Tuesday, 27 December 2011

Stocking-Fillers & Stuff To Check Out



We were planning to take a little longer off than this, but like the giant stockings of the affluent upper-classes, our inbox has been continuing to bulge despite our best efforts to just ignore it and concentrate on the footy. Its portliness ended up demanding our attention, and amongst the plethora of clichéd, seasonal-based songs were lurking some real treats which we thought we'd share with you here to brighten up those annoying work days that rudely show their face between Christmas and New Year. So get your listening gear around these and enjoy.



Arts & Crafts Winter Sampler 2011


There have been some great releases on the Arts & Crafts label this year, amongst them were albums from Dan Mangan, Los Campesions!, Timber Timbre, Feist, Stars, Chilly Gonzales and more. As a little token of appreciation they're offering a free sampler album of nine tracks they put out this year. It makes for a fine listen but it will only be available until December 31st, so get in quick!

The Darcys - Don't Bleed Me by Arts & Crafts

Memphis - I Want The Lights On After Dark by Arts & Crafts

Free Download: A&C Winter Sampler 2011

Arts & Crafts' website






Kevin P Gilday - Graphite


Releasing a somewhat angry album on Christmas Day, a day when most will be looking for joy and fun, and definitely not looking to see what records are out, seems an odd move. But post-punk poet Kevin P Gilday doesn't do convention, and thus its timing is perfect. Mostly spoken word but at times almost choral, 'Graphite' shows a lyrical wit and dexterity which are perfectly suited to his rich Glaswegian tones.


You can stream or download 'Graphite' for free on bandcamp

Kevin P Gilday's website






Documenta


Based in Northern Ireland, Documenta make accessible drone pop in the vein of Loop or Spacemen 3, adding a healthy dose of melody to sweeten the repetitions. The plan is to record 24 original songs (plus a few covers) and then call it a day. 'Novak' and 'Melody' are two of these tracks, and along with several others are free to download from their website.

08 Novak by Documenta

05 Melody by Documenta

Documenta's website






Sins Of The Loose Buttons - Slow Burn


Never a city to be short of a guitar band or 2, New York seems to have been as important to this year's music scene as it ever has before. Sins Of The Loose Buttons call the fruitful city home and are successfully jostling for space amongst the crowd following the recent release of two rather fine indie-rock singles in the shape of Retrobox and the lovely 'Slow Burn'.

Slow Burn by SinsoftheLooseButtons

Sins Of The Loose Button's website

Buy the single.






Charles Of The Ritz


Hailing from Carlisle, the quartet known as Charles Of The Ritz make no-nonsense, shouty garage-pop with so many imperfections that it almost becomes perfect. We're not sure if there's actually anything available to buy yet, but there are a few free tunes available, including the superb 'William Blake (Ghost Of Joe Meek Version)' and the twisted, 'Heartbeat' aping 'Butterfly (Trapped In The Net Of My Mind)'.

William Blake (Ghost of Joe Meek version) by Charles of the Ritz

Butterfly (Trapped in the net of my mind) by Charles of the Ritz

Charles Of The Ritz' website






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