Local favourites // Novella

A Google of 'Novella' may confuse the lazy among you into thinking that London's Novella is also in fact Finland's Novella, or perhaps Christian rock band from the early 90s. They're not.

This Novella has been knocking around London support slots for a while, but their recent superb trio of Sonic Youth / Teenage Fanclub influenced tracks is the best the band has produced yet, each descending into grinding jams swamped in fuzzy feedback with dreamily laissez faire vocals.

Alongside Warm Brains, Not Cool, Male Bonding, Gross Magic, Yuck, Colours, Weird Dreams, Sauna Youth among others, London isn't exactly wanting for lo-fi talent, however the tracks below suggest Novella is more than able of joining the party. Catch them at 1234 in a few weeks.

The Things You Do by Novella.
Oh Brian by Novella.
Beach Fatigue by Novella.

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Blood Orange // Champagne Coast (Krystal Klear remix)

Recalling the 80s has been well and truly done, but perhaps never as well as this track from Blood Orange via Krystal Klear, bowing to Prince's lush pop as much as NYC disco. Taken from the forthcoming remixes 12" and ahead of the release of Blood Orange's debut LP (how may more debut LPs can he have?), Dev has definitely found his groove in his current guise, and long may it continue.

Grab the remix records here.



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Cloud Boat // Lions on the Beach

Stars of last Tuesday's Boiler Room session alongside Vondelpark, Cloud Boat have just come off tours with Mount Kimbie and James Blake and trade in similarly blissful, dub influenced soundscapes. Haunting, expansive, beat laden, more about the spaces in between sounds than the sounds themselves, expect Cloud Boat to be on the tips of everyone's James Blake imprinted tongues before too long.



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Sauna Youth // Tense Men

We haven't done a local favourites feature in a while, so now you get two for the price of one. Or two for the price of none, really.

Trading in 3 chord riffs and cat calls, Sauna Youth is a balls out blast that resurrects the late 70s without seeming formulaic or copyist. Sharing a Faux Discx 7" with Ale Mania and various London stages with Abe Vigoda, Fair Ohs and Trogons of late, the soon to be released Backgrounds marks a distinctive step forward. The band have been about for a while now, but hopefully this release will drive them on to even better things.





To segue impecibly, Tense Men is a project formed of Sauna Youth frontman Rich and Cold Pumas' Ollie. Their sound is claustrophobic post punk built around looping, agitating guitars, chanted lyrics and incessant cymbal-led drumming. It's definitely tense, I'm pretty sure they're men and the tracks below, particularly A Gruesome Discovery, suggest this side project has legs.

TENSE MEN by TENSE MEN

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Memoryhouse // Modern, Normal

The news that Memoryhouse's The Years will be re-recorded, remixed and re-mastered for a release in September is music to our ears. Music almost as divine as this additional track, with its tragic synths and longing vocals.

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The Lobster Boat // The Lobster Boat

Currently on a tour that will take them through Leipzig and Freiburg via a house show in Gieben and ending with another in Marstetten, The Wave Pictures' David Tattersall and Coming Soon's Howard Hughes are documenting the first tour of their The Lobster Boat project.

Tour diaries can be terminally dull affairs, but from the looks of the video below this one will be a touch different, admiring the mundane through soft focus reds and bleak blues (depending on the scene) and accented with songs combining the melancholic indie of Tattersall and folkie groove of Hughes. Follow their regular updates here.

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Young Athletes League // Monaco Sunglasses

Following up our Chad Valley blog earlier this week, we came across a mix of another band trading in extended ambient loops and equally exciting laptop generated house.

Hailing from East London and despite having just a handful of tracks in their back pockets, newly formed Brooklyn based Ceremony Records have already put out Young Athletes League's debut EP, a collection of songs combining math rock and ambient house that's reminiscent of Foals or Errors. Check out Monaco Sunglasses from the duo's We Only Feed Ourselves EP, as well as their mix of Chad Valley's Ensoniq Funk below, while the band will be supporting Millionyoung in London in July.

Young Athletes League - Monaco Sunglasses by The Line Of Best Fit
Chad Valley - Ensoniq Funk (Young Athletes League's Cruising Mix) by Ceremony

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Woman's Hour // Human

London based four-piece Woman's Hour put out this brilliant track a month or two ago, but being slow on the uptake should not stop us from praising its slow burning dream-pop elegance, built around a pulsing bass and Fiona-Jane's ethereal vocal.

The band play the next monthly Vice issue launch at Old Blue Last at the end of the month alongside Hyetal and Dauwd.

Human by Woman's Hour
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Seapony // Where We Go

Seapony trade in lo-fi twee love affairs and crisp C86 melodies that scream summer picnics, long country walks and holiday romance.

Ready to release their debut LP Go With Me on Hardly Art, Where We Go is a beautiful piece of melancholic indie that would break even the hardest hearted.


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Gross Magic // Sweetest Touch

Hailing from a film course at Varndean, the rival college to my very own BHASVIC, Brighton's Sam McGarrigle has been making lo-fi waves for a while first via feedback drenched noise rock as Hocus Tocus, and now with a more melodic yet equally unhinged grunge as Gross Magic.

We're not sure how he found his way alone and loveless to the woods in this vid for Sweetest Touch, lifted from his debut EP Teen Jamz, but the riff and waft of hair are classic Cobain. Pick up the rest of the EP at his Bandcamp, or listen below.


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Chad Valley // Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel?)

Chad Valley's support slot for Twin Shadow at Scala a few weeks back was one of the best opening efforts we've witnessed in a long time. Moved to tweet something vague about the combination of Pet Shop Boys, Balearic and Friendly Fires influences, Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel?) is evidence that we weren't totally delirious, the loving waves of electronics managing to be both melancholic and uplifting, as the vid echoes the lyrical sense of love and loneliness. That or it's a pretty girl drawing shapes on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Now That I'm Real (How Does It Feel?) from chad valley on Vimeo.

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White Denim // Street Joy

Directed by Carlos LaRotta, this video to the standout Street Joy from new album D casts White Denim as a smarmy 80s prom quartet, reminding us of Freaks & Geeks and the majority of our childhood dances; all intimidated shoe shuffles, oversized suits and trying to avoid eye contact with your dance partner at all costs. Ah, memories.

via

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Male Bonding // Bones

Following Memory Tapes earlier today comes one of its rivals for best record of 2010 and most definitely No Action's award for best live show for their crowd corrupting effort at CAMP, Male Bonding return with a lead single as they prep the release of Endless Now due in the coming months on Sub Pop.

Bones arrives with beefed up production from John Agnello, typical penetrating hardcore guitar and even some pop harmonising in there, with what sounds like Kevin taking lead. Definitely bigger, bolder and noticeably longer than anything off Nothing Hurts, Bones still packs the lo-fi garage band charm of the first record.

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Memory Tapes // Yes I Know

Memory Tapes' Seek Magic was probably our favourite record of last year. At the very least top 3. New track Yes I Know from the forthcoming Player Piano is slower in pace to much of that album, but has a base line so simple and permanent and a delicate complexity in its production that is truly mesmerising. A beautiful, poignant video from Eric Epstein too I think you'll agree.


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Copy Haho // Dying Breed

If it weren't so darn brilliant Dying Breed could be considered somewhat prophetic. As the much publicised and prophesised death of the indie band starts to manifest, Copy Haho could be seen as in trouble before they've even begun. Much in the way of the industry itself as in the band's recently tweeted 'Just bought something from HMV for the first time in ages... it was an item of clothing'.

An age after the 2009 release of their Bred For Skills & Magic EP, and after much Hahoo-ing and Hahaa-ing (had to, sorry), the Scots are finally ready to release their debut full-length in June (along with a launch show at Old Blue Last next week with Sparky Deathcap. If the record holds more of Dying Breed's effortless Supergrass riffing Copy Haho are bound to buck the current indie decline.

Dying Breed by copyhaho

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Ford & Lopatin // World of Regret

Following a quick name change from the un-Googleable Games and fresh from a by-all-accounts storming Primavera set, Ford & Lopatin have released this gem, a swell of disco synths and camp retro promises which makes us sweat to get our hands on their debut LP Channel Pressure, due next week.

Thunderhorse's video, meanwhile, echoes the kaleidoscopic future vision of Daft Punk and the playfulness of Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Californication vid.

Ford & Lopatin "World of Regret" from Thunder Horse Video on Vimeo.

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Mazes // Demo

Mazes have come up with an intriguing new demo via their ever interesting site cum feed of cool songs, vids and pics. More of an Americana vibe than A Thousand Heys, with a hint of 60s surf pop a la Spectrals in there.

Check out the track over at the band's site now for an idea of what their second album may sound like.

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Koudlam // Sunny Day

The combination of self-titled French Symphonic Composer Koudlam and video maestro Jamie Harley is just too good a proposition. The expansive, looping electronica and broken yelps of "just a sunny fucking day" are perfectly offset by Harley's filmic collage.

I can't stop listening to this track, or the below Vondelpark remix of Koudlam's See You All.

Koudlam - 'Sunny Day' from Jamie Harley on Vimeo.

Koudlam: See You All (Vondelpark Rework)