Browsing Tag

Flaming Lips

Space out with the rock-licked soul in Church Burglars’ kaleidoscope of psychedelic shoegaze, Fairy Tale Ending

Posted on 1 November 2023

If you take your rock classically cut with a twist of spacey psychedelia, explore the riff-carved cosmos in the standout single, Fairy Tale Ending, from Church Burglars’ debut album, Subconsciously Conscious.

With soaring riffs as strident as the licks orchestrated by Slash’s fair hands fused with the soul-lavished euphonic sensibilities of the Flaming Lips and Pink Floyd, Fairy Tale Ending is a prog-rock meditation on the highs and lows of diehard romanticism. The endlessly caressing vocal lines which have more in common with the Shoegaze pioneers than your average rock outfit draw you right into the gravity of the bitter-sweet release, which stands as a testament to the LA-based outfit’s determination to make real music for real people.

After the founding members met at Berklee College of Music in Boston shortly before the COVID pandemic, frontman Mike Foltz used the international live music breather to travel to LA to record the debut LP independently with the exception of a few lead guitar parts laid down by Alec Grugel. With the full line-up finalised, Church Burglars are making waves in the live circuit; grab any opportunity to see them in an intimate setting before you have to join legions of fans filing into arenas to witness the virtuosity of Foltz.

Fairy Tale Ending is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Smooth Retsina Glow orchestrated a psych-pop sonic sugar rush with their latest single, Overcoming

Posted on 12 March 2023

After Smooth Retsina Glow got ‘Metaphysical’ with their third album in 2022, they’ve rivalled the psychedelic soul of the Flaming Lips in their latest single, Overcoming.

Sarah Stoll’s vocals effortlessly fuse into the technicolour tones of the psych-pop synths and the guitars that bring a pinch of angular new-wave indie melodicism to the release. If that wasn’t enough sticky-sweet nectar to melt into, the Beach Boys-ESQUE vocal harmonies are sure to strip the malady out of the weariest souls.

The Lehigh Valley award-winning act has been picking up the accolades left, right, and centre in recent years. Undoubtedly, Overcoming will earn the outfit that started in 2019 a few more. The boundless creativity paired with the optimistically bright lyricism, which proves that everyone can take control of their perception, created a serotonin-soaked playlist staple for anyone who wants to hang on to their sanity and optimise their mortal coils.

Stream Overcoming on Spotify now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Accidental Allies Create The Perfect Union With Adorable Fever


Posted on 30 October 2017

What you really think Accidental Allies are all about depends upon which thread you pick at first. Start one end and they are a synth-pop act doing a spot of avant gardening, start somewhere else and they are an acoustic act building electronic platforms underneath deft, classical guitar lines. Others might think of them more as a dance band heading off into more progressive territory, or a soul band having embraced a futuristic vision of what the genre might become.

The reality is that they are all of those things or none of them, they might be a wide-ranging eclectic mix or a very singular roadmap towards their own musical destination. Not that it really matters, it is only when you try to write things down, to turn music into words that you come up against the limitations of language. Until they invent the right words to properly describe what is going on here you will just have to access their world via your ears and imagination. It is a world of interesting musical choices, mercurial stylistic blends, genre hopping and genre splicing, why would you try to capture that in word form?

A&R Factory Present: Astronaut

Posted on 21 May 2016

With crazy, atmospheric five star reviewed live shows and a new single out, Astronaut is clearly one of the most exciting live acts on the danish music scene at the moment.

Astronaut formed in 2013 at The Royal Academy of Music in Denmark, as lead singer and otherworldly charismatic frontman Martin Zeppelin united old and new friends in an original setup. The sound quickly turned into a vintage late 70’s sound with a modern, spacious animalistic overlay. Fueled by the vision of playing the big stages with songs like the bands old heroes from the past, the band went into several years of rehearsing and playing numerous shows in Denmark. In the summer of 2015 Astronaut played some of the big danish summer festivals – with their latest gig being at SPOT Festival 2016, closing the Limbo Stage.

Astronaut started off 2016 by recording their debut-EP, co-produced and mixed by renowned danish producer Carsten Heller (Veto, Spleen United, Nephew). The first single Supernatural is, according to the band, an exploration of a mood swing of any shape or form. Of how we perpetually change our view on ourselves and the world according to our inner state.

The band are super excited about the sound on the new tracks, and are eager to show it off to the world – already picking up interest from Germany and UK.  Over the summer Astronaut will be releasing more singles and will soon be ready for the big takeoff.

About the track:

New single Supernatural from Astronaut, comes with a video recorded on Koh Samui, Thailand. From the band’s perspective it’s meant to be an exploration of a mood swing of any shape or form. Of how we perpetually change our view on ourselves and the world according to our inner state.