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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Showing posts with label Sparkling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sparkling. Show all posts
Evi Vine - Sparkling - Hayes & Y - Saint Clair
Evi Vine - Sabbath (single edit) - Featuring Simon Gallup.
Ethereal alt-rock outfit Evi Vine presents 'Sabbath', a sweet and heavy preview of their long-awaited long-play 'Black Light White Dark', due out in early 2019 on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally. This powerhouse track features Evi Vine's gossamer vocals and precise orchestration, cleverly woven together with bass guitar by Simon Gallup of The Cure and guitar by Peter Yates of Fields of the Nephilim.
Produced by Dave Izumi (Nordic Giants, Ed Harcourt, Magic Numbers) and mixed by Phill Brown (Talk Talk, Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, John Martyn, Robert Palmer), this album also features contributions from several other celebrated artists. Apart from Simon Gallup (The Cure), this album also involves Martyn Barker (Shriekback, Billy Bragg, Marianne Faithfull, Goldfrapp), Peter Yates (Fields of the Nephilim), and Geraldine Swayne (Faust).
As a group, Evi Vine is joined by Steven Hill, Matt Tye and David 'GB' Smith. Their music explores the dark elemental nature of the human heart, as well as environmental and post-apocalyptic themes. Evi Vine’s sound is both sublime and haunting. Creating a unique and uncompromising atmosphere, the effect is reverential, physical music, evoking a rare experience that is beautiful, sparse and deeply intimate.
“I know a lot of people are being shaped by experiences in our lives, ghosts of childhood, self-destructive pain and sorrow, all our personal struggles, doubt, and change. I can feel the earth dying and it makes me so sad. We write reflective songs about the circular patterns of man, and reflecting beauty and violence in the world,” says Evi Vine.
“We recorded live for the first time, which meant we were perhaps able to express the energy in the room together, vibing off one another and experimenting with new sounds, in a new space. Writing in the room was a new experience for us. Its the first time we’ve gone in with no finished songs. We had a few ideas and riffs but took the time to let them breath and worked on them until we felt we had captured a special moment. After producing two albums essentially at home, this feels like a re-birth for the band.” WEBSITE.
'Sabbath' opens with a wall of sound as fuzzy guitars and a powerful rhythm compete with each other. The music drops the energy and some atmospheric vocals enter the piece, but not for long as the music powers up again on this epic roller-coaster of an alt rock ride.
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Sparkling - Say Goodbye to the Ragged Tiger.
From the opening electronic bass hook, moving on to the epic chorus, and ending with the mesmerizing new wave ending, Sparkling emphasize their ability to write catchy and mature pop tunes set in a cool and powerful production.
The single is from their forthcoming album Felonious (coming in 2019). It’s a song about letting go of old demons - and most of all a song about the knots and beauty of life.
While working on the album the last couple of years, Sparkling have teamed up with renowned film festival CPH:PIX who has used excerpts from the duo’s cinematic pop music in the festival trailers screening in movie theaters all over Copenhagen.
They have toured intensively in Denmark incl. SPOT and Skanderborg Festivals, been artist of the week on Hitquarters.com, and collaborated with producer/remixer Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie (Bowie, N:I:N...).
On the forthcoming album, Sparkling have made new allied from the sparkling (pun intended) Copenhagen music scene. Besides Oliver Hoiness and Peter Buch, there are musical contributions from jazz saxophonist Jesper Løvdal, guitarist Anders Mathiasen (Murder, Vessel, etc.), guitarist David Rosenkilde, pianist Steen Rasmussen, and Benjamin Vinding on berimbau. FACEBOOK.
The vocals are distinctive and engaging on 'Say Goodbye to the Ragged Tiger' and when the chorus kicks in they are gorgeous. A refined electro pop song that is beautifully layered, this is extremely catchy.
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Hayes & Y - Blue.
Hayes & Y have returned with a brand new single, 'Blue'. It follows recent track 'Always So Simple, Always So Cold' which was featured on Spotify's UK Viral Top 50 chart. Already picking up plays at BBC Introducing and BBC 6 Music, the group adds a little more insight into their latest creation;
"Blue is the first in a series of songs we've named after colours. It is about loneliness, insanity and imaginary friends. "Blue" is a song about longing, masquerading as a dance track. The most ambitious work we've done so far, challenging ourselves and hopefully, our audience."
With band members that hail from as far afield as Bulgaria and Finland before settling in Manchester, Hayes & Y collect their influences to create their very own sound. Their strong chemistry and rich musicality are manifest in their effortlessly sleek, immediate and addictive brand of pop - which has been compared to the likes of Jungle and Nile Rogers - with CLASH going on to comment on their "infectious funky yacht pop, their bleached out sound recalls everyone from Jungle to Kool & The Gang. 'Blue' will only serve to increase the hype around the quartet, an irresistible new single from the group." TWITTER.
Exuding style and sophistication 'Blue' refuses to sit in any one genre, as moments of funk, hints of stylish pop and a slick dance groove, come together and deliver a fresh, hook laden song.
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Saint Clair - I'll Stay (Live).
Saint Clair is today sharing the live video for recent single ‘I’ll Stay’, directed by her sister, Tamsin Topolski. The new live clip trails the five-track EP, ‘D2’ - out now via her own Dearly Beloved imprint which takes its logo from a drawing sketched by her grandfather, the artist Feliks Topolski.
“‘I’ll Stay’ is a particularly dark, emotional song that I was keen to reimagine with my live band, especially with the addition of string players,” explains Saint Clair, “I enlisted the help of my sister Tam as director who has an amazing eye and knew exactly how to encapsulate the epic yet intimate nature of the song.” Speaking about the live video, director Tamsin says: “We wanted to expose and highlight the raw emotion at the core of this live version of the song. We wanted the music and the visual movements to build cohesively to a climax, moving out of darkness into hope and finally relief.”
Saint Clair - named after her mother’s Scottish ancestry - is the alias of French-speaking North Londoner Emma Topolski. The first in a family of painters, actors and journalists to pursue music, her professional trajectory began as a gigging jazz singer, as she puts it, “Playing three or four times a week, getting ignored in the corner of a five-star hotel”. A testing stint, it now more than repays itself in Saint Clair’s easy integration of a love for old standards, soul (Stevie Wonder) and classic rock (The Beatles), with her affinity for the electronica-rooted modern soul of the likes of Son Lux and James Blake.
‘D2 follows Saint Clair’s 2017 debut EP ‘D1’, and arrives alongside wilder collaborative projects which have taken her on the road as a backing vocalist for long-time friend Laura Marling (in whose Reversal Of The Muse project she also participated, alongside HAIM, Dolly Parton and Marika Hackman), and seen her sing BVs for Ghostpoet and Dua Lipa. Emma is also bassist and singer for infectious London 4-piece Childcare. FACEBOOK.
The new live version of 'I'll Stay' is beautifully performed. With a sparsely furnished room and light flooding into through the windows, the video puts the focus on the performers who are engrossed in this tender and passionate song, where quality and atmosphere smoothly rub shoulders.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ethereal alt-rock outfit Evi Vine presents 'Sabbath', a sweet and heavy preview of their long-awaited long-play 'Black Light White Dark', due out in early 2019 on vinyl and CD, as well as digitally. This powerhouse track features Evi Vine's gossamer vocals and precise orchestration, cleverly woven together with bass guitar by Simon Gallup of The Cure and guitar by Peter Yates of Fields of the Nephilim.
Produced by Dave Izumi (Nordic Giants, Ed Harcourt, Magic Numbers) and mixed by Phill Brown (Talk Talk, Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, John Martyn, Robert Palmer), this album also features contributions from several other celebrated artists. Apart from Simon Gallup (The Cure), this album also involves Martyn Barker (Shriekback, Billy Bragg, Marianne Faithfull, Goldfrapp), Peter Yates (Fields of the Nephilim), and Geraldine Swayne (Faust).
As a group, Evi Vine is joined by Steven Hill, Matt Tye and David 'GB' Smith. Their music explores the dark elemental nature of the human heart, as well as environmental and post-apocalyptic themes. Evi Vine’s sound is both sublime and haunting. Creating a unique and uncompromising atmosphere, the effect is reverential, physical music, evoking a rare experience that is beautiful, sparse and deeply intimate.
“I know a lot of people are being shaped by experiences in our lives, ghosts of childhood, self-destructive pain and sorrow, all our personal struggles, doubt, and change. I can feel the earth dying and it makes me so sad. We write reflective songs about the circular patterns of man, and reflecting beauty and violence in the world,” says Evi Vine.
“We recorded live for the first time, which meant we were perhaps able to express the energy in the room together, vibing off one another and experimenting with new sounds, in a new space. Writing in the room was a new experience for us. Its the first time we’ve gone in with no finished songs. We had a few ideas and riffs but took the time to let them breath and worked on them until we felt we had captured a special moment. After producing two albums essentially at home, this feels like a re-birth for the band.” WEBSITE.
'Sabbath' opens with a wall of sound as fuzzy guitars and a powerful rhythm compete with each other. The music drops the energy and some atmospheric vocals enter the piece, but not for long as the music powers up again on this epic roller-coaster of an alt rock ride.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sparkling - Say Goodbye to the Ragged Tiger.
From the opening electronic bass hook, moving on to the epic chorus, and ending with the mesmerizing new wave ending, Sparkling emphasize their ability to write catchy and mature pop tunes set in a cool and powerful production.
The single is from their forthcoming album Felonious (coming in 2019). It’s a song about letting go of old demons - and most of all a song about the knots and beauty of life.
While working on the album the last couple of years, Sparkling have teamed up with renowned film festival CPH:PIX who has used excerpts from the duo’s cinematic pop music in the festival trailers screening in movie theaters all over Copenhagen.
They have toured intensively in Denmark incl. SPOT and Skanderborg Festivals, been artist of the week on Hitquarters.com, and collaborated with producer/remixer Dave ‘Rave’ Ogilvie (Bowie, N:I:N...).
On the forthcoming album, Sparkling have made new allied from the sparkling (pun intended) Copenhagen music scene. Besides Oliver Hoiness and Peter Buch, there are musical contributions from jazz saxophonist Jesper Løvdal, guitarist Anders Mathiasen (Murder, Vessel, etc.), guitarist David Rosenkilde, pianist Steen Rasmussen, and Benjamin Vinding on berimbau. FACEBOOK.
The vocals are distinctive and engaging on 'Say Goodbye to the Ragged Tiger' and when the chorus kicks in they are gorgeous. A refined electro pop song that is beautifully layered, this is extremely catchy.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hayes & Y - Blue.
Hayes & Y have returned with a brand new single, 'Blue'. It follows recent track 'Always So Simple, Always So Cold' which was featured on Spotify's UK Viral Top 50 chart. Already picking up plays at BBC Introducing and BBC 6 Music, the group adds a little more insight into their latest creation;
"Blue is the first in a series of songs we've named after colours. It is about loneliness, insanity and imaginary friends. "Blue" is a song about longing, masquerading as a dance track. The most ambitious work we've done so far, challenging ourselves and hopefully, our audience."
With band members that hail from as far afield as Bulgaria and Finland before settling in Manchester, Hayes & Y collect their influences to create their very own sound. Their strong chemistry and rich musicality are manifest in their effortlessly sleek, immediate and addictive brand of pop - which has been compared to the likes of Jungle and Nile Rogers - with CLASH going on to comment on their "infectious funky yacht pop, their bleached out sound recalls everyone from Jungle to Kool & The Gang. 'Blue' will only serve to increase the hype around the quartet, an irresistible new single from the group." TWITTER.
Exuding style and sophistication 'Blue' refuses to sit in any one genre, as moments of funk, hints of stylish pop and a slick dance groove, come together and deliver a fresh, hook laden song.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saint Clair - I'll Stay (Live).
Saint Clair is today sharing the live video for recent single ‘I’ll Stay’, directed by her sister, Tamsin Topolski. The new live clip trails the five-track EP, ‘D2’ - out now via her own Dearly Beloved imprint which takes its logo from a drawing sketched by her grandfather, the artist Feliks Topolski.
“‘I’ll Stay’ is a particularly dark, emotional song that I was keen to reimagine with my live band, especially with the addition of string players,” explains Saint Clair, “I enlisted the help of my sister Tam as director who has an amazing eye and knew exactly how to encapsulate the epic yet intimate nature of the song.” Speaking about the live video, director Tamsin says: “We wanted to expose and highlight the raw emotion at the core of this live version of the song. We wanted the music and the visual movements to build cohesively to a climax, moving out of darkness into hope and finally relief.”
Saint Clair - named after her mother’s Scottish ancestry - is the alias of French-speaking North Londoner Emma Topolski. The first in a family of painters, actors and journalists to pursue music, her professional trajectory began as a gigging jazz singer, as she puts it, “Playing three or four times a week, getting ignored in the corner of a five-star hotel”. A testing stint, it now more than repays itself in Saint Clair’s easy integration of a love for old standards, soul (Stevie Wonder) and classic rock (The Beatles), with her affinity for the electronica-rooted modern soul of the likes of Son Lux and James Blake.
‘D2 follows Saint Clair’s 2017 debut EP ‘D1’, and arrives alongside wilder collaborative projects which have taken her on the road as a backing vocalist for long-time friend Laura Marling (in whose Reversal Of The Muse project she also participated, alongside HAIM, Dolly Parton and Marika Hackman), and seen her sing BVs for Ghostpoet and Dua Lipa. Emma is also bassist and singer for infectious London 4-piece Childcare. FACEBOOK.
The new live version of 'I'll Stay' is beautifully performed. With a sparsely furnished room and light flooding into through the windows, the video puts the focus on the performers who are engrossed in this tender and passionate song, where quality and atmosphere smoothly rub shoulders.
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Bumper Catch Up featuring: Rubblebucket - Mollie Elizabeth - Lilly Hiatt - The Kearns Family - WILDES and St Francis Hotel - Lucette - Caroline Strickland - Mon Rayon - Lala Salama
Keeping the comments a little shorter so we can cram a few more songs in than usual, this is our first bumper catch up of some really fine r...