Keston Cobblers' Club - For Words

 

When I first heard about Kent based group Keston Cobblers' Club, I was curious as to what their genre, 'fuzzfolk', actually consist of. I initially imagined a group of men with shaggy beards singing songs about apples with the distortion on their guitars turned up to 10. How wrong I was.

Their latest single "For Words", which is available as a free download, is a cute, bordering-on-twee song that contains all the vital ingredients of a folk band (including the trusty banjo), yet does not sound like your typical folk band. Its sumptuous use of boy/girl vocals and its expansive sound call to mind an earthier version of Tuung.

Keston Cobblers' Club will release their debut album, "One, For Words" on 27th August.

Lucy Rose - Lines

There seems to be a universal rule that if one mentions the wonderful singer/songwriter Lucy Rose, then one must also mention the rather popular indie-rock group that she has supported and occasionally supplies vocals for (a rule that admittedly, I am as likely to adhere to as anyone else). However, there have been two things that have happened recently that give me the feeling that she has just what it takes to step out of their shadow and make a name for herself on her own terms.

Firstly, I had the absolute pleasure of watching her headline in The Black Box in Belfast on Thursday evening. In this intimate venue, the wonder of her songs really shone through. It was an interesting set-up, as she was sitting on a set on a raised podium (which she called her "spaceship"), which in theory, should have allowed the pint sized singer to see the audience whilst sitting down. 

However, the Belfast crowd decided that sitting on the floor throughout the set would be the appropriate listening environment, leading to a strange situation where Lucy Rose towered over the audience, as if she were queen and us her loyal subjects. However, given the ecstatic response to her set from the crowd, might not be far from the truth. She is an absolutely wonderful performer, and if you get the chance to see her in an intimate venue make sure you go for it, for she might not be playing in that setting for much longer. Be sure to pick up her homemade jam and tea that she sells at her gigs as well. It's a rather nice treat.

Lucy Rose has also released the video for her upcoming single, "Lines", which will feature on her debut album, released on September 24th. It's an odd, yet endearing beast, with it's shifting drum rhythms, highly textured production, and the incredibly sensual vocals of Ms Rose herself. 

"Lines" will be released on July 22nd.

 

Ireland Tunes - A Round-up

There's been quite a few great tunes coming from the island of Ireland at the moment. Here are a few that are currently floating The Metaphorical Boat.
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The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock - The Brutal Here and Now (Part 1)

Remember that song "Atlas" by Battles that seemed to excite every alternative music fan a few years back? Have you had sleepless nights thinking to yourself: "It's a great track. But what would it sound like if it was Irish, sung in a reasonable voice in a psychedelic-folk style?" Well fret no more, thanks to Dublin band The Spooks of the Thirteenth Lock (not to be confused with the equally brilliant Spooks of Bottle Bay). "The Brutal Here and Now (Part 1)" is a fantastic, slow building song that mixes both style and substance in equal measure. It's the lead song from their 2nd album "The Brutal Here and Now".

 

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Hunk! - I Want to Be Brave

Dublin band Hunk! are so new that they haven't got around to playing a full gig yet, although that will be remedied soon, as they are supporting Dogwillhunt in Queens Students Union on Friday 8th June. If you can get past the band's ridiculous name, you will find some lovely, Black Tambourine-esque lo-fi shoegaze on "I Want to Be Brave". It's a seriously good tune, which is strange for such an unserious band (one of their members goes by the name Sunny D)

 
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Gascan Ruckus - Pieces

It's funny how far some music can travel. During my year-long stay in Hastings, Nebraska, I came across a group called Gascan Ruckus, after the college's librarian mentioned that she was a fan of the group. To my surprise, I found out that the band were from my neck of the woods, relatively speaking. It turns out that the year before me, a relative of the band had stayed at the same college as I did, and had spread the word about the band. So Gascan Ruckus, if you're ever looking to tour America, you might consider playing a set in the picturesque setting of Hastings, Nebraska. If you can continue to produce all-out rock stompers like latest single "Pieces", then it's bound to go down very well.

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Katie & The Carnival - Dinosaurs 

Kooky Katie Richardson and her ever rotating Carnival are releasing "Dinosaurs" on June 18th. It's a charming song from a woman looking to add a little bit of theatricality to music, something which she seems to have succeeded in. They seem to be cropping up in some strange places recently, including an ice-cream advert and the Belfast edition on Come Dine With Me.

A Dark Horse - Take Me Home

Is it really less than a week until this year's European Football Championship begins? Apparently so, which means that across Europe everyone is lining up to support their chosen country (or countries) in the competition. And it's not just the football world that gets into it, the music world also tends to go a bit crazy at this time of year too.

Which brings us to Irish duo Hugh Rogers and James Parker, who record under the name A Dark Horse. Although it is not really a football song, the video for the "Take Me Home" is themed around the World Cup of Italia '90, showing the duo as kids celebrating the Republic of Ireland's progress in that year's tournament. The song itself is a rather charmingly folksy ode to years gone by.

"Take Me Home" is taken from the E.P of the same name, which will be released in July. 

Silhouette - Running Against the Wall

Things have been going rather swimmingly for Shauna Tohill, aka Silhouette, in recent months. If you have seen Snow Patrol live in recent months, there is a good chance that you have seen Shauna Tohill perform the female vocals on "Set the Fire to the Third Bar." As well as that, her last single, "Can't Keep Up", has become ubiquitous on NI TV due to its overwhelming exposure in a tourist advert for the province. 

Now that her profile has been raised substantially, she has released her latest single, which was launched last Thursday during Radar at The Speakeasy, Belfast (which incidentally, I reviewed for BBC's Across the Line. You can see that review here)."Running Against the Wall" is a powerful piece of grown-up pop music that is guaranteed to hold you by the unmentionables until you submit to its pure force. Shauna plays all the instruments on the record with the exception of drums, which are handled by her Rams' Pocket Radio band mate Peter McCauley. 

"Running Against the Wall" is out now as both a download and CD Single, with "Little Voices" as a b-side.