Latest News
The Helmholtz Resonators release ‘Automaton’ video!
"…ones to keep an eye out for in the future."
- The Vinyl District
After teasing us with an audio video, The Helmholtz Resonators have unveiled the official psychedelically retro stop-motion video for their forthcoming single, Automaton.
The video premiered on The Vinyl District and you can now watch it via The Helmholtz Resonators' YouTube channel.
Did you ever buy a new gadget that was so nifty you wanted to make a song and dance about it? Well, The Helmholtz Resonators have done exactly that. Built from a Walkman, some "odds and sods" and more than a little ingenuity, the eccentric musician/scientists have procured a robot to help with their chores and provide entertainment during the long winter evenings. This charming droid has had such an impact on their lives that it has inspired their best work to date, their latest single. Sounding like a cross between Tom Tom Club, Metronomy and the Human League, the mechanical marvel has been entertaining everybody it meets.
Previous single, Sunshine/Shadow picked up support from the likes of Artrocker Magazine, BBC Radio’s Steve Lamacq and Gary Crowley, and The Vinyl District, and with an album in the pipeline for 2015 (and nothing but time on their hands given their new robotic housekeeper) we’re sure to be hearing a lot more from these eccentric musical scientists.
Automaton is released 24th November via Genepool Records.
Introducing… Springh!
Springh are pleased to announce the release of their debut single Silhouette, due out on 8th December via Springh Song.
To support the release of their debut single, Springh will be giving away the b-side track ‘My Head In Clouds’ via SoundCloud.
Having met in London, core members Sam Swift-Glasman (guitar/vocals) and Lisa Sara Jenkin (violin/vocals) began writing material together whilst travelling in South and Central America, playing impromptu gigs in traveller bars and hostels. Back in London the pair spent the following few years playing in a folk collective before moving towards a more progressive, grungier sound and Springh was born.
These influences are evident on forthcoming debut single Silhouette, where the duo let loose with a driven, surf rock style track. Raucous, effects driven guitar are ably complimented by effected violin tones, a spirited and tenacious drum beat all brought neatly together by expressive harmonised vocals - adding a bucketful of character to an already relentless tune.
The band recorded Silhouette at Toerag Studios with Liam Watson (White Stripes, The Wytches, Tame Impala). They tracked live to tape using analogue equipment that dates back in some cases to the 50’s. The studio is famed for it’s use of tannoy loudspeakers, vintage backline including Vox and Fender amplifiers as well as making use of echo chambers.
The single will be officially launched at The Finsbury on 21st November, and the band have big plans for 2015 with a second single and EP already in the pipeline for early next Spring.
Silhouette is due for release on 8th December 2014 via Springh Song.
Neil McLaren announces ‘Middle Of It All’ single!
Dundee singer songwriter Neil McLaren presents his latest offering with the release of single Middle of It All, available from 17th November 2014 via Two Thumbs.
The Scottish troubadour has been making a name for himself north of the border since he started to write and perform in 2012. Following a path first trodden by the likes of Nick Drake in the ‘70s and, more recently, popular artists such as Ben Howard, Damien Rice and David Gray, Neil McLaren has been able to run with these influences and push them that little bit further by creating a sound that is very much his own. This sound has seen him pick up support from XFM Scotland, STV, The Daily Record and Amazing Radio.
You can stream Middle Of It All via Neil McLaren's Bandcamp page.
You can also watch the video that accompanies the single on Neil's YouTube Channel.
Middle of It All is a heartfelt shanty where McLaren’s vocals really are the star of the show. There is a character that shines through his voice, not dissimilar to Ray Lamontagne, as McLaren evokes a feeling of warmth, heart and soul with his lyrical content adding a depth to proceedings. A choral harmony further enhances an already impressive track as McLaren let’s his expressive vocals and lyrics run free. The track is especially important to Neil as the song was written around a time when he felt lost in a melee of disputes and family disharmony. Using the themes as a way to escape these troubles, Neil was able to produce an emotive, heartfelt offering of which many of his contemporaries would be proud.
Neil McLaren’s journey to becoming a recording artist has been anything but ordinary. He is registered partially sighted and was the first person in Britain to receive pioneering eye surgery having been born completely blind. He also has an unorthodox playing style due to being self taught. Neil has no knowledge of guitar chords or of reading music, instead preferring to experiment with instruments in order to find a sound that fits the lyrics he has written. This hasn’t stopped him from succeeding as he is now able to creating music on both piano and guitar.
To support the release Middle of It All, Neil will playing live dates in and around Scotland. He will also be looking to release another single before aiming to launch an EP in February 2015.
Middle of It All is due for release on 17th November 2014 via Two Thumbs.
Bloc+Music release Ensemble Part 3!
"Delete U2 and fit this on a playlist instead."
- The Sunday Herald
- The Sunday Herald
Bar Bloc are delighted to announce the release of their third of five free compilation albums via their Bloc+Music label, available to download for free now via Bandcamp.
A stream of the compilation album was exclusively hosted by Artrocker and it features more up-and-coming talent picked from the current Scottish music scene.
You can stream and download the Bloc Ensemble Part 3 for free via Bandcamp.
You can also stream and download the Bloc Ensemble Part 1 and Bloc Ensemble Part 2 for free via Bandcamp.
The compilation is the culmination of the venue hosting some of the best up-and-coming artists in Scotland and beyond, and is the perfect showcase for a venue and label that has been renowned for cultivating grass roots art in Scotland. Bloc was recently nominated for an Unsung Hero Award at the Scottish License Trade Awards due to its initiatives to help the wider musical community in Scotland as well as deserving social causes. Indeed, Bloc have helped local bands by subsidising a touring van which is loaned to musicians at cost price (non-profit) enabling bands to tour and perform their art on a financially sustainable basis. As well as this, their label Bloc+Music is run on a non-profit basis to allow Scottish musicians to release their music without having to kowtow to the practices and pressures of major labels. This has seen the likes of So Many Animal Calls, Campfires In Winter and Felix Champion thrive and allowed them to progress their musical career at their own pace and in their own image.
Bloc’s DIY ethic is worn firmly on their chest and has aided not just the music community but the creative sector in Scotland in general with the backing of DIY label StruggleTown as well as Hay Man!, TYCI and Ment1 He1th, all of which carry the work of young Scottish artists and authors who have been instrumental in highlighting political and social issues to the wider Scottish community.
This, the third of five compilation albums, is the most alternative release yet, featuring the likes of Battery Face, Wojtek and The Cosmic Dead, highlighting the Scottish music scene's eclectic taste in music. The compilation also illustrates the diversity and talent prevalent north of the border of which Bar Bloc and Bloc+Music have been leaders in their field and will continue to spearhead for many years to come.
Bloc Ensemble Part 3 is available to download for free via the Bloc+Music Bandcamp.
Feldspar single ‘Beautiful People’ out now!
"...for fans of epic and heartfelt indie."
- Gigwise
Feldspar release Beautiful People, their penultimate single as part of their Compass tour. Throughout Autumn the band have presented a single a month, which began with September’s Song Without A Chorus, followed by Cure For The Night.
Although the four songs don’t tell an overarching story, together they demonstrate the band’s concern with songs that explore different sides of the human condition: heartache, lust, mortality, and anger. Beautiful People is a meditation on mortality, wrestling with the inevitability of ageing and acceptance in an uplifting and introspective way, complemented with a divine guitar track.
You can stream the single via the band's SoundCloud page.
The video for their previous single, Cure For The Night, premiered on Shout4Music, and you can watch it now via the band's YouTube channel.
The first single in the series, Song Without A Chorus, premiered on Gigwise while the accompanying video premiered on Artrocker. You can stream and download the single for free via the band's SoundCloud page and watch the video on their YouTube channel.
Feldspar also took the time to do a pre-tour performance of Song Without A Chorus for the Croft Sessions which you can view now on YouTube.
Although Feldspar grew up listening to acts like Nick Cave, and indeed there is a tinge of that dark folk feel throughout their songs, Feldspar have given their influences a modern twist creating an achingly beautiful indie sound that sits easily alongside lyrical indie bands such as The National and Villagers.
The Compass tour has seen the band perform in the North and East, with South and West shows on the horizon where the band will present their powerful live show to audiences from around the UK. Their ambitious plan to release a single a month combined with their Compass tour is a glimpse into how far the band have come since their inception just over two years ago when Will Green, Ben Lloyd-Evans, Woody Feldwick, James Forster and Jonny Burgess first started performing together.
The band will play a single launch show headlining at Tamesis Dock in South London on 6th Novemberr, which will be the perfect chance to experience Feldspar’s impressive live performance which sets their melancholic songwriting against their engaging and lively stagecraft. Press passes are available by request.
Beautiful People is released via Green Tape Records. You can buy it digitally via iTunes.