It was Barry-Sean who was first to pick up on Pictures, the fragile and elegant new EP from Benjamin Francis Leftwich. It was released earlier this month through Dirty Hit. The EP melds a flair for delicate and beautiful songwriting as it glides from the deft finger-picking on the lead track into the refined elegance of Sophie. On See You Soon, Leftwich’s hope strewn lyrics … Continue reading Benjamin Francis Leftwich – New Single
We were relative latecomers to the delights of Smog and of Bill Callahan – it was while watching the brilliant Shane Meadows directed Dead Man’s Shoes, hearing the desperate, cracked majesty of Vessel In Vain on the soundtrack, and knowing that was a song we had to have. Immediately. We’ve since spent a lot of time with his records and so it is a great delight … Continue reading Bill Callahan Is Back
We’re late again probably, but we are loving this track by Austin’s Twilight Hotel from their third album When The Wolves Go Blind. It is a brilliant combination of alt-country and spaghetti-western desert twang that moves languidly to conclusion via poignant, scalpel sharp lyrics. We will be investigating the rest of the album and the back catalogue for sure. You can buy the album from … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Twilight Hotel
Conceived and recorded on the industrial railyard fringes of Hoboken, New Jersey, Wormburner’s Placed by the Gideons features 10 hard-charging songs connected by one smoldering thread. The opening track, The Interstate, is a bruising narrative that introduces two young and desperate characters on the run, seeking salvation on the road while struggling to make peace with a complicated past. Thus begins a fugitive odyssey through dead-end … Continue reading Introducing…Wormburner
We missed these. They are all excellent and we missed them. So just in case, (like us) you are late coming to them, then you’re in for a real treat – from the unwavering desolation of Josh T Pearson to the gung-ho garage riffs of Jeff The Brotherhood, all of these should (if we’d been doing our job properly) have been up on MM long … Continue reading OK…We Confess. We Missed These!
Fishing With Robert is the closing track on the b-side to the new single from Dead Gaze out in France on a collaboration between La Station Radar and Atelier Ciseaux. It is a marvellous combination of fuzzy vocal dischord over a folkish guitar strum, and a side order of New Order poppiness that demands repeated plays. Recommended. Download Dead Gaze – Fishing With Robert mp3 (from … Continue reading Introducing…Dead Gaze
Baltimore’s The Flying Eyes represent the heavy end of the psych rock spectrum, and do it rather well! Done So Wrong is the second long player by the band. Their self titled debut album was celebrated as one of the best 70s sounding pieces since the Doors. On the new record, The Flying Eyes have continued to develop and intensify their own sound. The ten … Continue reading Introducing…The Flying Eyes
Erland & The Carnival’s self-titled debut album was one of our surprise finds of 2010, a clever and engaging blend of experimental and unusual folk and, in The Derby Ram, they had one of the most lyrically caustic songs of the year. They have returned with their new album Nightingale, and the band have not stood still. Recorded in the bowels of a boat on … Continue reading Mad Mackerel Recommends…Erland & The Carnival
Indie folksters Arborea will be releasing a new album, Red Planet, on Oregon based label Strange Attractors Audio House in April. Mixing folk, some floating, spacey drone and minimalist percussion with Shanti Curran’s gorgeous vocals to mesmerising effect, the spine tingling results are stark, but beautifully compelling. Try Careless Love from the album, and also as a bonus treat yourself to Blue Crystal Fire, their … Continue reading New from Arborea
It’s been a full on 90 mph week with barely even time to call my own Ma, and when I did it sounded very much like my wedding dress might end up out for the St John’s Ambulance linen collection. A little harsh for the dress – and me. I was rather hoping that sprat daughter might wear it, should she decide to tie the … Continue reading Mrs Mackerel’s TFI Friday (18th March)
