Happy New Year / Adult Themes - New Music "Introducing"

http://happynewyear.bandcamp.com/ / http://adultthemes.bandcamp.com/ // http://www.happynewyearmusic.com/

I think this is the first ever time I've done two bands on the same post but it works okay I think.

Happy New Year is the solo project of Eleanor Logan, a member of Adult Themes (I didn't know this until after I started this post, otherwise I'd probably have given the band a space of their own previously). I discovered HNY thanks to her support slot with JMTIL favourites No Joy, I couldn't make the show because I was in Barcelona, but the name stood-out and here we are...

At the back end of last year Eleanor released her debut Happy New Year release 'Hotel / Twins' via Crikey Records (who also released the now sold out Adult Themes debut 7") and is limited to 300 7" Vinyl. "Twins" with pounding drums and scratching guitar hissing along, the droning grunge-crunk sounds causing general mayhem over Eleanor's light and echoed vocal. "Hotel" is more experimental and equally impressive, with electronic glitches and sporadic noises played over a looping, rhythmic beat. It's a pretty fantastic debut, she played in London last night, I imagine it was great - I think it was the end of her UK trip, which is a pity but hopefully she'll be back and not playing when I'm out of the country and on Wednesday's!

The Adult Themes 7" 'Four Fires / Young Bodies' came out last July, and both tracks follow a more garage-rock style, brief in duration they are urgent, aggressive and noisy. The drumming is an absolute stand-out on both fuzzed-up numbers which call to be played loud.

You can download both 7"'s for free via the bandcamp links above and listen below:

Happy New Year - Hotel by neumagazine







HAPPY NEW YEAR- HOTEL from rob heppell on Vimeo.

The History of Apple Pie #2 - You're So Cool

Facebook /

A couple of months after I first caught onto The History Of Apple Pie are ready to releases their debut single 'You're So Cool', which will be released June 27th by Roundtable Records on limited edition vinyl and will also include the track "Some Kind" as a B-side.

You can listen to both below; we've previously heard "You're So Cool", with it's chugging baseline,  gorgeous dreamy vocals, it's a perfect summery soundtrack. Any song that's with a sort of take on 'True Romance' is good with me.

"Some Kind" is a slight departure, a feedback drenched introduction leads to a more urgent, upbeat, noise fuzz-pop track though, the band are clever enough to leave their catchy melodies and sugar sweet vocals well alone.

Some Kind by The History Of Apple Pie

You're So Cool by The History Of Apple Pie

Sea Oleena #2 - Delicate Position

http://wintercoats.bandcamp.com/ /
http://seaoleena.bandcamp.com/

Delicate Position is a collaboration between Australia’s Wintercoats and Montreal’s Sea Oleena (who I featured here just last week here).

Charlotte provides the airy vocal, her soothing, hushed beautiful voice swirls around Wintercoats (James Wallace) celestial instrumentation. The softly plucked guitar sounds as if it was coming from a harp, it's effortlessly graceful, like a gentle breezy wind and is utterly, utterly gorgeous.

If you want music to have a dreamy laze to, you'll not go far wrong with this little wonder. Listen below

Wintercoats - Delicate Position (Ft. Sea Oleena) by Music Fan's Mic

Meddicine - New Music "Introducing"

Facebook / http://www.meddicine.net/

I discovered Meddicine through Night School's Appeal Tape (still available here with all proceeds going to the Japanese Tsunami Red Cross Appeal), it features quite a few artists that have appeared here already, Mushy, Trogons, Rayographs, Maria Minerva and of course Terror Bird.

Meddicine is London based Monika Krol, her experimental noise-scapes are the soundtrack of brutal destruction, reminding me of a cross between the aforementioned Mushy and Crystal Castles. Take "Fishing In The Dark River", intense, dark and menacing synths drowned in excessive looping drum beats and the distorted vocal drawl of Monika, it's fair to say that this is not date music, the harsh, industrial chill is going to piss your neighbours right off, play it loud.

Her latest track "Black Night" is her best work to date, a driving, danceable beat that could be filling your 3am club night. The lyrics emphasising the black magic that Monika seems capable of producing at will.

She's playing a few London dates soon and is looking for more over the summer, more on her Facebook above. Listen below, her previous release is sold-out but a new one is forthcoming:

Black Night by meddicine
Meddicine- Fishing In The Dark River

Still Corners #3 - Cuckoo Single Launch

http://stillcorners.tumblr.com// http://stillcorners.bandcamp.com/

I've been spouting superlatives about London based Still Corners since I first caught them live at The Drop last August, they've made just about every 'band to see' list I've done since. The good news (for me at least) is that they've set a date for their next release and its launch gig which is at the very same venue on Thursday June 30th.

If you can't make it to the intimate basement in Stoke Newington you've a couple of other chances to see Still Corners in London this month (the 7th at The Lexington and 20th at XOYO).

The single is their first Sub Pop release entitled 'Cuckoo' and is released June 28th, you can order it here. It's backed with the sublime dream-pop beauty that is "Endless Summer", which we first heard via the groups bandcamp last year and later appeared on the UK single 'Don't Fall In Love'. "Cuckoo" is a new one, and it's brilliant too, I'll turf out the usual words to describe it, with its ambient hazy wash of echoey synths, shimmery guitars and solid drumming it's ethereal, summery and completely gorgeous.

A teaser on the Sub Pop stage states "Both of the songs on this single will be on the upcoming Still Corners full-length, Creatures of an Hour, which we will be releasing later this year" - that's something to get excited for then!

Watch the wonderful live video of "Cuckoo" below:

Still Corners performs "Cuckoo" in NYC from BlearyEyedBrooklyn.com on Vimeo.

Emmy The Great #7 - Iris Video + Virtue Release

http://www.emmythegreat.com/

We're almost at the release date for Emmy The Great's second and much-awaited second album 'Virtue', which is released June 13th (order from Rough Trade and you'll get a bonus CD containing acoustic demos of the entire album - now that sounds pretty exciting!).

As a taster Emma has unveiled a video for it's lead single 'Iris', which is set to be released next Monday, 6th June with exclusive non-album track 'Emily' on 7" (order link). "Iris" is simply wonderful and lovely, following Emma's increasingly polished, mature approach to her song-craft but it certainly doesn't let go of her humourous, down to earth side either. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing the album in full.

The video has a nostalgic approach and contains Emmy's cousin's spending quite a lot of time staring at jam jars full of eyes! (?). Watch below:



Here's another track off the album, a live session rendition of the excellent "Exit Night", I can remember this being one of my favourite from her live show at St Pancras church last year:
Emmy The Great - Exit Night (Live) by thisisellie

... and the fabulous "Century of Sleep" if you missed it first time around:
A Woman, A Woman, A Century of Sleep by Emmy The Great