Amusement Parks On Fire came to prominence in 2004 with the release of the eponymous debut album, conceived and consummated by the then-adolescent founder Michael Feerick and phonically actualized on a shoestring with Nottingham cohabitant Daniel Knowles. Issued on Geoff Barrow (of Portishead)’s Invada label, it was described by the New Musical Express as ‘hedonistic teenage genius’.
A live line-up was essentially performed and extensively performed with the likes of Dinosaur Jr, M83, and dEUS among innumerable other acts of the era. The unit then retreated to Sigur Rós’ private swimming-pool sanctuary Sundlaugin in Álafoss, Iceland to complete the venturesome sophomore release ‘Out Of The Angeles’, during which time they experimented with sleep, food and sunlight deprivation at the insistence of V2 Records. After several years of international incidence, the band crash-landed in Los Angeles in 2009 to make ‘Road Eyes’ with producers Michael Patterson (Beck, NIN) and Nicolas Jodoin (Arcade Fire, BRMC). Again inspired by the locale, the collection was intended as ‘a skewed Californian contemporary-classical’, with Alternative Press defining it as ‘sun-drenched, challenging and gratifying… a near-perfect album’.
Last year, Amusement Parks On Fire returned with their first release in ‘8.8 years’. The single ‘Our Goal To Realise’ saw the British art-rockers reappear with signature songwriting sophistication and sonic scope. All The New Ends seeks to further cement their insignia whilst eschewing genre-tropes and preconceptions of form. Like the expansive concept singles surrounding their second album ‘Out Of The Angeles’, the medium-length format once-again provides the perfect platform to push perceptions and extend expectations.
LINKS:
http://apof.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/amusementparksonfire
https://twitter.com/APOF
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Campbell L Sangster – Odds are Stacked
Campbell L Sangster is the solo project of singer/ songwriter aka Lin Sangster from Liverpool. Previous bands include Bad Anorak 404, Kit and Send no Flowers. Sangster’s recent work on soundtracks for film and video projects fed into the songwriting process for ‘Odds Are Stacked’, influencing the approach to the song and lending a visual quality both lyrically and musically.
Campbell L. Sangster’s forthcoming debut album is scheduled for release later this year, and in the meantime more music can be accessed through Soundcloud.
About the Film:
This film is an exploration of female masculinity, past, present and future. Tinged with 50s America and moments of the contemporary, Campbell performs alongside The Drakes – a posing gallant band of butches, bois, studs, transmen & genderqueers.Edie Sedgwick lives on in the body and soul of a sun worshipping, silver-clad mother, desperate for sun rays.
Meanwhile, her budding gymnast daughter becomes mesmerised by the arrival of Buffy – a woman in her 70s – physically strong and utterly focussed in her bespoke one piece swimming suit. With the spirit of Esther Williams and verve of an assassin, we watch as she dives agelessly, effortlessly.
Back and forth, stronger, stronger, air bubbles reaching the surface as each stretch reaches forward, more powerful than the last. The look of the young girl as she watches, watches as this swimmer hypnotizes her.
As the song reaches its climax, the swimmer exits the water; she leaves as she had arrived – controlled but assuaged. The young girl is left to wonder, a stronger spirit, the imprint of the mysterious woman remaining with her forever.
About the Director:
Mike Matthews is a passionate and accomplished director. He has most recently directed successful commercial campaigns for Mullenlowe, VCCP, Leo Burnett and M&C Saatchi. He is exclusively represented by Fat Lemon.Credits:
Director: Mike Matthews @ Fat Lemon
Producer: Kelley Ralph
Production Company: Fat Lemon
Executive producer: Cabell Hopkins
Cinematography: Dave Miller
1st AD: Jerome Franc
Focus Puller: Chris Stephens
Drone: Sam Moore
Gaffer: Darren Jackson
Production Designer: Mark Harriott
Costume Designer: Mark Harriott
Wardrobe Supervisor: Bex Harvey
Make-up: Tricia Woolston
Editor: Kev Palmer @ Ten Three Editing
Colorist: Matt Turner @ Absolute Post
Post Production: Absolute Post -
The Seagulls – Silver Or Lead
Introducing The Seagulls and their new LP ‘Blood Orange’ released on 21st August 2017. The band consists of three brothers who have been producing music together from a very young age giving that raw, live sound which has become an integral part of their recording process. After the release of their debut album ‘Desert Eleven’ they hit the road headlining major venues across the UK where they sold out shows in London, Leeds, and Manchester and have now gained a dedicated following. Having written, recorded and produced the record themselves at various locations around Leeds, you can hear that they’ve found their sound with ‘Blood Orange’.
Their last single ‘Happy’ was the first release from the new album and inspired the band to write and produce ‘Blood Orange’ in late 2016. Their new sound, labeled by fans as ‘Tropical Pop’, has seen the band making waves up and down the country over the last few years with their sixties inspired guitar sound. Amongst the albums floating chimes, the record tilts and turns at several points echoing those early Brit-pop and sixties influences throughout. The lead single is accompanied by a live video, filmed from various shows around the country, giving the audience an idea of the energy and charisma the band put into their live shows.
Having played regularly around the country and securing plays on local and national radio such as BBC Radio 2 and BBC Introducing, they have left their audience with great anticipation for the new release. They have also performed a live session on BBC Introducing, where they debuted new material from the album.
LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/theseagulls
http://www.twitter.com/seagullsmusic
http://www.instagram.com/theseagullsmusic
http://www.youtube.com/theseagullsmusic -
Ernest Moon – Satdeenight Ready
Liverpool-based outfit Ernest Moon presents ‘Satdeenight Ready’ off their ‘Ba-jesus’ EP, which is finally being released on CD in early April. Recorded at Orphan Recording in Dublin with Peter Ashmore and Gavin Glass (Paul Brady, John Grant, Lisa Hannigan, Mundy), these four tracks are packed with loads of adrenaline-packed expression that is both critical and tongue-in-cheek.
‘Satdeenight Ready’ is about a fella going out at the weekend to get drunk and look for some romance. Though he gets reflective in the chorus where he laments humanity’s needlessly cruel and trashy aspects, albeit in a humorous rather than heavy way.
Ernest Moon is Steven Doran and Brian Murphy, two English no-marks brought together by a liking for eggs on toast. Their sound is somewhat punky and has been described as pushy pop. They say they are “filling the gap between pretentious lyrical art and bog standard pop music”.
“We were in a band before with our best mate and whatever blert we could get to drum. we released one LP, which bombed everywhere except New Zealand, where we were worshipped and certain underpopulated parts of Estonia there were some unsubstantial sales,” says Steven Doran.
“This is the first time our singularly poetic take on stuff has been released. And it is as polished, in terms of production, as we’ll ever get. One could say that the four songs on the Ba-jesus EP are inspired by the humor and language of working-class Liverpool, and the tendency to be both showy offy and earthy. The music reflects that with its up-frontedness,” says Brian Murphy.
“This EP was recorded in Dublin, which is why we used the utterance Ba-jesus, which derives from Ireland and is an expression of resignation and disbelief among other things”.
The Blockheads, Arab Strap and Talking Heads number among their influences, as do Loudon Wainwright, Joni Mitchell, and writers such as James Kelman, Paddy Kavanagh and Philip Larkin.
The ‘Ba-jesus’ EP is available digitally via iTunes and for streaming on Spotify. The CD is being offered exclusively via Bandcamp and comes in a breathtaking matt finish gatefold card case with bonza photographs by Steven Crabtree and Chris Dorley-Brown.
LINKS:
https://ernestmoon.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/ernestmoon-244815177
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm4-lITLajtU_q4qHN-KEsg/videos
https://twitter.com/ErnestMoonMusic
https://www.facebook.com/steven.doran.545