. The album was produced by Adem Ilhan who met Jo Mango whilst touring—both have since collaborated with Vetiver and Vashti Bunyan. The fact artists and musicians of such high calibre work with Jo time and time again is testament to her incredible talent.

If you’re new to Jo Mango, start with album Murmuration and move onto Transformuration. Take the journey with her—you will not be disappointed.