What we've been listening to...Egyptian Blue, The Black Delta Movement, Neuroplacid, Low Hummer, Fake Turins, Bo Gritz, Geese, HAAL

By Jon Milton

After the long awaited return of Treeboy & Arc, Eyesore & the Jinx and Avalanche Party earlier this month, Egyptian Blue have emerged from hibernation with a fine new single in the form of ‘Geisha’. Geisha is a bit of an evolution for the band, sung rather than shouted and not sounding like Gang of Four. As we’ve come to expect of the band it’s incredibly well-crafted with lots of complexity, continuing the high standards set by the band on their earlier work. You’d think an album must surely be on the way soon, although given their ‘Spirit of Eden’ like perfectionism it still could be a way off…

The Black Delta Movement do have a new album on the way, and have just treated us to new single ‘Photograph’. Judging by this new track, ‘Zip-Tie’ and ‘Fourth Pass Over The Graveyard’ the new album is going to be pretty special. If you’re a fan of Little Barrie as I am, you should definitely check this band out, after which you’ll become a fan of theirs as it’s a match made in heaven. 

It's been a few years since Massive Attack made any new music, but their spirit lives on in a new generation through fellow Bristolians HAAL. The band's new single 'Judy' carries more than a hint of Mezzanine about it, taking on that album's menacing and broody style but channeled into something new and equally compelling. The song was conceived via the band's fascination with themes explored in Twin Peaks, with vocalist Alfie Hay realising 'a gargantuan story of human emotion spanning decades and mediums to present a vision that is totally up for interpretation...a cautionary tale of the dangers of television which I wanted to encapsulate and re-contextualise using the medium of music'. There is space and there is foreboding in Judy, fittingly framed with the haunting line 'One day the sadness will end'.   

A band right at the start of their career is Neuroplacid. I’ve seen a few clips of their gigs which look like highly enjoyable bedlam and have been eagerly anticipating a debut single which has just landed in the form of ‘Silly in the Mental’. There’s a bit of a Beastie Boys punk funk vibe going on here. 

Another rather entertaining live band are Low Hummer, who’ve just released a new single in the form of Connected. I became a fan after seeing them play at Bedford Esquires excellent Ceremony all-dayer last year and this new track doesn’t disappoint either. I guess there may be more music on the way later this year as the band have a tour lined up for November. 

Back in February I wrote about Fake Turins wonderful single ‘Yr Made of Gold’, taken from their farewell EP due out in May. The second track to be taken from the EP ‘Beatnik’ has just been released and its also rather sublime. I’ve been lucky enough to hear a preview of the EP too and it is rather wonderful. 

Also on rotation at the moment is ‘3D Country’ by Geese and ‘Stored in The Sky’ by Bo Gritz. The former continues the Stones vibe that they displayed on the superb ‘Cowboy Nudes’ with their second album due to drop later this year. The latter also have an album on the way, with the sound here firmly in the industrial noise camp.