Bachelorette is the solo project from Annabel Alpers who’s made a name for herself in bands such as the surf outfit Hawaii 0-Five.
Annabel Alpers from Bachelorette
Originating from New Zealand, Annabel now lives in the USA where she produces her psychedelic inspired pop music and she’s set to release her third full length CD on May 16th.
Ahead of the release date, I’ve been sent a track of hers to listen to, titled Blanket. Now I don’t typically listen to this sort of psychedelic music but I found something quite peaceful in it.
With smooth synths and gentle vocals, the song makes for good background music. There’s an alienation feel to it, especially with the ah ah’s in the breaks between verses which I think is what makes it feel spacy and relaxing.
I say it makes for good background music because nothing much happens in it. It’s relaxing and peaceful but pretty basic. It doesn’t jump out at you which is a good and bad thing at the same time.
Of course, this is only one song from the 12 track release and as far as sample tracks go, it’s good. The vocals are just right for such a docile song. The synths not overused or overpowering. The mix is perfect and it gets a thumbs up from me.
I was sent the new single from The Candle Thieves to listen to. It’s titled Breathing (Just For You) and is out on March 21st, for anyone who’s interested.
Remember the days of Scouting for Girls? Well The Candle Thieves remind me of them in so many ways but mainly in the vocals of Scott McEwan.
The song is pleasant and easy to listen to which I like and seeing as we’re nearly in spring, it’s a nice sunny day tune to have on in the background.
I’ve posted the video especially for you, you lucky people :) Enjoy!
If anyone out there is looking for the perfect music to put on while on a road trip then I think I’ve got the answer.
The song is Mazes by San Francisco born band, Moon Duo. It’s repetitive structure yet upbeat melody makes for great listening.
With its simple rhythms and eccentric guitar, I can’t help but imagine how good a song it would be to put on while driving along a country road in the hot summer heat.
Moon Duo are a couple consisting of the Wooden Shjips guitarist, Ripley Johnson, and his partner, Sanae Yamada.
Their music is their take on psychedelic rock where they’ve flipped it around slightly. It’s not like the stuff from the 70s, it’s a modern day version.
Although the song is good, it’s not great. It’s not brand new in what it does but it is fun. It’s a typical American driving song with the repetitive guitar chords and organ, especially the reverb on the vocals.
A good summer tune and when you’re fed up of all the cold weather and rain, this is bound to perk you up and pray for long summer days and a nice long drive.
Howling vocals fill my room as I listen to Thomas Tantrum’s newest track, Sleep. The voice is enthralling and a little bit Lulu-esque, resembling the spectacular vocal intro on her 1965 single Shout.
The voice described belongs to Megan Thomas, the lead singer of Thomas Tantrum, a Southampton based band. This foursome have flourished since 2008 when they released their critically acclaimed eponymous debut album and subsequent singles. But some things have changed since their first album. They’ve enlisted a new drummer, Dave Wade Brown, who they claim has helped them to come up with a fresh new sound.
Megan Thomas’ vocals have also undergone a make-over. Before they sounded child-like and out of control but now they have been fine-tuned giving their newest single fantastic and strong female vocals.
Sleep is a great indie-pop song to listen to if you want to wash away those winter blues. It definitely has something about it. After a few listens, I can guarantee that you’ll be singing the chorus of “Wakey wakey, it’s time to wake up now. Won’t you just sleep though?”
After the preview of the video being shown on NME.com a few weeks ago, I caught up with the band to ask them about their new single and their next steps.
It seems the band have thought long and hard about their current sound and soon to be released album. Guitarist and vocalist, Dave Miatt, said: “Things are a little more considered now. Certain nuances in the songs aren’t obvious on the first listen. Generally speaking we’ve had quite a bit of time to fine tune our song craft.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into which tracks made the final cut as well as the running order. It’s more of an album this time round as opposed to just a collection of songs.”
Since their 2008 releases, they have been busy writing and recording material for the second album due for release in the summer. But what should their fans expect?
Dave Miatt continued: “It’s still a party album like the last one but with more of a twilight vibe running through it. Not in the vampire sense. There are other monsters which rear their ugly heads instead.
“Sleep represents a recurring theme running through the album; that of dusk, dreaming, the moonlit soirée. It was kind of an obvious choice for the first single.”
Not everything has been altered with this band though. They’ve worked with the same producer as the debut album, ex-Embrace member Rick MacNamara. Sleep was mixed by Ash Howes who’s worked with Ellie Goulding, Marina and the Diamonds, Eliza Doolittle and Plan B. So what was the band’s experience in working with these two musical icons?
Dave said: “We were excited to be working with Rick again. He is an ideas man and always has something up his sleeve if we ever hit a brick wall.
“Ash has done a sterling job with Sleep with his final mix passing the ‘let’s play it through as many different speakers and headphones as possible’ test with flying colours.”
With a new single and album on the way, some may think that’s enough for Thomas Tantrum but they have plenty more planned. As they were answering my questions, they were also recording in the studio. Dave explains: “Right now, we are recording some alternate versions of some of our songs and demo-ing up some new ones. I am hoping the sound of my typing won’t bleed onto Megan’s vocal take too much.
“We are also currently booking a UK tour for around Easter. We have another free EP in the works as well as a couple of singles and obviously the album.”
It’s a busy couple of months for Thomas Tantrum but all their efforts will hopefully pay off. For more information on tour dates and releases, visit www.thomastantrum.co.uk.
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