Tracks Of The Week 13.01.13

Delivering a refreshing take on traditional blues with evident passion and skill, trio Howlin’ Circus are a pretty exciting addition to the thriving North London music scene. Having bonded over a love of all things rock n roll, the band have been gaining widespread acclaim through festival appearances over the last couple of years, showcasing their electrifying live set.
Debut single, ‘When The Summer Comes’, is filled with harmonica-heavy riffs, wailing vocals and many a foot stomping beat – a thrilling slice of dirty blues-rock that makes it easy to see why these three musicians are being hailed as ‘Britain’s answer to The Black Keys’.

‘When The Summer Comes’ is digitally released today on ‘Big Sister’ records, a label run by the band’s frontman’s sister, who has also been a mentor to the band in their quest to be heard.

Personally, I can’t get enough of Howlin’ Circus and can only hope they venture South of the river soon…

Brooklyn indie-pop trio, Hospitality, who initially launched onto the airwaves in 2012, are back with their buzzing garage rock, but this time with a darker, more ambient vibe. The first taster of new album, ‘Trouble’, takes the form of the deceptively upbeat-sounding ‘I Miss Your Bones’. As Amber Papini’s mellow vocals sing of loss and heartbreak with poetically crafted, exquisitely sad lines – “All the stars twinkle in the miss of the sea/Black and lonely” -, the rest of the band manage to create a minimalist, yet energy-fuelled, climatic pop anthem.

Hospitality’s second album, ‘Trouble’, will be available in Europe on 4th February on Fire Records.

http://youtu.be/n8xM_Ax_s8I

Hailing from Derbyshire, New Wave rockers The Sons, are no newcomers to the music scene, having been delivering their eclectically inspired compositions since 1994. New single, ‘Death Love Money’, fuses together folky refrains with a Brit-pop vibe, resulting in a catchy, uptempo indie ditty. With effective harmonies and cheery riffs, Paul Herron and co appear to have created a contemporary sea-shanty with a rocky edge. A unique and charming offering that you’ll find yourself singing along to in no time.

‘Death Love Money’ is the first single from the forthcoming album, ‘Heading Into Land’ – out in March on Cannon Fodder Recordings and can be preordered on iTunes.

Another voice that I first fell for back in 2012 at the Cambridge Folk Festival, James Vincent Mcmorrow, has returned to grace our ears with new single ‘Cavalier’. Whilst the Irish crooner retains his trademark poignant, heart-rending falsetto, evident sentimentality and soaring orchestration, he seems to have ventured into new territory here in his use of electronic beats, ethereal reverb and twinkly synth. As Mcmorrow’s undeniably affecting soprano sings of love lost and the accompanying hurt, we find ourselves thrown into the depths of a mournful solitude that it is impossible not to empathise with.

Whilst I would normally begrudge someone for stepping so swiftly away from their folk-filled past, I find myself able to forgive Mcmorrow. Whatever genre Cavalier falls into (and however much people compare him to fellow James, James Blake), there is no doubt that this singer-songwriter has succeeded in creating a tender, sensuous and sensationally moving ballad, a vast soundscape that will beguile and captivate.

Mcmorrow’s new album ‘Post Tropical’ is released tomorrow, 14th January, on Vagrant records.

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.