Live review: Decoy Jet at Proud, Camden, 23/1/15

FB_IMG_1422538435256
If you’re a frequent weekend warrior at London’s music venues and indie club nights, you’ll most probably run into Decoy Jet. The four-piece from Enfield seem to be playing hipster hangouts across the capital every weekend, and as a result look more at home treading (and shredding) the stage than they do off it. For such a new, young band, they have fire-starting chemistry and commandeered the stage at Camden’s Proud like rocking out was all they knew. They look like the kind of band you will find soulfully jamming in their downtime and they probably spent most of their time in the school classroom coming up with chord progressions. At Proud, frontman Ted Joyce strolled on to the stage, Red Stripe in hand, and played so hard you’d be forgiven for thinking there’s nothing in his head but music. Along with Alan Thompson on bass, Connor Johnson on lead guitar and Jonny Bailey on drums, they filled the room with an immensely tight fusion of 60s rock‘n’roll and post-punk revival, full of murderous riffs and licks. ‘Action Reaction’ saw them hurl into grungy garage punk with supercharged guitars, and ‘Don’t Need You’ was fiercely cool and full of funk, but throughout you can hear the influences from Oasis, Peace, Miles Kane, Nirvana, The Hives and The Stone Roses to name just a few of the long list of bands that came to mind during the set. ‘19’ moved away from snarling Brit-rock to a more current, exotic sound, like when The Strokes went less New York and more Machu Picchu. ‘Right Place, Wrong Time’ had the thumping basslines and catchy blues-rock riffs of The Black Keys, and Decoy Jet ended with the equally catchy but twice-as-dirty single, ‘Georgia’. The standout song of the night, though, was the as-yet-untitled and unreleased seventh in the set, which was an instant addiction. So if you’re looking for me I'll probably be on a street corner trying to score a release of this so I can turn off the lights, sit on the floor and listen to it on repeat for days.
Words by Holly Warren. Read more of Holly’s writing here

Watch/Review: The Garden – Surprise

screen-shot-2014-03-29-at-7-48-55-pm
It would be opportune to dismiss teenage Cali-twins The Garden as mere chic-cheeked fashion fodder – they’ve already paced the catwalk for YSL – if they weren’t coming up with such intensely diverting tunes. The bass’n’drums duo’s latest piece of skeletal garage-rock, ‘Surprise’, is all done and dusted in less time than it takes the relatively orally hygienic to brush their teeth of a morning. A zippy snippet of stripped-back psychobilly, it features a symmetrical guttural bassline and rumbling beat, ascending and descending in a similar manner to the call-and-response vogue of the gothic vocal. The appropriately nocturnal video sees the Shears boys gambling with the boatman on a River Styx-style crossing; providing they survived the voyage, souls intact, The Garden will be touring the UK in March, as support to Warpaint, before returning to play Brighton's Great Escape festival in May.

See The Garden live: March 20 – Birmingham, The Institute March 22 – Manchester, The Albert Hall March 24 – Glasgow, ABC March 25 – Gateshead, The Sage March 26th – London, Hammersmith Apollo

Listen/Review: The Grubby Mitts – Worm of Eternal Return

dommoore_2014_karst_grubbymitts_2048px-1117
Andy Holden, Roger Illingworth, Johnny Parry, John Blamey and James MacDowell have been playing together in various line-ups since they were 12 years old. Seven solo albums, one book and numerous art exhibitions later, they became The Grubby Mitts. From the band’s upcoming album, ‘What The World Needs Now Is The Grubby Mitts’ is ‘Worm of Eternal Return’. All a bit at odds with itself, it is a seamless piano-driven pop song of sadness and longing, which begins with a clunky glockenspiel and is composed of lines like: “The Reindeer of Arrogance” and “The Polecat of Clarity”, but this all works together to the song's advantage. Playing among the piano are a jumble of various percussive and robotic sound effects that give a more experimental, DIY finish to what is otherwise a perfectly safe and simple song. The noise of someone playing on empty tin cans is like the sound of wriggling cartoon caterpillars, though it could be anything from “The Octopus of Generosity” to “The Chaffinch of Deceit”. The chorus’ repeated refrain, “Whatever Else I Am/I Am Not In Your Arms”, is so evocative it can fill you with a strange and sudden nostalgia for a love you’d long forgotten. Calling the song 'Worm of Eternal Return', then, makes poetically perfect sense.

What The World Needs Now Is The Grubby Mitts is out on 9 March on Lost Toys Records
Words by Holly Warren. Read more of Holly’s writing here

Listen/Review: Diagrams – Gentle Morning Song

CA_11
Diagrams’ Sam Genders, former member of Tunng, returns with ‘Gentle Morning Song’, taken from Diagrams' new album ‘Chromatics’, out in the UK now.  The song’s charming, honeyed electronica lends itself to comparisons to The Shins and is probably closer to what you expected from Belle and Sebastian’s new single than the song Belle and Sebastian actually released. In the verses, Sam Genders’ distinctly accented voice sounds as if it’s running across a landscape inhabited solely by Stuart Murdoch, and, as with every offering from Diagrams, the chorus is an endless jug of joy. Its soft, lilting melodies, guitar and strong drum line are strewn with psychedelic sci-fi sounds, which, when combined, create a song that’s both spacey and grounded, like floating just above a city. The lyrics capture this in the line “Im in a safe but frightening dream again”. It ends with a fade into the sounds of a busy street and morning birds, like you’re being carefully landed back to the ground.

'Chromatics' is out now on Full Time Hobby
Words by Holly Warren. Read more of Holly’s writing here

Watch: Generationals – Reviver

Generationals_by_Akasha_Rabut-004-300dpi
Follow the example of the jovial spectators in Generationals’ speedway-centric new video and you'll find plenty to cheer in the band’s typically upbeat new release, taken from their latest album, ‘Alix’. ‘Reviver’ is a synth-led work of quirky disco-pop, whose brightly textured tones, like a squeak-free MGMT, are embellished by a reverb-steeped vocal melody sounding not unlike War On Drugs, were they taking Prozac. There’s much aesthetic joy in the technicolour promo too, encompassing desert landscapes, cheerleaders in slo-mo and the momentum of man and machine as the New Orleans duo ride off into the sunset. Good times indeed.

Alix is out now on Polyvinyl.
Words by Nick Mee Follow @Nickjmee on Twitter

Artist: Shirley Said - Press


Press: Chris@lostinthemanor.co.uk, Nick@lostinthemanor.co.uk
shirleysaid_press_960
About Shirley Said Shirley Said’s sophisticated, experimental take on alt.digitalism was born in the town of Latina, near Rome, and inspired by artists ranging from Bjork to Portishead, Talk Talk to Sonic Youth, as well as auteurs like David Lynch and Ingmar Bergman. Originally a four-piece, the band performed at a series of prestigious national festivals and live video-based events, which emphasised their dedication to the visual as well as the aural. Subsequently relocating to London, Shirley Said resized to a two-piece, comprising Giulia Scarantino (lead vocal, synth, piano, fx) and Simone Bozzato (backing vocal, guitars, programming, efx). Their sensual, minimalist techno has soundtracked French docu-dramas, Italian TV series and an exclusive fashion film for Vogue. Now entrancing audiences in the English capital and beyond, Shirley Said's original, abstract electronica has been mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Lamb, The xx, The Knife and Polica.
Social Media https://www.facebook.com/pages/ShirleySaid/61461725873 https://www.youtube.com/user/shirleysaid https://twitter.com/shirleysaid

Listen/Review: Shark Dentist – Cut Myself Shaving

IMG_2317 Any band defining themselves by the sub-genre ‘sandwich metal’ warrant attention, and one glance at Shark Dentist’s Facebook page is enough to know theirs isn’t the vibe to accompany earnest soul-searching. The north London teens disingenuously cite their influences as Toto and Snow Patrol, but you really can’t imagine either of those MORish bores being bold enough to address the hazards of the wet-shave in song. So, for sandwich metal read nimble psych-punk fired by six-string squeals, tumbling toms, excessive use of phaser and deadpan doomy humour. ‘Cut Myself Shaving’ is three minutes and 30 of, well, razor-sharp poppy grunge, a full o’ beans salvo from this unsigned quartet who’ve hopefully started as they mean to go on.
Words by Nick Mee Follow @Nickjmee on Twitter Photo: Milo Edwards

Watch/Review: The Acid – Ghost

tumblr_nf1d8126af1twq4sso1_1280
At a time of year when heavy grey skies seem only to be an apparition of daylight, the spectral sonics and hazy visuals of The Acid’s latest release, taken from last year’s ‘Liminal’ LP, is fittingly austere. The video to ‘Ghost’, shot among sand-dunes, is a shimmering template of surreal focal points and balletic choreography, reflecting a sensory unease that chimes with the sparse, minimal electronica of this transatlantic production trio. Featuring a wounded vocal melody supplied by Ry Cuming, ‘Ghost’ pulses slowly, fizzing and sparking steadily over ominous leftfield downtempo, like the soundtrack to a late-night speakeasy session where Andy Stott and Darkside share sinister tales and hard spirits. The Acid’s hypnotic original has a haunting allure of its own, but two remixes (below) usher it gently towards the dancefloor and dress its skeletal frame a little brighter. Hamburg-based producer Oliver Schories injects a botoxed beat, resulting in some swollen deep-house, while London’s Maya Jane Coles turns on the trance, managing to invert the agitated strains of ‘Ghost’ into a euphoric clubland banger.



Ghost is out now
Words by Nick Mee Follow @Nickjmee on Twitter

Watch/Download: Allusondrugs – Am I Weird?

634d774f-4847-4b1c-b939-b5c8812cfaca
It’s a question that’s vexed all but the least self-aware of us at some point, its intensity frequently amplified in direct correlation to recreational substance use. Which may explain why Yorkshire quintet Allusondrugs appear to be having such a tremendous grin during their self-made promo for ‘Am I Weird?’, in which their studio forms the low-budget backdrop for absorbing hyperactivity, and there are cameos from an emu and a cat. The track’s slapstick psychedelia is fused with grunge and stoner-rock, zipping along on a recurrent wiry guitar lick and glam-rock rumble, diverting briefly to take an elegantly blissed-out break. As immediately addictive as a chocolate mephedrone bomb, ‘Am I Weird?’ is understandably an Allusondrugs live favourite; gigs in Sheffield and Liverpool before Christmas offer the chance to get hooked.

'Am I Weird?' is available as a free download here
See the band live: Wed 17 December – Liverpool, Camp & Furnace Fri 19 December – Sheffield, Corporation (Xmas Party)
Words by Nick Mee. Follow @Nickjmee on Twitter

Listen/Review: Shiners – Just Got Paid

10403199_819557244762106_1850362094249320668_n
We don’t have much to tell you about Shiners as they are about as enigmatic as they come; we suspect they are a four-piece (but don't hold us to that!) and they describe themselves as ‘Britwave', which only keeps us guessing. What we do know is that this track is something worth talking about. 'Just Got Paid' casts a strange kind of romance over paycheque-to-paycheque living, telling a brilliantly Britpop tale about sitting in a clapped-out sports car outside a leisure centre, waiting for a girl. The vocalist sounds so Damon Albarn at points, and the line: "Cos her mother worries/He’s over 30 and in a hurry" couldn't sound more Blur if it tried. Its guitar sound is straight out of the Nineties and a ska-style organ riff dances on top of the chorus. Although this one song is all we have to go by, we say bring on the Britwave!

Just Got Paid is out now
Words by Holly Warren. Read more of Holly’s work here

Watch: Pinkshinyultrablast – Umi

1794642_723608237717959_5844812653957079003_n
'Repurposing shoegaze from the Baltic's eastern banks,' Pinkshinyultrablast are a St Petersburg band whose debut album, 'Everything Else Matters', is out on 12 January. You can read a full review of their 'colourful emissions of propulsive space-rock' by Lost in the Manor's Nick Mee in this month's London In Stereo, but the group's excellent single 'Umi', below, supplemented by an appropriately dreamlike promo, is the perfect taster.

Everything Else Matters is out on 12 January on Club AC30

Introducing: Black Yaya – Flying A Rocket

black
Black Yaya is a new singer-songwriter, although he’s not new to the world of singer-songwriters. Indeed, he used to write, record and perform under the name Herman Dune. After travelling the seven seas and beyond with Herman Dune and recording more than ten albums with that band, David Ivar, for it is he, decided he wanted to create something new, so Black Yaya was born.
Check out his fun track, 'Flying A Rocket' – you'll be hooked in no time at all!

Watch/Review: Desperate Journalist – Control

despate
There’s something of the Manic Street Preachers to the classic alt-rock intensity of Desperate Journalist's ‘Control’, and not just because bassist Simon Drowner is a kohl-eyed shoe-in for the tribute act. It has more to do with the full-bodied confidence of the band’s sound and the way, a la Manics, that the robust tune leans so heavily on the twin highlights of guitar and vocal. Rob Hardy’s fretboard scamperings provide an unusual contrapuntal hook to grasp the listener’s attention, and his later fiery soloing evidences a guitarist of some flair, the 12-string he wields adding welcome resonance. Jo Bevan’s voice, articulate and commanding, has range to spare as she ups the gears through stylish post-punk surges into a stirring chorus. Rounded and melodic indie-rock, this new taste of the band's self-titled debut LP, out in January, suggests that Desperate Journalist won't need to fret about filling those column inches.

'Desperate Journalist' is out on 26 January 2015 on Fierce Panda.
Follow @Nickjmee on Twitter

Watch: Sara Lowes - I'll Find You

sara
On 23rd February Sara Lowes releases her new full studio album following 2011’s debut ‘Back To Creation’. The popular musician plays keys in The Earlies which has led to work with Daniel Johnston, King Creosote, Jens Lakeman, Jim Noir, Jesca Hoop and Dawn Landes.
Hailing from Manchester via the North East, Sara’s versatile musicianship transcends into a multi-layered production of brass and piano-laden pop and progressive influences. The classically led arrangements adorn her psychedelic and jazz infused rock where West Coast sounds are submerged in seventies prog and technicolour pop. Imagine Feist and Cate Le Bon with Stereolab’s songbook.
The dramatic title track is a prelude of classical and folk inspired strings that escalates into a heavy rock crescendo. ‘I Find You’ has a Twin Peaks style soundtrack and brimming with playful melodies the ode to ‘J.B Priestley’ possesses the spirit of Divine Comedy and Laetitia Sadier.