This week 50% of our recommendations are rock music – that’s right, a whole two songs!
Incredible scenes. Almost makes you hark back to a time before XFM played Royal Blood three times an hour as their token rock offering… *sigh*
Ah well, here’s probably the only rock-orientated New Music Monday we’ve ever had.
Deftones – Prayers/Triangles
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAmt6zN9vOk align:center]‘Prayers/Triangles’ marks the first piece of new music from Zane Lowe’s favourite modern rock band for over three years.
In typical Deftones style, the track features both the loud and the quiet. Initially focussing on a hypnotically windy bass line, ‘Prayers/Triangles’ jumps the gears quickly – leaving singer Chino Moreno to shout over a wash of distorted reverb and pounding drums.
‘You’ll never be free’
The overall effect is gripping. Far from the rap-rock/nu-metal from which Deftones made their name almost two decades ago, the band really have become the mature, gimmick-less modern rock band that Zane Lowe says they are.
Lonely The Brave – Black Mire
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn_5nb4Vho0 align:center]More rock music, this time originating from Cambridge in the form of emo-rock band Lonely The Brave.
Probably the most striking feature of the band is that, like my categorisation suggests, they are unashamedly emotional. Although played at a reasonably high tempo, their music has no consideration for mosh pits or dance moves – merely aiming to produce those near tear-jerking moments that should be set to slo-mo rainy montages and not allowed anywhere near a dancefloor.
Despite this however, the band are in no way cliché or cringy.
It would be easy to dismiss Lonely The Brave as another one of those side-fringed bands from the previous decade, but they’re so much more than that. In the same way that Biffy Clyro could make their fans weep without the slightest amount of hair gel, Lonely The Brave make rock music with real emotion – it’s real, it’s real love it’s certainly something.
Black Mire stays true to this description; another cinematic wash of drums and guitars and screams, creating a soundscape that feels at least a mile wide.
Keiandra – Icing Sugar
Despite still not having officially released her first EP, 18-year-old Keiandra is starting to cause a stir amongst music blogs – not least here at Kettle where she’s now featured twice in New Music Monday.
Much like her previous offering, ‘Icing Sugar’ is a swirling, atmospheric affair – filled with ambient elements that pitter-patter in and out of focus. I still maintain there’s a great deal of comparisons to be made with Ben Howard, but this latest offering has brought out some of the similarities Keiandra shares vocally with another Kettle favourite, Billie Marten.
With her debut EP, Empty Palaces, out next month, this is an artist we’re very excited about.
Yuck – Cannonball
I’m sure you could probably stretch this out as our third rock track of the week given the blurry edged science that is music genres, but it’s not – so we won’t.
By now you should know the drill with Yuck – incredibly distorted guitar pop with a predominately sunny disposition.
‘Cannonball’ is exactly that, a fizzy, two and a half minute riot that’s perfectly ill fitting for coming weeks weather (not at all sunny).
What do you think of our picks this week? Let us know in the comments below!
