Celso has just dropped his new video for the track titled ‘Someday’ featuring Jessica Totaro. Enchanted by the groove and mesmerized by the rhyme, ‘Someday’ lays low and lows down on the beat with a laid back homage to the healing time gives with a breathtaking glimpse of creativity overcoming grief. This is a testament to music as medicine. Thank you, Celso.
ABOUT ‘SOMEDAY’
Tragedy can be a tough mountain to climb over. Some are left hopelessly wishing the door to pain will close and never reopen.
Others, like Celso, use the pain caused by a passing loved one to fuel their creative outlet. How many of us wished we could remember our last conversation with someone we cared about? or be able to listen to it on repeat just to get back the essence of the person’s existence?
Celso was able to do this for himself on this Mydus produced melodic journey called ‘Someday’, also featuring the dulcet tones of singer Jessica Totaro.
After the passing of his friend/little brother due to a drug overdose, Someday recalls the worries that plagued Celso’s fallen comrade and his attempt to seek advice to improve himself and his circumstances.
With lines like “Remember what you’re doing and the dreams you are pursuing, remember that the sun is always up for your viewing” it’s clear that while dark times may hover over us if you look out into the distance, a better day will undoubtedly come…Someday!
LINKS:
https://facebook.com/CelsoMusic
https://instagram.com/maloneybrando
https://twitter.com/Celso_Music_
https://instagram.com/mydus
https://twitter.com/Mydus
https://instagram.com/jessitotes
https://twitter.com/JessiTotes
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The Membranes – A Strange Perfume
With sixteen epic, powerful and darkly romantic songs on offer, this is The Membranes’ eighth studio album overall and the second since they reformed in 2010 when former support band My Bloody Valentine convinced them to return to the stage for the ATP festival. This album is a game changer in the tradition of Manchester bands like Joy Division.
This album features appearances from vocalist Kirk Brandon (Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny) and 84-year-old folk singer Shirley Collins, one of England’s premier folk singers of the ’60s revival. Renowned nature TV presenter Chris Packham also contributes, as does the legendary Jordan, who practically invented the punk look in 1975. Half the tracks also feature the 20-piece BIMM Choir, offsetting a sound laden with dark drones and an atmosphere of melancholic epic power.
The album was recorded at 6DB Studio in Manchester with Ding Archer, a former band member with PJ Harvey, The Pixies and producer of the last nine albums by The Fall. John Robb wrote all the parts for the choir. This release follows up their acclaimed album ‘Dark Matter/Dark Energy’, the band’s best selling release, which received rave reviews and ample radio play on BBC 6 Music and internationally.
‘What Nature Gives… Nature Takes Away’ is about the beauty and violence of nature. This is a very diverse work with dark, brooding cinematic choir-driven songs. Imagine the sound of Hieronymus Bosch paintings to discordant wild songs about crows, demon flowers, strange perfumes, voluptuous petals, voluminous oceans, treacherous seasons and the poetry of life and death set to spooked pulsing musical pieces, ranging from epic choir-driven postpunk songs to dark dub workouts, from throbbing dirty disco dark wave pulses to grinding heavy bass-driven pieces, from apocalyptic visions to choir-driven epic swirls.
“This is the pinnacle of our long and strange journey. This album is steeped in the powerful forces of nature and an underlying emotional undertow that is dark and brooding bass driven postpunk with the epic swirl of the choir and diversity of sounds that takes you on a trip. I put my life into this album musically, lyrically and emotionally,” says John Robb.
“The Membranes was born of postpunk in the late 1970s – a time when a generation inspired by punk rock created music on their own terms. We were immersed in that scene and that world and when we reformed we picked up on those themes and ideas and the diverse fellow travelers that we were contemporaries of like Joy Division, Bauhaus, Einsturzende Neubauten, Nick Cave, PiL, Big Black, and newer bands like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mogwai, Ulver, and Wardruna – bands who fuck with the template to create an atmosphere and mood.”
Formed in 1978 in Blackpool, The Membranes played classic bass-driven northern post-punk and were part of the same world as bands like The Fall, Sisters Of Mercy, Echo and The Bunnymen and Cabaret Voltaire, all inspired by 1977 to launch their own idiosyncratic journeys. The band released a remarkable series of records that combined their small town frustration with a love of heavy bass and distortion. This ultimately became a prime influence and the precursors to such American noiseniks as Steve Albini, Swans and Sonic Youth.
John Peel and music press favourites, a continual frenzy of releases, public acclaim and touring worldwide with national TV appearances, the band went on hiatus in 1990 until finally reforming in 2010.
The Membranes are Peter Byrchmore (guitar), Nick Brown guitar), Rob Haynes (drums), and John Robb (vocals and bass), a renowned TV and radio pundit, editor of Louder Than War, a key UK music site and national magazine, and curator of the Louder Than Words festival. In autumn, John Robb will also release ‘The Art Of Darkness’, a book on the darker side of post-punk, adding to his collection of best-selling books on punk rock.
As of June 7, ‘What Nature Gives … Nature Takes Away’ will be available on vinyl and CD, and digitally from stores such as iTunes and streaming platforms like Spotify. There is also a deluxe double vinyl ultra limited edition of 150 copies. This summer, cosmetics company Lush will release a Membranes perfume called ‘A Strange Perfume’ after the album’s opening track. In the meantime, the band will tour the UK in support of their new LP.
LINKS:
http://www.themembranes.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/themembranes
https://www.twitter.com/membranes1
https://www.instagram/themembranes
https://membranes.bandcamp.com -
Keir – Shiver
With a burning heart, a searing voice and explosive choruses, Keir is not afraid to play with fire. At 25 years old, the singer-songwriter displays a bright mind and a dark soul, nourished on heartache, Weltschmerz and decades of pop-music history – ready to spit it all back out into the future like fuel on a flame.
Keir may stand on the shoulders of soul divas and rock gods, but his craft shows no sense of retro fetishism. This is what the blues sound like in the 21st century, and there’s barely a trace of those worn-out, 12-bar formulas. Instead, Keir offers simultaneously a distillation and an innovation of that musical ritual: transforming inner turmoil into a tune – not to spread misery but to exorcise demons, and in the best case, incite compassion. The first single “Shiver” is a shining example, a seductive groove that shudders with red-hot, angst-ridden sensuality.
Musically, there’s enough mass that you start to feel a gravitational pull, and in lyrical tandem, Keir reveals a heavy heart. But there’s nothing heavy-handed about his words – piercingly sharp when needed, yet bold enough to stay soft. Always honest but often ambiguous, like a painting made of poetry. Ambitious melodies that reach for the radio; a sonic rawness he’s unwilling to tame for the sake of pop appeal.
With his younger brother Kyle on drums, Keir began his eponymous project as a duo. While attending college in Bristol, he found he had trouble with authority. “I didn’t want to know about music theory,” he recalls. “That’s when a song becomes incredibly dull.” Most of his progress was made outside of the classroom, not simply studying music but living it: in the studio, on the stage, and in his sleep. Making music is what he does, and when he doesn’t know what to do with himself, he makes music.
Keir has mastered the art of vocal expression and surrounds himself with equally talented musicians. “I have too much self-loathing to work alone,” he says. In the writing process, Keir doesn’t sweat any lack of proficiency. “I learned to write songs by not knowing how to play chords,” he explains. His perspiration, rather, comes from a primal approach: typical session might mean getting holed up in a room, shouting at each other, getting naked and pounding on the piano.
The further production process, however, places emotions and timbres in perfect alignment. Unhinged, yet exacting: it’s a combination that works not just in the studio but in a concert setting too. Keir and his band have wowed audiences throughout the UK and Europe, including a tour with The Drums and, notably, the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, whereas an unknown act he won a standing ovation.
Keir’s creations are neither middle-of-the-road nor left-field, neither over-polished nor DIY – or perhaps a little bit of both. Or neither. Whatever the case, Keir is consumed by music, and in turn, his music is ready to consume you.
LINKS:
https://www.keirmusic.com
https://www.instagram.com/soundofkeir
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2YOYjcNXjBJSW1STwwhE74?si=1kucgH6fQyebPk9ngE2XqQ
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH3jUJBzsR1ChPSXjgYMvvg
https://facebook.com/219951008349474 -
The Dayoffs – Next To Nothing
NYC-based Japanese-Russian duo The Dayoffs have announced ‘Next To Nothing’ as the second single from their forthcoming self-titled debut album. The Dayoffs are Vladimir Komarov and Atsuo Matsumoto – both are producers, having met in the studio while working on other artists’ output. Always busy working on other people’s music, Vladimir and Atsuo recorded some instrumental improvisations during studio downtime, gathering enough material for a debut LP. Hence, their name The Dayoffs – from constant lack of studio time for their own music.
The Dayoffs is a rock duo with an elastic, transparent and multilayered sound and catchy riffs and hooks due to some solid pop sensibilities. ‘Love Love Love’ is a prime example of this, oscillating between winning elements of Teenage Fanclub, Ash, The Boo Radleys, Ultra Vivid Scene and Pet Shop Boys. Slated for release on November 10 via German boutique label Emerald & Doreen Recordings, their debut offering is comprised of 11 refreshing tracks.
Coming to their praise immediately was James Atkin of EMF fame. “I’ve been so looking forward to this musical offering from The Dayoffs, having followed their progress from the fruition of this new project. The track ‘Next To Nothing’ ticks so many boxes for me from the off. Opening with a low-tech acid synthesizer that tells you something serious is going down and to hold on tight for the ride. The distorted bass makes you actually feel dirty with the drums pounding like a sweaty amphetamine episode.”
“I’ve always been a fan of Vladimir’s vocal delivery, weaving non-committal but with acute emotional conviction. I love the way the guitars crash into the chorus, creating beautiful textures and dynamic highs. These guys have seriously got their songwriting and production skills nailed, Vladimir and Atsuo have created a truly stunning album that will no doubtable be on everyone’s turntables by the end of the year.”
The new video for ‘Next to Nothing’ presents clips of skiers from yesteryear, a DIY style that pays homage to American punk, skate, and snowboard videos of the 90s. In contrast, the videos for earlier tracks ‘Love Love Love’ and ‘State of Madness’ focus on the duo, their life, and environment in New York City, the latter even filmed by prominent Russian movie director Fedor Lyass.
Atsuo is Japanese and Vladimir is Russian. Despite living in different parts of Manhattan and supporting opposing soccer teams, these two have much in common. Not only are they born on the same day, but they are both musicians and recording professionals. The two met in 2012 at the legendary Stratosphere Sound Studios, when Vladimir was tracking for a project and Atsuo was engineering the sessions. During the first recording hour, both realized that their recording methods and musical tastes are similar. Soon they teamed up to produce a bunch of records, including the debut album ‘Country Mile’ by James Atkin (EMF) and ‘Voshod’ by Russian post-punk heroes Manicure.
Vladimir Komarov is a musician, sound producer, DJ, and journalist and otherwise known as a pioneer of Russian shoegaze and indietronica. While his Russian music projects Hot Zex and Punk TV became staples of the nascent Russian indie rock scene, they also were well-received abroad. Atsuo Matsumoto is a Japanese musician and sound engineer and, apart from The Dayoffs, he is a member of Andy Chase’s Camera2 band.
The Dayoffs sound seems to gravitate towards Teenage Fanclub, which is interesting considering that it was at the band’s Manhattan’s gig in the summer of 2014 that Vladimir and Atsuo decided to jointly explore this sound further.
“This is a rock album. Speedy, noisy but lyrical – as guitar as could be. We did this on purpose. It was like playing with old toys – sweet, nostalgic and big fun. Maybe too sweet sometimes – but I don’t mind. These songs came out of nowhere, uncalculated and with a lot of improvisation,” explains Vladimir Komarov. “It took us more than two years to complete this 30-minute record as we are perfectionists. Every time I listen to it, I have nothing I’d like to add. This means that it is off the table and I’m very excited to know that our next record will follow different direction”.
The Dayoffs debut LP will be made available across all the regular digital sales and streaming platforms.
LINKS:
http://www.facebook.com/The-Dayoffs-707158302724188
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7t1WCdY8RgIHGf0iIgtRgQ
http://soundcloud.com/thedayoffs
http://www.instagram.com/thedayoffs
http://twitter.com/thedayoffs