Natasha England's 1982 version of 'Iko Iko' has been licensed to the soundtrack of 'UN BOSS IN SALOTTO', a new comedy feature film produced by Cattleya in collaboration with Warner Bros. Entertainment Italy - released on January 1st 2014. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Italy
Natasha England's take on much-covered New Orleans song 'Iko Iko' is the most successful charting version in the UK, reaching number 10 in the summer of 1982.The track also reached number 5 in New Zealand and number 7 in Ireland.
The master tape was mislaid for decades and the recording has only in recent years been made available digitally, firstly via Platform Records.
Sony Music Germany recently licensed the track from us to their 80's compilation 'Musikladen', and now Sony Music UK have included it on 3-CD hits collection 'Candy Candy', released September 9th 2013:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Candy-Various/dp/tracks/B00DTWUK74/ref=dp_tracks_all_3#disc_3
With Tony Blackburn recently airplaying the track on his BBC 'Pick Of The Pops' show on June 29th, the track is once again receiving the attention it deserves!
Having already caught the critics’ ear (Radio 1, Channel 4) as frontman of acclaimed Scottish alternative rock quartet Thula Borah, Lloyd James Fay embarks on his first foray into solo territory with the highly anticipated release of his beguiling debut LP, The Black River Chronicles.
An introspective reflection of his formative years, childhood stories and forlorn first loves in suburban Lanarkshire’s creaking post-steel-industry suburbs, the album sees the Glaswegian suburbanite rocker turn pastoral singer-songwriter and embrace the subtler ambient and acoustic textures that pepper his band’s catalogue.
Recorded in 2012 at the famous Gargleblast Studios in Hamilton with renowned engineer and producer Andy Miller, who’s production credits include albums by such Scottish luminaries as Mogwai, Arab Strap, De Rosa and Martin John Henry, 'The Black River Chronicles' is truly a testament to Fay’s prowess as one of the UK’s most gifted troubadours.
A reference to the American Midwestern location of Michael Lesley’s non-fiction book Wisconsin Death Trip, which uses photographs and newspaper cuttings to highlight the harshness of life in Black River Falls during the late nineteenth century and the effects it had on the psychology of the inhabitants, the album combines the autobiographical, heart-on-his-sleeve lyrical style of Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters) with James Taylor’s calm and understated croon and minor key melodies.
As you’d imagine, with such pedigree to draw inspiration from it’s difficult not to fall instantly for 'The Black River Chronicles', especially when the compositions are as pretty as lead single From The Eyewall. A classic love song that reflects on Fay’s first love and all the drama that went with it, a cascade of delicately plucked and arpeggiated chords combine with ambient brushes of distortion to provide a lulling backdrop to Fay’s atmospheric vocals and Miller’s sweet backing harmonies, making for a tender and evocative ballad.
Elsewhere, standout tracks like the wistful 'Such Are Memories' demonstrate Fay’s dexterity and musicianship as a fuller sound – replete with bass, drums, added percussion (all played by Fay) and unexpected blasts of distortion – imbues this melancholic yet uplifting and hopeful tune. According to Fay, the song “is really about how memories, even happy ones, stick with you and can wear away at you, haunting you over the years.”
Just as poignant, the beautiful 'Joy Thief' is a sinister ode to obsessive love with intensely personal lyrics like “Break my heart/I know you want to/In the dark/My ghost will haunt you” granting the listener with an alarmingly intimate portrait of an author who’s bravely chosen to render his soul bare.
Album 'The Black River Chronicles' and lead single 'From The Eyewall' are released on Platform Records. Impact date is June 10th .
Not a band to rest on their laurels, the relentless Dead Sea Souls follow up the well-deserved success of last year’s debut LP, We Were Always Electric, with blistering standalone double A-Side single Brave / The Comet.
Released via Platform Records, Brave / The Comet sees Gary Burns (bass & vocals), James Sweeney (guitar), David Clark (drums) and Colin Sneddon (guitar & vocals) build on their upbeat, bouncy and disco-funk indebted power pop sound, resulting in undoubtedly their strongest work yet.
“I know bands do this a lot and it sometimes gets met with sighs, but to be totally honest we couldn’t agree on the lead track!” says Gary of the West Lothian quartet’s inspired decision to release a double A-Side. “Originally The Comet was the undisputed single, however, during production, Brave became such a strong track for completely different reasons.
“We now have two tracks that are completely different,” adds Gary, “which is awesome as we wanted to see where we could take this new batch of songs and do something you maybe wouldn’t expect from Dead Sea Souls.”
Indeed, such is the undeniable star quality of both songs that choosing between the two would only do an injustice to the listening public. A melodic, feel-good summer tune designed to get festival crowds dancing, The Comet kicks into force with a lilting guitar hook and irresistibly breezy vibe that nods toward both Vampire Weekend and Paul Simon’s Graceland. Meanwhile, Brave provides further depth and substance with its spine-tingling atmospherics, anthemic chord progression, slick guitar solo and Futureheads-esque call-and-response mass chanting.
Gary Burns’ unmistakeable and idiosyncratic Scottish-inflected vocals soar majestically across both tracks while his song writing reaches new levels of astuteness with Brave’s uplifting lyrics (Be as bold as you can/There’s no room for a worried man/In this life that you lead) and The Comet’s cautionary tale of a loved one’s unbridled hedonism (You live your life like a comet/Just waiting to crash/Punching holes through my head/Like the crust of the earth).
A play on the Dead Sea Scrolls - a collection of ancient Middle Eastern religious texts – Dead Sea Souls are rightfully garnering a lot of attention. With ringing endorsements from the likes of The Sunshine Underground’s Craig Wellington (“Well crafted tunes”) and Scottish new music guru Jim Gellatly (“An amazing live act, they totally blew me away”), not to mention high-profile support slots with Ocean Colour Scene and The View, and an ever-growing US fan base, Dead Sea Souls are very much a band in the ascendancy.
AA Single:Brave / The Comet is released on Platform Records - impact date May 20th
http://deadseasouls.com http://facebook.com/deadseasouls http://twitter.com/deadseasouls
Music Elevator PR: 07941815059 mail@themusicelevator.com http://www.platformrecords.co.uk
February 26th 2013:
The first new signing to Whimsical Records for several years are Edinburgh 4 piece Kung Fu Academy.
The band will release new single 'Super 8 Flashback', which features as part of a 6 track EP, out on April 15th.
Press Release:
Following the release of a successful debut recording and two years of rigorous touring around Scotland’s best venues, one of the UK’s most vital, cohesive and enthralling young bands, Edinburgh’s Kung Fu Academy, returns to the fore with the dazzling Super 8 Flashback EP.
A natural continuation from their commercially and critically acclaimed Dirty Honey EP, the rousing six-track record, released via Whimsical Records, sees the spritely quartet of Bobby Osborne (vocals/guitar), Laurence Murray (guitar), Duncan Robertson (bass) and Fraser De Banzie (drums) combine infectious funk rhythms with lush harmonies, captivating pop hooks and rollicking classic rock riffs, over the course of 24 riveting minutes. Produced and engineered by the band, and mixed and mastered by Fentek Audio’s Alex Fenton at Swanfield Studios, Super 8 Flashback boasts a clean, crisp and full-bodied vintage sound that rekindles a now-bygone golden era of DIY guitar-music.
The funky, dancefloor-friendly title track (also the lead single) goes a long way toward reviving such nostalgia, albeit with a fresh and contemporary edge, thanks to De Banzie’s solid percussion and Robertson’s reflexive, rolling basslines underpinning Murray’s retro-filtered guitar licks and Osborne’s impassioned lyrical refrain (“My flashback’s in super-8/Every frame has a picture of you”). Destined to soundtrack countless indie club nights across the country, Super 8 Flashback is a bona fide smash-hit in the waiting.
Blitzing into view at a furious pace, the unrelenting The Long Fall possesses all the hallmarks of a future chart topper; duelling guitar riffs, indefatigable ticker-tape drumming, catchy call-and-response lyrics and an irresistibly tight and boppy punk-rock structure. Other highlights include the rocking Junction and melodic Warpaint, which act as calling cards for Osborne's virtuoso guitar work (think Page, Clapton, Hendrix), while Sally manages to reconcile the disparate elements of funk, disco and soul before climaxing in a thrilling crescendo.
For those encountering the band for the first time, the seeds of Kung Fu Academy were sown while all four members studied music at Napier University. Initially thrust together by their teacher in a kismet act of serendipity for a random, one-off performance, Osborne, Murray, Robertson and De Banzie decided to act upon their undeniable chemistry and pursue their dreams of rock and roll stardom outside the realm of higher education. Their unique and memorable moniker is inspired by an in-joke around the time the boys parted ways with their original frontman, claiming they were attending kung-fu lessons while secretly rehearsing.
Proudly admitting to having played more gigs than rehearsals, Kung Fu Academy has rightly established a reputation as a formidable live act. And with tracks as strong as those on Super 8 Flashback, these Edinburgh upstarts look set to go from strength to strength in 2013.
Super 8 Flashback is released on Whimsical Records – April 15th 2013.
http://www.facebook.com/kungfuacademyoffical
http://www.whimsicalrecords.co.uk
Music Elevator PR +44(0)7941 815 059 mail@themusicelevator.com
The OK Social Club release their highly anticipated debut album 'Nothing in Common' on 4th February via Platform Records. The release comes after a successful year which included the release of their first three singles 'The Shape Of Things To Come', 'The Late 90’s' and 'Gezellig'. They concluded 2012 with a slot at Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street party on New Year's Eve alongside Simple Minds and The Maccabees.
The band have been featured on Soccer AM, Radio One, XFM, MTV ROCKS, Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, E4 and Hollyoaks. 'The Shape Of Things To Come' was BBC Radio Scotland’s Janice Forsyth show ‘Single Of The Month‘ and Steve Lamacq’s Rebel Playlist Winner on BBC 6 Music, it was also playlisted in TOPSHOP stores worldwide.
Following the album's release, The OK Social Club will return to the road for a full scale UK tour and embark on their first European dates.
Frontman Raff Eragona says "We had a year that we'll never forget, full of great times and surreal moments, I've got a feeling 2013 will be even better."
'Nothing in Common' track listing:
1. Getting Away With It
2. Little Broken Bones
3. C'mon!
4. The Shape Of Things to Come
5. Gezellig
6. Diffidence Dance
7. The Late 90's
8. She Said, You Said
9. Twisted Young Gentlemen
10. Everybody's At it
