Mid 2015 is only a week away, and the new music keeps coming at us at a vast rate. So My Four is the natural choice to see who’s hot in the next 7 days. So let me, Mark Sharpley, throw some names at you, beginning with……
ASH
Relative veterans of the indie scene, Ash are first up this week with the release of their new album, Kablammo!. Tim Wheeler and co are back to being a three piece, after quite a successful period with Charlotte Hatherley. This album follows The A-Z Series in 2009, where the band released a total of 26 singles with one being released every two weeks. For the time that the band has been around, this is only their sixth studio album. And if you fancy reading more about that and more, have a read of the latest edition of Fourculture magazine. Available on the earMUSIC Records label, this the the first single, “Cocoon”. www.ash-official.com
THE VACCINES
Second choice this week is another band of the indie rock breed, The Vaccines. And they are here with their third studio album, English Graffiti. Hailing from West London, the band has already made a big splash in the indie music scene, and have supported the likes of The Rolling Stones, Muse, The Stone Roses and Arcade Fire. The band have also employed producer Dave Fridmann, who worked on the Sleater-Kinney album, The Woods, of which the band has tried to replicate with this latest effort…or “genre defining” as the band has mildly put it. Available on the Columbia Records label, this is the first single off the album called, “Handsome”. www.thevaccines.com
LIFEHOUSE
Third act to be highlighted in this humble little column is Lifehouse, and the release of their new album, Out Of The Wasteland. This is the seventh studio album to come from the Los Angeles alternative rockers, and whilst waiting to make this, the respective members of the band took time out to concentrate on their solo and other group outings. These outings did prove more of a challenge for guitarist Ben Carey, who promptly left Lifehouse to continue with country band, Elvis Monroe. But the remaining members are here, and this album will no doubt strike a chord with fans and music lovers alike. Available on the Ironworks Records label, this is the second single from the album called, “Hurricane”. www.lifehousemusic.com
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
And finally this week, it’s the turn of indie rock three piece Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and the release of their new album, Multi-Love. The band is a mixture of American and New Zealand musicians (Oregan and and Auckland respectively) and this is the band’s third studio effort. As well as dabbling in the indie rock genre, the band also have psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop, R & B, garage rock and lo-fi music in their musical arsenal. This proved to be successful on their last album, II, as it earned them the coveted Taite Music Prize, and lead singer Ruban Nielson won the Best Male Artist at the 47th Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards. And they made their American TV debut on Jimmy Fallon’s late night show too, don’t you know. Available on the Jagjaguwar Records label, this is the title track of the album, “Multi-Love”. www.unknownmortalorchestra.com
And this is about your lot for this week. Join us next time for another helping of the four artists that we at Fourculture think you should know about. Keep on keeping on.
Mark Sharpley
Follow me on Twitter (MarkSharpley1)
