Half Eaten By Dogs - The Serfs

 

New album by thrilling Ohio trio via Trouble in Mind Records

In a world where pristine pop rules the mainstream - think Harry and Taylor - the trio from Cincinnati, Ohio of Dylan McCartney (vocals, guitar, bass), Dakota Carlyle (electronica, bass) and Andie Luman (vocals, synth), have curated a musical maelstrom of sound and wonder that is both thrilling to listen to and difficult to pigeon hole.

From the album opener, 'Order Imposing Sentence', this is a long player that is distinctive in tone and is happy to wear a multitude of influences on its sleeve from Depeche Mode in the post-Vince Clarke days before the stratospheric late 1980s run they enjoyed to that of Suicide. Its more like surf rock but howling at the moon as they ride the crest of the wave.

'Spectral Analysis' samples Air's 'Sexy Boy' as if it is a transmission from a by-gone era or another dimension and yet there is a thrust and drive to the album that should be applauded. This trio is sticking to its guns and shooting for the moon.

'Electric Like An Eel' has this pounding sound that is unrelenting and yet is infectious and bouncy; it is this constant contradiction and juxtaposition of genres taking place that is seemingly unsettling to a listener but also keeps them on their toes, unsurprisingly this was a single release of the album.

This refreshing album is great to hear and reminded this listener of new sounds discovered such as FACS and Activity - that unnerving distortive sonic soundscapes being created.

It does strike me that this is a band who are on the cusp of bigger and better things to come, and while this album is their third album it smacks of maturity and a keen sense of what direction they want to be going in. 

The simplest way to state this album is that it is electronica just not as you know it infused with punk goodness and thrashing guitars.

Half Eaten by Dogs is out on Friday 27th October via Trouble in Mind Records

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Tino 'Interpreting Clouds'

 

New album from Tino 'interpreting clouds' out today from Sound As Language 

Santino Gonzalez is a multidisciplinary artist from Los Lunas, New Mexico and covers a wide spectrum of artistic faculties which he incorporates into his work from painting to photography to this new album of material released from sound as language on 15th July

Bringing together a wealth of influence from the everyday social situations Tino finds himself passing from day to day; ranging from the history of the UFO sightings in the state to the stillness of time. Gonzalez has created an album indebted to the work of the king of ambient music, Brian Eno yet has crafted an album identifiable as something wholly unique.

The album is punctuated by pockets of radio static and home recordings created a collage of sound clash that is mysterious and improvisational, take for instance the track 'From the Sky' which takes microphones picking up static mixed with an electronic ambience to create something whole and spellbinding.

interpreting clouds (SAL out 15th July from sound as language.

Thank you to them for the review opportunity.

Oscar and the Wolf - The Shimmer

New album from Belgian artist Oscar and the Wolf out on 22nd October

The alter ego of Max Colombie returns in a new work with his contemporary influences of electronica and soulful RnB delivery colliding with the heritage of European electro-pop and beats.

Hailing from Belgium, his debut album Entity (2014) went platinum in his homeland selling out arenas in the lowlands. 2017 saw the release of Infinity that went gold and has helped garner him a huge fanbase in Turkey and beyond into the Middle East - Israel, Egypt and Iran.

The new album 'The Shimmer' is a culmination of his sound and vision crystallizing into a record of transformation and lo-fi perfection with bold and rich production entwined as he becomes a more mature artist.

Lead single and album opener, 'James' sounds like a dream in its structure and to Colombie it came in a dream, 'the complete structure, with the chords and a beat, a vocal melody, even lyrics - is multi-faceted all on its own', and this dream-like quality to his work can be appreciated as not only coffee-shop chic but desirable magic music.

Going from lamenting love songs such as 'Ghost of You' to the instrumental 'PIC' you are never far from a track that can be relatable and holds universal appeal to any listener, even the summery 'Live Stream' about falling for a movie star has this sense of unrequited love and is a well told short story in the lyrics

This album is not merely a work of music, but an experience that can help the listener and performer become one as they gravitate towards each other to seek understanding in this confusing day and age.

Reminiscent of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, for Colombie this is revered company to be mentioned in the same breathe as but a work of this maturity and dynamism deserves such platitudes.

The Shimmer is out from [PIAS] Recordings on October 22nd

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Mint Julep - In A Deep and Dreamless Sleep

New album from husband-wife duo Mint Julep, In a Deep and Dreamless Sleep out 19th March from Western Vinyl

Following on from 2019's sumptuous release Stray Fantasies, the duo of Hollie and Keith Kenniff return with a kaleidoscopic and dreamy shoegaze pop venture that is at times an extension of the previous album and a progression of the creative partnership.

From the album opener 'A Rising Sun' this is not merely an album but a mood piece of contemplation - the sun of the track is breaking through the fuzzy fog we as a listener may find ourselves in as we cope with the mounting pressures of a global pandemic and the stresses upon a person's mental health.

The rich harmonies between the two are on display on track two, 'Black Maps' with its pulsing underlying bassline and gorgeous vocals by Hollie. This track is perhaps the most familiar song structure from the pair, yet as Keith Kenniff explains, 'Our previous material tended to be structured largely in a verse/chorus setting, but these songs are more free flowing and through-composed with a focus on mood and texture.'

The ability to alter your songwriting structure from one means to another allowing the moment or feeling to navigate the song is expressed throughout the album as a shape-shifting quality rarely seen amongst groups. Yet if pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we have to learn to adapt to thrive or move forward in the post-Covid world.

The whole album seems and definitely feels like a construct of work from an alternative dimension or perhaps five minutes into the future; from the ethereal album cover featuring a multi-coloured mysterious shape dwelling near a cave - is it escaping or entering? - to the dreamy mood of psychedelia and imagination which runs the full gamut of spectrums available.

At times sparse but at other times highly emotive, this album has something for everyone and covers a range of mysticism through the use of synthesizers and guitars creating an absorbing ambient collection of romantic dream pop.

In A Deep and Dreamless Sleep is out 19th March from Western Vinyl 

Follow Mint Julep on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Robbie and Mona 'EW'

The dreampop duo Robbie and Mona release their debut album, EW, out on January 29th via Spinny Nights. 

The partnership of William Carkeet and Eleanor Gray, Robbie & Mona have found a vessel for their eclectic and atmospheric pop, combining hazy shimmering synths matched with Mona’s understated vocals.

The project began when William offered to produce Eleanor’s second album; that collaboration quickly transcended into the genesis of what is now Robbie & Mona. The majority of EW was recorded in the cellar of Bristol’s legendary The Louisiana, with additional bedroom recordings.

The album as a whole is a mystical and hypnotic collection of tracks for the alternative soundtrack to a film you have never seen before, or perhaps the greatest film David Lynch has never made.

Yet there was a far odder inspiration for this track, as Mona explains: “It’s about feeling quite passive and ghost-like, like you’re in the wrong realm, just an observer. The intro vocals were delivered without any thought in a bit of a daze.

“I think the tightness of the music was weirdly inspired by Napoleon Dynamite. We were watching it and really enjoyed how all the songs towards the end were just so deadpan.”

As members of that Bristolian collective Pet Shimmers, there is a fearlessness of combining sonic textures with familiar song structures, yet the songs carry that vibe of lo-fi indie. The album explores emotional complication and the feeling of alienation – it rewards multiple listens.

While Pet Shimmers are prolific, this wave of collectivism and collaboration is rife currently in British music - from that band to Black Country, New Road to the Glaswegian Nightshift - seemingly there is nothing wrong with having strength in numbers and in this currently mad world, the case for community and togetherness is more apparent and necessary.

This minimalist approach to composition helps create an atmospheric aura of work for this duo who embrace harmony and theatricality to wonderful effect.

From 'Queen Celine' a short nugget of fragmentation, a short story over a short running time with this beautiful clash of angry guitars by Robbie yet soulful vocals by Mona.

EW is out on January 29th from Spinny Nights records

The Green Child - Simmering Basset

 

New album from an Austro-American pairing - Raven Mahon and Mikey Young.

This insightful album of electronic and stipped back vocals is reminiscent to this listener of Ladytron and other electro pop bands of the mid-noughties; there is an earnestness to the music seemingly you have to listen to this music without being overbearing.

Lead single Fashion Light harnesses this energy of retro-futuristic with soundscapes of synthesizers and drum machines.

This lovely sound the pair create helped by Mahon's wistful delivery of the dreamy vocals make this a winning combination; harking back to the works of OMD, Tears for Fears and even the smooth vocals of Errol Brown and Hot Chocolate.

The band used to be a long distance collaboration with Mahon residing in California, before upping sticks and joining Young in his native Melbourne district. Moving on from their self-titled debut in 2018, this album shows a growth in the partnership living near each other and Mahon growing into a near place of familiarity and stability - the tightness of the band is evident in the work being created.

Raven explains further, “it feels more cohesive because over the year or so in which we wrote these songs I started to feel a desire to take the lyric writing part more seriously… my head is rooted in this new place now and that’s settled into the songwriting.”

From the flurry of 'Witness' to the album closer 'Double Lines' this is an album of melodic grandeur and musical expansion, a band ready to make a break for the big time; this is an album full of measured elegance from the exquisite production values to the dreamlike sound perfect for these dreary autumn weekends ahead.

Shimmering Basset is out from Upset The Rhythm on October 23rd.

My thanks to Mutante PR for the review opportunity

Private World 'Aleph'

Hailing from Cardiff, Wales; UK indie pop outfit Private World embrace the 1980s soundscape of new romantic folklore of Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran and Talk Talk.

As lead single Blue Spirit suggested, this is a band who are keen to share a specific sound that will resonate with old and new listeners, something that will stir emotions within the listener for a fondness with ear worm worthy tunes.


The album as a whole is not telling a story but bringing tunes injected with a loop of pleasing and pulsating electronic fare.

Birdy equals this pleasure with a cyclical rhythm providing a perfect marriage of vocals and instruments, helped by the expert vocals of Tom Sanders who along with Harry Jowett writes the music for the band.

Keen viewers and fans will be familiar with Hypnagogia, the song that shows the band as that right side of sheen and cool reminiscent of Roxy Music, smart suits and a confidence within their work. A band that is less look at me but you should listen to this.

Following in the footsteps of Video Age's Pleasure Line, this is a reminder that the early 1980s influence of pop writing is very much here to stay and one continually mined for work.


This is a great album and very much a confident debut by this band. Ones to watch when the world returns to normal, but for now keep it private.

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity

Mint Julep - Stray Fantasies

Wife and husband duo, Mint Julep, release new album Stray Fantasies on 31st January from Western Vinyl

Mint Julep are Hollie and Keith Kenniff, a partnership born out of a deep love for synthesisers and electro pop, and this has been curated towards the album Stray Fantasies, a twelve track album full of pop nuggets dripping with basslines, punching drums and electro heaven.

This can be expressed in the new single 'Escape' a disco tinged gem, and there are many exciting tracks on the album to discover from opening track 'Blinded' to 'Just For Today' a song that would not look out of place on Pet Shop Boys discography.




When listening to the album there is a buzz you get from enjoying it that you rarely feel with other electro-pop fare; the fizz of melodies coupled with Hollie's winning vocal delivery and the professional production makes this a winning combination in life and love.

All in all this will be a great album for fans of New Order and other electro pop trendsetters, and there are tracks ripe on her for remixing for the club scene as well as crossing over to indie darling-dom as the wave of shoegazing is here also.

Stray Fantasies is out on 31st January from Western Vinyl

My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity.

Annie Hart 'A Softer Offering'

Annie Hart's new solo album A Softer Offering is out on Friday 13th December.

Annie Hart is back with her latest solo record, and for the end of the year it is a lovely album perfect for reflecting upon the last hectic 12 months, when we are off work and give ourselves the chance to contemplate on the year past.

The nine-track album is a construction of beauty and effortless composition and yet full of sophistication and poetry; this is certainly for fans of Daughter, who encapsulate that pursuit for low-fi with a stylistic combination evoking wonder and awe.

Working with keyboards, synthesizers and electronica; Hart sets her stall out from the opening track 'Wilderness Hill' at times haunting, melodic yet charming in its balance, with an almost acapella vocal from Hart.

Hart herself states:

“I wanted to give listeners that chance to breathe, to relax.  A soundtrack for painting or lying in the grass. I thought a lot about what music I play for myself when I want to make a moment feel complete. There’s just something different when you play soft music during these ordinary spaces in life, and I wanted to make a soundtrack for that. Sounds that undulate in minimal movement, that you can pay very close attention to, or leave space around if you need to have your own thoughts.  I hope this record helps stretch those unfortunately rare times in our lives when we have moments to be peaceful.” 

Based in New York; Hart has written the most un-New York album you could imagine, one of softness compared to the epicness of the Big Apple. Her work as part of David Lynch favourites Au Revoir Simone has helped her branch into a glistening solo career. Her minimalistic style with pieces of new wave and shoe gazing culminates in her soundtrack work featuring on two 2020 film release 'Olympic Dreams' and 'Banana Split'.

Her ear for a good soundtrack can be heard on 'Longing to Care Less' a song that breathes as it slowly builds to crescendo, and the perfect marriage of vocal and sound is seen on 'Don't Breathe For Me' a song that sounds very much from the early 1980s - the stripped back nature of the composition is a winning combination.

'Clean Floors' is a wonderous track as Hart's vocals again take centre stage; a personal take on relationships which will be able to appeal to a wide audience as the song instructs you to pay attention to what this artist is saying without coming across pompous or clingy.

Hart is certainly an artist to watch out for, an album such as this deserves attention and patience; and if you are patient you will certainly return to this offering regularly; the potential offered in this album is startling, it is easy to see that Hart has a big future ahead of her, here is hoping this album can connect with a larger mainstream audience.

A Softer Offering is out on Friday 13th December on all streaming services.
My thanks to OneBeatPR for the review opportunity.