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Piney Gir album ‘mR hYDE’S wILD rIDE’ out now!
"A retro delight…" - The Guardian
"…open-hearted pop that has you clutching your knees with glee"
- Drowned In Sound
Piney Gir has released her sixth album, mR hYDE’S wILD rIDE, via Damaged Goods. It's available to buy digitally on iTunes.
The album collates twelve pop stories about a young woman coming to terms with the hope and regret that accompanies love and loss. Piney's easy way with melody belies an album of new and different shades. Album opener ‘Gold Rules’ is a finely-honed, heavenly tune even as the song celebrates unreachable riches and glibly states the fact, “you can’t take it with you anyway.” First single, Keep It Together, deftly channels 60s beat pop and Stereolab all at the same time - a lover's lament laced with urgency and optimism, piped-in directly from her space-age, bachelorette pad.
Piney's video for 'Golden Heart' premiered on Clash Magazine's website, who described it as "Simple, innocent yet striking." You can watch it now via Damaged Goods' YouTube channel.
You can also stream single Keep It Together via the ABoF SoundCloud page, and watch the video that premiered on Artrocker via YouTube.
Piney's previous video 'Gold Rules' premiered on Gigwise and is now available to watch on the Damaged Goods YouTube channel.
Other stand-out tracks include ‘Tilt A Whirl’, a piece of fairground philosophy that dates back to Piney’s childhood years when she would accompany her grandmother on something akin to the Waltzer. As the song spins, with Farfisas swirling around life's ups and downs "like a shooting star or a hope combustible..." become metaphors among the lights and sounds. ‘Mouse Of A Ghost’ fuzzes up like Pineys-in-Toyland channelling her inner riot grrl, with boxy guitar blasts that remind us all that you can rock just as hard, if not harder, in a gingham dress.
Piney has pulled together a stellar band for this release, with members of Gaz Coombes and Emiliana Torrini's touring band jumping in on guitar, bass and drums alongside The Smith Brothers & regular collaborator Garo Nahoulakian taking a seat in the producer’s chair. Andy Ramsay of Stereolab makes an appearance on drums, and the bulk of the album was recorded in his South London studio. The rest was whipped-up in Piney’s little Hackney Studio, small and perfectly formed like a musical toy box, chock-full of space echo, marimba, omnichord and pocket piano, which combine to create a euphoric indie-starshine. Think Yoshimi-era Flaming Lips alongside sparkling tableaux of Mercury Rev., the tunefulness of Grandaddy and riff-led counter-melodies like Pixies.
Piney Gir headed to Glastonbury Festival last weekend to play The Rabbit Hole, but if you're one of the many who didn't manage to pick up a ticket for this year's festival, you can still catch Piney's live show at her album launch on 6th July at The Lexington, and again at Truck Festival's V&V Stage on Saturday 18th July.
mR hYDE’S wILD rIDE is released via Damaged Goods and available to buy digitally on iTunes.
Gene Serene releases single ‘Weightlessness’!
"Blissfully experimental..."- Clash
Gene Serene has released her latest single, Weightlessness, a track taken from her forthcoming album, The Polaris Experience. It's available to buy digitally on iTunes.
The video for the single premiered on Clash Magazine's website, who described it as "a fusion of post-punk, synth-pop and science fiction." You can watch it via Gene Serene's YouTube channel.
You can stream Weightlessness via the ABoF SoundCloud page.
You can also stream and download album track and single Singularity and 'Hazza' for free via the ABoF SoundCloud page and watch the cosmic video that accompanies her previous single via Gene Serene's YouTube channel.
Inspired by the Mars One project, where members of the public have been given the chance to sign up for a one way ticket to the red planet, The Polaris Experience tells the age old story of boy meets girl, of true connections and love as the technological singularity takes place and the world becomes increasingly toxic to mankind. As war ensues, the star crossed lovers are offered an escape route that will take them off the Earth. Placed in suspended animation and heading away from their celestial home, songs such as ‘Hold Me’ and ‘Upload’ explore the emotions and connections experienced in a technologically superior and interstellar future, existing outside of space and time.
A concept album in the classic sense of the word, Gene Serene enlisted the help of producer and sound engineer Bob Earland (Radiophonic Workshop, Clor) who co-wrote and co-produced the album, providing Gene with a sample library and the tools to create something brilliant. With a sound that owes as much to prog staples Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa and Cardiacs as it does stylistically to Goldfrapp and St Vincent, The Polaris Experience is a stellar addition to the oeuvre of intelligent, vocally driven electronica.
The album was written to be experienced in cinemas and theatres, as well as traditional venues and found spaces, so watch this space for a full list of UK tour dates.
Weightlessness is released via Duchess Box Records and is available to buy digitally on iTunes. The single is taken from The Polaris Experience which is released on 6th July 2015.
Introducing… Reverieme!
Reverieme (aka Louise Connell) taught herself how to play guitar with her nose when she was 15. Since then, she has progressed to using both hands, and expanded her repertoire to include the banjo and the ukulele. She spent the last year carefully cataloguing the musical maelstrom inside her head and her forthcoming EP, Or Else The Light, is but a small selection gained from that process. The rest of her songs are lying dormant, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
'Plankton', a free track taken from the EP, premiered on Gigwise and you can stream and download it now via the ABoF SoundCloud page.
A combination of melancholic, hopeful, dark and insular sounds, there is a distinct edge to Reverieme’s songwriting. Steering away from a single grandiose theme, each track on the EP exists in its own separate world, with its own personal story - some are gloriously offbeat, whilst others, like the aforementioned ‘Plankton’, are haunting and heartbreaking. The meaning behind these songs is very much left up to the listener to decide. She has an undeniable folk influence, but peppered with a pop sensibility that makes her sound all the more universal.
Louise has been influenced by those who have walked before her, such as Jenny Lewis, Kimya Dawson, Amanda Palmer and Regina Spektor, but instead of treading the same path she has chosen to create her own, so others may one day follow. On stage, she may or may not be joined by other talented friends to help her elevate her music before it reaches the audience as the occasion demands.
Reverieme has already supported acclaimed acts such as Gotye, Emmy The Great and Newton Faulkner and performed at T in the Park and Wickerman festival, to name but a few. 2015 will see her return to Wickerman on July 25th, and she’ll also be performing various acoustic gigs in and around Scotland before heading to Sweden in late July/early August.
Or Else The Light is released on July 20th 2015 via 9th Story Records.
Watch Best Girl Athlete’s video for ‘Seven Seconds’!
"... assured artistry..." - Clash Magazine
"...pretty amazing..." - Folk Radio Uk
“… her record is radiant and playful but tender and honest too.”
- Amelia’s Magazine
Best Girl Athlete, aka Katie Buchan, returns with her latest single Seven Seconds, due for release on 27th June 2015 via Fitlike Records
Seven Seconds is an effortlessly catchy track, filled with simple yet effective Americana style musicianship, mixed with upbeat pop sensibilities, as the acoustic guitar and gentle violin float and swirl beautifully throughout the song. The single premiered on The Line Of Best Fit and you can listen to it now via the ABoF SoundCloud page.
The video for Seven Seconds premiered on Amelias Magazine and is available to watch now via Best Girl Athlete's YouTube channel.
Katie’s earthy, delicate vocal tone, and impressively mature lyrical content, merely illustrate the wisdom and talent Katie continues to exhibit. Lyrics such as “what is seven seconds when you have a life time” resonate repeatedly at the end of the track, immersing the listener in the vision Katie is expertly creating with her undoubted natural flair for music, mirroring the sound of more mature artists such as Feist and SOAK in the process.
Based in the north of Scotland’s Aberdeen, Katie’s profile has risen considerably in the last year or so. Having played and written with her father, singer-songwriter Charley Buchan who also runs Fit Like Records, Katie has managed to co-produce an album that has seen her reaching a bigger audience with each and every track released. Carve Every Word itself picked up great support from the likes of The Herald, Artrocker Magazine, Musos Guide, BBC Radio Scotland, STV, Clash Magazine, Folk Radio and Amelia’s Magazine.
The summer will see no respite for Katie as she heads to the US on tour in August.
You can stream and download album tracks 'He's Calling Me Over' and 'Talk' for free from the ABoF SoundCloud page.
Seven Seconds is out on 27th June via Fit Like Records. The single is taken from Best Girl Athlete's debut album Carve Every Word, available now on CD via BandCamp and digitally via iTunes.
Genepool announces online comic book market place, Comichaus!
Comic book fans, collectors and creators rejoice for Comichaus is the new website coming this July that makes it easier than ever to start building your collection, track down that rare first print edition of your favourite series or sell those comics you found in the attic that might just be worth a fortune. Do you write or draw your own comic - even better! Now you can sell directly to your readers.
Founder, Pete from Genepool, made the following statement regarding his exciting new venture:
“We were getting frustrated with some of the existing marketplace avenues for buying and selling comic books - and thought it was time something a bit more dedicated was developed. We wanted to make something easy for everyone to use that didn't cost the earth in commissions and had no hidden costs."
"So for the last year we have been importing core comic books into the system - and will be adding more every day. Our array of search functions mean anyone can find a comic book on Comichaus to buy or sell. And if it doesn't exist as yet - we have made it possible to add or edit any comic book you want”
Comichaus was developed by indie record label and distributor Genepool, who have been releasing and supporting emerging musical talent since 2003. With help from hardcore comic collectors and some of the most dedicated comic book historians in the business, they’ve created an ever expanding online database that allows people to list any comic book for sale. By adding new listings, users are rewarded with Comichaus points, with the top contributor receiving exclusive prizes at the end of every month.
Listing a comic is absolutely free, with Comichaus charging a meagre 8% commission for every sale made using their online comic book marketplace. The more listings that are made, the more expansive the database becomes, helping comic book fans keep an eye on the fluctuating market, and track down those rare editions that may be missing from their collection.
If you'd like to join the beta, and test drive the website for yourself, please email Info@comichaus.com. In the meantime you can visit the website that's currently under construction here.
Comichaus launches on 1st July 2015 and will be run alongside Genepool in the pop culture market. They hope to help undiscovered comic talent in the same way as their sister company has helped musicians.