INTERVIEW: ARCANE ROOTSHaving finally released début album ‘Blood And Chemistry,’ we met up with vocalist/guitarist Andrew Groves to discuss the new album, being compared to Biffy Clyro and more.
INTERVIEW: NATIVESCurrently on tour with The Summer Set and a new EP set to be released soon, we caught
up with New Forest's Natives to talk about the new EP and album, the UK rock scene, the transition from being Not Advised to becoming Natives and much more.
FIVES: THE BEST WONDER YEARS SONGSThis week Lansdale, Pennsylvania’s The Wonder Years released their fourth album - ‘The Greatest Generation,’ a record that sees the pop punk quintet reach their creative peak in a number of ways. With a wealth of material in their discography, Already Heard's Sean Reid and Tom Knott took on the tricky task of picking out the five best songs from The Wonder Years. Find out what we picked and let us know if you agree or disagree?
INTERVIEW: MALLORY KNOXFollowing the release of their superb 'Signals' album, Mallory Knox have certainly become ones to watch in recent months. We caught up with the band to discuss joining Search & Destroy Records, how vital the festival season and touring are, what it feels like to be a part
of the expanding British rock scene and much more.
ALREADY HEARD RECOMMENDS: OVER THE OCEANOver The Ocean have crafted a compelling, brooding record with their latest effort ‘Be Given To The Soil.’ With intense specific precision and delicate accuracy that echoes the likes of Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros. Jesse Hill from the band to discusses how the
album came together, the importance of precision, being compared to post-rock pioneers and more.
VERSUS: BRING ME THE HORIZON - 'THERE IS A HELL...' VS 'SEMPITERNAL'After a top ten UK album and an outstanding UK tour with festival dates on both sides of the Atlantic to follow, Bring Me The Horizon are having a fantastic 2013 and are now featured in the latest edition of "Versus." It's ‘There is a Hell, Believe Me I’ve Seen It. There is a Heaven, Let’s Keep it a Secret’ vs the bands latest release, 'Sempiternal.'
ALREADY HEARD TRACK GUIDE: ALEXANDER - SAY HELLOWe catch up with Newcastle Indie Rock quartet Alexander to find out more about their debut album 'Say Hello' for a “Already Heard Track Guide” feature.
Album Review: Ben Marwood - Back Down
Instrumentation has never been the forte of folk bard Ben Marwood, who prefers the austerity of recording alone in a room with an 8-track. In fact, despite the simplistic quality of his songs, a lot of debut album ‘Outside There’s A Curse’’s charm came from the grainy, lo-fi quality of its sound. However, converted critics were largely convinced by the cynical troubadour’s distinctive brand of angsty and observational brand of lyrical work. Marwood made a name for himself for his effortless ability to jump back and forth between themes of personal turmoil (largely fuelled by self-hate, it appeared) and scornful examinations of “extra-personal” subjects.
The application of a more polished, studio-formed, sound is the biggest change on sophomore album ‘Back Down’, as Marwood does away with the more forgiving “Bon Iver” aesthetic. A brave move from the thirty-something minstrel, whose somewhat monochrome voice consequently suffers from sounding, on occasion, a little off. However, not only is Ben Marwood’s bitter lyricism left unscathed from the transformation but it is also applied on a greater variety of soundscapes (though not to the extent that Frank Turner has on recent albums). Note for example this diverse handful of tracks: the sweet minimalism and touching wordings of short opener ‘For the Skin and the Bones’, the tastefully country-tinged ode to aging ‘We Are No Longer Twenty-Five’, and the rockier full-band foundations of ‘I Promise That It’ll Be Okay’.
Sonic Boom Six Announce New Single (‘Karma is a Bitch’)
Sonic Boom Six have revealed the next single from their latest self-titled album will be ‘Karma is a Bitch’ and is set to be released 17th June through Xtra Mile.
1) Karma is a Bitch
2) A Little Bit of Reggae
3) Virus (Acoustic Version)
Interview: Vinnie Caruana
It’s more than safe to say that Vinnie Caruana lives and breathes music: establishing himself as a solo artist, he was the frontman of the mighty The Movielife and is now the vocalist of I Am The Avalanche and Peace’d Out; where does he find the time to commit to all of this? We were lucky enough to catch up with the man himself at Hit The Deck Festival to chat about his musical projects, how he finds the time to commit to them all and what he has planned for the rest of 2013.
Already Heard: Hey Vinnie! So how has Hit The Deck Festival treated you so far?
Vinnie Caruana: Honestly, these two shows in Bristol and Nottingham are some of my favourite UK solo shows. There seems to be a basic interest in all of the songs that I’m playing, there seems to be a really good reaction to the solo record that I’ve just released, obviously The Movielife and I Am The Avalanche songs go down really well; it’s just one big sing-a-long it’s great! I’m on cloud nine.
AH: Yes the venue here today in Nottingham was super intimate and what we loved about your set was that you asked for requests from your fans too. Do you tend to do this at all of your shows?
Vinnie: I don’t even make a setlist!
AH: Last year saw I Am The Avalanche at Hit The Deck, how does it feel to be invited back as a solo artist?
Vinnie: We actually had to cancel last year so I guess I should say that I’m glad to finally play it. We felt awful last time but it was completely out of our hands; we had some business to handle at home. So to finally do it and get this response is a dream, it’s great.
Xtra Mile Records Announce 2000 Trees Festival GreenHouse Stage Takeover
Xtra Mile Records will takeover the GreenHouse stage on the Friday at this summers 2000 Trees Festival and will include acoustic sets from Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun, The Xcerts, Beans on Toast, Ben Marwood, Fighting Fiction, Emily Barker and Crazy Arm.
2000 Trees Festival will take place at Upcote Festival, Gloucestershire from 11th - 13th July.
Visit twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk for more information.
New Larry And His Flask Album Announced (‘By The Lamplight’)
After joining Xtra Mile Records earlier this year, Larry And His Flask have announced their new album, ‘By The Lamplight’ on 24th June.
Frank Turner Releases ‘Plain Sailing Weather’ and ‘Oh Brother’ Live Performance Videos
With ‘Tape Deck Heart’ set to be released next Monday (22nd April) Frank Turner has posted two live performance videos from the album.
‘Plain Sailing Weather’ can be viewed here, whilst the video for ‘Oh Brother’ can be viewed here.
Larry And His Flask Join Xtra Mile; UK Dates with Frank Turner
Larry And His Flask have joined Xtra Mile Records. Their latest album, ‘Hobo’s Lament’ will be released digitally on 22nd April with a limited numbered CD EP on 6th May. A new full-length is expected to be released in June.
Later this month they will be supporting Frank Turner with some headline shows as well.
April
17 Manchester Academy*
18 Glasgow 02 Academy*
19 Leeds Uni Refectory*
20 Diverse Music, Newport (instore)
20 Le Pub, Newport
21 Bristol Academy*
23 Dr Browns, Middlesbrough
24 Birmingham Academy*
25 London Forum*
May
13 TBA, Birmingham
14 The Prince Albert, Brighton
15 The Garage, London
* = supporting Frank Turner
Frank Turner Spotify Live EP Stream
Frank Turner has released an exclusive 3-trak live EP through Spotify, and can be streamed by clicking read more.
Frank Turner’s new album ‘Tape Deck Heart’ is set to be released on April 22nd through Xtra Mile Records
Album Reviews: Glossary - Long Live All Of Us
U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A! You can almost see the stars and stripes filter through the sound as vivid images of the United States’ arid south come to mind. “Country music”, says the old bearded man sitting on the porch of his white-painted house in the middle of cornfields, “that’s the beating heart of America”. Of course, he is but a figment of my imagination, yet he is but one of the many variations on American tradition that spring to mind so effortlessly when confronted to music like that of Murfreesboro, Tennessee’s Glossary. Sitting alongside popular peers The Hold Steady and Lucero, the quintet fit comfortably within the country-tinged rustic rock’n’roll tradition, a national sub-genre of perceptions. Indeed, few other musical branches are so intently focusing on conveying images, a genuine tactile feel, odors and tastes as they recreate the atmospheres of the South.
‘Long Live All Of Us’ being their seventh LP release, it is entirely unsurprising to find a band so evidently comfortable in their songwriting ability, as they consistently deliver their romantic exploration through a lovingly-honed southern sound and tasteful musicianship. Accompanied by a handful of generally optimistic themes, the band’s sound is positively upbeat throughout this new album, as is immediately evident on opener ‘Trouble Won’t Last Always’ (notice the “brighter future” brand of positivism). The bright combination of perky piano melody and sunny guitar, superimposed with Joey Kneiser’s warm crooning make for a cool-as-you-like summery track. One doesn’t need to stretch the imagination to daydream of soulful group-singing around a sole piano, as the sun plunges into the horizon.
Frank Turner ‘The Way I Tend To Be’ Documentary Released
Frank Turner has released a short career retrospective documentary film called ‘The Way I Tend To Be’ and can be viewed by clicking read more.
Frank Turner’s new album ‘Tape Deck Heart’ is set to be released on April 22nd through Xtra Mile Records.
Free Frank Turner Song (‘Good & Gone’)
A new song called ‘Good & Gone’ from Frank Turner’s forthcoming album, ‘Tape Deck Heart’ is available as a free download through Amazon.
‘Tape Deck Heart’ is set to be released on April 22nd through Xtra Mile Records.
Ben Marwood Announces New Album (‘Back Down’)
Xtra Mile Records singer-songwriter Ben Marwood has announced he will release a new album entitled ‘Back Down’ on 13th May.
A UK tour will begin shortly after.
May
18 Reading Rising Sun Arts Centre
June
1 Leicester Cookie Jar @ Crumblin’ Cookie
3 York The Black Swan
4 Dundee Cerberus Bar
5 Edinburgh Pivo
7 Cheltenham Frog And Fiddle
8 Bristol The Louisiana
Frank Turner Premiers ‘Recovery’ Music Video
With his new album, ‘Tape Deck Heart’ set to be released on April 22nd through Xtra Mile Records, Frank Turner has premiered the first single from the album.
The track is called ‘Recovery’ and the music video for the single can be viewed by clicking read more.
Frank Turner Posts ‘Tape Deck Heart’ Making of Video
With his new album, ‘Tape Deck Heart’ set to be released on April 22nd through Xtra Mile Records. Frank Turner has posted a short “making of” video and can be viewed by clicking read more.
Glossary Join Xtra Mile Records; UK Shows and Album Release Announced
Tennessee band Glossary have joined Xtra Mile Records. A new album entitled ‘Long Live All Of Us’ will be released on 15th April with UK shows taking place before its release.
March
29 Brighton - The Palmeira
30 London - The Windmill
31 Leeds - Wharf Chambers
April
01 Edinburgh - The Banshee Labyrinth
02 Manchester - The Star & Garter
03 Bristol - The Croft
