For some unfathomable reason we’ve been sat on this excellent split release between Exeter’s New Years Evil (like No Age covering The Wedding Present), and Falmouth’s The Black Tambourines (like The Black Lips if they came from Cornwall). It was released on 29th November as a 7″ single with 5 track digital EP along with zine and individual photo print from up and coming south … Continue reading New Years Evil / The Black Tambourines split 7″
We streamed a couple of tracks from the new EP from Two Wounded Birds in late November and since then My Lonesome from the EP has been creeping up the BBC Radio 6 Music playlist and has been much admired by Mrs Mackerel and Barry-Sean here too. Now they’ve given us Night Patrol from the EP to give to you, and it is another cracking … Continue reading Free Download from Two Wounded Birds
Yo Soybean is an alternative folk band from Athens, GA that just finished recording their new album, Manifest Blasphemy. The record will be released in January, and will be available on both Bandcamp and iTunes. Yo Soybean follow in the traditions of Dylan and Oberst, offering insidiously honest lyrics, which the band surrounds with edgy americana and newgrass. The songs are modern tales wrapped in … Continue reading Introducing…Yo Soybean
Party, party at Mackerel Mansions. Actually, we don’t live in a mansion and the party is at some Mexican place in Oxford. Riva riva! The whole gang will be there and hopefully we’ll toast key 2010 moments in the time-honoured fashion. Undoubtedly there will also be some lively debate over top ten contenders for 2010… At least we won’t be near a photocopier for MM … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (10th Dec)
Here at MM we like the Vivian Girls and we like The Woods, so a collaboration between Cassie of the former and Kevin of the latter under the moniker The Babies was always likely to find favour with us. Run Me Over, the rather charming, fuzzed up, doo-wop drenched opener comes from their forthcoming debut album out on February 11th next year. Makes you yearn … Continue reading The Babies ready debut album
As anyone who reads this blog with any regularity will know, Howling Owls are one of our favourite discoveries of 2010. They take menacing, insistent, under-stated indie/folk matched with some of the best lyrical wordplay we’ve heard in a long while. The songs pick away at the edges of domestic strife and family troubles, gleefully revealing a queasy, black-hearted underbelly that remind us of those … Continue reading More from Howling Owls
Alternative folkies, and MM faves, Wye Oak have a new album coming out in March 2011, titled Civilian. It will be released on Merge Records. Here is the duo’s very promising title track via Stereogum. Visit their MySpace here. Download Wye Oak – Civilian mp3 (from Civilian) Continue reading New from Wye Oak
After a few year’s hiatus and back by popular demand, Reverb Records is doing it again! The Fuzzy Ball Seattle will be held at Neumos on Thursday, December 16th (ticket details here) and The Fuzzy Ball Portland will be held at The Wonder Ballroom on Friday, December 18th (ticket details here). On each night 10 bands will go on stage and each play one original … Continue reading The Fuzzy Ball is back…with a new compilation
A couple of years ago we became big fans of a band called Eulogies, their self-titled album received a lot of play time and in Life Boat they had one of our favourite tracks of the year. They’ve been quiet for a while, and so we were delighted to hear of a new album, Tear The Fences Down and to get a taster in the … Continue reading Eulogies Return
We gave you Grass House’s new single recently and they have followed this up with a new EP titled Ant Giant Ant. It is out on Holiday Club Recordings and for a limited time you can get the whole thing digitally for free here or can buy lovely 10″ vinyl here. The previously featured single Lazy Bones is on it, together with three more songs. We … Continue reading Grass House Release new EP
