Posts Tagged ‘Wind-Up Birds’

Nine Songs You Should Have Heard This Week

Posted: June 26, 2016 in Alternative, Americana, Folk, Garage, Indie, Music, Pop, Psychedelic, Punk, Rock
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best of the weekWell, on this gloomiest of weeks a little ray of sunshine perhaps with some new music gathered up from the best of the last seven days (oh the irony).

So while Johnson and Gove revel in the toxic slime of their own making and the Labour Party implodes, hit play on nine new songs from the likes of Devendra Banhart, ShitKid, Wymond Miles, The Wind-Up Birds and covers from Ex-Cult and Katy Goodman & Greta Morgan.

  1. Devendra Banhart – Middle Names
  2. Katy Goodman & Greta Morgan – Bastards Of Young  (Replacements cover)
  3. Wymond Miles – Summer Rains
  4. The Wind-Up Birds – Straightforward Skies
  5. ShitKid – R&R Sally
  6. Ex-Cult – 1906  (West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band cover)
  7. The Big Bend – Celebrate
  8. Toby Coke – Never Be Alone
  9. Trace Mountains – I Am Extra Natural

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Wind-up Birds – The Gristle

Posted: May 19, 2014 in Alternative, Indie, Music, Pop, Punk, Rock
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Wind-up Birds - The Gristle

Next week the Wind-up Birds will release their second full length long player Poor Music.

It is a collection of 17 tracks of scalpel-sharp observation that lay bare the nuances of life in the UK with an unflinching honesty and eye for detail. Black humour abounds, and if ever there were a band for whom the proverb “many a true word said in jest” applied then it is this Leeds four-piece as they pick at the scabs of our fragmenting society and expose the rather sordid and unpleasant wounds underneath.

All of this is done to a musical backdrop that takes in indie rock, punk and off-kilter pop bringing to mind everything from The Mekons and Gang of Four, to XTC and the Sleaford Mods.

First single is the urgent, driving The Gristle. You can get it on a pay-what-you-want deal, or why not order the whole album from Bandcamp here.

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Mad Mackerel’s Best Of The Month: May 2012

Posted: June 1, 2012 in Acoustic, Alternative, Americana, Blues, Country, Folk, Garage, Gothic, Indie, Metal, Music, Pop, Psychedelic, Punk, Rock
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Mad Mackerel's Best Of The Month: May 2012.

Another crackerjack month of new tunes on MM, all lovingly compiled and packaged up for you in one sweet playlist ready to download.

Here are 33 of our favourite tracks from our May postings and 6 new songs too. No need to thank us.

Download Virals – Gloria mp3 (from Coming Up With The Sun EP)
Shines bright with an insanely hooky vocal and charged guitar riffs, taking cues from the sunny California coast yet retaining a suitably English feel.

Download Blasted Canyons – Holy Geometry mp3 (from 2nd Place 12″)
Infectiously driven by a brilliant needling guitar refrain that is guaranteed to stick with you long after the song has finished.

Download Michael J Epstein Memorial Library – Faith In Free Part 1 mp3 (from Faith In Free EP)
Military stomp that comes across like a brilliantly vicious hybrid of Siouxsie & The Banshees and Sparks.

Download Sun Kil Moon – That Bird Has A Broken Wing mp3 (from Among The Leaves)
More starkly beautiful folk.

The Wind-Up Birds – Cross Country

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Skilfully blends influences from folk to punk to create a restless, hybrid sound that has feet in many camps, but a home in none.

Beast make Bomb – Coney Island

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Shimmering slice of indie rock played out against a backdrop of old-school punk attitude.

Dog Moon Howl – Blues Like A Hammer

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Full on sleazy blues and desert rock – imagine if you will Mark Lanegan duelling with Howling Wolf…

Download The Ruminaters – Timmy mp3 (from Timmy Digital Single)
Beatnik, barnyard, hillbilly swamp rock.

Download GravelRoad – Devil’s Eyes mp3 (from Psychedelta)
Sinewy, swamp inspired grooves with a rough and raw blues groan.

Download Marissa Nadler – The Wrecking Ball Company mp3 (from The Sister)
Haunting and ethereal folk that mixes melancholy with yearning in a wonderfully unique way.

Download Hunx – Let Me In mp3 (from Hairdresser Blues)
Flamboyant 60s inspired doo-wop garage-pop.

Download Lord Buffalo – Cold Bones mp3 (from Lord Buffalo EP)
Unsettling and haunting, a blend of darkly shrouded Americana as fiddles moan and guitars ominously brood and slash.

Download Old Bricks – Waves mp3 (from City Lights)
A night’s ride through a dark, sparkling desert.

Download The Doc Marshalls – Here They Come mp3 (from Look Out, Compadre)
Crooked, shimmering folk; evocative and nostalgic.

Download The Tallest Man On Earth – 1904 mp3 (from There’s No Leaving Now)
Characterised by his trademark strum and those wonderful Dylanesqe pipes, but there is a darker twist and turn to the lyrics than we’ve been used to.

Download Hallelujah The Hills – Hungry Ghost Extraordinaire mp3 (from No One Knows What Happens Next)
Wholly absorbing and lyrically scalpel sharp track.

Download Duquette Johnston & The Rebel Kings – Roll Baby Roll mp3 (from Communicating Vessels 7″ Series)
Driving boogie and infectious holler-along refrain.

Download Spacin’ – Sunshine No Shoes mp3 (from New Directions Home- Uncut 2012 07)
Mangled graft of Velvets chug and Stones insouciance.

Download The Agnostic-Phibes Rhythm & Blood Conspiracy – Neckin’ Party mp3 (from Campfire Tales)
Hypnotic swamp rock tale of teenage lust and voyeurism gone horribly awry.

Download The Crocodiles – Endless Flowers mp3 (from Endless Flowers)
Snaking, noise pop.

Download Purling Hiss – Lolita mp3 (from Shaking Through Volume 3)
Huge slab of fuzzed-up riffage.

Download Holograms – Chasing My Mind mp3 (from The Holograms)
Clattering, garage-punk.

Download Hurray For The Riff Raff – Ode To John And Yoko mp3 (from Look Out Mama)
Gorgeous bluesy folk with a slightly retro-feel.

Download Dubious Ranger – 1999 mp3 (from Found Recordings From The Panda Valley Mining Company c.1931)
Gloriously mournful and hypnotic Americana.

Two Wounded Birds – To Be Young

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Exquisitely crafted pop gem full of their trademark surf-twang and velvet vocals – it drips with vacation nostalgia.

Download The Broken Needles – Saltflat Baby mp3 (from Terra Nullius)
Mix of country balladry and spit ‘n’ snarl punk rock that is a little like Tom Waits fronting the Mekons.

Download Jaill –  Waste A Lot Of Things mp3 (from Traps)
Their signature slack yet tightly wound musical style and self-deprecating humor retains all its charm.

Download The Virgins – Venus In Chains mp3 (from Venus In Chains single)
Charmingly nonchalant slab of garage inspired rock oozing with glam undertones.

Download Stagnant Pools – Dead Sailor mp3 (from Temporary Room)
Heavy, distorted, squally and reverb heavy, pierced with shafts of melody; would probably be prime candidates to soundtrack the end of the world.

Download The Shrouded Strangers – Drinking The Spider Silk mp3 (from Lost Forever)
Masterclass in whiskey-soaked hillbilly stompers, fuzzed-up psych freak outs, and white-noise wigouts.

Download Rainer & Calexico – Be Prepared mp3 (from The Inner Flame: A Tribute To Rainer Ptacek)
Achingly gorgeous dusty Arizona blues and moan, as elegant and moving as anything you’ll hear for a long, long time.

Red Cosmos – England’s Glory

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Tale of a mother visited in the middle of the night by the pale spectre of her son dying alone, somewhere far away on a battlefield.

Download Grave Babies – Nightmare mp3 (from Gothdammit EP)
Gloomy, drone-filled Goth that manages to keep its tongue firmly in its cheek.

And here are a few new ones to round off your day and set you up for the weekend nicely. First is another taste from the forthcoming Sonny & The Sunsets album, Longtime Companion in the shape of Be The Void. We also have two tracks from our new favourite band, Broken Water: Underground and Drown are good enough to strip the paint from the walls and come from just released new album Tempest.

We have the melodic indie pop dusted with notes of surf rock from Scotland’s The Imagineers and their track The Legend Of John The Terror (Notorious) and Home Groan, a new taste from Dent May’s much anticipated new album. Finally, we have a welcome reissue of some early Silver Jews recordings by Drag City Records to celebrate, from it comes this track Secret Knowledge of Back Roads. 

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Download Broken Water – Drown mp3 (from Tempest)

Download Broken Water – Underground mp3 (from Tempest)

Download Dent May – Home Groan mp3 (from Do Things)

Download The Imagineers – The Legend Of John The Terror (Notorious) mp3 (from The Legend Of John The Terror (Notorious))

Download The Silver Jews – Secret Knowledge Of Back Roads mp3 (from Early Times)

Don’t forget to check all our previous monthly Best Of mixes in the sidebar too.

The Welcome Return of the Wind-Up Birds

Posted: May 5, 2012 in Alternative, Folk, Indie, Music, Punk, Rock
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Wecome Return of the Wind-Up Birds.

We became instant fans of the Wind-Up Birds after hearing the brilliant There Won’t Always Be An England from their Tyre Fire 7″.

They are a peculiarly British band steeped in the idiosyncrasies and (sometime ridiculous) ways and mentalities of our island, unafraid to gleefully reveal when the Emperor is out and about with his new clothes, and to champion the cause of the forgotten, the unwanted and the isolated. They skilfully blend influences from folk to punk to create a restless, hybrid sound that has feet in many camps, but a home in none.

So it was good to hear that their new single Cross Country is now available to download from their Bandcamp page on a pay what you want deal. There are also two new b-sides and if you download the whole lot you get their home made video for Cross Country too.

Even better, on 14th May they release their debut album The Land on Sturdy Records.

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Bonus download

Download The Wind-Up Birds – There Won’t Always Be An England mp3 (from Tyre Fire 7″)

MM’s Best of the Month: April

Posted: April 30, 2010 in Alternative, Blues, Country, Folk, Indie, Music, Psychedelic, Punk, Rock
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As usual, here is our round-up of some of the best songs we’ve posted during April plus a couple of new ones. Thirty great songs all ready to go on one cracking playlist and impress your family and friends.

Without further ado…

Shabby Rogue – My Life As A Secret Agent mp3 (High octane, paranoia induced rock ‘n’ roll riffage)

Kurt Vile – Invisibility Nonexistent mp3 (Ramshackle bluesy psychedelia)

Woodpigeon – Empty-Hall-Sing-Along mp3 (Folk foot-stomper from outstanding new album)

Red Clay River – Rattlesnake Mountain mp3 (Sparse, shadowy, southern Gothic folk)

Sparrow & The Workshop – Devil Song mp3 (Morricone inspired galloping, cowboy blues)

Band Of Horses – Compliments mp3 (First track from much anticipated new album – signs are good)

Local Natives – World News mp3 ((Yet another) catchy, harmony filled gem from the wonderful Gorilla Manor album)

The Ooks Of Hazzard – Kids mp3 (Cover of the year so far? MGMT given a ukulele led, rough country makeover)

Phosphorescent – Mermaid Parade mp3 (Classic Phosphorescent. Classic modern country)

Jason Ward – Bless You mp3 (Lyrically brilliant folk ditty reminiscent of Blitzen Trapper)

Avi Buffalo – What’s In It For mp3 (New Sub-Pop darlings show what the fuss is about)

Johnny Bertram & The Golden Bicycles – At The Wake mp3 (Perfect blend of Americana and indie rock)

The National – Afraid Of Everyone mp3 (Standout centrepiece from brilliant new album)

Peggy Sue – Watchman mp3 (Folk duo spit lyrical venom)

Chapel Club – O Maybe I mp3 (Top notch, classic British indie rock from much tipped newcomers)

Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – Forget It mp3 (Perfect backwoods porch Americana)

The War Crimes – Enamour Me And Roll mp3 (Sinister, unsettling and lyrically brilliant)

Meursault – Crank Resolutions mp3 (Scottish miserablist folksters deliver in spades)

Howling Owls – Family Tree mp3 (Another insistently compelling, down-tempo and black-hearted folk tale)

Grass House – A Cockroach mp3 (Unsettling excursion on a dark, sonically captivating journey)

Emily Reo – Witch Mtn mp3 (Experimental, ethereal, excellent)

Alessi’s Ark – Shovelling mp3 (Fragile and spooky folk)

Wind Up Birds – There Won’t Always Be An England mp3 (Particularly English tale of bigotry – topical enough!)

Tallest Man On Earth – Burden Of Tomorrow mp3 (Another gem from rasping folk troubadour. Dylan comparisons obligatory)

Unnatural Helpers – Sunshine / Pretty Girls mp3 (Snotty, brash homage to classic punk with added bonus of chorus of the month)

Morningbell – Hello Dali mp3 (Melodic, shimmering psych rock from Florida)

Colours – Desert Dessert mp3 (Three minutes of buzzsaw guitars and a shout along chorus. Awarded instant classic status)

Brother Dege – The Girl Who Wept Stones mp3 (Authentic stomping swamp blues. Like Seasick Steve’s nastier brother)

And lastly here are a couple of new ones

Memoryhouse – Gian Lorenzo Bernini mp3 (More gorgeous, chilled out, dream to immerse yourself in)

Delaney Davidson – Dirty Dozen mp3 (Classic voodoo rockabilly and filthy, x rated lyrics. What’s not to like?)

British Freak-Folk Explosion (maybe)

Posted: April 27, 2010 in Music
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Rather like London buses these three songs came to our attention all at once. While all are excellent in their own ways, they are also peculiarly British in lyrics and approach.

This is not a negative comment, just an observation that we think it would be extremely unlikely to get anything close to these songs from anywhere else. While addressing different topics they all have a similarity in the use of black humour, the self-deprecation, and the slightly carnivalesque musical stylings which can sometime sound very basic and home-made. The songs all tell a story ranging from not challenging bigotry to sexual performance and all do it in a way that just has a unique, and wonderful, British oddball-ness about it.

So, check out and treasure these three British gems.

First, Filthy Pedro, pioneers of the anti-folk movement and who released their album Filthy Pedro And The Carthaginians a couple of weeks ago.

Second MM faves Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences who follow up the inspired We Are Not Other People with a forthcoming new album titled Apologies To The Enlightenment.

Lastly, newcomers The Wind-Up Birds from Leeds who released their debut 7″ Tyre Fire yesterday. This is the brilliant b-side to that single.

Visit the MySpace/webpages: Filthy Pedro, The Wind-Up Birds, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences

Download Filthy Pedro – What Goes Up mp3 (from Filthy Pedro And The Carthaginians)

Download Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences – Monkey Serum mp3 (from Apologies To The Enlightenment)

Download The Wind-Up Birds – There Won’t Always Be An England mp3 (from Tyre Fire 7″)