Tag: lo-fi

Single Review: “The Last American Virgin”

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“The Last American Virgin” is the latest single from KATZ, a trio from Manchester, UK, self-released this New Year’s Day, as the first single of their upcoming EP to be released on February 3rd.

The band consists of Ben Williams on vocals and guitar, James Bradbury on lead guitar and bass, and Archie Wilkinson on drums.

The track is a bittersweet tale of lovesickness, inspired by the film of the same name, with an energetic mixture of surf-rock, indie pop and, punk, proudly DIY and Lo-Fi, as it was recorded “in an attic bedroom of a shared student house” according to the band, directly into cassette on a TASCAM 244, the venerated 4-track portastudio.

KATZ – fLTR: James Bradbury, Ben Williams, Archie Wilkinson.

It starts with a frantic guitar strumming of 2 chords for a short while, an almost metronomic drum joins in, then the first verse comes, summing up the song for us:

Dreaming of her

Wishing I could be with her

She sees other guys

Wish I could make her mine

The pace of the song is energetic, the urgency emanating from it is nothing short of infectious, standing in sharp contrast with the melancholy and disillusionment found in lyrics, like the chorus:

Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m not your type
why’d you have to tell me you’re mine
Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m not your type
why’d you have to feed me these lies

Towards the end of the song, the drums play a machine-like staccato and Ben lets out a wistful falsetto, almost like a lament, before ending the track with a final chorus.

The end result is a lively tune, a song that contains elements of a potential classic: a universal pop song theme, a relentless tempo, and tight musicians whose sound seems embarked on a mission, we won’t hear the last of them for sure.

Single Premiere: “Well Understood”

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“Well Understood” is the latest single from Superflaw, the side project of Anthony Cunard, lead vocalist of Blanky, collaborating with Edward Madill from the band WYLA and Daniel Ryan, released Today January 25th as the last single from their upcoming album “Fictitious”, to be released this January 29th on Manor Records.

The track is a dirty slow waltz with a heavy bluesy edge, guitars take center stage and keep elbowing even while it’s Anthony’s turn to show up and share with us a cautionary tale of longing for the wrong person, almost as he’s headed into a deliberate car crash and he makes his best effort to keep his eyes open, as he sings in a raw, visceral howl:

and I tried so hard to avoid dependence throughout my childhood.
but I’m here with you now always up to no good.

Anthony delivers the lines in a somewhat drifting fashion, showing little regard for lyrical structure, giving the tune a stream-of-consciousness feel, as if he’s exposing an inner dialogue with us, the listeners:

and I tried so hard to show you that I could be anything you wanted.
but I’m here with you now and it’s well understood that we’ll be more later if were less in the meantime.

Superflaw – fLTR: Anthony Cunnard, Daniel Ryan, Edward Madill

In conclusion, the single is a wicked yet alluring slowcore ballad, the raw emotion overflowing from the murky guitars and vocals have a strange charm in their special, untidy way, and hard as we might try, we cannot help but keep coming back for more of this.

Single Review: “Keepsake”

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“Keepsake” is the latest single from Permanent Vacation, the British/American acoustic duo based in Rome, self-released this January 20th, and it’s the last single out of their debut album, to be released this march on the Z Tapes label.

The track is another example of their characteristic blend of indie-pop and low-key folk, slow guitar arpeggios greet us politely, and a soft voice shares with us a melancholic lamentation:

Tell me you miss me and I’ll see you soon

Tracing your veins in the black of a room 

Taking up spaces wherever you move 

Fighting off this deep and terrible gloom

It’s a tale where the empty spaces take too much room to cope with, where the narrator keeps telling herself that someday her other will be back, while at the same time knowing fully well that it’s only a futile illusion.

The arpegios continue throughout the song, with the lyrics and the vibe creating the picture of the narrator dancing a slow, lone waltz with the memories of a long lost love, those feeling are expanded in the second verse:

I read your letter six times yesterday

Smoothed out each wrinkle and tasted your name

See you tomorrow but it never came

Been here a while but who can I blame? 

The narrator engages in emotional self-harm, poking into inner open wounds and making sure they won’t heal, at least not for now, towards the end another guitar enters the scene to add to the overall bittersweetness of the song.

The song expresses tastefully the feelings of loneliness that can exacerbate in winter, a fitting soundtrack for this troubled winter from this duo, who are commendable for their sincere and consistent output.

EP Review: “twomoonsaway – EP”

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twomoonsaway, the 4-piece indie-rock band from Hillsborough Township, NJ are back with an eponymous EP, self-released last December 21st.

The band is composed of: David Panarese on vocals and guitar, Brandon Chu on bass, Carlee Ahart on guitar and Justin Tanis on drums (replacing Jake Laifer who’s playing on the EP), David and Brandon also share songwriting duties.

The EP is a collection of their distinctive sombre, short (ranging from 1:19 to 2:37 mins.), and deeply personal songs, exploring the painful and often sorrowful aspects of romance from a first-person perspective.

The opening track, “darkgreenspirits”, their debut single which was discussed here in detail before, deals with the end of a toxic relationship, and the pain that follows.

The following track, “Numbers”, takes a snapshot of a moment of anger and frustration at oneself, the writer feels anchored to a past the he cannot escape no matter how hard he tries.

The 3rd track, “Bullets” is a different take, the tempo gets slower, and we’re listening to a story of a missed opportunity, a seemingly random encounter that could have the potential to blossom into something, from the writer’s perspective at least, and for whatever reason it didn’t happen, all the while the song is shrouded in a big dark cloud of “what if”:

i guess it doesn’t matter

you were only there for a hour

i can’t remember your last name

but i can’t forget your face

My Highlight of the EP is the closing track, “Fall”, which takes a more voyeuristic approach, the tempo gets faster, more urgent, and the writer reads a log of sorts detailing the moves of a person he’s apparently watching, in a mix of pity and vindictiveness, from the moment the subject shares a decision with the writer, drunkenly stumbles home, to middle of the night, wondering whether to contact the writer or not, while the writer makes it clear that either choice will only torment him, leaving an open ending.

As expected from this promising band’s debut single, the music played here is clean and precise, the production of Mike Morello is well balanced as usual, the outcome of all of the above is a record that shows the band’s intentions in a wider, clearer way and is definitely a step in the right direction.

Single Review: “forgetmenot”

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“forgetmenot” is the debut single of COSMO, the musical project of Cosmo Bellamy, a musician based in Manchester, UK, self-released last November 27th.

The track is a lovely example of lo-fi bedroom-pop duet with a subtle focus on the beats, it starts with a slow-tempo beat followed with a relaxing guitar strum, then subdued twin vocals make a polite entrance to center stage, bringing gorgeous melodic vocals contrasting with a melancholy-themed chorus:

Late on a Saturday
I’m tryna figure out
just what I want;
To forget you or not

Cosmo starts the first and only verse of the song, which is a small exchange between him a singer name Martha with both portraying a former couple reflecting on what went wrong with their love, with lines such as:

Silly me.
I guess I haven’t
figured out how to feel,

The track keeps drifting along with a series of soft breaks and repetitions of the bridge and chorus, only to climax in the last chorus, when both elements intertwine in a soft whirlwind of gorgeous vocal harmonies, and then a saxophone joins the tune, and keeps playing alone for a short while after the track is finished.

The track is catchy as it can be, the vocals and the way they were recorded and produced at times give the feeling of a hazy kaleidoscopic daydream, the elec piano and occasional synth pads add to the feel, it’s a track that won’t be forgotten that easily by anyone who is lucky enough to listen.

Single Review: “Caretakers”

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“Caretakers” is the latest single from Permanent Vacation, the British/American duo based in Rome, and it’s the first single out of their debut album, to be released next year on the Z Tapes label.

The track is another showing of their signature brand of ambient-tinged minimalist indie-folk, it begins with a single acoustic guitar, whispered vocals enter the scene like a soft wave, delivering lines such as:

Go ahead and leave it out back

The price is always the same

We’ve been waiting for you

Like the end of the day

Guitar lines come and go, leaving a trail of sound behind them, as if trying not to disturb the soft vocals in their storytelling, gathering again towards the climax, where the lyrics are repeated, like a mantra:

You always said the same thing

And I kind of liked it like that

The lines keep being repeated well after the guitars fade out, giving a sense of a mantra on a low fire until it goes out too.

The tune transmits a strong feeling of reminiscing about those small and seemingly insignificant moments that for some reason keep popping back uninvited in our minds, give us a short burst of a warm feeling inside and a silly smile in our faces, a recurring theme in this duo’s distinctive music.

Single Review: “Wired/Weird”

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“Wired/Weird” is the debut single of Beige Banquet, the project of London-based musician Tom Brierley released Today on the Just Step Sideways label.

Tom, formerly of Australian noise-post-punk band Noughts, brings us a first taste of his upcoming debut solo album, due to release in early 2021.

While still rooted in the post-punk territory of his previous work, this time Tom takes a smarter art-punk approach to his music, an angular track with repetitive guitar lines, sharp rhythm section, machine hand clappings and stream-of-consciousness lyrics such as:

Breath from last night gone

Indented bed sheets,

Stained with sweat,

And dark grease marks

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Tom Brierley – Beige Banquet

Keeping with the artsy approach, the chorus mirrors the verses, the music gets much denser, bringing the song to its climax while the lyrics are cut to a bare minimum:

Wired

Weird

Wired

Weird

The track ends with another climactic chorus only to reach an abrupt silence, finishing it with the same intensity as it began, leaving you wondering what hit your ears.

The outcome is a fascinating art-punk gem, an aural display of light and shadows, Tom serves here as an illusionist, hiding and showing elements at will, keeping us wondering what other marvels are still behind the curtain, just waiting to be exposed for all us to listen, I’ll keep waiting on the front row in anticipation.

Single Review: “Blackbird”

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“Blackbird” is the latest single from Crying Beauty Queens, an indie-rock trio from Manchester, UK, composed of guitarist and singer Jordan Price, drummer Paddy Murphy, and bassist Alex Hurlstone, self-released this past November 20th.

The track is an intense brew of goth-infused indie-rock with marked post-punk elements thrown in for good measure, descending minor chords presage a gloomy mood.

The song is a goodbye letter for a departed friend, bringing images of graves, funerals, unanswered questions and the all-ominous symbolism of the blackbird:

The blackbird settles on your grave,

Whilst the priest calls out your name.

The heart’s dead, the mind’s alive,

Wondering how she survived.

The reason for the death of the person is not stated, but it’s stated between the lines that she was taken too soon from this world.

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Crying Beauty Queens – fLTR: Alex Hurlstone, Jordan Price, Paddy Murphy.

The track also presents a series of interesting contrasts, the verses and choruses keep the dark themes while Jordan sings in a soft and melodic voice, and they’re followed by surprisingly uplifting interludes of spiky and twitchy post-punk, where Paddy’s hyperactive and frantic drum fills shine through those segments without missing a beat.

In conclusion, the single is a big step forward in their progression, the band brought to our attention what appears to be their best release to date, a very intense and focused effort that hints at a promising future for this band.

Single Review: “Won’t Stop Dreaming”

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“Won’t Stop Dreaming” is the debut single from The Reality TV, the musical project of Benjamin Mace-Crossley, a musician from Chester, UK, self-released this past November 16th.

Benjamin, who’s also known as half of the experimental post-punk duo PKNN explores in this single a more melodic and accessible side of his music, gone are the spoken word vocals and dense rhythms, or at least they’re stored away until another opportunity arises.

The track is a blend of indie-pop and minimalist synth-pop with subtle elements of his more familiar post-punk, it starts with a simple and straightforward drum machine pattern and casio-like chords, adding layers upon layers of sounds, starting with his voice and completing the build up with the guitar, with an unassuming guitar solo in the final minute.

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Benjamin Mace-Crossley – The Reality TV

The most noticeable thing to my ears are his vocals, they’re relatively high in the mix, more than the usual, Benjamin sounds very confident in front of the mike, and he also sings his own harmonies in the second half of the track, giving an interesting range of vocal hues.

True to his Post-Punk sensibilities, Benjamin penned a lyrical cautionary narrative of a toxic and self-destructive relationship from a first person POV:

And I won’t stop dreaming

And you wont stop letting me down

Can’t you see I’m broken on my knees

You’ve got me by the throat, stop letting me breathe

What comes out of all of this is a dark yet poppy tune, Benjamin is definitely not afraid of showing a lighter shade in his music, and we won’t stop enjoying the single thanks to it.

Single Review: “Nihilistic Dreamer”

“Nihilistic Dreamer” is the latest single from Senseless Optimism, the musical project of Brit Tsewole from Lowell, MA, self-released this November 27th.

The track is another dreamy display of Brit’s special blend of Jazz-influenced Indie-Pop, sprinkled with her unique voice on top, a soothing smoky contralto sounding unlike anything else I’ve heard in the genre.

In addition to her voice, the most noticeable feature in her music is her compositional talent, with her unusual chord structures and guitar playing, she plays with the pop rulebook, adding her own artsy doodlings into it.

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Brit Tsewole – Senseless Optimism

The song is a melancholy-laden tune about the desire to escape, escape from our situation, from our past, or from a stiffening place:

And now I wonder why I try.

Fly my way outside,

Fly away.

The minor chords are in charge, augmenting the negative feelings with the desolate guitar strumming, with a brief sweet interlude towards the end of the song, like a sunny daydream in the middle of a dreary day, only to return to reality in the final bars.

The final result is like a honey lemon tea, with extra lemon, it may be heavy and sour but the sweetness goes up to the tongue in droplets, something unusual to make sense of an unusual approaching winter.