Band of the Moment #10

So after a lengthy lay off thanks to work commitments, university work and other things there’s been no time to update the blog which is a shame! However we’re back now with yet another awesome band for you all to check out.  This week’s band of the moment, Ded Rabbit, are 4 brothers from Scotland who offer up infectious indie-pop.

Claiming the likes of Hendrix, QOTSA and Led Zep as influences I immediately liked the sound of this band of brothers. First single on the band page was ‘The Three Tones’ which is a catchy guitar driven tune and with a big riff that kicks in mid way through the song it immediately hooked us onto their sound. Next up was ‘Run’ with an intro reminiscent of Silent Alarm by Bloc Party the song is a slower more melodic single than Three Tones yet with lyrics and a chorus that you’ll be singing along with after a few listens this is a big single. By the time we reach ‘We Could Be Free’ its evident Ded Rabbit are no flash in the pan band copying every other band. Instead they’re offering up much more and this is by far their best record. Instantly catchy guitar riffs hook you in, while the Ryan Jarmin-esque vocals are the gateway to clever and meaningful lyrics, perhaps it is the vocals but this song is very reminiscent of early Cribs. Final song, ‘Elm Row’ was a massive curveball as instead of guitars or drums leading the way it was a saxophone – while I like a band who are innovative it just didn’t work for me. That’s not to say it’s a terrible song, I just think the boys need to stick to the funk infused guitar sounds which work so well on the other three songs.

Laid back vocals, big drums and funky guitar riffs – Ded Rabbit offer everything we want in a band and if they keep this up then they will no doubt be a band making waves in the indie world. The brothers offer something different to every run of the mill band and it will be something like this that finally breaks the stranglehold pop music has on the charts. Despite only having four songs up this is a great intro into the band. Keep it up guys!

Check them out for yourselves over at;

http://soundcloud.com/ded-rabbit

https://www.facebook.com/DedRabbit
http://www.dedrabbit.co.uk
https://twitter.com/Ded_Rabbit

Band of the Moment #9

So today we’ve hit a new level, we’re now a truly international blog with our next band of the moment. Coming from Los Angeles, these two sisters of Jennifer and Jessica Clavin, otherwise known as ‘Bleached’ offer up a Californian tinged pop-punk, along with the occasional surf infused rock and roll.

I think any American girl fronted rock band will remind us of Hole, in fact the vocals on Electric Chair sound very reminiscent of Courtney Love. However Bleached do what every simple, guitar band should do – make great music which makes you want to sing and move to, so comparisons to this band or that band are inevitable and shouldn’t really be paid attention to. We first heard of these through the Guardian band of the day blog, whereby they were (unsurprisingly) slated – but as I’ve never read a positive review by that particular author, I assume this must mean Bleached are actually a good band, which they are.

Latest single, ‘Searching Through the Past’ is incredibly catchy, you’ll find it will be stuck in your head for a long time, so I apologise for that. However it’s a good song so you should actually be grateful! While it sounds simple, slightly repetitive even, it does what every good rock and roll song should and makes you listen again and again, it’s a pop-punk song which sounds just like it’s come from California, which it has. It’s my favourite track, followed closely by ‘Think of You’

Unfortunately this is only a quick review as we’re away for the rest of the week, but I had to get Bleached up on the blog now as they’re awesome. If you don’t believe me check out the rest of their stuff here;

http://HelloBleached.tumblr.com

http://www.twitter.com/HelloBleached
http://www.myspace.com/hellobleached

As always – comments, opinions etc are encouraged! Let us know what you think.

Band of the Moment #8

So April rolls on and we’re back with another band for you all to check out. The summer infused Mayfly’s who come from Kingston-upon-Thames are the perfect band to brighten up these awful rainy days we’ve had recently.

With 11 tracks over on their Soundcloud page, we had enough to gain a clear insight into this wonderful band. Aurelie Konter’s vocals sound a lot like a Kate Nash infused with Lily Allen - a very easy listening voice that you struggle not to fall in love with, while the guitars, bass and drums flow together to create fun and feel good records. Opening track ‘My Doll’ is an indie pop-tastic treat, it has an underlying base of pure funk and soul – themes which are brought much more to the fore in ‘Don't Mind If I Don't’ , ‘Daft Punk Medley’ and ‘Hold On Care’. The more you listen to this band the more you like them – they’re also give a truly international feel with tracks like ‘La Española’ and ‘Guacamole’.

There’s nothing to dislike about this band. They give a sense of not taking things too seriously and just general fun through their records (which, if other reviews are true, is also how they are in person). So if you are, like me, sick of this wet and miserable weather and are longing for sunny days and summer then have a listen to the Mayfly’s and you’ll soon find yourself drifting off into a better place.

Check them out;
http://soundcloud.com/mayflys/tracks?page=1
http://mayflysmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Mayflys
https://twitter.com/TheMayflys

Madison - a quick review

When this blog was started, one of the things I personally hoped for was it would simply mean I could discover new bands, if people liked the rubbish I wrote then that was an added advantage.

The fact the blog is now perilously close to hitting 2,000 page views has amazed me. Yet more outstanding are the bands we’ve been turned on to since starting. A few of them are ones we’ve stumbled upon but others are ones who’ve sent us messages and, in the likes of Madison, who sent us a link to their soundcloud page earlier this week it appears there’s not a shortage of fantastic, untapped, unsigned bands out there who just need some promotion.

The first song on their soundcloud was a piano led ‘Like Glue’ which is probably the most ‘pop’ friendly track we’ve heard so far. Lead singer Russell’s voice is fairly distinctive with a colloquial twang and when combined with the elegant piano means the whole song sways with an essence of the Frey’s ‘How To Save a Life’ which is a form that clearly works as that song was huge, and while this is not a style of music I personally like, you can’t say this is a bad track.

The next single ‘Armbands’ was a pleasant surprise, completely different to the first track this is far more like current indie faves ‘Twin Atlantic’ who also hail from bonny Scotland. It’s got everything that works; catchy lyrics you can sing along with, drums which you want to move to and instantly recognisable guitars. If the rest of their stuff is based on this then they could potentially be a good band. While ‘Like Glue’ is a good song, it just doesn’t seem right. ‘Armbands’ is far more your traditional and proven band sound, but there’s a reason why it’s  successful and as long as Madison keep to it, then they have strong potential - Keep going guys!

Band of the Moment #7

Our next hottest band is in the shape of the four piece all female, ‘Pins’ hailing from Manchester. These have been on every major site out there in the blogosphere recently so it’s only fair we do the same, which I’m sure they’re over the moon about. Probably.

Having only one song recorded makes this slightly harder to back up, but these are going to be huge.  Such is the hype of these girls already that it rivals the wave that built up in the few months before ‘The Vaccines’ broke through last year.  On first listen of ‘Eleventh Hour’ I was amazed, Warpaint remain my favourite girl group in years, and ‘Pins’ are similar in the way their psych-esque, distorted guitars, and epic riffs float over the thumping and capturing drum beat.  Faith Holgate’s haunting vocals become almost a choral chant entrancing you in to this song further, until suddenly it’s over. Leaving you wanting more. Much more.

I hope they can transfer this epic song to the live stage, and that the rest of their catalogue matches the level of ‘Eleventh Hour’ but I’m positive they will be and will definitely be in attendance at their next London gig. Follow them now, go and see them if you can because I promise you, by the end of 2012 they’ll be massive.

Check them out;

http://soundcloud.com/pinsmusic

http://www.wearepins.co.uk/

French Crops live review...

Now we here at Mixed Musing headquarters like to think we know a good band when we hear one, and a few weeks ago when one of the guys from French Crops contacted us we discovered, what we believed, to be a very promising band, and tonight we went to discover if they could actually transform across a promising record to the live arena...

Being first on and facing a half empty room it was no easy challenge for the boys but they appeared with a swagger and braced with an armoury of banging tunes they thrashed out pure classic rock and roll. “Jack in the box” and “know How” got the crowd moving, as friends and fans of the band led the way but what really proved the defining moment was penultimate song, “The Avery” having now filled the room with an eager crowd the boys ripped into their debut video/single with devastating ease, foot tapping turned into full on jumping and the crowd was in the palm of the bands hand.

Tonight proved why French Crops are one of London’s hottest unsigned bands and you had better get into them now before they launch into the mainstream. Our only criticism?  The set wasn’t long enough, and the guitar heads had too much excess string which kept flashing in the lights and could have been cut off, but that’s pointless criticism for the sake of it, lads, you smashed it tonight and we’ll definitely be at your next gig. Awesome stuff.

Band of the Moment #6

It’s been a while since our last ‘Band of the Moment’ but we’re back with a fantastic new 4 piece who hail from Scotland – Edinburgh to be exact – ‘The Cosmonauts’.

With four recordings up on their reverbnation page you’ll soon become completely hooked with all of them like we did. The first single we heard, ‘Dawn Breaks’ opens us up the band with a cheery, summer-tinged record. A perfect accompaniment to the beautiful weather we’ve been having here in London. ‘Dawn Breaks’ offers a 60’s sounding vibe, with a hint of the Coral but the soft guitar riffs keep this fresh and modern. However any premonitions or pigeon holes you may have placed The Cosmonauts in are quickly blown away when the punky, rocky sounding ‘The Howl’ begins. Think of it as the love child of the White Stripes, The Pixies and early Kings of Leons – and any other beer soaked rock band you’ve encountered – in short, it’s epic.  Their Rockabilly sounds continue with ‘Tell Me’, but just when you think you have ‘The Cosmonauts’ vibe locked down up steps ‘Memoirs’ and the folksy country sound that floats out your speakers once again shatters your preconceptions.

This is an incredibly diverse band, probably the most diverse we’ve reviewed. The Cosmonauts really do offer something for everyone and we believe will constantly come up with the goods to please and surprise. Every artist we’ve put into the ‘Band of the Moment’ section we believe are heading for success but if The Cosmonauts aren’t a favoured choice of alternative music in the next few years then something’s seriously wrong.  We’re certainly going to be following these with great interest and hope they make the trip to London for a gig soon.

Check them out for yourselves here;

http://www.reverbnation.com/cosmonauts69

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Cosmonauts/288995347872
http://www.myspace.com/cosmonauts69
https://twitter.com/thecosmonauts69