NO #2 - What's Your Name

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I was disappointed when NO disappeared from last months Great Escape line-up, no official reason was given but their European tour was seemingly put on hold for a few months, there's something to be excited for now though (well if live near London) as the Los Angeles group have announced that they will play three gigs here at the end of the Month / early July. They've also shared a new video for their track "What's Your Name", originally available on last years White Iris 7" via bandcamp (and on vinyl too)...

The lead track is a beautiful, anthemic ballad with dynamic instrumentation standing to the fore of Bradley Hanan Carter's drawling baritone, a creeping melody full of emotion and sublime plaintive mood sure to ignite intrigue to many people who've recently found themselves addicted to The National's Trouble Will Find Me.

The single is backed with the rousing call to arms "Eleven Eleven", more upbeat, energetic and passionate, it promises to be a big live favourite with driving percussion and fuzzy rhythms swirling around your brain bringing almost compulsive beat nodding (I think that's the technical term for it!) on my every listen - stunning I think the word is.

NO - New Music "Introducing"

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This post comes via Breaking More Waves and I agree with Robin in pretty much every way. I'd not heard of Echo Park quintet NO (yes, a terrible name and a real search engine friendly one to boot!) previously but you really cannot mention them or the tracks on their soundcloud ("The Long Haul", "Another Life" and "Stay With Me" are linked below to stream) without mentioning The National.

I'm sure it's a bane of the band already so I do apologise for the lazy work but when you listen to their music it fills you with the same feelings (no, it's not derivative either). It's not just the baritone vocals of Bradley Hanan Carter (though less 'bitter' than Matt Berninger's) that draws the comparison, "Another Life" is soaked with the same sense of brooding melancholia, where raw and reflective power sweeps through rich, atmospheric instrumentation and magnificent drums. "There's a Glow" is brighter and stadium bound with bright, sweeping hooks, a real sing-along anthem of a track. "The Long Haul" starts slow and deliberate, sombre and dark and builds with luxurious drama, it's spellbinding stuff, intelligent lyrics and fraught with deep emotional tension throughout, immerse yourself in NO for what they are, their own.

The aforementioned tracks are taken from the bands six track EP Don't Worry, You'll Be Here Forever, released as long ago as November 2011 (now sold out on 12" vinyl) which can be purchased digitally on a pay-what-you-like basis from the groups bandcamp.