Elle Mary & The Bad Man - New Music "Introducing"

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I'd not heard of Elle Mary & The Bad Man until the other day when I was gently pointed in the direction of them by a school hood friend Phill, who happens to run the Manchester blog / promotions / turned digital-label Tru Luv. Their first release is Elle Mary & TBM's (a quartet led by Elin Rossiter) track "Angels", available as a free download now via Tru Luv's Bandcamp.

The tracks reminds me of a combination of Sharon Von Etten's vocal tone and intimacy combined with Smoke Fairies allure and mystique, "Angels" is an intriguing, sparse beauty that makes you want to close you are eyes and wait until the sun comes up. A demo of another track found of Soundcloud "Ghost" is sparer still, with little more than perfectly-placed ringing guitar helping to bring out the heartbreak and sadness in Elle's affecting words and devastating delivery.

Adna #3 - Night

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I've covered the intoxicating Adna Kadic here a couple of times previously and now with the release of the title track from her forthcoming debut album "Night" I'm compelled to again, Adna a young Swede, since relocated to Berlin is possessed with a timeless voice that rings with haunting beauty and intimate song-craft that plucks straight at your heartstrings.

"Night" might just be her finest moment yet, with her softening voice swelling around melancholic strings, restrained piano keys and soft ringing guitar rhythms. It's infinitely sad and personal but sometimes lonely, contemplative moments can be the best too - especially if they are soundtracked by something this beautiful.

Night is due February 5th via Despotz Records.

Dum Dum Girls #3 - Too True

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Dum Dum Girls are a band I've talked about before here and as much as I enjoyed their last album Only In Dreams (and adored the incredible "Coming Down") I didn't quite connect with the band when I saw them live a good couple of years ago at ULU, their latest release Too True makes me want to give that another go...

The album came out this week and is streaming in full via label Sub Pop's soundcloud (and is available on super limited vinyl with a bonus 7" here). The overall theme of which sees DDG's leave behind much of their garage-pop roots and complete a transformation to 80's inspired Cure-esque rhythms and echoey guitar shimmers that could have been written at any point in time since. I'll focus on a few of my favourites here.

"Evil Blooms" is the perfect example on the reverb-heavy sheen that propels uplifting melodies with darkly-hued intent. "Lost Boys and Girls Club" adds in a synthetic heart-beat amongst gorgeously dreamy harmonies and "Rimbaud Eyes" is a sweet pop hit in the making, armed with a cinematic melody laced in fuzz and Dee Dee's smoky vocals. The title track "Too True to Be Good" similarly swirls with intoxicating bliss, throughout the forumla rarely changes; short, sharp, simple and immediate, treading a similar path to that of last years PINS album, a dark, brooding combination of jangly goodness that can be traced back to Siouxsie and all, it's one I meet with instant approval.

Miserable - New Music "Introducing"

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With a band name like Miserable you're not exactly expecting a bed of roses and music to soundtrack your kids birthday party to when you press play and you'd be right of course, the project of ex-Whirr vocalist Kristina Esfandiari is dark, dramatic and intense from the get go...

The opening track from her debut release (a 7" EP due February 18th via a new label to me, New York's Native Sound) "Bell Jar" instantly conjures a stormy blend of moody Siouxsie / Esben & the Witch inspired dissonance, big on atmosphere the track takes a languid, ominous build up where Kristina's plaintive, haunting words combine with sonically unsettling instrumentation, climbing towards a conclusion of almighty noise with wild widescreen guitars and pounding drums let loose.

The second track from the release "Halloween Dream" is similarly shrouded in gloom, a bleak lonesome slow-waltz gradually rises in tempo with a swell of unnerving emotion, doom-laden beats and meaty riffs; it's never anything but primal, powerful and completely absorbing.

I've been pretty hooked with American Horror Story this past month and I can imagine this fitting in the background of Coven just nicely.

The Sun Days #2 - Don't Need to be Them

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Seemingly setting a trend with Luxury artists here, The Sun Days promptly follow up my Introducing post from last week with a brand new track "Don't Need To Be Them", another slice of indie-pop perfection with an uplifting, shimmering guitar melody nestling amongst warming vocals.

It makes you forget the foul, always raining weather of January 2014 and transports you to somewhere always sunny and carefree and that is just what I need right now after getting soaked to the bone yet again on my latest marathon training run.

You can download "Don't Need To Be Them" via Bandcamp now.

Hydras Dream - New Music "Introducing"

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Hydras Dream is a new project between Swedish composer Matti Bye and my artist of 2013 (whose releases I voted at numbers ten and one in my albums of 2013 posts) Anna Von Hausswolff, seemingly not content with last years Ceremony and accompanying live dates around the world, the collaboration will release their debut album The Little Match Girl in March via the ever wonderful Berlin label Denovali Records.

A taster has been shared in the shape of "The Joys of a New Year", a track which starts all languid beauty with dreamlike synths and Anna's emotive vocals, bathed in a sea of reverb, carrying you in a hypnotic state towards somewhere more safe and tranquil before dashing that sense of security with a searing finale of crashing noise, a perfect combination of shades, light and dark meet in perfect harmony and I'm left wishing for more. Thankfully there's not too long to wait.