This June sees the release of the first album in seven years from Ummagma and to herald its arrival whilst offering a rather delicious teaser the indie pop duo has just released the two track single Caravan. As ever the pair’s sound is as eclectic as it is evocative and as is the trend with atmospheric senses involving mastery the new single evokes and inspires the imagination to individual adventures alongside its own.
Emerging in 2003, Ummagma is the creative union of Canadian Shauna McLarnon and Ukraine hailing Alexander Kretov. Ontario based, the pair’s sound is an imaginative fusion of everything from dream pop and shoegaze to post-punk, indie, space rock and much more, it all immersed in a tapestry of ambient and electronic enterprise. The duo has regularly been compared to bands such as Cocteau Twins, Curve, and Daughter but as Caravan alone insists, references which only hint at rather than reveal the richness of the band’s music and imagination.
It is fair to say that our personal appetite to Ummagma’s music is constant but has flourished in varying strengths across their releases and ahead of that new album in Compass, has reached lustful greed courtesy of Caravan. The song instantly had ears gripped as drums set out their ridiculously hypnotic and rousing stroll. Atmospheric suggestion is just as swiftly at play with the imagination, its soundscape of warm wide plains blossoming with suggestive vegetation. McLarnon’s warm magnetic tones are also soon caressing ears as the song sweeps into a synth pop-esque canter, Kretov’s subsequent vocals just as tempting within the pair’s web of musical insistence.
The song is pure adventure, an intimate travelogue of intrigue, intimation, and craft which had the body bouncing and ears enthralled from start to finish.
Ty i Ya accompanies Caravan offering up its own individual temptation; one funk lined and eighties synth pop bred. There is something of Dalek I Love You to the song which only added to its quick appeal and it too brings an atmospheric cascade of enterprise and suggestion which mesmerised throughout even if with varying degrees of strength across its evocative landscape. Ummagma is a band which is unafraid to push their boundaries and the imagination of others in unexpected ways, Ty i Ya proof it so often works a treat.
It is probably fair to say that any album, indeed release, from Ummagma is eagerly anticipated in numerous corners, Caravan ensures Compass will definitely be truly keenly awaited.
Caravan is out now through Leonard Skully Records; available @ https://ummagma.bandcamp.com/album/caravan with Compass released on June 21th also via Leonard Skully Records digitally, on black vinyl and on CD with artwork by Alexander Kretov.
Tali Dennerstein is a British rock singer, songwriter, and producer who is beginning to lure eager attention with her unique mix of Pop/Folk Rock, Gothic Rock, Grunge and Dark Ambient Music. It is a kaleidoscope of flavours embraced by imagination and invention as evidenced by her latest release and videos. We seized on the chance to find out more by talking to the lady herself, exploring her creative beginnings, her solo project, new EP and more besides…
Hello Tali and thanks for taking time out to talk with us.
Can you first give us some background to yourself?
I’m an alternative rock singer, songwriter and producer. I’ve always been very passionate about music and from a very early age, I grew up listening to a lot of 80’s and 90’s Gothic and Grunge Rock music, which really inspired me to want to start my own musical journey. I’ve always enjoyed writing lyrics and after being in a few different bands, I decided to become a solo artist, mainly because I liked having control of the direction my music was taking.
You mentioned previous bands. How have those experiences impacted on your own musical explorations?
I’ve been in a few different bands in the past. My first band was a more electronic /trip hop style band and my last band was a heavy rock/grunge band and I think it definitely helped me to decide the style and direction that I most enjoyed working with. I’ve also collaborated with a couple of artists online and recently I’ve also started a synthwave side project, which has been really fun to work on because I love the 80’s electronic sound and it’s been fun to do something so completely different.
Many solo projects decide to go under a created moniker; you?
As a solo artist I decided to use my own name, although I did consider having a band name but I just couldn’t think of anything that was good enough.
Was there any specific idea behind the direction you wanted your work and sound to offer?
I had a lot of song material, which I’d written over many years that I hadn’t really had a chance to do anything with for a long time and I really wanted to get as much of it completed and out there, as possible for people to hear. That was my main reason for starting my solo music. I also really wanted to try and create my own sound by merging both gothic and grunge rock styles together, as those were my two favourite genres of music styles, when I was growing up. I like folk and electronic music too, so I also tried to add some of these influences into my sound as well.
Are you driven by the same creative things and intent from being a fresh-faced musician or have they evolved over time?
As a solo artist, I’ve only really just begun so it’s relatively new for me but I think the same thing drives me as a songwriter and that’s always been to create meaningful music, that people can enjoy and relate to and that helps them in some way.
Since your early days as a songwriter how would you say your sound has evolved?
My sound has evolved quite a bit. I started with a very 90’s indie pop and folk rock and ambient electronic sound but my next album will be much heavier and a lot darker, both lyrically and musically.
Has it been more of an organic movement of sound or more you deliberately wanting to try new things?
I do like to experiment with different ideas and sounds, so I try new things to hear how they might add to a song but with regard to changing the direction of my music to a heavier sound that was deliberate because it’s how I felt the songs on my future album worked best and it just felt right. I do still like to write softer more folk rock and electronic tracks, as well but I tend to go with what feels right for each individual song, when it comes to creating the right sound.
Presumably a wide range of musical tastes you have an equal array of inspirations; are there any in particular which have impacted not only your music but your personal approach and ideas to creating and playing music?
I’m inspired by a lot of artists and bands but my biggest inspirations are Curve, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, and Nick Drake. I love Curve’s Doppelgänger album and the way the guitars create just this huge wall of distorted sound. I also loved the way they used a lot of electronic elements, which merged in with the guitars. It made the tracks sound quite industrial, even though they were considered a shoegaze band. They had a very interesting and unique sound. I’ve also been very inspired by how grunge bands wrote their lyrics. They were often really deep and introspective and really made me think about what message they were trying to convey. I liked the fact that the lyrics weren’t straightforward and were hard to figure out and that everyone could find their own meaning in them.
Is there a particular process to your songwriting?
I always start by recording any melody ideas that come to my mind and I get a lot of ideas every day, so I like to keep my sound recorder next to me no matter what I’m doing. I tend to think of the subject matter usually after I’ve thought of the melody and that’s because I get an idea for the theme, usually based on the feel of the melody.
Where do you, more often than not, draw the inspirations to the lyrical side of your songs?
I’ve drawn a lot of my inspiration from some very tough situations I’ve had to face in my life, so my lyrics have sometimes reflected my hopes for things to improve, as well as my need to face the pain and fears I feel each day, due to my situation and to become stronger, despite the circumstances. I’ve also written lyrics based on things I’ve experienced in the past, such as heartbreak or bullying or about things that are happening in the world around me, that I feel strongly about such as war conflict and also about peace.
Could you give us some background to your latest release?
My latest release is a 7 track EP called Live For Tomorrow and I recorded the songs a while ago but I’ve only just recently released them.
Give us some insight to the themes and premise behind it and its songs.
The first song is called Summertime and it’s a very upbeat pop rock song, with a feel good Summer vibe. It’s about releasing and letting go of negative thoughts and instead embracing all of the small but meaningful and beautiful things that life has to offer, that we sometimes don’t always see, when we’re stuck in a cycle of depression. It’s also about keeping hope alive and just trying to stay optimistic. The second song is called Tonight and it’s a folk rock song. It’s about a girl being led on a journey, to find herself and unknowingly being guided by invisible forces in the right direction who are watching over her and protecting her. It’s lyrically written in a fairy tale style. The third song is called Live For Tomorrow and the track is an indie pop song, about a relationship that just isn’t working out and it’s about just accepting things and looking to the future and letting go of the past. The fourth track is called Hurt. It’s a slow electronic ambient song and is about unintentionally hurting someone you love and feeling guilty about it and how you miss them after they’ve gone. The fifth track is called See The Sun. This one is very 90’s Brit pop, in style and it’s about closing the door to the past and looking forward towards a brighter future. The sixth song is called Skyline and is about being there for someone who’s hurting and telling them you’ll always be there for them. The final track is called Far Away. That song is about imagining a better world, where hatred, greed and fear don’t exist.
Do you go into the studio with songs pretty much in their final state or prefer to develop them as you record?
I usually have some idea of how I think a song should sound and then I use that as a base to develop and add any ideas later on. I also work with a really great producer, and we work together until each song sounds right, so it’s a slow developmental process right up until a song is finalized.
Tell us about the live side to your music?
I love performing but at the moment, due to my circumstances I can’t perform, although I’d really love to. I’ve been concentrating on recording from home, as many songs as I can and I’m hoping sometime in the future, I’ll be able to perform them live.
It is not easy for any new artist to make an impact regionally let alone nationally and further afield. How have you found it?
I honestly don’t know because I usually use social media to get my music heard. I don’t think where I live, there’s much of a music scene.
So the internet and social media has been a potent impact on your music? Some see it as something destined to become a negative from a positive as things progress and grow. How do you see things?
I think social media is a great and very positive way for helping musician’s and bands to get their music heard. It can take time but it’s amazing to be able to connect directly with music lovers from all around the world. I think the only negative aspect is that there are a lot of musician’s and bands trying to promote themselves on social media and it can be hard to get people to click on music links as the market is saturated but it just takes determination and hard work and it is worth being on social media in the end.
Once again a big thanks for sharing time with us; anything you would like to add or reveal for the readers?
I’m giving away 3 free songs to whoever signs up to my mailing list, plus an extra free track off of my latest EP.
After A Thousand Blows is the absorbing debut album from Belgian band The Scrap Dealers, a quintet unafraid to merge distinctive sounds into one immersive experience. As shown by their latest release, it is an imaginative collation of flavours which maybe not be always forcibly unique quite yet but certainly offers a fresh and fascinating captivation for ears and imagination.
Formed in 2012 in Liège, The Scrap Dealers initially emerged with a garage punk sound, releasing their attention grabbing debut EP Red Like Blood two years later. At that point though, the band began embracing a more psychedelic rock driven direction in sound; kraut and shoegaze influences amongst many similarly woven into their new explorations. Towards the end of 2014, a second offering in the shape of a self-titled EP was unveiled, the impressive release making a potent bridge between the band’s old and new blends of sound. After A Thousand Blows is another resourceful step in the evolution, but an encounter at times still enjoyably showing the rawer rock ‘n’ roll instincts the quintet of Hugues Daro, Régis Germain, Justin Mathieu, Cédric Georges, and Bruno Lecocq began with.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Allan Snon and Jeremy Alonzi, and released on Belgian DIY record label JauneOrange, After A Thousand Blows opens up with the instantly atmospheric Walking Alone. From its first portentous rumblings, keys and guitars entwine in a sonic mist sharing dark shadows and melancholic ambience. As bold beats enter the affair, a lighter hue begins to blossom; the catchiness of rhythms the eventual spark to warm melodies and a sultry glaze around the darker essences which remain as potent as ever. The vocals equally have a harmonic glow to them, thoughts of My Bloody Valentine and Curve emerging as the song continues to shimmer yet there is a strain of alternative and psych rock which only adds more character to the gripping start to the album.
The following I’ll Never Be Like You also emerges with a singular coaxing of sound but does not hang around before unveiling its own psych pop adventure with a persistent catchiness which infests everything from voice to guitar, bass to drums, and indeed the listener. As shown by its predecessor and all tracks to come, there is a drama in the songwriting and music of The Scrap Dealers; an intriguing undercurrent which has the imagination as hooked as firmly ears are enthralled by the virulence of sound. Here the magnetic but predacious tone of the bass is a prime instigator; enticing shadowy clouds and emotive dilemmas whilst offering addictive bait of its own backed by flirty beats and the evocative tapestry cast by the guitars.
A scent of the band’s garage rock origins comes with She Doesn’t Wanna Leave Your Mind, the track a slimmer, compared to the thicker immersions of the earlier songs, but no less emotive embrace of ears. Its raw and fuzzy textures easily engage and stir attention though the sinister air and volatile breath of Keep My Silence Safe soon puts it in the shade. There is no escaping an enticing essence of The Jesus and Mary Chain to the excellent encounter, especially as its dark invasive entrance slips into another magnetic stroll lit with psychedelic colouring and pop rock revelry. From the dark there is light, a switch of mood and texture which all the tracks seem to be built upon no matter which contrast they start from, and no more alluring than within this siren of a song.
The surf rock laced melodic rock romancing of That’s What We Call Love takes over to keep ears greedy, its tangy nature and whiff of discordance tantalising as it engagingly seduces. As potent as it is though, the ten minute adventure of I Lost My Faith in no time steals all attention from its companion. The closing track has the psyche rock mesmerism of The Horrors and the melodic enticing of Slowdive woven into its own distinct and seductive landscape of enveloping shadows and immersive beauty. Maybe a tad too long for personal tastes, the song is a riveting close to a thoroughly enthralling release, whilst The Scrap Dealers are a band who, as their sound continues to evolve, is on the path to being a potent part of the psychedelic and shoegaze landscape.
After A Thousand Blows is out now via JauneOrange in conjunction with Sick Fuzz Records, digitally and on vinyl and tape @ https://thescrapdealers.bandcamp.com/
It may have been a long time coming but the debut album from BLiNDNESS makes time immaterial as it sizzles on the senses from start to finish spreading a dark wave electro pop seduction which is just as likely to snarl and explode with attitude as it is to smoulder and caress. Wrapped In Plastic is a sonically and imaginatively charged incitement, an adrenaline driven helter-skelter of sound and energy that ears and thoughts quickly bask in. The accompanying press release to the album calls it a “rollercoaster ride of beautiful chaos” and that about says it all.
Formed in 2008, BLiNDNESS consists of Beth Rettig (vocals, programming, noise), Emma Quick (bass, noise), and Debbie Smith (guitar, feedback, noise) previously of Curve, Echobelly, and Snowpony. Since emerging the London based band has persistently been an explosive proposition on the Capital’s live scene and beyond. Now it is the turn of Wrapped In Plastic to set the fuse to fresh and major attention, and from its opening proposal it easily leaves ears and appetite seriously engaged.
Serves Me Right is the first protagonist and from an opening sonic lure which has the senses flinching whilst anticipation licks its lips, begins a perpetual transfixing swiftly enhanced by a grizzly bassline. With pulsating electro beats and a scuzzy air to the guitars lining up soon after, the song resonates and enthrals as it broadens its landscape, the warm but steely vocal tones of Rettig riding its thick melodic mesh of sound and intensity to further stretch the captivating start.
The guitar sculpted Deserving keeps the strong potency going with immediate effect next, fiery flames from the strings of Smith igniting the air as the dark tones of bass and gripping tones of Rettig bring contrast and balance. Pungent beats spark a meaty stride to the slice of fuzzy rock ‘n’ roll, the song emerging like a mix of Garbage and Breeders dug for extra spicing into the originality of BLiNDNESS. Contagious and bracing, the track pushes the album up another gear to a stirring level matched as magnetically and forcibly by Last One Dies. Tenaciously simmering with electronic imagination and brewing a sturdy and bewitching tapestry of melodic and psych rock, the third song simply rumbles and flirts with increasing energy across its vibrant body.
A gentler croon emerges with No One Counts, though as all tracks there is a volatile edge to sound and invention which means unpredictability is as ripe as melodic and fuzz soaked enterprise. The bass of Quick once more adds a delicious shadow rich twang to proceedings whilst melodically and in creative crescendos there is an air of Muse to the fiery encounter, though just one whisper in a few to something ultimately individual to the band.
Both Sunday Morning and Humming Song wrap ears to pleasing effect, the first vocally and melodically with a mellow tone and reflective shimmer. Its rhythmic shuffle adds a kinetic energy and catchiness to its mesmeric busyness whilst its successor initially slips into an even slower and elegant serenade, swimming over the senses and around evocative rhythms, before brewing a dramatic blaze of sonic and emotive intensity then repeating the cycle once again. The theatre and vocal drama of the song is bewitching, and though neither inflames the passions as powerfully as those before them, each leaves a want for more.
It is a hunger quickly fed by the dark textures and atmosphere of Broken. There is an open shoegaze glow to certainly vocal delivery and melodies throughout the album but probably at its most vivacious here, though that is beautifully tempered by the underlying growl of bass and character of the track, and indeed its almost acrid swamp of sonic imagination and ferocity. Hypnotic until its final parting breath, the track is a meditative, almost carnal incitement.
All In One raises the temperature of the album next, its physical presence as mercurial as its invention. BLiNDNESS entangles seventies psychedelic rock and nineties alternative/ electro rock into its resourceful scorching fire, feedback and celestial acidity as always an ever potent presence. The track ignites ears with ease before Confessions ensures a blistering close to the album with its bluesy inferno of intoxicating rock ‘n’ roll. It is an intense and thrilling end to Wrapped In Plastic, a release finishing on a high and sparking the want to go again.
To be particularly picky there is a similarity in certain areas of some songs which threatens to smother the invention and creative adventure specific to each track but close and constant attention covers that, Wrapped In Plastic a release you need to spend time with to reap all its strengths and qualities. BLiNDNESS definitely rewards such focus though with an encounter which leaves ears ringing, bodies sweaty, and satisfaction bloated.
It is fair to say that our personal appetite to Ummagma’s music is constant but has flourished in varying strengths across their releases and ahead of that new album in Compass, has reached lustful greed courtesy of Caravan. The song instantly had ears gripped as drums set out their ridiculously hypnotic and rousing stroll. Atmospheric suggestion is just as swiftly at play with the imagination, its soundscape of warm wide plains blossoming with suggestive vegetation. McLarnon’s warm magnetic tones are also soon caressing ears as the song sweeps into a synth pop-esque canter, Kretov’s subsequent vocals just as tempting within the pair’s web of musical insistence.
Could you give us some background to your latest release?
The guitar sculpted Deserving keeps the strong potency going with immediate effect next, fiery flames from the strings of Smith igniting the air as the dark tones of bass and gripping tones of Rettig bring contrast and balance. Pungent beats spark a meaty stride to the slice of fuzzy rock ‘n’ roll, the song emerging like a mix of Garbage and Breeders dug for extra spicing into the originality of BLiNDNESS. Contagious and bracing, the track pushes the album up another gear to a stirring level matched as magnetically and forcibly by Last One Dies. Tenaciously simmering with electronic imagination and brewing a sturdy and bewitching tapestry of melodic and psych rock, the third song simply rumbles and flirts with increasing energy across its vibrant body.