Black Bear Kiss is an alternative indie rock band from the West Midlands/Shropshire, UK, and are made up of the very talented Chris Leech on lead vocals, Colin Haden on lead guitar, Rob Jones on guitar, Rich Sach on bass, and Chris Bagnall on drums. Hot on the heels of their awesome debut single “Hooks,” which dropped in April (and I reviewed), they now return with a great follow-up single “Secret Side.”
The track opens with Sach’s funky little bass lick, then layered guitars and Bagnall’s snappy drums kick in with a catchy toe-tapping beat. Haden and Jones lay down some tasty melodic riffs in the break that continue through to the end of the song. Leech has a fine singing voice, and his earnest vocals nicely convey equal parts mischief and emotion as he sings of the blurred lines between reality and fantasy: “There’s something strange with how I feel. Like choosing right from wrong but what is real, yeah. My compass points to what I know. But now I’m lost and I just don’t know where to go.”
The song essentially speaks to some of the fantasies many of us harbor at one time or another – our ‘secret side’ if you will. The opening lyrics are directed toward a woman “dressed head to toe with curves and all in black” who’s the object of his desire. Eventually, they speak of wanting to escape the drudgery of a frustrating job and have fun hanging out with friends. The clever and highly entertaining video shows the guys performing the song at their workplace and later, outdoors, interspersed with scenes of their abusive boss tormenting them at work, and them ultimately exacting revenge by chasing him with a tank! And who of us hasn’t fantasized about coming to the rescue or punishing the bad guys while riding into town in a tank?! It’s a funny and satisfying accompaniment to a terrific song.
Catch Black Bear Kiss at one of these upcoming shows. Click the event names for the event pages.
I keep featuring bands and artists from the UK on this blog, but there are just so damn many good ones! Another promising band I’ve been following for a while is a four-piece from the town of Bangor in northwestern Wales who call themselves Dying Habit. They play a highly melodic style of alternative rock influenced by such bands as Dead Letter Circus, Katatonia, Biffy Clyro, Therapy?, The Wildhearts and Karnivool. The band is comprised of Nathan Jones (vocals), Alan Hart (guitar), Aled Hughes (bass) and Mark Jones (drums).
Since forming in 2011, Dying Habit has been fine tuning their music style and songwriting, and performing in venues throughout Wales and northwest England. More recently, they’ve been recording songs for their forthcoming debut album Unrealities, and just released the fantastic lead single, also titled “Unrealities.” The band explained their inspiration for the song and it’s meaning: “We all have some kind of goal we aim for, be it a job, a passion or a style of life we really want. Hopes and dreams is what keeps us all going. Many of us do the shitty jobs we do to get us closer to whatever we want to achieve, whilst [others] are content with our jobs and feel content with who we are. Whatever the case, our ambitions are unrealities …an illusion in societies eyes. Our single “Unrealities” is about never giving up on your dreams, as unreal as they may seem. Unreal means failure and failure leads to success. Be true to yourself and never stray from the path your heart puts you on.”
Musically, the song is magnificent. It starts off with Hart’s haunting guitar note that expands into a somber riff, accompanied by Hughes’ humming bass and Mark Jones’ crisp percussion. At around the minute mark, the music explodes into a fusillade of wailing guitars and thunderous drums, before settling back down to the somber melodic riff that’s so arresting it bores right into your brain. Wow, it’s gorgeous and covers my body with chills! Nathan’s vocals, while not necessarily powerful, have a vulnerable, emotive quality that are perfectly suited to the music and lyrics. They’re especially moving and beautiful when they soar in the choruses. I love this song, and am so looking forward to their album.
The gripping, beautifully-filmed video shows a young woman struggling with her inner demons – her “unrealities.”
The Autumn Stones are a Toronto, Canada-based band who play music that’s difficult to label as any particular genre, but who cares, really, so long as it sounds great. Their beautiful, pleasing sound incorporates elements of alternative rock, dream pop, jazz, and what the band refers to as “literary rock,” which I take to mean songs built around intelligent, thoughtful lyrics – which theirs have in abundance. Rather unique in their music style is their use of a wide array of instruments, especially saxophone and organ that, along with their gorgeous jangly guitars. creates a lush soundscape that serves as the basis for their wonderful songs.
Since forming in 2009, the band’s undergone a number of changes in personnel, and the current lineup consists of founding member Ciaran Megahey (vocals & guitar), Marcus Tamm (bass), Gary Butler (sax & keyboards), Raymond Cara (drums & percussion) and Dan Dervaitis (guitar & organ). They released their debut album Companions of the Flame in 2011, followed by Escapists in 2015, which I reviewed in 2016. Now they’re back with a stunning new album Emperor Twilight, which dropped on June 22. The album was recorded at Andy Magoffin’s House of Miracles studio in Cambridge, Ontario, and co-produced by the band and Magoffin, who also engineered and mixed it. Harris Newman did the mastering, and I have to say everyone involved in the recording and production of Emperor Twilight did a fantastic job, as The Autumn Stones have never sounded better.
In describing the album’s sometimes doleful theme, Megahey explains: “I’m a little preoccupied with exploring human nature’s dark side. I guess I have always thought of that as the artist’s role in culture. I think, for all the gloom easily pointed out, there’s a lot to be hopeful over and cheered by in the world. Emperor Twilight is also about being grateful for that and resisting the temptation to be cynical.”
Kicking off the album is “Nightmares,” a beautiful track that speaks to utopian visions and the tribal and hypocritical aspects of our nature that give rise to authoritarianism. “Pale as a ghost. Hungry again.Nightmares are born again.” The splendid jangly guitars and Butler’s soulful sax, both defining elements of The Autumn Stones’ appealing sound, are on full display here, as well as on the bouncy “Living in a Dream.” I love Megahey’s smooth, emotive vocals that have a vulnerable, yet seductive quality.
I thought those first two tracks were beautiful – and they surely are! – but the romantic and incredibly melodic “Fontana” is honestly one of the loveliest songs I’ve heard this year. The jangly guitar work is stunning, the swirling keyboard and organ riffs are sublime, and Megahey’s vocals are positively captivating. It’s my favorite track on the album, though quite frankly, I love them all.
“Lovebomb” has more of a rock feel, with reverb-drenched and fuzzy guitars overlying a solid buzzing bass line. Megahey sings of our natural carnal instincts: “There’s a sin in our skin. Can you blame us? Lovebomb.” On “The Bigger They Fail,” their gorgeous jangly guitars seem to channel The Cure, and Butler’s smooth sax is sublime. I’m running out of superlatives to describe their songs, but damn this is a beauty, and yet another favorite of mine. The upbeat “Lovelife” has a breezy Style Council vibe and, as always, the guitars, bass, sax and percussion are perfection. Megahey croons the positive lyrics about embracing the good things about your life, and letting go of the bad: “You’ve go to love life down to the bitter end. Cause you don’t get a second chance. It’s so late, but is it too late?”
The album’s marvelous lead single “Mandatory Love” is an exuberant gem that seems to tell us that love should liberate, rather than imprison, the heart and mind. The instrumentals are dazzling, and the lyrics poetic:
It was an idea unrare Breathes like solid air A total flop, a keystone cop Agents of despair
This little heart, you’re set upon This little heart, it can’t beat wrong
Our gilded prologue Drives a wedge Fills our ancient cup This little dove locked up She cannot be tamed By mandatory love
It was an idea unsound Feels like shaky ground A total bore, a ‘less not more’ The undead overground
Closing out Emperor Twilight is the sweeping anthem “Every Little Shadow.” Dervaitis’ lovely organ work takes a starring role on this moving track, and the guitars are superb. It’s the perfect ending to as close to perfect an album that I’ve heard this year. Every track on this beautiful album is outstanding, and I cannot heap enough praise upon it. The guys that make up The Autumn Stones are all gifted musicians, and I hope they continue to grace our ears with their music.
1. UNWIND – John Defeo (2) 2. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (1) 3. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (3) 4. SUCH A SIMPLE THING – Ray LaMontagne (5) 5. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (19) 6. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (4) 42nd week on chart 7. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (10) 8. COLORS – Beck (8) 9. FOUR OUT OF FIVE – Arctic Monkeys (7) 10. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (12) 11. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (13) 12. LIFE TO FIX – The Record Company (9) 13. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (14) 14. QUARTER PAST MIDNIGHT – Bastille (15) 15. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (25) 16. SAY AMEN (SATURDAY NIGHT) – Panic! At the Disco (6) 17. BAD BAD NEWS – Leon Bridges (11) 18. BLOOM – Troye Sivan (20) 19. GIVE YOURSELF A TRY – The 1975 (21) 20. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (22) 21. KAMIKAZE – WALK THE MOON (18) 22. FLAWLESS – Dorothy (23) 23. BROKEN – lovelytheband (17) 24th week on chart 24. ZOMBIE – Bad Wolves (16) 25. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (28) 26. TRANSITION – The Winachi Tribe (27) 27. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (29) 28. PINK LEMONADE – James Bay (24) 29. LASH OUT – Alice Merton (30) 30. DIZZY – The Million Reasons (N)
L.A.-based alt-rock band Disciples of Babylon are one of my favorite indie bands, and I’ve featured them numerous times on this blog. They’ve just released a superb new video for their fantastic single “Without You,” which came out almost exactly a year ago, at the end of July 2017. (You can read my review here.) The song was a huge hit on my Weekly Top 30, peaking at #1 for two weeks at the end of December into early January 2018.
The video shows the band performing the hard-hitting song in a warehouse setting, and really showcases the raw power and charisma of front man and lead vocalist Eric Knight as he belts out the biting lyrics. Making the music are Ramón Blanco on lead guitar, Gui Bodi on bass and backing vocals, and Chris Toeller on drums. The video was filmed by Marco “Toma” Tomaselli and edited by Knight.
Brett Vogel is an immensely talented and hard-working singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. We’ve followed each other on social media for nearly three years, and I find Brett to be a warm, kind and gracious guy. He was one of the very first artists I featured on this blog, way back in January 2016, and you can read that post here. Born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, he grew up listening to his father’s records and became a fan of music at a very young age – something that I closely identify with, as I was listening to my parents’ Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Fats Domino and Elvis Presley records as soon as I was able to walk.
Brett describes his passion for music: “Music is within every fiber of my being! I sincerely believe without music I’d be doomed. Music has kept me alive. Music, I believe, has saved my life. Music is love to me. Music helps people heal. It’s what connects people, and for that I’m grateful!” Blessed with a large vocal range and beautiful tone, Brett showcases his sweet and soaring falsetto in many of the wonderful songs he writes.
Brett released his first album Lonely Traveler in 2004, and subsequently moved to LA. He eventually became discouraged about the music industry and returned to Illinois, but after three years he decided to move back to L.A. and give music another go, and has never looked back. In 2015 he released his second album Never Giving Up, a superb effort featuring 11 beautiful tracks that are a celebration of his passion for – and dedication to – his dream of making music. Since then, he’s released several singles and remixes, the latest of which is his delightful new single “Superwoman Sway,” which dropped July 20th.
It’s an upbeat, happy tune with an infectious reggae/dance beat that aims straight for the hips. The carefree guitars, lively synths and snappy drums transport us to a sun-kissed tropical beach, making it a perfect song for summer. Brett’s earnest vocals are lovely as he sings of his devotion for a loved one who brings so much joy to his life:
There you go brightening up my day You wouldn’t know it but it’s true What you’ve got is that Superwoman Sway I wouldn’t have any other
Through the thick and thin when I’m dashed upon the rocks You stay close to me and give me all you’ve got Through the lightning clouds The sorrow and the rain You take away my blue, brighten up my sky To see the light again
Every little thing you do is so so you I couldn’t have it any better no Every little thing you do is so so you I couldn’t have it any better
1. HUNGER – Florence + the Machine (2)
2. UNWIND – John Defeo (3)
3. I FEEL LIKE I’M DROWNING – Two Feet (1)
4. SIT NEXT TO ME – Foster the People (4) 41st week on chart
5. SUCH A SIMPLE THING – Ray LaMontagne (6)
6. SAY AMEN (SATURDAY NIGHT) – Panic! At the Disco (5)
7. FOUR OUT OF FIVE – Arctic Monkeys (9)
8. COLORS – Beck (11)
9. LIFE TO FIX – The Record Company (12)
10. GOLD RUSH – Death Cab for Cutie (20)
11. BAD BAD NEWS – Leon Bridges (7)
12. RED MOON SKY – Face of Stone (13)
13. 44 – Oli Barton & the Movement (14)
14. HI HELLO – Johnny Marr (16)
15. QUARTER PAST MIDNIGHT – Bastille (17)
16. ZOMBIE – Bad Wolves (8)
17. BROKEN – lovelytheband (10) 23rd week on chart
18. KAMIKAZE – WALK THE MOON (19)
19. JUMPSUIT – twenty one pilots (N)
20. BLOOM – Troye Sivan (23)
21. GIVE YOURSELF A TRY – The 1975 (24)
22. HUMILITY – Gorillaz featuring George Benson (28)
23. FLAWLESS – Dorothy (29)
24. PINK LEMONADE – James Bay (15)
25. CLOSER – IAMWARFACE (N)
26. I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPY – Blue October (18)
27. TRANSITION – The Winachi Tribe (30)
28. FEVER PITCH – Rainbow Kitten Surprise (N)
29. LIVING IN THE FUTURE – Dawes (N)
30. LASH OUT – Alice Merton (N)
Luna Rosa is an outstanding Alternative/Psych/Indie rock four-piece formed in 2015, and hailing from Corby, Northamptonshire, UK. Making the music are Rory McDade (guitar, lead vocals), Aidan Furey (guitar, moves), Jack Connolly (drums, howls) and Charlie Thorneycroft (bass, noises). They released a superb self-titled EP Luna Rosa that same year, and followed up in 2017 with a fantastic double single “Mercurial Man/Vessels.” They now return with a powerful new single “Fear, Filth, Dirt & Death.”
The song is a scathing attack on the negative aspects of Capitalism that helped make the fire at Grenfell Tower all the more deadly. (The cheap – and highly flammable – insulating cladding used for the building renovation in 2017, just prior to the fire, is now believed to have caused the fire to spread much more rapidly.)
Musically, the track starts off with a galloping drumbeat and a scratchy guitar note, then explodes into a furious barrage of roiling guitar riffs and thunderous drums that seem to channel The Clash. The hard-driving music perfectly fits the harsh lyrics:
Fear Filth Dirt & Death There’s fucking nothing left The rest is left for the one percent at best Look out for yourself Prisoners of the State
Fear Filth Dirt & Death You take away our NHS It’s cause we matter less and less I know It’s in your best interest
Heroes are buried in paupers graves The money worth the morals you trade? How come the ivory towers ain’t burning? Grenfell fell for your earning Prisoners of the State
The band explained their intent behind the song: “All money generated from the single as well as merchandise sales will be going to the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster. We are under no illusion that we can give these people what they need or deserve, but we feel the need to make the gesture and let them know that we stand with them. Although dubious on whether to release this, as we didn’t want to cause anymore hurt, we thought there’s no better way to bring people together and show support than music.”
Hailing from Rotherham, England, the music project known as Random… (Random dot dot dot) creates multi-textured synthesized music that ranges from dark and politically topical to catchy EDM. Born Ben Ellison, the enigmatic Random… describes himself thusly: “Random… is reclusive, innovative and slightly insane. Those lucky enough to have met him will testify that his view of the world is warped, dark, but always entertaining.” Who am I to argue with that?
In May 2016, Random… released an EP Headspace, which featured spoken words by poet Wayne Dyson, and in April 2017 he released a remarkable full-length album Out of the Strong Came Forth Sweetness, an ambitious work released through Velvet Moron Records. The album was produced with contributions from two poets, Gav Roberts and Wayne Dyson, along with guitarist Mr Jiggs. I reviewed the album, which you can read here. Now, Random… is set to drop a new album Long Ago When Tigers Smoked Pipes, also to be released on the 20th of August through Velvet Moron Records.
The new album is once again a collaboration, this time with poet Gav Roberts. They explained their working relationship and creative process for the album:
“Random… met rather, well, randomly and they clashed heads from their two very different fields of creativity almost instantly. Having a mutual respect for each other’s work, Ben appreciating Gav’s poetic ramblings and Gav in turn enjoying the unique sounds that Ben creates. They are very much 50/50 doing their own thing and not interfering in each other’s work. Ben doesn’t like writing words and Gav can turn any musical instrument into something with the musical quality of your average Ikea table.
Indeed, the vast majority of what Gav records are poems that would otherwise grow old in notebooks, never to be opened, so he is overjoyed that Ben wraps them up in music. Both of them are neither precious nor pretentious about their work, both believing that creativity is an entirely selfish process that a human must go through in order to ease the mental passage through this mortal coil. ‘Long ago when tigers smoked pipes’ is the Korean equivalent of ‘Once upon a time’ and that is what Random… have created, a story, a journey through their lives.“
OK, so let’s get into the album, shall we. The first track “The Possibility of 0 or 6” opens with spacey, sci-fi sounding synths and a monotone piano chord, then a pulsating beat ensues. The instrumentals expand into a melodic soundscape as Roberts describes a scene on a platform of a train station, where a woman becomes fascinated with a man pacing back and forth counting. “To wait, on a platform alone with him she feels cursed. Just her and the crazy finger-counter, counting numbers backwards, forwards on his fingers he counts. / So on and so on, til the initial fear she had when she first saw him turns to passive intrigue. / Eventually, one cancellation and several delays announcements later, a full 45 minutes after fear forgot … she observes the pacing man. He’s a friend of hers now. / She’s totally transfixed with the possibility of 0 or 6.” It’s a fascinating and mesmerizing track that seems shorter than its 4:11 minute length, holding my attention from start to finish.
“Gingerbread” is a dark track about a doomed relationship in which the woman tried to make the man into something he wasn’t – the opposites that initially attracted them to each other now repel. The ominous synths beautifully convey the biting resentment expressed in the lyrics: “Within months, I was on a choke-chain of my own making. Wearing clothes that you had bought me, dressed up like some kind of mannequin… I started looking like a really ugly ken doll as the gingerbread-cutting phrases came thick and fast. ‘You drink too much, you smoke too much.’ So Julie I drank less, and I smoked less, but what you didn’t realize was that the opposites were attracting less and less.”
“Supernova” is a hauntingly beautiful and epic track, with dreamy, otherworldly synths. Roberts speaks of going against all common sense and good judgment, submitting himself fully to the passionate urges of love: “I am carefully turning supernova. Here, in the rain. For I have stood here a time or two, thinking of you with a wish or two, chanced away upon a fellow shooting star. I must congratulate you. And I must conclude that I am joining them in their letting go of the ability to hold on to anything, never mind, everything, never mind plans. The scientists have advised against it, and they have done extensive research and they have told me to stop thinking of you this time or two. But, I don’t want to. I’ve told them to fuck right off.”
The lively title track “Long ago when tigers smoked pipes” has a rapid EDM beat that has a sort of African jungle vibe, replete with animal-sounding synths – but of course! It’s predominantly instrumental, but halfway through Roberts says “This party isn’t over, it’s merely changed form.” Then, toward the end, we hear an echoed voice state “Long ago, when tigers smoked pipes, there was a world that lived in harmony. Without war, disease.” It’s a great song.
“We Occupy” is a hard-hitting protest song of sorts, encompassing many aspects of the human condition from suffering to triumph, and everything in between. Here’s a sampling of the compelling lyrics: “We occupy the shit jobs, the shop floor shelf-stocking rat race. / We occupy fragility in nursing homes and hospitals. / We occupy the uniforms that treat our dying loved ones with respect. / We occupy lives senselessly lost to war. / We occupy an education system manipulated to manufacture robot people with robot souls. But we will not listen anymore. We have given up on your promise of a house on the hill at 2.4. We occupy free thought, free religion, free love, freedom of any kind.”
Roberts assures a friend or loved one of his unconditional support on “Let Me Know,” a brief track with a languid beat and wobbly synths that feels more like a soothing interlude. Next up is “Sometimes making something leads to nothing,” one of the more unusual and arresting tracks on the album. The track begins with strange, sci-fi synth sounds, then the music settles into a synth-driven melody with guitar, strong bass, and sharp percussion, the eerie synths continuing throughout the song.
The equally unusual and engrossing video shows a man pushing a large block of ice for what appears to be miles through the streets of Mexico City. As he continues on his journey, the block of ice eventually shrinks down to a small chunk, which he nudges along with his foot, until it completely melts away.
The final track “It depends on YOU” is a dire warning about the growing trend toward authoritarianism now happening in many parts of the world, including Europe and the United States. The dark, sinister-sounding synths really make the disturbing words seem all the more chilling:
In our world, there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph and self abasement The sexual instinct shall be eradicated We shall abolish the orgasm There will be no loyalty except loyalty to the party But always, there will be the intoxication of power Always and every moment there will be the thrill of victory The sensation of trampling on an enemy that is helpless If you want to picture the future Imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever The moral to be drawn from this dangerous nightmare situation is a simple one Don’t let it happen. It depends on YOU
It’s a pessimistic end to a album that at first glance seems rather pessimistic on the whole, yet there are several glimmers of hope and optimism to be found. Random…’s masterful synths are the perfect accompaniment for Roberts’ dark but poetic words, and together they’ve created an enthralling and deeply contemplative work. The album will be available soon on many streaming and download platforms. Random… will give all of the profits from sales of the album to charity and is currently talking to a local independently run charity that helps people with mental health issues.
Hanover is an electronic pop band based in Liverpool, UK that I had the pleasure of discovering through Tom Taylor, drummer for fellow Liverpudlians Wide Eyed Boy (who I’ve featured several times on this blog). Hanover consists of Calan Nickle, Joel James, Dan Hancox and James Rookyard. They’re quickly building a name for themselves in the Liverpool music scene, having opened for such bands as Saint Motel, Peace and Saint PHNX, and getting airplay on BBC Merseyside. In late May, they released their debut single “Saw You Alone,” a beautifully-crafted track that sets a high bar for the four-piece.
It’s an uptempo, synth-driven song with a captivating melody and pulsating beat that compels your body to sway to the music. The sparkling electronic synths are really lovely, but there’s a hint of sadness too, reflecting the bittersweet lyrics that speak of seeing an old flame and having all the feelings you once had for them come flooding back, hoping that love might perhaps be rekindled again and you can make another go of things. Calan has a smooth vocal style that’s incredibly pleasing, and sings with a subtle vulnerability that conveys the poignant emotions expressed in the lyrics, without becoming maudlin. It’s a terrific song and a fine debut for this promising band, and I’m eager to hear more from them soon!
Hanover will be appearing with Wide Eyed Boy and Milpool on Thursday, July 26 at Buyers Club, Liverpool
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 