Suntrapp hail from Newcastle and are purveyors of thoughtful, literate indie-folk, much more akin to someone like Stornoway rather than the tub-thumping Mumfords. All The Seas is a lovely example, the first taste of forthcoming EP Yannina. The softly picked acoustic guitar intro turns into the giddy rush of a warm buoyant rhythm section and exuberant percussion which carry vocalist Jake Houslby’s soulful delivery through … Continue reading Introducing >>> Suntrapp
The first vinyl release from Brighton’s Ancient Times is a double A-sided single in a limited edtion of 250. It features Nightschool and brand new track Hieroglyphic – both are classic indie-pop tunes, effectively mixing C86 jangle with some spiky post-punk aggression. Have a listen. We are currently away enjoying the delights of the Green Man Festival – we have scheduled a series of short posts to … Continue reading MM Shorts 427: Ancient Times
Promised Land Sound emerged from the fertile Nashville garage scene – members have played with PUJOL, Denney and the Jets, and members of JEFF The Brotherhood and Those Darlins, among others – but have quickly evolved to deploy a more varied, country, soul and pop palette than many of their contemporaries. In fact we’re talking some down and dirty swamp boogie, Creedence style chooglin’ and … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Promised Land Sound
We were very enamoured of NY folkies Town Hall’s lovely debut album last year and now Stefan Weiner from the band has released his first solo EP earlier this week. Called Potluck, here are a couple of lovely tasters from the record and you can get it on a name-your-price deal here. He is also offering free Skype songwriting one-on-ones to anyone who submits lyrics … Continue reading MM Shorts 426: Stefan Weiner
Here is a second taste from the Obits forthcoming long player Bed & Bugs. Grab your self the fabulous scratchy, garage-surf-punk of Spun Out, all held together with a vintage Duane Eddy twang before everything starts to fall apart, both musically and lyrically. “Want a change in lighting. Want a change for life. Each link on a bad road broken. Want a change for life.” Heck. … Continue reading More From The Obits
Manchester based Spring King make maxed out wall-of-sound pop, dripping in frantic energy and slap-back delay. Having already drawn favourable comparisons with Kurt Vile and Iceage, first single proper Better Man draws from the anthemic full throttle drive of Springsteen, but through the fuzzed out trippy kaleidoscope of Ty Segall. Recorded at home in a broken bathroom, you can almost see the faded wallpaper and sickly … Continue reading Introducing >>> Spring King
A week or so ago we gave you the King of Cats track from their new split single with Ides. Ides is the moniker for the solo work of Joanna Gruesome / A Grave With No Name vocalist Alanna McArdle. Now we are pleased to say we have her offering from the split single for you as well – the brooding, fragile Chokehold. Continue reading Stream Chokehold by Ides
If there is any justice in the musical world, Zachary Cale will soon get the acclaim and the rewards his talents deserve. Amid an overcrowded genre, this singer-songwriter seemingly plucks philosophical tunes of love, longing and heartbreak out of the ether and imbues them with the emotional nuances and lyrical poignancy to create something very special indeed. This tune, the wonderful Hold Fast comes from … Continue reading New Album From Zachary Cale
And so it was Wilderness again (or Wildness if you were the somewhat disconnected and over-excited John Newman) – this year even bigger (an increase in capacity to 15,000) and still sold out. It is surely the premier boutique festival on the circuit in the undeniably stunning setting of Cornbury Park, which happily lies within a short walk of Mackerel Towers. By its nature it … Continue reading Live Review: Wilderness Festival 2013
The Persian Leaps are a four-piece noise pop band from St. Paul, MN. They’re releasing their 5-song debut EP, Praise Elephants on Aug 15, and while they think they sound like Big Star meets My Bloody Valentine, we think if we could play the guitar we would want to play it just like they do on this brilliant track Silent Treatment (click here for a name-your-price download). … Continue reading MM Shorts 425: The Persian Leaps
The Mad Mackerel 