Wednesday 28 May 2014

Midweek Mixtape #7



Eerie atmospherics soon give way to jangly guitars in Ferry Light Switch, the opening track off the Bristolian 5-piece Daggers and Waves' Wayward Lines EP. This uplifting sun-kissed drifter, held together by delicate guitars and woozy vocals, absolutely flies by in five minutes of Kurt Vile-esque bliss.

Continuing those warm weather vibes, as we desperately try to remember what sunny weather is like here in the South West, are father and son duo Tree Dwellers, who are presumably hanging around somewhere on the same beach frequented by Daggers and Waves. This one's a bit of an oddball really: a bass riff here, stabs of strings there, sampled vocals hooks and funky guitar licks all thrown into the melting pot for an infectious slice of funk-hop that comes from the same page as the likes of Gramatik or J Dilla.

I think these chilled-out tracks must be sending you to sleep though. SO WAKE UP! HERE'S A SING-SONG! Lois The Band's 'Be True To Yourself' is massive, epic, anthemic, glorious etc et al that recalls the best moments of Britpop and all of those early noughties sing-a-long groups. Live, this would be a beer-drenched classic.

Now for something all the way from L.A. Singer songwriter Emma Ruth Rundle makes incredibly atmospheric, heart-wrenching guitar music sprinkled with pop sensibilities. It can be pretty dark and pretty powerful stuff - but beware Rundle's ability to draw you into her world with those catchy melodies before you find yourself totally engrossed in the arresting soundscapes that she creates. 'Arms I Know So Well' is a nice entry point into her stunning debut album Some Heavy Ocean, which you can listen to here.

Sheffield duo Slow Club's latest offering veers away from their earlier folk-pop offerings, strings and brass giving the slow-burning 'Suffering You, Suffering Me' a real Motown edge that pushes the group into their poppiest territory yet - not that you should be worried, 'cause those two have absolutely nailed it once again.

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