Hinterland

It is a strange kind of euphony: passionate but mellow, like a whisper bellowed, echoed, sending vibrations through our feet, up to our hearts and all over. That is the best way I can describe something so wonderfully indescribable.

We've been waiting for this album - Heart will Haunt was the first track featured on Thewonderwound - and The Bedroom Hour have not disappointed. There is that little sound reminiscent of Kings of Leon but with a distinct British edge; it is fuller, younger, smoother.

It is quiet, but packed with talent - the drums, keys, strings and vocals are balanced throughout so that no single aspect overwhelms or is lost, and it is this that gives Hinterland a gorgeous, smooth quality. You could listen to this album again and again just for that smoothness in sound, but you will be taken by the talent and the psychedelically nostalgic melodies they promised us.

The album drops tomorrow, and you are in for a treat.

Songs to watch out for: Nocturnal and Heart will Haunt.

Urban Decay

Dead space converted into an art garage, sheets clipped onto the ceiling separated a messy work space from the displays. It was split in two; the words 'Acid House' and 'Girl on Fire' split the respective displays. Kush Chorlie on one side - her trippy pieces offering insight to her generation's relationship with music, and by extension, the influence of acid house on music today. On the other side, Joanna Thompson's recreations of sixties inspired culture: sex, drugs and politics.

Like her inspiration, Chorlie's collection was disjointed but wonderful: a throwaway bench salvaged, restored with images of the Beatles and starfish; an empty gas canister, remodelled into a Native American deadmau5 display; the Marlboro man. It was odd, to say the least, but it came together like the minimalistic aesthetic of house with psychedelic drugs - a pairing that works, creating something new, colourful, exciting.

Thompson's collection was based on sixties culture -  Edie Sedgwick, Andy Worhol, Christine Keeler and John Profumo formed the basis of her work. The most stunning of her pieces, her take on the famous Lewis Morley shot which was taken amidst the scandal of the Profumo affair. The image was re-shot with Chorlie in place of Keeler, and then painted on red velvet with the words "Nothing has been proved..."

To see more images from Chorlie and Thompson's art show, follow on.

Art Show

This is an opportunity to see an artist, destined for fame, in her early years. Flicking through her portfolio, you wouldn't believe Kush Chorlie is just eighteen. Her skills are polished, her talent, raw. A bright spark, her knowledge of art and culture informs her personal style - making it not only an extension of herself but a script to gen Y's perspective of life and art and everything worth paying attention to.

Date/Time/Location: 09/07/14, 16:30-onwards, Burnham Upper.

Cape Open Submissions: 1-30th June 2014

Writers, novelists! It's time to get those manuscripts polished and ready, because Jonathan Cape are on the wo/man hunt and have open submissions for fiction in June.

So, get those drafts ready... If you've got a finished work, brilliant! If not, unfinished work are still accepted. Novellas, novels and shorts are all fine, so there is a lot of scope for talented writers. Good luck!

Check out all you need to know here.

The Elephont in the Room

What a glorious day, our favourite bluesy-rock band, RBRisers, are planning to drop their new EP, The Elephont in the Room, in days upcoming. If you haven't checked out their brand-spanking-new video on YouTube, go, it is a wonderful distraction or see below. Also available for a listen is my favourite track from the album, Same Old Road, over to the other side.

Physically copies will be out shortly after the digital release, but you can follow the boys on twitter and Facebook for updates.In the meanwhile, enjoy the music!

Jace Kim

Jace Junggyu Kim: an incredibly talented Canadian-Korean artist, making contemporary the traditional painting in his series Apologies.

The artist's use of material - mixing oil and accrylic, ink and spray - against the juxtaposition of the refined faces and chaotic brush strokes creates a series that is engrossing, wonderfully passionate and stunning.

Each image, similar enough to be catalogued in one series, tells an it's own story, each face perfectly balanced with it's own colour and chaos.

Kim's series is on display Ayden Gallery (Vancouver, BC) until the 4th May 2014, so if you are reading from the Great White North, or are planning to visit soon, take a trip down Pender Street and check out the beauty and talent.

View more from the series here, and find out more about Kim and his art here.

 

Saturday Night at The Water Rats

Review: 3 minute read

Last night the Rock Bottom Risers played an intimate set at one of London's most famous music venues, The Water Rats. The little place in King's Cross houses a low stage, a pub out front and a history of great indie musicians playing there before they got a little less indie.

An audience of dedicated fans, and some new ones were introduced to songs from the band's upcoming EP, Elephont in the Room, which made up the half-hour set.  The band was endearing, their songs a unique blend of bluesy rock, with nods to the greats, and even a little folksy type middle 8 that prompted a lot of country-western dancing in the middle of International Jungle. A technical proficiency - drummer John Butcher played flawlessly, looking either completely focused, almost entranced with his drumkit, other times staring off into space, muscle memory taking over as he crept off to the wonder land, and guitarist, Kane Scott boasted technique switching between feathering and sliding in bouts of rockish-ness.

Civ James Clegg did a solid job as frontman. He interacted with the crowd, picking out the guys who double clapped, and throwing girls into violent dance with his Johnny Depp eyes. But he wasn't the only one channeling Hollywood; Greg Kirby had a Fran Capitanelli kind of vibe going - a little too cool and smooth, but it balanced Scott's animated actions on the other side of the stage (the swaying bops and faces he made definitely added to the performance).

Back Behind the Line proved to be an audience favourite, perhaps demanding the biggest reaction. Understandably. A lot of different musical influences were obvious in this single, but combined to make something beautifully fun, something that makes you want to get up and do anything or everything. It didn't just evoke emotions, it encouraged a sense of action. So everybody moved.

It was an interesting set up - you see each band member individually and you wouldn't place them together, but they got on stage, and start playing and you just had to smile and sway along. They are one of those bands that really enjoys playing - you can see it in their faces - and in the genuine respect they show their audience.

There were a couple instances of feedback, but a band in their stride, it didn't throw them off a second. There was a lot of drunken dancing, and some very worrying sober dancing. It was an intimate gig, with a special feel, closing with shouts of "One more! One more!"


The songs to watch out for: Same Old Road and Back Behind the Line.