To coincide with Monday’s rather wonderful (and free) 12 track June playlist Laundromat we are thrilled to be able to offer you, dear reader, something a little more of the alternative and experimental nature. The fine folks at Southern Records have allowed us to make a compilation of some of their current acts to offer out completely free. Featuring 7 genre-spanning tracks from the likes of Chrome Hoof, The Owl Service, Bellafea, Racebannon and Asva the mix gives a wonderful insight into the wonderful and innovative London based label. Hopefully you’ll find something you love inside.
TLOBF’s Southern Records Summer Treats
1. Chrome Hoof – Pronoid
2. Racebannon – Sister Fucker
3. Bellafea – Depart (I Never Knew You)
4. Dianogah – A Breaks B
5. Mothlite – The One In Water
6. The Owl Service – A Child Ballad no.49 (or The Rolling of The Stones)
7. Asva – A Trap For Judges
[DOWNLOAD ALL TRACKS] – right-click and choose save-as
Hungry for more TLOBF Playlists? Delve deep into our archive HERE. And remember, everything is 100% free and legal.
A little info on each artist below…
Chrome Hoof
Cathedral bassist Leo Smee started a bass and drums duo under the moniker Chrome Hoof with his brother Milo at the turn of the millennium to celebrate their shared love of mid-seventies funk and disco. Like sequined pied pipers, they recruited everywhere they played, building an army of multi-instrumentalists, including a full horn and string section, generating a devoted cult following with their legendary live shows. A veritable orchestra of musicians perform, decked out in futuristic monks’ robes, kicking it like some unholy hybrid of Sun Ra, ESG, Goblin, Parliament-Funkadelic and Black Sabbath, complete with choreographed dancers, actors taking vaudeville interludes, and a twelve-foot tall metallic ram dominating the dancefloor.
Racebannon
2008 will see Racebannon’s most caustic, abrasive, fluid, and balls-out riff-heavy endeavor Acid Or Blood, drop, and with it a new vantage point for all that is unfuckwithable. 11 tracks of unchecked emotion (recorded by Mike Bridavsky of Russian Recording and mastered by Bob Weston) unfurl as the band unleashes its working-class destruction without a care in the world for convention or marketability. Songs like “The Hard Way,” “Terror And Dread,” “Translucent Lifeforce,” and “Vampyric Solution” showcase this killing machine at their most lethal and original.
Bellafea
In Spanish, bella means beautiful, and fea means ugly. The portmanteau Bellafea is an oxymoron then. Or is it? Perhaps it’s just a state of being, a statement of truth that avoids distinctions like black or white, off or on, right or wrong. If purity exists, it’s certainly got safer homes than beautiful or ugly. And is it possible to appreciate one—or maybe even to have one—without the other? Maybe Bellafea is vindication, not contradiction.
Dianogah
Jason, Kip and Jay have played together as Dianogah (pronounced Dye-ah-NO-gah) since January 1995.
Dianogah’s core instrumentation is as a trio of two bass guitarists and one drummer. They have toured the US extensively, traveled throughout Europe and played in South America.
qhnnnl features guest appearances by friend Andrew Bird on violin, Stephanie Morris (The Pawners’ Society, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir), Billy Smith (Hubcap) and Mark Greenberg. qhnnnl shows that the band has progressed since previous efforts to make a mature, consistent album that visits extremes at both ends of the spectrum of tender and abrasive. For a trio consisting of two bassists and a drummer, Dianogah have proven that they are more than just an instrumental post-rock band with mathy time signatures. qhnnnl is their third full-length on Southern and is a camouflage affair with ventures into the dark and lighter spectrum of their songwriting. And what we can make out from qhnnnl is exactly that – they are mainly songwriters.
Mothlite
Mothlite is Daniel O’Sullivan’s (Guapo, Miasma and the Carousel of Headless Horses…) new incarnation with Antti Uusimaki. Their forthcoming album has been put back to the summer now… It’s a really texturally gorgeous, cinematic sounding album that is sure to make a long-lasting impression.
The Owl Service
The Owl Service are new Southern signings who are bringing back folk with a vengeance. They recently supported Thee Silver Mt. Zion in London and are due to play a plethora of festivals over the summer, including the Green Man festival…
Asva
Helmed by Stuart Dahlquist, formerly of Burning Witch, Goatsnake and Sunn0))), and recorded with the cream of the Pacific North West’s rich musical talent, including members of Burning Witch, Mr. Bungle and Earth. This is a lyricless album of immense personal meaning to its creator, giving a very real sense of catharsis for both listener and performers alike. But there’s also real hope and resolution at its core.
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