Find local releases in The Music Exchange. You can also hear a tune from each review on our Sound of the Lion podcast at leftlion.co.uk/sotl.
C-Mone
Rebecca King
If there’s an argument about female representation in hip hop, C-Mone thankfully helps to counter it. From her start with CRS and Out Da Ville to her collab with The Streets, this Nottingham rhymestress has been holding it down for female emcees (femcees?) for years. The Monday Book Club is a five-track taster mixtape for her upcoming album - the follow-up to her Mercury attention-grabbing Butterfly Effect that perfectly sums her up her skills. Deftly switching between acoustic tunes and more traditional drum sample-led beats, C-Mone lays down gorgeously contemplative bars that touch on everything from the hopeless feeling of not hearing back from job applications, Just, to statistics on global food shortages, Vision. Her relaxed, conversational flow creates a stream of consciousness effect, with asides, sighs and a meaningful adlibbed message to close. If this is Monday’s Book Club, I’m attending every week. Shariff Ibrahim soundcloud.com/c-mone
This new EP presents a very different sound for the vocal powerhouse that is Rebecca King. Where she was previously known for her upbeat r ‘n’ b and pop sounds, these tracks fall somewhere between jazz and hip hop. Thanks to incredibly slick production from local lad Ashmore, Rebecca’s vocals shine among horns that even Miles Davis would envy. Her voice rings irresistibly as ever and her knack for a catchy melody remains. Appetite For You has a hook worthy of national radio play albeit with clear, classic undertones; Stumbling Again is a subtly groovy piece of jazz and there’s even a swinging, bluesy take on her first single Damn It I Do, which sounds very different from the club-pop sound of the original. Overall, this new sound works surprisingly well for Rebecca and makes a case for the question of whether there’s any genre she can’t make her own. Sam Nahirny rebeccaking.bandcamp.com
The Monday Book Club Mixtape (Self-released)
Ex-Easter Island Head Large Electric Ensemble Album (Low Point)
Unspoken Words EP (Self-released)
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Dan Rattomatic
Turbo Charged Cheese Dreams Album (1st Blood Records/Who Made You Leader) “He’s the kind of guy who would drink a gallon of gasoline so he could piss in your campfire.” As far as album openers go, hubristic Steven Seagal movie quotes are bold statements of intent. Luckily DJ and producer Dan Rattomatic’s debut LP has both bombastic beats and abundant bars to back it up. A crack squad of Nottingham’s finest are in support - among them, Inkrument teammate Samwise raps on the dreamy strings of standout track Rainbow Roads, Bahinyon (née Liam Bailey) lends his signature soul to Precious Lines, and 1st Blood hilariously extol the virtues of a WFH day on Working from Home. He also shows off the extent of his crates with the heavily Isley Brotherssampling Aesthetix (feat. Edison), before swapping hip hoppy Air Force ones in favour of funky brogues for a few stirring final dance numbers and bonus remixes. Cracking cheese, Rattomatic! Shariff Ibrahim danrattomatic.bandcamp.com
Tribute to Nordberg
Album (Lancashire and Somerset)
Put It Together EP (Self-released)
Originally debuted in September 2012 at Nottingham Contemporary as part of WEYA, Large Electric Ensemble sees Liverpool’s experimentalists Ex-Easter Island Head collaborate with eleven of Nottingham’s finest guitarists from a variety of backgrounds; there are far too many to mention here, but the line-up includes members of Kogumaza, Fists and Cantaloupe. After previously experiencing the piece live, I first heard the recorded version while ill in bed; the tranquil melodies felt like a celestial being was visiting to mop my fevered brow. The music ebbs and flows between twinkling, sparse passages of guitar and hypnotically pulsating moments of euphoria. Recorded live, the energy in a room full of guitarists (and a drummer) has been captured with the band using alternate tunings, Allen keys and third bridges to achieve their distinct sound. This is a superbly realised piece of music that doesn’t forsake experimentation for enjoyability. A unique listening experience. Paul Klotschkow lowpoint.bandcamp.com
Slow-burning and immeasurably patient, Kogumaza’s latest LP is not for the faint-hearted. Offering two sides of near unrelenting music and opening with winding, funereal sludge, this release displays the band’s talent for telling stories through extended jamming. Following the aforementioned sprawling opener, Kogumaza laze hazily into soundscaping as if to allow the listener some relaxation for a moment before bringing more of their locked down, droning, spaced-out rock to the fore. Side B proffers a similar structure to Side A, beginning with a song brimming with strung-out lead guitar, spiked with feedback and wah. The rest of the band present a stoned motif that Do Make Say Think would be proud of, segueing into unsettling ambience that ends with treated vocal loops before closing with a jam that wouldn’t have been remotely out of place in California during the late sixties. It all makes for an exhausting but incredibly worthwhile experience. Ant Whitton kogumaza.bandcamp.com
Tribute to Nordberg’s debut album The Day After, released in March 2012, was described by this reviewer in this very rag as “grinding, unforgiving riffs tempered with a keen sense of melody.” A lot has happened to the band since then, but after a line-up change and an extended hiatus, they’re back with a new EP and thankfully those pitiless riffs are still very much in evidence. If anything, the band might be even heavier than they were before, the faint presence of Pearl Jam replaced by something distinctly closer to Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden. Sure, vocalist Paul isn’t quite in the Chris Cornell league of rock singers - who is? - but the band definitely aren’t embarrassed by the comparison. Some of the riffing on this EP is heart-stoppingly, stratospherically, hands-in-the-air good. The downward gallop to the end of Hard to See is, in particular, a thing of rocking beauty. Tim Sorrell tributetonordberg.co.uk
Ff
Leygo
Ffeeling EP (Self-released)
The Funka EP (Relative Dimensions)
Josh Wheatley Follow The Smoke EP (self-released)
Artists drenched in mystique, Ff let us into their wonderfully weird world of scuzzy, psychedelic synthesisers and far out ambience. Without vocals, the band let the music do the talking. Cloth Ears and Peggy Babcock open with a huge blast of grinding synth-driven clamour and effect heavy guitar riffs. In later tracks, Ff show that their softer side can be equally as compelling as their heftier instincts; Ibizan Wizard in particular engulfs you in a feeling of extreme weightlessness and sounds like it could be at home in Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds. The oddly named Pants Down Roly Poly provides the two sides of Ff in one eloquent, closing track; chopping abruptly between fast-paced drums and tranquil ringing. Unlike anything you are likely to have heard for some time, Ff prove that Nottingham’s burgeoning music scene is still full of surprises. George Ellis freshlyf.bandcamp.com
Sitting alone in a room on your fat arse is probably not the best way to do this EP justice. The Funka was almost certainly put together to soundtrack letting your hair down with a couple of ‘sherbets’ on a Friday or Saturday night. Showcasing his selecta flair, Leygo has put together a mix that brings the funk and is aimed squarely at the dancefloor. Recognisable cuts such as Express Yourself by Charles Wright and Kula Shaker’s Hush are thrown together with big beats and even bigger bass lines that should test even the mightiest of soundsystems. Some of the repetition does become a bit too much at times and my eyes couldn’t help but glance at how long was left on some of the tracks. That being said, if this was blasting away in a bar or club and you were locked in the groove Leygo has laid down here, there’s no way you’d be grumbling. Paul Klotschkow soundcloud.com/leygo
Follow The Smoke is the anticipated debut EP by the cherished Nottingham favourite that is the smooth talking Josh Wheatley, a guy with a voice that is capable of melting much tougher substances than butter. The title track Follow the Smoke, entices us from the start with breathtaking harmonised vocals and lyrics about a favourite subject of his - his beloved boats. Wheatley’s talents on the guitar are evident throughout, with a tender string picking approach fully complementing his songs. From the Wild speeds things up, showcasing Wheatley’s diversity. No EP would be complete without a tender version of a love song and Give up the Ghost is just that, singing “let it loose to find someone new”, the song is effortless but compelling, a beautifully composed ballad. The final track I’ll Set Her Free is a tender, slow song with captivating lyrics and guitar sounds - the perfect end to a fantastic, versatile debut EP. Alyss Bowen soundcloud.com/josh-wheatley-1
Field Studies
Papayér
The Wickets
Celestial EP (Self-released) EPs usually come near the start of an artist’s career as an explosion of pentup creativity, a declaration of intent. Rarely do they arrive so fully-formed with a chiselled refinement such as Field Studies’ Celestial. The release begins with the sampled voice of an indie video-game designer (don’t worry, it works), then the anthemic and melodically aching Blomst with its Nordic-sounding name to complement clear Sigur Ros influences. Mother Tongue recalls Radiohead minus Thom Yorke’s falsetto, or a soulful, forgotten Maccabees song. Although there are plenty of reference points, simply listing them does Field Studies a disservice - all influences are synthesised, submerged in an impressionistic wash. Cabin Fever is so unnervingly affecting, it sends a shiver down the spine while Hibernate fades with grace. Fastidiously composed with stark passion; forget the standard predictions of ‘great things to come,’ great things are already here – a must listen. Magnificent. Andrew Tucker fieldstudiesband.bandcamp.com
Boo Album (Self-released) “If you start your day in twists and fits, you’ll end it just the same,” states Emily’s Second Wind, demonstrating how this indie-rock trio are delivering their outlook on modern life, just as cult favourites The Libertines did ten years ago. Unlike them, Midlands-based Tom, Niall and Cob are best friends and it’s hard to believe that this is Papayér’s debut full-length album. Filled with adolescent emotions and selfdeprecating lyrical tendencies, Boo begins with the love stoned Baby Boo acting as a gentle introduction to Tom’s occasionally croaky and expressive voice before the track cascades into a shambolic instrumental finale. The boy’s angsty sound works well in Emily’s Second Wind and Good Morning with off-kilter hooks giving them an interestingly memorable but not always instantly catchy eminence. Other tracks, Suffering and Belly Full resonate a distinctly morose, scratchy vibe that would be at home on The Cribs’ self-titled debut album. Stephanie Parkes papayer.bandcamp.com
On The Line
EP (Self-released) They’ve been on the scene for over ten years now, but The Wickets are still kicking it hard and showing no signs of fatigue. That could be because they took a wee break last year from gigging and the like, but they’ve come back all the better for it. Their latest EP - presumably recorded when we assumed they were dossing about is short and sweet at three songs but is relentless from start to finish. Imagine if The Killers had developed their sound more towards rock instead of Bruce Springsteen and U2... that would have been great. Well sod them, they didn’t, The Wickets are filling that rock indie angst gap in the market, and hell, they’re much less pretentious. On The Line’s chugging guitars and driving rhythms will have you stomping along before it all ends far too quickly. A ferocious live band, take their energy home with you. Ali Emm thewickets.bandcamp.com
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