“The Plastic Pals was formed in Spring 2005. Guilty as charged is singer/songwriter/guitarist Hawk, aka Håkan Soold, who brought together Anders Sahlin (a guitarist who Hawk played with in the band Piglet in the 1980s) with Sweden´s answer to Sly & Robbie Olov Öqvist (drummer with Caroline Says/Cleveman Rössel Band and Wan Light) and Bengt Alm (bass player with Caroline Says/Cleveman Rössel Band and Wan Light). They released their debut album `Good Karma Café` in 2008. A somewhat americana-tinged affair, and yet still true to the twin guitar-paisley-garage-powerpop-New York rock aesthetics the band presented on their debut EP `The Band That´s Fun To Be With` (2006)”.

It`s seems a long time coming for a fresh track from Sweden`s The Plastic Pals. Renowned for their seasoned guitar driven Power-Pop with a versatile edge, the Stockholm four-piece have a superb taster for the new forthcoming album in the shape of  “Leave It `Til Tomorrow”. A distinctively refreshing twist on their already winning formula, the lead single smells of rare 70`s vinyl and Art-Rock classics, we`re given a smooth Scott Walker-esque vocal lesson cutting a masterful path to cheery Beat-Pop backing harmonies. Success! The Plastic Pals are remaining true to their roots while exploring slightly more exotic musical territories.

The new album is produced by Chris Cacavas (Green on Red) at Studio White Lodge, Ludwigsburg, Germany – with sound demon Rainer Lolk as engineer. Tenatative release in 2012.

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“Red Cosmos is the solo project of Kim Tortoise. Kim Tortoise was previously in The Gods Themselves, a band who recorded two cassettes of novelty tunes and seven-minute sonic guitar fade-outs. They garnered very fleeting interest from Mike Alway. After a short spell playing in a band whose entire lyrical output consisted of David Icke quotes, Kim went solo. He is now located in York (UK) where he can invariably be found hanging out at the school gates foisting limited edition Red Cosmos CD`s on disinterested mothers. In a strange reversal of fortune, the Red Cosmos song `Son of Morris` was voted in to the legendary Festive Fifty (at that all-important number 45 slot) having been played by Andrew Morrison on his wonderful Dandelion Radio show. He also recorded a session for the show, thus fulfilling two of his teenage dreams. The one about Jane Birkin will have to wait”.

A pleasant surprise and easily the quirkiest album release i`ve received so far this year. The 13 track release is eccentric to put it mildly, wonderful real life scenarios are lyrically understated among the dizzy drum loops, harmonious choirs and psychedelic sampling – Kim Tortoise seems to comfortably acknowledge the term `less is more` with fascinating results.  ‘There and Back’ comes minus government health warnings, so mysterious headaches from this electronically driven Psychedelic Trip-Pop are your own responsibility, the side affects are progressively symphonic and spiritually armed with the DNA of a rare conceptual sixties groove. Red Cosmos has side stepped the genres with visionary Lo-Fi Electronica and charming narration, Kim`s intriguing style of songwriting sits perfectly within this sonic collage, his airy excursions into a populist landscape make it impossible not to brandish a broad smile.

Red Cosmos : St Albans Colour Explosion

Red Cosmos : Parting Shot

The new 13-track Red Cosmos album `There And Back` is now available on CD and as a Free Download from the Red Cosmos Bandcamp Page. Just help to spread the word around, love can be contagious.

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“This EP is a tribute to blues. Chicago, the “Windy City” is the most important point of reference when talking about blues. But its influence does not end with this style, rock n roll, funky, soul, jazz and even hip-hop are a significant part of the urban musical culture of this city. This mixing of cultural and musical trends is clearly reflected in the album Urban Concepts”.

I was wondering if this modern blues adaptation would have the driving soul needed to celebrate a classic genre. It`s a concept EP, a vibrant mix of musical styles, some work very well whilst a couple of tracks come across a tad too manufactured – I`ll let you work out which ones.  Overall, the Trip-Hop percussion and sampled rhythms rarely interfere with the excellent blues guitar riffs, for us the pick of the bunch is `Jam Session` – Jazzy high-hat snares, perfectly pitched Blues incorporating the odd Jimi Hendrix voice sample.

“Welcome to Chicago EP is the presentation of what will be later released as an LP called Urban Concepts. The Malex Kings are Max Malon (Guitar & Guitar composition) Alex Pellicer (Mixed, Produced & Artwork) from France & Spain”.

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“Combining fuzzed out pop melodies with the distorted punk attitude of late 1970′s New York, Brooklyn’s Beast Make Bomb craft songs informed by twenty-something college life in urban grit. Powerful yet tastefully delicate vocals by Houston native Ceci Gomez croon over distortion driven guitars (Glenn Van Dyke), warm bass lines (Sam Goldfine), and locked down up-tempo drums (Hartley Lewis) on the band’s two self-released EPs, Skinny Legs and Sourpuss”.

Beast Make Bomb : Coney Island

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Courtesy Of The Planetary Group

The track `Coney Island` shows more melodic tendencies within the band`s songwriting than the furious paced `1234` or the gradual poppy-punk feel of  `Rough It Out`. Both hopelessly catchy and meticulous in volume, but our featured track just pips it with some bustling progressive sweetness and idyllic surf appeal.

“Felix Green and Sea Oleena (siblings Luke and Charlotte Loseth) combine to form the genre-spanning indie-pop group Holobody. Raised in a musical family in Saskatchewan, Canada, the two have been collaborating since childhood, making music and art together and contributing to each other’s individual recording projects. Under the pseudonym Felix Green, Luke has released bedroom pop albums on his own and also served as a producer for two albums by his sister. Sea Oleena and Sleeplessness, the two foggy and gorgeous albums written by Charlotte, are notable for their lush, layered sound and universal acclaim from outlets including Pitchfork and Altered Zones”.

Here it is, the one album you should really have a listen to this week. `Riverhood` is a delicate multi-genre extravaganza, a gleaming collection of Dream-Pop warmth and fascination. The abundance of sounds alone give this release gigantic musical scope, i`m pretty traditional at times concerning semi-machine made audio, guitar driven music will always remain an essential part of mojophenia`s diet of quick fire power-chords and retro valve amps but done like this, Holobody`s combination of 80`s kitsch and 2012 cool, could indeed be a more frequent feature.

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Courtesy Of Mush Records

“Since their signing to Canada’s Mint Records in 2008, the band has released two critically acclaimed full length albums (2010′s How Come I’m Dead, and 2009′s Volcano, Bloody Volcano). The band’s releases have debuted at #1 on Canadian college charts, and earned them a ‘Hot Track of the Week’ selection in Rolling Stone Magazine (Chinatown Bus), an iTunes track of the week selection (Start Making Sense), and won ‘Album of the Year’ at the 2010 Edmonton Music Awards (for How Come I’m Dead?)“.

The Canadian invasion continues, the pure volume of specialist music blogs in the colder side of North America is astounding, then again with the unprecedented choice of gourmet audio ingredients perched right there on their doorsteps, surely it would be rude not to shout about it. Hot Panda arrive on the not-so sunny shores of the UK tomorrow for Brighton`s 30 venue festival `The Great Escape` before a handful of other shows around the country. I hear the term Lo-fi used frequently for the Canadian four-piece, I just don`t see it, heavily programmed rhythm and sophisticated Indie certainly isn’t a detrimental phrase being used. They perform seamless musical twists and turns to create an almost layered dizziness, atmospheric chatterings mixed with determined back hit snares – Pop meets Punk, Indie meets Electronica, Hot Panda are not only entertaining but more importantly, the`re currently making all the right noises, fantastic !

“Continuing their legacy of eclectic lo-fi indie pop albums for Mint Records, Hot Panda’s Go Outside will be out on July 17th. Once again recorded by the famed JC/DC team of David Carswell and John Collins (The New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara), the album is just as vibrant as their first two albums, yet significantly more developed“.

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Live Shows

Courtesy Of  Theo PR

“Coed Pageant is the side project of Bradley and Gretchen Bergstrand (The Palace Flophouse). In 2012, Coed formed with the intent to make four EPs in one year, one for each season. Barely squeezed into the living room of their tiny duplex while their kitten climbs curiously through the musical jungle gym, the duo creates songs that emit successive surprises to even the most frequent listener, for an experience with continuous revelations, both musically and lyrically”.

Beautifully crafted Indie-Folk, an artistic partnership that brilliantly skips through bright and uncomplicated harmonies. The semi lo-fi production and daringly minimal songcraft brings an abundance of honesty to their work – If Coed Pageant were an ice cream, the`d be luxurious raspberry ripple with chocolate sprinkles.

Coed Pageant : Young (But Not Too Young)

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Following the Feb 10th release of Winter Blitz, the second installment Rumspringa (extended title: The Seasons EPs Volume 2: Rumspringa) debuted April 21st, 2012.

]]> http://mojophenia.com/2012/05/02/coed-pageant-beautifully-crafted-indie-folk-sophomore-ep-release/feed/ 0 http://mojophenia.com/2012/04/30/east-londons-trim-the-barber-debut-ep-release/ http://mojophenia.com/2012/04/30/east-londons-trim-the-barber-debut-ep-release/#comments Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:31:48 +0000 Andy http://mojophenia.com/?p=3200 Photo Credit  Elyssa Iona

“Trim The Barber are four-piece Psychedelic-Post-Punk-Shoegazers from East London. A Combination of the melancholic style of  The Cure, the spiky snarl of  Wire and the considered sonic attitude of A Place To Bury Strangers. The lush musical euphoria of shoegaze meets the cold atmosphere of minimalist post punk. The  self-titled debut EP was released on April 9th”.

In my eyes an EP is a roaring success if half the content gives me the reason to dig a little deeper into a band’s reason for making music in the first place. Indeed Influences run very true, you’re never going to get those first few iconic chords erased from your head and great melodies are often worn proudly upon a tattered sleeve. The four track EP from Trim The Barber manages the mathematics comfortably with three great tracks on their four track EP release, the spin on melodic indie and heavily layered shoegaze points directly to the post-punk obscurities bands used to cram onto those wobbly 7″ singles thirty something years ago.

Structured guitar noise and controlled fuzz, Trim The Barber build volume in small deliberate steps. The opening track `Occupation` has a killer intro, although the expectation of a squeaky Robert Smith vocal subsequently detracts from the charming reverb and haunting melody, it`s an excellent way to kick off a four track teaser. `Reality` gets the audio exposure above, the welcome attention to detail and straightforward Rock `N Roll annihilation always pays dividends.

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Courtesy Of  Theo PR

Today is the first day back from an unplanned five day technical diversion. Numerous WordPress security issues to blame for the online problems but all efficiently resolved due to my calm and calculated approach to computer programming code. In reality after throwing all of my toys out of the pram and two days firing off abusive emails, I got someone a lot more knowledgeable to fix it. Overcoming stress is short-lived with alcohol and hopelessly addictive with tobacco – Stick to music, it`ll kill you a hell of a lot slower. Three tracks below to increase your valuable lifespan.

Ghost Loft : Blow

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Blow is a track from Los Angeles based Danny Choi. A real laid back gem, as electronically mastered as we normally dare to go on mojophenia but crosses over the Lo-Fi Electro-Pop genres quite nicely.

The Mad Pride : Scapegoat

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“The solo recording project of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Rowan Galagher combines 60s psychedelia, folk noir, post-rock, neoclassical and darkwave, The Mad Pride has been described as haunting and ominous like Syd Barrett and David Bowie collaborating on a Tim Burton film soundtrack“.

Inspiring and thought provoking psychedelia from Wollongong, Australia, Scapegoat provides a seductive entry point to a fantastic collection of Rowan Galagher`s music, there`s over thirty free downloads splattered across the musician`s social networking sites. Sit down, kick back and remind yourself you`re still alive.

Clarensau : Endless Melody

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“Clarensau began as the solo project of Tyler Clarensau in late 2004, and has taken many different shapes in the days since. But it wasn’t until he met up with Sally and Tyler Caggiano that the band really began to take its greatest form. The band has over 300 shows under their belt and multiple EPs and self-releases, all which lead up to their official debut album, Until Our Lungs Give”. 

Final track for our audio stress management post, it`s a beautiful composition from Wichita, Kansas based trio Clarensau. Endless Melody makes use of some gorgeous acoustic tenderness, the harmonious vocals react like a celestial choir surrounding your headphones. Their label Mishara Music also has a nice collection of quality singer/songwriter free downloads, a great label with passionate independent ethics.

This last week has marked the first anniversary of former X-ray Spex singer Poly Styrene`s death. An iconic vocalist and socially aware musician, it`s a shame to think how much more Poly could have contributed to our sometimes unforgiving dreary world. Receiving a media copy of `Generation Indigo` last February still remains a mojophenia highlight for me. Sure I get music submissions on a daily basis and the`re all well received thank you but an advance promo from a childhood idol is another level. To celebrate Poly`s life and musical offerings here is the `Generation Indigo` re-post  and all the necessary purchase links

“Poly Styrene was a punk amongst punks. A ground breaking presence that left an unrepeatable mark on the musical landscape, she made history the moment she uttered, “Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard but I think oh bondage up yours!” The influence of Poly and X-ray Spex has been felt far and wide ever since. Their landmark album Germ Free Adolescents is a landmark work and a primary influence on Britpop and Riot Grrrl. At the center of it was Poly Styrene, a bi-racial feminist punk with the perfect voice to soundtrack rebellion. Poly never sacrificed the intelligence or the fun in her music and style. Her trademark braces and dayglo clothes were a playful rejection of the status quo and of conformity and complacency. She dissected gender politics, consumer culture, and the obsessions of modern life in a way that made us all want sing along with her”.

Generation Indigo resists being a nostalgic Punk by-product and has happily not succumbed to total Pop degeneracy. Assessing Poly`s marvelous monotone vocals is pure pleasure – This is a lady who summarized an entire youth movement and helped revolutionize Seventies counter culture ahead of changing musical styles. The twelve track release pokes around Pop standards with clever dub arrangements and non-commercial dance beats, the production gives a perfect vessel for her fascinating, yet non-cynical look on life. Obviously still caring, anti-war and very much socially aware, this fresh and exciting long player finds Poly Styrene hitting exactly the right balance without portraying a completely transparent false image – A New Wave icon still remains central to the Day-Glo generation.

“The forward looking Generation Indigo showcases Poly’s humorous musings on pop culture, the internet and fashion whilst also tackling heavier subject matter (war and racism) with her politically aware and intelligent lyrics all in the inimitable voice of a genuine icon”.

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