The Chairman Dances – Time Without Measure
Alternative | Folk | Indie Rock
66%
Top Tracks: Jack Cheshire – Join The Dots
Like the musical lovechild of Syd Barrett and Nick Drake, the latest psychedelic folk single from Jack Cheshire is delightfully quirky and quintessentially English. ‘Join The Dots’, taken from his upcoming fourth album Black Light Theatre released 7th April, begins with a trippy and off-kilter pastoral shuffle, before building towards a gorgeous climax of soaring strings and airy harmonies. Based around the idea of the worlds we create for ourselves in order to avoid unfaceable truths, this track is a unique and memorable listen. If you are looking for sonic equivalent of some masterful impressionist painting then you won’t get much closer than this. A truly beautiful single, and surely a sign of a stunning album on the horizon.
Top Tracks: Order of Voices – Long For Air
Alternative rockers Order of Voices are at their most passionate and purposeful with this new single from their latest album Constancy. ‘Long For Air’ takes a step back from the Sheffield quintet’s more proggy side, and instead delivers a no-nonsense wall of sound that demands your full attention. Much like the furious fighting and training of the accompanying music video, the track is a real tour de force when it comes to the sheer drive and raw energy at work, but never once falters when it comes to the technical side of the music. This song, a full-blooded rock anthem about battling through adversity, really delivers on what it promises and makes it clear for all to see that the band are a force to be reckoned with.
Top Tracks: Simian Ghost – Stop Moving
I’ve never known a song so incorrectly titled, as I don’t believe there’s anyone in the world that can resist the urge to dance when this track plays. Swedish band Simian Ghost have produced the most infectiously upbeat track of the year thus far with their new single ‘Stop Moving’, taken from their upcoming eponymous album. It combines bright indie riffs, funky bass lines and a throwback feel-good disco atmosphere. Imagine a collaboration between Vampire Weekend and Nile Rodgers of Chic and you won’t be far off the vibe that this track creates. It’s rare to find a song with such universal appeal, and rarer still for it to be such a shimmering beacon of positive energy. Give in to temptation, surrender to the song, and start grooving to ‘Stop Moving’.
Top Tracks: Little Person – Solemn Is The Only Word
New York indie rockers Little Person are here with their latest single. ‘Solemn Is The Only Word’, taken from their upcoming EP I Feel Fine released 3rd April, combines a laid-back groove that wouldn’t sound amiss coming from some Parisian Jazz club, with subtle 60s psychedelics, a meandering bass line and some lush acoustic balladry to create a mellow and trippy soundscape. Drawing inspiration from so many sources, this duo is hard to pin down. These multi-instrumental twins, Max and Nicky Weinbach, have crafted their own unique sound that is sure to appeal to a wide range of music fans. As gentle as a summer breeze and as sweet as a rare wine, this is a perfect track for chilling out when the stress of modern life gets too much.
Album Review: Frances – Things I’ve Never Said
Frances – Things I’ve Never SaidTop Tracks: Rival Karma – Scream
Every so often we all need a dose of no-nonsense hard rock to help us brush off our troubles, face the world head on and embrace our inner badass, and this London based quartet are just the prescription you need. With their new single ‘Scream’, with its heavy blues rock riffs, gritty vocals and uncompromising attitude, Rival Karma are perfect for fans of The Answer, Wolfmother, The Temperance Movement and Rival Sons. It’s rare to find hard rock of this high standard these days, which makes Rival Karma all the more memorable. It’s no stretch of the imagination that these guys could soon be the next big name in the scene. The lads are playing a headline show at The Islington London on 13th April, as well as performing at Camden Rocks this June.
Chuck Berry passes away
There are many artists who can deservedly be called legends, but if we were to look back through modern music history and pick out the most important and influential figure of all time, surely there is only one answer. Chuck Berry pioneered rock and roll; he took the old school rhythm and blues, injected it with a rebellious energy that was unique for the time, and changed music forever. With tracks such as ‘Johnny B Goode’ and ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, and his wild stage antics, he influenced everyone from Elvis and The Beach Boys, to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. The sheer volume of music that can trace its lineage directly back to him is simply unfathomable. This revolutionary music icon passed away aged 90, but so long as people exist and make music his legacy will carry on.
Top Tracks: Trapdoor Social – Winning As Truth
There are few bands that are up to the high standard of this LA group when it comes to being good role models. Almost every step of their career thus far has seen them helping out numerous good causes, including local charities and campaigning for green energy. As if all that wasn’t enough, they’ve also come out with a brilliant new single. ‘Winning As Truth’, taken from their eponymous debut, hits out at those that claw their way to the top at any cost, and how in the end they wind up losing more than they gain in terms of admiration and respect. The track’s time-hopping music video features some superb imagery and storytelling, the subtleties of which you could spend months decoding. These guys seem too good to be true; if there’s a catch I sure as hell haven’t found it.
Top Tracks: No Vacation – Mind Fields
A year after their break-up, San Francisco dream pop band No Vacation are back with a brand new track. ‘Mind Fields’ is a bright and airy belter that boasts a spellbinding soundscape and a real attention grabbing bass interlude. Though it was penned as an ode to break-ups, this wistful track is teeming with optimism as it looks towards the future. This song is a single ray of sun piercing through the haze, illuminating the last glistening thread of positivity to guide the way through the darkest times of a break-up. With its catchy hooks and comforting atmosphere it’s the kind of track that will keep you coming back for more. This kind of gorgeous dream pop is making a real comeback as of late and ‘Mind Fields’ is up there with the best that you’re likely to hear.
Belwood Music 