Having been holed up in bed with an awful stomach bug for the best part of 72 hours, the soothing sounds of Dutch producer Lemontrip is exactly what I need to put me on the road to recovery. Slightly psychotic, atmospheric electronica, there’s touches of Four Tet and Aphex Twin amidst the gloomy samples and dare I say it, techno inspired soundscapes that the young producer conjures up. His debut LP Nowhere is a gorgeously intoxicating collection of instrumental lullabies; manipulating and toying with sounds to engrossing effect. Check out the full release below.
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Introducing: Lemontrip

OK, let’s experiment then. Climb into the Delorean with me on this one. February 7th, 2011. We get two point five minutes of pounding skins and bass growl, guitars seethe and crackle like a jet engine heating up. After liftoff the post-rock casing falls away and we’re left with something else, something that swings and jags like Jumpin’ Jack Flash given years alone in its bedroom and forcefed guitar tone, something that keeps building speed like a, haha, like a rolling stone, not just cold rock but limbs and sweat and mains power that keeps threatening to fall over itself and take us with it.
“Need a real album to save my soul/it’s been another dead year for rock ’n’ roll”
So sang Conrad Keely on Pure Radio Cosplay, first song proper from last year’s sprawling space-odyssey Tao of the Dead, a record comprising eleven songs in D, and one 16-minute F-tuned songtipede, five cuts rammed together and sewn into one. Rock ‘n’ roll Jim, but not as we knew it. …And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead, the band Keely heads up with co-pilot Jason Reece, have returned one year, seven months and a couple of weeks later with Lost Songs, a record that clocks in (CD version, minus bonus tracks) at around 46 minutes, longest song 5 minutes 02, constituent parts drums (crashing), guitars (screaming), voices (yelling). All of which begs the question…is 2012 another dead year for rock ‘n’ roll?
(09/01/12 – At the Drive-In reform)
It feels borderline offensive to suggest that a band as singular and established as Trail of Dead might trade off the treasures of another. But Open Doors, the first track on Lost Songs, sounds like Keely and co. have taken cues from that other Texan post-hardcore band, the one that split itself down the middle in 2001 and sutured itself back together for <a href="https://cdn.abovethelaw.com/uploads/2012/01/scrooge-mcduck.jpg" target="_blank">the fans</a> in January this year. Specifically, cues from Arcarsenal, for Open Doors too begins with cardiac-monitor guitar blips glowing in a chasm of yawning bass, drums that rumble like mecha advancing through distant jungle. But Trail of Dead are the rolling thunder to At the Drive-In’s forked lightning, and the snaking groove that Open Doors slithers in on soon gets smashed to bits by a wall of chords that favours all-out bludgeoning over tricky rhythmic slashes. As opening statements go, it’s loud, it’s blunt, it’s heavy. It’s rock music, but Trail Of Dead can do better.
(24/01/12 – Cloud Nothings release Attack On Memory)
On January 24th, Dylan Baldi, Joe Boyer, Jayson Gerycz and the impeccably-named TJ Duke released an amped-up, hacked-off redux of their nasal bedroom-jangle called Attack On Memory, an album that apparently made emo <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16158-attack-on-memory/" target="_blank">valid critical currency</a> again, where its <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15010-there-are-rules/">musical forbears’</a> recent output got thrown to the dogs as <a href="https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15697-closer-to-closed/" target="_blank">irrelevant</a>. Attack On Memory was just about strong and scrappy enough to fight off Can’t-See-What-The-Fuss-Is-About naysaying, and after Open Doors early concession of points, Lost Songs soon starts to throw its weight around. Pinhole Cameras is near-perfect Trail Of Dead, Relative Ways doped to the gills and pushed to breaking point, careening around crazy-eyed somewhere on the edge of mania before dropping out into a kaleidoscopic tunnel of shapeshifting guitars. That Keely’s voice is fractured by fuzz and his words largely indescipherable only heightens the thrill. For Opera Obscura, the lithe elasticity of Jamie Miller’s everywhere-at-once drum assault comes on like Jawbox’s Zach Barocas, octalimbed, pounding out the rhythm to the pissed swarm of bees Keely and Reece wring out of their six-strings.
Months pass. April sees the release of Electric Picture Palace, debut and swansong of Trail Of Dead acolytes <a href="https://brew.bandcamp.com/album/holy-state-electric-picture-palace" target="_blank">Holy State</a>. In August, <a href="https://wooderson.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Wooderson</a> put out Let The Man Speak, which supplemented the Texans’ influence with a steady diet of Fugazi.
(29/05/12 – Japandroids release Celebration Rock)
You’ll have read that Lost Songs is a rock record. And you’ll have heard it in the two songs we got before its release, Up To Infinity and album highlight Catatonic, which reimagines distortion as a great big hoofing amphetamine rush, racking it out into one of the most howling, fantastic songs to grace 2012. This is what Japandroids did for every cut on Celebration Rock, 2012’s defining loud record, everything aching and brilliant about guitars and drums and friends and youth and booze committed to tape and handed down to us on snow-white 180g vinyl. But Trail Of Dead have swapped out the ecstatic, air-punching joy of King and Prowse for a poke around America’s rotten mouth. Catatonic is named for the nation’s youth, who according to Keely <a href="https://www.gigguide.tw/article-117" target="_blank">“don’t seem to care. They have a very limited outlook on what’s going on, and that concerns me.”</a> It’s ‘fuck you’ over ‘fuck yeah’, but the shivering, prickling self-immolation that the guitars spark around the edges of the heart hits the same, rock ‘n’ roll eclipsing reason. Unfortunately for Trail of Dead (if not the rest of us), their message ends up redacted in delivery.
(21/02/12 – Pussy Riot in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour)
Righteous indignation at the state of current affairs is something Trail Of Dead haven’t been shy about expressing with regard to Lost Songs. The band dedicated Up To Infinity to Pussy Riot on its release, with a statement that “the music (on Lost Songs) was inspired by the apathy to real world events that has plagued the independent music scene now for over a decade.” The flimsiness of the statement aside, all the upright anger aligns neatly with Lost Songs’ highly directional sonic blast, but the record’s voices are so distorted that Trail Of Dead are going to have to rely on their public reading the lyric sheet to connect with what they’re trying to say. Does this matter? I’m a champion of distortion, not a political commentator, but Propagandhi launched another tightly-controlled burst of polemical punk-metal ordnance on September 4th in the form of Failed States, which concerned itself acerbically, entertainingly and above all effectively with ‘<a href="https://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/18/iraq-massacre-emos-killing-gay" target="_blank">emos in Iraq</a>/<a href="https://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/aceh-punks-arrested-for-re-education/484549" target="_blank">punks in Aceh</a>’, celebrity escape to space, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caster_Semenya#Gender_test" target="_blank">Caster Simenya</a>, and the evil, sweaty cycles of the sex trade. Failed States demands that its listeners do their best to effect a change, and it does this by presenting the horrific and the unbearably close side by side, always with brutal clarity. Lost Songs works as a rock record, and Up To Infinity works as a supercharged, overdriven blast into musical hyperspace, but I’m not sure they work as a call to arms.
(20/08/12 Bloc Party release Four)
It hasn’t all been wine and roses. In August, Bloc Party went rockist on us with the dull, clumsy Four, which tried to convince the world of the band’s validity and togetherness with the old ‘instruments + earnestness = unsinkable’ formula. It’s often tough to hear and engage with what Keely and Reece are yelling about on Lost Songs, but shit, better that than  soundtracking (badly) one of my generation’s more wanton flare-ups with some <a href="https://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107859438502/?specific_com=73016163250" target="_blank">fuckwit sloganeering</a> and a riff that P.O.D. threw out in 2001 for being too gauche. On the same day that Pussy Riot did their best to stick it to Putin, Omaha’s Cursive put out a <a href="https://drownedinsound.com/releases/16819/reviews/4144502" target="_blank">generally</a> <a href="https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2012/02/cursive-i-am-gemini.html" target="_blank">lauded</a> slice of ham-fisted, schlocky bollocks that seemed to do well on the basis that it was heavier and more ‘complex’ than its predecessor, not to mention that it didn’t bother us with all those girly feelings that Tim Kasher let bleed out on previous records. For all the fierce noise, Lost Songs is careful not to degrade into chest-beating or masturbation. Flower Card Games reeks of patchouli and Nag Champas and still seethes with discontent, and I long to be supine on my bedroom floor, getting boxed and watching smoke curl up to the horrible plastic chandelier instead of sandwiched between a train wall and a man in a pink shirt with Union Jack cufflinks who’s wearing far too much cologne and reading the sports pages of The Metro. Awestruck refracts the record’s guitars through a glassy post-rock prism, and they come out the other side flickering like Chinese lanterns, airborne. The real payoff, though, comes at Lost Songs’ close, with Time and Again. To hear Keely come back to earth human after a record’s worth of mighty discontent, on the lines “I know too well the strain of losing something you tried to save”, over a sweet, resigned strum and shuffle is a suckerpunch that’ll knock you sideways before you exhale.      
(22/10/12 …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead release Lost Songs)
Rock’n’roll hasn’t died, and it won’t in my lifetime, certain as my lifetime will end. If you’re not satisfied with The Stones and Springsteen still doing their thing at however the fuck old they are, read the end of year lists when they start bubbling up like a poisoned rash across the internet. Cloud Nothings, Japandroids, <a href="https://thequietus.com/articles/10472-metz-review" target="_blank">METZ</a> and The Men will be in a helluva lot of them. Smells like Critic-Oriented Rock? Propagandhi and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/36ISXFaX1E98V1ARHesB6C" target="_blank">mewithoutYou</a> shone in (and outclassed) the less-trendy Punknews big leagues over the ocean. Dig a little deeper and there’s Wooderson and Holy State, to say nothing of <a href="https://easterbanduk.bandcamp.com/">Easter</a>, <a href="https://valesband.bandcamp.com/">Vales</a> and <a href="https://brew.bandcamp.com/album/blacklisters-blklstrs">Blacklisters</a>, on our own shores. Until there’s not one kid in their bedroom thrashing at a Yamaha Pacifica through a secondhand Boss DS-1 and a Laney LX12, rock’n’roll hasn’t rattled its last. And when it does, we will know it, at least in part, by the Trail of Dead.

Review: …And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead – Lost Songs

<a title="Video: Pandr Eyez – Eyes On You" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/11770-video-pandr-eyez-eyes-on-you/">Pandr Eyez</a> have been friends of the site for a little while now, even headlining <a title="Brainchild Festival: A Word From CitR" href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/17389-brainchild-festival-a-word-from-citr/">Brainchild Festival</a> this summer, (they fucking killed it). The thing is, Pandr Eyez are doing what so many kids are doing at the moment; taking the age old Rn’B formula, grabbing a new-wave producer and hoping something sticks. Pandr Eyez are no different, at least on paper, but they do it with such class and vigour it’s near impossible not to be won over. Check their new single below.
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/physical-education-single/id571260756?uo=4" target="_blank">Physical Education is due out on </a>out on Double Denim on November 26.
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New: Pandr Eyez – Physical Education

With The Weeknd’s compilation trilogy imminent, it seems we’re due a few more cuts from the experimental Rn’B artist prior to its release. Music from The Weeknd is always welcome, but as it sometimes goes with his music, it can often feel like you’ve heard it all before. His last LP, Echoes of Silence, often felt like we were actually allowed close to the mysterious artists’ thoughts and feelings, rather than just the character he embodies. Tracks like Same Old Song were simple but elegant in their execution. It provided the much-needed padding to the sordid and dark tales that hog the main thread of the narrative. His new track, Enemy, unfortunately serves as a murky middle ground between the two strands in his song writing; sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, but little else.
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New: The Weeknd – Enemy

<a title="Stream: Haleek Maul – Oxyconteen" href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/17020-stream-haleek-maul-oxyconteen/">Haleek Maul</a> splits me; on the one hand when listening to his flow, I feel the need to hold out my hand out, professing his anger and discontent as being nothing more than juvenile angst, that a few years of maturity will, ‘sort out’. On the flip side, I feel everything he feels, which in actual fact makes my original point slightly redundant. Maul’s music is humbling because it becomes appropriate to everyone and anyone. Problems linger throughout life, insecurities stay rooted, Maul, despite his age already knows this and he in a way wants to remind us.
I Don’t Wanna B Judged is featured on Hot Sugar‘s Midi Murder EP, which features 100s, Antwon, Das Racist, Shady Blaze and many more. It’s due for release through <a href="https://www.scionav.com/hotsugar">Scion A/V</a> on Tuesday.
Stream it <a href="https://www.spin.com/blogs/hot-sugar-haleek-mauls-i-dont-wanna-be-judged-premiere">HERE</a> ( via SPIN )

New: Hot Sugar & Haleek Maul – I Don’t Wanna B Judged

So this comes straight out of the ‘How To Sound Like The Drums’ book, but hey, who doesn’t love a good dose of upbeat indie-pop every now and then? Soda Fabric, are a four piece (surprise surprise!) from Atlantis, that have all the vigour and energy of the early 80’s post-punk artists, with the slick touch of modern contemporaries. Antonia, a frenetic three and a half minutes of hook based pop might not be breaking any boundaries, however who’s to say it’s not enjoyable?
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New: Soda Fabric – Antonia

As the winter months creep in, the annual dreary weather induced depression is almost upon us, so how about a 60’s tinged pop number to brighten up your day? Blue Boats, the moniker of Olly Gale, has dropped this melancholic new gem, featured on the <a href="https://1forthepeople.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">One For The People </a>compilation album, alongside a host of other great acts. I Am The Only is lovelorn and slightly lost, yet layered with the optimism that comes with looking to the future. Check it out below, and grab a free download while you can.
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New: Blue Boats – I Am The Only One

Eddi Front has come such a long way in such a short space of time, and it’s fantastic to witness her garnering the recognition she deserves. With her debut EP set to be released on <a href="https://bestfitrecordings.limitedrun.com/products/505675-eddi-front" target="_blank">Best Fit Recordings</a> later in the year, she’s unveiled the final track to be taken from the self-titled EP, a stunning cover of Nick Cave’s Into My Arms. Utilizing her 50’s style piano to illustrious effect, the vocals are as poignant and resplendent as ever, telling stories not just through words but through the sultry tones. Check out Into My Arms below.
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New: Eddi Front – Into My Arms (Nick Cave Cover)

By the looks of their various photographs and comments on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Haunter/152867194808189?fref=ts" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, Wisconsin four piece Haunter don’t take themselves all too seriously, however, by the strength of their recent ten track release, it’s perhaps about time that they did. Hailing from the same state as folk-pop’s biggest star, a certain Mr Iver, there are several similarities in the sparse instrumentation and disjointed crescendo’s that littered Justin Vernon’s debut LP, however Haunter throw a more psychedelic element into the mix, merging slightly off-putting samples and the overpowering sense of death fused with melodrama.
From the creepy sample found on Molly to the uplifting chorus of Take Me Back (To Those Times), Haunter stamp their own individual authority on each and every track on the self-titled release. There’s a gothic, sultry vibe to much of the record, yet underpined by the stunning vocals and harmonious instrumentation. Check out the full release below, in particular my highlights, Laura Palmer and The Glue.
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Introducing: Haunter

Dayyummn. How isn’t this kid massive?! Noble Oak may well be one of my favourite artists at this moment in time, with his regular and consistently amazing output; newest track Patience showcases a more progressive side to Fiore. Fusing early 00’s dubstep influences with the modern R&B sound pioneered by the likes of How To Dress Well, it’s diverse and utterly beautiful. Whilst I perhaps jumped the gun by predicting that 2012 would be the year of Noble Oak, his material has certainly been deserving of a larger audience, hopefully 2013 will see more people opening their ears up to the young Canadian. Check out Patience below.
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New: Noble Oak – Patience

When Canadian trio Young Rival discovered make-up artist <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawhawjames" target="_blank">James Kuhn</a> back in February 2011, I’m sure they never would have dreamed that he would later craft one of the finest music videos of 2012, set to their music. Scuzzy rock and roll with a smoked-out Wavves sort of vibe going on, Two Reasons is far and away the weirdest music video you’ll see this year. Check it out below.
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Video: Young Rival – Two Reasons

Hailing from Sheffield, Blessa differ greatly from some of their more well known city-bound peers, however the release of new demo, ‘Open Fields’, feels like a statement of intent from this engaging 5 piece. An instant comparison can be made to Let’s Buy Happiness, insofar as a sound in which a strong female vocal leads undulating and interwoven instrumentation. While the lovely folk of LBH have plied their trade for longer and honed their sound with more clarity, there is a pulsating core of potential in ‘Open Fields’ that can be heard in the confidently controlled changes in tempo, along with the backdrop of echoing guitars and loose percussion.
There is an undeniable listenability to ‘Open Fields’, and I look forward to hearing the next demo to make it’s way out of Blessa HQ.
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New: Blessa – Open Fields

Three years out of the game and finally Something New from Girls Aloud…. sorry… Being a self-proclaimed ubercool, super hip indie music blog, the reality-TV formed five piece don’t exactly fit in with our usual posting specificities but hey, good music will always be good music. Showing David Guetta/LMFAO/etc. how to pen a listenable dance tune, Something New is arrogant, brash and wonderfully enjoyable. Screw my credibility, check it out below.
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Video: Girls Aloud – Something New

I’d never really given Local Natives too much of a chance, but given the strength of this new track, taken from their forthcoming record Hummingbird out next year, I may have to delve into their back catalogue. So it treads the ever so tender tightrope between Arcade Fire and Foals with it’s epic grandeur and intimate guitar lines, it’s tailor made to be remixed into an indie dancefloor hit, yet it’s still one of the best songs of 2012 thus far. Check out Breaking below, and keep an eye out for Hummingbird, out 28 January.
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New: Local Natives – Breakers

Only J£ZUS MILLION could sample X-Files and not only get away with, but make it sound completely and utterly awesome. Having announced he’s set to work with Charli XCX, the young producer is one of the most confident and expressive musicians around at this moment in time, innovating on each and every track. Check out I WANT 2 BELIEVE below, and grab a free download while you can.
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New: J£ZUS MILLION – I WANT 2 BELIEVE

Photo: Ian West
Having featured teenage prodigy Natasha Haws back in <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/15426-introducing-natasha-haws/" target="_blank">March</a> of this year, she’s since taken some time off, perfecting her live show and prepping new single Stranger, set for release on 12 November through North East label Tiny Lights Recordings. Where Stepping Stone played upon the subtleties of Natasha’s voice, Stranger is a far bolder, more atmospheric number; toying with the booming, almost tribal-esque drum beats and providing a stark contrast to the delicate vocals of the North East’s fastest rising talent. Check it out below and purchase the single <a href="https://www.tinylightsrecordings.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.
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New: Natasha Haws – Stranger

It’s been a few months since we’ve heard from CitR fave Fthrsn. After a semi painful wait, he’s back with this cute as fuck appropriation of the theme-tune to the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It also happens to serve as the announcement of his next EP, Middle School Swag. Great title, great album art – hopefully a great EP. More when we hear it.
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New: Fthrsn – saria’s swag

After the announcement of their first headline show at the Islington Mill, Kult Country have followed with the release of a new track, Slowburn. It’s not exactly revolutionary, but it’s heady, large and overblown in the right places.
Check out the video/track below and buy tickets for the upcoming show <a href="https://www.seetickets.com/Event/KULT-COUNTRY/Islington-Mill/671670">here.</a>
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New: Kult Country – Slowburn

For the purpose of analysis, and nothing more, I’d like to take you back to the Animal Collective classic <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYEAflCO4Eo">‘In The Flowers”.</a>
….
Had a listen? Still fantastic? Good, we can move on. In The Flowers will always have a special place in my heart, it erupts when I want it to erupt, it focuses exactly when I desire it to, but most importantly of all, it surprises me every single time I listen to it. Very few tracks can do this while still taking you on a journey that’s in any way tangible. It also takes me back to a time when, for want of a better word, I was really fucking sad. It reminds me of blinding pain, and yet, it also reminds of an eventual smile after sitting silent in a party for 3 hours. Songs like this don’t inspire you to think ‘everything’s going to be ok’, they inspire you to think ‘everything IS ok’.
Steffaloo: everything is ok.
Would You Stay comes out October 23rd via <a href="https://www.mushrecords.com/release/MH285.php">Mush Records</a>.
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New: Steffaloo – Can’t You See

Much has been made of <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sohnmusic">S O H N’s</a> Vienna/London bridge of practice. In many ways it’s perhaps a simple fact to fill some space until the eventual soundcloud link, a fact to impress your mates when you talk of ‘that new hot producer’, whatever, people are talking about it. For me though it’s fundamental to the music. S O H N has even been quoted as describing himself as an “old-school songwriter who happens to love electronic instruments”, it’s this marvel of bass music combined with more classical interpretations of pop that make his music so engaging. Much like Gwilym Gold, perhaps his closest contemporary, the electronic explorations never clouds the song writing, it instead rides soberly and somberly on the back of the mournful and well chosen words.
“I’ve never been left alone, long enough, to be sure of where I’d go”
S O H N’s debut 12″, The Wheel, will be out November 5th via Aesop.
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New: S O H N – Red Lines

Novella have always made tunes that are broad, both in terms of expression and the clear genre inspiration they conceive from. Their new track however, Mary’s Gun, is remarkably minute in both its story telling and observations. The track centres around Shangri-Las lead singer Mary Weiss and her encounters with the FBI, that eventually lead to Mary carrying a gun; voila, we have a song title. Not a bad track to start a small UK tour with; check their upcoming dates below.
 
Mary’s Gun will be released on Italian Beach Babes on 26th November.
OCTOBER 
17 Take 5, Norwich 
18 Louisiana, Bristol 
19 Sound Control, Manchester
NOVEMBER 
16 The End Fest, Flashback Records, London 
17 The Old Blue Last, London 
30 Sixty Million Postcards, Bournemouth
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New: Novella – Mary’s Gun

<div class="youtube center">What feels like a decade of waiting, Mancunian odd-pop outfit Egyptian Hip Hop have finally released their debut LP, Good Don’t Sleep out 22 October on R&S Records. Featuring the previously heard tracks Yoro Diallo and SYH, it’s unique in the fact that they’ve ditched all of the material that made up their debut EP; a bold and admirable move. Check out the full stream of the album below. (<a href="https://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=15&p=12871&title=egyptian_hip_hop_good_don_t_sleep_exclus&more=1&c=1" target="_blank">Via NME</a>)<iframe style="background: #fff;" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Fplaylists%2F2607726%3Fsecret_token%3Ds-Wqb2v&show_artwork=true&secret_url=true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" width="620px" height="520px;"></iframe></div>

Stream: Egyptian Hip Hop – Good Don’t Sleep

‘The sound of the ocean makes you smile, while the smell of seaweed is on your mind‘ and suddenly we’ve dived into the world of Pacific Air. Having already drawn comparisons to Passion Pit (as well as earned themselves a support slot), the duo have racked up an impressive 20,000 plays of debut single Float on their Soundcloud. The B-side to the track, Roses is a tooth-rottingly sugary sweet pop number, like biting into a frosted donut and discovering it’s oozing with gorgeous strawberry jam… or something like that.
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New: Pacific Air – Roses

Boston’s Mood Indigo just gets better and better with every track he conjures up. With his vocal production improving each time, and his beats becoming more unique allowing his music to develop a characteristic entirely of it’s own. Glimpse is quite possibly his finest outing to date, with spliced vocal samples and delirious synth sections, whilst remaining a true to it’s roots pop number. So it verges on the dreaded ‘chillwave’, but c’mon, it’s so much more than just that. Check out Glimpse below and grab a free download.
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New: Mood Indigo – Glimpse

With covers on her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/desireek0ch" target="_blank">Youtube</a> channel ranging from the likes of Elliott Smith to Deadmau5 to Lady GaGa, it’s clear that Pennsylvania based singer Desiree Koch has a broad spectrum of influences. Whilst the demand for female singer/songwriters is stretched rather thin at the present moment in time, the debut EP from Koch showcases vast potential, both in songwriting and marketability.
Opening track Tree Room is part Laura Marling, part Eddi Front, with the gentle aroma of 60’s Americana wafting by. As a release, it documents juggling the turmoil of inner demons and outer complexities, most notably on the stunning Reunion, pleading with her lover for another chance. So the sound is far from complex, with the majority of the EP composed of a singular acoustic guitar and reverb heavy vocals, it’s intricacies are still there to hear, and all the more beautiful for it.
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Introducing: Desiree Koch

Haunting, moody vocals and an 80’s inspired synth section; Canada’s s u i t e may not be your average popstar but what he perhaps lacks in internet savvy, he more than makes up for in quality. With the repeated hook “what do you love / what do you trust / why won’t you tell me just one secret?” echoed throughout, new track Trust is a dense and methodical affair, with more than a hint of The XX about it. Check it out below.
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New: s u i t e – Trust

<a href="https://www.facebook.com/mainattrakionz">Main Attrakionz’</a> album Bossalinis & Fooliyones is just around the corner, the 23rd of October to be exact, and the tracks the record will sport are sounding increasingly impressive. Cloud Body is as much a celebration of Cloud Rap than anything else, but it does it with such passion and honesty it gets away with it in spades. This might not be the future of Hip-Hop just yet, but Main Attrakionz certainly think it is.
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New: Main Attrakaionz – Cloud Body

When it comes to Newcastle, this spoken from a Geordie, what the city might lack in an abundance of musical talent, it makes up for with its close knit community that leads to unexpected and frankly wonderful collaborations like this. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/agerskow">Agerskow</a>, a delicate and soulful folk singer, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Funk-Ethics/142752902415887?fref=ts">Funk Ethics</a>, an ambient beat maker that at one point was suckling at the breast of both Mary Anne Hobbs and Annie Mac. However this is anything but a derailment for the two artists, their first track together, Obsession, is a sonically graceful lullaby turned perverse lust for a controlling obsession. Agerskow’s vocals are pitch-perfect, yet are aimed so freely they land in the most sporadically beautiful of ways. Just close enough to being apathetic to hint at something unhinged and psychotic. Promising.
 
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New: Agerskow & Funk Ethics – Obsession

Manchester is exciting; the kids in London are still furiously masturbating to bros wearing crudely screen-printed upside-down cross tees, while Manchester simply doesn’t give a fuck. Manchester is happy just being Manchester, eclectic, forward thinking and exciting. Step forward <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearepins">PINS</a>, a four piece we’ve been excited about for a little while now. The band nestles rather comfortably between Kult Country and London’s Savages when it comes to the groups’ contemporaries. Not only do the band settle in, they also manage to excel. The new video for Say To Me, taken from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wearepins">PINS‘</a> debut EP LUVU4LYF, is a dramatic, yet perhaps slightly queasy, visual interpretation of the track. It’s demanding, uncompromising and assuming.
Assume you’ll be hearing a lot more from this lot and buy the EP <a href="https://bellaunion.sandbag.uk.com/Store/DII-10396-10-pins++luvu4lyf+ep+preorder.html">here.</a>
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<a href="https://vimeo.com/51077709">PINS – SAY TO ME</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user10270525">PINS</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.

Video: PINS – Say To Me

Out Getting Ribs could possibly be my track of 2010, if not, my favourite video. Brooding, dark and mature, (despite said auteur being only 16 years of age), the track ended the year with a truckload of style. What the track wasn’t, was breezy, care-free or sure. This remix is, which may lead some to be slightly confused as to the point of the tracks’ existence. Rest assured, it manages to work; just.
Jae Genius is a producer from Crawley, grab more of his stuff <a href="https://jaegenius.bandcamp.com/">here.</a>
 
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New:  Jae Genius – LeftToBurn (Out Getting Ribs Remix)

Russian based producer Miyuki spread across the blogs like wildfire several months back with her stunning, minimalist dubstep jams, channeling Burial in a futuristic and grossly appealing manner. Having released a concept EP in the meantime, detailing the journey of an android living in a post-apocalyptic whirlwind, caught in an eternity of nothingness. Newest cut from the young musician, Shizukana, sees her returning more to her roots, and experimenting with the silences and crescendo’s that make her music so immersive. Check it out below.
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New: Miyuki – Shizukana

With a stompingly dirty bassline that would have Sonic Youth gleefully rubbing their hands together, Becky’s Back, the debut single from Baltimore’s Wildhoney is three minutes of blisteringly hot rock and roll. Tearing through the verses into the rip-roaring chorus of ‘let us not forget’, you’ll have it etched to the inside of your eardrums after a solitary listen. Taken from their first EP out on 20 October, this lead track is a promising sign of things to come.
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New: Wildhoney – Becky’s Back

Exploding onto the blogosphere with their raucous debut track Like One back in early August, Austin fuzz-pop group Silkies have unveiled the details of their first EP. Set to be released at the end of the month via new UK label Heart Throb and digitally by Young Latitudes, featuring the EP’s title track alongside two fresh cuts. Continuing with a similar slightly-gritty bubblegum punk (bubblegunk) attitude, it’s deliciously enjoyable, especially the nostalgic 60’s inspired Movies. Check out the full EP below, and purchase a <a href="https://heartthrobrecords.bandcamp.com/album/like-one-ep" target="_blank">cassette here</a>.
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New: Silkies – Red / Movies

<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/18023-interview-villagers/attachment/villagers-photographed-in-paris-by-mark-nixon/" rel="attachment wp-att-18024"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-18024" title="Villagers, photographed in Paris by Mark nixon" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2012/10/rsz_villagers_full_band_-260x173.jpg" alt="" width="260" height="173" /></a>Villagers have been AWOL for a while. After the release of the Mercury nominated Becoming A Jackal in 2010 and a bit of touring on top of that, the Dublin-based project, masterminded by Conor O’Brien, went off the map a bit. Until now, that is. In a flurry of activity, the band have announced the forthcoming release of an album in January 2013, released a new single, ‘The Waves’ (which we’ve added for your pleasure at the end of this article), and announced two London dates this November on top of their imminent tour with Grizzly Bear. In the midst of this, we’re happy to bring you a short chat we had with Conor via the power of the internet. Enjoy.
What have you been up to during 2011 and 2012?
Hi Crack! Nice to meet you. I’ve been touring, writing, recording and making pictures throughout these two years. It’s been fulfilling and frustrating in equal measures.
‘The Waves’ came as quite a shock to many who were expecting more of the sound heard on Becoming A Jackal. What inspired that slight shift in direction?
The only inspiration for me was the one that I’ve always had since I was very young, which is to use the process of making music in order to learn and to grow as a human being and as an artist.
How much and what sort of progression, musically and thematically, can we expect to see on {Awayland}?
The new album feels very much like a natural progression. Musically, I learned a huge amount over the last two years in terms of production and electronic instrumentation, although that only really shows itself in a very subtle manner on the album as a whole. It’s also more densely orchestrated, courtesy of my bandmate Cormac (keys), who really put the hours in on this one. Basically, it’s more expansive and diverse on a purely sonic level. Thematically, I guess it moves on from the fiddly minutiae of ‘Jackal’ and deals with things on a more widescreen level. It’s like ‘Jackal’ was my Barry Lyndon, and ‘{Awayland}’ is my Space Odyssey.
Was the writing and recording process particularly different to that of the previous album?
The writing process differed slightly in the sense that I wrote some of this album whilst I was on the road touring. I can kind of hear that in the words when I listen to it now. It definitely takes you on a bit of a trip. The recording process was completely different this time around in that I recorded all of the instruments on the first album, whereas I went into the studio with the full band on this one. We really felt we’d earned the right to be in a studio together, after all the travelling and playing we had done. Also, myself and Tommy (guitarist/co-producer) really had a much stronger idea as to how we wanted the songs to sound this time round. It was amazing. It was more focused from the get-go.
What influences did you utilize most, if any, on the new record?
Mainly ‘Claire De Lune’ by Debussy, but also lots of techno. Impressionist music in general, I suppose.
Did you feel any particular pressure recording this album, as a result of the critical acclaim of the last?
I can truly and honestly say that I only felt the pressure from within myself. I’ve got a very blinkered, focused head on me when I’m making things.
Which albums released this year have you particularly enjoyed? Who would you tip to win the Mercury Prize this year?
I really like ‘>>’ by Beak. It should definitely win a prize of some sort. Even if it’s the prize for ‘best post-krautrock krautrock album’. I’ll make that prize up so they can win it.
You’re touring with Grizzly Bear in the next few weeks. Would you want that sort of publicity to translate into even more commercial success at the expense of being less able to play in more intimate venues?
So you’re asking whether I enjoy playing small venues as opposed to big ones? I like the variety of playing both, which is something we’ve been able to achieve up to this point. I suppose the new album is somewhat geared towards the larger stages in the sense that it is quite energetic and epic for the most part. But some of my favourite most frenetic gigs have been in tiny rooms, so I’m willing to experiment with both.
If you could only play one festival next summer, which would it be?
Maybe Summer Sonic? We haven’t been to Japan yet. I’d like to go to Japan.
{Awayland} is scheduled for release in January 2013. Check out ‘The Waves’ below, which may or may not be taken from the LP.
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Interview: Villagers

With Mumford & Sons detestable snorefest of a record, Babel, released last week to thunderous album sales, you’d be forgiven for thinking that anyone who picks up a banjo and/or an acoustic guitar, is most likely, an industry puppet hell bent on wringing the neck of emotionally honorable music. Strumming two notes on a banjo and whining about imaginary relationships using vaguely religious connotations is neither innovative nor enjoyable, and the sooner people realise that, the better. Anyway, my hatred of Mumford aside, this gem from French folk-pop troubadour Navacelle is well worthy of a listen.
Penned as an ode to Sam, who is referenced numerous times throughout (‘Was I, Sam, such a big jerk?’), the confusion in translation combined with the unique accent makes it all the more adorable – ‘Near the fringe alone yelling, Not good for “elle”, leonine bell, My rose to oblivion, As flowers at your knees’. It’s simple, yet highly effective, check out My Rose To Oblivion below.
<iframe width="400" height="100" style="position: relative; display: block; width: 400px; height: 100px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=10462825/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"><a href="https://navacelle.bandcamp.com/track/my-rose-to-oblivion">My Rose To Oblivion by Navacelle</a></iframe>

New: Navacelle – My Rose To Oblivion

Having unveiled his <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/17854-review-mood-indigo-people-ep/" target="_blank">fantastic debut EP</a> in September, Boston’s Mood Indigo is steadily building upon the eclectic spectrum of influences that initially attracted me to his debut track, <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/17042-new-mood-indigo-dive/" target="_blank">Dive</a>. New cut Only You (Friend) returns to the sparse instrumentation and choppy hip-hop of the aforementioned track, throwing in a few vocal samples into the mix. A carefully constructed track, it’s further proof that this young musician is developing into quite a talent.
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New: Mood Indigo – Only You (Friend)

Having announced the release of her debut EP via Best Fit Records, Brooklyn songstress Eddi Front has unveiled yet another gem in what is proving to be an enviable catalogue of tracks. Possibly her most Lana Del Rey-esque moment so far, stumbling and caressing the singular word ‘black’ with a tender ferocity and classic sleaze, the French horn adds a Parisian vibe to Superhero Style. With yet another appearance on Pitchfork, as well as numerous buzzblogs and even some proper music blogs, Eddi Front is rapidly becoming a household name.
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New: EDDI FRONT – Superhero Style

This was a collaboration just waiting to happen; Manchester pioneer’s MONEY hooking up with French website <a href="https://www.blogotheque.net/2012/10/02/money/" target="_blank">La Blogotheque</a>. Their ‘takeaway’ shows set in niche setting are now a staple part of independent music, and are a sure sign of when a band is on the edge of greatness, certainly the case with MONEY. Filmed during this years The Great Escape festival in Brighton, and including a rendition of the stunning Goodnight London, played out on a well-worn piano in a quirky pub surrounded by locals swigging real ale, it’s the ideal setting for MONEY’s all-too-real imagery and emotional desolation.
Opening with a vocal only rendition of Bob Dylan’s Mr. Tambourine Man, it’s an encapsulating seven minutes, drawing the listener in before overwhelming with the sheer beauteous nature of the track. As the final notes of Goodnight London ring out, the ever present squawk of seagulls can be heard overheard, followed by Jamie’s child-like laughter; perfectly echoing the innocence and fragility of their music. Check out the video below, as well as an original poem by Jamie, entitled The Sound Of The Death Of Everything.
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Video: MONEY – Goodnight London / The Sound Of The Death Of Everything (La Blogotheque)

Remember Pat Sharp? Of course you do. Who could forget that gorgeous hair? Now into his fifties (well, fifty precisely), the former Fun House presenter and Radio 1 DJ appears to have taken a liking to the gritty shoegaze of our Manchester via Newcastle friends Shinies, starring in their new video for recent single Ennui. A bizarre and at times rather gruesome affair, it’s very much tongue in cheek, recalling the hazy nostalgia of youth in a twisted light, that ultimately ends in, well, I’ll let you find out for yourself. Check it out below and <a href="https://dirtybingorecords.bigcartel.com/product/shinies-7-single-ennui-eighteen" target="_blank">pre-order the single here</a>.
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Video: Shinies – Ennui (Feat. Pat Sharp)

So they’ve gone through more bands names than <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/15943-news-viva-brother-call-it-a-day/" target="_blank">Viva Brother</a> and <a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/music/12660-introducing-coasts/" target="_blank">Coasts</a> combined, which is saying something, yet thankfully The 1975 (formerly known as Drive Like I Do, <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/music/7653-single-of-the-week-b-i-g-s-l-e-e-p-sex/" target="_blank">T H E B I G S L E E P</a>, The Slowdown etc. etc.) have the tunes to make it not appear quite as annoying. With the release of their <a href="https://soundcloud.com/the1975/sets/the-1975-facedown-ep-1" target="_blank">fantastic debut EP</a> earlier this year, they’re now readying what will surely be their ‘breakthrough’ single; the gritty, infectious and downright adorably sleazy Sex. With it’s Pulp style lyricism – “I’m not trying to stop you love, if we’re gonna do anything we might as well just fuck“, and mid-00s indie guitar lines, The 1975 may well just be the next big thing, that’s if they can hold onto a name for long enough.
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Crack in the Road

Introducing: Lemontrip

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of DeadLost Songs

Pandr EyezPhysical Education

The WeekndEnemy

Hot Sugar & Haleek MaulI Don’t Wanna B Judged

Soda FabricAntonia

Blue BoatsI Am The Only One

Eddi FrontInto My Arms (Nick Cave Cover)

Introducing: Haunter

Noble OakPatience

Young RivalTwo Reasons

BlessaOpen Fields

Girls AloudSomething New

Local NativesBreakers

J£ZUS MILLIONI WANT 2 BELIEVE

Natasha HawsStranger

Fthrsnsaria’s swag

Kult CountrySlowburn

SteffalooCan’t You See

S O H NRed Lines

NovellaMary’s Gun

Egyptian Hip HopGood Don’t Sleep

Pacific AirRoses

Mood IndigoGlimpse

Introducing: Desiree Koch

s u i t eTrust

Main AttrakaionzCloud Body

Agerskow & Funk EthicsObsession

PINSSay To Me

Jae GeniusLeftToBurn (Out Getting Ribs Remix)

MiyukiShizukana

WildhoneyBecky’s Back

SilkiesRed / Movies

Interview: Villagers

NavacelleMy Rose To Oblivion