Elfin Bow and Gary Lloyd – Who Knows Where The Time Goes (7")

LOVE this record! Late contender for single of the year!

Never a label to do things by the book, Fruits de Mer Records release this 7” single on the final day of the year. Quite fitting given the record's title track and the fact that the year has (for me anyway) flown by. I've written about Elfin Bow before. Her delightful debut album was self-released in 2017 and is well worth tracking down. Blessed with a beautiful voice and great songwriting skills, it turns out she's also a fine interpreter of other people's songs. For this version of Sandy Denny's 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' she's collaborated with composer and producer Gary Lloyd and is backed by the Scottish Session Orchestra, an amazing ensemble of hand-picked principals from Scotland's top orchestras.

It makes my list as one of the finest 7” singles released this year. A sublime reading of a classic song. No surprises, no bells and whistles, simply a beautiful song, sympathetically performed and with a vocal and arrangement that gets right to the song's emotional core. The B-side is awesome too, a re-working of 'The Wisdom', a track from her eponymous debut album made all the more sumptuous by Gary Lloyd's orchestral arrangement. This single marks Elfin Bow's debut as a FdM artist though on it's strength I'm hoping there will be more records to come. Well done and thanks to all concerned.

Click here for Elfin Bow.

Click here for Fruits de Mer Records.

Various – It's Briiiiiixmaaaaaas!

Celebrate Christmas with the Brixton Hill All-Stars. Superb alternative Christmas anthems to warm and amuse you. And all for a great cause!

Let me start with a traditional seasonal cliché - there are not many shopping days or sleeps left until the big day. Cue rolling of eyes and shaking of heads out there in cynical cyberspace. Another line that gets trotted out by seemingly everyone at this time of year is how fed up people are with hearing the same old Christmas records over and over again. You know the ones – Slade, Wizard, The Pogues, Band Aid, Shakin' Stevens, John and Yoko, Mariah Carey et al. It begins around the beginning of October and last to the end of the year. You can't walk into a shop or turn on the radio without hearing at least one of them within five minutes. I should stress at this point that I'm not one that shares this view. Personally I love hearing them and retain a special fondness for Paul McCartney & Wings' 'Wonderful Christmastime' which brings back happy memories of simpler times.

But as much as I love the classics the thrill of hearing new Christmas songs is equally if not more appealing. Recent years I've enjoyed Christmas records by great artists such as, Sufjan Stevens, She and Him, and of course Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. This year my award for the best Christmas music goes to a beautifully haphazard bunch of misfits and renegades centred around Brixton Hill Studios/Brixton Hillbilly Records in South London. The label/collective has just released a various artist mini-album featuring six brand new Christmas songs, each with their own unique modern perspective on what we call the most special time of the year.

The music is reason enough to buy this CD/download but by doing so you'll also be supporting a great cause. All proceeds will go to Brixton's Soup Kitchen who have been doing amazing work helping the areas's homeless since 2003. So what are you waiting for? Head over to the links below to discover six superb new Christmas tunes to make your alternative Yuletide party a happening event. Artists include HD faves Hot Sauce Pony, Alessi's Ark, Ham Legion, Bad Parents, Scud FM, and Black Fendrix Jersk Midi. Full track-listing and more info via the links below.

Click here to buy It's Briiiiiixmaaaaaas!

Track-listing

Black Fendrix Jersk Midi – Ice Cream

Alessi's Ark – Winter's Grace

Ham Legion – We'd Better Start Dinner

Bad Parents – Christmas Present

Scud FM – Christmas Crime

Hot Sauce Pony – Christmas In Prison

Links

Click here for Brixton Hill Studios' website.

Click here for Brixton Hill Studios on Twitter.

Click here for Brixton Hill Studios on Facebook.

New Band Alert - One-Way Song

Culturally-aware, artful indie-rock. Manchester collective release their debut EP!

A new band on my radar recently is One-Way Song, a band/collective from Manchester formed by lyricist Luke Gilfedder and vocalist Angus Macalister. What's refreshing about them is that they steer clear of any generic indie norms (difficult when you're from Manchester!) and seem determined to set their own musical path. And it's not just the music that's impressive, their choice of subject matter reflects their interests and passions. History, religion, class, films, books and other cultural references abound. It's a similar mindset to that other bunch of cultural-historians from the north-west - British Sea Power, albeit the music made by One-Way Song contains a more youthful brio and experimental edge. Any band that cites Wyndham Lewis, Colin Wilson and Lou Reed among their influences has to have something worth checking out right?

Given such diverse influences it comes as little surprise to learn that the group originally worked together at a theatre workshop they'd set up, writing and touring their own productions. The decision to branch out into music was made after having written songs to accompany one of their plays. The influence of other mediums is present on the band's debut EP, entitled 'Passionate Leave'. It's released on 27^thNovember via Hilltown Records and features lead single 'Billy Fisher Fitzgerald' a track partly inspired by the story of Billy Liar, it features impressive drumming and spoken word lyrics that highlight the modern day relevance of Billy Liar's prevailing themes.

The band have also made a video for another track from the EP. 'Riviera Nightmare' is a song about the Germanwings Flight 9525 disaster of 2015. Not an obvious choice of subject matter for a pop tune but it shows how the band think outside of the box.

**For more on the band check out the links below and look out for tour dates to be announced soon**

Click here for One-Way Song on Twitter.

Click here for One-Way Song on Facebook.

Click here for One-Way Song on iTunes.

Click here for One-Way Song on Bandcamp.
Click here for Hilltown Records.

SonLosGrillos - Garden Of Clouds

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Discos Monterey LP

Acid-folk's roots may lie in the mist-clad British Isles of the late '60s, or in the grooves of Californian private press LPs but its shoots sprout everywhere. The latest come courtesy of Spanish duo SonLosGrillos who return with their third LP, following 2013's Darkness Turns To Light. Vocalist Marta Rodríguez and multi-instrumentalist Mauricio Mora have created an album of soft and sensitive musings centred on compassion, healing and environmental concerns. Equal parts Pentangle, Mellow Candle and early Joni Mitchell, their largely acoustic sound is fleshed out with occasional flute, cello, trumpet and violin.

Whether it's the lilting melody of 'You are Everything' or the fairground waltz of the title track, you're guaranteed a journey into the mystic and a respite from the stresses of the modern world. Alongside the nine original songs is a neat cover of Linda Perhac's 'Porcelain Baked-Over Cast-Iron Wedding', laced with chiming 12-string guitar. A fresh and welcome flowering.

Michael Rault - New Day Tonight

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Wick CD / LP

Having revitalised the contemporary soul scene, Daptone Records' new rock imprint hopes to do the same for guitar-based music. With Rault as an early signing they're off to a cracking start. Much like Daptone's take on soul, there's nothing particularly new about Rault's latest record but it is a glorious and joyful reaffirmation of music's ability to lift spirits. Full of clever catchy songs, decorated with baroque guitars and layered harmonies that steer clear of cliche and constantly surprise, New Day Tonight possesses the kind of mellowed-out powerpop not heard since Supertramp and Wings ruled the FM airwaves. To cement the '70s vibe there's also Stylophone and New York soul strings on several tracks.

Recorded at Daptone's Brooklyn studio with Wayne Gordon producing, the album has precise arrangements yet still has that all-important human feel. With its themes of renewal and optimism, it's the perfect early summer soundtrack for fans of grown-up feelgood pop.

DeWolff - Thrust

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Mascot CD / LP

Though only in their mid-twenties, Utrecht-based trio DeWolff have ten years of hard touring and five studio albums under their belt. Thrust, their sixth, keeps them firmly in the vintage rock camp but comes flecked with inspired touches and a growing confidence and lyrical maturity. Whether taking barbed swipes at Geert Wilders ('Big Talk') or Donald Trump ('Deceit & Woo'), DeWolff are as adept at moving feet as they are minds, with Thrust drawing as much from the southern soul of Otis and co. as it does the southern rock of The Allman Brothers.

'Once In a Blue Moon' is a gospel-like ballad, complete with heavens-reaching organ and guitar solos, 'Sometimes' echoes The Black Keys' sparse brooding blues, whereas 'Tombstone Child' is a heavy-hitting funk-rock monster. Thrust is proof that there's still much to explore and enjoy using rock's primary colours. Fellow Utrechtian Dick Bruna would be proud.

Jessica Risker - I See You Among The Stars

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Western Vinyl CD / LP

Empathy is an important part of any songwriter's toolkit, so Jessica Risker's experience as a licensed counsellor has no doubt helped shape a record made for one-on-one listening, and full of sympathy and gentle contemplation. Her latest LP marks a departure from the experimental rhythm and noise of 2016's Big Forever (released under her alias Deadbeat), opting instead for acoustic fingerpicking, almost whispered vocals and ambient beat-less electronic textures.

With a similar openness to Elliott Smith, Vashti Bunyan or Nick Drake, Risker's first-person narratives are rooted in the everyday but are deceptive in their emotional depth. At just over half an hour, I See You Among The Stars is a short but lyrically rich set of songs, so understated that they may struggle to be heard among the clamouring tower of new releases. A shame as it's often the quiet ones who have more to say. Modern folk at its most fragile.

Me And My Kites - Natt o Dag

(This review first appeared in issue #79 of Shindig! magazine.)

Self Release LP

Stockholm's Me And My Kites are a curious bunch. The list of personnel and instruments on their third LP is so long they'd be more accurately described as an orchestra than a band. Flute, violin, oud, electric harpsichord, Mellotron and clarinet all get an airing. Not that their sound is dense, it's anything but, with restraint and subtlety favoured over any wall-of-sound.

As on their previous recordings they draw heavily from the Canterbury sound, but here blend in early classical touches, at times recalling the R&B-infused instrumentals of David Axelrod, the melancholic indie-noir of The Amazing, and Jean-Claude Vannier's atmospheric scores. Best of all is when these textures are married to a pop sensibility as on 'Another, a Lover'. At its best Natt o Dag is courtly chamber-pop with lyrics that touch on astrology and the seasons as well as affairs of the heart. A record whose charms are slow burning but worth the investment.

Durand Jones & The Indications - S/T

(This review first appeared in issue #78 of Shindig! magazine.)

Dead Oceans CD / LP

Originally released in 2016 and now getting a deluxe reissue complete with bonus digital live album. Indiana-based soul outfit Durand Jones & The Indications' brand of nu-retro soul is as accomplished as any made today, shifting between aching ballads and upbeat, funky dance tracks. It's an authentic take on soul music's mid-'60s heyday.

They don't attempt to re-invent the wheel but honour it with a sound steeped in the grit and groove of the deep south. Taut drumming, Cropper-esque guitar chops, punchy horn lines and Jones' warm, convincing tones combine to yield delights. 'Groovy Babe' would easily sit on Otis Blue, while 'Make A Change' is vintage soul with a modern social conscience. 'Is It Any Wonder?' sees them shift into a mellower mode, with Jones singing in a sweet satisfying falsetto. The knowledge that he's a reluctant vocalist, (originally starting out as a saxophone player), only adds to the appeal.

Kacy & Clayton - The Siren's Song

(This review first appeared in issue #78 of Shindig! magazine.)

New West CD / LP

It's a brave move to reference the enticing voices of Greek mythology in an album title, though more than justified here. This follow-up to 2016's Strange Country finds Canadian cousins Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum reach new heights in terms of songwriting, performance and sound. With eight original songs, all of which could be taken for old or future folk/country standards, plus a version of traditional British folk tune 'Go And Leave Me', you're unlikely to hear a stronger collection of songs this year.

Produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy at his Loft Studio in Chicago, the addition of drums and bass is a masterstroke, lending some buckskin-clad country drive to the pair's folk stylings. The songs still take centre stage, full of characters, stories and emotion. There are countless sublime moments – not least the stacked harmonies of the title track, Kacy's pure voice, and Clayton's tasteful guitar adornments throughout. Irresistible.