E N G I N E

My good friend Dom just put out a single with his band Engine. It's called Formulate a Plan and it's actually really bloody good. It's a happy, swirly psych-heaven you could happily bounce around in for hours - but James' vocals smoothly guide the track along; sort of like being perched on top of a vocal magic carpet. I'm glad to say I'm not just writing this for the sake of plugging a friend, these guys are genuinely good. So support them & grab a free download below:

Twin Caverns

I was (and still am) smitten with Twin Caverns' Hinnom, TX rework I posted a short while back, but they posted new original Swell to my inbox last night and now I'm in complete awe of the duo. The voice, the guitar - everything drips with a gorgeousness that couldn't be anything but completely and utterly sincere. And for that it's hard not to fall in love with them. Listen to Swell below:

CocoRosie

I remember first listening to CocoRosie when I was like 16 or something and being completely blown away. Not sounding too soppy, I think they really opened my mind to what music could be, and so they're a duo that really need no introduction. Along with premièring a new track, they've announced a release date for their 5th album Tales of a Grass Widow - which I'm super excited about - out May 27th. Stream Gravediggress below:

Heavenly Beat

This is actually the solo project of the bassist from Beach Fossils, John Peña. His new project is called Heavenly Beat and It's bloody brilliant. The below track is Tradition, a cut from the Heavenly Beat debut set for release July 24th via Captured Tracks. It sees Peña dancing in synthpop territory, combining the hazy lo-fi he's known for in Beach Fossils with some pretty nice R&B inspired beats. I do like Beach Fossils but I have to say there's potential for enjoying this whole Heavenly Beat thing a whole lot more.

The Shins

The Shins are finally coming back into our lives, March 20th will see the release of their first LP in nearly 5 whole years, titled Port of Morrow this is probably going to be one of the most hyped about releases of the year. Here's September, the B-Side to the new single 'Simple Song' which will be released this Valentines Day. On top of all this, the band will be touring the UK this March, I'm there. Enjoy:

The Shins: “September” (b-side of “Simple Song” 7”) from Record Store Day on Vimeo.