Stamp The Wax's #DreamSofar

Brighton, Brighton, Brighton. Bristol, Bristol, Bristol. Two pretty cool cities, right? Sure the former has itsweird pavilion and its little pier, and the latter the claim that it gave birth to comedy duo Simon Pegg andNick Frost and a (literally) little known ‘artist’ called Banksy, but it cannot be denied that the exceptionally strong music scene in each has something to do with their ‘cool’ status. It made sense, then, for us to have a little look-see ourselves; the largest centre of culture of South West England played host to the likes of Indigo Earth, Laws of Motion, Forestears and Iko for us in November of last year, whilst all the fun we had in the city by the sea can be read about here. It made even more sense to find out which 5 acts would make up the dream Sofar of a music blog based in both cities. That’s where Stamp The Waxcomes in. A very Merry christmas and an even happier new year, we had struck lucky – Stamp The Waxis the music blog of Brighton and Bristol, and that’s saying something (you can see why we think Brighton’s so great here).

Stamp The Wax claims it is ‘student-run’, though you wouldn’t know it. Students are meant to be lazy, misinformed and out of date. With its ‘regular gig guides, unsigned exposure and features on important musical institutions’, as well as its TV section working ‘tirelessly to create original and sonically-satisfying interviews and sessions’, it seems that those running the Stamp The Wax operation don’t quite ‘get’ the typical student stereotype. Lucky for us.

Stamp The Wax’s #DreamSofar would consist of:

Annie Eve

‘Studying music at Goldsmiths, University of London (home to other notable musicians James Blake, Damian Albarn and Katy B), singer-songwriter Annie Eve does not show her young age one bit with painfully candid words and intimately infectious melodies, crafted to perfection. A real talent, Annie's music would be perfect in a Sofar setting.’

George The Poet

‘The unbelievable flair and creativity of North London lyricist George the Poet is quickly starting to take root worldwide. The Cambridge University student has already nabbed face-time on the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky Sports, as well as featuring in a video with Emeli Sande, Tinie Tempah and Professor Green, plus collab’ing with The Herbaliser. It would be good to see Sofar representing this incredible urban talent.’

Hiatus Kaiyote

‘Fronted by 23-year-old songwriter, vocalist and guitarist Nai Palm, Hiatus Kaiyote are a Melbourne-based 4-piece sitting snugly between the sounds of Zero 7 and Jamiroquai – fusing elements of Jazz, Experimental Soul and Ambience. They're known for using rocks, sticks and deer antlers when playing acoustic sessions, what more could you ask for?’

Fatoumata Diawara

‘This French-Malian singer is such a unique talent, spearheading the West African movement of Folk Wassoulou. Her songs are so colourful and vibrant, and always contain a strong message within them. Even more, she brings with her an unmatchable vibe live that would be amazing for Sofar to capture on camera.’

Nick Drake

‘Unfortunately passing away before ever being fully recognised during his time, Nick Drake is now heralded as the most influential artist in British folk history. The dark themes of melancholy, failed romance, mortality, and depression that haunt every one of his songs would have been breathtaking to witness within a small room of people. It's such a shame Sofar wasn't around in the 70s!’

Will Knox's #DreamSofar

Having played the likes of London, New York and Los Angeles a number of times for us already, Will Knox is somewhat of a Sofar veteran. This is unsurprising, though, for he could not be more ‘Sofar’. Whilst it is obvious, for example, that his honest acoustic musings could not be better suited to our typically intimate settings, it is also his mindset that makes us such a perfect match. He, too, likes to do things a little differently – curry is listed as the sole ‘band interest’ on his Facebook Page (and rightly so), and his video for Cog in the Machine, involving scissors which grow your hair and singing lyrics back to front, can only be described as near-on creative and technical genius. The resulting nomination for an Independent Music Award in the ‘Short Video’ category being justified, then. More importantly, so too does Will Knox believe that, despite all its flaws, the music industry still has much to give, and that it’s simply a matter of having a root around in the right places to find the diamonds in the rough. Like he kindly said at a London Sofar he recently played (if you haven’t already, take a look at the above video), “It’s funny that people say the music industry’s in trouble but then you have nights like this, so it’s obviously not.”

As if doing his bit to help the music industry grow to better times wasn’t enough, Knox has also recently turned his efforts to doing the same for the Horn of Africa; he penned the lyrics for Sami Yusuf’s singleForgotten Promises, a collaboration with the World Food Programme, created and sold in the hope that they can scale-up their operations in that part of the world.

Somehow in between helping to save all sorts of worlds, Knox has had the time to figure out how he can go about releasing his material in a new novel way. Whilst he wisely stuck with tradition for his debut, The Matador & The Acrobat (Shred News voted it to be one of the ‘Top Ten Albums of 2009’), he presented his follow-up EP, Lexicon, in a way that was novel in more ways than one – as a comic book (with a download code inside), which is now available as a free iPad and iPhone app.

Innovative. Alternative. Creativity.

Will Knox’s #DreamSofar would be comprised of:

Nick Drake

‘There's not a lot I wouldn't give to see Nick Drake play one show. What a beautiful Sofar show that might have been.’

Serge Gainsbourg

‘Just started getting in to Serge Gainsbourg. Fortunately there's loads of great videos of him on YouTube, but seeing him live must have been fascinating.’

Tom Waits

‘Enough said, really.’

Ron Sexsmith

‘Big admirer of his songwriting. Amazing lyricist. Hoping to see him play in March.’

Tiny Ruins

‘My favourite new find; lovely voice and songs.’

Memotone's #DreamSofar

A man hardly famed for his friendly, bubbly personality, even by his standards Calvin Harris was not a happy chap approximately one month ago. It all started when a video which appeared to show one-third of DJ supergroup Swedish House Mafia, Steve Angello, doing nothing more than pressing play on a pre-mixed segment of a festival set cropped up online. Even despite Mr. Harris selling unthinkable amounts of records himself, you wouldn’t have thought he would particularly object to being compared (albeit inadvertently) to such a global superstar and legend in the game as Steve Angello. Wrong, and unfortunately BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat had to find out the hard way and very, very publicly. See, the mentioning of merely ‘pressing play’ and CDJs (the equipment Angello is alleged to be using in the aforementioned video) is considered near-on blasphemy in the EDM world. And what did Greg Cochrane of Newsbeat go and do? Cut his interview with the Scot DJ in such a way that suggests theWe Found Love man not only is okay with the use of CDJs and the like, but actively endorses it! Cue Calvin talking himself into such a rage in full view of his almost 2 million Followers he ends up Tweeting ‘Looking into taking action on @BBCNewsbeat for that libellous broadcast’. Amazingly, you can still see the naughty Newsbeat article online.

So on one side you’ve got the likes of Steven Angello taking the art out of ‘artist’ in the EDM scene, and then on the other you’ve got William Yates, aka Memotone, who promises he’s never even used a laptop on stage and vows to keep it that way.

When I play live I try and make it so every sound you hear you can see me create or trigger (when samples are involved.) I never use a laptop on stage and want to keep it that way. I think it’s much more interesting for the crowd and as a performer.

Impressive. Even more so when it is considered just how many sounds Yates puts to good use. Of course there’s the expected piano, keyboard, bass and drums. Not so expected are the clarinet, trumpet, zither, glockenspiel, organ, conversation and toy instruments (to name a few). Consequently, it was always expected that Memotone would come up with an interesting #DreamSofar and he certainly doesn’t disappoint (see below).

Curious as to how one can mesh together so many diverse sounds and do so successfully? There’s plenty to be found on Memotone’s website, including links which take you to places where you can buy his various records, as well as a whole host of free downloads.

Leafcutter John:

'This fellow not only plays instruments beautifully and sings, he is also a genius when it comes to audio manipulation using computers and customised hardware. He writes his own programmes to make sounds do as he pleases and can do it all in a live environment. I have never actually seen him live, only videos, but I imagine it would be totally engrossing. Also - having worked with him myself, I can confidently say he is also a really nice chap!'

Puma:

'Surely one of my favourite bands. A three piece from Norway packing enough punch to shake a standard living room to pieces. I think it would be an utterly invigorating and uplifting experience to see this band live. On Half Nelson Courtship (released by Rune Grammofon) each track holds it's own majesty and driving power, rising up from sometimes unfathomable depths to finally crescendo high above the atmosphere, notes falling from the sky and creating pools of multicoloured liquid where they land. Imagine that!?'

Joanna Newsom:

'There is some music which seems to have been designed for the living room environment. Even though Joanna Newsom transcends any living room, I think her live performance would be perfect for a Sofar event. Her music is intimate, peaceful, poetic and tangible. If you found a place large enough to get her harp through the door and wheel a grand piano in after it, I think you would have the set up for an incredibly moving and memorable evening.'

Max Richter:

'Max Richter has the capability to transform any environment into one of beauty. So I could imagine seeing him perform live from the comfort of a living room would be almost ultimate bliss. I have seen him live once before and it was one of the best live musical experiences I have ever had. So reliving that if possible would be a chance I could not pass up. Truly a great composer and musician.'

Talk Talk:

'Laughing Stock by Talk Talk is one of my favourite albums of all time. One of the reasons I like it so much is because it sounds and feels as if it's being performed live right in front of you. If it were actually being performed live right in front of me I would probably be overwhelmed. It's the perfect balance of quiet, thoughtful composition and profound elation. It's patient refrain keeps the ear hanging to every note. Beautiful.'

To Kill A King's #DreamSofar

Described as 'Sky-scraping folk' by The Fly and producers of 'Dark lyrical musings matched by epic musical sensibilities' by Mojo, following last week's triumphant launch of our new #DreamSofar initiative, it is the turn of To Kill A King to tell us who would make up their #DreamSofar, and why. Although they've not been around for long (debut single Fictional State was released only last year), the heights to which TKAK have already soared are huge. The follow-up to the aforementioned Fictional State, Bloody Shirt (off their free-to-download My Crooked Saint EP) was particularly embraced by music critics and fans alike; it was iTunes' Single of the Week and received regular airplay from Radio 1, Radio 2 and XFM. It is not only to the recording studio that To Kill A King's talent is constrained, though - they have quite the affection for live material. After releasing their Word Of Mouth EP, a collection of live recordings from their Fortress Studios and from which the single Howling was spawned, they not only embarked on their 'guerilla gigs' program, performing acoustic sets in unusual and secret locations throughout the nation, they also performed at over sixty living rooms shows (a couple of which were Sofars!). And yet, despite the amount of time and effort that's required to take the band such places, the outfit (in particular frontman Ralph) somehow still finds the time to give back. Not only has Ralph been recording the musical sessions that have taken place on his balcony this past year or so, accompanied by the likes of Bastille, Youth Imperial and We Were Evergreen to name a few, for all you guys to see (at To Kill A King's official YouTube channel), he's also recently made the audio of said recordings available to download. What's more, all profits are to go to Great Ormond Street Hospital. And if that wasn't enough, To Kill A King have an album produced by Jim Abbiss (Adele, Bombay Bicycle Club), Charlie Hugall (Florence And The Machine, The Maccabees) and Andy Green (Keane, Paolo Nutini) set to be released in 2013.

To Kill A King's #DreamSofar would consist of:

Bastille (Ralph, vocals/acoustic guitar):

'Intelligent pop at its finest. I've seen them many times, once at Sofar Sounds - great to hear the songs stripped back.'

Two Gallants (Ralph, vocals/acoustic guitar):

'I'd also recommend Two Gallants. We're currently on tour with them in Germany and they are fantastic. Great lyrics. I'd love to hear them in a more intimate setting.'

We Were Evergreen (Ralph, vocals/acoustic guitar):

'Lovely bunch. Quirky upbeat pop, and French to boot! Did a balcony session with them earlier in the year and it was great fun!'

Teitur (Ian, electric guitar):

'One of my top albums is The Singer by Teitur. He'd be bloody great for a Sofar Sounds. The album is led by him on acoustic guitar and keys but has some incredibly beautiful string and brass arrangements; it's dramatic, exciting and he tells some great stories which the Sofar crowd would lap up like thirsty cats.'

Professor Penguin (Ben, synth & keys):

'They are pals of ours but I forget about that when I watch them, which is a good sign. Johnny has a great voice, the music is uplifting and melancholy, and there's brass and harmonies in there too.'

Review of Maia's 'Pepper Stars' for Artrocker magazine

“Here at the Olympic Games in London, our attention is presently focused on the 100m hurdles final. And they’re off! And, well, what we’re witnessing here can only be described as quite bizarre; the favourite in Lane 4, Maia, is not bothering with jumping over the hurdles and simply running through them. Unsurprisingly, they are being considerably slowed down as a result.” Not only does this metaphor recall the high spirits provoked by this summer’s Olympics, albeit with the help of a slight twisting of reality, it also handily captures my feelings about Maia’s new album, Pepper Stars. The fact that they are the favourites in my fictitious hurdles final represents the idea that the quartet from Huddersfield have the natural talent. That much is obvious. The finger work in the latter half of opener Alien, for example, could not be tighter. The breakdown in Where Else But Earth uses the combination of guitar and various elements of brass to great effect. Constant Play and Towards The Onion, which help close the album, show that the band have some really strong song writing in them. It is what the imaginary hurdles represent that so peg the band back, though – their inability to take themselves seriously. You’d struggle to find a chorus more plain irritating than that of Zuma Aluma, Dear iO features such nonsensical lyrics as ‘I headbutt your position in the coldest reaches of space’ and More Strangely Than The Moon contains more genres than most bands explore in their whole career. Whilst I’m ready to admit that joke acts aren’t exactly to my taste, I can still nonetheless appreciate that there is appeal – one only has to look at the sales of Tenacious D and The Darkness to see that. The issue with Pepper Stars, and perhaps Maia in general, though, is that it’s not obvious enough whether they’re an act to take seriously or to laugh at. If a band doesn’t know how they want to be interpreted, how can their listeners be expected to know? It’s frustrating as the band clearly have the ability to be a great example of one or the other, but instead try to be both. It is this that ultimately fails them.

2/5

Review of 'Just Music Cafe Vol. 4: The Ambient Zone' for Artrocker magazine

Now, I know what you’re thinking: that a review about an album called The Ambient Zone will send you to sleep just as quickly as the music in question does, that there’s only so much one can say about an LP which is bound to be pretty well entirely comprised of slightly variable noises that all suspiciously sound like they came from a whale. And you’d be right. Lucky, then, that this is no ordinary ambience album. Sure The Ambient Zone makes use of the stereotypical flute-sounding instrument (Digitorial’s Sense) and has cringe-inducing song titles that could only be on an album of this kind (Viragi’s Slowtide), but what relaxation album doesn’t? It is telling that, whilst it might get the job done, Marconi Union’s Weightless (voted by Time Magazine to be the 11^th best invention of 2011), compared to its counterparts, is particularly unexceptional. Whilst it must be admitted that none of these tracks will get the heart pumping like, say, the prices of The Rolling Stones reunion tour will, the number of moments that seize the listener’s attention for musical reasons is unexpectedly high. The combination of piano and guitar on Dan Arborise’s Flicker is particularly effective, for example, Honeyroot makes good use of especially soothing vocals (Radiant) for another, whilst the conveniently named Loner lets a simple piano and nothing else work the magic on Beneath The Ivy. And yet the surprises do not end just there. Sure enough Echaskech’s Little Rays starts off in typical ambient style with its ethereal infused electronica then bam!, half a minute in, a post dubstep-worthy bass line is dropped. Just as you weren’t expecting the use of such exciting punctuation (the exclamation mark) and the word ‘dubstep’ in this review, so too was I not expecting to be so entertained by an album who’s primary purpose is to help people sleep.

4/5

Review of The Sundowners' 'Hummingbird' single for Artrocker magazine

Let’s play a game of true or false: The Sundowners are a current, up-and-coming, Liverpudlian band? Surprisingly, true. ‘Surprising’ in the sense that debut single, Hummingbird – produced by James and Ian Skelly of The Coral fame and released on the band’s own record label, Thin Skin Records – could not be less ‘current’ and ‘Liverpudlian’. To start, the sound is of a real vintage feel (perhaps exaggeratedly so); the guitars are bordering on being more jangly than The Smiths (!), whilst the vocals seemingly adopt the belief that strength comes in numbers, much like, say, The Beach Boys did and still do. Comparisons to bands that aren’t quite so ‘current’, then. Secondly, Hummingbird is 2 minutes 36 seconds of Americana-laced sunshine. Were Americana and sunshine to be our whole nation’s currency, let alone just the city of Liverpool’s, our financial situation would be... Well, our financial situation would be much like it is now but you get the point. What cannot be disputed, though, is the popularity of old school-styled artists and bands, like The Sundowners, at the moment – you could even say they were ‘up-and-coming’. Handy.

4/5