EP Review: Lauren Bannon - Turn To Brass

Lauren Bannon is a fantastic young singer from Bournemouth, signed to the indie label Mid Tone Records. Last night a friend and I went along to the Soul Cellar in Southampton to see Lauren and her guitarist Chris Pearce perform two great sets for her EP launch. Below is a review of the two tracks from the EP 'Turn to Brass'.

Shaky - Bannon's sultry vocals have a great mature sound for her tender years; a real soulful nod to Amy Winehouse. Shaky tells the story of a modern day Romeo and Juliet couple (minus the poisoning part) assuming the lovers are still alive and kicking in present times. The vocals are immediate which is great; the impact is sudden and gripping. I love the ad-lib vocals on the upbeat chorus; it's a great acoustic guitar riff and the sound is simple yet effective. The nuances in Bannon's vocals don't go without notice and, although subtle, work perfectly. The song's got a great feeling that just makes you want to dance; my head is nodding and although the shaker/tambourine part works, I'd love to hear the song develop with some drums and bass behind it. The overdubbed backing vocals are wicked over the last chorus, sitting nicely behind the lead vocal and although the ending is busy, this works well, however the final end to the song sounds a little abrupt.

Turn to Brass - The vocals are even more gripping here; the tone to Bannon's voice is sublime and I've got good feelings about her future career in music. It's a really professional sounding voice, honed wonderfully and the eerie cello accompanies cool picking guitar to create a great arrangement. This is the song that works fine without drums; the bass of the cello sits really well with the high pickings of the guitar. The vocals ooze passion and feeling and hurt, it's a great vocal performance from Bannon and when she really pushes her voice just before the end it's a really special moment in the song; you know the climax is near and you don't want it to end. A really touching, almost haunting song.

I really enjoyed Lauren's EP, although feel, at least based on this, her live performances suit her far better. That's not at all to take anything away from a great CD, but if you really want to see her at her best then live is definitely the place. Even having to compete with a noisy upstairs club last night in the cellar of her launch-night venue, the performance was fantastic and really worth checking out for yourself. Her presence onstage is almost seductive, and her voice carried to the back of the room and beyond.

You can hear more from Lauren Bannon at her Myspace page and find out where she's playing soon. Lauren Bannon is signed to Mid Tone Records.

Loz Koleszko EP - 'Gravel Spines'

I have been asked to share with you the news of the new EP from Loz Koleszko titled 'Gravel Spines' on the critically acclaimed netlabel The Centrifuge.

You can download/stream your free copy of the EP here.

About Gravel Spines

Gravel Spines is a series of compositions for piano recorded during a period of heavy snowfall in 2009. This is a collection of music which seeks to trace the spaces between notes to form a temporal structure for the purpose of erasing itself immediately afterward.
Six tracks of autumnal, post-ambient piano: a musical backdrop for shooting zombies, exploring abandoned buildings and cutting your fingers off.

About Loz Koleszko
Loz Koleszko is a composer and sound designer from the Middle Of Nowhere. He writes music to imaginary films that don’t yet exist. Loz burst onto the electronica scene in 2002 with his debut EP 'The Monkeys Danced Like Cuboids' released on the now infamous 1 Man Army Records to much acclaim. After promoting the EP with a legendary tour of the UK, Koleszko moved out of the public eye and into the studio, emerging briefly in 2007 with the dense ambience of 'The More I Sleep' (1 Man Army Records) and again in 2008 with the digital assault of (Tetra-Pak Gardening Quarter' (The Centrifuge).

Links

Loz Koleszko
Gravel Spines
The Centrifuge

Catch The Joe Public on tour NOW!

The Joe Public are currently embarking on their UK 'Take It Back' tour. Be sure to catch them at a small and cheap venue before these guys hit the big time!

Remaining Tour Dates (correct at time of publishing)

11/03 - The Fleece, Bristol

12/03 - Bell on the Green, Devizes

13/03 - Guildhall, Gloucester

18/03 - Perfect Fifth, Taunton

19/03 - Champions, Bournemouth

24/03 - The Riflemans Arms, Glastonbury

26/03 - The Furnace, Swindon

Check out The Joe Public at their Myspace Page or their label's Myspace Page.

Eleanor Conway Interviews Miike Snow

Here, Eleanor Conway of Virgin Red Room talks with Miike Snow. Eleanor produces online music interviews featuring lots of different cross-genre artists, and you can see more interviews here.

Sometimes, you just have to listen.

Yesterday afternoon, I did something I haven't done in a long while. I listened to music. But, I mean really listened. It wasn't the soundtrack to my day, the background noise to accompany me, perhaps make me feel loved or not alone, it didn't fill a void as I undertook some menial task, I wasn't aware of it every so often, as I breezed in and out. No, it had my full, complete and undivided attention. I just looked at nothing. I did nothing. I let the music take me away like it used to, before you get too caught up in trying to live your life. Was it Paul McCartney who said 'life was just what happened while we were busy making other plans'? It was an album I have listened to a million times over; These Days, my favourite Bon Jovi album. But it doesn't matter how many times I've listened to it through, still I hear new things. And you can only achieve this by just listening. So today, I urge you to put on music as you might very well plan to do anyway, something you love or once loved. But don't read, don't surf the net, don't cook or clean, don't drive, just listen.

Tico Torres' Art

I wanted to share with you some of the artwork of Tico Torres. Torres is the drummer for Bon Jovi, however is also an avid golfer, painter and sculptor. Below are some of his pieces which caught my eye, but you can visit his website and take a virtual tour of his latest exhibition; there are some pieces in there which I love but couldn't copy here.

Torres' artwork is different and innovative; often it reminds me of Picasso's unsettling yet wonderful creations, but also indulges in sophisticated hints of the work of Jack Vettriano. What do you think?

How I wish I had thousands of pounds to splurge on such fantastic art!

Just dropping in

Just dropping in for a quick update, I am feeling ill at the moment which is rubbish. But I am however looking forward to seeing Alice in Wonderland tonight; I'm a huge fan of the Depp/Burton partnership and the masterpieces that they create.

It's not been the busiest of weeks although I'm excited about my new band; two practices and two songs can't be bad. It's going to be hard letting a singer in; not least of all because it's not your average verse/chorus/verse/chorus song-structures but also because it's hard letting any stranger in to a small and very tight-knit friendship group. And it's hardly about sitting next to someone on the bus, this is letting someone in to the circle and them being there hopefully for as long as they can be, thus really making something of this band. I feel very passionate about what we are doing yet anxious to share it with someone who, although may be the perfect singer, may not be the perfect person. Only time will tell...

Anyway I'm looking forward to a restful weekend of FA Cup football from the comfort of my sofa and will hopefully feel rejuvenated before Monday comes around. Have a good weekend all :)