HOME

REVIEWS

SoundsXP Presents

Pictures from some recent gigs we've hosted:

29 March 2013 - Brixton, London

Viv Albertine, VuVuVultures, Left Leg, Mickey Gloss, Big Wave, No Cars, Arthur Gunn, Simon Love (Pictures)

8 March 2013 - Lexington, London

R.Ring, Golden Grrrls, Slushy Guts and Equinox (Pictures)

On Our iPod

Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold (album)

Hard Skin - Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear (album)

Black Angels - Indigo Meadow (album)

Thee Oh Sees - Floating Coffin (album)

R Ring - Fallout and Fire 7”

Royal Headache - self-titled (album)

The Mariner’s Children - Sycamore EP

Can’s Ege Bamyasi played by Stephen Malkmus and Friends(album)

The Fall - Sir William Wray 7"

Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams (album)

Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds - Conjure Man 7”

Lightning Bolt - Oblivion Hunter

Robyn Hitchcock - There Goes The Ice (2x 12")

Latest Forum Posts

Single/Download Review

Haiku Salut
Los Elefantes How Does It Feel to Be Loved

Article written by Sam C - Jan 14, 2013

Derby’s finest (and almost certainly only) Baroque-Pop-Folktronic-Neo-Classic something or other band release their latest offering on the consistently brilliant How Does It Feel to Be Loved Label. Last seen at London Popfest being all a bit too ramshackle I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this lot but this wonderfully polished slice of Yann Tiersen inspired instrumentalism is a world away from that performance.

A dreamy piano holds the first couple of minutes together accompanied by some wheezing accordion and a smattering of fairly sparse electronics bringing to mind when Elbow strip things back and go for the heartstrings instead of the arenas. Just when you think you know where the whole things going there’s a tremendous break down as the piano gives way to marimbaesque electronic beats before being joined by the ever present accordion and there’s even a guitar outro thrown in for good measure, it’s all a lot more thrilling than it has any right to be. This sort of wonderfully balanced instrumental music is hard to get right but Haiku Salut have certainly pulled it off here, though the real test will be whether they can do it consistently over a whole album without it becoming (admittedly very tasteful) background music.

Links:
http://haikusalut.bandcamp.com/