If the hand-clap beats that introduce ‘Grown Unknown’ don’t quite grab your immediate attention, then the pure, lilting vocals of Lia Ices certainly will, as the Brooklyn-based chanteuse effortlessly coaxes this lovely number to elegant heights with her exquisite voice and sanguine spirit.
Jagjaguwar
Wolf People open for Phosphorescent, confirm Roadburn 2011
Having released their first fully formed album ‘Steeple’ last month, the English folk rockers Wolf People have announced they will play a small string of dates to round off this year before heading to Roadburn in Holland in April 2011.
SOTD #162 // Peter Wolf Crier: ‘Place To Be’ (Nick Drake cover)
A world premier; this cover is both an homage to an artist that is still getting his due, while also providing another clear example of the blossoming majesty of Peter Wolf Crier.
TLOBF Interview // Women
A studio mistake led to 18 months of touring the first time around for the Calgary art rockers. So it’s no surprise they took their time on their latest, Public Strain.
Small Black – New Chain
Brooklyn group Small Black prove with their first album that the easy-listening monotony of chillwave is better suited to an EP – which isn’t to say that it doesn’t hold the odd moment of pleasure.
Wolf People – Steeple
Proudly carrying an authentic torch for rock history, Wolf People return with more of their dirty psych grooves.
S. Carey – All We Grow
It may be beautiful, but it All We Grow still has teeth. Melodies and harmonies that rise from sleepy drones, promises of calm that lead into dark, pounding beats. Leah Pritchard reviews the debut album from Bon Iver’s S. Carey.
Women – Public Strain
The Calgary quartet has crafted a challenging, exploratory work that demands as much patience from the listener as it surely did for the talented musicians involved.
Small Black get a New Chain in October
Some news for a sunny Wednesday afternoon, New York quartet Small Black have announced details of their debut album. It’ll be called New Chain and will be available, via Jagjaguwar on 25th October. That’s the artwork above. Tracklisting: 1. Camouflage 2. Search Party 3. Hydra 4. Photojournalist 5. Crisp 100s 6. Goons 7. Light Curse [...]
Richard Youngs – Beyond The Valley Of Ultrahits
The experimental and prolific Youngs’ “pop” album reveals itself as a tranquil, subtle, understated success.
SOTD #95 // S. Carey: ‘In The Dirt’
‘In The Dirt’ is a showcase of what to expect on Carey’s debut long player. With it’s dancing, arpeggio piano line, hand-clap rhythms and vocals of close harmonies and mismatched double tracking it’s a warm breeze of a track which draws comparison to the likes of modern classicists such as Efterklang or Balmorhea.
Peter Wolf Crier – Inter-Be
This record is at once a breath of fresh air but also a nod to a simpler era, when parties ended with everyone singing around the piano not because they wanted a record deal, but because music stirred deep within their souls.
TLOBF Interview // Gayngs
“I’m not at liberty to talk about the vision for the promotional videos, but I can tell you we blew most of our budget on training that gorilla.” – Ryan Olson.
Washed Out and Small Black announce debut UK shows
Great news. Two of our favourite new acts are set to make their debut UK performances… together! Yes, Small Black and Washed Out will hit the road as a hulking great mother-fucking lo-fi touring machine this May / June, and I personally can’t wait.
The Besnard Lakes – Cargo, London 31/03/10
The Besnard Lakes may be A Dark Horse, but they’ve still got some way to go before becoming genuine contenders. Adam Elmahdi reviews with photographs from Valerio Berdini.
SOTD #7 // Small Black: ‘Despicable Dogs’
The hook to “Despicable Dogs” lies centre speaker in the shape of a keyboard refrain that’s being fed through a fuzz box. That, coupled with the computer generated drums and sentimental vocal make this an absolute belter of a song.
