Anna Calvi- Blackout (single)

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Melanie Mcgovern

WORDS: MELANIE McGOVERN

Anna Calvi’s position atop 2011′s pedestal for ‘breakout music’ was cemented at the end of last year when she won a BBC nomination for the ‘Sound of 2011′ poll. This hype has gone into overdrive in recent months with the much anticipated release of her debut eponymous recording from Domino Records.

With the assurances of none other than Brian Eno- who has described Calvi as “the biggest thing since Patti Smith“- studio work for Johnny Flynn and tours in support of Interpol, Arctic Monkeys and Grinderman, her press adoration seems entirely justified. Her’s is a style of music that really can’t be classified, inspired as much by Django Rheinhard as Jimi Hendrix, Nina Simone and Greek soprano Maria Callas; it is a dramatic, theatrical affair, with Buckley-esque guitars spinning webs of dark seduction around the listener.

An eclectic mix of seductive vocals and swirling powerful guitar riffs, her second single ‘Blackout’ (taken from the debut LP) delivers a near- perfect vocal performance. With its haunting beginning, Calvi’s voice finds the perfect balance between power and passion, projected against a colourful backdrop of evocative instrumental richness, subtle plays of percussion and intricate vocal nuances.

Calvi is undoubtledly an artist so assured with a voice so compelling that you just have to follow the hype.

Anna Calvi released ‘Blackout’ on Domino Records 21 March, 2011. Download it now.
RATING: 4/5
SOUNDS LIKE: Nina Simone, PJ Harvey, Jeff Buckley

Grandfather Birds- Higher Bridges (single)

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Betty Wood


New week, new music, and to kick it all off we’re featuring Newcastle four-piece the Grandfather Birds’ new single ‘Higher Bridges’.

The track is a perfect example of why these guys have been tipped as one of the best emerging artists on the north-east circuit at the moment, effortlessly blending folk-tinged guitar melodies with sharp drum beats and charismatic vocals. ‘Higher Bridges’ bursts into life with a lone guitar hook- reminiscent of Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’.

Lead singer Matt produces the goods here with a confident mix of confessional verses and an optimistic and lively chorus that showcases his vocal range almost to its very limits. At points strained, his voice conveys the emotional bounce of the instrumental arrangement his vocals cut through, producing a convincing and catchy hook that’ll have you humming along- we particularly like the refrain. 

The understated rhythm that keeps the track upbeat even when the lyrics dip into darker places, achieved through the subtle drum beat that energizes the track and a plum bass line that puts in the leg work beneath the more elaborate guitar work.

Overall, we think it’s a top tune!

Pre-order it now, or download it on it’s release date of 2 May 2011 from the band’s website or off itunes. In the meantime, give it (and B’side ‘She Likes it on the Left’) a listen here.

SOUNDS LIKE: Jeff Buckley, Tears for Fears, Folk, Pop, Indie rock all shook up and presented with long hair and a stubble.
RATING: 4/5 Spring is here!

Let’s Buy Happiness – New Single “Fast Fast” Lyrics and Review

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Betty Wood

Sarah Hall - Let's Buy Happiness - Fast Fast

Let’s buy Happiness, Fast Fast Lyrics.

Let's buy happiness fast fast lyrics

 

Fastfast is the first release of 2011 for Geordie lovelies Let’s Buy Happiness through their label Ghost Arc Records on 28th Feb and c’or it’s a corker! Featuring a video shot in the Lake District (on a rather frosty looking bleak day) this track breaks through the winter gloom-

The five-piece have been going for little more than a year, but have already grabbed the attention of the powers-that-be at 6Music, including Tom Robinson, Lauren LaVerne and Huw Stephens. Not only that, they’ve played a host of high profile gigs, including the John Peel Stage at last year’s Glasto. Not bad for a band who are completely DIY and still in their relative infancy.

Fastfast bounces into being with a flurry of drum beats that sound like a tribal call to arms; the real treat comes on the first note of singer Sarah Hall’s questioning voice as she sings above a delicate blanket of guitar chords and picking…

Much has been made of Hall’s vocal styling which draws on influences as varied as Edith Piaf and minimalist contemporaries like The XX. The sound however is entirely her own; “I’ve always sounded like that- they told me when I tried to join the choir at school I’d be better off singing somewhere else”… No less impressive is the band that backs her; James and Graeme blend seamlessly to create an ethereal body for sarah’s vocal melodies, with bassist Mark and drummer James providing the song’s pulse. Instrumental highs and lows add emotion to a song lyrically ambiguous, and provide that chink of sunshine that Hall’s chilled-voice otherwise subdues.

The result is of course infectiously catchy, and remarkably beautiful. Let’s Buy Happiness are currently on the ‘Fastfast tour’- check their myspace for dates. Find out more about singer, Sarah Hall here in an interview with Creature about her work as an illustrator.

Words: Betty
Image: Sarah Hall
Video: fastfast- Let’s Buy Happiness (Ghost Arc Records, 2011) courtesy of the band.

Ex-Lovers: Blowing kisses (Young & Lost Club)

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Betty Wood

Ex-Lovers

Darling indie-poppers Exlovers release their new single ‘Blowing Kisses’ on Y&L club on 28th February. With their boy/girl harmonies and guitar driven melodies, they’re comparible to the gender-bending early days of Placebo by way of Belle & Sebastian with lots of sunshine thrown into the mix.

After the 2009 release of their 10” vinyl EP through Chess Club Records, the band have slowly built a serious reputation around the bones of their lo-fi 90s indie-pop sound, which taps into the transient whimsical nature of kidulthood and romance. Having gained radio support from major djs such as Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq, the Exlovers are now signed to ‘powerhouse of indie goodness’ Young & Lost Club records. They’ve also embarked on their UK tour to coincide with the release of bittersweet love song ‘Blowing kisses‘.
A break-neck example of the type of sound the band are capable of achieving, the track is a 2 minute window into the confusion and the wonder of first love, symbolically driven home through a hi-hat pulse that kicks like a heartbeat, or more aptly, like the first-flush excitement of romance. ‘Blowing kisses‘ is about the genderless pits and troughs of falling in love and the complicatedness it brings to life- ‘blowing kisses, telling tales, I know you’re waiting for someone else’.

The boy/girl dynamic of the group gives a sense of credulence to a track that encompasses a visage of melodious pep elevated above a current of heartache. Having drawn comparisons to the likes of Belle and Sebastian, or currently en vogue Warpaint with their emotional narrative style and lilting vocal harmonies, this track certainly does credit to those shout-outs, producing a really lovely track that’ll sit nicely on any spring time compilation. We’re moving out of the winter, but we’re not quite in the sun.

Currently recording their new album with Demian Costallanos and Jimmy Robertson (Florence and the Machine), it should be released late in 2011 and is definately something to look forward to. In the meantime, put this track on and think back to the first “I love you”…

LISTEN TO: if you like Warpaint, Belle & Sebastian, The Pipettes, early Brian Molko meets Elliot Smith
FIND IT: Pre-order the limited 7″ vinyl from Y&LC… Get it on itunes from 28 feb AND/OR for free stream at the band’s soundcloud page. You can also download the b-side Moth-eaten memories for FREE here…. it’s a cracker.
RATE IT: 3/5

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