Olive Featherstone – ‘Opium Requiem’

The Bristol-based rising artist has shared the debut as the first taster of her upcoming album ‘I Was Wondering, Lost’, set to grace our ears this Autumn. The unreleased project tells of Olive’s most intimate life stories, centering on themes of drug abuse and de-personalisation. 

‘Opium Requiem’ sees Olive’s echoey croon glide on top of powerful guitar riffs and commanding percussion, beginning softly and slowly, whilst travelling towards an empowering climax. As the song builds, the goosebumps raise, as listeners feel every moment of Olive’s meaningful intent. 

Speaking on the single, Olive explains:

“I wrote this song at the end of a turbulent relationship with someone who would be awake whilst I was sleeping in the same room – he’d be sat by the window, smoking and watching people go by. I always thought that symbolised the distance we had between us in that relationship.”

Olivia Jasmine Noonan, musically known as Olive Featherstone uses her moniker as a special sanctuary to express herself freely, and wear her heart on her sleeve. Her open and authentic approach to penning lyrics and piecing together melodies absolutely shines through every second of her debut, marking it as a real gem to emerge from the indie scene. 

Discover more from Olive Featherstone

• Instagram
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If you like Olive Featherstone you might also enjoy Kitty Finer

Words Chloe Hadded

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The debut 7 track collection was self-produced, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered with the help of his girlfriend Julie. This living room recorded EP rewards listeners with an immediate sense of intimacy, this is music at its most honest.

Lead single Behold is inspired by a friend who just can’t settle. The verses explore the loneliness that comes with independence.

The EP contains a mixture of songs written and collected in the last few years alongside brand new tracks. J. Alan Schneider describes ‘Benchmarks’ (Track 6) as one the of the most personally special.  The lyrics were originally written on a bench in New York City as the sun came up. They are inspired by the large number of people that had left their mark via carvings on the bench. This led to an observation about the amazing people in his life and how he doesn’t thank them enough for the marks they have left on him. It’s a beautiful metaphor that everyone should relate to.

Listen out for track 5 Arkansas on this week’s episode of our Lost On Radio Podcast and follow J. Alan Schneider on Facebook to keep updated with live tour plans.

Lo & Behold is out now and available on iTunes and Spotify.

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Emily C Smith

The London-based singer/song-writer and her band consisting of David Kapruski (drums), Jack Chantler (guitar) and Gareth Cobb (bass) take us on a four-track-journey that passes through Patti Smith-infused 60s garage rock with opening track Don’t Leave Me Now to countrified shades of PJ Harvey on I Have No Use For You.

Don’t Leave Me Now feels like the flagship track and really grabs attention with its hypnotic lyrics, jangly guitar riff and punk attitude. It’s a mature track without feeling so. A repetition of lyrics ‘find your own way in’ ends the track and you feel as though you’ve found something really exciting. Fans of Courtney Barnett should love Emily C Smith also.

Second up is Slow Death – it feels harder than the previous and has hints of Them Crooked Vultures with a Savages-esque vocal. I Have No Use For You has a softer edge and comparisons can be drawn to Joni Mitchell or Debbie Harry. Experimentation with the Violin is prominent throughout the track and gives it that folky, alternative sound that stands it apart from the previous tracks.

The final track of the EP, Burn, slows things right down and showcases Smith’s cavernous vocals. Like all of her tracks, it feels familiar yet original – with the vocal sound reminding us a little of Alvays’ Molly Rankin.

With guest appearances from Toby Couling (The Noisettes, Newton Faulkner) and Hana Piranha (Birdseatsbaby) Emily C Smith herself offers guitars, keyboards and vocals to the mix. Recorded at The Fold Studios, Forest Hill, South London the EP follows her 2013 debut album Marina’s Laughing. We’d also recommend catching the video to her 2012 single Fight Against You with tributes to Bowie and Patti Smith particularly prominent.

Originally from The Midlands, Emily C Smith has had airplay on BBC 6 Music and currently has a host of London shows booked, including an EP launch show on September 9th at The Harrison.

Words Dan Williams

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The band were finalist in the highly respected Triple J Unearthed High, under their previous name of When We Where Small.  With a new name and a new EP, the band are ready to launch themselves onto the musical landscape.  Influences are wide ranging, from Death Cab for Cutie and Unknown Mortal Orchestra, to the likes of Band of Horses and The Shins.

The EP is perfectly bookended, opening with the track ‘Comets’, in keeping with the theme of the EP cover, and sounding a little like Sigur Ros in their quieter moments.  The instrumental is a great introduction to the Soft Corporate sound, anthemic, intricate, and full of beautiful melodies.  The final track ‘Boats’ is a standout, and encapsulates what is great about this band.  Melodic guitar, syncopated drums, the song slowly building around singer Troy Sheehan’s vocals, before hitting a big crescendo to end the song.

‘Wait, Stay’  showcases Sheehan’s understated vocal delivery, a perfect fit for the bands melodic indie-pop.  ‘Downward Sea’ is largely based around the piano melody and a great drum groove, with a catchy vocal hook in the chorus.  ‘Slipped’ is more low-key, repetitive but in a good way, sounding like a slightly less electro pop version of Phoenix.

Good Things Will Happen is an impressive debut, and shows maturity of songwriting and  consistency of sound.  Whilst their influences can be heard, they have used these inputs to create their own unique sound.  The production is high quality, warm but precise, and the strings really add to the overall texture, providing the lift when needed for the EP’s bigger moments.

Soft Corporate will launch Good Things Will Happen on the 6th of August at the Toff In Town in Melbourne.  It can be purchased now on iTunes or streamed on Spotify.  Definitely one to place on the ‘one to watch’ list.

Nicholas Cheek

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This is exactly what The Cabin from New York’s FOXTRAX provides.  Their debut EP is a wonderful mix of upbeat, happy, and melodically catchy indie-pop that seems to be able to transport the listener to a happy place, like green grass and blue skies on a summery Sunday afternoon.

Three childhood friends Ben Schneid (Vocals, Guitar), Jared Stenz (Bass) and Jon Stenz (Drums) got together after college graduation, and booked a cabin in North Carolina for five weeks where they wrote, arranged and self-produced the five tracks that would became, rather appropriately, The Cabin.

After the recording Ben Roulston (Wolf Alice, Florence and the Machine) heard the EP and reached out, providing some new production and a mix.  Brian Lucey (Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys) offered his significant mastering skills.  The end result is an EP that went from a young band’s DIY job, to a polished and professional debut, with help from a couple of industry heavyweights.  Their sound is clearly influenced by the UK indie scene, such as Interpol (musically at least), as well as more recent acts such as The Wombats, and Catfish and the Bottlemen.

‘Underwater’ is the most radio ready, the verses propelled by bass and drums, the lead guitar providing some great hooks whilst the song revolves around the up beat chorus. ‘Dark of the Night’ starts off more low key, the drums leaning on the ride cymbal, giving a hint of shoegaze, before Schneid sings ‘In the darkest of the night, I’ll be stuck in middle, waiting for the light.’  Whilst it is lyrically ambiguous, it will certainly be a line that is remembered, as it is the catchiest chorus on the album.

‘I’ll Be Back for You’ closes out the EP, and is a bit of a departure compared to the other four songs, with a shuffling groove and an alt-country influence.  The recordings only guitar solo helps build the song to a fantastic multi-layered closing chorus, and is a great way to finish.  In general, the songs follow a fairly predictable structure, fortunately though is isn’t too noticeable.  Every chorus has a hook, the mood is upbeat, happy, and melodically warm.

FOXTRAX are certainly on the pop side of indie-pop, but not in a deliberately commercial way.  The three piece got together with the aim of writing and recording some songs in a cabin, with the hope that one day people would get to hear it.  The result is five songs that display a great deal of musical and songwriting maturity from a relatively young band.

At the very least, The Cabin should evoke a smile on the face of the listener, and in an increasingly uncertain world, music that makes us happy can never be a bad thing.

The Cabin is out now through all major retail sites, and available for streaming.

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Little Brother Eli are a four piece from Oxford comprising of: Alex Grew, Joshua Rigal, Adam Stowe, and Benji Page. Cold Tales will be officially released on June 24th, so consider this a prompt to pre-order. The ten tracks include previous singles Who Do You and Dreams alongside plenty of brand new tracks.

Trying to pigeon hole this band is a mistake but imagine Led Zep power, Jack White’s bluesy, garage,  (Who Do You / This Girl) Neal Young’s country (Gold / Hanging) and a sprinkling of Beastie Boys swagger over the top.

It’s the sort of album where you’ll do well to catch your breathe, it’s a relentlessly riff heavy ride. It’s hard not to be swept up in the energy and power of this album.  It would have been easy for Little Brother Eli to get lost in ‘self-indulgent rock’ on this album, but thankfully for everyone they dodge that bullet with their focused punchy tracks that seldom last beyond the 3min mark. The glorious exception is album closer and title track Cold Tales an acoustic, alt country fire-side sing along that grows to a stirring finale.

This is an album that gets better with every listen, and could rapidly become one of our favourite new albums of 2016. Little Brother Eli has grown up, and are ready to take on the world.

Head on over to our sister site. LiveMusic Session.TV to watch Little Brother Eli in session for Sofar Sounds.

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The 11 track album is full of delightful, homespun charm, at times reminiscent of Joan As Policewoman or Feist.

Ellie Ford started off recording acapella songs on an old tape player. Always writing her own music, she developed into a captivating songwriter penning ethereal and intoxicating folk music.

Each track on the new album flows beautifully and truly reveals Joni Mitchell like inflections in it’s vibe and tone. Ellie’s songs are bathed in folk traditions with a timeless sound  that manage to feel fresh due to the mix of traditional and modern instrumentation. All the songs are beautiful masterpieces, full of kaleidoscopic philosophies.

‘The Other Sun’ is available to buy now April via iTunes, a 12 inch vinyl will also be available via Hidden Trial Records.

See Ellie perform at The Great Escape Festival.

• • Thursday 19th May @ Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (official)
  • Friday 20th May @ New Road/Jubilee Street Party (official)
  • Friday 20th May @ Marwoods Coffee Shop (alternative)

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Most importantly the music doesn’t disappoint. This is an album you’ll be telling your friends about. From the effortless cool retro stylings of lead single ‘Send It Over’ to the 60s girl group stylings of Baby Brother, this is an album that transports you and provides the ultimate escapism. Normally music soundtracks film, in this case, we need a film to soundtrack the music. Over to you Quentin Tarantino…

Mattiel is a designer, lyricist and vocalist from Atlanta. She was raised in rural Georgia and currently resides in the A-town. Discover more on Spotify.

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Leitbur has its origins in Los Angeles, where Widman had been experimenting with sound and songwriting while studying film production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. After seeing the similarities between both disciplines, Widman began constructing his songs like his short films — each filled with autobiographical scenes, characters, and the occasional flashback or dream sequence. Widman uses the mood and tone of the 1980’s like a cinematographer, framing each song with care, to tell stories that are in equal parts nostalgic, sweet, and filled with pathos.

Later, Widman began collaborating with Chicago-to-L.A. transplant Krzyston, an aspiring psychotherapist and vocalist. Their romantic relationship caused Leitbur to become a film with two main characters. Soliloquies became conversations, and many of the warmest and most painful moments of their relationship were turned into their own scenes. Two EPs were made, Think of Tomorrow in 2012 and The Moment That I Knew You in 2015,  these have been rehearsals for the planned release of their debut full-length album, Antique Travelers.

Antique Travelers is a “film” with a happy ending. Widman, now a video editor and graphic artist, and Krzyston, nearly finished with graduate school, are getting married in August. “I Need You,” the first single from their album, celebrates this.

The second single ‘Solid Ground’ is about an event that happened years ago in Jaron’s life. With no cell phone, on his way from Seattle to Los Angeles, driving alone at night on the long stretch of empty interstate in northern California, his car broke down and he had to hitchhike with a trucker into the next town. It acts as a metaphor for revelations years later the search for stability, the weight of self-imposed isolation, and the struggle to accept yourself after you’ve made too many tumultuous life decisions.

Antique Travelers by Leitbur is a hazy, nostalgic and joyous synth pop adventure, made special by the interplay between Jaron Widman and Samantha Krzyston. You can almost hear them falling in love on tracks like ‘Not Just Another Girl’ and ‘I Taught You To Linger.’ This is an album to welcome summer, pour yourself a long cool drink and enjoy.

Buy new album Antique Travelers and check out all previous releases at Bandcamp.

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