Art Is Hard Records Compilation Reveal: Safari Park

It's no secret that Art Is Hard is one of our favourite independent labels, so to be invited to take part in their latest release reveal is a real privilege.

For those who don't know, the label (based between Weymouth and Plymouth depending on university term-times) are releasing Dry Route To Devon - a compilation of some of the best (yet impressively unknown) bands from the south and south west of England. But, in true Art Is Hard fashion, they're putting out and announcing the release in a novel and unusual way.

Instead of being stuck on a CD, Richard and David have decided to release the compilation as a map. Detailing where each band come from, it's also covered in QR codes for each of of the bands that (once scanned on a smartphone) will take 'customers' to a page full of unique content, information, as well as a place to get the song relating to that band. Just like their first release, a t-shirt will also accompany the compilation, although isn't a necessity for the order.



To reveal the release, they're giving each of their blog friends the opportunity to host a song from each of the bands. Day by day, the tracklisting is being revealed (starting off with Make Believe Ballroom via The 405 on Friday, followed by Hysterical Injury via Gold Flake Paint yesterday), and we're delighted to be unveiling track number 3: Distand Suns from Safari Park.



Hailing from Bournemouth, the three-piece make gloriously fuzzy and nostalgic pop songs, with Distant Suns being no different. Understated and relaxed yet catchy, it's the type of song that people will relate to a lazy evening spent in the sun - and why not? Hear it below, and find more out about the compilation on Art Is Hard's website by clicking THESE CAPITAL LETTERS.


Safari Park - Distant Suns

Bandcamp | Facebook | Art Is Hard

Dan Amos Documentary

My fascination with the brilliant Dan Amos continues. His music, via band Burglarised, as previously posted about on this blog twice and on social media apps countless times, is distorted, effortlessly incredible pop music. Thankfully the guys from Illness are keeping my Dan Amos needs fulfilled, and have made this short documentary on him, his music, and why it's so brilliant and fascinating. Check it out below.

DAN AMOS vs THE FANS from Illness on Vimeo.

Download Burglarised/Dan Amos full album Thunderheart here, or listen to and grab some individual tracks below.


Dan Amos/Burglarised - It Doesn't Happen Often


Dan Amos/Burglarised - See What I Can Do

Dan Amos / Burglarised BF post | Illness BF post | Illness website

Future of the Left: New Demos

Future of the Left have posted links to some new demos, which will presumably eventually appear on their upcoming third studio album, on their Facebook page. It's the first chance fans will have had to listen to what the Cardiff band has been up to since their line-up change earlier in the year, other than from live videos like this one. Stream the tracks tracks below.

Future Of The Left - I Am The Least Of Your Problems (demo)


Future of the Left - Notes On Achieving Orbit


Future of the Left - My Wife Is Unhappy

The Pigeon Post's Great Mixtape Swap 3

The Pigeon Post is a blog similar to this one, only better. They too write words about some of the best new bands, but they also regularly gather up all the music community spirit through running their mixtape feature. Now in its third installment, this will be my first time to get involved which is, I know, a poor effort. The premise is as simple as it sounds. A bunch of people interested in music make a playlist of around 10 tracks of new, interesting, and lesser well known songs, upload it to a file-sharing website, and send the link to Matthew at The Pigeon Post. He then puts all of the digital mixtapes into a big e-hat, plucks out the different mixtapes one by one, and sends them back to everyone who had sent one in - thus all those who join in both receive and create a little bit of happiness through the medium of music they hopefully haven't heard of and enjoy. I'm looking forward to it.

To get involved, or to read more about the mixtape (as well as the most recent Ducktapes release), click on these underlined words.

Strange News From Another Star

Photo courtesy of Paul Gregory, Lense Eyes.
Back in 2005, The Independent were correct when they wrote that “one way or another, we will be hearing quite a lot more of Jimmy Watkins.” Referring to an on-track incident where, during his career in athletics a few years back, Jimmy farted whilst lining up for a race, although The Independent, even after that, probably weren’t expecting for us to hear more of him quite in the way that we have over the past year or so.

Indeed, the Jimmy Watkins in that article is the same Jimmy Watkins who fronts Cardiff band Strange News From Another Star and, indeed, also the same Jimmy Watkins who was asked to join Future Of The Left, one of his favourite bands, as guitarist and fourth member not long ago.

Jimmy likes to make a bit of a pillock of himself. Anybody who has ever even briefly met him or seen him play live (be it outdoors strumming an acoustic with his trousers around his ankles, dressed either in denim from head to toe or, with his now slightly plumper figure [sorry Jimmy], in his old athletics kit onstage) will be testament to that. Strange News' debut EP Full Frontal, although a strong release that a lot of hard work went into, was still Jimmy - and bandmate’s Mark Foley, bass, and Harry Jones, drums - in all of his usual silliness through the medium of raucous, blues-influenced, alternative rock. Since the release of Full Frontal last year, Mark has had a shave and a haircut, Harry has graduated from university, Jimmy, whilst still working in a Welsh wool shop, has joined Future Of The Left, and Strange News From Another Star have made some new recordings.

Now, it’d be foolish to suggest that with these new recordings Strange News have turned sensible because, well, they haven’t. They’re still completely nuts. For example, ‘A Ballad Of John Rostron’ is a song to/for/about/containing Cardiff-based music promoter and Swn Festival co-organiser John Rostron, where Jimmy asks “Where’s the car park?/Where’s the car park?/Where’s the car park, John?” (no idea...). ‘Deathbyugg’, besides from being perhaps the best named song ever, features a female/Jimmy unusual duet, ending with Jimmy, all Welsh accented, repeating “Burn that Tesco, burn that Tesco down, burn that Tesco, burn that Tesco down”. ‘White Man Blues’ is two minutes of heavy, blues-y guitar riffs, pausing occasionally for lines like “Tell your mother I’m back again/This time a respectable man.” And, after all, the band are still sponsored by a sandwich shop. But in these songs - some of which that will form an EP at some point - Jimmy, Mark, and Harry are, it’s fair to say, taking their music a lot more seriously and are certainly seeming a lot more relaxed, comfortable, and confident with their sound.

Although no gigs seem to be lined up at the moment, and there are no firm plans for this new EP, there will be some updates within the coming months, no doubt.

Head here for a playlist made by Jimmy for The 405, here to stream both debut EP Full Frontal and a live radio session for Bethan Elfyn, or follow them on Twitter here for more news on live shows, a possible EP, etc, and listen to clips of some of the new recordings below.

Strange News From Another Star - I Am Weatherproof (Crop)

Strange News From Another Star - Bullets (Crop)

Strange News From Another Star - Last Night I Happened Twice (Crop)

Jonny: Free EP

Turnstile have been good to us these past few weeks. Free Gruff Rhys, free Girls, and now a free 4-track EP from Jonny; the collaboration between the greats Euros Child and Norman Blake.

The free EP also arrives with the news of a full-length debut, (album artwork above) due out on 31st January, and a UK tour, dates here.

Download the free EP by exchanging an email address in the box below:

Three Free Things

Whilst I slave away at a dead-end job, the music world is busy doing its thing. Find below three free things (and four songs altogether) that have been widely written about many hours ago.

Girls – Heartbreaker

A fantastic freebie from San Francisco’s Girls, as they also announce details of six-song mini album Broken Dreams Club - which is to be released on 22nd November through Fantasytrashcan/Turnstile Music. Their 9/10 Pitchfork rated debut album Album will be tough to top, but I think Christopher Owens et al are well up for the challenge. I fancy their chances judging from this jangly loveliness, too. Grab it, in exchange for an email address, from Turnstile here.


Is Tropical – South Pacific

Although the demo has been knocking around for a while now, Is Tropical have decided to release ‘South Pacific’ (‘SOUTH PACIFIC’, to be accurate) as a free download. Featuring their usual catchy electro beats, it’s the band’s second single release in the build up to the release of their debut album, which is due out on KITSUNÉ / Cooperative Music early next year. Not a whole load has changed from the earlier demo, but it’s definitely worth a download for both those who have and haven’t heard their earlier stuff. Download here, also in exchange for an email address.

Lykke Li – Get Some

The lovely Lykke Li offers us new single ‘Get Some’, as well as b-side ‘Paris Blue’ for free download, as well as releasing it on vinyl for fans of that format. Specific album details are also expected shortly. So far, the best prediction we have is early next year. Until then, download both beautiful tracks below, or download here.

Gruff Rhys: New Track - Free Download

Everybody's favourite Welshman Gruff Rhys has found the time, in between working with Gorillaz, making an album with a Brazilian TV repairman (true) and splitting up his band Super Furry Animals (not true) to record some new music under his own name.

New track 'Shark Ridden Waters', which is sung in English unlike much of the tracks from solo record Candylion, still features the similar psych-pop sounds that we know and love from said solo album and his work with SFA, and Gruff is on top form with the vocal delivery. I've only owned it for 10 minutes but I already like it a lot, so there.

Download 'Shark Ridden Waters', in return for an email address, from Gruff Rhys' very own website, here. Everyone's favourite social media website Twitter also informs me that more news (perhaps about a new album, who knows?) is due tomorrow.

Islet: New Track

Increasingly known, increasingly loved and increasingly traveled Islet, the Cardiff band who are famed for their 'shun' of the internet (they love the internet, they told me themselves during an interview in a Portuguese cafe in Cardiff, found here) and their very good live shows, have been working hard since their well received mini album Celebrate This Place, released last year.

The band are still currently on a huge tour of the UK, but have somehow managed to record another mini album, entitled Wimmy, which is due out October 10th (and also available at their live shows). Turnstile announced the free download of track 'Ringerz' in the build up to that ages ago, but I've only just gotten around to writing about it. You can download it from here.

'Ringerz' sees the band exploring deeper Animal Collective-y waters, with more use of echoing effects that we know and love from their debut release, multi-drum action, and unsual vocals switching from male to female.

The band play Swn festival on October 23rd (also keep an eye out for the band member's other music with attack+defend and Them Squirrels), and the rest of their live dates from their still going UK tour can be found on their website. (See. I told you they didn't hate the internet).

Gallops Update - EP Release

I won't bore you with how much I love Gallops' live shows (a lot, in brief). I am just here to tell you that the Wrexham-based electro/post-rock/math-rock four-piece release their debut EP quite soon - and to urge you all to buy a copy.

I've been lucky enough to be sent the self-titled effort, released 23rd August through Holy Roar Records, from The 405 to review. Obviously I don't want to spoil the excitement of reading that review by telling you what the 5-track self-titled release is like now, but I will say that the recordings live up to expectations created (mostly) from past live shows and is most definitely worth getting your hands on.

You can buy an EP and t-shirt bundle for £12, or just the EP on its own for £5, from the Holy Roar Records online shop. I'm sure it'll be stocked in Cardiff's Spiller's Records, too, for all ye local folk.

Edited to add:

My review of the EP can now be found online at The 405.

Saturday's Kids Update

You might not recall, but I first wrote about Saturday's Kids on here back in March. I pretty much said they were great, told you to check out their 5-track demo EP and urged you to see them live.

Luckily for you, the four-piece post-punk band from Abergavenny, South Wales, are back on a tour of the UK, this time with friends Wooderson, heading to the northern heights of Leeds, the southern depths of Plymouth, and lots of places in between. They put on a really good live show, and you can check their tour dates in full on their MySpace, or on the funky little poster above (though it is missing a few gigs, I think). They will be making some groovy noises and some scary noises and some noisy noises in pubs, basements, and houses all over the UK.

Excitingly, the band also have a new release - a three-track 7" with homemade sleeve - which will be available in the not too distant future. It hears the band leaning towards directions that they have no previously leaned, and it's a really good release, with hints of Sonic Youth and Nirvana.

If you, per chance, own an independent record label in the UK (or the world, actually), or maybe a record store, or just feel like helping out with the release in any way, Saturday's Kids would be more than happy for you to get in touch. Either contact them on their MySpace, or email me (email address top right) and I will pass it onto them. I'm sure they'd be delighted to hear from you.

Future of the Left Line-Up Change

Future of the Left have announced that they are to become a four-piece, and that bassist, Kelson Mathias, is leaving the band and to be replaced. I wrote a short news article on the topic, which is online now at The Line of Best Fit.

The fourth band member will be, I'd imagine, revealed in the coming days...

Barely Regal Records - An Introduction to Cardiff's Newest Record Label

Last night saw the welcoming of brand-spanking new Cardiff-based record label Barely Regal at Clwb Ifor Bach - and a good night it was too.

Fitting the bill for their official launch, as well as the release of their compilation CD made up of their favourite Cardiff bands, were three acts from this CD - Samaons, Theo, and Man Without Country - who all did their part in making the night a massive success. The highlight of the three, for me, was without doubt Theo. The one-man instrumental post-rock/math-rock machine makes an incredible noise, building layers of intricate guitar loops before destroying the drum kit over the top of this (not too dissimilar to Right Hand Left Hand, for those aware of them only with half the man power). Definitely worth checking out live; you'll be impressed.

Other bands on the compilation disc, which comes with a snazzy little booklet with some info about each band and how the gents at Barely Regal came to know of them, include Strange News from Another Star, Right Hand Left Hand, Goodtime Boys and Among Brothers.

Find Barely Regal on Facebook, Twitter, or at their very own blog for more.