Author Archives: Anna LeBeau

Dante return with their free single “Wake” taken from their debut album—the critically acclaimed full length of the same name. The track sums up Dante in 3 indie-folk minutes (or so) as the band show their credentials as one of the standout Celtic folk bands hailing from Scotland right now.

There are moments that make you want to let your hair down break into a ceilidh and dance the night away. These moments are though, smattered with indie influences that remind us of Scottish stalwarts like Idlewild and Teenage Fanclub. There really is a lot going on here as harmonies enrich the music further taking it to almost angelic levels at times.

Having received praise from the music press both at home and throughout the UK, Dante are intent on maintaining their momentum with the release of “Wake” and a number of festival dates and a local Scottish tour.

Scary People return with another souped-up, dirty, drawling rock track that is fast becoming their signature sound. New single “Guided By The Blind” follows hot on the heels of two EPs in little over a year, an appearance at the flagship Scottish festival T in The Park, and a forthcoming tour that will see the band continue to impress with their flawless live show.

“Guided By The Blind” chugs, snaps, and ultimately builds into a good old-fashioned, foot-stomping alt-rock song. The track highlights a band at the top of their game technically and further enhances frontman Daniel Forouhar as an emotive presence who’s voice adds a crooning sexiness to proceedings—like a Scottish Mike Patton.

It’s easy to see why Scary People are starting to create a bit of buzz North of the border and, if they continue on this trajectory, it won’t be long until the conquer the rest of the UK.

As London duo Mano’s Daughter prepare for their second EP this year – “Shiver” – the band prove that they’re one of the busiest on the indie scene with yet another sumptuous video to accompany this terrific track.

“What’s A Girl Supposed To Do” is melancholic and epic as front woman Sarah Carter mesmerises us with every word. Appearing as a bluesy, sci-fi songstress, every note is sung with with pin point passion and precision as we’re immersed with shapes, images of loneliness, and… a strange woman dressed as a bird!

This is a more mature and introspective direction for Mano’s Daughter and it could be just the trick as we’re saturated with electro pop nonsense fronted by meaningless scantily clad songbirds. Expect a deeper sound from their next EP and feel the shiver down your spine.

FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! have been busy since the release of their debut album Atlas. These boys from Hamburg have been enjoying the fruits of this summer’s live audiences around Europe, coming back to the UK in June to play GoNorth Festival in Scotland. Reports say that the boys impressed the crowds up there and as we reach the height of summer, their single “Sense” is a welcome breath of fresh air.

The video sees the boys perform in the shadows surrounded by swathes of neon. Dancers make shapes to FALD’s upbeat electro indie infused beats as they channel a sound that’s somewhere between Delphic and Foals.

The single is out now and available on iTunes. Hopefully this won’t be the last we hear from the boys before the summer ends as they prove with each single that they’re one class act.

New Zealand born, London dwelling Blair Jollands has presented two tracks to us this summer in preparation for his forthcoming, as yet untitled, album. “Carve It Up” is the latest single with “My Way Home” being the preceding free track.

Singer songwriter Blair Jollands is a wistful nomad. His music floats through the breeze of life and when it catches you, you feel it passing through your very soul. The two tracks we’ve heard so far encapsulate this sound perfectly as he hones the folk undertones of Nick Drake with the aching, heartfelt emotion heard on John Frusciante’s earlier solo work.

Blair has played The Great Escape, and more recently, The Camden Crawl this year with more post summer live dates hopefully in the diary. His next album should shed more of an insight into Blair’s world as these two tracks so far are more than enough to tease.

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Algernon Doll, aka Ewan Grant, embodies the real spirit of DIY in 2014.

At the young age of 24, he’s already released two albums with his third, Omphalic due for release late June. The progression from album to album is tremendous with his debut Camomile channelling the spirit of Elliott Smith, but it was with second album Citalo-pop that Ewan really began to gain momentum.

Now, with his third about to be released, he’s brought together all of these elements creating his most well-rounded work to date as he effortlessly blends the more introspective elements of his music with his love of angular rock.

“Suicide” is an ode to old skool grunge and the video embodies Nirvana’s “teen spirit” days. The track was also released as a free download which is available now on Soundcloud.

Berlin duo The/Das are about to release their debut album Freezer and it’s been a busy few years for the pair. Last year, their EP “Speak Your Mind Speak” introduced their own unique brand of “techno tenderness” which is ever-present on this latest single, “My Made Up Spook.”

The/Das frontman Fabian Fenk travelled to Mumbai, where he was visiting his girlfriend. The video was filmed spontaneously in and around the city, capturing the excitement and energy of two lovers far away from home.

The single is one of the most immediate tracks on the album with the rest unravelling the band’s darker side. Moving away from the bright, poppy indie electro of the last few years, The/Das are lighting the way for the new breed – taking electro down a completely different, intriguing path.

Whenever Death Rattle announce a new video or single, it causes quite a stir. The London-based electro duo herald the new dawn for the genre as they bring their own unique brand of melancholic “gloom pop” to the fore with their latest single “Wait.”

Going back to Death Rattle’s roots, it was inevitable that they were always spiralling seductively towards the darker side of electro. They’ve often played with their image and sound, creating intelligent electro art pieces. It was a surprise, therefore, that “Wait” is perhaps one of their “poppiest,” gloomy tracks to date—if that makes sense!

It’s still in keeping with their previous themes but is a little more generic than the rest. They announced the track with new images, the band painted in gold, a brighter, more clean-cut image than before, and perhaps this signals that their jaunt into murkier waters is coming to an end. Helen Hamilton’s vocals are as strong as ever on “Wait” but she maintains that fragility looming just beneath the surface, as is her signature style.

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Hundreds’ video for album track “Beehive” is a live video that gives us a glimpse into what the brother sister duo are like live. And if you’re wondering, the word you’re probably looking for is “incredible.”

Watching this video, not only do you get a sense of the real depth of sound the Berlin based duo have live, but Eva Milner’s voice is absolutely stunning as her vocals soar beautifully above the beats and the melodies. The song itself, brings together elements of Sharon Van Etten and Lamb, with a captivating tribal beat that pounds through the heart of the song.

The track wasn’t released as a free track or a single, but should have been. It’s one of the strongest tracks on the album, proving the pair to be a tour de force when it comes to proper songwriting.

Katalina Kicks are bringing some good old fashion rock ‘n’ roll to the scene as they’re about to release their second album Dirt. The album is full of nods to rock, garage, and punk with the band’s influences ranging from the Misfits to QOTSA.

The band were formed in 2009 and have already played SXSW, the Canadian Music Fest in Toronto, headlined Koko in London, played Club NME and a showcase at Camden Rocks. It’s their exciting live shows that have captivated audiences, grabbing their attention with debut album The Return Of Montague Rotter.

As the Katalina Kicks are about to release their second offering, they’re attempting to punctuate a scene full of bands that sound exactly the same—but Katalina Kicks are here to burst your bubble, pulling some of the best rock influences of the past and making them their own.

Fur Cough are an interesting prospect. As their latest free track “Bye My Myopia” begins, we’re lulled into thinking they’re probably just another Arctic Monkeys copy cat band. But you’d be mistaken… listen on and you’ll find there’s a lot more balls behind this London based four-piece than you’d expect.

In fact, their influences range from At The Drive-In to PJ Harvey, combining proper alt rock with catchy melodies and interesting hooks. Their self-titled EP is filled with much of the same, showing a band not afraid to properly rock out.

Their EP is out on 4th August 2014 and it’s getting us very excited here indeed. Fresh from their recent stint at The Great Escape, they’ll be coming to a live show near you very soon, and what a show that’ll be!

These Glasgow boys only just announced their EP last month and the support online seems to have been overwhelming. They’re bringing back old skool emo spliced with a good healthy dollop of American indie that will please fans of The Get Up Kids and The Promise Ring.

Despite the American influences, singer Sean McKenna’s unmistakable Scottish accent pierces through the music. And speaking of which, the band’s knack for writing beautiful riffs and a catchy chorus is one of their strengths.

The EP is just the tip of the iceberg for this band, who’ve already got Scotland behind them and the UK is surely to follow.

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The genre Math can often stretch from the ridiculous to the unlistenable, but Steve Strong is heralding the new wave of underground math instrumentalists. His debut album, Three Hands Tall is a masterpiece in the genre, coming from humble beginnings based in Plymouth and signed to Genepool.

Strong has performed as a drummer for over 15 years and has played alongside similarly musically technical bands such as LITE and And So I Will Watch You From Afar. This debut album, out May 19th, is just the beginning though.

In true muso style, Steve already has an EP planned and a string of dates scheduled for this summer. Something tells us he won’t be stopping there either and there is probably lots more new music to come.

Fans of the Sea And Cake and Gastr del Sol will be pleased, and whether your a musician, music fan, or Math nut, Three Hands Tall will most certainly intrigue.

Hamburg’s FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! have arrived just in time for the summer. Their upbeat electro infused indie should be played full volume, sun blazing, beer in hand.

“Home” was recently released as a free download followed by a video, with the video for single “We’re Manicals!” arriving shortly after.

“Home” is hopeful and optimistic whilst the latter revealed a slightly darker side to the band. Whatever they turn their hand to though, this German four-piece know how to make music that will get you dancing!

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FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! are a Hamburg based band making music that will get you dancing! “We’re Manicals!” is taken from their forthcoming debut album Atlas, which is out on German label Audiolith, April 28th 2014.

In the video, three members of the band enter a darkened church. Front man Nico stands in front of the cross, while a young, robed boy dispenses mysterious pills.

The congregation begins to experience strange side-effects and they turn on the band. It seems they’ve morphed into some sort of sacrilegious zombies! But how does it end? Well, you’ll just have to watch to find out!

It’s good to see a band taking some time over their videos and “We’re Manicals!” also happens to be ones of the strongest tracks from the album. FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE! are proof that some of the most exciting bands are emerging from Germany right now—take heed!