The Zolas - Ancient Mars

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com

There are many theories about the history of the planet Mars, not least whether or not it was formerly inhabited, and these have been fuelled by recent probes that appear to confirm that water was indeed present on The Red Planet. 'Ancient Mars' talks of other mysteries too, including the pyramids and time travel, but it's a more recent mystery that's inspired the video. Vancouver duo The Zolas first released the album 'Ancient Mars' in 2012, but are now giving the title-track, an easy yet well-crafted indie-rock song, a release as a single.

The video is inspired by the case of Elisa Lam, a friend of a friend of the band, who went missing on a trip to LA last year. Mysteriously her body was found in the water tank at the top of a hotel and accidental drowning was given as the cause of death. Dig deeper and you find that the hotel has a history of suicides and murders, and CCTV footage filmed shortly before her disappearance shows her behaving very strangely, almost as if she's hiding from and communicating with an unseen entity. All of which makes for a fascinating story, but when it results in the passing of a girl with the rest of her life ahead of her it's more a tragedy than anything else. Perhaps some comfort can be taken in the fact that she now has a very good song and carefully filmed video dedicated to her.





The Zolas' website

Buy the album

Catch them live:

Apr 02 Mavericks, Ottawa, Canada
Apr 05 Lee's Palace, Toronto, Canada





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Luke Elliot - Benny's A Bum

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com

Hailing from New Jersey, singer-songwriter Luke Elliot initially recorded this song for the film of the same name which won the 2012 Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, so you could perhaps expect something a little cinematic, although that's not quite Elliot's style. After releasing a debut EP in 2010, another EP, 'Provisions', is set for release in May this year with 'Benny's A Bum' being the first single. If you missed the EP and have yet to hear the man's music, then you can expect this to appeal to fans of Tom Waits, Nick Cave and others who deal in gritty, experimental alt-rock; however, there is a slightly more delicate undertone to this song that may also fit with less dark songsmiths (both Rufus Wainwright and Elliot Smith have been used as comparisons).

This track has the kind of iron-throated delivery that yields real passion and feeling, and may be the result of the fact that Elliot is often pictured with a cigarette in his hand (call it whiskey-soaked as well if you want other clichés). This stuttering number is driven by piano and walks a weighty path with a few coarse guitar licks added for extra power. Lyrically we hear about caskets and graves; it's not a light-hearted track by any stretch of the imagination, but it captures a feeling perfectly, and that will have been the goal. If you were to hear Grinderman or Mark Lanegan cover this song and were told it was an original then you'd have no reason to doubt it. On the strength of this, Luke Elliot deserves to be mentioned in those kind of circles.



Luke Elliot's website





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Simian Ghost - Echoes Of Songs (For Trish Keenan)

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com

When the news arrived that Trish Keenan had passed away aged just 42 in 2011, it was met with both shock and much more sadness than many departed musicians. Not just because she was so young, but because her band, Broadcast, were loved by pretty much the whole music world. Few groups receive such universal acclaim. The sadness was made worse by the fact that they may well have had much more great music in them yet, and also because they never reached the level of commercial success they deserved. A version of the group still exists today with just one founding member, but the loss of Trish will be tough to cover for. Their influence on other musicians and bands became clear though, and many expressed their grief at the loss of a woman that many of them will never have even met.

Swedes Simian Ghost are one such band, and their own songs, although varied, do share the same sonic space as Broadcast, as well as the diversity, as they change from drones to dreampop to indiepop to experimental electronic sounds, much like the adored Birmingham group. This particular tribute does, as you may expect, owe a bigger debt than usual. It even opens with the line "Sometimes I think that I've stolen every song". 'Echoes Of Songs' is quite beautiful, from the rumbling drum fills to the glistening sheen that coats the entire track; but it's the female vocals and the style that tie it in closest to the music of Broadcast. This is a wonderful track in its own right, and is more than a copy, it's an acknowledgement of the influence of a band and a lady who every good music fan should know a lot more about.



Simian Ghost's website

Buy the single

Catch them live:

Feb 10 Old Blue Last, London, United Kingdom
Feb 13 Sound Control, Manchester, United Kingdom
Feb 14 Oakford Social, Reading, United Kingdom
Feb 15 Start The Bus, Bristol, United Kingdom
Mar 10 Threadgills / Dayparty, Austin, TX
Mar 14 Hi Hat / Red eye transit SXSW Day Party, Austin, TX  
Mar 28 Nationernas hus/Klubb din mamma, Linkoping, Sweden  
Apr 04 Klubb Republik, Norrköping, Sweden  
Apr 11 Scharinska, Umea, Sweden  
May 01 Hush hush club, Jonkoping, Sweden  
May 02 Debaser Strand, Stockholm, Sweden  
May 03 ATG, Gavle, Sweden





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The Battles Of Winter - A Blackout For The Bloodsuckers

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com

The story of The Battles Of Winter seems like a relatively long and complex one for a band who are yet to release their debut album. Formed in London but now apparently "scattered far and wide", they've had their sound compared to Interpol, Echo & The Bunnymen, The National and The Doors. We can't argue too much with that lot, however, going of new single 'A Blackout For The Bloodsuckers' we'd have to add something a little more visceral, a little more fuzzy to the mix to paint a better picture. Maybe a more post-punk version of someone like Crocodiles would be a fitting addition, or maybe The Cult produced by A Place To Bury Strangers. They do have their own sound though, albeit one that's made up from parts of alternative rock music's expansive history. They also sound absolutely huge.

The album is to be called 'Standing At The Floodgates', and just to spread their story a little further, it's being released by the dependable Irish label Ruby Music, so somehow or other they've made it across that stretch of water, perhaps as they scattered far and wide... 'A Blackout For The Bloodsuckers' is a driving and thumping song that lets nothing stand in its way; this feels like a band who are full of confidence, and this may be the result of having had so long to gel and hone their sound. As with so much in the music world, luck will play its part. But should this song (or album, assuming the quality is of a similar level) get heard by some people in influential places, then there's no real reason why The Battles Of Winter can't become one of those names that future new bands will be compared to.





The Battles Of Winter's website

Buy the single

Catch them live:

Fri, Feb 7, Sebright Arms, London, United Kingdom





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Luna Green - Mother Sent You Here

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com

We heard about Swedish artist Luna Green with her single 'Goblins Fruit' back in the summer, but information was scarce. Since then a few more details have come to light, and there's now a web presence for those who wish to follow her. In November her self-titled debut album was released through Swedish label National and also with the help of Parlophone, so with the big names wanting a piece of the pie you can be reasonably sure there's potential for significant inroads to be made. The first two tracks we heard suggested that Luna Green could well gain favour with those in charge of organisations like Radio 2 and Uncut magazine. There is an instant accessibility to what she does, but the songs are strong enough not just to fade into a beige background soundtrack; there's a marked quality to this music.

New single 'Mother Sent You Here' solidifies what we thought back then: it is radio friendly, it won't offend your Gran and it won't spawn a new genre of music. This is classy pop music that's made with a conventional band set-up - you could almost call it indie even, although the strong pop overtones just about prevent that. 'Mother Sent You Here' has a spooky quality to it as well, and this is one of the factors that elevates it above other potential Radio 2 fodder. The ambience is a little bleak with a quivering "don't send me back" ending the track and the instrumentation being rich and given just enough edge to build something less flimsy than others who attempt similar sounds. Luna Green could deservedly do very well for herself.



Luna Green's website

Buy the album

Catch her live:

Sat, Feb 8, Skottvångs Gruva





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Making Marks - Bruises

Single review by soul1@thesoundofconfusion.com

We've been here before and we'll surely be back again. Scandinavian indiepop is a regular fixture round these parts, and somehow the bands just keep coming. There's a little confusion as to what we can tell you about Oslo band Making Marks, four people whose website says "Norwegian indiepop since 2007", but whose Facebook page says "...we started in 2012...". Well, as far as the music goes these facts won't disrupt your listening pleasure, and it certainly is a pleasure. However long they've been together, Making Marks will be releasing their debut album 'A Thousand Half-Truths' next week. Perhaps there's a certain irony in the title of that one...

Single 'Bruises' is pretty much what you'd expect from guitar-pop made in that part of the world; they're not pretending otherwise and neither will we. The melodies are what will catch your ear, the recognizable shuffle and jangle will be as familiar as listening to one of your favourite albums. That said, there's not really another song that this sounds like; all the parts may be well used, but Making Marks haven't borrowed the actual song, and so we can't say they're ripping anyone off, it's more a case of knowing what they like and knowing how to get it. If you like pop, if you like guitars, and if you like good songs, then you'll like 'Bruises'. It really is as simple as that.



Making Marks' website

Buy the album





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Five For Free #260

Yuri's Accident - Lights (On Her Eyes)

More sounds from Greece, although Yuri's Accident are currently based in London after forming in Athens around four years ago. 'Lights (On Her Eyes)' is the band's first proper single and video and shows them exploring the realms of driving alt-rock with just a touch of new-wave thrown in to set them apart from the pack. A bold and confident introduction.





Yuri's Accident's website





My Gold Mask - Battles

Chicago trio My Gold Mask have also been listening to a little new-wave and possibly some of the noisier shoegaze bands, as they make their own, modern sounding version of alternative pop music that's sharp, full-on and pretty relentless. However, they never lose sight of the tune amongst the barrage of sound that they send your way on 'Battles'.



Download 'Battles' for free by heading here

My Gold Mask's website

Buy the single

Catch them live:

Feb 07 Subterranean, Chicago, IL
Mar 11 SXSW - Chicago Made (official) TBA, Austin, TX





Passenger Peru - Dirt Nap

It was just last week that we featured 'Heavy Drugs' by Brooklyn band Passenger Peru, and now here's another free track from their new, self-titled album which got its release this week. 'Dirt Nap' keeps things interesting and makes sure that these guys aren't just going down the regular indie route, as they make use of sounds and rhythms from further afield.



Passenger Peru's website

Buy the album





Hemmit - Everything Is Fine

Over on the other side of the US, powerpop duo Hemmit are unleashing their third album 'Antimatter'. They don't mess around on freebie 'Everything Is Fine', taking a punky, garage-rock sound and smashing through just under two-minutes of noisy guitar-pop that contains enough energy to power the recording studio of its own accord.





Hemmit's website

Buy the album





Long Distance Runners - Can't Breathe

'Can't Breathe' is a heartfelt tale of lost love from the debut album by Sweden's Long Distance Runners. 'We Will Never Know' was released at the end of last year, and the powerful and emotive indie of this free track shows a band with a grand vision and the ability to see it through. There's the potential here for these guys to become much bigger news.



Long Distance Runners' website

Buy the album





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