Nightmare Air - Ismay - Darling West - Bamako Overground
Nightmare Air - Who's Your Lover.Background - Nightmare Air has a new album coming out in March to support a full EU tour run with the one and only Gary Numan. Named after a skateboard move from an 80’s skate film, Los Angeles band Nightmare Air emphasizes sonic momentum, during both live performances and in the studio.
Nightmare Air’s Dave Dupuis, a veteran of L.A. shoegazers Film School (Beggars Banquet Records), and Swaan Miller, whose stark acoustic album on Important Records melted hearts and faces everywhere, meticulously layer boy-girl harmonies, pulsing pop synths, psych noise loops and glam soaked walls of guitars. Add to that Detroit heavy hitter Jimmy Lucido on the drums (The Strays/ TVT records) in their combined years of touring, these road veterans have supported heavyweights from Smashing Pumpkins to the The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Previewing the album - “Who’s Your Lover” offers shoegaze as it opens with a post-punk guitar riff which marries the soft, high-pitched string-like synthesizer which floats around as an all important extra-terrestrial layer, as Swaan asks “Who’s Your Lover?” The chorus moves on a thick bed of bass line that the distorted guitar riff and vocals bounce on. “Who’s Your Lover” is an instant modern shoegaze anthem, comparable to Slowdive or The Cure.
Having had a successful year in 2017 headlining clubs, playing festivals around the world such as SXSW and Starry Night Festival, and shared stages with The Kills, The Dandy Warhols and Cat Power to name a few. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Full on and energised 'Who's Your Lover' gets straight into the action with some fine guitar work, a strident rhythm, whilst adding some melody through the gorgeous vocals. Looks like the band will be keeping Gary Numan on his toes during the forthcoming tour!
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Background - Ismay's second single is entitled "Oh Precious Light", following on from her first single "River Of Light". Both songs will be featured on her debut EP 'Songs From A River' out 2/9/2018.
Coming from the coastal hills of Northern California, Ismay is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter drawing inspiration from the natural landscape of the American West. With an ear for an old-time aesthetic and artistry of indie folk, Ismay blends inventive songwriting, ethereal vocals, and dynamic fingerpicking on the guitar. When she is not traveling the western states on horseback, Ismay can be found working on her ranch, collecting the sounds and stories of rural California. From this cultural history comes Ismay’s deep-rooted sound of the New American West.
The creation of Ismay’s debut EP began with a river. After dropping out of college, Ismay (Avery Hellman) wandered from California to New Mexico and up through the Pacific Northwest. During this time she sought out a place of natural significance through which to explore her passion for the arts and the environment. Eventually she found herself on the banks of the Klamath River in far Northern California. It was in this country that Ismay became entranced by the intricate cultural landscape of the Klamath. In the following two years, she embarked on a horseback trip to document the river through film, photography and audio recordings.
In addition, she wrote and recorded five original songs, both along the Klamath with an old cassette tape machine and in a studio above the Pacific Ocean. Ismay worked with producer Tim Bluhm (Sarah Lee Guthrie, Johnny Irion, Nicki Bluhm) and engineer Robert Cheek (Band of Horses, Chelsea Wolfe) at Panoramic Studios in Stinson Beach, CA. The field recordings were produced by Eric Drew Feldman (Polyphonic Spree, PJ Harvey), and string arrangements in Nashville with Brad Jones at Alex the Great Recording (Justin Townes Earle, Nancy Griffith, Yo La Tengo).
Weaving natural symbolism into this coming-of-age story, Ismay’s EP, Songs from a River, explores the way in which a connection to place shapes and parallels songwriting and recording. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
We featured the first single back in early December and the second release 'Oh Precious Light' is another really fine Indie folk song. Ismay's vocals shine above a gentle and intricate musical arrangement, the EP can't arrive soon enough.
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Darling West - Loneliness.Background - Darling West have shared a new video for new single "Loneliness", with their new album "While I Was Asleep" is out Feb 16 on Jansen Records.
The last twelve months of Darling West’s musical career can't be described as anything other than fantastic. Since the release of their second album, "Vinyl And A Heartache", they have played concerts all over the world, been playlisted on the biggest radio stations in Norway, appeared on the Top 100 Country charts in the US, amassed more than 2.5 million plays on Spotify, been booked for the biggest festivals in Norway, Americanafest in Nashville, and won a Norwegian Grammy.
Talking about the video, vocalist and banjo player Tor Egil Kreken comments; "Loneliness was made by Norwegian movie director Jorunn Syversen. She came out with a fantastic film last year called "Hoggeren", and one of our songs was in the movie. We really wanted to work with her, and she came up with the idea of shooting the video in a house designed by Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn. It was such a beautiful setting! The dog belongs to the people who live in the house, and he turned out to be a great actor." WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.
Our third feature for Darling West with the new single and video for 'Loneliness' a song that has some delightful Americana charm running right through it, and melodic hooks that just dig for attention.
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Background - Born in the inspired mind of London’s own Malian rhythm buff, vocalist and band leader Hans Sutton, Bamako Overground have been busily forging a curious new sound. The trio are irresistibly seduced by the music of West Africa, blending its influences overtly and covertly with their own carefully-selected flavours to settle into mystical grooves and rocking desert blues.
Hans plays his distinctive hybrid drum kit, which brought Mandé styles to worldly pop folksters such as Nick Mulvey and Cocos Lovers. He’s flanked by the sparkling guitar of Yaaba Funk co-founder Tobias Sturmer and the hypnotic, heavy bass of folk maestro and Woodburner impresario Theo Bard.
Deep and soulful rhythms meet soaring melodies, while crunching three-part vocal harmonies speak of pilgrimage and placelessness, spinning allegories in Bamanankan and English to complete a brew that’s compelling and utterly unique.
Debut single ‘The Swallow’s Tale’ is quite possibly the most delightful rhythmic folk tale you’ll have heard for some time, with a beautifully hand-drawn animated video from May Kindred Boothby and a promise of more ‘tales’ to follow later in the year Bamako Overground honour the traditions of African music with such abundant joy that it is only right that they go on to become a huge success. Some live dates are below, which you’ll not want to miss as they are as compelling live as on record rewarding each listener with their spiritual Gris Gris grooves, psychedelic desert blues and mystical melodies. FACEBOOK.
Live Dates:
26.1 Prince Albert, Stroud, UK
27.1 The Canteen, Bristol, UK
28.1 The Bell, Bath, UK
2.2 The Harrison, London, UK
Oh this is good - 'The Swallow's Tale' is a must hear song! Mixing West African influences and natural charm, along with English lyrics Bamako Overground create something beautifully unique, and very addictive.
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