H. Hawkline – ‘Ghouls’

Welsh songwriter, H. Hawkline is set to follow last year’s superb Black Domino Box EP, with a new EP in June. The EP, entitled Ghouls, will feature Cate Le Bon and Sweet Baboo, and will be his first release on Turnstile.

Along with news of this new release, H. Hawkline has treated us to the title track; a delightfully melodious guitar led, laid back and sunny jam. It is great to find that his recent relocation to the US has done nothing to stifle his weird and wonderful whims. In fact, ‘Ghouls’ is utterly fantastic as he continues to impress mightily with his knack for crafting catchy psychedelic folk pop.

The Ghouls EP is released on 12″ vinyl, as well as digitally, on June 17th, through Turnstile. You can pre-order it here and give the title track a spin below.

BarryGruff Presents #15: The Statics, Policy & Appo :: Sunday, May 5th :: Flanagan’s Bar, Newbridge

‘BarryGruff Presents’ returns to Flanagan’s Bar for a 15th Newbridge show on Sunday, May 5th. 

Over the course of the past 18 months there’s been some really special nights in Flanagan’s and Sunday night’s show with The Statics, Policy & Appo promises to be a belter of a night. Coincidentally this will be the last BarryGruff show for a while due to other commitments but we shall be back, it is something that has been an absolute pleasure to be involved with.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to this one & it promises to be a great night so come along and enjoy the buzz, as I said it’s the last one for a while. It’s FREE in as usual & kicks off at 9 pm. [RSVP]

The Statics:

The last time The Statics were in town they went down a treat. Echoing the likes of The La’s, John Power & The Coral, the Dublin four piece specialise in upbeat and energetic indie-goodness with twangy rhythmic guitars, stomping drums, bright upbeat melodies and rich distinctive vocals and sing-a-long choruses. It’s all played with energy, refreshing honesty and assured sense of style, and live, The Statics are one of the best performers in Ireland at the moment. Sunday’s performance is not to be missed. 

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Policy:

Policy are a four-piece band from Kilcoole, Co Wicklow who sound like they have been influenced by a whole host of mid ’80s British indie acts (particularly The Wedding Present plus others of that ilk). Their debut EP is probably best summed up as a bit indie, a bit alternative rock and a bit rough around the edges, but it is full of charming songs with catchy melodies, smart lyrics and played with energy. Quite excited about this first visit to Newbridge from Policy. 

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Appo:

Newbridge has gained quite a reputation in recent years for the sheer volume and quality of music emanating from the humble town. One man in particular has somehow managed to avoid this gaze, Appo, who has remained one of Newbridge’s best kept secrets. A one man bluesy-folk explosion, the gravelly voiced troubadour is currently recording his debut album which could potentially blow his cover once and for all. A wonderful songwriter, whose powerful blues/folk is a work of genuine veracity and it’s an absolute pleasure to have him back on the bill again.

Introducing: Ottilia

Originally from Uppsala, Sweden, but now based in London, Ottilia has already received lavish praise from numerous quarters; including winning an award for best teenage Swedish singer/songwriter of 2012.

It is easy to understand why, her music sounds rather special and she is definitely a bright young talent. Her most recent release, double aside ’Heartless / I Don’t Let Myself Fall In Love’, certainly flies the flag for such an assumption. Both posses a doleful, melancholic air, with ‘Heartless’ serving as a despondent song for the hurt and wounded, mournfully crooning “If I had a heart left to love you I would do, I would do,” over haunting off-beat rhythms. ‘I Don’t Let Myself Fall In Love’ is a lone acoustic ballad, amidst the gloomy surroundings and stark strum her voice is so smooth, powerful and enchanting. I’ve been consumed by both tracks for days, the latter in particular should send a chill down your spine.

You can listen to both ‘Heartless’ & ‘I Don’t Let Myself Fall In Love’ below and make up your own mind.

Laura Marling – ‘Master Hunter’

Admittedly I have a tendency to forget how great Laura Marling is, that is, till she pops up with new material. Thankfully she’s near as prolific as she is talented, and releases are never in short supply. 

Marling is back with a new single ’Master Hunter’, which sees her adopt a slightly different approach to what we’re used to from her. It  is much more in the vein of traditional folk and owing much to Dylan’s ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’, we are treated to Marling rolling her voice through a variety of styles and ranges. A timely and welcome reminder of what a wonderful talent she is. 

 ’Master Hunter’ is taken from her forthcoming fourth album in 5 years, Once I Was An Eagle, which is Out 27th May. Check it below. 

Adam Geraghty – ‘Sticks and Mud’

Adam Geraghty is a young from singer / songwriter from Athlone and at the age of just 14, yes 14, it makes him the youngest artist to feature on the blog. 

Although by no means the finished article, Geraghty has shown a lot of potential with his debut EP, Revolve. The EP was written, recorded and produced by himself from the confines of his Westmeath home. From which, comes ’Sticks and Mud’, a gentle, hushed and heart warming ballad with a kind of raw imperfection that doesn’t come around too often. Definitely early days but there is a sincerity in what he’s doing and obviously has time on his side to hone his talent and refine that sound.

You can listen to ‘Sticks and Mud’ below and the rest of the Revolve EP is available on bandcamp.

Sue Denim – ‘Hollow / ​After The Rain’

Bangor native Sue Denim stepped out on her own, sans Robots in Disguise, with her debut solo album And The Unicorn in the latter part of last year. Recorded and co-produced in North Wales with David Wrench (Bear In Heaven, Caribou & Y Niwl), it’s a lovable collection of simple and honest songs which makes for cheery listening.

Her latest foray comes in the shape of new single ’Hollow’ & it’s companion, ‘After The Rain’; two sweetly seductive folk songs with dreamy pop core. Musically it revolves around an acoustic guitar, piano and Sue’s soothing voice – the perfect platform to allow her free flowing melodies and lyrics to run wild. Sensational stuff really, one can’t help but feel a tinkling magical sensation when listening to these two. There is a spot for this in even the coldest of hearts.

‘Hollow / ​After The Rain’ is out  now and can be picked up from bandcamp.

H. Hawkline – ‘Llenwi’

Welsh psych folky H. Hawkline has returned with his first new recordings since last year’s weird and wonderful EP, Black Domino Box. ‘Llenwi’ is one of two tracks he has contributed to Recordiau Lliwgar’s (Welsh for Colourful Records) double 10″ compilation, Y Record las, out on April 1st.

‘Llenwi’ channels his experimental whims through a rough of sludge of meandering folk and indie, with his decision to sing in his native Welsh, adding a level of distinction and unusuality to the track. It does mean however, whatever he is singing about remains a mystery (to me at least) – not a problem though, it is both unusual and brilliant. Here’s hoping for much more from H. Hawkline in the not so distant future. 

You can listen to ’Llenwi’ below and if it floats your boat, you can stream some other tracks from the Y Record las compilation here. 

Sea Area Forecast – ‘Blue Notes’

Sea Are Forecast are an indie-folk outfit from Newbridge, who went down a treat when they played a couple of the ‘BarryGruff Presents’ shows last year, and importantly showed increasing promise with each performance. 

Taken from their debut release, ’Blue Notes’ appeared late last year but got somewhat lost in the deluge of end of year lists and other festive commitments.  ’Blue Notes’ is a perfect introduction to Sea Area’s ‘indie with a folky touch’ approach. It’s an earthy and warm slow burner with some wonderful vocal harmonies – a quite a stirring rendition as it goes.

You can listen to ‘Blue Notes’ below or watch the video, made of footage from recording sessions, live shows and other hi-jinx.

Anderson – Hallowed Heart EP

Since the release of debut single Patterns / History, Anderson has been writing and recording tracks for his debut album. Intended to be his next release, the process has been more fruitful than expected however, as the Dubliner amassed more songs than space allowed for on one LP. And so the Hallowed Heart EP was born, four tracks from the album sessions that sit together as a separate entity rather well. 

Varying from peppy and positive to melancholic, this is a folksy sound with irresistible classic pop melodies, draped in Anderson’s intuitive songwriting and storytelling abilities. There is a quite buoyant feel to songs like ‘Hallowed Heart’ and ‘Cecilia’s Sister’; the lyrics are as deep and personal as they are optimistic and hopefully, bobbing along some jaunty keys and acoustic guitar mingling. ‘A Sad Lullaby’ hits a gloomier tone, a moving song of a girl lost to the trappings of her life to the point of despair. Closer ‘Death Is Like The Rain’ returns to the previous optimism, a gentle acoustic strum accompanies his earnest voice, leaving Anderson with a wide open space for his lyrics to fill. Serving as something of the Anderson manifesto, it rallies against resignation and depressive decline in a powerful insistence to stay positive. An overwhelmingly powerful climax, leaving the listener wishing the song wasn’t just 1:52 in length.

Hallowed Heart is a simply wonderful collection of songs. These are touching personal tales, taking some of the finer moments ’60s/’70s folksy pop and told through the eyes of an intuitive songwriter and storyteller on the very top of his game.

Sweet Baboo – ‘Let’s Go Swimming Wild’

Sweet Baboo is preparing to release his fourth album Ships in April, preceded by the utterly delightful ’Let’s Go Swimming Wild’.

Sweet Baboo, real name Stephen Black, is a native of the north Wales countryside. Embracing that rich Welsh tradition for psychedelic folk/pop, he delivers it with style, on a par with fellow countrymen Gruff Rhys and H. Hawkline. The sweetly ‘Let’s Go Swimming Wild’ captures this asthetic with perfection, opening in a shroud of melancholy before bursting into life with a delightful melody and irresistible swirls of brass. Aside from this idiosyncratic streak, Sweet Baboo’s star quality lies in his evocative and unique voice. 

‘Let’s Go Swimming Wild’ is out now & you can check it below. The single will be followed by Ships this April on Moshi Moshi and Sweet Baboo will be hitting the gig trail across the UK too, there’s a pile of live dates over on his website.

Introducing: Soft Hearted Scientists

Ah, wonderful Wales. With Ireland you can put your house on it raining but the same could be said for Wales and weirdly wonderful psychedelic bands. Following along a path laid by Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals, to name but two, are Cardiff based psych folk collective Soft Hearted Scientists. 

Their psychedelic-tinged folk owes much the heady days of ’60s and ’70s too. The collective’s trippy warped out and downright weird sounds are dripping with genuinely appealing eccentricity and sugar sweet melodies, grounded, only just, by musings of everyday life. A madcap of delights that if comparisons were needed, one might arrive at something like the lyrical depth, wordplay and acerbic wit of Half Man Half Biscuit, meets the off-the-wall antics of Syd Barrett and seductive sounds of Donavan or The Byrds. All in all, it is wonderful, bizarre and seductive in equal measures. These are songs which will burrow into the inner reaches of your mind.

With three albums under their belts already, they are hardly newbies but as album number four, entitled False Lights, is on the horizon it is a timely introduction to their wonderful psych folk delights.

Album of the Week: The Pictish Trail – Secret Soundz, Volume 2

Ever wondered what the greatest album to be recorded in a caravan was? Didn’t think so, but the latest effort from The Pictish Trail, Secret Soundz, Volume 2 has to be the front runner for this, the most unlikely of accolades (if there are others, answers on a postcard please).

Touted as the follow up to 2008′s Secret Soundz, we find The Pictish Trail, the alter ego of Scottish musician Johnny Lynch, in a contemplative, often meloncholic mood, concerned with life’s ups and downs. In contrast, musically Secret Sounds is rather chipper, spurred on by a glorious melange of oddball sounds, sparks of frazzled electronics and instrumental breaks.

Opening with the bright and bouncy, instrumental electro ‘Secret Sounds #6′, this introduction is a bit misleading, it’s with ‘Sequels’ that the album kicks into gear. The oddball sounds and electronics remain but what’s clear is, they are not the focus here. They are but a platform, with Lynch’s wonderful singing voice firmly in the foreground. The premise firmly established, the album gently cascades through folk-influenced balladry and warm electronics of ‘Of Course You Exist’, ’The Handstand Crowd’ and ‘Michael Rocket’. It is a real bag of tricks but never losing of the balance between curiosity and melancholic it is interspersed with equal doses of both.

Although a sequel, one doesn’t need to need to be acquainted with it’s earlier sibling. As a stand alone record it is magnificent record; warm, inviting and full of charming quirks from an artist of genuine exceptional talent.