And The Beat Goes On: Soulin Wild - Sorority Noise - SPC ECO - Heavy Tiger - Tall Tall Trees - Hajk
Soulin Wild - Instinctive Echoes.Background - Soulin Wild began as an outlet of musical expression for Dan Gunn and Matt Bracknell and has now grown into a collective of gifted musicians and talented artists with over eight years of musical experience together.
Soulin Wild are excited to share their first single, ‘Instinctive Echoes’, from their album Balance. Produced and recorded by Soulin Wild at Womb Language Studio on the banks of the Kalgan River, WA, ‘Instinctive Echoes’ is a song that expresses and evokes intrigue into the mystery and magic of instinct, intuition and other unconscious elements that reside beyond the thinking mind. The track moves through light and heavy sounds with vastly contrasting sections, yet remains fluid, held together with solid grooves, fat guitar riffs and lush euphoric vocals.
Embracing the technical facets of recording and music production, Soulin Wild built a bedroom studio on the banks of the Kalgan River in Albany, WA. Four years later, their self produced album Balance was complete. Mixed by Tim Morris and mastered by Dick Beetham, Balance is “a sensory journey through our creative soul expression. Each of the twelve tracks is sort of stitched together to create one long musical piece,” says Matt Bracknell.
On stage, Soulin Wild create alluring rhythms and intricate instrumentation whilst sharing lush harmonies and swapping instruments. Intertwining music with elements of live visual art, they align in intuitive expression to present a performance of highly concentrated creativity.
Currently performing shows with live Fremantle visual artist Jess Richards along the West Australian coast, Soulin Wild aim to share their soulful sounds with ear canals and open hearts in their community, Australia and eventually the world. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.
The richness of the music on 'Instinctive Echoes' is superb. Mixing detailed rhythms, calm soring vocals (reminded me a little of Grant Lee), and the occasional explosion of guitar riffs, I can't help but just love this song.
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Sorority Noise - No Halo.Background - Sorority Noise have just released "No Halo", the first single off of their new full length record You're Not As _____ As You Think. You're Not As _____ As You Think is the follow up to 2015's critically acclaimed Joy, Departed. The new album us set to be released on March 17th via Big Scary Monsters. Pre-orders are available now here. A quote from singer/guitarist Cam Boucher on the story behind the song can be found below.
"This song is about having a friend pass away and still keeping them fondly in your mind to the point where you show up to their house forgetting that they're no longer there. It's about struggling to keep up with the people you love when you're away and how to be/how it feels to not be there for them when they need you most." - Cam Boucher
Sorority Noise have also recently announced they will be touring this March with Modern Baseball, Kevin Devine and The Obsessives. Website here, Facebook here. (Tour details via tab at the top).
The new song 'No Halo' is really getting some attention. It's a tight indie rocker with a chorus so full of hooks, that it is potentially going to be huge!
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SPC ECO - Under My Skin (EP).Background - Electronic dream pop duo SPC ECO present their single ‘Under My Skin’, which also just featured in Series 6 Episode 7 of the MTV series 'Teen Wolf'.
"It was fantastic to wake up and hear what had happened with the Teen Wolf sync. Under My Skin is very close to both mine and dad’s hearts so it couldn't have been a better track for something like this to happen to," says SPC ECO vocalist Rose Berlin.
SPC ECO is comprised of alternative electronic maverick producer Dean Garcia, the musical mastermind behind seminal alternative rock band Curve, and his daughter Rose Berlin.
Rose is a Sound and Light artist, having graduated from Camberwell College of Arts in 2013 with a first class honours degree. She experiments with the potential for sound and light to be used as atmospheric mediums, intent on bridging the gap between art and music. She has exhibited her work in various shows around London and, in 2015, was selected to showcase her work as part of the Venice Biennale. Rose is currently making artwork for a show in London.
For his whole life, Dean Garcia has been sculpting sound to create alternate-universe pop hits that simultaneously straddle several genres. Apart from a decade with SPC ECO and nearly 15 years with Curve, Garcia has also toured the world several times and recorded multiple albums with such established artists as Eurythmics, Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, Bryan Ferry, Sinead O'Connor and Ian Dury. Website here, Facebook here.
Title track of the new EP 'Under My Skin' is a sweeping and majestic piece, where the lush musical sound scape provides a wonderful background for Rose Berlin's sweet and ethereal vocals. As for the other tracks, expect an aural feast of quality.
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Background - Thanks to their involvement in TUI's new commercial and the success of the song "Let The Sunshine In" (in writing at top 10 on ITunes Scandinavia Rock section) Heavy Tiger is at the moment receiving a great deal of attention as well as a lot of new fans. They plan extensive touring in Europe spring/summer 2017.
It's been a busy time for Heavy Tiger, spending the two past years constantly on the road. The Stockholm trio has been touring all over Europe, making national television and even playing in Japan as well as Vietnam to the delight of their ever-growing fan base. However, after completing another European stint last spring together with Backyard Babies, it was finally time to exit the tour bus and record a new album.
Glitter, the band's sophomore effort and the logical sequel to their debut Saigon Kiss is now ready to be launched to an unexpected crowd! The album was produced by Rikard Löfgren with Gustav Ydenius handling the recording duties at Leon Music Studios (Mustasch, Sparzanza, Sister Sin).
So, what can one expect from the Stockholm rockers? The first single, entitled Devil May Care was written for the band by singer Ola Salo of the Swedish pop/rock-phenomenon The Ark. With Devil May Care, this little Adam Ant-scented pop song is no exception. The single was the band's first release on Wild Kingdom Records. The new Heavy Tiger album Glitter - Release Date: 24 March 2017 - Label: Wild Kingdom. Facebook here.
Title track of their previous album 'Saigon Kiss' is shared as a substitute at the moment. It's a little frustrating having a copy of the forthcoming release but nothing to feature, hopefully that will change soon, however to be ahead of the game, here is a taste of this feisty trio, for your listening pleasure. As for the new album 'Glitter', it's eleven thumping, raucous, rockers and everyone of them are fabulous!
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Tall Tall Trees - Free Days.Background - To say that Mike Savino is an innovator would be an understatement. Touring under the moniker Tall Tall Trees, the banjo-wielding bard has reshaped the landscape of what is possible with the instrument. On stage and in studio, Savino breaks down the banjo into its most basic iteration, reminding audiences that the banjo is, at root, a drum. Coupled with his mastery of electronic effects, loops, toy ray guns, and heaps of spontaneous creativity, Tall Tall Trees has been encapsulating audience members worldwide with his mystifying solo shows, as well as playing alongside fellow innovator Kishi Bashi.
His latest album ‘Freedays’ is, in a way, his debut album. Having recorded two previous albums in a traditional collaborative band setting, ‘Freedays’ is the first album Savino wrote and recorded as a solo project. Beginning in 2015, Savino took a much-needed respite from New York City, where he had spent a decade and a half honing his craft, and assumed the role of sole caretaker at an abandoned health retreat nestled in the green mountains of northern Georgia. The Bird’s Nest, as it was called, completely surrounded by national forest, provided the freedom and space to work without time constraints or interruption.
Composed and recorded over a period of eight months, ‘Freedays’ tells the story of a man in transition and documents an artist alone at the crossroads of the life he has and the one he wants. The album begins with “Backroads”, which drops the listener into a darkened forest amidst a chorus of wailing coyotes and quickly takes off on a midnight drive. Tracks like “Being There”, “A Place to Call Your Own”, and “CLC” provide an honest look into the author’s thought process and decision making. Although it’s often hard to imagine, most of the sounds on the album are experiments with the banjo, and they all reflect the innovative musings of one of the freshest sounds to come out of the Appalachians in decades. Facebook here. (Tour details via tab at the top).
Banjo and musical innovation aside Mike Savino is one fine singer as well. 'Free Days' is lush, powerful, highly melodic and layered beautifully, to allow every sonic inclusion to stand out.
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Hajk - Best Friend.Background - Hajk's new single 'Best Friend' is now out on all streaming services. Their previous single 'Magazine' received plenty of support on line. Both tracks are taken from Hajk's self titled, highly anticipated, debut album due to be released early this Spring. Hajk’s debut album is being released by Jansen Plateproduksjon.
The band said of the track: "This is an in-your-face little pop-tune. We wanted it to sound modern and tight, but also with a little '80s vibe, referring to our childhood music. This is a song about close friends who might expect too much of each other and get to the point where it finally falls apart - just like it did for me in my late teens, for better or worse."
Hajk are fronted by Preben Sælid Andersen and Sigrid Aase, who share the vocals, while Johan Nord (drums), Knut Olav Buverud Sandvik (bass) og Einar Næss Haugeth (keys) completes the backbone of the band . Musically, Hajk are situated in a modern pop/rock landscape, with an emphasis on very strong melodies. The band are influenced by artists like Dirty Projectors, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Amason, but still they stand firmly on their own feet, with an original sound that also challenges the genre they belong to. Facebook here.
'Best Friend' is another fine tease for the forthcoming debut album. With a well structured indie pop soundtrack, it's the vocals and harmonies that standout at first. However paying attention to the instruments, Hajk can and do deliver some funky tight sounds that just add to the overall flavour.
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