If you’ve followed this site for a while, you might know I have a severe weakness for female-fronted indie pop bands, so it’s no surprise that I was immediately taken by Welsh noise-pop trio, The Joy Formidable. They fit their name perfectly, their music is punchy, melodic, and uproariously joyful. The band’s blend of dream-pop and alt-fuzz and Ritzy Bryan’s gleeful, belted-out vocals, have garnered them comparisons to Asobi Seksu and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
“Cradle” is an in-your-face pop explosion. The layered hooks grab you immediately and don’t let up for the entire song. The track is pure enthusiastic, noisy pop with a stomping drum beat and anthemic vocals. It’s been stuck in my head for days, and I’m sure you’ll feel the same way. “Austere” is a bit more shoegazy with some great vocal interplay going on (the backing vocals feel like they’ve been snapped out of the disco era). Again it’s the infectious melody that really makes the song stick. The band is giving away for free a mini-LP, A Balloon Called Moaning, that includes these two tracks (which you can also download below) and six more. You can get it on the band’s website. Awesome!
The Brooklyn band Asobi Seksu, (Japanese for "playful sex") comprised of Yuki Chikudate (vocals, instrumentation), James Hanna (various instruments) and friends is one of our favorites here at The Walrus. Often compared to My Bloody Valentine, their melodic, ethereal noise-pop certainly has it’s roots in late-80’s/90’s Shoegaze, but its beauty is timeless.
I recently had a chance to speak with Yuki about the in-progress follow-up to 2006’s excellent album…
With its relics from bygone eras, low ceilings, archaic equipment and elderly, chain-smoking bar staff, you could be forgiven for thinking The Montague Arms was a backwards village pub in one the...
Photos from a recent FOE gig - a friend of our friends Hold Your Horse Is - she’s gonna be big!!! Read the gig review after the jump.
Shots of North Carolina’s folk-rocking Avett Brothers’ stop in Glasgow - 22.08.11
Read the review of the gig here.
Take a look at the acts and art on offer at this year’s Latitude Festival in Suffolk. Included are the likes of Fight Like Apes, Lykke Li, Sea of Bees and Seasick Steve. Photos from our own...
Good time with Bad Guys. Photos from the May 29th gig at the Old Blue Last. Read the review by the Bad Guy himself, Stuart London after the jump.
Artrocker.com exclusive: for fans of White Lies and Crocodiles we’ve got some fresh pictures from their UK show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire earlier this month, courtesy of Alessandro...
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