The Manhattan Love Suicides release their new single Bikini Party / Birthday Kill in January on Oddbox Records. It’s less fuzzy than their previous efforts but it’s still a glorious noise. Play it loud! Bikini Party / Birthday Kill is available in limited edition 7″ vinyl as well as digital formats. Pre-order from here. Facebook Continue reading The Manhattan Love Suicides – Bikini Party / Birthday Kill
The Hermit Crabs are back with a new mini album that sees original singer/songwriter Melanie Whittle joining forces with The Very Most’s Jeremy Jensen and Jake Hite. To be fair it sounds like both bands who play at the folkier … Continue reading The Hermit Crabs – In My Flat
The new EP from Canadian-Ukrainian duo Ummagma consists of soundscapes ranging from ambient to shoegazing. On the likes of Winter Tale or Galacticon I also hear a bit of experimental new age too reminding me of 1990’s electronic artists Deep Forest. However it’s on Orion and Lama where the band plays to it’s strengths with both songs nesting firmly in the shoegaze inspired dreampop camp. The latter also gets the remix treatment from label mates Lights That Change and OMD’s Malcolm Holmes who turns it into a slow building 80’s inspired synth-pop floor filler with singer Shauna McLarnon’s vocals highlighted … Continue reading Ummagma – Frequency
I first heard the wonderfully named Chinese band Chestnut Bakery on the My Secret World compilation that came out back in August. The title alone should suggest clues on how they sound but if not then how about a mention of Sarah Records? This is classy indiepop with a hint of shoegaze going on in the background. Original no but enjoyable very much yes so! Tunnel Party is taken from the band’s forthcoming album Diaries which will be released later this month. You can get it from here. Continue reading Chestnut Bakery – Tunnel Party
The first album in almost 20 years from Kiwi legends The Chills is one of the reasons I have not posted for a while (No No No by Beirut and Songs To Play by Robert Forster being the others). Warm Waveform is one of the tracks taken from Silver Bullets and is bang on the money. Or something like that. Silver Bullets is out now on Fire Records. Facebook Homepage Continue reading The Chills – Warm Waveform
Black Dog was one of the outstanding tracks on Cromwell’s Age of Anxiety album released back in June. It’s here in shortened and extended versions that hark back to the golden age of Synth Britannia. However it’s the Rod’s Glitchy Disco Mix of You Will Struggle that steals the show as most of the original vocals are dumped and the cut up ones that remain are used to great effect over a contagious beat. Out on limited CD and digital from from here. Facebook Continue reading Rodney Cromwell – Black Dog EP
I think I have listened to more shoegaze infused music this year than I have for some time. Most of it has been very dull and uninspiring but thankfully there are some exceptions like this single from Portland’s Tender Age. Using Creation Records as a template the band build upon their influences and deliver the goods. Personally I would be disappointed if they sounded like this several releases down the line but there is time them to grow and develop further loosening the shackles of their obvious influences. For now though Get High is perfect. Get High is out now … Continue reading Tender Age – Get High
Barcelona’s Jessica & The Fletchers have just released their debut album. Entitled Connecting People it’s chock fall of noisy and fun pop tunes that hark back to years gone by especially the fuzzier side of the C86 era. So much so they should have released it on a flexi disc. Connecting People is limited to just 100 CD copies (it’s begging for a vinyl release) on the Discos De Kirlian label. Get it from here or digitally from the band or label. Facebook Continue reading Jessica & The Fletchers – Connecting People
Night Flowers return with both a new vocalist and single. Sleep is at the poppier end of the shoegazing barometer and new singer Sophia Pettit’s voice is used to great effect alongside the shimmering guitars. Flip side Sitting Pretty sees the band still sounding like an early Pains of Being Pure At Heart but, hey, that is no bad thing. If you want a band that crosses shoegazing with indiepop then you have found them! Sleep is out on Dirty Bingo Records. Get it here. The band will headline the critical nights alldayer on November 1st – details here. Facebook … Continue reading Night Flowers – Sleep
Another threesome for your listening Pleasure. Club 8 – Love Dies Love Dies is taken from the bands forthcoming album Pleasure which is out, via Labrador, on November 20th. Given their last albums have covered electronica, dub, bossa nova and trip hop the next one should be interesting based on this track! The Radio Dept. – This Repeated Sodomy Staying on Labrador The Radio Dept. have a new single out. Entitled This Repeated Sodomy it will not be on the band’s forthcoming album. It’s available digitally from the usual places. Chvrches – Leave A Trace (Four Tet Remix) I cannot … Continue reading Something For The Weekend #2
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