I have a very strong emotional attachment to many of the releases listed below. Choosing this list was exceptionally tough; I’ve been fortunate to discover some incredible bands and artists over the past year, and it’s safe to say that outside this list lie a great many immense tunes that can be found via a quick browse through TMMP’s archives when you’re done with this lot. However, the following choices are the cream of the crop. Read more…
Some shows are born special. Although I’m relatively new to The Hell, I’ve already become hopelessly addicted to their latest album (reviewed here) – so nothing short of a bad case of death was going to stop this show (the first of The Hell’s A Shitemare Before Christmas tour) from getting featured on TMMP. Read more…
Dark, heady synth waves offering moral support to a disarming and vulnerable vocal before an unsettlingly shaky rhythmic base emerges from a nanobot beach; direct and instantly memorable lyrics; a winningly simple melodic line that Kraftwerk would be proud of. All are components of Wolfhour‘s identically-titled opening track. Read more…
I got my teeth into this track a few days ago, and quickly wrote up a piece full of thoughtful phrases and quirky descriptions of its inner goings-on. But since then, I’ve not been able to stop listening to it – and my old words have been consigned to the circular file. Words, orgasms, and white sugar aside, I don’t have much of an addictive personality – but Ark is officially my fourth vice. As a music journalist, this kind of craving is not good for a career based on listening to innumerable songs over the course of a day, rather than just one – but when I mentally implode and wind up working as a “waste disposal technician”, at least I’ll be able to look forward to listening to Ark on the drive home. Read more…
If you love diversity, Brighton (aka Camden-on-Sea) is damn near perfect. Its top alternative music venue, the Concorde 2 – situated next door to the beach – hosted batshit crazy prog-metal mentalists SikTh on a school night last week. Now, just a few days later, a mixed-bag crowd of dub lovers are filing in to spend Saturday night the right way – enjoying music that moves the hips as much as the head. Read more…
Now is a very exciting time for live electronica legends Submotion Orchestra, with their latest long-playing opus Alium (reviewed here) dropping on November 24th and their biggest headline show to date taking place at the Forum in London tomorrow. Submotion Orchestra keyboardist Taz took some time out of his hectic schedule to talk about Alium, his single-item bucket list, and more. Read more…
In an age of instant gratification, where everyone wants everything yesterday, dropping a sophomore album over three and a half years after your debut can be an anxiety-provoking event. It can be argued that music fans are more fickle than ever, easily susceptible as we all are to distraction and immediate amnesia – and under such conditions, almost any musician could reasonably expect the world to have moved on over the course of 42 minutes, let alone months. However, Beardyman is no standard-issue artist. Read more…
Amid endless seas of wannabes trapped in a quicksand composed of hollow and lifeless MIDI sequences, Submotion Orchestra have long stood out by a fair few light years. Their recordings consistently ooze warmth and a vital humanity – and Alium continues this trend in impressive and impactful fashion. Read more…
Off-kilter electronica, bottomless grooves, elegantly plaintive vocals, soul-based yet uniquely emotive vibes – Trust/Lust is a prime Submotion Orchestra cut backed up by the sparsely luscious Swan Song. Together, these tracks combine to form a perfect teaser package that drops on November 17th, one week ahead of third Submotion Orchestra LP Alium. Read more…
And now for something completely different.
Alt-J are not just Alt-J. They’re alt-everything. This Is All Yours is a collection of sounds that branch off into multiple directions – often simultaneously – yet somehow retain a core identifiability as originating from a single source. Singles Hunger Of The Pine and Every Other Freckle twist and turn with a glorious unpredictability – but middle sibling Left Hand Free is this album’s real tipping point. A retromanic slice of rough-edged classic rock complete with authentic production job, it stands out a mile, representing a singularity beyond which all hope of successfully guessing what’s next must be dismissed. Read more…