Milk Maid - Mostly No

Released: 5^th July 2012

Label: FatCat Records

One of the first bands I reviewed when Little Comments started has now released their second album. Milk Maid is a project started by frontman Martin Cohen and he put out a number of songs at home, and mixed it all himself. Mostly No is Milk Maid’s second album, following on from debut Yucca, and it’s a really great listen.

I remember my main gripes with Yucca were how low-fi it was and the lack of variety in the songs. It certainly had potential, but I felt that the recording equipment Martin Cohen had at the time limited his sound a little too much, and the lack of creativity made the album drag on a little too much for me. However, Mostly No sounds fantastic. The production has been drastically improved so Cohen’s vocals and the instruments don’t sound too muddy, there’s a little low-fi in there, but just the right amount.

Mostly No is full of guitar-lead rock tunes, complete with sick guitar riffs and impressive drum beats, making the album progress at a nice pace. With the improved production being so effective, the songs have got their own personality now, and the different instruments are actually clearly audible this time round overall creating an easier and much more enjoyable listen. The appears to be more of a surf-rock genre floating around this time around, especially in tracks such as the opener Dopamine and the single Summertime.

I’m so glad that Martin Cohen’s songwriting has improved ten fold; it’s as if he feels comfortable enough to bring his ideas to the songs now, and they really have paid off well on Mostly No. This is definitely one of my favourite albums right now, and will be for the rest of the year. Mostly No is out on July 9^th via FatCat Records.

Free Download Of The Day #16: Ryan Smith - Waiting

Released: 1^st May 2012

Ryan Smith is a singer-songwriter from Columbus, and this is his new album Waiting. It is currently available to download for free, and it’s a pretty sweet listen too. Ryan uses a ton of instruments throughout the album to create the happiest of instrumentations, and his vocals really help drive the songs forwards.

The mix of piano, electro and acoustic elements is very intriguing and produces some very exciting sounds, and overall it’s just a really good record. Waiting is full of emotions, mostly about the subject of love, but while that may be a subject done to death over the years, Ryan Smith manages to reinvigorate it with the use of these electronic elements. It's definitely difficult to remain a cynical person while listening to Waiting as it's just so optimistic sounding and lovely.

PAWS - Misled Youth

Released: 14^th May 2012

Label: FatCat Records

PAWS is a three piece band from Glasgow, Scotland, and this is their new EP Misled Youth. They are a DIY band when it comes to recording their material, and it certainly shows off on this EP. The mix of low-fi garage rock and pop-rock hooks creates five tracks which captivate the listener instantly.

The vocals are embedded deep within the fuzzy, chaotic instrumentation, but that also gives off the impression that the sound is fleshed out more than it actually is. The ideas thrown around in these tracks are great too, and the variety amongst them allows for the EP to go from long, drawn out sounds (Bainz) to fast, rocking tunes such as The Hospital Song.

PAWS only spent a week recording and finishing this EP, and they’ve managed to come out with five sterling tracks that manage to sound both hard rocking and catchy at the same time. The EP is limited to just 250 hand-numbered cassette copies, but you can listen to a free stream of Misled Youth HERE.

Choose My Music - The State Of Music Vol 3

Released: 29^th June 2012

Label: Choose My Music Records

The State Of Music is the ongoing project originally created by Dom Paczko, owner of Choose My Music Records. The project sees the people of Choose My Music scouring through all 50 states of the USA, through the unfathomable amount of independent artists, to select just one to represent their state in the label’s albums, titled The State Of Music Volumes. The profits garnered from purchasing these volumes (via iTunes for digital copies, or the Choose My Music website or the State Of Music website for physical copies) will be donated to a wonderful charity called Camden Calling, a charity that help out musicians and other creative people who are homeless or who are just generally down out of luck. Donate to the charity here.

So far two editions have been released this year, with the third dropping on June 29^th. This edition includes some acoustic songs which featured heavily on the previous edition, but with more chilled tracks and rock tunes featured too. Each new release turns out to be better than their predecessors and it’s certainly true with The State of Music Vol 3.

Foxygen - Make It Known

Released: 24^th May 2012

Label: Jagjaguwar

Foxygen is the latest signing from respectable indie label Jagjaguwar. It comprises of songwriting duo Sam France and Jonathan Rado. Make It Known is the first track to be dropped by Foxygen in anticipation for debut album Take The Kids Off Broadway, out 24^th July. It is definitely a track to fall in love with, just brilliant.

With dramatic lyrics, vocal deliveries and instrumentation that changes up every few seconds, Make It Known is almost as if a Broadway performance has been compacted into nearly 5 minutes and mashed together. From the beginning, the muddy guitar and wailing synth make way for Sam France’s deep and dramatic Jagger-esque vocal, already detailing one of the many influences involved in Make It Known, which comes across as incredibly creative and eccentric.

 

The Dreaming Spires - Not Every Song From The Sixties Is A Classic

Released: 28^th May 2012

Label: Clubhouse Records

The Dreaming Spires is a new project started by Truck Festival founders and brothers Joe and Robin Bennett, and this is their new single Not Every Song From The Sixties Is A Classic. It is a wonderful, easy listening track that certainly builds anticipation for The Dreaming Spires’ debut album Brothers In Brooklyn, out June 11^th, via Clubhouse Records.

With soft instrumentation perfectly complimenting the vocals, The Dreaming Spires have created a really nice listen with Not Every Song. The sunny guitars and soft drum beat makes this an absolute joy to bob your head along to, it’s extremely catchy and grows on you instantly. The lyrics are really quite innocent and lovely too.

For a song referencing the 60’s, it certainly sounds modern. The Dreaming Spires have produced a great hit to be played especially in this gorgeous British sunshine (it’s been sunny here for nearly a week now, insane!) and their debut album looks to be a winner.

Check out the video for Not Every Song above, and make sure to grab a copy of The Dreaming Spires’ debut album Brothers In Brooklyn on 11^th June, via Clubhouse Records.

Billy Vincent - She

Released: 7^th May 2012

Label: Something Nothing Records

Billy Vincent is a band that’s managed to have quite a bit of successful and well received EPs before releasing their first LP. King Island Coyote and Once On The Grand Union were both critically acclaimed with the band’s use of manipulating classic rock, folk and country sounds into an overall sound that’s different from the norm, but also very relatable. The London Quintet released debut album She at the start of the month, and it’s pretty darn good.

You’d think with the folk elements in there that the instrumentation and the overall sound would be rather upbeat and lovely, right? Well not for Billy Vincent. They have utilised the folk instruments to thicken up the dark, classic rock-style sound the band tend to play around with most, which really adds a unique twist to their sound. It certainly helps them stand out from the countless of other bands to come out of London.

They certainly have perfected it to blend in well with the other, standard instruments. They sound as emotional as the riffs, the hooks, and most definitely the vocals, oh my goodness the vocals. Billy Barratt and David Vincent are both credited with providing vocals but the way they can belt out the same amount of passion and emotion in their voices is astonishing. They make the songs sound so personal and intimate that I begin to feel as if I’m intruding on their alone time, it’s just an amazing display of vocal delivery, and really adds some depth to She.

She is an album to play during the times where you’re feeling a little sad, or want to feel sad. While it doesn’t necessarily drag you down with it, it’s great to see just how easily you become gripped on every single lyric sang. There are also moments where the instrumentations are a little more upbeat, but generally it’s good to stay away if you’re feeling pretty happy. The instrumentations are good, the songs are good, and overall it’s just a really good listen.

Caan - Into The Night

Released: 11^th June 2012

Label: Camouflage Recordings

We’ve seen two singles dropped by Caan Capan so far, and with a debut album on the way, it’s looking to be a busy first year for the now solo artist. Into The Night is the brand new single from Caan, and like the past singles, it definitely uses Caan’s experience from playing in former project Ou Est Le Swimming Pool to create some impressive and catchy sounds.

With swirling synths and lots of layers used to create a beautiful, natural sound, Into The Night quickly becomes a hit with the ears with it’s soft melodies and pulsating bass. The drum beat that encapsulates the track creates a nice edge to the sound, and surprisingly fit in well against Caan’s soft vocal tone.

Into The Night is a great track, and I can’t wait to hear the debut album. With how strong these singles are sounding, it’s not hard to think Caan’s first effort as a solo artist is going to fantastic. Into The Night is out 11^th June via Camouflage Recordings, and you can stream it below.

The Longsands - Shut Your Mouth

Released: 4^th June 2012

Label: Unknown Soldier Records

Shut Your Mouth is the new single from The Longsands. The band from Newcastle use catchy guitar riffs, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and booming choruses to brilliant effect, and have been compared to The Jam a number or times. They look set to release debut album Meet Me In Spanish City on the 11^th June.

Containing many catchy guitar riffs and hooks, Shut Your Mouth makes The Longsands sound like an experienced band with how tight they sound together, and how well put together it is. The constant rolling drum beats really add to the energy the track produces, and the vocals really fit in well with the 90s-styled Britpop instrumentation.

The Longsands look set to have a really strong debut on their hands if the rest of the songs sound as good and as fun as Shut Your Mouth. The single is released on the 4^th of June, and debut album Meet Me In Spanish City is released on the 11^th of June. Check out the video for Shut Your Mouth below.

The Hives - Go Right Ahead

Released: 5^th June 2012

Label: Disques Hives

One of my favourites and one of the most celebrated garage rock bands The Hives will drop their fifth album Lex Hives on the 5^th June, a day after my birthday, and it will be their return to music after a 5 year break. It will be released on their own label Disques Hives. However, you can check out the first single Go Right Ahead here at Rolling Stone.

It is an absolutely stonking listen. From the ELO talkbox intro to the undeniably badass yell from Howlin’ Pelle Almquist, Go Right Ahead sets off on a pace that confirms The Hives have not lost any steam or energy during their break from the music scene. As to be expected from any of The Hives’ singles, it features an extremely catchy hook of some sort, whether that be guitar riff (Hate To Say I Told You So), bass riff (Walk Idiot Walk) or vocal hook (Tick Tick Boom). This time the repeated Go Right Ahead is the device used to get the song in your head quicker than the drums can beat it into you.

Go Right Ahead is an intense listen, but brilliant all the same. This is definitely easy to recognise as a Hives song for sure. I absolutely cannot wait to hear Lex Hives, which is out 5^th June on Disques Hives Records.

Destroy Nate Allen - With Our Powers Combined

Released: 5^th June 2012

Label: High Endurance Records

Destroy Nate Allen is a Portland based duo comprised of married couple Nate and Tessa Allen. In the past five years, they have toured in 48 states, played over 700 shows, and released six studio albums, but have been unable to capture the intense energy they bring to their live performances. So with the help of Gnarboots as a backing band, they appeared to have solved that problem for new album With Our Powers Combined.

From the opening track Waking Up Is Hard To Do all the way to the end of closer Great Idea the energy is intense and constant. With the help of duet vocals from the couple to the bold and brash guitar riffs and drum beats, With Our Powers Combined doesn’t fail at remaining loud and extremely catchy. The backing of Gnarboots has also helped flesh out the sound to help drive the songs out as fast and as good as possible.

With Our Powers Combined is full of catchy vocal hooks, We Talk Occasionally On The Internet to Emergency to Hospital are just a couple examples of songs that use vocal hooks really well. The chemistry between Nate and Tessa is also present and really strong here, which is to be expected from musician and relationship standpoints. This is just a really well crafted album that’s really fun to listen to, and gives you a taste of what to expect if you catch one of Destroy Nate Allen’s live shows. 

Best Coast - The Only Place

Released: 5^th May 2012

Label: Wichita Recordings

Coming off the huge success of 2010’s Crazy For You, Best Coast returns with second album The Only Place. With improved production, the low-fi edge is non-existent and generally the sound is a lot sunnier than before, however with Bethany Constantino writing about being bored, missing California, and whatever heartbreak she’s having to deal with lately, the lyrical clouds sadly eclipse the sunny sound and everything becomes more of the same from Best Coast.

Gone is the fast tempo, garage-styled riffs. Instead replaced with a mid-tempo speed that makes The Only Place drag along more than Constantino’s held vocal notes wanted it to. While the melodies are nice, the lack of any balls to these songs makes the album sound like a dull blur of power chords and bored vocals.

The bored vocals hardly drive or create a buzz for any of these songs. The single The Only Place is really the closest example of sounding remotely like Crazy For You, which is a shame. Hopefully this is just a sophomore slump from Best Coast and not the demise of their ability to brighten up a little bit.

Shoeb Ahmad - Falling Fast

Released: 28th May 2012
Label: Mystery Plays Records

Shoeb Ahmad is an Australian producer who is relatively unknown here in the UK, but in his homeland his legacy is cemented in its music industry. He has collaborated and toured alongside some of the biggest names in the scene and has certainly built up a credible reputation.

Falling Fast is his new single, and the first to be dropped in anticipation for new album Watch/Illuminate, out June 2012 via Mystery Plays Records.

It's a slow paced, atmospheric number complete with jagged sounds and beautiful synth patterns all over. The soundscape sounding extremely natural and the added orchestral parts blend in effortlessly with the worldly environment. The soft vocals of Shoeb Ahmad barely visible but neatly tucked in to drive the song towards it's climax. Beautiful track.

Gaz Coombes Presents...- Here Come The Bombs

Released: 21^st May 2012

Label: Hot Fruit Recordings

Gaz Coombes has been around for years under the Supergrass name, a band that reinvigorated the UK Britpop scene with young enthusiasm and a firm stance in being pretty ‘out there’ with some of the sounds they were creating. As the matured, so did their sound and right up until the release of last album Diamond Hoo Ha, Supergrass has released an extortionate amount of rock hits that still received favourable mentions to this day.

So as Supergrass rests in peace, Gaz Coombes sets out to begin his solo career. Under the name Gaz Coombes Presents…, he has released debut Here Come The Bombs. It features a lot of catchy rhythms, especially in tracks such as Hot Fruit and Universal Cinema, which allow the album to flow in a really nice pace and tempo, and while there are a few too many vocal melodies involved, the instrumentations here are superb.

Here Come The Bombs is a nice varied album, ranging from the progressive, sexy songs to straight out rock tracks, to the soft acoustic numbers. It’s a nice album that can be played in the background as its fairly inoffensive material; however that’s not to say it has no redeeming qualities. It’s a great debut effort which is to be expected from a man who’s been around the music biz as much as Gaz Coombes.  

Beach House - Bloom

Released: 15^th May 2012

Label: Sub Pop Records

Beach House is pretty much the go-to band for anybody in need of listening to music that’s both full of different sounds and layers without having to necessarily concentrate full attention to. Ever since the release of the band’s last album Teen Dream, Beach House has certainly seen their reputation and fanbase increase tenfold.

Bloom is the new album from Beach House, and while it doesn’t necessarily revolutionise the genre of dream-pop (and thus Beach House), it certainly does display a masterclass in it, and pretty much solidifies the earlier ‘go-to band’ statement made earlier.

With acoustic drums behind the core rhythm instead of a drum machine, the atmospheres manage to appear as fleshed out as we’ve ever heard on a Beach House record. The repeated keys and synth patterns covered in reverb to make as haunting and as blissful sound as possible, creating simply gorgeous instrumentation underneath the innocent vocals of Victoria Legrand.

Bloom is an absolutely wonderful album that has its own personality, but you know it comes from the same family as Teen Dream/Devotion. It’s an absolute joy to listen to and is definitely going to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Stream it in it’s entirety below. 

Lone - Galaxy Gardens

Released: 30^th April 2012

Label: R&S Records

Galaxy Garden is the third studio album released by Lone. The British project created by former Kids In Tracksuits member Matt Cutler has honed his skills in creating sleek, natural sounds and incorporating it into funky electric tunes since the release of Lone’s debut Everything Is Changing Colour, and they’ve certainly bloomed for this record.

The production is absolutely top notch, up there with SBTRKT’s debut self titled album in terms of how well captured everything is. The combination between natural and man made sounds is wound together so tightly and crafted together so well that it becomes difficult to truly distinguish one from the other. It’s amazing.

Instrumentation appears to be endless on Galaxy Garden, with many instruments being introduced into a song or as a focal point of a song. This creates an element of surprise and leaves you in a feeling of awe as you wonder just how these instruments manage to blend themselves so well in with each other.

Songs such as New Colour and As A Child are highlights for me because of how well their layers’ have been crafted, and the way they are both constantly changing without easing up on tempo or pace.

The soundscapes are just a thing of beauty, if you’ve ever needed a reason to convince someone that music is art (and if you know someone who says this then they are a bad person) then you can’t go wrong with showing them Galaxy Garden. Easily one of my favourite listens this year. 

The Tallest Man On Earth - 1904

1904 is the first single to be dropped in anticipation for There’s No Leaving Now, the third album from acoustic solo artist The Tallest Man On Earth. With There’s No Leaving Now not dropping til the 12^th of June this year, we’ve got quite a bit of time to enjoy this mid-paced, emotional track.

Since the release of the fantastic The Wild Hunt and Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird EP back in 2010, we’ve not heard a lot from The Tallest Man On Earth, but it’s been worth waiting along for 1904 to come by. It has instrumentation akin to the more upbeat songs from The Wild Hunt, but unlike King Of Spain, The Wild Hunt and You’re Going Back, 1904 sounds a lot bigger in terms of sound, without having a little space included.

Because of this, the vocals seem a little squeezed into the mix, but they work really well. The distinct voice behind the vocals is just a joy to hear again, especially singing new words. 1904 is a great track and I cannot wait to hear the rest of There’s No Leaving Now. 

Planas - Breathtaking

Released: 30^th April 2012

Label: Exceptional Blue Records

Toby Davies is a pretty busy man when you look over the sort of stuff he’s done over the years. He is an original member of Gentleman’s Dub Club, in which he writes, produces and plays bass for, and also taken his producing skills to collaborate alongside Dionne Bromfield, Binky Griptite (The Dap Kings), Tim Hutton (The Prodigy/Groove Armada) and loads more.

So it’s a little strange to say that Breathtaking is the new single for the upcoming DEBUT album (The Long Game) from Toby Davies’ new project, Planas. Featuring Ed Thomas on dual vocal duties, the track has an impressive trait of sounding fluidly atmospheric but hugely impactful with its pulsating bass beat.

The relaxed nature of the synths creates a beautiful sound, with the dancefloor-esque beats added with enough reverb to not disturb this peaceful element too much. The bass is noticeable without adding too much jaggedness to the track, allowing it to be a chilled dance hit.

Breathtaking is pretty much that, breathtaking. I cannot wait to hear The Long Game, which is out later this year, and with the many years and experience behind it, Planas could become quite a big name in the near future.

The Sea - Rooftops

Released: 7^th May 2012

Label: Lusty Records

London duo The Sea return with second album Rooftops, produced by John Cornfield, who took the reigns behind producing albums for the like of Oasis, Supergrass and Muse. The band had a nice amount of success coming off the release of their debut record Get It Back, touring all over the seas and performing at a couple of festivals too.

Rooftops is a fun listen packed full of solid, catchy tracks. With nobody ranging too risky, The Sea have developed their indie rock sound and crafted it into a sure fire way to create a few hits. Any of these songs could easily join New York as singles because of their immersive elements, and I would be surprised if The Sea didn’t get any radio play.

It’s a great listen that proves that The Sea haven’t succumbed to the dreaded “second album curse” and if it still sounds this good when I’m not in a state where I’ve had no sleep, then this could easily be a favourite for many people over these sunny months. 

There Goes Sunday - The Road

There Goes Sunday are a four-piece. Two members on guitar, one bass, one drums. Sounds pretty standard, and it is. But what sets There Goes Sunday apart from other up-and-coming bands is that their songs are actually pretty damn good. Take their newest single, The Road, for example.

From the start of the song, you're hit with an excellent lesson on how to make an intro to a song. Building up to the main riff, the songcraft of these four guys is evident. I'm finding it very hard to compare this band to anything I've heard before, as they take all their influences and mash them together and it works very well.

At times, the vocalist spits with attitude like Sid Vicious, and the next moment is harmonising with the other vocalist. The guitar work is excellent, and all this is underpinned by a storming rhythm section, which is not ignored - every instrument gets its chance to shine, the bass especially prevalent in, strangely, the leadup to the guitar solo. Throughout the drums are pounding away, and if you take the time to listen to the song a few times you'll see just how much work has gone into writing this song; every instrumentalist is well-polished and performs very well.

The Road was released on the 6th of May, and can be streamed below. Visit There Goes Sunday on Facebook here.

The Ghosts Of Vegas - Kicking The Hornets Nest EP

The Ghosts Of Vegas is a brand new band from Chicago, and this is their debut EP, Kicking The Hornet’s Nest. The band is comprised with best friends Billy Radley and Jon DeNapoli, while being joined by extras during live performances. The pair grew up listening to 90’s grunge including Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots.

These influences are definitely worn on the sleeve of the album (heh), from the guitar heavy instrumentation, to the passionate vocal delivery, and especially in tracks such as End Of Days and Destruct In Stereo, which sound like they could’ve come straight from the golden era of grunge.

Metric - Youth Without Youth

It's been FAR too long since we've seen or heard anything from Metric. After 2009's highly acclaimed Fantasies, the band have been out of the limelight for the last three years, finally emerging with this June's new album, Synthetica.

Youth Without Youth is the first single to drop from the new record, and while it is obviously still the same band, the sound has changed ever so slightly. The record is a foot-stomping, head-tapping rocker, while still retaining the same sprinklings of synthesiser and sparkling songwriting that made Metric's previous albums such hits.

Youth Without Youth is driven by pounding drums, booming bass and a guitar hook to die for. It just makes you want to dance.

Stream Youth Without Youth below, and Metric's new album Synthetica is out June 12:

Blue Balloon - Hearts Are Pretty Heavy

Released: 14^th May 2012

Label: Marketstall Records

Hearts Are Pretty Heavy is the result of 7 years of what has been hard journey for songwriter Robert Rorison. Having to deal with the break up of a long term relationship, the loss of a couple of jobs, and several friends as Robert looked to pursue the sound he had envisioned in his mind must have been pretty terrible. Originally influenced by hip-hop, Robert Rorison soon discovered the sound of Leonard Cohen, Daniel Johnston and Elliott Smith and was soon set on the right pathway to the sound he had lost so much to find, and it’s finally displayed under the moniker Blue Balloon.

Featuring some absolutely beautiful instrumentation, Hearts Are Pretty Heavy perfectly details the struggle and the pain Robert Rorison has had to deal with over the last 7 years. The acoustic riffs are extremely catchy, with orchestral and percussive instruments accompanying them to help thicken up the atmosphere to achieve the perfect soundtrack to Rorison’s poetic lyricism and pained vocal delivery.

While Hearts Are Pretty Heavy is comprised on a lot of personal experiences from Blue Balloon, I think this is an album anyone can relate to. Everybody has to come to terms with a loss one day, whether that is a relationship, a family member, or a job, I do believe the emotions we feel would craft a sound similar to this album. It’s a beautiful listen and perfect for anybody who’s feeling a little down on luck lately.

Animal Collective - Honeycomb/Gotham

Released: May 2012

Label: Domino Records

Since the release of the outstanding Merriweather Post Pavilion way back in 2009, Animal Collective released a couple songs and EPs sporadically, with some solo projects formed too. Panda Bear’s Tomboy was a big success with most people who checked it out, and it received pretty high spots on their best of 2011 lists too. It didn’t come across to well with me however, it sounded a little synthetic for me, as if not enough elements were added to the mix to beef it out a bit, though I could see why so many people were favourable to it.

Now Animal Collective returns with two new tracks, Honeycomb and Gotham. Both feature the Beach Boys sounds Panda Bear was trying to ultilise, but the production is lot better here. Honeycomb is quite possibly the sunniest song this year, with its infectious percussion/samples, and Battles’ Ice Cream-styled vocal delivery. It’s a spaced out, crazy listen at first, but quickly the listener should let their guard down and begin to just enjoy the fun that erupts from it. It’s wonderful.

Gotham however is more of a grower rather than an instant hit. It’s slow paced tempo, complete with dragged out vocals and progressive drums stops any motion from going somewhere. There are some pauses included as well that seemingly come at the wrong time, making this is a real hard listen at first.

However, the listener should begin to appreciate the atmosphere with a couple more listens. Gotham suddenly becomes a very spacious, open soundscape where everything happens all around the listener, and they have to look for it rather than have it right in front of them. It’s certainly an interesting listen at least, and I hope it ends up on Animal Collective’s next album, should they decide to release one soon (plz do).

Dolphins - From Pickerel To Flipper

Release Date: 1^st June 2012

Label: N/A

Have you ever asked if somebody smells something fishy and wished your answer could be humourous while also promoting a band at the same time? Well I find myself with that problem all the time. Now I can have an answer, and that comes in the form of Bradford’s very own Dolphins. They are set to release debut album From Pickerel To Flipper at the start of June, and it’s one hell of a listen.

From the start of Kingdom Come all the way to the end of Caved In, From Pickerel To Flipper is obese with fantastic guitar riffs. The sound reminds me of Sleep’s, whereas the progression in the songs sound akin to Kyuss’, it’s heavy without being too heavy, and the hooks just make it incredibly catchy.

This is a great album, and a very solid debut effort from Dolphins. You can purchase From Pickerel To Flipper for a mere £5 on their Bandcamp page, and you can also stream it below.

 

Youth Sounds - Burn Out

New Orleans’ band Youth Sounds were featured on Little Comments a while back as a band to look out for. Well now they’ve released new single Burn Out, a track that encompasses everything great and nostalgic about Youth Sounds to create yet another solid track and another reason as to why you should check them out.

The rich production allows the synthesisers to create a really sweet beat which swells and pulsates all over the place, and the beautifully breathy vocals from Erika Mejia make me think I’m floating in space wearing nothing but armbands.

The way the instrumentation seems to just float around, enveloping the disco-y drums during the verses before finally progressing into this airy soundscape of catchy synths which take over the entire track. This makes Burn Out quite possibly my favourite track by Youth Sounds, and I cannot wait to hear their new album, Favors.

Youth Sounds also released a Spanish version of Burn Out, called Sin Ti, and have also launched a kickstarter campaign to allow fans to help fund the completion of their new album.

Heavy Blanket - Heavy Blanket

Released: 8^th May 2012

Label: Outer Battery Records

While I sit in my bedroom with no source of light and hugging my Dinosaur Jr. collection tightly, waiting urgently for their new album to drop sometime soon, I can at least tie myself over with the release of one-time (don’t hold me to that) project Heavy Blanket. An instrumental trio featuring three old school friends who had dream of forming a band together, but just…didn’t. Anyway it features Johnny Pancake and Pete Cougar, oh and J Mascis takes the reigns on face-melting guitar solo duty. Of course.

Fans of J Mascis will certainly come to expect some ear-bleeding screeching guitar solos, and J definitely delivers here. Some sick solos are procreated throughout Heavy Blanket, but I can’t help but think J should have embedded a couple guitar riffs that created a great change in variety on this album. While the solos are more than fine, the side-by-side lineup they get doesn’t allow them to be appreciated fully if the listener goes through the entire album at once instead of separate listens.

However this will be more than enough to keep me satisfied, Heavy Blanket is a great album and hopefully (if it doesn’t distract J too much from doing Dinosaur Jr. stuff) it will continue and form it’s own strong discography.

Also J Mascis was rated number five in Spin magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time list, which is fantastic. He never usually gets recognised for all of the simply brilliant work he’s done over his many decade-career. However, to the people of Spin, why on earth did you include Skrillex in this list? And why god why did you forget to include Jimi Hendrix/Pete Townsend and the like? Nevermind. 

OFF! - OFF!

Released: 7^th May 2012

Label: Vice Records

Punk [I would say supergroup but I hate that word.] collection of guys who are super band OFF! Return to the scene after the success of First Four EPs with their debut self titled album, on major label Vice Records. If you’ve never heard of OFF! Before, they are a group comprised of successful punk artists from huge hardcore bands such as Burning Brides, Red Kross, Rocket From The Crypt, and is fronted by Keith Morris, a well respected and highly talented member of Circle Jerks and Black Flag.

They certainly have the credentials to be a fantastic band, but also were in the running to suffer from the dreaded “supergroup curse” that has taken away the potential of many supergroups that have formed in the past. But fortunately, OFF!’s First Four EPs was full of the brash, chaotic energy which helped the sterling guitar riffs melt my face off in awe and head banging-ness that made it one of my favourite releases of it’s year.

Darin Bennett and The Reqiuem - Holdin' Me

Darin Bennett and The Requiem is a band from Los Angeles, and Holdin’ Me is the first song to be dropped to build anticipation for debut EP Midnight Storybook. The band has received comparisons to the like of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Bruce Springsteen, and pioneers of music Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Robert Johnson.

The primary source of Holdin’ Me’s instrumentation is the slide banjo. The melody performed has a very western feel to it, which ties in really well with the excellently shot video for the song. It also provides a nice bit of change from other debuting artists, not many of them will use a banjo I presume.

The song is solid, with Darin Bennett’s vocals helping to drive the track forward with his slightly bluesy/gravely voice, and he uses it to it’s full potential too, booming it loudly in the latter stages of the track. “It's like Instagram on Acid being dropped by a 15 year old watching an episode of 24 on MTV in 1989.” Is how they describe it, and well, I wouldn’t disagree.

Choose My Music - The State Of Music Vol 2

Released: March 2012

Label: Choose My Music

The State Of Music is the ongoing project originally created by Dom Paczko, owner of Choose My Music Records. The project sees the people of Choose My Music scouring through all 50 states of the USA, through the unfathomable amount of independent artists, to select just one to represent their state in the label’s albums, titled The State Of Music Volumes. The profits garnered from purchasing these volumes (via iTunes for digital copies) will be donated to a wonderful charity called Camden Calling, a charity that help out musicians and other creative people who are homeless or who are just generally down out of luck. Donate to the charity here.

So far two editions have been released this year, with a third volume dropping 29^th June. The first was a great collection of rock, acoustic and rap songs, but The State Of Music Vol 2 has no rap songs, with more of an emphasis on acoustic and rock this time around.

Spiritualized - Sweet Heart, Sweet Light

Released: 16^th April 2012

Label: Double Six Records

Sweet Heart, Sweet Light is the new album from UK band Spiritualized. People who have already familiar with the band will know that their sound is more of an atmosphere setter rather than a straight forward set of chords. Often accompanying brass, horns, strings, windpipes (amongst others) with the standard guitar/bass/drums formula has allowed Spiritualized to create some truly wonderful soundscapes that become an absolute joy to listen to, this in turn has also helped Spiritualized become a pretty successful band.

The vast soundscapes are only utilised further on Sweet Heart, Sweet Light. Spiritualized have used the aforementioned instruments once again to create some magnificent instrumentations, ranging from the poignant Little Girl, to the atmosphere setting introduction, they use these instruments to craft many different emotions and tones into their songs.

Lead single Hey Jane is a phenomenal track that has helped Spiritualized a lot here in the UK at least. An eight minute epic that begins with a fairly anthemic guitar riff that’s rich in tone and thick with atmosphere, bringing in a surprising driving force for anyone who hasn’t heard of Spiritualized before. It’s kinda nostalgic of 90’s Britpop in the days where Blur, Oasis, Supergrass, Pulp reigned supreme with simple sounding guitar riffs packed with passion, especially with the extremely catchy “Hey Jane” vocal hooks lined up against it.

The second half of Hey Jane is a lot darker however. The constant questions repeated on and on in the first half reveal the vocalist’s obsession with Jane, how he’s become so infatuated by her that he needs to know every.single.detail of her day, what she does, where she is etc.

The instrumentation does a brilliant job of performing the initial breakdown once the singer realises that maybe the constant questioning is not a good tactic to seduce this Jane woman, or that she has told him straight up that he is not the person for her. The broken down piano flicks at the end causing the entire booming instrumentation to come to a silent halt, before quietly returning to light, this time however with the opening question “Hey Jane, when you gonna die?” that eventually gets repeated over and over reveals that the vocalist was hurt by Jane during his infatuation and is now being outspoken in his hatred for her.

It’s the perfect teenage-breakdown song, and the perfect way to get into Sweet Heart, Sweet Light, and more importantly into the rest of the Spiritualized discography.

Torche - Harmonicraft

Released: 24^th April 2012

Label: Volcom

Torche is a band I’ve never really paid attention to in terms of their music. They have a mix of stoner/doom/metal/rock sounds played at sometimes breakneck speed, and after getting back into Sleep, and really enjoying the new High On Fire record, it’s a wonder why I’ve never checked them out until now.

Third album Harmonicraft is easily Torche’s most accessible effort to date. The band has soaked this new record full of catchy guitar and vocal hooks that will keep you gripped for sure. The sound is pretty heavy, however Torche have progressed it by saturating it in this sugary atmosphere to stop it sounding entirely metal/doom/stoner-y, I think casual fans of metal and even fans who casually hate metal will dig this in their own way.

Harmonicraft is a great album that will definitely have me hooked on its sweetness for the foreseeable future.