Home»Introducing

Introducing…Katzenjammer

Mar 29th, 2012 Leave a comment


It’s rare to stumble across a band that successfully avoid comparisons in an era when album oriented rock is more difficult to find than eclecticism. As such this Norwegian four piece are a beautiful anomaly.

In fact, their music is so atypical they’ve managed to remain firmly under the aural radar for most music loving Brits, meaning their third album, A Kiss Before You Go (arriving May 7th), is the first many on these islands will have heard from the group. Hence us taking the time to introduce the players.

Anne Marit Bergheim, Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo and Turid Jørgensen make up Katzenjammer, the band in question. The new LP opens with the title song, which sounds like some Russian folk chorus, all sombre and sincere (complete with accordions), before exploding into the upbeat I Will Dance (When I Walk Away), a track apparently similarly inspired by traditionalism, though more in tune with a jig.

So far so folky then, but skip forward two places on the disc for the far heavier, sexier and unarguably searing Land of Confusion, which shares something in common with Parisian jazz performed by Cold War Kids, if such a thing ever existed. Meanwhile, grand finale God’s Great Dust Storm could be Kate Bush signing a gospel. Suffice to say, their work is utterly unique.

On top of the new record a single – Rock Paper Scissors>/i> – taken from the album will be released on the same day. Katzenjammer also just captivated a crowd at London’s Scala, a date preceding several more across the UK in May. Beginning at Bristol Academy 2 (18th), the band take in Manchester Academy 3 (19th), Glasgow King Tuts (19th), Birmingham Academy 2 (20th), Brighton Concorde 2 (22nd), and finally London XOYO (23rd). Needless to say then, miss them and miss out.

Introducing…Shinies

Feb 28th, 2012 Leave a comment


It’s been a while since I personally wrote an Introducing piece but luckily I have found a band that have prompted me to change that. Shinies are a 3 piece from Manchester who despite only forming in September 2011 already look to be incredibly promising. Having played their first live gigs at the beginning of the year and put their first home made demo online for the world to hear, they are now set to release double A Side Shola and Pillow Talk.

Sonically, this is what I call ‘Skins’ music. With lo-fi guitars, irresistibly catchy beats and lyrics that tell a broken love story, it’s the type of indie rock which has is likely to find itself receiving widespread attention due to the effortlessly “cool” sound of it. In this respect it is exactly the type of music which has become synonymous with said TV show, because while perfect for highlighting teenage angst it’s still perfectly accessible and relevant to older generations as well. It’s hardly surprising, then, that the aforementioned home made song Spent Youth has already received over 3,000 plays on Soundcloud, generating a wealth of attention most bands as youthful as them could only dream of. It certainly indicates what should be a very promising future.

Introducing… Jodie Marie

Jan 30th, 2012 Leave a comment


You’ll all be familiar with the expression ‘right time, right place’ well Jodie Marie is the proof in the pudding. If the pudding was a saying and the saying was the one I’ve just mentioned.

Anyway, on with the story. Jodie is from Narbeth in Pembrokeshire and being from such a small place all the locals knew of the sixteen year old with the gorgeous, caramel smooth voice. Most likely if she’d decided to up sticks and head onto the nation’s favourite singing contest (a la Janet Devlin) the whole of Narbeth would have rallied round, hosted bake sales at the local church. Luckily for Jodie she didn’t need to enter a competition. Instead the father of a record label owner, was in town staying in a local B&B. That record label turned out to be Transgressive, an Indie label with signings from bands such as Two Door Cinema Club and Foals.

When the B&B owner overheard that the chap was connected to the music industry she mentioned that she had a plumber in and the plumber’s daughter had a lovely voice. Well I guess you know the rest of the story and the yellow brick road that started to unfurl before Jodie Marie’s eyes and here we are with a growing discography.

I Got You is her latest release and although it may conjur up images of Sonny and Cher fear not, the only cover this lady saw fit to triumph was Bob Dylan’s Forever Young. I Got You is beautifully soulful and her vocal sounds like that of a mature 30 something rather than a twenty year old. There are elements of soul, jazz, pop and indie in her offering which emphasises the strong influences her generation have grown up on. It’s content is simple and it’s a modern day love song, similar to something Adele would have written in her early days. Easy to relate to and even easier to sing. Just totally blissful.


I Got You is available to download from iTunes now.

The Arcadian Kicks – You Play The Girl

Nov 22nd, 2011 Leave a comment


A Tribe Called Quest once asked “Can I kick it?” and the answer was a resounding yes. This next band is all about kicking it, from their name, to their ethereally energetic sound. But don’t get confused, they’re about as hip hop as a pair of clogs.

The Arcadian Kicks are a young band from the outskirts of Birmingham, who are co-managed by none other than Jon Brookes of The Charlatans – not a bad fan to have. The mixed five-some introduce an array of sounds, influences and hit on bands such as Fleetwood Mac, The Kills and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I know, a total mix – which shows that the kids that met and formed at school definitely did their homework. From Over & Over which is a softer more mellow track to their new single You Play The Girl which is fiery, fierce and down right ferocious. The Blondie-esque tune is no doubt a dance floor filler, with it’s guitar ladened, with a vixen vocal. It’s a total Indie love fest.

You Play The Girl is vivacious, demanding and slightly seedy. Which is available as a free download on the band’s Facebook. That’s the kind of behaviour that you would normally need to pay to see.
Latest tracks by The Arcadian Kicks

Introducing…Fort Lean

Oct 13th, 2011 Leave a comment


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.

MS MR – Ash Tree Lane

Sep 26th, 2011 Leave a comment


I’ve found Florence Welch with an American twang. It’s true I’ve found a new Flo, residing in New York city. I would like to overwhelm you with information on MS MR but unfortunately little in known about this coupling. Possibly because they are still fairly young fry in this ocean we call the music industry. Or, the business-savvy side of me screams “PR stunt”.

Either way they’ve proven that a need for visual identity stems from the wealth of the greedy and it’s not altogether necessary when you have vocals as delightfully delicious as the Ms in this partnership. In the grandiose Ash Tree Lane we are struck almost instantly by female, yet not overly feminine vocal. Like a witches cauldron, there is something persistently bubbling under the surface. The drop comes with frantic piano keys built up with incredible intensity, this teamed with the elongated ooing gives us something almost cinematic.

Of course the video more than emphasises this. We are greeted with old cinema reels, Alice wondering into that mysterious land, an unknown which is indicative of the American Dream, highlighted through other film clips. A video with poignancy. An artist trying to do much more than talk about bringing swagger back. For this reason alone I’m in.

Ash Tree Lane from MS MR on Vimeo.

Introducing…L-Vis 1990

Sep 22nd, 2011 Leave a comment


Today was a good day, I completed that crossword that had been bugging me for months, helped a little old lady cross the road, rescued a cat from a tree. Oh and I may have stumbled across the UK’s answer to Chromeo, or so I thought…

L-Vis 1990, aka James Connolly is a UK-based DJ and producer, one man creating dance music influenced by vintage East Coast American house. Using old school synths and drum machines that would have been used in the early years of house music. Due to release his fully nostalgic-fuelled debut album I was instantly attracted to single Lost In Love which features the gravy smooth vocals from Javeon McCarthy. A hugely repetitive-ripe but repetitively-right track. It gives you the vigour to put two figures up to the world on a Friday night and just dance, repetitively of course.

Chromeo to me are untouchable but L-Vis is within stretched finger distance, very similar hooks and tight twinkly bits – I’m not going to pretend I know the technical vocabulary. L-Vis has picked up a lot of influential followers such as Diplo and Erol Alkan. Lost in Love features on unreleased album Neon Dreams which tries to encompass an array of trends, styles and tempos of making house music less restricted to four walls. Today has been a tip top day.

This post was written by Tim Osbourne

Introducing…Ellie Lawason

Aug 11th, 2011 Leave a comment


From a humble bohemian upbringing in South London, to hanging out with the late founder of Atlantic records in the USA, Rap Mogul Russell Simmons and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres, Ellie Lawson has already done it all.

The singer-songwriter’s unique vocal stylings and acoustic vibes, now more than ever, are catching the ears of the world.

She moved to New York several years ago and signed to Atlantic Records where she worked with a number of big-name producers and managers on her debut album, though eventually ended up releasing it independently via her own label called: ‘Create Your Own Reality’.

Since then Ellie has been a leading name on the independent music scene showing her huge versatility as an artist, able to switch between genres and sounds very seamlessly. She’s featured on trance tracks, occasionally adds hip-hop verses into her music and above all writes powerful, issue-driven lyrics.

Ellie’s self-motivated journey in the music industry has helped her create an abundance of material and learn many lessons about how to keep centred and maintain a creative recording career with a simple, natural defiance against people’s limited beliefs.

It’s an attitude that’s won her a tour of Barnes and Noble book stores in the U.S and of Quiksilver stores in the UK having been a brand ambassador for their womenswear for the last 3 years and with plans to record her new album in the new Quiksilver recording studio out in France this year.

With alternative acoustic artists like Ed Sheeran storming the charts in the UK, now is the time for Ellie Lawson to begin her push towards the mainstream with a unique vocal style and compelling real-life songs.

This post was written by Tim Osbourne

Introducing…Officers

Aug 1st, 2011 Leave a comment


Shooting from out of Leeds with all guns a’blazing, Officers are without questions one of the most underrated bands in the UK right now. Why? Because, after touring with the likes of Placebo and The Cooper Temple Clause (RIP), and exciting audiences all around Europe (including storming sets at renowned festivals including Germany’s Rock Am Ring) they have still only received minimal attention from the mainstream printed press.

Despite heavy radio rotation from XFM’s Eddy Temple-Morris (thanks to their anthemic new track ‘The Competition Winner’) on a range of national stations and having claimed the production support of Jagz Kooner for their studio time, this band deserve stadiums. Unfortunately, there’s not that many in Yorkshire…

I’ll justify the hype above by describing the band’s sound and influences. If you bottled up the frenzied electronic rock of Nine Inch Nails with the furious techno undertones of The Prodigy and glam-tinged rock stomp of Placebo, shook it all together then you might come close to creating the essence of Officers’ diverse noise and energetic live show.

The band is made up of Matthew Southall (vocals), Jamie Baker (guitar), Stuart Drinkall (synths) and Paul Wilson (drums) and they are currently self-producing new material (a full-length album titled ‘On The Twelve Thrones’) with mixing support from Dave Bascombe who has previously worked with Pendulum and Soulwax. Watch this space.

OFFICERS – The Competition Winner (MP3 FREE DOWNLOAD) by Officers
This post was written by Tim Osbourne

Introducing…Testtone3

Jul 19th, 2011 Leave a comment


Testtone3 should be hailed one of Leeds’ most exciting and innovative bands of the last decade, coming across like a phat (note, the ph…) mutant crossbreed of Pendulum and Hendrix, the group is made up of Adam Gauton (vocals), Andrew Precious (bass) and Richard Precious on synths and programming alongside the more recent addition of robo-armed drummer Matt Collinge.

As stated, the band’s music crosses genres in a way that few other acts in the North of England can confidently boast. Taking the heavier parts of Pendulum and mixing that in with the punk snarl of The Prodigy and the accessible guitar goodness of Mr. Hendrix, Testtone have afforded themselves a strong reputation on a local and national level for raucous-yet-technically-sound live performances and solid recordings. With a slew of well-received TV and radio appearances recently, the band is starting to see their hard work pay off with some nice festival spots over this summer.

The band formed in 2004 with a core mission to create a hybrid between electronic music and classic rock and roll sounds. The four have been credited in the past as one of Yorvik’s hardest working and most accessible live acts and they have toured extensively in the north which has afforded them dedicated followers in key areas like Hull, Leeds and Manchester.

The act’s first EP, Fuelled By Substance was released in 2007 and central tracks like Goin’ Down and Get On The Dancefloor display the band’s feel-good attitude toward making music to enjoy and dance to. On the former, sky-scraping classic guitar riffs meet jackhammer beats inspired by The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers and Adam G’s Brian Molko (Placebo)-esque vocal stylings for a resounding and heavy-hitting combination.

The band has more recently released an EP, Mind Graffiti. Early indications are that the group has evolved from a scene standouts into a polished electro-rock juggernaut set to give the likes of Foals and Does It Offend You, Yeah? a decent run for their money. The thing that separates Testtone from the aforementioned big-hitters and other up-and-coming local crossover bands on the scene is their energy.

Call me clichéd, but honestly the live performance has to be seen to be believed. On-stage antics make for one massive rollercoaster night out. Testtone3 is pure skull-candy.

This post was written by Tim Osbourne

123 » Last
Powered by ChoppedCode, PHPlist