Photo: Gigwise
So Adele's actually back, that's the big news of the week. Her album is predictably called 25 and the album cover is pretty daunting. In other news, Blur have a documentary coming out and Kendrick Lamar performed with a full symphony orchestra, exciting times. These are just mere distractions, however, simple things to keep you entertained until the Friday playlist arrives - well, here it is.
We've got boatloads of good stuff to fill your ears with. The crippling blow that is the new Savages track, an adorable new video from Hinds and the disarming polyrhythms of CMJ discovery Stolen Jars. There's so much get stuck into so get involved.
Savages - 'Answer'
A feverish, insistent burst of guitar rock, this is Savages doing what they do best, better than they've ever done it before. Not only is it characteristically dramatic and stylised, but it's also catchy as hell. There's ten seconds of silence just before its raucous climax - just enough time for you to draw a deep breath and then kick a chair over out of pure exhilaration.
Lethal Bizzle x Stormzy - 'Dude'
Since Drake got that ridiculous BBK tattoo, grime fans needed something to snap them back to reality. With all these fake Roadmen out it’s hard to keep going as a genuine badman but luckily Bizzle and the newest hero of `Grime, Stormzy, have got your back. ‘Dude’ is a hard-hitting, HudMo-esque beat with Bizzle spitting with trademarked animosity and Stormzy dropping an, albeit short but fire 16 bars.
Stolen Jars - 'Wreaths Rakes'
Winning the hearts of music blogs globally after a breakthrough show at CMJ in New York this week, Stolen Jars’ instrumental complexity shouldn’t deter you from how simply delightful they are. Polyrhythms, rustic sounds and off-kilter harmonies pan around the mix in imperfect harmony, it just sounds so transparently human and that’s what makes it beautiful.
Oscar - 'Heroine (Gengahr cover)'
What’s great about Oscar Scheller is that seems like a really, really chill dude. To celebrate touring with the London quartet, Gengahr, he’s only gone and covered his favourite track of theirs. Not so much a cover as a freestyle over the instrumental, Oscar brings his sentimental monotone to the blissed out sounds of Gengahr - a match made in indie-heartthrob heaven.
Hinds - 'Garden'
There are two types of people in this world, people who love Hinds and bad people. The Spanish clatter-pop quartet have been melting the hearts of music fans for quite a while now and just continue to impress. With a debut album in the can, we’ll take any opportunity to bring them up. Their new video for ‘Garden’ is rife in vintage cinematography and undeniable charm.
Jennylee - 'Never'
The Warpaint bassist’s solo endeavour has been making more waves than the average Indie-rock solo offshoot and that’s because it’s genuinely really exciting. Jennylee takes all the post-punk atmosphere from her home-band and filters it through a pop-transmorpher to create a lo-fi and totally intoxicating mix of the two.
October Drift - 'Robots'
October Drift have both a sound and attitude rooted very heavily in authentic English culture. Between the 90s dissonant swell of the guitars and the sincerity of a disappointed idealist, October Drift are the genuine article. While so many UK bands are embracing the surf-punk trend, it's refreshing to hear a track like 'Robots' that's so heavily ingrained with the landscape it was shaped by.
Jodie Abacus - Halfway to Mexico
"Dis Tune Doh!" exclaimed Soundcloud user ZAFLON very astutely and while it's easy to mock, ZAFLON has a point, there is reason to be excited over this Royce Wood Junior produced banger. Abacus' vocals are all over the shop and visually provocative, in the best way. The beat is squelchy, deformed and constantly keeps you guessing. It's an exhausting listen start to finish but after a few replays 'Halfway to Mexico' becomes just unbelievable fun
Zibra - 'Wasted Days'
Describing themselves as 'riot-pop', we can only assume the former part of the genre categorisation is a mobbing against negative energy since 'Wasted Days' is just about the most sickeningly fun track we've heard this month. The bastardised Caribbean synths and sugar-rushed vocals is an uplifting jolt for anyone struggling to get their Friday feeling jumpstarted.
The Anchoress - 'Popular'
Sticky vocals and tightly wound grooves, Catherine Anne Davis boasts both a PhD and a knack for writing insanely catchy tunes. Her latest LP has just been announced and presented with this piano-centric cut. There were over 40 tracks recorded for this album so if this is the standard, imagine how tough of a meeting it was deciding what went on the record.
