BLOG (comma) MUSIC: indie rock

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NUMBER FOUR

This artist was one of my favourite discoveries from 2017 and one of the most memorable performances I've seen this year. And yet this album still managed to surprise me. In at number 4 is Soccer Mommy with Clean.

Soccer Mommy still remains the only artist that I've ever listened through an entire album of beginning to end, stood in the middle of a record store. She's managed to grip me and keep me mesmerised in one spot with just 8 songs of music to drive to.

Stand-out tracks on Clean for me however are "Cool", "Your Dog", "Skin" and "Scorpio Rising". There's so much open space on this album to really hear and sit with the lyrics. Sophie Allison doesn't hide behind eccentric production or emphatic drums, she sings simply and candidly, and the familiarity rings strong throughout. Sophie paints pictures with her words and tells familiar stories under the guise of metaphor, like the depiction of her lover becoming a wild animal in "Still Clean". As lightly as her voice sings these words, the grit bites through in her lyrics.

Clean is short but so, so sweet. Whatever mood I'm in when I start listening to it just disappears and I'm left feeling calm and content by the end. As a studio debut, it's a memorable first look into the mind of Sophie Allison and seeing it translated into the coming-of-age soundscape of Soccer Mommy is almost dreamlike. It's easy to compare Soccer Mommy to other artists that have come before, but I suspect that she'll be setting herself apart from her peers a little more with future material.

Have a look at what just missed out on the Top 3 spot last year here.

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2018, album of the year

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Song Of The Day

I wrote about this band quite a while ago as a new discovery here. Since then, I've recently heard their latest single and have been listening to it pretty much every single day since. Such a catchy song and a good choice for a single...

THE BONGO CLUB - The Hush Hush Song

This song and this video just cement my statement that the Swedish rockers would put on a hell of a show. It's the kind of song that needs to be performed on a tent stage at Glastonbury festival - mosh pits going, crowds chanting and pints of beer (and God knows what else) are being thrown around. I really look forward to seeing The Bongo Club play some UK shows in the near future. I'm still shocked as to how little people in the UK know about them yet, because they could be huge here! Have a listen to the single then tell a friend, tell a radio station, tell your grandma - whoever! This band is a good shout.

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arctic monkeys, boras

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Gig Review: Eagulls

A couple of weeks ago (4/3/14), I went to see Eagulls play at Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath. I was really pumped for this gig because my friend saw them the week before and said that the set was killer, I was getting pit withdrawal and after listening to their debut self-titled record, there was nothing I wanted more than to hear it played live.

When I stepped into the venue and had a look around I saw an unexpectedly older crowd and a completely expected male-dominated crowd, but I didn't think much of it. The first support Virals came on and opened up the gig nicely. Chilled, and occasionally feedback laden indie rock tunes that had the crowd swaying a little bit, beers in hand. The set was little subdued but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and the band themselves seemed to be lost in their instruments from time to time - all round a very solid set. Will be interested to see what they're like in front of a festival crowd if I get to catch them at this year's Field Day.

Next up was Autobahn - the crowd tentatively shuffled forward a few more steps. Autobahn didn't waste any time and got straight to the pounding riffs. Although they played a pretty fast paced, powerful set - the crowd barely nodded along (aside from a few enthusiastic headbangers and fist pumpers), but I thought that would soon change when Eagulls stepped on stage...

George Mitchell and co. skulked on stage looking a little more tired than psyched but as they checked their instruments and their mics, I knew that the set would be anything but. The crowd finally edged up close to the stage, being careful to not tread on the almost sacred logo banner strewn over the front monitor. George took a few swigs from his bottle of wine and with a quick signal to the sound guy they came straight in with "Nerve Endings"... and the crowd barely responded. I couldn't even tell whether they were quietly appreciating the music or whether they were just plain bored, but they clapped and cheered at the appropriate times and stood silently waiting for the next song. It was definitely not was I was expecting.

Mitchell's vocals were turned down a little low too which made him hard to hear over the thumping drums and scuzzy guitars. Either way "Moulting" and "Coffin" still riled me up and hit hard. It was a little disappointing when George had to say "There's not much movement guys" and thank God that I was standing by some guys that were ready to mosh. Before long, eight or so of us were throwing each other about and leaping around a small circle to "Tough Luck". Although it was only a small proportion of the crowd, this did have me smiling and singing along - there was a great feel from the pit, it was just a shame that everyone else was kind of stationary and distant. Nonetheless, we leapt about for a couple more songs, the few that remained, shoving each other with all that we had left, before they ended the set ridiculously abruptly with "Possessed". They did not even reach 10 songs by the time they started packing up and striding off the stage.

The crowd finally piped up and practically had to beg them for an encore. George stepped back on stage to play through "Council Flat Blues", but the whole thing just seemed a little bit tired from both the band and the crowd. I don't know - Eagulls certainly deserved a much better and more energetic welcome that night because they have so much to offer live. I just think that the crowd's vibe brought the whole performance down that night, but of course that hasn't changed my opinion about Eagulls' talent. Great band, dead crowd.

Overall Rating - 6/10

Here are some pictures from the night: