Telegram – ‘Rule Number One’

Photo: David Wala

London four-piece Telegram were responsible for one of the most exciting and scintillating debut singles of 2013, ‘Follow’.

‘Follow’ was an unrestrained savage blast of tripped-out psych-punk and the kraut-glam-psych enthusiasts are back with a follow-up ‘Rule Number One’. The pace and ferocity is upped considerably and the distortion pedals are certainly put through their paces. It’s brutal yet beautiful, as this intense psych-punk blitz is tempered by their subtle glam influences. Matt Saunders distinctive brogue aid his vocals, which ring in your ear above the scuzzy riffs and pounding drum-lines. Another phenomenal tune which effortlessly combine all their influences into something akin to falling through an endless, swirling technicolour vortex. Top stuff once again from Telegram.

You can download ‘Rule Number One’ below for FREE & you catch them in the flesh when they support Miles Kane in the Academy, Dublin on April 3rd.

Introducing: Saint Max and the Fanatics

Saint Max & The Fanatics are Max, Eliot, Fraser, Muir, Scott and Aldo, who hail from both Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland.

Together they create a joyous little racket. A quintessentially British sound with an open door policy on influences, incorporating a whole raft of luminaries from a rich pop family; Ala The Libertines’ devil may care attitude, the bouncy ska-pop rhythms of Madness and soulful horns of Dexys Midnight Runners. These echoes are never too much to bear, rather, they are effectively stitched together with swooping vocals, frenetic choruses and razor sharp lyrics, marking 18-year-old frontman Max Syed-Tollan as a songwriter beyond repute. While spritely gems such as ‘Soul Surrender’, ‘Afraid of Love’ & ‘Glasgow’ set the agenda for their insidiously catchy debut album, Saint Max is Missing and the Fanatics are Dead, there are pensive and emotive moments between the rhythmic frenzy of this indie-punk-ska-soul combo. Emotive and stirring renditions of ‘Sadsong’ & ‘Book Review’ offer a wistful and wilful insight, and display an added capacity to his songwriting.  An insidiously catchy, plucky and utterly loveable band, who manage it all with swagger and style. 

You can check out some choice picks from Saint Max and the Fanatics below or give their debut LP a listen here.

Doxy – ‘Shoulder High In Gibberish’

Doxy is the new name for Policy, a four-piece from Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, who featured on here with the release their self-titled debut EP last year.

Often a name change coincides with some sort of musical change of direction but with Doxy, apart from the name, added refinement and marginally less rough around the edges; it’s much the same as before, which is no bad thing by any stretch of the imagination. The re-brand has coincided with new EP, Shoulder High In Gibberish, which retains that ’80s British indie/post-punk inspired sound. Their latest EP, like it’s predecessor, is probably best summed up as a bit indie, a bit post-punk, a bit alternative rock and a bit rough around the edges; all filled with charm, catchy melodies and smart, attuned lyrics. Name changes aside, it’s great to hear from this foursome again, who are a welcome addition to any music collection regardless of the guise they choose to work under.

You can check out ‘Gibberish’ & ‘No Kissing’ below and if they are to your liking, you can head over to bandcamp, ‘name your price’ and download Shoulder High In Gibberish in it’s entirety. 

Introducing: Oh Boland

Oh Boland are a garage rock trio – Niall Murphy, Éanna Mac Donnchadha and Simon McDonagh – from Tuam, Co. Galway.

Formed just over a year ago, the Tuam trio’s sound borrows from an earthy mix of garage rock, indie, pop and some local guitar flavours. It’s rough, ragged and abrasive, yet Oh Boland present an utterly charming and lovable listening experience. Amid all the general abrasiveness of thrashing guitars, thundering basslines and growling vocals; every rumbling note proves their music ever more captivating and palatable, through a combination of sweet melodiousness and unusual off-kilter oddity. Oh Boland have taken up a sizable portion of my musical intake of late, and to put it simply, they are utterly fuckin’ brilliant! No nonsense, no faffing about, just top notch tunes done with style and swagger. This here only scratches the surface of their many virtues and given some of your attention, their music will do the rest of the convincing. Bands of this ilk are relatively scarce in Ireland, which is all the more reason to treasure them so.  

There’s some choice cuts below to set you on your way, and their two excellent EPs, Oh! and Ho!, are available to download free at Bandcamp

Girl Band – ‘Lawman’

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Girl Band. The Dublin band had a relatively quiet 2013 but they’ve kicked off 2014 with Irish, UK and Eurosonic dates, and most importantly a new single. 

‘Lawman’ is a real beast of a track. Over a sprawling six-minute industrial stomp of gut-wrenching and desolate post-punk rock, the ears a battered into submission with a fuzzed and filthy caustic cacophony of sound. The Dublin four piece have rarely been anything but exhilarating, in the flesh or on record, and ‘Lawman’ is in keeping with tradition. In short; this is a stunning tune and it’s good to have them back. 

‘Lawman’, Girl Band’s first ever 7″, is released on January 10th via Any Other City Records on a limited run of 300 records. Turn up the volume and check it below. 

High At Five – ‘Soft Lad’

High At Five popped up on the radar in the early part of 2013, impressing with their debut track ‘Soft Lad’. An initial post was put on hold with the promise of an EP which unfortunately never surfaced.

Alas, while checking in on the progress of these five young lads from North Wales, sadly it was discovered they have decided to part company and go their separate ways. While this may have all started to sound very obituary like, whatever the fate of the band, they were in the game long enough to share ‘Soft Lad’ with us. In short; it’s a top notch, spikey post-punk indie tune, lurching forward at a frantic pace and offset by some deep baritone style vocals. All in all a cracking tune. ‘Soft Lad’ would be a fitting tribute for any band to leave behind.

You can stream ‘Soft Lad’ below or download it for free from here.  

BarryGruff’s Albums of the Year 2013

It’s that time of year once again when every music blog, website and magazine busy themselves with list making activities, and this blog is no different. Due to other commitments this year, especially the second half, it was rather difficult to keep on top of album reviews for the blog. Saying that, I reckon I’ve listened to as many records as any other year without finding the opportunity to share my thoughts on many of them.

Without further ado, here’s the BarryGruff ‘Albums of the Year’ for 2013.

25. Crystal Stilts – ‘Nature Noir’

24. Appelscal – ‘Dreaming In Key’

23. Trwbador – ‘Trwbador’

22. Mr. Huw – ‘Cariad Affaich’

21. King Krule – ‘6 Feet Beneath the Moon’

20. Channel Swimmer – ‘Alphabet’

19. Valeria June – ‘Pushin’ Against A Stone’

18. Veronica Falls – ‘Waiting for Something to Happen’

17. Arctic Monkeys – ‘AM’

16. Public Service Broadcasting – ‘Inform – Educate – Entertain’

15. Marika Hackman – ‘That Iron Taste’

A collection potent songs of enigmatic beauty, That Iron Taste is a gorgeous and charmed introduction to the delectable talents of Marika Hackman. It is done so with a striking vocal delivery, sounding both wise and beautiful, imbued with a telling level of touching emotion. She channels something beautifully rich and dramatic in telling these rather dark poetic stories. Absolutely no substandard happy-clappy folk pop nonsense on show here, on the contrary, her debut (mini) album is quite frankly a haunting, numinous experience.

[Stream on Spotify]

14. The Pictish Trail – ‘Secret Soundz, Volume 2’

Most likely the greatest album to be recorded solely in a caravan, Secret Soundz, Volume 2, is the second LP from The Pictish Trail, the alter ego of Scottish musician Johnny Lynch. Throughout the LP, he’s in a contemplative, often melancholic 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. A magnificent record; warm, inviting and full of charming quirks from an exceptional talent.

13. Biggles Flys Again – ‘Remember Saturday’

Ireland produces plenty of great bands but where it falls short, of say our Welsh neighbors, is when it comes to indie bands of the weird and wonderful variety. In Biggles Flys Again, the moniker of Conor Deasy, we’ve got a domestic talent flying that flag. Biggles’ debut album Remember Saturday displays real talent for 3 minute pop gems. It is brimming with enchanting and whimsical good old fashioned pop songs, filled with sinuous melodies and organic arrangement. This is pop in the old fashioned sense, played by a band, and with an assured sense of style.

[Stream on Spotify]

12. Akala – ‘The Thieves Banquet’

Since the release of his debut in 2006, Akala has proven himself as one of the most articulate, intelligent and talented MC’s around, a trend continued on his fourth LP. A potent wave of righteous fury crashes through The Thieves Banquet. The world is beset by many problems, varied and plentiful they may be but Akala manages to take plenty of them head on. He remains passionate, focused and sharp when tackling everything from a sense of powerlessness to change things, to berating imperialism,  slavery, capitalists, 3rd world dictators and the clergy. A very fine record indeed.

[Stream on Spotify]

Best of 2013: Johnny Feeney’s Albums of the Year

The ever knowledgeable Johnny Feeney has frequently featured on the blog throughout this year, popping up time and again to share his musical musings and words of wisdom with us all. So ahead of my own list of albums of the year, Johnny has kindly compiled his top ten albums from 2013.

Before I leave you in Johnny’s very capable hands, I’d like to thank him for this, and all the other posts during the year. He’s a top man. So, without further ado, here are his top ten albums of 2013.

10. Creep – ‘Echoes’

Echoes, the Brooklyn electronic duo Creep’s second album, is a dark, atmospheric record laden with spectral, woozy trip-hop beats and are joined by lots of guest vocalists including Romy-Madeley Croft of the XX and trip-hop royalty in the form of Tricky.

9. Cults – ‘Static’

Static is a tightly packed album of breezy, infectious indie rock with lo-fi production and errs on just the right side of sickly sweet. There are some incredibly catchy songs on here that can lodge in your head for days. Great stuff.

8. Drenge – ‘Drenge’

This debut album from the Loveless brothers, Eoin on guitar/vocals and Rory on drums, is a treat of primal, visceral blues rock. There are some great clattering drums and thundering power riffs throughout. Raw and raucous, this is an excellent rock album.

7. London Grammar – ‘If You Wait’

Ploughing a similar furrow to the XX, Nottingham trio London Grammar specialize in beautifully understated, minimal pop on their debut album. In Hannah Reid, they have a commanding vocal presence that lends a gorgeous intensity throughout. Some real gems on here.

Boxed In – ‘All Your Love Is Gone’

Boxed In is the new solo project of London based producer Oli Bayston, who along with the duo of Liam Hutton and Mark Nicholls, has teamed up with the Moshi Moshi Singles Club to release their debut 7” single ‘All Your Love Is Gone’/’Legacy’. 

‘All You Love Is Gone’ has been on heavy rotation the past few weeks, and it’s such a massive, thriving and pulsating tune from start to finish. The bass here is phenomenal, which, underpinned by propulsive drums, sparse beats and urgent piano, drives everything along nicely as modulated guitars cut in and out at will, and topped with Bayston’s bleak, yet engaging and elegant vocals. Hopefully this is but the beginning and we don’t have long to wait too long for more from Bayston & Co. His track record to date suggests he’ll be a busy man either way, having played keys on both Willy Mason’s and Steve Mason’s most recent LPs. 

‘All Your Love Is Gone’ & ’Legacy’ are below for your listening pleasure and the 7″ is out on November 25th through Moshi Moshi. 

(Video) Telegram – ‘Follow’

While only formed in the last year, London four-piece Telegram, have already caused a bit of a stir across the water, and on the evidence of their debut single ‘Follow’, it’s easy to see why.

Sure, psychedelia is very ‘in’ at the moment (it’s never been ‘out’ in my humble opinion) but ‘Follow’ is one of the finest, and savage blasts of tripped-out psych-punk you’re likely to hear. There’s a phenomenal sense of urgency, with riffs that hurtle past at break neck speed, whirring reverberations, droning motorik propulsion and laden with post-punk-esque energy. For want of a better description, it sounds like Toy meets early Maximo Park and there’s nothing wrong with that. Hopefully there’s more where this came from sooner rather than later.

‘Follow’ is out now w/ ‘Under The Night Time’ on the band’s own label, GramGram. You can watch their retro-fused video below and listen to ‘Follow’ below, and then listen to it again. 

(Recap) Some Highly Recommended Albums: Cian Ciaran, Drenge & Curly Castro

I’ve been struggling to find the opportunity to share some of the albums I have been obsessing over recently so here’s three. A bit like buses my album posts. 

Cian Ciaran – ‘They Are Nothing Without Us’

For many familiar with Cian Ciaran‘s debut last year, Outside In, They Are Nothing Without Us may come as a bit of a surprise. The former was indebted to grandiose orchestral pop of the ’60s / ’70s, in contrast, the Super Furries man’s latest is spiky, angry but with shades of sweetness and sparkling ability for a pop song sewn throughout. This combination, with a dash of idiosyncratic Super Furry sparkle, makes the whole thing even more palatable. Where musically it opens with a rattling and rumbling fury before melting into psychedelic space territory as it progresses, lyrically, Ciaran is filled with anger throughout. He said this was his protest record and he has duly delivered that, while also producing one of his finest records to date (up there with SFA at their very best).

Drenge – ‘Drenge’

Drenge steadily impressed since the turn of the year with track after track of exhilarating punk-rock fury, and the debut album from sibling duo of brothers Eoin (guitar, vocals) and Rory (drums) Loveless, doesn’t disappoint. The record is a frenetic blitz of untamed rock ‘n roll, swathed in splashy cymbals and heavily distorted grungy guitar riffs. There’s a quite menacing threat to it all, hindered in no part by the opening salvo of four, under three minute bursts of coiled up aggression and fury. Although, it becomes more expansive the further through it progresses, climaxing with the eight minute ‘Let’s Pretend’, the album’s slowest and heaviest moment, and the softer, more melancholy of ‘Fuckabout’, which channels Hawley, Cocker & Turner. As spectacular debut record, as impressive as any band could hope for. 

Curly Castro – ‘Fidel’

There is scarcely enough space to pay full tribute to Curly Castro‘s latest album, Fidel, one of the finest hip hop records of the past few years. Raised in Brooklyn but residing in Philadelphia, Curly Castro’s music and lyrics explores a whole array of topics and themes; ranging from Black Nationalism, civil rights, racial issues, drugs, crime and autobiographical tales from his younger days, chronicling his journey to adulthood. Castro has plenty to say, but its not just what he’s saying, its the way he says it. Speaking with authority, an authority that makes you pay attention, his vision is delivered clearly and concisely, without ever sounding preachy or pretentious. His gruff vocal and impassioned delivery ensures added lyrical depth and musically, it doesn’t miss a beat and the production is top notch. You can download ‘Fidel’ from Djbooth.net for free.

Third Party – ‘On Both Sides’

We dropped in on Third Party, the Cardiff based band revolving around the musical talents of Gruff Russell-Jones, about this time last year.

The intervening 12 months haven’t dampened their knack for turning out an invariably perky, infectious and likable tune, as Russell-Jones & Co. return with a brand new double A-side, ‘On Both Sides’. They remain a pretty inimitable proposition, their mix of garage, R&B and post punk sound with wry lyrics are probably one of the closest modern relations to the ingenious witticisms of HMHB. ‘On Both Sides’ is meant as a satirical lament for the ailing culture of the 7″ single; separately ‘Copy A’ is a jerky, spiky post-punk track while ‘Beside’ is a stirring, down-tempo piano led, r&b delight. Two rather superb cuts offering decidedly different sides to the talents of Third Party, who having been knocking around for a couple of years now, surely deserve to be heard far and wide.

You can give both tracks the once over below (you can buy ‘ On both Sides’ here). If you’re in Cardiff for SWN, try make some time for Third Party.