New Music Round-up
We’ve been away. We’re back. Sort of.
We checked our mail bag; it was overflowing with music.
And so the new music round-up begins again…
Dead Cockroach - Democracy is Over
Democracy is over? As Moz once said, it never really began. Dead Cockroach are a Chilean rock trio influenced by bands (I won’t say who) currently not producing anything anywhere near as immediate or hook-rich as Democracy is Over. For best results, put on repeat for about half an hour.
Willie J Healey - HD Malibu
High class surf rock (official Willie J Healey-approved genre labelling) from Oxford, by way of a distant guitar sound reverberating through a medium-sized conch into the ear of a cocktail-sipping, beach-lying music fan experiencing blissful contentment. The EP, HD Malibu, is out on May 11th. Enjoy the sounds, but hope he doesn’t move in next door.
Dear Neighbour,
I’m writing to apologise for my recent behaviour, and to set the record straight on a few things. It turns out that sound-proofing a garage is pretty damn hard and to get the guitar tone I like I have to turn my amp up all the way, otherwise it sounds like the beach boys throwing up. All at the same time. In harmony. I’m sure you understand. I am particularly embarrassed about the burger wrapper that blew into your pond. Who knew fish would want to eat that stuff? Anyway, I hope they’re now ok. I think I’ve managed to recover all of the clothes that were taken from your clothes-line. I personally didn’t find it funny when Eddy dressed up in your wife’s clothes, but you’re only 20 once.
Unfortunately the midnight tones are essential - but I’ll be more selective about who I invite over in the future. I’ll also try to be more careful about knocking your bins over with my car. The trouble is that it’s quite long and really awkward to turn. Oh and for those who asked, I call it surf rock. But whatever, Homemade stuff all sounds the same to me.
Come hang with me sometime.
Willie
Janice Prix - Rain
There’s a Frenchness to their name, even though they’re actually from Sweden (and a small town more used to producing grim hardcore and metal than shiny pop), and a Phoneix-ness to their sound (maybe a bit of Beat Connection thrown in). There’s even some French spoken-word in the break.
En tout, c’est magnifique!
Murder Shoes - Maybe You Can
Maybe You Can is the lead single from the self-titled debut EP from Minneapolis, MN, indie and surf rock band Murder Shoes. Haunting guitar echoes bounce off driving drums and a call and response that grows less playful, more sinister the longer it continues. Murder Shoes is out on May 1st on Land Ski Records.
Summer Heart - The Cross
Beat of Your Heart gave us a friendly hug and twirl earlier in the year, and now here’s The Cross, also taken from the Thinkin of U EP, to high five us, say nice things about our new togs and generally make us feel happy that this life is happening to us right now, and that we have Summer Heart providing part of the soundtrack.
Vanbot - Seven
Super-slick Swedish synth-style! Seven is a taster of the second album by Vanbot. There ought to be two Vanbot albums already but a crisis of confidence led to the follow-up to a self-titled debut being canned in 2013. Sometimes, though, great things can come from the not saying, and the not releasing - from destruction and rebirth.
Perfect Storm was produced/mixed by Johannes Berglund (The Knife, Shout Out Louds), and written by Vanbot, co-written with Jan Kask (Say Lou Lou, Tove Styrke) and Adam Olenius (Shout Out Louds).
Perfect Storm is out on May 15th.