Everything by Electricity – Last Day Of The Sun
Everything by Electricity, have just released their debut single ‘Last Day Of The Sun’ on 22 November. We’re absolutely smitten with this shimmeringly gorgeous synth pop cut, the effortlessly sighing vocals of singer Yulia Bizyukova are draped with a longing and regret. It’s redolent of mid-period New Order and the bittersweet majesty of ’80s 4AD groups, with an ambition and widescreen brilliance all of their own, the atmospheric production and spiralling synth patterns gives you the feeling of staring into the middle distance at the blinking lights of the city’s winter sky and wondering what life is all about. They’ve recently supported Marnie of Ladytron in the Oslo in London, they have a headlining show coming up back in the capital on December the 5th. Listen below. (BC)
Saint DX – Regrets
Saint DX is the solo project of Aurélien Hamm, a former member of the band Apes & Horses. His debut single ‘Regrets’ released on the 29th of November via Cracki records, is a future soul gem, with synthetic textures balanced by the timbre of the saxophone. His bilingual vocals are at once playful and mysterious, whisping from delicacy to fragments of melody. At the controls of the FM synthesizer, Aurélien Hamm develops a direct, emotional and immersive sound that speaks to the nostalgic and unconscious fantasies of a generation that grew up listening to the original soundtracks of Eric Serra and records by Sade and Riuychi Sakamoto. The name Saint DX itself is a reference to the Yamaha DX7 synthesiser and the FM synthesis that rapidly pervaded the musical spirit of the ’80s and ’90s. (BC)
The Pitchforks – Afflictions
If you are hankering for some early ’00s floor filling ‘indeh’ rock n roll then get your ears around the second single ‘Afflictions’ from The Pitchforks released February 16th 2018 via Drywall Records. A young four-piece from the Welsh valleys their supercharged melodic sound bares the hallmarks of The Walkmen, The Cribs and early Maximo Park, whilst the phrase landfill indie might make some sit uneasily in their chair. The sheer relentless quality of this track blasts away all preconceptions over the course of three minutes. Speaking of the track, the band said, “The lyrics were inspired by a friend’s story about a night at a pub where he decided not to pursue his affection for a girl he was speaking to because she was quite intoxicated.” (BC)
Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Nothing Really Blue
To coincide with the 20th anniversary of guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes’ premature passing in December 1997, the London-based independent record label Erased Tapes will be re-releasing Union Cafe, the last ever studio album from Penguin Cafe Orchestra, the avant-pop outfit that Jeffes had led with such imaginative distinction for nigh on quarter of a century. Union Cafe is out on the 1st of December 2017 and includes a vinyl edition for what is the very first time. The first single to be taken from the album is ‘Nothing Really Blue’, its relatively simple instrumental structure seducing the listener with its unhurried evolution and inherent joy. (SG)
Stick In The Wheel – Follow Them True
East London’s Stick In The Wheel, fronted by singer Nicola Kearey, and guitarist/producer Ian Carter, are due to release their second studio album Follow Them True on 26th January next year. The English folk music that the quintet plays is steeped in the culture and heritage of the East End communities whence they come. It is music that is borne of atrophication, resolute pride and absolute necessity and inflates past traditions that would otherwise be lost forever with the fresh air of a brand new day. It is in these very moments that the music breathes and retains all of its relevance. And the title track from the new album distils this relevance into 167 absolutely vital seconds. (SG)
Chris Stapleton – Tryin’ To Untangle Mind
Prolific is now another epithet that can be used to describe the American singer-songwriter and guitarist Chris Stapleton as he releases his second album of this year on the 1st of December. A mere eight months after releasing the biggest selling country album of the year, he is now back with its companion piece From A Room: Volume 2. Culled from the album, ‘Tryin’ To Untangle My Mind’ deals with those familiar country themes of hard drinking, hard living and even harder times as Chris Stapleton and his band play out the heartbreak with considerable poignancy and power. It is perhaps little wonder that he has already been listed as one of the principal support acts for The Eagles‘ next North American tour. (SG)
