SXSW Meet the Band: HMS Morris

People, it’s the last business day before SXSW kicks off this weekend and into next week. We will be shutting this ‘ol site down while we are out finding the next big thing so this will be some of our last coverage. Hopefully this has been fun for everyone to catch some differing perspectives of bands coming into town. Our Friday interview set comes by way of another Welsh band, HMS Morris. Hit the jump for all them usual deets.

Read more

Rockin New Single From SYBS

New to me Cardiff based band SYBS just dropped this new single today called “Gwacter” that you should definitely check out below. It features a great, indie rock sound that doesn’t tend to mess about and gets straight to energy and power from the get go. Hopefully it will improve what may have been a downer of a day. Stay tuned for more from SYBS as a debut album is coming soon and will feature more of this badassery.

Clwb Fuzz Change Name to Midding + Drop New Single

Cardiff’s Clwb Fuzz were tired of the name, so they opted to change directions and present us with a new name and a new single; they’ll now be operating under the name Midding. This single is part of their new Double A-Side single, and while there are some moments of scorched-earth shoegaze, there’s this section that hangs out in the crevices that’s utterly fascinating. The darkness pervades, but there’s this melodic resolve, as if the band weren’t entirely sold on their fuzzy beginnings. Whatever they’ve opted for, it really works here as I’m totally in love with the tune below.

Red Telephone Share Another New Tune

Late last year I wrote about discovering Red Telephone and how I didn’t really think there was anyone writing pop music through this lens; I stand by that today as they share another new tune. It sort of begins with this ominous haunting from Declan’s voice and these dark drum rolls. Still, the group’s every bit a pop band, so the song sort of builds gradually, letting the vocals match the group’s emphatic stomp to the apex of the Mt. Pop before the guitar slinks in with a heavy solo. There’s nothing quite like this band, for me at least, and I can’t stop listening to them.

Silent Forum Drop Dance Number

Welsh outfit Silent Forum are kicking it with my favorite genre of post-punk; they offer this shuffling danceable guitar pop that’s built to lift your spirits. It’s weird, almost as if the band stole some riffs from U2 and made them cool, throwing in some jittery cymbal work to round out the rhythm section. In doing so, they bring to mind the early days of Bloc Party or maybe even Foals when they were cool; I know that regardless it’s a sound that’s a whole heap of fun on a Monday. We should expect a full length debut from this group in the new year via Libertino.

Meet the Bellamys

bellamysAs the year winds down a bit, music is getting sparse…new music anyways. But, the folks over at Oddbox Records still have one great release up their sleeve: The Bellamys EP. Discordant guitars ring while the drums rhythmically push the track forward; the vocals are dominated by a female vocalist…until the later moments of the song where a male voice enters as the counterpoint. While it’s a quick track, the sound sits with you, giving it the impression of being seemingly longer. The EP is being released on a limited run of cassettes on December 2nd, so hurry and grab one before they’re gone forever.

Brand New Christian Fitness

christianfitnessI’ve always had myself a musical crush on Andrew Falkous, of McClusky/Future of the Left fame, so of course I’m getting behind Christian Fitness…his solo work. Don’t expect it to always fit into the realm, though there are some similarities. This particular single has a bit of propulsive rhythm pushing forward, and it doesn’t even get noisy until just before the 2 minute mark. If you’re into rock n’ roll, and the half-life of a sperm, then enjoy this jam while he works on wrapping up is third record on under the moniker.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/279351437″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

New Chain of Flowers Track

chainofflowersIf you’re booking gigs with the likes of The Fall, Destruction Unit and Ceremony, you’ve got to be doing something right in my book, thus why I’ve caught onto Cardiff’s Chain of Flowers. Musically, you’re ears are surrounded by a huge wall of noise, with buzzsaw guitars grinding at the front of the mix. From the back of the club, however, you can hear the vocals echoing over a pounding rhythm section. The group is set to release their self-titled debut on October 16th via Alter, so let’s keep our fingers crossed that it lives up to the promise of the early singles.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/223944578″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Never Too Cool For The School

560705_10150711888445875_1591671869_nCardiff’s The School are back with a new single and it is delightful! “All I Want From You Is Everything,” the track below, has this old-timey girl-band style, modernized with a lovely jangly guitar parts to it as well as a chorus that will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day as soon as you hear it’s infectious hook. I’m loving this track, so I’m excited to hear that the band will be releasing a new album in the near future, even if that’s the only real details we know about is thus far. The School will be releasing this song as well as a few other tracks on limited edition white vinyl on April 13th, so be sure to scoot your boot on over to order that while you can.

Check Out New Rock from Joanna Gruesome

joannagruesomeA long while ago I posted a hit from Joanna Gruesome, and it appears Slumberland Records were watching, as they just picked up the Cardiff group to release the band’s debut album, Weird Sister.  On the first single from said album, the group comes out with a rioting rock taste, blasting off noisily.  But, one of the reason’s I love the band is evident in the track too; they pull back from the barrage of noise and add a sweetness to the track, with softer melodies and a bit of serenity….of course they blast right back off again.  You can grab the album from the group on September 10th when it hits stores.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/98697649″ params=”color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=false” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

1 2