Tuesday 31 August 2010

Interview with Hind Ear





Hind Ear are a very exciting prospect with their jerky beats and calming vocals – I can’t and don’t want to liken them to anyone or place them in a genre as there just simply isn’t any need, you can make your own mind up. Listening to them, especially track ‘Rain Man’ can be placed anywhere between first thing in the morning and last thing at night where it sits very comfortably creating the atmosphere you want whether it’s during a gentle morning stroll or a dance floor moment.

Here is what the band had to say when wecantmixandwedontcare! interviewed them......


Who are you and where are you from?

hind ear. From Brighton and London – although one is basically a suburb of the other at this point.


Describe Hind Ear sound in three words:


Not too dense.


Where does your band name originate from?

From band name discussions that went on so long as to lapse into complete abstraction. None of us can remember the exact train of ideas that led to hind ear – although I feel it might have something to do with Broken Ear Record by Black Dice. It works well for us though – organic but also technical, like a G.M. experiment gone wrong.


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

The worst are the boring and obvious ones. Best –when it’s something that makes no sense, but in a good way. Someone once said we sounded like the Bhundu Boys. Generally, we like it when people pick up on the deeper traces of the things that influence us – house music, r&b, Fleetwood Mac.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

From the Bhundu Boys to Black Dice: as a collective summation that’s pretty strange.


What’s next for Hind Ear?

We just released our first 7” on a new label called Nouns. Another one should be following in the next couple of months, on Maman Records of France. After that – lining up more records and shows. We’ve been working on a bunch of recordings and new songs that we’re pretty excited about. Some sweet shows coming up too. On the whole a fair bit of exciting stuff.


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Hind Ear for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

David Byrne – dancing. He could do variations of the lamp dance from Stop Making Sense all night long.


You can purchase Hind Ear’s debut double A-side ‘Coconut/Origami’ released on the London label Nouns here and you can catch them playing live throughout September with the likes of Cold Pumas and Future Islands.

Thursday 19 August 2010

Evryone should be listinening to this!














Evryone
When I write and read blogs I’m pretty sure as most people do they express their feelings about a band or a sound by saying ‘this is the next big thing’, ‘this is going to be massive’, ‘catch it before anyone else’....you get what I mean right? Well I’m about to do this as this is just incredible.

This is definitely one of my favourite new things around at the moment. Evryone is quite unique in terms of music on offer at the present where everyday a new scene is being created which usually has some reference to something ending in ‘-Fi’. I’m not a huge fan of comparisons so I suggest you just listen to Evryone and hear the amazing sounding vocals and keys that if you wanted to could be likened to Wild Beasts in terms of the incredible vocal reach and Cold War Kids for the atmospheric and impactful keys. I am so excited about this new find and I literally have it on repeat which is making my week a lot more enjoyable.

Catch Evryone in Reading, London and Bristol in the coming weeks. Head over to their myspace to find exact dates and to hear three beautifully big sounding tracks in the form of ‘Falmingos’, ‘do you understand’ and ‘most of the time, i’.

I’m off to find or create a new night to book this band for.

Friday 13 August 2010

The cochlea is dedicated to hearing
















Labyrinth Ear are a very exciting duo playing synth induced electro with enchanting female vocals perfectly placed on top. The obvious comparison would be say Crystal Castles but this simply wouldn’t be fair, not because it’s an insult but because they are doing their own thing and sounding very good for it. It’s still very early for this band and I am very excited to see them play live in October and to watch them only get better with time.

This is what the band had to say about themselves.......


Who are you and where are you from?

Labyrinth Ear from New Cross. One of us is from West London and the other from South East London.


Describe Labyrinth Ear sound in three words:

Peach, Plum and Damson


Where does your band name originate from?

One of us had a labyrinth ear infection, it makes you dizzy and the whole world starts spinning around you. It’s not very pleasant actually.


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

Hmm…. No comment.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

A website in Portuguese wrote about us saying “stoke the skeleton in a calmer climate”. It probably made sense in Portuguese but google translator added it’s own poetic spin.


What’s next for Labyrinth Ear?

A cup of tea


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Labyrinth Ear for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

We’d have Vincent Price on stage reading ghost stories over our music. Are we allowed dead people? If not then Quentin Wilson doing the same.


Head over to the bands myspace http://www.myspace.com/labyrinthear to hear six great tracks from them and you can also head over to their soundcloud page and download the tracks for free. Alternatively, get a taste for them here and get the remaining tracks on the soundcloud page.

Labyrinth Ear – Snow White

Labyrinth Ear – Wild Flowers

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Oxford, Oxford, Oxford & Oxford
















Oxford is notorious for a couple of things known to the common man like me; a University, the Oxford Comma, something to do with Harry Potter (apparently) and this ‘Shark House’ - a house with a 25-foot long headless shark protruding from the roof. Yeah I know but it’s all true. Anyway, after Foals made Oxford something of a place to watch for music there appears to be somewhat of a ‘scene’ rising up. There are four bands that have caught wecantmixandwedontcare!’s attention that hopefully you might enjoy as well. Unsurprisingly, Foals are taking two of these bands on tour with them in on tour throughout October and November and it’s nice to see them doing there bit to nurture these promising new bands and giving them some well deserved exposure.

Trophy Wife play angular mathematical music that is sure to make them stand out and draw unsurprising comparisons to Foals. It’s so much more than though with its delicate chimes, harmonising vocals and beautifully understated guitar riffs. The support slot they have secured on Foals up and coming tour will hopefully give Trophy Wife the perfect launch pad for a successful future. They are a very exciting prospect.


Chad Valley is Hugo Manuel, also a member of the band Jonquil. Chad Valleys sound is gentle yet big, almost verging on the epic scale of noise. Part of me wants to reference New Order for some reason but I’m going to resist. Track ‘Up and Down’ is one that you could imagine hearing whilst watching the sun go down from anywhere in Ibiza to the Isle of Wight. This is truly big sounding but manages to overwhelm you in a minimalist way. Oh and he has also done an awesome remix of Spanish Sahara by Foals.

Chad Valley - Up & Down
Foals - Spanish Sahara Chad Valley remix


Fixers Only one offering from this band at present in the form of ‘Iron Deer Dream’ taking on a more guitar driven sound in comparison to their fellow Oxford counterparts featured on this blog. Don’t underestimate this track though as its chorus is packed full of keys, guitars and drums with an equally commanding vocal that perfectly compliments. Waiting full of anticipation for Fixers next offering....


Pet Moon is the new project from the former Youth Movies frontman. I think this sound is summed up rather nicely by a comment made on their myspace page by the band ‘Friendship’ that reads ‘SICK AS FUCK MATE’. Slo-Fi beat bop with echoing vocals over woozy beats on track ‘Hold the Divide’. Put me in a dark room with lots of flashing lights and I’ll be at home slowly trying to body jerk in time with the stammered beats. This is very different from fellow Oxford blog friends featured here but standing out for the all right reasons. Pet Moon will also be touring with Foals throughout October.


I am genuinely excited by all four of these bands and if I don’t get to see them soon, I think I will just have to be selfish and book them all for one of my club nights.....


Right I’m off too see my distant cousin in Oxford and find these four bands on the same bill...........well I can dream cant I....?!

Friday 6 August 2010

Still Corners




















Still Corners

The latest interview for wecantmixandwedontcare! comes courtesy of London based 'Still Corners’. They play haunting dream-gaze pop that will demand and command your attention from the first note. Track ‘Wish’ may just be one of the most encapsulating and beautiful songs I have ever heard. I can’t emphasise enough how good this band are now and that they will only get better.

Who are you and where are you from?

Still Corners from England, America, and Australia


Describe Still Corners sound in three words:

Reflective, eerie, lush


Where does your band name originate from?

A Robert Frost poem


The best and worst band you have ever been compared to?

We’ve been compared to My Bloody Valentine as well as Broadcast and Stereolab which couldn’t be better compliments really. Worst band? We don’t believe in worst bands.


The strangest summation of your band and or songs?

Floating antique lace.


What’s next for Still Corners?

We’re playing out quite a bit which we really like. We’re also working on a new record due for release later this year.


Finally, who would you choose to be an honorary member of Still Corners for one night only? Tell us why and what would they do?

Most definitely film director Dario Argento. Have you seen Suspiria? I imagine he would switch instruments quite a bit or maybe he could run the projections for us, lots of muted dark colors and some odd Horror scenes. We’d like that. We’d like that very much.



Still Corners are releasing a double-A-side featuring Don't Fall in Love/Wish through Great Pop Supplement later in the year. It's bound to sell out very fast so pre-order it here soon......

You can hear more from the band and find out about their up and coming shows through their myspace here http://www.myspace.com/stillcorners