Written by vocalist Shaanvir Rehal, ‘Reach’ is a conscious and dynamic display of lyricism that sidesteps the braggadocio of commercial hip-hop to arrive at something both honest and infectious. Injecting hip hop beats with a masterly display of finicky acoustic work, Shaan’s track was the spark that got percussionist Fabien Waldheim involved in the project, and together the duo explore the bleakness and banality of pop culture with a song that’s life-affirming and touchingly relatable. ‘Reach’ explores the many contradictions in the modern condition: rampant materialism is a source of anxiety to many, but the promise of a more comfortable life through it is something we all, to some extent, strive towards.
Unashamedly proud of his nerdiness, Shaan lyrically cuts something of a Gambino-esque figure, though possessed with a probing curiosity that penetrates further and lashes harder than his american peers. ‘Reach’ is a positive message. It tells us listeners that we are not alone in our thoughts, and that through expression we can find a connection with each other and the world around us that transcends our angst.
Influenced by a wide range of music from Bob Dylan to J Dilla, Only Takes A Day combines spoken word influenced rap lyrics and sung hooks with live instrumentation. Having formed at a house party jam in the summer of 2014, vocalist and guitarist Shaanvir Rehal and percussionist Fabien Waldheim cut a separate path to the americanised rap that’s homogenising commercial music right now. Their approach is uniquely their own, with Shaanvir’s lyrics often feeling like forays into his own head, while Fabien’s beats take the place of traditional sampling to provide an organic dynamism that can’t be achieved through machines.
With only one song in their repertoire back in September, the duo has expanded their setlist and their live presence in London’s music scene, headlining shows across the capital. Over the last couple of years, they’ve travelled across the UK to perform at festivals nationwide including Glastonbury, Wonderfields, Hazy Days, Subsonic and Homeless not Hopeless. Their artistic integrity remains their biggest draw, and in doing whatever they want they’ve ended up striking a chord resonant with the people they play for. Their endearing authenticity and classic musicianship feels almost radical in today’s Soundcloud rap climate, and as their art continues to expand, so too will their influence. It may not have taken a day, but rest assured their day will come.
LINKS:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtOa4nbU1k8KR9JFAopch2A
https://soundcloud.com/onlytakesaday
https://twitter.com/OnlyTakesADay
https://www.instagram.com/onlytakesaday
https://www.facebook.com/OnlyTakesADay
https://open.spotify.com/artist/18ZwiU4AXEvU5YgA1sz3hb?si=gF1sglw0S6e8TJAx8PxTUw
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The Mutineers – Drug For That
Based in Portland, Oregon, The Mutineers are a rock n roll husband-wife duo with country leanings and punk rock tendencies. With Brian Mathusek on guitar and Merry Young on drums, the couple shares vocal duties. Sounding like a cross between Johnny and June with John Doe and Exene, and a bit of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, their sound esthetic is influenced by such artists as Bruce Springsteen, X, Nick Cave, Loretta Lynn, and Elvis Presley.
“This was written specifically for Merry’s voice. I wrote the first draft of lyrics and she sculpted it to fit her style. Her world-weary delivery is the perfect backdrop to the story. The song contemplates the dual feelings of helplessness and power inside a co-dependent relationship,” says Brian Mathusek.
“The singer is struggling with self-confidence and self-consciousness. She cannot decide if she has been too open or not open enough. I think everyone has someone in their life that they can’t stand, but also can’t live without, whether it’s a lover or a family member or a friend. Knowing when to cut someone off is very difficult. By the end of our song, the narrator has given up and given in to this cycle of love and hate, another lost soul.”
Co-produced alongside Raymond Richards (The Parson Red Heads) at B-Side Recording Studio in Portland, this is the band’s third EP and fifth significant release. Originally founded by Brian Mathusek and Michael Astudillo in 2007 and joined by Merry Young soon afterward, The Mutineers debuted with their ‘Tidal Wave’ EP in 2008, followed by the ‘Nihilisteria’ EP (2009) and ‘From the Dirge to the Dance’ LP (2011). The new fully-arranged recordings diverge from the duo’s previous release ‘Live at B-Side’ (2016), which was recorded without any overdubs.
With this latest effort, The Mutineers have begun a new chapter, collaborating more closely in their songwriting process. Their latest songs feature characters who are flawed, stubborn and struggling with their demons. They wander confused, obsessed, addicted and envious, through the microcosms of Threshold in search of happiness, understanding, and love.
The Mutineers will be touring nationally through the fall. In the past two years, they have given over 120 performances in 30 states. They have shared the stage with such notable artists as The Tallest Man on Earth, Langhorne Slim, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Larry, and His Flask, The Devil Makes Three, The White Buffalo, and Murder by Death. When not touring, the couple runs a graphic design and screen printing business, Mutiny Studios.
In collaboration with Clovis IV, a visual storyteller, The Mutineers have continued exploring the visuals associated with their song themes, helping express their music, in still images and now on a music video. Clovis started working in the visual arts in the early 90’s. Connected to the worlds of music and media, he has continued to express the stories of artists & individuals in still and moving images. Be it as a photographer or designer, Clovis has worked with many artists, including New Model Army, Thievery Corporation, Faith and the Muse, Concrete Blonde and Flesh For Lulu.
LINKS:
http://www.themutineersmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/mutineersmusic
https://twitter.com/TheMutineers
http://mutineersmusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/themutineers -
Broken Jaw – Constant Ignorance
Based in Gloucestershire, England, Broken Jaw first came together in mid-2012 when members Nutzie Shelley (Vocals) and Lee Stockwell (Guitar) met at a friend’s house party.
They quickly decided to combine talents and wrote the band’s first four tracks in their bassist’s work warehouse.
After gigging up and down the country for the last 4 years, headlining at many a well-known venue and supporting some established acts, they gained a big reputation for being a “rowdy party band” with the tag line’s “Too Punk to be Metal and too Metal to be Punk” and “Welcome to the #BJparty”.
This has seen the band accumulate a vast and ever-growing loyal fan base; from fans of all types of genres, across the country and even overseas in Ireland, America, Germany, and Norway.
The band (now in their 5th year) is currently recording their debut album “Hope” with a plan to release it later this year.
Constant Ignorance is accompanied by a hard-hitting video to raise awareness for – and help to stop – domestic abuse.
The song is about the drastic effects of being governed by someone else’s words or actions and bending to their every will, even if you don’t want to.
No matter how much you wish, hope or pray that it will change, unfortunately, it won’t unless you do something about it. The song is comprised of three sections (lyrically) and is broken up into “you” you need to do something, “them” they need to do something and lastly “we” we need to do something. This puts across the point that “you are not alone” and that actions have consequences.
The song has received a massive following during the Broken Jaw live show, with the quiet section having people chant and sing along to the words “We’ll walk away” which causes a unity and fun bonding atmosphere. This is something that the band really thrive upon so it is understandable that people want to become part of that atmosphere and moment when they play.
The video accompanies and encompasses these ideas and morals, bringing it closer to bands hearts and experiences that some of them have had to face in their lives. They decided to enlist the help of Lion Island Media to assist them with their idea to do a video which helps raise awareness against domestic abuse and violence of all kinds. The band had the idea to use genderless animals as victims to desensitize the modern day viewer until right at the end of the video. As soon as they remove the masks, to no longer blind the viewer from the fact that these are actual humans in unnerving circumstances, it then makes the viewer think about what they had just seen and question why until the messages promoting both:
The band played an epic set at the recent Amplified Festival near Cheltenham which was one of the highlights of the weekend!
SOURCE: Official Bio
LINKS:
http://Facebook.com/BrokenJawUK
http://Twitter.com/BrokenJawUK
http://Instagram.com/BrokenJawUK
http://Reverbnation.com/BrokenJaw
http://Youtube.com/BrokenJawUK -
Léanie Kaleido – All The Things I’m Made Of
Léanie Kaleido has dropped her new video for the track titled ‘All The Things I’m Made Of’. That somber and heartfelt feeling that comes from earnest and honest feelings is hard to come by in this assembly line world but Léanie pulls it off with her subtle yet soulful croon and introverted songwriting.
‘All The Things I’m Made Of’ is now available as an immediate-gratification download upon ordering her ‘How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale’ LP. As of March 12, the full album will be released everywhere digitally and will be available across online streaming platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify. It can pre-ordered directly from the artist via Bandcamp.
ABOUT LÉANIE KALEIDO
UK singer-songwriter Léanie Kaleido has announced she will be releasing a new album, entitled ‘How To Weigh A Whale Without A Scale’, produced by Ride frontman Mark Gardener at his OX4 Sound Studio near Oxford. Gardener also contributes guitar on one track. Ahead of this, she previews the lead track ‘All The Things I’m Made Of’.
No stranger to music, Kaleido grew up in a musical household. Her father Top Topham was the original lead guitarist in The Yardbirds and was signed to Mike Vernon’s Blue Horizon record label as a solo artist.
On this long-play, Kaleido plays lyrically astute, laid-back pop, piano-based ballads with the odd quirky guitar ditty thrown in, showcasing Léanie’s eccentric look at life. This new release will thrill Léanie’s existing fans, giving them lashings of melancholia, but peppered with that ever-present tongue-in-cheek commentary that tells you she never has and never will take herself – or anyone else – seriously.
But this third album also cements her as a consistently accomplished songwriter, unbound by the notion of what is ‘cool’ as she sits back and enjoys the thrill of writing unabashedly from the soul.
Léanie, who grew up “snogging posters of Ride and wanting to be PJ Harvey”, has, over time, settled into the acceptance that her songs just come out the way they do. “Not especially cool”, she says, “but I’m really proud of some of my lyrics. Getting ‘salient verities’ into a song gave me a lot of satisfaction! Now Mark is a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs. And he has the best selection of green tea. I’m now a loose-leaf connoisseur, thanks to him!”
Kaleido’s 50th year went off with a bang thanks to Gardener’s open-armed invitation to record at his Oxford studio. After four or five sessions throughout the less locked-down parts of 2020, and ten songs later, an album was born.
“The songs on this album represent the highs and lows I’ve encountered over the past few years, how I’ve dealt with them and what I’ve learnt through the process. It’s a mixture of love, regret, philosophies, humour and hope. I’ve always been a late developer, and so this to me feels like a coming-of-age album,” says Léanie Kaleido.
“Mark Gardener was determined to make my vocals and lyrics ‘the stars of the show’ and this has steered my sound to something more stripped back and atmospheric. Mark is a top bloke. He made me feel at ease straight away. The anxiety tablets I’d taken with me to stop myself exploding with fear weren’t needed and we got on famously from the start. It was such a laugh recording with someone who once had been the target of my ‘dribbly poster snogs’ and now is just a really good mate who knows what works best for my songs.”
LINKS:
https://www.leanie.com
https://www.facebook.com/leaniekaleido
https://leaniekaleido.bandcamp.com
https://twitter.com/leaniekaleido
https://soundcloud.com/leaniekaleido
https://www.youtube.com/user/lkaleido/videos
https://www.instagram.com/leaniekaleido