Although I’m not exactly a pop fan (see here for proof), every now and then a track pops up with exactly the right vibe and vocal to pique my interest. Thanks to the likes of Submotion Orchestra, Luciana Caporaso, and Princess Slayer, that may well start happening more and more often in 2015 – starting with Cherae Leri’s deep, slow, and exotically hypnotic blend of R&B, pop, and modern soul. Read more…
The “death of the album” has been declared many times in recent years – but nonetheless, musicians keep making them and are showing no signs of stopping (and thank God for that!). Almost a decade and a half into the twenty-first century, there still exist bands and artists capable of composing immersive, engaging, and fully satisfying collections of songs that stand up to repeated, unshuffled listens. Here are fifteen of them. Read more…
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…
It’s been a while since TMMP featured a Luciana tune – but with Friday night upon us, now is as good a time as any to remedy that. We Came To Bang – created in collaboration with American producer 3LAU – is still another winning addition to Luciana’s burgeoning back catalogue of banging electro-pop songs. Read more…
When I first discovered Half Crown at a secret Sofar Sounds show in a beautiful Brighton basement, I was struck by how comfortable they were in such an exposed and intimate environment. On Everything Goes, Half Crown manage to achieve that same sense of fearless liveness and meaningful connection without any face-to-face contact whatsoever. This is a rare and valuable feat in today’s increasingly digital and digitised world.
Fusing gritty blues-ridden rock’n’roll with elements of hip-hop and reggae, Half Crown have developed an energising and exciting sound that retains enough familiarity to ensure accessibility while pushing a collection of idiosyncratic personalities to the forefront. While many rock-oriented acts talk the talk and look the part but put out a self-consciously studious, even bookish vibe on record and onstage, Half Crown have not only done their homework but also twisted their tastes into something more suited to getting their plaintive and heartfelt message across. That message changes from song to song, spanning the spectrum from the personal to the political, but you cannot doubt the passion behind the playing or words for so much as a microsecond. Read more…
Sofar Sounds are the most fascinating live music promoters you’ve never heard of. A global collective of music fans, Sofar tap into humanity’s need for community, connection, and intimacy by hosting secret small-scale shows showcasing the talents of a diverse range of artists. This evening’s event took place in an endearingly arty Brighton basement – an appropriate location for what was to come. Read more…
Things have been pretty heavy on TMMP of late, and the weekend’s just around the corner. Enter Australian exports Sticky Fingers and their soaring, gritty party-rock anthem, Just For You. Sod winter’s freezing creep – close your eyes and be transported straight back to your favourite sun-drenched festival field. 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…
There will always be a special space reserved in my heart for bands who make me nostalgic for my years at Guildford’s Academy of Contemporary Music. Soul-fuelled vocals, rock solid musicianship, a touch of The Funk, a few cues taken from the pop-rock world, and a few tastefully non-distracting flashy moments are all common key ingredients to look out for if you’re looking to spot an ACM-related band – and Sonder include them all to great effect. 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…