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Ber - Smooth Ride
Utterly smooth, disarmingly direct, a reflective sad-girl indie-pop ballad cut with a buzz of breezy realism. Ber is a highly skilled lyricist, always making unexpected turns and blending her songs with gentle irreverence.
Bottlemoth - Lilac
One of my favourite UK indie bands, Bottlemoth, are back with this pulse of rich energy. Subtly heavier than their previous offerings in the ‘Even Us Ghosts’ era, and with a driving focus, it’s an uplifting listen, drawing attention instantly and carrying you forward in a layered embrace.
Minna - I Don’t Mind If You Don’t Mind
A totally new artist to me - a Scottish singer-songwriter producing folk music which does the perfect job of sounding trad-rooted and simultaneously fresh; organic in the best possible way. This particular song is irresistibly and instantaneously appealing, combining a myriad of instruments, voices in harmony and skittish rhythm.
Muireann Bradley - Not Going Back
Photo credit: Carina Kehlet Schou
‘Not Going Back’ marks another foot-tapping forward step on Muireann Bradley’s journey to developing her own clear voice. The lilt and vibe of this timeless song is anchored in decades of tradition, but this is an original one, braced with a driving, thumping beat and sung with supreme confidence… Full review for DIY Neu Bulletin here
THEATRE - Incarnate (EP)
Photo credit: William-McCloughlin
A set of five pleasing, wonderfully layered tracks from this buzzy band out of Limerick. Their releases only properly started this year, but they come with several years of grassroots live performances already on their CVs. ‘Incarnate’ is a collection of viscous, warm shoegaze crafted with crisp focus and a knack for offsetting the jagged with the smooth. ‘The Fall’ is particularly epic (check out the video below).
zeronic - A String of Luck
Generating a heart-grabbing sound like softly burred metal, this track penetrates the mind, too. It’s a gently forceful one which marks a clear return for one of Austria’s best-loved rock trios — and it also heralds the release campaign for a new album called ‘Modernism’, due for release in October.
I also highly recommend jjerome87’s ‘The Canyon’ (the debut solo album from Joe Newman of alt-J) and an incredibly evocative live rendition of ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure’ by Madra Salach
Just remember where you heard about this band… ;-)
An article from last month which I just saw today… And a really encouraging one for those of us who enjoy engaging in the arts (listening to music included)… I love this quote:
Similarly, another of the tests showed that those who undertook an arts activity at least once a week were on average a year younger biologically than those who rarely engaged in such pursuits
What more encouragement do you need?
As always, check the Release Tracker! And do not miss, this Friday, a brilliantly creative debut album from mary in the junkyard and a new track from Freyja Elsy (‘Control’)
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