Tag: youtube

Louise and the Pins

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The A-Z of New Music, like the rumble of distant thunder, remains ominously close. Today L and the soulful sounds of………….Louise and the Pins.

Louise and the Pins released their debut single, Melancholy, last year and have since played with Laura Marling, Martha Wainwright and Mumford and Sons. Their mix of 50s girl group glamour, country, folk-pop and rock ‘n’roll, together with the sultry voice of lead singer Louise Hull, means fame and fortune may just be just around the corner. He voice falls somewhere in between Amy Winehouse and Imelda May. Take a listen to Melancholy or Bell Jar, you won’t be disappointed. A debut album is due sometime this year.

Louise and the Pins, a solid B…..

Today’s blog has been brought to you by the letter L…..

Koolaid Electric Company

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The A-Z of New Music keeps rolling on, today……The Koolaid Electric Company.

Our first, and probably our last, look at the music sub-genre that is ‘shoegaze’. Tonight’s music for you delectation is the psychedelic rock sound of The Koolaid Electric Compnay, and if nothing else they have a very cool sounding name. Do you like your guitars? Heavy use of effect pedals? If the answer is yes, you might just like them. The problem I have with a band like this is that it all sounds very repetitive. I listened to the album, Random Noises and Organised Sounds, via soundcloud, and after half an hour I wasn’t sure if I had been listening to the same track over and over again or the whole album.

Overall, not good….

Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter K…..

Jay James Picton

~ Phil Lengthorn ~ 1 Comment

The A-Z of New Music, thanks to @lilbee67, brings us to a white boy with soul…..Jay James Picton.

A quick search online and you’ll soon realise that Jay James Picton is touted as ‘the next big thing’, he may even be the male answer to Adele. With a voice that has many comparing him to the likes of Al Green and Otis Redding (although for our younger readers think John Legend and you won’t be far off). There are loads of tracks on soundcloud for you to listen to, from his rocky blues through to his soulful ballads. His debut album is due for release this summer, but in the mean time, try ‘Play it by Heart’, ‘The Boy That Wants To Fly’ or ‘Oh There She Goes’, all great tracks. If you like your music with soul, then Jay James Picton may well be worth a listen….

Jay James Picton, solid B grade….

Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter J…..

Ice Choir

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The A-Z of New Music nearly came to a standstill today – new music beginning with ‘I’ – not as easy as it sounds. But eventually I decided on…..Ice Choir.

A listen to Ice Choir and you could be mistaken in thinking that you have stepped back to the 1980s and disaster that was New Romantic music. Why any band would want to replicate the music of the 80s is a mystery to me (I was an 80s teenager and I am still scarred from the experience of listening to ABC and Modern Romance). Their debut sing ‘Two Rings’ is synthpop at its finest, that is, if you like your music: synthetic, programmed and uninspiring. As shocking as it sounds, Ice Choir are hoping to release a whole album of this trash in 2012. It has been near on 25 years since the New Romantic pop sound was at its height, and if the phrase ‘what goes around comes around’ is true we will shortly be inundated with more. So dust off the shoulder pads, swoop the fringe and get down to the synthetic sound of Ice Choir…..

Overall, Ice Choir get a big fat ‘U’……..

Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter ‘I’…….

Hooded Fang

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The A-Z of New Music brings us to the 8th letter of the alphabet, H……..from Canada….Hooded Fang.

Yes, I know, it’s indie-pop again, although with a bit rock and a bit of roll thrown in. In fact you could easily mistake them for a band from the swinging sixties, the tunes off their latest album, Tosta Mista, has some unmistakable Beach Boys and Monkees going on. If you’re looking for a band creating original breakthrough tunes, Hooded Fang would not be your first stop – although you can’t help but tap your foot. A listen to ‘ESP’ may even have you hand jiving. A disappointment with Tosta Mista is the length, 10 tracks, of which 3 are instrumental. Indie fans might want to listen to their debut album, Hooded Fang Album, of which ‘Laughing’ and ‘Highway Steam’ are standout tracks.

Debut album gets a B, Tosta Mista a D. Overall, C/D borderline…..

Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter H…..

Gabriel Bruce

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The A-Z of New Music finds us at G, and the unique sounding voice of…..Gabriel Bruce.

Bruce has the same low, husky growl that have made Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave household names. If you take the time to check him out you’ll realise he is slightly ‘weird’. As well as singing and composing he is a taxidermist and has an interest in the macabre. His first single, the fantastic ‘Sleep Paralysis’ was released as on 7″ vinyl complete with 50-page illustrated book exploring the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. I’d imagine if there is a debut album on the horizon it will be pretty dark and heavy. If you’re looking for a feel good summer tune, Gabriel Bruce is probably not the place to look for it. Personally, I’m quite partial to a bit of Leonard Cohen so I’ll be eagerly awaiting some more tunes.

Gabriel Bruce has done a great cover of Sam Cooke’s ‘Cupid’, that was released in conjunction with Valentine’s Day, listen to it on his tumblr site.

Overall, Gabriel Bruce gets a B+……

Today’s blog was brought to you by the letter G…..