Stream: Everything We Touch - Say Lou Lou

Another pretty catchy track from twin sister duo Say Lou Lou, whom I featured in my 2014 Hype round-up. I had the chance to catch them live recently when they played a sold out show at XOYO in London and they were pretty tight. Looking forward to the album.

Pre-order Everything We Touch and exclusive B side Peppermint now: http://smarturl.it/EWT Get a free download here: sayloulou.com facebook.com/SayLouLoumusic twitter.com/SayLouLou youtube.com/user/SayLouLouMusic instagram.com/saylouloumusic

EP Review: Panasonic - The Range

The Range's debut album for Donky Pitch, Nonfiction, was one of my favourite releases from last year and this new EP proves it was no fluke.

Panasonic feels a little like the DVD extras to Nonfiction - at times a more direct celebration of the best music that inspired this sound originally, but mostly it is more of the same. Opener Slow Build is tight and direct and does what it says, layering samples, hi-hats and electronic stabs into a track that gradually builds to the kind of emotive break that made the album such a joy.

Two is much more reminiscent of some of the best moments on Nonfiction. Like that album's Metal Swing it melds and distorts an unnamed MC's rhymes as The Range builds a whirl of melody around it, like a bag of glass swirled around your head that splits to create a shower of tinkling chaotic melodies. It is the sort of three-minute wonder that sees The Range make 95% of electronic producers appear utterly irrelevant. Sony is equally impressive, a swirling dream of melodies and a child-like distorted vocal thrown together to create a modern hymnal experience.

Panasonic raises as many questions as it answers. Here are a clutch more tracks just as good as those on Nonfiction. Yet the question is where The Range goes next, having seemingly invented and mastered his kitchen-sink production style in the space of a single album. Whilst we wait to find out, this is a perfect stop-gap.

Panasonic is released through Donky Pitch on 24 March, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link]. Check out Slow Build on Soundcloud:

Following his acclaimed album Nonfiction and completed while touring across the US, The Range returns with a new EP Panasonic, out digitally and on vinyl on Donky Pitch March 24th, 2014. Panasonic sees The Range further cement his position as one of electronic music’s most unique voices. Elements of light and dark meet dense orchestration, breakbeats and a fresh approach to sampling across all six tracks, which remain true to The Range’s love of R&B, Hip Hop and Drum & Bass channeled in a way that he has made his own. After several EP’s across the last two years, The Range released his breakthrough album Nonfiction in October 2013 on Donky Pitch, receiving ‘Best New Music’ and a place in the Top 50 Albums of the year on Pitchfork. Further praise came from Billboard, XLR8R, Dazed & Confused, Line of Best Fit, Dummy and many others. Since its release, The Range has toured extensively across the US, with headlining shows and supporting slots for Thundercat and Metronomy, as well as a North American spring tour supporting CHVRCHES, a set at Primavera Festival in Barcelona and to be announced shows at this March's SXSW in Austin. Artwork by www.ianglover.com

Video: Brain - Banks

The brand new video for Brain by Banks. It just made my eyes fall out.

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.