Every week Jammerzine gives you the latest independent news for the underground.Go to http://jammerzine.com for the latest news in independent and unsigned artists. Hosted by Brody Ramone!
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An Interview with The Slow Readers Club
Jammerzine has an exclusive interview with Aaron Starkie from The Slow Readers Club. With today’s release of their new album ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ (listen below), we get an ever-surprising evolution that is the musical revolution of The Slow Readers Club.
And, in today’s interview, we talk with Aaron about ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ as well as the music scene post-COVID and what lies in store for the Slow Readers Club.
About The Slow Readers Club & ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’
‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ cover. As forecast by recent singles and emerging fan favorites ‘Modernise’, ‘Lay Your Troubles On Me’ and the title track, the album sees the band moving beyond their dark-hued post-punk roots to embrace luminous synths and anthemic alt-rock that can also appeal to fans of early Bloc Party, Muse and White Lies. And while its themes are still informed by scathing social commentary, ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ consistently exudes the power of the collective human spirit to counteract the growing dystopia around us.
As vocalist Aaron Starkie explains, “The world had become so bleak it felt a little indulgent to paint apocalyptic pictures when they were playing out in the real world. I thought people would probably want to hear more uplifting things, it was my intention to be a bit more positive. There’s still a lot of melodrama in there and it’s still dystopian in places but there’s more positive shades in this record.”
Beyond the singles, those uplifting moments emerge both lyrically and sonically. ‘Sacred Song’ plays up both elements, its sparkling guitar motif and imagination of a beacon of hope in the shape of a saviour goddess elevating the mood. ‘What Might Have Been’ is thematically more sorrowful, but otherwise beams just as brightly, placing a Balearic twist on an indie-rock heart in a similar way to Foals but with a yearning ‘80s undercurrent. The record closes on a hopeful strand, with ‘No You Never’. It finds Aaron reflecting on his childhood growing up on a council estate, where he felt limited by social and financial concerns. Despite those challenges, his ability to express himself via music demonstrates that there can be opportunities beyond what might immediately be apparent.
‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ is launched alongside a new video for the moody, hooky synth-pop break-up song ‘Forget About Me’. It was the final song to be written for the record and remained in development as the band entered the studio. Its writing was completed in an experimental style, with the band based in the studio while Aaron contributed via WhatsApp as he remained at home with Covid.
Completed by Aaron’s brother Kurtis Starkie (guitar), James Ryan (bass) and David Whitworth (drums), The Slow Readers Club recorded the album with producer Joe Cross (Louis Tomlinson, The Courteeners, Hurts).
The Slow Readers Club recently announced details of a special ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ album launch event on February 28th. Held at Manchester’s Band on the Wall, the intimate event will feature a live edition of #TimsTwitterListeningParty, which will also run concurrently on Twitter. The band will then take to the stage to perform acoustic versions of some of the new album tracks, as well as hosting a raffle in which fans can win rare memorabilia, merchandise and guestlist places for upcoming shows. The event is already sold-out.
The event follows their recent ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ preview event, where they were joined by a local legend in the shape of the Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham.
‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ is available to stream or buy HERE. The band’s official store also offers limited edition vinyl, CD, cassettes and t-shirts which feature alternate black artwork.
Next month will see The Slow Readers Club take ‘Knowledge Freedom Power’ on the road with a UK and European headline tour, interspersed with a show as special guests to Pixies. Several gigs are already sold-out, with many more to follow imminently. Any remaining tickets are available HERE.
LINKS:
https://www.theslowreadersclub.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/theslowreadersclub
https://twitter.com/slowreadersclub
https://www.instagram.com/theslowreadersclub/ -
Jammerzine Exclusive: An Interview with Janna Jamison
Jammerzine presents an exclusive Zoom interview with Janna Jamison, an LA/Nashville-based singer-songwriter, vocalist, and multi-talented musician. She is most known for her 2020 EP entitled ‘White Guys That Play Jazz’ accompanied with her single ‘Paris’.
As a student at Belmont University School of Music, Janna Jamison shares her incredibly interesting perspective on the music scene as she explores her hometown influences and how they interact in a country/indie-rock music environment.
Initially giving off an Indie singer-songwriter vibe, Janna Jamison is hesitant to label herself: as of now, her sound is extremely experimental. By incorporating elements such as Jazz and indie rock, Janna Jamison explores and tests around with different genres, bringing something entirely unique to the table.
In this interview, Janna details her history and background in music, as well as her pop-music influences and advice to other aspiring young musicians.
Janna Jamison is releasing an upcoming EP this year called ‘Pulling My Clothes’ on all major streaming platforms. She is also premiering a music video for a song on her upcoming project called ‘Invitation to A Beheading’ which includes vintage-musical theater influences.
Her released projects and social media can be found below!
Janna Jamison’s Music:
Contact Information:
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Ummagma Premieres ‘Caravan’ Video on Jammerzine (The Week in #Indie Segment)
‘Caravan’, the new single and video from the Indie-Pop duo known as Ummagma, is a bit of a power-departure from their previous work in that it is more upbeat and, honestly, downright danceable in parts. Is this a stylistic rebellion? I think not. Musical groups, the good ones anyway, naturally evolve and progress. ‘Caravan is a positive sign of such musical movement. Combining more diverse instrumentation such as the varied percussion and clashing guitars, the song shows a more perfect blend of genre-crossing and just plain good old innovation. A lesson for musicians.
Ummagma’s ‘Caravan’ single is out on May 8. The ‘Compass’ LP will be released on June 21 via Leonard Skully Records, available on black vinyl and CD with artwork by Alexander Kretov and also digitally everywhere, including on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. In the meantime, it can pre-ordered directly via Bandcamp.
About Ummagma
Indie pop electronic rock duo Ummagma has announced their new album ‘Compass’, to be released in June via Manchester-based label Leonard Skully Records. Their third long-play, this is the duo’s first album in seven years and also the first time the band is releasing a record on vinyl.Ahead of this album, they present the ‘Caravan’ single, along with a special B-side ‘Ty i Ya’. The title track is an invigorating pop-rock anthem inspired by the musicians’ own journeys and infused with Carpathian gammas and percussion.
‘Ty i Ya’ is a vibe-injected upbeat track, with infectious Daft Punk-esque bassline, that Alexander Kretov composed and performs in his native Ukrainian language. This is the first single Ummagma has ever released in a language other than English, stepping beyond the confines of past songwriting limits.
“Caravan is about a personal journey – one that begins in the mind before any borders have even been crossed,” says Ummagma vocalist Shauna McLarnon. “The trip is so much better when you truly want to be part of it. You map your own destiny in many ways and dreaming is a great place to begin.”
The ‘Compass’ LP is beguiling in its post-genre nature. It is an album of grace and change, of familiarity and exploration, of emotion and euphoria, of sky-scraping cinematic highs and intimate and intriguing lows. This is the sound of a band allowing themselves to jump creative divides, to kick down musical barriers, and rip up the rule book or perhaps just ignore the fact that there ever was one in the first place.
Formed in Moscow in 2003, McLarnon hails from northern Canada while Kretov is originally from western Ukraine. Now based in Peterborough, Ontario, the couple completed this album over the course of five years and multiple moves, ultimately hauling their studio with them across the Atlantic and setting up all over again. With such transience in the real world, how could their sonic world reflect anything other than the same fluidity and movement?
This record follows on the trail of their ‘LCD’ EP with Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) and Dean Garcia (Curve), and ‘Winter Tale’ EP with 4AD dream pop pioneer A.R.Kane. Both of these were released in 2017.
They say you can tell a lot about someone by the company that they keep, and the same holds true for a band. Ummagma’s collaborations speak volumes. Apart from these three dreampop-shoegaze icons, they’ve worked with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Malcolm Holmes, Swervedriver’s Graham Bonnar, and nu-disco kingpin Alexander Robotnick.
Ummagma’s music has always presented an exhilarating positive vision, showcasing their ability to wander diverse musical pathways. Representing Ukraine among 23 countries, they won the Alternative Eurovision on Amazing Radio in 2013, and have been featured in a full-page spread in Rolling Stone Russia. In 2015, their collaborative ‘New Born’ album with Sounds of Sputnik also received a Jagermeister indie award, Russia’s most esteemed music award.
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/ummagma
https://ummagma.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/ummagma
http://www.youtube.com/ummagma
https://www.soundcloud.com/ummagma