Carpe Diem!

Artist of the Day #1:
Heinali and Matt Finney

Every now and again, two artists come together to form something spectacular. A great duo can produce something that digs into the musical soul of a listener and wrench or raise the spirit. Heinali is a Ukrainian composer whilst Matt Finney is a poet from Alabama, and the power of technology allows them to construct a sound that blurs the lines between poetry, spoken word, ambience, classical and cinematic cacophanies.

Heinali crafts a resonance that echoes the likes of Vangelis, Clint Mansell and Explosions in the Sky, but twists everything into a skewered sonic perspective of audible distress and emotion. The power lies in an intelligent minimalism, such as taking a simple, rapid piano line on the likes of 'Lemonade', the title track from the 'Lemonade EP', and overlaying it with an aura of distortion and some hushed unexplainable booming.

Matt Finney uses words with wanton precision, creating deep chasms of thought and deliberation with mere mutterings. And these chasms are dark, dank places that dig deep into the twilight of the mind, wrenching at the heart and tormenting anyone with a sense of empathy. This doesn't stop them reaching out to you though, beauteous and powerful in form and stripped of all shields.

Go ahead and sit in silence with nothing but Heinali & Matt Finney for company, and go ahead and purchase the two records on offer, including the bold, bleak fuzz of new release 'Conjoined'. It is a pay as you wish plan but a few quid thrown their way is much, much, much deserved, and I hope you music lovers agree.

http://heinaliandmattfinney.bandcamp.com/

A Sprinkling of Sounds...

2 FREAKING MONTHS! 2 gosh darn tooting months without the net thanks to the terrible bureaucracy behind the phone lines at Virgin.

BUT onwards and upwards and forever forward into music and melody; I AM IN LONDON and finally able to listen to new bands at the touch of a button so here is a quick, crammed catchup of bands I can highly recommend to anyone who bothers to read this again....

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Previously known as Wap Wap Wow, now known as Rhosyn, whatever name they go by these Oxfordians (Oxfordites?) concoct a heady mix of archaic melody and choral ditty. The strings that braid the music together form the crux of a wonderfully quixotic sound, stitched into place with a meld of vocals perfectly poised to melt together.


Rhosyn


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Aimee Bea sounds like what I imagine Kate Nash would sound like if she could really sing (no disrespect to either artist named, I super mega promise...). Such a sweet melancholy that recalls a Joni Mitchell ethos with a distinctly adolescent British vibe. Sometimes the simple is simply effective, evident in the delightful strum and effortless strain of 'June'.


Aimee Bea



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Another singer-songwriter up to bat now, straight out of Brighton and with a surprisingly alluring voice that nestles in the recesses of the mind rather snugly. A creative approach to rhythym and cadence as well as an arty eye really shines with the work of Jade Hopcroft. The obsessively simple hook and video for 'Would If You Could' follows you around for days.


Jade Hopcroft



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Aulos are a twopiece from Hereford who churn out cosmically aware geek rock with pounding drums and insane little guitar riffs, hurtling along with breaknerd speed. Simply having a song called 'Nicholas Rage' resonates highly within the pleasure synapses of my mind but these guys manage to maintain that such pleasure throttles back and forth as spiralling symphonies hammer their way through your skull.

Aulos


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Shoes and Socks Off is simply stripped down, melodic, wonderfully lyrical modern alt pop and consists of a lone singer songwriter, Tobias Hayes who was formerly the frontman of Meet Me In St Louis. Nowadays, he takes an unconventional approach to the singer-songwriter schtick and throws together rather rudimentary sounds to form something altogether wholesome in it's musical approach yet manages to burn with a lyrical and vocal delicacy and intensity.


Shoes and Socks Off

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Time for some indie technicality with Rooftops, a Washington based group who do the whole indie tech rock thing with some finess and flourish, brandishing beats and riffs with the precision of a mad musical scientist. Add a dash of suitably comforting vocals and you have the perfect recipe for any Winter blues in the form of a wonderfully uplifting bit of instrumental exploration.


Rooftops

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ENOUGH for noooow...expect more over the weekend...KEEP your ears peeled...

x

Whispers From The Web

Crawling through cyberspace, battling blog by blog and listening to the unlistenable so you don't have to......

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To Brooklyn! I know, I know, Brooklyn this, Brooklyn that. But I simply can't help it if so many damn good bands are piledriving around the place. Come on England, step your game up!

Night Manager are a fourpiece who churn out some lo-fi, unfathomable slacker indie. The vocals of Caitlin Seager are distant and harmonious, sent through a phantom zone and zapped back to our ears, aligning in a spooky coalition with grunge-tinged guitars and pulsing percussion.

'Blackout Sex' in particular is so laid back, it falls over into a scuzzy no-mans land full of wonder.

Night Manager's Myspace

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And well done England I suppose for such a quick retort (in my MIND) with South London foursome Beaty Heart. Beaty Heart are another band who have taken the spirit of African triblahblah to heart but manage to do it without sounding like a knock off copycat. They throw together a pile of rhythmic drumbeat into one big cooking pot and it all comes out sounding so very primal, allowing it to melt in your mouth (or ear).

Add in yelps for a bit of vocalisation and some electronic trimmings, and you have Beaty Heart, a true art band who know how to mix the spiritual with the musical. 'Cola' descends into mad cries and warped melody by the end of the track, echoing primitive rituals, whilst 'Get The Girls' utilises a handclap beat not too dissimilar from the world of Gospel. Go get washed away...

Beaty Hearts' Myspace

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Back over to the US, to Pennsylvania, to Philadelphia! This is where Reading Rainbow reside. Reading Rainbow are a duo who soak their music in reverb and a jolly gruffness. The vocals sound like sweet indie pop whilst the guitars rush along on some splendid amphetamine, rough and tumble the whole way.

'Restless' is a sweet pop song caked in grit and grumble, and therefore well worth a listen. They flirt with post-punk sensibility in 'Underground', then wail over the top and chant their way to a fitting finish.

Reading Rainbow's Myspace

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Finally, for now, a band I know very little about except for the fact they make soundtracks to your life. Cabaret Scene are based around London and is a project between a group of friends, started by a guitarist called Charlie Prest. They utilise a range of sounds, styles and instruments to swell everything via math rock, dreamgaze and progressive pop, adding affected vocals where necessary.
'Namaste' starts slowly but surely, steadily gaining a following of new instrumentation until 70s style riffs and electric blotches meet. 'Blueprints' resembles a desert island ditty for the insane man, careening to a crescendo of electro proportions before crashing against the shore in waves of shattered eardrums.

Cabaret Scene's Myspace

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More music arriving shortly....

Cover Me Slowly

This one's rather high profile compared to previous bursts of musical release showcased on New Narcotics but I love it so much, why not share it with the WORLD (or at least someone else).

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The Raveonettes are a well established duo from Denmark who peddle a true garage rock sound via the realms of shoegaze and surf rock. They have four well received albums out, have worked with the likes of Maureen Tucker and Ronnie Spector and releasing a string of fantastic singles, including my personal favourite 'Love In A Trashcan'.

Meeeeanwhile, Dr. Martens are a shoewear brand (who do dabble in other clothing items) who manufacture a particularly heavy-looking and militaristic style which grew in popularity thanks to swathes of young scenes taking them as part of their fashion uniforms. Skinheads, new wavers and, most prominently, punks decked themselves out in the brand and, ever since, the company has remained linked to the alternative music world.

And this year of 2010 is also the 50th anniversary of the fabled footwear, so the clever people in the PR room have encouraged a bunch of bands to cover their version of a cult classic. The Noisettes and BRMC, amongst others, have put forth something (all listenable HERE and downloadable for FREE HERE) but The Raveonettes, as usual, stand out amongst the deck.

They cover The Stone Roses 1991 hit 'I Wanna Be Adored', a moody, needy sulk of a song. The Raveonettes take all of the emotion and snarl of the original but throw in some extra growling and some wailing guitar lines over the familiar riff. Add in Sharon's breathy vocals which drift up and away so breezily by the end of the track, and you've got one beautiful cover.

Watch the strangely sweet video and give it a listen HERE!

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Cover Me Slowly

Yet another Cover Me Slowly, defying the implied lack of haste in the title, but when good music pops up, it has to be reported TO THE WORLD! (Or to the three people that may, possibly read this once I publish a novel and mention the Blog I run within the inlay blurb...)

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This time, for your listening pleasure and courtesy of a University chum who goes by the name of Scott (HEY, check out his website http://scottmichaeldavies.zxq.net/), I have a whole bloody album full of covers for you from an established LA duo going by the name of The Bird and the Bee.

They have toured with Lily Allen, performed on the Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel in the US of A and had their creations broadcast on the likes of Greys Anatomy and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. So, not exactly slouches but still a relatively unknown entity on these British shores.

With their third album, they bring a whole record full of slinky little indietronic versions of Halls & Oates numbers. Yup, the 1980s pop duet containing one of musics greatest moustaches. They turn classic wedding anthems such as 'Maneater' into modern synth seduction, echoing a cheesy, pop-tastic version of The xx.

Top of the pile, personally, is their version of 'I Can't Go For That', viewable here. (Primarily because that song ALWAYS reminds me of THIS)

The Bird and the Bee's Myspace

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BUH BYE!
X

Cover Me Slowly

London planning and lazy days and the lack of imagination and inspiration to be found in the ol' hometown have left me starved for words and writing this past month. BUT never look back, never surrender and blah blah blah, so let's jump this engine and see what's ticking on the internetz....

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Cool Runnings are an eight piece from Knoxville, Tennessee who gyrate their way through several different stylings throughout their awesomely titled tracks. 'Burnout' drums along, sinister and heady, whilst 'Babes Forever' gets glitchy and angular and 'When I Got High With You' sounds as stoned and sleepy as implied.

However, this is all about the fabled art of the COVER! And here Cool Runnings take on 'Road To Nowhere', the Talking Heads' choral uttering on the lack of direction in life. Perfect for a band without one specific musical direction so far (which works well as far as the smorgasbord of sound emitted shows).

Cool Runnings throw some tribal drums on the song, whinny out the vocals and bring out the nihilism of the whole thing, dashing bits of archaic synth and communal singing into the mix. A delightfully offtrack take on the 1985 Byrne creation.

Oh and free to download RIGHT HERE!

Publish Post

Check out their own offerings at Cool Runnings' Myspace

GOBBLE GOBBLE

GOBBLE GOBBLE are insane. Possibly actually literally. They appear to be Canadian and are touring all over North America this year. They make music that is strained through a psychedelic blender at high speed, warping and twisting everything until it makes no sense and sounds FANTASMIC! 'Wrinklecarver' is such perfect psych pop, it synths itself into a sexy little black hole of freakout. And their devastating destruction of Pixies' 'Where Is My Mind?' (self described as blasphemy) is wondrous and evokes the spirit of losing ones mind after a healthy dose of hallucinogenic drugs. I would love to see these guys go all out live but will either have to adventure to America (which I am happy to do if someone GIVES me money) or await a British tour....

GO LISTEN at their Myspace NOW!