Lovespeake
Post-apocalyptic hymns, tales of Lancashire and Thatcher’s Britain and a necessary dose of Norwegian funk feature in this week’s latest as Getintothis’ Matthew Wood revels once more in an abundance of outstanding new music.
Single of the Week
Lovespeake – Tightrope
Instantly uplifting, this one will lift you out of any slump, hand you some flares and a sequinned shirt and insist you start dancing to the point where you’re using muscles you didn’t think you had.
It bobs along buoyantly like a pimped out dinghy with some bursting synths, some aquatic riffs and a funk fuelled friday night-feeling chorus.
Sharp, clever shifts in percussion make for neat breaks as sticks dance swiftly on hi-hats and tambourine and an adept piece of solo guitar work tops off this wonderful track and the Norwegian 6-piece take top spot as our Single of the Week.
You can hear both brilliant singles on the playlist below.
Gold Panda – Time Eater
Chiming in with a cacophony of struck strings and pounded keys, Time Eater transforms the disharmonious into something addictive. A flittering beat crumbles and fuzzes over the tracks almost sinister origins that retain that taste of the oriental that we have come to know and love from Gold Panda.
For me, it doesn’t quite allow for the submerging experience we get from Lucky Shiner and perhaps keeps us distanced to a point. The cold clanks of piano keys and the somewhat jaunty beat stop you from getting lost completely while a harmony of warming fuzzy synths, soon rectify that in the latter part of the song, if only it went on for much, much longer…
Gold Panda’s new album Good Luck and Do Your Best is out May 27.
Liima – 513
Some rapid leg patting soon transforms into frantic space-age bleeps and some Alt-J style high octave, organic vocals. There’s a definite sense of impending as the track teases us with the delivery of a drop, which eventually hits home with a superior, droning synth.
Comprised of members from Danish 4AD signed band Efterklang and Finnish percussionist Tatu Rönkkö, Liima are set to preview their latest project across Denmark, Germany and Turkey after writing ‘in the most amazing summer cottage’ and ‘taking naked swims in the morning’ in the purest of lakes.
Sounds pretty idyllic to me, but let’s hope a British summer can offer some appeal and bring them over here for a few live shows.
The Magnetic North – A Death In The Woods
‘It’s grim up North’, agreed, but there’s an intense magnetism about the North too and the tale of Skelmersdale, a small Lancashire town, is explored in the latest track from this star-studded lineup.
Comprised of Simon Tong (The Verve and Blur) Gawain Erland Cooper (Erland and the Carnival) and Hannah Peel, their latest is a richly British collection of memories and history, immortalised in a neatly sophisticated track.
Stemming from the repercussions of Thatcher’s Britain, Skelmersdale was hit hard with unemployment until it became home and sanctuary for the Transcendental Meditation movement, who built a temple that still stands today.
The fitting array of clips features an abundance of flares, floppy haircuts and flawless blue skies while strings and hushed vocals enrich the tale brilliantly.
Their latest album Prospect Of Skelmersdale is out March 18 and will explore further the Skelmersdale tale.
Natalie McCool – Fortress
Steely chugs and a distant whir are all McCool needs to kick start her latest track, which submerges us into last night’s dream of love and refuge.
Her vocals soar far beyond the stripped down, skeletal openings of the track as she soothes and entices with her poetic form and impressive range.
A crackly, subdued beat plods along in a folky, foot stomping manner accompanied by acoustic guitar flourishes before a four-four tambourine pattern and glittering synth bursts offer subtle changes but completely transform the track into a shimmering anthem of solidarity.
SuperBlack – WHITE PRIVILEGE
Born out of Prince Paul most famously known as producer of De La Soul’s 3 Feet High And Rising, the talented J-Zone who oozes a distinct, sharp wit (check out the whopping 22-track long Peter Pan Syndrome) and completing the trinity is the versatile workaholic Sacha Jenkins, who has brushed shoulders and documented some of hip hop’s greatest.
The track WHITE PRIVILEGE has some obvious connotations from its title and J-Zone paints a vivid yet caricatured picture of black oppression in modern day New York.
A beat ripped straight from the 90’s, littered with hi-hat lifts and snare rolls sits comfortably alongside a cool, addictive bass line making for a vintage, already well matured track that grounds itself in the works of legends.
The Hanging Stars – Crippled Shining Blues
A track that quivers and wavers into life, kind of like the hazy stumble you make in a morning towards the curtains before ripping them open and letting the day wash over you. Similarly, the latest from the London-based, desert scorched folk outfit is as pleasant as the early morning sun.
Bluesy slide guitar smooths over the more angular riffs and bass line while a energetic strums of a 12-string and deliciously tight drums recall Real Estate and their unrivalled sunshine charged sound.
Their debut album Over the Silvery Lake is out March 11 and they play Buyers Club seven days later and its only a fiver.
The KVB – In Deep
Electro-shoegaze duo The KVB bring us a dark, distorted and undeniably cool track that bundles baritone clarity, screaming strokes of effect laden strings and the crystal synth that can only be reminiscent of our melancholy favourite Joy Division.
Somewhat effortless with a sharp finesse, the track makes use of simplistic layering and resists the temptation of over charging the track with unnecessary add ons. Barren, yet beautiful, its a polished depiction of urban loneliness.
Minor Victories – A Hundred Ropes
This track sells itself, and doesn’t require much justification once you’re aware of the lineup. Those dreamy, heaven sent vocals we come to know as half of the forefront of Slowdive’s intoxicating prowess, aka Rachel Goswell has teamed up with post-rock pioneer Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai) and Editors guitarist Justin Lockey and his brother James for a monumental concoction of influence.
Arpeggiated chords wander sinisterly before a kraut-infused, relentless beat charges the track with a certainty and ferocious energy. Masses of strings saunter onto the scene before a monstrous attack of guitar brings the song to an unwanted close.
With such a powerful lineup it’s probably one of the most hotly anticipated albums of the year, out June 3.
Public Memory – Zig Zag
This haunting orchestration from Robert Toher is like a post-apocalyptic hymn. Existing through a warm yet unnerving drone and some punchy, complex drum patterns and the eeriest of bell chimes it transports you to a dystopian future in which we can picture Toher calling out in his mysterious manner.
The more you listen, the more you realise how well put together this track is, it blossoms the more you tune in. Utterly mesmeric percussion fixates your attention leading you into its dark, moonlit depths.
John Carpenter – Distant Dream
From the director and composer who rose to fame during the 70’s and 80’s through his work on an eclectic mix of movies such as the slasher horror Halloween and the sci-fi horror The Thing.
His debut album Lost Themes is out now and Carpenter continues to revel in the 80’s.
With an intro that harks back to Bon Jovi before marching into post-rock territory for a short stint and then reverting back to the comfort of the familiar. It is quite stop/start in its finish but this is the mind of a film maker, he probably has scenes imagined that suit this track perfectly.
Let your imagination run wild a bit and let Carpenter score your efforts.
Royzy Rothschild – Champagne – ‘Every Line That I Drop’
Working hard to stay on top, Royszy Rothschild is working towards a future that could afford him a couple of Nebuchadnezzar’s of Champagne and a glistening pool full of babes in bikinis.
Fortunately for Rothschild, his beats continue to get tighter, as well as developing his homegrown lyrical fluidity proving that he is a man of progression, always looking forward, but never forgetting his roots.
His latest is glitzy in its aesthetic but stripped down in its production, much like the models, and is carried on a bed of crystal synths and a simple snare, allowing Rothschild to exercise his vast influence of style.
Man & The Echo – Vile As You Want
Warrington quartet Man & The Echo react to ‘political correctness gone mad’ with an illuminating essay and an amusing, politically charged little number.
Grab four atrociously brilliant blonde wigs and flowery shirts (which I’m pretty sure i’ve seen in Soho’s) and throw in some vintage organ and you’re looking at something rather tragic, however, throw in an infectious, message loaded chorus and some all round impressive songwriting and you’re faced with something tragic, yet a downright success musically.
Get involved on March 22 at 24 Kitchen Street.
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