News: Glastonbury announce the ETC longlist

This past week Glastonbury confirmed the blogger voted Emerging Talent Competition longlist. As I've mentioned before, the competition gives unsigned bands the opportunity to win a slot on one of the main stages at Glastonbury Festival and 40 bloggers go through the initial entries to arrive at the longlist - a list of 120 bands considered for the next stage.

Each blogger picks three bands to go through and so I thought I would just highlight the three bands I chose to put through. Competition this year was pretty tough - whilst the overall quality of entries was fairly consistent it felt more difficult whittling down the list to that final three. From the current list of 120 bands eight will be selected to compete at the live finals in April.

So my picks were as follows...

1. Benin City:

Currently unsigned following the release of their debut album last year, I was a big fan of Benin City already. They boast a massively distinctive London sound that captures the melting pot of influences that exist in our capital, a little rock and a little funk coming together to make something unique. I strongly recommend you check them out.

2. Brolin:

Produced by Brolin, Luke Abbott and David Pye. Purchase now via iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/reykjavik-single/id603996873 'Cundo" EP available via Double Denim Records - order here: http://doubledenimrecords.bigcartel.com www.iambrolin.com

The whole indie-R&B scene has become on of the most fascinating and innovative scenes within music in the past few years in my opinion. I would never have expected to be so won over by the R&B genre but the exposed sensitivity of some of the musicians in that space combined with the incredible production efforts make it one of my favourite sounds right now. The UK is a little under-represented in this space but Brolin could help to redress the balance.

3. Aztec Doll

There's more than a hint of Warpaint about Aztec Doll but they bring their own style and approach to that sound. They have a seriously deep groove going on and I can imagine them sounding great at Glastonbury, come rain or sunshine.

Good luck to my three picks and congratulations to all the bands that have made it this far. You can check out the full longlist (minus a few bands who kept their entries private) on the ETC longlist Soundcloud playlist.

Video: Ride Around - Induce

You can almost TASTE spring in London, despite it being a fairly chilly day... This song makes me dream of summer days spent cycling around the neighbourhood as a kid, and that's a pretty nice feeling.

This is taken from the Sunset Summer EP, which you can check out and download via Soundcloud below the video...

Artist: Induce Title: Sunset Summer Wonderful Sound (WS015) Release Date: 8/13/13 www.TheWonderfulSound.com Tracklisting 1) Alina 2) Ride Around 3) Parallel Lines 4) Made of Memories 5) Don’t Go (ft. Blu Jemz) 6) Don’t Go (ft. Blu Jemz) [Radio Edit] As with his recent move from his hometown Miami to a just as sunny Los Angeles, with the Sunset Summer EP, Induce has yet again gone 180º - a move perfectly in line with what seems to be his now normal fashion. Temporarily putting aside the disco rhythms and five part harmonies of his last album, Halfway Between You and Me, this new release finds Induce a bit stripped down, mining deeper inspirations, from Ambient, Garage, and Kraut Rock, tinges of Shoegaze to late ’90s French pop. “Alina,” the EP’s most grand example of this minimalism pairs two instruments, multilayered piano parts and synth warblings, along with reverb drenched vocals to create a beautiful sense of environment and patience, not dissimilar to Eno’s work on the Discreet Music LP. “Ride Around,” a favorite amongst friends produced with longtime collaborator Manuvers, takes a semi-Motorik beat and slows it down a bit, creating a driving, airy feel perfect for a bike ride at sun-down. “Parallel Lines” proves an interesting take on the Kings of Convenience tune, keeping the acoustic nature while introducing new angles of perfectly wrongly placed drums. And with even more drums in mind, “Made of Memories” (also produced by Manuvers) pushes those drums to ten, the Rhodes piano providing balance, but finally guitar squelches take it all over the edge to shoegaze territory. The final song, “Don’t Go” featuring New York’s Blu Jemz doing his best burly teddy bear routine, was recorded in a day and while there may be a definite jokey overtone, over time it proves to become sweetly memorable.

Album Review: Je Ne Sais Quoi - PillowTalk

PillowTalk seem to have been making interesting, eclectic and experimental records for an age, so it is interesting to hear how their sound has matured and is sustained across this, their debut album.

Ever difficult to pigeon-hole PillowTalk are San Francisco three-piece Sammy D, Ryan Williams and Mikey Tello. They all bring an important element to the mix, with Sammy providing distinctive, soulful vocals, Williams guitars and keys, and Tello all that spacey synth work. The result is distinctive and yet incredibly versatile - at times cosmic and beautiful, at others gritty and soulful.

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Je Ne Said Quoi - PillowTalk

Je Ne Sais Quoi wears its heart on its sleeve and there are a slew of influences, whether subtle, painstakingly obvious or, as on The Night I Met Luther, deliberately called out. What is surprising is how well these various sounds work - an early high point is Devil's Run, a pure-Springsteen moment that is clearly influenced by the trio's final recording session in Portland, Oregon. Similarly, Slim's Night Out is a grimey take on vintage-Prince.

Yet there are also more original and innovative moments, like 4 Walls, a collaboration with DOP and Navid Izadi that focused on trying to create a track at 144 beats per minute that retains a soulful feel... And they effortlessly achieve it within a single 90-minute recording session.

With their focus on live instrumentation and experimentation in combination with soul PillowTalk operate in a fairly under-populated genre. At times Je Ne Sais Quoi feels like it takes a little too much time to reveal its charms - this is an album that is perhaps too varied, making the first few listens feel disjointed and confused... And yet most of the tracks here come into their own with a little space and time, whether they are the dreamy balladry of the extended Lullaby or the moody 80s electro-pop of Home Sick.

The sunny California closer The Outcast feels like an appropriate call to action - vocals asserting "You can't stop us now" just as the band are playing furthest from their home territory... And we wouldn't dream of proving them wrong.

Je Ne Sais Quoi is released through Wolf + Lamb on 17 March, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on CD or MP3 [affiliate links]. Check out Lullaby and Home Sick below:

Video: Flame - Ronya

This one is a little steamy, but I'm digging the early 90s sound and soft, warm production of this new single from Finland's Ronya, out now on Coca Music. Good synth work, a pounding beat and those sultry vocals.

Stream: Forever - Chris Malinchak

Weekend sounds for your ears and heart courtesy of Chris Malinchak... Sit back, relax and enjoy :)