Round-up Tracks: Merchandise, Ben Howard & More

There’s something deliciously melodramatic about ‘Green Lady’ from the off. Drum fills that would make Phil Collins positively green with envy colour each turn with a huey wash of 80s nostalgia, and then there’s the vocals; ever so slightly posturing, and reaching maximum emotive capacity. It’s sort of like if Morrissey formed a new superband with Spandau Ballet and Ultravox, assuming he was the kind of bloke who was up for a laugh in the first place. He’s actually too miserable for anything that fun and listenable, but no matter when Merchandise exist. (El Hunt)

There are few more recognisable voices in rock and pop than that of iconic Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks. The influence of Fleetwood Mac is perhaps stronger than ever in 2014 with acts like Haim in thrall to the bands timeless charms. It’s a perfect time, then, for the singer to re-emerge with a new song that instantly recalls Nicks and the band’s golden age. ‘The Dealer’s’ sense of familiarity shouldn’t be such a surprise as the song is a contemporary recording of a track demo’d for Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 LP ‘Tusk’, what makes it special though is the extra emotion in her voice; it’s an older, wiser and reflective Nicks as she looks back on her past with a feeling of misty eyed catharsis. Added to the pristine piano and organ swing of wide eyed Californian rock dreams it makes for a supremely gorgeous reminder of the talents of an unequivocally legendary performer. (Martyn Young)

Ben Howard’s debut album ‘Every Kingdom’ was nuanced folk at its best, but that’s not the main reason that it stood out from the crowd. Live, the likes of ‘The Wolves’ and ‘Old Pine’ seemed to morph into altogether larger beasts, and festival tents responded in one synchronised mass of howling and limb flailing. Returning with ‘End of the Affair’, it’s an idea that Howard has moved right to the centre of his writing. Starting out plaintively and minimally at first, there’s something more electronic going on behind the scenes. Howard’s melodies reverberate beautifully, and then everything becomes apparent in the final half. Exploding into rolling drum beats, threatening to crash into lightening like a dark storm cloud looming right overhead, it builds and builds, before the last rolling wave finally breaks. (Connie Lingus)

Although the title of this Chicago’s cult-thriller-loving, guitar-slinging quartet’s new track may sound rather cute and fluffy, it’s less a glass of mashed-up berries and more a shot of undiluted absinthe. Take a sip and you’ll find your throat inundated with growling garage-rock riffs, cutting hooks and a heady aftertaste of amplified overdrive. Piercing through the flavour, however, are the fiercely strong notes of rawness and directness that have been strengthened since previous releases. Cadien Lake James’ vocals roar amongst gnarly guitars that snap like a Venus Fly-Trap running on an empty stomach, culminating in psychedelic breakdowns stuffed with synths and vocal hooks. Judging from ‘Strawberry Smoothie’ and the last cut ‘I Found A New Way’, upcoming album ‘Wild Onion’ is going to be like a crate of eye-drop bottles filled with onion juice; just what the doctor ordered. (Kyle MacNeill)

‘You Come To Kill Me?!’ is bratty, brash and abrasive, like a teenager popping bright pink bubblegum defiantly at any nearby authority figures. That’s not to say that Happyness are being especially rule-breaking on a grand level; and they’re channelling the fuzzy influence of grunge through every single riff. Still, who on earth is complaining when it sounds this irresistible? (EH)

All round chilled-out guy Oscar perfectly represents the bedroom-musician stereotype. His tracks are all washed with a duvet-day vibe, injected with equal lashings of reverb and fuzz, and stuffed full of quality hooks. Slacker, however, he ain’t. His tunes are carefully crafted, and churned-out at a pretty impressive rate; he’s already unveiling new tracks only a few months after his debut EP ‘Sometimes’. He seemingly may have not got out of bed for the torturously cute album cover of his new track ‘Be Good’, but it’s clearly been nurtured with tender indie-pop love. Given a tropical vibe with its syrupy cocktail of organ and summery guitar, it’s the poppiest and most immediate of all of his tracks, trading the fuzz for reverb more springy than force-feeding Tigger a box of party rings and flinging him face-first onto a trampoline. (KM)

Monuments have been used throughout the ages to define specific incidents or commemorate notable individuals. To immortalize their importance in history, ensure they are not forgotten and serve as a long-standing reminder to all that see them. It’s been some time since Talons last put out a full length and this – the opening track to their latest album New Topographics is, to be blunt, nothing short of monumental. It paints a dramatic landscape of an unknown danger – the wailing guitars act as a sinister siren and the driving bass marches us to an inevitable bitter demise. To live up to its name further it stands at an epic 8 minutes. Like the statues, amphitheaters, pyramids and stone sculptures built by countless human civilizations before us, this monument is impossible to ignore. (Joe Dickinson)

Icelandic post-classical whizz Ólafur Arnalds has built a career on understanding and getting right inside simplicity. He has an uncanny talent for making single melodies and minimalism drip with sunny richness. Newly unveiled track ‘Burnt’ is yet more proof that Ólafur Arnalds and his friend and collaborator, the Bloodgroup mastermind Janus Rasmussen, complement one another better than rhubarb and custard. It’s also bolder than the misty condensation of the pair’s previous EP, ‘Thrown’. Brasher, braver and more raw, ‘Burnt’ seems to exude glacial coolness and heat at the same time, like an all-night party in a Scandinavian ice hotel, or a fiery wasabi pea housed in an ice-cube. All of Arnald’s post-classical subtly comes right to the surface, taking the form of urgent strings and incredibly minimalistic piano. The pace of ‘Burnt’ comes from twisted, mangled synthesisers and a beat acting as the driving force. A preview into things to come on Kiasmos’ debut self titled album – out via Erased Tapes on 27th October – ‘Burnt’ is a total stunner. It looks like Kiasmos is a fuse that is just going to keep on igniting. (EH)

Tags: Merchandise, Listen, Features