Blessed Feathers describe themselves as ‘a folkish trio from Milwaukee’, and dropped us a line about their self-titled debut album together with a couple of videos. I guess you could call it a sparse sort of sound with minimal instrumentation accompanying the vocals and giving it an old-fashioned, home-made feel that is every bit as charming as it is good. However, to succeed with an … Continue reading Introducing…Blessed Feathers
My, they’re a good looking bunch aren’t they! We’ve posted about Gaoler’s Daughter a couple of times on Mad Mackerel and they’ve definitely been one of those bands we’ve marked out as worth keeping an eye on. An unusual mix of styles and sounds and a great ear for melody means they demand the listener’s attention and then retain the capacity to consistently surprise them. … Continue reading New EP from Gaoler’s Daughter
Bear Bones is an 8 piece ensemble of accordion, brass, bells, banjo, strings, drums and voices, is the realisation of a project started by Ben Harrison. After growing up on a remote Hebridean Scottish Island, Ben moved to Glasgow and started writing songs inspired by his island home and the life he led there. The band’s first single Oil & Lacquer quietly became a must‐have record … Continue reading Introducing…Bear Bones
Thought for Friday numero uno: necessity is the mother of invention (or even re-invention). Secondly, not everyone in life gets what they deserve, or deserves what they get. And finally while MM is heading across the border to Scotland, me, four kids and the dog are going to Ventnor. Will the dog end up swimming backstroke to Cherbourg? Will I be following? And under cold … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday
There have been some free compilations doing the rounds recently that we think are definitely worth checking out. First up is the latest monthly Cross Section mix from Clash magazine featuring, among others, Carl Barat, Badly Drawn Boy, Sky Larkin, The Heartbeats and eight more. Asthmatic Kitty have made a rather enticing October mix available on their Bandcamp page, it features Sufjan Sevens, MM fave Julianna … Continue reading Free Compilations to Check Out
We’ve already given you one track by The Black from their album Sun In The Day, Moon At Night, but to celebrate the official release of the album they’ve given us a second, titled Throwing Away. The album, their second, is a beguiling mix of rockabilly, blues, swamp, and folk songs with an awareness of many other styles. Visit their MySpace here. Download The Black … Continue reading New from The Black
Canadian three-piece Cowlick’s second album Wires was released back in August – we’ve only just got hold of a copy, but it has been well worth the wait. They, like many before them, describe the album as wildly unpredictable, forceful, bursting with ideas. They, unlike many before them, are absolutely right! Reminding us of everything from The Gorillaz to Massive Attack to Queens of the Stone Age … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Cowlick
We have been thoroughly enjoying the lo-fi, dreamy folk and fuzzy electric meanderings of Seamonster and their EP Two Birds recently. Although it has been out for a little while and it is the track Oh Appalachia that seems to be attracting the most attention, we have become very taken with The Philosophy Of Andy Warhol, a track that blends an upbeat, slightly drone-like rhythm … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends..Seamonster
The rather oddly named (to our ears anyway) Pappy evokes images of preachers, ramblin’ gamblers and whiskey stills draped over Appalachian Mountains acoustic guitar and fiddles. His banjo figures largely into this 12-song record titled Pappy Time, but this is not a bluegrass album. Not entirely. The performances are low-key and understated, but the musicianship is of the highest order – laidback, never-in-a-rush songs, with Pappy’s … Continue reading Introducing…Pappy
We are loving this hypnotic cover of Outlaw Blues by the Morning Benders, which comes from a compilation titled Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing It All Back Home’. A quality line-up features J.Tillman, Laura Veirs, Castanets, Sea Wolf and William Fitzsimmons amongst others and the album is faithfully recreated right down to five outtakes from the original recording sessions. The album was … Continue reading Morning Benders Cover Dylan
The Mad Mackerel 