The second track from 2:54's forthcoming 'Scarlet EP', released November 14th via Fiction (order signed 10") has been made available for stream "Got A Hold" continues in a similar vein to the title-track, four minutes of moody, noisy rock, sprawling guitars and Colette's wailing vocals, infectious and hypnotic.
2:54 play London's Corsica Studios next Wednesday, November 9th supported by the most excellent Novella, it promises to be a splendid evening - tickets / details. I've seen the girls three times previously and their grungy riffs and seductive coos translate to the live stage perfectly. If you aren't based in the capital, they also support The Big Pink across the country, well worth the admission fee there.
The b-side to EMA's stunning new single 'Marked', a track I mentioned enough times not to again here came with a pre-listening warning that was enough to put me off listening to it for a good few days, the warning; it's a collaboration with a rapper. Now call me fickle or whatever you want but rap has been one genre of music I've never managed to find any solace with and I was quite worried about giving "Angelo" a listen, I probably needn't, for on the whole, just like everything of 'Past Life Martyred Saints' it's quite sensational.
The track is heavy, noisy guitars swathed in reverb and a gritty, raw intensity that's much akin to Erika's live show, rapper Mz’Gorjis' verse is passable, it fits in quite nicely, even on my ears. The dirty beat is so immersive I'm lost stomping my boots and nodding my head, Erika's howls are perfect, it's definitely a(nother) yes for one of 2011's best acts.
Available on 7" via Souterrain Tranmissions November 21st or digitally now. The same week as the release EMA plays one of the gigs on the year, a date with Zola Jesus at Heaven - tickets.
Now I've posted a few EMA sessions before because they always manage to blow me away, this one is no different, an acoustic session for Vogue, just Erika and an acoustic playing renditions of "Marked", "Butterfly Knife" and "Milkman", stripped back, intimate and all kinds of amazing:
Italy, it seems, is the place to turn for dark, haunting post-punk / cold-wave at the minute, the latest band to crop up on my horizon are Schonwald (a name which sounds more German than Italian), the duo aren't a new act, they released an album 'Amplified Nature' back in Feb 09 but I've not found much further information on that, so instead I'll concentrate on their new track, "Mercurial", which I'm assuming is a taster of an, as yet, unannounced release.
It's made in the 80's, an hypnotic pulsating beat creates a sparkling, echoey and somewhat menacing atmosphere while the chilly guitar screeches and thumping dark drums could be a perfect dance floor filler. It's a perfectly balanced sound as it's a bloody great track. Here's to more.
Sheen managed to press all the right buttons with me right away, like so many bands whom I've fallen for over the last 18 months or so, the London six piece studio recordings combine a beautiful, serene, Goddess like vocal swathed in swirling, luscious guitarscapes.
You can hear what that sounds like for yourself on "Different Songs" and "One Step" below, blissfully dreamy and melodic, where gentle, chiming kaleidoscopic guitars glisten amongst Aneta's delicate, ethereal vocals and languid drumbeats.
The band play London's The Good Ship next Saturday, November 12th - full details . I'm out of town but I urge someone with a good video camera to attend so we can replace these potentially exceptional videos that sound like they've been recorded from the nearby toilet - I'm yet to check them out live, I will, purely from checking out a couple of these videos a couple of times I can see (again) like so many of my favourite artists there is an extra dimension to the live tracks, the intensity of "Lunaire" especially with it's wash of distorted guitars and noise is quite spectacular.
Time flies, I can't believe it was as long as April when Ren Harvieu first showed up here, it's been pretty quiet from Ren since (mainly due a spinal injury) but she's now back on track and we've been treated to a couple of tracks to accompany the stunning cover of Roy Orbison's "Cryin'", the song which first alerted me to her.
The latest is "Forever in Blue" and it's good enough to transport you back in time some fifty years, displaying a lonesome vulnerability and poignancy that defy her age of twenty years, what grabs you immediately (even if you're not into this "namby pamby" stuff and prefer your music loud) is Ren's soulful vocals, her rich and smooth voice caresses each and every word, it's exquisite, gentle, understated and undeniably beautiful.
Ren's debut single will be "Through The Night", due for release via Island Records on January 16th 2012, a sublime melodramatic ballad soaked in gorgeous string orchestration and, of course, Ren's voice, big, strong and effortless whether it delivering sensual or powerful notes.
I'm sometime critical of The Guardian and their new music blog (I don't see the point in doing a new band feature on something and slating it or giving this sort of thing exposure) but they got it spot on in their recent 'New band of the day' feature on Ren where they compare her to "the mid-60s era of those solo artists with single names like Dusty, Lulu, Cilla and Sandie and the sort of epic tunes they would have blasted out on Sunday Night at the London Palladium or during a royal command performance". Can you imagine if she was on X Factor singing Dusty Springfield songs, they'd be going mental at women institute coffee mornings all over the country, I'm glad she's not, a more conventional path to stardom should suit the longevity of her career.
Your chance to see Ren playing a pub for possibly the first and last time comes on Thursday 24th October when she plays London's Water Rats (details).
You might not have heard of SPC ECO (pronounced Space Echo) before though there is every chance you've come across bassist / programmer Dean Garcia in his former band, Curve. SPC ECO are just about to release their second full-length (following a handful of EP's and a full length since 2008) 'You Tell Me' is due for release 14th November and let me tell you straight away, it's absolutely luscious.
The eleven tracks combine to make pure, unadulterated aural ecstasy, throughout you are treated to the pulsing electronic rhythms, distorted guitar whirlwinds, layered soundscapes and the soft, pure vocals of Rose Berlin, Dean's daughter.
'You Tell Me' kicks off heavy, all are with absolute monsters. "Gone" finds the band in menacing form, with dark, industrial pulsating beats, throbbing bass and heavy guitar riffs whilst "Calling" brooding sonic atmospherics intoxicate and "Big Fat World" is equally great, pulverising guitar maelstroms, dynamic drums and the angelic vocals of Rose, all in all, it's fucking brilliant.
Yet my favourite moments possibly come when the tempo is taken down a notch in favour of this otherworldly, dreamy mood like on "All My Love" and "Fall a Million Ways", the former with slow-burning glistening beats while the latter combines a minimal trippy dub beat with Rose's ethereal and beautiful vocals. Throughout her voice manages to rise above the instruments and programming and is a genuine highlight.
"Forever Each Day" sees the celestial and noise-pop collide, washes of guitar, echoes and deep electronic beats meet the airy, gorgeous vocals. I could continue to uses numerous adjectives to describe this wonderful album but you've got the idea by now, for fans of dream / noise pop this album is an essential listen.
Their was a limited edition CD run via xd records but we are all too slow and it's sold out (though I believe a second press is in the works), a digital download can be purchased from bandcamp for just £5 now.
