Cougar Microbes

Scoundrels are the latest addition for recently revived blues label ‘Blue Horizon’. Their trademark sound is bluesy American rock,think Matchbox Twenty but with a palpable portion of southern comfort and soul.

Title track ‘Sniff It Up’ quickly commands attention acting as a ballsy and confident rock opener whereas ‘Hangman’s Lament’ provides a more narrative nod to its country inspired sound. There’s an upsurge in pace in ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ with unsupported vocal touches adding clout to its runaway rifts.

In contrast the final two tracks ‘Arrogance Blues’ and ‘Outta Town Blues’ rein back the pace completely to reach a slow dance state, proving just how versatile the band can be.

This fiesty five track EP has provided us with a decent taster of what’s to come and i’m pleased to say it’s flexed enough musical muscle to prove there’s more to Scoundrels than their blues background would have you believe.

In other news the band are set to release their self-titled debut album on 27th June 2011. This will be preceded by brand new single ‘Gulf Of Mexico‘ on 20th June. They have also announced a bunch of shows in this period.

Scoundrels EP ‘Sniff It Up’ is out now on Blue Horizon.

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Post by Ruby

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TRACKS:

Earlier in March I was lucky enough to catch Benjamin Francis Leftwich at an intimate gig at London’s age old Borderline. It seems in this instance venue and act were perfectly aligned both exuding comfort, intimacy, and a down to earth feel.

Leftwich managed to slink on the stage almost with out the crowd’s detection. He spoke about his first and problematic Pedicab ride En route to the gig and then quietly began. His live performance is just as you’d want it to be, soft, personable and very understated. Undeniably, his songs follow a  certain blueprint and they merged easily into a seamless set.

Leftwich occasionally broke rhythm by performing songs in a whispered tone that almost fell below human hearing.  Whilst the variation was welcome, and the crowd were willingly quiet, the backdrop of bar noise proved to be a little too much competition for my liking.

This aside it was an incredibly humble performance from a rising talent. If you’re fiesty enough to fight your way to the front I’d definitely try at catch him at the Camden Crawl, later this month.

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Post by Ruby

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Oh Land is a cracking new experimental electro pop act that peels influences from Björk, The Pierces and a touch of Alex Winston to boot. ‘Sun of a Gun‘ is the most probably the most pop focused of her outputs with a catchy chorus and theatrical production that has become almost a staple to female chorus that sticks to you like glue.

‘Wolf and I‘ takes on a more introspective sound and in truth this its the track that prompted the post. Layered dreamy vocals entrance the listener and casts a Pierces-like spell upon it and ensures a magical listen from start to finish. Not shy of genre boundaries she enlisted fellow Dane Trentemøller to lends himself to an ethereal remix of her track ‘Heavy Eyes‘ creating a deliciously abstract slice of pop techno.

If you need any additional convincing check out the amazing live performance of ‘Lean‘ in a Titanic-esque setting. Have a listen….

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Guest post by miss Ruby coup d’état.

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I came across this soulful star a few months back, but it’s only now, jogged by this month’s press thrust upon me, that i can finally sit, write and pay respect to Benjamin Francis Leftwich. If you’re a heavy rocker, metal head or Math- rock -matician turn away.

This is acoustic guitar, gentle melodies and buttery soft vocals at their best. His vocal touch ensues lightness and warmth and even melts a cover of Arcade Fire‘s brash and robust classic, ‘Rebellion‘. His own debut single ‘Atlas Hands‘ is an absolute dream and seems set to have a Jose Gonzalez ‘Heartbeats‘ moment in 2011.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich heads out on a UK tour this week so check his myspace for the dates. We will be catching his London date, see you there!

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Post by the Big Apple eating Ruby.

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Wild Palms first came to my attention last year when they released début single ‘Deep Dive‘ on One Little Indian. It was a boisterous little tune and, in my mind, it warranted a lot of attention but, disappointingly, it didn’t receive its rightful share of hype.

However, their latest offering, ‘Delights in Temptation’, is unlikely to fall privy to the same infliction. The track begins softly, with mellow chords, supportive drums and a carefully considered vocal. And then suddenly it freefalls into a majestic sound with beefed out grunge guitar pieces and harrowingly hollow vocals before quickly recoiling to bring you back to resting heart rate.

Sound exhilarating? It kind of is. There is more than an obvious nods to their post -punk tour pals Gangs of Four but these South London boys have a more ethereal and abstract stamp and their sound is all the better for it.

They’ve got a host of tour dates line up and their due to release their début album ‘Until Spring‘ this March; we can only hope that they become this season’s must have.

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Post by the NYC bound Ruby

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Les Savy Fav returned in 2010 with their 5th studio album in 2010 ‘Root For Ruin‘. This Accomplished set of songs follows in the trail previously blazed by its predecessor ‘Let’s Stay Friends‘ and sees the perennial underdogs take their polished aggression to new heights. Cougar regular Ruby included them in her top 10 stating:

There is something so familiar and comforting about the quality and sound of ‘Les Savy Fav’ that really distinguishes them apart from the often transient sounds of their peers.

‘Let’s Get Out Of Here’ is the classic example. Play it once and you feel like you grew up with the song, it’s instantly comfortable and it’s instantly your friend. ‘Sleepless in Silverlake’ has provided one of my favourite intros of the year. It gradually peels back each layer of the song, some guitar pieces, some percussion and then the vocals hit in and the melody has motion.

‘Appetites’ takes them back to their post hardcore roots fuelled with loud guitar rhythms, some precise shouting and some aggressive pace which proves they’ve definitely still got their appetite and we’re as hungry as ever for them.

This impressive display of ccomposed aggression comfortably rubs shoulders with the other releases on this list.

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NEXT: #02 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

PREVIOUS: #04 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Yeasayer – Odd Blood

Brooklyn miserablists The National returned in 2010 with their fifth studio album. Cougar associate Ruby was quick to add it to her list saying:

It almost feels like cheating for featuring this like everyone else, particularly when it has been such a good year for breaking new acts. It’s comparable to the feeling you get when Federer wins a Grand Slam; great, but can someone else get look in?

Anyways, regardless of this notion ‘High Violet’ is an incredible album and should be rightly commended.  ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ is a genuine “reeler” pulling you in for 4 minutes and 36 seconds and within that time you haven’t moved, you haven’t drifted, you’ve done very little else but listen…. and that is rare.

Elsewhere the band continue to show their flair for warped and low-fi melodies and of course those earthy deep rich vocals that sound like they have the knowledge of wisdom of 1,000 years engraved in them is practically poetry.

There is so much emotion and agony expressed that the rare uplifting moments seen in tracks such as ‘Anyone’s Ghost’ are vital in providing us with a welcome break from the rest of the album’s intensity.

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‘The National’ have thoroughly earned their title and, like Federer, this album should be seeded at the top.

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NEXT: #12 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: The Morning Benders – Big Echo

PREVIOUS: #14 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

Frightened Rabbit returned to the fore in 2010 with the release of ‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks‘ and bagged themselves spots not only on our full site top album breakdown but several writers personal lists (which will be published soon).

Here is why Cougar scribe Ruby deemed it worthy of a spot:

After the warm reception of ‘The Greys’ and ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ the pressure may have been on to pull yet another Frightened Rabbit out the hat.  And it is with great satisfaction that I can reveal that those scruffy haired Scots did the rabbit and the hat trick with their latest offering.

‘The Winter Of Mixed Drinks’ also saw a step away from subdued shadows of their former albums and generally provided us with a more brash and attention grabbing sound. The band have added more heart, more guts and more build than ever seen before.

Fan’s shouldn’t be disappointed as there are still plenty of nods to their staple sound; somehow FR manage to straddle the thin line between hope and horror. Yet despite this there is a notably richer and more radiant sound suggesting that things are looking a lot less miserable now for the likely lads whose efforts this year have handed them a place in my personal list.

When we reviewed the album back in april Kenny suggested that “what sets ‘The Winter of Mixed Drinks’ apart from previous Frightened Rabbit albums is a sense of heightened focus“. In his year end list he added:

I’m a big fan of Frightened Rabbit‘s previous albums but their 2010 offering is a different beast. This is a brilliantly crafted and contemplative album filled with great instrumentation. It is mature yet exhilerating; epic yet subtle. When I heard it — even early in the year — I knew it would be on this list.

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NEXT: #18 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Gregory and The Hawk – Leche

PREVIOUS: #20 Cougar Microbes Top Albums of 2010: Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (II)