Into Music Reviews: New Music August 2024

It’s been a few weeks since Into Creative have given you the lowdown on the latest cool sounds but to be fair, we have been on our holidays, dont’cha know! Good news, we are back from our travels and have a few great records we want to tell you about so in time honoured fashion, strap yourself in, have a read then do check out the music below.

Artist: The New Leaves
Album: A Sketch of Home
Label: Corn Crake Records/Last Night From Glasgow

When news percolated through a few months back of a new record label in Corn Crake Records, set up by Ken McCluskey (The Bluebells/McCluskey Brothers) in conjunction with Last Night From Glasgow, eyebrows were raised in quiet anticipation of what they would deliver. Their focus is on acoustic based singer-songwriters and bands in the folk tradition and the initial long-player release is by The New Leaves in the shape of A Sketch of Home.

The four-piece hail from County Down in Northern Ireland and their debut release is an assured, melancholic record of thirteen tracks that speak of the land and the sea, occasionally reaching for the stars and the moon. Indeed, album opener A Time Before The Stars sets the scene perfectly, it may only be ninety or so seconds long but the harmonies wash over you, fresh, simple but effective. Donaghaguy Reservoir follows up, providing more depth, the drums and acoustic guitar spark along at a pace, before the track slows, double vocals come in before the track builds up again. There is a warmth here to the track and that feeling never leaves you through the rest of the album.

County Lane Lament is exactly that, providing (again) that connection with nature, the outdoors. Listen to this and I guarantee whatever issues you have in life will be forgotten, at least for the three or so minutes the track lasts, a highlight of the album and no mistake.

Elsewhere, A Silk Road To The Moon is subtle with minimal strumming in the background leavings space for soft, melancholic vocals. Sometimes less is more and this is a prime example, a wonderful track.

There is a lot of shouty music out at the moment (which I adore) but there is always a time and place for music that makes for introspection, three-part harmonies and settles your mood to be in a good place, this record hits those spots head on. In short, it’s a feel good record and by God, we need those in our life.

The album was recorded at Narrow Water Studios in Newry, produced by Steve Fearnley and mastered by Peter Maher. The band consist of Decky McKay (vocals/guitar), Cian O’Hare (vocals/guitar), Patrice McKevitt (vocals, bass) and Paddy Goodfellow (drums/percussion) and they will be playing a series of dates this month (supporting The Bluebells on 23rd August at The Bungalow, Paisley and on the 24th at Letham Village Hall before two headline shows at The Doublet, Glasgow on 25th August with support from Ken McCluskey).

For more on The New Leaves, head to their socials and to order the album, visit the Last Night From Glasgow website here.

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Artists: The Aislers Set/ The Loft/ 14 Iced Bears
EPs: John Peel/Riley & Coe Sessions
Label: Precious Recordings of London

Precious Recordings of London continue to astound and amaze with the latest batch of releases from the BBC radio session archives. For me, I often haven’t heard of the bands and this is true with two of the three releases here but what that does is open up my inquisitive mind to go find out more, open that musical portal and dive in.

First up is the San Franciscan five-piece The Aislers Set and their four track session for John Peel from April 2001. Not a band I know but one song in I was hooked. Mission Bells starts with a rocksteady vibe and is underpinned by a fantastic organ backbeat throughout. Each song has something different, Walked In Line is a cover of the Joy Division track which is relatively faithful to the original while Long Division has a pure indie driven guitar laden feel. The closing track The Walk is more layered, a perfect and longing vocal from singer AV Linton.

The sleeve notes are magnificent, Linton telling the story of sitting in a Glasgow pub with pals from Belle & Sebastian and Camera Obscura and the mad panic to get a transistor radio to hear Peel’s session.

To order the record, head over to the Bandcamp page here.

For PRoL fiftieth release it had to be something special, step forward The Loft, one of the foremost and important bands of the early/mid 1980s when bands like Echo & the Bunnymen, The Mighty Lemon Drops and Pete Astor’s next band The Weather Prophets were at the forefront of the guitar driven British explosion.

This session is relatively recent, having been recorded for the Riley & Coe show in October 2023 and the band compromising Astor (guitar/vocals), Bill Prince (bass), Andy Strickland (guitar/vocals) and Dave Morgan on drums still sound as fresh as a new spring morning.

There is something about Astor’s vocal style that just captures the attention. Of course, the band are tight, no more so than on Worm In My Brain, Astor teasing, dictating, tantalizing while Strickland’s guitar solo is a joy, while the rhythm section are the glue that binds.

The closing Time, a cover of Richard Hell & The Voidoids is heaven on vinyl, it hits the spot. The importance of The Loft cannot be understated and their influence still reverberates today. As a fiftieth release for PRoL, this really is perfect.

To order The Loft in session with Riley & Coe, head to the Bandcamp page here.

Last up we have two John Peel sessions from 14 Iced Bears, recorded in November 1986 and July 1987 from the Brighton based jangly guitar band. The first session has an early incarnation of the band, led by Robert Sekula on vocals and Kevin Canham on guitar. Comparisons to the C86 scene of the time are evident and the track Cut is perhaps the highlight here though the back story as explained in the sleeve notes is (gulp) something else! Shy(-)Like You has screeching guitars, driving drums and is over way too soon in just over two minutes, but maybe that’s the secret of a good song?

A mere seven months later the band are back for another Peel session, this time slimmed down to a four piece and only Sekula and Canham still in situ. Stephen Ormsby on bass and Bill Cox on drums being the latest additions. It’s clear form the session that the band had moved on, the sound more nuanced, a little psychedelic and certainly more filled out. The machine gun guitar sound on Spangle is on the money and Sekula delivers his best vocal of the tracks on offer here.