Love at first sight, or perhaps I should say first listen - 30 seconds into Get Buried by The Creepy Crawlies and it was pure adoration from then on in. Sitting somewhere between early Los Campesinos!, Jason Schwartzman's Coconut Records and The Flaming Lips, the LA band make quirky, charming pop songs that draw you in and leave you feeling bashful. Really lovely, and I can't wait to hear more.
I have a confession to make. I have been ignoring Trwbador for the last few months on the basis of a (purely name-generated) theory that they were a dreadfully boring, entirely average, one-man-band acoustic folk act. They're certainly not that.
The duo, although certainly with folk influences, sit more comfortably with the experimental pop tag - blending electronic beats, acoustic guitar, and wonderful female vocals. This is interesting, enjoyable, and far from my silly prejudice.
Apparently Basement Fever is getting a little bit of a reputation for being massive fans of the lo-fi, and we're certainly not helping ourselves by posting about Body Wash. Although there is minimal production here and the recording quality is a long way from perfect, there's lots to love about the Chicago band. Beneath the fuzz and the hiss are quirky, catchy pop melodies formed from distorted vocals and basic guitar licks. It doesn't sound like much, but the subtle blend of elements of 60s surf, pop, garage rock, and even punk works like a dream. A big lo-fi dream. LO-FIIIII
We know very little about Gum, only that there are five of them and that they are from London. Judging from the three songs available (one of which has two different names in two different places), we can probably safely assume that they are fans of My Bloody Valentine. Whether their sound (layers of reverby, bending guitar and distorted vocals) is slightly too similar to the 90s shoegazers you can decide, but I'll be keeping a close eye on these in the next few months regardless.
"Recorded with Rory Atwell" is fast becoming code for "this is fucking good". It seems everything and anything that the former Test Icicle (and current Warm Brains) is involved with is well worth blogging about, and the latest Kutosis recordings are no different.
A three-piece from Cardiff, the band wear their influences openly on their sleeves: fans of Mclusky, Liars, and Les Savy Fav will like their noisy, feisty alternative rock songs. Guitar riffs and distorted, chomping bass lines work wonderfully in unison whilst choruses soar. Satisfyingly heavy yet sufficiently catchy, single Shadows is out on Barely Regal Records on September 5, and full-length Fanatical Love will follow.
When a band contact you saying they like pizza, weed, and noise you can hazard a pretty good guess as to how they might sound. Portland's Grrrl Friend certainly don't disappoint.
It's lazy, lo-fi, noisy rock music with definite post-punk influences made by people (2-4 of them depending on the band's mood, apparently) who sound like they don't give a shit about much - and yet, despite its hissy recordings and care-free feel, it's surprisingly accomplished. They can carry on not giving a shit about much if music like this is the result.
Their album Happening Now is out now on Gnar Tapes. Listen to some of its best bits below, or download the entire thing for free from bandcamp.
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.
As a blogger, once you've been 'sitting on' a band for a few months, it often feels like the time has passed to write about them, but Boylant's tracks have a certain appeal that continue to draw you back time and time again. Nothing groundbreaking or extravagant but simply charming, honest bedroom pop songs that put a smile on your face.
Whereas some bands come across like they're trying to hide their influences from you in some weird way to come across original, Dead Rabbits seem like the kind of band that would gladly lend you their entire record collection just so that another person gets pleasure from the music that they love.
That's not to say that the Southampton four-piece are copycats or unoriginal, just that they wear their influences (Brian Jonestown Massacre, Joy Division, The Beatles, Jesus & Mary Chain etc) proudly on their sleeves and sound like they absolutely love making music with a nod to their idols. Tracks have a fuzzy nostalgic warmth and the band have this indescribable charm - and they're certainly not scared to stray away from the 3-minute-song rule.
Although still not perhaps The Finished Product just yet, it's been pleasing to see the band gradually improve over the last few months and I'm looking forward to finding out where they go next.
Although not as in your face and obnoxiously weird as My Pale Garden, Tennessee artist Nick Burk aka Acid Glasses continues his assault on our ears with Jpeg Hoarder. It'll be released through Stroll On Records, October 10.
Crushed Beaks sound is abrasive yet scrappy, a pleasing juxtaposition of sounds laden with noisy feedback but excellent pop melodies. A two-piece from London that you should be hearing lots more from soon. Listen to the chorus of Think Lucky and tell me you don't want to sing along.
Milestones is a feature looking to gain an insight into the tastes of a particular character of the music 'industry'. We ask them a few questions and they kindly answer.
Will runs his own music PR company in Two Tap Digital and is also a writer for The Line Of Best Fit and Drowned in Sound. Affectionately known as G-Grant, and also part of the Lost Lost Lost clan, Will is an annoyingly-bloody-good writer (his review of Antlers' most recent album is good evidence of that) and is also doing a bloody good job at representing the artists he does (he was behind the latest Acid Glasses single, which received mass-blog coverage and also featured in the NME). He also supports Nottingham Forest, so go and tweet "Schteeeeeve" at him - he could do with some sympathy. Check his responses to the same old Milestones questions below.
The album that first got you into music:
There are a few actually, all for very different reasons but each pretty much essential in forming my tastes and opinions of music during different times in my life. I don't think I would have reached a semblance of understanding musical sophistication without having gone through it's pre-pubescent bretheren first - things like The Offspring's 'Americana' (yes, their 'sellout' album - urgh) and Blink182's 'Enema Of The State' kind of sated my need for snottiness when I was younger.
But there's no doubt the most important, for me, is At The Drive-In's 'Relationship of Command'. It was something that I'd never quite realised the potency of when I was first exposed to them - I have the disgust of hindsight that I saw two songs of their Reading Festival set back in 2000 when they were just hitting that point of being 'The Saviours of Rock'n'Roll'. What a horrible tag that is, as well.
I don't think there will ever be as potent or perfect statement of intent from a rock band ever again, to be honest. It's an album that could quite easily have its artwork alongside 'catharsis' in the dictionary - it's just so unrelenting in its power and putirty. Going back now and watching all of the live videos and interviews with them, you can still sense that dramatic urgency about what they were doing, knowing that they were on their final breaths of life as a band and not giving a fuck. It's just so powerful. Cedric was at his frontman finest, Omar a driving force of guitar virtuosity; they were just an encapsulation of everything a band should be. For me, no band again will come close to being as good or as vital as them at that time.
At The Drive-In - Cosmonaut
Nowadays, there's actually few bands that I've gone out of my way to listen to - I don't know why that is, apart from maybe how my head was turned by some incredible electronic stuff that was passed my way during university. That was all pretty much bred through following Warp Records - Chris Clark's Ceramics Is The Bomb and Empty The Bones Of You were especially essential in helping me to discover and explore that world further. Haven't looked back since, and Clark's still going strong to this day. I still always get incredibly excited when he does anything new.
Chris Clark - Shonny
Oh, and Daft Punk's Discovery. Sampled or not, they have a peerless sense of melody and that album is up there with my favourites of all time.
Daft Punk - Veridis Quo
The band that dominated your teenage years:
Again there were a couple - Green Day probably the most. Whilst they may be all stadium rock gods not with their rock operas and all that, I really caught on when I was handed Nimrod at like twelve or thirteen. Then I went backwards to find Dookie and ended up convincing myself that Insomniac was the best album ever made. Definitely not the case, especially given my little ATDI rant above, but it's still a wickedly cynical and abrasive piece of pop-rock.
Green Day - 86
Deftones were another. For me White Pony is still a staggering album and it still kind of grates on me (let alone them) how much they got lumped into the nu-metal thing. They completely transcended any of that with 'White Pony', I think - there's such a brilliant balance between absolutely pummelling heaviness and really jaw-dropping, spaced out beauty.
Deftones - Korea
The album in your parents' collection that made a lasting impression:
I actually made a pretty concerted effort to avoid dipping into my parent's collection. I still have jokey arguments with my dad to this day comparing saying that nothing by The Beatles could even come close to the obvious genius of Oasis (obviously, I was and still am taking the piss - I mean, Beady Eye?!).
I think my dad's quite happy to see me dipping back in now though - going straight for things like Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Elton John's Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road. But if there was any album that had the most influence it was The Beatles' Yellow Submarine. My dad used to put that on for me and my sister when we were really young, and I remember feeling unbelievably sad every time Nowhere Man came on. I still do to this day, although am a bit more aware of the wanton psychedelic references in the video.
The Beatles - Nowhere Man
The album that has dominated your last 12 months listening:
As with everything else, there's never just one. Caribou's Swim from last year was an incredible record. It really was amazing to see him come to an absolute musical fruition and find his feet with a more dance driven sound. The talent's has always been there, it just always seemed a bit more deliberately confused and psychedelic, especially on Andorra. But Swim was just so special, it had such an amazing romanticism to it. The final track, 'Jamelia', was probably my favourite song from last year too - Luke Lalonde's vocals on it are heartbreaking.
Caribou - Jamelia
Then there's the inevitable runners for this year already. I don't know if it's possible to burn out digital streams of stuff, but I'm doing my damnedest to bleed everything I can out of The Field's new one at the moment, Looping State of Mind. The Antler's Burst Apart was incredible too - had the pleasure of waxing lyrical on that for The Line of Best Fit. But I don't think I can look past the Bon Iver album this year - it's just so magical. It sounds so liberated. I imagine Justin Vernon wanted it to be that way considering all the jibes about 'Hipster Boy from The Cabin' and all that. But it's a really, really beautiful album. I got it on 12" I loved it that much, going as far as to having those ridiculously cheesy High Fidelity moments of emotion when I put the headphones on for it.
Bon Iver - Holocene
The most exciting new band you've heard recently:
I have the absolute pleasure of working with some great new artists, so I can't help but be MASSIVELY biased. I love Halls so, so much. I think what Sam's doing is insanely beautiful - it's wonderfully honest and really moving. He'll probably cringe his balls off if he were to read this, but I'm really excited to see where things go for him next. Those first couple of releases were really fantastic, and to see his remix on Gold Panda's Marriage EP was something amazing as well. Not to mention the Theme Park remix too - they're another band to keep an eye out for. Definitely going to go very far.
Halls - Chakra Drums
Beyond that, I really love what Cascine are doing and am a huge fan of Jensen Sportag. They just have this incredible ability to write universally infectious pop music - I don't think there's a cynic out there that can deny what they do. It's just too good. They've released the Pure Wet EP on Cascine, and I saw they'd released things like 'Jackie' (which I put on Lostx3) as well, but I can't help but feel their next step is going to be something special above special.
Jensen Sportag - Everything Good
And the one song that best represents what it is that you do:
Check out more from Will's Two Tap Digital, or follow him on Twitter for regular excitement about music, 'vibes', or groans about his football club.
As a preview to upcoming album Still Living - released August 22 through Soutterain Transmissions - Ganglians are giving away Drop the Act. Not as apparently sad as you might expect from the opening announcement, Drop the Act is a big slice of pop, considerably less lo-fi than much of their debut release. What do we reckon?
Com Truise. Joanna Gruesome. Ringo Deathstarr. Bare Grillz. Another band in a long line of excellent/awful pun names. But, although they may be part of a minor-trend in the name department - and indeed in terms of imagery they slot right in with the hip crowd - the Newcastle threepiece's sound isn't as typical as you might expect.
Although positively lo-fi, they avoid the shoegaze / surf / garage / chillwave / witchhouse / nightbus buzz-sounds, sometimes opting instead for a more "math" influenced sound, ala Foals circa 2007, and other times just making a noise pop guitar racket. Although that may not read particularly appealingly, Bare Grillz' songs have a desperation and a certain honesty to them - and they most certainly get a thumbs up here.
The day has come. After lots of build up, we finally get the chance to hear the debut EP from Gross Magic (Brighton-based Sam McGarrigle). Unashamedly glam and pop, Teenz Jamz is available now on (purple!) 7" through The Sounds Of Sweet Nothing - and Sam will be holding a single launch party at The Shacklewell Arms (Londno) on Wednesday.
Milestones is a feature looking to gain an insight into the tastes of a particular character of the music 'industry'. We ask them a few questions and they kindly answer.
Live editor and sessions producer for The Line Of Best Fit, writer for Noisey, live shooter for The Fly and general music photographer extraordinaire, Paul Bridgewater is London based and bearded. Rather than semi-good at those three (shoot, film, and write about music) varying roles, Paul is one of those talented swines who is able to do them all to an annoyingly high level. And I still owe him a pint. Doesn't it make you sick? Find Paul's responses to the generic Milestones questions below.
The album that first got you into music:
From the age of around five I can remember being enchanted by music. Certain songs - Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, PiL's Public Image, Talking Head's This Must Be The Place all stuck in my head as weird audio sketches as a child. I had no idea who was singing them or what they meant - something just resonated. I was a late bloomer with albums though; didn't really discover them until my teens.
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
Getting into new music always led me to seek what the bands I liked were listening to. The sense of discovery was (and is) part of the thrill of new music - tracing a path through history and seeing where that leads you. The blandest music is inevitably inspired by the most obvious influences I think - interesting stuff begats more interesting stuff.
Anyway, I would inevitably end up more into the influences than the influenced. So as a teenager raised on Shoegaze and Britpop, I ended up going backwards - to Bowie, The Byrds, The Clash, all that Nuggets stuff Lenny Kaye put together. Patti Smith too - the Horses record was a phenomenal part of my teenage years.
Public Enemy's first few records. 'Fear of a Black Planet' blew my mind in a massive way. Sad white boy that I am, I can recite every single line on that record. This is why I never go to karaoke. It would be too tempting to rip the nearest clock from the wall and put it round my neck on a chain....
Public Enemy - Fear of a Black Planet
It wasn't the album that really hooked me into music though - that was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. I probably got to it via seeing Bowie in Labyrinth as a kid and Brett Anderson name checking him in interviews. Plus Bowie was always kinda just there throughout - releasing albums every few years when I was a kid, popping up at that fucking hideous Freddie Mercury tribute concert to recite the Lord's Prayer.
Fuck, I listened to that album so much - I know it inside out, every note, line, the sequence of songs. There's something so perfect about it. Even the B-sides from those sessions were incredible ('Sweet Head' & 'Velvet Goldmine' - hard to believe they weren't actually part of the record).
It's not my favourite Bowie album though - that would be either Low or Heroes, depending on my mood - although Let's Dance is getting more play these days. And I kinda like that All Saints collection of instrumentals that came out a few years back.
David Bowie - Sweet Head
The band that dominated your teenage years:
Again, I was out-of-time as a teenager. I didn't particularly like bonding with others over bands - it was very much a private relationship. I grew up largely around people who didn't see music as the saviour I did. While Bowie's record was on regular rotation, I was seeking out music by a long-split band who at that time weren't necessarily as revered as they are now.
The Smiths hadn't been the subject of any reissues at this point and so you couldn't even get hold of all of their records. The first time I heard 'How Soon Is Now' (I'd be maybe 13 or 14) it was like a bomb had exploded inside me. The fact that they'd split up left them unsullied, perfect. Like a time capsule discovered in the garden. I made it my mission to obsessively hunt down rare copies of The World Won't Listen and Louder Than Bombs - which were almost impossible to get in my small northern town - at record fairs or via the backpages of Record Collector magazine.
The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
At that time Morrissey was pretty much hated by the music press - he'd just done that ridiculous flag-waving thing in Finsbury Park that had him branded a racist. I wasn't so much in to his stuff - I dislike almost everything he's done. He's a good lyricist. He's a good vocalist. But to me he's a mouthpiece for Marr's songs.
All in all, I think I listened to nothing but The Smiths for about four years solidly before the next band came along and they were forgotten for a bit.
The Smiths - Asleep
The album in your parents' collection that made a lasting impression:
Not for the music but for the cover - ELO's A New World Record. Gatefold vinyl. Dudes in the desert clutching some weird glowing ELO orb type thing. Of course the record is great too but I didn't really dig ELO until much later. Here's the front:
The album that has dominated your last 12 months listening:
Hard to answer - I'm not so much an album person anymore. I guess it's either Kanye or The Weeknd though. Let's go with Kanye.
It's really a proper album eh? With a concept that comes together lyrically and musically. It's got a beginning, middle and end, some kind of narrative thread and the entire package - artwork and songs - is cohesive. I think it's a brilliant pop record and I find it hard to see where he can go from here to top this.
Kanye West - Dark Fantasy
The most exciting new band you've heard recently:
I think I fall in love with a new band every two weeks. I've been this way since I first found music. I don't think there's anything wrong with that - although we have to acknowledge that the hyperbole and pomp we heap on these artistes with nary more than an MP3 or EP on import are wholly subjective judgements.
Music is about more than what's on the record though and when you have a new artist and little more than the artwork, the photographs, title and some minor biography, it can be very compelling - we create our own backstories or revel in the mystery of the unknown. And that's a good thing and I don't think it's a new thing. This whole idea that blogs are either the new A&R or blogs are killing music or blogs are being ridiculously over the top - I don't care about any of that. As a music fan, you react instinctively to what you like and sometimes you want to tell the world about it, even if two weeks later you're over it and onto the next thing. It's human nature.
I was absolutely head over heels with Keep Shelley in Athens for a while and fate transpired against me so I missed all of their London shows. We tried to get them for a session but everything came around too quickly and it never happened, which I'm sad about. We'll get them next time I hope. I still love them a lot - their first EP is a lovely, simple, geniune record. I'm excited to see what they do with an album.
Right now though I'm kinda in love with I Break Horses, who are on Bella Union and about to release their debut Hearts record, which is this wonderful mash of disco beats, early shoegaze and glam rock. It's 9 tracks too, which I love. I think every record should be 9 tracks.
So we're being drip fed new material from upcoming second album Endless Now from Male Bonding and going by what we've heard so far it sounds like it's going to be fucking excellent. Tame the Sun is significantly shorter and punchier than the previously previewed Bones and perhaps a little closer to what we know of them from their debut release only without the lo-fi veil.
Some bands that receive a little bit of hype fizzle out before they've even really accomplished anything, but it seems Fear Of Men might be here to stay. From an impressive early (and now sold out) tape out on Sex Is Disgusting, the Brighton/London four-piece have announced a new single out on Italian Beach Babes, August 22. Ritual Confessions sees the band making yet another leap forward, with a heartfelt and infectious chorus and at least a little hint of The Smiths.
So we've teamed up with the ace Club Fandango to give one reader a chance to win two tickets to see Crushing Blows and Bos Angeles - as well as Runaround Kids and Maz Totterdale - at London's Bull and Gate, August 8. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know just how much we love Boscombe three-piece Bos Angeles so we're pretty pleased to be running this competition.
To win, simply answer the below question.
What was the name of the first song to appear on Bos Angeles' bandcamp that originally got them loads of attention? (Hint: HERE) Was it:
a) Beach Slalom
b) Sand Kiting
c) Surfin' UK
Send your answer before Sunday August 7 along with your name and address to basementcompetitions[at]gmail.com. One winner will be selected at random and will be notified on Sunday. One entry per person. Strictly 18+. Entry will be granted with a +1 to the competition winner only. Strictly no re-selling - so please make sure you can personally attend.
If you're too lazy to listen to everything posted on Basement Fever then you're in luck. Monthly we'll be posting a mix of our favourite tracks that have been blogged at the end of each month on 8tracks. Check out our July selection below. We've even linked to all the related blog posts so you can go and download the stuff you like the most.
This whole fascination with the sand, sea and surf is all getting a bit unbearable. Still, here's me adding to the waves. Get it?
Typically based in California - and naming both the act and the song about said topics, even with the addition of the witch-house styled non-letters - BE▲▲CH TREES seems to be the act of one man alone and Beach Sand seems to have been made in one evening, so we'll give him a bit of a break. Plus, it's pretty ace song - all laid back and ethereal sunshine.
