This week has been quite indifferent. I thought my number was up on Saturday and legged it to the A&E late on Sunday. Thankfully, it was more than likely a flair up of me being a total hypochondriac. It wouldn’t have been the first time either. I got back into the music mood earlier today and decided that it’s about time a few new tunes were shared here. There have been a few solid gems releases in recent weeks. SOUP! released their debut, Benedict unveiled a stunning new video and Gold Member tickled my fancy with ‘Loose Change‘
I have been really busy working on an in-depth piece for Ian Urbina’s ‘Outlaw Ocean Music Project’. The feature will include up to ten artist interviews, so it’s taking a bit of time to compile. In other news, I just received a sample of my book, written about Johnny Johnson, titled, ‘Snakehips‘. It’s been a wildly exciting time on the writing side of things over the last few months. Here’s to many more milestones (and hopefully less of those phantom illnesses that require brief hospitalization).
This week’s musical picks come from : SOUP! / Gold Member / FIKA / Eckhardt and The House / Benedict
Benedict – When We Were Young
This is absolutely outstanding and a fitting way to start this week’s selections. Benedict is a superb artist from Amsterdam who has been on my radar for quite some time. His music is high class and elegant – he garners a distinct vocal, rippling orchestral strings in his arrangements and very racy drum patterns at times. His album, ‘You Can Tell Me Nothing That I Should‘, was one of my favourite albums of 2019 and one that I keep reverting back to. His music is a kind of shoe-gaze form of Indie Rock – I just get lost in his compositions.
He has just released a stunningly cinematic music video for his impressive ‘When We Were Young‘ single. Spellbinding work from everybody involved.
If you are unaware of Benedict’s music previously, please please check out ‘Finish The Wine’ too.
Soup! – All The People
A very new band on the block here in London. SOUP! are an experimental duo comprised of Gigi Piscitelli and Matt Hardy. Both are well-known and well-respected on the UK music scene – Piscitelli for his work with Dele Sosimi and Ibibio Sound Machine and Hardy for his drumming on tracks with the likes of Jake Houlsby. Together, these lads are setting off on a quest into the experimental realms, utilizing offbeats and distortion aplenty.
All The People is their first single and it is feckin’ brilliant.
Gold Member – Loose Change
The weather was quite good lately and usually when the sun is shining, we need inspiring and uplifting tunes to accompany. This is exactly where Australian trio Gold Member come in handy. Last Friday, they released one of the most summery tunes of the year with the infectious ‘Loose Change‘. I have to admit, this song has been played to death by myself in recent days – it’s one of the best song I’ve heard all year actually. Can’t say more than that really.
It’s impossible not to get in the groove here.
Eckhardt and The House – We’re All Wood
Eckhardt and The House are another impressive Dutch act bursting with class. Rik Elstgeest is the man behind the project and the sounds he is putting together here are certainly out of the ordinary. We’re All Wood is a slow and plodding tune which actually has quite an eerie feel to it. The repeated rhythm of the vocals make this whole piece sound like a weirdly hypnotic nursery rhyme. I love this one, certainly gets my stamp of approval for originality. Some lovely elements thrown into the mix.
Fika & Fabich – Missing Me
Fika are a duo doing some really nice things recently. Their recent collaboration with Jackson Mathod springs to mind straight away – they have a slick and melancholic style. Mixing soulful vocals with smooth RnB backbeats, these guys consistently emit chilled, non-intrusive sounds. The latest collaboration is with Fabich and is titled ‘Missing Me‘.
Missing Me is a really nice track filled with beautiful little guitar snippets and soft and subtle production. So impressed with this track here, this is a song for my train-gazing playlist. Stick the kettle on, have a digestive and enjoy the melancholy.
About Me
The Sound Sniffer is a music blog which is still only a baby – Founded and run by Kevin Coakley in early 2019. He is a music writer and ghostwriter. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists I find in my submissions inbox.
Check out my Interviews HERE
Leave a Reply