New Music – Black Rooster Black Shag, Native Roses, Momotaro, Normanton Street, The Wytches

Posted on 19/11/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Here’s some new music for you all – a few tracks from albums due to land next year, a video from an EP which came out earlier this year and a rather interesting cover…

Black Rooster Black Shag – Run Baby

Run Baby is the lead track from Black Rooster Black Shag’s 3 EP, out this week on EOI productions. Run Baby rocks harder than their debut Amsterdam, and has a very cool video to go with it, filmed around the streets of Brighton. Both singles feature on the band’s upcoming album As Far As My Lead Will Take Me, due in March next year.

Native Roses – Mainline

Mainline is the first track that’s come out from Native Roses forthcoming album Montpelier Blues, out on the first of January. The album will also feature four collaborations with Birdy, who was once a member of the band, but has gone onto bigger things.

Momotaro – Dust

In another first listen from an album due next year, Momotaro have shared Dust with us all. We’re looking forward to seeing Momotaro playing on Friday night at this month’s Source New Music supporting IYES.

Normanton Street – Wednesday Night Champions League

Normanton Street put up a video to their track Wednesday Night Champions League last week, filmed disconcerting close to where I live. Wednesday Night Champions League is taken from their Moves EP from earlier this year, which can be downloaded for free from their soundcloud page.

The Wytches – All That She Wants

The Wytches new single Robe for Juda is out the week. We already wrote about that a few weeks ago though, so instead here’s their cover of Ace of Base’s All That She Wants. Obviously.

October Top Ten

Posted on 03/11/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Somehow, we’ve turned two! Two years of gig going, photo taking, demo listening and doing out best to share the music we love coming out of Brighton. Here’s what we loved in October:

1 Eagles For Hands – Lisbon

Eagles for Hands gave out their new EP for free for a short while earlier in the month and the title track, which sounds not dissimilar to 808 State at the height of the powers has been our most played track this month. The free download is over now (you should have grabbed it when we told you about it!) but it’s worth every penny you’ll pay on iTunes.

2 Momotaro – Reverie
3 Gaps – Belong

Giving away a free track in return for signing up to a bands mailing list is the new black. Or something like that. Momotaro and Gaps are two of our favourite discoveries this year and you can get these tracks just for the price of an email address.

4 The Beautiful Word – Eating Me, Eating You

“It’s not rude!” Megan and Emily blush when they introduce this track live. Of course it’s not, but a bit of innuendo doesn’t do anyone any harm. The video for Eating Me, Eating You dropped this month, and the track appears on The Beautiful Word’s album Particles which we’ll be reviewing soon.

5 Electric Soft Parade – The Sun Never Sets Around Here

The Sun Never Sets Around Here in ESP’s new single to go alongside their minitour. The band have just announced a Christmas date at the Unitarian Church on 6th December. Get your tickets quick because it’s going to sell out fast.

6 Prince Vaseline – Sunset

Lovely lovely stuff from a Milke & Biscuits side project

7 Nordic Giants – Neotenie

Neotenie appears on part one of the Nordic Giants Build Seas Dismantle Suns double EP. We’ll be putting up something about part two – the Dismantle Suns half – very soon.

8 Yumi & The Weather – All We Can

The lead track from Yumi & The Weather’s debut EP (and it’s accompanying video) is a much sunnier track than the weather outside at the moment. We’ve had it on repeat to bring a bit of summer back into our lives. The Vondelpark rework that’s also on the EP is quite tasty too.

9 Moulettes – Songbird

Moulettes gig at Applefest (which we missed because we didn’t want caught in the torrential rain in Lewes), and their giveaway of this track reminded up just how much we love Moulettes. From the look of their Facebook / Twitter streams, they’re working on new material right now. Can’t wait!

10 Alice Amelia – #1000 Dreams

We rather liked Alice Amelia’s free download that she gave away earlier this month – sophisticated sparse piano and a lovely vocal. She’s playing down at Above Audio this Wednesday for free as well!

Above Audio Live – Momotaro & Faux Flux

Posted on 17/10/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Sometimes at this time of year, especially in the evenings, the seafront isn’t the most inviting of places but these days there’s a reason every Wednesday to head out that way. Above Audio have started holding regular live music nights, some run by the team there, some run by other promoters (we’ve been to a couple put on by Les Enfants Terribles). The main thing in common is that they’ve all had great local line ups.

Last night we were treated to Momotaro and Faux Flux, two bands who’ve been on our list of acts to see for a few months now. We wrote about Faux Flux’s Come Alive EP earlier this year, and the band had been on the bill at a number of gigs we’ve been to (including most recently IYES last week at the Prince Albert) but for one reason or another hadn’t managed to catch them until last night. More fool us, because live they’re an even better prospect than in recorded form. With drumming as taut and lean as Demelza Mather’s there’s no need for a drum machine and although they’ve recently been touting for a third member to help them out with bass / keyboard duties Alex Ensoll seemed to have everything under control.

Headliners last night were Momotaro, who have been on our radar since the summer. Their electronic dub translated really well to a live setting with reverb drenched samples triggered on various keyboards and on the electronic drum kit. It’s no surprise that Audio had a decent PA which made the bottom end sound great but also left plenty of space for the r’n’b influenced vocals. Momotaro have got some great songs and a setup which not only works well, but is different enough to make a lasting impression. We came away last night thinking we might just have found our favourite new Brighton band of 2013.

New Music

Posted on 01/10/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Here’s our regular round up of the latest Brighton music that we’ve come across, and if we can’t write about that with a blog name like ours, what can we?

Palm Springs – Could You Be Wrong

We took delivery of the 7″ of Could You Be Wrong a few weeks ago, but because of a bit of confusion on our part we put off writing about it until we thought it was out. Only we got the release date wrong. The track is four minutes of solid indie pop, well produced with catchy sha-la-la’s drawing you into the chorus. We liked it enough to put into our September Top Five blog post even though we hadn’t written about the track by then, and that should tell you how good we think it is. Flip Side ‘The Wake Of Us’ with it’s spoken word verses is pretty tasty too.

The Beautiful Word – Eating Me, Eating You

Speaking of tasty things, the video for the Beautiful Word’s new single is literally a food fight. Eating Me, Eating You has come out in advance of the band’s album Particles which hits the shelves in about six weeks time.

GAPS – Belong

At the moment GAPS aren’t putting a foot wrong. After the double A side Keep You / Cascade back in the summer, the duo have put out the more acoustic sounding Belong as a free download. GAPS are on the bill at the Green Door Store next Friday (11th October) supporting Pawws.

Eagles for Hands – Lisbon EP

Eagles for Hands put up their new EP as a free download today (after previously being for sale). We don’t know how long it’s going to be free, so grab it while you can. Head straight for the lead track Lisbon, or the blissed out House of track 4, Peaks.

Momotaro – Reverie

Momotaro’s new track Reverie is also available as a free download, in exchange for signing up to their mailing list. Fans of Momotaro’s r’n’b influenced electronic dub should head down to Above Audio on 16th October, when they headline, or the Green Door Store next Monday, when they support Landshapes

Maker – Hopeless (Champione Remix)

Maker posted up the original version of Hopeless about a year ago, but it’s been given a new electro lease of life by Champione, who impressed us with his Home EP earlier this year. Subtle synth pop has been transformed into effervescent anthemic house.

Theo Verney – Heavy Sunn

Theo Verney’s Heavy Sun EP is out later this month on Hate Hate Hate records, but the lead track is up now for all to hear. Heavy choruses collide with deceptively pop verses. Flip side Count It Up can also be heard over on Hate Hate Hate records’ Soundcloud page.

Natasha Khan & Jon Hopkins – Garden’s Heart

Brian Eno protege Jon Hopkins has provided the score for upcoming film How I Live Now, and has roped in Bat For Lashes for the single that goes with the soundtrack. Garden’s Heart is out on Partlaphone next monday and as well as vocal and writing credits, Natasha Khan also directed the video.

September Top Five

Posted on 30/09/2013 by brightonmusicblog

We’ve been away for half of September, so this month we’re just doing a Top Five rather than our normal Top Ten. Any good stuff we like from the last week or two may well make it into next month’s list. Anyway, without further ado:

1) Dog in the Snow – Fire in the Sky

At the top of the pile this month is Helen Ganya Brown’s latest haunting offering, available as a free download through soundcloud, and with a video that just went up online today:

2) Palm Springs – Could You Be Wrong

We’re the ones who’ve got things wrong about the new Palm Springs single. Their label, Random Acts of Vinyl, sent us a copy a few weeks ago and there was a bit of a mix up with release dates and we haven’t got around to doing a write up yet, even though it’s been out for a few weeks. We’ll be giving it a proper write up soon, but in the meantime, let it be known that it’s one of favourite tracks of recent weeks:

3) Luo – Spiral Staircase

Luo keeps churning out great music, which he keeps giving out for free, and was awesome at Sound Screen at the Corn Exchange earlier this month. This is our favourite track from his latest EP Imprints:

4) Momotaro – Embers

We got turned onto to Momotaro care of the new Green Door Store fanzine which has been popping up all around town. They’ve got got a bunch of free downloads up on Soundcloud, and Embers has had a lot of plays at Brighton Music Blog HQ:

5) Nordic Giants – Violent Lights

We only heard Violent Lights less than a week ago, but we’re big fans of Nordic Giants so we couldn’t not include it. The Build Seas EP which it’s taken from is out tomorrow.

New Music – Dog in the Snow and more

Posted on 09/09/2013 by brightonmusicblog

Here’s our latest post of the seemingly never-ending stream of fantastic new music from Brighton.

First up is a brand new dream pop download from Dog in the Snow. Fire in the Sky was produced by Steve Hillier, best known for his work in the nineties as a third of Dubstar, but the track owes more to Bat for Lashes and those who have followed her – haunting vocals, fuzzy guitars, a simple piano line and pounding drums.

Next up we’ve got a remix of Keep You by GAPS. The Paradise Remix brings in the beats earlier, loses some of the vocals and makes the whole thing far more dancefloor friendly.

After writing this weekend about how much we love Luo, we’re a little bit embarrassed to admit that we missed him putting out another EP a few weeks ago. Imprints is free four track download that shows that electronica needn’t be cold an inhuman.

Yesterday Ed Prosek announced the release of a new EP. Willow tree is five tracks of gentle acoustic folk, which you can listen to on bandcamp and buy on download or limited cd.

Ancient Times have a new 7″ out next monday. Double A side Nightschool / Hieroglyphic has two tracks of unashamedly Smiths influenced indie which you can order now through their bandcamp site.

Freefall is a new single from brother / sister due BASA. Things start a bit synth-pop but by halfway through things are definitely dubstep.

Last, but by no means least is Embers by Momotaro, who have been tipped in the second edition of Green Door Store’s new monthly zine as “Brighton Band To Watch”. At the moment, all of Momotaro’s music on Soundcloud is free to download, so go and feast your ears!

Weekend Gig Picks

Posted on 28/08/2013 by brightonmusicblog

It seems a bit early in the week to be posting up our regular weekend gig picks post, but we normally do it on a Wednesday, so here we are.

Tomorrow night’s gig pick is House of Hats, who are supporting alt folk legend Mark Mulcahy at Latest Music Bar.

There a loads of great gigs on Friday night – Les Enfants Terribles put on one of their regular gigs at the Blind Tiger with Salt Ashes, My New Favourite Tribe and Bent Cousin. Juice FM also have an all Brighton bill at The Haunt, with Yumi & The Weather, Astrid’s Tea Party and Bella Feud playing. Meanwhile Brighton Electric are holding a summer party, with Dog in the Snow, Jungfrau, Momotaro and Dissonants.

Saturday night’s choice is The Space Agency who are launching their new single Bombay Potatoes at the Horse & Groom.