The most underrated and under-appreciated album of the year pitches the Canadian singer-songwriter at a perfect crossroad of enigmatic lyrics and a peaceful melodic core. It has a warmth among the monochrome/grey aesthetic that can be found on it’s greatest cuts (Like Trees, Chains) that is such a fine balance to strike, yet Cousins does it with ease. Natural Conclusion is a tranquil record and one of the standard bearers, coming right at the start of the year, that set the tone for the fabulous female releases that would follow this year.
For so many artists the transition from independent releases to the major label league means giving up control, creative freedom and often relying upon team members to steer the project. This is something Maggie Rogers had been reluctant to consider, but she quickly realised upon signing – with Polydor in the U.K. and Capitol in the U.S. – that not things were different from the horror stories she’d imagined.
“I think the biggest surprise of all was actually a really nice surprise,” she says. “I had all these meetings with all these record labels and I wasn’t really sure what to make of them. I come from a culture that isn’t very sure of what to make of record labels, but what I came away with from the process was that people who work at record labels are really good people who really love music.”
With her Glastonbury set this weekend, a moment which is certain to be pivotal for the young star-in-waiting, the anticipation of a follow up track or project from Rogers to better Now That The Light Is Fading is skyrocketing. Knowing Maggie Rogers beautifully measured approach to winning people over, online and on-stage, she won’t disappoint.
You never know quite what you’re going to get with a new Goldfrapp record, which is part of the reason for AlisonGoldfrapp’s enduring appeal. (A great deal of the rest of it comes from her ever-wondrous voice.) For this record, her first in four years, she’s enlisted a fascinating duo of producers: über-producer John Congleton, and Tri Angle dark noise stalwart The Haxan Cloak. The first single, “Anymore”, sounds a lot like Black Cherry-era Goldfrapp, which is wonderful news with us.
Growing up in Boston, Rachel Platten recalls harmonizing with her family to finely crafted pop songs – from Sam Cooke to The Beatles – that dominated her parents’ vinyl collection. As a teenager, Rachel gravitated towards, and began to become affected by, hip-hop and female singer-songwriters. “My CD collection was Tori Amos and Patti Griffin but then A Tribe Called Quest and Nas.” The commonality between the two seemingly different genres: confessional and vulnerable songwriting. Singing in various bands in New York Rachel went solo and booked herself on a coffee shop tour before collating her demos into an album and releasing single “1000 Ships” on an indie label. Her first single through Columbia “Fight Song” followed in 2015 and Wildfire is available now.
“Full of sharp turns, heavy lyrics, and bursts of righteous anger. A fierce will to survive animates these lean, scrappy songs.” – Pitchfork
“A hunk of sweet power pop that’s instantly delightful, but melts quickly.” – Bandcamp
“Everything about All Belief is Paradise is gripping.” – Post-TrashAfter years of playing bass in multiple bands across the Brooklyn music scene, Nicholas Cummins is releasing All Belief is Paradise, the debut full-length for their first songwriting effort, Fits. Songs that began as vocal and bass loops recorded to voice memo as a way for Cummins to express their own desires and songwriting designs, have evolved into effusive power-pop songs with the help of close pals drummer Brian Orante, Joe Galarraga (Big Ups) on guitar and Emma Witmer (gobbinjr) on bass.
All Belief is Paradise, named after a line in a Lisa Robertson’s The Weather, honors the spirit of the early material while unveiling Fits’ evolution into a fully formed band. These songs are quick, loud, and rarely content with sticking to any one style, often holding for meditative intervals before launching into full-throttle caffeinated pop. The therapeutic drive behind the songs and the genuine fun of the group’s dynamic make Paradise a rewarding listen and Fits a band that can more than hold its own. Throughout the album Fits shows they’re capable of being thoughtful and bratty, accessible and weird, and tackling it all with confidence, humor, and great hooks. Many of Cummins’ lyrics are intentionally difficult to follow, but each song conveys its own individual feeling. There’re puffy power-pop cuts like “Hot Topic,” “All The Time” and “Superdead;” moody, bassy ventures like “Drop Thistle,” “The Ground,” and “How Did You;” and urgent punk rippers like “Running Out” and “Mango;” each delivering their sentiments sonically rather than with lyrical specificity.
On their new album, the duo of Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore continue channeling the retro warmth of ’70s pop. But their lyrics can drip with sarcastic self-effacement, adding bite to their sound.
“Ladies Don’t Play Guitar” is more pointed. Here, Moore offers a send-up of female-as-male-muse, adding bite and an incisiveness that feels new for this band. “Ladies don’t play guitar/ Ladies don’t get down down to the sound of it,” she sings. “Maybe we can play pretend?” Moore, of course, does play guitar; on Yours Conditionally, she also contributes keys, piano, and some percussion. As she presents a caricature of a woman on the sidelines supporting her rock-star-lover’s dreams—“Ladies just need your love… I can be the archetype of whatever you’re feeling”—she undermines it immediately with her presence in the song.
Communions, made up of brothers Martin & Mads Rehof and high school friends Jacob van Deurs Formann and Frederik Lind Köppen, began in 2014, releasing their debut EP Cobblestones, followed by a 7″ & EP. These releases, as well as the forthcoming 7″, precede the band’s anticipated debut album & showcase Communions’ distinctive sound full of transcendent melodies, delicate guitar lines & emotive pop-leaning rock songs.
The quartet came together at Copenhagen’s infamous venue-cum-rehearsal space, Mayhem, they wilfully took chances with their music to see if they could arrive somewhere else. It was the band’s conviction that let them land here intact, and with a collection of songs that chart their journey.
“Blue” makes the most of everywhere Communions have been. And through all of this the stakes have changed, but the sensitivity and craft with which the band takes risks has bloomed. An eloquence now shines through, and you can take it or leave it. Discarding some of the moodiness found in their previous recordings, Blue tells us what was always natural to Communions. It’s about love, and taking chances, it’s about trying something, and it still doesn’t matter if there’s apprehension—it’s better when you’re too busy to notice. The youthful confusions and exaggerated sentiments are there, though this time it’s captured with a newfound maturity. It’s a change in perspective presented in pop.
Kowloon Records is proud to present Erased Tapes‘ composer/sound designer Ben Lukas Boysen’s stunning rework of Tom Adam’s poignant “Fade”. His shimmering rework makes remarkable use of the song’s swelling atmospheres and sparse minimalist instrumentation, building the song up to a riveting crescendo. Originally taken from Adam’s ‘Voyages By Starlight’ EP, Boysen’s thoughtful rework breathes new life into the moving, pastoral ballad.
Check out the original and Official music video for Tom Adams debut EP track ‘Fade’
Composer / electronic musician Tom Adams grew up near Cambridge, the flattest part of the UK. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, Tom’s heart has found a home in the wild and mountainous places of this earth. This love of nature is an ever present voice in his work, lending a widescreen quality to his music, from intimate piano moments to mountainous waves of sound.
He started playing the piano at a young age, and soon discovered that improvising and creating new music came a lot more naturally than reading dots on a page. This discovery blossomed when he bought his first guitar as a teenager and Tom soon started to write his own songs, his haunting voice has drawn comparisons to singers like Thom Yorke and Jeff Buckley. Going on to study music at the University of York he had the opportunity to work with both classical and electronic music, the combination of which has become the defining aspect of his sound.
Combining his natural ability to improvise with his classical training and electronic music knowledge Tom is able to move seamlessly between styles whilst always maintaining a strong overall aesthetic. The result is a breathtaking and beautiful musical experience that is a perfect soundtrack to mountains and wild beaches.
Kowloon Records is a London based independent record label focusing on releasing avant-garde / electronic music. Kowloon’s mission is to create a meeting point for brilliant musicians from around the world, bound by a visionary belief in the power of art
Tica Douglas is an artist that is able to pull the beauty from our desperations, weaving them into narratives that feel reassuring and real. Douglas gives us something to hold on to; acknowledging the ambiguity of the world with thoughtful prose and an unhurried, delicate structure that allows their ruminations to sink into our own perceptions of the world. Our Lady Star of the Sea, Help and Protect Us is a collection of lyrically-driven, sincere songs of comfort.
all songs written by Tica Douglas
vox/guitar/harmonium/farfisa/piano: tica douglas
synth bass: ryan dieringer
drums: alex tkill
percussion (and drums on ‘familiar): lee falco
guitar: kyle morgan
On first hearing the Gracie And Rachel song “Only a Child,” I was struck by the tension and the mystery, both musically and lyrically: “I’m moving my mouth but I don’t say a word/My ears are open but nothing is heard/I’m only a child, only a child.”
Gracie Coates, the primary singer and keyboard player, wrote and told me, “It was this notion of going in circles, trying to move forward but constantly feeling like I was right back where I’d started.” Along with Rachel Ruggles on a violin processed through various pedals, the two Berkeley California high school friends – now New York loft-mates – have made one of my favorite albums of 2017. Together with percussionist Richard Watts, a huge bass drum, and electronic drum pads, the group mixes classical training with pop hooks, and curiosity with uncertainty.
Gracie and Rachel are two high school friends from Berkeley, Calif. now making music as roommates in New York City. There’s a mix of classical and pop in their music, with Rachel Ruggles on her sonically-treated violin and Gracie Coates doing much of the lead singing and pop-leaning melodies on keyboards. And it’s that tension between styles that makes the songs on this album stand out.
The complex tunes they beautifully reproduced in this thrilling Tiny Desk performance are from the group’s debut, self-titled album released back in June of this year.
