Beast Make Bomb

Beast Make Bomb are a four-piece from Brooklyn who describe their music as garage/rock/punk. Tracks like ’1, 2, 3, 4′ and ‘Rough It Out’ fit this description, with fast drums and guitar riffs to match. However there’s definitely a pop melodic-ness to their songs, and tracks like ‘Coney Island’ will probably remind you of Best Coast, with a more cathartic approach and vocals that roll rather than attack. These 3 tracks are found on the Sourpuss EP, the older Skinny Legs EP is equally as enjoyable. Both are available for free via their Bandcamp.

[Album Review] Thomas Tantrum – Mad By Moonlight

On Mad By Moonlight, Southampton’s Thomas Tantrum offer up addictive melodies, vocals that charm and captivate, and instrumentation which invokes dreamlike musings. This faraway imagery is a device rather than an accidental outcome: the band based the album on sleep, and the problems that a lack of it can create. With guitar riffs that recall The Cure’s lighter moments, and vocals with the intonation of an early Gwen Stefani mixed with the tones of Chew Lips’ Tigs, these songs are light-hearted yet laden with emotional tones, drawing the listener into a world that is meaningful even in its light-hearted moments.

Die Jungen

I’ve gone back to my old hobby of Bandcamp Surfing. It’s still has the power to amaze me, within seconds you can be listening to some incredible music. Tonight, with a few careless clicks I found myself enjoying the lo-fi tones of Southampton’s Die Jungen (German for ‘the young’). It’s retro, it’s hazy, it’d be perfect for lazy summer days (or in this case, lazy London nights). The songs sound like Tennis at half speed, or Spectrals with added layers of fuzz. Recommended listening for those times when you need to escape for a few moments….

[Review] MEN @ Bush Hall, London (07/06/11)

Walking into Bush Hall ten minutes before the headlining band are due to take the stage and finding the room a third full doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that a heady night of exhiliration is ahead of you. Thankfully, the people who made up that third didn’t seem to care, singing to Michael Jackson songs playing over the PA, and dancing energetically before Brooklyn’s MEN have broken out even a single beat. The room fills up a little more before JD Samson, Ginger Brooks Takahashi and Michael O’Neill burst onto the stage, looking full of energy and ready to show London a good time.

Niki And The Dove – The Fox 12″

Niki And The Dove’s debut album has a tentative release date of ‘late 2011, early 2011′. RIGHT NOW is when I’d quite like it to appear, but patience is a virtue I’ve heard, so for now we have to be satisfied with the release of ‘The Fox’ as a single. The band are now signed to Sub Pop (hells yeah) who released the single as a 12″ this week, you can buy it here and stream the tracks featured below.

Get People – Rain Tears EP

It’s been a while since I heard anything new from Get People, the London trio who make a kind of tropical pop. They have two new tracks up on their Soundcloud, which are set to feature on their new EP, Rain Tears. It’s being released on Friends vs Records on July 11th (with a launch party at The Old Blue Last which I’ll definitely be attending!). The two tracks below, ‘Rain Tears’ and ‘Away’ will be featured on the EP and retain the same elements that made me love Get People as soon as I first heard their music. Energetic yet cathartic; foreign and fresh yet strangely familiar, these are songs that endear themselves to the listener. The tropical instrumentation is similar to that used in earlier tracks such as ‘Deity’ and ‘Light’, but the production is tighter, showing that the band have developed over the past year. Listen to the new tracks below.

[Review] The Kills @ The Roundhouse, London (03/06/11)

The only adjective that comes anywhere close to describing The Kills is this: magnetic. Their live shows don’t have any of the gimmicks you might find at other artists’ live shows; a leopard print background, some lighting, and the two band members are all they need to create an outstandingly electric atmosphere. As someone who became a fan after seeing the band perform live, I was expecting a lot from their set, and the duo (Jamie Hince and Alison Mosshart – or Hotel and VV to give them their correct Kills stage names) did not disappoint.

Memory Tapes – Yes I Know (Music Video)

Memory Tapes’ second album Player Piano is set to be released in just a few weeks on July 4th. Having absolutely adored debut album Seek Magic (and being lucky enough to attend Dayve Hawk’s first live gig as Memory Tapes) I am excitedly awaiting this new release. To tide us all over until then, here’s the new video for a track taken from Player Piano entitled ‘Yes I Know’.

Beautiful yet eerie, the video will hold you captivated throughout. The scenes takes in misty street vistas and a man who disappears right before your eyes. The rolling camera work evokes the sense that you’re in someone else’s head, taking a trip with them as they travel through streets and towns. The last scene, where a flock of birds spell out the word ‘Gone’ as the disappearing man vanishes completely, is stunningly beautiful. Highly impressive work from director Eric Epstein and director of photography Aaron Epstein.

Memory Tapes “Yes I Know” from Najork on Vimeo.

Bon Accord – True Delusion EP

I posted about Bon Accord’s Honeydew EP a while back, and now he (Michael Wright) is back with 4 new tracks on the True Delusion EP. The tracks carry on where the dreamy tones of Honeydew left off, and that is no bad thing. The tracks build and pulse, washing over your senses and immersing you in a hazy electro mist. ‘Glazed’ and ‘Take Comfort’ are my favourite tracks, well worth a listen. You can listen to all four tracks below, and even download them for free too.

Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend (Music Video)

Robyn just released the video for the latest single from Body Talk, ‘Call Your Girlfriend’. It’s simple yet fantastic, showcasing Robyn’s enviable dance skills as she throws herself around an empty warehouse that fills with lights, transforming a dull empty space into the electric atmosphere that Robyn creates at every one of her shows. It’s one shot, all the way through, a 03:31 slice of energy and passion.