Showing posts with label Ali Horn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ali Horn. Show all posts

Friday, 11 December 2020

Remington Super 60 - Mood Taeg - Ali Horn - Wynnm - Lorna - Casual Fan

We shared an E.P by Remington Super 60 at the beginning of the year and it's good to have them back with today's new single release 'I Won't Change My Mind'. The bands smooth flowing indie music is notably melodic and intimate on this new track. ===== Mood Taeg double A side release is a feast of German musical influences from Kraftwerk to Can indeed the first song 'Corpora' is reminiscent of both bands, whilst 'Konkord' sees the duo put more of their own mark and styling into effect, both songs are wonderful. ===== We have had the pleasure of featuring Ali Horn a couple of times in the past and today's release 'End Credits' is another fine song, with a bright and rhythmic musical backdrop and his distinctive vocals adding plenty of feeling. ===== Wynnm returns for a third time this year with 'Falling From The Stars' a song that sees her attractive vocals upfront above a more restrained yet intricate musical arrangement. ===== Yesterday Lorna released her first E.P 'Who I Really Am' from which we have 'Go On And Breathe' which makes for a good representation of this imaginative singer songwriters four song collection. ===== Earlier in the year we shared two tracks from today's E.P release from Casual Fan entitled 'I've Dreamt About These Days' and I think it's fair to say all eight songs are of a very high standard where alt rock melodic and sweeping vocals and harmonies are everywhere.

===================================================

Remington Super 60 - I Won't Change My Mind.

I Won't Change My Mind is the second single from Norwegian band Remington super 60's upcoming EP, due to be released February 2021. The theme of the EP as well as this song is very personal to the band due to the breakup between Remington super 60's producer Christoer and singer Elisabeth. 

They are still good friends and have continued their musical work together Remington super 60 was founded by Christoer Schou in 1999 as a bedroom DIY project, between 1999 and 2007 the band was very active on the indie scene with several albums and EPs released on various small labels around the world. The early music style was very inspired by 60s music such as Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach but with the addition of lots of Casio keyboard blips and beeps.

Christoer has an impressive collection of small Casio and Yamaha keyboards. This resulted in the band being labeled as a Casio pop band. After 2007 the band only gave a few life signs every now and then. But since 2019 they started to produce a lof of new music again that resulted in the EP "New Ep" released January 2019. Musically they have now been labeled more or less a dream pop band by various blogs.

The band is still a DIY project although not based in Christoer's bedroom but in his living room. “Remington super 60 know how to cut a track” - Super world indie tunes “Dreamy sounds from Norway” - Tonspion.de “Remington Super 60, «The highway again». En ekte drømmelåt” - Kultur magasinet PLNTY “what matters most is that they sound just as delightful now as they did back in ’98” - Austin town hall “beautiful dream-pop” Barry Gru Remington super 60 2020 consists of: Christoer Schou, Elisabeth Thorsen and Magnus Abelsen.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mood Taeg - Corpora / Konkord.

Mood Taeg (pronounced mood tag) is a Scottish / German musical project located between Düsseldorf and Shanghai. Mood Taeg create music that incorporates the motorik drumming of Klaus Dinger and Jaki Liebezeit; the melodic sensibilities of Neu! and Kraftwerk; and the experimentation of Can, Cluster and Harmonia to produce instrumental compositions that are contemporary and, at the same time, fit exactly within the lineage of their influences.
 

Mood Taeg see their music as uncompromising but totally accessible. They don’t believe the form dictates the art. For them, the art dictates the form. Thus, songs may often be 10 minutes long with motorik grooves punctuated with vocal samples, ethereal synths and angular guitars. On this new single the band add extra elements to their sonic pallet. The A side, ‘Corpora’ has been tightly edited with pulsing electronics at the forefront, creating a soundscape that is as much dreampop as it is krautrock. The AA side Konkord is part of a collaboration with Dundee Poet Andrew French. Its spoken word vocals in a distinctive Scottish twang add an edgy lo-fi indie-rock dimension, akin to that of Glasgow’s Arab Strap.
 

Mood Taeg record all of their music at their home studio, Lowell’s Garden. They are also part of the wider Mood Taeg kollektiv which includes musicians, graffiti artists, DJs, photographers, painters, and video artists.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ali Horn - End Credits.

‘End Credits’ is a nihilistic yet optimistic track about slipping into the unknown of the afterlife. Musically joyous, lyrically dower this track perfectly sums up the highs and lows of realising our human condition as we hopelessly and defiantly trudge towards the end.

More dance-y than his previous work and making use of a wider range of interesting instruments, Ali self-produced this track at his home studio in Toxteth, Merseyside in May 2020 collaborating with Ste Cole of What? Studios to add drums and mix the track.

The only thing we know for sure is that we can’t stay here for long. We’re a speck of light reflecting off a fractured fragment of smashing glass in slow motion. There for a second and then gone. But let's have fun while it lasts. You can’t hide for the inevitable.

2019 saw Ali Horn release his debut E.P. ‘It Wears Off’, six songs exploding with hazy pop hooks and sunburst psychedelia, with themes that stray between life, death, love and paranoia.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wynnm - Falling From The Stars.

Falling From The Stars is a bold snapshot of Wynnm's music evolution and, with her new EP in the works for 2021, an exciting peek at what’s to come from a multi-talented artist who crafts a new world with every piece of music she makes.

New single Falling From The Stars is a downtempo, electronic, indie song, where she brings together her unique mix of styles. After 2 minutes and 45 seconds you only want to do one more thing and that is press repeat.

Wynnm about her new single: "Falling From The Stars, as a song, asks you to walk the path towards the stream of consciousness. To alter reality, and to not trust what you once trusted. A fusion of nostalgic sounds and forward vocals, winter will be better with this song."

Much acclaimed debut EP Moonwalking, released earlier this year, gave Wynnm the attention she deserved with rave reviews and radio airplay all over the world. Her music can now be heard on radio in the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Russia, Ireland, Mauritius, Switzerland and Austria. Also her singles could be found in the Apple Music iTunes Charts in 44 countries worldwide! Falling From The Stars is released today 11 December 2020.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lorna - Go On And Breathe.

Who I Really Am, the first EP of singer-songwriter Lorna’s new Inspiring Conscious Pop project is coming on December 10th. The EP with original songs is the result of the Las Vegas-based singer's deep emotional conversations with followers of her new Facebook page, released right after the pandemic hit, back in May.

With a unique style that combines ambient music, Enya-like hypnotizing beautiful vocals, and emotional pop lyrics, Who I really Am, is a balm for the soul of the listeners, bringing comfort to their hearts and not rarely bringing tears to their eyes. In times when there is plenty of negativity and fear in the world, and when so many are hurting, emotional songs like “Go on and Breathe”, and “You Are Enough” transport the audience to a place of peace, hope, and positivity.

“I started this music Facebook page to create a community of people supporting each other to stay positive and to grow into self-love by developing themselves mentally and spiritually. To spread love and to comfort, but at the same time to empower them to feel strong and worthy, to overcome their challenges and to be happy”.

Soon enough, the engagement rate on Lorna’s page went through the roof, and people started sharing with her how overwhelmed, lonely and hopeless they felt sometimes, especially since the health crises started. That is how the songs of the new EP were born. With the intent of bringing positivity and encouragement.

Nowadays, even with a relatively small community of 15 K followers built in 6 months, Lorna’s Facebook engagement rate climbs up to 201 %, which shows how strongly and deeply she’s connecting with her audience when comparing these statistics to some of the biggest names on social media.*

Lorna is a multicultural influencer. Of English descent (her last name is Earnshaw), she was born and raised in Argentina and lived for years in Brazil before moving to Hollywood to teach vocal technique at a Los Angeles’ music university in 2013. She started building her Youtube channel in 2008, teaching singing lessons in Portuguese and English and helping students to believe in their dreams, with some of her videos reaching 1.2 MM views organically. As a voice coach, she has taught more than 1000 students from 102 countries with her online courses and more than 350 one-on-one students in English, Portuguese and Spanish.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Casual Fan - I've Dreamt About These Days (E.P).

'I’ve Dreamt About These Days' was written between late 2017 and mid 2019, with most songs written while moving from Newcastle to Sydney in April 2019. Shortly after the move, friendships were made, a band was formed and songs were given shape and structure, going through several iterations before finally being captured during a week recording with Mark Myers at Big Sister Studio in Cairns, Sep 16-21, 2019.

The songs are primarily about movement between places. They were mostly written on acoustic guitar, but playing some sporadic live shows in 2019 allowed the songs to breathe and move beyond the confines of folk chords and simple lyrics.

'I’ve Dreamt About These Days' is a line in the second last song. It’s about growing up and realising that, while things are not what you thought they might be years ago when you were up late thinking about the future on a January school holiday midnight, the life we are given is usually more beautiful and meaningful than we give it credit for. In a sense, that’s what all these songs are about. Ultimately, the best thing about music is the friends we discover through making it or listening to it, and I’m grateful that writing and playing these songs has given me the chance to meet many wonderful people, who I now couldn’t imagine not knowing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 19 July 2019

Ali Horn - Dave Banks - Ead Wood & The Heights

Ali Horn's current single 'Dreamers' came out a few days ago and is well worth catching up with, his melodic hooks and fine vocals are getting noticed, as this indie pop song demonstrates, that's quite understandable.

Dave Banks song 'She's Like' is a modern country piece with plenty of charm, it's fresh, natural and just right for playing on a road trip.

'Plum Cake' from Ead Wood & The Heights is another melodic and very catchy song, the musical arrangement is refined and Ead's vocals are vibrant and likable.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ali Horn - Dreamers.

Ali Horn has had an interesting 2019 so far. His current single, ‘Dreamers’, had its release date moved forward when 6 Music’s Liz Kershaw fixed on it as her track of the year to date. His last single Modern Voodoo, was regularly heard on 6 Music and, the day after we meet, he is flying to Ulyanovsk, birthplace of Lenin, as part of a Unesco sponsored cultural exchange. This is not standard stuff for an aspiring singer / songwriter.

Ali will be representing his adopted hometown of Liverpool in Russia, a UNESCO world music city, to Ulyanovsk’s UNESCO world literature city. The coming together of Liverpool and Russia’s aspiring creative forces creates both excitement and apprehension. For now, not knowing who is picking him up from the airport is a more immediate concern.

Yet, Ali’s story to date is characterised by taking leaps of faith whilst committing to the hard work necessary to transform dreams into reality. The child of a folk guitar playing father, Ali convinced his parents to take his musical ambitions seriously by enrolling in a Saturday music school, foregoing standard lazy teenager weekends to learn production techniques alongside honing his playing.

A similar focus led to him developing the songs that are now finding friends across the UK whilst playing guitar in Liverpool’s best kept secret The Strange Collective. Taking his cue from a love of simple pop song structure and primary melodies, Ali stepped out of the shadows to centre stage to train the expansive psychedelia of that band into the surf flecked pop of the solo Ali Horn. As Ali puts it in characteristically self-effacing fashion, ‘I didn’t want to shy away from pop music anymore, I wanted to work within that verse / chorus structure’.

Initial releases under the guidance of Carl Hunter, former member of The Farm and current director of ‘Sometimes, Always, Never’ starring Bill Nighy, Jenny Agutter and ‘Control’s’ Sam Riley, led to a deal with Rooftop Records / Funnel Music and a team that includes producer Chris Taylor, Studio Manager at Parr Street Studios where Ali performed for 6 Music in March of this year.

It is a team that will be very busy for the remainder of 2019. Ali’s debut album is in process, an opportunity that he sees as the next self-imposed challenge ‘From starting writing, I saw a completed work. An album that puts the singles into a new context and gives me the opportunity to explore the other side of my music to what you hear with the singles. I love albums that flow for the listener, that are more than just a collection of songs’. Before that there are more tracks and live dates to look forward to. Assuming that airport pick up happened……

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dave Banks - She's Like.

I'm just a simple country boy singin' country songs. I work 9 to 5, throw my boots on, put my guitar in my truck, and head to the next dive bar to sing some country songs.

I am 100% independent, all the way down to owning and operating my own record label, Reel Country Entertainment. I am determined to take on the machine and put country music back into country folks' hands.

"She's Like" is my first single released under my own record label, Reel Country Entertainment. It blends a contemporary sound with a vibe of more traditional country music. The intro guitar loop pulls the listener in and brings them all the way to the bass drop after the bridge.

"She's Like" is the quintessential love song to blast when you're flying down a backroad, surrounded by cotton fields, with your windows down.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ead Wood & The Heights - Plum Cake.

Bristol based Ead Wood delivers a shimmering, sunny indie-pop bop in latest single ‘Plum Cake’ - lilting gorgeously in all the right ways, it calls to mind Alvvays, Amber Arcades, Mazzy Star or Real Estate in its softly infectious sound. He is backed as ever by London band Margot, moonlighting as The Heights for this project. Recording in their own studio, there’s a resolutely DIY feel to the project that fits into the ambitious Bristol music scene.

Paradoxically to its lackadaisical sound, ‘Plum Cake’ channels the low-level anxiety that comes with everyday indecision. Indeed this fed into the naming of the track, as Ead elaborates:

"’Plum Cake’ is written about my lack of decision making. Especially when it comes down to those small everyday insignificant choices that really don’t matter, but I just can’t decide.

The title came as I was playing the song for one of the first times in Munich last summer and typically I couldn’t decide on a name for the track. I asked the audience if anyone had any ideas for a title and to shout them out at the end. As the song finished I asked again, no one replied as half the crowd was eating cake, I asked what the cake was and they shouted Special Bavarian Plum Cake, and there’s the title!"

Backed by influential outlets in DIY and Clash Magazine, as well as building an exciting live plot taking in venues across the country and further afield with European dates, that culminated with a performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, Ead Wood’s brand of catchy, breezy guitar pop is turning heads and getting them nodding.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 21 October 2017

On The Wane - Indytronics - Marble Mammoth - Hoult - Ali Horn - Gaffa Tape Sandy

On The Wane - Human Race.

Background - Oscillating between dream gaze and power gaze fusion, Ukraine’s On The Wane brings us their new full album 'Schism', slated for release on November 20, preceded by the first single 'Human Race'.

On the Wane is Daria Maksimova (bass, vocals), Anna Lyashok (drums, vocals), Eugene Voitov (guitar, synth), and Eli Demyanenko (guitar). Together, the four-piece have become a smooth cohesive force in the shoegaze, neo-gothic and noise rock realm.

"Mankind as a race is quite an absurd thing. We strive to survive but we are killing ourselves. We're beautiful and ugly,  lovely and cruel but, anyway, we are not infinite," says Daria Maksimova on this lead track.

In early 2017, the band recorded the 10 tracks that would become the full-length album'Schism' at the studio of the Kyiv-based band Sinoptik (winners of the worldwide music competition Global Battle of the Bands 2016) and under the direction of sound engineer Dima Afanasyev-Gladkykh (a.k.a. Sinoptik). 

“For me this album is a transitional state, the first step on the way to something higher. We put a lot of deep thoughts and feelings into this release. A lot of work has been done. This is definitely the best we ever did, and I can only hope that the next release will be even cooler,” says Anna Lyashok. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

On The Wane move with ease across differing genres and styles with the forthcoming album 'Schism'. Therefore 'Human Race' the first single and one of the ten tracks that make up the collection, doesn't tell the whole story. What it does do is give an indication of the bands power and intensity, where atmospheric sounds and potent musicianship are everywhere.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Indytronics - Alien Sun.

Background - Indytronics - psychedelic / indie 5-piece band from Kiev, Ukraine. The band started playing in 2015, releasing their debut long play ‘Scintilla Wave’. Indytronics played live presentation show in Kiev club ‘Atlas’ and at several Ukrainian festivals: Woodstock Ukraine, Virtuoso Festival, Tattoo Collection, Master Festival and etc.

In 2016 Indytronics won 2 competitions: ‘Battles Of Students Bands’ and ‘Irish True’ by Tullamore Dew, winning the possibility to play concert in Dublin, Ireland. In summer Indytronics went in Ukrainian tour, playing in 6 cities and at two festivals: ‘Woodstock Ukraine’ and ‘Z-Games’.

Indytronics - musical expeditors of the sun and foggy mountains, sand savannas and oceans, who see beautiful in simple things, creating a dazzling mix of psychedelics, indie and electronics.

In April 2017, Indytronics won huge all-Ukrainian competition 'Indie Fields' - conducted by the recording studio 'Istok', Music Hub and Atlas - the group became number 1 among 500 participants from all over the country. Brand new EP is coming out in Autumn 2017. In summer 2017 Indytronics played at the biggest festival in Ukraine - Atlas Weekend. FACEBOOK.

We featured Indytronics back in March & commented then that they are a band worth checking out further. 'Alien Sun' helps us along the way & it is another engaging, melodic indie rocker. The EP is eagerly anticipated.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marble Mammoth - Glitter Amongst Gravel.

Background - Swedish, Stockholm based Marble Mammoth wanders seamlessly between classic genres in a dynamic mix of energetic riff based rock and dreamy, melodic psychedelia. A furious rhythm section, screaming organs and fuzzy guitars greets you on the second single ”Glitter Amongst Gravel” – out October 20th, and give you a taste of what’s to come.

The five track self-titled EP immediately draws your mind to the experimental side of early Tame Impala or even classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin, and we find our self as much in the late 60’s as in the present.

"Marble Mammoth is in many ways defined by an endless search. So it only feels natural that the EP sound the way it does. The songs were written in a state of emotional turmoil, and it wasn't until afterward, with some distance, that I really understood what they were all about." – Tobias Bergholm (singer and guitarist)

With band members that have previously played in bands such as The Unisex, that has shared stage with The Libertines, and Dollhouse, that’s been touring the world and done collaborations with Mike Davis (MC5) and Nicke Andersson (The Hellacopters/Imperial State Electric), this is nothing but a pleasant new acquaintance on the Swedish and the international rock scene.

”Glitter Amongst Gravel” is out on all digital platforms yesterday, with the full EP to follow in November. FACEBOOK.

'Glitter Amongst Gravel' has a deep bass groove that along with the feisty drum arrangement drives the song along. The music builds with power into a full on rocker mixing fabulous rock vocals with some definitive guitar licks. Old school classic rock with a refreshingly modern twist.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoult - Pharmacy.

Background - Hoult has the rare knack of sounding both dreamy and sharp at the same time. This, married with vital yet wistful song-writing, concocts his imaginative brand of guitar pop.

‘Pharmacy’ builds from an affecting intimacy into a song with a grand scale possessing folk-tinged anthemic choruses: reminiscent of Bombay Bicycle club and Frightened Rabbit rippling with personal lyrics that tap into wider themes: “Pharmacy summarises the feeling of frustration when you cannot help someone you care about.” Says Hoult “Darker themes run through the veins of this track, yet the energetic and cheerful instrumentation represent the mask a lot of people wear on a daily basis.”

Hoult better known as Sam Fowke is a singer-songwriter / producer from Gloucester, now based in Cardiff.He released one single entitled 'Red Handed’  under his own name last year, it quickly racked up over 7000 plays. He now returns under the new moniker Hoult with his most affecting and ambitious song yet. FACEBOOK.

From the opening chords a dreamy vibe mixes with a determined beat on 'Pharmacy' a song that has a whole load of hooks throughout.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ali Horn - Bloom.

Background - Ali Horn releases his new single ‘Bloom’ on November 10th via Liverpool based The Label Recordings.  His second single after the release of ‘Days Like Today’ in February, ‘Bloom’ is 4 minutes of spiralling, psychedelic guitars and echoing vocals from the Strange Collective guitarist.  

"It was the first track that I wrote away from Strange Collective in recent years that I actually thought was any good, first taking form in my basement bedroom come studio the original demo was 9 minutes long” Ali explains.  "This was then shortened for our live shows and then even more for this single version that we did last month in Parr Street Studios."

"I guess in essence it's about loneliness, sitting around out of my head thinking about where all my friends and loved ones were, sending them love and good vibes and hoping they were doing the same" FACEBOOK.

I would have been tempted to feature this song simply because of the promotional photo that accompanied it. However 'Bloom' has no need for any props, it's a gorgeously dreamy and multi layered song that just gets better and better as it builds into something quite special.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gaffa Tape Sandy - Beehive.

Background - Garage rockers Gaffa Tape Sandy have announced the release of their brand new single Beehive via Antigen Records, the fittingly triumphant finale of their explosive performance on the BBC Introducing stage at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.

Manic, thrilled-packed and seemingly precision-tooled to get crammed in your cranium, Beehive is the sound of every guitar band you’ve ever loved getting hopped-up on mountains of sugary treats, chasing their own shadows down a steep hillside and smashing gleefully into each other.

The Bury St Edmunds outfit’s brand of giddily frantic, high-octane hyper rock ‘n’ roll has already landed them support slots with acts including IDLES, Peace, SuperGlu and Get Inuit, whilst a flurry of upcoming tour dates will see them further establish their burgeoning live reputation.

Produced by George Perks (SuperGlu), Gaffa Tape Sandy’s Beehive was released yesterday via Antigen Records and will be available on all platforms. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Despite sharing half this websites name 'Beehive' is most definitely featured on merit. It's a fabulous melting pot of ideas crammed into three minutes of crazy upbeat music and lyrics that are just amazing. File under Ones To Watch Out For, & do just so.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bedolina - Melys - Avery Friedman - Hallelujah The Hills

Bedolina - We Are the Clock Ourselves Again. Out today March 28th, "We Are the Clock Ourselves Again" is an indie rock hymn about...