Brendan Maclean - Free To Love

     1.    Whose the knob wearing a bowtie? 

     Behold the majesty of Australian electro pop singer Brendan Maclean. The man began releasing tunes in 2007 and has five short players and a string of singles behind him. Free To Love (July'16) bounces off his fifth E.P. funbang1 (Aug'16). 

     2. What kind of track is it? 

     Free To Love is fat beats, smooth as velvet vocals, alternating with falsetto, and liberal lashings of jangly guitar and sparkling synths. Magic. Decadent. 

     3. Who does Brendan Maclean sound like? 

      Scissor Sisters. Even Ok Go. Pedestrian TV compared Free To Love to Prince, Nile Rogers and Justin Timberlake.  

     4. What have the papers said about Free To Love? 

“Infectious and undeniable” – The AU Review. 

“A perfect dance pop banger” – Projectu TV. 

“An upbeat pop song in the style of a disco anthem” – Air It. 

 

   

     5. Which bands get Brendan Maclean on the good foot? 

Brendan Maclean is influenced by ABBA, Gwen Steffani, Rufus Wainwright, Daniel Johns and Regina Spektor.


6. Why should I give Free To Love a whip past my brain holes?

Free To Love is an arse shaker with a touch of fairy dust.


7. Does Brendon Maclean have any more hot numbers?

You're asking the wrong man.

    
 8. Any more words squire?

Brendan Maclean endeavours to write pop songs with a folk heart.

“You’re giving me attitude”

   

Vita Bergen are an electronic indie rock band from Gothenberg, Sweden. They have released one album Disconnection (2015). They are a band who went park on their first at bat and have never got a run since. Squandered their bloody talent. Their first single Curtains (2014) is the home run. It is an epic, brooding, Joy Division-esque song that builds to a vertiginous sonic wall and then breaks out into jubilant pop. And boy does it bubble. Curtains is an unequaled joy to behold, a song The Best Indie Songs called “cerebral and passionate.”

“I just had to fuck up,

To find out we were right”

Lull - Nouvelle

  

    1.    Who are Lull? 

     Lull are a shoegaze band from North London, England. The band kicked the journey off in 2014 and Nouvelle scrapes off their second E.P. Nouvelle (June'16). 

    2. What kind of song is Nouvelle? 

     Nouvelle is a grungy slow burner that wades along with churning guitars and standard issue distortion. Sticky as an iced bun in summer but. 

    3. Who do Lull sound like? 

      The Meat Puppets for me. For others Lull have been compared to The Cocteau Twins, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.

    4. What have the minions in the press said about Nouvelle?

“Shoegaze with a crystalline touch” – Clash Music.

“A cherubic rocker that calls to mind 90’s alt rock greats” – Consequence Of Sound. 

“Blurs the line between shoegaze, rock and chamber pop” – Northern Transmissions.

5. Who put the wistful in Lull's shoegaze?

Lull's major influences are The Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins and At The Drive-In.

6. Why should I give Nouvelle a crack? 

Nouvelle will slowly grow in your affections, reminding you of some old song you loved back in the day while becoming the song you love today.  



7. Do Lull have any more good uns?

      Go have a look.

8. Any more words chief?

Not a dilly.

“Is this some kind of trick?”

Broncho are a garage rock band from Norman, Oklahoma. The band started rolling in 2010 and have four long players under their arm. Try Me Out Sometime (2013) is a low-fi gem that trundled off their debut album Can't Get Past The Lips (2011 and 2013) and was called a “straightforward, Ramones –like anthem with clean-cut production and staccato guitar strums” by KEXP. Sounds like Kiwi legends The Clean too.

“Look me up sometime,

 when you’re trying to get off”

PYN - My Baby

     1.    Who is  PYN? 

      PYN is an indie pop band from the Netherlands. My Baby (May’16) is their second single.

     2. What's this tune like?

     My Baby is bouncy synth pop with an infectious zest for life and smile on it's face.

     3. Who do PYN sound like?

     Katie Herzig. AURORA. 

     4. What have the press said about My Baby? 

    “Compelling” – Evensi.

    “80’s influenced pop” – Vovert. 

    “This sister will be My Baby!” – Dutch Guy. 

     5. Who influenced PYN? 
    
No knowledge. AURORA maybe.


6. Why should I give My Baby a fair crack of the whip? 

My Baby is a tasty melange of light guitar, jaunty rhythms and light as helium vocals. Pure pointless fun.

   
7. Do PYN have any more good uns? 

Nah. 

  
8. Any more words muppet?

Get away with ya.

 “We’re never lost for words to say”

Tove Styrke is a Swedish electro-pop singer influenced by Robyn, Annie and September. She has recorded two albums and won music awards and had top ten singles in Sweden. The reggae tinged Borderline (2014) is her most popular song and on the Borderline E.P. is this little gem If I'm Talking Loud It Doesn't Mean I'm Talking To You, a song as sticky as a paedo in kindy and a tune Spin said is full of “lip-clenched fuck-offs.”

 “I know that you feel that pop really doesn’t have a clue”

JPNSGRLS - Bully For You

      1.    Who are the lads?

JPNSGRLS are a garage rock band from Vancouver, Canada. Tearing it up since 2010, Bully For You (April’16) is the second single from their second album Divorce (July'16). 

2. What have they got in the tank?

A gritty riff kicks this beast off and then it's seventies psych rock from woe to go. Bully For You pounds along and no dust is left on this puppy. 

3. Who do JPNSGRLS sound akin to?

Bully For You sounds like Wolfmother with a sense of urgency. Throw in the The Family Rain too. The new long player Divorce reminded Clunk Mag of The Hives and The Arctic Monkeys.

4. What have the rags said about Bully For You? 

“Rough, choppy and bold… a raging storm of music” – Cultured Vultures. 

“An explosive cut of raucous rock at its best” – Gig Slutz. 

“A raucous feminist anthem” – Glam Glare. 

5. Which bands have provided the love for JPNSGRLS?

JPNSGRLS are influenced by New York garage rock of the 2000’s, The Beatles and Frank Ocean. 

6. Why should I give Bully For You a lash?

Bully For You is take no prisoners hard rocking anger that reaches for the stars and falls back to earth kicking and screaming; berating this cruel reality. Blood pumping fury.

7. Do JPNSGRLS have any more bangers? 

Give the first single off the new album, Oh My God, a crack.

8. Any more words muppet?

Divorce was produced by David Schiffman (Rage Against The Machine, Weezer, The Bronx) and Tom Dobrzanski (Said The Whale, The Zolas, We Are The City). 

“Take a name,

No, you can take a number”

The Bronx are punk legends from Los Angeles, California. Influenced by bands like Bad Brains, The Suicidal Tendencies and Black Flag, but with fatter riffs and more hooks than a Taiwanese fishing trawler, The Bronx have four massive missives on their immortal roll of honor. While any one jewel is a mission to choose from so many treasures They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy) was the bands debut single from The Bronx's first self-titled album The Bronx (2003) and by god these men came out of their corner swinging. They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy) has been called “a modern hard rock gem” by Loudwire and “a beautifully violent exhibition of pure punk rock” by All Music. They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy) is incendiary rock'n'roll at it's finest.

“Scrape black tar from a guilty lung,

Throw a needle in your arm”

The Courteeners - The 17th

     1.    Who are these indie rock heroes? 

     The Courteeners are an indie rock band from Manchester, England, and have the finest band name in the world. The band have described themselves as the biggest underground rock band in the world. The 17th (Aug'16) is the lead song from The Courteeners' fifth album Mapping The Rendezvous (Oct'16).  

     2. What's The 17th like then? 

     A slow brooding song with an 80's synth pop feel and melancholic Morrisey-esque vocals cranks into life in the third minute and hits an expansive, joyful crescendo, with a guitar assist at the three and a half mark and a jubilant, scream-it-to-the-heavens, chorus. Special. An absolute belter.

    3. Who do The Courteeners sound like? 

     The Smiths. Catfish and The Bottlemen. Euphoriazine compared The 17^th to The 1975. The Guardian found general similarities with The Enemy and Hard-Fi. 

    4. What have the lords and ladies of the fourth estate said about The 17th? 

“A seductively cool night-stalker” – Vanya Land. 

“Sleek and sexy pop vibes” – Euphoriazine.

“Absolutely fucking sensational” – Gig Slutz. 

    5. Which bands have added to The Courteeners' magic? 

     The major influences on The Courteeners are Oasis, The Smiths and The Kinks. They have some love for M People, Simply Red and The Killers too.

    6. Why should I give The 17th a lash? 

    It's an epic tune. The Smiths for a new century. You can't help but love it; despite trying.

   

   

    7. Do The Courteeners have any more rousing fare?

     Sure they do. Has He Told You That He Loves You Yet, How Good It Was and Are You In Love With A Notion? to name but a few. 

    8. Any more words?

     The new album Mapping The Rendezvous was recorded by long-time Courteeners' producer Joe Cross (Kid Astray, Prides and Hurts).

“Everybody can hear you but nobodies listening”

    

   

    

     AWOLNATION are an electronic rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band started in 2009 and have two albums on their roll of honor. AWOLNATION’s debut long player, Megalithic Symphony (2011) went platinum and the hit single from it Sail sold five and a half million copies.  THISKIDSNOTALRIGHT (2012) was released on a video game soundtrack. The tune is a rip snorter that reminded Ear Milk of Nine Inch Nails and The Black Keys. Wrap up tight, shits about to get real...

“You can follow them to hell”

Palace - Break The Silence

     1.    Who are the boys?

Palace are an alternative blues/rock band from London, England. Palace started kicking it in 2012 and Break The Silence (May'16) is the lead single from their debut album So Long Forever (Nov'16).

2. What kind of tune is this Break The Silence? 

One that takes it's bloody time to get cracking. All dark atmospheric whinge and build up. But the singer's phrasing and a bustling rhythm add the magic to a brooding tune. 

3. Who do Palace sound like? 

Kings of Leon. Euphoriazine were feeling Foals. Palace have often been compared to The Maccabees.

4. What have the cut and paste bandits said about Break The Silence? 

“Drenched in melancholy” – DIY.

“Teeters on the edge of frenzy, menacingly building into each round of the chorus” – Euphoriazine. 

“A beautifully atmospheric performance” – Promo News.  

5. Which bands have put the gloom in Palace's cloud?

Palace have lots of love for Wu Lyf, The Maccabees, Fat White Family and Jeff Buckley.

6. Why should I give Break The Silence a run for it's money?

The singer's phrasing in the bridge is rare goodness.

7. Do Palace have any more standout tracks?

Break The Silence is the good one.

8. Any more words muppet?

So Long Forever is produced by Adam Jaffrey who has worked for Spector, Best Friends and Trailer Trash Tracys. 

“Bathed in blood of angels”

The Maccabees were an indie pop rock band from London, England. Started in 2004 they recorded four albums before calling it quits in 2016. The Maccabees were both a critical and commercial success. Their third album Given Wild (2013) went to number 4 on the UK album charts and went gold. Something Like Happiness (2015) was the second single from the fourth album Marks To Prove It (2015) an album that went to number 1 in the UK albums charts and Clash Music called "sonically gorgeous."

“Heaven forbid opportunities missed”