So then, half way through the year already. Time to take stock and see what the first six months have delivered up in terms of new tunes and bands. We asked some of the regular MM contributors to pick three songs that have particularly struck a chord (sorry) with them in the first part of 2012. Kyle Adem – Brother Follow Unlike Brains by Lower Dens … Continue reading Mad Mackerel’s Best of the Year (so far)
Must be a day for folky covers of other genres! Hot on the heels of our earlier post of the Smoke Fairies covering The Cult, we have Town Hall Plays The Classics Vol 1, a free EP of five covers by the NY folksters. Each member of the band picked a favourite song and each was then given the Town Hall treatment. It comes hot on the heels … Continue reading Town Hall’s Free Covers EP
She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult surely has one of the most recognisable guitar intros ever and is still a staple of any self-respecting indie disco night. The Smoke Fairies, on the back of their really rather good new album Blood Speaks (which foregoes some of the whimsy for a darker, altogether more purposeful feel to it) have put together an EP of covers called … Continue reading The Smoke Fairies Cover The Cult
Every so often an artist comes along that just blows every expectation you have out of the water. This is Daughn Gibson. We may be late to post about this, but no matter that his album All Hell came out back in April. This is most certainly a case of better late than never. Previously he was in stoner rock band Pearls and Brass, but … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Daughn Gibson
Paul J Fox is a 25 year old artist from Belfast who records and performs under the moniker Coastal. He draws influences from (amongst others) Beck, The Strokes, Robin Guthrie, Wilco and Television, but like all the best artists, he has enough originality and imagination to turn these into something entirely of his own making. Previously he was a member of Kitty and the Can Openers until … Continue reading Introducing >>> Coastal
Collective songwriting trio O’Captain have released the second in their series of “seasonal” EPs. The Summer EP contains two songs and is free to download. Both tracks straddle a fine line between folk rock and indie pop and both offer much to be enjoyed. The Sumpter is a earnest acoustic ballad with some gorgeously mournful harmonica cameos and Eyes Like Anchors has a sweetly catchy guitar … Continue reading MM Shorts 182: Free EP From O’Captain
Having mentioned Savaging Spires as recently as Saturday, they have been back in touch again to let us know that they have a new album scheduled which is set for release in January 2013. It is the follow up to last year’s brilliantly off-kilter and enchanting self-titled debut. All we know about the new record is that it will be largely based around retro synths and psychedelic … Continue reading Savaging Spires Announce New Album
A little over a year ago we posted about Louisiana singer-songwriter Zachary Cale. Back then we said “His voice draws you in, it is inviting and hypnotic and works beautifully with the gentle folk accompaniment as he strums away in true troubadour style. They are reflective, poignant and emotive and he has that rare talent of being able to make you forget what else is going on … Continue reading Zachary Cale Is Back
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