Flora Hibberd - FELIN - Michael Colton - Selkama

Having already shared a couple of tracks from her debut E.P we now have the complete set from Flora Hibberd entitled 'The Absentee'. Her gorgeous and distinct voice resonates through each song and the simmering atmosphere is contagious. === It's more than two years since we last featured FELIN and we catch up with the artist with the fourth single 'Money Honey' from her recently released album, as once again the feisty rocker is on top form. === Singer songwriter Michael Colton is about to release a new single entitled 'A Little Crazy', it's a fine country rocker packing energy and hooks galore. === Selkama recently shared 'All My Friends Are Growing Up' where the Finnish brothers deliver a melodic and perhaps a little melancholic but nonetheless lively and engaging song.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flora Hibberd - The Absentee (E.P).

Born in East London but currently residing in Paris, Flora Hibberd has been described as ‘intelligent and measured…there is a profound intuition in her work’ and her songs as ‘deeply rooted in the timeless lyricism of Dylan and Cohen.’ With influences as diverse as Nick Cave, Joan Baez and Jacques Brel, she moves effortlessly between acoustic folk traditions and the bruised indie of PJ Harvey, Jason Molina and Cat Power. Her powerfully emotive voice, evocative melodies and poetic lyrics combine beautifully to give her songs a deeply haunting and unforgettable quality.

Flora’s first two singles ‘The Absentee’ and ‘In Violence’ released in earlier 2019, were bold statements of intent and announced her as a powerful newcomer. The songs’ complex, dark melodic and lyrical beauty have left a longing for what The Absentee EP will offer. The EP packages the singles with two new gems, ‘As Long As There Is Night’ and ‘The Healing’ that will not disappoint.

About The Absentee EP, Flora states ‘The songs of this EP emerged over months and years, and were refined in bars, apartments and on the streets. The Absentee was written fifty metres below the English Channel, three years ago. In Violence was written in 2017 in the garden of the Musée Rodin. Their influences are too many to name; random encounters with poetry, art, music and language in all its forms have bled into my writing in ways of which I am often unaware. They are about real people and real events. But they are also about impossible people, and impossible events. My hope is that they find you here, on the blurred edge between reality and dreams, in the half-awake place where the familiar merges with the unknown. ‘

With this EP and in collaboration with producer J. C. Wright, bringing his 'spectacular’ arrangements and atmospheric brushstrokes, Flora Hibberd is laying down an impressive artistic foundation. The Absentee EP is out now, on ClearLight Records / Declared Goods.


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

FELIN - Money Honey.

Following her previous single ‘LaLaLa’, the Stockholm based artist FELIN now releases the fourth single titled ‘MoneyHoney’ from her new album be released a week or so ago. This powerful track aims to make the listeners feel invincible and succeeds well. Surrounding her is a creative power-house collective that have the combined experience of writing for the likes of Adam Lambert, and having visuals published in Interview Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.

“Money Honey is a modern Bonnie and Clyde story on speed about being madly in love, breaking all the rules and limits,” FELIN says about the track. “This song is loud and fast - just like the adrenaline rush when you do something forbidden. It’s one of the most playful songs on the upcoming album and I wanted to capture that wild romance feeling, when you feel like anything is possible.”

FELIN’s music is unapologetically cinematic, drawing from theatrical influences – the dark humour of Tarantino being one of note. Known for combining pop melodies and rock energy, FELIN has played the historic Rockpalast in Germany and supported The Chainsmokers last spring.


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

Michael Colton - A Little Crazy.

Singer/songwriter Michael Colton is set to release a new single that takes his steadfast country rock/blues sound to new heights. Titled “A Little Crazy,” it’s an exhilarating track that both figurately evokes letting loose and enjoying the ride, and literally signals a pivot out of his comfort zone as he embraces a new direction in his songwriting.  Having garnered significant accolades for his more country inflected work in the past, Colton has streamlined his sound which seamlessly blends rock and blues traditions and is anchored by his striking vocals and magnificent guitar chops. Produced by noted film and television composer/producer Brett Boyett, “A Little Crazy” features Colton on vocals and guitar.   Producer Brett Boyett brought a groups of studio musicians to round out the production. Song will be available digitally on November 15 and an EP will be released in the coming year.

Says Colton: “I realize that the best times in my life came from the little moments of jumping off the beaten path. When you jump away from all the normal stuff and follow the weird little voice in your gut sometimes it’s a train wreck. BUT to make a song or really anything in life great you have to let go, follow that thing you were told was wrong.  Be free of everything.

The big difference between this and my past music is that I always had a firm hand in the production. This time I let go and gave producer Brett Boyett a lot of freedom.  He kept me focused on the story and took my singing, guitar playing and songwriting to a whole new level.

Colton burst onto the scene in 2010 with a striking blues-rock track titled “Sugar.” Following that up with a deep dive into the songs of Robert Johnson in 2012, Colton continued to hone his blues guitar cred.   With a flurry of single and EP releases beginning in 2016, he immediately caught the attention of outlets such as The Boot, Popdose, Huffington Post with an evolved sound that seamlessly combined elements of rock, country, R&B and blues that are anchored by his otherworldly guitar chops. Earlier this year, Colton released two EPs collecting some of the best moments from 2017 and 2018-- Qualified and California Blue.


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

Selkama - All My Friends Are Growing Up.

When brothers Nicolas & Kim Flemström decided to start making music together they took the name Selkama, to honor their Finnish mother. Selkama is her maiden name. After playing music in different projects for a couple of years they wanted to start from scratch and do something together, just the two of them. After writing songs for a year in their hometown Stockholm they traded city life for countryside, as they went to a studio on a farm close to Trollhättan during winter 2018.

After two weeks of intense recording, starry skies, dinners to the sound of a crackling fireplace and coffee breaks, a record had been made. Nicolas personal songwriting combined with Kim’s harmonies and sense of melody makes for an emotional and dynamic record. Songs about loneliness, selfishness, friendship and love are accompanied by sonic landscapes, reverb - drenched pianos and two voices that sound like one.

The title track and first single of their debut album ’All My Friends Are Growing Up’ was released on November 6 2019. The record will be out in early 2020. The single ”All My Friends Are Growing Up” is the title track and first single from Selkama’s upcoming debut album. I’ts a melancholic song about loneliness and the longing for love. About daring to feel hopeful. If you find yourself on a train or in a car, just look out of the window and let the smooth vocals and crying instruments carry you away.

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

Karl Walsh & The Happy Future - FELIN - Silas Hite - Dan Raza

Karl Walsh & The Happy Future - Wonderful.

Background - Karl Walsh & The Happy Future stunning album 'Birds' is set to be released on June 30th. The Happy Future was formed in Manchester in 2015 by Karl Walsh who was originally signed to Factory Records by Tony Wilson. Walsh, also a founder member of acoustic trio To Hell With Burgundy, played all over the world with Bob Geldof, The Pogues, Barclay James Harvest and Graham Parker before relocating to France where he wrote three novels. Returning to the UK in 2012 Walsh formed The Visitors with Mike Crook and Frederick Apps, releasing their debut album ‘Above You’ on Earliest Records.

The Happy Future’s first gigs were played as a trio with Frederick Apps on drums and Philip John on Bass. John, a multi-instrumentalist had previously fronted his own bands and enjoyed the challenge of utilising his vast musical knowledge to add a sophistication to Walsh’s catchy tunes. Frederick Apps cut his teeth playing with bands in venues all over the country. He is also an accomplished photographer and his work can be seen regularly in online magazine ‘Manchester Rocks’.

An open mic night in Didsbury called The Art of Tea led to Karl Walsh meeting Karl Markham, an extremely talented solo guitarist who was blowing audiences away with his renditions of original tapping style acoustic tunes. Having played in several bands in his hometown of Sheffield, Markham came to Manchester (where else?) to finish a music degree and took the role of lead guitarist in The Happy Future. Website here, Facebook here.

The new album 'Birds' comprises of eleven tracks of which 'Wonderful' is a fine example of the (dare I say) wonderful music to be found across the collection. Expect melodic and refined musical arrangements alongside the very pleasing vocals and harmonies, all of which has been produced to a very high standard.


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

FELIN - Destruction Therapy.

Background - FELIN is a Swedish audiovisual duo consisting of songwriter/ artist Elin Blom and photographer/ director Fredrik Etoall (the “F” in F E L I N). Having worked with the likes of Icona Pop, Tove Lo, The Rolling Stones and Adam Lambert, FELIN are all about the highest quality of sound as well as image, by making the two inter-dimensional and expansive of one another. 

Being championed by Sony Music on their upcoming releases, as well as JC Jeans Company choosing their record for their national jeans ad, all eyes are on this Scandi duo as they reveal their much-anticipated material to the world.  

The upcoming new single Destruction Therapy begins with a cranked up and distorted drumbeat, which pounces out of the speakers onto the listener’s ears in an instant. Together with Elin’s cool’n’powerful lead vocal, the track rekindles the energy infused vibe of the industrialised alternative version of Gossip, early The Ting Tings and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The song is produced in a Rangleklods-esque manner by Elin herself (yep, a female producer- still not enough of them out there) who has managed to craft this sonic hybrid of power, energy with a twinge of angst-filled apocalypse in the foreground. Website here, Facebook here.

'Destruction Therapy' is a potent mix of delicious drum beats way up in the musical mix, angry synths and the fiery and passionate vocals of Elin Blom.


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

Silas Hite - Other Side.

Background - Emmy-winning composer, Silas Hite (Chef's Table, Scooby-Doo) just released a new cover song, "Other Side", originally performed by acclaimed indie-rock group, Metric from their latest album Pagans in Vegas. 

Hite has re-imagined this song as a beautifully aching indie-americana song, all while adding an 80's electronic pop flare. This new version features some of Hollywood's finest session string players including cellist, Timothy Loo, and violinist Nancy Kuo

Silas Hite is an Emmy-winning composer with music in his DNA. He began his career co-scoring blockbuster and independent films such as Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs with his uncle, noted composer Mark Mothersbaugh (DEVO). His music plays in television shows around the world, from kids shows like Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue!and Disney’s Dance-A- Lot Robot, to adult shows such as Blue Mountain State, Eureka, and Chef's Table. 

He has scored hundreds of commercials for clients such as Apple, McDonalds, and Chevy, earning him an Emmy, Adweek's Campaign of the Decade, and most recently a Titanium Grand Prix from Cannes. He’s contributed memorable music to some of the top selling video games of the past ten years such as The Sims 2, Skate 3 and The Simpsons. His music has played in such venerable institutions as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the New York Museum of Modern Art, and The Whitney Museum. Website here.

If your going to do a cover version then 'Other Side' is an exceptional example of how to make it work. Taking the song into another genre and totally different arrangement, then adding in superb musicians, pretty much seals the deal, Silas Hite's vocals ensure it.

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

Dan Raza - Pay Day.

Background - In the wake of the Iraq war, Neil Young featured a stirring song called ‘Every Little Dog’ on his ‘Living With War’ website. The track was by Indian / British singer-songwriter Dan Raza, a writer who, like Young, creates music that whilst rooted in immediate genres transcends them by being able to touch on universal feelings and concepts. His songs have a strong sense of place and an enigmatic, wistful, restless quality at their heart.

The release of Dan Raza’s critically acclaimed debut album in 2012, alongside dates with Joan Armatrading, Badly Drawn Boy, Cara Dillon, Bellowhead, Mary Gauthier, Slaid Cleaves and more, cemented his place in the UK folk and roots scene and led BBC documentary maker, James Ashley Smith, to create ‘Can’t Go Back’, a short feature film about Raza’s sacrifices and struggles for his musical dreams. 

Now with the release of his second album simply titled ‘Two’, it should be time that Raza is recognized as one of the UK’s most exciting and authentic new homegrown independent singer-songwriters with an outstanding new album of deeply written songs that every real music lover should lend their ears to.

The album features some great legendary talents backing Raza including BJ Cole (Dolly Parton, Bert Jansch), Frank Mead (Albert King, Paul McCartney), and members of Slim Chance, Geraint Watkins (Van Morrison, Nick Lowe), Steve Simpson (Eric Bibb, Ronnie Lane) and Charlie Hart (Ian Dury, Eric Clapton). The result is a finely produced album that is warm and immediate, yet has a depth and textural range that rewards repeat listening. 

Moments like ‘Shadowlands’ have a Tom Waits or Nick Cave feel with dark moody landscapes, classic sounding guitars and haunting folk instrumentation; others, like ‘Where The Rivers Divide’, suggest bittersweet blue atmospheres that ebb and flow with confidence and mastery whilst ‘Pay Day’ is a straight up gutsy folk-rock belter. The tracks are full of stories influenced by and reflecting all aspects of Raza’s travelling and personal life and the production oozes with quality. ‘Two’ is a special collection of songs which have been honed and lovingly created and should be cherished at home on nights alone or with friends. Release date 7th July. Website here, Facebook here.

'Pay Day' is natural and a little rough around the edges, the way a song like this should be. Passionate and forceful folk rock, delivered with class.

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

Weekend Wonders: Daniel Land - Columbo - Felin - Silent Riders - Sonïtus

Daniel Land - New York Boogie-Woogie.

Background - After a three year hiatus, Daniel Land has announced the forthcoming release of his 'In Love With a Ghost' LP, undoubtedly his most complicated and textured record to date. This album follows albums 'Love Songs For The Chemical Generation' and 'The Space Between Us' by Daniel Land & The Modern Painters. It was recorded over the three years following that group's disbanding, at a time when he seriously considered giving up making music. The first single from this release is 'New York Boogie-Woogie', along with a video based on footage Daniel Land himself filmed in New York.

Daniel Land explains, "This is an album about cities. It is an album about reinvention, and starting your life over. It is an album about growing up, finding love, and settling down. And to a lesser degree, it is about the damage that can be done to a person, or a family, by falling in love with the wrong person. With 'In Love With A Ghost', I came full circle for a while by incorporating a whole bunch of influences that pre-date my love of dream-pop and shoegaze. I really wanted to make a colourful, widescreen, detailed record. When I started the album, I didn't have a live band, and most of the tracks were written on the piano, for my own amusement, rather than for a group with three guitarists." 

Daniel suffered a series of health issues midway through making the album, including a chronic inner-ear infection that left him partially deaf for over a year and also prone to bouts of dizziness.

"Unable to make music, and living in a new city made me feel, at times, powerfully depressed. This became a crisis of confidence that went very deep and it did seem, for a while, that I would never find my way back to making music again. Finishing the album was a process that involved re-evaluating my life and overhauling my relationship to music, and coming out of the other side more healthy, more humble, and more grateful. It's good to be back again," says Daniel.

Daniel Land has been releasing dream-pop and ambient music for nearly a decade, having developed a unique blend of dreamgaze and confessional song writing. Drowned in Sound said that the first album 'Love Songs For The Chemical Generation' is "one of the finest records of its time", while NME says the single "Within The Boundaries" was "like Slowdive reimagined by Phil Spector".

Daniel Land's 'In Love With a Ghost' LP was released on November 25 via Bandcamp and the usual online retailers. Website here, Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

'New York Boogie-Woogie' is a very appealing dream pop song. Daniel Land's vocals and the musical production are equally melodic, and the song builds beautifully.

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

Columbo - Made In The UK & Rockabilly Bob.

Background - Great tunes sparkle no matter how long they've been buried. And in a remarkable turn of events, a never-released album has been unearthed and is finally about to receive the acclaim the cognoscenti originally felt it deserved.

In 1999, indie surf-pop-meets-bigbeat duo Columbo were ready to roll. An unlikely mashup between sought-after dance remixer Trailermen and the bass player of UK ska and dub crowd-pleasers Maroon Town, Columbo were snapped up by Richard Branson’s V2 label on the basis of their quirky single, "Rockabilly Bob”.

The reaction was instantaneous, the broad popular appeal obvious. “British surf-pop mavericks” (Sunday Express), “irresistible idiocy” (Melody Maker). What’s On said “this is the song the Beach Boys would’ve made if they knew Quentin Tarantino”.

But then things went South. Promotion stalled. Critical distributors choked- perhaps unsettled by the eccentricity of “Rockabilly Bob”. The track still charted, but the duo were disillusioned, feeling they and the label were no longer on the same page. The planned second single was pulled at the last minute.  Rather than release material without the support they deserved, Columbo walked out on V2.  An unreleased treasure trove of pop genius was left to gather dust…

In 2016, Stuart, the boss of indie label Banoffeesound (a longtime Columbo obsessive), decided to do a bit of sleuthing and find out what happened. Like an episode of the TV show the band mischievously named themselves after, there was a mystery- “Whatever Happened To Columbo?” With some Google-fu and joining of dots, Stuart managed to track down Jules from Columbo, now a sought-after composer for film and TV. Sure enough, there was an unreleased collection of Columbo material - it existed. The lost treasure was found, and eventually the other half of the duo - now a well-known broadcaster - was back in the fray too. This wild and unpredictable laboratory of song-writing was bubbling again.

And it’s remarkably fresh. It’s from the ‘slice of life’ school of British song-writing The Kinks, Madness and Blur so cleverly express, albeit in different genres. "Strawberry Ice Cream" is a rollercoaster collision of Lou Reed and perfect pop confection. The eponymous "Columbo" is a gorgeous slab of sleaze, "Bad Behaviour" a searing lament on modern morality.  And there's “Local Boy” - the catchiest pop song you haven’t heard yet. The album was released on November 18th 2016 - seventeen years late, but just in time! More here.

'Made In The UK' and 'Rockabilly Bob' are two very contrasting songs, which suggest the album really has got something special going on. Having been gathering dust for practically two decades, based on these two songs, Stuart at Banoffeesound is to be thanked for digging out some hidden gems.

============================================================== ============================================================== -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felin - Gossip.

Background - Out on Friday 25th November 2016 Felin New Self-Titled EP. The Swedish act Felin consists of songwriter/ artist Elin Blom and photographer/ director Fredrik Etoall (the "F" in Felin who provides all the visuals for the band).

Having worked with the likes of Icona Pop, Tove Lo, The Rolling Stones and Adam Lambert, Felin are all about the highest quality of sound as well as image. Are they worth looking at and listening to? For sure!

Website here, Facebook here.

From the new self titled  EP 'Gossip' is one of six tracks. The music video is imaginative and the song very impressive. The EP has some very feisty pop punk tracks along with the occasional gentler moment, it's one very catchy collection of songs.

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

Silent Riders - I See You.

Background - This Copenhagen-based trio seem to have sprung from some murky unknown world, if we are to believe the statements of the band themselves. Little is known about Lu, Gee and C who comprise the group, or what is behind the masks they wear during their performances. They might have materialised from shadows in the woods, lurking in the dark until they were ready to share their sounds with the world. This mythical sphere that they have created for themselves is accessible through their music, which is a vision of electronic music that is organic and alive with both warmth and danger.

Led by the sultry voice of Lu, we are taken into the dark woods of the Silent Riders with almost cinematic brilliance as Gee and C mans the machines that weaves the atmospheric dronings of this world. A world that could be easily mistaken for one created by David Lynch or Tim Burton. The rhythms that form the path to this domain have been tried and tested by previous travellers, known to us by names like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire or Tolouse Lowtrax.

With debut single "I See You" they offer up a brilliant pop diamond of all the elements of their sound palette. With Lu in her most soulful voice, bouncing off of an almost funky drum machine, all drenched in layers of dark analog ambience. On the lush "Copenhagen Dream" we hear Lu channeling a sense of brit-pop nonchalance into a rather political song about the current state of her city. "Being Afraid" on the other hand, sees the band pull out their hardest and grittiest song. With Lu sounding like PJ Harvey at her most moody, the slow groove behind her sounds like a factory machine steadily beating away and releasing steam.  Other highlights on their forthcoming album include the chilling "Static" and the ethereal beauty of closing track "Falling" which sees the Riders in their most relaxed and dreamy state, and echoes the works of Portishead and Massive Attack. With debut single "I See You" (coming out Jan 6th) they offer up a brilliant diamond of all the elements of their sound palette. 

There's a lot of words in the above promo piece we received however 'I See You' pretty much lives up to the introduction. Something of a darker atmospheric piece, the vocals and music are beautifully matched, and the song conjures up mental images, teasing my imagination. Another forthcoming album for the must listen list.

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

Sonïtus - Kleptocracy.

Background - About ‘Kleptocracy’ The blistering power riff that scythes through the silence to announce Sonitus’ latest release is a prelude to a track that melds the edge of Jane’s Addiction and the invention of Primus with a touch of deep street-soul. ‘Kleptocracy’ soars and swoops in a molten waltz as each band member strains to match the high standards of his fellow musicians, surrounding frontman Russell’s vocal with an electrifying vigour as he opens his lungs to unleash an uber-Ohrwurm of a chorus. What initially seems to be a love story concerning a couple at the margins of society reveals itself as a metaphor for the hopelessly unequal struggle between the masses and the corporations. It charts “a world, an economy, run by thieves,” says guitarist Dein, denoting the biting political intent of ‘Kleptocracy’ that matches its clear ambition to be a bona fide alt-rock classic.

About Sonïtus Hailing from East London’s as yet ungentrified fringes, Sonïtus are a multicultural assemblage of tenacious artists whose powerful neo-rock explores the beautiful, devious and carnal sides of the human psyche. Brought together by a passion for prog, alt-rock and adventurism, counting Radiohead, A Perfect Circle, Incubus and Animals As Leaders among their inspirations, Russell Balogun (vocals), Dein Moore (guitar, vocals), Nathan Chan (guitar), Scott Bacon (bass) and Romulo Heredia (drums) are also bonded by their exceptional musicianship. 

The band’s dexterity endows their songs with a distinctively expressive touch, where intricate passages, dynamic textures and raw power lend the material sensitivity, colour and heft. The quintet’s debut EP, ‘Kleptocracy’ – recorded in part at Urchin Studios in Hackney with Dan Cox and Matt Ingram (Lianne La Havas, Enter Shikari, Denai Moore, Slaves and many more), and produced by Sonïtus’ Nathan – is a seven-song testament to this, showcasing a band unafraid to weave threads of R&B and urban UK sound into their politically driven progressive metal, and, through mastery of their art and radical songcraft, Sonïtus are pushing new boundaries at UK rock’s bleeding edge. Website here, Facebook here.

We are delighted to be able to feature the debut EP 'Kleptocracy' in full. Sonitus certainly know how to mix unbridled power alongside more reflective and detailed musical styles. Overall I guess the alternative rock label is fitting, perhaps it's best to keep in mind that for rock read ROCK and as far as alternative goes, this is a band that explore a wide range of ideas, and put down some really fine sounds.

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