Blossoms – Blossoms
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Mercury Prize 2016 shortlist announced
The most prestigious prize in British music has released it’s shortlist for album of the year. The list includes a posthumous nomination for David Bowie for his final album Blackstar, as well for Radiohead’s A Moon Shaped Pool making them the most nominated act in the award’s history. The final awards show will take place on 15th September where the list will be whittled down to a final 6 albums before the overall winner will be announced. For the first time the prize will include a public vote to decide one of the finalists. This year’s nominations are:
Anohni – Hopelessness
Bat For Lashes – The Bride
David Bowie – Blackstar
Jamie Woon – Making Time
Kano – Made in the Manor
Laura Mvula – The Dreaming Room
Michael Kiwanuka – Love & Hate
Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
Savages – Adore Life
Skepta – Konnichiwa
The 1975 – I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it
The Comet Is Coming – Channel the Spirits
Spotlight!: The Skeleton Keys
Nothing excites me more than a band that pushes themselves to their creative limits, joyfully embarking on sonic adventures with reckless abandon. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, The Skeleton Keys are just such a band. Though they have grown from indie roots, their music has blossomed into a multifarious marvel. ‘Cannonball’ features elements of funk, a dash of Noel Gallagher and some heavy alternative riffs. Tracks like the light and shade of ‘Blue Sky Believer’ and the effervescent ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ boast colourful melodies that are sure to leave a smile on your face, but also contain plenty of complexity to showcase the band’s superb musicianship. To top it all off their debut EP is adorned with some simply gorgeous artwork, which is always a plus! The Skeleton Keys have hit the sweet spot, the perfect mix between innovation and entertainment, and if their first release is anything to go by then we could have an award winning album in store one day.
Fans of Biffy Clyro, Queens of the Stone Age, Twin Atlantic and The Libertines should check out their debut EP Danger Island.
Album Review: Viola Beach – Viola Beach
Viola Beach – Viola BeachJack White plays the first vinyl record in space
Space …the vinyl frontier. Musical mad scientist Jack White has completed his mission to play the first ever vinyl record in space. A gold plated 12-inch master of Carl Sagan’s ‘A Glorious Dawn’ was played by the specially designed Icarus Craft, which consisted of a specially engineered turntable attached to a high altitude balloon to take it to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere. The world first came about thanks to former NASA member Kevin Carrico and the SATINS program who worked in collaboration with Jack White’s innovative label Third Man Records
The first Glastonbury live album announced
The world’s most famous festival has announced that it will be releasing it’s first ever companion live album entitled Stand As One. The compilation of performances from the 2016 festival is dedicated to the memory of the late Jo Cox MP and proceeds will go to Oxfam’s Refugee Crisis Appeal. It will be released digitally on 5th August, as a hard copy on 19th August and is available to pre-order now. The tracklisting is as follows:
- Coldplay – Birds
- Foals – What Went Down
- The Last Shadow Puppets – The Dream Synopsis
- Jeff Lynne’s ELO – Showdown
- Chvrches – Bury It
- New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
- Years & Years – Eyes Shut
- Jess Glynne – Right Here
- Muse – Starlight
- Wolf Alice – Giant Peach
- Editors – Munich
- Sigur Rós- Sæglópur
- John Grant – Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
- Richard Hawley – Tonight the Streets Are Ours
- Jack Garratt – Worry
- Laura Mvula – People
- Madness – My Girl
- Baaba Maal – Fulani Rock
- Jamie Lawson – Someone For Everyone
Album Review: The Amazing – Ambulance
The Amazing – AmbulanceTop Tracks: Daisy Victoria – Animal Lover
Socially anxious Suffolk songwriter Daisy Victoria has emerged from her woodland sanctuary with the title track of her latest EP. Alternative anthem ‘Animal Lover’ is an outlandish and engaging offering that charms from the offset with some compelling guitar work and striking vocals reminiscent of kindred spirit Kate Bush. All the best artists are just a bit mad and Daisy is no exception. Bolstered by a rich lyrical imagery, Daisy’s music paints a vivid picture which celebrates all the glorious strangeness of everyday life. She remains an intriguing character as well as an outstandingly talented artist. Her new EP Animal Style, recorded with producer Dan Austin (Pixies), is out 19th August and the title track is available on SoundCloud now.
Stagnant Streams: How streaming killed the charts
Let’s be honest with ourselves, for as long as the charts have existed they have had to be taken with a pinch of salt. “Chart topping” music and good music rarely coincide, and any institution that gives Mr Blobby a number 1 single can’t be said to represent the best music in the country. Even so chart placings remain a source of pride for up and coming artists who rightly celebrate them as a milestone. However with the new rules in place to allow streaming figures to contribute to chart positions it could end up being the final nail in the coffin for this longstanding music institution. Continue reading
Spotlight!: Kyle Britton
There’s something devilishly intriguing about the music on offer from this alternative singer/songwriter. The combination of dark folk undertones, the soft country twang and the sinister strings create a sound unlike anyone else, as though it has drifted through from some alternate reality. ‘Fire Walker’ dances around a haphazard bass line, ‘Villain’ could well be the theme song of some roguish desperado from a spaghetti western, whilst ‘Riddle’ is a wild cinematic ride all in itself thanks to the vivid pictures painted by the lyrics. With so much music in the world it’s rare to find an artist whose body of work is so unique and invigorating. Anyone whose music compels me to waltz through the streets whilst daydreaming about being some Victorian scoundrel gets a tick in my books. That is how you can pinpoint exceptional music, not only can you relate it to your own life, but it can also whisk you away to another world and leave it all behind.
Fans of Ryan Adams, Eaves, Lanterns on the Lake and Blackberry Smoke should check out his debut EP Riddle.
Belwood Music 