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Introducing… Unmap
Sinnbus records have presented an array of unbelievable talent over the last year with released from Bodi Bill, Me And My Drummer and, most recently, The/Das.
Now Unmap emerge from their roster with the release of their debut single When To Lead And When To Follow out on May 13th 2013.
When To Lead And When To Follow is available to download now via the Sinnbus Soundcloud page.
When To Lead And When To Follow pulses with naive yet sublime pride elegantly combining soul and electronica RnB and indie. Their sound, in places, has been described as an “updated version of chamber pop” with When To Lead And When To Follow feeling incredibly profound and somber. Defined by hypnotic medieval synths, haunting drum sections and the almost spoken word of Mariechen Danz the track becomes engrossing and effortlessly immersible.
Comprised of Mariechen Danz (vocals), Alex Stolze (violin, guitar, electronics), Matthias Geserick (bass) and Thomas Fietz (drums), Unmap have risen from the wintery depths waitinfg for the right moment to strike with their first musical offerings; When To Lead And When To Follow is not only their debut single but their first ever release full stop.
The band have created a real outstanding statement of intent with When To Lead And When To Follow. With talk of an album due out in Autumn 2013, this track is set to put this remarkably talented German four-piece safely on the map.
The Birthday Suit release single ‘Uh-huh Uh-huh’ today!
"With material this good, Idlewild's hiatus could be rather long..." - Kerrang!
"...flashes of brilliance..." - Q Magazine
The Birthday Suit - solo project of Idlewild guitarist and songwriter Rod Jones release their single Uh-Huh Uh-Huh today.
A stream of the radio edit for the single is available now via the ABoF Soundcloud page. Physical and digital downloads are available for press and radio, please email claire@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Catch The Birthday Suit live at these dates:
17th May - Electric Circus, Edinburgh
23rd May - Nice N Sleazys, Glasgow (Communion Show)
22nd June - Drummonds, Aberdeen
Their second album, A Conversation Well Rehearsed, was released on 3rd December 2012; the the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut The Eleventh Hour, which was released at the tail end of 2011 and received support from BBC Radio 1 Scotland, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, This Is Fake DIY and Drowned in Sound.
The Birthday Suit released Less Worthless Years as a single from A Conversation Well Rehearsed last year, you can watch the video for the single via YouTube.
A Conversation Well Rehearsed straddled the line between spiky indie rock and modern day melodic folk rock akin to bands like Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad. Uh-huh Uh-huh is an infectious, raucous journey that harks back to Rod’s noisy Idlewild days, showcasing his talent for writing a succinct, catchy indie tune.
Formed with Roddy Woomble and Colin Newton in Edinburgh in 1995, Idlewild spent the last 16 years becoming one of Scotland's most beloved indie rock acts. But after seven studio albums, four top 20 singles and numerous world tours, including supporting bands such as REM, Pearl Jam, U2 and The Rolling Stones, the band decided to take a break to concentrate on their individual solo projects.
Since The Birthday Suit released their debut last year, the band have embarked upon several successful UK tours and gained many fans in the press with This Is Fake DIY noting their debut was "packed with hooks and pounding basslines", The 405 claiming they were a "soon-to-be-great band" and their debut picking- up a solid 8/10 review in Rock Sound and 4 Ks in Kerrang! Magazine.
A Conversation Well Rehearsed is available to buy now from The Birthday Suit's website or you can purchase it via iTunes or Amazon.
Algernon Doll Returns With Album Announcement & Free Download
"Reminiscent of the much missed Elliot Smith"
- Artrocker Magazine
Ewan Grant, AKA Algernon Doll, returns with his follow up to debut album, Camomile, with new album Citalo-pop, due for release on 10th June 2013 via Common Records.
While last years debut mirrored Ewan's difficulty in dealing with the toils of extreme anxiety disorder and bipolar, Citalo-pop immediately offers up something fresh in comparison with the inclusion of fuzzy grunge-esque guitars, distorted, layered vocals and Algernon Doll's trademark off-kilter alt-folk sound exhibited in his releases to date.
You can download 'Cassini' from the ABoF Soundcloud page or from the embed below.
Evoking the spirit of the likes of Red House Painters on Old Ramon, Mark Lanegan and Elliot Smith, Algernon Doll continues to display a maturity beyond his years by executing such a rich texture to his songwriting - something many of his contemporaries would aspire to achieve.
Opening album tracks 'Anti-them' and free download 'Cassini', mark an immediate change in direction - a freer feeling from the more introspective debut produced last year. Up tempo, distorted guitars soar throughout, with driven incessant drumming and time changes galore, all brought together by Grant's emotionally charged vocals. Even the dreamier 'Home-schooled', which has a far more ominous feeling, illustrates the direction Algernon Doll has taken as the track builds slowly into a visceral, heavy outro spearheaded by Grant's expressive guitar playing and intense vocals.
Citalo-pop is a vehicle for Grant to expel his dark outlook on life while allowing him to tap into his punk and hardcore background, thus creating an unsettled sound, one that keeps the listener on their toes throughout the 13 tracks found on the album.
The last year has been an exciting time for Algernon Doll. Having released his debut album, as well as supporting the likes of Franz Nicolay (Against Me), Chris T-T, Esperi and Willis Earl Beal, he now follows that up with another expertly crafted record. By assembling a full band for live shows to replicate the bigger sound produced on the album, Algernon Doll has also added another dimension to his project setting up a thrilling year ahead.
Citalo-pop is due for release on 10th June 2013 via Common Records.
Death Rattle release ‘White Ropes’ (free download)
"I was blown away..."
- John Kennedy, XFM
London based girl/boy electro gloom-pop duo Death Rattle return with their second offering - four track EP Fortress released via Frontal Noize on 29th April.
Ahead of the EP's release, the pair are offering the track 'White Ropes' as a free download, available to stream and download now via their Soundcloud page.
With recent support from John Kennedy (XFM), Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music) and Amazing Radio plus video features on NME, Artrocker and Clash around their last EPHE&l, Fortress continues where HE&l left us - on an intense and darkly mesmerising journey through icy and desolate soundscapes.
A preview of the EP is available now via Death Rattle's YouTube channel.
Having gained Amazing Radio's 'Record of The Week' in March with their free download of industrial-electro-pop track 'The Blows' (a track not featured on the forthcoming EP), the band will be promoting this and their new EP Fortress with a European tour in May, adding a new guitarist and Moog player to their live line-up.
'The Blows' is available to download now via Death Rattle's Soundcloud page.
Where HE&l gave us the kind of immediate, dark electro pop and nod-along beats that drew instant comparisons to The Knife and Sleigh Bells, Fortress is its insular, brooding cousin subtly creating an even bleaker, impending-doom feel that their previous release always hinted towards with the band's influences - Depeche Mode, Fever Ray and NIN - becoming ever more apparent.
Opening with 'White Ropes' and a soft fragility similar to that heard on the duo's lo-fi, apocalyptic cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", Helen Hamilton' captivating vocal slides in enticingly over the music as the song escalates towards a wall of sound that hits at the first chorus. There's something about the intensity of Chris Hamilton's programmed beats, distinctive synth melodies and a-typical production style allied with Helen's metaphorical lyrics that transport the listener right to the core of the duo's inner conscious.
'In Time' follows with sort of restrained, menacing energy that Massive Attack became famous for with a strong vocal melody and eerie feel throughout leading beautifully on to third track 'Fortress'. Here Death Rattle feature strings for the first time with a haunting gypsy-violin melody dropping in on the breaks, seeing this track materialising into the darkest of the three. Akin to the vibe on Depeche Mode's Violator or Portishead's Dummy, in 'Fortress' lies a dark yet addictive electronic sound that tiptoes on the avant-garde of the genre.
Flutes release ‘Kilburn’ single and video!
"Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!"
- Ally McCrae, BBC Radio 1
Flutes release their second single taken from their self-titled debut album - Kilburn. The single is supported by the b-side 'What Is Love', a cover of Haddaway's 90s dance hit. 'What Is Love' was released as a free download ahead of the single and within the first 4-weeks of the track being uploaded to the band's Soundcloud page, it gained over 5,000 listens. Flutes' version of 'What Is Love' completely transformed Haddaway's original making it heart-achingly beautifully - we wouldn't expect anything less.
You can listen to both Kilburn and 'What Is Love' via Flutes' Soundcloud page.
The beautiful, yet tragic, video for Kilburn is available to watch now via the band's YouTube page (warning: contains scenes of an adult nature).
2012 was a busy year for Flutes with the release of their self-titled debut album. A flurry of online press ensued, which saw the band steadily build a loyal fanbase grabbing the attention of BBC Radio 1 Scotland, The Scottish Sun and, most recently, Clash Magazine, with Frightened Rabbit selecting their track 'Auld Archie' as a Track of the Day on the Clash website.
A track named after Camden town's lesser known yet arguably more ferocious neighbour, Kilburn in the words of lead singer Godfrey McFall is "a song is about poets / artists / thespians always tending to gravitate to that horrid combination of womanisers and substance abusers, and with those come the associated highs and lows. As a band we'e all lived in Kilburn and it was fun (and mildly traumatising) to play with the imagery of Byron and Burns in a Kilburn boozer trying to have it off with the local ladies, then hating themselves for it in the morning".
Forming on the windswept coast of Fife, the eight year musical story of the four-piece features a church hall in Oxford, corporate espionage, recording in sheds and industrial estates, the M6, an old white minibus, far too many London gigs circa 2007/08, grizzly old men, a BBC sound technician with a fetish for vintage microphones, big belly laughs, and a Scottish football stadium.
Flutes' video for their first single 'Auld Archie' is available to watch now via their YouTube channel.
Last year the band spent two weeks in a static caravan on the outskirts of Glasgow travelling to and from Chem19 Studios where they recorded their debut record. With the album produced and mixed by Jamie Savage (of Olympic Swimmers) in Blantyre and mastering coming from Iain Cook of rising Chvrches fame, the album received praise from all corners of the press and radio with BBC Radio One’s Ally McCrae simply hailing it as 'Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!'; and BBC Radio 1 Scotland' Vic Galloway featuring the band in his top Bands To Look Out For In 2013. Amazing Radio's Jim Gellatly placed Flutes alongside Chvrches as his Ones to Watch 2013 saying 'it won't be long before everyone's calling them the next Frightened Rabbit'.
Not only did support come in from Radio One but Tom Robinson of BBC 6Music made himself known to be one of Flutes' supporters: 'What do you get if you mix jazz, post punk, gothic and rock? A strange cocktail. But then add deep choruses and a progressive hypnotic melody and the result is brilliant'. With comparisons ranging from The Twilight Sad, British Sea Power, The National and Echo & the Bunnymen, Kilburn and supporting b-side, a cover of Haddaway's 'What Is Love' sees Flutes return with their imposing yet spacious sound.
After Kilburn, Flutes plan to release a limited edition EP with the working title Lost in The Sand. The EP will include lost demos, live recordings, remixes and at least one as yet unheard recording.
12th April - 'What Is Love, Kilburn?' (Flutes curated night running from 7.30pm-4am) - The Good Ship, Kilburn, London
19th April - The Glad Cafe (supported by Brave Young Red), Glasgow, Scotland
20th April - Penicuik Library (acoustic show with Cello Mind), Penicuik, Scotland
Flutes self-titled debut album is available to buy now on iTunes or you can stream it now via Spotify. The 12" vinyl is also available to buy directly from the band.
Kilburn is available to buy via Amazon and iTunes now.