The Flower Hour 8
This month's installment of The Flower Hour is brought to you - mostly - by the wonderful musicians of Threads and, as always, is available on both Spotify and YouTube.
Since joining the community there not very long ago we've stumbled upon all manner of wonders and we're always on the look out for more. Join us.
First up is "Forget What I Said" by The Sleeping Cliffs which, quite astonishingly, is the work of one man: the Blue Ridge Mountain's "genre-fluid" analogue multi-instrumentalist Todd Glidewell. Utilising all the expertise of a music maker who has been at it for over 30 years, this track blends Explosions In The Sky epic vibes with M83-like synths and Mogwai-esque noise. This instrumental post-rock behemoth distills electronica, indie & alternative rock and blends it with seismic cinematic scope to fantastic effect. It's the perfect way to ring in the new year. Let's start as we mean to go on. With the volume up and the music front and centre.
This is followed by "Maker Of Madness" which sounds like The Flat Duo Jets if they were fronted by Billie Joe Armstrong. It's a potent mix of punk rock snarl and spit and rootsy bluesy garage rock along with elements of influences that range from The Moldy Peaches and The Vaselines to Seasick Steve and The White Stripes. Overdriven to the nth degree and just the right amount of rough around the edges, Maker Of Madness is the work of Dewdog, a two piece who have been around a couple of years who write record, mix, and master all of their own music from their New Hampshire home.
Tiny Forehead are up next with "Saffron", a tune that blends elements of quintessentially English heritage acts like Sparks and Morrissey with the spirit of bands from across the pond like The B52's and The Cramps. Despite sounding decidedly retro-tinged, Saffron somehow doesn't sound dated. There's a jovial, tongue-in-cheek undertone beneath the hook of "they're lying to you" that belies the perennially concerning message. This juxtaposition is just one reason that the tune is so compelling - the raw guitars, tight rhythm section and complimentary vocalists are a few others, but there are many more. Saffron sounds like the sort of song you'd hear on BBC 6Music - and we don't say that lightly. With many UK gigs coming up in January, don't miss the chance to catch them live.
"Sylvie" - by theCrates - is a gritty Americana masterclass. Despite emanating from Toronto, Canada. LOL. This rootsy, swamp-rock number absolutely drips with personality and self-assurance. There's a hell of a lot to appreciate here. From the fluctuations in vocal delivery and the sweetly strummed acoustic in the verses to the stabby chops in the chorus and the subtle strings. These all add various dimensions to this haunting, anthemic, bluesy, rock and roll stomper. We're reminded in places of The Veils, The Crocketts and Kassidy and we're very glad to have discovered them.
Cabin Full Of Bears made one the albums of 2024 in the form of Low Frequency Anxiety. "Slip Awhile" is one of the singles from that album and is a prime example of their excellent execution of an unmistakably American indie-rock sound. This doesn't tell the whole story though. Laced with elements from other genres such as surf, jangle, shoegaze, psych, krautrock and post-punk, I can hear the influence of bands like Interpol, The National, Neu! and Best Coast - and they come together beautifully. Slip Awhile was our personal favourite of the songs from the album but the whole thing is solid. Treat yourself. You won't regret it.
"Cherry Violence" by Sheffield's New Ghost is an absolute epic. The M83 influence rears it's head again here but is paired with a thick, heavy, Deftones inspired audio fog and a Smashing Pumpkins-esque alternative rock sound, with positively spellbinding results. This nu-gaze 5 piece have been at it since 2019 and their newest album A Dagger In Every Tide sees them refine their songwriting approach to deliver a record that is undoubtedly the pinnacle of their career, so far. The album touches on shoegaze, grunge, dreampop, doom and sludge elements as well as drawing obvious influence from the aforementioned electronic and alternative rock sounds.
"Another Way" by Stubai is another one of the highlights of one of the albums of 2024. Hailing from Sydney-Eora, Australia, Another Way brings to mind the sound of J Mascis and The Smiths mixed with more recent contemporaries like Swiss Portrait and Elliott Smith. It's jangly, it's earnest, it's wholesome, it's catchy, it's everything you want in an alt-indie-pop tune. Evoking feelings similar to another one of our favourite artists of the year - Western Jaguar - Stubai (aka Matt Teffer) tugs on the heart strings whilst, crucially, burrowing itself into your head and giving you reason to shuffle your feet. Quite the combination.
Mannequin Flowers have been creating quite the buzz lately with their mixture of luscious dreampop and stupendous style. Formed in late 2023 and only on their second single, "Heartbeat" is a prime example of what this London quartet can do - with a slick, sophisticated and satisfying audio/visual aesthetic thats part David Lynch, part The Hives, part The Sundays and part The Cure, the tune is one to instantly fall in love with (as was, it must be said, the previous single Drunken Carousel). This bunch of beautiful people making beautiful tunes will be playing live in London this month so catch them if you can.
“CONVERSATIONS” by MIRELLA is a throwback UKG tune from Hamburg, Germany. Unmistakably rooted in the soulful 2-step sounds of Sholah Ama, Sticky and the like, MIRELLA brings the late 90s/early 00s garage sound bang up to date. Sounding like Jorja Smith collaborating with Shanks & Bigfoot or Wideboys, this - MIRELLA's debut single - is nostalgia at it's finest. It will be interesting to see if she persists down this road as her career progresses or if she continues to surprise us with leftfield stylistic choices.
Up next is a cover of a classic Elliott Smith track by Italian artists Ubu. Ubu was born as a side project of their band Amycanbe and this song enlists the vocal talents of Hellis. With the seemingly ever present Billie Eilish vibe to the female vocal, this version of "Between The Bars" takes on an entirely different vibe to the original. This is understated, reserved and ethereal. The story of how this record came to be is rather tragic - it was released after the passing of band member Marco Trinchillo in his sleep due to cardiac arrest at the age of only 41 - but I believe, despite the awful circumstances - that he'd approve of the finished article. The album is available on vinyl here.
"More Than Friends" is a slick, sleek, sophisticated collaboration song from Connecticut's Neon Sines, with British pop artist, Chloe Kay on guest vocals. It also features unmistakable guitar from Neil Taylor of Tears For Fears (who played on Last Of The International Playboys no less!). With it's catchy-as-a-cold chorus, 80s inspired swagger and perfect pairing of vocalists, this certified banger is a funky, indie-dance/synthpop gem. We've had a sneak peak of some of the other stuff they have in the works too and it's just as exciting as this. 2025 is set to be a big year for them, and for the rest of the Handsome Money collective too.
"Pure Imagination" is, of course, a classic song taken from the wonderful 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Written by the legendary Gene Wilder and covered here by Madrid-based songstress Ce, this interpretation is just as enchanting as the original but in a style all its own. Borrowing Bon Iver style vocal manipulation and pairing it with sparse instrumentation, this version saunters merrily along, wonderfully utilising Celia Valadés' impressive vocal talents to produce a song of jazzy overtones and with a vibe that hops between sultry and spooky. Ce plans to release her first EP - Para Dentro - in early 2025.
Parisian Elsa Siugo moonlights as a teacher of music to deaf children and for that reason alone, we love her. She also happens to be a beautifully talented singer-songwriter. This folky little number is delivered in a traditional tried-and-tested manner. Elsa has an obvious respect and reverence for those that have come before her. Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Sandy Denny - they're all here in spirit. But there's also a more modern thread running through “Never More For Once” that suggests perhaps Jewel, Ryan Adams and Laura Marling. It's classic sounding but at the same time feels fresh. Very impressive.
“Light Tower” by Novelly (real name Jessica Kempkes) is an enchanting folk piece reminiscent of Lisa Hannigan and/or Emiliana Torrini, fused with a much more refined Kimya Dawson or perhaps a less quirky Regina Spektor. There's a hard-to-identify quality about this song that is a product of what seems like childlike enthusiasm and naiveté. Novelly’s songwriting and delivery is utterly compelling, convincing and captivating. It's almost like she's taking you by the hand and together you're navigating some kind of secret nocturnal world, designed and built by her words and music. Truly impressive.
Now, exactly who or what constitutes Songwriteam is a little unclear. Based on the research we've been able to do online, we've concluded that it is the musical project of Parisian musician Philippe Perelman who also records under the name Sucrepop and is ALSO one third of Lucy, Racquel and Me. Anyway, this song - “The Olive Tree” - is a unique blend of almost Bosa Nova-esque slow, smooth vibes mixed with a contrasting hard rock guitar that is dialled all the way back in the mix. This interesting combination works excellently because, amazingly, the delicate focal point is somehow never overshadowed by the squalling guitar. As the shredding colours in-between the space left in amongst the folky strumming you realise that the balance is just right. It's basically a feat of engineering and deserves immense respect.
Up next is “Wait, Caroline” by then there were blackbirds which is the musical moniker of Gainesville Florida's bedroom indie folk musician Geoff Parks. Parks only began recording demos during the pandemic but we're very glad that he did. With it's delicious textures, anxious atmosphere and beautiful melodies, Wait Caroline is a lilting, lovely lament that conjures images of a heart breaking in slow motion and in standard definition. Stylistically, imagine a collab between Rivers Cuomo, Daniel Johnston and Elliott Smith and you're in the right ballpark. Beautifully individualistic.
Leeds’ The Foxgloves conclude this months instalment with “Reach You”. Taken from one of our favourite EPs of last year - The Car Beside The Road - this track is a blistering blend of shoegaze, post-punk alt-rock and indie. Reach You is a journey. With meandering twists and turns, chicanes, tension-building inclines and steep, downhill thrills. By the time the chorus turns up, the track is absolutely soaring. Joy Division, Sonic Youth and The Cure blend into one before the swirling MBV shoegazey guitars come back in as the track ramps all the way up on its way out. What an outro that is. And what a way to wrap up the first installment of The Flower Hour of the year!
As always, please, #GiveThemTheirFlowers
Also, as always, submissions for consideration for inclusion in future installments of The Flower Hour are open.
You are welcome to get in touch via email (kindagrizzly@gmail.com), here on Substack or via social media.
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Wow, thanks so much for the write-up of Another Way, and also fantastic to see so many great acts I recognise from Threads - Cabin Full of Bears, Sleeping Cliffs, Mannequin Flowers - and a bunch of new acts I'm looking forward to delving into further like New Ghost and Dewdog. All the references are spot on, too - Kinda Grizzly definitely know their stuff! Matt from Stubai