San Eco combine the unique approach of two musicians, one with a footing in innovative electronica, the other in bombastic indie pop. Five years in the making, their debut album ‘San Eco’ finds them drawing influences from Fela Kuti to Slint, Nathan Fake to R.E.M, into a delicate and emotive electronic alt rock treat.
Morris Cowan (Adam Taylor) cut his teeth in the electronic music scene in the mid-noughties, and since then has released for Nottingham based Wigflex imprint and German label Zaubernuss. He has built up notable admirers, having had his tracks championed by Mary Ann Hobbs and Tom Ravenscroft on their BBC Radio 6 Music shows.
Tom Edney’s brand of alternative indie songwriting has also earned him a considerable following. Never shying away from ambition, his alternative rock music has him drawing inspiration from varied subjects like Victorian Gothic Monasteries on Manchester housing estates to his Lynchian inspired dreams. His efforts such as ‘Hands On’ and ‘The Manchester Underground EP’ have earnt him plays on many stations around the world, including BBC Radio 6 Music.
It was during the recording of Cowan’s ‘Six Degrees’ and Edney’s ‘The Manchester Underground EP’, that the two actually became aware of each other’s music – listening in through a wall between neighboring studios. Cowan tabled an offer of a session, and five years of creativity and hard work later, they are finally ready to release their debut album ‘San Eco’, on Manchester multimedia label ‘Beatphreak.’
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/sanecosounds
https://beatphreak.co.uk/artists/san-eco
-
Johann Sebastian Punk – Confession
Having already sent Italian heads reeling with his concept album, “Phoney Music Entertainment”, Mr. Punk is preparing to send his opus to UK ears on 13th October. Showcasing his uniquely theatrical take on music as being either entertainment or a challenge to the intellectual elite, you can be assured that even the kitchen sink hasn’t escaped being thrown at this boundary-pushing piece of work.
Hailing from Sicily, self-styled dandy/gypsy hybrid Johann has developed a persona that brings to mind troubadours such as Sufjan Stevens, whilst also evoking thoughts of the pixie-ish faux naivety of early David Bowie and Syd Barrett. Mixed in with the freak Wurlitzer sound of harpsichords, Latin rhythms and, yes, flugelhorns, is the ever-present Johann, delivering his polemics in a style somewhere between and beyond Shakespeare and Adam Ant.
Designed to upset the status quo, the album uses melodic, though clashing musical styles to construct an art-rock opera where no two songs are remotely the same. Listing his influences as ranging from Frank Zappa to Jarvis Cocker and Brian Eno to Miles Davis, a second single, ‘Tragedy’, is scheduled to be released just prior to the album’s launch.
With only a smattering of session musicians, Johann has played over 20 instruments, as well as writing and producing the whole album. Johann is aiming to build on the success of his first, Italian-only release, which was nominated for “best debut” at Italy’s most prestigious music awards, The Premio Tenco. Teeming with paradoxes, contradictions, punk ethics and thrillingly chiming melodies, Johann Sebastian Punk has every right to declare himself “The Mario Balotelli of art school rock”.
SOURCE: Offical Bio
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/johannsebastianpunk
https://twitter.com/jsp_music -
Lakes – Pine Barrens
What began as drummer Matt Shaw’s acoustic demos back in 2017 quickly developed into a six-piece band, bonding over a love of artists like American Football, Minus The Bear, and The Appleseed Cast. The group has taken influence from mid-western emo, math-rock, and alternative indie and combined those with Fleetwood Mac style dual-vocal pop melodies and twinkling glockenspiel to create their trademark “Glock-Rock” sound.
Earning their stripes in pubs and clubs of the Watford music scene, Lakes have been emboldened with a DIY attitude that was born from the frustration of life on the peripheries of a capital city. The group’s fiercely independent attitude has led them to record all their own music, produce their own music videos, and with families of their own – organize child-friendly matinee gigs in their hometown.
After self-releasing their first two EPs, Lakes joined The LP Cafe in the UK and Friend of Mine Records in Japan to release their debut full-length album in August 2019 entitled “The Constance LP”.
This led Washed Up Emo to label them “your new favorite band” and Punktastic to include them on their list of the most important bands of the next decade stating “it’s hard to look past their potential as future frontrunners of the UK emo scene.
With nods to midwestern emo giants in American Football and Braid, Lakes create a truly unique take on the genre interlacing shimmering glockenspiels, beautiful harmonies, and pop sensibilities in everything they do.”
The album was recorded entirely by drummer Matt Shaw in a spare room using a couple of mics and a PC over the space of a year. With no timing or financial restraints that would come from a proper studio, the band took their time crafting the songs and discovering their sound. This has resulted in a truly unique album, one that is completely holistic in its presentation with band members also taking control of photography, graphic design, web design and accompanying music videos.
Lakes’ ‘This World Of Ours, It Came Apart,’ was released in July 2020 via Know Hope Records in North America and The LP Cafe in the UK.
LINKS:
https://www.ourbandlakes.com
https://www.facebook.com/ourbandlakes
https://www.instagram.com/ourbandlakes
https://twitter.com/ourbandlakes -
The Swagger – Heart ‘N’ Soul
The Swagger is an original 4 piece indie-alt rock band from Hornsey North London UK originally formed in March 2011.
SOURCE: Official Bio
Written by Lee Stevens & Paul Stevens
Music recorded by The Swagger 2018
Produced by Mike Bennett & The Swagger
Engineered, Mixed & mastered by Angus Wallace at Far Heath studios, Northamptonshire UKThe music video was done by Electric Copper Films Ltd
Produced by Tina Emmett
Editing & Directed by Ben CoenLINKS:
https://theswagger.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/theswaggerofficial
https://facebook.com/groups/theswaggermusic
https://twitter.com/theswaggermusic
https://instagram.com/theswaggermusic
https://musicglue.com/theswaggermusic