Last month I discovered Phoria who do that lo-fi, fuzzy music thing very well. Their Bloodwork EP is a perfect escape so of course the visuals are a little getaway too, a rainy one sure, but a getaway nonetheless. 

Phoria: Website…Facebook…Twitter…Soundcloud

Have to thank my pals Seasfire for putting me onto fellow Bristol artist Joshua Vincent aka Chapter House. 

“Getaway” starts off quiet and then launches into the first big moment of the track. Verses recall Mystery Jets, Bon Iver, U2, New Wave all in one go and then the chorus hits and I just had to sit back and say wow, that’s big. 

Excited to hear more things? Check out the equally wonderful “Blood Sweat and Tears” and prepare yourself to hear more from Chapter House. 

Chapter House: Facebook…Soundcloud

Oh Seasfire, you never disappoint. They’ve come a long way since the lo-fi mysterious “Falling”, you can hear the evolution. “Oh…Lucifer” is as commercial as the Bristol boys have gotten with shades of coldplay thrown in but for very good measure. 

“Oh…Lucifer” is out July 1st through Little Fan Records. 

(via Pigeons and Planes)

Over on This Is Fake DIY they are premiering this interesting EP from UK five-piece, Phoria. Its an odd mixture, with this first track from the EP “Posture” starting off slow and otherworldly before launching into hectic beats and cinematic guitars. It’s got that lo-fi, post r&b kind of thing going on that seems to be all the rage and they do it very very well. 

If you like Seasfire, try these. 

Phoria: Website…Facebook…Twitter…Soundcloud

Here’s ITYLTS’ Best of March for you.

And while it was a good month, sadly it also marks the split of Girls Aloud, which I’ve taken hard. So as a bonus track I’ve got you a lovely little megamix of their brand of pitch perfect pop. RIP.

Magic Man- “Paris”

AlunaGeorge- “I Wanna Be Like You (The Jungle Book Cover)”

Shadows On Stars- “Little Bit (Lykke Li Cover)”

Vance Joy- “Rip Tide”

She & Him- “Never Wanted Your Love”

The Rubens- “Lay It Down”

Laura Marling- “Where Can I Go”

Seasfire- “Crushing Abyss”

MKS- “Lay Down in Swimming Pools (Kendrick Lamar Cover)”

James Blake- “Digital Lion”

+BONUS TRACK+

Girls Aloud Mega Mix.

Every time I try and pin point Seasfire they do something different. It was all lo-fi and mysterious on “Falling”, big and commercial on “We Will Wake” and now on “Crushing Abyss” they take it in yet another direction, and I love it. It starts off with quiet pianos that remind me of Sam Smith’s new one “Lay Me Down” and then Josh Thorn’s vocals kick in and the comparisons float away. Once it gets to the distorted choppy chorus, “Crushing Abyss” cements tself as another brilliant single from this exciting band.

You can grab a free download of “Crushing Abyss” by tweeting about it, more info here.

ITYLTS’ Top Songs of 2012 from ITYLTSmusic on 8tracks Radio.

Just my thoughts, man, just my thoughts

It’s here, it’s arrived, here is ITYLTS’ 33 Best Songs of 2012!

You can agree, disagree, shout about my glaring omissions or smile sadly at my glaring admissions, who cares! These are the songs that made my 2012, let me know how they fit into yours. Back in June, I did a list of the best songs of the year so far… and a few from that list are gonna make my final 33 but a few have been edged out. 

Anyways, here’s my pick of the 33 Best Songs of 2012 in the handy playlist up top. (Spotify too!) Have fun with this… coming up in Jan, the best Remix Baby and disCOVERs

ITYLTS’ 33 Best Songs of 2012

“Anything Could Happen” Ellie Goulding

“It’s Time” Imagine Dragons

“You Know You Like It” AlunaGeorge

“Oblivion” Grimes

“Same Love ft. Mary Lambert” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

“Every Single Night” Fiona Apple

“Friend Crush” Friends

“Mississippi” The Griswolds

“Call Me Maybe” Carly Rae Jepson

“Locked Out Of Heaven” Bruno Mars

“Running” Jessie Ware

“Longevity” Yeasayer

“We Will Wake” Seasfire

“Sweater Weather” The Neighbourhood

“Open” Rhye

“Sweet Life” Frank Ocean

“Adorn” Miguel

“Get Free fr. Amber of Dirty Projectors” Major Lazer

“Losing You” Solange

“Don’t Save Me” Haim

“Warrior” Mark Foster + A-Trak + Kimbra 

“Jumanji” Azealia Banks 

“Backseat Freestyle” Kendrick Lamar 

“Mercy ft. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz” Kanye West 

“Mama Told Me ft. Little Dragon” Big Boi 

“Diamonds” Rihanna 

“We Are Young ft. Janelle Monae” Fun. 

“Wings” HAERTS 

“Confetti” She’s So Rad 

“Paradise” Wild Nothing 

“Dissolve Me” Alt- J 

“Take A Walk” Passion Pit

“I Will Wait” Mumford & Sons 

Its that time of the year again, its the best of lists. There’s been a few rolling around but I know y’all have been waiting for me to grace the interwebs with my choices, right?

Anyway, here are my top 10 albums of 2012, the ones that have been in heavy rotation, the ones that made me think about music differently- the ones that made me listen different. 

…in no particular order.

Read More

Fresh off the release of their debut EP We Will Wake and a Blog Sound of 2012 nomination, Seasfire has dropped the video for the powerful “We Will Wake”. Be sure to check out my Seasfire interview.

Its here, 3rd December is finally here which means Seasfire’s debut EP We Will Wake is released. Merry Christmas everyone! With lead single “We Will Wake” the titular EP is a step in the right direction for the Bristol boys who have built on the foundations of “Falling” to something quite marvellous. We Will Wake is a splendid mix of radio friendly mixed with what first made Seasfire buzz-worthy and with that mix expect big things for Seasfire ahead.

The EP is available on iTunes and includes some top knotch remixes, go get it NOW.

…

I caught up with Josh from the band to talk about what an incredible year 2012 has been for the boys, how the ‘Seasfire Sound’ has evolved and what’s next for them.

With the new EP released this coming Monday can you let us know what to expect from We Will Wake?

We Will Wake is the next piece of the puzzle for us, although as it is still such early days, it is kind of the first significant piece. That’s because it is the first chance we’ve had to demonstrate who we are, musically speaking. We feel the 5 songs work well together as our first EP. There is still a lot to come though, that’s for sure.

Do you think the ‘seasfire sound’ has evolved since “Falling”?

Yes, it has definitely developed from our previous releases, but not majorly. We said all along we had big ambitions for our sound, which I think is reflected best in “We Will Wake” and “How Do You Sleep”, but we are still holding true to the original electronic feel. “Falling” was one of the first songs we wrote together, but then so were “Human Sacrifice” and “You Won’t Be” – it maybe just took us a bit longer to fine tune them.

The first two are the newest. But then the recordings are all new and the older songs have changed a lot. It’s strange how a song like “Human Sacrifice” can change 3 times in about 10 months, who knows maybe it’ll be on our next release in a completely different form! 

You worked with Lana Del Rey’s producer on the EP and considering how much you guys love her were you a bit star struck or was it straight down to business?

Of course – any time you have that connection with someone who has worked with people you are fans of, it is a little bit intimidating and exciting at the same time. We have lots of questions. But Dan has worked on an insane number of successful records over the last few years so for him it’s probably not a big deal. We really enjoyed what he did with the lead track though, it has such a pure sound but still retains its intensity.

Any collaborations with LDR in the pipelines? Who would you love to do a song with?

We would love that, but that’s pretty far off at the moment. It is hard to say but Saint Lou Lou would be up there. Producers maybe Jacknife Lee – the production on the second and third Bloc Party records is amazing.

Lana Del Rey - National Anthem (SEASFIRE REMIX) by SEASFIRE

Its funny that when The Neighbourhood’s EP first came out, I kept linking them to you guys in my head and then you ended up supporting them on some of their UK dates, how did that come about and were you fans of the Cali band beforehand?

Yes, big fans. Their EP is fantastic. I remember Zane playing them earlier in the year and thinking “wow, this is something special”. He has been a huge fan and he came down to the show to hang out with them. They were great guys we had a lot of fun with them. Seeing them play was an inspiration, they owned the Borderline that night. I mean the hype for their shows was crazy and the anticipation in the room was immense. We fed off it that night and played a good set, we had some really good feedback.

Huw Stephens is a fan as is Mary Anne Hobbs, how do you deal with hearing about these major names loving your music?

Well we definitely don’t have any problems dealing with it. It is a little bit weird, sure, but also it gives us confirmation we are making good music, and consequently more motivation. Greg James and Huw have both been incredible to us this year, BBC Introducing too. 

2012 has been quite a year for you guys, can you pick a highlight?

Reading and Leeds obviously. Gigs wise our shows at SWN festival and Oxford Gathering festival, people were watching through windows it was so crammed. Other than that, shooting the video for We Will Wake.

What’s been the most surreal experience of the last year?

Recording at Abbey Road – although sadly I don’t think the videos will ever go online. So I guess hitting the top of the Hype Machine chart was the most surreal. Our soundcloud was going nuts for a few days – it gives you a demonstration of how powerful the internet can be.

Is there a full length album in the works?

Not yet. We’re going at our own pace and hope to be able to record one next year.

Since we’re nearing the end of 2012, what has been your favourite song/album of the last year?

This question is too hard Polly! It’s hard for me to say and speak for us all, so I’m going to name a few. LiveLoveA mixtape – A$AP Rocky, obviously LDR’s album, Purity Ring, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid M.A.A.D City. One of our favourite songs was “Goldroom” – Fifteen ft Chela. (Some fine choices here, definitely- ITYLTS)

Would you rather have a puppy sized elephant or an elephant sized puppy?

I think the puppy sized elephant. It would be much more manageable.

What movie/book/tv show/thing are you really into right now, what’s the current obsession?

Homeland and Master Chef, although god it makes me hungry. I’m not yet sure why someone hasn’t done a comedy sketch based on it though. I’ve just started reading Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk which was strongly recommended to me.

 
What song is on repeat for you right now? 
Saint Lou Lou – “Maybe You” and Kendrick Lamar – the whole album but Backstreet Freestyle is a highlight. 

Saint Lou Lou - Maybe You by saintloulou

And finally, what’s next for Seasfire in 2013??

Hopefully more fans, more gigs, and more songs that people love.

THANKS BOYS