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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

I Was A King/ Sad Day For Puppets/ The Chapman Family/ Cold In Berlin/ Sennen/ Malory
Singles roundup

Article written by Ged M - Dec 8, 2009

The song title from I Was A King is an instant giveaway. ‘Norman Bleik’ (Sonic Cathedral Records 7”) references the name of the Teenage Fanclub frontman in the same way that he himself did with his “Neil Jung”. The ringing, chiming guitars are instantly redolent of the Fannies and if you have a fondness for them, you’ll love this melodic Norwegian janglepop. The flipside covers the Velvet Underground’s ‘She’s My Best Friend’ with less darkness and maximum jangle. Classy and classic-sounding guitar pop. Myspace

Sad Day For Puppets are Swedish but don’t fit the usual Scandopop profile. ‘When You Tell Me That You Love Me’ (Sonic Cathedral) sounds like Dinosaur Jr with an overlay of ethereal dreampop when the girls sing while ‘Withering Petals and Dust’ gets its metaphorical balls out – imaging Ash covering Cheap Trick. Think leather rather than cardies when you think of Sad Days For Puppets. Myspace

The PR for The Chapman Family makes more extravagant claims for his/her charges (Shellac? Oh, come on!) but ‘Virgins’ (Electric Toaster Records) shows that they’re not much different from the Futureheads. Knowing the difference between Teeside and Wearside I know that’s probably a massive insult to the Stocktton-on-Tees band but this is basically just guitar-based noise-pop with the emphasis on “pop”. It’s more listenable than many of their peers that XfM persists in playing, but guitar-based noise-pop is so uninspiring these days. And if the Chapman Family don’t like the Joy Division comparisons, they should have avoided the ponderous rain of synths and Curtis-esque doom-laden vocals that is ‘Good Times’. Myspace

It’s easy to hear why Cold In Berlin are a favourite of Artrocker; the thrashing guitars and frenzied vocals on ‘Destruction’ (2076 Records) are art-rock to the max, strongly reminding you of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs circa a couple of years ago. To rub in the point, vocalist Maya has the screamy intensity of Karen O, laying it on thickly: “I wanna fuck him but I lost my lust to live”. It’s a little too familiar-sounding for its own good but ‘What Went Wrong’ has a powerful sense of alienation and disturbing imagery of “spiders in my veins”. Myspace

I’d tagged Sennen as guitar-fixated post-rock/shoegazers having seen them live but the ‘Destroy Us EP’ (Hungry Audio) is a sensitive surprise. ‘Destroy Us’ gracefully takes its time to burst into life, but when it does it’s full of melody and with chiming guitars that sound a little like Teenage Fanclub. In their hands New Order’s ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ becomes meditative bliss pop with a gently psychedelic buzz and the 6-track EP concludes with a brace of songs in a similar dreamy vein. It’s a real eye-opener to a much underrated band. Myspace

‘Secret Love’ by Malory (AC30 Records 7”) is an ultra-melodic shoegaze anthem. The German band are just about to release album number 4, though it’s the first time I’ve heard them, and this single is catchier than Velcro, with an ethereal-pop sound reminding me of the Cocteau Twins. ‘The Signs’ on the flipside is five minutes of sky-soaring shoegaze, taking you back to the days of Ride and Slowdive. Myspace

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