Imarhan, Photo Credit: Margot Canton-Lamousse
Bringing you desert rock for the winter months and a taste of the Alabama hip-hop scene, Getintothis’ Matthew Wood arrives with another bundle of audible goods.
Single of the Week
Imarhan – Azzaman
Cruising through the vein of desert rock pioneered by the astounding Tinariwen, fellow Tuareg band, Imarhan are an intriguing six-piece from Algeria.
Azzaman is chocked full of groove and Tuareg traditions, led by a heavy rhythmic section and generously laid melodic licks for a mighty dose of desert sunshine. Unlike their Tuareg counterparts, Imarhan are very much of their time and while they rely heavily on tradition they incorporate modern qualities to set themselves apart and to place them very much on the cutting edge.
Take the scorching solo they unleash in this one, it’s a Hendrix-esque psychedelic storm that will blow you away in a sandy whirlwind.
Their new album Temet is out on City Slang, February 23 2018.
Pip Blom – School
Amsterdam’s Pip Blom hits the UK later this month, and to further whet your appetite she’s released this characteristically fuzzy slacker rock number, School.
Brimming with screeching guitars, the track moans to life like a stoned college kid while Pip‘s effortless vocal recalls Courtney Barnett‘s poetry of the mundane, channeling a simple, relatable chorus for the youth: ‘To late to go to school‘.
Fun and fuzzy and proving a talent in the studio, this is a well polished track from the youngster yet she captures that lo-fi grunge finish mighty finely.
Pip Blom hit The Peer Hat, Manchester on November 29
Mono Sideboards – Gerl
An exclusive first listen of Gerl by Wirral outfit, Mono Sideboards, who create ethereal landscapes to accompany the human troubles of one, Frank Lamb.
Gerl is soft to the touch, plodding gently along, understated but with an enticing twinkle in its eye. Their dreamy approach recalls the work of Grandaddy and Cigarettes After Sex but feels more organic, as if they’d spent their days recording in dense woodland with crystal rays of sunshine glinting through the trees, and the crunch of the leaves beneath their feet.
They’ll soon be releasing an accompanying music video for this richly textured number that will drift over you like an invigorating sea breeze, keep your eyes peeled.
Ought – These 3 Things
Montreal post-punk quartet, Ought, have been creeping around the alternative scene since their debut record, More Than Any Other Day was released in 2014. Since then they’ve toured extensively, released their follow up record, Sun Coming Down, and frontman Tim Darcy released his solo record earlier this year.
Ought pride themselves on pro-activity, whether this is artistically or politically, their records are often built around themes, aiming to channel sincerity and thought that resounds with social applicability. They strive for change, and they’re constant in their search for method, and what better to do than to instigate change? Create, create, create!
These 3 Things marks the start of a new era perhaps, with a shift in musical approach, ditching their moody Television-esque art rock for, in this case, punchy 80’s pop. It suits their talents, and Darcy‘s vocal transports you back a few decades and he sounds as wise and as enticing as ever.
Gengahr – Mallory
Another track from Genaghr here that shimmers and glows with talent and vibrancy. The Stoke Newington quartet have possessed a knack for blissful songwriting since their debut record and it seems they’ve polished and refined their dream-pop sound even further on their upcoming record.
Mallory opens with a slippery guitar riff, uplifting and jubilant and instantly infectious. That crystal finish that encapsulates all that Gengahr create is indeed, wholly present, and the quartet are all out in full, melodic force.
Erthling. – Spirits in the Flesh
Hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, Erthling. aka David Redwine is a prolific fixture in the alternative hip hop scene.
He’s stamped his name on a number of mix-tapes and collabs as one half of Pen Pals with Ian Brooken and generally churning out sweet beats under his previous guise, sLanguage.
His latest release, Magical Realizm, is another solid stab at a hip-hop psych record, calling upon rich samples and retro game play sound effects to help texturise his sound. The genius of J Dilla and the flow of Jeru Tha Damaja come to mind upon first listen, does Erthling. have the makings of an Alabama icon?
Insecure Men – Teenage Toy
Fat Possum’s duo Saul Adamczewski of Fat White Family and Ben Romans-Hopcraft of Childhood return with their latest as Insecure Men, a superbly crafted dose of mutated synth-pop.
Teenage Toy was recorded at Sean Lennon’s studio straight onto a Tascam giving it that sweet, vintage and as the title suggests, playful feel.
Adamczewski sought to create a ‘demented cartoon world‘ via a pop tune with a ‘dark underbelly‘, drawing on adolescent frustrations of love and sexuality, and that idea certainly shines through. It’s like wandering through an 80’s video game with Ariel Pink and a evangelical cockney kid on your tail as you try to navigate the undulating synth landscape.
Garbanotas Bosistas – Last Summer’s Day
Translating to The Curly Bassist, Garbanotas Bosistas are a Lithuanian psych quartet who’ve been flying the flag for Lithuanian alternative rock since 2012.
This, their latest from their upcoming record Room For You, out December 7, is a dream of a tune. Riffing over a shining ride cymbal and thick bass-lines, a spiraling guitar and vocal drips like honey to magnificent effect.
Calming and serene and accompanied by some mesmeric visuals, this is bound to make you forget the falling leaves and darkening nights, at least for a few minutes.
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