Article after show, after program, after tweet you have probably seen just WHO everyone is bigging up for the year ahead.
As ever, I'm persuaded that ampitupnow.com will explore the deeper depths that you never thought existed. Be prepared for a blend of artists you should be putting on your playlists to look 'UBER COOL' .
1. Sunflower Bean
Ever been looking for that one badass band who can apply the correct dosage between the DIY Brooklyn hype and just all out punk anthems. Considering that they call themselves psych rock, it would be relevant to pretty much indulge in every drilling riff and scream in their sound, it really isn't just psychedelic. Rather than the hazy-daisy floaty shirt fanatics, Sunflower Bean go right out of psych's basic comfort zone. The opening of 'Rock n'Roll Heathen' blast out each and every
rock stereo type you have heard for the past 10 years. The intro riff sounds fit for Blondie whilst the remainder is filled with tantalising blast of cymbals and hooks, rubbing raw against Nick Kivlen's vocals. All three members; Jacob Faber, Julia Cumming and Nick Kivlen dig back to their roots for their mish-mash of futuristic yet time-warpy sounds. Crack Magazine dug out Nick's true secret; "It doesn't feel ancient or fresh. To me it just kind of feels like knowing the alphabet you know? You can't move forwards musically until you understand what came before" Which is another theme in 'Tame Impala'. Is it really a rip at their famous relatives? No just a kinda fuck it whatever title. This time Julia's fuzzy growls truly ignite the track, "You always say what's on you mind" . If I was to do so, it gets a bit more psychy, but thankfully nothing too familiar. Every guitar interval crashes about wonderfully and jams into the outro, like having a really great messy bedroom, or art project where it stand out as effortlessly neo- punk and insane.
2. Panda Bear
Okay, so this guy isn't exactly hidden away in some underground scene. However severely underestimated he is. Fresh off 2014 Noah Benjamin Lennox has already launched his new single 'Mr Noah' . Best described as a fruitful, almost psychedelic mix of erratic bass sweeps and hyper bounced vocals. Once again it is said how he discusses themes of ageing and watching his children around him grow, you can hear that a slight emotion of sadness and/or reflection. With so much atmosphere locked inside each synth it would be hard not to get
some deep feeling from him, Panda Bear says for his next work that his sort of fear/pessimism compared to what used to be "Looking up the mountain" is a central feeling to the record. Although, nothing about his work is one dimensional, it's unpredictable and purely in the movement of experimentalism. Take his crisp choir-boy perfection on 'Boy Latin', diving in and out of colourful kaleidoscopic pools with fairly simplistic beats and backing to accompany it, this single has the balance perfectly right. He expresses that "My previous tendency was to fuzz my music out a little bit. But this time I wanted to make really simple melodies that were clearly more defined." It's clear that with an international tour announced and an album soon on its way, Panda Bear is the next dad of 2015's electronica evolution.
3. UME
UME have taken my musical anticipation to a whole new level. Without a doubt, you my fellow reader, must go and yell about this band to your friends. Their main fame-gain originating from SXSW festival last year, it has become a steady rise for the Austin heavy-on rockers. Fronted by Lauren Larson, each and every song from their recent album 'Monuments' drops sharply in and out of blasting hypnotic guitars, to more punk based tracks such as 'Too Big World' over each bumbling drum beat from Aaron Perez , " And I try everything i knew just to keep us safe,
just to keep from you" it's relative to pick up on a darker perspective of vulgarity as well as full on bass brimming anthems like ' Chase it Down' , Eric Larson's precision on 4 strings is immense. UME ultimately have a hookier side,'Revival' is an upbeat yet reflective song, it judges that the band incorporate a whole bunch of topics to match against their bitter, shattering side. It sounds deadly dangerous. A lustrous growl drools over one of the album's highlights, 'Until The End' , it is no wonder that supporting Black Sabbath at Hyde Park is on their track record. I completely agree with Rollling Stone magazine that UME resonate Sonic Youth but just do more headbanging and wailing. Releasing their debut 'Sunshower back in 2009 and following onto 'Phantoms' in 2011 UME have flourished exuberantly, into a mature, neck thrashing band that have never sound fresher this 2015.
(It's worth checking out ALL their work!)
4.The Garden
Now, a band that creates their very own sonic universe is one worth mentioning. Hence the name 'The Garden' is perfect, a walled experiment of exotic plantations and sounds. I'm devastated for not finding them earlier but even so, the best summary I can find are a pair of crack enthused Cali dub garage punk electro twins (Fletcher and Wyatt) who are a phenomenon. It's no exaggeration. And it's no wonder that they make such mayhem when en route to high school their dad would be grinding The Prodigy out of the car stereo. With other mixes of Killing Joke and E-40 But if you want their way of describing 'The Garden sound' it is called 'Vada Vada'. Fletcher states that " We don't claim to be a punk band and we don't claim to be a rock band. If we did that we'd have to stay inside boundaries that someone else made years and years ago" .
The sort of attitude that gets you on a tour with Warpaint for sure.
It's easy to see on tracks like 'Crystal Clear' which mumbles in and out of dirty bass riffs and pattering drum beats. Alongside Fletchers chants, 'Lesson #1' 'Take a look at me I'm not here to provoke' it involves covering a guy's head and dragging him across the street, it lays rather nonchalant under the echoing booms and dubs. Looking at their frankly littered Soundcloud account, any combination and whirlwind of sound is possible from The Garden; scrolling through it brings up all sorts of finds. Since signing to LuvLuvLuv Records, 'Suprise' consists of two more unfoggy, mature sounds. 'This Could Build Is A Home' is a great sort of glitchy-90's sound which runs into a higher tempo and fuses together some great perspective.
If you want find the sparse Drum n'Bass side to The garden then look no further than 'Cloak' , on listening most people I've shown this track too do a sort of post-punk shuffle to the most resonant lyric, "I wonder what's behind that cloak/ I wake up this dream feels too real I sit up completely covered in sweat? Whatever. Oh Well. Whatever. Oh Well." It sums up their world intensely. UK Festival season? Sure.
5. Howl
Bearing in mind, way back in 2013 it was when I discovered their live power, over the past few months it has been absolutely fanatical to find their new raw material. Deap Vally took the Cardiff trio on the road again fairly recently to play a ram-packed date at The Electric Ballroom In London. Could all out rock frenzy be on the tip of their tongues? Well- certainly when you produce toxic creations like 'Ignorance' it helps. A dirty down-the-gutter riff spits out through each drum
progression, each chord change scrambles for a new sort of vitalisation's for heavy
blues/rock. Lead singer, Grant powers through 'Man, Old Mr.White' grumbling to the darkest depths, alongside the somewhat simple yet incredible drum beats. Knowing their power on stage it almost comes of just as raw on record, you see Howl aren't just the raw, splitting at the stitches band that have to rev themselves up, it just sort of pours out of them naturally. The collection of clean-cut riffs and solos practically scratch and seethe against the walls. It's easy to see Grant thrusting around in these songs just like he did in the crowd, but even more crucially so will be everyone else.
6. Heaters
Where each and every psychedelic band has fell into the narcotic well of confusion and dreariness , Heaters break through as the most screwed on and awakening band in the US. The Michagan trio have gained reputation for taking on the likes of Temples and Spires as whilst they mix a heavy 60's groove, Heaters take a far more depthy fusion by twisting in some garage rock, shoegazey perspective. Thus making them actually a lot more exciting to you and I . Since being signed with
Dizzybird Records their 'Solstice' EP is by far the most exciting and alternating psych record I've picked up on in ages. Take the anthemic hook of 'No Fuss' which takes you back to your rusty 77 Grand Prix crossing over the Nevada dessert in pure sleeve swaying style. The EP is a hell of a mix; each track melting so naturally into the next, vocals booming over each cymbal crash all to create a weirdly overseen record. Heaters make good use of melodies also, which all rubs very aesthetically against the other elements of the record where a lot of jamming seems to seep through effortlessly, see tracks like 'Solstice' and 'On A Whim'. It would be no surprise to see these guys on a line up of California's Moon Block Party alongside sound-alikes Mystic Braves. Wherever the road will take Heaters, it will sure bring some new exotic inspiration for hopefully a forwards momentum into this year.
7. The Pearl Harts
Alright, NME have described these chics as a 'Female Royal Blood'. is that really the best they can do? I'm not saying its a bad comparison, but both Kirsty and Sara sound like they're on a complete rock tangent of their own. No Radio 1 kiss-ass is needed here. For one 'Skeleton Made Of Diamonds' adds some gritty bass melodies ( if that's possible) as well as some bitterly harsh, fret-ferocious riffs. What I am TRYING to desperately get you readers to hear is this is
one effortlessly dynamic band with a sick amount of potential. I fear another Deap Vally -esque attitude is in the bag for us. But The Pearl Harts stamp on their own stamp of brutality.No sentimental crap whatsoever. 'Black Blood' is a stomping anthem full of more raw exuberance then you could bear on a 3000 watt amp. But it's not just the fact that this is a good band, it is the reality that these are women making a serious move on the UK scene. Bangs are on full out rage, drums blister and guitars plummet. A rock resurgence is in full swing for these girls.
8. Moses Sumney
A whirlwind of what I call as 'Acoustic Ambiance' has been pioneered by a man who dwells on life in his own LA bewilderment. After being picked up by some blogs and more importantly KCWR Radio it hasn't done him too bad either, already playing along the likes of Karen O and Beck. Sumney quotes that 'I don't really believe in luck. I feel half proud of myself for working really hard and performing and doing music. I feel blessed that they ( Karen O/Solange/Beck collaborations) have happened.' Yet you can still hear the reflections and emotions pour through
Moses's lyrics. "You got me shooting across the sky like a star/ but nobody told me to never let it get to far/ you see my silhouette so you're standing scared of me" harmonises beautifully, Sumney bellowing his greatest range, whilst chanting over and over "My wings are made of plastic". Somehow his guitar melodies and vocals enchant each other so vividly its like they come from the same instrument, on 'San Fran' he is even more intimate, fingers sliding gently up the fretboard as his whisking gospels drizzle on top. You can notice that he likes a tasteful, consistent base to lay on thick for a writing basis, 'Mumblin' whirls into all different sorts of percussion and vocal trips. Each piece of artwork shines out vividly and diverse amongst the others. In his own words, Moses summaries the fate that his given birth to this ecstasy of sound . " You should make art for yourself. You can't control who your audience will be, or how they will find you".
9.Twin Caverns
After such a varied year for electronica in 2014, it is a visionary movement that has seemed to produce the sparse Rn'b beats of Australia's Twin Caverns. It is certainly a niche that the duo are warmly wrapped inside of to elegantly pull of on their new track 'Drown' which fumbles in and out of various guitar melodies before inducing Louise Millar's flowing echoes against delicate keys. This particular track as
well as 'Swell' moves like the tide, swooshing in phases of each instrument, gradually sweeps out a section and creates another collaboration of percussion. The pair's reworks on tracks are also equally as elegant. Bon Iver's 'Hinnom' is turned into a melting pot rainbow of harmonies, remaining thoroughly atmospheric. It pipes in and out of flutes and once again, uses minimalism to achieve a polished sound. A smooth follow on from a year ago, with the otherworldy feel of 'Undiscover', . Michael Macias assists to ring a more synthy-er version of The xx with London Grammar, yet Twin Caverns so effortlessly whirl up an ambiance of their own. Floaty and flamboyant at the same time. These masterpiece's are sure to build a steady foundation for their upcoming EP this year.
10. Asylums
Whatever you may think Essex boys are like,think again- Instead of being vein and cuddly, they are relatively hidden under the blankets of Social Media very well, but this didn't stop Radio 1's Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart from picking up on them.
With just a few tracks out on the webosphere it makes a treat to listen to when you do eventually find their full-on fun shredding track 'I've Seen Your Face In A Magazine'. Strings on the point of snapping you can really picture them as the
more hookier Bloody Knees. Yet they give a slight Britpop sound pulverised with trashy 80's American rock and 90's alternative. I did manage to find a third song in the depths of the Relentless website; 'The Death of Televeison' may explain their anti social network ethic. It clocks in at just 1.27 but echoes bitter and gruelling scrawls that will easily get them on an NME tour one day where all the journalists whack some foundation onto them and boom! They're away. Still I can't put a name to the members but on final and favourite track, 'Wet Dream Fanzine' it sounds like an amp shattering version of Supergrass . There is an incredibly addictive lure to it, "bad taste/toothpaste" is about the only lyric I can make out with such drum crescendo, even so Asylums are terribly more-ish. Wait for a few months before they start tearing up a UK tour, the moshes will be infinite.
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