Trawling Bandcamp can from time to time reveal the most extraordinary treasures – more often than not they are free or a nominal ‘pay what you want deal’ and so here are ten of the bands that have been tickling the Mackerel’s fancy recently. First up is uncompromising garage-punk noiseniks The Bats Pajamas who have featured on MM before and have a new EP called … Continue reading Ten Bandcamp Treasures
Driven by small-town boredom and a severe distaste for contemporary pop, The Danks deliver a fistful of excitement with the follow-through of a wrecking ball in a Beverly Hills mansion. Recorded under sweltering circumstances in a Haligonian mini-mall, the quartet pounded out, among other things, the unflinchingly catchy Are You Afraid of The Danks. Try Automocar and hear for yourself. Download The Danks – Automocar … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…The Danks
We posted a short while ago about the fragile, sorrowful folk of Finnish singer-songwriter Einar Lind. Watch his cover of the Smiths Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. a Download Einar Lind – Brother Don’t Steal My Wife mp3 (from Introducing Einar Lind) Download Einar Lind – I’m Not Afraid To Die mp3 (from Introducing Einar Lind) Continue reading MM Shorts 148: Video – Einar Lind Covers The Smiths
Clare and the Reasons have announced details of their third record, KR-51, which will be released in July via the Frog Stand label. It is named after the moped they sped round the city of Berlin on when holed up there for eight months writing the album. While it still carries the meticulous orchestration and innovative songwriting the band are known for, this time it … Continue reading New Album From Clare And The Reasons
Kyle Adem is a tireless storyteller with a whole lot of questions who marries his own blend of orchestral and reflective folk, with a punk edginess. Taster track Brother Follow from upcoming album, Armour has that all too rare skill of sounding instantly recognisable – as though you know the song already, even if it is the very first listen. It is like coming home to an old … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Kyle Adem
More trains this week, but this time I’m on one. The 12.06 from Oxford to be precise, wending it’s way slowly northwards, leaving MM in charge of the home fixtures. I’ll be stopping off at Darlo to check in with Harry, before docking in the land of MON to see my Ma. It’s a bit packed underneath my wing at the moment. It might be … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (27th April)
Surely you know the score by now? The latest free Insound Vinyl News Mixtape is available for a limited time. This one features fourteen tracks from the likes of Horse Feathers, the wonderful Joe Pug, The Dandy Warhols, Estrogen Highs, Dunebuggy and more. Download for free (well in exchange for a Tweet, Facebook Like, or E-mail address) just by clicking here. Two of our favourites from … Continue reading MM Shorts 147: And Another Insound Vinyl News Mixtape
Amanda Jo Williams latest offering, The Bear Eats Me, is chock full of catchy rockabilly band numbers, with multi-layered recordings featuring cherubic choruses and good ol’ honky tonk. It’s dusty jukebox rock that will wake the kids in the middle of the night for a boot-stomping, moon-invoking dance party on the back porch. Comparisons? Try Hank Williams Jr., Joanna Newsome, Melanie or June Carter, Lucinda Williams … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Amanda Jo Williams
Johnny Bertram & The Golden Bicycles second album Neon City has now officially seen the light of day and is available everywhere via Esperanza Plantation. It is a very tasty excursion into robust, but still melodic indie rock with some folky undertones and while the topics don’t always make for easy listening, it gives the record a depth and character that is more often than not absent … Continue reading Johnny Bertram & The Golden Bicycles Release Neon City
While Q magazine goes from bad to worse to even worse, thankfully Uncut is going in the opposite direction and is just about the best ‘mainstream’ music magazine there is at the moment. Their latest issue dropped through the door this morning and the Cover Disk is simply titled Americana 2012. It contains fifteen tracks from the likes of MM faves such as Father John … Continue reading Uncut’s Free Americana Cover Disk
