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Georgia Ruth
Week Of Pines
Gwymon Records (May 2013)
For Fans of: beauty cara dillon non-english vocals sentimentality solitude welsh language
Were she born a few centuries earlier, Georgia Ruth, accompanied by her seemingly magical harp, would likely have been the best kept secret in a small nondescript village, captivating the otherwise rowdy tavern-dwelling locals…
Jamie Downes // 22-05-2013
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Crimes
Crimes
Black Numbers (Apr 2013)
For Fans of: distinctive alt vocals melodic punk punk-rock
The self-titled EP from New Jersey trio Crimes strikes quite the balancing act. It’s the type of punk record that is raw and gritty without being inaccessible to less hardcore fans
Jamie Downes // 17-05-2013
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The Courtney John Project
Future
FiWi Music (Apr 2013)
For Fans of: edm music that is not edm reggae
Like any genre with close ties to clubland, EDM generally has much the same effect on me as the house-sparrow that has recently grown very fond of the guttering directly outside my window; a perch from which it relentlessly repeats the same monotonous call for several hours each day…
Jamie Downes // 16-05-2013
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MerylStreep
Demo
Self Released (Apr 2013)
For Fans of: non-english vocals vocal harmonies
This two-track demo from Santander trio MerylStreep is the type of imperfect record that is repeatedly successful in its attempts to win one’s attention, despite your being initially unable to place a finger on quite why.
Jamie Downes // 15-05-2013
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Natalie Evans
Houses
Self Released (Mar 2013)
For Fans of: beauty sentimentality solitude vocal sweetness
Houses will almost certainly be one of the prettiest records your ears will ever be fortunate enough to process.
Jamie Downes // 02-05-2013
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Lionhall
Rhizomes
Tiny Lights (Apr 2013)
For Fans of: alt-pop atmosphere beauty
The debut EP from Scottish duo Lionhall is a record that echoes the heavy humid calm felt before an intense thunderstorm on a lazy summer’s evening.
Jamie Downes // 30-04-2013
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Vienna Ditto
Liar Liar
Ubiquity Project Records (Apr 2013)
For Fans of: accessible trip-hop becoming lost amongst the stars chill-out chic quiet night-time moments
If Liar Liar is any indication, the splendid Vienna Ditto could be the famed house band at the most progressive of western saloons, the swankiest of jazz clubs or the trendiest of futuristic space bars.
Jamie Downes // 05-04-2013
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Anna Lena & The Orchids
Anna Lena & The Orchids
From The Morning Records (Mar 2013)
For Fans of: ethereality florence and the machine jeff buckley vocal beauty
The debut EP from Anna Lena & The Orchids could pass for the residual energy left by long-dead residents of a once extravagant manor house.
Jamie Downes // 19-03-2013
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Tiger Bell
Slaughter's Daughter
Self-Released (Mar 2013)
For Fans of: garage-rock pop-punk the dollyrots the hives tuuli
What do you get if you take the unshakeable don’t-give-a-damn attitude of The Hives and add it to the high-school boisterousness of The Dollyrots?
Jamie Downes // 28-02-2013
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Laurence Made Me Cry
The Diary Of Me
Self-Released (Mar 2013)
For Fans of: creativity folk with a twist
The debut album from Jo Whitby alias Laurence Made Me Cry makes for an interesting listen, particularly given its folk roots.
Jamie Downes // 21-02-2013
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Rockets On Wire
I Am Not Your Home
Self-Released (Oct 2012)
For Fans of: alt-rock distinctive alt vocals indie-rock punk-rock sadness wrapped in beauty
At times, I Am Not Your Home manages to be just about as wrist-slit raw as it gets. Take the innocuously titled Rose, for example, a track which offers the following insight into a seemingly much-troubled psyche…
Jamie Downes // 20-02-2013
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The Graveyard Band
The Graveyard Band
Self-Released (Jan 2013)
For Fans of: lyrical effort SH Davidson tellison the thematically thoughtful
If you dig the stripped back, acoustic side of Tellison, then you’ll be pleased to hear that the merits of The Graveyard Band are best exhumed by a similar type of shovel-wielding music-lover.
Jamie Downes // 14-02-2013
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Galactic Cannibal
Demo Tape
Hewhocorruptsinc. (Jan 2013)
For Fans of: aggression as music hardcore pop-punk punk-rock vocal imperfections
The debut release from Galactic Cannibal, Demo Tape is as instant a hardcore record as you’re likely to find…
Jamie Downes // 11-02-2013
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Legend In Japan
Welcome To The Pity Party
Self Released (Nov 2012)
For Fans of: distinctive alt vocals punk-rock
P-Rock is sadly long lost to the annals of time, but were the D.I.Y alt music channel still around, Legend In Japan would no doubt become regulars.
Jamie Downes // 29-01-2013
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Vukovi
Sweet Swears
EmuBands (Oct 2012)
For Fans of: distinctive alt vocals the pretty reckless
Although Sweet Swears veers close to a less commercial version of Paramore’s Decode (We are Robots), Vukovi’s best work comes when they enter much darker territory, somewhat reminiscent of where The Pretty Reckless tend to reside.
Jamie Downes // 22-01-2013
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Sonic Boom Six
Sonic Boom Six
Xtra Mile Recordings (Oct 2012)
For Fans of: ignoring genre confines punk ethos
While writing their self-titled fourth album, it would appear that Sonic Boom Six were listening to plenty of Enter Shikari. The incorporation of furious electro beats doesn’t mean that they hugely skimp on the classic punk and ska elements of their sound however; the gang-vocals, brass, political rumblings and first-rate melodies are all alive and kicking the Establishment wrongens squarely in the knackers.
Jamie Downes // 17-01-2013
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