A couple of weeks ago I posted about Binary, a band whose first song hooked me from the moment I heard it so it seems fitting that I share with you the free download they are currently offering. Considering the song is a cover of Ministry’s Everyday is Halloween it might seem a bit belated but to be fair Halloween isn’t quite over yet. If you’re looking for a suitable spooky track for the occasion then this is the perfect option. The band have taken an electro, synth-filled song and, with the help of the slightly disturbing lyrics of the original, they have created something overwhelmingly dark and so haunting that it’s impossible to escape the simple fact that this should be part of everyone’s Halloween playlist! It may be late for this year but seeing as it’s free you could do a lot worse than download it and, if necessary, store it up for next year.
Everyday is Halloween (Ministry Cover) by BINARY
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Binary – Everyday Is Halloween (Free Download)
Young Guns – Learn My Lesson
I always tell myself that I must feature more rock music because it has always been one of my primary passions. As time’s gone on I’ve failed in that though and fallen into constantly writing about the ‘traditional’ blog sound which is something I never wanted to do as a sole focus. Hopefully, I can start to remedy this situation by sharing the new Young Guns video for Learn My Lesson with you. The song itself has been around for a few weeks now, ever since it debuted on Zane Lowe’s show as his hottest record in the world earlier this month, and is the first single to be taken from their forthcoming second album. It would seem to herald a slightly more mature sound from the band while maintaining that distinctive edge that allows you to identify it’s them surprisingly quickly for a guitar band. The video that accompanies it is rather epic and whoever directed it definitely deserves recognition for the some of truly stunning and striking shots that are peppered throughout. Undoubtedly, if you are a fan of the band, both the song and the video will find an instant appeal, and will hopefully be the start of the regular appearance of rock/guitar music on here.
Friends Electric – Puzzle Pieces
A mixture of an insane amount of commitments and annoyingly unreliable internet issues has resulted in me being MIA for longer than intended but I am now here to rectify the situation. As such, I’m dedicating this post to Friends Electric a band I’ve shown a lot of love to since I started writing this blog and whose music is starting to become as synonymous with Made In Chelsea (yes I do watch it – don’t judge me for this!) as The Wombats was with The Inbetweeners. Their new single Puzzle Pieces was released this week and, therefore, presents the perfect opportunity to share with you the rather striking video for it. Directed by Cyrus Mirza & Nic Booth (Los Campesinos) it’s “the story of Keith – A clone who spends his time rejuvenating dead hearts as to copy himself time & again in search of a perfect partner” (Mirza). I think it’s actually quite important to understand that context because when you couple it with the lyrics of the song ‘I will steal the air out of your lungs so I can breathe’ you’re presented with something that is surprisingly dark considering the overwhelmingly catchy nature of their music. The quality also says a lot for their progress; it is certainly the most polished of all their videos so far.
Keaton Henson – You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are
Let’s be honest the first thing you probably noticed about Keaton Henson in the picture above is his beard; it really is quite impressive. Press play on the video below, however, and any distractions his facial hair may have caused will completely and utterly disappear when you hear his latest song You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are. If you are someone who believes music should be unerringly happy then this isn’t going to be to your taste, but if you enjoy a bit of melancholia every now and then you are going to love it. The simplicity of the song’s acoustics along with Henson’s haunting bluesy vocals create something which despite being incredibly sombre is also inescapably bewitching. Even the video is powerfully emotive and strangely, despite the fact it is a single shot of a woman crying, is difficult to draw your eyes away from. So if you tend to be quite emotional, I recommend finding a tissue before you listen.
Bombay Bicycle Club Cover ‘Video Games’
I don’t tend to feature covers but every so often one comes along that makes you realise why they are consistently popular. This is exactly the case with Bombay Bicycle Club‘s version of current industry darling Lana Del Ray’s Video Games from yesterday’s Radio 1 Live Lounge. The best interpretations of other people’s songs hang on the covering artist’s ability to make you think it was never anyone else’s track in the first place and listening to this stripped back acoustic version accompanied by Jack Steadman’s ever melodic tones and the gorgeous guest vocals of Lucy Rose you can’t help but fall in love with this re-working more than the original. Bombay Bicycle Club are one of those bands with a reputation of being unable to do wrong and on the evidence of this it’s particularly difficult to question that theory.
Bombay Bicycle Club – Video Games (Lana Del Rey cover) by the3penguins
Binary – Prisoner
London four-piece Binary are set to release their new single Prisoner on November 28th through Luv Luv Luv Records and it’s another of those that, despite being a long way from release, is definitely worth a listen. The email that accompanied this song informed me about how the band got together when David Troster (vocals and guitar) and Francesco Bondi (guitar and keyboard) started ‘experimenting with production techniques and crafting songs’, which is exactly what this sounds like – crafted. Everything from the gorgeously melodic vocals to the atmospheric, even at times eerie, guitar led production work together to create a truly intoxicating track. This is the first time I’ve heard anything from Binary but am already anticipating their next release.
Prisoner by BINARY
Introducing…Fort Lean
It’s been too long since I, personally, wrote an Introducing feature so a well timed email to my inbox presented the perfect opportunity to rectify this. Fort Lean are a five piece from Brooklyn who only played their debut show in March but have already shared the stage with fellow indie up-and-comers such as Fang Island and Male Bonding; quite some attention for a band that’s only seven months old. It probably helps, as well, that their drummer writes such a respected website as Pitchfork.
Regardless of the plaudits they’ve already gained, however, what’s most important is what they’re like musically and, luckily, it’s deserving of them. They have a true American indie sound, the type that is utterly infectious and has a tendency to put a smile on your face. Yes, it will undoubtedly draw comparisons to The Strokes, but then the majority of bands making this type of music are going to suffer from this and it certainly isn’t a bad thing. What makes them particularly impressive in comparison though is the sheer quality of the songs that they already have floating around. When you consider how little time they’ve been playing in public it’s easy to be surprised by just how good both the production and songs themselves are. The highlight of the 4 Track EP they have available as a free download over on their Bandcamp page is lead track High Definition which exemplifies just why I’ve found them so irresistible. It’s optimistic, with an amazingly sunny disposition (if you see what I mean) all backed up by addictive guitar led melodies and strong vocals. (If you watch the video below you’ll also see that they have some truly amazing hair). The other songs on their EP, especially Dreams (Never Come True) are also well worth a listen, and when they’re free there’s no excuse not to take the time to have a listen. I also get the impression this is a band you might want to pay attention to now because it won’t be long before others around you are.
To Kill A King – Family
Back in April when we all still had hopes of a glorious summer I wrote about the debut video from To Kill A King and, after then seeing them at the Great Escape in May, I fully intended to follow that up as they released new music. However, having been distracted by a good mixture of work and other artists I have failed in that intention. Today I finally rectify that situation. The band release their first EP My Crooked Saint next week, 17th October, and have commissioned a series of four short films to accompany it. The third of these to be released is for Family and for anyone who, like me, has ever found themselves working in a pub the video presents some strikingly familiar scenes that are likely to strike a chord with many one way or another. The song itself has the same raw, emotional sound that so appealed to me about Fictional State although lyrically it is rather more heart-warming without ever treading anywhere near the line of sounding sickly-sweet; on the contrary it is miles from it. In fact this is their biggest draw, the way they have, repeatedly now, managed to capture the realities of modern day Britain both in the song and video; for all the dreariness we are presented with, a ray of hope somehow manages to shine through.
Black Cherry – We’ll Never Know (Free Download)
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a free download so We’ll Never Know by Black Cherry provides the perfect opportunity to do so. The London duo have a distinguished and appealing sound which hangs on the distinctive, and surprisingly strong for this type of music, vocals of Megane Quashie. The song is electro rock ‘n’ roll, in that it is ultra cool and, unlike a lot of electro-driven music, it’s not difficult to imagine it transferring to a live setting without losing any of its appeal or production quality. As an introduction (and free offering for that matter) it’s certainly one of the most stylish that I’ve heard.
BLACK CHERRY – We’ll Never Know – By Theo PR by Theo PR
We Humans – One In A Million
You know those rare moments when you listen to a song and at the end of it you realise you haven’t paid attention to anything else for the past three minutes? One In A Million from We Humans produced one of those moments for me. The song will be the Shropshire 4-piece’s debut single, released on November 14th, and is enthralling. Its 90s Blur-inspired sound is at once recognisable and refreshing, and with its use of the title for a killer hook it’s difficult not to identify them as a band to watch. The email that accompanied this song suggested a belief that the band are headed for big things and on this basis it’s impossible to disagree.
One In A Million by We Humans
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