Here is our selection of the best of our February downloads together with a few brand new tracks to dig into. So go on. Knock yourself out. Blank Realm – Cleaning Up My Mess Sitting somewhere between the melancholic churn and burn of Mercury Rev and the noisy squall of Sonic Youth, the four-piece gleefully meld psychedelia with punk and pop and even a smattering … Continue reading Mad Mackerel’s Best of the Month: February 2013
Sam Amidon, for whom we’ve always had a soft spot here at MM, will release a new album for his new label Nonesuch on the 14th May. Titled Bright Sunny South, Amidon himself not only sings but also plays banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar, and piano on the record. Listen to the album track My Old Friend below. Continue reading MM Shorts 325: Sam Amidon
About a month ago we commended to you here the new album, (Tropic) by Pickering Pick released on Yer Bird Records (buy here). It is a triumph of sweetly fingerpicked, warm folk – unhurried, thoughtful and with a rare ability to grab and hold your attention without needing to holler, shout or pull at your coat-tails. It is a timeless record in the very best sense of … Continue reading MM’s 5:1 Interview No 8: Pickering Pick
The video for Blackbird & The Storm’s track Broken Wings was shot on Super 8 last summer in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. It perfectly suits the samples of crickets, toads, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, hummingbirds, songbirds and wings-in-flight which are mixed alongside musical instruments and Marie-Juliette Bird’s intoxicating voice. We also have the irreverent and effervescent indie rock of Crash & The Coots and their video for … Continue reading Videos of the Day: Blackbird & The Storm || Crash & The Coots || The Blackwater Fever || Loch Lomond
Videos today from Yukon Blonde and some stunning visuals to accompany the ethereal indie-pop of their new single Guns. Then there is Cat Martino’s entrancing video for Yr Not Alone, which comes from her much anticipated forthcoming album of the same name. We have some beautiful folk from Hot Feet with Pine Needle Blues from their recent Songs for the Shed session (also check out … Continue reading Videos of the Day: Yukon Blonde || Cat Martino || Hot Feet || The Blackhearts
The press ‘blurb’ we receive at MM can often be, as you might imagine, somewhat repetitive. The Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes references seem still to be de rigueur as it were – whether it bears any resemblance to the music or not. Not so with JP Whipple… “Things had gone to black. The money ran out. Prospects were grim. I was (and probably still am…) … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…JP Whipple
“I was drunk in a bar in Austin, but I could of sworn it was in Seattle” So starts Road Song, the opening track on Quiet Holler’s forthcoming debut album I Am The Morning, and while it clocks in at less than two minutes it is clear that this is going to be a record with tales to tell. A record of extremes – of … Continue reading Introducing >>> Quiet Hollers
Here is an animated video of eggs committing various murders and other violent acts to the tune of The Scintillas Say What You Like. We also have Harry George Johns’ new video for Tie Your Own Noose featuring a street preacher having a revelation of his own, and some classic space-rock psychedelia with accompanying b&w movie monsters from Ride Into The Sun. Lastly watch the video … Continue reading Videos of the Day: The Scintillas || Harry George Johns || Ride Into The Sun || Straw Bear
The Oyster Murders will be releasing Lost to the Birds as a single. Originally available on the US version of their album Winter of the Electric Sun, the song originally started out with an acoustic guitar and an ambient chorus which contained the title lyrics. They ended up taking these lyrics out of the chorus when they started singing a more upfront melody in rehearsal. … Continue reading New Single From The Oyster Murders
Chris T Popper reviews Strand of Oaks at St. Pancras Old Church, London, Friday 22nd February 2013 Apparently the oldest place of Christian worship in England (it has believed to have existed since AD 316) St Pancras Old Church in central London was a beguiling if somewhat confusing venue for a music gig. Convinced we were in the wrong place we had almost turned to … Continue reading Live Review: Strand Of Oaks
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