BELIEFS - GET THERE

If you're a regular reader, you'll know how much I loved, and indeed still love, Beliefs' 2015 album Leaper (http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/beliefs-leaper.html). Its mix of prime shoegaze atmospherics and wonderful, joyous noise was a truly great thing and it's an album I've forced upon many people since I first heard it. 

The band have now released Get There as a free download which is a track that was recorded during the Leaper sessions. Get There is a collaboration with Elsa's Jonathon Rodgers and it carries on the impressive work of Leaper, all woozy power and atmospherics at the intense end of the shoegaze spectrum. It's a winner basically. Download it entirely free of charge below:

NAILBITER - FORMATS

Nailbiter is a solo project of Josh Korody from Beliefs, a band I've already gone on about many, many times on here. Whereas Beliefs music is indebted to shoegaze power of the likes of Ride and My Bloody Valentine, Nailbiter draws its influence from the great industrial sounds of the 80's and 90's, with Formats bringing to mind elements of Throbbing Gristle, Coil and Nine Inch Nails when they focus on crunching instrumentals. It's a brilliant album from beginning to end and it's currently the soundtrack to early spring in Glasgow.

A track like Splatter is a perfect example of how good this album is. Driving rhythms and beats combine with walls of electronic noise in an aggressive but curiously almost calming way - the same can be said of Concrete City too, which is another standout. It's an album that deserves attention basiscally, and if you like your electronic music experimental, edgy and, ultimately, loud, this is for you.

Formats by Nailbiter is available on Hand Drawn Dracula and through Nailbiter's Bandcamp page

Nailbiter Bandcamp https://nailbiter2.bandcamp.com/releases 
Nailbiter Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nailbitermusic

THE ALMOST PREDICTABLES 2015 NO.2 - LABEL OF THE YEAR

The second Almost Predictable in this miniature awards season I'm hosting is for Label Of The Year. It's been a great year for several favourite labels of mine - Hot Gem have continued to build their impressive portfolio with releases from Machines In Heaven, YuTaNi and Okraa and Toronto's wonderful Hand Drawn Dracula have released nothing but solid gold with outsanding records from the likes of Rolemodel, Fresh Snow and Beliefs really hitting the spot. Glasgow's Olive Grove also released one of the records of the year with Woodenbox's Foreign Organ. As ever, Mute Records has obviously been amazing too of course.

There can only be one winner though, and that winner is Glasgow's Night School Records. This year, the label has had a 100% record when it comes to releasing music with superb albums from Paper Dollhouse Sally Dige, Molly Nilsson, Rose McDowall, Liberez and Paco Sala. Not content with merely putting out these albums and running the label, label boss Michael Kasparis has been insanely busy himself touring in support of his alter ego Aspostille's quite brilliant  2015 album Powerless.


One aspect of Night School Records that I can't fail to acknowledge is the love that goes into each release. For a vinyl collector, the label is a joy with marvellous limited edition coloured vinyl releases for the Sally Dige Rose McDowall and Molly Nilsson records a real highlight of the year. Getting an album is always a special thing, but when you get one that has been put together with such care, it adds a new level to the experience. I caught up with Michael for a chat and to make a virtual presentation of his virtual award

APA: Congratulations on your Almost Predictable and a great 2015. How has the year been for you?

MK: Hey, thank you so much! It's been intense. At the end of every year in the last four, I've felt like the year has passed so quickly that I've not even had time to take stock. This year is no different, probably even more so. The year began with me mixing my first solo record and it's going to be ending with my playing it out in Europe.

APA: How have you found the response to the various releases on the label? There's been a lot of coverage for the likes of your Apostille release which must have been pleasing.

MK: It's all relative and, to be honest, I only pay attention to the reception as much as I need to. I used to take it personally that I could work on something that means the world to me - and to the artist involved - but then it's out there and only a select few hear it and appreciate it. That's the nature of the beast, I get that. It's great that something will come out on Night School and get a lot of reviews and people's reaction, whether it's Rose's album or Molly's, or something like Liberez will come out and get a lot of critical acclaim. 

Sometimes it doesn't translate into breaking even on a release, but that's the risk you take. The Apostille album: I'm not going to pretend it's anything other than a vanity release. I had a couple of offers from other people to do it, and I think I'd like to go down the route of getting someone else to release Apostille in the future, but I felt like I wanted to do Powerless exactly how I wanted it done. The people that picked up on the record seemed to really like it. I've had a lot of nice feedback which is great. It's kind of my nature never to be satisfied though so I've always got my eye on the next thing, improving, evolving...

APA: Your vinyl releases are all special. The likes of the Sally Dige, Rose McDowall and Molly Nilsson releases were all wonderful for example. Is it important to the label to make these releases something special?

MK: Thanks! I can never look at a releases as if from a conveyor belt. Each release is the result of stress, planning, enthusiasm, love and plenty of hair-pulling, from me as much as the artists involved. So, when the finished product is in my hands, it has to reflect all of that. I'll never understand how anyone in my position can have a "that'll do" approach to their label. You get a lot of major labels or even big indie labels who produce records and you look at how they've done it, and how much they're charging, and you just think this is someone at the other end of a spreadsheet. Even though the main focus is on vinyl, I should also point out that we take equal care with the CD's, cassettes, T-shirts, whatever! I suppose each release is special by default!

APA: Tricky question perhaps, but what's your favourite Night School release been this year?

MK: I couldn't possibly pick one. That's probably lame but so be it (APA - not at all!). Every release we do usually sits in my headphones for at least three months in the lead up to release, it becomes part of my life. I was super excited to get Sally's record out this year after several years of trying, the Liberez record was incredible for me, Molly's album Zenith is probably the highpoint of her career thus far, the Rose McDowall record is one of my favourite albums of all time so the fact I re-released it blows my mind. It goes on. The Paper Dollhouse album is just so involving and emotional, and of course my record is about as personal a "project" as you can get. The Paco Sala album is wonderful too

APA: What's been your highlight of the year?

MK: Again, there are too many. Here's a few: playing Berghain to 850 people through that sound system; Molly Nilsson playing 1995 at the Monorail festival I helped organise in October; Liberez live at Cafe Oto; playing with Sally Dige as on-stage mascot/mixer at Creepy Teepee festival in the Czech Republic; my set at Creepy Teepee too; playing guitar on Since Yesterday with Rose McDowall in St Pancras Parish Church with my friends in the backing band in May. There was also Beserktown Festival in Orange County in the summer, though that's not label related. It's been a good year.

APA: What are the label's plans for 2016?

MK: Mmmm. Next year is the label's 5th anniversary, which is crazy when I think about it. I've basically got more plans than means at any one time, so I can't say anything categorical at this time. However, one big thing is that I'm going to be launching a sister label to concentrate on reissues. I'll use the same methodology and attention to detail but have a label that is exclusively reissues. We're continuing Rose McDowall's reissue project with at least two more releases. I've got the debut album from at least two new artists that I'm really excited about that you might know from other guises. There's at least TWO new Happy Meals releases; they've just started sending me demos which is super exciting (APA: that's more than super exciting if that's possible). There will be more from Molly Nilsson of course. My dream is to perform in the Molly Nilsson all-stars, as in with a live band, so I think I might try and pressure her to do that. Basically, there'll be more of the same as this year, but probably even more until I have a happy, mental breakdown.

APA: Finally, given how this blog began life, there's an obligatory Depeche Mode question. What's your favourite DM track?

MK: I'm definitely a fan, but unabashedly a populist one. I have a few albums, but it always comes back to the singles for me, Probably something like Everything Counts or See You. Vince Clarke is a genius obviously. I'm trying very hard to make the next Apostille album sound like Erasure, but it turns out that's quite difficult.

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Thanks very much to Michael for taking the time to answer my questions. As you'll see, 2016 looks like it may even top 20156 for Night School Records and that would be quite something. Personally, I can't wait for the new Happy Meals material and the Apostille album is going to be unmissable. 

Night School Records http://nightschoolrecords.com/

Night School Records Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NightSchoolRecords/?fref=ts

Night School Records Twitter https://twitter.com/NightSchoolRecs

Night School Records Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/nightschool

BELIEFS - LEAPER

Toronto's Beliefs release their second album Leaper on 13 November on the ever impressive Hand Drawn Dracula label. Leaper is an album of shoegaze influenced indiepop that pays homage to the likes of The Pixies, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and even The Wedding Present, who are a personal favourite of mine, so all the signs point to something very good. What you ultimately get is an album that is as fresh as a daisy, full of fuzzy guitars, great washes of noise and superb melodies, leading to an album that is surely bound to make Beliefs pop up on many people's radars.

Opener Tidal Wave is as good an example of what's to come as anything. An opening feedback squall leads to an MBV like drone of distorted guitar and your attention is grabbed from the off.  I don;t know if it was deliberate or not, but the Dinosaur Jr referencing lyrics ("You're living all over me") are a nice touch. It's a superb start, yet it's trumped by the simply outstanding 1992 which is one of the best things I've heard in ages. Part Pixies, part joyous guitar pop, 1992 is a track you HAVE to hear and you can so below - you can't fail to love it.  Colour Of Your Name comes next sounding like The Wedding Present circa Seamonsters but having fun. It's a summery feeling track albeit one masked in wonderfully fuzzy guitars. Drown and the title track take the pace down a notch, focussing more in atmosphere albeit with added feedback and aggression in the latter which compliments the mood nicely before the excellent pop like Ghosts arrives, wrapping you up in its loveliness.

The album is basically a succession of impressive tracks that doesn't relent at all. Morning Light is another noise encased pop gem and it's followed by Go Ahead And Sleep which reminds you of Ride at their most intense before they let Andy Bell have too much influence. The penultimate Leave With You perhaps suffers by comparison to the breathless opening nine tracks of the album but, that said, it still impresses. The record then ends on the brilliantly titled Swooner which starts off quieter than you might expect but builds to a booming, echo laden climax that ends the album perfectly.

As I said at the outset, Beliefs are band you are bound to hear a lot about soon given the quality of Leaper. There is no harm at all in making a record that pays homage to your influences, as long as there is enough of you in the record itself. Beliefs more than achieve that with Leaper and it is an album that you really have to get your hands on.

Leaper by Beliefs is released on 13 November on Hand Drawn Dracula. It's available on download an a limited edition of 300 translucent green vinyl. I've managed to get one.

Beliefs Facebook https://www.facebook.com/weareBeliefs/?fref=ts
Hand Drawn Dracula Beliefs Artist Page http://handdrawndracula.com/artists/beliefs/

ETIQUETTE - REMINISCE

Etiquette are yet another band to feature on here who are part of the Hand Drawn Dracula roster. You know the rules by now - if it's on that label then it's going to be good. Like two of my favourite local labels Hot Gem and Night School, Hand Drawn Dracula turns out one superb release after another and Reminisce, the debut album by Etiquette is another such record.

Etiquette are Graham Walsh and Julie Fader, both of who have been around on Canada's incredibly diverse and rich indie scene. Reminisce is primarily synth dominated with many of the songs having a feel of a combination of cold wave, mid 80's Cure and melodies that bring to mind Depeche Mode somewhere between Some Great Reward and Black Celebration. That kind of combination only means one thing - Reminisce is exactly the sort of thing that I, and regular readers of this blog, love.

A couple of tracks aside, more of which shortly, Reminisce moves at a dreamlike pace, working as a whole rather than as a collection of songs which is impressive. The opening bleeps and synth washes of Pleasantries almost immediately surround you in virtual dry ice and they lead to Brown & Blue which increases the pace, bringing to mind the more pop oriented synth led sounds of the mid 80's albeit with a distinctly modern feel. As the album progresses via Attention Seeker, Outside In and Sleep To Wake Up, you become immersed in Etiquette's very clever electronic pop, with Julie's vocals being a standout. Their crisp clarity is a perfect counterpoint to the music.

Suddenly though, Twinkling Stars arrives. It's a riot of Vince Clarke like synths taking on Ladytron at their peak with Kraftwerk refereeing and it's an absolute gem as you can hear below. It's not the most representative track when you consider the album as a whole but it really works in the context of the record.


The last three tracks, Promises, On And On and Island round off the album perfectly, with On And On being one of the other notable tracks here. Reminisce really is a wonderfully autumnal, electronic album that manages to give atmospheric tracks enough edge to keep your attention throughout and it's one that I'd recommend you check out.

Reminisce by Etiquette is available now on Hand Drawn Dracula.

Etiquette Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ETIQUETTExo/?fref=ts
Hand Drawn Dracula http://handdrawndracula.com/

BELIEFS - 1992

It can't all be Scottish music or Depeche Mode reviews around here. You might remember that I featured a band called Rolemodel earlier this year - their Claire e.p. is one of the finest things I've heard this year and one you really must check out (http://almostpredictablealmost1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/rolemodel-claie.html).

Anyway, Rolemodel's e.p. was released on the Hand Drawn Dracula label which is based in Toronto and for the lat few months I've been checking out a lot of their stuff with all of it being really rather cool. I'm particularly in love with 1992 by Beliefs which I thought I'd share here. It's the first release from their forthcoming album Leaper and if 1992 is anything to go by, it's going to be an album you definitely want to hear. Imagine Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and The Pixies having a fight - the result is 1992.

Leaper can be pre-ordered from the Hand Drawn Dracula Bandcamp page here (https://handdrawndracula.bandcamp.com/album/leaper). I've already grabbed one of the 300 limited edition vinyls so be quick. While you're at it, check out Hand Drawn Dracula's whole catalogue as there is a lot there to love. The XIV compilation isn't a bad place to begin exploring - that's available directly from their site.

Hand Drawn Drcaula - http://handdrawndracula.com

Hand Drawn Dracula Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HandDrawnDracula?fref=ts

Beliefs - http://beliefsmusic.com

Beliefs Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/weareBeliefs?fref=ts

ROLEMODEL - CLAIRE EP

Normally, I only tend to review either Depeche Mode, Glasgow bands and so on but I'm making an exception for Rolemodel, a Canadian band who followed me on Twitter ( @davidjmcelroy or @almostprdalmost by the way) and piqued my interest. They are a dream pop electronic band based in Toronto, originally a solo vehicle for Jordan Allen but now expanded into a full band. Their six track e.p. Claire was released on Hand Drawn Dracula Records and I'm fallen in love with it

Combining a distinct 80's synth influence, thankfully from the good parts of that genre with the likes of New Order, some shoegaze and some stupendous pop melodies, this e.p. is one to hear. Title track Claire is a moody, atmospheric track with a chorus that deserves to burst from every radio in the land and it sets the tone perfectly. Teen Idol continues the moody atmosphere, in a way like Cold Cave without the sneer, before the brilliantly named, and indeed brilliant, Trans Canda Misery lands on you with a lead synth line that Gary Numan in his Tubeway Army days would be proud of. It's icy synth perfection and quite, quite wonderful. The New Order go pop of Who You Know follows and the next track Cruel Intensions displays a similar influence, though this time Joy Division, albeit more in their Atmosphere moments. The e.p. then ends with Until which rounds it off perfectly.

For something that came out of the blue to me, Claire  really is a great release and, as I said, something you really should hear. Jordan Allen's voice matches perfectly with the music and general feel of the songs throughout and, altogether, Claire really is something of a hidden gem of an e.p.

Rolemodel - Claire is released on Hand Drawn Dracula Records and is available on their bandcamp page here https://handdrawndracula.bandcamp.com/album/rolemodel-claire

Rolemodel Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rolemodelband?fref=ts

Rolemodel wesbite http://rolemodelband.com