Garden Centre are both subtle and not-at-all subtle. Their sound is led by chief singer/songwriter Max Levy, whose voice sounds like Wand’s Cory Hanson if he inhaled a ton of helium and lived in a mushroom-shaped dwelling from a children’s book. Levy’s high-pitched vocals might be off-putting at first, but it doesn’t take long to warm up to them, especially when they pair so well with his fantastical lyrics and off-kilter instrumentals. Garden Centre released their latest album, A Moon for Digging, last year on Brooklyn’s Kanine Records, and its leisurely, oddball pop songs à la Daniel Johnston are heartwarming at the very least, and at most: an absolute emotional tidal wave.
Multi-instrumental South African singer/songwriter Julia Church relocated to London aged only 18 to specialise in music production and develop her career. Rather than work behind the scenes, she instead found herself in front of the mic and his massively grown her online presence thanks to a series of impressive single releases, the latest of which is her delicately strong number ‘Shiloh’.
Shiloh, by Julia Church, resonates within. She possesses a unique ability to create highly emotive songs with meaning. Her debut single Square 1 was released in 2019, which we greatly admired. And now Shiloh, the reflective mood set by the piano is a backdrop to her lyrics which are gentle and delicate. It accentuates her vocals, immersing you deep in the music, allowing you to absorb the message and intention of Shiloh.
“Shiloh” means place of peace. Shiloh is about my complex relationship with self-worth and making peace with who I am, in order to love someone else.” – Julia Church
The melody is highly emotive, and as Julia sings the chorus, it seeps into your core, and you feel a connection – it strikes your heart.
You can see Julia when she plays London hotspot The Lexington on Thursday 16th of April –
Last year, LIFE broke their Humberside confines to become a truly national, if not international, sensation after their second album ‘Picture Of Good Health’ saw them established as a real force to be reckoned with through a marriage of punk anger and post-Britpop appeal. Adapting the left-wing politics of the first LP ‘Popular Music’ and framing them through their own personal everyday experiences with the distinct gritty texture of living in Hull, their second record chimed with British audiences and listeners across the continent as they gigged heavily, hit the European festival circuit and played support on IDLES world tour.
Continuing to develop their sound, Life have once again returned to the studio and returned with new single ‘Switching On’ which embraces greater experimentation and seems to take its quest from such tightly lacerating yet claustrophobic bands as Suicide and Big Black.
“After completing ‘A Picture of Good Health’ I felt like I belonged in the world, lyrically painting over the bone – eating demons, I wanted to express why this was. I wanted to scratch it out like people do on woodland trees or moorland rocks. It was love; I found love. ‘Switching On’ is my lyrical attempt of charting that journey; the initial giddy, nervous and pinch – me moments, the wanting to be accepted, the lust and the incredible feeling of finding that person and falling in love. The band wanted to be open to all aspects of musicality so that the lyrics were given an aural heart. We wanted to be brave, bold and exciting as we evolve our sound and rhythms by bringing in elements of synths, pads, machines and pure bass and guitar experimentation. ‘Switching On’ is a nod to where we want to be and where we are going; the future.” – Mez Green
Accompanying the single is the post punk upstarts answer to Wes Anderson in the form of a promotional video adapting the colour palettes and symmetrical shots for which the acclaimed cult director is famed. The mini movie was made with the help of local filmmaker and long term visual collaborator Josh Moore who have succeeded in capturing the tension of the track, as told through the suffering of plants losing at love and life in a sequence of desperate video dates.
Currently causing chaos in NYC, they return to plagued Europe to tour next month with dates around the UK in April.
“Just Like Heaven” features 16 cover versions of Cure favorites by a bevy of indie artists, including; The Wedding Present, Dean & Britta, The Rosebuds, Tanya Donelly & Dylan in the Movies, The Submarines, Elk City, Class Actress, Joy Zipper, Black Francis, and so many more. Mastered by West West Side Music (Galaxie 500, The Wrens, Fleetwood Mac). Original illustrations and artwork by Melinda Rainsberger.
These tribute albums have become so ubiquitous and are so generally asinine that this one comes as a genuine, and at times quite moving, surprise. It’s not just that the artists who contributed are clearly doing so without any of the usual ironic detachment, but also that many of them have clearly thought very carefully and often very insightfully about their arrangements and interpretations. Elizabeth Harper & the Matinee deliver a sweetly sad and admirably straightforward version of “Pictures of You,” one that clears away the layers of gauzy, torpid psychedelia that characterized the (excellent) original version to create a song that has a very different spirit without sacrificing anything of its essence. Cassettes Won’t Listen give “Let’s Go to Bed” a slightly stiffer, more electro interpretation — again, one that reveals a depth of regret and bitterness that was better hidden in the original. It should probably come as no surprise that Tanya Donelly would pick the slightly creepy “Love Cats” to cover, in a duet version with the gruffly insinuating Dylan in the Movies turn “Close to Me” into a strangely detached disquisition on the obsession and self-disgust that animated the original, while Kitty Karlyle turn “In Between Days” into a brilliantly edgy slab of rough-and-ready pop-punk. Not every interpretation is equally brilliant, but every one of them shines an interesting new light on this powerful material.
“An outstanding compilation… this is a must for all Cure fans“ – NYC Daily News “A genuine, and at times quite moving, surprise.“ – All Music Guide “Indie darlings past and present come together to repaint the mood swinging lyrics and remix the eternal sunshine of The Cure hits.“ – Rolling Stone
After five years out of the spotlight, Sophie Jamieson has returned with brand new track ‘Hammer’. Our first glimpse into a bigger body of work, this beautiful new song sees Sophie back doing what she does best, delivering the goods with her gorgeous ethereal style and raw lyricism.
“This is the first in a wider group of songs that explore self-destruction, self-medication, and trying to understand how to cope,” she explains. “This song is a window into the less positive or constructive ways of dealing with overwhelming feelings. But most of all it’s about accepting them.
I’ve changed a vast amount since the songs I wrote 5, 6, 7 years ago…but I’ve kept a fascination for the ugliest of human emotions. The ones you keep to yourself. Because those eat you up from the inside…and the ones that bring comfort when you hear them from someone else’s mouth. They’re the emotions I strain to hear in other people’s music, and which ultimately, are evidence of our humanity. To accept them, to see their complexity and ultimately their beauty is one of the most peaceful things I think you can do.”
Brooding band False Heads first formed in 2015 and have spent the years developing a cult following, drawn to their atmospheric songs, bursting with intensity. Now, they prepare to break the mainstream with their first full length record.
‘It’s All There But You’re Dreaming’ is the debut album from the grungy trio and is reminiscent of the masterpiece records from the late 90’s which married anthemic walls of distortion with dark introspection and angry political outbursts. Hailing from the outskirts of East London, False Heads formed in 2016. Behind the energy of their live shows, the trio quickly thrust themselves into punk-rock limelight, catching the attention of Punk’n’Roll legend Iggy Pop, ex Ramones manager Danny Fields and music tastemaker Rodney Bingenheimer. Having quickly graduated from playing empty rooms in London to supporting The Libertines on a sold-out tour, the buzz around the young band is undeniable. False Heads are Barney Nash (Vocals & Drums), Luke Griffiths (Vocals & Guitar) and Jake Elliott (Bass).
‘It’s All There But You’re Dreaming’ is released by independent label Lovers on Silver Vinyl LP, MP3 + CD and sees the troika show off their new material with a Brighton show in Latest Music Bar on Saturday 5th of April.
John Fogerty performs Creedence Clearwater Revival classics in the latest installment of Rolling Stone’s “In My Room,” a new IGTV series in which musicians perform from their homes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Fogerty’s performance follows Brian Wilson‘s and Angelique Kidjo‘s. The clip opens with Fogerty sitting in his yard, decked in his signature flannel and accompanied by his dog named Creedence. “These are certainly different times that we’re living through,” he says. “Wash your hands … nobody really knows how long this is going to last, but the better we do at taking the advice of medical people, the shorter it will be.”
“I’m sure we’re all going stir crazy after 10 days or so of doing this,” he continued. “And I thought I’d go outside and get some fresh air and maybe sing a couple of songs. Be well, everyone.”
He then struck the acoustic guitar with the iconic strum from “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” off of 1971’s Pendulum. “Someone told me long ago/There’s a calm before the storm,” he sings. “I know, it’s been comin’ for some time.”
It’s long been thought that “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” is about the Vietnam War, with the rain symbolizing bombs. However, Fogerty diffused this to Rolling Stone in 1993, saying it was about CCR and the tension they were experiencing, ultimately leading to their breakup in 1972. “That song is really about the impending breakup of Creedence,” he said. “The imagery is, you can have a bright, beautiful, sunny day and it can be raining at the same time. The band was breaking up. I was reacting: ‘Geez, this is all getting serious right at the time when we should be having a sunny day.’ “
The scene then shifts to inside Fogerty’s home studio, as he appears in a different flannel shirt (one must wonder what his closet looks like) and performs the beloved CCR song “Bad Moon Rising.” “Look’s like we’re in for nasty weather,” he suspects. “One eye is taken for an eye.”
For the final song, “Long As I Can See the Light,” Fogerty relocates to a piano in his living room, flanked by candles and a fireplace behind him. He performs the tender track from 1970’s Cosmo’s Factory, singing, “Put a candle in the window/’Cause I feel I’ve gotta move/Though I’m going, going/I’ll be coming home soon.”
Fogerty’s upcoming shows in April have been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
New Orleans–based singer-songwriter Esther Rose has released a cover of Sheryl Crow’s 1998 track “My Favorite Mistake.” The track was recorded live to live at New Orleans’ Tigermen Den.
“When people ask what kind of music I play I generally tell them ‘country & folk,’ but the truth is my band has a secret genre for my songwriting style which they call ‘’60s/’90s’; this weird blend of late-’60s folk and early-’90s alternative rock,” Rose said in a statement. “‘My Favorite Mistake’ somehow slides right into that comfort zone. My band and I had a lot of fun coming up with our own arrangement; Dan Cutler is playing that iconic guitar riff on upright bass, we slowed down the tempo, and I changed a couple words to make it a little more hopeful.”
Last year, Rose released her sophomore record, You Made It This Far, via Father/Daughter Records.
Written by Sheryl Crow (BMI) and Jeff Trott (ASCAP)
Vocals: Esther Rose
Fiddle: Lyle Werner
Bass: Dan Cutler
Lap Steel: Matt Bell
Guitar & Vox: Max Bien-Kahn
Drums & Vox: Cameron Snyder
It would be fair to say that Celebrated By Strangers, the second album from Glasgow’s Catholic Action, has had a complex gestation, with recordings sessions for the record dating back to at least 2017. While promoting their debut record In Memory Of, singer and guitarist Chris McCrory told us that he wanted the follow-up “to change what it means to be in a guitar band” and feature My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields on guitar. This is not that record. After all, the biggest change here isn’t sonic but the frontman’s own decision to confront injustice and let rip.
Musically Catholic Action are still deeply indebted to the sound of classic rockers like Status Quo, The Cars and T. Rex with opener Grange Hell’s noisy intro giving way to two minutes of jittery power-pop and several tracks featuring guitar solos worthy of striking a pose to.
Lyrically though they have pushed on a long way from their debut. Almost every track here has some kind of political message. Lead single One of Us is a noisy masses-against-the-classes throw down with McCrory proclaiming himself ‘the welfare son of a welfare son’. It’s a track that the singer describes as “written as a direct response to what I see happening in the UK – a country ravaged by poverty and a disintegrating social fabric of increasingly isolated and intoxicated people.”
Elsewhere from the sprightly indie disco of People Don’t Protest Enough to the closing Four Guitars (For Scottish Independence), McCrory sees the state of the world and decides he’s had enough. While there is a debate to had over whether retro rock is the most progressive or convincing medium with which to sell this message, his commitment and zeal is impressive.
They’ve not forgotten how to write a melody either. Another Name For Loneliness has a swooping vocal and a keyboard line that threatens to resolve into a David Bowie song at any second, while Sign Here is an explosive ballad that seems to address exploitation in the music business.
At times it feels like a strange fusion of medium and message but it’s a triumph that Catholic Action manage to imbue an increasingly staid format with some revolutionary zeal.
