First Listen: Youngblood Hawke

Featured late last year, it’s very easy to put Youngblood Hawke’s new single on loop and listen to it all day- catchy and really bright pop. Will this be their breakthrough? Yes…

New Music: Black Pistol Fire

Something a bit different now- but that’s the great thing about new music. Black Pistol Fire are a perfect blend of blues and rock, and to be honest it seems to be very poppy as well, which is only a good mix in my books. They’ve been around since 2009 but this is the first I’ve heard of them, so I’m sharing! Check out here.

New Music: PYYRAMIDS

This sound reminds me of that dark 90’s indie sound that warmed you and scared you t o death at the same time. I wasn’t expecting myself to like this, but as it turns out this is probably one of my favourite bands of the week so far. PYYRAMIDS will release their debut EP ‘Human Beings’ on 17th September 2012, through Paracadute. Check out here.

Aiden Grimshaw’s ‘Misty Eye’ came in the post…

On the surface of it, this album should have followed the usual ex X-Factor, big label, big budget record formula; two or three standout singles (written by a hit-making factory somewhere Scandinavian), spaced out by a dozen or so album fillers.

But it doesn’t.

I can count on my hand the number of times I’ve listened to a pop record without wanting to skip through any tracks.

There’s something so special about Aiden Grimshaw’s ‘Misty Eye’, and even if upon release on August 20th it fails to fly (which is highly unlikely), it will always be one of those records that bucked trend and showed that good music comes from the heart.

Don’t get me wrong- it’s still a pop record and it touches on all the current trends, and is no doubt designed to be universally easy on the ears. But where ‘Misty Eye’ takes daring risks is through experimentation between the tracks and some fearless dedication for influences ranging from Massive Attack to Radiohead to Chase and Status.

There’s a mix of trip hop and drum and bass, alongside that distinctive 90s Hacienda rave vibe. All the tracks are equally brilliant, and the production is so well done, but my standout song is ‘Misty Eye’ itself. This really is one record worth listening to in August…

First Watch: A Silent Film ‘This Stage is Your Life’

On August 6th 2012, A Silent Film will release their new EP, “This Stage Is Your Life”. Conceived in a makeshift recording studio in Cave Creek Arizona, the EP also features a soaring piano version of ‘Danny Dakota and the Wishing Well’, which is set to appear on the new album “Sand & Snow” released early next year.