You Said Strange - EP2

Article by Del Chaney

Following on from their four-track, epic debut entitled 'EP1' back in April 2015, Normandy-based psych-gazers You Said Strange are about to release another jaw-dropping collection of psych-induced tracks on the interestingly titled 'EP2'. The band are made up of Eliot, Matthieu, Martin, Paul and Hector, and they collectively create a stunning mix of psych-rock and vividly expressive shoegaze that's peppered with sublime melodic melancholy.

The EP opens up with the impressive 'Brain', the longest track on this entire release by far. 'Brain' builds from the off with a shuffling drum track and jangling guitar progressions. It meanders through its sonic algorithms with ease and brings the listener on a tripped-out voyage through musical peaks and troughs with swirling, hypnotic guitars carefully enveloping the brilliant reverb-drenched vocal lines. A stunning opening track that will surely interest the avid psych-gazing fan. Up next, 'Youri's Night' floats into the sonic ether with aplomb, as that shimmering, chariot-like guitar track carries the melodic vocal line like some kind of sonic god. This track explodes into a wall of layered guitars, pounding drums and addictive lead progressions as it swerves through clouds of beautifully golden reverb-induced frequencies.

'Just Wait' has a subtle '60s psych feel as its opening chord progressions fill this listener's ears. The introduction of a shimmering tambourine and another impressive vocal track adds atmosphere as the track builds and swirls into a melodic ball of sonic delight. Another impressive track from an already impressive EP. Track four, 'Rust', jangles into earshot and I'm reminded of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Spacemen 3 as the shuffling drum pattern fixes itself to the earth, thus allowing the instrumentation to soar, carrying that spaced-out vocal line as it does. Simply stunning! The EP's closing track, 'Tilleli', screams '60s psych as it rides a droning, swirling guitar, repetitive drum pattern and that impressively sounding Middle Eastern flourish. I even think that I can hear a banjo in the mix as that magically sounding vocal production loops and arcs throughout the sonic sphere and builds into a magical maelstrom of beautifully textured sound. An absolutely, no holds barred, immense finale to a brilliant EP. Recommended listening!







You Said Strange's website





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Lionlimb - Shoo

Article by KevW

There are albums which hit you upon first listen, wowing you with their charm instantly, while others can take several plays before the goodness that lies within is truly revealed. The debut from Lionlimb manages to impress right away, and also continues to grow and become seemingly richer over time, and this is surely the mark of an album that's built to withstand the test of time. Stewart Bronaugh and Joshua Jaeger (who are also members of Angel Olsen's band) began writing 'Shoo' in 2012, with piano and drums gradually being built upon with layers of sound. These layers would eventually be peeled back to create the record we can hear today.

'Shoo' is something of a musical stew, rich and thick with ideas that are influenced by jazz, rock and soul amongst other things. It's difficult not to be reminded of vintage Stevie Wonder or Curtis Mayfield at times, with a heavy use of a Fender Rhodes lending a classic vibe. 'God Knows' is both chilled and powerful, with loose, big beats, flashes of guitar and a relaxed, soulful vocal style. It's very much a blueprint for what follows, although there's no formula as such. There are also echoes of Miles Davis and certain Beatles and Frank Zappa tracks to be found on the album (some of the guitar breaks could be from George Harrison).

Lionlimb combine these retro stylings with more recent big beat and even trip-hop production (think early Portishead). It's a heady brew of different influences but never appears muddled, and single 'Domino' is a prime example. Another single, 'Turnstile', in a real treat, using chilled brass and frazzled guitar interludes to whip up a comparative sonic storm and really shows the duo's genre-blending vision at its best. You could throw a dart at this album and find a potential single though, from the potent mix of 'Ride', through the jazzy vibe of 'Tinman' (which is what Broken Bells have been trying to sound like for the past few years), the bouncing 'Lemonade' and the laid-back 'Crossroad'. 'Shoo' is really an album that deserves to be heard and will likely hit the right notes with fans of many different styles thanks to its musical cross-pollination. A warm wonderland of aural delights.







Lionlimb's website

Buy: 'Shoo'





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Mothers - When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired

Article by KevW

Some bands seem to cling rigidly to specific genres, even to specific song structures, but Mothers, while not necessarily be overly diverse, are not easy to categorise, and their songs don't follow any particular set of rules. The word "meander" can often imply a lack of direction, yet the Athens, Georgia group's music meanders along with all the space and time in the world, but is certainly not devoid of direction. You don't have to be some kind of rebellious anarchist to cock a snook to the rule book.

You could perhaps tag Mothers as some kind of new/alt/quirky folk group, especially on tracks like 'Too Small For Eyes' which utilises sparse mandolin with occasional piano chords, strings and beautifully delicate arrangements, but it's followed by the excellent 'It Hurts Until It Doesn't' where electric guitars and full drums steer them closer to alt-rock, and this is a pattern that runs throughout debut album 'When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired'. There's nothing disjointed about these tracks though, they fit together wonderfully, with the aching vocals of Kristine Leschper binding everything together. Often, the music gradually swings from one idea to the next in the course of a single song, meaning that you never quite know what's around the corner, and also showing the bounty of ideas that these guys have.

'Copper Mines' is thoughtful, intricate and engaging, and is (like the album as a whole) simply on a different level to most indie/rock/folk artists doing the rounds. It takes a special skill to draw songs out past the five minute mark and keep them compelling and interesting, especially when the tempo is slow and there are no obvious hooks or choruses, but Mothers do it time and again. 'Nesting Behavior' is a thing of beauty that's buoyed by its uncrowded and unhurried arrangements and delivery, and the same goes for the simmering fuzz of 'Lockjaw'. There's a countryish twang to the quietly sweeping and atmospheric 'Burden Of Proof', where the arrangement is inch-perfect yet again. The standard is never allowed to slip, not for one second, making this record about as consistently great as they come. 'When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired' is a slow-burning masterwork of deceivingly epic proportions and a stealthily mighty debut.







Mothers' website

Buy: 'When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired'





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PREMIERE: Gold Light - Arm's Length

Article by KevW

We weren't the only ones to mention the '50s element to Gold Light's music, with 2013's debut album drawing comparisons to Roy Orbison (and if you're going to write a heartbreak album, there's probably nobody better to channel). Songs like 'True Love Never Dies' made doo-wop sound elegantly wasted but lovelorn and tattered with it. New album 'Visions' (released on March 11th through Hearts & Plugs) builds on this, incorporating post-punk (especially on 'Rosebush' and the excellent 'Grey Eyes', where the shadows of Echo & The Bunnymen and The Cure loom large) and modern day Americana, while lyrically life's big questions are tackled, bringing confusion and heartache of a different kind.

That may seem a bit heavy and depressing, but the end result is quite different. Take single 'Arm's Length' for example. It may hint at some kind of existential crisis, of laying awake at night as you "try to find some meaning", in a world where it seems "that God is a place just outta reach", but these moments can often come with an epiphany of some kind, and the realisation that "there's beauty in being". A gently shuffling beat and the eerie effects of reverb mean that 'Arm's Length' is filtered through the gauze of dreampop and has a richness of sound that compliments the unhurried delivery. Guitars seem to float and hover in the background, bringing themselves to the fore when needed, and making the whole song feel effortless and natural rather than rigidly constructed in any way. 'Arm's Length' is beautifully shimmering and haunted, and given that it's not alone in harbouring such qualities, 'Visions' could be the sound of a band on the cusp of a breakthrough.







Gold Light's website





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Tales of Murder and Dust - The Flow Inbetween

Article by Del Chaney

Formed in 2007, Danish psych-gazing five piece Tales Of Murder And Dust create stunning soundscapes of immense proportions that continuously push the boundaries of our psychedelic awareness. Vocally sublime, they meld together a subtle brand of dark shoegaze with psych rock to create an impressive cacophony of sound that includes pounding drums, waves of droning and noisy guitars, violins, sitars and impressive organ swells. Their latest album, ‘The Flow In Between’, gets its official release on the 23rd March 2016 via the brilliant London-based Fuzz Club Records and is available to pre-order right now from their website

The opening track on this impressive release is ‘Tidal Waves’. Creeping, maleficent percussion and dark guitar swells entice the hauntingly brilliant violin to loop and arc throughout the sonic atmosphere as the introduction of intermittent drum hits adds intensity. When the vocal arrives it does so on a wave of beautiful noise thats reminiscent of some religious choir holed up in a cavernous church hall with its layers of impressive vocals dripping wet with stunning reverb. A deliciously sublime whirling drone, riding a hypnotically tempestuous shuffling drum pattern, heralds the arrival of track two, ‘Black Reflections’, and with it comes that undeniably addictive floating vocal line, hauntingly swirling within a dark melodic sonic stew. ‘Black Reflections’ hits you right between the eyes, awakening something rather special. Track three, ‘The Devil Is A Poet’,  drags itself into the sonic ether on a wave of impressive guitars, soaring organ swells, sparse percussion and hypnotic tambourine hits. Reminiscent at times to Spacemen 3 or Sean Cook’s (Ex-Spiritualized) Lupine Howl with its opiate-induced vocal production, ‘The Devil Is A Poet’ is a shuffling slab of sonic darkness personified.

Up next, ‘Mirror’ sweeps into view and brings with it a certain feeling of unease as a dark, brooding cacophony of droning guitars, haunting vocal lines and steading drums collectively gives off a processional feeling. This is another impressive track, full of widescreen cinematic qualities and intense musical atmospherics. A throbbing bass line, hiding a subtle droning guitar leads us into track four, the explosive ‘Sisters’. As a swirling vocal progression intertwined within a melodic ball of noise greets the listener, this track unfolds into something magical with its melodic violins, pounding drums and delightful sonic peaks and troughs. Track five, ‘Distoretd Ways’, is nine minutes plus of mind inducing psychedelic brilliance. This track is a vivid maelstrom of droning guitars, haunting sitars and violins, hypnotic explosive drum patterns and that circumnavigate that impressive swirling vocal progression. A masterpiece of epic proportions and possibly my favourite track on this entire release.

Squalling feedback announces the arrival of the album's closing track, ‘Endless Repetition’, as that dark hypnotic vocal progression grabs you, pulling you into a swirling whirlwind of golden orchestral instrumentation and beautifully constructed musical progressions. That swirling drone works its magic, stirring the entire sonic composition with aplomb, adding atmosphere and bringing up new psychedelic visions with each reverberating pass.

This entire collection of tracks is an edge of your seat, no holds barred, sonic journey of psychedelic discovery. Simply put... this album is sublime!





Tales of Murder and Dust's website

Buy: 'The Flow Inbetween'.





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The Sound Of Confusion Radio Show - March 16th 2016

Sundays at 8pm UK, repeated at 8pm EST on Primal Radio



Tracklist:

SULK – The Tape Of You  

Pre-order 'No Illusions' (album)

The Two Tens – Watching Me  

Buy: 'Watching Me'

Crown Plaza – Staring At The Wall  

Free download: 'Staring At The Wall'

Dazy Crown – Honeydew  

Free download: 'Honeydew'

Flowers – Intrusive Thoughts  

Buy: 'Intrusive Thoughts'

The Raveonettes – Run Mascara Run  

Buy: 'Run Mascara Run'

Obligatory Record Of The Week: Nada Surf – Cold To See Clear  

Buy: 'Cold To See Clear'

The Cabin Fever – Agoraphobic  

Buy: 'Agoraphobic'

Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros – No Love Like Yours  

Buy: 'No Love Like Yours'

EAT – Byker Lime Slicer

Buy: 'Byker Lime Slicer'  

Psychobaby – Believer  

Buy: 'Believer'

Labradors – Paws  

Buy: 'Paws'

The Joy Formidable – The Last Thing On My Mind  

Buy: 'The Last Thing on my Mind'

Plaudits – Reasons  

Buy: 'Reasons'

Bolywool – Glorious Failure

Buy: 'Glorious Failure'





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The Underground Youth - Mademoiselle

Article by Del Chaney

The Underground Youth are something of a musical enigma. This Manchester four-piece have been collectively creating a heady blend of shoegaze, post-punk and psych-rock with ease since 2008 to produce an overall sound so hypnotically mesmerising that I'm constantly floored every single time that I hear them. The band originally self-released their third stunning long-player entitled 'Mademoiselle' back in 2010 and now it's getting the full-on vinyl treatment courtesy of the ever consistent London based Fuzz Club Records and is available right now via their website. 

'Mademoiselle' begins with the intensely vivid 'Hope & Pray'. This opening track snakes its way through the musical landscape on a wave of tambourine shakes, subtle percussive hits, shimmering guitars and that instantly recognisable vocal courtesy of Craig Dyer. I'm transfixed with 'Mademoiselle', the self-titled second track on this impressive release. It lazily meanders on an addictive guitar progression that swirls around that impressive vocal line before it cleverly injects some distortion into the chorus, thus balancing everything out nicely. The metronomic 'Underground' hypnotises you from the off, whilst 'Olya's Song' is a beautiful slice of dreamy, melodic brilliance. Vocally heart-wrenching in its entirety but jam-packed full of sonic finesse none the less, the atmospheric cover version of the endemic Spacemen 3 track 'Lord Can You Hear Me?' shimmers and radiate,s while the pentatonic 'Crash (BSA Jam)' introduces us to a full drum kit for the first time, albeit with the obligatory hypnotic percussion track and tambourine accompaniment, collectively shuffling through their sonic gears alongside the impressive lead guitar attack.

'Iggy The Eskimo' echoes in a world of spacious reverb as the sparse guitar progressions and that radiant vocal track hug each other intently. It's a stunning track. There's a subtle menacing drone teetering on the outer fringes of 'Une Saison En Enfer' that vies for this listener's attention as the instrumentation builds and that hypnotic psych-induced vocal track cuts the sonic tension like a sharp knife. Up next, 'Hedonism' swims in a sea of swirling, reverberating sound waves, repetitive up-tempo drum patterns and shimmering guitars, whilst 'Feel So Free' calms proceedings down considerably to a golden acoustic-hued lustre.

The album's closing track, 'Mercury Guitar', has an interesting post-rock edge, intertwined with a stunningly atmospheric but insanely experimental psych-rock swirl that grabs your attention from its very first note. An impressive finale to a very impressive album.







The Underground Youth's website

Buy: 'Mademoiselle'





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