Category: Music

Alternative, Indie, Music, Punk, Rock

Mad Mackerel Recommends Shawn Mrazek Lives!

Shawn Mrazek Lives! is the adopted moniker for veteran Canadian musician Shawn Mrazek’s foray away from the drum kit and into the limelight as a singer-songwriter. Coming across like a slightly surly, younger sibling of Lou Reed, or a even more earnest Jonathan Richman, he tells tales of self-discovery, freedom and exodus that snap, snarl and sparkle in equal measure on debut studio album Thought … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends Shawn Mrazek Lives!

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Alternative, Indie, Music, Pop, Rock

The Very Welcome Return of the Young Knives

The Young Knives, adopted by my hometown Oxford by way of Loughbrough, are undoubtedly one of the finest post punk guitar bands of the new millennium. From the early krautrock inspired Walking on the Autobahn to angst ridden shout-a-thon She’s Attracted To via the brilliance of miserabilist anthem Weekends and Bleakdays (Hot Summer) and straight-up rocker Terra Firma, they have provided a plethora of outstanding singles and albums. Blending a … Continue reading The Very Welcome Return of the Young Knives

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Americana, Country, Folk, Music

MM Recommends… Tallahassee

We’re loving what we’re hearing from the Boston based quartet Tallahassee. The band takes it’s name from a Native American word meaning, “old town” and they write introspective songs that both wash over you with beautiful ambience and experimental touches that push the Americana envelope. Latest single, I’ll Be Damned, is a haunting ode to backsliding. With its adventurous arrangement, featuring tribal rhythms, delicate picking and keening … Continue reading MM Recommends… Tallahassee

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Alternative, Music, Punk, Rock

Liven Up Your Day With Fist City

Canadian rock ‘n’ roll renegades Fist City will see a UK release of their album, It’s 1983, Grow Up on July 8th. The album is scheduled for release on Black Tent Press. Forming in Lethbridge, a smallish southern Alberta town, in 2010, Fist City gelled from the ashes of various punk bands to form a storming blend of garage-fuelled, surf-tinged, scuzzy rock n roll. This is … Continue reading Liven Up Your Day With Fist City

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Ambient, Americana, Folk, Indie, Music, Rock

Introducing >>> The Kindling

Broken minor keys, cracked vocal harmonies, fireside percussion, and tv static dreams. The Kindling make sad, strange and beautiful music. Drawing influence from the uncompromising recording spirit of Sparklehorse, Mount Eerie, and Tom Waits, The Kindling were formed to breathe supernatural life into the songs of singer Guy Weir. After their debut EP From Out Of The Wreckage, the band’s second EP Half Light is a … Continue reading Introducing >>> The Kindling

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Alternative, Folk, Gothic, Indie, Music, Psychedelic

Introducing >>> The Graphite Set

These Streets, the debut EP by Lily Buchanan AKA The Graphite Set, will see a release on 3rd June via Thumbscrew Music. Dealing a nice line in dark psych-folk melded to art-rock, and with some gothic flourishes, the final product sounds like a sonic amalgam of Nico, The Electric Prunes, Julie Driscoll, PJ Harvey, and Jefferson Airplane. Have a listen to the humming, hypnotic title track over … Continue reading Introducing >>> The Graphite Set

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Americana, Folk, Garage, Indie, Music, Psychedelic, Punk, Rock

Videos of the Day: Black Books || Vandaveer || chromatic BLACK || Crystal Fighters

Videos today featuring the epic, driven – though dreamy – southern rock of Black Books, the murderous folk of Vandaveer, the post-punk and garage style of chromatic BLACK and their award winning video for 1, 2, 3, 8 and finally the brilliant new video from Crystal Fighters for latest single You & I. . . . Continue reading Videos of the Day: Black Books || Vandaveer || chromatic BLACK || Crystal Fighters

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Indie, Music, Pop, Rock

MM Shorts 366: The Sand Dollars

Melbourne’s Sand Dollars play songs that combine the catchy guitar hooks of classic 60s pop – the kaleidoscope chords, haiku harmonies, pinwheel drums, and bubblegum bass are engrained in a unique sound that has all the familiarity of days gone by. Have a listen to the reckless abandon of debut single Paletters, anchored by a naggingly infectious guitar hook. Continue reading MM Shorts 366: The Sand Dollars

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Americana, Country, Folk, Indie, Music, Rock

Wooden Wand: Live Review

Wooden Wand | Hoxton Underbelly, London | 26 April 2013 At last a chance to see MM’s most blogged about artist, the wonderful Wooden Wand, whose excellent latest releases Blood Oaths Of The New Blues and The Briarwood Virgins are just the most recent examples from his extensive catalogue of idiosyncratic Americana mixing stripped back folk, alt-country, psychedelia and sprawling indie rock. The venue was (as a … Continue reading Wooden Wand: Live Review

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