Showing posts with label Katey Brooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katey Brooks. Show all posts

Wednesday, 6 February 2019

Katey Brooks - Kap Bambino - Cartoon Lizard - Mags On Earth - Sparkling

We begin with Katey Brooks who is appearing on Beehive Candy for the third time and once again she is mightily impressive with another exceptional song. Kap Bambino's video for 'Erase' has already gained considerable attention as it drives home the sheer energy and vibrancy of this electro punk blast. Cartoon Lizard share a creative song and imaginative video as the band prove hard to categorise with this track, it's rock of some sort and it's rather addictive. Mags on Earth creativity is notable as is the atmosphere and feeling on 'Tulip Stone' a refined and intriguing song. The duo Sparkling keep today's somewhat "alternative" vibe on track with some classy synths and distinct vocals along with some deep hooks.

Katey Brooks - Never Gonna Let Her Go.

Katey Brooks latest single ‘Never Gonna Let Her Go’ is about being true to yourself and rejecting shame. The singer reveals, "We're all going to walk this planet with different scripts in our heads, different upbringings, experiences and beliefs, and if we want to get along and be peaceful we need to accept that.  Hate isn't the answer in any situation - so I believe anyway”. The stunning single exudes soaring vocal harmonies, bluesy guitars and passionate lyrics, essentially becoming a peaceful protest song. Brooks prevails,  "Judge me for my true failings, ask me to change those things that actually effect you, and I'll hear that. But one thing I'll never change, and one thing that is definitely not wrong with me, is my love for women”.

Brooks has found success recording with the likes of Brian May (Queen), Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) and Paloma Faith at Abbey Road. She has played some of the world’s biggest festivals, as well as having received an enthusiastic reception from radio stations around the UK and internationally.  Brooks has also received acclaim from such prestigious outlets as Billboard, Pride and The Advocate to name a few. Katey Brooks is now ready for the next chapter of her musical journey, with ‘Never Gonna Let Her Go’ out now.

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Kap Bambino - Erase.

French duo Kap Bambino announce their return with new album 'Dust, Fierce, Forever', out on 12th April on Because Music.

Notorious for their uncompromising live performances, Orion and Caroline bring that raw energy to 'Erase', the first single taken from the upcoming album, and to the riveting video that accompanies it.

Their fifth album is an irresistible whirlwind of sounds, in which the most disparate of elements spin together breathlessly. The record's 13 concise, momentous tracks juggle around familiar sounds, suggestions of Eurodance and a hint of hardcore, creating an acrobatic, incongrous mix that never lacks moments of beauty.


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Cartoon Lizard - Lay Of The Land.

Each year, we dedicate months at a time and set aside our lives to write and record music deep in the woods of Cedar, BC. We live at the studio and immerse ourselves in the process of making music. We’re very particular about the fidelity and character of every aspect of a production, sometimes spending days refining individual elements.

The recording of “Lay of the Land,” our new song, was left dormant for a year before being resurrected in 2018 during our tenure at Risque Disque Records where some extra details were added.

It's been hard not to get political lyrically in recent times, and “Lay of the Land” is definitely a product of that. We've all felt the change in climate and have been questioning our beliefs more so than ever. “Lay of the Land” is essentially motivation to never stop questioning yourself. Nobody has the answer, nobody is perfect. That’s something you have to be willing to accept and acknowledge when you're in the wrong - Cartoon Lizard.


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Mags On Earth - Tulip Stone.

Born in Sweden, raised in Germany, and now living between London and Paris, Mags On Earth combines these geographical influences into her wonderfully crafted, dreamily melancholic, electronic-touched pop sounds.

Inspired by the likes of Lana Del Rey and Bat For Lashes, and shaped musically, lyrically and visually by the city sounds she finds herself surrounded by, new single ’Tulip Stone’ was recorded with producer Jose Manuel Cubides in London, and deals with "wondering what else life could be looking like right now, and the pressure of spending your youth in a certain way and how time keeps passing”. 

The single comes backed by a Paris-influenced video that Mags On Earth made herself.  She explains "I spent a month in Paris last October and was so inspired by the atmosphere. Paris has that authentic beauty and elegance that I strive for in my visuals, even in its less pretty parts.  Paris is always Paris. And to me it feels kind of faded in the colours which really works well with the theme behind Tulip Stone”.

‘Tulip Stone’ is taken from her debut EP “Girl in the City” (available to stream here).  The tracks are accompanied by self-produced videos. Talking about the EP, Mags On Earth explains, “I think the whole EP is not about feeling good or bad, it is much more about a mundane in-between-feeling-stuck state of longing for something more, thinking nothing is ever enough maybe. It idealises big metropolis cities as places of potential reinvention and new beginnings.”



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Sparkling - Fractions

Danish duo Sparkling are relishing returning to music after a long break with new single ’Fractions’ which just come out on 4th February following their recent single ’Say Goodbye To The Ragged Tiger’. The latter set blogs and radio stations alight last year and intrigued listeners with its organic yet futuristic sound.

’Fractions’, as the title might suggest is mathy with an electronic basis. However, whilst others may hunt tightness and efficiency - Sparkling insist on exploring the human aspect of synthesizers and machines. Consequently, most of the parts are played by hand and re-amped in the studio to create maximum depth and to bridge naturally to both the vocal and the additional instrumentation.

’Fractions’ is a song about embracing getting older and becoming more aware of your surroundings and inner life. The character in the track is looking back - in fractions he experiences and feels notes from his life. Above all, the track expresses the strong love that transforms someone from a dreamer flying restless in space to a man on earth.

On the recording process, Jens Christian Madsen of the band says “We wrote the song quite fast and laid down the basic tracks in the studio (the dirty intro beat and the synth lead-motif catching up on the choruses are some of the few elements that have ‘survived’ throughout the whole production process). We penned the lyrics in my summerhouse by the northern coast one beautiful late summer evening. And we were so excited and moved by our own words, that we decided to record the vocals immediately; Carsten singing in the open, under the starlit sky at night.”

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Thursday, 13 December 2018

Locks - Perhapsy - Katey Brooks

Locks - The Hangover Song.

Locks are a London based alternative skeletal strings bluesy band, made up of L.Geary-Griffin (lead vocal / guitar), Mike Byrne (double bass), Marian McClenaghan (fiddle) and Andrew Marvell (drums).

This song is us having a bit of fun, we’re not all doom and gloom. We wrote it in the same vein as The Gin Song, in a sense it’s The Gin Song’s big brother. We released The Gin Song a couple of years ago and was also one of Steve Lamacq’s ‘Best of the year so far (2017).

The Hangover Song is what it says on the tin. It’s an old school, knees-up, foot stomping track, we want to explore a different style which we’d hinted at before. The lyrics are still quite dark and morbid but the music drives the track towards something more playful.  We have a lot of different roots in our band and it’s nice to explore them and experiment with different styles. We wanted to explore a bit of the Trad element and a bit of the classic shanty style, we wanted to have another track which was a bit more light-hearted and fun to play live: we love seeing people dancing and laughing. The drums are classic Locks and tribal which keeps the momentum up, Marians fiddle takes a bit of centre stage here which is a mixture of bowing harmonies and melodies, it carries the song perfectly. Mikes double bass flits from sliding, sleepy notes at the start to dancing all over the neck.

The Hangover Song digital release 21st December 2019, Skeletal Blues & Rattle Them Bones! EP available now.

Live Dates:
14th December, 2018, The Harrison, London
8th January, 2019, The Bedford Tavern, London
28th January – 3rd February 2019, Independent Venue Week (TBC)
4th May, 2019, Electrowerkz.


It was 'The Gin Song' that introduced Beehive Candy to Locks and since then I'm always keen to hear them whenever something new comes along. 'The Hangover Song' is a feisty number considering hangover's are best served in low light and silence. So consider this more a "hair of the dog" song, or even better enjoy it in good health and jig along, it's not one to sit back to....

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Perhapsy - Neverending Story.

In case you missed it, Perhapsy's new record, Kingdom Starlight Bliss, is available everywhere! The record's been praised by national and local outlets, and the band is currently nominated for The Deli's Artist of the Month alongside other Bay Area breakouts like Rose Droll and Small Crush. We're so thrilled to see all the love coming in for this generous collaborator, and would appreciate any help in spreading the word!

For years now, musician slash graphic artist Derek Barber has bounced around Michigan and Bay Area music circles, making a name for himself with his jazz inflicted, inimitable guitar work. Currently a touring member of both Bells Atlas and the new Christopher Owen band, Curls, as well as a contributor to Madeline Kenney and Astronauts, etc., Barber has somehow found time to craft dense, emotion filled shoegaze pop under his moniker Perhapsy.

Vinyl is available through Porch Party Records, the boutique Southern California label that's championed influential West Coast artists like Religious Girls & Golden Drugs.


'Neverending Story' gives us a little taste of 'Kingdom Starlight Bliss' a collection of songs that stand in equal measure to this track. The guitar playing is impressive, the material is innovative and the hype is based on the quality that Perhapsy provides, rather than folk jumping on a bandwagon.


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Katey Brooks - In Your Arms.

The new single from Katey Brooks entitled ‘In Your Arms’ highlights her authentic musicianship, with soulful choral vocals, warm instrumentation and ethereal soundscapes, the track evokes a sense of intimacy between both the artist and the listener.

Katey Brooks is a clear-eyed rebel in an industry that demands consistency. A devastating songwriting talent that has drawn comparisons with Jeff Buckley (Supajam), Brooks has no shortage of famous admirers and yet she has resisted formula. Over a career spanning four continents, she’s journeyed from intimate living rooms to opulent concert halls, from dive bars to decorated studios with some of music’s biggest names. The wandering troubadour defies easy classification, with a back-catalogue incorporating soul, folk, blues and country. With her new album under construction, the mercurial songstress is more determined than ever to do things her own way. Applauded by the press, this ‘rising singer-songwriter has the crowd eating out of her hands’ (The Independent) and is simply ‘not to be missed’ (Time Out). To watch her sing live is to witness emotional exorcism, but when you know her backstory, it’s hardly a mystery why.

Growing up inside a cult, as a child Brooks found refuge in song. "It was a very chaotic upbringing, full of some pretty colourful and sometimes unsavoury, characters. But when I sang, I felt free and connected. For as long as I can remember, it’s been my way of getting what I need to say out”, she reveals. When she was sixteen, she turned down a spot at the Brit School, the performing arts college where a lot of the UK’s biggest musical exports – Adele, Amy Winehouse, Katie Melua – hail from. "When I was 22 my mum got ill and she died. And then not long after that, my lifelong best friend went missing and she also died. That’s definitely had an effect on the course of my life and my writing. I guess I’m lucky that I have songs that I can write, as a means to deal with things”.

All of these hardships seem to have driven, rather than dragged Brooks under. "Pain just reminds me why I sing," she says. "And not just for me; for everybody. They say in a funny sort of way musicians are like therapists," she muses. "Because music is a universal language. Everybody has experienced some kind of heartache, especially in relationships, and music allows us to purge these feelings." Brooks has certainly had her share of romantic turbulence, not to mention the struggle to come to terms with her sexuality. “In my most recent work I’ve finally been able to sing directly about women instead of using the mysterious ‘you’. I’m a private person in a lot of ways and I never wanted to be a poster girl for anything. But a few years ago I just thought screw it; I want to sing completely honestly. It felt like a weight lifted.”


Less than two weeks since Katey Brooks first appeared on Beehive Candy she returns with 'In Your Arms'. We commented that her vocals were "blissfully inspiring" first time around, an expression I feel is endorsed by the new song, and you can add gorgeous production and fabulous background vocals to the description for this one.


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Tuesday, 5 December 2017

The Peppermint Club - Ismay - Katey Brooks - Foreign Architects - Belle Adair

The Peppermint Club - Everything Is Changing.

Background - The Peppermint Club have launched their new single Everything Is Changing.

The Peppermint Club is the pastel-hued pop brainchild of Chris Chen (ex-Rainy Day Women), in collaboration with friends old and new from within Perth's thriving music scene. Like their namesake, the band’s songs are refreshing, a little sweet and fit comfortably in your pocket - refracting nostalgic, golden-age songcraft through layers of summer haze and bittersweet melancholia.

The Peppermint Club's debut single ‘Everything Is Changing’ deploys a pitch-perfect blend of crunchy guitar, mellotron strings, handclaps and sea-breeze vocals to leave the impression of a pensive Perth sunset in under three minutes. Scratching your neo-Beatles, psychedelic soul itch with a just hint of digital-age shimmer, ‘Everything is Changing’ will no doubt appeal to fans of Mild High Club, Connan Mockasin and the Tame Impala diaspora. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.


'Everything Is Changing' is a concoction of lush vocals, harmonies and a musical backdrop that drifts from psychedelic rock through to dream pop.

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Ismay - River of Light (Through the Inland Empire).

Background - Ismay's single "River Of Light" 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.


From the very first notes, the musical arrangement on 'River of Light (Through the Inland Empire)' suggests we are in for a treat. When Ismay begins to sing it ups the deal even more. This is a fabulous indie folk song, with beautiful vocals and a delicately refined backdrop.

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Katey Brooks - Will She.

Background - Singer-songwriter Katey Brooks has a unique sound that epitomises the culturally diverse environment in which she grew up. Born and raised between Bristol, London and Arizona to musical parents, the Indy Music Award finalist has been compared to legendary artists such as Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny  and John Martyn. Among her contemporaries, she can perhaps be described as a female Hozier, with all the haunting intensity and every bit of the soul.

With a ‘voice to melt glaciers’ (Venue magazine), Brooks is at home anywhere she can take her guitar. From Glastonbury to the National Folk Festival in Australia, her devastating vocal talent has gained her admirers across the music industry as well as an adoring public. Her voice has been used on songs that also feature the likes of Paloma Faith and Imelda May, she has appeared on a compilation with Anais Mitchell, Ane Brun and Marissa Nadler, and has shared bills with a wide variety of acts including Newton Faulkner, Ghostpoet, Martin Simpson, Deaf Havana, Lou Rhodes and Mystery Jets.

The haunting, ethereal sound of her 2016 ‘I Fought Lovers’ EP received a warm reception from radio stations around the UK and internationally, including BBC Radio 2 / 6 Music and CBC Canada, and acted as a fitting prelude to the sonic largesse of her forthcoming new album, ‘We The People’.

Brooks is often on the road and has led a fascinating life populated with a vivid cast of characters from whom she has drawn inspiration for her songs. The writing for the album began in the chaos of London life, continued while on tour in the dusty expanse of Australia, before being completed on the side of a beautiful mountain in the Welsh wilderness. WEBSITE.


Powerful and blissfully inspiring vocals need only a simple musical canvas and with 'Will She' that is what we have, all wrapped into one majestic song.


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Foreign Architects - Talk to a Scientist.

Background - Finding the perfect balance between intricate melodies and pop hooks, Foreign Architects have put forward their latest slice of indie rock with single Talk To A Scientist. From their home in the sun-soaked Western Australian capital of Perth, what started out as a project between singer/songwriter Matt Burke and drummer Andrew Barnett has evolved into one of the city's most exciting new bands.

Recorded by The Money War's Dylan Olivierre (a gifted songwriter in his own right) and mixed by uber talented producer Andy Lawson (Eskimo Joe, Tired Lion), Talk To A Scientist is a mesmerising ride of blissful guitar tones and supersized vocal hooks. Both radio-friendly and ready to ignite the stage, Talk To A Scientist is impeccably crafted – balancing the power of the band with the effortless charm of Matt Burke's soulful voice.

Their first single, Poisonous Pill, was met with a warm response and triple j airplay, but as the original duo's songwriting grew in complexity, Foreign Architects felt the need to expand their lineup. Enlisting friends Callum Morrison on bass and Dylan Geileson guitar, Burke and Barnett sculpted a band capable of delivering rich, spirited music with depth and clarity.


 Wasting no time, the newly formed four-piece emerged with Glass, the first single to truly show off their group dynamic – earning them solid reviews, national airplay and coveted support slots in their hometown. And while Glass made it apparent how much Foreign Architects could achieve, Talk To A Scientist is the fulfilment of this promise. Melding gorgeous riffs that ebb and flow into a monster chorus, Talk To A Scientist is the kind of song that radio was made for.

Spurred on by their ability to create songs collectively from the ground up, Foreign Architects have hit a stride of pure inspiration. Having already tasted international touring and festival performance, the band are ambitious and driven for more... and as they work their way towards a debut full-length release, songs like Talk To A Scientist prove beyond doubt that Foreign Architects have a blindingly bright future ahead of them. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.


Foreign Architects deliver high quality indie rock with the new single 'Talk to a Scientist'. Catchy and powerful the song lifts the spirit, and is the perfect accompaniment on a long road trip.

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Belle Adair - Neptune City.

Background - Muscle Shoals four-piece Belle Adair has unveiled 'Neptune City', the latest from its forthcoming record 'Tuscumbia' (19 January  / Single Lock). The track is a nostalgic reflection on a breezy summer from the distance of a biting winter that, as singer and lyricist Matthew Green puts it, "will be the death of me."

While 'Neptune City' and all of 'Tuscumbia' were recorded at the hallowed FAME Studios in the band's hometown, this music doesn't sound like anything to come out of Muscle Shoals before it. The four-piece collaborated with producer Tom Schick (Wilco, Real Estate, Parquet Courts) to create a blissed-out feel, atmospheric guitars and masterful melodies - putting Belle Adair at the forefront of a new chapter in the Muscle Shoals Sound. Not only is Belle Adair shifting the region's sonic palate, but they're at the nexus of a community of Alabama musicians redefining Muscle Shoals for a new generation.

Groups in Belle Adair's orbit include some of the most exciting acts to come out of Southern independent music in the past decade: Alabama Shakes, John Paul White, St. Paul and The Broken Bones and Dylan LeBlanc, as well as Shoals legends like Donnie Fritts and David Hood. When not working on their own music, Belle Adair serve as something of a house band for this community, just wrapping an international tour with White and backing Fritts on his recent comeback dates. The group shares keyboardist Ben Tanner with Alabama Shakes, and their Single Lock Records is home to a majority of the artists listed above. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.


For me there is a sixties surf vibe running through the early part of 'Neptune City'. It then expands way beyond that, adding in more creative and modern twists, whilst retaining a gorgeous atmosphere, full of play again hooks.

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Soot Sprite - Winter Gardens - LAWN CHAIR

Photo - Sofia Irini Soot Sprite - Days After Days. There is a beautifully distinct feel to Soot Sprite's music, that includes simmering...