This is the 1st selection of albums that have made my top albums of the year list, to accompany the list I will setting up a playlist on both my YouTube channel and via spotify of all 50 bands that are included, enjoy!
50. Weezer ‘Everything Will be Alright In The End’
Releasedate: 1st October
49. TheHistoryOfApplePie ‘Feel Something’
Releasedate: 22nd September
48. SleafordMods ‘Divide And Exit’
Releasedate: 28th April
47. JamieT ‘Carry On The Grudge’
Releasedate: 29th September
46. SeptemberGirls ‘Cursing The Sea’
Releasedate: 4th January
45. Drowners ‘Drowners’
Releasedate: 28th January
44. Alt–J ‘This Is All Yours’
Releasedate: 22nd September
43. Protomartyr ‘Under the Colorado Of Official Right’
Since I started the MIMR playlist back in September I have discovered so many amazing tracks and it’s opened my eyes to so many fantastic bands, whether it be up and coming acts or more well known artists. It’s been a tough choice but I’ve chosen 10 of my favourite tracks (in no particular order) from the MIMR Playlist over the last few months, enjoy!
1. Deers ‘Bamboo’
A band who have featured heavily on the blog have been this spanish girl group from Spain, their rock and roll charm shines through on this track in particular and sure to be a band that will get bigger and bigger in 2015
2. Happyness ‘Anythin I Do Is All Right’
One of my favourite albums of the year came from these guys, ‘Weird Little Birthday’ was a delight in so many ways, this track however showed their hard hitting, edgier side and we liked it a lot. Expect to see a lot more from these next year
3. Mazes ‘Salford’
Their Album ‘Wooden Aquarium is up there as one of my most listened to album of the last few months. Hailing from Manchester, this track showcases their undoubt talents and one of their best efforts yet and in the process makes more people visit Salford….perhaps anyway, I’ve not done any surveys or anythin. Check them out if u haven’t already
4. Telegram ‘Regatta’
These Psych-rock guys stormed a show they did supporting The Horrors a few months back and proved that they have all the attributes to have huge success. The song is a live favourite and MIMR favourite too, I also luckily get to see them again very soon, excited is a understatement!
5. Flesh ‘Vauxhall Casanova’
A Manchester band that I’ve championed a lot recently and all for very good reason. Flesh are loving life at the moment, steadily building up a dedicated following and one of the front runners in the booming Manchester scene that’s developed. This song sums up the band perfectly, embracing their roots and having fun with their music. Let the good times roll!
6. Horsebeach ‘Even’
Adding to the Manchester influence on this playlist are the wonderful Horsebeach. Their debut LP has gathered glowing praise for all around and with many people talking about them being on the verge of greatness and with songs like this I certainly would go along with that. Enjoy their 80s indie pop and you will feel very much better for it
7. Man Made ‘Tv Broke My Brain’
Nile Marr and Co have in, all honesty, been my favourite band I’ve covered since starting the blog and is the band I’ve seen the most live during the period that MIMR has existed. Their great stage presence and Nile’s undoubted talent as a frontman have been the perfect combination for me as a fan of their music. This track is great live and its stomping nature makes it a great song to singalong too, Man Made take a bow
8. LoveBuzzard ‘Passion’
Friends of MIMR, Love Buzzard recently announced their much anticipated EP (out Dec 6th) and this tune ‘Passion’ was only a bonus track, how good will the record be then. The London duo illustrate their rock credentials on this blistering track and with a excellent video to match, MIMR can certainly say a very well done, I think seeing a show from these guys in 2015 is a must!
9. Trojan Horse ‘Meat Eater’
One of the few songs I’ve listened to in recent times that I can’t get out of my head, it’s all for good reasons tho as the guys from Trojan horse have certainly proved their skill in this killer track. Proper alt-rock at its best and a excellent album recently released too, Trojan Horse are certainly building momentum and MIMR says there’s great things awaiting this Salford lot
10. Antelopes ‘What a Shame’
Showing how to do it your own way are Manchester band Antelopes. This song had me bobbing along constantly for weeks and weeks. The Antelopes 3 record, released earlier this year, highlighted the bands excellent production skills in creating a fabulously crafted selection of songs, can’t wait to hear what they have up their sleeves next
This was a very tough choice to pick just 10 so here are some honourable mentions of other tracks I’ve enjoyed over the last few months:
TwoCheers ‘Tell her’ SpringKing ‘Better Man’ BadGrammar ‘Weekend Dad’ ShyNature ‘Birthday Club’ Hookworms ‘On Leaving’ MenaceBeach ‘Come on Give Up’
MIMR Playlist will be back in the new year, bigger and better than ever!!
From the Welsh borders, alt-folk group Sparrowhawks have delighted MIMR and many others with their 3rd Release ‘Cool Your Blood Down’ out last month. It was a joy to get a few words from the band where they shared with us their influences, how the recent release came together and the dangers of bass guitars
MIMR: Hey guys, how would you describe your sound and what influences do you have on you music?
Sparrowhawks: We’ve always struggled to describe our sound because we don’t really fit in any of the standard genre pigeonholes, but we usually go with “alt-folk-pop” as that gives people a rough idea. We’re all fairly obsessed with The Beatles and their approach to vocal harmonies so that has been a huge influence on our sound. Luckily we’ve got 3 vocals that work well together and that gives us a lot of scope to do some interesting stuff. Other big influences would include Fleet Foxes, Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, The Smiths and The Spice Girls (not joking…).
MIMR: MIMR can’t get enough of your new songs, what was the process involved to produce this record and was it all plain sailing?
Sparrowhawks: We’ve been working with Wrexham-based indie label Drum With Our Hands for this release – for previous releases we’ve done absolutely everything ourselves, so it was nice to have some extra expertise on board. The majority of the record was recorded over 2 very cold evenings in March at Hidden Valley Studios, then we had the usual few months of editing, listening, recording extra bits and planning the release. Mastering was done by Tom Peters at The Grand Studio, which was awesome. No major hiccups.
MIMR: Is it a buzz for you guys to play a bunch of new songs at live shows?
Sparrowhawks: Yeah, playing new tracks is great as it keeps things interesting after a run of gigs playing the same set. Also, we find that songs can often take on a new life after being gigged for a little while. We’ve got a track on the new EP called “I Might”, which started off as a delicate acoustic track but gradually got darker and heavier as we played it live
MIMR: Do you have any superstitions whilst playing?
Sparrowhawks: No, we don’t really have any superstitions whilst playing, but I (Sophie) do like to be far enough away from Ben so that he doesn’t hit me in the face with his bass.
MIMR: 2014 has been a great year for music. Which bands that you follow would you include on a essential playlist?
Sparrowhawks: I’ll go for a top 5 type situation, no particular order: Midlake, Tune-Yards, The Staves, Foals and our label-pals Baby Brave.
MIMR: What does 2015 hold for Sparrohawks?
Sparrowhawks: We’re going to be doing some gigs in support of our new EP and then get writing again – we’ve got plenty of ideas flying around, so we just need to get cracking. We’d love to do an album at some point, so we’ll be working towards that and some festival dates for the summer.
MIMR: MIMR would like to thank you for taking the time to speak to us. Do you have any shows coming up?
Sparrowhawks: Ta very much 🙂 We’re playing at the FOCUS WALES Winter mixer on Dec 6th at the STIWT near Wrexham and Soph will be doing a solo acoustic set for the DRUM WITH OUR HANDS Winter showcase on Dec 12th at The Compass, Chester.
I’d like to thank Sparrowhawks for chatting with us, I hope to be at the Focus Wales gig they mentioned so rest assured I will have pics from the gig on here and MIMR’s other sites.
Here are the links and other info including how to get hold of their excellent new EP
Next to join MIMR Band Chat are psych rockers Love Buzzard, their no messing about, high energy sound has been a joy to MIMR ears over the last few months. I was fortunate enough to catch up with the band and on the agenda was everything from the bands origins and their favourite bands to their EP launch and even a incident with Santa Claus
MIMR: How was Love Buzzard formed guys?
LB: We used to play in a new wave 60’s garage band but fancied playing something a little heavier together, got in a rehearsal room and it seemed to click.
MIMR:How would you describe your sound and what musical influences do you have?
LB: Our sound is like a fresh graze – stripped back raw, and fuzzy. We don’t try and constrain ourselves with a particular genre really but it leans towards the rough garage & psych type of stuff usually.
Influences include Nuggets style garage and psych from the 60s such as The Sonics as well as bands like The Gun Club, The Cramps, The Meteors, The Birthday Party with a bit of grunge and stoner rock mixed in for good measure.
MIMR: Passion is a great track and the video is very clever too, there’s a lot of dancing in it, what’s your favourite song to dance to?
LB: Birdie Song.
MIMR: Your debut EP is out next month (Dec 6) how did it come together and how do u find recording songs in general?
LB: We’ve been coming up with tracks and playing them live for the past year so we got in the studio with Mark Jasper (Sound Savers) in Homerton, East London late June. He’s been recording loads of bands we’re into. We did a bunch of tracks and picked four to put on the vinyl EP and the bonus track Passion as a free download.
Whilst recording we try to keep the sound as pure and true to a live performance as possible. As a two piece it’s hard to resist adding bits here and there but if your gonna need twenty session musicians to play it live whats the point. So the motto is if we can’t play it live then it doesn’t need to be on the record!
I (Al) love recording, the whole process of creating something we’ve been playing live for months and seeing it finished and become an ‘actual’ locked down thing. Sometimes it’s tricky. We recorded a last minute track to commemorate 20 years of the Gang of Four ‘That’s Entertainment Album’ recently and learnt it the night before we went into the studio…the recording was a little difficult, on the 79th take I was about to pass out…but we got there in the end…no tears were spilt, just a little blood.
MIMR:What’s your favourite venue to play?
LB: Anywhere. Played the Boilerroom in Guildford last Saturday for Quatre Femmes Records. That was cool.
MIMR: Are there any funny stories you can tell MIMR about any previous gigs you’ve played?
LB: I noticed smoke billowing out of the bass amp at one gig, then released that we didn’t have a bassist. Some guy dressed as Santa Claus had thrown a smoke grenade on the stage. One of those ones you get at footy matches in the terraces. The whole basement filled with smoke and the building and crowd were evacuated. We finished the song mind.
MIMR: What will Love Buzzard be up to in 2015?
LB: First up we’re releasing our debut EP at The Shacklewell Arms on Sat 6th December…then for 2015 we’ve already got quite a few gigs planned around the country. Play loads, release our debut album hopefully, eat more greens.
Thanks again to Love Buzzard for talking to MIMR, check them out, here are the various links and info
MIMR
Gigdates
Sat 22nd Nov. The Boilerroom, Guildford.
Sat 29th Nov. Secret Show. London.
Friday 5th Dec. Mother’s Ruin, Bristol.
Saturday 6th Dec. The Shacklewell Arms, London. Official EP Launch Party.
From the first time I stepped in this small, Victorian-esque pub I knew it would be somewhere that I would certainly be coming back to again and again. This historical building has had its place in the heart of Manchester for over 200 years. It also has its story to tell with the History of Manchester music, John Peel famously interviewed Ian Curtis (Joy division) at the castle and on a more personal note, I spotted Johnny Marr (The Smiths) at a recent gig there too
After being closed for a short time, it was renovated and it’s rich heritage was brought back to life in 2010. The music hall is my favourite place, with its high ceilings and great acoustics, which has made it my favourite place to catch a gig, whether it be a local act or one from further afield. With a great selection of ales and bottled beers on offer, The Castle can do no wrong, go on give it a try
It’s safe to say that I’ve been looking forward to this band appearing on MIMR for quite a while now, introducing Kidsmoke, a alternative band who’s fantastic stage presence and excellent songwriting will surely reap the rewards in 2015, if there’s one band I want everyone to get behind its these guys
MIMR was privileged to get a few words from Lead singer and good friend Lance Williams, in this interview lance talks about the new EP, the joys of Manchester gig scene and 2014 being a great year for music
MIMR: Hey lance, what you up to today?
Lance: Hey MIMR, I’ve woken up with a stinkin’ cold this morning but I’ve got some time to myself today so I’m going to work on a few new songs we’ve got in the works.
MIMR: What’s the latest with the band, everyone happy?
Lance: Yeah everyone is good. We’ve just finished recording our new EP, it’s being mixed at the moment so we’re busy sorting out the artwork, videos and all the other stuff that comes with releasing a record. We have a couple of shows coming up in December after a bit of time away from playing live and we’ve had a couple of changes within the band, so we’ve been rehearsing to make sure we’re up to scratch for the gigs.
MIMR: With fellow band members living in Manchester, do u think it’s the best place to gig or is there another place or venue that are good for you?
Lance: Manchester is a great place to play, since we started Kidsmoke most of our shows have been there. Since releasing our debut EP ‘Higher’ we’ve had a great deal more attention than we’ve ever had in previous bands we’ve been in, I think that’s mainly down to the fact we play a lot and are based in Manchester (and hopefully the songs are better!). Manchester has loads of great places to play too, my favourites are Soup Kitchen, Kraak Gallery and The Deaf Institute.
MIMR: Being a fellow blogger are they’re any bands that are you mad about at the moment
Lance: 2014 has been a great year for music with acts like Beck, War On Drugs, Wild Beasts and TV On The Radio all releasing superb albums. As for newish bands I’m liking stuff like Avi Buffalo, The Barr Brothers, Angel Olsen and the debut effort from Glass Animals is pretty good, we supported them at Trof in Fallowfield last year and they are excellent live too.
MIMR: What’s the future for kidsmoke?
Lance: We are hoping to release our new EP early next year, it’s sounding great, I can’t wait for people to hear it. Our plan after that is to carry on releasing music, play live as much as we can and to just see what comes of it really. I don’t worry about what the future will bring for us, as long as we’re putting the effort in and always working to become better songwriters and performers then I think there’ll always be new doors opening up for us.
MIMR: Any funny stories for any kidsmoke gigs you can share with us?
Lance: There hasn’t really been anything funny happen at a Kidsmoke show yet (although we did rehearse in a place that looked like something out of the Saw films the other week, which was more scary than funny). Come to think of it, at a Halloween gig years ago our drummer Chris had a few too many guiness’ and played the gig in a cape and a Styrofoam pizza base with eye holes cut out of it as a mask. It was too funny, I wish I had a photo of it.
MIMR: Thanks lance for your time and pleasure talking to you my good friend, any last words?
Lance: Yes.
So Long, Emptiness
Thanks MIMR, speak soon.
A big thanks to lance for talking to us, rest assured that as soon as the EP details are announced I will post them on the blog. Here are few links to check out:
