Rock & Roll Archives - Various Small Flames

Medicine Boy announce new album, Kinda Like Electricity, with single E.V.I.L.

Jon Doyle — Thu, 23 Jun 2016 18:35:48 +0000

Some months ago, following her beautiful work as part of the Quiet, Constant Friends, the South African photographer/artist Amor Coetzee suggested we check out Medicine Boy, a Cape Town two-piece consisting of Lucy Kruger and Andre Leo. Needless to say we very much enjoyed the dream noise (their term), though we’d missed the boat in terms of writing about them, seeing as their last EP was released back in 2014.

Luckily, 2016 has changed all that with the announcement of their debut full-length album, Kinda Like Electricity. So far we only have one song to go by, but it’s enough to suggest that the brooding blend of dream pop and indie rock remains. ‘E.V.I.L.’ emerges with a dark energy, like some bluesy shoegaze track played on half-speed, the lyrics emerging like words from a forbidden love letter or the images of a late night fever dream (e.g. “I shaped the weather for my love / ’cause I know she likes to dance out in the thunder / I shaped the weather for my love / Well I guess that she was stuck in under cover”). It seems apt then that they posted a quote from Milan Kundera alongside the song on Facebook.

“Looking out over the courtyard at the dirty walls, he realized he had no idea whether it was hysteria or love”

The song comes complete with a video. Directed by Mark Leonard, we find a suitably atmospheric dive-bar scene, complete with low lighting, smoky ambience, etc. Without wishing to spoil anything, the film develops to include a mysterious priest, a lot of hard staring, snake-handling, and an epiphanic/death-cultish conclusion. Check it out below:

Kinda Like Electricity is due out on the 15th August, but in the meantime you can grab ‘E.V.I.L.’ from the Medicine Boy Bandcamp page.

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Lucero – Women & Work

Jon Doyle — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:38:39 +0000

Lucero are back with Women & Work, the ninth studio album from the Memphis band. The sounds and themes are reassuringly familiar; that all American good-time-even-when-it’s-bad sound about drunken highs and morning after blues. The album deals with alluring women and failed relationships, hometowns and families, strange towns and lonesome nights. Women & Work is classic rock and roll.

Women & Work was released on the 12th November on Loose Music and the band will be touring Europe in support of the album.

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COUSINS – THE PALM AT THE END OF THE MIND

Jon Doyle — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 10:54:00 +0000

COUSINS, the indie rock three piece from Halifax, Nova Scotia have (quite) recently released their sophomore LP, THE PALM AT THE END OF THE MIND. The album is ramshackle rock and roll meets sweet pop and has a range of vocals from a gentle washed-out croon to raspy calls and yells. It is catchy and fun and perfect for summer. Listen to the opening track JULES in the player below and then buy the album from the band’s Bandcamp page.

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