Bio : LI.LAC is the alias of Southampton raised songwriter and producer Sam Curtice. Sam has performed for over 10 years as a guitarist and songwriter in various projects, however LI.LAC marks the first outing as a solo artist.
Track: ‘Kiwi’
Why We Like It: Filled with punchy beats, swirling guitars, and lush pop melodies ‘Kiwi’ a glorious and vibrant introduction to ’LI.LAC’s sound. With smooth vocals and tight disco-infused elements blended into infectious indie-pop, there is no denying the talent of Sam Curtice. The track is a fun-filled infectious delight.
Bio : Jessie Reid’s latest single has earned support from Spotify editorial curators, BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson and Chris Hawkins, BBC Wales’s Janice Long and BBC Introducing. Jessie was shortlisted for last year’s Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition and received support from the Alan Surtees Trust fund to record and release her new EP. Jessie travelled as far as New York and Brazil in the promotion of her debut singles, as well as supporting and touring with the likes of Seafret, Dan Owen, Ciaran Lavery and Brooke Bentham closer to home.
Track: ‘Whole Heart’
Why We Like It: Wrapped in emotive vocals ‘Whole Heart’ is a beautifully haunting new indie folk single. The track exudes an earthy soundscape as warm guitar strums and plucks through a richly weaved tapestry of rhythms. Reid’s warm rasp coo’s over a supple guitar for the delicate verses however as the song progresses a cello warms the backdrop enhancing the rhythmic pulls and vibrant textures within. Rich in tone ‘Whole Heart’ is a compelling new single from an extremely talented songwriter.
Bio : Intervene are an Alt-rock five-piece from South Yorkshire who mix post-punk influences with a 90’s UK Indie sound.
Track: The Conquering
Why We Like It: It’s an abrasive storm of alternative post-punk. Jagged guitar riffs slice through a resounding bass rumble and punchy drum battering as Intervene showcase their refined chaotic sound in all its glory. The maelstrom of crashing instrumentation breaks momentarily for light guitar embellishments that whine in psychedelic turmoil – simply wonderful. With aggressive shouted vocals and 60’s-hued organ-esque meanderings on keys ‘The Conquering’ is a fantastic new single.
Bio : Cassia start 2021 by treating us to their new ‘Powerlines’ EP, which features a brand new song in the shape of its title track. The EP is a sun-soaked collection which explores dealing with an uncertain future. Having previously been nominated for Best Live Act at the AIM Awards alongside IDLES and DMA’S, 2019 saw them embark upon an intensive run of touring. Their acclaimed live shows won new admirers wherever they went, from some of Europe’s biggest festivals to major headline shows in London, Manchester and beyond.
Track: Powerlines
Why We Like It: It’s a laid-back radiant gem boasting the infectious smooth melodies and tropical tones we have come to love from the band. This slick song flows upon funky guitar lines and elastic bass grooves that evoke a hip moving charm while the buoyant drums bubble in the backdrop. With subtle, chic 70’s elements blended between vibrant indie tones, and catchy chorus ‘Powerlines’ is a glorious new single from Cassia.
Manchester-based Rock band Gallaher’s Green, are set to release their debut album ‘Lucky 13’ on 12th February. Showcasing warm ballads, fiery anthems, and oodles of swagger within each track ‘Lucky 13’ takes the passionate and dynamic rock n roll sound of Gallaher’s Green to new heights.
Boasting sweltering guitars, powerful drums, and bass ‘Black Beast’ introduces the album with vigor. Oozing panache from every note it sets the album up magnificently while a shredding solo and fiery crescendo teases and keeps the listener wanting to hear more. Gallaher’s Green express the energy of their live shows superbly throughout the album through the use of steamy guitar moments and razor-sharp rock n roll bravado. From the anthemic ‘Cut Right In To Me’ to the spirited ‘Ballad Of The One Eyed Bastard,’ the band evoke images of a live audience swaying and singing back the lyrics.
The multi genre-blending within ‘Lucky 13’ is compelling. The band mix county tones into their infectious rock to create jaunty heartfelt bops in ‘Feel So Real’ (who can resist that ‘do do do’ lyric) and foot-tapping ‘To Be With You’ to make a full rounded and hearty sound.
‘Lucky 13’ is also a majestic display of the band’s melodic prowess. Gallaher’s Green douse each song in sweet, catchy, and easy on the ears melodies that weave and blend beautifully between the blistering and brooding instrumentation. This is particularly evident in the delicate warm ballads ‘Prodigal Son’ and ‘Light Inside Of Me’, which feature beautiful guest vocals from Courtney Duncan.
Throughout the album, the sweet and powerful undertones of each track are magnificently balanced – delicate songs such as ‘Until I See You Again’ are followed by fiery rock tracks like ‘Satellite’ which is perhaps my favourite on the album. Exuding blazing jabs on guitar which soar between raw bass grooves and galloping drums, ‘Satellite’ is another fantastic expression of Gallaher’s Green’s animated wall of sound.
There is something mesmerising about this band’s sound that wrestles your ears into submission. The fun, energy, and rich musicianship within creates an album ready for repeat listens. ‘Lucky 13’ is a tight, well-crafted, and thoroughly enjoyable debut album from Gallaher’s Green.
Manchester’s Cultures have released their new single ‘Ghost’. Bridging the gap between alt-rock and indie pop, Greater Manchester’s Cultures have been plying their trade across the region for the last four years, and their intelligent and idiosyncratic brand of indie has been turning heads and picking up traction ever since.
‘Ghost’ perfectlydisplays the engaging indie rock sound of Cultures. The track pulses with dynamic synths that rush around a buoyant beat while warm guitar sizzles in the background. There is a beautiful blend of tension and powerful release within this animated tune between the twinkling guitar and punchy snap on drums. Smooth vocals caress a dreamy melody while the swirling uplifting backdrop bubbles and rushes with adrenaline over a rumbling passionate bassline. Cultures have created a tight and mature sound to tantalise listeners with and it gets better with each release. Looking forward to hearing more from this band.
About the track, frontman Josh Spivey said, “For us in the band, the song has come to represent a huge number of different feelings and concepts as it’s developed. The lyrics “you never needed someone to take you home” refer to coming to realise that you are more capable of being independent than you knew and in “she never saw you as skin and bones” I try to tackle the idea of how people’s perceptions of each other can be completely different from our own ideas of ourselves. I think we have a habit of assuming that people think the worst of us when people are actually really good when given the chance.”
Apella have released their much-anticipated debut album ‘1963’. I had a chat with frontman Dara Quilty to discuss the details of creating the album, his love of producing and crafting songs as well as the lengths he went to in order to create the right atmosphere within one of the songs.
‘1963’ is an album Quilty has been working on for quite some time. The album kicks off with Apella’s debut track ‘We Met At A Party’ which was released in 2016 and ends with ‘Point Of View’ last year’s release (with singles ‘Graceful Dancer’ 2016, logic 2017, City Limits 2018 in between). It’s a passionate album depicting Quilty’s journey since Apella’s debut. During this time Quilty’s love for production blossomed allowing him to experiment, hone his craft, and become comfortable with his style in order to create the compelling and dynamic collection of tracks within ‘1963’
“It feels wonderful to have it out there. Obviously, the circumstances in which it has been released are different. Usually, you would release the album, with a good PR campaign, a tour straight off the back of the album with a radio station tour and a press tour, and none of that happened. I’ve been in studios, pretty much my entire, well not my entire life but I started recording professionally, probably with my first band Fox Avenue. I would have been maybe 20 years old. Even at that time I remember when we were in the studio I was glued to Joe Egan, he’s the engineer who I’ve continued to work with all the way up and through Apella. He owns The Nutshed in Clara County Offaly. Joe and I have become really close friends and he’s sort of been my mentor in the studio in many ways because his musical ear is just astonishing so when we were doing Fox Avenue I was glued to Joe’s shoulder, I never left the control room. I wasn’t the lead singer of Fox Avenue, so [ with Apella ] I knew I needed to be the lead singer, purely not to have to rely on another person, if that makes sense. So I did vocal coaching for four years. Sinéad Flynn is my vocal coach and she is astonishing. Actually doing vocal coaching is like therapy. Sinéad Flynn encouraged me to do these exams and now I have a distinction in musical theater and performance from the University of West London. I’m not a musical theater person. I didn’t grow up in musical theater, I have no background in it. But I was learning all these songs, and she helped me to sing and get better at singing because some people are naturally gifted singers like Gavin James. I’ve recorded Gavin James several times in radio stations. He is a beautiful singer. I’m not that.”
“The reason I went with Sinead’s plan to do these musical theater exams…. because…it was so far outside of my comfort zone. The exams are, you in a room with a man who is 110 years old wearing a jet black suit. He is pale as the sheet of paper in front of him on his table and he sits there at this desk with all these sheets, you’ve paid piano accompaniment 50 euro so he plays for you for the day. Then you have to perform, whatever six or eight pieces. There is nothing more uncomfortable in the world than being alone in this room. You’ve got to act out the scene of each piece and you’ve got to introduce the song, discuss the composer and discuss the meaning of the song, the characters, all this kind of stuff and he’s just looking at you. He doesn’t have any expression. Then after you’re finished describing, he goes. ‘Thank you’ and then the piano guy starts playing. One song I did was, “Oh, Why am I Moody and Sad?” from Ruddigore, which was Gilbert and Sullivan from like 1890 something. The point is, it’s so far out of my comfort zone….people have fears about public speaking, people have fears of flying. When I was younger, my biggest fear was singing publicly. I think the most vulnerable a person could be is to sing in front of people. I don’t know why. I just think it’s such a vulnerable thing and I was never a great singer, so I worked hard on my vocals.”
“Over the course of this record I could have used autotune and just sound like Kanye West, but I was doing the voice training and I was learning how to produce properly and use ProTools and the more I learned the more everything made sense.Ronan Nolan my drummer is perfect. He is the best at his instrument, and I have realized the importance of that now with my knowledge of production, ProTools, and creating a song, whereas when I was 21, I had no idea. When you go to record a song there’s an assigned tempo. Then there’s the loudest beeping noise out of the speaker and you have to play perfectly in time. You think you’re doing a good job and then the engineer says ‘no timing, go back to the start again’ and you’re like what!. I didn’t realize until I learned how to do it where you can literally see on the screen, Oh god that’s way out of time. So, I guess it was, probably a four-year journey. ‘We Met at a Party’ came out in 2016. The album was done by 2018, for sure, then it sat on my phone for two years and did nothing because I had this fear because I put all my own money into it, I paid for everything, independently. I won’t disclose the amount of money that I paid, but I could have put a deposit on a house…”
“I’ve had the great generosity of the Irish artists and community like Andrew Holohan, who has directed ‘We Met at a Party’, ‘City Limits’ and ‘Point of View’, even though we did it on a collaborative basis, but even still, you gotta rent cameras, lights, spaces… it was just so much time and investment. When it was finished, ‘We Met at a Party’ came out and that did well ‘Graceful Dancer’ came out that did better on radio. Then I was like, if I release this album, and I don’t become Brandon Flowers of The Killers overnight, I’ve failed, which is absolutely delusional. I think it’s just because I knew how much work I put into it but I didn’t do anything with it. We released another single, we did all the festivals, we toured Ireland, the UK, and all this stuff.”
“Obviously, now I’ve come forward. I had all this personal stuff going on in the background of my life. My perspective has just changed. I was in New York and my friend Aidan Cunningham runs a studio at there called Empire Underground and we reopened the album, and basically remastered the entire thing. Everything just sounded better and I made a decision… to put this out. All I want is this to exist. What is the point, If it doesn’t exist. There was a comedian I spoke to Mark Normand, he was a guest on my podcast and he said hey life is a catalog just keep adding to the catalog. Make a big interesting catalog and then die at the end. I thought God, he’s right, so I just wanted the album to exist. We completed the post-production in Brooklyn, and then I decided, with things going on with my mom, that maybe I can use this to help, or I don’t know maybe there’s something I can do or give it a meaning, or something like that. “
The album is named after the birth year of Quilty’s mother, who lives with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. Apella have decided to give 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the album to The Marie Keating Foundation specifically to help fund the outstanding support services they provide to women affected by Breast Cancer. It’s a really moving gesture as Quilty funded the making and recording of the album himself
“It’s the money of the sales and it’s important to be very specific with this because Spotify pay 0.00437 cents per stream. So I think you need to listen to ‘Point of View’ 250 times for me to make $1.00. I wouldn’t have got CDs or vinyls made if I didn’t partner with the Marie Keating foundation.”
“It’s my art. I was doing the album before my mom got diagnosed with cancer. This is all happening anyway. So, the reason that I’ve decided to go for 100% of the sales is because there would be no sales if it wasn’t for the Marie Keating foundation so it’s only right to do it this way. And it’s also, you know, it’s not a cancer album.”
‘1963’ is an exhilarating pop-punk album filled with wonderful indie nuggets and electronic blends especially in tracks such as ‘Buried You’. Quilty has a knack for creating catchy hook-filled melodies that ooze pop sensibilities and easy on the ear charm while packing in oodles of emotion. With Ronan Nolan laying down the deft drumming foundation notably in ‘New Things Get Old’ the album is jam-packed with rich vibrant tunes. This album is by no means a soppy, sad collection of tracks; instead, it is a refined display of instrumental prowess and meticulous musicianship.
“Yeah, it’s not written about sadness. All I wanted was it to exist in the world, and I guess if you can do something with it, why not and if this flops on its ass that’s okay. I’m comfortable with that now. Whereas three years ago, I would have had so much anxiety. But if this flops on its ass then it flops on its ass because nobody can take it off Spotify and Apple Music nobody can take the body of work away from me because it exists. But on Friday when it came, just seeing Apella ‘1963’ on Spotify and Apple Music I was so excited. When it was published to Apple Music and you could see it but all the songs are grayed out and it said coming January 29th, I thought that was the coolest thing. I get excited by the nerdiest stuff. I mean I posted today, a behind the scenes video, like the recording of ‘New Things Get Old’ and it’s just Ronan and I in the studio. I love the creation of a song. My entire childhood, even now, I just love watching the creation of music when you produce a mix or you know how production works, you don’t listen to music the same way as a person who doesn’t. Much like a classically trained musician experiences music differently to someone like me who would be a contemporary musician…which is fascinating. So I put up this video because, technically you go into the studio, a Pro Tools session starts empty. Silence, and then layer by layer you fill that silence with instruments and you can do whatever you want. There are no rules, yes there are rules in music but technically you can do whatever you want.”
“For Apella, I started with music. There are some new songs that I’ve written. I’ve started with an idea or a concept, or an emotion and I’ve taken that to the instrument. So I’m going to the instrument with the emotion. I’ve never done that before. It’s a new way of writing like let’s say you’ve been through a breakup. I know it’s the cliche hit song. But you go to the song with the idea of the broken heart. This is what I’m writing about and that will have a different result. But with Apella, I would compose everything. There are co-writes and stuff on the album not that many two or three songs I co-wrote with other people. But yeah I would do it all in my home studio, there’d be MIDI drums on there and I’d record all the vocals and guitars and come to the studio with a session. Then, Joe Egan, who co-produced this record with me, his musical ear is unbelievable and because it was mostly Joe and I in the studio and Ronan there was never any arguments, tension or ego. It was like, if you can imagine a whiteboard and everybody’s trying to solve a puzzle and it’s whatever’s best for the whiteboard. Doesn’t matter who said it or who came up with it but if it’s the best thing for the board. It goes on the board. That’s what we applied to this record. I might have a part in and Joe would say, that’s not right, I think you can do something better. That happened for ‘Little Bit Less’, track 11. The middle section of that song was totally different then Joe said, This just isn’t right. I think you have something better, and he sent me home for the weekend. He gave me a U87, and I went home and rewrote the middle section and recorded the vocals, with the U87 in my closet. I came back to him with that idea… Actually, we never ended up re-recording. The whole middle section of ‘Little Bit Less’ wasn’t done in the studio… the vocals and everything were recorded in my bedroom.”
“There are ideas or something I didn’t like on a track like an idea Joe would come up with and I was like I don’t know if I like that. We’d all listen and Ronan would say I think, that adds a lot to the song and whatever was best for the song went on the song. Ronan is the most positive person to be around. He’s so funny and he lights up every room he goes into. There were days where Joe and I were doing vocal mixes or recording guitars, but you know they can be 12 hour days, some days, we would literally call Ronan, because he gets all his drums done in one take and a second take for alternative parts, he’s so good. But he would come down and just be funny and kick chairs over and tell us we’re pricks. Ronan actually sings an awful lot on this record. All the high stuff, all the falsetto. There’s a song ‘Deja You’ and if you really listen closely in the chorus, you’ll hear Ronan, way up in the octaves or the intro of ‘New Things Get Old’. All the high stuff is Ronan he’s a great singer. He’s an angel. He’s a choirboy, but then he provides a contrast because I do all the other harmony so it’s good to have contrast and vocal because the texture is different. My voice layered five times, it’s gonna have a similar texture, no matter how you treat it so Ronan singing adds something different.”
There’s a lot of heartfelt emotion within ‘1963’. ‘Graceful Dancer’,’Buried You’, and ‘Point Of View’ exude heart-stopping melodies and meaningful lyrics. However, for me, it’s ‘Shadows Of My Personality’ that is the standout tune. This snappy glistening 80’s-hued track shimmers like a radiant glitter ball with sparkling electronics and zesty guitar flirtations providing an uplifting bounce through jazz-esque keys and hearty production. Quilty discussed with me the influences behind these songs and the interpretation of lyrics.
“They are personal songs for me and everything is authentic. The thing about music and I’m not the first person to say this, but lyrics are open to interpretation and you find solace in them. I’m sure you have your go-to songs for when you have a sad day or when you’re going out or before a date because that song means something to you and you sort of applied the lyrics to your life.‘Shadows of My Personality’ was a big one for me. I didn’t realize I was writing that song about anxiety, until after it was finished. That song was actually called 80‘s song. That was the name of the session. Each song on the record I hadn’t had an idea of how I wanted to approach it from a production point of view. ‘Point of View’ and ‘Graceful Dancer’ are clearly balanced. There is room in the songs, the songs can breathe. ‘We Met at a Party’ and ‘New Things Get Old’, they are clearly, punk sounding, from my influences from Blink-182, Green Day, and ‘Deja You’ is indie ‘Buried You’ was quite The Killers, so there’s a lot of influence on the record and for ‘Shadows of My Personality’, I was like I want to write an 80’s song. I love The Cure and The Police so it’s literally a juxtaposition of those two artists. My favorite bit of the whole record at the moment is the pre-chorus of ‘Shadows of My Personality’ because of the guitar riff because it sounds so Andy Summers and I really liked it. I was writing about anxiety, and that was when we decided to put the breathing in. That song opens with breaths, that are to represent the panic and the panic attack. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to breathe in time to a metronome. It’s a lot harder than you think it is. It’s very strange but that was fun to do. You can hear it in the track now and that’s kind of an acknowledgment to ‘Close To Me’ by The Cure, because Robert Smith does a similar thing in ‘Close To Me’. I think it’s nice to pay homage to your musical influences, and it just made sense with the song. So no I’m not afraid. I think it’s important that the songs are real. If somebody interprets, a song completely incorrectly that’s their interpretation of it and that’s okay. “
After touring all over the country – opening for Twenty One Pilots, appearing at all major Irish music festivals including Electric Picnic, Indiependence, Castlepalooza and Sea Sessions, accompanied by UK tours with Keywest and Don Broco, Quilty moved to New York City to work further on his career.
“I needed to get out of my comfort zone. You know, 13 years on air, very grateful, loved my whole career, Ireland, I love this country. It’s small, and the fact that it’s small, it’s amazing. You can get to know so many people you can gain experience. I have pretty much done every stage from the Three Arena to the Olympia, to the Academy to upstairs in Whelan’s, to the big outdoor stage at Oxygen. But I was always the guy from the radio. People always start out saying you’re on the radio, must be easy for you to get your songs on the radio. It’s actually the complete opposite, because I was on the radio people go we’re not playing him he’s on another station. Then personally I wanted to expand and actually see was I good. I’ve had success in radio sure I got awards but that’s in Ireland am I actually good. So, let’s go to New York where there’s 8.5 million people. New York’s unfortunately been hit so hard by COVID that every venue is closed and everything has stopped but I was lucky that I had a studio that I built that I was able to work out of and Aiden Cunningham, and his studio in Brooklyn, that we were able to continue our work together over there, which is great. It took a lot of consideration. There was obviously a huge amount of work for the visa and everything, but it was right.”
With ‘1963’ released Quilty tells me he has other exciting projects in the pipeline this year.
“ I’m back in Ireland for a while,we’ll head back to New York soon. I’ve still got so much to do over there. I have a new show with MTV, that’s out now called Stan vs. Stan, which is pretty cool. They’ve made it the header of the MTV YouTube channel over in the US, and that was all done in the pandemic. Eight episodes of that show and thanks to my ProTools and production knowledge, I was able to do the voiceover, do the comedy and stuff and provide them with broadcast standard audio from my studio. I’m pretty proud of that. Stan vs. Stan you can watch right now on youtube.com/MTV. It’s their main push at the moment which is just pretty cool. They all exist together – music, radio and production it’s all in the one sphere.”
Apella have created a sublime, engaging and energetic album filled with fantastic anthemic pop punk bangers.The effort and love Quilty has for music oozes from each song and his crisp production, passionate songwriting and melody wizardry makes ‘1963’ a satisfying listening experience.
100% of the proceeds from this album bought on apellamusic.com will go directly to The Marie Keating Foundation’s Positive Living support group.
Fast Trains is back with new single ‘I Work In Lies’ from the forthcoming EP ‘ourWorld Volume 1′.The song is an attack on the British tabloid newspapers, in particular those involved in the News International phone hacking scandal and their abuse of human rights. Fast Trains is the solo project of songwriter and producer Tom Wells. Combining inventive alternative pop with a cryptic visual space known as ourWorld, the project has received backing from BBC Introducing and BBC 6 Music, and its videos have been shown at film festivals all over the world.
Shrouded in ominous tones and alternative pop soundscapes ‘I Work In Lies’ boasts the expressive and luring sound of Fast Trains. The lyrics with the aid of a precise and refined instrumental backdrop tell the story of a newspaper journalist writing fictitious articles to sell more papers “spread our editor’s agendas”. Driving on a pulsing beat and hypnotic whines on guitar the track exudes a mysterious persona while swirling electronics create a muggy soundscape between the soaring guitar moans and constant plucking groove. The song creeps for the verses accompanied by Well’s vocals which sweetly coo the delicate melody. As the track progresses the song becomes more animated and heavy for the chorus. Oozing dynamic instrumentation from every note ‘I Work In Lies’ is an engaging new single from Fast Trains.
Bridging the gap between alt-rock and indie pop, Greater Manchester’s Cultures have been plying their trade across the region for the last four years, and their intelligent and idiosyncratic brand of indie has been turning heads and picking up traction ever since. With an equal focus on both head and heart within their lyricism, the band have succeeded in elevating themselves head and shoulders above their contemporaries, something that has afforded the band high profile support slots across some of Manchester’s most iconic venues, including Germany’s Giant Rooks at Night & Day Café, and Marsicans at The Deaf Institute – a venue the band have since gone on to headline in front of a rapturous audience, cementing themselves as one of Manchester’s most promising new bands.
Cultures have a vibrant indie sound doused in passionate songwriting and infectious melodies. Combining sweet synth-pop with rousing indie rock, Cultures’ songs flow with a breathtaking wall of sound. The band blend their indie charm with sublime musicianship to create an irresistible soundscape sure to have you bopping and singing along in no time. Cultures have a bright future ahead of them – really looking forward to this takeover.
Monaghan singer-songwriter Jim McHugh is back with his new single ‘Dave’ and a first taste of what’s to come from his upcoming third album ‘Pretending To Wake Up’, due for release May 28th. Working alongside producer Alex Borwick (Parliament Funkadelic, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Niamh Regan, Lankum) and session musicians Paul McCabe (bass) Paul Sherry (Electric Guitar) and Butch McNeill (Drums), McHugh brings a new dynamic and alluring sound to the rock genre.
‘Dave’ is a rousing rock number showcasing a darker side to Jim McHugh’s sound. Spreading bluesy guitar riffs over a hip seducing rhythm ‘Dave’ is a wild, infectious banger. The verse wriggles with rich percussion, dark bass rumbles, and deep vocals from McHugh hooking the listener instantly. Then without any warning, the chorus swarms in on a wave of rock n roll bravado. Clamorous guitars, punchy drums, and a thrilling vocal display from McHugh ensure the chorus isn’t leaving your head anytime soon. Blending funky guitar elements, with mosh ready frenzy, ‘Dave’ is a blazing new single from McHugh. Love it.
About ‘Dave’ Jim says….“In an original story of misspent youth, Dave unveils my interactions with a friend who was known for being on the wrong side of the law on numerous occasions.”
Southwest London band The Motive have released their new single ‘Live It Again’. The band have already racked up more than 3k streams as well as BBC Introducing support. ‘Live It Again’ is a bright, infectious number laced in the glorious, sun-kissed musicianship we have come to love from The Motive. ‘Live It Again’ is an easy on the ears gem filled with radiant balmy guitar refrains and a buoyant laid back soundscape. With a clap along feature catchy animated chorus and nostalgic tropical tones mixed into The Motive’s indie-pop blend, it’s an instant charmer. Doused in infectious grooves, elastic bass, and intricate guitar lines, ‘Live It Again’ is a glorious new single that marks The Motive as a band to keep an eye on.
NI Music Prize Nominee Sam Wickens has released his new single ‘Murky Waters’ along with his new EP ‘Watson.’ The first single from the EP, ‘Strange.24’ was released on 24th November 2020 to much critical acclaim. The five-track ‘Watson EP’ is the second major release since his critically acclaimed debut album ‘All I’ve Seen’ in 2019.
There is no denying the depth of earnestness in Wickens’ songs. Within ‘Watson’, the listener is invited to delve deep and explore the crevices of his artistic mind through masterful songwriting and compelling musicianship.
The auto-tuned synth drone of opener ‘Sunday Smile, Pt 1’ introduces the EP. Wickens’ rich vocals flow over a jaunty guitar and buoyant rhythmic bounce, while subtle country warmth mangled within R&B hues and icy electronic soundscapes display the EP’s tight, dark, and intriguing production. ‘Watson, Pt 2’ elegantly chimes with lamenting picked guitar as thumping drums pulse in the background, creating the track’s increasing heartbeat through a skilful use of synths and static noises.
Deft use of production sees Wickens increase the EP’s intensity as each song progresses, as if building to a massive pinnacle point…. ‘Murky Waters.’ This raw, rumbling maelstrom of mental torment is a fantastic display of Wickens’ first-rate musicianship. Shadowy drum rumbles, and bubbling electronics haunt in the background while a distorted guitar wail and chilling backing vocals express a harrowing sense of struggle within the music. A suffocating, muggy soundscape constricts and smothers an innocent twinkling on keys which at times rises to break free only to be pulled under and smothered again. The light, gentle keys provide a wonderful contrast to Wicken’s beautiful deep vocals which exude a soulless sense of sorrow. ‘Murky Waters’ is pain, struggle and release personified through music. It is utterly sublime and an enthralling piece of music.
Although ‘Murky Waters’ is a powerful and stand-out gem on the EP, within each track there is something special that allows them to shine just as brightly. My favourite track on the EP is arguably ‘This War of Mine‘. The raw emotion, hope, and pain expressed through Wicken’s lyrics is heartbreaking. “In time ill find some peace of mind. In time, I’ll lose this war of mine”. Suspenseful ethereal synths maintain an uplifting, hopeful tone while the pulsing beat covers the backdrop in an ominous shadow that is difficult to shake as Wickens coosa heartbreaking lyric “buried in the earth the last line of belief”.
Brooding electronics merge with country tones and oodles of soul in ‘Strange.24’ tobring ‘Watson’ to a perfect and epic finale. This song comforts, soothes, and caresses the visceral wounds of the tracks that went before. Maintaining its innocence and sweet tones an uplifting hopeful piano, which was smothered in other tracks such as ‘ Murky Waters’, comes to the forefront. Wispy synths and ethereal soundscapes raise the song’s atmosphere as Wickens’ warm rasped vocals discuss the acceptance of recovering from a battle with mental illness. “Feeling strange, it all just went away.” As the track drifts into its cinematic crescendo Wickens leaves us with hope and more tears, but these tears are of relief and joy this time.
‘Watson’ is an EP that reveals more and more with each listen allowing the listener to experience emotion, hope, pain, and mental anguish through the artist’s eyes. Wickens delivers this through heartfelt, honest, and passionate musicianship. His ability to stir the soul on such a deep level with his lyrics and music is exquisite. Sam Wickens is a rare talent. He has come a long way since his critically acclaimed debut album ‘All I’ve Seen’ in 2019 and has shown strong musical growth. Wickens has created an EP of solid, sincere, and equally compelling songs that carry the hallmarks of poetic, lyrical, and musical genius.
About his new single Sam Wickens says: “Murky Waters is the realisation that I was raised and put through terrible circumstances. Constantly feeling alone through every obstacle that was placed in front of me. Traumatic events seemed to follow me no matter where I ran, I started to believe that I was some sort of gatekeeper, that my purpose was to absorb the terrible things so others didn’t need too.”
American songwriting legend A.J. Croce is releasing his new album ‘By Request’ via Compass Records. ‘By Request’ is the first album Croce has released since losing his wife of 24 years, Marlo Croce, after a sudden heart ailment. It’s also the first album by Croce to feature his full touring band: Gary Mallaber on drums (Van Morrison, Steve Miller band), GRAMMY®-winning bassist David Barard (Allen Toussaint, Dr. John), and up-and-coming guitarist Garrett Stoner. Over the past three decades, A.J. Croce has established his reputation as a piano player and serious vocal stylist who pulls from a host of musical traditions and anti-heroes — part New Orleans, part juke joint, part soul. While his last album, ‘Just Like Medicine, paired him with soul legend Dan Penn and an all-star cast of players, his new album was born of memories — of favorite artists and shows, but mostly, of late-night gatherings with groups of friends, many of them fellow musicians, with Croce at the piano taking requests.
Croce revisits these musical memories on ‘By Request’, 12 personally curated covers that traverse decades and genres. With Croce’s animated jazz-infused piano at the helm, the album comes to life with blues tracks such as Allen Toussaint’s ‘Brickyard Blues’, and rock n’ roll bangers like Randy Newman’s ‘Have You Seen My Baby’. His loose and fun style floods the songs in swagger, aptly capturing the essence and energy of the late-night gatherings that inspired the album.
With the jaunty funky rendition of Billy Preston’s ‘Nothing from Nothing’ and a full band sound, each track is brimming with character, charm and warmth. Within ‘By Request’ there are many hidden musical gems to delight and tantalize listeners’ ears. One such gem which perhaps shines most brightly is Croce’s musical genius on piano. Croce puts his spin on songs by Neil Young, The Beach Boys, Sam Cooke, The Faces and more, with his unique piano-driven arrangements to create an engaging album brimming with passion and feel-good fun. Love it.
About the album Croce says : “BY Request’ is my way of inviting you over for a private gathering at my place. We listen to great music, laugh, make great food and after a few drinks and maybe a few more we end up in my music room and I start taking requests of every genre and era. The music is always fun and completely diverse. We’ll play and sing all kinds of music. Some of my friends are professional musicians, some do it for fun and many friends are just serious music fans. So you’ll fit right in. There’s no way that I could record the thousands of songs I’ve performed at home over the years, nevertheless every song on this album has been requested by close friends who have hung out at my place many times for many years. “Welcome to my home, by request, you’re hereby invited to join the party.”
Stream ‘By Request’ Below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
