Gregk Foley - Troubled Bones EP (2009)

Gregk Foley is a young singer-songwriter from Horsham in the UK, apparently he's been singing, playing and writing music since the age of eleven. He cites his influences as the Buckleys and Nick Drake as well as modern song smiths such as Mike Kinsella and Luke Pickett.

One of those influences you can easily pick out from listening to this EP, I am talking about Mike Kinsella. I'm totally on board with Mike Kinsella, in fact any of the Kinsella's so I'm already more interested than usual. Gregk has only been doing the solo thing since winter 2008 but this is actually his second EP release, the first being "Hollow Lane" (check his myspace on how to purchase that).

I have no idea how old Gregk is but I'm going to go out my way to say his songwriting is beyond his young years, the lyric content is there, relationships, life, loneliness, being optimistic and pessimistic in the same verse. All the traits of an Owen record, without copying his whole style. All four tracks are catchy in their own right, Racing Hearts being the main contender for catchiest acoustic song of the year and the standout song on this EP for me.

The additional instruments floating around in the background are almost perfect for the structure of these songs, arranged in a subtle manner that they don't drown out Gregk's vocals or strumming but just so you know they're there and they mean business. The glockenspiel on Icarian for example is so delicate and warm, it reminds me a little of This Town Needs Guns *I can't think of the song I'm trying to get at, it might not even be TTNG at all* but not as apathetic.

Anyway, definitely check out Gregk on his myspace, download the EP if you like what you hear and pass the word on, this guy needs more exposure, especially further up the country. There's a few dates on his gig calendar too so try and make them if you can.

Gregk Foley myspace

The Crown Vandals - The Guenevere EP

The Crown Vandals


...feature Tim Beeler on Acoustic Guitar and Lead Vocals and Tim Keen styling the Violin, Drums, Vocals, Bass and Synth. Beeler is from New Hampshire in the US and Keen hails from Melbourne in sunny old Australia, at first I thought it was one of those great projects that pits two guys from different sides of the world together by the internet, sending vocal recordings to one another and so on. It seems I'm wrong, they met in Montreal (you'll have to ask them the details, I wasn't there) Canada, where they now record music together, I guess they live there too but I'm not one to assume the obvious.

Influenced equally by the quirky, overdriven folk of Elephant 6 bands (I'm good at reading) and even cite Jeff Mangum as an influence (my reading skills are testing once again). With those references made, it means that it will always be worth my ears hearing their output and these guys deliver. "Guenevere" even sounds like it wouldn't be out of place on In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.


Enough of The Neutral Milk Hotel love in though, this is a band in their own right, these guys are more than a one trick pony, the rest of the EP is pretty strong and catchy. It's a bit lazy to call this Folk, it feels more than that, this almost sounds like what I wanted Arcade Fire to sound like the only time I listened to them...and isn't there more than two members in that band?

This really isn't a review, is just to tell you that the guys are giving away this EP for free, isn't that nice? You can find it from these links underneath, go on:
myspace

last.fm

Life Status Update: Mariah Carey

...she is still very much alive, singing other people's one hit wonders and making those fantastic slow motion videos. Rejoice asshats, the world just stayed as lame.

Though she seems to think she's actually in MANband Take That, here is a signed photograph:
(I, in no way, took time out of my busy life to make this image, I found it underneath my bed).

I'm off to listen to N-Dubz (Ndubz?). Serious "I Need You" is possibly my favourite song EVA.

Friends

This is where I "big up" friends websites and their blogs so you can pay them a nice visit.

Tracks Monkeys With Lasers
This is a blog, a blog about music...live reviews, album reviews, bands that have had a live review and are pissed off about it, lots of session stuff and photos (wow, I need photos).
TMWL is run by a young chap called Mark, he's a good bean, even though he's originally from Coventry, he writes better than I do.
Tracks monkeys with lasers


Estrella
Estrealla is a blog about a young girl called Sandy, Sandy works in PR in both London and New York (I think?). She seems like a very busy person and it reminds me of that film with Simon Pegg in it...no, not Shaun Of Dead, the other one. Anyway, check it out, there's loads of fashion stuff, music, films and other all round good stuff. (Plus there's pictures of women on there).
Estrella

Waste Your Youth
Does exactly what it says on the tin, apart from Matt, who writes on this site, doesn't actually have any youth left (some argue he never had a youth in the first place) and would rather steal yours in the disguise of a website. There is another writer on the site, he's too good that you're not even allowed to see his face or know his real name, most just know his as "Moff".
Waste Your Youth

thesearchivesaremonuments Podcast volume one...

is almost ready! I'm waiting on one band getting back to me with a track right now, I could possibly leave it and use it for the next one (some time next year by my working) but I really want it on this.

Big thanks to all those bands who wanted to get involved...and got excited by it. I've got a few Midland bands kicking it on this, two American bands and a few others from various parts of the UK.

Other stuffs:

I've got lots of write ups and focusing on a few bands that are sitting on my "things I've started, so I'll finish" list. A few of those feature on my podcast. Maybe one or two interviews if things go to plan.


The nice man at Audio Antihero, known to people as Jamie, has sent me a few links to listen to his labels first two releases, Benjamin Shaw and Nosferatu D2. I'm super excited about that, I'm a fan of both, so I'm going to review both of them and try to write sentences that make some kind of sense.


Also, I have nice EP from a young man called Gregk Foley to get through and type some nice words, he's a young singer songwriter from Horsham and from what I've heard on his myspace, I'm going to like this a lot.

Other than the millions of little bits piling up on me, I've got the Nightmare Before Christmas ATP coming up in a few sleeps, so I'm far too excited for that right now.

toodlesnoodlesxxx

New music from - Dead Spex and BronzeAge

They hail from Nottingham, they're called Dead Spex and they want your ears. "Her Knee, and She" is now up on the bands myspace, which if word on the street is to be believed, is a track taken from a forthcoming (yet unknown title) EP that should see the light of day early in the year two thousand and ten. It's probably my favourite thing that a band from Nottingham called Dead Spex have done. Hype. www.myspace.com/deadspex


BronzeAge are a newish band to the Leicester and world music scene, but they're old war horses at heart, made up of whatever waste was left lying around from the atom bomb that was Public Relatations Exercise. "Amberola" is now up on their myspace page for you to listen, marvel and bask in new glory. Click here www.myspace.com/bronzeageband for greatness.
There's also a link there somewhere to download the track for freebies, don't say bands don't do anything for the little guy.

Leicester Calling

The "Leicester Calling" compilation album is now officially available. Please download the podcast and tell lots of people about it. You will find links to the podcast at pineapster.com/profiles/pineapster_recordings, together with players for the individual tracks. If you can help promote it then please do.

Leicester Calling - Out Now

Leicester Calling is the latest compilation album from Leicester's Pineapster music community. Twenty tracks from new and established bands who are based in Leicester and Leicestershire - and sometimes further afield - and who all contribute to the local music scene. The album is now available for FREE via the Pineapster Recordings podcast. Follow the links on pineapster.com or search the iTunes music store for "pineapster".

Vol. 1

‘Unison’ by Autohype (3:38)
‘Pirates’ by Penfold Gate (3:54)
‘Probably Will’ by Produkty (2:36)
‘Forgotten’ by Themselves (2:05)
‘Plastic Painted Gold’ by The Chairmen (3:44)
‘Now We Are Weapons’ by Shortwave Fade (4:57)
‘Oblong’ by Logfox (3:35)
‘Simplest of Tools’ by Black Page Turns (3:47)
‘OK On The OK’ by Kill Chaos (3:22)
‘Amberola’ by Bronze Age (5:35)

Vol. 2

‘Shakerley’ by Distant Guns (5:15)
‘No-One Is Angry Just Afraid’ by Kyte (4:41)
‘Fakers’ by 40 Horses (4:24)
‘The Balloon’ by Free Control (5:29)
‘Six Pint Personality’ by The Tea Monkeys (2:56)
‘1965’ by The Friends Of Leonard (4:29)
‘So It Goes' by Kids in Cars (4:26)
‘Cold’ by Mentira (4:18)
‘Happiness Machines’ by Moscow Youth Cult (5:45)

Cover picture of Kyte by David Wilson Clarke.

Image and text both taken from pineapster.com