London born, France resident singer Blakk Pearl released her debut single ‘Cowboy’ at the end of last year. Sleek and commodious and driven by a subtle backbeat and a warm marimba sound, the track perfectly showcases Blakk Pearl’s haunting, mellifluent tones floating atop a lush and otherworldly dreamscape.
Blakk Pearl has now shared a video for her debut single, a video she has put together herself: “I love 1930’s era cut-out animation, and when I came across this clip of this beautiful trio of fairies trying to help a soldier, who had lost his way in the woods, I knew it was the perfect video for ‘Cowboy.’ It tells the story of ‘Cowboy’ so beautifully and delicately, and in such a feminine way”.
Blakk Pearl grew up in North London and moved to Devon when she was a young teenager, where she would watch her, by now absent, father on US TV shows and hear of his activities in LA as a manager of NWA.
She now lives in a convent just outside Toulouse in France. Having rebuilt it from a ruin, it serves as her creative hub and sanctuary. Blakk Pearl divides her time between Toulouse, London and Paris.
Blakk Pearl’s first EP is set for release via Kobalt in early 2018.
LINKS:
http://blakkpearlmusic.com
https://instagram.com/blakkpearlmusic
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INVIOLATE – Broken Cycle
Atlanta-based rock/metal/industrial band Inviolate has released their brand new music video for “Broken Cycle”, the second single from their August 2017 full-length CD The Insomniac’s Dream. Broken Cycle” was shot by Chance White of White Flame Studios at both the complexity of the Safety Wolf facility and Atlanta’s Big Peach Studios.
“Musically we wanted the song to build from soft and haunted at the beginning to a feeling of resolution and agency by the end. You’re taking a stand and saying ‘I refuse to play the victim to my circumstances’ but there’s acknowledgment that you can’t always go at it alone. You have people in your corner who have your back when you might falter. The imagery of the swordswomen embodies that aspect of the lyrics.”
– Inviolate“Broken Cycle” features seven members of Inviolate’s “2.0” lineup (click HERE to read about Inviolate’s unique band member configuration), as well as the Sisters of Anarchy, a troupe of modern fusion bellydancers wielding scimitars in a choreography that vocalist Kadria created specifically for the video.
“This video showcases for the first time how Inviolate 2.0 works with rotating members on any given 4-person lineup. The final chorus shows every member who played on the video (and album) in single shots of all 7 of us rocking out,” says Kadria. “We’re one huge extended family, and we wanted to visually represent that through the entire video.”
Originally founded with Bryon Brown on guitar, Chris Farmer on bass and vocalist/sample engineer Kadria, Atlanta’s Inviolate continues to create and perform with Kadria at the creative helm, along with an array of the southeast’s finest rock and metal talent for live shows (musicians who play live with the band are part of “Inviolate 2.0“) and in the studio. Inviolate’s sound is multi-faceted, defying the labels of mere “metal”, “rock”, “electronica”, even “industrial” but a sonic blend of all. To visually augment the sonic onslaught, Kadria adds the moves of a bellydancer which, by turns, emphasize delicacy and aggression according to the music’s mood. This combination produces a visual in their live show unlike any other in the rock and metal world.
Inviolate signed to Strange One Records in April 2012 and released a 7-song album titled “Feast of Ashes”, co-produced with Mike Froedge (doubleDrive/Black Label Society) in June 2012, as well as a video for its first single “Condemned, ” directed by Gustavo Montana of At Dusk Media. The album and video garnered Inviolate a trifecta of nominations at the 2013 Georgia Music Awards for Best Metal Band, Best Rock Female, and Video of the Year, and again in 2014 for Best Metal Band and Best Rock Female. “Feast of Ashes” also won Tampa’s Rock Solid Pressure Show’s “2014 EP Of The Year.”
Inviolate has shared the stage with a wide range of hard rock, metal, industrial and even acoustic heavyweights including Static-X, Whitechapel, Butcher Babies, Mushroomhead, Powerman5000, Amaranthe, Epica, SOiL, One-Eyed Doll, Celldweller, Symphony X, and Angie Aparo.
In early 2017, Inviolate returned to the studio to record their full-length CD The Insomniac’s Dream with co-producer Jordon Popp (Sky Machine/Seven Day Sonnet) at Glass Wall Studio in Chicago, IL. Their first single, “Sisyphus”, dropped a lyric video in July 2017 and features guest vocals by the Swedish vocal titan Bjorn Strid (Soilwork/Night Flight Orchestra). The Insomniac’s Dream was released worldwide on August 1, 2017, and the band continues to tour the east coast, pushing steadily westward and gaining fans (fondly called Inviolators) at every turn. “I’m super excited about this album,” says vocalist Kadria. “We pushed the envelope on so many levels. And then we got to work with someone like Björn— it’s such an honor to have his voice on one of our songs! And we were thrilled to have Jordon put on his producer’s hat on for our songs. The response we’re getting at every show has been amazing.”
The band continues to tour, with an album of remixes already underway and planned for release early spring 2018. “More shows, more twists, more visual and auditory Inviolations coming your way. We can hardly wait!”
LINKS:
http://inviolate1.com
https://facebook.com/inviolate
https://twitter.com/inviolateband
https://instagram.com/inviolateband -
Fjords – Sulwyn
Fjords, Wales’ finest purveyors of indie electronica return with their new single, “Sulwyn” on 14th July, 2014. “Sulwyn” pronounced, sill-win is a traditional Welsh christian name that means,’bright as the sun’. The track is released via the band’s own Crookedman Records.
Drawing on influences that range from Japan, Gary Numan, Joy Division and Simple Minds “Sulwyn” marks a shift towards a more thoughtful late seventies, early eighties sound. Singer Sonny Dagur
penned the lyrics whilst in Brooklyn and describes the song as ‘a bit of a letter to myself’. “Sulwyn” was recorded at Monnow Valley and is FJORD’s fourth independent release. The band choose the striking artwork to accompany the release by emerging digital artist Rognvald Leslie of The Faroe Islands.
Formed in 2010 Fjords came together following a Steve Lamacq interview on BBC 6 Music. At the time Sonny’s old band, Don’t Tread On Spiders were breaking up, Sonny seized the moment and used the Lamacq radio interview to advertise for band members. Happily for all concerned Fjords were the result.
Fjords play The London Welsh Sessions on Friday 6th June at The London Welsh Centre, Gray’s Inn Road WC1 plus a special show on 11th July from Acapela Studios, (site of the recent Gruff Rhys American Interiors album launch) where their set will be streamed worldwide from this converted chapel outside Cardiff. Fjords plan to further experiment with new technologies hosting a series of live Google Hangout chats plus using QR Code and NFC tags on posters allowing fans to download “Sulwyn” for free.
Fjords are Sonny Dagur – Vocals & guitar, Alex Mann – Bass & vocals, Scott Bradburn – Guitar, Gareth Bodman – Synths, Hannah Mathias – drums & drum pads.
Airplay support for Fjords includes Amazing Radio, BBC Radio Wales & Nation Radio.
Links:
http://www.myspace.com/wearefjords
http://www.twitter.com/wearefjords
http://www.wearefjords.com
http://www.wearefjords.co.uk
http://www.soundcloud.com/wearefjords -
Kannika – I’m Watching You
Kannika was born in the south of Thailand and has since relocated to Nakhon Ratchasima in the northeast.
She has been singing from a very young age and as her career began progress she undertook major residencies in Phuket, Kiri Khan, and Hua Hin.
She currently performs in clubs in and around Nakhon Ratchasima in Northeast Thailand. She cites Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Janis Joplin and Tina Turner as her favorite artists but says her biggest influence on her has always been her mother who encouraged her from a very young age.
LINKS:
https://facebook.com/kannikamusic
https://twitter.com/kannika_music