Top of the Notts 2015

Wednesday 30 December 2015
reading time: min, words
A run-down, in no particular order, of some of our favourite releases of the year

Babe Punch - Snake Tongue / Fixation
What we said: “Stupidly talented, their tunes are tight and their lyrical ability knocks the socks off the entirety of the pop chart assembly.”

Keto - Change / Otherside
What we said: “Dark, haunting, modern folk from the artist formerly known as Leah Sinead.”

Nina Smith - This Love EP
What we said: “Blending r’n’b with soul and pop influences, This Love is a superb offering of songs that ought to finally propel this local girl into the national spotlight.”

Scorzayzee - Aeon: Peace to the Puzzle
What we said: “At 28 tracks, it isn’t a single session’s listening, but when it’s twenty years in the making, Scorz wouldn't have wanted to give any less value to the fans.”

Sleaford Mods - Key Markets
What we said: “Lyrically more abstract than its predecessors, it’s also more varied in pace and mood, adding new colours to the palette.”

Indiana - No Romeo
What we said: “Folds twisted takes on love, loss, betrayal, revenge and regret into sinister, icy, leftfield electronic pop."

Cantaloupe - Zoetrope
What we said: “Intricate and complex, yet instant and accessible, Zoetrope radiates joy and wonder.”

Grey Hairs - Colossal Downer
What we said: “It’s not just noise for noise’s sake, though - these are well-constructed songs that boast big, catchy hooks alongside clever nuances and subtleties."
<a href="http://greyhairs.bandcamp.com/album/colossal-downer">Colossal Downer by Grey Hairs</a>

Kagoule - Urth
What we said: “They’ve been gorging on huge portions of alternative and underground rock from the eighties and nineties – chewing it up, swilling it around, and spitting it out in the shape of an album that’s very much a screaming beast of the 21st century.”

Shelter Point - Weird Dreamers
What we said: “Sees their wonky post-garage, post-dubstep influences refined into dreamy, haunting soundscapes.”

Rolo Tomassi - Grievances
What we said: “Stuffed with complex arrangements and shifting tempos, but it’s the nuanced contrast between those two voices that really holds the attention throughout. Quite stunning.”
<a href="http://rolotomassi.bandcamp.com/album/grievances">Grievances by Rolo Tomassi</a>

Congi - Nine Sessions
What we said: “Nine Sessions grabs you tenderly by the neck and mutters dark secrets, through gritted teeth, in your ear.”
<a href="http://mimmmusic.bandcamp.com/album/congi-nine-sessions">Congi - Nine Sessions by Mimm</a>

Harleighblu - Futurespectives EP 1 & 2
What we said (for EP 2): “Ms ‘Blu’s massive vocals will pound your tabs with the glory of a throng o’ jazz angels.”
<a href="http://harleighblu.bandcamp.com/album/futurespective-ep-2">Futurespective EP 2 by Harleighblu</a>

Attraktors - Future Systems:EP
What we said: “This EP has it all – the harmonious atmospherics of Cluster, the pulsating energy of Neu!, the mechanical rhythms of Kraftwerk, the robotik vocal stylings of Eno.”
<a href="http://attraktors.bandcamp.com/album/future-systems-ep">Future Systems:EP by Attraktors</a>

I Am Lono - I Am Lono
What we said: “A world before Robert Smith smeared his lipstick and where the best pop music only existed in monochrome and was made by factory workers from places like Sheffield.”
<a href="http://iamlono.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-lono">I Am Lono by I AM LONO</a>

Bru-C - Black & Red EP
What we said: “Bru-C’s new EP, with dreamy, dazed hip hop production from Aokid, is scattered with intense metaphorical wordplay, inward thought and positive vibrations.”

Crosa Rosa - Pantophobia
What we said: “A head rush of sixties-influenced, grunge inflected, garage rock that’s tie-dyed with a heavy dose of spacey weirdness.”

Nick Jonah Davis - House of Dragons
What we said: “Splitting rhythms with the same hand is a talent reserved for the angels, it seems. Nick Jonah Davies appears to be the ring leader of said creatures, possessing finger-picking skills us mere mortals can only dream of.”

Amber Run - 5am
What we said: “They successfully combine stadium choruses with sophisticated instrumentation. If you're a fan of punchy indie rock, 5am is definitely for you.”

Juga-Naut - Stolen Art EP
What we said: “Paying homage to the forefathers of the jazz and soul generation of the early seventies, Jugz adds his vicious slice of socially conscious, lyrical wordplay to make a mixtape of genuine beauty.”

These are just some of our favourite releases of 2015 from Nottingham-releated artists. If you want to suggest others or just mither about our selection, then comment below...

If you are a local music maker and want LeftLion to cover and promote your music, head over to leftlion.co.uk/sendusmusic now.

 

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