The Last Dinosaur - Ani Glass - Alfreda - Lui Hill

The Last Dinosaur - Me & Magdalena.

Background - A year on from critically acclaimed second album The Nothing (★★★★ - The Independent, ★★★★ - Uncut, ★★★★ - Mojo) The Last Dinosaur return with a re-imagining of the Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie) penned Me & Magdalena, written for and recorded by The Monkees for their final album Good Times. It is also their first single for new label, Phases.

Featuring backing vocals from Nettwerk artists Austin Basham and Jack In Water and beautiful lap steel from Nashville resident Hip Hatchet this ode to a love beyond measure is the perfect song to soundtrack the transition between Summer and early Autumn as the warm comforting glow of the evening shifts from the setting of the summer sun to the heat of the camp fire.

The band play the Sebright Arms tomorrow 26th September supporting Horse Feathers and a headline set on the 2nd of Oct at The Finsbury. WEBSITE.

A gentle and refined musical backdrop makes the perfect companion for the intimate vocals on 'Me & Magdalena'. The detail from each musical element stands out with superb clarity and the harmonies add to the heart and soul that this tender song exudes. 

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Ani Glass - Peirianwaith Perffaith.

Background - Ani Glass releases her new single 'Peirianwaith Perffaith' (Perfect Machinery) on the 26th of October through Recordiau Neb. She will be performing at Pop Montréal on the 28th and 29th of September and will be attending as part of the Focus Wales delegation, supported by PRS Foundation's International Showcase Fund and Wales Arts International.

Ani Glass is back with her new single 'Peirianwaith Perffaith' (Perfect Machinery) underpinned by a tapestry of pulsing and prodding synths, samples and programmed beats bathed in the neon of the city’s industrial glow. Her sublime pirouetting vocal refrains infuses a knowing pop universality into the overwhelming experience of life in the city’s engine room. Ani says it’s about how the “search for identity in a moving city and society insists on a sense of stillness often found in the shadows of progress”.

Released as a single in 2016, the industrial electro-pop of ‘Y Ddawns’ (The Dance) is a rallying call for those seeking inspiration in language and art. Ani followed this with the release of her debut EP ‘Ffrwydrad Tawel’ (Silent Explosion) on Recordiau Neb which included six infectious, socially conscious electronic pop songs. They stand as a document of Ani Glass’s artistic evolution invested with grander themes concerning the Welsh language and politics. A Remix version of the EP was later released and featured reinterpretations by Carcharorion, Cotton Wolf, Plyci and R. Seiliog.

Ani Glass is the persona of Cardiff-based electronic pop musician, producer, artist and photographer, Ani Saunders. Fiercely proud of her heritage, Glass sings in her native languages Welsh and Cornish, and in 2016 released her first solo material with lead single ‘Ffôl’ (Foolish) being chosen as single of the week on BBC Radio Cymru and gaining plays on BBC 6 music. 

Ani is also known for her work with The Pipettes, joining in 2008 to record the Martin Rushent-produced Earth Vs. The Pipettes album. Prior to her stint with the polka-dotted pop band, Glass was a member of Genie Queen, managed by OMD’s Andy McCluskey.  TWITTER.

'Peirianwaith Perffaith' (Perfect Machinery) is a beautifully landscaped track where the musical layers intertwine gracefully against a steady beat. Ani Glass's vocals melodically flow above on this imaginative and catchy song.

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Alfreda - Thunder.

Background - For being such a young artist, Alfreda has already found her true voice. Her single, “Thunder” is a perfect example of this, through revealing vulnerabilities while simultaneously communicating an insecurity we all have to go through.

"Thunder sounds like it's about a competitive dynamic with a friend, which it is, but for me, it's more about that feeling you have when you want to be heard, but don't know how, so you blame other people for stealing your 'thunder' from you. For me, I guess I wanted attention, but I was far too shy and insecure at the time to put myself out there. So I just got a bit jealous when people thrived around me, which is obviously irrational and childish because we should all support each other. But writing the song really helped me get out of that state. Hopefully, the song will connect to fans if they're going through a similar situation, but have trouble identifying or expressing it. I think this is quite a regular feeling for people, and the only way to overcome it is to be more honest with yourself, and kinder to yourself."

 Alfreda doesn’t force heart-wrenching emotion into dramatic ballads with message-heavy chants. The intelligently simplistic narrative and R&B crooning throughout “Thunder” helps elevate the single’s more conventional song structures to present a convincing argument that the young songstress will be one making her way to the top very soon.

Alfreda is a singer/songwriter based between London and Berlin. While she now lives in London, she grew up in New York City, which is where her father, a respected poet and playwright encouraged her to start writing. In 2006, she and her family relocated to Sussex, where Alfreda began experimenting with music software and recording her own songs. At 16, she decided to make the move to London to pursue her dream. The next couple of years were spent writing and experimenting different sounds with a producer, as well as getting a band together and playing live shows around the city.

After Alfreda’s longtime collaborator Craig Walker (Power of Dreams, Archive) introduced her to the Berlin music scene, she got to know many new producers and songwriters and now credits her time spent in the German capital for defining her style. Her music features appearances from musicians such as Tyler Pope (LCD Soundsystem) and Knox Chandler (Siouxsie and the Banshees), and she has been produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave, PJ Harvey) and Jan van Der Toorn (Outkast, Snoop Dogg, Bryan Adams). FACEBOOK.

Alfreda  has one of those voices that quickly resonates and requires closer attention. On 'Thunder' she delivers her lyrics in a natural yet characterful manner. The hooks are everywhere and I sense that Alfreda is going to be gaining far more attention with material of this calibre.


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Lui Hill - Revolver (Live session).

Background - It’s the game of contrasts - visible vs. invisible, dark vs. light, devotion vs. resistance. Neo-soul singer Lui Hill narrates this in his single 'Revolver,’ drawing a parallel to love itself. How long should we fight? When did we fail? Is it time to escape?

Anyone who's been following the musician's work will know that 'Revolver' has already made an entrance as part of a longer story. Hill now concludes this five-part video series and releases a live session for 'Revolver,’ where the singer shows unusually direct, full-force drumming. A contrast to the content of the song? Not really. Lui Hill seems to exude the pain and helplessness conveyed in the lyrics, and for a moment allows viewers to penetrate deeply into the Peron Lui Hill.

The release of the live session fuels the anticipation of his upcoming tour, which will kick off in October and guide him through Europe (dates here). Supported by the artist duo Fye & Fennek, they seamlessly blend in with the contrasts surrounding Lui Hill by adding their own mix of empathetic singer/songwriter mentality with danceable electronic beats.

'Revolver' has appeared on the self-titled album by Lui Hill (release 08.10.) and is part of a five-part video series in which Hill tells his very own version of a fairy tale classic. Inspired by Christian Andersen's, "The Little Mermaid,” the artist takes you to the darkest corners of Los Angeles.

The debut album 'Lui Hill' was eagerly awaited nationally and internationally, following a series of single releases that earned him a spot in major US playlists such as New Music Friday, Weekly Buzz or Young & Free, as well as a faithful following of over 260,000 monthly Spotify listeners. Furthermore, Lui Hill has attracted the attention of internationally acclaimed media such as Earmilk, Rolling Stone, Billboard, Decoded Magazine, Rockerilla and Gaffa.

A slow steady rhythm and stripped back musical backdrop leaves plenty of room for Lui Hill to display his distinct and soulful vocals on this high class live session version of 'Revolver'.


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The Last Dinosaur - First Blush - The Human Circuit - Deer Tick - Fassine

The Last Dinosaur - Grow.

Background - Poignant, dreamlike, beautiful: The Last Dinosaur’s The Nothing is a record to swim in. The brainchild of Londoner Jamie Cameron, it’s an album that addresses a tragic event from his teenage years, and transmutes that experience into a cathartic work of art.

At 16, Jamie had met kindred spirit James Macdonald at music college and recorded the 2004 album Good Morning Sunshine… and Goodnight with him under the name When I Was a Little Girl, a well-received debut through the independent label Where It’s At Is Where You Are. But a year later, Jamie was in a car crash that tragically claimed the life of his best friend. Out for the day with one of Jamie’s sisters and another friend, the car aquaplaned and hit another car at a junction. James’ injuries were the worst among the passengers, and when he passed away, Jamie was in a state of shock.

“I’d had a pretty idyllic life until then, nothing particularly bad had happened,” Jamie says. “That was a difficult experience to comprehend. Despite how harrowing it was, I thought came out of it relatively mentally unscathed, although in hindsight that’s a trick you tell yourself.”

Instead, he began recording with another music college friend, Luke Hayden, as The Last Dinosaur. Jamie’s parents split up, he broke up with his girlfriend, and The Last Dinosaur’s debut album Hooray! For Happiness, covered glowingly by the likes of Uncut, The Line Of Best Fit and more, attempted to come to terms with these experiences, while avoiding the real elephant in the room. “I was doing everything to avoid confronting this really big thing that happened at an age when you don’t generally experience death and loss,” Jamie says.

Afterwards, depression took hold of him, but over the course of years, he began writing, recording and amassing songs that addressed his grief and own fear of dying. The powerful The Nothing began to take shape. “It wasn’t an intention of mine to write an album about dying or anything like that, but I realised after I’d written a few songs that they all were about it in some way. It got to a point where I couldn’t really avoid it. I’d done the divorce album and it was all I was left with, trying to make sense of this thing that happened. Halfway through I realised it was profoundly cathartic, it made me felt less scared of dying.”

The Nothing is uplifting, life-affirming. Its lyrics may tackle the subject of mortality, but the gorgeous, overlapping, interlacing melodies are like drifting in a blissful reverie. ‘We’ll Greet Death’, with its strings, piano, saxophone and acoustic guitar is defiant, possessed of an emotional complexity. On ‘Grow’, Jamie’s lovely acoustic plucking forms the basis for a song about the fragility of life, while ‘The Sea’ is a meditative post-rock movement that begins in a hushed place and concludes over five minutes later in a gorgeous string-laden denouement. Although Jamie professes to a childhood love for R.E.M, Tortoise and most of all, Talk Talk, the music here is very much his own, self-penned and performed with close friend Rachel Lanskey providing viola on most of the songs. “I’ve had a very strong sense of never wanting to copy anyone else’s music, I just want to sound like me,” Jamie says.

Created between 2009 and 2016, The Nothing is a stunning, affecting album that is also a touching tribute to Jamie’s late friend. “Someone called it elegiac,” Jamie says. “I quite liked that notion.” Facebook here.

An album that's taken around seven years to create sets expectations high and the song 'Grow' suggests those expectations are going to be rewarded. It's a beautiful track, tender and touching without being self indulgent, and the arrangement and production is superb.

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First Blush - Gold.

Background - First Blush  is the brainchild of Charles Sekel, a former Julliard pre-college program kid-turned-indie musician. Sekel's music is a reflection of his battle to defeat a continuous cycle of self-destructive behavior stemming back nearly a decade. 

From his college days as a classical/jazz musician at the Peabody Institute, Sekel struggled with alcohol abuse and panic attacks, and turned to original music to help with his mental health. Now completely sober thanks to the help of music, a good therapist and assistance from his girlfriend (now wife,) he was able to pull himself out of addiction and confidently release his solo venture.

As dark and heavy as it turned out, the music video for Gold started in a pretty silly place: GIFs. I love a good GIF meme, especially if it's well-placed to maximize its comedic effect. But I began wondering if the concept of GIFs could be used in a more serious, dramatic context to invoke feelings of monotony and dread. 

The director, Adio Ash, created a variety of different scenes to explore different aspects of that underlying concept and wove them together in a TV-channel-based narrative arc, to powerful and dizzying effect." Facebook here.

Charles Sekel's vocals are both passionate and powerful when required. 'Gold' is an exquisite song, with a layered lo-fi soundtrack making the perfect backdrop for some wonderful singing. The video is equally artistic and makes for a fine accompaniment.


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The Human Circuit - Juxtaposition.

Background - Juxtaposition, the second single from The Human Circuit upcoming album, Electric City, straddles the line musically and lyrically. Lyrically about being stuck between two paths or choices, the music itself reflects this dichotomy by its forward propulsion meeting a certain lighter bounce and its jazz-inflected Indie Rock mixed with a darker melody.

Mat, The Human Circuit, on Juxtaposition: Juxtaposition illustrates a very natural state of humanity; uncertainty. The discomfort of feeling caught in the middle, forever being torn between clear choices with elusive outcomes. It so often seems we are teetering on the brinks of our lifes greatest ambitions and utter insanity.

The Human Circuit is a touring Alternative Indie-Rock band from Austin Texas. Their catchy psychedelic grooves range from the mystic vibes of David Bowie to the intricate arrangements of Arcade Fire. Their most recent album, Frequent Seas (2015) independently charted top ten on public and college radio stations nationwide.

The Human Circuit has performed with bands such as The Zombies, The Octopus Project, Boogarins, The Peach Kings, Smoke Season, Calliope Musicals, Ringo Deathstarr, and has been booked by Transmission Events, C3 Presents, among others. The Human Circuit has performed events and festivals including SXSW, 35 Denton, Pecan Street Festival, and more. Website here, Facebook here.

Our second feature for The Human Circuit and this time we have 'Juxtaposition' the bands second single from the forthcoming 'Electric City' album. It's a vibrant indie rocker, with captivating dual vocals and a sprightly musical arrangement.

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Deer Tick - Sea of Clouds / It's A Whale.

Background - For the first time in four years the acclaimed and beloved band Deer Tick announce the September 15 release of a long-awaited new album...actually, two. Never a group to stand by conventional protocol, the celebrated Providence, RI quartet will release two separate albums of original material, Deer Tick Vol. 1 and Deer Tick Vol. 2 (Partisan Records), recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN. The two albums complement each other yet reflect completely contrasting styles, both of which accurately represent the two distinctive musical personalities of Deer Tick — quiet and thoughtful / loud and raucous.

Deer Tick Vol. 1 showcases the folk-driven, roots/rock style with right amount of grit, that Deer Tick is known for. Lead singer/songwriter John McCauley is a masterful introspective and observational songwriter, who documents inner struggles and external conflicts with a perfect balance of heartfelt sincerity and wry wit. The opening track "Sea of Clouds" encompasses all of what brought so many fans to Deer Tick in the first place, and also what kept them there. Guitarist Ian O’Neil’s “Hope is Big” and drummer Dennis Ryan’s “Me & My Man” expand on the group’s already dynamic range.

On Deer Tick Vol. 2, the band turns it up and lets it fly with an injection of punk-inspired garage rock at it’s finest. Clever lyrics, infectious hooks and captivating melodies pack Vol. 2 with bassist Christopher Ryan skillfully laying it down with authority and attitude. The propulsion of opener “Don’t Hurt”, edgy pop of “Jumpstarting” and rowdy punk of “It’s a Whale” reveal that there was an obvious Jekyll & Hyde approach to recording Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. Vol. 2 closes with boisterous “Mr. Nothing Gets Worse”, with all three singers taking a verse on a song that would have made The Replacements proud.

Deer Tick defines the term outlier. Their ever-evolving style has never been claimed by any one scene or genre. They encompass key elements of indie-rock, country, punk, pop, Americana, folk and so much more, which is what makes it difficult to nail them down. With Deer Tick Vol. 1 and Deer Tick Vol. 2, the question really is, why would anyone want to? Website here, Facebook here.

Two tracks are shared 'Sea of Clouds' and 'It's A Whale', one from each album. Both have an element of raw and natural enthusiasm, notable vocals and fine musicianship, after that they part ways and genres, and do so with class!



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Fassine - Gold.

Background - Fassine are pleased to share the animated video for 'Gold', taken from their forthcoming second album, 'Gourami' - released 28th July. "The video for the track is just as dramatic. Animated by James Gilleard, it shows the group, or at least a version of them, retreat to a mountain-top mansion where they’re joined by friends for some time off the grid, or so it seems.

Things soon take a sinister turn, and the real reason for the group’s getaway becomes apparent. The video is just as cinematic as the track itself, so we won't give away any spoilers."

The London trio made a name for themselves last year with their icy, cinematic take on electronic music for ‘Dialectik’, a debut album that saw them gain praise & support from the likes of Spin, Q Magazine, The 405, The Guardian, Giles Peterson, BBC 6 Music and more.

The band have a keen ear for the cinematic with their songs featuring on the backdrop of high-profile American TV drama’s including Sky Atlantic’s The Following, Fox’s Lucifer, Sony’s The Art Of More and more...

The band recently featured on artist Robot Koch’s haunting track, Spine and also re-worked his latest single ‘Heart Is A River’ released on Monkeytown Records. Website here, Facebook here.

'Gold' is atmospheric pretty much from the first few chords. The video add's a level of intrigue, whilst the song mixes beautiful vocals alongside an expansive music arrangement.


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