Netsounds music recommendations for January 2020.

We start 2020 with a new eclectic list of music suggestions for you from across team Netsounds.

Here is a selection of tracks taken from this month’s  Spotify New Music Playlist.

Check Masses – Dripn Angel

Three Scottish music innovators have emerged from the nocturnal shadows as Check Masses with their debut single ‘Dripn Angel’.  Separately, Vic Galloway, Saleem Andrew McGroarty and ‘Philly’ Angelo Collins have helped shape the sound of Edinburgh through underground gigs, club culture and broadcasting.  ‘Dripn Angel’ is an epic lo-fi psychedelic bluesy debut with a dark Morricone-esque quivering guitar reverb. Mr. Tarantino may come knocking…

Good Good Blood – Flowers Bloom (Team Love)

The poignant and sad ‘Flowers Bloom’ is the third single from Good Good Blood’s forthcoming album, At Your Mercy due for release on January 24th 2020 by Team Love.  Good Good Blood is the moniker for West Yorkshire based musician and founder of Fox Food Record’s, James Smith whose 2017 LP, Songs From Where I Live was one of our favourite albums of 2017.

Tamzene – Soldier

Young Scottish singer, writer and multi-instrumentalist Tamzene follows up her recent 2019 single ‘You’re with Somebody Now’ with the soulful ‘Soldier’.  Written with her best friend and live band member Brandon Hill, ‘Soldier’ talks of doing things on your own terms rather than worrying about the expectations of others.  Tamzene and Brendan performed a stripped back version of the the track for Netsounds at Belladrum Festival 2019.  Watch the session here on our YouTube channel.

SHEARS – Just Like You

Edinburgh based, SHEARS is talented young multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, Rebecca Shearing who has in a couple of years built up a huge on-line fanbase. She started performing covers on YouTube which saw her draw in an impressive army of followers.  After almost two years writing and recording she released her impressive debut single, ‘Circle Line’ in 2019.   ‘Just Like You’ is her brand new throbbing dark electro-pop single – out now.

Broken Chanter – Beside Ourselves (Last Night From Glasgow/Olive Grove Records)

The self-titled debut album from Broken Chanter (solo guise of David MacGregor – principal songwriter of Scottish Alt-Pop darlings Kid Canaveral) – was one of our favourite releases from 2019.  Album track, ‘Beside Ourselves’ (including a radio edit) is his first single release of 2020.

‘Beside Ourselves’ is probably the most up-beat, catchiest, electronic-indie-pop track on the album.  After numerous plays in recent days it now joins ‘Wholesale’ and ‘Don’t Move To Denmark’ as my stand out tracks on the LP.

Broken Chanter recently performed a live version of the track for BBC Scotland’s, The Quay Sessions.

The Lost Brothers – After The Fire

Irish troubadours, The Lost Brothers have released a new single from their forthcoming album.  The sincere and melancholic folk track, After the Fire’ features Tom Garnier (longtime Bob Dylan bassist), M. Ward (Monsters of Folk/She and Him) and Howe Gelb.  It’s possibly my earworm for the month.  The new album, “After The Fire After The Rain” will be released on 7th Feb 2020.

S. Raekwon –  Parts Towards Whole (Saddle Creek)

S. Raekwon  is the recording project of New York City based artist Steven Reynolds.  His debut single, ‘Parts Towards Whole’, is out now on Saddle Creek Records as part of the label’s 7” Document Series which started in 2017 to highlight artists outside of the label’s roster.  It’s also the first music to be released by Saddle Creek that arrived via the label’s online demo submission page. ‘Parts Towards Whole’ is a lo-fi psych-folk track with dreamy vocals that was recorded in his small studio apartment, where he wrote, recorded, produced, engineered, and mixed everything himself.

Parts Towards Whole b/w A Crow’s Smile on 7″ vinyl is available to pre-order at the Saddle Creek Store.

Loudmammoth – In Blue (Last Night From Glasgow)

Formed in August 2018 over a mutual appreciation of shoegaze, DIY recording and Ian Curtis, Loudmammoth hail from the North East of England.  After a few months of heavy writing and a slight line up change, Loudmammoth return with their third single – the jangly  ‘In Blue’.  It sounds like that classic alt/indie that could only have existed in the early nineties with a delicate shuffling rhythm and angelic vocals.

The Woods – Days Like This (feat. Butterscotch)

Scottish folktronica producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Johnny McFadzean teams up with poetic contribution from Highland MC Butterscotch for his latest release.  “Solace and hope for the weary” is how he describes the track.

Coping Mechanism – Silver Spooners

Coping Mechanism is the brainchild of Phillip Taylor (PAWS). His first outing under the guise of Coping Mechanism sees him swap guitar for electronic beats and bleeps.   The dark and industrial sounding, “Silver Spooners” is the first track to be lifted from the self titled debut album out on 7th February 2020.

The Roov – Girlfriend

The Roov are a four-piece disco, soul and rock and roll band from the North-East of Scotland, formed in 2016.  The Moray four-piece return with a glorious disco groover with falsetto harmonies and a classic disco beat.

Calum Jones – One For The Road

Talented young Scottish singer-songwriter, Calum Jones starts 2020 with this powerhouse,  blues-rock influenced single bursting with pop hooks and heavy riffs.  It’s a striking change and progression from the intimate acoustic sessions Calum did for Netsounds in 2018/19.

Discover more new music…

Keep up to date with what we are listening to: follow our regularly updated  Spotify New Music Playlist .

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