Latest News
Turning Plates album ‘The Shouting Cave’ out now!
"...an intense if intoxicating introduction."
- Clash Magazine
"This truly is music to make the heart swell."
- The Herald
Turning Plates have released their debut album The Shouting Cave, and if you'd like to hear it Artrocker Magazine are exclusively streaming the entire album for free!
The video for album track 'Havoc' premiered on Clash Magazine and you can watch it now on the band's YouTube channel or via the embed below.
You can also stream the track on the ABoF SoundCloud page or via the embed below.
The Shouting Cave is a concept album that explores the effect of the Internet on society. The band argue that the Internet is the purest reflection of humanity, a world built entirely of our own thoughts, emotions and desires - “a sea to float our dreams”, as described in the album track 'The Human Isle'. What do we see in that reflection? Have we stopped to think? The album explores these questions by portraying the Internet as a new wilderness into which we are born, telling individual stories within the overarching theme. Tracks such as ‘Falling Lives’ and ‘Wild Roots’ showcase the band’s cinematic style through delicate but powerful soundscapes, reminiscent of Sigur Ros and Four Tet, while ‘Havoc’ and ‘Animals’ lift the tempo, focusing on intertwining melodies and heartfelt vocal lines in the style of Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens. The message of The Shouting Cave is laid bare in the final two tracks of the album; the gloriously dark track ‘The Human Isle’ describes a desolate world which then blossoms into the culminating track ‘Things Grow’, with its unyielding chant “Things grow, Things grow legs and run wild”. Each track on The Shouting Cave is strong enough to stand on its own merit, but listened to in its entirety the album irresistibly comes to life.
The Vinyl District previously premiered 'Wild Roots' and the atmospheric video that accompanied it. You can also stream and download
the band's first free album track 'Falling Lives' via the ABoF SoundCloud page and watch the beautifully choreographed video for the track on the Turning Plates YouTube channel.
The Shouting Cave is out now, part funded by Creative Scotland and available from Turning Plates' official website.
Introducing… Douglas Francis!
Douglas Francis announces the release of his third EP Damaged Goods out 6th October 2014 via Na Music.
You can stream and download EP track 'Hedonic Treadmill' for free from the ABoF SoundCloud page or via the embed below.
Damaged Goods is based on a break up, but it is far from bleak and Douglas has created something that will relate to people on different levels. The EP has a real summer feel to it with clear influences from William Fitzsimmons, Joshua Radin and City and Colour. Stand out tracks include 'Hedonic Treadmill' and 'Pirate for a Day' which you can’t help but sing along to with his Newton Faulkner-esque acoustic style. Damaged Goods also includes a couple of softer numbers including ‘Brand New Me’ which captivates the audience with beautiful backing vocals from Eve May Rowlands.
Based in Cheshire, Douglas began as a singer songwriter back in 2008. Damaged Goods shows his true flair as a multi-instrumentalist, playing all of the instruments on the EP himself, including banjo and toy piano. Douglas performances are upbeat and he often uses a stomp box to add rhythm, covering pop and dance tracks acoustically after giving them his own personal spin.
Douglas has already garnered support from the likes of BBC Introducing Stoke who have regularly played his tracks on the radio, and he’s also taken to the stage to support The Feeling earlier this year at Leadmill in Sheffield. He also performed an impressive 43 shows in 35 days when he undertook The Coffee House Tour.
Damaged Goods is released 6th October 2014 via Na Music.
Feldspar release ‘Song Without A Chorus’ video!
Feldspar have released the video to Song Without A Chorus, the first single of four in a project that will see them release one a month while they embark upon their Compass tour.
The video premiered on Artrocker and you can now watch it on the band's YouTube channel or via the embed below.
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 or via the embed below.
The single accompanying the track premiered on Gigwise and you can now stream and dowload it on the band's SoundCloud page or via the embed below.
Song Without a Chorus is about loss and memory and its influence on writing and creativity. There’s a beautiful melancholy about the track, which combines these themes with the beautiful, rich melodies that have become Feldspar’s calling card. Although they 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 will see the band perform in the North, South, East and West as the band present their powerful live show to audiences 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.
Song Without A Chorus is released via Green Tape Records. Download it for free via Feldspar's SoundCloud page.
Clockwork Radio release ‘Sitting Bull’ video!
Clockwork Radio have released the video for 'Sitting Bull', a track taken from their recently released debut album No Man Is An Island.
The video premiered on Artrocker and you can now watch it on the band's YouTube channel or via the embed below.
You can also download and stream the track for free on Clockwork Radio's SoundCloud page or via the embed below.
No Man Is An Island is an energetic and accomplished collection of brightly coloured compositions, each member of the band painting part of a musical mural to create an intense and vibrant sound that embodies good times in the sunshine. Tracks like ‘The Balance Of Water’ give the band the opportunity to slow down proceedings and show off their knack for stripped down melodies and subtle vocal harmony. The release is a great showcase for a band who are very much confident in their sound and the effect it has on their audience.
With previous single Feel It Up gaining airplay from BBC 6Music, BBC Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw and named as one of BBC Introducing… Manchester’s Tracks Of The Year, debut album No Man Is An Island opens a dramatic new chapter for Clockwork Radio.
No Man Is An Island is out now via Poly Tune.
Einar Stray Orchestra release free ‘Politricks’ Single!
“…just downright beautiful.” - The 405
Einar Stray Orchestra have released Politricks, a free track taken from their upcoming album of the same name. The track was premiered on The Line Of Best Fit and you can now download and stream it via the Sinnbus SoundCloud page or via the embed below.
The video for album title track and single Politricks was premiered on The 405 and you can now watch it on YouTube along with the video for album track 'Pockets Full Of Holes'. You can also watch a behind the scenes documentary filmed by Norwegian director Jørgen Nordby which includes four new tracks taken from the forthcoming album.
If you'd like to catch the band's captivating sound live, then they'll be playing their only UK show at The Islington on Monday 6th October. Tickets are available via See Tickets.
Growing up is one of the album’s main themes, which can be heard from the offset. Politricks begins with eerie eight minute track ‘Honey’ taking you on a journey of darkness and desperation. Second track and single, ’Politricks’, puts childhood beliefs and hero worship under the microscope, telling the story of a transition from innocent youth to the not-so-innocent adult world, dealing with disillusion and perception at the same time. The album then continues its journey, with stripped down tracks such as ‘For The Country’ and ‘Qualia’ introducing a more folk-like sound, not dissimilar to the likes of Iron and Wine and dominated by a heartfelt string section. In contrast, tracks like ‘Pockets Full of Holes’ and ‘Montreal’ reflect the happiness of adolescence with a stunning layering of instruments and unique time signatures.
The album is a tapestry of different emotions and the result of the journey Einar Stray has taken from humble indie beginnings to where they are now, Einar Stray Orchestra - a band with heart and substance, taking their underground status and rising beyond the sum of their parts.
Politricks is released 6th October 2014 via Sinnbus/Rough Trade.