SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND?
FOLLOWING on from last year’s ‘Studio 54’ release, SōMuch are back at it with their follow-up, ‘Glitter In My Pocket’ which launches today.
SōMuch fuse the classic vibe of ‘70s and ‘80s disco scene with modern production, bringing their ‘retro nūvō’ sound to the dancefloors. Infectious Chic-esque guitar lines, funky grooves and epic vocal hooks are the ingredients that create this new kind of infectious disco music.
And we’re not ashamed to admit – it’s our very own, guilty pleasure.
Speaking of the upcoming single, Ralph Rolle – the drummer for Nile Rodgers and Chic – said: “I call it the ‘Covid coming out song,’ because it’s all about having fun and getting out with your friends. It’s gonna make you snap your fingers, clap your hands and have a good time.”
In November 2017, vocalist Roby Creazzo came across an Instagram ad for one-to-one drum lessons with Rolle, and decided it was the perfect Christmas gift for Francesco Carli, the band’s drummer and in December 2017 the pair flew to Manchester, where they met Rolle and quickly became friends.
Heading into the studio in early 2020, work began on their debut EP where Rolle’s valuable production input helped shaped the bands ‘retro nūvō’ sound with the first two singles completed just before the 2020 global pandemic hit. Various lockdowns later, Rolle returned to Italy to finish producing the EP, which was mixed and mastered in New York.
SōMuch’s mission is simple: to make music that spreads love and happiness, and ‘Studio 54’ is available on Spotify, Apple Music and all other digital platforms and ‘Glitter In My Pocket’ is also available from today via the iTunes Store.
WEBSITE: SoMuch Band – Retro Music Nūvō
T W O
Manchester’s CAULBEARERS are back with their signature dark funk grooves and bittersweet, multi-layered laments on their upbeat funk-rock single ‘Twisted Cord,’ featuring Somerset-based vocalist, Ruth Blake.
With pulsating guitar hooks and distorted drum breaks, the song explores tonalities usually associated with Flamenco, Arabic music, and Indian ragas, enhanced by renowned violinist Olivia Moore, whose own work fuses jazz with Indian classical music.
The song also celebrates the concept of Animism – the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence – a foundational thread for the varied belief systems of many indigenous peoples, who deeply understand the importance of ritual, ceremony, initiation and connection to nature.
“The songs are rarely stories specifically, but more like moods, deep emotional states or parallel worlds we enter into, where scenarios, perspectives and protagonists can shift and morph with a dream-like quality,” said frontman, Damien Mahoney.
Mixed by Seadna Mcphail (Badly Drawn Boy, Jah Wobble,) and mastered by Jim Spencer (New Order, Johnny Marr,) this follows the slower, and meditative sound of the 2021 single, ‘Burst Through The Borders.’
Caulbearers online:
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Ruth Blake online:
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
T H R E E
FOLLOWING a lengthy hiatus from the music scene, A Flock of Seagulls’ original drummer ALI SCORE has teamed up with alternative pop artist JENN VIX and released the infectious, synthorama epic, ‘You Are A Star.’
“Well, ‘You Are a Star’ is a love song,” said Vix. “It’s a tribute to someone who worked as an astronomer, and an astrophysicist. The music happened very late at night as I was sitting in front of the keyboard, practicing, and then the lyrics drifted into my mind shortly after I wrote the music.”
‘A Flock of Seagulls’ were arguably one of the most influential bands of their era, a Top-40 powerhouse with numerous hit songs and a Grammy to their credit, and Vix further explained how the collaboration with drummer Score came to be.
“When I was a kid, I moved to NYC from Miami,” she said. “One of the most wonderful things about NYC at the time was the record shops. I would spend my weekends crate digging and finding new music. One of my friends at a shop downtown played me a single titled, ‘Talking,’ by A Flock of Seagulls, that he got from the UK. I couldn’t even buy it at the time because there was only one copy in the shop.
“I was amazed because I’d never heard anything like it! A little while later, I saw the video for ‘I Ran’ on MTV and at that moment, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I also wanted to one day play music with their drummer, and here I am now, working with him, it’s a dream come true.
“I got the conversation going with Ali through a mutual friend who works on the band’s sites and social media pages, and we took it from there. Ali is not only a brilliant and highly skilled drummer, but he’s an incredibly kind and caring person. I consider him not only a collaborator, but a dear friend.”
JENN VIX online:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Bandcamp
F O U R
OUT NOW, ‘Awake,’ from the Dublin-based COUNTER INTELLIGENCE, a four-piece who describe themselves as, “Transversal Rock, and not being tied to any one genre.”
And perhaps therein lies the dilemma.
Half Irish, half Italian, the group got together in 2017 when fellow Italians Major and Zar began working on pre-existing material before being joined by Irish cousins, Mountain and Phantasm.
Well, this is ground control to Major Zar, I think we have a problem.
‘AWAKE’ start promisingly enough, but that promise quickly dissipates as the song ambles along without any apparent direction until well into the fourth minute when it appears to be taken over by the bastard sons of King Crimson and Pink Floyd.
And on it goes, into the fifth minute, into jazz-funk madness before gently heading towards a welcome exit.
As the band themselves admit, they are, “…inspired by everything they have ever heard collectively and love to harmonize voices and instruments,” and to be fair they also admit being self-produced artists their music isn’t perfect.
And without doubt there is good music waiting to be released by the band, perhaps a modicum of focus and the ears of an independent producer may lead them to it.
@Counter_Intelligence | Linktree
F I V E
FROM the Czech Republic, comes the sound of ‘YANA’ and her latest single, ‘Reach Out,’ from the forthcoming ‘Journey of The Soul’ album.
Released earlier this month, the song also features Aidan O’Grady (drums) and Keith Burke (electric guitar and vocals.)
“I hope that after hearing my single people will realize that there is no need to be afraid to speak out when they are not feeling good in regard to their mental health,” explained singer songwriter, Jana Vondrušová. “The message of the song is to realize that mental health needs to be talked about more than it is and that it is not a stigma to suffer from mental health problems.”
A well-intentioned song which undoubtedly will have its devotees, while others may find it a little too downbeat.
‘Reach Out’ is currently available via Bandcamp.
WEBSITE: Yana – Singer / songwriter from Czech Republic (yanamusic.eu)
S I X
LA-BASED label ‘33.3 Music Collective’ has announced the release of the ‘Behind The Veil,’ the new album from BEAUTY IN CHAOS featuring an all-female cast of vocalists, including Caterwall’s Betsy Martin who fronts the video for ‘Grasp The Stars.’
“The music took me to a place of being in a meteor shower of emotion,” she said.
“It brought out feelings of how we sometimes create unhappiness for ourselves with manipulation brought on by pain, causing such confusion. I could visualize dodging these sharp and pointy damaging stars of thoughts whizzing by in my head. The music travels a celestial path to a calm after a storm.”
No, I have no idea what any of that means either, but I’m sure the target audience, the pre-teens, and the cavemen, will lap it up.
But you’re the lucky ones, I’ve listened to it so you don’t have to.
However, if you have six minutes to waste you can make your own minds up:
Beauty In Chaos:
Website
(Fancy being featured in a future edition of ‘Something For The Weekend?’ Get in touch and we’ll see what we can do.)
