The Kill Devil Hills – The Week in Pictures / The Bends AA single
The Kill Devil Hills are an Australian five piece who in recent years have moved their sound away from swamp country and further towards abrasive, rockier terrain. These new songs are lifted from a forthcoming album and show great promise. “The Week in Pictures” bares some similarity to another great Australian band, The Drones (who have close associations with The KDH), in both sound and scope. A brutal and strange song that mentions everything from space stations to Mick Jagger to Paul the Octopus. “The Bends” is not a Radiohead cover but a nautical slow burner dealing with decompression sickness, recalling the dramatic highs of the last KDH album. Big, bruising and brilliant.
Idiot Glee – Paddy Whack
Paddywhack is a delightful collection of pop songs from Idiot Glee, the one man project of Lexington’s James Friley. Opening track “It” doesn’t do much to separate itself from the pop pack, but it is on track two “Let’s Get Down Together” where Idiot Glee’s appeal becomes apparent. A hearty amount of soul is added to the mix to provide a, well, gleeful pop song, that beautifully combines modern indie with 60’s Motown. Swinging between the introspective and the upbeat, Paddy Whack is an intriguing album that is a notch above most bedroom artist recordings. Friley creates a sound that is rich and clear, allowing the the lyrics and warm keyboard sound to ring clear rather than burying the songs in distortion. More power to him.
Now Wakes the Sea – Fluoxetine Morning
Fluoxetine Morning is a dense, chilling album from Scottish artist Now Wakes The Sea. Fuzzy vocals narrate these gothic tales with a creeping sense of terror drifting throughout. Unsettling lyrics are backed by simple folk music, adorned with subtle and not so subtle electronic elements. At times synths burst into songs like rays of sun through clouds though largely these songs move through dark and gloomy territory. A complex work of menace and beauty, Fluoxetine Morning is best consumed on lonely nights as the rain comes down outside.
