Candy Darling - Money

Single review by jay@thesoundofconfusion.com

What is cool? What makes cool? Why can someone wear one thing and turn every head in the street? And others wear it and look like skinny-legged chickens who look like they fell out of a bad Brat Pack movie scene. Then really, who gives a fuck? If you do, then you will never achieve your narcissistic goal. There are bands who just have it; with whom it seeps out of every pore. Who leave it on everything they touch like Midas on speed and gin. Then there are always the try-hards, the nearly-theres. There are even those bands who capture it, then stumble and fall at the last minute (any Razorlight reference in this context is purely a mistake of searching for too much alliteration). To repeat myself, when the music is as good, as damn good as Bristol's Candy Darling, then who gives a fuck?

Candy Darling's 'Money' is such an addictive hit of scuzzed-up, freaked-up, twisted perfect noise that it will be this 'Money' that we will all sell our souls for; and our dogs, cats and kimono dragons. It draws first blood with 10-inch heels straight out of late '70s New York. In its metronomic keys there are nods to Suicide, then it whips you across the back with vocals that are the offspring of Karen O and Royal Trux/Black Bananas' Jennifer Herrema. They drip equally with menace and seduction that buries into your primal carnal core. Then we are hit with the final piece of this S&M beast of glory, that of the most perfect fuzzed-up guitar since Jon Spencer howled with his bride in Pussy Galore. 'Money' has you on the first dark spin. By the third you are mainlining it into your frontal lobes and praying that Candy Darling don't keep us waiting too long for more. Already need more...



Candy Darling's website

Pre-order the single





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Obligatory Record Of The Day! Shy for Shore - Love, Again

Single review by KevW

How many times have we rambled on about how Swedish acts are much better at making pop music than many in the UK or North America? It could be that we're not scouring a wide enough area for quality alt-pop though, because despite covering some notable talent from Norway, other countries in that part of the world may have gone overlooked. As an honorary Dutchman for the rest of the world cup, it's doubly exciting to discover Amsterdam duo Shy for Shore and their new single 'Love, Again'. That said, it appears that the duo may originally be from London and Oslo respectively, but it's the Netherlands' capital where they currently reside, and that's good enough for me.

Regardless of geography and sporting preference, this pair wouldn't be featured here were it not for their brilliantly-crafted, dreamy electro-pop. References? Well, you could talk about Niki & The Dove, Lykke Li and so on, and 'Love, Again' does follow a similarly credible yet catchy formula, but with Shy for Shore, there seems to be an extra dollop of emotion stirred into the upbeat but thoughtful track, which gives it that bit more depth. The different synth sounds combine nicely with the vocals and nothing is allowed to go over the top and risk swamping the song or needlessly trying to bolster it. It's more than fine as it is, and I for one will be checking out their recent '1985' EP to seek out more quality pop hits.





Shy for Shore's website

Catch them live:

Jul 17 Slottsfjell, Tønsberg, Norway





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TV Girl - French Exit

Album review by KevW

The first we heard from TV Girl was an EP back in 2010, but they're claiming 'French Exit' to be their debut album, "depending on how you look at it". Well, considering there are probably enough EP tracks and singles to handsomely fill an album, and considering that they released a 15-track album, 'The Wild, The Innocent, The TV Shuffle' two years ago, it would indeed depend on how you look at it. I guess that if you take into account the fact that album contained so many samples that they marketed it as a mixtape, then perhaps we could look at this collection as a debut LP. The word was that the mixtape would see the group moving away from samples and working on music that consisted of more original material, but to be honest, you'd be hard-pushed to notice the difference on this sample-laden beauty.

The biggest change in the world of TV Girl is that the project is now essentially Brad Petering and occasional guests on vocals (or in the case of the Avalanches recalling 'Daughter Of A Cop', co-writing credits with Elvis Depressedly). The difference in sound is barely noticeable though, as we're taken on a trip through plenty of spoken-word samples, sections of music that could be lifted from 1950s TV commercials, girl group sounds, big beats and chilled-out indiepop, all blended together in TV Girl's inimitable style with those trademark casual vocals. A love for girls is never far away (although it's never perverted or done in any way that's not classy), with a special free lyric PDF download that comes with vintage glamour photography. The track tiles speak for themselves on that one: 'Pantyhose', 'Louise', 'The Blonde', 'Daughter Of A Cop', 'Her and Her Friend', 'Anjela'... in fact, TV Girl describe this album as "12 songs about lost lust, too much love and not enough", which is entirely correct.

This is a record that contains some impeccable alt-pop though, with single 'Birds Don't Sing' mixing those vintage sounds with the worlds of hip-hop and indie, an exotic twang and affected spoken-word samples. 'Louise' also has an exotic feel that's combined with what could be sections taken from the soundtrack to classics from the golden age of Hollywood. You can hear The Avalanches again too, but it's far from being a copy, especially thanks to the vocals. There are no lulls on 'French Exit', and that makes picking highlights a little tricky too because it's a terrific set as a whole, but if we're pushed then set the controls for the fluttery breakbeat of 'The Getaway' which makes good use of those retro clips, the summery dreampop found on 'Talk To Strangers', the slightly soulful, laid-back 'The Blonde', 'Lovers Rock' which blends those timeless sounds with more modern touches and is a potential single, and 'Anjela' which makes for a breezy and experimental ending. Whatever the circumstances and whatever tag is put on to 'French Exit', it sounds like the same old TV Girl, and for this we should be grateful.







TV Girl's website

Stream or buy the album

Catch them live:

Jul 09 Tin Can Alehouse, San Diego, CA
Jul 10 Lot 1 Cafe, Los Angeles, CA
Jul 11 The Nightlight, Oakland, CA
Jul 12 Sophia's Thai Kitchen, Davis, CA
Jul 13 Witch Room, Sacramento, CA
Jul 14 The Blue Lagoon, Santa Cruz, CA
Jul 16 Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, BC
Jul 17 Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA
Jul 18 The Northern, Olympia, WA
Jul 19 Bob's Java Jive, Tacoma, WA
Jul 20 Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
Jul 21 Ok Theater, Enterprise, OR
Jul 22 The Crux, Boise, ID
Jul 23 Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT
Jul 24 UMS Fest - The Underground Music Showcase, Denver, CO
Jul 26 South Broadway Arts District, Denver, CO





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Obligatory Record Of The Day! The Proper Ornaments - Magazine

Single review by KevW

Do you really need me to tell you that sunny, jangly, melodic psych tunes sound better in the summer? Of course you don't, and hopefully by now you'll have clicked play on the video or stream below (unless you're already familiar with this track) and will be finding that out for yourself. London sunkissed psychedelia types The Proper Ornaments released their new album 'Wooden Head' last month, and the timing is perfect. Bit grey and drizzly where you are? Fear not, one spin of single 'Magazine' and the blue skies will return, well, in your head at least, and that's the next best thing.

It seems only natural that the time-honoured hazy, slightly trippy and D.I.Y. video technique is employed for added effect too. Ever since folk ditched the acoustics back in the '60s, we've been given a continuous supply of deliciously glistening pop songs like this, and the rise of indie and shoegaze music in the past few decades has transformed it a step further. So alongside Roger McGuinn's priceless contribution to popular music, we've now had dozens of acts refining the sound so that the vintage is mixed with the more recent. Songs in the style of 'Magazine' will never go out of date, it would just be nice if everyone made them as well as this lot.





The Proper Ornaments' website

Buy the album

Catch them live:

SAT 19 JUL Four Bars at Dempseys, Cardiff, UK
SAT 02 AUG The Shacklewell Arms, London, UK





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Chartburst Podcast July 2014

If you follow The Sound Of Confusion then you'll have heard us mention exciting new music site Chartburst on many occasions lately. You can find out more by checking our previous article, or alternatively by listening to our podcast where we'll be playing tracks from some of the fine acts you can find on the site, as well as giving you a bit of info on how it all works and why you should be using it! Links to the profiles of the bands included are posted below the stream. Feel free to share, spread the word, embed the stream on your site, and excuse the dodgy mic! Enjoy!



Chartburst's website

Georgian Waters' profile
Tijuana Bibles' profile
Flora Tropics' profile
Crash The Lights' profile
Sad Day For Puppets' profile
Lesley Ryland's profile
The Incredible Flight Of Birdman's profile
HUSH!'s profile
Brockley Forest's profile
Windmill's profile
Colour Of Bone's profile
Ummagma's profile





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VIDEO PREMIERE: Emily Capell - Who Killed Smiley Culture?

Single review by KevW for www.soundsxp.com

Unique talents are hard to come by in popular music; find someone who's one of a kind and, assuming they're good, you could be on to a winner. So step forward North London's Emily Capell. Not only does she have a diverse range of influences, her music encompasses a diverse range of styles and even attitudes. Dressed as though she's the cute singer of a '60s girl group, armed with an acoustic guitar and a tough attitude but also a sense of humour, Capell shows us that a simple guitar and voice can still be used in new ways.

Lead track 'Who Killed Smiley Culture?' is a dark song musically, but that sweet voice is always going to lighten it, even if some lyrics are a little sinister. The confidence in which she plucks a simple folk tune from her six-string, combines it with lyrics that could be spat over a hip-hop track, all with a strong punk undertone is truly something to behold, and is especially effective with the video which allows us a glimpse inside her world and helps ensure that everything makes sense. 'Plastic' is just slightly more conventional, but it's still carried out with conviction and some superb lyrics. Emily Capell is probably the artist that Lily Allen wishes she was; alternative, witty, current and fresh. Forgive me for getting excited, but I think a wonderful new talent has just arrived.



Emily Capell's website

Buy the single

Catch her live:

July 2  LONDON Water Rats
July 18  LONDON The Islington
July 29  LONDON Alleycat





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Obligatory Record Of The Day! Firestations - Never Closer

Single review by KevW

It's nice that a band admit to having "cryptic lyrics", because there are thousands of tracks out there whose meaning is essentially a matter of guesswork. So just what 'Never Closer' is about as a whole isn't quite clear, but it's not total gobbledygook either. In fact, if I were to offer a personal opinion, then Firestations have written a song that's about a relationship that's somewhat unsettled, leaving the vocalist in a state of limbo. As for the verses, well these are possibly from the Syd Barrett school of lyricism, and that is to say that they are open to interpretation and mildly psychedelic with it.

Really this style of writing is the perfect match for the Londoner's upbeat, dreamworld take on indiepop. The song floats gently by in a manner that's simultaneously subtle and engaging. Perhaps its the ringing guitars or the fact that the vocals are rarely allowed to pause or slow down. Pushed back in the mix are simple electronic beats which further enhance the unearthly quality. It may clock in at under three minutes, but for that brief period of time, you are taken out of whatever situation you happen to find yourself and placed in another world where it's forever twilight and you're permanently in that state between being asleep and being awake, and we all know that's a magical place to be.



Firestations' website

Catch them live:

11th - 14th July - Indiefjord (a festival next to a fjord near Alesund, Norway)





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