Gentle acoustic pop that’s easy on the ears. Track’s out 18th March. Check out here.
Walking in your footsteps
Well this is nice… It’s a new track from Swedish indie outfit Shout Out Louds.
New Music: Denitia Odigie
Gorgeous acoustic sounds. Check out here.
New Music: Thumpers
Track of the week. Some very happy, uplifting alt-pop that doesn’t veer towards the cheesy. Check out here.
New Music: Bom Bom
Bringing a little summer to an otherwise grim, cold day in London. Check out here.
Calling all unsigned bands!
This is a bit of a cut and paste job so apologies, but if you’re an unsigned band looking for a break then this sounds like an amazing opportunity!
Hard Rock Rising is giving one local band the opportunity of a lifetime – to participate in a World Tour at Hard Rock Cafe locations, film a music video, record an album with Hard Rock Records and receive the equivalent of $10,000 in new gear.
In partnership with online music services company ReverbNation, there is an open registration for bands wishing to participate in the global battle until Monday, January 21 2013.
After fans choose their favorites, participating Hard Rock Cafe locations around the world will host a series of live competitions featuring these local bands. One winner will be selected from each location by a panel of local industry judges. Selected local winners will be narrowed down to the top twenty-five bands worldwide via a second round of fan voting on participating Hard Rock Facebook pages. Once the top 25 are determined, a panel of music industry professionals will select the grand prize winner and two runner up bands.
The Grand Prize winner will play a World Tour in cities including Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, Chicago and Honolulu, arranged by Hard Rock International; record an album with Hard Rock Records; shoot a music video; and receive new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000. Two runner-up bands will each receive new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000.
First Listen: Masters in France ‘Flexin’
This is one of those tracks that eats away at you til you realise you’ve had it on loop for a good while. I can’t figure if it’s disco or indie or just plain old geeky electro, but whatever it is it’s pretty addictive. Out March 4th.Find out more here.
Frida Sundemo – Snow (Materikaa Remix)
My favourite Swedish singer of the moment Frida Sundemo has got herself a brilliant remix by one of my favourite Swedish bands of late, Materikaa. Just about the best thing I’ve played all day. Listen to it here!
New Music: Shea
New Music: Deptford Goth
Listen to AlunaGeorge cover Frank Ocean
AlunaGeorge put their own spin on Frank Ocean‘s ‘Thinkin Bout You’ for BBC Radio 1Xtra last week and it just sounds epic and cute and sexy all at the same time.
New Music: Sir Sly
Continuing a trend which seems to have taken the blog world by storm over the last year, this is an epic and dark, heavily melodic indie sound along the same veins of The Neighbourhood. Check out here.
A special record store may die tomorrow…
… and that obviously makes me very sad. For those not based in the UK, HMV is the last remaning chain of record stores in the country, and has been struggling for some years since the rise of downloads.
Personally, there’s few pleasures that compare to going to an HMV store and buying a CD, reading the booklet on the way home and playing the disc on my system. Call me old school, but I always saw it as one of the many charms of music.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve randomly grabbed a record just from it staring at me on one of it’s shelves, not really knowing who the artist was and consequently opening my mind to new sounds. Or rushing on the first day of a release I’ve been eagerly anticipating for, only so I can hold it in my hands.
No doubt, records are far cheaper online than in-store these days. And downloads have pretty much revolutionised the industry (blogs like these wouldn’t be anywhere without music being made available online). But I will be so, so upset if this institution dies tomorrow.
New Music: Ecstasy
A huge electro sound from the UK. Check out here.
New Music: KOTA
Short for ‘Kids of the Apocalypse’, this is a mighty weird electro outfit but interesting to say the least. Their website is pretty special. Check out here.
Baby, Keep It Real
First Listen: Justin Timberlake ‘Suit & Tie’
First Watch: Adam Tensta & Elliphant ‘Rat In The Snow’
I’m starting the week with two Swedish heavyweights. One one side you’ve got the Scandinavian rap institution that is Adam Tensta and on the other you have the fierce, up and coming electro/indie starlet Elliphant. Together they’ve come up with some seriously dirty, dark beats that are simply wicked.
New Music: Sleepy Dreamers
I’ve had a bit of a bittersweet weekend, so I’m glad the week’s over. And this song sums up how I feel this evening. It’s lovely. Warm, acoustic indie sounds from Melbourne. Check out here.
All Men Are Pigs
Studio Killers are a bit of a sinful pleasure for me. I don’t know what draws me to them but I just keep wanting more and more. This is their new track and is as equally as bitchy as the one about bouncers.