arm Offensive in full is a blissfully strong project, which introduces Hannan as a rock band well worth knowing about as the genre re-connects with the mainstream over the coming years.
Albums
These are the underground hits the music world craves; and turns back to again and again. Timeless, refreshing and ever-creative music.
Here comes that intellect, that fine balance between poetry, smart and sharp literacy, and personal emotion.
Quick to grab attention, Chives uniquely fuse infectious rhythms with raw indie instrumentation, passionate vocals and long-form melodies, resulting in a sound that’s genuinely their own right now.
I did some research on Padana and he has an incredible backstory which makes this album’s achievements even more remarkable than I impart here, but you should check that out for yourselves, as it shouldn’t detract from what the music (notably) delivers alone.
Freak sets out to be declamatory and certain, with human guitars and a questing vocal performance. There’s something of Simon Le Bon’s melodic choice about the whole affair; a New Romantic sense of panache amidst the grooving to help set the 21st century alight!
Dave’s voice has the right level of gravitas and directness to deliver stories, and a sweet and gentle vibrato that ends phrases with a tidy elan. I’d like to wheel out the phrase ‘labour of love’ to describe the collection at this point. It’s just superb!
The opening moments immediately put the listener at ease – here comes that fine fusion of retro electronica and the sounds of the natural world; here comes the dreamland, the ethereal bliss.
The opening and title-track from the new Twin Lakes album In The Valley is a softly stunning, acoustic offering – one that quickly engages, energizes, and entrances listeners with its organic folk purity and captivating use of poetic story-telling.
The word here is impressive, with Elina amply displaying some fine contemporary nous and songwriting, with Beyonce levels of vocal control and with something of a signature sound, too.
Leading with a retro electronic warmth that tips its hat to trip hop and the late Mac Miller alike, R. Choppa’s Animal Behavior is a project with a creative set of soundscapes and a quickly recognisable, identity-loaded string of vocal performances.
Featuring hints of hip hop, a range of brief yet characterful vocals, and a complete ocean of different instrumental moments and sentiments, Sounds Of The Mind is as complex as it is calm and simple to appreciate.