The Dabhands - The Chicken Pen

Crawling out of the clean-cut depths of Surrey come The Dabhands, an alternative rock four piece with the intention to get dirty. Although their name may suggest that their fingers are covered in some sort of stimulating substance, what actually comes from their dab-hands are some fine rifts and  beefy drums. Despite being fresh on the scene, the foursome have already scored themselves slots supporting the like of Slaves, The Amazons and The Carnabys, and Novemeber of this year has marked the release of their second single The Chicken Pen.

Combining the nostalgia of 2012's dominant alt rock notorieties with typically "British" musical characteristics. It's like Lily Allen had a love child with Lower Than Atlantis, in an attempt to bring English alt rock back to the forefront of the indie scene. The Chicken Pen embodies this with fancy hooks, heavy drums and catchy lyrics, and if that doesn't float your boat they've got some slick cinematography to accompany it.

If this is hard to believe watch The Chicken Pen for yourself and find out:

Find The Dabhands:
The Dabhands / Facebook
The Dabhands / Twitter
The Dabhands / Soundcloud

Stal Kingsley at The Cavendish Arms

If you happened to be lurking around some of the less lit streets of Stockwell last fiendish Friday you may well have come across the enigmatic workings of the one man band that is Stal Kingsley. Still stuck in the media age of cassette players and VHSs, one wonders whether this strange kid is trying to be indie for the sake of it or genuinely believes technological advances should have stopped in the '90s. Either way it goes without saying that watching one man in a boiler suit thrusting around stage with his jangly guitar playing along side a recording of himself from a cassette is truly unmissable.

Unsurprisingly, Stal Kinglsey's sound is just as weird and wonderful as his performance proposes. Playing for what must have been a mere 30 minutes the small but enthused audience were met with an upbeat set list of tunes that sounded as if Mac Demarco had shacked up with Fat White Family (probably against their will) in the home of Ben Howard. Unbelievable, I know, but despite this apparent confusion of genre Stal Kingsley embodies a dystopian lo-fi psychedelia that you didn't know existed but carries some sort of groovy nostalgia that you've been missing. This is perfectly accompanied by a relatable reflection of life as a post-modern millennial, expressed through his lyricism: consisting of what it's like to be a useless boy, the influxes of nihilism that comes with life, and finally the desirability of love and it's eventual destruction of all you know. All of this is then ended with a loud twenty second countdown and a miraculously finished illustration.

Overall, whilst Stal Kingsley, and his one man show, may present him as an archetypal art graduate who is grasping at hipster straws to be an individual, he's actually a satirical come lyrical genius. He puts to the test how musical performance should be presented to you and more specifically what medium it's presented in. Should it be through a charmingly charismatic curly haired wanderer in a dirty boiler suit only playing a guitar, through a grainy almost inaudible cassette tape or through an cleverly comic farce played via VHS? I guess you'd have to find that out for yourself...




If you think this is enough to get your weird rocks off check out Stal Kingsley here:
Stal Kingsley / Bandcamp 
Stal Kingsley / Facebook
Stal Kingsley / Twitter

Callosum Closure - So Sweet

The newest record 

For a band to find their sound, it can take a while. For foursome Callosum Closure, their soundcloud would suggest that this rings true. However, with the newest and maybe most publicised track So Sweet (taken from their newest come debut record) the band are entering the "alternative" indie rock song scene with a track that showcases each member's contribution to the band and what sweaty mess they can produce musically. Based out of Hampshire, but congregated from around the country, these boys have made a tune that has so many hooks you could hang the contents of your wardrobe on them.

From the start of the song, you're slapped in the face with the band's lack of concern with major issues such as global warming or political agendas, and instead are met with somewhat orthodox lyrical simplicity, aiming to just have a good time and tell a girl how tasty she is. However, whilst the lyricism behind So Sweet may suggest that this quartet could become the indie scene's trashier, dirtier and stankier boy band equivalent, that doesn't seem to be the point of this track nor the band itself. Rather what they are attempting to create musically is a visual image, one that's bubblegum pink but is as sexy as the red lipstick that that bubblegum is popping over. It's funky, it's noisy, and maybe most importantly it's flirty, in an attempt to both draw on such rock and roll luminaries as Elvis Presley and The Doors whilst mashing in the fuzz from the likes of Twin Peaks or Fidlar. Fundamentally, they're endeavouring to fuse together the so dirty it's good style of late 70s rock together with archetypal garage punk riffs. 

The boys themselves

With a track that's as groovy and distorted as this, it's easy to see the direction the band are taking, leaving behind the awkward, in-between, baby steps band phase in an attempt to become a fully fledged artists (i.e. 'make money without getting real jobs' according to their bassist) with a style that is their own. In the most literal sense the foursome themselves are the embodiment of that song The Steve Miller Band sang about being a space cowboy and speaking about the "pompatous of love". This sound seemingly relies on just how four musicians can relay that feeling you get when you tongue the person you fancy, and the taste it leaves.

In short it's thick, stylistic and might just be the sound of the best sex you've ever had...

Taste the sugar and spice for yourself:
Callosum Closure / Soundcloud
Callosum Closure / Facebook
Callosum Closure / Instagram 

Jellyskin - Milk of Magnesia

Milk of Magnesia

Whilst we kick off the year with a continuation of the shit storm that was last year, given that Trump is now president and the UK's government still in dismay, it would seem 2017 isn't ready to offer any kind retribution as of yet. But never fear, Leed's based trio Jellyskin have released a new track as of this month, representing "the smell of pain and the end of days" that could be upon us, whey-hey!

Not quite avant-punk but still avant-garde, and signed to independent record label Blak Hand Records, Jellyskin come back again with a track that's dark and brooding. Following their first two tracks, Milk of Magnesia is a little different and a little heavier. Having expected another single with ethereal vocals and wavey vibes, Milk of Magnesia is displacing but in the best way possible; showing off what the band can really do, and that guitarist Will can double up as lead singer too.

Jellyskin

The track is instantly eery and encapsulating, kicking off the song with distorted synths not too dissimilar to the sound of organs you would find in the Phantom of the Opera. As weird as this sounds it works, setting the darker tones for the 6 minute long track. As the track continues you can really sink you teeth into sounds that are reminiscent of possible predecessors such as Sonic Youth, and even The Velvet Underground, 'White Light White Heat' era. Although in saying this the song itself sets them apart in their own right, utilising classic hypnotic riffs and monotonous drums to make it completely trancing. Needless to say its weird and its equally as melancholy, and it comes with a trippy music video, what more could you ask for?

You can also catch the trio on lurking round the stages of Leeds, considering that they have been gigging now since September. Having already secured some support slots for Crocodile and Will Joseph Cook, it's worth watching this space.

Got milk? No? Then get yours here:
Jellyskin / YouTube
Jellyskin / Souncloud
Jellyskin / Facebook 

Jellyskin - She Sung Oceans

She Sung Oceans 

Greeted once more with the presence of Leeds based band, Jellyskin, our ears are met with their newest creation She Sung Oceans. Having only started as a band in the spring of this year, this steadfast trio have already released their first track Grey Glass Hat and have teamed up with fellow fresher band, Sealand, to create record label Sea of Skin. Hacking through a starter band's checklist, Jellyskin are hastily commandeering a market which seemingly demands for a sound that's as if Kate Bush had joined Sonic Youth. And given that the band's mantra is not to sound like someone else, it comes as no a surprise that their desire to 'have a distinctive sound  that people will attribute to us' (says lead singer Zia) is accomplished.

Following on from their debut track, Jellyskin have managed to continue the melancholic transcendence that started with a visit from a mysterious man in a grey glass hat in their first track now to a girl who apparently sings oceans in their second. In its efforts to upkeep the reputation from their first song, She Sung Oceans seems to dip its toes into the seas of grunge, dream pop, and psychedelia, flooding your ears with ambient vocals, metronomic drums, and trance inducing guitars.With a climatic middle and a synthesised conclusion, each genre that the track moves through rolls over you like a wave.

Jellyskin

With images of that Simpson's scene where a bunch of teens bob to Smashing Pumpkins, and the track's sonic waves crashing around you, She Sung Oceans truly is a transient hipster daydream.

Currently toying about with ideas of organising their own gig in Leeds, says guitarist Will, and with more songs in the pipeline, we can look forward to future for Jellyskin, because it's bound to be as big as Alison Goldfrapp's hair.

Find out for yourself and dive into the oceans that she (whoever that is) sang:
Jellyskin/SheSungOceans

sealand - Holy Head

sealand

Finding ourselves back in what seems to be the birthing pool of musical talent, the North, we find yet another little musical gem: sealand. Manchester students Rory Calland and Lucio Gray are the ambitious minds behind this post-punk-dream-pop-shoe-gazer combo that some would say is impossible to pull off. With two songs under their belt, this duo show off their musical diversity through a limited playlist.

Releasing said songs on their soundcloud in the same month, it's hard to tell that they were curated together. Their first track Vehicle is one of which is like Stone Roses spin off (somewhat like an indie equivalent of S Club 7's S club Juniors). But don't get it twisted, whilst the song has it's roots deep with the soil of their predecessors, it has a back bone that is completely their own. And even though the song may not sound as enticing as the idea of a fresh Mancunian newcomer, their second song Holy Head definitely changes this.

Holy Head

The song is slow but intense, and sounds as though Joy Division has had an anarcho-punk child, born holding a sitar. Creating a stream of consciousness that's just about audible, mixed with the overlapping drone of guitars and synths, sealand have made a song that makes you feel as though you're wandering round the unconsciousness of our generation. This hybrid of dream-pop and spoken word makes for an interesting listen to say the least, that could be controversial and meaningful but you might need to squint your ears to hear it. However, one thing that is for certain is that it's alluring and hypnotic, and once you've heard it it's as if you've bathed in the holy water of sealand.

Holy Head will also be featured on the band's independent DIY record label Sea of Skin Records (co-owned by their plan Jellyskin no less) first compilation album, which comes out on the 15th of this month. Keep your ears to the ground, as it won't be long until we're soaked through by the splash of sealand.

Swim with them in their serene pool:
sealand/souncloud
sealand/facebook
sealand/twitter

Sweet (20)16 in her Leather Boots.

As much as a new year is just another day with a different number, we start to reflect on the new things that are to come much more than any other time of year. As this happens, bands who may have previously just been lurking in the shadowy darkness of last years music scene begin to emerge left right and centre. So what a fitting time it would seem to comprise a short list of artists (in no particular order) who as we speak are crawling out of the woodwork and into our ear-holes.

1. Beach Baby

Source: Beach Baby

Despite a Google search for this band resulting in finding pictures of babies on beaches, and being pointed in the direction of First Class' 1974 hit Beach Baby this English Quartet are far from babies and although they are not First Class their music is nothing but. With the same management as that behind the jingly jangly Jungle, it comes as no surprise that their music carries the same dreamy feel, yet it is also completely different. The band's most recent release 'Limousine' (2015) is their first EP and what a way to start. With the songs on the EP they entered the music world with a setlist of post punk, shoe-gaze, surf pop hybrid that that is sweet like honey in your mouth.

2.Blossoms

Source: Blossoms 

After the unprecedented popularity of this leather-jacketed-long-haired five-some's hit Charlemagne it comes as no surprise that Blossoms are already making their mark on 2016's indie market. Seeking inspiration from the works of Alex Turner and ABBA, this band have created a sound that is not dissimilar to pop culture of the 00's; and their recent release At Most Just a Kiss is no exception to their signature funky fresh vibe. Although the band has been deemed to share the focal guitar rifts that such bands as the Arctic Monkeys have, their heavy sythns keep the their tunes funkier than the sounds of Wham!, proving that their roots are firmly grounded in the depths of glam-rock.

3. Tacocat

Source: Tacocat 

Seemingly 2015 was a quiet year for this surf-punk, Seattle based foursome, in contrast they begin 2016 with the strong statement I Hate the Weekend. Whilst most appreciate the luxury of the two days which make up the weekend, the band forces their typical comically piss-off outlook upon the way the weekend is  overcrowded with unbearable drunken businesswomen and men. The single follows the bands classic structure of creating a classic punk sound with unapologetically clever lyricism, keeping fans content with the burn! factor that reigns through their previous two albums. The band, arguably, kicks off the year with a kick up with a socially concious anthem that refuses to be ignored, and this is can only be expected for their thrid album 'Lost Time'.

4. Black Honey

Source: Black Honey

With an EP and three singles under their belt, this foursome come charging at you with the tenacity of freight train but in the dreamy way possible. And it is this that's given Black Honey such a rock n' roll reputation among the indie music scene. Arguably what makes their music stand out above the rest is their ability to combine psychedelic guitars of recent mainstream indie pop, with the lyricism and hearty fuzz tones you'd expect to hear from a 1960's garage band. With this in mind it feels as though the band has based their songs on the moto of something new, something borrowed and something blue making for the perfect collaboration of the old and new and creating a sound that's like a pool of blue you just want to dive straight into. Having already experienced the hype of their own headline show, and won the award for the Most Blogged Artist 2015, it feels safe to say that there are big things coming for this band, we can only but hope they don't 'want to sleep for ever'.

5. Sons of an Illustrious Father

Source: Sons of an Illustrious Father

Having remained relatively unnoticed around world, despite one of the band members being the actor (and angel) Ezra Miller, this New York based trio create deep nuance blues sounds like no other. And whilst the band have previously released two albums pre-2016, this year they plan to release their third album Revol, in March. Whilst fans anxiously anticipate the new album, Sons of an Illustrious Father keeps eager listeners excited with the single Conquest, starting the band's 2016 with a bang.

Conquest, is not only an amicable salute to both traditional folk artists and politically conscious punk bands, but is also a powerful homage to the intersectional feminists such as bell hooks and Andrea Smith- who lead singer Lilah Larson claims 'the song is deeply indebted lyrically to'. The hauntingly sweet song is accompanied by a graphic novel both written and illustrated by Lilah Larson. With an upcoming tour of the US and their upcoming album the band have a their hands full and the music world to conquer.

6. Bleached 

Source:Bleached

Made up of two sisters, the Calivins, Bleached are the veterans of LA's feminist punk girl group Mika Miko. Sticking with the theme of dirty-under-chipped-nails punk rock from their previous band, their music is aggressive and manic but still echoes the popular surf punk tunes. The girls undeniably resemble their 60's femme predecessors: combining a retro Shangri-La's coolness with mordern day rock and roll, similar to the like minded band Hunx and His Punx. Their 2016 release Keep On Keepin On sees bleached in all their glory, and with their second album set to release to release this year, as well as a world tour, this sister act is already giving 2016 a run for its money.

7. Inheaven

Source: Inheaven 

With an immaculate combination of the gloomy vocals, aggressive guitars overlaid by female harmonies Inheaven have managed to create a sound that, although is not dissimilar from their indie rock predecessors such as Jesus and The May Chain and Jimmy Eat World, is completely their own. Their unique sound almost embodies the unrelenting power of teenage angst, so it's no surprise that they style and music caught the eye (and ears) of The Strokes' Julian Casablancas who helped co-release the band's first single. Having already released two singles in 2015, this South London based quartet enter 2016 with a reputation that suggests that their music has so much unstoppable spiritual, kinetic energy that it has a life of it's own.

8. Estrons

Source: Estrons 

Estrons are a fearsome foursome who come charging at you from the Welsh seaside wielding the lyrics 'I'd like to make a man of you'. Whilst this song came out in 2015, and the only other song to their name is a welsh track C-C-Cariad, they prove that they are band not be messed with. The song Make A Man epitomises this exact notion: its political, punchy and powerful echoing fellow political-punk artists and takes no shit. The story behind the track is one 'of a heterosexual female's battle between desiring a man, whilst simultaneously finding herself having little respect for his self important ego and misogynistic attitude towards women' tells frontwoman Taliesyn Kallstrom, thus whilst their name means alien in Welsh their rebellious ideals are any but extraterrestrial. 2016 looks like a year that these Estrons will prove how out of this world they are.

9. Yuck

Source: Yuck

After a surprise appearance in 2015, with release of a new single, Yuck have returned once more this year armed with a pop-punk track that contagious as it gets; upholding their signature style and their reputation as a great UK garage band. Their new release Hearts In Motion successfully embodies the stress of modern day romance, where it’s hard for two hearts in motion to beat at the same time (much like the inability to find a match on tinder). The song itself ends ambiguously, leaving you wondering ‘Is it all just doomed to failure, or is it the one thing that we should be holding on to the most in this world?’(says singer Max Bloom), however 2016 for this band is anything but doomed to fail. Hearts In Motion is a mere taster of what’s to come from Yuck’s third album Stranger Things that’s due out next month.

10. The Magic Gang

Source: The Magic Gang

This rising foursome from Brighton dive straight into 2016 with their new release EP, making their mark on this years music scene. As musicians they have been compared to the likes of Weezer and the Beach Boys, and with sickly sweet guitars combined with lyrics of the mundane, and sometimes gloomy, side of life this comparison rings somewhat true. Across the cleverly named EP, The Magic Gang fuse illusion with reality, epitomised in their contrast between joyous melodies and wistful lyricism that is almost too real to handle. The band themselves claim that their music is for the 'mind, body and soul', and their EP truly displays this to be their mantra. With tunes that make you blissfully aware that life is a bit shitty sometimes it looks like a good year for this surprising relatable and charmingly melancholic quartet. 

Despite the year beginning with such sad loses to the music world it would seem that from here the only way is up. Roll on the hopefuls for this year. 

Music Menses

This is the first part of what will, hopefully, be monthly music segment, amply named music menses as much like a lady's womanly cycle it will be messy, most probably painful and is likely to be unpredictable. In the way of content, however, is hopefully where the feature will differ from the menses part and instead, provide a monthly instalment of new music from far and wide and all the right places.

Pixx herself
source: 4ad

To cut the metaphorical ribbon at the grand opening of 'Music Menses' is the celestial electronic-folk singer Pixx aka Hannah Rodgers. Whilst her home town of Chipstead isn't on the map for its musical luminary, her graduation from the Brit school tells a different story, as at only the age of 19 Pixx launches herself in the crowd of new notable creators such as likes of FKA Twigs and King Krule.

Her futuristic aesthetic combined with a classical melancholic tone not only sets her apart from many artists but also caught the eye of the credible 4AD- home to such epic bands as Beirut, Purity Ring and Pixies (!)- who no doubt signed her almost instantly. What with her Grimes-esk vibes and the folk themes similar to Iron and Wine the Record Label seems an undeniably perfect habitat for such an artist as Pixx, who herself claimed that "it's incredible to be welcomed with open arms to a label that is home to so many artists that have influenced me over the years."

Although the young chanteuse only recently released her EP 'Fall In', she has already made her mark in the indie music scene with her upcoming tour travelling all over the UK and performing in such popular music venues as Heaven in London and Patterns in Brighton. The EP itself maintains the same haunting tone throughout all four songs, yet that's not to say the songs are similar in any way, in fact they are all quite different from each other.

source: rockfeedback

Pixx begins her EP with the eponymous tune Fall In setting the tone for the chilled-futuristic-four-song adventure that you are about to embark on. Whilst the lyrics that state "we fall in and out and in and out" linger in your ears the next song fills you with an awkward displacement, but only in the best way possible; where you feel as though you are "weary and waiting" much like the song A Way To Say Goodbye claims.The shortest and most different song, Flee, follows and seems to stick out in between two very electronically driven songs, however, it's fair to say the almost classical interruption seems to express that this girl is versatile af and hats off to her. The fourth and final song Deplore seems to end on what we came here for and apparently it shows "from our head down to our toes".

Having seen her live, in the weirdest and most intimate space in the depths of Dalston (more to come), it's safe to say Pixx is as magical live as the EP promises. Her upcoming tour, mentioned above, still has tickets and the EP is available now, like right now, so get both here: Pixxmusic (you won't be disappointed).

We'll Light the Sky EP by Lyonn

If like me you've never heard of Lyonn well get listening. This Californian duo are coming at you with haunting vocals and tunes for the perfect come down. What with an EP, 'Promenade', already under his belt solo artist Tyler Gurlard made the decision to combine with songwriter/producer Attila Yavuzer to form what Lyonn is today, embodying the classic Spice Girls lyric "when two become one". Excitingly, since these two have become one, they have, only this month, released their first EP together: 'We'll Light the Sky'. After receiving an invitation to listen to the EP it only seemed fit to write about the contents of this fresh release.

It has been said that the duo fall into the alternative pop genre and what you find within the EP certainly expresses this kind of interpretation. The first song Empty Bed kicks the EP off with oscillating guitar chords and well timed crashing of cymbals. Arguably the song sets the tone for the rest of the EP enabling listeners to expect a somewhat uplifting pop-vibe to run throughout the four songs. 

The second song starts off with more pop-py tones and seemingly listener predictions ring true- what with the influx of 'jangly' sounds radiating from the start. However, once the wispy, polished, vocals begin it seems to take a different, more soulful approach. The lyrics are complimented with calming yet crashing sounds, which you'd expect to here from such bands as The 1975 or The Neighbourhood. There is a certain expectation for a titular song of an EP to be the most prominent, and I can agree that this song meets such an expectation.

On to the third song Shining Eyes, which begins with heavy guitars once again breaking listener predictions (keeping listeners on their toes). However, don't be discouraged as some upbeats synths and lavish keys soon follow, complimenting the style of the first number. One thing that stands out about this song, amongst the others, is how fast paced it is; reaching lyrical climaxes far quicker than the rest. What with it's staccato rhythm it's definitely one to move to.

We now come to the fourth and final song, titled Iceburg, taking a much more calming direction. Its building piano, from the start, gives it a suspenseful edge and climatic end, which is successfully combined with weighty lyrics making for a good crescendo. The much more meaningful approach seems like a fitting end to an emotionally charged EP.

Despite there only being four songs on this new released (duh it's an EP) the duo have managed to cover a lot of ground, musically of course. Well crafted and impressively mixed, the EP is full of alternative pop goodness. Although the genre isn't really my thing I can completely admire the hard work and appreciate how beautifully put together the EP is. So whether it is your thang or not Lyonn are definitely worth checking out, and with their sweeeeet sounds and chilled vibes their name is sure to be spread about.

Go find them here: https://twitter.com/LyonnTweets 

                   https://soundcloud.com/lyonnmusic