The Sound Influx Playlist: 28.10.13

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.

Sound Camp #1

See what we did there? We're called Sound Influx and we're doing a series of features on BandCamp. What's that? We're not witty and our wordplay leaves much to be desired? Oh, well, in that case; let's get right to it shall we?

We'll be bringing this feature to you once or twice a month depending on how prolific and how great the acts we hear on our Bandcamping adventures are. For now though, here's three to get started with!

Luke Godwin

You remember that show we were going to put on to celebrate our birthday that got cancelled due to a series of cock ups that were beyond our control? Well this chap was going to open. He's the godsend of the playlist maker, bridging acoustic music with rock'n'roll in brilliant fashion with his husky voice and super acoustic guitar skills and he's also one of the most hard working solo artists around playing shows across London and the rest of the UK on a regular basis. Fortunately for him, his debut album Brand New Lands is a brilliant culmination of all of that.

Whilst we'd happily talk about his journeyman songs of standard journeyman genre but exceptional lyricism and catchiness for another hundred words, it's much simpler for us to simply embed the album; plus you'll enjoy that much more.



Observer Drift 

Heralding from Minneapolis can have its benefits; the big city life whilst maintaining the ability to sleep has certainly done the trick for Observer Drift. His second album, Fjords is the ultimate in chill-wave/ dream-pop music. Taking from all of the beauty of his debut album Corridors last year; Fjords was released in May and in the months since its release has remained as beautiful as it was on first listen. What's more, now it's getting wintery, you'll want to stay in a bit more right? We can testify that it sounds just as good with a mug of hot chocolate as it did whilst recovering from Margarita's.



Trent Everywhere 

Name us a producer that can sample Brand New and Sigur Ros and still make both feel like their own? Viewers, we present to you Trent Everywhere.
His debut-EP-proper Summer Dreams (Summer Nights Remastered) came out at the beginning of the year and is full of wonderful sounding tracks produced to the highest quality. It's chilled and intense at the same time and features some of the most interesting beats we've heard in a while. Definitely give Summer Dreams a download (it's free after all) and search on Soundcloud for In The Ocean (here.)




So there you have it. Week one of our Bandcamp discoveries.
We'll have more to you very soon, providing music continues to be amazing and BandCamp continues to host it.

Braden Fletcher

The Sound Influx Playlist: 14.10.13

Whilst we endeavour to bring you music to listen to inside our reviews and general posting activity; there's obstacles everywhere as to what we can bring you and how. Granted, most of those obstacles revolve around our quantity of content, but when it came to creating a playlist for you we had a few problems at root level.
What platform do we use? How many tracks do we include? How popular can a band be before we're definitely playing tracks you're already very familiar with? How old can a track be before we can't put it in the playlist? Most importantly though, how do we present it to you?

In creating this 10-track Soundcloud Playlist on a weekly basis, we hope to have laid as many of those questions to rest as is possible. It's concise, available on mobile, bandwidth friendly and gives us the opportunity to keep it all pretty fresh.
We've also got three featured tracks each week to give you a little insight into our collective minds. We don't have a Sound Influx HQ, we don't have an office, never-mind an office stereo, but what we lack in hardwood flooring we make up for in collective knowledge across the web.
So, without further ado, here's the first Sound Influx Playlist.

Featured Tracks

Hoodlem - Firing Line

This mysterious Melbourne-based electronic pop act caused a wave of interest with their debut track, 'Through'. This second release however shows off a much more dynamic and interesting side to their songwriting that is equally as impressive.
Rob Bramhill

Jungle - The Heat

Gaining a steady traction of hype from some well chosen viral friendly youtube videos (the breakdancing child showcased in the 'platoon' video is a highlight) UK duo Jungle look set to make quite a splash. Signed to Chess Club Records, original home to pop prospects Chvrches and MO, 'This Heat' showcases some serious groove and subtle dance undertones that deserve to reach a broader dance-floor audience.
Toby McCarron

Katie Malco - September

With her newest EP, Tearing Ventricles; Alcopop's finest solo artist Katie Malco has created a live, piano driven selection of tracks that are guaranteed to pull on your heartstrings. September is possibly the most beautiful of the lot. It can often be difficult justifying listening to music on the sad-side, but there's almost never a need to justify spending some time listening to Katie Malco. She'd be as big as the Ben Howard's and Laura Marling's of the world if she recorded a proper record.
Braden Fletcher

Los Campesinos! - Avocado, Baby

Los Campesinos!; everyone's favourite not so twee indie-pop-rock band have just released their new track, Avocado, Baby. It features the kind of catchy, dark and intelligent lyricism we've come to expect from the Cardiff formed band;
"Oh it won’t get better, that doesn’t mean it’s gonna get any worse. You’re final draft’a life-long love letter, signed to the man who will be driving your hearse.
As well as an 80's style shout-along that you'd expect to come in a version of LC! Footloose. It's hard to say wether this is going to prove to be a good thing, but it's pretty likely that in a live scenario, people shouting "A heart of stone, rind so tough it’s crazy, that’s why they call me the avocado, baby" is going to be pretty damn fun.
Avocado, Baby is taken from Los Camp's fifth record NO BLUES which is out later this year.



Braden Fletcher

Bands to Look Out For #18 - Splashh

"There are bands that perfectly imitate other bands, whereas we have our influences, but try to do something completely original." These words are from the mouth of Splashh’s frontman, Sasha, and they totally sum up his band’s approach to music.
They reel off influences in interviews, citing indie legends Deerhunter, Dinosaur Jr and Jay Reatard among others, and sounds from all these bands can be heard at times in Splassh’s music; however, they never let one influence overpower their own unique style.

This London band aren’t brand new, not in terms of internet-age time, they’ve been around for a year or so, but they have quickly garnered attention, playing big festivals such as Glastonbury. Their music is in the vein of krautrock indebted bands like the Horrors and Toy, but what makes them stand out is a real knack for melody, which makes these guys not only a great live act, but also a compelling listen on record.
Their debut album is released here in September, which in the band’s own words is "just a collection of songs that we wrote at home and we just put it on an LP. It’s just a nice little intro to the world." An endorsement so calm, cool and assured from a band sitting on a clutch of excellent singles can only mean good things. Meanwhile if you haven’t already heard their stuff, check out the video for their song Vacation (below) which features one of the most infectious hooks of the past year. Watch this space.

Josh Barfoot