YOUTH LAGOON - dropla

2011, a year not so different to years past or years to come. but, this was the year that the world caught a glimpse of the majesty that lay in the brains of boise, idaho resident, trevor powers. powers, known to many as youth lagoon, is finally set to release his second album, wondrous bughouse, after starving us of his work for the past couple of years. 

last week the ears of YL fans around the world were greeted with dropla, the first track to be released from the new album. on listening to this track, it instantly becomes clear that with this song comes a new sense of self confidence which was often lacking in the timorous lines of year of hibernation (YL's 2011 album). dropla swiftly causes yukimi nagano of little dragon to spring to mind, powers voice sounding strangely similar to hers, and the whole track having vibes reminiscent of her work on gorillaz 2010 album, plastic beach. 

year of hibernation bought to us a rare sort of beauty, perfectly ethereal yet marvelously grandiose at the  same time. the question resonating in the minds of many at the moment is of course, can powers create something this wondrous for a second time? 

BLAENAVON - single release

meet blaenavon, a trio of kids from the soggy hills of hampshire, still fresh from the womb, (the oldest of the three being a mere 17 years old) and brimming with talent to throw at the world with all their might. yesterday they unveiled the two songs expected on their debut single, A side - into the night & B side - denim patches. due to be released on march 11 via transgressive/paradYse records. 

listen to denim patches and into the night right here, right now, and if you like what you hear (how could you not!) come and hang out at their single release party at the buffalo bar, islington on february 21!




...and my personal favorite ------->

WOLF ALICE - fluffy

one of the first things i saw this morning as i arose, bleary eyed from the depths of sleep, reached for my phone and refreshed twitter, was that wolf alice had just unleashed a new song to the general public, fluffy. still drunk off warmth and the smell of my cat's soft fur, my response time was feeble, but slowly i dragged myself from under the covers and headed for the nearest computer.




this is what i found there. oh man, its so great i just want to snog it! its like hole and sleigh bells and sonic youth all made love at the same time and nine months later squirted out fluffy. wolf alice have certainly taken a turn down rock avenue since they're previous track leaving you was released. the lazzez faire, countrified feel has been dropped almost completely and instead been replaced with a song that whips you off your feet right from the start with all the raw angst of the early 90's. 

SWIM DEEP - the sea

so as the number of lunatic girls drooling over swim deep grows and grows, the quartet obviously felt it was time to let their fans get another peak at their soon to be debut album, anticipated to be released some time this summer. here is; the sea -




i didn't have high hopes for the bands latest offering, after several listens to orange county left my emotions run dry and my brain pondering over why the glue stick which once resided on my desk was now collecting dust on the floor. however, swim deep seem to have turned a corner with the sea. its true they've stuck to their somewhat simple layout, but the sea has a more lackadaisical feel than previous tracks yet the beat flows on and keeps the song moving throughout. my only qualm is that the bridge is pretty boring. suddenly all the funky drums and stuff disappear and austin starts singing about something which really would sound much better if the rest of the band got to join in. i guess it builds tension whilst we await the climax, ooo, sexy. despite this i'm pretty impressed, i thought maybe it was going to be my favorite swim deep song so far but then i remembered that was actually this:




naaaaaat!! sorry boys this really sucks. austin you sounds like buffalo bill in silence of the lambs, no sweet dreams for me tonight. (i like the normal version, though) 

LA SHARK - magazine cover

LA SHARK... err yeah, these guys sound like the devil spawn of less than jake and various other weird genreless bands, except it's evident from only a handful of listens that this london quintet are a lot, lot better. check out magazine cover, in my opinion the best track on their debut album, limousine mmmm... by a long way. 

LORINE CHIA - crazy things

i've always lived with the, admittedly rather naive, view that most women singers suck a bit, that is up until recently. over the past few months i have found myself drawn in by the sickly sweet vocals emitted from the female vocalists of bands such as TOPS, best coast and wolf alice, as well as solo artists like sky ferreira. newcomer to the scene, lorine chia, seems to be no exception. evidently having come a long way from her R&B style work from back in 2010, chia combines a perfect mix of old and new. clear influences from the likes of sister sledge and womack & womack give her music a classic kitschy feel, whilst her sassy vocals reflect those of amy winehouse (n her moments of glory) and the experimental, synthy bass line lets us not forget that we are still in 2012.

SNOWMINE - The Hill

although not exactly hot off the press, the hill, a track from SNOWMINE's 2011 album laminate pet animal sounds as fresh and exciting as if it were recorded yesterday. hats off to the brooklyn five-piece!