The Sailmakers are an acoustic three piece indie band from Keighley, formed in late 2008. Having started out as an acoustic act; they added a drummer and then went electric.
'Unsteady On His Feet' starts off with gentle guitar which give the track a folky feel from the beginning. The drums come in with a tribal and raw beat giving the song great energy and power. The vocals are a little slow at coming in but when they do the singer's voice has a nice tone and the lyrics are clear, if a little simplistic. The backing vocals continue with the restrained folk feel, which gives the song a rustic texture but sounds very professional with it.
They fit very nicely into the folk / rock genre that began to bubble up in late 2009 and looks set to be big this year. The Sailmakers wouldn't be out of place supporting Mumford and Sons or Bon Iver, but aren't up to surpassing them yet; although I wouldn't rule it out that they will have a bloody good go at it. For a relatively young band, at least with this final line up, it's a really great track that will have you tapping your feet and leave you considering going see them live.
Every once in a while an EP comes along that you just can't get off repeat play, 'Human Nurture' is however as far removed from one of these as you can possibly get.
Loverman promises "a small but perfectly formed clutch of songs, steeped in ominous noise and macabre imagery and a tenderness of the sort you get in half healed flesh wounds." Well I do feel like I have been shot, in the leg, twice; listening to it is physically painful. Perfectly formed translates to breathtakingly horrendous, it sounds like some angst ridden teens taking out their frustrations on some instruments they haven't figured out how to play yet. Everything sounds clumsy and disengaged and any sense of melody or beat seems like an afterthought.
It most closely fits into a hard rock genre and is possibly what System of a Down would sound like if you removed their talent. The problem is they are trying too hard to be shocking, without being intelligent or witty. Starting with 'Crypt Tonight' which includes the line "I'm a sex offender / I'm your children's teacher," which says it all really. The bass and drums aren't bad; they aren't great either but they're probably the best things about the EP.
It's hard to pinpoint what is the worst thing about this EP; the lead singer alternates between screeching and sinister. In the latter moments it doesn't sound too bad and a Nick Cave reference wouldn't be wholly out of place.
Ok, so I'm being quite harsh, 'Barbs' isn't too bad a track, the vocals are smoky, smooth and have lost the stifling quality that scars the other tracks. Its downbeat and shows musicality which is absent in the rest of the EP and portrays emotion as the lyrics aren't distorted by screams.
Midnight Matinee is the seventh release from New York based The Lost Patrol, and the first recording with singer Mollie Israel.
This is definitely not a CD for those who have a specific genre and stick to that, having been described as everything from 'gothic spaghetti western' to 'experimental surf,' it's no wonder there is some difficulty in deciphering the sound. The tracks float out of the speakers and immerse the listener in a dreamlike world of "twangy-ethereal electric guitars, lush acoustic twelve strings, deep synth textures and sirenic vocals." There is even a touch of bubblegum pop on 'Jukebox on the Moon' complete with sleigh bells and cheery bounce.
Right from the first track you feel like you have been transported into a Tarantino movie, you can practically taste cigarettes and tequila. The guitar style, reminiscent of Tito & Tarantula or Johnny Marr, feels relaxed and effortless. The combination of the acoustic guitars and the electric guitars work really well throughout the album. The former give the songs a warm settling feeling and the latter rest on otherworldly and illustrative.
Mollie Israel's vocals are dreamy and crawl seductively over the tracks with an air of Joni Mitchell mixed with Kosheen's Sian Evans. 'Fades From View' and 'The Fallen' best showcase Mollie's vocals as they become fluid and transcendental, pirouetting over the melodies and reeling you into The Lost Patrol's world, it's a bit of a shame though that some of the lyrical content gets lost along the way.
It comes as no surprise that the history of this band is littered with instrumental soundtrack music as the songs float out of the speakers rather than rush and grab your attention. Throughout the album there is a lack of enough ideas to stand the tracks apart from each other. Although each track by itself is pleasurable enough and well executed, as a whole the tracks are too similar to give this album a sense of depth and dimension. 
2010 is looking good for The Finnlys with gigs lined up throughout Yorkshire and Rotterdam and a blinding single 'For Love Nor Money.'
'For Love Nor Money' is a really well crafted single, Indie grit that's pop friendly. It starts off with just a couple of strums of the acoustic guitar and vocals which are full of emotion and strength. Drums, bass and strings are added to build to a catchy chorus, lustful and wanting. The strings have the same effect as the one they tend to produce in Coldplay's tracks, one of sheer exhilaration where you can feel your heart pounding and your skin becomes highly sensitive.
The guitars, bass and drums have the enthusiasm and animalistic tendencies of the Arctic Monkeys, pounding and raw. You could be forgiven for thinking that 'Behind Closed Doors' is a track by the Arctic Monkeys or The Last Shadow Puppets, which is brilliant if you like them. Even the singer sounds like Alex Turner, effortless and frantic twisted into the melodies.
Hailing from New York, Zambri have served up a meaty slice of synth-pop, accompanied by an industrial side salad for their second EP 'Bang for Changes.' They sound somewhere between Kate Bush and Sigur Ros, with a contemporary pop sheen and unexpected tempo changes.
It sounds like this EP was brilliant fun to write and record, each track is dripping with sounds and effects. Zambri have emptied the cupboard of resources available to them and haven't been too afraid to accessorise each and every moment of 'Bang for Changes.' Clearly a crafted and considered EP, what could have ended as a deafening mess still feels fun and fluid. The sisters' vocals range from playful and enchanting to manic and persuasive, complementing each other perfectly throughout.
Each track, taken on its own, is highly original and strong, but the first couple of tracks have the same melody and structure, and blend into each other. The use of repetition after the first track becomes, well, a little repetitive and some of the tempo changes feel unnatural. 'Let It Said' sounds vaguely like t.A.T.u, apparently Russia's most successful band, otherwise known as those two 'lesbian' schoolgirls, but don't let that put you off.
It's in the last three tracks ('Bang For Changes,' 'Get Dressed' and 'Let It Said') that the magic really happens and the band's sound really opens up, becomes three-dimensional and enticing. It comes as no surprise that people have had trouble pinpointing their unique sound, while comparisons to Bjork and My Bloody Valentine go someway to formulising a picture of what is to be expected, they don't tell the full story.
After spending several years doing the Leeds' gig scene, Pete Briley has moved back to his native Kent and just signed to new record label Tin Robot Records.
Seeping sentiment, 'Semantics' is an understated ballad with just an acoustic guitar and a spattering of strings. Pete Briley's voice has moments of pure warmth and innocence, but with such sparse arrangement that you need to have slightly more lyrically than we get here. There is also a tendency for the singing to become scratchy; giving the impression that he is trying to imitate Ashley Hicklin in an effort to echo some of his success.
This is a sweet and simple song but it's lacking elements to take it to the next level and make it a masterpiece.
Since the formation of Shakinouts in 2007 the band have clocked up an impressive historic gig list and caused waves in the Leeds music scene. With a slot supporting Shed Seven in December things are certainly looking good for this band.
Shakinouts offer a bouncy and truly enjoyable single with 'Are You Happy!?' The vocals have a beautifully textured quality and a bittersweet chorus you can't fail to sing along to. On the down side, the track is too long; it fails to develop quickly enough leaving the track flat. The production is clever and sharp giving the song a richness slightly missing from the B side 'Fail You Now,' which has a feel of 'Ever Fallen In Love With Someone (You Shouldn't've)' by 'The Buzzcocks.'
'Are You Happy!?' is well crafted and will leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling in your toes.
Brett Domino has gathered somewhat of a cult following alongside the all-keyboard band 'The Brett Domino Trio.' It all started with a YouTube video of the band performing Michael Jackson's 'Beat It,' posted in 2008. Since then they have clocked up an impressive number of views, appeared on Britain's Got Talent, featured on the Chris Moyles show as well as in hundreds of internet blogs.
Now it's that time of year when it gets ridiculously cold, everybody gets ill and every bloody shop is playing Slade on loop, so Brett Domino has released a Christmas single to get people smiling again.
Leeds' answer to Flight of the Concords has produced a simply brilliant alternative to the coma inducing charity Christmas singles we are subjected to at this time of year. This track ticks all the boxes: a catchy chorus, slushy verses, a guitar solo Slash would be proud of and an epically shit rap. Combining every possible cliche of the genre, Brett Domino has delivered a frivolous, satirical and well produced track that I would love to see as Christmas number one and wipe the smile off Simon Cowell's smug face. 
Following on from their eight track CD 'A Balloon Called Moaning,' The Joy Formidable have delivered a seductively produced track 'Greyhounds in the Slips.'
Fully powered drums carve out a crescendo of epic proportions, leaving the guitars to compete for attention. Soft, layered vocals are arranged to give the chorus depth but over production occasionally leaves it foggy. The single features Paul Draper, former singer and guitarist of rock band Mansun, whose presence is more aesthetic than substantial, but a welcome addition nonetheless.
Resting somewhere between 'The Pixies' and 'Florence and the Machine' this band is certainly one to watch out for. The orgasmic baboon at the very end however, is quite frankly creepy.
'Touch & Feel / It Came As No Surprise' is the debut double A side from Vegas Nights. With the press release claiming the band "manages to not only cross eras but portray them with its musical sounds," I was certainly intrigued.
The influences of The Cure and The Happy Mondays are present in the structure and feel of the songs, producing a spring in the step and a pleasant smile. The hooks are catchy, the guitars are strong with driven passion and the drums bound and crash around the two tracks. The Beach Boys-style harmonies give a really joyous feel throughout, but you can certainly put too many "ooh oohs" and "ba ba ba daas" into a song and Vegas Nightsbreak that rule here.
The core of what was a really good idea has unfortunately been turned sour by the sloppy execution. The vocals are drowned in reverb that forces the listener to attempt to make out the smothered lyrics and masks any character in the singer's voice, which is a real shame. Rough edged recording and production have clouded what could have been a blistering debut, but Vegas Nights show real promise of providing a catchy pop track in the future.
After sifting through the internet for a bit of background information I almost felt like I didn't need to listen to this album. Signed to Geffen Records, written and produced by the people at Xenomania and tipped as the hottest new band around; these guys have got to be something special, right?
They claim to have "been a band before they even knew it; " a statement that is presumably meant to signify their destiny to be successful, but its hidden sentiment denotes everything that is wrong with this band. The boys are right that they were a band before they knew it themselves. They were auditioned, selected and put together in an indie band-by-numbers experiment; the manufactured band template of five same sex members - check; good looking singer with familiar yet distinctive sounding voice - check; glossy production at hit making studios - check. There is even the typical rumour of the frontman's suspected relationship with a pop starlet, here played by Alesha Dixon, It's all very predictable and contrived.
Each song on the album is exceptionally executed and no doubt will be successful, however it will all be down to Xenomania. They have crafted an interchangeable, polished product that would sound just as good if it had been written for Girls Aloud, Kylie or the Sugarbabes. Xenomania haven't in this instance sufficiently moved away from their girly pop signature sound that has been such a success in the past.
Alita's Curse have been playing for less than a year and, for a band at such an early stage of their musical expedition, it's not bad. It's got an 80's glam rock feel that makes it sound like it belongs on the 'Lost Boy's' soundtrack.
The production on this track makes me think Alita's Cursewould be better live, as the vocals sound diluted on this single, falling short of their earlier track 'One For The Team.' The chorus is a bit lazy and the weighty instrumental sections leave the lyrics lost and unsatisfying. The drums, on the other hand, are a bit of a polish away from spectacular, robust and cascading.
Confident guitar runs throughout and bursts into life in the solo, but it's the drums that are the real magic here. Given that the vocals could do with more grit and balls it's interesting enough to warrant excitement for their currently-under-construction album 'Retaliation Life.'
