Listening Post – April 2024

Words: Andy Hughes

I can’t quite Adam-and-beliEve-it that we’re already easing into spring. No, this isn’t an April Fools (particularly as that was a few days ago), but rather the year zooming ahead as per. 

Alongside our bumper playlist for the year (cataloguing everything we’ve been loving from January through to now), the ‘Listening Post’ returns this month and it’s full of choice cuts, 20 of them – old and new!

It’s a crisp 60 minutes, so you can bosh this one out in snappy fashion – be sure to tell your friends / family / pets too!

Whilst you’re here, can we quickly draw your attention to the new podcast that we launched at the start of the year? ’60 Minutes or less’ has been up and running for over three months now, featuring interesting chats with Joe Casey (Protomartyr), Paul Hanley (The Fall), Philip Frobos (Omni), Jonathan Higgs (Everything Everything), Peter Brewis (Field Music) and Steve Davis OBE (The Utopia Strong)! When you’re done here, get yourself listening to the new episodes and give it a rating on your favourite streaming service!

Patio – Inheritance
(Collection)

Cooler than the other side of the pillow stuff here from NYC formed trio Patio. From their second album ‘Collection’, out September last year on tastemaker label Fire Talk, ‘Inheritance’ is as groovy as it is moody and calls to mind the brilliant Lithics. Love those machine-gun fire drum bursts.

Parsnip – The Light
(Behold)

On our radar ever since their 2017 EP ‘Health’, Aussie lot Parsnip return in 2024 with their forthcoming second album (on the way this month via Upset The Rhythm). Kicking things off with bright and breezy lead single ‘The Light’, it’s an offering that sounds like it’s been zapped forward in time from the swinging sixties. 

Bench Press – Respite
(Not The Past, Can’t Be The Future)

From their 2019 album ‘Not The Past, Can’t Be The Future’, Melbourne’s Bench Press have a motto we can get behind – ‘don’t bore us, get to the chorus’. Mastered by Mikey Young, naturally, this is a snarling post-punk number that sinks its teeth in from the off.

Bingo Fury – Leather Sky
(Bats Feet For A Widow)

It was a trip seeing Bingo Fury at hipster hotspot YES in Manchester recently, given that the cover photo for his new album ‘Bats Feet For A Widow’ captures the songwriter in the restaurant across the street, literally taken from the very same room we were stood. ‘Leather Sky’ is something else, a proper stop you in your tracks affair from the young crooner, one that’s drawn comparisons to songwriting greats like Scott Walker.

Saint Saviour – Be Gentle
(Sunseeker)

It’s fitting that we move into spring with this sun-soaked delight from London based singer-songwriter Becky Jones a.k.a. Saint Saviour (though it is pissing it down in Manchester as I write this…) From a new album out now – the aptly titled ‘Sunseeker’ – elsewhere on the record you’ll find a guest collaboration from Bill Ryder Jones.

Non La – Hurtful
(Like Before)

Mega S/T ‘blue’ album Weezer vibes aplenty on the fist-pumping ‘Hurtful’, one of the big hitters from ‘Like Before’, the new record from queer Chinese-Vietnamese multi-instrumentalist Non La (whose name sounds like what a scouser might say when you’ve asked them for something they’ve just run out of…) Dig that fuzz!

Ting Tang Tina – Hair
(Honeybee)

Texan quartet Ting Tang Tina first started playing shows in 2017, but listening to the infectious ‘Hair’, you’d think they’d have been at it for decades. Hardly letting up across its near three minutes, this from their debut album ‘Honeybee’ sounds like it’d be sitting pretty on the soundtrack of any coming of age teen film. 

Grazia – Stupid Paradise
(In Poor Taste)

Featuring ex-Sauna Youth bod Lindsay Corstorphine, London based duo Grazia put out a killer EP at the start of the year (another winning release from the team at Feel It Records). ‘Stupid Paradise’ is a total ear worm of the slacker variety.

VR Sex – Real Doll Time
(Hard Copy)

I’ve been flirting with disaster of late, listening to loads of VR Sex on my work laptop (that name!), but I can’t help it – I’m hooked on their new record, ’Hard Copy’! Spearheaded by Noel Skum (a.k.a. Andrew Clinco of Drab Majesty), ‘Real Doll Time’ is a mega infectious bit of moody post-punk from a record that well and truly has its hooks in us.

The Chico Hamilton Quintet – The Morning After
(Chico Hamilton Quintet featuring Buddy Collette)

An absolutely delightful piece here from American jazz drummer and bandleader, Chico Hamilton, a completely cinematic jazz affair that would perfectly soundtrack any time of day (not just ‘The Morning After‘…)

Folly Group – East Flat Crows
(Down There!)

Sometimes seeing a band live can really take their record to another level. Following an appearance in Manchester last month, I’ve been hammering the debut album from Londoners Folly Group. ‘East Flat Crows’ is a particularly cool number from the quartet, the dual vocal and hypnotising rhythm section taking hold.

Modema – Running Back

A regular in The Orielles live band (as well as behind the counter of Manchester institution Piccadilly Records), last year saw the release of a debut single from Scottish artist Modema, a slick pop number that doesn’t sound too dissimilar to the synth-pop stylings found on the latest Everything Everything record.  

SLAP RASH – Photo Fit
(Catherine Special)

Local lot SLAP RASH put out their debut EP ‘Catherine Special’ at the tail end of last year and from it, ‘Photo Fit’ is a frantic post punk shoulder-shuffler of the Drahla variety. Thumping drums, killer bass and a captivating vocal attack that keeps you on your toes, this is solid!

Holiday Ghosts – Big Congratulations
(Coat Of Arms)

The ever prolific Holiday Ghosts swiftly follow up their 2023 record ‘Absolute Reality’ with yet another slab of wax to be devoured. Latest single ‘Big Congratulations’ is a total pop treat – a joyous, breezy single to welcome in the brighter months of the year.

(Photo Credit: Atiba Jefferson)

Dehd – Mood Ring
(Poetry)

Starting off as a thumping, Nine Inch Nails type industrial assault, ‘Mood Ring’ switches gears dramatically and becomes such a pop bop. From a new record out this May, ‘Mood Ring’ is insanely catchy and a total heart-sweller from the Chicago trio.

Mannequin Pussy – Aching
(I Got Heaven)

You know we love a 90 second ripper at Birthday Cake For Breakfast, so we were stoked when we heard this on the latest Mannequin Pussy record. A hardcore rush that sounds like the gnarliness of early Turnstile, you’ll want to stick ‘Aching’ on again and again.

Lambrini Girls – God’s Country

Very much in the vein of early Sleaford Mods – dog-dirt bass and engrossing, corner-you-in-the-pub stream of consciousness vocals (both a compliment, trust us) – ‘God’s Country’ is the latest attack from killer trio Lambrini Girls. Known for a notorious live show and with records to match, they can’t seem to put a foot wrong!

Rosali – Bite Down
(Bite Down)

From a new record out last month via Merge Records, North Carolina’s Rosali conjures up a real vibe on title track ‘Bite Down’. Guided by the warmth of the vocals and the instrumentation, it’s the type of track you can completely lose yourself in, allowing your mind to float off along a lazy river. 

Alison Cotton – The Letter Burning
(Engelchen)

From a new record out this year on Rocket Recordings and Feeding Tube Records, ‘The Letter Burning’ is a haunting, thought provoking piece from London based viola player / vocalist Alison Cotton. The record ‘Engelchen’ – meaning “little angel” in German – is a tribute to Ida & Louise Cook, two opera fans who rescued 29 Jewish people from Nazi-occupied Europe in the 30s.

Cowtown – Thru Being Zuul
(Fear Of…)

A commemorative pen in the post for Leeds formed Cowtown, the trio now celebrating twenty years in the game! To mark the occasion, the trio have just announced a new album is on the way this May via Gringo Records – their first new album in eight years! New single ‘Thru Being Zuul’ is the Cowtown sound we’ve come to love, an energetic burst of DEVO styled synth-punk to get the body moving.

(Photo Credit: Vincent-Lee)

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This One Song… Saint Saviour on Be Gentle

Tell you what – we love hearing from artists when things go right. We equally love hearing from artists when things go dreadfully wrong. A song that was a piece of piss, written in 20 minutes? Or years in the making and a bastard to write?

Whether it’s a song that came together through great duress or one that was smashed out in a short amount of time, we’re getting the lowdown from some of our favourites on the one song that they can’t stop thinking about – in their own words.

Becky Jones, a.k.a. Saint Saviour, talks us through the track ‘Be Gentle’ from her forthcoming new album ‘Sunseeker‘ (out March 22nd 2024 via VLF). Take it away, Becky…

Words: Andy Hughes

“I wrote ‘Sunseeker‘ using my new technique of only ever writing lyrics whilst walking / wandering around places. I have come to find that I’m more likely to become stuck and creatively lost for words, stories, lines of inquiry when I’m sitting still, so I started to record myself singing gibberish on melody and chord structures I really liked and then going out walking while listening to them.

Around the very start of ‘Sunseeker‘ I had become really interested in the Plantagenets, Wars of the Roses and all that stuff, and I’d been devouring all the Philippa Gregory books. I’d fallen in love with the sharp witted women in the stories and how people like Elizabeth Woodville had crossed loyalties from red to white rose to become queen, then her daughter did the very same thing in becoming the first Tudor queen.

I had the ‘please be gentle with me baby’ line from the very beginning, but I wanted to avoid going down a conventional route with the concept. On my walks I often go around and through the Tower of London which is near me, and I started thinking about the last surviving Plantagenet, Margaret Pole. When you google her, all you get is stories of her ‘botched’ execution within the walls of the tower, when her life story is actually quite remarkable. Her body (and head) is buried under the floor of the church in the grounds of the tower. ‘Be Gentle‘ imagines her asking us to be gentle with her memory, maybe look beyond the gory tales and learn about her amazing survival into old age in the face of constant existential threat from childhood to her death at age 67.

In the second half of the song, I start to imagine her haunting Henry VIII in revenge, her ghost willing some of the roses of the tower to climb and loop ‘like a braid around your throat, baby I’m the song you wrote, the melody; poison fruit’.”

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Release Rundown – Folly Group and Bill Ryder-Jones

Words: Ben Forrester

Folly Group – Down There!
(So Young)

Bursting onto the scene with their debut EP in 2021, there was something that felt ready and fully formed about London’s Folly Group. Though they did slot nicely into the Crack Cloud inspired school of young post-punks, there was a depth to both the songwriting and production of the quartet that definitely caught the attention of tastemakers and new music fans alike. And just two short years of further EP / single releases, lots of touring and a whole heap of radio play, we now have that all important debut album. 

‘Big Ground’ opens up with the same urgency we’ve come to expect, wrapping Afrobeat rhythms around razor blade guitars and hooky, spoken word vocals. It’s an enticing opener that takes you into the deep, dark underbelly of London. ‘Do What I Can’ feels apprehensive and agitated but also fizzes with a driving chorus, once again proving that these dudes sure know their way around a hook.

My main takeaway from this record is that it’s mega catchy. Nearly every tune is an ear worm and perhaps the sign of its sturdiness is how heavy loaded it is with a new favourite tune popping up on each new listen; the slinky groove of ‘Frame’ is an intensely cool way to close the record, while ‘Pressure Pad’ swirls around your mind with another huge chorus. 

It matches the same energy and excitement as that first EP, with impressive playing, interesting song structures and just generally solid tunes. I think that some may consider this as just another post-punk album, which I understand. But whilst a lot of young guitar bands seem to be really hitting their stride with their second album, it’s refreshing to see a band like Folly Group come out with all guns blazing on their debut. ‘Down There!’ is definitely the sound of the finished article, but still with loads of space to expand. 

Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da
(Domino)

At the back end of 2018, Bill Ryder-Jones broke my heart and put it back together again with his gorgeous ‘Yawn’ record. Its bleary eyed melancholia and gentle, slow-core backing had me completely spellbound, becoming an instant album of the year contender just days after release. It seems that the West-Kirby born songwriter has had this effect on many others, with his previous LP’s all receiving star studded reviews, as well as his live shows growing in venue size with each new tour. 

I find it hard to believe that nearly six years have passed since ‘Yawn’ came out, but Bill has been busy producing everyone else’s records at his own studio (sharing its name with the aforementioned ‘Yawn’), along with other collaborative projects and so on. But finally, having started work on it some time ago, we have ‘Iechyd Da’. 

Having read that this was Bill’s attempt at trying to make something more majestic and brighter, both lyrically and sonically, I was slightly apprehensive going into this as I selfishly wanted another sad lad record. But actually, what we get is this prefect medium of sadness and hopefulness. A bit like the kind of day it is today as I type, frosty and freezing in temperature, but with the most warming, blue sky – this is an album of light and shade. ‘A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart pt. 3’ is a mid paced, heart aching ballad that builds into a waltz of choir assisted vocals, and with that, a personal song becomes universal. 

Then you get something like ‘If Tomorrow Starts Without Me’, which is an upbeat, string soaked indie pop song with Bill trying to embrace love despite his default cynic setting. It’s a perfect portrayal of someone working through their feelings and trying to hold onto some light. As previously mentioned, it’s this dance between fear and hope that makes Bill more relatable than he’s ever been. This still has all the lo-fi, mumble pop intimacy of its predecessor, but somehow manages to push that into the widescreen, with bigger production, even more musical reference points (there’s a definite Gospel / Soul connection to the latter half of the record) and beautifully delivered lines.

Like his previous work, this is a slow baked affair that takes time to bed itself in and you just can’t deny the detail and care that’s gone into this record. It feels like Bill has worked really hard to make an album that is grand and warming, but still looks deep into the depths of his brain with delicacy and charm. Beautiful, timeless work from an all round talent.

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What’s On Michael Portillo’s iPod: Yard Act

Here at Birthday Cake For Breakfast, we like to get to the heart of what an artist is all about. We feel the music they listen to is just as important as the music they make. With that in mind, we’re delighted to have James Smith, vocalist in new Leeds outfit Yard Act, talking us through a host of records from this delightful year that he’s been vibing off.

Words: Andy Hughes
(Photo Credit: James Brown)

“Fuck it, it’s nearly Christmas, so here’s a list of great stuff that came out this year.

Not my definitive list, and I left Fiona Apple off because Pitchfork gave it 10/10 so just read that instead. Or better yet, listen to it?

Nice one!”

Gil Scott-Heron/Makaya McCraven – ‘I’m New Here‘
(We’re New Again, 2020)

“Re-imagining of the late, great Gil Scott-Heron’s last album and absolute classic ‘I’m New Here’ from 2011. This is technically the third incarnation of that album (Jamie XX remixed the whole thing not long after it came out) and the fourth incarnation of the song ‘I’m New Here’ which is a Bill Callahan original taken from the final Smog record ‘A River Ain’t Too Much To Love’. First off, since the mid to late 90s, Bill Callahan has been one of the most consistently brilliant, high quality songwriters going. For me, he is up there rubbing shoulders with Nick, Nina n’ Neil now (That’s not a 70’s folk-funk trio called ‘Nick, Nina n’ Neil now’ by the way, just the facts getting daft with a little alliteration).

Anyway, Makaya McCraven is from Chicago. He’s done beautiful work here, this version is up there with the versions by Bill and Gil (That’s not a 70’s folk-funk duo called ‘Bill and Gil’ by the way… look there is very little point in using creative, descriptive writing to sell music on the internet, just click the link. It’s really good).”

RELATED SUGGESTION: Jeff Parker – ‘Suite For Max Brown’

Tobin Sprout – ‘On Golden Rivers‘
(Empty Horses, 2020)

“Was recommended this by my great friends at Jumbo Records a few weeks ago. Absolutely gorgeous. Very ‘classic’ in the classic sense. Music, especially popular music, largely works to a formula, but as writers and listeners we are driven by our reluctance to embrace that what we find satisfying sonically is actually predetermined, whether we know it to be true or not. Because of that refusal to accept the formula, we’re always searching for the mutant strain and we want to prove the science wrong. We want noise to convey emotions we can’t compartmentalise and we want to be able to love it without understanding it.

In my own listening, I’m always striving to understand what connects the very disparate things I love. Why do I love that, but this bores me? After years of soul searching and self-reflection I’ve come to understand: If the snare drum sounds dead fucking old, It’s probably mint.”

RELATED SUGGESTION: Guided By Voices – ‘Surrender Your Poppy Field’

Hen Ogledd – ‘Crimson Star’
(Free Humans, 2020)

“My friend Ian recommended this to me. He has the best taste in music. This album is brilliant, very funny and very sad. No one writes better unconventional pop melodies than Richard Dawson (this is him with Sally Pilkington, Rhodri Davies and Dawn Bothwell) and basically it’s just ace. It really reminds me of The Buggles for some reason. They all sing and they all have great voices, the production is really clever but never try-hard. I just keep coming back to it because it’s so good.

Hen Ogledd means ‘The Old North’ which I like, there’s pride and a preservation in it. I spend a lot of time rejecting the idea of Northern pride, because much like everywhere else in the world, it is full of absolute dick heads that I have to share this vast, vague expanse with too. If I and they are both proud of the same thing, one of us has to be wrong, right? That said, when pushed, I must admit that I am proud of The North’s resilience and (especially) its sense of humour, which is unrivalled. I’m also fond of how honesty can manifest itself here. The stoic men and women in your life, you still know exactly where you stand with them. You know they love you even though they never say it, it’s the native tongue and it speaks volumes. The love that comes from quiet struggle.

As much as I hate to admit it, where you come from does shape who you are, for better or worse. Unless you come from Milton Keynes, in which case you are a concrete tabula rasa so go fucking nuts, ya little superstars!”

RELATED SUGGESTION: Rhodri Davies – ‘Telyn Rawn’

The Heliocentrics – ‘The Opening‘
(Telemetric Sounds, 2020)

“I’ve had this on in the car for the last few weeks. It’s on Madlib’s Invasion label. I love it. I think they’re London based? They’ve worked with Mulatu Astatke in the past, which says it all. The snare drum sounds amazing.”

RELATED SUGGESTION: Madlib – ‘Bandana’ (The Beats)

Working Men’s Club – ‘Valleys‘
(Working Men’s Club, 2020)

“A really wonderful record. Loads of hooks, flows dead well. I saw them at the Brudenell last June as part of a Heavenly Records weekender. I saw something in it then but they didn’t feel like they were quite there yet. Next time I saw them a year or so later, I think the singer Syd was the only one left! Sounds like there was a bit of trouble and a battle for creative control over it all with people falling out and leaving/being kicked out etc from what I’ve read/heard. It’s a shame when that happens, that stuff is never fun for anybody.

Everyone is gonna have their side of the story but when the album finally came out… It kinda validated Syd’s vision of the band for me. I’m all about the music, and this is just a really good album with really great, well-crafted songs. Best bit is I think he/they are only just getting started and I’m really rooting for them to get massive off the back of this.”

RELATED SUGGESTION: Katy J Pearson – ‘Return‘

BONUS – The Cool Greenhouse – ‘Alexa!‘

“The Cool Greenhouse put an album out earlier this year and it’s really ace. Very funny, great tight band behind the lyrics too. Quite soon after they followed it with this which isn’t on the record, but is better than anything that is. It’s exciting when a band follow something great up fast, with something even better. I’m well into it and I’m well into them. I don’t know if this is from a new record due at some point or a stand alone… Either way, it’s great and I suggest giving this a listen and buying a copy from your local independent record store.”

“Right, that’s me done,
Nice one if you read this far.
Best, James.”

‘Fixer Upper / The Trapper’s Pelts‘ is out NOW and if you’re lucky, you might be able to find a 7″ in your local record store – be on the lookout, it’s like gold dust!

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Listening Post – June 2020

Words: Andy Hughes

As someone else so eloquently put it recently, there are bigger things at stake at the minute and there are more pressing matters at hand.

Whilst our hearts go out to those impacted in matters of great pain across the world and our eyes are open and we’re listening intently, we’ve still been plugging away in the background, doing our best to champion new music as always. As we do every month, here’s our new monthly playlist – 20 tunes, old and new.

*UPDATE – Our playlist only sticks about for ONE MONTH before we move on. No regrets. You can listen to the latest playlist below!*

Dry Cleaning – Goodnight
(Sweet Princess EP)

Finally managed to grab a copy of the in demand two EP’s spliced together! More blunt joy from LDN quartet Dry Cleaning and on ‘Goodnight‘, the opener from their debut EP, Florence Shaw reels out a stream of consciousness vocal on top of an infectious, post-punk backing. Nothing sets you up quite like “Have you ever spat cum onto the carpet of a Travelodge?”

Wamduscher – Midnight Dipper
(Soulwax Remix)

‘Midnight Dipper‘ has long been a household favourite and the lords of Warmduscher have graced us this year with a 2020 remix, Soulwax style, stretching out the funk for a full six minutes to achieve eyes-rolling-into-the-back-of-the-head euphoria. ICYMI, we interviewed Lightnin’ Jack Everett of the band earlier this year – check that out here!

Powerplant – A Spine
(A Spine/Evidence)

New to us via the never-wrong Static Shock Records, Powerplant just recently put out this EP of moody synth heavy, nostalgia laced post-punk that ticks all manner of boxes for yours truly. Solid little number.

Peaks – Knock On Effect
(Season)

Heart-swelling stuff from Cheshire based solo singer-songwriter Peaks. An early favourite taken from his much anticipated debut album released last April. In and out in just over 120 seconds, heartstrings well and truly tugged.

(Photo Credit: The1point8)

Thundercat – Dragonball Durag
(It Is What It Is)

Sleazy sex-jams from virtuoso Thundercat, with the video for this single being a cinematic masterpiece. Many an afternoon spent this past month melting away in the sun, annoying neighbours by singing this in the back garden…

Romeo Void – Never Say Never
(Benefactor)

When I was in college, I was still clutching onto a portable CD player, with a handful of CDs chucked in my bag for travelling purposes. The Queens of the Stone Age record ‘Rated R‘ was on heavy rotation during this time, with its bonus disc (including a cover of the Romeo Void tune ‘Never Say Never‘) hammered on the regular. Discovering Ganser recently, it got me thinking about this song again – the original is such a super cool blast of new wave out of San Francisco.

Dead Kennedys – Soup Is Good Food
(Frankenchrist)

From annoying the neighbours to annoying my (lockdown) partner, i’ve been hammering this song (and Dead Kennedys) all month, relentlessly singing the chorus of this. Quite apt right about now, eh?

XTC – Generals and Majors
(Black Sea)

Bloody hell have I been rinsing this… Very much working my way backwards from listening to Field Music, this feels like the blueprint to a lot of their work. Further listening to ‘Black Sea‘ and vibing off Swindon’s finest – the chorus is earworm central.

Blanketman – Taking You With Me

The debut single from Manchester lot Blanketman, this is proper catchy, sun-soaked post-punk to rival the likes of contemporaries Working Men’s Club. Hit the ground running, make no mistake – big things expected! They were even gracious enough to answer a host of our daft questions – read all about it!

Crack Cloud – Ouster Stew
(Pain Olympics)

It’s daft how many times i’ve listened to this (almost as much as that bloody XTC song…) From their highly anticipated debut album ‘PAIN OLYMPICS‘ out this July, if you’re familiar with these pages you’ll know that I never shut up about Crack Cloud. Vital stuff.

(Photo Credit: James Brown)

Yard Act – The Trapper’s Pelts

Love Menace Beach. Love Post War Glamour Girls. Stick vocalists James and Ryan together with 2/5 of Leeds outfit Treeboy & Arc, swirl it all together and put it out with Bill Ryder-Jones doing the production and you’ve got a thumbs up from us.

Big Softy – S.I.T.T.M

Similar to Yard Act, in Big Softy you’ve got another Leeds favourite in Aidan Razzall of Weirds putting his full-strength vocals into another project. Not sure why it’s taken me almost half a year to cotton onto this one (given I spoke with Aidan about it ahead of release) but we’re fully on board with Big Softy now.

Everything Everything – Arch Enemy
(RE-ANIMATOR)

Off the back of return single ‘In Birdsong‘, Everything Everything knock it out of the park with their follow up ‘Arch Enemy’. Everything we’ve come to love from the quartet, with Higgs up front playing a blinder in the vocal stakes. Fair play to them on the video front too, embracing their weirdness with a video looking like a tripped out nightmare.

Pottery – Hot Heater
(Welcome To Bobby’s Motel)

Another month, another dose of Pottery. Whilst it might not reach the heady heights/romance of previous single ‘Hot Like Jungle‘, new single ‘Hot Heater’ sees the Canadian bods lean into their influences for this arse-shaker of a teaser for their forthcoming album.

Thee MVPs – Ship Episode, Planet Episode
(Science Fiction)

The opener from Thee MVPs debut album, ‘Ship Episode, Planet Episode‘ is the perfect introduction and wraps them up in one go – shout-y garage punk vocals and scorching, mind-melting wig-outs. Tuck into this!

Sleaford Mods – Second
(All That Glue)

From the Top 10 (!) retrospective that Sleaford Mods put out last month, ‘Second‘ was recorded around the time of ‘English Tapas‘, almost lost forever in the laptop of beatmaker Andrew Fearn. Chuffed it’s been unearthed, a vital sounding sprint from the Mods as vocalist Williamson questions everything from fashion choices to social classes and race.

Billy Nomates – No

Debut single ‘No‘ from Billy Nomates, mate of Sleaford Mods, is a bit of a delight on the quiet. From her forthcoming debut album, the straight down the line delivery of the vocal makes way for an engaging chorus tailor made for moving your feet and sweating it up in dimly lit basements.

The Fall – Bremen Nacht Alternative
(The Frenz Experiment)

Catchy as fuck and completely engaging, even with its 9+ minute length. Stick it on, have a dance, put the kettle on, do a bit of work, come back to that hypnotising bass line and get back on it.

Jade Hairpins – Yesterdang
(Harmony Avenue)

From their debut album out last week, Jonah Falco celebrated its release over the weekend by blasting it out from a portable record player on a canal boat going through London. ‘Yesterdang’ sounded beautiful as they drifted across the sun-soaked water. A true gem from an album that has been rinsed these past few months.

Stuck – Bells
(Change Is Bad)

I remember USA Nails were supposed to go on tour with Stuck earlier this year, but current circumstances put an end to that. ‘Bells‘ was filed into our yearly playlist for future listening and has found its way into regular rotation. From their debut LP out in April, this is solid noise-rock – for fans of METZ and their should be touring mates USA Nails.

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Album Release Rundown – Bill Ryder-Jones, Throes and Dead Nature

(Photo Credit: Jack-Finnigan)
Words: Ben Forrester

After just over a month’s silence, the review rundowns are back back back! The festival season is very nearly over and it’s time to get stuck back in on the album front. As always, all of the below records are released through the best labels in the biz and are available online and in-store. Please remember folks to support your local indie shops; you don’t know what you’ve got til its gone!

Bill Ryder-Jones – ‘Yawny Yawn’ (Domino)

Last year saw the release of Bill Ryder-Jones’ fourth album ‘Yawn‘, an understated, personal record full of gorgeous melodies and sumptuous layers of guitar fuzz. But just when you thought Bill couldn’t get any more intimate, here we have a re-imagined version of ‘Yawn‘ re-recorded for just vocals and piano. As you can imagine, this is a slow burning affair with some of the songs stretched out to twice their original length as Bill slows things down and lets the emotion pour out even further.

I think it’s a bold move to make an already quiet and sad record even more so, but Bill has really thought about creating a new sense of space with these recordings. I love his hazy, just got out of bed vocal style and his piano playing and melodic choices bring a new, more thoughtful perspective. I also enjoy the addition of underlying ambient textures to bring a new sense of space to these songs. I’ll be honest, the pace and stripped back nature of this project can be a bit tough going at times but some of the arrangements can be stop you in your tracks stunning. Come the winter, this is going to be a perfect, snuggle up soundtrack.

Throes – ‘In The Hands Of An Angry God’ (Holy Roar)

Following from their debut release back in 2015, Idaho based quintet Throes have been beavering away, working towards the creation of their debut full length. ‘In The Hands Of An Angry God‘ is released through the best heavy label in the UK (Holy Roar) and as expected, is a brute force attack of sludgy riffs and hardcore density.

Dynamically, the record is book ended in short yet blisteringly sweet fashion as opener ‘Bad Meat‘ caves your head in with a fist full of riffs, while ‘Fang‘ closes it with under two minutes of pure thrash ferocity. Aside from these tracks, there are much more expansive and extensive sonic shifts here with melodic hardcore tendencies and an almost Deftones level of dreaminess in places. What gives this record its cohesion is the level of intensity that flows through it. The whole record keeps its emotions up front and centre, with its mood and atmosphere keeping you focused and holding on. This is another solid HR release that fans of the label will be sure to dig, but equally if you like sludgy hardcore with a heart, look no further.

Dead Nature – ‘Taking My Shadow’ EP (Dead Nature Records)

It was at the back end of last year that UK’s brightest indie hopes Spring King announced their split. Although it might have come as a shock to some, it felt like a mutual decision for the quartet to part ways after a pretty fruitful six year career. Not even a year since their last album release and Tarek Musa, the band’s leading songwriting force, is back under the solo moniker of Dead Nature.

This debut EP takes the same punk infused pop pomp of Tarek’s previous project but takes it up a notch. ‘Fire In Your Soul‘ is a big opener, with a chorus that is ready to be plastered all over the FM, while the gospel infused hook of ‘In My Heart‘ is destined for big stages in big fields. It’s got all the urgency and sharpness of before, but instrumentally the sky is the limit and sonically, this is a bold debut. On first listen it doesn’t seem like much of departure, but when these songs soak in, this feels like a really good stepping stone for Tarek to take his sharp songwriting skills and Dead Nature to the next level.

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