forceghost – unknowing the known

Startling electro-psych jams and experimental trips into the cosmos lie at the heart of this deeply intoxicating new project out of Augusta, Georgia.

forceghost combines the talents of long time friends and collaborators Eric Kinlaw and Marcus Barfield and sees the pair shaping their vast musical experience into what is very much a year zero endeavour.

Debut EP unknowing the known channels a kaleidoscopic whirlwind of ideas into a highly focussed statement of intent. Vocals, guitars and waves of synths intertwine seamlessly, propelled by vital rhythms that drive their beatific melodies ever forward.

Check out the videos for high score!, birdies and triangles below, and pre-order unknowing the known here. (Releases 1st March via Gift Fig Records.)

forceghost – high score!
forceghost – birdies
forceghost – triangles

Avi C. Engel – Too Many Souls

Toronto based non-binary musician Avi C. Engel creates otherworldly after-hours folk dreamscapes, combining unfamiliar instrumentation with their indelibly rich vocals to spellbinding effect. Latest album Too Many Souls arrives in both tape (Cruel Nature Records) and CD (Somnimage) formats, and is a continuation of the artist’s truly unique vision.

Across the albums seven tracks, the eerie strains of the gudok and reverberating layers of wooden percussion offer an experimental counterpoint to beautifully rendered melodies and deftly picked acoustic guitars. Songs blend effortlessly, collapsing into one another and creating stark, defiant worlds of sound as they go.

Invitingly tuneful yet sonically adventurous, there is a cyclical dynamic at play that rewards repeated listening. Avi C. Engel operates at the edge of darkness, the underlying warmth of their creations radiating light and hope from within. Too Many Souls serves as a wonderful introduction to this rarest of talents.

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Lyndhurst – Caves

UK instrumental act Lyndhurst (Dan Carney and Oscar Ball) return with second EP Caves, following on swiftly from last Summers excellently received debut Platforms. Moving forward with ever greater depth and clarity, the London/Warwickshire based duo have unleashed a winning collection of deftly melodic and delightfully off-kilter soundscapes.

Starting out in unsettled, fragmentary form with the suitably titled Distraction Loop, the EP soon settles into its groove via lead single Holiday Inn’s gently rolling rhythms and glistening staccato loops. As this early highlight gives way to the eerie piano breaks and Trans-Europe shuffle of Vitamins, it’s clear that Lyndhurst are fearless creators, conjuring conflicting tones and textures that somehow always connect.

Clay Tablet’s reverberating percussion clicks and heavy, brooding synths make for a hypnotic centrepiece, paving the way perfectly for International Headmaster’s epic post-rock kosmische march. The EP concludes with the sunset evoking Virtual Boy, its Balearic keys and beautiful sax/clarinet coda echoing the restrained tension and release of all that has gone before.

Full hearted and loaded with feeling, Lyndhurst’s unique take on Electronica is a breath of fresh air. Their unlaboured, enlightening compositions carry with them all the hopes and fears that each new day can bring, setting dreams in motion with a sweeping kinetic kiss.

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Flowertown – The Ring

When Karina Gill and Michael Ramos collaborate they conjure a particular kind of magic that few can touch. Forever finding the exceptional amongst the everyday, the duo create whole worlds around seemingly simple narratives, leaving scope for endless interpretation and suggestion.

Reuniting from their respective Bay Area projects Cindy and Tony Jay, the lo-fi dreampop pair have announced the arrival of new Flowertown mini album Tourist Language. This latest collection will be released via esteemed local DIY label Paisley Shirt Records on February 29th, incorporating both vinyl and digital editions.

With chiming guitars and yearning melodies floating seamlessly atop stark yet propulsive rhythms, lead single The Ring encapsulates everything that sets the duos music apart. Ramos and Gill’s whispered revelations of stolen moments in time are at once comforting and confounding, frequently falling into focus but always tantalisingly out of reach.

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Mythical Motors – Court Of The Beekeeper

Prolific Tennessee based DIY recording artist Matt Addison’s Mythical Motors create glistening psychedelic power-pop in which every melody hits like a hook. New single Court Of The Beekeeper is a breathless rush of contemporary energy bathed in a golden glow of heady nostalgia, comforting in its familiarity, startling in its giddy execution.

With a back catalogue that frequently draws comparison to the likes of Guided By Voices, Wire and the pummelling power chords of Pete Townshend, it’s clear that Mythical Motors wear their influences with pride. The wonder lies in their ability to transcend said influences with a dizzying lo-fi melodic flair, conjuring a new kind of magic.

Álvaro Lissón’s crisp mastering draws out every sonic detail, placing Court Of The Beekeeper’s abstract charm firmly in the now, and leaving absolutely no doubt that forthcoming album Upside Down World is destined to be another top tier addition to what is a truly wonderful body of work.

Upside Down World arrives 12th April via Repeating Cloud, pre-order here.

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Dragged Up – Missing Person

Building off of the success of 2020s lo-fi garage-psych mini-album D/U and last years darkly captivating follow up Hex Domestic EP, Glasgow five-piece Dragged Up return in devastating form with new single Missing Person, released via Northwich based indie label Rare Vitamin Records.

Built around the kind of groove the band have previously only hinted at, Missing Person inhabits a barren dub-funk post-punk wasteland and unleashes a searing aural assault on a severed connection seemingly beyond saving, lamenting the blank space where a person used to be.

B’side Machine Person reassembles the above into a lo-fi post-dub orgy of battering ram percussion and ground shaking bass, a flashing echo of barely contained metronomic chaos that is both filthily addictive and highly danceable. CD’s and Cassingles are available now, do not sleep.

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heavymetalkids.uk is currently raising funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders. More info here. Thank you.

Ship Full Of Bombs ep.9

My latest radio show is now available for streaming/download via Podbean, Apple Podcasts, Mixcloud, Google Podcasts, Deezer and other leading podcast apps.

Alternatively, you can visit http://www.sfob.co.uk and scroll down to the widget at the bottom of the page.

Playlist: Monday 29th January

1) William Doyle – Now In Motion

https://williamdoyle.bandcamp.com/album/springs-eternal

2) The Umbrellas – Gone 

https://theumbrellasca.bandcamp.com/album/fairweather-friend

3) Dancer – Passionate Sunday 

https://meritoriorec.bandcamp.com/album/10-songs-i-hate-about-you

4) Torrey – No Matter How

https://torreymusic.bandcamp.com/album/torrey

5) Astrel K – Darkness At Noon

https://astrelk.bandcamp.com/album/the-foreign-department

6) Orchard – Freedom!

https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/til-you-fall-down

7) Poppy H – Big blue c TWO 

https://cruelnaturerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/grave-era

8) Dragged Up – Missing Person

9) Dragged Up – Machine Person

https://draggedup.bandcamp.com/album/missing-person

The Tumbledryer Babies – LIVE SESSION

https://thetumbledryerbabies.bandcamp.com

10) Lyndhurst – Clay Tablet

https://lyndhurst.bandcamp.com/album/caves

11) Masal – Black Beads

https://masalbanduk.bandcamp.com/album/the-galloping-cat

12) Les Ailes – Comedown

https://lesailes.bandcamp.com/album/how-to-greet-a-praying-mantis

13) Ryann Gonsalves – Burrowing

https://dandyboyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/ouch

14) Cindy – Saw It All

https://cindytheband.bandcamp.com/album/likely-story-saw-it-all

15) Mythical Motors – Court Of The Beekeeper

https://mythicalmotors.bandcamp.com/album/upside-down-world-2

16) Red Pants – Quiet Eyes

https://redred.bandcamp.com/album/not-quite-there-yet

17) The Reds, Pinks & Purples – Your Worst Song Is Your Greatest Hit

https://theredspinksandpurples.bandcamp.com/album/unwishing-well-3

18) Tony Jay – Talking In My Sleep

https://tonyjay.bandcamp.com/album/perfect-worlds

19) Goodbye Wudaokou – Neon Lies

https://goodbyewudaokou.bandcamp.com/track/neon-lies

20) Zenxith – The Girl Who Lives Upside Down

https://zenxith.bandcamp.com/album/talk-about-prolific

21) Lightheaded – Moments Notice (Demo)

https://areyoufeelinglightheaded.bandcamp.com/album/cowboys-and-constellations

22) The Gabys – Molly 

https://allgonelabel.bandcamp.com/album/s-t-2

23) The Passage – Horseplay

24) Prince Far I – Stop The War

heavymetalkids.uk is currently raising funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders. More info here. Thank you.

Les Ailes – How To Greet A Praying Mantis

Loaded with the kind of liquid chord changes that make all distractions turn to dust, Portland based artist Les Ailes (Rylie DeGarmo) creates subtle jazz-infused folk soundscapes in which less is always more, and where every melodic twist and turn hits with devastating clarity.

Seattle born DeGarmo began her recording career working with her musician father to create 2015 EP The Rue. Traversing the southern United States throughout her twenties, she would eventually settle in Oregon and record the 2021 full length Les Ailes debut Tennessee along with a number of follow up EPs, before heading to a small studio in Northern Ireland to record this latest collection, How To Greet A Praying Mantis.

Bathed in a warmly nostalgic glow, the irresistible melodic shifts of Comedown are an obvious highlight on initial listens, but repeated plays reap even deeper rewards across the EPs five tracks. A gently cathartic sigh from start to finish, the sheer beauty and rare power of Mantis’ stark arrangements and spellbinding vocals pull us slowly but inevitably into Les Ailes’ orbit.

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Dancer – Passionate Sunday

Glasgow four-piece Dancer spent last year gradually building momentum via their rapturously recieved live shows and two introductory EPs for local label GoldMold Records. For their debut album 10 Songs I Hate About You, the band have linked up with esteemed Madrid based label Meritorio Records, and by leaning fully into their pop sensibilities, lead single Passionate Sunday provides both a perfect introduction for the uninitiated and yet further proof of their prowess and progression for those already in the know.

For me, Dancer’s unique power lies in their ability to both evoke and then dismantle the post-punk fundamentals right before our very ears. Andrew Doig’s taut basslines dissolving into pure melody in a heartbeat, Chris Taylor’s guitars as prone to giddy electronic wizardry as they are jangling and jarring whilst Gavin Murdoch’s precision rhythms are at once powerful yet invitingly playful. Binding all of these elements together are the peerless vocals and lyrics of Gemma Fleet, her impassioned, captivating delivery determined to find every inch of empowerment and beauty amid an increasingly brutal world.

10 Songs I Hate About You arrives March 15th, you can pre-order via the link below.

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heavymetalkids.uk is currently raising funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders. More info here. Thank you.

Orchard – ‘Til You Fall Down

North Yorkshire based garage-indie duo Orchard, comprising Rosie and Joel formerly of London bands including Baaneex, Magic Mist, Giant Burger, Night Pain and Melge, arrive on Cruel Nature Records with debut album ‘Til You Fall Down.

Recorded without amplifiers utilising as few takes as possible, this collection has drawn comparisons with the hallowed C86 scene, and whilst it only takes one breathless blast through its ten tracks to understand that shared energy, there is clearly a lot more going on besides. Be it the righteous power-pop of album highlight Freedom or the 90s US alternative rock channeling Burning People To Keep Castles Warm, there is a unifying heart and spirit that makes this music unmistakably Orchard’s own.

The contrast between Rosie’s primal punk snarl and Joel’s soaring grit and melody provides a unique vocal dynamic, at once comforting, confronting and utterly compelling. The album’s three instrumentals offer no let up on the intensity, carrying with them an emotional weight matched by few and guitar hooks for days. Fizzing with righteous fury and loaded with some truly great songs, ‘Til You Fall Down is a lo-fi triumph of art and expression at its most visceral. Essential.

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heavymetalkids.uk is currently raising funds for Medecins Sans Frontieres / Doctors Without Borders. More info here. Thank you.