Guest Perspective - Distance // Heart // Fonder // Etc.

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New music for 2016 from Guest Perspective - Distance // Heart // Fonder // Etc. - a standalone track for the New Year before an upcoming EP this summer.

Check the track out below:

Artist Spotlight: Vaults

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Surrounded by a certain self-imposed mystique, Vaults are new electronic 3-piece who are really making waves at the moment with some stellar single releases.  Yet, with regards to any mystery around them as with always if any publicity theatrics, if the songs aren't up to scratch then it is useless. Luckily for them, as with bands like MONEY, their songs are very good indeed.


Their style comprises of immersive and provocative pop-songs built around the outstanding vocals of Blyhte whose sound is reminiscent of talented singers such as Zola Jesus. The electropop trio manage to avoid many of the pitfalls of their genre; neither allowing the vocals to dominate at the expense of interesting musicianship, nor creating functional dance music.


A prime example of this is their current release - Cry No More. Starting with chiming bells and Blythe's floating vocals it moves into a beautiful pop song complemented by lush strings and choice piano chords. As the pulsing synths and thudding percussion cuts in, it moves up a gear, becoming a full-blooded song on a scale that has echoes of Florence and the Machine.


The haunting and stunningly shot video which accompanies the track is like some twisted Brothers Grimm fairytale; the perhaps unwholesome subject matter of death beautifully placed within a gorgeous setting, moving between the browns and oranges of the sunset and the misty mornings with shafts of light cascading through the trees. A worthy framing to a more than worthy track.

If you're not too keen on the mystery of the bands you follow then a slightly more intimate view of the band can is provided in interviews such as this one with Hunger TV as well as their Tumblr - which more and more becomes yet another creative output for artists to share their thoughts and inspirations outside of the confines of their music.


Their output has seen a steady stream of EPs (Vultures EP, Cry No More EP) as well as several singles. Aside from this, it is nice to see bands willing to take on covers alongside their original releases, as a great cover can be just as proficient and impassioned as that done by the origional artist. Vaults do this in style in their cover of 'Hunger of The Pine', a stand out highlight in what was for many a lacklustre follow up to Alt-J's debut 'An Awesome Wave'.


Vaults also turn their attention to remixing other artists songs - a medium some prefer to stay away from - yet Vaults as always seem to pull it out of the bag with their gritty house-influenced cover of Distant Past by Everything Everything, the band their supported earlier this year. *

*Everything Everything's new album 'Get To Heaven' will also be featured in the upcoming lookback at this year's stellar and not so stellar album releases





However, for me, my favourite release of theirs is 'Lifespan'. It was the first track I heard from them whilst trawling through the depths of Hype Machine. With similar instrumentation to 'Cry No More', it is has a beautiful chorus which really allows Blythe's defining vocals to hold your attention before diving back into the electronic ambience of the synths and drum machines.


All in all Vaults are very much a band that should be on your radar; with enough material and enough publicity they could well be moving from the fringes of the 'braking music' scene and fulfilling their potential which is exemplified in their current songs in bucketloads.



Upcoming live shows

Aug 8        Boardmasters Fistral Beach    Newquay GB    Tickets

Aug 21      Lowlands Festival    Biddinghuizen NL    Tickets

Aug 22      Dockville Festival    Hamburg DE    Tickets

Aug 28      Reading Festival    Reading GB    Tickets

Aug 29      Leeds Festival    Leeds GB    Tickets

Nov 11      Koko    London GB    Tickets

Guest Perspective - Unmover - Single Release

Here is the first single from the début EP of Durham and Leeds based electronic project 'Guest Perspective'... enjoy!

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Artist Spotlight: Everyone An Army

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Everyone An Army are an established 3-piece of the Yorkshire music scene who make heavy, dark, grand-scaled rock songs which bely a deal of confidence and competence in songwriting rarely seen in bands before they have released full-length albums.

Musically their sound is massive. Heavy bombastic riffs with thundering drum lines make up much of their songs, but even within this there are much subtler moments where the guitars are reined back slightly, allowing the mellower and more tuneful vocals and bass melodies to come through. This gives their songs an incredible amount of balance, an attribute which the songs of many heavier bands are devoid of. In fact, some of their sustained drones of their guitars almost branch into the territory of the post-rock of bands such as Mogwai, a slightly more nuanced touch that sets them apart from many of their contemporaries.

In the genre of heavier music, vocals are sometime seen as either unimportant or seen a synonymous with the word 'shrieking' (see EEA's take on that here). But Everyone An Army's frontman Martyn Hughes provides a welcome respite that with a falsetto which just drifts over the heavy pounding drums and distorted guitars and providing a lot of contrast and compliment to the instrumentation.

To date they have released 3 very well-produced EPs - their only flaw (if you can call it that) being that a major release has been a while coming. This is something the band or any band can no way be blamed for with the difficulties bands have making ends meet, let alone making a full length release. However the quality of musicianship of their work is a real testament to their deserved place in the DIY and independent music scene as all their music is released by them, straight to the people who want it.

For the incredible value of £1.00 you can  buy every song they've ever released (minus their latest EP) which is definitely worth buying - not only for the sheer volume of tracks but the quality present throughout. You can buy it here. Supporting via bandcamp is incredibly important to keep local artists running by making sure your money gets straight to them so they can use it to make more music.

As someone who has seen them live (albeit some time ago) I can honestly say that they manage to do what so many promising bands fail to - that is translate the sound of the studio to a live setting. They do this with contemptuous ease, creating a solid wall of sound that even dwarfs the already impressive grandeur present in their studio performed tracks.

If you (as I heavily recommend) wish to see them play live, check out their Facebook/Twitter pages for regular updates on their live appearances. For anyone wishing to book the band to play at their venue or event, you can contact them at: everyoneanarmy@gmail.com

Single Review: Signals - Sleep Talk

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Signals are a math-rock four-piece from the south of England who make compelling harmony-laden alternative rock tunes that are a real breath of fresh air ever since the genre has gone somewhat on the back foot - with bands such as Foals embracing pastures new in terms of their style.

Recently they have released their new single, 'Sleep Talk', which is a real step forward in their development from their previous EP. You can actually buy the single on 7'' vinyl here - and it's always great to see any band, especially young bands put releases out on vinyl, which is continuing its strong resurgence.

The song itself shifts its intensity back and forth shifting between melodic verses and lifting choruses, perhaps hitting its best in the last third - which contains a lot of interesting instrumentation which would be a brilliant direction for the band to stay on (I'm always keen to see any electronic elements to creep into bands repertoire)

What gives this song much of its edge and intrigue are the little flourishes of piano, harmonised vocals, gritty bass and pulsing synths present throughout - giving more dimensions to something you could never say was a one-dimensional pop-song.


The rhythm section of bass and drums are as of so often with this band and math-rock in general one of the biggests good points about this song - not content to stick with generic patterns and grooves, it gives the song much more variation.

The vocals are top-draw as one comes to expect from the band; with the singers accent (obviously more noticeable to a northerner) having the same beguiling appeal as that of Kele from Bloc Party and Yannis from Foals' earlier days.

All in all, this is another brilliant release from a band that is going from strength to strength, and with another release hopefully on the way, the future looks bright for the four-piece.

8/10

For fans of: Bombay Bicycle Club // Tall Ships // Local Natives // Koala (their EP reviewed here)

The accompanying video also shows the band's greater professionalism as it is slick and well produced, encapsulating the music of the band; dark, dramatic and full of similar energy.

For those down south wishing to catch the band playing live you can see them at Joiners in Southampton on July 13th

Feature: Nightcap Records

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Recently I caught up with Nightcap Records, an up and coming student music label based in Bristol. Their self-proclaimed mission is to release and promote an eclectic mix of exceptional talent across all genres; and with one quick glimpse at the the bands they cater for and the professionalism with which they do it, shows that they are more than succeeding at that aim.

Placing a high value on creativity, innovation and originality, it is clear to see that all of those involved have both a fervent passion for music, as well as a genuine desire to help those artists under their supervision achieve their full potential.

Nightcap's roster is an impressive mix of both electronic artists and acoustic performers; something most fledgling labels cannot hold a candle to. It will be very enjoyable to see both how the current crop of artists fare in the music business, as well as seeing if Nightcap will branch out to take on more artists, genres and styles.

With some much, youth, energy and enthusiasm, whether of those running it or those signed to it, Nightcap records is a refreshing force on the musical landscape, and a force that you cannot, thankfully, see leaving anytime soon.



Here's my selection of some of the brightest and best of artists under Nightcap's wing:

L'amore:

L'amore is an English House Producer/DJ, from Bristol. The man behind the pseudonym, George, previously made EDM music under the name Jeter but has since reverted to house music, a change I personally feel is for the better as there is such a wealth of expressive house and future garage music around at the moment (expression or emotion are often absent in much EDM), to which L'amore is certainly a welcome addition. His tight production as well as his innovative remixes and collaborations have helped him garner quite a following - many of which are equal to or if not better than many from more established artists.

With impressive viewing figures on his soundcloud he has all the ingredients to hopefully make a real impact on a local, national and international level.  Most of his releases, as with most up and coming DJs and producers, are remixes, but with his upcoming EP AEON, it will be interesting to hear more of his creative prowess. Certainly within Nightcap's roster and with the wider UK electronic music scene, L'amore is one to watch.

For fans of: Eats Everything // Huxley // Joy Orbison // Jamie XX




Cal & Happen:

The Bradford-based duo Cal & Happen are my second pick for special attention from Nightcap's roster. Their music is made straight for the dancefloor with grooves that are just made for dancing. Combining elements of house and EDM with fresh and vibrant samples, the result is a scarily competent foray into electronic music that far exceeds their experience. Indeed, some of the drops and basslines are big that any major DJ would be more than happy for them to be pumping out from their decks.

A nice addition to their current tracks might be just simply some vocals - an avenue certainly worth exploring. Many of their tracks would. if you said they were released by for example Disclosure, they would be lauded as 'another great track from an established artist'. This shows they have the ability, they have the tunes, all they need now is the hype and exposure. And with tracks like these, they will not be waiting very long for either.

For fans of: Disclosure // Bondax // Flume

Artist Spotlight: Avon Avon

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AVON AVON is the electronic project of Tamir Morgan. His style is minimalist electronica with some distinct sampling and instrumentation that puts me in mind of producers such as Bonobo. At the risk of sounding either pretentious or keen to pigeonhole an artist to a particular genre, I'd say that so called 'future garage' is possibly the best fit for Tamir's music - check out some of the newest tracks trending in the genre here

AVON AVON's output only consists of a few released tracks which do show a lot of promise. With this upcoming summer of great music and plenty of time to write, produce and release, we hope to hear a lot more from him.


For fans of: SBTRKT // Bonobo // Jamie XX // Caribou // Kidnap Kid