At the moment I am going through a period of really responding to songs that have a simple calm beauty to them, and Fran’s song ‘Sirens’ is one that very much fits into that vein.

It is basically simple layers of dreamy sounds – synths, sparse beats – and Fran’s voice. And what a voice she has. It’s a voice that’s quietly emotional, with a tone that is full of beauty. When you listen to this song what you hear is Fran’s voice singing lovely words; the music supports and emphasises the emotion in the song. The swells of sound, the simple rhythm track that appears and then fades and then comes again.

I have found myself listening again and again, with as much concentration as I can muster, just to hear the words. There is poetry in the words that takes them above the status of being mere lyrics. Fran says the song “was written about losing the fight to reach a better version of yourself again and again”. She has taken a metaphorical approach to the subject that is compelling.

What this makes for is a song that is more, much more, than the sum of its parts. The simplicity is deceptive, there’s a lush richness to this that you don’t expect that comes from the sounds and voice combining. And it being so simple – although perhaps sparse might be a better way of putting it – gives her no space to hide. As I’ve said before, and no doubt will say again, simple is hard to do really well, and this does simple incredibly well.

This song is beautiful. It’s voice, words and music melding into something wonderful, something that you want to submerge yourself in and never come out.

The info

The track and video were recorded in isolation during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Collaboration to mix and master the song, create the artwork and film the video were done online.

On the artwork both the hands are Fran’s. She recruited her trusty housemate to photograph the artwork and film the video then Declan Creffield worked to create the finished products.

The video – to be shared on 6th July – was filmed in her bathroom at home with a fish tank, limited lighting and a very wet black bedsheet. Declan directed the video via Facebook Messenger video calls to her in the bath while her housemate manned the camera. You can set a reminder for the video share here.

Melancholy Ray do indie the way I like indie. They have an ear for a great tune and play the living hell out of it.

And this is very much the case with ‘New Routine’. This thing has a tune that lodges itself into your head after one listen, it’s that catchy. And it’s blustering fast. This would be enough to make it cool, way cool. But it ain’t enough for Melancholy Ray, no way. They throw in some almost casually absolutely fantastic guitar, look, the guitar on this rocks people. Add in the drums that I expect from them, I love the drumming on their tracks. And on top of that some fantastic vocals. And what you have is something brilliant.

I’m not – if you’ve been keeping up with my reviews – a huge fan of indie but as I said Melancholy Ray do indie the way I like indie. And I bloody love this.

Nuff said, play it loud, dance your bloody socks off.

The first time I saw CPSD play I was left reeling and speechless. I became a fan on the spot. And every gig since, I’ve been left the same way. I have a tendency to become somewhat inarticulate after great sets, and CPSD do that to me every time.

For those of you who haven’t come across them – and you should, no you must, it’s an experience not to be missed – they play a mix of alt-rock, hard rock, electronica and blues. Just in case you were under the impression that that’s separate songs, it isn’t; their sound is that OK. The balance of those elements varies but they are always there. They describe this as pseudo-blues.

So up to now I’ve only had the live experience of CPSD to feed my soul but now we have their debut single ‘Only Once’.

‘Only Once’ sits on the fuzzy garage-y hard rocking end of their sound spectrum, and is heavy on the bass. I say heavy, the bass on this is capable of shaking foundations and disturbing neighbours several doors down. Add to this guitar that riffs hard, touches of synth and drums that are battered to within an inch of their lives. And you have something that is fucking fabulous. And that is before I even get to the vocals, Chris – the band’s singer and guitarist – lays down some impressive vocals that are at once both upfront and part of the music. It’s almost like he’s singing a lead guitar line I swear.

The thing about CPSD is that their songs are not just musically good, the words are well worth listening to. And this song is about something, Chris says: “Use Once is a mostly fictional depiction of a short term relationship, and centres on the lack of feeling attached to a one-night stand. Inspired by a time in my life when I was coming out of a long term relationship, and desperately seeking anything to feel better about what was happening. It’s a song I wrote not to glamorise or disrespect the other person involved, but to document the numbness I felt at that point”.

This, and this comes as no surprise to me at all, is an incredibly impressive debut release. It’s a must for anyone who loves rock music, rock music that’s different, rock music that draws on lots of different stuff. This is cool stuff people.

The info

CPSD’s eclectic music background – working with such names and bands as Maxi Jazz (E-Type Boys), LSK (Tuffasonics), Djingo, Exoterik & Pulverise – forms the foundations of their development; adding to the inflections of bands they loved and watched growing up, who heavily shaping their decision to be musicians.

Whilst their gig schedule of venues and festivals has been slightly delayed, CPSD has forged a formidable stage show in the last year – which has captured the attention of both music fans and peers alike – and are prepared to hit the ground running and announce their upcoming live shows shortly, following the covid-19 enforced venue closures.

The thing that first made me want to review was the oh-so-dreamy sound, and Mollie’s vocals. That dreamy sound is part dream-pop, part R&B, and it’s drenched in echo. And it’s deceptively simple – there are synths and there is a gently strummed guitar. But having something this simple sound quite so beautiful takes real craft and skill. Simple is hard to do.

Mollie’s vocals sound like nothing I’ve heard before – yes they kinda follow that R&B thing but they’re gentle and dreamy. They are part of the layers of sound. They weave around and in between the sounds.

It’s just beguilingly beautiful. But there is more to the song than this, there’s another layer to this. A layer I didn’t notice until I read her email and went back and really listened. This is somewhat unprofessional of me, but I have a tendency to listen to the music before reading the ‘blurb’. A song can be deep and meaningful or tackle something important, but if I don’t get it musically then it doesn’t make the shortlist for review.

The song is about something that resonates with me on a personal level, I’ll leave this to Mollie to explain, ‘In ‘Rotten Teeth’ I sing about escaping an emotionally abusive relationship, sharing my experience with gaslighting and manipulation, in hope that someone may be able to find salvation in the lyrics; especially since the rates of abuse hotlines have skyrocketed since lockdown began’

There is something about this song musically that is sunny and joyful, that fits with what the song is about, that coming out of those sorts of relationships is like coming out of a dark place into the bright world.

So you can take this song on two levels – one, the level of an absolutely fabulous pop song, and two, if you take the time to listen properly, a song about something important. And that is a beautiful thing. This song is beautiful.

The info

Mollie Coddled is a producer and multi-instrumentalist from Leeds. Merging Dream-pop and R&B she pairs soulful vocals with a soundscape of hazy, echo-laden guitars and synthesizers. Mollie writes, records and produces her music from her bedroom.

I thought I’d got what Uncle Buzzard do, it seems I was wrong. ‘Little Fish’ is an unexpectedly mellow pop song with a huge dose of jazziness.

It kinda does a mellow/funky jazzy switch thing through this track – more beaty sections and hugely mellow laid back almost slightly psychedelic sections. Having written this I’m rethinking how I described it in the opening paragraph. I mean yes it’s a pop song in some ways but it’s something more than that. There is something about the way it’s put together that has something of a ‘prog structure’ to it. I’m not entirely sure that the band would like that but that’s how I hear it. The quirky keyboards that they throw in just emphasise that.

The thing is that way back in my somewhat misspent youth I recall chilling out to music that had what this track has, and something of the sound it has. It has a way of taking you on a musical journey, the different sections meld into something more than the sum of their parts. It’s this that raises it above the level of pop, Although you could think of it as pop, it has tunes to die for, a bass line I’ve grown addicted to. And those dreamy sections are just so good.

So it does a clever thing – it manages to cross-over between pop and music that is technically way more complex than pop. And because of that it ticks boxes for a lot of people. And it’s glomming onto that wave of jazzy/funky influenced music that seems to be sweeping gradually across Leeds right now.

I realise at this point I’ve failed to mention the playing at all, this is an outrageous omission. So to correct that. The playing on this is fab. The feel is loose yet not loose – that bass holds the funky jazzy sections together, the dreamy sections have a fuzziness at the edges that is wonderful.

This is an absolutely bloody fantastic release from Uncle Buzzard. I get more and more impressed with each release from the band – the range of what they do, the writing, the playing. How’s the time to get on the Uncle Buzzard trip people.