Ninetails.

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When you’ve spent 8 hours travelling to a place to despise, it makes you feel ill. Physically sick. You want to vomit on the tarmac as soon as the plane lands. I get this feeling every time I make this trip. The journey leaving here however, is my favourite. Freedom. 27 days time I’ll do it again. It does hurt to leave the one you love for long periods of time, but it’s okay.

A long journey can drain you. I came home and just wanted to fall asleep. I have work at 9am tomorrow, so maybe I’ll be sensible and go to sleep before midnight. I don’t know. You see, when you feel utterly exhausted you need something to carry you off into some dreamland don’t you? It’s all well and good closing your eyes, but you need that extra push. This is where you’ll find it.

Ninetails are a fine band from Liverpool. Liverpool is the home to some delights such as Bird and Beach Skulls. Let’s place Ninetails up there with them. Ninetails make euphoric and blissed-out music that makes you sleepy (in a good way.) They launch you into a dream. So tranquil. Nothing and no one can interrupt you. As someone who has issues with sleeping, bands like this make drifting off less of a chore. They cancel out all the day’s thoughts and events, and just send you some place peaceful.

Ninetails deserve to be heard everywhere. In shops, alone in your room, in bars- everywhere. They have the power in their music to make anyone who listens to them; regardless of their music taste, to just stop and appreciate the moments Ninetails create with their music.

If you are looking for something beautiful and meaningful (in a Beach House kind of way) then you’ll find it in Ninetails for sure. They have the same mind-blowing aura like Foals, and with the same mindless drivel floating about; it is bloody good to have a band like this. The music comes from the heart, that is evident. So open yours up to Ninetails.

Their EP, Slept And Did Not Sleep is out 10th December through Superstar Destroyer Records. A gig to mark the launch of their EP will be held in their city, Liverpool and they will also be making their London debut on 29th November at the Bull And Gate in Kentish Town.

The Creeping Ivies- Stay Wild.

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Some may regard Christmas as the highlight of December, personally I’m not a fan. The music addict in me always looks forward to the end of year releases that creep up on you, unexpected but much-needed. It happens every year, and it is the perfect end to the year. You’ve just got to seek it out.

My love for The Creeping Ivies is out of my hands, and deeply rooted in my head. It is ever-growing and cements my love for Scottish bands more than I even knew. Scottish bands just offer you something entirely more powerful and passionate than most.

With their previous EP releases, The Creeping Ivies have always left me wanting more and more. Frequently hitting repeat and knowing the words by heart after the third listen. You take the passion they play with and it fuels your love for them. Stay Wild is evidently going to be this year’s hidden treasure. With so much manufactured tripe around, bands like The Creeping Ivies offer you hope that out there are bands making music with such heart, and more importantly; making their own unique sound.

Stay Wild makes you want to dance as if you have no control over your limbs. It makes you want to lose your mind and no longer care for your current surroundings. Nothing matters as Duncan and Becca take you on an insane and dark journey. This journey will freak you out and it will make you feel as if your soul has been cleansed. The aftermath will of course leave you wanting more; that repeat button is going to get abused. Trust me. The title track is the kind of song you’d imagine to hear at the end of the night with everyone chanting back. Covered in sweat, various spirits being spilled over their leather jackets and their boots. It’s a pure record that deserves to be heard.

You are going to hear comparisons such as “They are just like The Cramps” and such. Becca’s voice is obviously going to be compared to the likes of Siouxsie, but she has the power of Patti Smith in her vocals. I’m not a fan of comparing bands to others, but on this fantastic debut record, Becca’s vocals truly have the strength of Patti Smith. Duncan is Duncan Destruction for a reason. He absolutely slays and beats the shit out of the drums. As much as I adore their EPs, this debut full length record is nothing short of perfection. The sound much more powerful and a hell of a lot more eerie. They have the power to freak you the fuck out and make you want to dance all at once.

Listening to this wonderful record, you can truly picture it being played in dark, basement bars with people looking a bit like zombies, shaking their limbs and staring deep into the underworld. Possibly coming for your soul. The Creeping Ivies are one of the very few bands that manage to stay true to the essence of Garage Rock, yet merge something wonderfully strange with it. Everything about Stay Wild is just a delight to listen to. The production is amazing.

Bands such as The Creeping Ivies fully justify my love for duos. Duos make more noise and work harder for your affections. The Creeping Ivies are rowdy and bold. The Creeping Ivies take you on a whirlwind trip that you don’t ever want to come back from. The songs are played in a frenzy sending you off into another world. Utterly divine. I think my world was far too boring without these guys. The Creeping Ivies make you want to lurk about in places such as desolate buildings or cemeteries. Finding sacred things, seeing things no one else would ever believe Part mind-altering, part mind-blowing.

Stay Wild is out 1oth December on US label, Dead Beat Records.

“Lately, I’m not the only one. I say, never trust anyone.”

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I know age isn’t important. I know it’s not a big deal, but when your 26th birthday is creeping up on you; you cannot help but think “what the hell have I done with my life?!” I know this will pass soon, and on my actual birthday I probably won’t even pay any attention to how old I am. I don’t look my age at all. I look like I probably should be in school. Youthful skin. Maybe that’s my Italian genes coming through. Or maybe it’s because I nap a lot. I have no idea. The key is to moisturise. Always. In the morning and before you go to bed. Look after your skin, and you too can look as if you should pay child’s fare on the bus. Skin tips from a scruffy bint. Enjoy.

Last year when I turned 25 I think I had a brief moment of “oh fuck I’m nearly 30 what have I done with my life?!” And I think it is going to happen again. I don’t know why because no part of me does things in the hopes of getting approval of anyone. I don’t wish for that ever. If that was the case; I’d just be like everyone else. I don’t make an effort to not be like anyone else. This is how I turned out. Whether or not its a good thing, well that’s undecided. Maybe as I get older I may tolerate myself a bit more. Maybe I’ll stop being cruel towards myself. However, if I get in first; it won’t matter so much when someone else does. But there are things others say/ do that probably hurt a bit more than if I was to pick up on it about myself. But, it isn’t worth the time. Not much is. Time. Time. Time. Ages us all, aches us all. Us.

I maintain an element of silliness to make sure I don’t age too much mentally. If I see someone trip up in the street (providing they are not bleeding to death or a pensioner) I’ll probably find it funny. I think most are like that. When you take everything too seriously, it all loses meaning. And we’re all trying to find meaning. Maybe we’ll never know. Maybe we do know, but still want to keep looking. The answers can come from looking outside or from your own reflection. Just depends on how deep you want to get.

So, as I approach 26 I do wonder if I’ve done anything of worth. I just don’t know. I really don’t. My life pretty much revolves around music and I guess I hold interviewing Warpaint as the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve met and spoken to some of my heroes; and they say you should never do that. But I know of many who have done so, and it being a pleasant experience. I fully endorse meeting those who have changed you and saved you. Sure it’s mainly to do with music for me, but there’s about 2 people who I class as friends that have also done this. So maybe interviewing Warpaint may only be the best thing I’ll ever do. I have no idea. Or maybe it was that time about a year ago when I showed Shirley Manson a piece I wrote about Bleed Like Me on her Facebook page, and she read it. Then told me it made her cry. How many people can say they’ve made their role model/idol cry? I’m still trying to work out if I’m proud of that or not. I’m not sure. I feel bad about it, but I’m glad she saw it.

This seems far too self-indulgent and no doubt I will dislike myself for writing this down. But it is better than a drunken outburst on a pavement with friends moaning about how I’ve done nothing with my life isn’t it. Some things you need to spare others from ever seeing.

It’s just an age. It means nothing. Those kinds of things do not define who we are. I’ve also finished watching all of The Wire again for the third time. Still kind of wish Jimmy McNulty was my best friend or something. And I’m going to always be pissed that they killed Bodie and Omar. That wasn’t right.

Anyway, have some songs; if you’ve got this far. Here’s to the bands/singers over the past (nearly) 26 years that have been my crutch and saviours.

 

 

Ghosting.

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As much as I love finding new music, I still get the same feeling when I find old bands. However excitement is quickly replaced with a brief stint of rage because the band are either dead, split up or all I can find is one song and that’s it. I hate it when that happens. I spend hours trying to find more only to be greeted with nothing. Typical, I know. I bloody know.

By the end of the 80s, all that was good in music was pretty much long gone. The whole Goth scene was over, nowadays you have people listening to the likes of…those idiots that wear that make-up and have something to do with Brides in their band name, and everyone that listens to them calls themselves a Goth. SHUT UP. Please? Just take yourself away. Far far away. They’re about as Goth as my grandma. Having said that, my gran could take you all on. She’d feed you cake and tell you stories. That’s right, she’d lure you right in. Then..well, she’d just fuck shit up like any brilliant 84-year-old would.

Ghosting formed in 1989. 3 years after I was born. There’s no connection, I’m just spewing out a FUN FACT for you. Want another? It’s my birthday in 10 days time. I’m going to be 26. This time next week I’ll probably be sat on a pavement in London somewhere crying about how I;m nearly 30 and I’ve done nothing with my life.

Back to Ghosting, sorry.

Ghosting were (and always will be) one of the best German bands of all time. They were so bloody underrated. More importantly; they were utterly terrifying and mind-blowing. Story telling at its finest. Scary stories that you tell around an open fire, in the vague attempt to scare someone. Anyone. They fill you with fear through their demonic and possessed sounds. This is some truly dark stuff. A flurry of images explode in your mind as you listen to them.

I honestly don’t want to go into great detail about them, I just want to write as a fan. If you want any history about them- look them up. I just want to tell you what they do to me. They possess you in a way that no one else may ever be able to do. They make me hate I was born too late to appreciate them. If I appreciate them like this now, then I’m pretty sure I’d be borderline obsessed with them if I was born when they first started.

Their music made you feel as if the end was close. So close; but no part of you felt any fear because there was something so enthralling and comforting about their music. I firmly believe that the darker the music, the more you find comfort in it. I don’t want to hear soppy love songs. I want to hear something a bit sinister and against what is expected. I want to hear something that causes a riot in my heart and a battle in my head. I want brutal. I want dark. I want heavy. I want something passionate. That’s why I love the bands I love. Ghosting are no exception. They’re another band that justify why music is my biggest love.

If music was still like this, I think the Daily Mail would have a fucking hernia over it. If only that would happen.

So go and embrace the dark side for a while, it needs you. It wants you.

 

Cousin Brian.

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“Pardon me while I smack my head.”

Over a year ago someone took one of my favourite items of clothing- my Ramones hoodie. That hoodie had been to some brilliant gigs. It provided warmth and shelter from the rain. It was probably the only sensible Winter clothing I owned. So, when it got taken from me (never give a girl your clothes. I don’t care how long you’ve known them or whatever- you will NEVER get your stuff back. EVER.) I was crushed. Part of me was thinking, “I can deal with how you’ve treated me, sort of..but taking my stuff? NO.” I’m obviously the Queen of prioritising. Clothes before feelings. Whatever. So, I bought a new one. It came in the post this morning. I will not part with it. I will not offer it to my girlfriend to keep her warm (I trust her and love her dearly, but I’m not going through this AGAIN!) if she feels cold, I will offer her a hug or tell her to put a jumper on. One of her own. Not mine. I just needed to write this down. Now I am going to tell you about a wonderful band that come from Philly.

Cousin Brian make noise. They make a whole lotta noise. Noise that fucks with your head. Fucks with your mind. It just fucks with you; or just fucks you. Pardon the graphic details but that’s all I’ve got. That’s what they do to you. They move you. Shivers go through you; they shake you. Take a walk and listen to them. Cling onto the distractions. Keep walking.

What you must simply adore about Cousin Brian is that they are just a bit mental. The good kind of mental. If you’re like me, and don’t do drugs. You use music as that “high” or whatever- then you probably need to get really familiar with Cousin Brian. They’ll do something to your mind that nothing and no one else can touch. They send you on a high; and you feel so blissed out that coming back to reality just seems ridiculous. So you keep on listening, it’s better that way.

Their songs ooze the frustrations of every day life. If you can’t relate to them, then maybe you’ve not watched the news or looked at people in the street or you just don’t go outside. You’ve removed yourself from the outside so maybe you don’t understand. I fully endorse hiding away at times; but sometimes you can’t avoid it. And I know how it is such a drag, and it exhausts you. But that’s why we have music. Music drags you through. You can kick and scream your way through the days but music will be there to probably kick and scream with you. It’s On Me is a perfect example of letting those frustrations go. Besides, what’s the point in hanging onto something that just ruins you? Let it go.

To sum it up, Cousin Brian are an excellent band from Philly. They bring you sunshine and fun. They unleash your furies and any angst you may have. If you don’t feel good after listening to them, call your doctor. Maybe they can help you.

You can listen to their debut full length LP and other cool stuff right here : http://cousinbrian.bandcamp.com/ If you don’t enjoy the Jeff Goldblum background on their bandcamp page then you’ve evidently not watched Jurassic Park (and enjoyed it.)

Strawberry Whiplash.

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My love for duos is forever professed here. Sometimes I am coherent about it, sometimes (most of..) I just sound like a rambling fool. I’m not sure if I know how to write with structure on here. Anywhere else, I can do so. I guess it’s because I have the freedom to rant here. So rant I shall do. The rants are filled with passion and love. Just be glad you are not sat near me when I really get into talking about something I love. Sometimes I need to be handed a glass of water and told to have a lie down. It’s for the best. I know when to shut up. I do enjoy the quiet. Probably more than I should.

Scotland is the home of amazing music. I base this on my love for Shirley Manson and The Jesus And Mary Chain. I also have a part of my heart dedicated to Camera Obscura. Scottish musicians seem to posses a delicate tone to their music. You know, although The Jesus And Mary Chain were quite dark and bold, there was such a vulnerability to their lyrics. That lone made them delicate. It is one of the many reasons as to why they are my favourite band of all time. I don’t think there are enough hours in the day for me to even try to express my love for them. But let’s move onto another band from Scotland. A band that provide comfort and joy.

Strawberry Whiplash are a duo from Glasgow. They make music that makes your soul smile and heart glad that it’s beating. They have an innocence to their music that is found in playground games. They posses a truth that is found at 3am when the world just won’t leave you alone. They’re the cure to the night before.

Strawberry Whiplash make you want to go on holiday with the one you love. An unplanned trip to anywhere you want; the world is yours. They make you want to get away, but not alone. They destroy all feelings of loneliness. They rid you of any bad feelings you may have had. They just ooze sheer joy. If you want to experience something pure and truthful, then listen to Strawberry Whiplash. They are the kind of band you listen to whilst watching the rain beat against the window. You wish you could go outside, but they provide a warmth that not even your favourite jumper could give. This is music from the soul to the soul.

They  released Hits In The Car this year on Matinee Records, which you can listen to a few songs from here : http://soundcloud.com/matinee-recordings/sets/strawberry-whiplash-sampler/

For those who love the likes of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart or Camera Obscura, you’ll probably find a home in Strawberry Whiplash. You can find more (and buy their records) here : http://matineerecordings.com/category.php?manufacturer_id=35

Enjoy!

September Girls- Wanting More EP.

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Next month, my favourite Irish garage rock band are releasing their debut US release. September Girls are easily one of the best female groups around at the moment. Any band that makes cassettes is a gem in my eyes. Well, providing they aren’t crap and I like them.

September Girls are exciting and wonderful, that is obvious. They make you go back in time. Say the 60s when girl groups truly had talent. The songs were about heart ache and the hair was big. Now the songs are painful to listen to, and you’d much rather you were deaf. Girl groups; where did it all go wrong?! Can I blame the Spice Girls? I can? I can’t? I’m going to. September Girls remind me of a tame version of The Black Belles. I bloody love The Black Belles. If you mix The Girlfriends with Dum Dum Girls and the Wall Of Sound era; you basically have the ideal band don’t you. That ideal band is called September Girls (DDG also, but this is about September Girls.)

Their 7″ EP consists are 3 beautiful songs that leave you typically wanting more. So all you can do is hit repeat over and over. 3 songs that leave you in a state of bliss and also leaves you unsure where you are. Are you in the present or have you gone back? Maybe you took a trip to the future and this is what it sounds like. If that’s the case, then to hell with all that’s happening now and catapult me to the future.

There is a glorious video to the song, Hells Bells which you can watch here :

Hells Bells makes you think you are at a cheap disco surrounded by good people. You just have to move you limbs about in a way that basically states, “I don’t care, this song makes me happy. Move out of my way.”

Wanting More takes you back to the blissful state that the summer left you in. You want to go back because for the most part, you had a pretty damn good summer. Give or take a few shit days; you still had a good time. Man Chats is just divine and is the perfect ending to this wonderful EP.

As this is their first US release (through Matinee Recordings) I hope with all I have they become huge in America and win over their hearts like they have won over mine.

September Girls make the kind of music that makes me love writing about music. Music is basically all I know and care enough to write about. The band fuel my love for this, and give me hope that out there, there are bands making music that is pure and honest. They merge all the genres I love into one. I just adore them a hell of a lot.

The EP is out next month, and you can purchase it here, along with some other cool stuff : http://matineerecordings.com/

“Into the night as the stars collide, across the borders that divide. Forests of stone standing petrified, to be by your side.”

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Sadness is something that creeps up on you when you least expect it. Much like love, happiness and rage. Much like any feeling I suppose. There is something about sadness that hits you harder than most and is much more difficult to shake. Some people wish to wrap themselves around it and become self-centered (I don’t get that) and some manage to just carry on as normal. There’s no right, there’s no wrong. But most will say you are wrong. I’ve not felt sad in a very very long time. But I saw something today that reinforced just how horrifically sensitive I am. And how much I dislike it. I’d say it is a negative trait, but I don’t have it in me to be tougher than I am. I’ve tried, and I’ve even tried being cruel. I can’t do it anymore. It just seems pointless.

So today whilst walking home from the gym I saw something on the pavement that made me feel so sad, and quite sick. The way I walk to and from town is basically a country road. There’s a farm on one side, and when you walk past it you get a delightful stench of SHIT. That sure wakes you up when you walk past it. Anyway, this isn’t about the animal shit I get to smell every morning on my way to and from the gym. It’s about what I saw. Anyone who knows me even a tiny bit knows I adore animals. I’m one of those annoying twerps who has conversations with dogs, cats and rabbits, and is convinced they understand. If you have a pet, I will try to steal it from you. If you have a dog, I’ll make it my best friend. If you have a cat, I’ll hold it up and sing Circle Of Life to it. If you have a rabbit, I’ll attempt to steal it. That’s just how I am. Anyway, this morning walking back I saw a dead rabbit on the pavement..right next to me. At first I thought it was asleep, but I realised quickly that the poor bugger was dead. Thing is, it looked at utter peace.

I honestly have no idea what my point is with this. I probably don’t have one. I guess I just believe animals all have the same emotions humans do. Sometimes animals seem more gentle with each other than people do. The way some people are with each other is just disgusting. Have you seen how monkeys look after each other? If that doesn’t melt your heart; then something could be wrong with you. I wish people were more gentle and sensitive towards each other. Being tough is alright when you need to be; but not always. You don’t need to always be defensive, this is speaking from experience. You can’t let the past make you who you are. You cannot blame others for all that may be wrong in your life. Yet it seems easier doesn’t it?

The next person you scowl at or launch vile words at; think about it before you do so. How does this tie in with the dead rabbit I saw? I don’t know if it does. Maybe I wanted to write down how sad it made me seeing that. Maybe there’s more to it. Just be gentle. Be kind. There’s enough shit in the world, don’t add to it.

France Camp.

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Finding new music is pretty easy I guess. Finding new music that sounds different and is worthy of your time is a bit more difficult. Everything seems to sound the same doesn’t it? Same subject matter, same bland chord progression. Heard it all before. We’re becoming harder to please, so our attention span towards anything new seems to be quite short. However, there is always a handful of bands that can change this. They can make us listen. They don’t have to wear silly outfits or sing like a dolphin in distress for us to listen. I hate big voices like that. I don’t care if you can hit a high note. I want you to scream the lyrics until your face turns blue over a distorted guitar and Wall Of Sound based drums please. That works for me, always.

So I suppose it is no surprise that after only finding a band called France Camp less than an hour ago, and having them on solid repeat that I am in love with them. Everything I love and look for in music; they thankfully have.

They have a beautiful song called More Roses, and the drums..oh god. The drums sound like something you’d hear by The Jesus And Mary Chain. They’ve got this incredible sorrow vibe going on, but don’t let that put you off. There’s a hint of romanticism in it all. All over some kind of Garage/surfer kind of sound. It’s just bloody brilliant.

Me Abroad makes you want to get away. Either on your own or with someone you tolerate enough to spend some time with. Bone Home makes you want to dance. Now, when I say dance I do actually mean throw your limbs about as if you have problems upstairs. Your mind is telling you to move a certain way; but your limbs wish to go the other. A prime example of the mind being ignored and your body doing whatever the hell it feels like doing. Sometimes, that is needed.

Their distorted/reverby feel makes you move. Move in ways that may get you taken away for a while (be careful.) I can only imagine that their live shows are pleasurably insane. They’re the kind of band that should play small, sweaty venues in the middle of nowhere. A true basement band who capture the sheer purity of music.

France Camp are a brilliant band. They’re one of the few bands who make music exciting. They possess innocence, sorrow and the ability to make you move. I’ve got more reasons as to why I love them, but for now these shall do.

Tamaryn-Tender New Signs.

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“Deep inside a fever sleep, the dead air curls. And begs to be  breathed. She’s a fool, but time is a thief.”

Music should be peaceful and gentle. I know at times we seek out music that is a bit bold and brutal to unleash our own furies that we cannot do unless pushed/instructed to do so. You can drift through the day listening to the relaxing sounds of Youth Lagoon but at some point, a part of you is going to want to listen to something with a bit more bite such as say, Slipknot, so you can get out what you suppress. There’s nothing wrong with it, if anything it should be encouraged.

This is my third attempt trying to write about Tamaryn’s second record, Tender New Signs. I’ve no idea how many times I have played it since its release. All I know is that it is a massive distraction. Not that I see any fault in that. There are a lot worse things I can be distracted by. It usually is. As you listen to Tender New Signs, you feel every bad emotion in you pour out and a wave of love just takes over. It is like a glimpse into someone elses dream. You watch over them and try to pick up on the pieces that make them stir in their slumber. I’ve heard a lot of beautiful records recently. Some old, some new; but none have captured me like this. Tender New Signs is truly something else.

The vocals make your heart beat double time, and the music is so blissed-out, you cannot focus. Everything about Tender New Signs is just so pure and full of devotion. This is the kind of record you present to your love and say, “this sums up how I feel better than anything.” Then they listen, and they understand. They’re yours forever. If you can make your love a fan of Tamaryn, then they’re a keeper. Much like if they are able to sort out ways for you to cut down how much your phone-bill is every month! It all links in.

I could quite happily write about every song in detail and every image they conjure up, but I’d probably bore you to death. I must say that The Garden is one of the most magical and blissful songs I have heard in a long time, I think it is my favourite (so far.) Transcendent Blue has a gorgeous build-up to it that makes you feel as if you are drifting in and out of sleep. The whole record is just so divine and honest.

Everyday life is a bore at times, that’s why records such as Tender New Signs are so important. They are important because they create such a beautiful way to escape, and they also give you a beautiful place to escape to. The harshness of everyday life can leave us cold and unsure. Tamaryn’s voice soothes you and holds your hand into another world.

If you’re looking for a record that eases the mind and sways the soul, then you simply must buy Tender New Signs at once. If you’re not moved by it, then something must be wrong. Once again, this is another record I simply cannot put into a genre as there’s no word for it other than “beautiful.” It goes beyond being beautiful, but you get my point.