Static Future - Assembly

Well, I'm pure mad excited about this. Hello again by the way. I hope you're sitting comfortably and have managed to make a nice cup of tea since my last post. I've got something to share with you that I've been waiting ages for (and not, it's not a copy of "Fifty Shades of Anthracite"), it's a brand new EP from a brilliant band that I've featured here on these pages before - the very very tres marvellousse Static Future.

I love these guys a lot and their last single "Marseille" was one of the songs I played to death when it came out and also over this summer too. I was honestly about to send out a search party for them as I thought they might have got lost on the way back from the toilets, but no - it turns out they've been away preparing another brilliant set of recordings.

"Assembly" is going to be released tomorrow - 1st December if you're reading this today, if you're reading it tomorrow then it's already out, or you're in a parallel universe.

It'll be available from their bandcamp page here:

thestaticfuture.bandcamp.com/

and to be honest while you're waiting for it to go up there you wouldn't be badly placed to go and pick yourselves up a copy of "Marseille" and their previous releases up.

"Assembly" is a corker. It really is. I've been lucky enough to have a preview and I love it. I think I said it before, but their music has a brilliant bounce to it. There's something about it that makes you want to jump up and down. It's a combination of really pure guitar sound and brilliant vocals from Gavin Marshall (Gav, if you're reading this, you can leave my £10 under the plant pot outside my flat, not "that" plant pot...the other one). But seriously, there isn't a duff track on the new collection - there's a brilliant mix of almost ska like beats, syncopated guitars and poppy marvellousness that is really going to make winter evenings that bit more worthwhile at thegeneral towers.

Opener "Is This Real Love" is a fine way to kick off proceedings and the pace continues through to the end track "Sunday Suns" which has great scuzzy guitars on it and is a brilliantly rocky end.

If you don't go and buy this EP when it's released then we can no longer be friends. It's as simple as that. Static Future are ACE and I won't hear a word said against them. So there.

Roja - Promises I Should Have Kept EP

Well greetings to you all. It's Super Blog Sunday (which literally means "I ran out of time to do all the fun stuff during the week and am frantically catching up now"), so today there's two for the price of one. I know you're all really excited about this - apart from YOU AT THE BACK WHO SEEMS TO HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP - WAKE UP!!!

OK, for my first offering today I'd simply love to introduce you to a brilliant band from Liverpool called Roja. Roja are very new to my musical radar, but a very welcome addition they are indeed.

Tomorrow (1st December) sees the release of their new EP "Promises I Should Have Kept" and I've been given a lovely sneaky wee preview of it.

Here's a link to their bandcamp page to see what they're all about:

rojamusica.bandcamp.com/

...and once the single is released properly I'll update this page with the necessaries so you can go and buy it/tell your friends/marry it etc.

I can honestly say that this new EP is a real breath of fresh air to listen to. First track "Yeah I Could" is utterly outstanding - and it's followed by three others "The End", "The Evil Stands High" and "It's Not Just A Game" - each are really worthy in their own right and go to make up a collection of tracks that are surprising in their ferocity and brilliance.

The act call themselves a modern mariachi act and there's a great feel to their music. It's vibrant, it's brassy and it's very complete - whilst it's music that makes you want to move, there is also a delightfully sepia tinged sadness to the songs. The guitars mix beautifully with the brass and the vocals are powerful and raw.

These tracks follow on from last year's LP of the same title and they pave the way for a new record which is to come next year. After hearing these tracks I can most definitely say that I'm really looking forward to hearing what they come up with.

Roja are definitely one to watch in 2015.

Provincials - When The Light Changes

Hola babes. I love the way you've done your eyeliner. It would have been even better if you'd done it sober. And with the hand that wasn't dodgy. But never mind, You've made the effort. That counts for something.

We're getting awfully close to Christmas now. I've just got back in from town. I know that the festive season is upon us because the shopping centre was full of irate women walking three steps in front of their husbands going "I don't know why we're shopping for your Aunty May, anyway, Brian, she never thanked me for those bath cubes in 1973". Brian, meanwhile looks on and wishes he could be having a nice sit down with a cup of coffee. On another continent.

So I've just sat down with a brew myself and I'm in need of something to chill me out. Reader, I think I might have it.

I'd like to introduce you to a stellar, stellar band called Provincials. First of all, here is the link to their latest release, which comes out on Monday 17th November and you can pre-order from Bandcamp:

provincials.bandcamp.com/

This is right up my street. The EP opens with a beautiful track called "White With Waving Goodbye". It starts off with a fantastic guitar pick, very very maths-rock esque in style and wonderfully intricate. Polly Perry's vocals are so wistful and engaging - and the song is incredibly touching from start to finish. If you like maths-rock style (think TTNG et al) this opener will really grab you.

The second preview track from the release is "Jesus Christ" and this is equally lovely, bluesy, soulful and calming to listen to. This is a fantastic track to listen to if you like seasonal music - but are a leetttttle beeet sick of the usual suspects year after year and would like something a bit heartwarming and touching to listen to, that doesn't make you want to boak eggnog. A thoroughly lovely listen.

As previously mentioned, the EP comes out on 17th November and it should be high up on your list of "must purchase music wise" this month. Add Provincials to your music collection now and forever. Do it!

Heart Shakes - Heart Shakes EP

Hello and welcome to Sunday. It's nearly the end of the weekend. Yes. I know you're really glad I've reminded you of that. I'll be expecting the rocks through my window about now. Anyway, weekends are for wimps. I've just worked all the way through mine, but am taking a little break to bring you a little bit of musical loveliness to end it

Today, I'd really like to introduce you to a fantastic band from Sheffield, called Heart Shakes. The guys contacted me and asked if I'd give their stuff a little play on the gramaphone and I did so eagerly.

First of all, here's the necessary links to their necessaries:

heart-shakes.bandcamp.com/

and their soundcloud page:

soundcloud.com/heartshakes/canyon-1

The EP starts off with the excellent "Skeleton Keys". It's got a fantastic opening riff and the kind of bassline I love. It made me purr like a kitteh.

The tracks rattle along at a cracking pace, there's something just that little bit different about them all, but the thing that most appeals to me is their really great stacatto guitar sound. All their riffage is really chunky and their chord progressions are fantastic. There's a great "new" sound to them, but at the same time, lots of psychedelic influences in there too.

The final track "Canyon" is a pretty brilliant song. It's mellow, it's chilled out and it's got a great vibe to it - it was perfect to listen to this afternoon and a great way to end the collection.

I've really thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to this brilliant band and really hope to hear more from them very soon. That's an invitation to write more songs, lads.

You can also find the band on Facefuck here:

facebook.com/HeartShakesUK

and on The Twitters here:

twitter.com/HeartShakes_

Go forth and listen, bitches.

Flights of Helios - Succubus

Hello and Happy the day after "National Shut Your Door, Turn All The Lights Off And Pretend You're Not In So Kids Don't Hassle You For Sweets Day". Yes, I'm a misanthrope. No, I don't care.

I'm not so much of a misanthrope that I don't want to share music with you all and I'm back today to share with you a new release from one of my most very favourite and oft featured on these blog pages groups - Flights of Helios. If you'd like to read my previous features about them - follow this link: HERE.

Firstly, go to their bandcamp page and have a listen to their new single "Succubus", which was released yesterday:

flightsofhelios.bandcamp.com/

It's yet another wonderful song from a really underrated band and it follows on in splendid fashion from their last release "Factory", which is a major contender for my song of the year. I love the intensity of their music, I love their basslines and I love the delicately morose quality to everything they do. This is a song that starts slowly and fades with an intensely catchy drone. It's backed by the ambient and trippy "Palemoonlight" which provides a brilliant contrast - short, sweet, light and airy.

"Succubus" is a perfect song for this time of year and it's well worth a few moments of your time and a download if you want something to accompany the drawing in of the nights and the autumn season.

You can find out more about the band here

http://flightsofhelios.co.uk/

and you can follow them on The Twitters here:

https://twitter.com/FlightsofHelios

Do it.