First Listen // Sailplanes ~ We Are An Industry

 Read on Goldflakepaint

An important component of any good band is a clear sense of certainty in their sound. It’s no good listening to something that’s confused, or as a result of an uncertainty, seems like it’s chosen to be boring instead (although I should be clear – that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the sound of band experimenting or trying something new). This requirement is exactly why the new EP by Sailplanes is something of a gem. Only three tracks long, it’s hardly going to tax your ear or your time. But with a solid, comfortably delivered sassy sound it’ll be an enjoyable ten minutes of post-punk, with female vocals that are distinctly reminiscent of the excellent Life Without Buildings.

There’s a definitively relaxed feel to their cheery, noisy, jangly tunes and, on The Fox, some lovely girl/boy vocals from vocalists Stacey and Tim. “Blue, grey-green eyes” they sing, in a lovely medley of sound. The effective use of boy/girl vocals is rare outside of twee music and is something to be valued.
 
Sailplanes sound great and fun, and if you’re looking for a pleasant, charismatic, engaging listen, then look no further.

bandcamp

Review // Why? ~ Sod In The Seed [EP]

Opening title-track and first single from the EP is essentially irrefutable proof that Yoni Wolf is an unbelievably talented lyricist; his delivery of clever lines is slick, quick, charismatic but never so much so that you miss the words. It’s always of such a quality that for most other bands even one verse of the same standard would be considered impressive. The EP version of this track is slightly longer, with a few more lines to break up the repeats of the hook – which is where it falls down slightly. “I’ll never shirk, this first world curse” Wolf echoes, and after he’s done it a few times it begins to get on your nerves. The rest of the track I could listen to almost endlessly, and it’s perhaps more a reflection of just how unbelievably good the rest of the track is, rather than a true criticism.
But that’s pretty much the only point of the entire EP, that isn’t quite up to WHY?’s usual (very) high standard. ‘Probable Cause’ features a rather lovely piano and soft vocal hook, a little reminiscent of their Sanddolars EP. ‘Twenty Seven – For F.M.V’ features a beautifully poetic image, elegantly crafted and delivered impeccably, “pulling the first soft feathers from a new born robin fledgling, saying she loves me not, she loves me” and with the dark undertone that often shows through, giving WHY? something more of an edge.
Wolf’s incredible way with words is always going to make WHY? an enjoyable band to listen to, but it’s even better when the quality is matched by the surrounding music; which in this case it is. It’s perhaps not as totally flawless as say, their 2005 album Alopecia, but it’s still of the high quality you’d expect from the band and most definitely heightens the excitement around their forthcoming fifth album.
Read on Goldflakepaint

Amateur Historians - New Homes/New Hopes

The trio have already received high acclaim, Jen and Ally’s BBC Introducing show on Radio 1 featured them a few days ago, and sang their praises. First single ‘These Cities Are Stealing My Soul’ has also been very popular, making the rounds on various blogs.
Comparisons with Johnny Foreigner and Los Campesinos! are somewhat inevitable (the glockenspiel on Interlude could well haunt them) but by no means are they re-treading old ground. There’s the strong hooks and melodic certainty that calls to mind bands like Tellison, as well as the messy euphoria of Johnny Foreigner’s earlier stuff (or Cap’n Jazz) and ‘These Cities Are Stealing My Soul’ opens with a gorgeous guitar riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dananananaykroyd track.

But it would be unfair to consider Amateur Historians only in the context of other bands; they’ve got an energy and intelligence all of their own that marks them out. There are many excellent moments of euphoric-emo-pop but the contrast of those with softer track ‘Interlude / Arterial Route From Heart’ is what shows the range of their talent. The chorus seems almost designed to be shouted back by heartbroken teenagers - it’s the perfect blend of clever, emotive and widely applicable. But still with that all important sincerity.

Their lyrics weave stories of beautiful cities at night, long-distance relationships and the strains and stresses of youth, all wrapped in a glorious, rousing combination of yearning guitars. With an occasional hint of glockenspiel and a certain kind of charm achieved only by bands you know are trying to create something genuine.

Buy: bandcamp

The Bronze Medal - The Bronze Medal

For a while the only tracks by The Bronze Medal available have been a heartbreaking serenade on the importance of calcium for strong teeth called ‘Milk’ and a couple of acoustic videos on youtube (including a beautifully harmonised Frightened Rabbit cover). No more, however, must I listen to the same two songs on repeat to get my fix, as they’ve released an EP.


Only four tracks long, it’s perhaps a little short for my taste, but then that’s only because I could listen to the gorgeous, yearning sound they create for hours. With distinctively powerful and emotive vocals that somehow also manage to sound fragile, and a constant undertone of longing and sadness The Bronze Medal are probably best compared to bands like Dry The River and We Were Promised Jetpacks. But that’s not to say they’re going over old ground musically, the final track of their self-titled EP ‘Womb’ epitomises their Mogwai-like talent for morose guitar music, but with the addition of those soft, mournful vocals, the crescendo-ing waves of sound become yet more painfully beautiful.

Yr Friends Have Been Lying To You

Johnny Foreigner have always had a talent for soft, delicate ballads of heartbreak and this EP from lead singer Alexei Berrow feels almost like a collection of their finest, quiet tracks. It wraps you up in gentle guitar melodies and Berrows’ trademark; quotable, repeated choruses will swirl around your head long after you stop listening.

His talent for narrating a story in an engaging but deeply personal way is concentrated on this short release, thanks in part to the beautifully sparse arrangement. Over a sea-shanty like rocking guitar he murmurs, “I think he’d be good for you, I think you’d be good for each other “. One of the best things about Johnny Foreigner is their ability to be widely relatable to - without becoming clichéd and while I’m being careful to try and view this out of the context of Johnny Foreigner, this still comes across
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There’s something addictive and affecting in the simple guitar melodies and Berrows’ despondent tone, perhaps why this EP feels like it’s for escaping in to on a lonely journey on a misty evening. Maybe even thinking about how (as the first song is titled) ‘the walk home was not as dramatic as you’d hoped for’. Again, their brilliant descriptions of tiny scences of teenage love, heartbreak and day-to-day life are partly what make Johnny Foreigner such a great band and this EP just shows what a talented song-writer Berrow is. Well worth £3.

One Of The Finest Albums of 2011 (That I Missed Completely).

As the New Year dawned, it did not cross my mind that I'd missed anything major off my 'Best Of...' list. Sure, it was a struggle to cut down, let alone order. But, I thought, there aren't any glaring omissions....of course, I was completely wrong about that.

In April 2011 Elena Tonra released the first of two EPs, 'His Young Heart', then, in November accompanied by Remi Aguilella on drums she released a second four-track EP, 'The Wild Youth'. Both EPs are hauntingly beautiful, Elena's voice softly murmurs out detailed stories. On 'Landfill' she begs to be left on the train tracks, in the rain, thrown in a landfill, covered by snow or left at the altar. The simplicity of her writing is part of its charm, these descriptions of abandonment surround the crucial line of the song, widely applicable but feeling like a revelation of her darkest secret as she whispers "this is dangerous 'cause I want you so much but I hate your guts".

Both EPs are prime examples of how successful that format can be. Four songs long, each song a fairly average length with mostly one-word titles - if you chose to, you could listen to them together (as I normally do which is why I said album in the title), but there's no need to. Elena Tonra's gentle guitar plucking and husky voice are likely to become a key part of the music I'll listen to in 2012.

Listen to the EPs on Soundcloud or purchase from Bandcamp.

Johnny Foreigner and Stagecoach split EP - Tru Punx/ Not Even Giles Would Say We'll Be Ok 7" Love In

The EP opens with a new Johnny Foreigner track, “Tru Punx” and it returns to the dirtier aspect of their sound, combining it successfully with their talent for melody. Guitars and shouty vocals declare, “I’ve been thinking about killing myself”, not the most likely hook to get crowds shouting but then Johnny Foreigner never have done things conventionally.

The second track, ‘Not Even Giles Would Say We’ll Be Ok’ starts off with a rather nice melodic vocal harmony, and for a second you might be expecting some kind of soppy Americanised love song, which is fair enough for about ten seconds (the lyrics “I’ll be carving out two names on the oak tree, one’s yours, one’s mine” helps with this misconception)…until the drums and guitar kick in and the distinctive funky/rock sound of Stagecoach becomes a little less ambiguous. The EP is a fair split between the two bands and after a new song each, they go about covering each other.

Johnny Foreigner go first with ‘Good Luck With Yr 45’. They always have been a very flexible sounding band, dodging between the typical guitar/vocals/drum sound (having said that though, Johnny Foreigner manage to make even that sound very un-typical and attention grabbing) and the gentler side of their capabilities – such as on this track, and plaintive love songs are something they do very well. Using their voices in a way that is unusual even for them, they layer up the sound into a heart breaking electro barbershop, the “baa umm baa umm” backing fades in and out, swelling with the emotive vocals.

Stagecoach cover ‘Salt, Pepper & Spinderella” one of Johnny Foreigner’s darker, more electronic based tracks and they contrast their two different vocal styles effectively. The sparser arrangement pushes the lyrics to the front, Johnny Foreigner’s words are often hidden behind guitars, accents or harmony but like this they can be heard in full honesty and elegance, the line ‘we like to watch the fights break out and end in grief from these cheap plastic seats’ seems more of a confession, rather than a proud assertion, as it did in the original.

Both bands are currently in the process of touring the UK, and if this EP is anything to go by those gigs are going to be a real event.