I don't know how many times this year I got super excited about a new release.
Quite often would be a safe guess.
My excitement doubles when a band I've worked with before releases a new album. It's just so nice to hear new material from a band you really like.
I'm very happy to have a review for you which I'm very excited about.
Band: Panic Tree Title: Hyena
Genre: Electronic, Pop Label: Hyena Music Release: 16th October 2015 HITS rating: 8.5/10
Panic Treeare an alternative, electro pop duo from Berlin, Germany. The duo consists of A. Seiffert on guitar, keys and vocals and T. H. Krohn on guitars and vocals.
Formed in early 2012 they released an EP called "New Monster Invasion" during their first year of making music together.
And just a few days ago the duo released their debut album, "Hyena". I'm very excited to review it for you today.
Tracklist:
1) Invisible Dance
2) Common C'mon
3) Over The Dune
4) Diamond Face
5) Scary Nature
6) The Tunnel Is Lost
7) Parrots
8) Blood Fountain
9) Happy Magic Hearts
10) Voices
11) Pictures Of The Night
Opener "Invisible Dance" presents Panic Tree's signature sound in which you'll find many contrasts; dark male vocals - light female vocals. Strong drum beats - delicate snyths.
The band works with a lot of multi layered elements and therefore sounds like so much more than a duo. "Diamond Face" brings out the calmer side of Panic Tree. The female vocals stand out on this track; showcasing her raspy but still soft voice, A. Seiffert proves she's able to lead you through a song in a charmingly demanding way. T. H. Krohn's vocals underline and compliment the song so well.
"Scary Nature" is on the more uplifting and uptempo side of the album. The guitar work on this song is fantastic and controls the vibe of the song; the cold synths melt in the warmth of the guitars and therefore create the unique Panic Tree atmosphere.
Another song which stands out is "Voices", a very bass focused song. There's a new music video for said song, make sure to watch it below.
To sum it up: With their sound being very experimental, it's quite difficult to genrefy Panic Tree. But actually, there's no need to have a genre when the sound is brilliant anyway. The mixture of elements, the dueting of two very different voices which collide together in a mysterious and harmonic way - it all works.
You should listen to these tracks: Diamond Face, Blood Fountain, Voices
I think sometimes my job is very chaotic. And for as overwhelming and exhausting as it can be to be stuck in traffic, run terribly late for an interview and freeze your bum off, I think the craziness of it is what I love.
Yesterday was a mad day and a lot of things went wrong, nonetheless I got to film a lovely interview with two members of The Vaccines.
The Vaccines are a four piece band from London, England.
Their sound varies but could be classified as indie pop with bits of alternative rock.
The band formed in 2010 and has been making music ever since and took over the music scene in 2011.
Their debut album was 2011's best selling debut album, their fanbase grew and they played more than 150 shows in that year.
It all continued with great reviews, support slots for The Artic Monkeys and countless other highlights.
The Vaccines are:
Justin Young (lead vocals, guitar)
Freddie Cowan (guitar)
Árni Árnason (bass)
Pete Robertson (drums)
Albums:
- "What Did You Expect From The Vaccines" (2011)
- "Come Of Age" (2012)
- "English Graffiti" (2015)
This year The Vaccines released their third LP, played tons of festivals and are currently touring the world.
Whilst being in Cologne for one of their Germany shows, I met up with Justin and Arni.
As we sat down in their tour bus, we chatted about their new music video, the influence of a crowd, documentary titles and a lot more.
Many thanks to the wonderful people from Sony Music Germany and The Vaccines' tour manager for making this happen. Also many thanks to Justin and Arni.
Thank you for reading & watching!
Credits // Text & Video: Vanessa Jertschewske | Image: The Vaccines press kit | Music intro video: Martin Kelly
I usually tend to write these intros from the view of a music lover, which I definitely am.
But today I'd love to write this from my work perspective, the perspective of a music journalist.
A lot of my friends often ask me how I find all these acts I work with. Well, a lot of them contact me, or their PR agencies and labels do.
And often people get in touch in a very unpersonal way and that's fine, that can be professional at times.
But I still prefer when there's some kind of business relationship. I'm very glad that Clue Records knows how to keep work fun and is always a pleasure to work with.
Today I'm happy to feature one of their top bands, TRASH.
Band: TRASH
Title: Urban Glow
Genre: Indie, Pop
Label: Clue Records
Release: 25th September 2015
HITS rating: 8.5/10
The band had me when I read their own description: "glittery indie/grunge surf-pop band straight outta maccies drive thru".
Besides humour, the band also has a massive amount of talent.
TRASH play indie music sprinkled with bits of grunge and pop. The four piece from Chesterfield, UK is the newest addition to the Clue Records family alongside Allusondrugs, Forever Cult and NARCS.
After releasing "Urban Glow" as a single and getting their audience hungry for more, they're now here to treat us with a five track EP.
Tracklist:
1) Intro
2) 4 Miles
3) Drift
4) Urban Glow
5) Sad Boys (All I Wanna Do)
The intro of the EP does a great job introducing you to the EP, preparing you for what you're about to hear; a dreamy composition softly charms you with calm, yet expressive instrumentals.
Leading right to the first proper song "4 Miles", a more indie-pop sounding song.
The first single of the EP is a kept simple but not boring at all. With its main focus on vocals and the catchy guitar riff, the song engulfes you in a light way. You'll slowly find yourself sinking into the world of TRASH: indie melodies, wavy rhythms and catchy vibes.
Another track which stands out is "Sad Boys (All I Wanna Do)", an intense song which weaves in surf pop and grunge elements so effortlessly. The lyrics tell a story of a breakup, the vocals transport the emotions and make the track very authentic and honest.
To sum it up: TRASH created a fantastic EP: clever arrangements, storytelling and relatable lyrics, great basslines, a strong drummer and guitar riffs which duet with the vocals. If you want to be taken into another world, head for TRASH's world.
You should listen to these tracks: 4 Miles, Urban Glow, Sad Boys (All I Wanna Do)
I've written so many intros where I've told you how much I love working on house in the sand. Yet I feel like, I still need to mention it every now and then.
The amount of joy this website has given me is incredible. There are so many highlights, there are so many things coming up - but I think my favourite part of all of this is the creative freedom.
You can just do pretty much whatever you want when you work alone and it's pretty cool!
Just like me, today's artist is doing everything on his own!
The one man show Shape Of The Sun is a music project by Nate Linek from Ohio, USA. Nate sings and plays all the instruments you can hear in Shape In The Sun. Besides that he also records and mixes his music himself.
Influenced by acst such as David Bowie, Beach Boys and Cold War Kids, the sound you get to hear could be described as alternative and indie rock.
The first self-titled EP already convinces with strong rhythm sections and catchy guitar riffs. The simplicity of the verses gets shaken up by clever arrangements in the choruses.
Today Nate is here to give you the perfect example of his music.
Here's a live performance of "Real Boy", exclusively for the wonderful house in the sand audience! Enjoy!
Our taste will change eventually and we will find new things we like. And I think that's a beautiful thing.
Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while (more like - for a long time), will know that the band that really got me into music was the Jonas Brothers. Yeah, really. Over the years my taste has changed a lot; I've gone from enjoying pop music to finding my love for acoustic, folk and rock.
Just a few weeks ago I found out about a new band called DNCE (yes, that's dance without the "a").
One of the members is Joe Jonas, yes, one brother of the Jonas Brothers.
Of course I was pretty curious what his new project would sound like, so I gave DNCE a listen. And I was very surprised.
DNCE is a four piece outfit based in Los Angeles, US.
The band found together through a couple connections and is now here to share their alternative, funk music with us.
DNCE consists of: Joe Jonas (vocals) JinJoo Lee (guitar)
Cole Whittle (bass, keyboard)
Jack Lawless (drums)
DNCE's first single "Cake By The Ocean" is a funky and very groovy track.
The instrumental itself is just as catchy as the lyrics are; the funky guitar riff compliments the very lively bass line. The drum part is kept very straight forward - it's simple, yet it ties the song together in such clever manner. It invites you to dance (no pun intended) and have a good time.
Lyrically "Cake By The Ocean" is no masterpiece, but it's a fun song. You'll be able to sing along quickly and just have a good time.
Joe's vocals deliver the track in the right way and fit the whole "carefree, sunshine vibe" DNCE is going for.
If Summer wasn't over already, "Cake By The Ocean" would be the perfect soundtrack for it.
I think we all know that feeling of excitement when your favourite artist/band announces the release date for their next album.
Knowing you'll soon have new songs to crawl into, learn word by word, fall in love with and relate to is just one lovely feeling!
I'll be honest with you here - when Gabrielle Aplin announced her second album, I lost all my calm! And now that I've listened to it, I still lose it.
But let's not speak about me being embarrassing, let's focus on the album.
Artist: Gabrielle Aplin Title: Light Up The Dark Genre: Acoustic, Folk-Rock Label: Parlophone Release: 18th September 2015 HITS rating: 9.5/10
Gabrielle Aplinis a singer/songwriter from Bath, England.
To genrefy her you could use acoustic sprinkled with rock and folk elements.
Gabrielle made herself a name by uploading videos on YouTube of her covering songs like 'My Heart' by Paramore or 'The Liar and The Lighter' by You Me At Six.
She didn't mean to upload covers though, it was a friend who told her to upload some music and see what happens.
So far 'Gabby' has played tons of festivals, supported John Mayer on tour and sold quite a few copies of her record and the EPs.
She released her debut album "English Rain" in May 2013 and now she just released "Light Up The Dark", her second longplayer.
Tracklist:
1) Light Up The Dark
2) Skeleton
3) Fools Love
4) Slip Away
5) Sweet Nothing
6) Heavy Heart
7) Shallow Love
8) Anybody Out There
9) Hurt
10) Together
11) What Did You Do?
12) A While --- deluxe edition (bonus tracks) ---
13) Don't Break Your Heart On Me
14) This Side Of The Moon
15) Coming Home
16) Letting You Go
17) The House We Never Built
18) You Don't Like Dancing
Opener and title track of the album, "Light Up The Dark" grabs your attention by sounding more mysterious and slightly rockier than Gabrielle's previous material. The e-guitar is more dominant, the bassline is more present, the percussion and drum section compliment each other. The vocals vary from hugging the instrumentals in the verses to standing on their own in the choruses. The song is a perfect opener for a very energetic album.
"Skeleton" combines light and delicate piano chords with rough and edgy guitar riffs. The song ties in a slightly grungy feeling. Whilst the instrumentals are rather heavy, Gabrielle's light vocals create a clever contrast. Lyrically the song is pretty straight forward; "There's nothing on your skeleton, your heart is gone. You're acting like it doesn't even matter, like I don't even matter."
The first verse describes the shock you experience when somebody turns into a cold hearted person. In the bridge the songwriter starts to act cold as well. ("Up in the clouds, you're gonna fall, down in the dirt. Doesn't even matter.")
Backing vocals, percussions and bass line are on point, there's really no other way to describe it. "Skeleton" is one of the strongest tracks on the album.
"Heavy Heart" is the first Aplin-esque song on "Light Up The Dark". Whilst the previous songs all brought new elements to the album, this ballad marches into the direction Gabrielle fans are used to - a calm atmosphere, smooth guitar work, a subtle rhyhtm section and gorgeous vocals.
With "This Side Of The Moon" Aplin breaks into a mysterious mood; the very present bass line leads you through the track and howls along to the singer's voice.
"The House We Never Built" is probably the most emotional ballad on the album. The instrumentals are flawless, yet it's Gabrielle's voice which makes the track so special; her fragile yet expressive vocals tell the story of a break up in an effortlessly stunning manner.
To sum it up: If you're looking for an artist who is not afraid to perform a beautiful ballad one minute, only to jump into an upbeat track the next minute, you're looking for Gabrielle Aplin. Even though this is only her second album, the singer/songwriter already knows what works for her. Tons of elements, tons of different styles - "Light Up The Dark" offers so much but it doesn't squish you with too many elements. It is an album you really want to check out.
You should listen to these tracks: Skeleton, Sweet Nothing, This Side Of The Moon, The House We Never Built
Festival season is pretty much over and Autumn is around the corner.
What I love about Autumn is the fact that it always arrives with a bunch of tour dates.
I'm currently scheduling everything and I just can't wait to photograph quite a few gigs this season.
I'll be announcing all acts along the way, but I can already tell you that I'm very excited!
One of the acts I can already confirm is Ciaran Lavery! We've been working together for quite a while now and I got to watch Ciaran's career going from strenght to strength. Therefore I really look forward to photographing his gig from "all access" point of view.
Ciaran Lavery is a singer/songwriter from Aghagallon, Ireland.
His music is passionate, expresses all different states of heartache and could be classified as alternative folk/ acoustic pop.
He's been making music for quite a while and already released a debut album ("Not Nearly Dark") and three EPs ("You Will Be A Stranger Now", "The Maker Of Things", "Kosher").
UK, SWITZERLAND and GERMANY - you're lucky, Ciaran is touring these countries extensively within the next few months.
Here are the Germany tour dates, as I know a lot of my readers are based here.
For the other tour dates, ticket links and more details - please head to Ciaran's website! - click here -
17th November // Strom Linienclub, Munich 18th November // Café Galao, Stuttgart 19th November // Club Stereo, Nuremberg 20th November // King Georg Klubbar, Cologne 21st November // Schon Schön, Mainz 24th November // Pret a Ecouter Festival, Heidelberg 25th November // Täubchenthal, Leipzig 26th November // Privat Club, Berlin 27th November // Kleiner Donner, Hamburg 28th November // Haldern Pop Bar, Haldern
Songwriting has always been one of the most fascinating ways of writing to me. When
I was younger, I wrote countless amounts of songs. They were terrible,
but I enjoyed writing in a creative way; without restrictions, without
things stopping me.
There are so many incredible songwriters out
there. Some use lots of metaphors, some write very vividly, some rely
on strong verbs. Songs transport emotions, tell stories and describe situations. I've always wondered how songs I like came together.
Did the writer first write the lyrics or the music? What's the story behind the song? Who inspired it? Who influenced it?
Speaking to some of my wonderful readers, I soon learned that a lot of you feel the same.
And instead of wondering, I've decided to invite talented songwriters to share their writing process with us. "Songwriter Stories" is a new series and I'm very excited to have the wonderful Liam McClair kick it off today.
Liam McClairis a singer/songwriter from Manchester, UK.
His sound can be classified as acoustic/folk with raw pop elements. Most of his recordings are guitar based and vocals focused.
But you'll still find piano ballads and harmonica instrumentals paired
with supportive percussions whilst listening to Liam's repertory.
Liam is about to release his third EP "Honest" at the end of this month.
You can (pre-)order it here: "Honest" on iTunes But before that, he's here to share his songwriter stories with us! Enjoy!
_______________________
"I am still
attempting to perfect the best way to write a song. When I say best I mean most
productive and efficient.I find the whole process quite organic and an
outpouring of an emotion I am currently feeling or an emotion that I have not
fully processed yet.
When I first starting playing guitar I would learn all of my
favourite songs and try to sing along to them. I was learning Coldplay,
Radiohead, Bill Withers, Joni Mitchel, Nick Drake and The Red Hot Chili
Peppers, than as soon as I liked a song I would learn to play it. This process
helped me to discover new chords and chord progressions.
My first few
forays into song writing were all fairly cliché in their content.
Lots of love
songs, tales of heartache, ‘I Miss You All The Time’ being the chorus of one of
my first songs. I was like any young singer songwriter attempting to try and
convey my relative teenage angst through the Em7 chord I had just learned the
day before.
When it came to lyrics I never used to transcribe them, I would
follow a more improvisational method. Once I had the chord progression together
that I liked, I would sing over the top in order to find a suitable melody. In
this process I would discover that I had inadvertently created syllabic gaps
that only fit certain words. Then once I had found a phrase or two that fit
(and that rhymed, for some reason I am most comfortable in rhyming lyrics I
think it creates a continued theme and also ties phrases and verses together) I
would then chose a direction for the song to take thematically.
Usually I will
discover the theme of the song upon a second or third listen to the recording
of the first few phrases I have added in over the top. Other times I can create
an image in my head from the tone of the chords and my voice.
Most of the songs
I have written up until now have had a strain of love through them.
My first EP
How contained contrasting themes, with "Rough Waters" I wrote from personal
perspective of a break up. That song must have been ready formed and was
waiting for an outlet as I started playing one Wednesday afternoon it
effortless flowed into a recording.
"How", the title track, was an attempt to
capture the feeling of pure desire for a person who you deem seemingly
impossible to talk to even though they are just the same as everyone else.
"RoamThe Globe" was a musical diary of a 6 month travelling trip and confronted
romances from long distances and Somewhere Before was inspired by watching a
documentary on dementia and considered losing a loved one.
When it came to
writing my 2nd EP I was under more of a deadline therefore the
pressure helped me to write more.
I had intended to release and album but due
to time constraints this became an EP.
"Honey", the title track, is a pure and
honest expression of desire and pride. I wrote it when thinking of how I would
express myself if I were totally in love and how I would want that person to
feel.
"Girl At The Station" came from a desire to write a blues song that ended
up being a country blues track. In retrospect I found myself just using words
that fit the song as opposed to taking careful consideration, the words fit
together quite naturally.
I found the same with "If You’re Really Mine" which is
a song all about doubts, it is heavily inspired by The Beatles as I was when I
wrote it as a student in Liverpool.
My favourite track on the EP is "Fall Down",
a piano based track all about support, which is only just over a minute long. I
have had various people tell me it should be longer but I think the fact it is
short gives it a unique appeal and the honest expression involved has made
people warm to the track.
I have found
that even though I always perform with a guitar a lot of my best writing has
come from playing piano. I am not the best pianist but I find the visual
element of being able to see all the keys out in front of you helps in my
writing.
How and Honey from my title EP both started on piano as did Someday a
track from my forthcoming Honest EP.
When I was
writing my forthcoming Honest EP I conscious of creating songs that fit a
structure. I wanted it to be clear how the song progressed through its verses
and choruses.
I also attempted a new strategy when writing "Alchemy". This song
is based around a book, The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho and I was inspired by
British Singer Songwriter Nick Mulvey who said his song Meet Me There came
after reading a Rumi Poem. I liked the challenge of turning a complex tale into
a song and I feel I have done that, however like any interpretation of a book it’s
pretty subjective.
"Someday", a track on my upcoming EP is the song I have taken
the longest to write. I transcribed the lyrics and considered every line and I
think that comes across, it’s a song about having faith that you will find
someone in your life eventually. I was feeling pressured by the social
constraints of age related goals especially concerning finding long term
romance so that song was a good release and I think people can relate to the
song and also feel its hopeful nature.
"Oh Mary" is another track from the Honest
EP and this song was a pure unedited outpouring, loosely on the theme of
regrets and reflective sorrow the track fitted together beautifully one day
after I had been experimenting with a similar chord progression in various
keys.
The title track of my forthcoming EP "Honest" is
an important song to me. It is an expression of a change I went through in my
early 20s, a resolution to be more truthful in my life. I was, again, trying to
experiment with a different topic to love and admiration and I think I achieved
that, the song has more themes of support and confession. The structure of the
chorus provides me with a mantra that I can follow into the rest of my life and
I also think it has the best structure of any song I have written with clear
distinctions between the various segments.
So how do I
write songs?
In numerous ways, voice recordings on my phone turn to songs,
phrases I think of in my car turn to songs, playing guitar and fishing for
ideas turns to songs. I am yet to discover a consistent and reliable formula or
time to write music but it is something I love doing and each and every song has
unique origins which keeps the process fresh and exciting and long may it
continue."
_______________________
And there we have it, a beautiful insight in Liam McClair's writing process.
I don't think I'll ever find words to describe how much I love creating content for this website. I get to do so many different things, work on so many different features and own a little space of web filled with things I love.
As cheesy as it may sound, meeting people and working with them face to face has to be my favourite part.
Yesterday I got to meet Kodaline, a fantastic band. We sat down in their dressing room and had a little chat.
Kodaline are a four piece band from Dublin, Ireland. Genre-wise they walk on the fine line between alternative and folk-rock.
Singer Steve and guitarist Mark have known each other from school.
Meeting drummer Vinny and former bassist Conor a few years later led
them to start out as a band. As "21 Demands" the quartet was part of the
Irish talent show "You're A Star" and came in second.
After a busy time and a chart hit, things slowed down.
With a new bassist and a new band name - Kodaline was born. Their
first selftitled EP brought out their song "All I Want" which found a
lot of positive feedback, especially online. Soon that song was played
on the TV series Grey's Anatomie and The Vampire Diaries. In 2013 the press re-discovered the band and predicted big times for the Irish lads.
Kodaline are:
Steve Garrigan (lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar)
Mark Prendergast (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards)
Vinny May (drums, percussion, backing vocals)
Jason Boland (bass, backing vocals)
And those big times kicked in for the guys; their 2015 has been a proper whirlwind so far - a successful album release, loads of festivals, touring, announcing massive concerts, performing with Ed Sheeran in front of 80000 people.
The list goes on.
With so many things happening, we had quite a lot to speak about.
Watch what the guys have to say about their new music video, writing diaries, Michael Jackson. We also played a game and learned a lot more about the band!
I've got a question for you: where do you go when you're looking for new music?
I feel very lucky because my answer would be "my emails".
Yeah, every morning I wake up to a couple of new music submissions and I love it. I always have a place to go when I'm craving new music.
Of course it's also my job to go through the submissions and introduce new music to you, but I really do love it for personal reasons as well.
Just yesterday I found out about Speak, Brother.
Speak, Brother are a three piece band from Rugby, England.
The trio formed in 2011 and was known as James Herring Band until 2013, when their sound became more and more clear and they re-formed as Speak, Brother.
Inspired by acts such Ben Howard, Newton Faulkner, The Lumineers and Kings Of Leon, the bands sound marches into the indie-folk direction. Mature songwriting, clever arrangements and songs filled with emotion is what the trio from England stands for.
Speak, Brother are: James Herring
Matthew Cotterill Nathan Morris
Speak, Brother are now here with their new single "Lions Roar".
The first time I saw the video and heard the song, I felt incredibly moved.
The choir, the images of people being together - it all comes together so smoothly and transports very strong and intense emotions. Video and song go together hand in hand, showcasing the feeling of community and strength.
The choir you hear in the song consists of over 400 schoolchildren from Rugby, it collides with the lead vocals in the most gorgeous way. This song is absolutely beautiful!
