Five For Free #107

Liphemra - Young

She's a multi-talented one is Los Angeles resident Liphemra. With total artistic control over her music (she writes, plays, records, produces and mixes virtually everything herself) she's free to do whatever the hell she wants. Excitingly this includes not following any particular styles. So superb free track 'Young' is a hybrid of trip-hop, pop, jazz, rock, rap, electronica and psychedelia. And probably some other stuff too.


Liphemra's website





Superhumanoids - Too Young For Love 

Also basking in the L.A sun are relative pop veterans Superhumanoids who correctly describe their songs as "music to help kiss the doldrums away". Well the lovable alt-pop of 'Too Young For Love' does just that, with skittery electronics and quiveringly shimmery vocals. It's a heady mix of pop fun and makes you wander why they're not superstars as well as being Superhumanoids.



Superhumanoids' website

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Night Sins - The Eternal Giver

It was only last week that we gave you the brilliantly 80s goth of 'Spectral Bliss' from gloomy indie types Night Sins, but it turns out that if you head to their bandcamp page they're giving away another brace of tracks from cheerfully titled album 'New Grave'. It was almost impossible to split them, but we ended up going for 'The Eternal Giver'. Still, why not head over there and get both?


The Night Sins' website

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Sootytern - Get It Sorted

There seems to be a theme with bands from the Cumbria area being wildlife enthusiasts, although pop's most famous ornithologists British Sea Power are from down south. Sootytern (it's an exotic seabird) have an EP out called 'Ornithological Physics' and it involves mandolins and ukuleles and is generally irresistible off-kilter folk, as you can hear for yourselves on free track 'Get It Sorted'.


Sootytern's website

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Egyptian Hip Hop - SYH

It's been a funny old "career" for Manchester slackers Eygptian Hip Hop. First came the meandering instrumental demos, then an actual proper EP that hinted they may have some songs after all, then silence. Until now and new track 'SYH' which sits somewhere in between both previous incarnations. We're none the wiser as to what they're up to but it's a good track that builds into a very good track. So here it is.



Egyptian Hip Hop's website

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Nife - Chemicals

Album review by KevW

It's always encouraging when bands cite influences such as Faust, Can, Neu!, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, PJ Harvey... because you know that while they're unlikely to be as innovative, pioneering and iconic, it generally means that their heads are in the right place to set about producing music that's a little more diverse and less mundane than most acts who would come under the 'alternative' umbrella. So it was with hope and anticipation that we approached this debut album from Nife. The city of Bath isn't the first area that springs to mind when trawling through rock's extensive and wide-ranging musical heritage. So it's with a slight heavy heart that we find that this trio are highly unlikely to change that. Not with this album anyway.

Debut single 'Chemicals' is promising, a nice enough hunk of alt-rock with some guts, but it's about as experimental as a cheese and pickle sandwich. It gets worse. 'Information Overload' and 'Dregs' are more polished US chart rock than motorik sonic expeditions. 'Silence' begins promisingly, giving you a glimmer of hope that more interesting sounds may yet appear. This anticipation lasts seconds before being thoroughly destroyed. It might as well come with a dyed black fringe and a My Chemical Romance hoodie and sit in the corner sulking. The eight-minute 'Accident In Slow Motion' gives building an atmosphere a go, but does so with little more than some routine riffing and MTV2-friendly vocals, plus it goes on about eight minutes too long.

The next three tracks are passable if you're a teenage girl with a penchant for heavy eyeliner and Robert Pattinson. If 'Chemicals' was a football match then most of the crowd would have left by the time we reach the grand finale of 'If I Was Good' and they wouldn't be missing much. It's not nice to have to put down people's time, effort and passion, but as far as the promised list of influences goes Nife are way way off the mark and are marketing their music to the wrong people. With fingers crossed we hope they prove us wrong with a psychedelic, krautrock inspired follow-up, yet on this form we're not looking at Faust, Can and Neu!, we're looking at Evanescence, Paramore and the Twilight box-set.



Stream or download 'If I Was Good' for free by heading here

Nife's website

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Candidate - April Again

Single review by KevW

We were talking about genres just the other day. Well these four gentlemen from Brooklyn have decided that their sound should be described as "Dreamrock". We'll give them a D- for effort on that one, but it probably gets a B+ for accuracy. You'll already have an idea of which area of the music stratosphere Candidate inhabit. There are guitars, there's a dash of shoegaze, there are some hazy swooshes in the background. So, as expected, this is a bit like dreampop, only a fraction heavier. In fact in the olden days we'd have probably just called this psych-rock and been done with it, but Candidate want to steer their music into a slightly different plane so we'll allow them the slightly different description.

What's really in their favour is the fact that if a tune is good then who gives a toss what bracket it comes under? 'April Again' sure is good, living up to the promised sound, like a dreampop fruit punch at a kid's party that's secretly been spiked with something a little more intoxicating, it's all the fun it should be with an added edge. Their second album 'Psychic Dissonance From The Unself', which drops on October 15th, doesn't do quite so well in the name game, although we'll reserve judgement until we've heard it. It may sound like the title of an god-awful prog triple album from 1972 and diversification is promised, still, if half the songs are as good as 'April Again' then once again all will be forgiven. In short, this single is a top class piece of psych... uh, sorry, Dreamrock.



Candidate's website

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Hullabaloo - Landslide EP

EP review by KevW

Hullabaloo by name hullabaloo by nature? Well this six-strong Welsh collective are giving it a good go, throwing a multitude of instruments at these songs. No acoustic musings here, we're given riotous, punky, blues-rock on standout 'Found A New Way', it's akin to discovering your local pub band have found a source of inspiration and viality after years of mucking about with a pair of guitars and some brass. We're not quite talking the feral assault of The Sonics, but it's essentially a more sanitised version of a similar theme. As introductions go they could have done worse. For example by starting off with the tame terrace-chant of 'All Shapes And Sizes'. Nobody wanted a kiddy soul version of The Fratellis and it falls flat after the promising opener.

The title-track shocks them back into life though, it's also made in the fashion of a tidied up 60s garage/soul band, plus it sounds like it would be a killer live. A possible heavier direction is hinted at with the riffing 'Do You Think I'm Crazy Enough', another highlight and as close as they reach to punk rock. 'Leave This Town' has more than a twang of Madness about it, albeit one of their more thoughtful numbers. The up-tempo chorus comes as a surprise, yet it's reasonably average as a whole. Hullabaloo have the right ingredients to become a cracking band, but they're not quite there yet, at least not on record. It doesn't need much imagination to picture these songs and this group being a raucous live prospect already. The songs are good but what's needed studio-wise is a rocket up their arse and someone to drag the tunes through a hedge backwards so they begin to channel the greats that they no doubt aspire (and have the ability) to emulate. Watch this space.





Hullabaloo's website

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Saint Motel - Voyeur

Album review by KevW

They're a good band are Californians Saint Motel. They're also a bloody great band. When talking about David Bowie's appearance in his TV show Extras, Ricky Gervais recalled asking the Thin White Duke to write a song for the show that was something a bit like 'Life On Mars'. To which Bowie sarcastically replied "Oh OK, I'll just write another one of those shall I?" Of course if it were that simple then every one of his songs would be of that calibre. Duh! 'Voyeur' brings that story to mind because it's a very good indie-rock album on the whole, yet some of the tracks are amazingly good. There could have been no trouble picking the singles from this one, and if they could come up with a dozen like that they'd be sitting on a potential album of the year.

On the whole this album is solid, there are no real lulls, but the peaks stick out like Lionel Messi at a kids five-a-side contest. 'Feed Me Now' is a nice opener, letting us know that this is a cut above the typical alternative rock fare with its lush arrangements and exotic twirls; it's not another mundane group of blokes with guitars. Then they jump into the superb 'Benny Goodman', a song about the legendary bandleader, complete with crowd samples, clarinets and horns. It's undeniably brilliant and excitingly individual; a melody-fuelled realisation of how music can be impressive, fun and catchy. They follow it well with the decent, if a touch more routine 'Puzzle Pieces' and 'Daydream/Wetdream/Nightmare' does little more than keep things ticking over steadily and eclectically.

At this point they choose to drop in the magnificent '1997', a classic in waiting with so many hooks it makes Velcro look like cling film. It's a true highlight, packed with sentimentality, and overwhelmingly buoyant and just about impossible for them to top. The powerpop of 'Honest Feedback' does a commendable job of following the star of the show, but unless they come up with a 'Life On Mars' just about anything will feel like a step back. Bouncy indie/pop makes up the remainder of the record, and does so with aplomb, confidence and style. This is all above average but surging 'Hands Up Robert' and 'Stories' are mere reminders that they're capable of even better. Knocking an album because every track isn't world class is just plain foolish. 'Voyeur' is highly accomplished, bouncy and memorable indie/pop/rock. When it hits those heights it really is something else though.







Saint Motel's website

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Ummagma - Ummagma/Antigravity

Album reviews by Bloopie

Ummagma is the brainchild of Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist Alexx Kretov and Canadian vocalist Shauna McLarnon, a couple who record from their home studio in Ternopil, Ukraine. McLarnon, officially the band manager, is in charge of vocals and writing lyrics, while Kretov plays the variety of instruments as well as doing the mixing, recording and mastering.The duo's debut double album, titled 'Ummagma' and 'Antigravity', is brimming with thought-provoking tracks that touch upon a plethora of emotions through a versatile set of instruments and adventurous mix of genres, such as dreampop, progressive rock, and ambient.

An excerpt from the band's biography reads "a mixture of the ethereal and ambient with sublime resonance, beats and rhythm to create richly layered landscapes", and it accurately captures the essence of Ummagma's debut albums. Tranquil melodies flow effortlessly in the self-titled album 'Ummagma', and I'm immediately surprised that this is the work of inexperienced musicians. A refined and multifaceted musical junket follows with a host of delightfully upbeat songs, and not one seems misplaced or expendable throughout. With a rich use of instruments at the capable hands of Kretov, the album maintains a sense of fluency and rhythm, even as each song has its own distinct character and individuality. 'Risky', 'Rotation' and 'NIMBY' in particular sound like hit singles.While 'Ummagma' is packed with sweet, upbeat tunes, its final numbers 'Talk to Her' and 'J.S. Bach' wrap up an effervescent album on a subdued, mellow note, and that's where 'Antigravity' picks up.

'Antigravity' is a bit darker. Multi-layered, otherworldly sounds create a different kind of aura to the previous album, but it is even more lush with musical influences, and is equally beautiful. Tracks such as 'Micro Macro', 'Back to You', 'Colors' and '1+1=3' further explore the couple's more lugubrious musical side, with memorable downbeat, ghostly melodies. The one thing I found to be reptitive is the use of a fadeout effect; the albums oozes creativity and imagination, yet many tracks end with an anticlimactic fadeout effect that feels disappointingly unpolished in comparison. Ummagma's first time effort is impressive, having released two lovely debut albums in one go. Kretov and McLarnon have shown how well they can blend different genres and create something exceptional independently. Surely there is plenty more to come from this Ukraine-based two-piece.





Ummagma's website

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L.A. Salami - The Scene

Single review by KevW

Lookman Adekunle Salami is quite a name, shortened to its initials it sounds more like a Californian delicatessen, but this only serves to add to the fact that L.A. Salami isn't your regular artist and doesn't fit you regular scenes or styles. As a rule, when talent such as this appears they either sink without track or quickly develop a buzz with gigs noted for the presence of other music stars and celebrities, keen to hear what the fuss is about (and of course be seen in the right place at the right time). Although here at The Sound Of Confusion we're new to the unique charms of Mr Salami, it seems that since last autumn's debut single the gentle hum of media attention has reached quite a volume. It may not be long before the odd L.A. star is seen at one of L.A's gigs.

New single 'The Scene' is pure tune. It doesn't quite fit a particular category, more a continuation of classic songwriting. The lyrics are sharp and cleanly sung in his light estuary tones, brushed drums shuffle, bass plods and guitars are both strummed and plucked. You could call it jaunty but that would seem derogatory, you could compare it to early Jack Penate , but that would have the same effect. Salami is worthy of acclaim and 'The Scene' is catchy and classy and natural. It's fairly unordained which leaves the song to speak for itself, gimmick and polish free. It is what it is, and what it is should be celebrated as a triumph of songwriting and recording over studio flair and bandwagon jumping. Keep L.A. Salami and his team just as they are, whichever super-producers should happen to come knocking.



L.A Salami's website

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