Who knew I’d be sitting down in February 2021 and still writing Lockdown Mixtapes! It’s been a bit prolonged this virus lark isn’t it? Anywho – we are where we are and this will now become the seventeenth edition of this extended feature. Scribing these articles got me through a ball-ache of a month back in October and for that I am grateful. Music is a great tonic for solemn days indoors alone and here’s to more of it. Hope you are all well and healthy this year. Welcome to episode seventeen.
B.Hamilton / North San Juan (Live at Santo)
I’ve been a huge fan of B.Hamilton since hearing this exact song just over a year ago, on that occasion, it was the whole band blaring out their energetic studio recording of the song. Fast forward as long, and we have been treated to a wonderfully melancholic acoustic version of it! I was originally going to write about the pensive and atmospheric ‘Good Foot‘ but having had a couple of months to ponder over my favourite acoustic track on their new album, ‘Ukulele Music for Car Commercials and Pharmaceutical Ads‘ , North San Juan gets the nod. A quality song performed in a stripped back manner. Poignant.
Luke De-Sciscio / Negative Attraction
Short, dreamy and a tad beautiful. Luke De-Sciscio channels his inner ‘Tallest Man’ with Negative Attraction, a song that sits right up there alongside the mercurial Swede. In my opinion, Luke’s vocals sound that little bit more crisp to tell the truth. This is a track for those reflective moments, afternoon shifts at a swanky lounge bar or lonesome train journeys in winter. It’s under three minutes long so it just comes and goes under the radar, never once giving you that, ‘Ew, turn it off’, vibe that many lockdown compositions have had. I really like this song, it’s sweet.
Glowrogues / Glowing
Glowing was a song sent into the blog in mid-December and I’ve held onto it since. At that time I hadn’t a clue that I’d be leaving the blogging to one side until now. This song has everything really – masterful sampling, smooth vocals, outstanding production and even a bit of sax just to top it all off. I’d be hard pushed to come across something as mysterious and original as this in 2021. Formed using some altered Patti Page samples from 1951, the beat-work excels all the way though. Lead Vox by Jim Molyneux with Sam Healey supplying the rippling brass.
Sorry for the delay on the feature guys. Still an absolute bop.
Third Way / Guru
Yet another tune that’s been in the pocket since December. The high pitched musings of London-duo Third Way are next up with the impressive single Guru. A catchy, energetic and well structured indie pop offering with a throwback synth bringing it back in time a smidgen. Even though it’s dark, rainy and dreary at the moment, this track makes me envision brighter days – sipping a brew by the seaside maybe. ‘Tis uplifting anyway which makes it worth your time. For fans of bouncy pop.
Holophone / Dreamix
To finish off this foray back into the world of Lockdown Mixtape’s, we’ve got the electronic talents of Holophone to play us out tonight. This is a brilliantly put together piece of work. Can’t say I’ve got the full run-through of who this is actually produced by, all I know is that it’s by Holophone and forged from snippets of noise he/she recorded whilst touring with his/hers band. A slowly progressing production that ends up as a euphoric ear-drum burster if you aren’t careful with the volume dial. Dreamix is my favourite electronic tune of this year so far, lots of working parts that just work.
Anyone can make a standard electronic track, however, there’s an art to making a thought provoking one.
About ‘The Sound Sniffer’
The Sound Sniffer is a one-man music blog which is still only a baby – Founded by Kevin Coakley, a music writer and ghostwriter, in early 2019. ‘The Sound Sniffer’ also runs gigs and showcases in London since Oct 2019. The showcases are picked from artists found in the blog’s submission inbox.
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