Presenter Steve takes a long hard look at himself, against his own wishes it must be said, in the latest episode of the podcast. There’s also discussion of independent music festivals and the usual excellent independent tracks and tour news. Podcast presented by Steve Boniface, with panellist Emma Jones.

 

It’s all free, and you can get involved by going to http://labelledindependent.podbean.com/ or searching for ‘Labelled Independent’ on iTunes and subscribing. You can also subscribe here – http://bit.ly/labelledindyitunes – subscribers receive every episode automatically and can enjoy Labelled Independent exclusives too!

 

Here are the tracks:

 

‘This Love Will Lead You On’ by exlovers (Young & Lost Club, single out now)

 

A solid opener to the podcast, this is a straight indie-rock song that effectively mixes male and female vocals. With festival season approaching this is an upbeat, summery feel and plenty of jangly guitars to enjoy.

 

‘Sideline’ by Jake Morley (Sandwich Emporium Records, single and album ‘Many Fish to Fry’ out now)

 

A beautiful acoustic ballad that builds from vocal and guitar into something more. The production here is excellent, with harmonies, piano, strings and more really bringing out the later sections before melting back into the spare instrumentation of the opening.

 

‘Last Man Standing’ by Franco & The Dreadnought (The Animal Farm, single out now)

 

The Animal Farm simultaneously put out singles with five of their artists at the end of April, one of which was this well constructed indie ballad. Simple verses build to big choruses, with well mixed chords and a distinctive vocal.

 

‘Cool Down Rewind’ by Kirsty Almeida (All Made Up, single out now)

 

Continuing her hot streak of single releases, this release by Kirsty Almeida was named as track of the episode – the second  time she has been bestowed the ‘honour’. The smooth vocal is complimented by the layered instrumentation – acoustic sounds and lovely harmonies.

 

‘Days Don’t Get Me Far Enough Away’ by theLights (The Birdman Records, single out now)

 

An upbeat folk-rock tune with a nice chunky rhythm to keep it chugging. The vocals blend well in male and female harmony, and the downbeat lyrics juxtapose effectively with the cheery feel. Energy to burn, something that also comes across well in their live shows.

 

‘Borderland’ by Island Audio (Sink & Stove Records, ‘Obstacles’ album out now)

 

A solid, female fronted indie-rock four piece, Island Audio released their debut album in April through Sink & Stove. Some of the rhythms in this particular track are particularly intricate, hinting at how tight they would be as a live band.

 

‘Ska Surfing at 5-0’ by Ministry of Ska (Future Legend Records, single out now)

 

Depending on your outlook, this is either very difficult or very easy to describe. It’s slowed Ska music with heavily reverbed keys and a sporadic, whispered vocal, with lots of key changes for good measure. But that doesn’t sum it up at all.

 

‘Hooba’ by The O.D.’s (unsigned, ‘Grand Union Connection’ album out now)

 

Heavily blues influenced, this track utilises a stand-up double bass sound and the familiar 12 bar structure. The vocal really stands out over the spare instrumentation, with really gritty production values.

 

‘Blonged In Sarongs’ by Scrubber Fox (Bad Sekta, Geek Pie EP out now)

 

Geek Pie EP, Scrubber Fox, ‘Blonged in Sarongs’ – three interesting monikers to be sure. Fortunately, the track is every bit as interesting. Not overly complicated, but well produced and layers, this uses some intriguing sounds to decent effect.

 

 

To hear all these tracks now, subscribe to Labelled Independent, our partner podcast, free by visiting http://bit.ly/labelledindyitunes – in doing so, you’ll make sure you’re always among the first to receive our new music to your device of choice, and all for free.

 

Alternatively, you can hear individual podcast episodes at http://labelledindependent.podbean.com/ where you can also keep up to date with plenty news & views from the UK independent music scene.

 

By

 

Steve Boniface