Sunless ‘97 - Body Weather
The best music I’ve heard for ages. This has been stuck in my head all week.
“The loose direction of the almost atonal melody is loose: Body Weather teases conformity, securing itself in the realms of originality. Flavours comparable to the likes of Neon Indian and Broadcast combined develop a summery haze of sound. This is a great track, inspiring the mind to wander.” - Jenner Cole (Vulture Hound)
Neither Mancunian, nor orchestral, Manchester Orchestra are from Atlanta and play loud/quiet grunge. Nothing new then, but fans of the Pixies and Weezer love them.
Having blown us away with the previous album, what looks like being a more refrained record (but still full of soul), should catapult this band into stardom.
“This song is simply brilliant. It’s everything I love about Manchester Orchestra and I’m really pleased. I was excited for the new record before. Now I cannot wait.”
- Tim Malden
(Song: I Will Remain)
The five-piece are scorched with a sound that combines a woozy, day-dreaming California with a muscular updating of English pastoral folk; the cultured, straw-scratched vocal of Matthew Hegarty backed by tender vocal harmonies and rolling banjo lines.
The band are building a committed live following in London – selling out the Lexington with their first ever headline show earlier this year. They have recently finished a UK tour with Mumford & Sons and released there second EP ‘Kingdom Of Your Own’ in November selling out The Borderline for the launch.
“The band weave a delightful web, most obviously from some beautifully written, impeccably arranged songs and Hegarty’s aforementioned vocals, but also Lindsay West’s perfectly complementary backing vocals, some lively banjo and suitably understated accordion.”
- Chris Helsen (RockFeedback)
Visions of Trees are two London musicians who became friends over the summer of 2009 and began recording together in a local basement shortly afterwards. Their sound is a disembodying reconfiguration of tribal-electronica, awash in echoing techno-ambience with vocals that range between cavernous and soothing. Good for meditation, catharsis, transcendance, epiphany, celebratory dance or any number of things that won’t easily let you split your attention.
“Visions of Trees are Joni and Sarah, a brilliant two-piece from London who make hazy tropical pop music that shares a similar woozy electronic mood to Teengirl Fantasy, only swamped in Liz Fraser-esque vocals.”
- Joel Wright (Vice)
(Song: The Wilhelm Scream)
Blake provides a masterclass in the use of space and silence to create a sense of emotional heaviness. With just a brush of piano, the clack of percussion, and a ghostly aura of sub bass, the downbeat emotion of the record more than warrants attention. Truly astounding.
Make sure you have this in your arsenal of albums.
“‘One thing the world really doesn’t need is another straightforward singer-songwriter. It could do with invention and originality, with music that sounds utterly of the moment, in that you struggle to imagine it being made at any point in time before now: precisely the qualities James Blake has.”
- Alexis Petridis (The Guardian)
Buy HERE (Rough Trade) or HERE (Banquet Records)
Album Sampler…
‘Demons’, the new single from the Northamptonshire four-piece extravagantly named Fenech-Soler, is a sparkly-but-classy sequinned cocktail dress of dance-pop.
“‘Demons’ is another catchy chorused number with pounding dance beats and an especially prominent bass which underpin multiple layers of synths and infectious ‘ooh’ backing vocals throughout.”
- Hannah Spencer (contactmusic.com)
