Fender announced a new line of in-ear headphones, marking its first entry into the consumer electronics world. The company is best known for its classic guitars and amps, which were key to the rock and roll revolution some 60-odd years ago, but it’s never dabbled in the electronics world like this before. The line of headphones were developed in-house using technology from Aurisonics, which Fender acquired for this purpose. The new Fender Pro In-Ear Monitor line, which ranges in price from around 100 to 500 Euros and caters to both casual listeners and audiophiles and musicians is just incredibly good. The sound is ultra crisps, the feeling is unrivaled and the design just beautiful. If you can squeeze the money out of your budget, the Fender FXA6 Pro are very special earphones. The way they fit and the way they sound rival competitors costing several times more. I like them a lo
Category Archives: Musik
Man & The Echo – I Don’t Give a F*** Wat You Reckon
It doesn’t get much better than this. The song has a mere 5000 hits on Youtube despite being there for about 5 month now. WTF? Why isn’t this the biggest song of the year. I Don’t Give a F**** What You Reckon has the best lyrics ever, is only 1:59 long and is catchy as it gets. Well, TrendEngel will have the opportunity to see Man & The Echo perform at The Great Escape in Brighton this weekend.
Now recording their debut album with Neil Comber (MIA/Django Django) it’s set for release via 1965 Records in Autumn 2016.
I don’t care about the thing that you just read or the program you just watched….
Pumarosa – This Is It – Cecile Proves a Point
On their video for the impressive single ‘Priestess’, London newies Pumarosa set out their stall perfectly: Classy visuals clashed with cascading melodies. When I caught them live around the same time it reminded me of seeing Jungle early on – hefty beats, a stage shrouded in smoke and a lot of nascent ambition to try and create something otherworldly for the audience.
The follow-up video for ballsy latest track ‘Cecile’ just dropped and it adds more to their burgeoning story, with a touch of lysergic influence seeping in as the band dance gently around a dank looking London tower block. Singer Isabel Munoz-Newsome has shades of Savages‘ Jehnny Beth in her delivery, but there’s also an eerie quality to her vocals, like she’s listened to a lot of Kate Bush but only really taken onboard the most bullish moments. This is without a doubtt the most exciting band of 2016.
Let’s Eat Grandma – Deep Six Textbook Blows Our Mind
Let’s Eat Grandma are a pair of near-identical teenage girls from a strange and distant kingdom called Norwich who deal in glacial gothic pop and brittle folky weirdness. Lorde comparisons are inevitable, although Let’s Eat Grandma seem unbothered about playing the game: Deep Six Textbook hovers for five-and-half-minutes, eschewing any kind of chorus for a brief glockenspiel solo and some inscrutable warbling about starfish and cat’s eyes. What can it all mean? Not sure, but don’t blame us if your garden is suddenly overrun with weeds and you’ve turned into a frog.
Teleman – Brilliant Sanity Reminds Us of Metronomy and Kraftwerk
Having originally risen from the ashes of the beloved Indie Rock band Pete & The Pirates, Teleman have a more electronic sound. Brilliant Sanity is the follow up to the bands acclaimed debut Breakfast, and as the initial chords of opener Dusseldorf ring out. There’s an immediate acknowledgement of how perfectly polished the record sounds.
With its bright synths and jaunty rhythm, there’s a slickness to the track, it’s instantaneous and the hooks stay with you for days. The band have been quoted stating Brilliant Sanity is all about the crafting of an immaculate pop song. This does shine through on Brilliant Sanity, from its jaunty opener through its more measured title track to its delicate close.
Islands – Stargazer – The Next Bastille In The Making
Gripping from the opening chords, ‘Stargazer’ is a mesmerising guitar delay, and gravelly, searing vocals, the unfixed instrumentation of ‘Stargazer’ is full of youthful abandon, purpose and promise.
Think early Artic Monkeys, Foals or Arcade Fire, with ebbs and flows that spellbind, peak, and evolve, the four-piece create music that breathes range within its songs, and simply, just breathes. Islands are from Oxford – the home of Radiohead. A good sign?
Porches – The Next Big Thing? – Pool
Aaron Maine of Porches has always harbored a soft spot for the melancholy. Admittedly inspired by sadness and solitude, his ability to appeal to the subconscious of his listener makes songs like the synth-heavy “Be Apart” and funk inspired “Glow” feel confessional. Pool, which is Porches first full-length with Domino Records, extends the singer-songwriter’s exploration of lonerdom and desire while highlighting the emotional and corporal tangibility of slick back beats, humming synth, and drum machines. The record feels like an electronic dream, reworking the underpinnings of convention through juxtaposition and intimate lyricism. This is a beautiful record.
Eagulls Reinvent Themselves – Wave Is Back
Eagulls are on of our favorite bands. Their return couldt have been more delightful. Life in Rewind os the song of the moment Eagulls will return on May 13th with their sophomore LP, Ullages, through Partisan Records. Thus far, the UK post-punk outfit has shared “Lemontrees” and “My Life in Rewind” as teaser tracks. Now, they’ve delivered another pulsating preview in “Skipping”.
When Eagulls announced the new record, they pointed to influences like Cocteau Twins and 1980s-era The Cure; “Skipping” puts those sounds on full display. It’s a pounding, anthemic cry of chugging bass and guitars that build walls of sound ever higher as the track goes on. “‘Cause all I ever wanted was an answer,” vocalist George Mitchell calls out on the final chorus. “But all I ever got was this broken record skipping.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrnbB50f0Q4
Dilly Dally – Canadian Rockband Takes SXSW By Storm – Desire
The Toronto four-piece Dilly Dally’s debut oozes with female desire. In almost every song, Katie Monk unleashes a dive-bombing scream that drops like a flare down a well, her band reinforcing the squalor of her voice with a heavy swagger redolent of some of the best ever alt-rock. Their debut was released last year almost unnoticed. But suddenly everything seems to change. Every music exec going to South by Southwest tells us that Dilly Dally are on top of the talent list. We certainly agree. Hey hey my my – dirty rock can never die…The song desire:
Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Style – Best Album of The Decade?
Will Toledo: a name (part pseudonym) that you’re unlikely to be familiar with unless you’re from the small town of Leesburg, Virginia, where Toledo has been recording music at a staggering rate for years from the confines of his bedroom. Released via Bandcamp at giveaway prices (mostly decided by the buyers themselves), he’s clocked up a breathtaking 11 albums in the five years or so since he began at the age of 17.
Anyone new to Car Seat Headrest is, quite frankly, in for a jaw-dropping discovery. The quality of Toledo’s songs is gobsmacking; the lyrics are enthralling, the melodies are to die for, the musicianship is raw yet brilliant. OK, Teens Of Style is a compilation, in some ways a best of – although fans would be quick to introduce you to other tracks that are held in even higher esteem – but it serves as a perfect introduction. Toledo is an introvert; it was always the intention to gain a wider audience, but how he will handle the inevitable clamour coming his way is a little concerning. He is, undeniably, a 24-carat genius and Car Seat Headrest are utterly brilliant. The album was released at the end of last year but hurry as the next gem is already around the corner. The first proper studio effort – Teens Of Denial – is due soon and will for sure be off to a flyer too.The first song Vincent shows you what to expect. F****** amazing.