Okay, so we're a day late, and we took a week off. We're sorry, really we are. Sadly this isn't our day job and most of our day jobs are getting somewhat hectic as the Christmas break starts peering its chilly head. Fear not though, we're back for a fourth edition of the Sound Influx Playlist. This week we've gone very much remix and feature Monsieur Adi and Tourist as well as the likes of Sub Focus' track with Kele and Sudanim's working of How To Dress Well's &ItWasU. Without further ado, we should probably give it to you for your earholes to consume?
Featured tracks this week... Sudanim - U Dont Have 2 Worry by Braden Fletcher How to Dress Well's record Total Loss feels like it came out ages ago now. It's been a year and it has definitely not dated. Conveniently, South London DJ/Producer Sudanim has reworked the highlight of the album &ItWasU into his own powerful beast. Keep a watch out for him and Her Records a lot in the future. Grouplove - Ways To Go by Braden Fletcher They're finally coming back with their second record and with it will be doing a string of rather intimate shows in the UK so now seems like the best time to put the most recent Grouplove single, Ways to Go into the Playlist. It's huge sounding and with any luck, the band will finally erupt over here in the way they did in the US of A! Bombay Bicycle Club - Carry Me by Toby McCarron A fantastic indie debut, a heart-felt acoustic album and a disappointing mis-match of a third album; this time Bombay Bicycle Club seem to be embracing their electronic side. Carry Me is Bombay's most dancey and arguably club ready hit to date. With swathes of synth and a particularly impressive high-budget interactive video. It's not there to be loved or remembered, simply to move your body to at 3am at club NME.
Well everyone, that's it for another week. We'll hopefully be back again next week and we hope you'll be with us. In other news, the picture for this week's playlist is very much Movember themed. Grow them staches SI readers!
It's only ruddy week three! One day we'll look back on this with fondness, remembering the time we had a feature that lasted for three whole consecutive weeks. How we'll drink. This week, we've had a host of curators of the playlist from across the site; great to see a team come together to collaborate on this project. In this, the third installment of The Playlist; our three featured artists are MO, Findlay and Swearin'. Let's get straight to it then!
Mø - XXX ft Diplo
This is, in classic mø style, a chopped -up track with layers of samples and beats and her pretty laid-back delivery. It also includes the almost obligatory trumpet samples which have come to make mø's sound so distinctive. Diplo also plays a part, although this is Mø's moment. Holly Read-Challen
Swearin' - Dust in the Gold Sack
You'd be forgiven for confusing Swearin' with their tour-buddies Waxahatchee; mostly because lead singer Allison Crutchfield is Katie's twin sister. Where Waxahatchee deal in refined sounds though, Swearin', as their name may suggest, take it a bit more FIDLAR. There's a definite cross between this and many of Wichita's post-grunge releases from the last year and we can't quite get enough of it. Braden Fletcher
Findlay - Greasy Love
Bursts of static and Natalie Findlay's sexy yelp usher in another cracking single from the young Manchester songwriter. "I know it feels good when he sucks on my blood" she shrieks as her backing band leap from popping bass to strident garage rock riffs that channel The Kills on a three day bender. It's short, sharp, sleazy and seductive. What more could you want? Max Sefton
That's all for this playlist, enjoy.
Unless you've been under a rock for the last few weeks, you'll know that it was Record Store Day on Saturday and we were out in force across the nation. Some of our writers hit up the best shops in the country including Pie & Vinyl, Spillers, Crash, Jumbo, Banquet, Sister Ray's, Rough Trade and many more. It's safe to say Sound Influx was present at Record Store Day.
Half of our editorial team hit up UK Organisers Rough Trade East from the very early hours of the morning and not only did we pick ourselves up a bag-load or three of incredible records for ourselves; we thought of you too!
So it is with our great delight that we come to you with the following giveaway: PULP - AFTER YOU 12" featuring Soulwax remix. Exclusive Record Store Day 2013 Release.
And if you're about, we'll also throw in a pair of tickets to our Birthday Party with Death at Sea, Yearbook and Luke Godwin at the Tooting Tram and Social on Monday May 13th.
So what do you have to do to win? Like us on Facebook and write on our wall with the name of your favourite Pulp track. It's that simple.
The winner will be selected at random on Thursday 2nd May at 6pm which means you have a week and a week only to get all your friends to help you win.
Good luck.
(If you win, we'll either post the record out to you or meet up with you in London at a time of both our conveniences. We promise not to tell any other companies that you like Pulp and Soulwax; because y'know, that's the exact material they want for marketing right?)
In just over a month, we will be two years old as a blog. We've only properly existed for just over a year in our current format and we've only been a dot com for a matter of months but nonetheless, we're going to be the ripe old age of two years old in May.
To celebrate, we'll be putting on our first proper show. We've collaborated in the past and we've put Yukon on the tube but this; this is our first proper show.
On Monday May 13th, we'll be taking over the Tram & Social in Tooting, South London for an evening of live music from some of our favourite up and coming acts and if you follow us on Twitter or Facebook you'll already be aware of who these acts are. Incase you're not part of our social media following however, here are the details.
Headlining will be the brilliant Death at Sea and they'll be supported by Yearbook and Luke Godwin. All three acts are acts we're tipping for the future and as an introduction, why not listen to them all below?
So do we have a poster and tickets? Of course we do! Sam Hopper (who also helps with our sessions) has designed us a SoundInPugs poster and tickets are just £3 from our BigCartel!
It's that time of year again, where we at Sound Influx ask our writers the daunting question: "What are your favourite albums of the year?". Well, the writers answered in force, and their suggestions have been meticulously tallied up into a rather fine list of this year best and boldest. Here are the albums we loved this year, that didn't quite make our top 20 (which is coming soon,) and links to the ones we did original reviews of. Enjoy!
50. Delicate Steve - Positive Force 49. The 2 Bears - Be Strong 48. Actress - RIP
47. ScHoolboy Q - Habits And Contradictions 46. David Byrne and St. Vincent - Love This Giant 45. METZ - METZ "The only danger they’re in is that with one record built primarily of tracks under the 3:30 mark, there’s simply not enough to satisfy the ravenous demand." Read Braden Fletcher's review. 44. Jessie Ware - Devotion 43. Best Coast - The Only Place "The return of Best Coast on the music scene is a welcome one indeed." Read Bella Roach's review. 42. Plan B - Ill Manors 41. Yeasayer - Fragrant World 40. William Boney - Good Vibes
39. How To Dress Well - Total Loss
"‘Total Loss’ is a haunting and intelligent album that will play well with a particular type of intellectual pop fan" Read Max Sefton's review.
38. Deerhoof - Breakup Song
"Breakup Song is a great party record from a band unafraid to reclaim pop for their own ends."
"A songwriter playing with the same freedom and love of noise, melody and self-expression that his heroes did all those years before." Read Max Sefton's review
28. The Cribs - In The Belly of the Brazen Bull
"In The Belly of the Brazen Bull is by far the darkest and heaviest Cribs record to date, but also the most important. The Cribs have come to reclaim indie rock." Read Aaron Lewins' review.
"Strange Weekend does however manage to come away feeling like a good pop record, and whilst it may not last a life time, it is at least an enjoyable and interesting listen." Read Will Hall's review.
24. Kindness - World, You Need A Change Of Mind
"World, You Need A Change Of Mind is exactly what you would expect from this Peterborough-based pioneer who seems to be capable of reviving any genre that’s thrown his way and make it relevant." Read Aurora Mitchell's review.
23. Swans - The Seer
"The listen is definitely a very long and full experience, but ultimately rewarding and rich, with vast swathes of colour and atmosphere." Read Eliot Humphreys' review.
But here are the June releases that really stood out to us, as well as a spotify playlist to delight yourself with an eclectic mix of 10 exceptional tracks we've been rinsing this month. Roll on July! Liars - WIXIW (full review here) "every
chop and change, and moment of apocalyptic brooding is visionary and
carries thousands of times more depth than most modern experimental
outfits. This is not their best album by any stretch, but it certainly
warrants maximum attention over multiple listens, and is thoroughly
engrossing and foreboding throughout. "8.3 - Toby McCarron
"Whilst ‘ƒIN’ is
still undoubtedly my favourite house record of the year, Tomas Barfod’s
‘Salton Sea’ comes a close second with its intricate layers and
attention to detail." 8.1 - Aurora Mitchell
Hello again! This is Sound Inbox, the feature where after leafing through email and soundcloud submissions, I pick the top bunch of new artists eveyr week giving information on the artists' sound, and where you can find more information. This week features Honeycomb Bones, Madeaux and Bam Spacey!
Honeycomb Bones
First up this week are Hull duo Honeycomb Bones. Don't be fooled by the name, their music isn't crumbly and sweet, instead dealing with reverb-laden DIY punk and psychedelia. 'Catherine Wheel' taken off the group's new self-titled EP is a blistering introduction to what the group are about. It's noisy, rough around the edges and leans heavily on gritty guitar riffs and the kind of nonchalant vocals you might expect from Ian Curtis. The track also delves into more bluesy White Stripes sort of territory and pulls it off with astonishing ease. All in all Honeycomb Bones serve as a mildly twisted all out aural assault, delighting and impressing equally throughout.
Hooray! A mysterious electronic producer who doesn't make you want to claw your own eyeballs out! Madeaux's 'song #2' is an interesting prospect, a blending of Anticon style chopped up beats, chillwave melancholy and more atmospheric beach-funk elements topped off with looped soulful vocals which could be ripped off a Weeknd track. It's wonderfully disjointed, like what you might expect from a Baths track but with a soothing quality more apparent in someone like Balam Acab's work. It's not entirely original, but definitely has its place amongst a plethora of others.
Find Madeaux on facebook here and check out their NeuroPlastic label's bandcamp here
Bam Spacey
Bam Spacey is the project of Swedish producer Magnus Johansson, who specialises in minimal electronic sounds, the kind of spacious night-bus music with less of a dubstep inflection than artists like burial and mount kimbie. 'Vi Delar Samma Grav' or 'We share the same grave' in English, is a luscious piece of percussive electronica, capped with echoed atmospheric synths and wispy light as a cloud vocals. It's not a game-changer but acts as a pleasant piece of electronica, best enjoyed on cold winter nights. Bam Spacey's Land EP is due for release on may 22nd via Ceremony.
Hello! And welcome to another edition of Sound Inbox. The feature where I leaf through all the music sumbitted to us via email and our soundcloud dropbox, to unearth the best new music out there. This week features two great new young British bands in Trophys and Reversal, and an interesting indie-doom proposition from across the Atlantic. Enjoy!
Their Planes Will Block Out The Sun
First this week are New Jersey band Their Planes Will Block Out The Sun. The band's free EP (available from their bandcamp) is decidedly indie, with slightly darker elements also touched upon. The influences are quite apparent over the four tracks. 'Brasil' is heavily indebted to Radiohead, while highlight 'youth and angels' could easily be mistaken for a more solemn Interpol cut. It's an impressive EP, combining gloomy lyrical tendencies with precise production and brooding sometimes Jazz-like instrumentation. Entirely listenable and largely enjoyable.
Trophys
Off the back of their debut track 'Electro Track' receiving some attention from BBC Radio and over 2000 plays on soundcloud, young Maidstone band Trophys have just put out another cracking track. 'Funeral' is clearly a response to a lot of the best and brightest of British Indie and Synth-pop of recent years. There's nods to the likes of Bloc Party, Los Campesinos and Foals certainly present, but with more of a synth gleam and added angsty lyrics about subjects such as how hard it is being alone. The drums are loud, the vocals carry meaning and the electronics are pleasant if not massively varied. Trophys are youthful, memorable and their sound is surprisingly realised and with an upcoming tour with Casiokids on the cards, their tracks will likely find a wider more devoted audience as part of a live set up.
For more info on Trophys check out their facebook page here
Reversal
Now THIS is more like it. A young UK band with buckets full of ambition and a fantastic EP available for only £2 may sound a bit too good to be true, but Reversal are very promising. They're versatile too, their excellently titled EP 'The Society of Portly Gentlemen' is crammed full of ideas and energy. There's plenty to get excited about here, from the Franz Ferninand like bop of 'City Life', the thrillingly frantic 'Rusty City Martyr', or even the interesting contemporary experimentation with Bhagra (yes bhangra) on 'Bhindie'. Bewilderingly unsigned, Reversal knock out thrusting energetic tracks which I imagine would also work pretty well live. Their new EP 'A Monotonous Menagerie' is also on its way, and from first impressions sounds equally as gripping.
For this first edition of 'Writers Picks', the writers were asked the simple question of 'What are your favourite lyrics?'. For any music fan, this is a gargantuan task, to leaf through all their most loved tracks and find just 1 or 2 lyrics that resonate more emotionally and personally than any other. So it is after great pain-staking decision making that we present to you, the writers of Sound Influx's favourite lyrics of all time.
Jeffrey Lewis – To Be Objectified (Picked by Ned Powley)
“I left a trail of myself every place that I have been through / And going bald is the most manly thing that I'm ever gonna do. I tell the earth, ‘thanks for the hair, thanks for the skin, thanks for the bone’ / Though I now slowly give it back I still appreciate the loan.”
Jeffrey Lewis has written and released hundreds of songs, some of them good, some of them bad and some of them utterly, unequivocally beautiful. In the space of four lines Lewis comes to terms with his ultimate fate, accepts his lot in life and sneaks in some self-deprication. As easy as it is to write him off as just another overly-earnest singer-songwriter, but his lyrics never lapse into needless sentimentality or simplicity.
Of Montreal – Our Riotous Defects (Picked by Will Hall)
“My god, I should've realised / On our second date / When you dragged me into the bathroom at Tameka's house / And screamed at me for like twenty minutes / Because I had contradicted you in front of your friends / I was like, "Oh!" / And then later that night, at my apartment / As punishment, you killed my Beta fish / You just threw it out the window / I did everything I could to make you happy / I participated in all your protests / Supported your stupid little blog / Got a Bowflex / Wore coloured contacts to match your dresses / Whatever your eyes caught, I bought but still we fought / Like Ike and Tina, but in reverse”
These have to be the funniest lyrics I’ve ever heard. I was thinking about writing about Frank Zappa’s hilariously perverted social commentary on ‘Fembot in a Wet T-shirt’, but there is no way I couldn’t write about ‘Our Riotous Defects’. In this spoken-word verse, Kevin Barnes delivers the most bizarre lyrics in such a held back way. It’s as though he is telling a story that the listeners can’t distinct as either humorous or scary. Should we feel sorry for him, or just laugh at (with) him? As the backing vocals chirp and the bass line climbs, Barnes tells of the woes of a past relationship in stunning detail. The line about killing the Beta fish still creates a vivid (and hilarious) picture in my mind.
LCD Soundsystem – Losing My Edge (Picked by Toby McCarron) “I used to work in the record store. I had everything before anyone. I was there in the Paradise Garage DJ booth with Larry Levan. I was there in Jamaica during the great sound clashes. I woke up naked on the beach in Ibiza in 1988.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent. And they're actually really, really nice.”
James Murphy is the god-father of self-aware pop culture commentaries in lyrics. This excerpt from ‘Losing My Edge’ sums up the changing nature of music and how easily things can become outdated, as Murphy frequently notes ‘I Was There’ in the face of the younger crowd vying for attention and attempting to make him obsolete. For me though, the killer bit of these lyrics is the end line about them being really really nice and more talented, a glorious backhanded compliment? Or an admission of being past it? Either way, it’s very clever.
Patti Smith – Gloria (Picked by Grace Barber-Plentie)
“Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine."
This is just one line of the song and it's only the first line but seriously, could you get a better first line? It's so Patti Smith, hard and not afraid to say whatever she wants and super-cool. This is the sort of lyric I want on my gravestone just to piss people off and because it's amazing.
Andrew Jackson Jihad – Big Bird (Picked by Eliot Humphries)
"I'm a straight white male in America; I’ve got all the luck I need.”
The whole song is basically centred around this line – the truth that if you are a heterosexual man living in the richest and most powerful country in the world, you are the most successful, the most carefree and the most dominant people in the world. And it also satirises the notion that if you are not that, you are subject to different kinds of applicable scrutiny and there is very little you can do to change that because it's so ingrained in the culture.
Arcade Fire – Ready to Start (Picked by Aurora Mitchell)
“If the businessmen drink my blood, Like the kids in art school said they would”
Arcade Fire's lyrics have always been politically charged, often criticising how corrupt the political system is. I could have picked hundreds of lyrical snippets across AF's three albums but this just hits harder than most. Having a deeply flawed political past, America is no stranger to financial crisis'. Especially in the 1920s around the time of the Wall Street Crash, many Americans were dragged into scandals without realising what dirty businessmen were doing and that still carries on today under our noses. Arcade Fire know how to pack a punch with a one liner. Instead of harbouring idealistic ideas, this as with many of AF's lyrics, shows that reality is often grim and many put too much trust in their government without enough knowledge.
The Streets – Everything is Borrowed (Picked by Braden Fletcher)
“I came to this world with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing but love. Everything else is just borrowed.”
If you want the spokesmen for a generation you need look no further than Mike Skinner. This is a standout Streets track for me in so many ways, but the main hook comes in the chorus, “I came to this world with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing but love. Everything else is just borrowed.” It’s just life affirmingly brilliant and there’s nothing anyone can add to that.
Los Campesinos! - Light Leaves, Dark Sees Part Two (Picked by Julia Christmas)
"The pain of the silence before bed, Oh for the sound of your pissing through the thin walls, or stroking your head"
These have got to be my favourite Los Campesinos! lyrics and I think it's because of the brutality in which Gareth Campesinos writes them. However pretentious people may think his lyrics are, you can't help but sit and think about those little things after the end of a relationship - how irrelevant they were at the time and how relevant they are afterwards.
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows (Picked by Calum Stephen) "The world could show nothing to me, So what good would living do me?"
This line from the gorgeous ‘God Only Knows’, taken from The Beach Boys' masterpiece 'Pet Sounds', is not only beautiful but heart-breaking at the same time. The way the line is delivered, with its stunning melody and internal rhyme, combined with the idea of losing the one you cherish and care for the most, create an incredibly sincere and heartfelt lyric. "God Only Knows" is often described as one of the best songs ever written, and it's not difficult to see why.
Tom Vek – On a Plate (Picked by Aurora Mitchell)
“The night is a cup I want to fill,
I know I won't always reach its lip,
Cause something will always knock it over,
Spilling my dreams to the curb'”
Whilst also talking about the human instinct to rain on anyone's parade who is doing better than you are, Tom Vek also addresses his stance on whether he is a glass half full/half empty kind of guy, saying that he wants the glass to be full but there's always going to be a glass half full person there to empty it. Always a fan of well executed metaphors in lyrics; this particularly appeals to me because every time I hear it, I see a cup being knocked over and the contents slowly trickling down the drain as Tom Vek's dreams contained within are washed away.
Girls – Summertime (Picked By Hannah Bettey)
“grow out my hair, go anywhere, sleep in until afternoon, summertime, soak up the sunshine with you”
Christopher Owens is a truly heartfelt lyricist, whilst still remaining quite simple. For me, these lyrics remind me of the freedom and fun that comes with summer. The ‘grow out my hair/go anywhere’ line evokes a sense of adventure and change, in an optimistic and hazy, summery way. Everyone can relate to ‘soak up the sunshine with you’, be it having spent a day with a friend or loved one. Owens makes everything sound poetic, romantic and extremely fun, whilst not being cheesy or unrealistic.
Frightened Rabbit –My Backwards Walk (Picked by Braden Fletcher)
“I’m working on erasing you, I just don’t have the proper tools.
I’ll get hammered forget that you exist, there’s no way I’m forgetting this.”
Tragically, yet perfectly though it’s heartbreak that brings out the best lyrics in artists. Selecting a key lyric from Noah and the Whale’s First Days of Spring is like having a favourite £20 note, whilst just mentioning For Emma is enough to make people emotional. One band that is arguably overlooked from time to time is Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit. Take ‘My Backwards Walk’ for example. “I’m working on erasing you, I just don’t have the proper tools. I’ll get hammered forget that you exist, there’s no way I’m forgetting this.” Amongst a pile of other beautiful lyrics, this stands out. Happiness brings so much, but it’s heartbreak that brings out beauty in people.
Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees (Picked by Adam Laurence)
"She looks like the real thing, she tastes like the real thing, my fake plastic love,
But I can't help the feeling, I could blow through the ceiling, if I just turn and run, and it wears me out"
These lyrics, as well as having a degree of cynicism, manage to be hopeful and are thought provoking. I try not to delve too far into that song and other Radiohead tracks like it, otherwise they may wear me out, but these are just simply sweet lyrics.
Bastions - Augury (Picked by Eliot Humphries)
"Anxiety has me this pale, hanging on by my finger nails.
When sorrow knocked at my door, I was too afraid to answer anymore."
The lyrics of Bastions are always very passionate and emotional – but above all others, this line really got to me the most. Any kind of lyric relating to struggle or suppression really cuts at me deep, and it's just that image Jamie Burne paints of being so worn out by depression and misery that even contemplating it is too much to bare – it's not only brilliant poetry, it's also a very powerful statement on such an under-represented emotional crippler.
Slow Club - Dance Till the Morning Light (Picked by Grace Barber-Plentie)
"I heard you were looking for a man to lead, but I can tell you I'm not the man you need. I'm always three steps behind the dance and the times, and if I can’t change for you, then I won’t change for me." I always like to try and be different to everyone else when it comes to favourite songs by bands and I've been very stoic in the fact that this is my FAVOURITE SLOW CLUB SONG EVER since I heard the demo of it. It's my favourite song for a very good reason - this lyric. I always like lyrics that I can kind of relate to and this sums me up - horrifically un-co-ordinated, and very, very stubborn. Also there's something about Slow Club's lyrics that I always find so moving and charming, and this one in particular has always stood out.
Parenthetical Girls – Love Connection (Picked by Eden Young)
“Some things are best left unsaid"
These Parenthetical Girls lyrics were adopted by Los Campesinos! On their track ‘Heart Swells / Pacific Daytime’ but used in totally different ways.
