Genre Wander: Kingswood - Echo Arcadia - Wild Rivers - Sinners & Saints - Blood and Glass - Sacrifice & Bliss
Kingswood - Golden.Background - Aria-nominated, Melbourne rockers Kingswood, have released their bold and daring, second album After Hours, Close To Dawn into the world via Dew Process. After selling out their hometown headline show, the band have just announced a second date for 170 Russell on Sunday, March 26, plus added an additional date for Brisbane on Saturday, April 8 at The Triffid.
Kingswood also announce that they will be heading to your favourite record stores; Red Eye Records in Sydney, Jet Black Cat in Brisbane; Record Paradise in Melbourne this week for a series of in-store signings, meet and greet their friends and fans, and perform some sneaky pop-up acoustic sessions of new music from the record.
After Hours, Close To Dawn was named in Rolling Stone Australia's 50 Most Anticipated Albums of 2017, as well as The Herald Sun's Biggest New Albums in 2017, and sees Kingswood move to the frontline of innovators in Australian music. It mixes compelling R'n'B grooves with soaring rock & roll, garage soul and space-age experimentation. It's an eclectic collection of music, but it's all connected by the defining element that is the trio's creative DNA. No matter what shape they take, these songs are still instantly recognisable as pure Kingswood.
The band has also announced local supports for their fifteen-date, triple j supported, national headline album tour. Joining Kingswood on the road will be Brisbane vibe-punks WAAX, Tasmanian artist Maddy Jane, with her rollicking, indie-pop as well as Melbourne trash-punk quintet Batz. Tour details on our tour page, Facebook here.
'Golden' exudes quality from the beginning. Pristine and refined music is mixed with smooth and melodic vocals. It's a beautifully crafted song, with some natural emotional feeling throughout.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background - Echo Arcadia's beautiful new album 'Visions of Symmetery' was released last Friday. Echo Arcadia are six piece Indie band from Edinburgh, Scotland who strive to "make music that will break your heart while your foot taps along." Guitars underpinned by thumping drums, thick bass lines and keys with violins that would break a stone heart, all bearing the weight of heartfelt vocals. This isn't conventional Pop music, but Echo Arcadia aren't a conventional band. "There’s no box we fit in" explains vocalist and guitarist Leigh, "unless its dodecahedral with a section for Schrodinger’s cat".
Visions of Symmetry is clearly a fusion of diverse influences as eighties Pop blends seamlessly into alt folk. Leigh's smooth and beautifully toned vocals are complimented perfectly by Kate's harmonies and every song is characterised by infectious melody, exemplary musicianship and intensely personal lyrics.
Leigh says "Visions of symmetry is a journey through a dark time in my life. It deals with loss, depression and the hope that comes with fighting through at the other side. It was described by our long term producer as a more mature and thoughtful album than our previous records, marking our growth in the music we're making. It's cinematic but personal, multi layered like an onion but it probably won't make you cry... it will go well with hotdogs though." Facebook here.
The mixture of refined vocals and delicate harmonies make 'Ghosts' a strong proposition in their own right. Add in the gorgeous music that is both understated and then powerful and this song really digs it's hooks in.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wild Rivers - Do Right.Background from Wild Rivers - Though we only released our debut album 10 months ago, we wanted to release something new to represent our growth and development as people, musicians, and a band. After months of touring our album, we were inspired to explore new areas of our music: developing a larger, richer sound while still focusing on vocal harmonies and thoughtful lyrics.
“Do Right” is a song that displays growth from our folk roots, along with experiences we’ve encountered as a group over the last year. It showcases a refreshing new take on Wild Rivers, featuring more energy than ever before.
We're looking forward to continue exploring this new sound towards uncharted territory. After this release we are playing a string of dates in the US at SXSW followed by Nashville and Chicago. Then we’ll be back in Canada to headline CMW and work on focusing this new direction into an album. Website here, Facebook here.
Upfront and distinct duel vocals are made even more delightful with the accompanying harmonies. 'Do Right' is a crisp and well constructed folk orientated song with some pleasing Americana edge to it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sinners & Saints - Old Bones.Background - Americana duo Sinners & Saints' share "Old Bones," a rollicking feel good track from their forthcoming album On The Other Side (March 10th). Recalling early Avett Brothers, Sinners & Saints' write acoustic, country-tinged tunes with compelling harmonies, featuring foot-powered percussion on repurposed drums from an abandoned kit.
Sometimes you need a friend to laugh with and sometimes you need a friend to cry with. Perry Fowler and Mark Baran, hailing from Charlotte, NC, fit the bill for both in their two-man band Sinners & Saints. Whether they’re crooning about heartbreak or tearing it up with joyful abandon, you’ll feel happier for having listened.
Since the band’s formation in 2011, the band has shared the stage up and down the east coast with the likes of Flogging Molly, Shovels and Rope, Robert Earl Keen, Daniel Romano, St Paul & the Broken Bones, SUSTO, Sun Kil Moon, Bombadil, and many others. Sinners & Saints has been gathering a following of fans who turn to their whiskey drinking, shit kickin’, sweet loving music for a good time but find something more – an irrepressible optimism even in dark times. We’re all sinners and we’re all saints, and we’re all in it together.
The start of Sinners & Saints' tour across the United States coincides with the release of On The Other Side on March 10th, 2017. Tour dates on the Beehive Candy tour page, website here, Facebook here.
We featured Sinners & Saints in the middle of February and the chance to share another song in the shape of 'Old Bones' was a no brainer. A feisty foot stomper it's another chance to entice you towards what is a fabulous album.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blood and Glass - Punk Shadows.Background - Blood and Glass took shape around singer-songwriter Lisa Moore, after she went to New York City to record demos in 2013. She met Montreal-based musician Morgan Moore,who helped her finish what would become her first EP. The pair began performing as a duo and was soon offered free studio time at Planet Studios. So began the recording of their first album. Robbie Kuster joined the ship and the group started playing concerts all over Quebec, Ontario and Northern United States.
Museum with no Walls, Blood and Glass’ self-produced first effort, was released in October 2014 and gathered passionate reviews worldwide. The band subsequently hit the road and toured with artists such as Montreal’s beloved Patrick Watson and Ariane Moffatt. They then went on to headline 20 concerts across Italy and came back home to play to full houses all over Quebec, Canada and the United States.
The group was voted among the top three best live shows at the FME by influential music website Consequence of Sound. One of their performances at the Silver Sound Showdown in New York City even landed them the prize of a free music video. Now signed to Simone Records, Blood and Glass are gearing up to release their sophomore album, 'Punk Shadows'.
As Lisa Moore puts it: The ultimate goal behind each of our recordings is derived from an advice from Jean Leloup: "Quand c’est le fun, c’est le fun...et quand c’est pas le fun, c’est pas bon." [When it’s fun, it’s fun...when it’s not...it's not good]. And that’s the very spirit that has allowed Blood and Glass to maintain their artistic freedom. 'Punk Shadows' is due on March 24, on Simone Records. Website here, Facebook here.
Right from the start 'Punk Shadows' presents itself as a vibrant and original song. Blood and Glass have a definitely gained my attention with the title track for the forthcoming album, if the rest is in this class we have something to be excited about.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sacrifice & Bliss - Kyrie.Background - Infectiously catchy experimental Rock duo, Sacrifice & Bliss release their outrageously good new single “Kyrie”, out Friday 28th April 2017. The Electro-Rock innovators from London are set to hit the ground running this spring, touring alongside fellow Indie-Rock tastemakers and Hugh Stephens’ “Track Of The Week”, Dantevilles.
Inventive and enigmatic, all instruments spike excitingly throughout “Kyrie” providing a glorious tickle on the balls of your eardrum (yes, they exist – it’s science). This huge synth-laden Rock banger combines light and darkness to great effect with medieval & gothic influences triumphantly merged with rampantly upbeat electro synths. Unbelievably, with such a vast array of influences from Sly and The Family Stone to Radiohead, Sacrifice & Bliss have created something truly original whilst providing a curiously fulfilling helping of familiarity.
“Kyrie” is packed full of the now trademarked and contagiously addictive riffs that fans have come to expect from guitar genius John K Lucy. Adapted from a Gregorian chant and with lyrics throughout “Kyrie” sung in part Greek, part Italian and part English, the distinctive vocals of co-songwriter and bassist Roger Hany put him as the front-runner for your new favourite frontman with soaring highs that Matt Bellamy of Muse would be jealous of. Frontman Roger Hany explains that “Kyrie” was written about “the giving of yourself to that which is bigger or greater than yourself”.
Capturing the attention of the masses with sold out shows supporting the likes of 90’s Brit Pop icons My Life Story, 60’s Rock icon Arthur Brown and Folk Rock favourite’s Blackbeard’s Tea Party, it’s no wonder the duo have already been picked up by BBC Introducing and 6 Music with previous single “Hit Me” achieving multiple track of the week status’ across the 40+ radio stations already spinning the band.
Narrowly avoiding a health warning for its highly addictive content, “Kyrie” is released Friday 28th April and taken from their Self-Titled debut EP out later in the year. Website here, Facebook here.
The calm start doesn't last to long before we are into some wild and dramatic music. Vocals are absolutely wonderful if not borderline insane and the music isn't far behind either. 'Kyrie' is a must listen.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comments