All posts tagged dreampop

I See Angels – Master of the Sky

04/03/2015

10452962_660762824002201_3173171386399323119_o

I guess it irks me a little when I see those (now traditional) click-bait think pieces about the death or “stagnation of guitar music”. I mean, I appreciate the argument being made… the music industry does seem intent on championing the bland over the brave, but surely it’s up to us as music fans to dig a little deeper, to invest in the bands we love?

Living in Manchester, it’s hard to argue against a city that has produced MONEY, Everything Everything, PINS, Kult Country, Dutch Uncles, WU LYF… and that’s not even acknowledging our deep and rich history, or the wider underground scene as it is today. It would be pretty easy to critique each band individually, but what isn’t debatable is that guitar music is well and truly alive here, from the bedsits of Whalley Range to the bunkers of Salford.

I See Angels are one of my more recent Mancunian loves, having been transfixed by last year’s ‘Artificial Sunshine’ EP. Songwriter Paul Baird is clearly growing in confidence, capturing his hopes and fears so beautifully in each and every delicate strum. New track ‘Master Of The Sky’ glistens effortlessly in emotion. Baird’s vocals sound like a trembling Thom Yorke trying to find his way out of a dream… an almost disparate loneliness trapped inside a magical and cinematic landscape.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191087719″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Phill Young

Comments: Comments Off on I See Angels – Master of the Sky Posted by: Categories: SIGHTS, SOUNDS Tags: , , ,

Coasst – I Guess U Lied

22/10/2014

0001900863_10

Just when you are beginning to think the Manchester talent pool is close to filling up, another name emerges and blows everyone out of the water. With a sound reminiscent of King Krule… and perhaps even GREAT WAVES at their most melancholy, Shea Hickling aka Coasst is about to announce himself as a serious contender.

I Guess U Lied is driven by a haunting, singular sound.. his world weary voice radiating above a lonesome electric guitar and some sparse drum beats… before breaking out into something more funked up. Clearly still experimenting and by no means representative of his future, it’s hard not to get excited by this understated and dreamwoven noise.

Coasst plays Night & Day this Thursday evening. Doors 8pm. Might be a good idea to go…

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/158815384″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/170896043″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

https://coates.bandcamp.com/

Phill Young

Comments: Comments Off on Coasst – I Guess U Lied Posted by: Categories: SOUNDS Tags: , , , , , ,

School – SoLong

22/08/2014

10496028_744520265590416_7846808253559274145_o

Gothenburg quartet School make upbeat and snappy dream-pop. There’s a welcomingly familiar quality about their tunes – a balanced combination of influence and inspiration. Despite having formed only recently, the sound they’ve developed is already well-honed and rich in texture. The musicianship stellar. The songwriting brimming with promise.

With its charging, frenetic drum patterns and Alice Botéus’s delicious, melodic vocals scaling the rafters, SoLong‘s infectious, bass-driven dream-pop hits the ground running. Guitars weave and chime, chipping away in harmony alongside a well-composed, robust Simon Raymonde-esque bass line. Clocking in at just under three minutes, the momentum of the track never dips. An engaging debut single that ought to turn heads.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/159171532″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

https://www.facebook.com/Schoolmusik

Paul Baird

Comments: Comments Off on School – SoLong Posted by: Categories: SOUNDS Tags: , ,

I See Angels – Wide Open

23/07/2014

tumblr_n6rhzsoHoo1qgiw5to1_1280

Vaccums and Cohorts by Farah Willem

For every MONEY and PINS; bands that have been deservedly hyped and elevated from Manchester’s music scene.. there are hundreds more artists here still waiting to be discovered.
I See Angels are the kind of band people need to start waking up to, having already self-released two albums of great promise in ‘I See Angels (2011) and ‘Your Memories Are You’ (2013). Both albums contain a handful of gems… Embryo, After The Rain, Accelerated Love… these are songs you could easily become obsessive about. It feels like they’ve been learning their craft organically… content to slowly seep into people’s consciousness, rather than bang on any doors. Atoms (Breakdown) is a lost Manchester classic… it’s that special, revealing more emotion within it than most artists could ever hope to find.

Taken from the forthcoming ‘Artificial Sunshine’ EP, Wide Open is their finest composition so far, beautifully woven dream-pop with Radiohead-esque ambitions. Paul Baird’s broken-hearted vocals holding the track together before it drifts away into the distance like it never existed.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/155393997″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

https://www.facebook.com/ISEEANGELS
iseeangels.bandcamp.com

Phill Young

Comments: Comments Off on I See Angels – Wide Open Posted by: Categories: SOUNDS Tags: , , , , ,

Ship Of Fools – I’ll See You On The Other Side

18/05/2014

1459736_181539278714318_568542328_n

“He shrunk more and more from the realities of life and above all from the society of his day which he regarded with an ever growing horror.”

It was during a Bernard & Edith gig in a Whalley Range Church last year, that singer Paul Blake let me into his secret – Ship Of Fools. Even listening through the cheap set of earphones, I could tell something very special was in the midst of being created.

Ship Of Fools are new and… not new, having previously released material under the same name in the mid 90’s. I admire any band that can re-invent themselves, even more so years later… but you can hear the life experience in every note. I was amazed to discover Blake’s vocals are being used for the first time, because with his subtle Morrissey-esque tones, they are beautifully resplendent. I’ll See You On The Other Side is a vivid introduction, shimmering guitars dancing in full colour with more than a shade of Cocteau Twins. This is a song about loss and hope… each word carefully chosen, each nuance poignant and from the heart. Ship Of Fools is a complete vision both lyrically and musically – I can’t wait to hear more.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/149126528″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

https://www.facebook.com/shipoffools2014

Phill Young

Comments: Comments Off on Ship Of Fools – I’ll See You On The Other Side Posted by: Categories: SOUNDS Tags: , , , , ,

Poble – Amanecer

15/05/2014

poble amanecer ep cover photo

Poble is a bedroom producer from Cologne, Germany. The title track from his Amanecer EP is upbeat kaleidoscopic shoegaze with shades of Lush and Slowdive, sung in Spanish. This twist of Latino-flavoured exoticism makes for a strangely compelling take on a familiar sound. If your Spanish isn’t up to much, the melodies and hooks are memorable enough to rope you in.

Amanecer, meaning dawn or to dawn, creeps up on you slowly. It’s simultaneously soothing, uplifting and obscure – like artificial sunshine. The dreamy blend of processed male and female vocals is transfixing among the vibrant clatter of guitars and kitschy sounding keys. Programmed drums enhance the dynamics, bursting spectacularly into life halfway through the track with all the vividness of the rising sun. Charmingly crafted and blissfully warped.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/139868651″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

http://splittingsoundsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/poble-amanecer-ep-ssr-rr-0044

Paul Baird

Comments: Comments Off on Poble – Amanecer Posted by: Categories: SOUNDS Tags: , , ,
Older Entries