Waylayers
You know how my life is a film, yeah? Well, it is. And Waylayers’ S.O.S. (Leave Alone) is definitely on the soundtrack. It’s the bit where something really terrible has happened, like my ‘soulmate’ has left me for my dad, or I’ve been caught up in a shameful scandal and been shunned to the edge of society, or, more likely in my life, my cat has popped it. This song will pipe up just as I’m starting to pick myself up again, realise that life is wonderful, I’m the best at everything and I have no room for more happiness, otherwise I’ll pop. And there would be a montage, with laughter, dancing and mincing. Yes, definitely mincing.
Another track I’ve been listening to again. And again. And again is Hear No Lies. Its a bundle of synthy goodness, with epic delayed guitar riffs. If A-ha and the Editors were to beget a child, Waylayers would be their surrogate. And what a beautiful baby it would be.
Fever Dream
The throbbing, groggy bass in Fever Dream‘s murky post-punk songs sounds like an addict who just can’t quit his habit. Every so often, triumphantly, he flushes all the drugs down the toilet; “this time it’s for ever”, the real deal, except it’s not, it never is, and inside his head he knows it’s not, he knows that in two months he’ll be repeating this symbolic performance, and it’ll be just as pointless, just as contrived, and the only truly brave thing to do would be to admit that he can’t quit, that he’s weak, that the resolve is lacking, that the need is just too strong to subdue. But instead he just goes on, quitting and unquitting, quitting and unquitting, locked in a demented, psychedelic cycle.
The Waste is the debut single, and it’s being launched at The Others in Stoke Newington on 3 February.
Fever Dream - Poyekhali! (mp3)
Future Sound Share
Breaking from SOIWT’s normal musicians focus, here’s a new-music initiative well worth knowing about:
Future Sound Share is a London-based project dedicated to supporting new and emerging artists. It plays their music to lucky online visitors; bands and artists keen to appear can send in their demos or singles (details here) for consideration. Currently it’s just on Facebook, but a devoted website will soon follow.
Says founder David J. Houston: “I started Future Sound Share because of a passion for new music that started in my early teens. It progressed to me dropping regular email send-outs about new bands and now into a blog where I can reach a wider audience. It’s what I do in every spare second after work and weekends because I love it.” He might as well be talking at me, and why I began SOIWT, so apt is it.
As of next month, Future Sound Share will curate showcase gigs too. The first-ever one takes place on 17 February in Buffalo Bar, beside Highbury & Islington tube. It’ll star five of the best bands to feature on Future Sound Share, including London act Gaoler’s Daughter, who SOIWT has previously eulogised about here (Angry Eyes mp3). More on each band over on Facebook.
Whales in Cubicles
Newly signed to Young & Lost Club, London rocksters Whales in Cubicles recently announce themselves with two-faced single We Never Win: initially weathered and understated, it finishes in a brash, punkish fit of pique, all hot and bothered. Check their Bandcamp for news of imminent gigs.
Comet Sands
Bold, brassy and brash, Comet Sands‘ single Andromeda (mp3) veers dementedly from angular-rock quirkiness through cocaine strings to a sort of all-in racket, before finishing with something akin to a burp, spent and pleased with itself. Other tunes on the London act’s free collection of songs – catchily called Recordings and Live Demos - are similarly careering, such as the his-and-hers hoopla of Somehow, or just super-snarey, like Lake Baikal, which must be the screwiest song ever recorded about a deep Russian pond. And then there’s the proggy The Beautiful & Damned, antisocial and ominous, like the sneering boy you absolutely don’t want your daughter to date, and absolutely know she will.