City Reign – Ahead of Ideas

Label: Car Boot

Impact Date: NOVEMBER 12 th 2012

Manchester indie-rock trio, City Reign, have announced the release of the first single from their forthcoming debut album ‘Another Step’. ‘Ahead of ideas‘ builds on the raw energy and exciting promise of their early demos, including ‘Making Plans’ which caught the ears of BBC 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq in late 2011.

The band teamed up with Manchester-based producer Sam Jones for the album, who took the band into Sacred Trinity Church in Salford to record. Jones chose the church for its natural reverb, which added more depth to the band’s classic guitar sound. City Reign’s vocalist and guitarist, Chris Bull, said: “I think we’re taking a risk with this single, it’s one of the most ambitious tracks we’ve recorded. The church was a great venue to record in and we have Sam to thank for that. We’re really happy with the rich and atmospheric sound we achieved on the album.”

Using the church as a venue wasn’t without its drawbacks, with the band once having to clear out in the middle of a crucial session recording the string quartet after realising that the church had been double-booked, allowing some confrontational locals to attend a memorial service.

City Reign are song-writing pair Chris Bull and Mike Grice with Duncan Bolton on drums. The album, ‘Another Step’, is due for release in early 2013 and you can catch the band at the following live dates in support of the single:

October 6th – The Deaf Institute – Manchester – Clash Magazine Launch w/ Jim Noir
November 2nd – Belushi’s – Edinburgh
November 3rd – Audio – Glasgow
November 7th – Viper Rooms – Sheffield
November 8th – Lomax – Liverpool
November 9th – Escobar – Leeds
November 20th – Pop In – Paris
November 22nd – Winstons – Amsterdam
November 24th – The Castle Hotel – Manchester

Check out the video for Ahead of Ideas below:

Blind Atlas – Brother Moon Animation

Impact Date: 13th June 2012

Label: Fallen Swine

Manchester’s own Anglo-American band Blind Atlas will release their debut album Kodiak Bear on the 18^th June 2012.

Their live session for ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris’s BBC Radio 2 show was broadcast on 8th July.

Brother Moon will be the lead radio track from their debut album with another beautiful animation from collaborators Volkerfirma who have also animated a video for the title track Kodiak Bear. The animation will be released on 13th June a week before their album launch party. The song was engineered by both the Earlies and Blind Atlas themselves, with the Earlies again producing the track adding the haunting phaser and reverb to the vocals. The track also features Christian Madden of The Earlies on the Hammond Organ. 

Blind Atlas – Kodiak Bear

www.blindatlas.co.uk

Blind Atlas have teamed up again with the incredible animator Volkerfirma films who created the video for ‘My Proud Mountains’ which was ‘Video of the week’ on the BBC6 Music Nemone Show. The latest animation for ‘Kodiak Bear’  is for the title track to their debut album, which is due out in April 2012. The results are simply stunning.

Hailing from Denver, Colorado and disparate points around the UK, Blind Atlas came together in the bohemian suburbs of South Manchester, united by a shared preoccupation with drinking, failed relationships and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Led by singer/guitarist Ross Thompson, Blind Atlas concoct a new take on American alternative country and classic British rock ‘n’ roll, taking inspiration from The Rolling Stones and Townes Van Zandt right through to artists such as Calexico and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.

Blind Atlas have notched up headline slots at some of the most iconic venues in Manchester, with dates planned around their forthcoming debut album. They recently released their ‘Iron wall’ EP which, along with their double A-side single ‘4th Street/For Carol“, was produced by The Earlies. Both releases garnered numerous radio plays including BBC Radio 2 (Bob Harris) and BBC6 Music (Cerys Matthews, Jo Good, Tom Robinson, Gideon Coe).

“… dramatic, spellbinding with a touch of darkness in parts make Blind Atlas a thoroughly hypnotic act … powerful and mesmerising… well worth your attention”.  [BBC]

“… grizzled vocals and a heart-wrenching lyric sheet … think Ryan Adams fronting The Black Keys, or perhaps Fleet Foxes with a Led Zeppelin fixation; and clearly all designed to soundtrack long, whisky-addled nights of anguished soul-searching.”  [CityLife/Manchester Evening News]

Blind Atlas – Iron Wall

Release date: 29/8/2011(Fallen Swine)

myspace.com/BlindAtlas           blindatlas.co.uk

youtube.com/blindatlas

     Hailing from Denver [Colorado USA] and disparate points around the UK, Blind Atlas came together in the bohemian suburbs of south Manchester; Led by singer/guitarist Ross Thompson, the band concoct a new take on American alternative country and classic British Rock ‘n’ Roll. Blind Atlas have notched up headline slots at some of the most iconic venues in the city, as well as supporting the likes of  Blitzen Trapper, The Bees, Buffalo Tom, Liam Frost, Lucy Wainwright Roche, The Deadstring Brothers, The Features, The Acorn and The Travelling Band.

     The Earlies were at the production helm again for their 3 track EP “Iron Wall”. The title track is an epic sounding beast, throbbing with a native American rhythm and building to a soaring crescendo. This is usually the high-impact finale to their live performances:

Listen to Iron Wall by Blind Atlas:

Swapping their electric guitars for acoustic instruments, the laid-back country vibe of “Mary Anne” evokes the likes of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. A live favourite, this is another perfect example of the trademark Blind Atlas sound.

Listen to Mary-Anne by Blind Atlas:

“My Proud Mountains”, a cover of the Townes Van Zandt recording of 1969, is a long time favourite of the band. Blind Atlas have beautifully reworked the song, demonstrating their skillfully plaintive vocals and sparse arrangements. Nostalgic, melancholic and impossible to listen to just once.

Listen to My Proud Mountains by Blind Atlas:

Blind Atlas – 4th Street/ For Carol

Release date:  28th February (Fallen Swine)

myspace.com/BlindAtlas

 

 

Having recently provided support for American Folk-Rockers Blitzen Trapper and Pearly Gate Music, the Blind Atlas freight train rumbles on with the release of their double A-side single “4th Street“. With The Earlies at the production helm, this is a fast paced, foot stomping bluesy track, whilst the second track, “For Carol”, is their Anglo-American take on Alt-Country. Check out “For Carol” here:

The video for 4th Street is here: