Monthly Archives: April 2013

The return of Bwani Junction

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Bwani Junction are to release their sophomore album this year, and the first fruits of the album can be heard in their forthcoming single ‘Civil War.’ The follow-up to Fully Cocked hasn’t been named yet (at least not in the public domain), but they have been working new songs into the set for over a year, of which ‘Civil War’ is one that has had an airing or two…

Filmed around Edinburgh, the video mixes live performance with a story -and a sense of humour.

It’s out on April 29, so cast your eyes and ears this way…

Meanwhile, if you haven’t read it yet, check out my interview with the boys at their shared flat last year right here.

New from eagleowl

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Photograph by Neil Cammock

I’ve long-championed eagleowl on this blog -and indeed, ‘No Conjunction’ from their Into The Fold EP topped the 17 Seconds Festive Fifty in 2010.

They are shortly to release their long-awaited debut LP This Silent Year, which is coming out on the legendary Fence label on May 13. This is, in all seriousness, my personally most anticipated album of the year.

This is the first track to do the rounds from the album:

The tracklisting for the album is as follows:

forgetting
eagleowl vs. woodpigeon
not over
summerschool
it’s so funny
soft process
too late in the day
laughter

Oh, and I’m putting them on with Wounded Knee at the Dalkeith Arts Centre on the edge of Edinburgh on June 26…

Album Review: Trwbador

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Trwbador -‘Trwbador (Owlet Music)

Trwbador are the duo of half Welsh half Dutch Angharad Van Rijswijk and guitarist/producer Owain Gwilym. Recorded in their attic in Carmarthenshire (well, that’s what the press release says, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, so I’ll stick with that), their debut album is a real delight.

Rather like Cornershop, with whom they have collaborated, Trwbador are able to draw on a wide range of -very disparate- influences and yet have an eye on how to write actual, y’know, songs. First single ‘Safe’ is a case in point, where it starts off with the listener thinking that this boy and girl could give Chvrches a run for their money, and then somehow going off in a totally different direction. Like Kate Bush doing a capella with Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares.

Given that they’re welsh, and and there is a pastoral folk side to their music, comparisons will undoubtedly be made to the late, lamented Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. This is perhaps most in evidence on ‘Lluniau’ – which also acknowledges the electronica of acts like Four Tet and Bonobo.

A treat of a listen and one which I have been hugely enjoying over the last few weeks. One of the most lovely and unusual debuts you’re likely to hear this year.

****

Trwbador is out now on Owlet Music.

Presenting…Swim Deep

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As usual, there’s no shortage of emails about new music to check out here at 17 Seconds Towers.

Swim Deep, formed in Birmingham in 2011, are singer Austin Williams, Tom ‘Higgy’ Higgins on guitar, Zachary Robinson on drums and bassist Cavan McCarthy. Described as a ‘buzz band’ (everyone’s talking about them, to paraphrase the BBC’s adverts for Eastenders) they are starting to get a fair amount of coverage. This is their forthcoming single ‘She Changes The Weather.’ Simply sublime, frankly.

This is the video for their previous single ‘The Sea.’

Both singles will feature on their forthcoming debut album, entitled Where The Heaven Are We, which will be released on 29th July 2013.

This is an earlier single ‘Honey’ from last year:

Enjoy!

Presenting…By The Rivers

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There are occasions when my cynicism can almost get the better of me.

The email mentioned ‘six-piece band set to be the sound of the summer.’ The amount of hype that gets in my inbox made me think ‘really?’ In a ‘I’m not sure I’m even going to be convinced. AT ALL’ sort of way. They looked like another indie-by-numbers band, despite the fact that the email from the PR company mentioned reggae, motown and ska. I thought I’d give them thirty seconds before trying to work my way through the warzone that is my inbox.

Within a short space of time, I realised I’d been extremely hasty. Out of a mixture of contrition but mostly enjoyment, I sat down to listen to the entirety of their forthcoming self-titled debut album, which is out on Kompyla Records on May 6.

The Leicester band comprise Nile Barrow (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Jordan Birtles (Drums and Vocals), Sam Read (Keys, Guitar and Vocals), Matt Willars (Bass). Will Todd (Tenor Saxophone) and Leo May (Trumpet). And amongst those expressing admiration for the band is no less as expert on reggae, soul and roots music than Lynval Golding of The Specials who has described them as being the ‘new Specials.’

White folks playing reggae doesn’t have to end up like UBbloody40, you know…

The sound of the summer? They could well be. And that would be a good thing.

Album Review: Tropical Popsicle

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Tropical Popsicle -‘Dawn Of Delight’ (Talitres)

One of the things guaranteed to make almost all reviewers sigh is the phrase ‘our music is really hard to categorise.’ Now, somewhere, I seem to have mislaid a press release for this album (if I had one to start with), so when I continued to work through my ever-growing pile of review CDs I was really taking this at face value.

And actually, if the press release had included that phrase, it would have been justified. Basically, if Echo and the Bunnymen were The Doors fronted by Scott Walker, then Tropical Popsicle are…I’m still trying to get an exact handle on this, because from the opening moment of ‘Always Awake In Shadows’ this is an album that delights and surprises as you try to piece individual shands together.

It’s Nuggets meets the NME C86 tape. It’s The Velvet Underground writing pop songs with The Doors. Then being covered by The Jesus and Mary Chain. With Ian McCulloch on vocals. And whilst I can’t pinpoint the exact points, it seems that somehow the spirit of both The Ramones and Forever Changes has crept in here, too.

So yes, they have achingly cool record collections. Yes, much of this record sounds like it could have been made it any point between 1967 and the present day. Yet somehow, it all comes together and when I’ve finished writing this review, I’ll go and investigate the band further…

****

Dawn Of Delight is out on Talitres on April 15.

Album Review: Midas Fall

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Midas Fall -‘Wilderness’ (Monotreme)

Following on from their fine debut, 2010’s Eleven, Return and Revert, and the As Our Blood Separates EP, Midas Fall return with their sophomore album. It’s a welcome return and a step forward.

Support slots with the likes of Mono, 65daysofstatic and We Were Promised Jetpacks might led the unitiated to assume them to be another noisy post-rock/alternative band, but the thing that has always set Midas Fall apart from other bands is their use of electronica and what might once have been called trip-hop. But it’s topped off with the spectacular guitar work of Rowan Burn and above all, the vocals of Elizabeth Heaton.

When I first heard Midas Fall, I’d been wary after the press release had used words like ‘haunting’ and wondered if this was going to be lazy shorthand for bland. Then I heard Elizabeth’s voice and realised that haunting and ethereal were compliments here. Truly she owes as much to Elizabeth Fraser and Kate Bush as any other vocalist.

And it all adds up to an album that mixes so much in and begs to be played again and again. ‘BPD’ appeared on the EP -and it’s great to hear it again here. Album opener ‘the Unravelling King’ and the track doing the rounds for a few months ‘Your Heart,Your Words, Your Nerves’ are amongst the highlights.

This is an unjust world, and Midas Fall are still yet to receive the recognition that is truly due to them. When faced with injustices, we are obliged to challenge them. You know what to do…

****

Wilderness is out now on Monotreme, with the download available from next week

Does there have to be a reason?

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Not been able to access the computer for several days, so have lots of reviews to catch up on.

Tonight: a Kate Bush single from 1982. ‘There Goes A Tenner’ is actually one of the more accessible tracks on her ‘she’s gone mad!’ fourth album The Dreaming but bombed as a single.

I still love it…quirky video, too.