Track of the Day: Sivu - Over & Over

So far this year Sivu has been responsible for a number of the finest singles to come out of the UK, and he's just done it again with the beautifully, delicate new single 'Over & Over'.

Rising to prominence back in January with his anthemic debut, 'Better Man Than He', he received almost half a million hits, and gained substantial radio support from the likes of Huw Stephens and John Kennedy. His follow up, 'Bodies', was an interesting change of place, illustrating the same quirky indie-pop stylings, along with a developed complexity in rhythms and richer instrumentation.

It seems as thought the 24 year-old Londoner is unable to do anything wrong at the moment, with 'Over & Over' being a truly understated gem. Based around a simple electric guitar part and an echoey bass drum, the young songwriter tackles the complexities of relationships, and how we sometimes staying in them when neither party quite knows why ('we go over and over and over and over, like a old broken computer'). Simply put, it's another beautiful track from one of the most enthralling acts of the year.

You can get a free download of this 'Over & Over' and an additional track called 'Dimmer Down' here

 'we're just waiting for something real, something to help make us feel alive.'

Track of the Day: Wintercoast - The Andes

I first heard of Wintercoast way back in 2011. I was working in Vancouver as a music promoter for a small, indie music label, and through hours of listening to some fairly sub-par local music (though there is an abundance of really great local music there too), I stumbled upon Wintercoast's debut EP Trees, Homes & Better Places. To put it I was frankly, I was blown away. Their indie-folk style was lusciously built around the quirky vocal interplay between Sylvie and Andrei, and for that they built a devoted local fanbase.

Following two years of near musical silence, the band have returned. Though their numbers are depleted (they now operate as a three-piece), their sound has evolved and grown dramatically. Whereas before their was a Slow Club-esque folky, innocence about the band, they appear to have done considerable growing up and growing darker over their hibernation.

With a full album on the way in the coming months, The Andes is a mission statement of the new direction which the band are taking. I, for one, much like two years earlier, am blown away.

Track of the Day: Frightened Rabbit - Default Blues

What a truly incredible year Frightened Rabbit are having... 

The Selkirk quintet released their fourth album 'Pedestrian Verse' earlier this year; justifiably earning universal acclaim and impressively peaking at number nine in the UK charts. Since then they've gone on two release two follow up EPs, completed a sold-out Australian tour, and have even earnt themselves upcoming support slots for indie-rock royalty,The National.

Well to top all this off, Hutchinson & co are giving us more musical delight in the form of 'The Woodpile EP'. Due for release September 2nd it's titled after the lead single from 'Pedestrian Verse', and features this track as well as three brand new tracks (see track listings below). Today's TOTD is 'Default Blues', a driving, confident indie rocker, with the intellegence and wit which we've come to expect.

Speaking about the new release, singer Scott Hutchinson says – “The Woodpile is about that night you felt utterly out of place, alone, awkward and cornered. All any of us want in those instances is for someone we care about to come and take us away from it all. It's escapist, but also claustrophobic in places. I like the idea of contrasting a big, confident piece of music with lyrics that express uncertainty and vulnerability. ”

THE WOODPILE EP TRACKLISTING:

1) The Woodpile

2) Default Blues

3) Radio Silence

4) Candlelit

Track of the Day: The Mountain Goats - The Mess Inside

Today is an important day. Twelve years after the release of The Mountain Goats' seminal album, 'All Hail West Texas', Merge Records have releasing a remastered version; cleaned up (though not too much. I'd hate it to lose the old girl's signature hiss) and version on vinyl.

In honor of such a momentous occasion my track of the day is it's standout track 'The Mess Inside'. This beautiful anti-love song details a couple who are trying to fix a relationship which is beyond repair. Despite it's archaic recording style and simple instrumentation it is one of the most heart breaking songs in modern music, with each of it's four verses delivering another cruel blow to the future of its characters.

''But you cannot run, and you cannot hide, from the wreck we've made of our house,and from the mess inside.



Lyrics:
'We took a weekend, drove to Provo.
the snow was white and fluffy.
but a weekend in Utah won't fix what's wrong with us.
the gray sky was vast and real cryptic above me.
i wanted you to love me like you used to do.

We took two weeks in the Bahamas.
went out dancing every night.
tried to fight the creeping sense of dread with temporal things.
most of the time i guess i felt alright.
but i wanted you to love me like you used to do.

But you cannot run
and you cannot hide,
from the wreck we've made of our house,
and from the mess inside.

We went down to New Orleans
one weekend in the Spring.
looked hard for what we'd lost.
it was painful to admit it, but we couldn't find a thing.
i wanted you to love me like you used to do.

We went to New York city in September.
took the train out of Manhattan to the grand army stop.
found that bench we'd sat together on a thousand years ago
when i felt such love for you i thought my heart was gonna pop.
i wanted you to love me like you used to do.

But i cannot run.
and i can't hide.
from the wreck we've made of our house.from the mess inside.'