There’s something about the volatile power struggle between two brothers and the two acting peacemakers that just make a band work. It’s certainly been the case for The Landed who have been together for many years now.
The result can be heard in their sound which is catchy yet flamboyant with the instruments set alight by that simmering sibling rivalry.
The Landed make classic, air-punching guitar driven songs. The kind of songs you write when you’ve grown up loving all the right records, something these four young men from Essex thank their parents for.
Members:
- Paul Hale
- David Hale
- Dan Currie
- Paul Jannece
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/thelanded
https://twitter.com/wearethelanded
https://soundcloud.com/thelanded
https://www.thelanded.com
https://www.instagram.com/wearethelanded
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2MGQBxCNNcJqZx9Pnlt0IQ
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Amusement Parks On Fire – All The New Ends
Amusement Parks On Fire came to prominence in 2004 with the release of the eponymous debut album, conceived and consummated by the then-adolescent founder Michael Feerick and phonically actualized on a shoestring with Nottingham cohabitant Daniel Knowles. Issued on Geoff Barrow (of Portishead)’s Invada label, it was described by the New Musical Express as ‘hedonistic teenage genius’.
A live line-up was essentially performed and extensively performed with the likes of Dinosaur Jr, M83, and dEUS among innumerable other acts of the era. The unit then retreated to Sigur Rós’ private swimming-pool sanctuary Sundlaugin in Álafoss, Iceland to complete the venturesome sophomore release ‘Out Of The Angeles’, during which time they experimented with sleep, food and sunlight deprivation at the insistence of V2 Records. After several years of international incidence, the band crash-landed in Los Angeles in 2009 to make ‘Road Eyes’ with producers Michael Patterson (Beck, NIN) and Nicolas Jodoin (Arcade Fire, BRMC). Again inspired by the locale, the collection was intended as ‘a skewed Californian contemporary-classical’, with Alternative Press defining it as ‘sun-drenched, challenging and gratifying… a near-perfect album’.
Last year, Amusement Parks On Fire returned with their first release in ‘8.8 years’. The single ‘Our Goal To Realise’ saw the British art-rockers reappear with signature songwriting sophistication and sonic scope. All The New Ends seeks to further cement their insignia whilst eschewing genre-tropes and preconceptions of form. Like the expansive concept singles surrounding their second album ‘Out Of The Angeles’, the medium-length format once-again provides the perfect platform to push perceptions and extend expectations.
LINKS:
http://apof.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/amusementparksonfire
https://twitter.com/APOF -
ShapeShiftingAliens – Fade Away
‘Fade Away’ is the second single off the band’s self-titled album ‘ShapeShiftingAliens’, the CD release of which will take place in mid-February via Stockholm-based label The Sublunar Society.
ShapeShiftingAliens is a Swedish duo, consisting of Johan Cléve on vocals and Niklas Rundquist, also known as a solo artist by the moniker Brainshadow. Together, they create music and unusual and eccentric videos.
‘Fade Away’ is about a civilization and a world on the verge of collapse as a result of the endless drive for greed and power, but this song is also about the temporary nature of everything nowadays. The accompanying video perfectly reflects this thematic. Niklas Rundquist created, produced and directed the video, eerily bringing the lyrics of this dystopian song to life.
ShapeShiftingAliens signed to The Sublunar Society in 2016. They have since released several singles, followed by their self-titled ‘ShapeShiftingAliens’ LP. ShapeShiftingAliens’ inventive approach was noted by Nolan Cook of The Residents, leading them to collaborate on ‘Shadows’, the final track from their debut album.
Rundquist and Cléve met when they were working with Iodine Jupiter. Cléve is a producer, composer, live and studio musician (guitar) for film, as well as touring and performing artists. Inspired by various film music composers and especially horror films, their music has also been influenced by David Bowie, Lou Reed, Goldfrapp, Air, Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, and Massive Attack.
Niklas Rundquist / Brainshadow collaborates with other artists as an electric violinist, remixer and mastering engineer. Most recently, he cooperated with Big Paul Ferguson of Killing Joke and Mark Gemini Thwaite (GMT, The Mission, Gary Numan), Lima 13, and Sonisk Blodbad. He is also a member of The Leather Nun, whose history runs back to the 1980s. He also composes music for films, documentaries and commercials, and various artists on the London scene.
The Sublunar Society is a record label and publishing company, founded by Marie Lundvall and Peder Bjoerk in 2013. Sublunar releases music and publishes literature for the international and national markets. The company also produces exclusive limited edition art products for collectors. The guiding spirit behind The Sublunar Society is one of artistic freedom and creative exploration beyond the conventional.
‘Fade Away’ is now available across online stores and streaming platforms like Spotify, as well as Bandcamp. Not long after that, the ‘ShapeShiftingAliens’ album will be released on CD on February 15, and can already be ordered now.
LINKS:
http://www.sublunarsociety.net/artist/shapeshiftingaliens
http://www.facebook.com/shapeshiftingaliens
http://shapeshiftingaliens.sublunarsociety.net
http://twitter.com/shapeshal
http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/shapeshiftingaliens/477620386
http://open.spotify.com/artist/32gDLBQt0KvaMsWTdXHgC8 -
Clark Twain – Fly High (Like Richard Branson)
Sanguine indie pop artist Clark Twain has announced his debut single ‘Fly High (Like Richard Branson)’, a fun and upbeat track that is infectious with high positivity. Hailing from Austin, Texas, this song is the first single off his coming debut album ‘Life is Wonderful’.
The fun, high-flying accompanying video was directed by Vanessa Pla, who also co-produced it with Clark Nowlin. His music is influenced by Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips, Ben Kweller, and John Mayer. Thematically, for this single and the accompanying video, he also took inspiration from an unlikely, but intrepid source – Richard Branson.
‘Fly High’, which features a soundbite of Richard Branson speaking excitedly about flight at high speeds, is dedicated to the Virgin mogul and is timed to release on July 18, Branson’s birthday. With an ardent sense of optimism, he looks forward to a “world with color; a journey with many turns”, asserting “where we’re going, it’s going to be one hell of a ride”.
“I want to live a life like my biggest hero Sir Richard Branson, so I figured the best way to start was to do things that terrified me. I got my hands on a houseboat (Branson lived on one until he was 30) and then a private jet, and the vision for reenacting his life story in a music video was born. Making this music video terrified me. With it behind me, I learned that fear is always smaller when it’s behind you! Thanks for the inspiration Richard to challenge me and push my own boundaries,” says Clark Twain.
“Fun, adventure, and business as a force for good – these are the ingredients of Branson’s life and my own. We both love rock n’ roll and shaking things up for good. That’s what this video is all about it. It honors Sir Branson and I hope it inspires others to take this on!”
Clark Twain is the solo moniker of Clark Nowlin, who began playing guitar at 10, cutting his teeth on Metallica and Nirvana covers with friends in the attic and starting his first band a few years later. He eventually quit his day job to fully immerse himself in the world of music “because the gig money put enough gas in my tank”. After touring and recording with Tim Halperin and Marshall Young for a few years and supporting various artists, he amassed recording gear, learned the ropes, and began producing various musical projects.
“I knew that if I didn’t make a solo album and put out my own music, it would haunt me. That’s what I’m doing now. In an honest state of writing about what’s real for me – a song that embodies my own aspirations – that’s how this single was born,” says Clark Twain.
“Last November, I went to Cozumel for 11 days. The only book I brought with me was Richard Branson’s autobiography ‘Losing My Virginity’, which inspired me to write this song and make a music video re-enacting the big pieces of his story: adventure, business as a force for good, and of course fun. I decided to throw myself into all of these situations… a lifelike Sir Richard’s is one of great fun and chaos!”
Clark dedicated a solid 6-month block of time to working on his new material, beginning in January of this year, and splitting time between Elmwood Studios in Dallas, Clark’s home studio in Austin, and in Denton, Texas with Brack Cantrell, one of Clark’s all-time favorite producers, who also mixed his new material. Mastering was performed by Jon Törnblom.
“If music is to serve any purpose, it’s to remind us that we’re alive and that we’re not alone. For me, making it is a sign that I’m alive. Connecting with it is a sign that this big mysterious journey called life isn’t new territory and that whatever situation we’re in – someone’s already been there and has made it through,” says Clark Twain.
“I’m an eternal optimist and truly believe the best is yet to come in our experiences here on Earth. If there’s a shred of this hope embodied in this music, I’ve achieved my goal. I hope that these sounds put a little wind-in-your-sails when needed on a still day.”
The song eventually meshes into Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ – the first album released on Virgin Records. In fact, this label was created for the purpose of putting out this record. It quickly became an international sensation, selling tens of millions of records and becoming the theme for “The Exorcist”. This success allowed Virgin Records to sign the Sex Pistols, XTC, and many groundbreaking artists and eventually artists such as The Rolling Stones and Janet Jackson. ‘Tubular Bells’ was the initial snowball that got enough momentum to create the avalanche we know as the Virgin empire today.
LINKS:
http://clarktwain.com
https://www.facebook.com/Clark-Twain-1563597527101436
http://www.instagram.com/clarkin
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvpeieaYohK7OkHgeyk82KQ/videos
https://soundcloud.com/clarktwain
https://clarktwain.bandcamp.com