Business as usual for skanking contenders By The Rivers, and business is very good indeed. They might not be re-writing the reggae rulebook, but when you’re knocking out tunes as well penned, produced and performed as ‘Take Control’, who cares?
Transported to the here-and-now in a 4AD time machine, Leicester’s own Muted Fnord float on a Trans-European Cocteau cloud, bringing debut triptych EP ‘SCN9A’ to caress eager ears. Singer Ola Szmidt possesses a classic 1980s arty pop voice: from a gentle Björk-esque pleading through to a
Poison/It Seems Like I’m Falling continues with the sweet moments of misery courtesy of teen songstress Nancy Dawkins and her entrancing finger-plucked lullabies. A-side ‘Poison’ is creepily insistent as it meanders along with a strutting swing in its step, gathering
So if you talk about a guy in Leicester who has amassed over 1.5 millions views on YouTube, runs around with the likes of Skepta and is digged by Ed Sheeran, you would be shouting out the unusually spelt name
Creeping over the green rolling hills of Wales comes the debut single Little Games from Melancholic indie-rockers The Adelines. Filled with reverb-drenched guitars and softly spoken lyrics – sung with a slightly boyish twinge – there is a surprising and refreshing sound from this female-fronted indie band.
It’s always a significant event when word gets out that one of Leicester’s most consistently excellent bands, both live and on record, have a shiny new disc in the offing and thankfully there are no signs of standards slipping on this upcoming Double A-Side ‘Record Breaker’. The title track hits us with fighting talk of champions whilst the guitars bubble underneath with restrained menace
Feathers by Symphonic Pictures is like a snapshot of sad 60’s cinematography; an old retro film rolls, imaginary moving pictures flutter before your eyes, black and white polaroids imprint on your retina, credits queue
I Am In Love have had a busy year and they’re treating us to even more with their new EP, Call Me An Animal
Having finally crossed the ‘demo tape’ hurdle, Bear Trap have kindly given The Monograph a sneak-peek at their forthcoming EP. Chalk Outline, the first release from the record, brings together everything a fan of Post-Hardcore yearns for: cathartic screams, overzealous
Reviewing Silent Devices, ‘Verb’ could possibly be one of the most rewarding challenges in my eyes (or ears I should say). I was lucky enough to be filming Josh, Scott, Charlie and Alex the evening that this track was produced by Jamie Ward
What hits home on a cursory first listen to this rough gem of an EP is that Leicester post-hardcore kids Buenos Aires can really, really play. Glitchy, tightly-wound guitar and off-kilter drums patterns escalate the tension hypnotically until that next impossibly heavy breakdown, that next dissonant scream… all the while never dropping a triumphant sense of melody, of pop appeal
