Happy 2016, Howl readers! Thanks for staying with us! To treat you for making it through the first week of the new year, we’ve once again kept an eye on the music that has come out this week and have narrowed it down to the very best songs you need in and around your ear drums right now.
Smerz, Because
Copehagen female producer duo Smerz kicked off the year in style with this club-ready banger. Bass heavy and super sassy, it features vocals a la Little Dragon and a slick finish that is synonymous with the European club scene. This one will have you grooving almost instantly!
Rosie Lowe, Woman
It’s just over a month until we finally get to hear Rosie Lowe’s debut album, Control, and whilst we were already excited for that to drop, our anticipation levels have been kicked into overdrive after hearing this gem. Inspirational, vulnerable, exposing and just so damn enjoyable, Woman is one of Lowe’s best songs yet and has us practically counting down the days until her February 19 release date!
Sunflower Bean, Easier Said
Speaking of new albums, Sunflower Bean are just weeks away from releasing their debut album, Human Ceremony (February 5th). Dreamy rock’n’roll at it’s finest, this trio are quickly becoming one of our favourites and it’s tracks like Easier Said that reaffirm our growing love for them.
Bon Voyage, Don’t Tread On Me
Bon Voyage first came on our radar when he released Booshie – a badass track that had us hooked instantly. Now he’s back with Don’t Tread On Me, and it seems he’s continuing this trend of grabbing our attention within seconds. This track is a total earworm that won’t leave your head for days, but it’s just so much fun, we don’t really mind!
Editors, Ocean of Night (Henri PFR Remix)
Although I wouldn’t initially think a piano house remix would be well suited for an Editors song, I am more than prepared to eat my words after hearing this song. This pulsing floor filler combines the unique, soulful vocals of Editors’ frontman Tom Smith with deep house flourishes and a classic house synth line to make an explosive, near euphoric remix. You may be a little apprehensive if you’re an Editors fan, but you will also be pleasantly surprised.
Oisima, Grovers Lament ft. Adam Page
We are huge fans of Oisima here at Howl & Echoes, so any new material from his is fine by us. Taken from his stellar album Nicaragua Nights, Grovers Lament is an exotic breath of fresh in a sometimes stale climate when it comes to Australian electronic music. Featuring the seductive saxophone, intricate drum patterns, soulful vocal cuts and tremendous production, Grovers Lament is one of the many highlights on Nicaragua Nights.
Cosmo’s Midnight, Falling Out (ft Lido)
Having just announced a nationwide tour, electro-dance duo Cosmo’s Midnight aren’t wasting any time making sure everyone is as keen as they possibly can be for their new set of shows, and have released their latest single. This time teaming up with prolific beatmaker Lido, the Cosmo’s boys have stepped up more than a few notches here, and they sound all the better for it!
Trudy, Baby I’m Blue
For fans of bands like The Black Keys or The Rubens, Trudy’s new song Baby I’m Blue is definitely the track for you. Rhyming aside, this is good ol’ rock’n’roll at it’s best, but with a certain alternative flair that makes it just that little bit more interesting and takes it to another level. It could be the clunky drums, the staggering riff, the unique vocals or a combination of all three, but something’s got us hooked and we’re totally okay with it.
Raleigh Ritchie, Keep It Simple (ft Stormzy)
Raleigh Ritchie, as in the guy from Game Of Thrones, has a new album on the way and we couldn’t be more excited. Not only is he a popular favourite on GoT, but he’s also quite the talented musician, and his latest release may just be our favourite of all. Teaming up with grime MC Stormzy, the pair work so well together over a bed of warm synths and steady drums. This song is a total jam.
It’s video roundup time! Once again, Howl And Echoes are coming in hot with the freshest, most eyeball stimulating music videos to be dropped by the artists you love and some of the artists you don’t know you love yet, of this week. We do all the dirty work and herd them all into one convenient web-based location for you to enjoy every Friday so that you don’t have to. Have yourself a good old gander at the latest offerings from:
Cub Sport – Only Friend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSUNXCKCTX4&inf_contact_key=06f54529afe2e1ded3c1fd5bbbe11d7d5dbfa925ab053aab7eccdc69d5d4b6b8
Having previously scooped up Australian Video of the Year honours from Channel V, Brisbane band Cub Sport know exactly what goes into the making of a good music video. This one accompanies their brand new single Only Friend, a prelude to their forthcoming album This Is Our Vice.
Directed by Joe Agius, from one of our other favourite Brisbane bands The Creases, the video delves into the seldom-touched themes of anxiety and depression. The song features a haunting synthy build up to a gorgeous chorus, the music video featuring the four members of the band stuck in the middle of a party full of revellers, highlighting the awful feeling of isolation even in the most celebratory of circumstances that is such a largely overlooked aspect of anxiety and depression.
Shot beautifully lo-fi, with all the fuzz of a well-worn VHS, and exploiting some heavy neon pinks and blues, the clip is visually fantastic (and features plenty of cameos from members of The Creases too). A nifty taste of their new album, which drops March the 4th next year.
Big White – Dinosaur City
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0JaLlNSj9Y
Sticking with the lo-fi vibes for this one is the latest single from Big White: Dinosaur City. The track itself sounds like Robert Smith fronting an Australian new wave band from the 80s (a sound as outrageously good as you’d imagine) and the chorus will have you in a death grip.
The video makes the above one by Cub Sport look as thought it was 1080p, it’s a VHS bleed and so everything is just melting on the screen nice and warmly. There may be no velociraptors of any description but the video for Dinosaur City does feature the band running through what looks like a cracker of a night out on the town with swings in the park and a whole lot of alleyway dancing. It’s a feelgood clip for the summer and the track is an absolute standout.
Also in the spirit of the 80s, Dinosaur City is being released as part of a limited edition 7″ paired with a B-side of the Japanese version of their previous single You Know I Love You. You know we love you too Big White.
Moses Gunn Collective – Hole In The Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6-ahJvHIbs
Having released their debut LP Mercy Mountain earlier in 2015, psychedelic Brisbane legends Moses Gunn Collective have been riding a wave of roundly-deserved critical acclaim to back up the tsunami of hype that preceded that record. They’ve now released their third single from the album, Hole In The Wall and a video to go along with it.
It’s as summery a track as you’re going to get, the mellowed out and breezy psych rock vibes taking your ears for a blissful ride. The clip was filmed on a sunny afternoon in a field just perfect for rolling around in. It features frontman Aidan Moore in all white everything, having an absolute whale of a time playing guitar in a paddock as the sun goes down and copping a glitter shower to the face amongst other activities. It’s pure bliss on the eyes and the ears.
Editors – Ocean Of Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqlY2fxaFrw
The Staffordshire rock band came back with an absolute bang in 2015 with the release of their long-awaited fifth studio album In Dream. The latest single from that album, which stormed all the way to the top five of the UK charts, is Ocean Of Night. One of three tracks on the album to feature the vocal assistance of Rachel Goswell, the sparkly little piano melody will hook you from the beginning, the song burning slowly around the ghostly chamber vocals of frontman Tom Smith before an absolutely mammoth chorus.
The video, shot in a warm black and white, is comprised of footage both backstage and on from a sold out show the band threw on at Dublin Olympia. Stunningly shot, it’s as uplifting as the track itself and the reactions of the crowd are a ringing endorsement of Editors’ continued position at the forefront of modern rock.
CHVRCHES – Empty Threat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNHxwSp-6Og
September saw the release of Scottish synth pop trio CHVRCHES sophomore LP Every Open Eye, a record that built to skyscraper heights off of an already rock solid debut and one that has won over an enormous swathe of fans both old and new. The latest single and video to be released from that effort is Empty Threat.
Driving at 100 miles an hour, elating the listener to brand new heights and generally just being an absolute stomper of a dance anthem, the video for Empty Threat features firepower frontwoman Lauren Mayberry on a punked out road trip with a water park as the end destination, the safety pins and endless black juxtaposed nicely with the summer sun.
Catch CHVRCHES in Australia when they touch down here to headline Laneway and play some (already very sold out) sideshows.
Pusha T – Untouchable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPI_6MX74j4
President Pusha is in the house. The newly coronated overlord of GOOD Music recently announced a double drop of albums to cap off 2015 with Darkest Before Dawn and then again in mid-2016 with the long, looong-anticipated King Push. His latest single Untouchable is notable for its sampling of a lesser known verse from The Notorious B.I.G. (from the 1995 cut by Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard Think Big).
The lyrics over the minimalistic backbeat are just stupendous, Pusha calling out professional piece of shit Donald Trump in deliciously profane fashion as well as comparing himself to Tony Montana and U2 (with The Edge) in the same breath. But mainly, according to Untouchable, Pusha T is here to chew gum and sell drugs, and he’s all out of gum.
The video features Pusha riding around some tough looking streets in the night, living fearlessly because he’s King Push, President of Everything and he does exactly what he wants at all times. It’s a cracker of a clip and we’re grateful to our ruler for his generous spacing between future albums.
Seth Sentry – Fake Champagne
Seth Sentry has had one hell of a year. After releasing Strange New Past, he went on an incredible fifty date tour of Australia, toured across Europe, and just last night he went home with the ARIA Award for Best Urban Album.
He’s slated to perform at Falls Festival across the new year, but first comes the video for Fake Champagne, created using footage compiled throughout this year’s relentless tour schedule. The really nicely shot clips blends live gigs with highway stops, snowy landscapes, early morning flights and all sorts of ridiculous antics.
Lyrically, this was one of my favourite tracks on the album. A bitter judgement of trying to live a reflective and self-aware life while being surrounded by fake friends and what we assume to be both literal and figurative “fake champagne”. We hear that.
Two years on from the release of the polarising The Weight Of Your Love, English rockers Editors have officially announced their follow-up, In Dream, due to drop on the 2nd of October this year.
We got our first taste a couple of months back with the absolutely haunting No Harm. This was followed up just a few weeks ago with the bold and thunderous Marching Orders, a track that is already up there for song of the year in more than a few books.
Recorded in England’s isolated Western Highlands and mixed by Alan Moulder (The Killers, Foo Fighters) the new album promises to be a departure from the ambitious rock sound of The Weight Of Your Love and a return to the more familiar dusky synth roots of the band. The album also marks the first time Editors have featured duets, with Slowdive‘s Rachel Goswell featuring on three tracks.
If the quality of the rest of In Dream is as outstanding as the first two snippets have been then we are in for a delight.
In Dream is out October 2nd via Play It Again Sam
I originally posted this on Indie Shuffle
UK band Editors return with Marching Orders, following on from April’s brooding and intense single No Harm (which we listed as one of our top songs of 2015 so far)
Marching Orders is nearly eight minutes long. Powerful and engrossing, the deep chords and gushing melody glisten with optimism.
Picture this: you’ve conquered the Himalayas. You’re standing there, alone, atop a snow-capped mountain range. You look out at your vast surrounds, filled with a sense of hope and achievement. The sun slowly begins to rise from a deep slumber. Each new beam of sunshine arrives with magnitude and intention. The warm and nourishing rays flood the vast surrounds with light; you look at your surroundings, you take it all in. The world feels new: untouched, untainted. You take a deep breath, filling your lungs with the freshest air on earth.
This is the soundtrack to exactly that.
The track comes with a stark and stunning video clip, directed by Rahi Rezvani, who also directed the clip for No Harm. Watch and listen right here:
Oh, Editors. So much love for Editors.
Editors will be releasing their fifth album later this year. I for one, cannot wait.
So you just read our feature on the worst songs of 2015 so far, and I know that you heard some things you can never un-hear. You might be wishing that you’d googled the crimes of a serial killer instead – it might have been less disturbing. You might have even preferred to read about this creepy thing going on in Sweden right now. But, just like that time you drank a bottle of Passion Pop and vomited all over your best friends favourite shoes, some things just can’t be undone. Turn off that Ed Sheeran track you have been listening to on repeat to heal your pain. You’re better than that. We can get through this together.
Our “worst of” list gave you six tracks, and I am a strong believer that there must be at least twice as much good in the world, so let’s look on the bright side with the 12 best songs of 2015 so far.
12. Holy Holy: You Cannot Fall For Love Like a Dog (Album: When the Storms Would Come)
Holy Holy are already making massive waves and their debut album isn’t due out until the 17th of July. If this track is anything to go by, it is going to be expansive and powerful – a crowning achievement for the Brisbane/Melbourne duo. The pair, who we interviewed last year, produce a sound that is sophisticated and effortless, with sublime melodies, amplified by driving guitars.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrVadO8BHRk]
11. The Chemical Brothers: Go ft. Q-Tip (Album: Born in the Echoes)
Daft Punk did it with their album Random Access Memories and The Chemical Brothers do it again with Go. Listeners are transported to a sleazy jaw-clenching nightclub in the best possible way -The kind of place where open chested shirts and questionable facial hair choices are not only accepted, but encouraged. And it sure as hell is better than the goddamn Salmon Dance
If it was a club from Saturday Night Live character Stefon, it would be the one called: “Thank You! Located inside a crashing blimp, this Eurotrash utopia is the creation of beatnik doctor Soul Patch Adams. This place has everything: Zip lines, fish food, that fat Hawaiian guy that no one invited, an old Pakistani woman that looks like a California Raisin…”
From album Born in the Echoes due out on July 17, I’ve got my dancing shoes ready for a marathon. Pre-order it here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2RPDZkY88]
10. Gang of Youths: Vital Signs (Album: The Positions)
Australian indie rock outfit Gang of Youths are just killing it with their vibrant chorale sound. They have all the weight and depth of bands like The National or Arcade Fire, but with far fewer collective years – so just imagine where they’ll end up! Vital Signs is an epic track spanning seven and a half minutes with a pulsing drumbeat and an anthemic build that reminds me of everything good about indie music. As wonderful, if not more so live than on record, make sure you get to a GoY gig as soon as you can.
9. A$AP Rocky: L$D (Album: At.Long.Last.A$AP)
To be honest, I wasn’t sure about A$AP Rocky’s latest release until I heard this track (but read our album review here to judge for yourself.) My best advice: turn it up loud. Real loud. You don’t just want to hear those sweet opening bass notes, you want to feel them right down in your toes. Overlaid with some saucy vocals from A$AP it’s enough to make a nun hot under the collar. It’s slick, smooth and surprisingly lovely. Considering it’s the only non-rap track on a sprawling rap album, we’re thinking A$AP could even consider a career move to making indie-psych music in the future. Oh, and for a stunning live rendition of this track, check this video out from A$AP’s recent performance on Jimmy Fallon’s late night talk show.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feDLr_e4v5A]
8. Torres: Sprinter (Album: Sprinter)
Torres weaves a story with her voice in a way that evokes PJ Harvey or Fiona Apple, but has a sadness that is all her own. Considering that Torres, aka Mackenzia Scott worked with PJ Harvey producer Robert Ellis and Portishead’s Adrian Utley, it’s not surprise that this is one hell of a gorgeous sound. Sprinter is a complex, emotional and enthralling track that makes you feel everything. I may be a glutton for punishment but I can’t stop listening.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6SIw30IOt8]
7. Alpine: Foolish (Album: Yuck)
The first taste of sophomore album Yuck, Foolish (which was appropriately released on April Fool’s Day) is very much the opposite. Sweet, syrupy and delicious, it’s a track that will no doubt leave you on a sugar high. Foolish sails you down a little river of good vibes and leaves you feeling toe tappingly blissful. The follow-up to their chart topping debut album A is for Alpine, Yuck officially dropped last week – purchase it here.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6I4MZUtCCo]
6. Editors: No Harm (Album TBC)
Some songs just can’t be summed up in words. I could try and say it’s like the genetic recombination of Nick Cave and James Blake but it still wouldn’t sum up the cold, dark, haunted beauty in a way that does justice. Having been around for a lot longer than other artists on this list, it’s pure bliss to see bands who can consistently release songs of this calibre, four albums and more than a decade into their musical career. Deep, rich and seriously powerful, you need to listen to this track.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/200911419″]
5. Tyler, The Creator: The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 (Remix) (Album: Cherry Bomb)
Sometimes he can be hard to love, but when Tyler the Creator is on, he can also be hard to hate. The Odd Future ringleader, (who will be visiting our fair country later this year) just dropped his new album Cherry Bomb, and this is easily our favourite song from the release. On The Brown Stains… he is all the way on. It’s not ground breaking, sure, but it doesn’t need to be. Loud and obnoxious and raw in a way that’s really quite unique to the gravel-voiced rapper, there’s so much to love about this track.
4. Tame Impala: Cause I’m a Man (Album: Currents)
Kevin Parker and co. keep on dishing out their own brand of chill psychedelic licks that melt faces like ice cream on hot pavement. If I had to sum this track up with a picture it would look like this:
Their HIGHLY anticipated new album, Currents, is due out July 17th (the same day as the Holy Holy record, so it’s going to be a great day for Aus music!) If you need me, don’t, because I will be very much unavailable. Let’s hope that they actually see money from the sales this time. The internationally renowned psych-rockers will also be headlining July’s Splendour in the Grass, meaning that we’ll be among the first in the world to hear the new material performed live!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hefh9dFnChY]
3. Courtney Barnett: Pedestrian at Best (Album: Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit)
I love our homegrown rock poet Courtney Barnett with a big heart and a healthy dose of jealousy. Who doesn’t? We love her so much that we’ve not just taken photos of the Melbourne artist rocking out, but we’ve reviewed her live show twice.
I often find myself wondering why I can’t be witty and profound while making catchy ballads about smoking weed and tending to my garden. Why can’t I be a modern female Bob Dylan with a great haircut? The answer is because she already does it so well, and deep down I think I am ok with that. Pedestrian At Best was one of our first tastes of her brilliant album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, which has gone on to become one of our absolute favourite albums of the year so far.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-nr1nNC3ds]
For now I will just make do with singing the lyrics really loud. Do it with me: I’m a Scorpiooooo!
Feels good right?
2. Alabama Shakes: Don’t Wanna Fight (Album: Sound & Color)
Brittany Howard can do no wrong. When the first single off Sound and Color, burst onto the airwaves in February I was a little nervous. I loved the band’s debut Boys & Girls so much I wasn’t sure they could live up to the hype. But all my expectations were turned on their head with that husky squeal, that soft growl, that old soul bursting from her 25 year old body. It’s pure ecstasy. If you loved their first album, you’ll love their second offering even more. Brilliantly complex and overwhelmingly diverse, it’s another one of our absolute highlights of the year so far.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nin-fiNz50M]
1. Kendrick Lamar: King Kunta (Album: To Pimp a Butterfly)
Was there ever any question that this would be at the top of the list? Kendrick Lamar is the golden goose with the Midas touch in 2015. Yes, that’s a lot of references to gold, but probably not enough to summarise how amazing this song is. It is smart, soulful, catchy and everything you want from a “song of the year.” Plus, if that isn’t enough it also incites some amazing dance moves, even from a rhythmically impaired white girl like me. As politically and culturally powerful as it is musically brilliant, this was a shoe-in for our top choice.
Try NOT dancing like Taylor Swift every time it comes on.
2015, I’d dare you to release a better song, but I am not sure my heart could take it.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRK7PVJFbS8]
Editors have released a new track, I have listened to it about 30 times.
Opening on an eerie synth loop, a sparse beat slowly enters, alongside a gently growing ambient chord. The melody is dark and discerning, with a husky air of unwitting sultriness to it. The deep, Nick Cave-esque tenor is quickly replaced by a beautiful, ominous falsetto. And all the while, those synths are plodding along, under the radar.
The use of space and sparsity is as important as the use of tones and instruments here. A thoroughly minimalist track, you really feel enveloped by those spaces, and by the time the full atmosphere comes in and really starts to flourish, you’re totally hypnotised.
We don’t know much about the track so far other than it’s the first we’ve heard off Editors’ forthcoming fifth album, and that it was leaked when a fan discovered it on a Play It Again Sam playlist.
I’m going to listen to it again.