Introducing.. Esben and the Witch (Unsigned)

(Gothic/Pop/Trip-hop/Ambient)

Esben and the Witch are a Brighton three-piece who don't just have some of the most haunting gothic pop songs of the last decade to boast - they have one of the most concise and chilling band images to match. Naming themselves after a Danish fairytale, they fill their music with ancient medieval references and litter their myspace page with wood-styled carvings of skulls and forests. In keeping with the mystery surrounding their descent - they provide only first names, and quote their musical influences as simply 'glaciers, caverns and waning moons'; their lone headline is "nightmare pop." The heavily blurred and deliberately ambiguous photo above is about as clear as I could find.

As unclear as their past and present are, what we do know is that the three came together in 2008, are currently residing in Brighton and released their debut EP, titled simply '33' on October 26, 2009. They have a UK tour coming up and judging by the small selection of darkened live shots, they are well worth seeing - in true Fever Ray fashion, their stages are draped with low and coloured lights to match the low and melancholy mood.

Chilling, shivering late 80s gothic synthpop is where the musical result of all this background lies - this is downbeat and haunted electronic music not for the light-hearted. Taking all the hypnotic sentimentality in vocals of Beth Gibbons and combining it with the darkened themes of the Siouxsie & The Banshees inspired gothic movement of the early 80s leaves the bare bones of a candlelit tribute to all music of that mood. There are echoes of The XX in that this band are one of the more subtle bands out there at the moment, and its perfectly possible to read just as much into what they leave out as what they include. You can download the full EP '33' at the band website - esbenandthewitch.co.uk

File Next To - Siouxsie & The Banshees, The XX, Portishead

Esben and the Witch - Marching Song (MP3)
Esben and the Witch - About This Peninsula (MP3)

Introducing.. Stornoway (Unsigned)

JOHN BULLOCK AUGUST 2009

(Folk/Indie Pop/Psych-folk)

My first experience of Stornoway came in seeing them at the bottom of last year's Glastonbury festival bill, and despite never getting around to watching them play that year, coming across them again months later somewhere on the internet was an unexpected, but welcome surprise. They remain unsigned despite recently making it on to the BBC's sound of 2010 longlist, being introduced on Radio 1 (and soon XFM) and picking up mentions in the esteemed music section of the News of The World, as well as that of The Guardian and Independent. All of this coming from a band who are yet to release an album or even sign to a label. Their self released debut 7" 'Zorbing' came out Monday 8th June 2009.

Based in Oxford, and naming themselves after an Scottish island on the Outer Hebrides (the relationship they have with which i am unsure), Stornoway innovate downbeat and optimistic folk pop tunes to counter the rather desolate implications of their name - music which uplifts with classic orchestral outros and airy backing vocals. Tight folky harmonies and jarring basslines accompany rich acoustics beneath the crisp-clean soulful voice of lead vocalist Brian Briggs. His vocals express every essence of a state of care-free psychedelia which comes across in every release to date - and are typically accompanied by a rising haze of urgency which crops up all around the unsuspecting listener, helplessly drawn in by the chillout psych-folk which exults from the first few minutes of each track.

They are heading out on a UK tour early this year (details on the myspace), including dates with Fyfe Dangerfield (of Guillemots), but as of yet there appears to be little or no news of an album release date - in the meantime, i've attached two MP3s below - their debut single Zorbing and the more ambient affair On The Rocks.

File Next To - Local Natives/Vetiver/Slow Club

Stornoway - Zorbing (MP3) (link removed by request)
Stornoway - On The Rocks (MP3) (link removed by request)

Stornoway's Second Single Unfaithful on Amazon

Introducing.. Fez (Unsigned)

(Indie Rock/Indie Pop/Alternative)

British guitar pop music is never something i've been a huge fan of; I like it when it finds me, but i never find myself making a conscious effort to actually hunt it down or listen to it, let alone buy it. Fez (or their latest recordings) are currently in the process forcing me to rethink, and for that reason, they are definitely a first for me in that sense - even though they definitely aren't a first in any other. They draw elements of all the bands who have gone before them, and although none of what they make is particularly original, it is made in such good spirits and to such a high standard that where their influences lie becomes irrelevant. The squealing post-punk guitars and charismatic four-part vocals make for an interesting compilation of the best bits of The Maccabees, Talking Heads and even more modern contemporaries such as The Courteeners. From what I can gather they formed in 2005 and are currently based in London - they are not currently signed and have a fairly limited future gig schedule, but with the creation of a new myspace, a set of new tracks and some new-found internet buzz Fez could be a potential underground indie rock band to make it in 2010.

File Next To - Talking Heads/Pigeon Detectives/The Maccabees

Fez - Lowlight (MP3)
Fez - Harmonix (MP3)

One To Watch In 2010 - Flotilla

Flotilla - One Hundred Words For Water (November 2, 2009)

(Indie Pop/Classical/Chillout)

Canada, as a music scene, is definitely doing something right; the sheer volume of incredible female vocalists coming out of there in recent years (particularly its major cities, Montreal and Quebec) might be quite shocking, but remains warmly welcomed by people such as myself. As you may have guessed, I'm quite a sucker for dreamy chamber pop bands with female vocalists like Stars, The Most Serene Republic and Feist. Another of my favourite female vocal styles originates from across the pond in Bristol, UK where in the 90s, Portishead and Beth Gibbons started out the wave of trip-hop and quivering female voices that aided the popularisation of bands such as Massive Attack. Flotilla, hailing from Montreal themselves, do a good job of combining the two styles into a chillout pop album of light classical indie, with occasional progressive and trip-hop influences.

As a five (and occasionally six) piece, headed by Veronica Charnley, Flotilla create a layered and minimalistic selection of well-placed riffs and sounds - giving the unnervingly intertwined organic sounds of piano, harp and strings an individuality which they themselves produced in recording. Certain songs (notably Charlie, I'm Through) do break convincingly into a full band sound, but at all times the voice remains the focus of the arrangement. There's even an erratic disco piece towards the end of track Clouds. However, never does an instrument break out of the background, and even amongst such an accomplished set of gifted musicians every single one knows well his or her place and boundaries. They manage to provide an ecletic backing to a confident singer - with an experimental edge reminiscent at times of Portishead, occasionally parts of the more experimental side of Radiohead, but more often than not of bands like The Most Serene Republic, Feist and St. Vincent.

Although their album came out in 2009, I count Flotilla as a band to watch in 2010; their first album never really caught on, and for that reason such a stunning follow-up will take its time to be appreciated. They have touring planned for next year in the USA, where if they don't start to take off, something is seriously wrong.

File Next To - Joanna Newsom, Kings of Convenience, St. Vincent

Flotilla - Charlie, I'm Through (MP3)
Flotilla - Meet Me Outside (MP3)

Buy One Hundred Words For Water Direct Via Flotilla.

Saintseneca, Saintseneca EP

Saintseneca are an indie folk band from the Columbus, Ohio music scene. They put out their first album at the beginning of 2009 and a new four track, the self-titled Saintseneca EP, on September 1st. They play fast paced banjo/guitar folk music with handclaps and twee vocals, with stomping singalong chorusses and simple vocal melodies to match. According to the myspace, they'll play anywhere that 'it echoes, and there's a good floor to stomp on.'

They are currently on mini-tour around Ohio in support of the EP, which now available on Itunes (at full price) and on Paper Brigade, where you can name your own. Promo single God Bones is gorgeously catchy - twee folk at its finest. Furious high pitched strumming starts off the song at a high tempo, before huge percussion and violins present both a folk music anthem and a clear cut lead single from the EP. At two and a half minutes, it captures everything Saintseneca are about, tight strumming, fluid vocals, great lyrics and an endless repertoire of instruments.


Saintseneca - God Bones (live)

Saintseneca are definitely a band to keep watch on. You can stream, or buy, the full EP from Paper Brigade Digital, and hear the rest of their music at the myspace page. You can download a collection of their material from earlier this year in RAR format from OHYM.

Saintseneca EP from Amazon.

Saintseneca - God Bones (MP3) (from the Saintseneca EP)
Saintseneca - Coldwater History (MP3)