Author: AnneIredale

Hi - I'm from Leeds in Yorkshire and I've been writing poetry and short stories for many years. My day job is writing articles and proofreading for websites. My eBook of poetry is called 'Bread and Circuses' and is available from the Amazon Kindle Store (you don't need a Kindle! See link). I love The Beatles, football, German writers, Liverpool poets and Nick Drake...and lots of other things. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bread-and-Circuses-ebook/dp/B0038JESQ2/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1329400829&sr=1-2

Do The Boston Boys Satisfy?

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http://www.rocketcontest.org/contact.cfm

So called because they came together whilst attending college in Boston, The Boston Boys are described as exponents of electric bluegrass, folk rock and other genres.

Having toured in many different countries, no doubt they have soaked up many different cultural influences. They have been compared to the likes of Mumford & Sons and Wilco, so I was keen to listen to their 5-track EP, titled Keep You Satisfied (released in October 2013); besides, I’m a sucker for a bit of fiddle and mandolin.

This is their second EP, in fact, and it starts with an upbeat, folk rock blend called Satisfied, containing some sweet slide guitar in what turns out to be my favourite track. This is followed by the slower Amelia, about a night in the city, yearning for the eponymous girl of the title.

Endless Creation is a bit of a mishmash and lacks focus. Its experimentation with different sounds and tempos didn’t really work for me. I thought it was kinda clumsy and not very satisfying. Honeycomb has some bluegrass instrumentation mixed with a soulful vocal. Again, viagra pill it’s an unusual mix and I think will take a few plays to get used to. Finally, Take Me Under is a pleasing, uncomplicated folkie ballad.

Sometimes, they bring too much to the table. It doesn’t always work, but full marks for the attempt to do something different. I think they work best when they’re not trying to innovate so much. A work in progress, then, this band has great potential. This latest offering is produced by the band and perhaps it needed another producer in the studio to bring a bit of discipline and focus. As with most bands in the folk rock tradition, they look like a good band to see live.

http://thebostonboys.bandcamp.com/

A visual teaser is on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wjqzd5c84Q (Preview) and their “Hypnotized” video can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDr_NHa5bC4 (Preview)

Streaming link: http://thebostonboys.bandcamp.com/
Websites:
www.thebostonboys.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheBostonBoys
http://instagram.com/bostonboysband
https://twitter.com/BostonBoysBand
http://www.youtube.com/user/bostonboysofficial?feature=watch

Videos:
Satisfied EP Teaser – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wjqzd5c84Q (Preview) Hypnotized – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDr_NHa5bC4 (Preview) Wish I Knew How Tt Would Feel To Be Free –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYj89T3apJ8 (Preview) Tuk Tuk live – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oEnrTTkGZA (Preview)
Artist contact: bostonboysmanagement@gmail.com
Press contact: james@independentmusicpromotions.com

Arc &amp;amp; Stones Roll Out the Blues

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Arc & Stones is a four-man band from buy viagra in canada New York City that likes their rock on the bluesy side. Comparisons have been made to such luminaries of the genre as Kings of Leon and The Black Keys. In February of 2013, they released their debut EP with the simple title of Arc & Stones EP. Their first live show was in September of 2012 and they have gained a reputation as a good band to see live.

Containing five tracks, their EP kicks off with Silence, which instantly hooked me with its no messing rock, bluesy vocal from singer, Dan Pellarin and its sing-along chorus. It’s my favourite song out of the five. Say Goodbye follows, beginning with just vocal and piano before the rest of the band starts rocking. Let Me Down promises much with the melancholy opening notes on piano and acoustic guitar in what is a sparser contribution from the band, but I find it the least inventive track. She’s Mine takes us to what they do so well – dirty blues bubbling up from the swamps; it’s the heaviest song on the EP. Rise is the final track, a song that builds and builds, containing pleasing guitar work and a rousing chorus.

If you like your rock without frills or fuss, this is for you. There’s enough musicianship to keep you interested and it’s good to know this kind of rock is alive and well in an up and coming band.

The band is also crowdfunding their 2nd album here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1229045028/arc-and-stones-2nd-release
Streaming link: https://soundcloud.com/arc-stones

Websites:
Official Website: www.arcandstones.com
Bandcamp: http://arcandstones.bandcamp album.com//arc-stones-ep
Facebook: www.facebook.com/arcandstones
Twitter: @arcandstones
Video links:
“Let Me Down” Official Music Video –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiPj5b0NAXA&list=HL1365693750&feature=mh_lolz

“Say Goodbye” Official Music Video –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCAolOkB7_A

“Silence” Official Music Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a49ENUCqaFU (Preview)
Artist contact: J.R. Rees – The Entity Inc. – joseph.rees@yahoo.com
(general management)

Press contact: james@independentmusicpromotions.com

Marla Mase – Passion, Punk and Poetry

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Anyone spoken about in the same breath as PJ Harvey and Patti Smith piques my interest and I was not disappointed with this album, released in February of 2013. In SPEAK Deluxe (backed by the Tomas Doncker Band), Marla Mase has combined memorable spoken words and sung lyrics in songs with unusual subject matter and diverse musical influences. Based in New York City, this singer songwriter is bold, brave, witty and true, often looking in dark corners where others don’t dare to look.

Things are unusual here, including starting the album with a reprise. Scream (reprise) kicks off proceedings with dark, disturbing lyrics and a punk delivery. A longer version of the song appears as Track 14. This is followed by Piece of Peace, a kind of template for peace and a better way of life for humanity, again with a punk style. Open Up My Heart has a online casino gentler tempo, with spoken parts telling the story of a girl with a hole in her heart who is not allowed to play because it’s too dangerous for her; she wants to feel “love’s first kiss”.

The most unusual song on the album has to be Lioness. Spoken words and sung lyrics express the frustrations and pent up aggression of a lioness in captivity. New Cell Phone is an outpouring of life’s frustrations bursting through the mundane act of getting a new phone number. She Hooked Him Up is a funky departure with lyrics that are…well, plain dirty!

AnnaRexia is a surprising reggae number and a powerful indictment of society’s obsession with body image and its tragic connection to anorexia. Queen of Imperfection brings us back to something more punk-like. The Bonus Track on the album returns to AnnaRexia, with the Bill Laswell Dubmix. Of the album’s 16 tracks, the above are my highlights.

SPEAK Deluxe will put you through the emotional wringer and reward you with something honest and raw, whilst still presenting an accomplished production. A punk sensibility and an ear for melody is an intriguing combination.

Streaming link: http://marlamase.bandcamp.com/album/speak-deluxe
https://soundcloud.com/marlamase/sets/speak-deluxe

Secure Download w/CD (320 kbps) and photos:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ld846ve4p2dxfbl/0qJ_h3Yoq0
Websites:
http://marlamase.com
http://http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marla-Mase/170044966351982
http://twitter.com/marlamase
http://marlamase.bandcamp.com/album/speak-deluxe
http://jango.com/marlamase
http://reverbnation.com/marlamase

“SPEAK” the show website: http://www.speaktheshow.com/

Music videos:
Piece of Peace : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-bcaxDy74o
Live performance of “That Wall”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O24micke5BU (Preview)
Artist contact: marla@marlamase.com
Press contact: james@independentmusicpromotions.com

Aurganic is a Dynamic Duo

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From Toronto/NYC, this “alternative/electronic duo” likes to experiment.

Its two members are Leo Pisaq (synths, keys, guitars and programming) and Michael Kossov (vocals, guitars, bass, keys and programming). They have been compared to Massive Attack, Incubus, Radiohead and Muse and you can hear echoes of all those bands at times throughout this album. The duo also likes to collaborate and certain artists ‘guest’ on different tracks. Titled Deviations (released 24th September, 2013), the intriguing album cover promises something cerebral and that’s what we get.

The opening track, called Choices (featuring Joel Goguen on vocals), grows on me with each play. Its promotional video consists of different narratives that mainly focus on a group of teenage friends and the choices they make, amidst peer pressure, with reference to bullying, alcohol and recreational drug taking. Erasing eyes, mouth and ears in different characters symbolises their struggle to follow their own path.

Waking Trials has interesting dark lyrics, whereas Lucid is a love song with lyrics that would stand alone as a poem. Its instrumentation doesn’t get in the way of a delicate vocal. Paradigm has a catchy tune with hopeful lyrics, contrasted by The Lost and the Found, about a relationship going sour. A jazzy bass line introduces us to this beautiful, plaintive song that builds and builds. Complex phrasing carries more poetic lyrics in Outcast.

Southbound is a long complicated track at over 7 minutes and probably the most ambitious song on the album. Deviations, the title track, is a pleasing wind down to the album – a chilled, keyboard led instrumental. These are the outstanding tracks for me; four other songs make up the track list.

Some songs may take a few plays to really get under your skin, but these two guys are well worth the effort.

Stream “Deviations” at Bandcamp –

Watch the new video for “Choices” –  (Preview)
Streaming links:
https://soundcloud.com/aurganic,
http://aurganic.bandcamp.com/album/deviations
Music videos:”Choices” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J0ZVec4GbI
“Pleasure Addict” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33o_wIHEajY (Preview)
Artist contact: info@aurganicmusic.com
Press contact: james@independentmusicpromotions.com

Bridie Jackson &amp;amp; The Arbour Release Their Debut Single: A Review

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Genre: Alt. Folk / Acoustic but wonderfully hard to define

Digital Download and CD

Double A Side:
Scarecrow
All You Love Is All You Are

Bridie Jackson & The Arbour are:

Bridie Jackson
Rachel Cross
Jenny Nendick
Carol Bowden

Following their first album release, titled Bitter Lullabies, in January 2012, the band toured extensively up and down the land. Now, their debut single for their new label Debt Records is to be released on February 11th, 2013. The artwork for the CD is like a page from a dark fairy tale, inviting us to delve further.

So, let’s look at Scarecrow first. Penned by Louis Barabbas (of Louis Barabbas and the Bedlam Six), it’s a Gothic tale with a surreal twist, told from the grave, with poetically elegant lyrics telling the tragic story of a bride-to-be dying the day before her wedding day .The juxtaposition of the dark lyrics and the purity inherent in Bridie’s voice is a beguiling contrast.

It drips sadness and longing and after a few plays, it got under my skin, whereas All You Love Is All You canada pharmacy Are is instant bliss. Bridie’s voice manages to blend joy and wistfulness into something wholly new . . . well, I simply don’t have a word for it.

This second track is a reworking of the version that appears on Bitter Lullabies and is written by Bridie, as is the entire Bitter Lullabies album (with the exception of lyrics for one song). It’s one of the standout tracks on the album, I think, so it’s good to see it on the single. This new version sounds, perhaps, even more assured. Intricate harmonies hang in the air and glide to a soft landing whilst cellist, Jenny Nendick and violinist, Rachel Cross pull every last drop of emotion from their instruments.

Roll on the release date. I’m sure this single release will expand their ever-growing fan base. They’ve earned it.

To stream or download the tracks, click here.