Picture of Pulp

Britpop has been retired for some 15 summers now. It showered itself in glory for two bright years but the fame became too powerful and Britpop eventually swallowed itself whole, omitting the painful stench of excessive flatulence as it went.

However, sat slippered and bloated in its easy armchair, it can look back with pride on some of the cheeky scamps it spawned; mouthy chancers who could write glorious pop songs with verve and wit. And at the heart of that family is the bastard child called Pulp. The gangly, gawky interloper who finally found a home and friends in the mid 90s. But for Pulp, the story had begun long, long ago.

Three is not the magic number for Pulp. The band’s fourth album, His ‘n Hers, finally propelled them from the wings where they’d waited for 16 years. Most bands would have given up long before. But then most bands don’t have a Jarvis Cocker at their heart. And Jarvis Cocker’s strange and beguiling heart beats throughout the band’s first three albums.

Perhaps in light of Pulp’s recent comeback, Fire Records has decided to reissue the band’s early back catalogue: It (1983), Freaks (1987) and Separations (1992). Some of the tracks previously appeared on Countdown: 1992-1983, which Cocker compared to a “garish old family photo album” on its release and urged fans not to waste their money.

Like the awkward teenager, whose skin is too taunt for misplaced bones, Pulp needed time to grow into themselves. So it’s fair to say that, on their own, neither of these reissues is a pop classic. But then it can be fun flicking through old photo albums.

It is a collection of folky, whimsical portraits, all summer haze in the daisy parks. Cocker’s love of Scott Walker shines through on tracks like My Lighthouse and Wishful Thinking. And there are vocal mirrors reflecting the inflections of Morrissy. The acoustic arrangements are sparse and the lyrical honesty is a world-apart from the word-played wit that became Cocker’s calling card.

Jump forward four years to 1987 and Cocker has collected a new set of musicians, including Russell Senior, who would become an integral part of the band. Senior expanded Pulp’s sonic range, giving Cocker the scope to travel through darker landscapes. On Freaks his voice has changed, from the earnest wonderings on It, to a brooding, half-spoken, half-sung delivery, telling tales on the seedier underbelly of suburbia. The album is a midnight fairground ride, ringing with carnival chords borrowed from The Doors and an art-school ethic straight from the Velvet Underground.

By the time Separations was released in 1992, three years after it was recorded, Pulp already had pop gems including Babies and Lipgloss in their set. The album can’t match the band’s evolving songwriting skills and it never quite reaches the claustrophobic heights of Freaks. However, the first half showcases Cocker’s growing confidence and lyrical mischief: Don’t You Want Me Anymore contains the fantastic line “I’ve never seen you look as ugly as you did that night”. The second side of the album is an experiment with acid house stylings. It never quite works but did spawn the brooding frustrations of My Legendary Girlfriend.

Pulp fans will lap up the reissues. However, the albums are also well worth exploring on their own terms, especially Freaks. They contain all of the pieces that Pulp would eventually meld together; humour, pop-eared radars, delicious hooks and a kitchen sink disposition. Some bands were born and died within the confines of Britpop. Pulp were much too smart to implode. Their roots stretch back to 1978 and the strange teenage visions of Jarvis Cocker. Exploring those visions across a changing landscape is time and money well spent. All three albums have been remastered and repackaged and come complete with bonus tracks and liner notes from Everett True.

Field Music

It seems nobody is ever indifferent to Field Music. Fans of their distinctive albums and joyful yet precise live shows love their intricate melodies and unusual time signatures, but to others they are just pretentious pseuds. The way the brothers Brewis grin at each other as they roam a stage swapping instruments can be mistaken for them being too pleased with themselves – I think they just love what they do. Dismissing them, and leaving before the end, my friend quipped that they might write a musical next…..

Perhaps with Plumb they have:

From the opening bars of “Start the day right” there is a whiff of musical theatre about this album. Close your eyes and you can see the Brewis boys arms outstretched West End musical style. But this is not a big departure, if  you didnt like the 3 albums released since they formed in 2004, you wont  like this. It is unmistakeably, brilliantly Field Music.

2nd track “Its OK to change”(of course they havent) has a signature nagging baseline and fades to an eerie sound of running water at the end which bleeds into “Sorry again mate”, mournful tuba and the usual close harmonies. Church bells on “A new town” add to the  eerie mood but this track is just an interlude really. Such slivers of music are a feature of the record creating atmoosphere(and explaining why an album shy of 40 minutes has 15 tracks.

The middle stretches of the album are characterised by more prominent guitars, bigger chords and piano such as on “Choosing sides”

“Who’ll pay the bills” is classic Field Music reminiscent of XTC, an easy comparison but they are no mere copyists, lush strings and orchestration on “So long then” is inimitably them. as is the beautiful mournful vocal interlude of “How many more times” in which they enquire solemnly, how many more times will you see the moon?

This is expansive ambitious music which repays repeated listening, there are fewer obvious pop singles than on earlier albums but “A new thing”, available pre release as a free download on the website is a contender, closing the Album on an upbeat note. My favourite though is ” Just like everyone else”(one thing you cant say about Field Music who are  quite unique) a trademark nagging bassline and insistent drumbeat which put me in mind of Secret Machines masterpiece “What used to be French”

This is a wonderful record- Classic Field Music, the same but different to what they have done before. If you like it look out for Brewis solo efforts; David released “Sea from shore” under the name School of Language in 2008 and Peter released an album under the name “The week that was“  the same year

This year, a new Peter Brewis solo work “One copy” can only be heard at The Lauriston Gallery in Sale(until January 17th), because there is only one copy…………now maybe that is a little bit pretentious?

Field Music release new album ‘Plumb‘ on the 13th of February on Memphis Industries.

In July 2011, nine years after they formed, Manchester’s Marconi Union released their fifth album, Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) and the first for the Just Music recording label.

Marconi Union is Richard Talbot, Jamie Crossley and Duncan Meadows.  They formed in 2002 when Talbot and Crossley met while working in a record shop and the following year released their debut album Under Wires and Searchlights, on the Ochre Records label.  But it wasn’t until 2005 that they released a second album, Distance, this time on the All Saints Records label. The following year they played the Big Chill Festival and Eden Sessions, as well as giving their first interview.

Further albums were released through their official website – A Lost Connection (released as a digital download in 2008 & CD in 2010) and Tokyo (2009).

Duncan Meadows joined Marconi Union on a permanent basis in 2010 and together they released Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1). The album drifts even further in to ambient layers landscapes of serene beauty while managing to effortlessly entwine elements and whiffs of dub, electronica, glitch and even Ennio Morricone’s Spaghetti Westerns.  As with much ambient music the album plays out like an imaginary film soundtrack.

My favourite album is Distance which shows a moody, darker side to Marconi Union while they were still toying with lighter beats stimulating the soundscapes rather than the atmospheric purity of Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) that errs away from electronica and towards a contemporary classical music.

Marconi Union are making wonderfully deep, thought-provoking music that should simply be heard and appreciated by more people; which is possibly the reason why Just Music will be re-releasing their first two albums in 2012, along with plans to release a new album next summer.

Beautifully Falling Apart (Ambient Transmissions Volume 1) has six beautifully relaxing tracks that blend into one another leaving the listener in a sublime state of relaxation.

Over the past nine years Marconi Union has quietly whispered their way into the consciousness of those looking to ambient music rather than X Factor 15 minutes of fame.  No fanfares. Their fan base is growing organically through word-of-mouth, without hype.  Their music is continuing to develop a style all of its own with each release.  If you haven’t already indulged your ears in the beauty of Marconi Union, make it one of your New Year’s resolutions.

Album Re-issues
On 30th January 2012, Just Music will be re-issuing two albums by Marconi Union:
Under Wires and Searchlights & Distance.

The Eleventh Hour by The Birthday Suit

The Birthday Suit is the solo project of Idlewilde guitarist Rod Jones, while the Scottish indie-rock music band is on hiatus. This instantly sets alarm bells ringing, as a ‘band on the side’ can often mean the passion and energy necessary are missing.

The Eleventh Hour by The Birthday Suit is released on Sing It Alone Records.

However, these fears are instantly allayed as the album plays. Yes, it does have a lot in common with the Idlewilde sound, but that’s to be expected – and yet The Birthday Suit still has its own identity while lacking none of the intensity.

The Eleventh Hour was released in November and is the The Birthday Suit’s debut album. It’s a mix of upbeat and melancholy, with strong guitar riffs and melodic harmonies throughout.

The first track, Do You Ever? is one of the rockier pieces of the album, which often strays into a more of a folky sound before heading straight back again. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it draws you to listen to the rest of the album.

Their track On My Own is the type of song you just can’t help but find yourself nodding your head to. With the lyrics ‘And I don’t care if you don’t care for me no more’, it tells of the end of a relationship and the struggles with moving on alone. You’ll find yourself agreeing with the sentiment within the first chorus.

This upbeat track is directly followed by Sell it All, which is a shock to the system with its almost gloomy intro. It soon picks up a little though, and the poetic nature of the piece works well with the sincere empathy of the record.

Overall, the album is honest and appealing. Through Rob, it’s retained many of the elements that made Idlewilde so popular in the first place, while showing off a whole new side – especially in the form of female vocalist Jacqueline Irvine. This is definitely not just a side project to stay entertained – the heart and soul in obvious throughout.

The Eleventh Hour is available to buy now for £7.99 via The Birthday Suit’s website.

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Bonnie Prince Billy - Wolfroy goes to town, album review

The new Bonnie “Prince” Billy album “Wolfroy goes to town” is a spare and haunting piece – 10 tracks only of sombre alt-country which will not be seen as a departure by fans of his work. But novelty is now what you expect from Will Oldham who has been ploughing his distinctive furrow for 15 plus albums now under various different guises.

Opening track “No Match” sets the introspective tone for the rest of the record – beautiful harmonies underlie the repeated “No Match” refrain of the title, juxtaposing opposing statements like, “I’m no match for those who love the lord and they are no match for me” and “You can be a match for me I’ll be a match for you.”

Profound stuff; although I can’t unravel the meaning it’s beautiful all the same. The song ends on a hopeful note;

“Well, age may be a match for you but its no match for me”

The pattern is set by this first song – obtuse lyrics – which might repay repeated listening, and lovely singing, in particular by Angel Olsen who intones, with Oldham, on “New Tibet”

“As boys we fucked each other, as men we lie and smile”

A bird motif emerges in this song;

“Birds fight, birds hate”

And, crops up again later; “Soiled doves are my birds”….. And, in the download only single “Quail and Dumplings”; “Fuck birds in bushes!” he implores us….

As a whole the album is slow paced and introvert, but Oldham lets rip a little (handclaps!!) on the single, instrumentally more complex and dramatic.

“Black Captain” is a lament for lost love and a touching high point of the album, lyrically less oblique, haunting and beautiful.

This is a tender, touching collection of songs; a wonderful record. The best since “I see a darkness” which was the first under the “Bonnie Prince Billy” name, back in 1999.

Bonnie Prince Billy – Wolfroy Goes To Town tracklist:
1. No Match
2. New Whaling
3. Time To Be Clear
4. New Tibet
5. Black Captain
6. Cows
7. There Will Be Spring
8. Quail And Dumplings
9. We Are Unhappy
10. Night Noises

Wolfroy goes to town by Bonnie Prince Billy is released on Domino Records.

Hard To Find - a brilliant snap shot of time

Described by Pacha Magazine as a ‘brilliant snap shot of time’ Hard To Find is a compilation series bringing together great and lost remixes from old 12” vinyl collections and CD singles.

For anyone who grew up listening to Jeff Young’s Big Beat and Pete Tong’s Essential Selection from the late 1980’s through to the 1990’s and beyond, or Annie Nightingale’s Sunday night request show, this album is for you. Highlight rare mixes of St Etienne, Neneh Cherry, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and D:ream are just of the CD high spots.

Hard To Find Tracklist:

CD1
01 William Orbit – Water From a Line Leaf (Underwater Mix Part One) (Remixed by Underworld)
02 It’s Immaterial – Driving Away From Home (Wicked Weather for Walking)
03 Beloved – The Sun Rising (Deeply Satisfying)
04 Neneh Cherry – Buffalo Stance (Nearly Neue Beat) (Remixed by Arthur Baker)
05 A Certain Ratio – Won’t Stop Loving You (Norman Cook Remix)
06 Saint Etienne – Only Love Can Break Your Heart (A Mix Of Two Halves) (Remixed by Andrew Weatherall)
07 Bassomatic – Fascinating Rhythm (Claudio Caniggia Mix) (Remixed by Renegade Soundwave)
08 The Grid – Floatation (Sonic Swing Mix) (Remixed by Andrew Weatherall)
09 Hall & Oates – I Can’t Go For That  (No Can Do) (Ben Liebrand Remix)
10 ABC – The Look of Love (US Remix) (Remixed by Trevor Horn)

CD2
01 A Tribe Called Quest – I Left My Wallet in El Segundo (Norman Cook Independence Mix)
02 Simply Red – Something Got Me Started (Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s Club Mix)
03 Definition of Sound – Moira Jane’s Café (E-Smoove’s Groovy Mix)
04 Sub Sub – Space Face Techno Todd Dub  (Remixed by Todd Terry)
05 Leftfield Lydon – Open Up (The Chemical Brothers Remix)
06 Sheena Easton – 101 (Def House Mix) (Remixed by David Morales)
07 D:Ream – UR The Best Thing (Sasha Full Mix)
08 Stereo MC’S – Step It Up (Stereo Field Dub) (Remixed by Leftfield)
09 Roxy Music – Same Old Scene (Glimmers Remix)
10 Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Welcome To The Pleasure Dome (Fruitness)

Buzzin Music has two copies to giveaway in a free competiton.

To enter all you need to do is answer the following easy question:

Q: Who had a hit in the 1980’s with ‘Driving Away From Home’?

Submit your entries to comps@buzzinmedia.co.uk with the subject line: ‘Hard To Find’ (other subject lines will not be entered) with your full name, address & contact number.

This Buzzin Media Competition ends on 30 September, 2011.

The editor will randomly choose two winners from the correct answers. The editor’s choice is final.

Crazy Arm new album, Union City Breath

Crazy Arm new single, ‘Tribes‘, is to be released on Monday 15th August followed by a new album, ‘Union City Breath‘ due for release on 10th October 2011. Both are to be released on vinyl, CD & digital download via Xtra Mile Recordings (UK & rest of the world) & Gunner Records (mainland Europe).

Devon folk roots-punks, Crazy Arm new single is the first release ahead of their imminent new album, ‘Union City Breath‘.  A highlight of this live favourite, it is a song of two distinct parts, combining the band’s love of Springsteen, gospel and honest punk rock.  The lyrics are an indictment of man-made structures of violence and a call for a return to simpler, more ethically-centred ways of interacting. Also on the record: the voice of Victoria Butterfield (who sang on the band’s last single ‘Sweet Storm‘) and keys courtesy Patrick James Pearson.  The single will coincide with the band’s debut acoustic tour in August with Cory Branan and Sam Russo in August.

The follow-up to 2009’s dramatic debut, ‘Born To Ruin‘, ‘Union City Breath‘ was produced/engineered once again by Peter Miles (King Blues, The Computers, Sonic Boom Six) at his new studio in the South Devon countryside.  Taking its cue from the spurious idea of the Big Society, ‘Union City Breath‘ is a reminder that all societies are made by people and can be changed or at least challenged by people whenever they see fit. The band will be touring the album throughout the UK in September, and are the main support to Against Me! on their European/UK tour in November.

Crazy Arm set up camp in mid-2006. Not easy to categorise, and all the better for it, their sound is an accumulation of decades of influence and inspiration: rooted in hardcore/punk, 1960’s protest folk/country and classic rock’n'roll, combined with a grass-roots political overview that embraces anti-war, anti-fascist and pro-community activism.

They have toured extensively throughout the UK and Europe many times, sharing stages with the likes of Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan, The Xcerts, Bangers, Apologies I Have None, The Cut Ups, Two Cow Garage and Sonic Boom Six; and have made appearances at festivals including 2000 Trees, NASS, Leopallooza, Boardmasters, Reading and Leeds.

Crazy Arm ‘Union City Breath‘ tracklist:

1.    Of The Tarantulas
2.    Bandalito
3.    Tribes
4.    The Right Wing Never Sleeps
5.    The Endless Carriage
6.    Little Boats
7.    Song Of Choice
8.    200 Pints Of Blood
9.    Meet The Marines
10.    Southway Drive
11.    City & Western
12.    Charnel House Blues
13.    White Canyon

Crazy Arm are currently on tour and will be touring throughout the Autumn – firstly a UK Album tour (23rd September – 10th October 2011) followed by a UK & European tour with Against Me! (2nd November – 28th November).

AUGUST
14th – Tiger Lounge, Manchester (with Apologies + Cory Branan + Russo)
15th – Duke Of Wellington, Lincoln (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
16th – Royal Park Cellars, Leeds (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
17th – The Maze, Nottingham (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
18th – Edge Of The Wedge, Portsmouth (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
19th – Windmill, London (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
20th – Prince Albert, Brighton (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)

SEPTEMBER
9th – Ivylive Festival, Ivybridge
11th – Plymouth Punks Picnic, Nowhere Inn
23rd – White Rabbit, Plymouth (with Damerels + more)
27th – Corporation, Sheffield
28th – Karma Café, Norwich (tbc)
29th – Barfly, London (with Apologies I Have None + Great Cynics)
30th – Unit, Southampton (tbc)

OCTOBER
1st  – Cambridge
2nd – Duke Of Wellington, Lincoln (with Above Them)
3rd – The Cluny, Newcastle (with Above Them)
4th – Stereo, Glasgow
5th – Central Station, Wrexham
6th – Fibbers, York
7th – West End Centre, Aldershot
10th – Croft, Bristol (with RVIVR)
22nd – White Rabbit, Plymouth (with Capdown)

NOVEMBER
2nd – Prince Albert, Brighton

(the following dates are with Against Me!)

3rd – La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
4th – Ex-Haus, Trier, Germany
5th – JC De Klinker, Aarschot, Belgium
6th – Dusseldorf, Germany
7th – Abart, Zurich, Switzerland
9th – Wuk, Vienna, Austria
10th – Rock House, Salzburg, Austria
12th – Den Haag, Netherlands (headline show)
13th – O13, Tilburg, Netherlands
14th – Faust, Hannover, Germany
15th – Knust, Hamburg, Germany
16th – Skaters Palace, Munster, Germany
17th – De Onderbroek, Nijmegen, Netherlands (headline show)
18th – Cockpit, Leeds
19th – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
20th – Talking Heads, Southampton
21st – Arts Centre, Norwich
24th – Cavern, Exeter (with Living Daylights)
28th – Peel, Kingston

For more information visit www.facebook.com/thecrazyarm.

Let’s Wrestle - Nursing Home

A few months ago, I’d never heard of Let’s Wrestle. Then a chance encounter with them, performing under the pseudonym of ‘The Apartment Ponies’ at the Lexington, changed all that. They knocked me out that night with a performance of real confidence and power.

Their new album carries on in the same manner, especially on the ‘power’ aspect, which is apparent after the first few seconds of the opening ‘In my dreams II’ (so called to distinguish it from the ‘In my dreams’ on their previous album, presumably.) If you are already familiar with the considerable charms of Let’s Wrestle’s work then you’ll already be aware of how they marry songs about the ordinariness of life and human ineptitude/failings will possibly the grungiest of fuzz-guitar sounds, adding more than a dash of self-deprecating humour at the same time.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is most definitely the order of the day here as ‘Nursing Home’ ploughs on in the same direction. The major change is that this CD is recorded by Steve Albini – yep, the big noisy guitar sound gets bigger and noisier here.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated than on “In the suburbs” which has a great riff/hook while Wesley sings about playing computer games, having dinner and being safe – his only worry is when his life might change and he might have to move out of his comfort zone. Not quite the image of bored and disaffected youth desperate to get to the big city lights for a bit of the action – a depressing summing-up of the apathetic nature of our modern pampered youth or am I reading too much into a pop song? Almost certainly the latter.

Perhaps there is a basis for a thesis for someone waiting to happen here: compare and contrast the worries and aspirations of modern youth with that of thirty years ago – no, maybe not. Still a stand-out track for me, though.

“Bad mammaries” is an ode to a woman of a certain age wearing clothing that might be considered as not befitting her accumulated years and her associated inappropriate behaviour. It also rocks along like a pogo stick on a cobbled street and is possibly the most-Albinified track on the album. To such an extent that I can’t help thinking that he’d made chunks of this track sound exactly like The Wedding Present. Intentional or accidental, it sounds great.

“I forgot” is another favourite. A tale of one man’s unreliability including the wonderful line “You know I’ll always be there for you. But I may be a few hours late.” I imagine many of us can relate to those words at some level.

Not every track here is top-notch, but there’s more than enough of the good stuff to be able to commend it to you for consideration of adding it to your summer playlist. And if you get the chance, try to catch them live. Being in the same room as that huge guitar sound is an experience worth seeking out.

Let’s Wrestle – Nursing Home tracklist:

In Dreams (part 2)
If I Keep On Loving You
In the Suburbs
Bad Mamories
Dear John
For My Mother
You’re So Lazy
There’s a Rockstar in My Room
I Forgot
I Am Useful
I Will Not Give In
Getting Rest

The Ambience - Colour In Silence

Before the mid/late eighties gazing at shoes was the domain of the shy, the guilty or the fashionistas. Then, with My Bloody Valentine blazing the way, a clutch of young men and women took to conducting sonic experiments, with reverb, echo and delay, so complex that eyes, at all times, had to be glued to a blur of feet and foot pedals.

If the musicians had to gaze at their shoes, then audiences were mostly gazing at the stars, floating away on dream-soaked vapour trails played at ear-melting volume. In a few short years My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Slowdive and The Verve left indelible footprints in the minds of many young fans. And then rock and fizzy Brit pop kicked the gentle souls aside and those who gazed at shoes were mocked and then forgotten.

Or not quite forgotten, as Colour in Silence testifies. Album opener Falsifier sets the tone, with glistening guitars, chiming chord changes and a freedom to break beyond the confines of verse, chorus monotony.  Influences are clear, as a buzz saw action closes the track with all the verve and love of Kevin Shields at his tremolo best.

My Legacy simmers as The Ambience build layer upon layer, before exploding into storms in heaven. Their ability to heighten the intensity of a groove, without shifting key or tempo is reminiscent of The Verve’s early material and the middle section of the album has the footprints of Wigan’s finest all over it.

The Ambience also have the ability to nail magnetic, melodic hooks that linger long. Closing track Love’s Attendant Traumas is a great example. There’s nothing wrong with a stadium-sized chorus when it’s not weighed down by rock ‘n’ roll clichés and on Love’s Attendant Traumas the band combines subtle arrangements and swirling pools of reverbed orchestration with a loud and proud refrain that wouldn’t be out of place under a Wembley sky.

The album will soon be released digitally on Brigadier Records. Be one of the first to know when and get a sneak preview of My Legacy.

IndianRedLopez

Every now and then while sifting through an ever-present pile of CDs from artists unknown to myself I hear something that immediately grabs my attention.  Sometimes I’m bowled over and other times I know I am going to have stumbled upon something that is too multi-faceted to take in without repeat listens.  In the grand scheme of things this occurs oh too infrequently, but when it does, it is a joy to behold.

I still get a shiver of excitement when I am introduced to something new that is worth waiting for.  The new debut album from the bizarrely named IndianRedLopez is such an instance.

Empty Your Lungs And Breathe begins with an instrumental.  1881 is not so much a song but a short piece to introduce the album and make sure you are paying attention and in the right frame of mind before the album starts proper.

A throbbing rolling bass, bright skipping drumbeat, whining guitars and a voice of distinctive quality, My Eyes picks up the baton and builds into a powerful indie rock song of anthemic proportions.

IndianRedLopez’s sound stretches across 1990’s style indie dance beats through to bright, hypnotic, alternative indie rock of anthemic proportions. Comparisons have been drawn to contemporaries like Minus The Bear and The Appleseed Cast.  I am also reminded of Manchester’s Delphic on K.Y.S, too.

On Empty Your Lungs And Breathe IndianRedLopez effortlessly blend exciting melodies, angular guitar riffs, throbbing bass lines and electronic beats.  No more is this apparent than on tracks like K.Y.S and Ropes.

Empty Your Lungs And Breathe is a debut album that I found instantly appealing, full of promise and with repeat plays over the past few weeks have grown fonder still.

IndianRedLopez have had a sharp rise to prominence since Scott Maskame (drums), Darren Forsythe (bass), Dave Cherry (guitars), Danny Forsyth (vocals & guitars) and Michael Chang (guitars) formed the band in 2008. After the release of their debut EP Castles Incomplete, the Scottish five-piece have gained a steady following amongst the Scottish music fraternity.  Together they are creating a very interesting, powerful and solid and diverse sound; and with the debut album, Empty Your Lungs And Breathe, they have delivered a powerful, punchy album that stands out from the crowd.

Empty Your Lungs And Breathe by IndianRedLopez will most definitely be one for the ubiquitous end of year ‘Best Album of 2011’ lists; and on the back of their recent Best Electronic Act win at the 2011 Official Scottish Alternative Awards, IndianRedLopez are set to make a big splash when the album is released next month.

IndianRedLopez - K.Y.S by abadgeoffriendship

Empty Your Lungs and Breathe by IndianRedLopez is released via CeaselStop on August 4th 2011.