The Recommender

WASHED OUT

This very exciting artist comes from Perry, Georgia, of all places.  It’s perhaps a little surprising to find that one of the most promising genre-crossing electronic artists of late hails from a small town that boasts of its “slower pace” and “helping of Southern hospitality”  However, reading that Perry considers itself to be a “warm and gracious” place puts the pieces together.  This is because Washed Out’s currently sold out EP, Life of Leisure, released through the appropriately named Mexican Summer, delivers a soothing sense of warmth and acceptance with every song.  Many blogs seem to be struggling with words to describe Ernest Greene’s sound, and songs like You’ll See It (attached below) and Belong will show you why.  There’s this wonderful, dreamy, wide open sky sound to it that makes you think of soft grass and long lethargic days of summer.  Greene’s songs also stretch beyond the long summer days and into the thoughtful spaces of fall.  There’s also a second skill that’s surfaced, which is in evidence in his exceptionally lovely remix of a Small Black track, (also attached below).  This is the music we wished we could have slow danced to at school discos, but then again they were sadly never this cool.  This fella really is something special.  And if reading this doesn’t make you nostalgic, then the fuzzy hum of his cassette-only (!) release, High Times, certainly will.   (OG)

Find them here:       Myspace

Hear him here:        WASHED OUT – YOU’LL SEE IT ysi
Hear him here:        SMALL BLACK – DESPICABLE DOGS (WASHED OUT REMIX) ysi

SLEIGH BELLS

Really, really exciting new bands somehow appear with a thumping impact.  You know the sort.  They arrive riding a bomb, that explodes in your face like a thousand unexpected money shots, forcing you to sit up and take note.  Well, considering this Brooklyn duo named themselves after the rather twee instrument normally adorning Santa’s ride, they actually came onto our radars with one of the loudest booms around.  They provide the type of excellent, noisy punches that head straight for your ear drums.  On the track Infintiy Guitars they throw out a loose, chaotic, punked sound that Alice Glass would approve of.  However, instead of any reliance on electro samples they appear to have more rounded dimensions.  It’s all about a stripped down brand of music, like hip hop at it’s most street level, this is noisy stuff, with heavily distorted beats, overlapped with the seductive vocals of Alexis Krauss.  She’s paired up with Derek Miller, who used to be found playing with Hardcore band Poison The Well, and even though he enjoyed a reputable contribution to their scene, is now testing his talented hands in this new direction.  Fans of Santigold‘s noisy clamour, MIA‘s rapier impact and Heartsrevolution‘s sentimental attitudes will love this for sure, but as you will see on tune Ring Ring (attached below), they aren’t afraid to pen a summer ballad too.  This is music without fear, a big heart and a bright future.    (MB)

Find them here:       Myspace

Hear them here:      SLEIGH BELLS – A/B MACHINES ysi
Hear them here:      SLEIGH BELLS -  RING RING ysi

GAGGLE

By definition the word Gaggle means a flock of geese not in flight, or an unorganised group of people doing nothing. On both accounts these terms fail to sum up this Messianic, Nu-rave, robe-wearing, all women Alt-choir, but then what term could?! Their Cockney, street level brand of social and political lyrics are delivered in apocalyptic annunciations, like a scary girl band of harpies! It’s non-generic, it’s very original and it’s brilliantly rammed with doom and power in equal measure. On their most impressive track, Hidden Army, a Roman galleon drum stomp keeps step as the ladies sing in an almost mocking disdain of hiding ones head in the sand and the failings of men. With the excellent song Crows and with the even better remix (attached below), they’ve managed to compose the soundtrack to some Biblical epic from MGM studios. It’s like they’re staging a feminist, operatic production of Homers Odyssey, with massive, brooding and atmospheric choruses. This menagerie of 22 sassy women, led by Deborah Coughlin, built up their stage act over this summer’s festivals and they garnered plenty of useful coverage through Radio 1. With no dates yet organised for a single release the only way to catch them is in the flesh, which is precisely what they confidently claim to want to tear off your body piece by piece. If you dare, it shouldn’t be difficult to catch them as they have a heavy workload of concerts up to Christmas all over the UK.  (DV)

Find them here:        Myspace

Hear them here:       GAGGLE – HIDDEN ARMY ysi
Hear them here:       GAGGLE – CROWS (SPAWN OF GAGGLE REMIX) ysi

If any of you lucky readers found yourselves at New York’s big new music event, CMJ over the last few days, together with it’s wealth of after parties, feel free to comment your experiences. Did any of you catch Sleigh Bells’ or Washed Out’s shows?