http://thedailygrowl.co.uk New Music. Old Music. Live Music. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:20:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Just over two years ago I was asked, for the one and only time, to contribute to the prestigious BBC Sound Of poll. This annual poll has become enough of an milestone to ensure that the main business of plenty labels and PRs for the past few months is to ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/12/05/blog-sound-2012/ It's funny to see Dan Michaelson still referred to as 'former Absentee singer', especially now that the release of his third album sees his solo output surpass his former band's by 50%. But let's not dwell on the past. The good news is that Dan's new record Sudden Fiction is ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/11/22/another-quick-word-with-dan-michaelson/ You know the story these days; a new album announcement accompanied by a free taster song. It works nicely for me, but often these things come along like buses. So over the past day there's been news of three potential belters coming out in the next few months. First up, Field ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/11/02/a-good-day-for-new-album-news/ Echo Lake - Alisa from ///NO PAIN IN POP\\\ on Vimeo. This afternoon I've been listening to Echo Lake, mainly because they're the support band at tonight's Early Years gig at CAMP Basement. On the evidence of the songs on their Soundcloud, they're pretty much the perfect support band for The ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/11/02/echo-lake/ You may not noticed, but I've been away for a while. I'm not the only one though. The Early Years were one of my favourite bands a few years back, but after seeing them at a few memorable gigs (notably their support slot at this amazing Electrelane Scala show), they ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/11/01/the-return-of-the-early-years/ Last week, in a BBC 6 Music interview with King Creosote and Jon Hopkins about their Mercury-nominated album Diamond Mine, Kenny Anderson mentioned his songbook. Now there's a thought. I'm trying to imagine a songbook big enough to hold all the songs written by one of the most prolific songwriters ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/08/29/the-returns-of-the-king/ A Winged Victory For The Sullen is the new project combining the talents of Stars Of The Lid founder Adam Wiltzie and LA-based composer Dustin O’Halloran. It seems to bring together what they’re both best at, and form something greater than the sum of their parts. So there’s definite traces ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/08/27/a-winged-victory-for-the-sullen/ On his debut release, there was a distinct folk element to his retro soul music, but on his new EP Michael Kiwanuka brings that right to the front, and in doing so stakes his claim to be the young British Terry Callier. Which is really saying something. The I'm Getting ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/08/26/michael-kiwanuka-im-getting-ready/ When I was unexpectedly asked to contribute to the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll, I was a little taken aback and with a short deadline to get tips back to the man at the Beeb, I stuck to the artists I was particularly obsessed with that week. One of these ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/08/24/liz-green-displacement-song/ Until now, you’d have been excused for thinking that there were two Beiruts – one the creator of lush, brass-fuelled Balkan or Mexican sway-alongs (see the first two and a half albums) and the other the purveyor of obtuse bedroom electronics (Realpeople Holland and the Rough Trade digital EP). But ... http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/2011/08/22/beirut-the-rip-tide/