September Girls #7 - Ships

Facebook / septembergirls.tumblr.com

Last year I went on a road trip to Manchester with a friend with the sole purpose of having a few too many drinks and watching some great bands. The gig that made two London based folk visit what is easily the UK's second best music scene was a pretty great one, PINS with support from September Girls, two much blogged about acts here. It delivered a Saturday night show that was everything we wanted, we later had kebab and chips on Oldham St and I've no real recollection of getting back to the friends we were staying at - a real win-win night!

The reason for that waffle is simple, that evening musical friends were clearly made between the two bands and now we see September Girls lining up to release a limited edition tape through PINS' own label Haus of PINS for the forthcoming Cassette Store Day (something in itself I'm torn about - Have you ever seen a cassette store? Do we really need releases from major labels and re-issues on tape? Shouldn't the day be celebrating the bedroom run labours of love who tend to use the cheaper cassette format nowadays?).

Anyway, due on Saturday is the quintet's new single "Ships" and the title track is quite wonderful, where an extended intro of chugging bass and creeping guitar lines create a moody fog of swirling, ominous pysch atmosphere before the girls typically reverb soaked vocal harmonies enter, all fuzzy, echoey and somewhere in the distance "Ships" is perhaps the most un-nerving, darkest track from September Girls yet.

Three more dates are lined up with Pins in mid October (I can't make any of them this time - mid week and up north) but an as yet unannounced London show is planned for Oct 18th - in the diary.

September Girls have also announced their signing to Fortuna Pop and dated their debut album for January 2014 - that's something to look forward to indeed. One of my 'tips for 2013' becomes one for 2014 in the blink of an eye. 

Daughter #8 - Smoke

Facebook

My first post since returning from End of the Road Festival (a review should hopefully follow by the end of the week) so it makes perfect sense to feature one of the artists I saw there, Daughter. An act who have risen dramatically in size over the past eighteen months or so, in terms of fan-base and sound alike, from Elena's solo folk-ish beginnings (do make sure you've listened to the breathtaking "Peter") to the widescreen soundscapes that dominate throughout their debut album If You Leave.

The trio's latest single "Youth" (a track which itself first appeared back in 2011 on the EP The Wild Youth) has been mentioned here on a few occasions so I'll focus on the releases flip side, a new track called "Smoke". It (of course) revels in slow-building, haunting intimacy, with sparse atmosphere and sultry, emotive vocals once again the signature tones,  it's something Daughter deliver with exceptional, heart-felt beauty and grace and once again I find myself left feeling weak at the knees (and long may it continue).

The single is available now on limited 7" and you can catch the band on an extensive worldwide tour between now on November - head to their label 4AD for a list of dates and order points.

Elephant #3 - Skyscraper

Facebook

Firstly thanks to Some Of It Was True! for this re-discovery, I posted about Elephant a few times back in 2011 but then the band went quiet for sometime and they fell off my radar.

Their latest single "Skyscraper" was actually released on 7" back in March but I completely missed it then, I've got 2170 albums by 964 artists in my iTunes library (I didn't count them I promise) so keeping tabs on that many artists is a little tricky, still, I'm glad to have the London duo of Amelia Rivas and Christian Pinchbeck back on my rader.

"Skyscraper" is the perfect song to fall back in love with, a beautiful, hazy carousel of sparkling synths and creeping guitar lines. Dream-pop by its very definition is surely meant to send you to heavenly plains of comforting luxury and boy does this track do that - Amelia's soft, alluring vocals and swooning melody - it has me tingling all over.

Flip side "Spies" is sparser and perhaps even more beautiful with fluttering guitars the main accompaniment for delicate, echoing vocal coos that similarly warms the heart.

The final copies of the vinyl are available via Rough Trade. Elephant play Servants Jazz Quarters on September 11th - details.

Marnie Stern #3 - This Was It

Facebook / marniestern.net

Marnie Stern has wasted no time following up March's wonderful The Chronicle of Marnia with a new track "This Was It", released earlier this month as part of the Adult Swim Single Club (where you can download the track for free) it's a track that follows on perfectly from the whirlwind guitar based onslaught of the LP.

Over in less than two and a half minutes "This Was It" is a blink and you'll miss it but exhilarating combination of shredding and pumping riffs which on face value sounds much the same as her LP but it's actually much less vicious, gone is the ferocious bite and instead we've almost puppy-dog sweet lyrics. However you want to look at it, it's a killer track all the same.

Naked - New Music "Introducing"

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

AKW - Last Lines

Facebook / alexkwisner.com/

Sitting amongst my (hundred plus) drafts was little more than a bandcamp link for the band AKW (so my apologies to whomever provided my introduction), a trio from LA built around Alex Wisner, they recently released their six track EP Last Lines (available on digital / CD via their Bandcamp page) and it is that I'll focus on below.

The opening track "A Better Sea" is an absolutely bloody gorgeous introduction to Alex's deeply intimate vocals, her soft, fragile voice carries  emotional weight in a similar way to that of Elena Tonra's whilst she's armed with a similarly beautifully chilled voice to that of Emily Haines, underpinned by the tracks widescreen guitars shimmers and sparking keys, it's enough to send shivers down your spine and transport you to a rich, luxurious place..

"Last Lines" also beguiles, built around little more than minimally played guitars softly repeating and those pure, haunting whispers whilst "Where I Go When There's No One" is even better, building from minimal, spacious beginnings before momentarily peaking around a climactic explosion of emphatic sing-along chorus and frenetic guitar riffs. Closing track "Count The Steps" reveals itself a graceful splendor with a melody that glistens amongst hymn-like harmonies, simple yet staggeringly affecting.

A rare kind of beauty indeed, Last Lines will stay with you long after the duration of the six tracks. The perfect late-night Summer evening listen.