In an effort to shine a light on the unknown artists and songs that pass through the mailbox of a music blogger, this semi-regular series will pick the artists most deserving of attention from nialler9 readers.
Au – ‘Are Animals’
You may have heard of Au, an experimental pop band from Portland. This song sounds a little like Animal Collective I’ll admit, but do AC have a 20-strong vocal chorus? No? Well Au do, I shit you not. This is from their album Verbs.
Oceansea – ‘The Whimsical River’
Really, really enjoying the From The Bedroom Floor EP from Portugal’s Daniel Catarino aka Oceansea. So can you as it’s a free download under a Creative Commons licence. Nice.
Tobacco – ‘Truck Sweat’
Tobacco is a member of Black Moth Super Rainbow and this is his first and largely instrumental, solo record. Made in rural Pennsylvania, the album, entitled F***ed Up Friends also features an appearance from Aesop Rock. It’s released on Anticon. [Myspace]
The Physics of Meaning – ‘Aeroplanes and Hurricanes’
The Physics of Meaning are a chamber rock band from North Carolina, led by multi-instrumentalist songwriter Daniel Hart. Daniel is a member of St. Vincent and John Vanderslice’s band, as well as a frequent contributor to The Polyphonic Spree. So there ya go. This song is lovely. Starts a little like Cathy Davey’s ‘Moving’. Might just be the drums though.
Woven – ‘Prickly Pear’
LA’s Woven were formerly on Interscope but have since embraced the independent lifestyle. They had no choice as they were dropped but still. I’m not surprised really, as this kind of laid-back, electronic-infused rock is not going to go down well at the behest of a major label.
Robert Church and The Holy Community – ‘Captain D’
Cute Swedish indie-pop from Robert Church and friends. Slightly reminiscent of The Cure musically.
Little Jinder – ‘Polyhedron’
More Swedish music. This time from the Trouble and Bass label in the form of Little Jinder (pictured). Rather than being a banging Drop the Lime style cut, this is an ambient pop tune. Listen to the EP.
Engine7 – ‘Me But Perfect’
From Glasgow comes Alan McNeil with a full length release for the Herb label of atmospheric beat-driven electronica. This track is an ambient wonderland. Buy at Boomkat. Sample some more.
Jah-C – ‘Soul Banger remix’ featuring Baje One, Scott Thorough, MC K-Swift, Stimulus, and Cavalier
Woah, a trippy late ’90’s hip-hop number with a bacchanalia of emcees including Baje One of Junk Science. Check out more from Jah-C or the original video.
Free Mixes:
British Males sent me a superb mix which features Jan Hammer’s ‘Crockett’s Theme’, Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time (808 mix)’ and tunes from Busta Rhymes, Dabrye, Rare Earth, LCD Soundsystem and TTC.
Fabric sent on a link to a mix by Urban Nerd resident Rattus Rattus. it features Rusko, Caspa, Skream, Benga, Pendulum, DJ Hype and Dizzee Rascal.
Hey, before you go...
Nialler9 has been covering new music, new artists and gigs for the last 19 years. If you like the article you just read, and want us to publish more just like it, please consider supporting us on Patreon.
What you get as thanks in return...
- A weekly Spotify playlist only for patrons.
- Access to our private Nialler9 Discord community.
- Ad-free and bonus podcast episodes.
- Guestlist & discounts to Nialler9 & Lumo Club events.
- Themed playlists only for subscribers.
Your support enables us to continue to publish articles like this one, make podcasts and provide recommendations and news to our readers, and be a key part of the music community in Ireland and abroad.
Related
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the cohost of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, event curator and producer of gigs, parties & events.