Listen: Offer - "Offer"

Photo by Gareth Kime

Late last year when Harry Burgess of Adult Jazz and Jack Armitage aka Lil Data premiered their collaborative project Offer with the pastoral hymnal reminiscent twelve minute debut single "Day Away", they teased more music on the horizon. Now nearly five months later, they've loosed eponymous single "Offer" which trades the meticulous unfurling craftsmanship of "Day Away" for a much more insistent slice of cacophonous experimental pop.

Where "Day Away" was narratively focused and every element of it's composition served to heighten the track's sense of drama, "Offer" is all lyrical coyness  and compositional grandeur. Trying to wrestle against and distract from its vulnerability with ear-catching pyrotechnics. Burgess quickly dispenses with the lyrics early - presenting nearly every iteration of bridge-hook-chorus before the song is even half over and that's when things truly get unpredictable. Armitage sets out a flurry of spectacular effects, previously building throughout the tracks verses and first and secondary choruses and Burgess' voice becomes but an other instrument for him to direct. They're pitched up, doubled, spliced, and otherwise affected to form a part of the track's sort of disorienting tension and compulsory catharsis. "I don't wanna offer it up to you, don't wanna offer to you" Burgess sings, trying to tramp down his feelings but Armitage's stellar production works as the response to Burgess' call as sounds zip and ping and are otherwise loosed. They never quite reach all out chaos but there's a measured sense of disorder: a lack of control without letting everything get completely away from them.

"Offer" and "Day Away" are complimentary, similar in theme if not tone and essentially having their development happen inversely. Where "Day Away" is a gentle crescendo into it's climactic moments - starting from nothing, peaking, and then ebbing away slower and slower until it's brassy fanfare brings things to a close, "Offer" is immediate, frenetic in its presentation without losing the polish on its production. "Day Away" aspired to folk ballad stature with each of its sounds intending to recall something more or less organic, "Offer" doesn't hesitate to utilize effects and sounds that are in no way meant to recall man-made ones.

Listen to the second single "Offer" now:

Listen: Cosmo Sheldrake - "Mind Of Rocks" ft Bunty

photo by Simon Wolf

While English singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and producer Cosmo Sheldrake's previous releases "The Moss" 7", and his debut EP Pelicans We have established Sheldrake as an exceptionally talented songwriter, producer, and musician, "Come Along", the first single from Sheldrake's upcoming debut full length record The Much Much How How and I, displayed an ability to balance subtle minimalism but also incredible pop maximalism that was enough to get me properly excited for Sheldrake's full length debut and second single "Mind Of Rocks" continues to demonstrate Sheldrake as an incredibly versatile creator as well as upend all expectations of what to expect on the upcoming full length.

Despite the lack of Sheldrake's own vocals in favor of the heavily featured Brighton based artist Bunty, "Mind of Rocks" continues to weave Sheldrake's intricate production with his ever curious use of field recordings. Panamanian bats, a Scottish gale, and one of Sheldrake's beat-boxing lessons is but a few of the sounds he builds the track on. While Sheldrake hasn't shied away from being non-featured on vocals before - see "Rich" from Pelicans We which featured Andreyah Vargas, a friend of Sheldrake's, the different in the two tunes lays in the fact that the vocals in "Rich" still largely depended on Sheldrake's skillful deployment of Vargas' pre-recorded vocal samples. The result was a sort of chopped up effect that fit perfectly with the cacophonous bolder smashing Sheldrake utilized as the backbone beat of the track. "Mind Of Rocks" sees Sheldrake giving up some of the control for Bunty's more svelte, freer vocal performance. It's a track that relegates Sheldrake almost entirely to a producer role which he's proven exceptionally gifted at so far. Even as he brings in veteran composer/producer and fellow field recording enthusiast Matthew Herbert as co-producer.

And yet, there's no denying "Mind Of Rocks" is far less lush and complicatedly layered than some of Sheldrake's previous efforts - especially the multitudinous first single "Come Along" from his upcoming full length debut. But sparse - or sparser than he's been recently is refreshing and definitely provides an effective showcase of Bunty's vocals.



Cosmo Sheldrake's debut full length The Much Much How How and I is out April 6th on Trangressive with pre-order available now.

Listen: Cosmo Sheldrake - "Come Along"

The last I actually heard from English multi-instrumentalist/producer Cosmo Sheldrake, it was when I had essentially followed him around CMJ 2015, he's since done a couple of dates in the UK but remained relatively quiet as he worked on his debut full length record and follow up to his Pelicans We EP. Now with a Europe tour with Johnny Flynn underway and his own headlining tour to follow soon after, he's decided to set free "Come Along", the first single from his aforementioned work-in-progress debut full length.

On his auspicious return "Come Along", Sheldrake essentially swings for the fences going the absolute biggest he can. There's a large grandiose build full of brass fanfare before everything dips out and Sheldrake's vocals enter. Much like his most exciting Pelicans We cuts, Sheldrake balances English folk and folklore references with polished production. Though his aim is dramaticism, that doesn't mean Sheldrake's lost his subtle touch and his builds are organic, his deployment woodwinds and glockenspiel in the quieter moments are spectacularly intricate enough that the first beat-heavy climactic peak is almost unexpected. "Come Along" essentially luxuriates in these ebbs and flows while Sheldrake uses them to display not only his mastery of typical pop songcraft but his more singer/songwriter rooted lyricism while "Come Along" itself is an piece of artful production. Sheldrake hears music in everything and much like his previous songs built on some unexpected and decidedly nonmusical element like rock-splitting on "Rich" or NASA captured sound of the sun in the appropriately named "Solar", "Come Along" features the sound of a vacuum cleaner in addition to an Armenian duduk and field recordings of people juba dancing in New Orleans all seamlessly stitched together with Sheldrake's own man-made additions. Sheldrake's manages to effortlessly weave his naturalistic influences and sample archivist tendencies with such precision that it transcends mere gimmickry, instead they're an nearly impermeable layer in his music that illustrate his innovation without distracting from his obvious musicianship.

Much like his musical setting of William Blake in "The Fly" or his Alice and Wonderland referencing "The Moss", "Come Along" is derived for a similar love of prose and poetry, with Sheldrake referencing heffalumps from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories. Sheldrake's music is delightfully English featuring various winks and nods to staples of British culture but shifting the sense of traditional classicism into the modern day.



Considering how eclectic Cosmo Sheldrake's interests, inspirations, and influences are, there's no telling what his debut full length album will end up sounding like but based off Pelicans We and the incredible first offering of "Come Along", it will certainly be an innovate take on electronic music and I for one can't wait. Unfortunately fans of Sheldrake will as apart from confirming it exists, there's no news of when the album will drop. Until then though "Come Along" will do nicely. 

Listen/Watch: Laura Marling - "Next Time"

Perhaps the most exciting thing when English singer/songwriter Laura Marling returns with a new batch of songs is to see the bold new directions she goes in. No two Laura Marling albums sound the same and after offering her strongest impressions on the folk songwriter on Once I Was An Eagle her next album Short Movie saw her exploring new creative wells and experimenting more and more with her sound. Her upcoming sixth studio album Semper Femina will, if the first two singles "Soothing" and "Wild Fire" are anything to go off of, see Marling continuing her exploration of sounds and textures not normally associated with the folk realm. Produced with Blake Mills in Los Angeles, it's got a noticeably different feel than Marling's work with Ethan Johns. Unlike the sultry bass-led "Soothing", "Next Time" puts Marling's lyricism and guitar firmly in the driving seat while a building an arresting musical tapestry around her. The arrangements are pitch perfect: ebbing and flowing when needed; culminating in colorful bursts of impressionistic strings. While on previous Semper Femina cuts Marling's mostly engaged and remarked with external subjects, "Next Time" shifts Marling into observer mode while also regarding herself and her perceived role in the world.  "It feels like a long time since I was free/It seems like the right time to take that seriously" Marling rattles off right at the start before resolving to do/be better before each climactic string resurgence.

The video, directed by Marling herself, is a sparse setting to the track responding mostly through dance as time and the large room the dancer is in seems to shift and bend. The lights flicker and the dancer draws several lines and then a circle of salt which act as a center for her movement. You never really get an idea of what's happening and why. Is it a haunting? Is something supernatural to blame? Is the wiring just faulty? But the why isn't really important. Your hints are a blue sash previous featured in the "Soothing" video and another character glimpses briefly at the video's start and later at it's end. But while you never quite get the why the what is intriguing as are the dancer's movement which go from gentle and flowing to sharp and spastic during the moments the room's light flicker heavily. It almost recalls a possession of some sort as the dancer rushes to the closet and checks inside before returning to the window. She's waiting for someone and it's thrilling to see. The answer may be explained in the final of Marling's self-directed videos or it might not. Either way, it's a delightful vignette making the most of sound and vision, space and the body that's incredibly enjoyable.



Laura Marling's Semper Femina is out March 10 on her own More Alarming Records. Pre-order available now.

Listen: Johnny Flynn - "Heart Sunk Hank"

British singer/songwriter Johnny Flynn has traveled a lot of ground in nearly decade of  recording/producing albums. He's a man of many talents and varied interests and yet in "Heart Sunk Hank", the second single from upcoming fourth studio album Sillion, listeners learn there's deeper depths to explore. Flynn's music has always enraptured more by what he's singing and how The Sussex Wit sound than how they're recorded but "Heart Sunk Hank" with it's gramaphone-like tinniness shows that Flynn is willing to experiment with production a whole lot more than probably anyone's expected of him. Flynn's voice competes with lo-fi fuzz and twangy guitar lines. It's Flynn perhaps at his most performative - inhabiting the role of old school country singer a la Hank Williams and rewarding himself with applause when he reaches the song's end. And yet, Flynn's sincerity is unquestionable. It's the constant that grounds all of Flynn's poetic prose regardless of which styles he's tried on or what tales he's spun in the past and it's certainly true here. Flynn doesn't assume an affect outside of the production which oscillates in and out of clarity but very little, the listener immediately gets Flynn's intended effect in a way that's subtle enough not to distract from the song's other moving parts.



Johnny Flynn's forthcoming fourth studio album Sillion is out 3/24 on Transgressive Records.

Watch: Makeness & Adult Jazz - "Other Life"

I was introduced to electronic project Makeness through fellow UK band Adult Jazz. First merely because Adult Jazz mentioned Makeness as a sort of related project worth checking out on their blog and then when due to their collaboration together. Makeness' Kyle Wolleson makes dance music very much from an instrumentalist's perspective. Unsurprising considering his background as a member of several bands before embarking on this project. Former flatmate and bandmate with Adult Jazz's Harry Burgess, the collaboration essentially finds a wonderful middle ground between the two projects - Burgess offering live vocals to Wolleson's normal sample based vocals and Makeness pushing Burgess towards making a much more straightforward pop song than he's otherwise known for. It's a collaboration that pulls the best out of each artist and the video based on an idea from mutual friend/collaborator Sam Travis and directed by Burgess and Nicholas Pomeroy is another testament to the pair's friendship and connections: able to flush out Travis' idea into a music video that let's them have fun without distracting from the greatness of the track. The band consisting of 2/3rds of the Makeness live band and Burgess essentially infiltrating the introspective moments of various characters with their infectious pop tune and dancing to varying degrees of consternation from the characters.

Watch the video for Makeness & Adult Jazz' collaboration "Other Life":


The single is available on 12" vinyl on Meno Records. You can order it here.

Listen: Bruising - "Honey"

Depending on what you're expecting Soundcloud's related artists algorithm can either be wonderfully inspired or woefully off base. And yet whichever one the algorithm decides to be that day, there's no denying that there lies a potential to find something completely unexpected but exactly what you were looking for. And that is exactly how I stumbled upon Leeds duo turned quartet Bruising.

Bruising are a considerably young band, forming after guitarists Ben Lewis and Naomi Baguley bonded over a mutual love Perfect Pussy and subsequently expanding into a full band only last year but they've already managed to release what's bound to be one of my favorite songs of their career in the Beech Coma released double AA side "Emo Friends"/"Honey". While the bands have a couple other songs to their name, "Honey" is perhaps the most indicative of their potential. Gritty garage rock licks brush shoulders with Baguley's sweetly sung vocals in a sort of balancing act that pits the fiery guitars against the slow and steady vocal delivery. And yet there's a lot more at play than your standard messy rock jam - the guitar harmonizing with the vocals, the sudden pushes and pulls in tempo and mood. Bruising may be young but they're very clearly a sense of musicianship informing how only how they play together but arrange their songs. There's a surface catchiness to their songs but the additional layering of harmonies is the sort of thing that'll endure and hopefully carry on into their future endeavors.


While Bruising have essentially holed away to write more songs, here's hoping there's more where these came from. Until then, get ready to begin the ove affair with their double AA "Emo Friends"/"Honey" single released late last year.

The Maccabees - Marks To Prove It (2015)

If you're lucky enough to find the right band at exactly the right time it can be absolutely thrilling and rewarding to watch a band grow. The growth doesn't always have to be this massive chasm of development either; incremental steps and subtle tweaks over time, much like minimalism, can result in as equally rewarding as a band fearlessly leaping into a new sound entirely. That's essentially been the path London indie rockers The Maccabees have charted to their fourth and latest full length record Marks To Prove It.

While never quite a quiet band The Maccabees have managed to fill their sound out in a way that's a far cry from their debut Colour It In. Though they've managed to graduate to large venues and festivals in their native UK, the quintet don't quite fall into the arena rock category. In fact Marks To Prove It more closely resembles The Walkmen's most recent pre-hiatus endeavors than fellow Mercury Prize nominees Alt-J, Foals, or Arctic Monkeys more stadium ready sound. While title track and album opener "Marks To Prove It" surges forth at a full on sprint, it's a far more measured build with various ebbs and flows that vastly improves on the band's initial characteristic insistence. Or "Kamakura" with its swaggering bass-centric groove that gives way to a smoldering, slowed down coda. Marks To Prove It is an album fueled by its own momentum; its songs often driving its one varying musical moments right into the next. That said, it's not the sort of album that rushes to it's eventual finish line. The pace is comfortable, occasionally brisk but always scenic hitting moments like "Spit It Out": a gorgeous buildup leading to a effect not unlike a volume knob being slowly turned up that gives a sense of pre-established continuity. Even in their more toned down tracks like "Silence", "Pioneering Systems" and album ender "Dawn Chorus", the fivesome manage to keep just enough of a forward push that there's little room for boredom to set in. That and The Maccabees take full advantage of their musical pals - bolstering the album with string arrangements, trumpet, saxophone, and the appearances of friends like former Stricken City frontwoman Rebekah Raa on backing vocals and piano.

Ultimately Marks To Prove It is an album that synthesizes everything that works well with the band from Orlando Weeks' lilting vocals and the band's familiarity and maturity, and pairs them with an abundance of musical ideas that are carefully utilized and inventively deployed. It's the rare record that plays very much like a full piece of music throughout regardless of the singles' very real staying power and even manages some moments of understated but effective lyrical excellence ("River Song" springs immediately to mind). Marks To Prove It is a testament that The Maccabees broader audience appeal isn't synonymous with broader approach in sound. There's a lot of grab onto on Marks To Prove It but it's achieved by focusing inward, not outward, for inspiration and presentation.



The Maccabees' fourth full length record Marks To Prove It is now out digitally in the United States on Communion Records with a physical release hopefully soon to come.

Laura Marling - Short Movie (2015)

I've found myself engaged in a lot of discussions about British singer/songwriter Laura Marling as of late. Considering her status as a critically acclaimed creative darling that's hardly surprised but during the build up to her most recently released album Short Movie - her fifth and most distinctively experimental I've found myself both defending her creative choices and agreeing in part with her detractors in equal measure. One of my favorite qualities of Marling's songwriter is her penchant for wistful fully formed narratives and with each subsequent release and with Short Movie in particular she positions herself further and further away from that particularly character.

Marling has established herself from her earliest days as an album artist. True during her tours she breaks out tracks that might later find themselves on future works or might never find themselves to be released at all but she releases album with a startling amount of consistency - two years time generally with the exception of A Creature I Don't Know which was actually meant to come out the same year as I Speak Because I Can but was delayed until a year later. As I listened to "Short Movie", the title track from her latest album it occurred to me exactly what Marling's game is here: while there's no telling how many songs Marling works on/out between album cycles, Marling appears to be working the creative kinks out of her system/songwriting through her albums. I Speak Because I Can and A Creature I Don't Know had very solid overarching ideas - themes and subjects that reoccurred throughout and a definitive narrative you could essentially watch play out over the course of an album. Short Movie continues and perhaps the much more elastic qualities of Once I Was An Eagle. The album as a vehicle for creative exploration is a quality truer to the old school folkies Marling styles herself after and people often compare her to but ultimately fail to actually realize.

The narrative of "Short Movie" is tenuous - the rush of coalescing insecurities given musical form. "Who the hell do you think you are? Just a girl who can play guitar" Marling offers in a moment of fiery clarity. It's a prevalent device Marling draws from multiple times like "False Hope". While such moments are sure to be polarizing, there's moments where Marling's experimentations rewardly largely - in album opener "Warrior" the subtle application of vocal effects grants Marling a dreamy Scheherazade place setting, the spoken word pitter-patter of "Strange", to the bluesy "Don't Let Me Bring You Down". Marling revisits her lovesick well on tracks like "I Feel Your Love" and "Walk Alone" in a one-two punch of emotional tug of war. From mysterious vagueness to borderline confessional, Marling offers different tastes of contorting visions of love - a purifying force, a uncomfortable tether, an all-consuming ache, a distant nagging feeling. On Short Movie, Laura Marling has changed a lot - her musical collaborators, the place she calls home, but what ultimately endures is Marling's fascination with love. It's through its examination that Marling glimpses the strongest and most fallible parts of herself; the rebellious spirit and the nay-saying doubter.

While there's a tendency to cherry pick favorites from every album Laura Marling's released thus far (like the exceptional, stellar four song suite that opens Once I Was An Eagle) Short Movie might very well be the first album Marling's released that really relies of the album structure. It's in the context of the album that tracks like "Short Movie" and "False Hope" gleam like diamonds where they previously only seemed to provided glimpses of potential. Ultimately Short Movie is a lot less experimental than the stream of consciousness-esque lyricism of "Short Movie" hinted at. And yet there's no doubt that there's a refreshing quality to the album and much more willingness openness. Marling has shied away from being defined by her relationships to the point that Once I Was An Eagle was an exercise in torturous vagueness but on Short Movie, she balances emotional with narrative honest. Her songs might not all be about her (she's been known to do that before) but they could be or they could be anyone and therein lies the key. Short Movie relies far less on heavily dressed up metaphors and instead offers up echoes of emotion. Even with an urge to depart from the status quo - that's where Marling's lyrical prowess is at peak effectiveness and the words appear to come easiest. So even as Marling continues to explore her narrative and compositional potential, universality is her anchor to pitch-perfect songcraft.





Laura Marling's fifth studio album Short Movie is out now and available to purchase from Ribbon Music.

Listen/Watch: Laura Marling - "Short Movie"

Considering her recent relocation to Los Angeles and the fact that she's more or less continued to tour behind last year's Once I Was An Eagle, I thought it'd be a bit before we got any thing new from British songstress Laura Marling. Yet, surprisingly enough, Marling's prepped an album that's pretty much all ready for release next year. "Short Movie", the titular track from the upcoming album is our first taste of the new album and it shows Marling's not only back to her old tricks but some new ones as well .

"Short Movie" is bucolic and sparse - relying far more on its arrangements and melodies to the set the tone than Marling's own lyrics. Marling, whose lyrical strength has always lied in her simplicity, spends the majority of the song pushing and pulling at her own feelings in a way that's almost conversational. It takes almost the entirety of the song's duration before her "they know but they never know why" transforms into the much more revealing "they know why I loved you but they'll never know why". It's a sort of narrative minimalism that's sure to confound and frustrate those who gleam personal details about Marling's life from her song lyrics because "Short Movie" reveals little in its triumphant grandeur. Marling's chief concern is more about provoking some sort of reaction than in concise storytelling and manages to, through climactic surges do quite a bit of both.



"Short Movie" is the first single from Laura Marling's forthcoming album of the same name out March 24th on Ribbon. Pre-order is available now from iTunes and/or on deluxe double LP via Ribbon.

The Voluntary Butler Scheme - A Million Ways To Make Gold (2014)

When UK multi-instrumentalist/producer Rob Jones first started making music under the moniker The Voluntary Butler Scheme he had just come off a stint as the drummer for retro pop outfit The School to the point that his continued dalliance with the genre on debut album At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea seemed almost a given. And yet even while using music from bygone eras as a guide no one could deny that Jones brought a sense of originality to the table - expanding the sound with an impressive lushness and imbuing in them a delightfully ear-catching nature without the risk of a saccharine turn.

However it wasn't until his sophomore record The Grandad Galaxy when Jones opened up his precise, layered compositions to show the nuts and bolts of the operation in a much less easily digestible fashion that the real scope of Jones' musicianship could be gleaned. While bringing in outside parties to play the instruments he could not (namely and exclusive brass), it's the record that most solidified Jones' one-man band status to those that could not see the man in action.  Jones experimented not only with the 60's/70s styles he obviously still drew inspiration from but also the multitude of electronics Jones relies on in bringing his vibrant seamless pop songs to life.

So it makes a sort of logical sense that on A Million Ways To Make Gold, Jones' third album as The Voluntary Butler Scheme, that he'd marry the ideas behind his two previous albums together. Album opener "The Q Word" is Jones' longest track to date is perhaps the most apt introduction to the album as repetitive high pitched beeps give way to synthetic keyboard melodies that despite their smoothness are punchily inorganic that's almost completely odds with Jones' vocals. But as the track progresses the rough-hewn edges round out as they're subbed out for more man-made sounds like bass and brass. In "The Q Word", Jones segues from one album to the next, centering the new release on the more human elements he wants to focus on.

In a sense The Voluntary Scheme has always been about the balance between inspiration and experimentation but A Million Ways To Make Gold finds Jones at his most centered able to create his most catchy pop tunes while not totally shelving his desire for pop experimentation. A Million Ways To Make Gold works as brilliant return to form for The Voluntary Butler Scheme. While Jones' continues his to expand his both his textural and timbral palette, the best songs on the album happen when Jones allows himself to revel to in the funky grooves that gave At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea much of its momentum. But Jones also takes what worked so well on The Grandad Galaxy and refines it to work not only on a smaller scale but in tandem with his more nostalgic tendencies throwing his more adventurous efforts right into the mix.

Far less electronic than the previous album, A Million Ways To Make Gold obscures a bit of the Rob Jones' song construction in favor of these moments of rapid, pop metamorphism. It's a veritable smorgasbord of genres - from the doo-wop/gospel-flavor of "Believe" to the old school rhythm and blues of "So Tired (So Tired)", Jones manages to run through them without making a big show of it. The unsung quality of The Voluntary Butler Scheme has always been Jones' inventive lyricism from
his clever turns of phrases to his beguiling metaphors, and that's no different here. Ultimately A Million Ways To Make Gold is a treat for Voluntary Butler Scheme fans old and new, building on an rich established history while remaining an easily accessible and delightfully engaging album.

The Voluntary Butler Scheme's third album A Million Ways To Make Gold is out now on Split Records.

Listen: Johnny Flynn - "Detectorists"

After releasing and touring behind his third studio album Country Mile last year English singer/songwriter Johnny Flynn has more or less settled down for a spell in Britain to focus a bit on his growing family and log in more acting credits (Flynn starred as Dylan in BBC4's Scrotal Recall). But music doesn't seem to be quite on the backburner for Johnny Flynn as Detectorists, a six-part series written and directed by Mackenzie Cook of The Office fame, not only makes extensive use of Flynn's music but features a brand new song as its theme and Flynn in a cameo appearance to perform it.

"Detectorists", which shares it name and subject matter with the metal detector club of the series' main characters, is pretty much standard Flynn: featuring a melodic guitar line reminiscent of "The Box" and a less growling "The Lady is Risen". While shorter than your typical Johnny Flynn tune most likely due to it being the series' opening theme it's longer than you might expect and no less affecting as Flynn delivers understated, beautiful lyrics amid swelling horns and delicate finger plucking.  It's a pitch perfect fit for the series which tends to aim not for gut-busting guffaws but quieter chuckles and pleasant smile-cracking.

Listen to "Detectorists" which is also available for download here.

Watch: Dry the River - "Gethsemane"

Just in time for their stint on the summer festival circuit, English folk-invoking indie rockers Dry the River have not only announced the follow up to 2012's Shallow Bed but also offered up a spanking new video for new single "Gethesamine".

The video, which features the new lineup after the departure of multi-instrumentalist Will Harvey, is a simple affair - capturing the band doing what they do best while dressed in their spiffiest duds in one of the concert halls they're sure to revisit on their upcoming Fall tour. Dry the River have a talent for the spirited crescendo, a tumultuous ebb and flow in their songcraft and "Gethesamine" is no different. After a heart-stirring slow burn where Peter Liddle offers his articulately descriptive lyricism, the track comes to a full on boil, picking up and galvanizing Liddle's lamentations into a ferocious sprint for the finish. "Gethesamine" is more than just a highlight reel of Shallow Bed's most winsome moments however - the new track is just that offering different applications of the band's learned skills and while working within the confines of their band identity. The three part harmonies and monumental climaxes are here to stay but the journey (and in this case the pacing) is a completely different one. 

Dry the River's sophomore full length Alarms in the Heart is out August 25th on Trangressive Records with details of a US release hopefully forthcoming. 

Listen: The Voluntary Butler Scheme - "Honey in the Gravel Mixture"

You might remember that British one man band The Voluntary Butler Scheme had an album on the horizon. A Million Ways To Make Gold was supposed to see the light of day sometime in the past year but for some reason the album got shelved. That is until now where Rob Jones reemerges with the triumphant "Honey in the Gravel Mixture". 

The latest single continues in the way of Jones' bright, buoyant, and overall just downright pleasant form of retro-tinged chamber pop. Love songs are Jones' specialty and with a bed of brass and his trademark indomitable sincerity, he's pretty much in rare form here. "Honey in the Gravel Mixture" isn't just infectiously catchy, it's also charmingly sweet and effortless so; obscuring all signs of the diligent construction Jones put into such a carefree gem.   

The Voluntary Butler Scheme's third album A Million Ways to Make Gold is out March 24th. "Honey in the Gravel Mixture" will be released as both digital and physical 7" with an exclusive track on March 17th.

  

Listen: Anna Calvi - "Suddenly"

This October, English singer/guitarist Anna Calvi makes her triumphant return with her sophomore record One Breath. Known for dark textures and a cinematic scope on her debut self-titled record, One Breath appears to be a bit of a departure. At least if "Suddenly", the second single, is to be believed.

"Suddenly" is as jubilant as Calvi's ever been without coloring in the whole of its evening song pallor. Despite her occasionally breathy delivery, it's far removed from the seductive coo of many of the debut's stand outs. It's a brighter narrative with darkness at its corners threatening to creep in occasionally beaten back with the exuberant choruses.



Anna Calvi's much anticipated sophomore record One Breath is out October 8th in the US on Domino Records.

Listen: The Lost Cavalry - "Telescope"

Considering "Stars Are Ripe" has technically been available for a month or so before releasing the stream, British chamber poppers The Lost Cavalry decided they owed us another single and I for one am not complaining. While I mentioned "Stars Are Ripe" is more of a continuation of the The Lost Cavalry we've come to know, "Telescope" isn't quite so familiar sounding. Sure, it features Mark West's sleepy vocals but other than that it doesn't feature The Lost Cavalry's infectious, moving folk pop sound.

That's not to say "Telescope" is stagnant but there's considerably a lot less going on it in than songs past. Where you could listen to any previous Lost Cavalry song and point out any of its multitude of members (there's six), "Telescope" sounds very much like ringleader Mark West could perform it solo. There's little ornamental flourishes but other than it's a rather straight forward, blossoming simple vocal showcasing folk tune.



The Lost Cavalry's debut full length Three Cheers for the Undertaker is out September 16th on Folkroom Records.

Listen: The Lost Cavalry - "Stars Are Ripe"

After quite a bit of time away presumably working on their upcoming debut album, London chamber pop sextet The Lost Cavalry are back with new single "Stars Are Ripe". Released originally as part of a limited edition split 7" with Keston Cobblers' Club, now us foreigners can get a taste without having to pay those shipping fees.

"Stars Are Ripe" continues where 2011's Snow City Radio EP seemed to leave off making use of similar rhythms and melodies. Where "Stars Are Ripe" really establishes itself occurs around the halfway point during a climactic swell that shifts from the calmly flowering folk The Lost Cavalry usually purvey into a bristling rock scorcher - it's short lived but it's enough to make you sit up and you pay attention. Other than that, "Stars Are Ripe" is your standard The Lost Cavalry track, not that there's anything wrong with that.

But "Stars Are Ripe" isn't just an example of The Lost Cavalry being one-trick ponies, there's all sorts of new tricks being subtly employed like the inclusion of female vocals for harmonies and the aforementioned rock moment. Even without these things, The Lost Cavalry are still capable of delivering a solid folk pop tune and it clearly shows.



The Lost Cavalry's debut album Three Cheers For The Undertaker is out September 16th on Folkroom Records.  

Listen: Anna Calvi - "Eliza"

One of the best bits of new news to drop recently happened to be that UK guitarist Anna Calvi's follow up to her 2011 self-titled debut was not only done being recorded but also set to come out later this year. Considering the strength of her debut, the news of a sophomore record was every bit as thrilling as it should well be.

On "Eliza", the first single from Anna Calvi's forthcoming One Last Breath, the sultry sensuality of the debut is burned off in favor of a far more energetic tale. "Eliza" also features Calvi's band in a far more dynamic role, shelving a bit of Calvi's incendiary guitar chops and cultivated sense of dramatic performance for what's arguably the most pop-leaning tune. That's not to say the Anna Calvi of their debut is gone or the guitar is featured any less prominently but where her debut made use of experimental guitar tones and sense of every song functioning together, "Eliza" seems very much like it could be a standalone track and relies far more of it's catchy melodies and the magnetism of Calvi's booming vocals than any extra-musical sources. It's refreshing but also not too shocking of a change.



Anna Calvi's sophomore effort One Last Breath will be out October 8th on Domino Records.


  

Listen: Johnny Flynn - "The Lady is Risen"

Well finally. UK folk singer/songwriter Johnny Flynn has certainly kept himself busy - mostly with plays and a couple shows but the news of an new album, a follow up to 2010's Been Listening, has hung around for a bit. Not quite announced but always seeming very well like it could/would be for at least the past year and finally that day is upon us. Country Mile, Johnny Flynn's third full length album will be out September 30 on Transgressive and Flynn is ringing in the occasion with a short tour.

Our first peak of Johnny Flynn's new album comes in the form of "The Lady is Risen", a new track Flynn debuted last year during a short tour between commitments and well, it's excellent. Where Flynn's previous musical ventures have recalled very specific times in folk song canon, "The Lady is Risen" kind of ignores all that in favor of just simple folk melodies and Flynn's ever increasing poetic lyricism. Flynn's band The Sussex Wit are used deftly, offering just enough musical padding and ornamental flourishes to make their presence known without at any point overwhelming Flynn and his guitar.

Meanwhile the lyric video is a combination word jumble, anagram, and word search which is pretty darn cool. September 30th sure cannot come quick enough. Enjoy "The Lady is Risen":

Listen: Fanfarlo - "Myth of Myself (A Ruse to Exploit Our Weaknesses)"

Even since their infectiously poppy debut, British chamber pop group Fanfarlo have always had a knack for the intellectual. More so lyrically than contextually on the debut before experimenting with the very building blocks of song construction on their very 80s recalling sophomore record, Fanfarlo have always seemed to be interested in how things work. "Myth of Myself (A Ruse to Exploit Our Weaknesses)", the first single from their upcoming as yet untitled third album, sees the group turning their penchant for curious exploration and experimentation inwards; towards themselves.

Once again featuring a change in sound different from the folk-leanings of Reservoir and synthy Rooms Filled With Light, "Myth of Myself" lands somewhere in the realm of an orchestral Dirty Projectors while lacking the harmonies so typical of them. Simon Balthazar's vocals recall a tamer Dave Longstreth while the cresting musical moments establish it firmly as very Fanfarlo track. It's not a Fanfarlo we've ever encountered before but it still manages to keep in line with the group's trademarks: intelligent, poignant lyricism and majestic, heart-fluttering musical moments. While Fanfarlo continue to change sounds from album to album, it's nice to know that at least those two things will stay exactly the same.

Listen to "Myth of Myself (A Ruse to Exploit Our Weaknesses)":


You can download the new single for free at http://fanfarlo.com/