Bronze Radio Return - Nowhere To Be

1.    Who are these bards?

Gaze on the majesty of Bronze Radio Return. They are an indie roots rock band from Hartford, Connecticut. These stone cold legends have been at the controls since 2007 and have four fantastic long players to their legacy. Nowhere To Be (Nov'15) is an album track from the fourth, Light Me Up (Nov'15).

2. What’s the gist?

Nowhere To Be has a folky acoustic and ukelele intro with a quiet piano and keys assist. A thigh slapping, foot tapping jig with haunting vocal harmonies that maintains tension by never letting go of the clutch. Top tier.
 

3. Who have they been compared to?

Daily Campus compared Bronze Radio Return to alt-J, Milky Chance and The Lumineers. Great Caesar are close.

 

4. What have the venerable citizens of the fourth estate said about the album Light Me Up?
 

“Filled with big choruses, catchy melodies and a spirit that is palpable” – The Prelude Press.

“Pop music that is the fathest thing from hollow – there is a real heart” – Daily Campus.

“Always infectious and upbeat style but a splash of roots-pop mixed in” – The Morning Hangover.

 

 

5. Who are the band’s influences?

Bronze Radio Return's early influences were blues, jazz, country and American folk music. Specific influences are Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Howling Wolf, Ben Harper, Elliott Smith and Ryan Adams.

 

6. Why press play?

Nowhere To Be incapsulates spontaneous, carefree sing-along fun, with immaculate production and earnest vocals. Turn it up and shuffle shoes.

 

7. Do Bronze Radio Return have any more bolters?

No doubt. Hi-fi title track Light Me Up will do just that. Golden. Shake, Shake, Shake is a beautiful folk pop stomper. Actually they are all good.

 

8. Any more words?

Light Me Up was mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Imagine Dragons, American Authors)  and also F. Reid Shippen (Cage The Elephant, Switchfoot, Death Cab For Cutie).

Bronze Radio Return are on their first European tour this April with The Dunwells.

 

“Now I’m taking off and cutting loose”

 

 

 

 

The Dunwells are an indie pop rock band from Leeds, England. They have recorded two full length albums and three short players. The Dunwells are influenced by Bon Iver, Elbow and Damien Rice. Hey Now (Sept'15) was the lead single from Light Up The Sky (Feb'16) and is a tune Clash Music called “a gospel-driven piece of indie folk.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best Indie Songs of 2015 - 10 Of The Best (Part One)

These songs didn’t make it onto the blog. They should have as these are some of the best indie songs of 2015 so prepare to have your socks knocked off in this New Year special!

1.   The Meligrove Band – Tortaruga

From their fifth album, Bones of Things (2014), the Canadian indie rockers The Meligrove Band have got a ‘rare as rocking horse shit’ indie rock classic here. Tortaruga (Aug'15) is one of the best indie songs of 2015.

“And we're never making it out alive,
Still we're walking, and we're running,
And we're telling all our lovers "goodbye"
 

 

2.   The View – Penny

This Scottish indie rock band have one of the best lyrics in rock’n’roll, “I got so many hidings in the city that they stopped being rare,” off 2011’s Grace, but Penny channels their inner Beatles. It sprang from their fifth album Ropewalk (Sept’15).

 

 

3.   Walk Off The Earth (with the Arkells) – Drag Me Down
 

Two great alternative Canadian bands come together for this One Direction cover. Of course it’s better, it's indie... Drag Me Down (Oct’15).

 

 

4.  Bronze Radio Return – Light Me Up

Indie pop rockers from Connecticut with the title track from their fifth album. Middle-of-the-road indie pop candy, Light Me Up (Oct’15) is packed full of ‘whoah’s’ and happiness. 

5.    Iration – Reelin'

Who doesn’t love Sublime? Sad people that’s who. White boy reggae that St. Bob would have loved, Reelin’ (Apr’15) is from the Santa Barbara (by way of Hawaii) sunshine reggae band Iration, and it’s a smoker...

 

6.   Nekokat – Up In Smoke

 “I wanna kiss you on the face, give me whiskey,” is a sample lyric from this bouncy indie popper from Los Angeles newcomers Nekokat. I’ll take mine messy... and there is an endearing, spontaneous, quality to Up In Smoke (Nov’15)...

 

7.    Faith No More – Superhero

A scathing alternative rock song from the hard rocking San Francisco legends. Sol Invictus (May’15) is their first album since 1997, seventh in total, and finds them in fine fucking form... Superhero (March’15).

 

8.   Civil Twilight – Holy Dove

There’s something of Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus in this tune. A dirty little rock groove that chugs along before the chorus takes flight in this earnest effort from the South African alternative rockers. Holy Dove is an epic with wings... (June’15).

 

 

 

9.    The 1975 – Love Me

Funky as fuck tune from the popular Manchester indie pop band. Love Me (Oct’15) is from next years album I Love You When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet Unaware Of It (Feb’16). It recalls 1980’s pop and for my dime INXS in particular but was a jab at people taking selfies...

 

 

10.   BORNS – Electric Love

 

This indie pop rocker from Michigan made a massive impression with his debut album Dopamine(Oct’15) this year. Electric Love(May’15) has some glam rock vibe to go with the ethereal vocals.