When Saints Go Machine - Kelly

So, a new music obsession is born. We’d previously been impressed by Danish four-piece When Saints Go Machine at the relentlessly ace Ja Ja Ja night; but upon closer inspection, it appears their new album “Konkylie” (Danish for ‘conch’) is really rather spectacularly good. Operatic, icy electronic pop with a one-off falsetto – this is the kind of intelligent pop music that the dumbed-down, hyper-contrived divas of today make me yearn for.

When Saints Go Machine – Kelly by snipelondon

Bonus: Last night they played XOYO supporting coming-of-age solo artist Saint Saviour – a modern day Kate Bush with a striking voice and some really fantastic dramatic pop songs up her sleeve. See below for Birdsong, from her current EP, out today.

Saint Saviour – Birdsong by snipelondon

Great Circular O by Burning Buildings

Strident keyboards, crackling vocals and laid-back drums jostle for your attention during the first two minutes of this excellent new track from Manchester three-piece Burning Buildings, succinctly described by the TLOBF as emoting ‘Great Eastern-era Delgados’. It then descends into an unexpectedly jaunty, Hot Club de Paris style outro, albeit with heavier guitars. This writer would’ve preferred a little more of the former, but it’s impressive stuff nonetheless. More please! Download their new EP, The Sleep Tapes, for free via their Bandcamp page.

Burning Buildings – Great Circular O by snipelondon

Three Flavors by Casey Burge

Triumph, the new album from Kansas City songwriter Casey Burge, is a pleasantly breezy mix of tight production, vocal harmonies and short, snappy songs, reminiscent of Eels at their finest or the less self-indulgent side of Beck. It’s available digitally and as a cassette (remember those folks?) via the Overland Shark Bandcamp page.

Casey Burge – Three Flavors by snipelondon

Situation by Making Friendz

Making Friendz is the solo alter ego of MEN bassist Tami Heart. She releases new album Social Life, her first in 10 years, June 21st via Last Bummer Records. Check out the punky doo-wop of lead single Situation below and the accompanying gross-out video, described by makers Wildwood as a ‘joyous puke festival’. Not for the faint-hearted or weak of stomach.

Making Friendz – Situation by snipelondon

Love/Lust (Keep Shelly in Athens Remix) by D/R/U/G/S

Earlier this month Callum Wright, a.k.a. D/R/U/G/S, released his first EP for Moshi Moshi imprint Tender Age, entitled Love/Lust. The title track has been given a characteristically Balearic sounding overhaul by Keep Shelly In Athens, though it retains enough bite to avoid straying into lounge territory. You can catch Mr Wright at White Heat tomorrow with Snipe favourites Beat Connection.

D/R/U/G/S – Love/Lust (Keep Shelly in Athens Remix) by snipelondon

Hoop Dreams - XCPR

The debut 7” release from Virginia’s Hoop Dreams, appears, on first listen, to be an enjoyably electrifying homage to British post-punk (Orange Juice, The Cure), though one can’t escape the feeling that there’s a considerably wider musical palette at work here – surf, 60s psych-pop, new wave. Web-wise there’s not an awful lot to go on; according to The Stool Pigeon, XCPR comes out in June via Brooklyn label Captured Tracks, home to Wild Nothing and Beach Fossils.

Hoop Dreams – XCPR by snipelondon

Serengeti - Ha-Ha

A ‘painfully normal fantasy about finding love at a Midwest hardware store’ according to Yours Truly, Ha Ha is taken from Chicago MC Serengeti‘s debut album Family & Friends, released July 19th on Anticon. Produced by Yoni Wolf of Why? and Owen Ashworth of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, the track also features guest vocals from Hazel and Martha Brown of Australian lo-fi trio Otouto.

Serengeti – Ha-Ha by snipelondon

Memory Tapes - Wait In The Dark

This gorgeous, quirky little pop nugget is taken from Memory Tapes’ new album Player Piano, out July 5th via Something In Construction. Catch him at XOYO the following night, July 6th, for what should be a triumphant, post-album release love-in, the second date of a short European tour.

Memory Tapes – Wait In The Dark by snipelondon

Nat Baldwin - Weights

A gloriously melodramatic track from Nat Baldwin’s new album People Changes, released May 24th on Western Vinyl. Borne out of isolation – the Dirty Projectors bassist wrote most of the record in his New England cabin, surrounded by dense forest – Weights unfolds with a creeping sense of inertia and claustrophobia, with loose clarinet and cello adding to the feeling that there may be an unnamed wickedness at its heart.

Nat Baldwin – Weights by snipelondon

Canadian Blast Hits London This Spring

Canadian Blast is an organisation dedicated to showcasing Canadian artists and representing Canadian music at conferences and festivals all round the world. They’re getting particularly busy in London over the next few months.

On July 1st, there’s a free Canada Day event in Trafalgar Square, featuring free perfomances from Canadian legends Blue Rodeo, Polaris Prize winners Karkwa, Grammy award winner Alex Cuba and a host of others, showcasing the diverse range of music Canada has to offer. On July 2nd, a special Canadian Blast Show takes place at the Barbican with performances from The Hidden Cameras, Woodpigeon and Devon Sproule, with a screening of the film “Ivory Tower’ and a whole day of free shows and events in the Barbican foyer.

But before all that assorted goodness, they’ll be presenting three shows upstairs at the ‘Relentless’ Garage on Highbury Corner this May. We’ve put together a Snipe MPfree special for you with the guys at Canadian Blast, including downloadable tracks by many of the bands performing. So, have a listen, and get involved!

May 10th: Hey Rosetta!, Brasstronaut, Said The Whale (SOLD OUT)
May 11th: Hey Rosetta!, Winter Gloves, Bonjay, Modern Superstitions
May 17th: In-Flight Safety, Carmen Townesend, David Myles, Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers

Hey Rosetta

Hailing from St. John’s in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Hey Rosetta! have been building into one of Canada’s brightest hopes, performing around the country, with energetic shows that have earnt them a devoted following. Their latest album, Seeds, follows up from the Polaris Prize Shortlisted “Into Your Lungs”, fusing a thunderous guitars and rhythm section with epic strings and frontman Tim Baker’s empasioned vocals. Theirs is an epic sound that unfolds track after track, ever moving forwards for new sounds and ideas, neve content to sit on their laurels.

Hey Rosetta!-Yer Spring by Canadian Blast

Modern Superstitions

Hailing out of Toronto, Modern Superstitions a trio of childhood pals specializing in an original vision that blends pop, rock, punk and Motown. Modern Superstitions’ teenage members – leather-lunged singer Nyssa, guitarist Matthew and bass player Harry – offer a refreshing directness – not overwrought soul-bearing, but rather a short, sharp blast of rock’n’ roll fun.

Modern Superstitions – Mercy Line by snipelondon

Bonjay

Alanna Stuart and Ian “Pho” Swain make up Bonjay, a Toronto based duo mashing up dancehall and electro with plenty of hooks to spare. The Duo grew out of Ottawa’s “Disorganised” parties, but have developed a grimey yet souldful sound that has seen them in demand as remixers too. Their recent mini-album Broughtupsy (Trinidadian slang for “Good Manners” appeals to all-from the dancehall fans, electro kids and the indie fans can all find something to latch on to. Lyrically going beyond standard dancehall forms and covering a broad range of subject matter allows the band to tell their story in a unique and inclusive way.

Stuart’s gospel trained vocals play out over Swain’s intricately produced and heavy hitting beats and synths, fusing and creating a set of insanely catchy songs to get the body moving and heart racing.

Bonjay – Want a Gang by snipelondon

Said The Whale

Said The Whale formed in 2007 as a collaboration between Vancouver songwriters 
Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft, The band released their 
sophomore album “Islands Disappear” in late 2009 on Hidden Pony 
Records (Hannah Georgas, Imaginary Cities) in Canada. A hard touring band, they have crossed Canada a number of times, supporting the likes of Mother Mother, Plants and Animals and Devo amongst others. In July last year the band took it upon themselves to embark on a touring review show of their native British Columbia by bike- with one vehicle to carry the larger gear. The ‘Malhat Revue’ took place over ten days, with the band covering 500km between shows.

Camilo (The Magician), was dubbed the “song of the summer” by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3 (Canada’s version of 6Music, with an entirely Canadian independent playlist), and was the most-played Canadian song at Modern Rock Radio in Canada for 2010. It may very well have the same effect in the UK in 2011.

Said The Whale – Camilo (The Magician) by snipelondon

Braids

Formed by a group of friends in Calgary, Alberta, Braids have taken their time to come to put together their debut album Native Speaker. Recorded following a re-location to Montreal, the wait for the release was clearly worth it- they have delivered an expansive, textured and intimate sounding release that has draws the listener in to its soundworld.

Minimal loops swirl and intertwine, while ideas are expanded, looped and developed over time. Backwards guitars and drones underpin lullaby like vocals, which go from wordless coo to spirited yelp in an explosion of life in seconds, full of energy and exuberance but never out of control.

Braids – Plath Heart by snipelondon

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