I Heard A Ghost is about life, laughter and music that makes a difference – a music-themed site with a creative slant. Read on for a fun introduction to some great music that you might like too. Expect mainly unsigned and up-coming British bands, singer-songwriters and honest opinions. Because whether it be shiny tunes from mainstream bands or the constant surprises from little known but equally talented unsigned and independent label artists, music matters.
There are some fantastic bands taking risks and making great new music, but finding the good stuff amongst the overwhelming muddle of bedroom bands is like trying to fish a Smurf out of a vat of Raspberry Slush Puppie. And life is hard for unsigned bands. The savviest don little snorkels and water wings to stay afloat as the commercial music machine tries to drown them out. All but the cleverest self-promoters are left to sink. What a waste of brilliant musical talent!
Tape The Radio
Tape The Radio, formerly Tapetheradio, became one of my favourite unsigned bands after they opened at an Athlete gig I won tickets for. Even though I was jigging about excitedly waiting, whilst steaming in the sub-tropical indoor heat of New Cross-in-a-rainstorm, they were good enough to attract my attention. Their music’s indie rock-type, very tuneful songs arranged with an edge and well sung. I checked them out and discovered Save A Life on their MySpace and rapidly clicked ‘buy’. What a great song that is!
They then signed to independent label Hi-Tone Music and became one of the few new bands I’ve followed who got to release their album. Heartache and Fear is easily one of my top three albums of 2011, it is fabulous, one of those very rare albums where I like every song a lot. Unfortunately, they are also one of those bands that seem to suffer the smothering effect of the big machine’s ‘popular’ music and although they invested in the diving equipment they’re not getting as much attention as they deserve.
I love this quote from lead singer/guitarist Malcolm Carson on their Facebook page. This is a band of real musicians who write and perform their own songs – the way it should be. I hope they keep going, as I’d really like to be able buy their second album one day.
MORE: Music and video from Tape The Radio →
Singer Songwriter Alistair Griffin
From Nowhere is actually a cunningly disguised jar of lemon curd
Talented singer Alistair ‘I make lemon curd’ Griffin released his third album, From Nowhere, in July 2014. It was self-released via a PledgeMusic.com crowd-funding campaign, having parted ways with Dramatico who put out Albion Sky two years previously. It’s an album of proper home-made songs as he’s handy with a biro and scribbles his own lyrics on the back of an envelope, although when he co-scribbles he gets out the proper stationery.
Like Albion Sky before, there’s a real pick ‘n’ mix of styles on From Nowhere, so give it a listen if you’ve only heard F1 favourite Just Drive. There’s a bit of a sporting theme to the album which you can read more about in my blog review, along with forthcoming single Freefall, the great Greatest, What If and The One, named after my woolly jumper*.
Alistair is an excellent live vocalist, so if he gigs near you, do go! I’m sure he’d be gigging now to promote his album but he accidentally swallowed a couple of triffids lurking in a jar of lemon curd, and they keep snapping at his vocal chords at inconvenient moments. Triffids are tricky, so don’t expect any gigs just yet.
Stop press: Sum total of three gigs announced in December 2014 – he rarely gigs, so go if you’re nearby.
*not really, but read my blog
The Winter Tradition
I’m sat here eating what could easily be the winner of the worst-cake-ever award (Madsbury’s Basics chocolate flavoured swiss roll, 30p) trying to describe why I like alternative indie rock band The Winter Tradition’s music so much, without resorting to the word ‘great’ again, even though it is.
If music site glasgowmusic.co.uk came up with ‘quiet-loud’ to describe their sound, I’d better not attempt it with my descriptive powers! My superman cloak is still at the dry cleaners as they’re having a bit of trouble with the odd stain it got when I needed it for The Willow in Alistair Griffin’s album review. York readers may understand.
Still, quiet-loud does it for me. It’s sort of quiet music that’s loud, or loud music that’s quiet, so all my favourite music in one. Listen to San Diego or From Afar from debut album Gradients and you’ll get it. If you don’t, then alreadyheard.com put it simpler. ‘San Diego is a mesmerising and raw song’. Yes.
MORE: News, music and video from The Winter Tradition →
Young Rebel Set
Young Rebel Set have gone a step further with the diving equipment and had a toothy encounter with local wildlife
Such a lot of good music has come out of the North East. Young Rebel Set are a five-man Teeside band from Stockton-on-Tees who’ve definitely made the best of their Poundland bargain swim-set. They’ve had quite a bit of success, but I’m featuring them here as I first caught up with them as a newish band in their pre-album days of If I Was and Walk On in 2009.
The band refer to their sound as folk rock pop, which I think sums it up quite well. If they’d gone any further in the direction of Mumf@rd, then they’d have lost me and I do find myself skipping their more banjo-and-harmonica tracks, but that’s just personal taste.
Their first album Curse Our Love came out in April 2011 on Ignition Records, full of real story-telling songs and many of them sound like they’re from a dark place when you look beneath the upbeat, cheery presentation. You’d probably expect that from the title! Jump about to Borders and sway along to Bagatelle depending on your mood.
Their second album, Crocodile, surfaced in August 2013 – they must have been doing a bit of wrestling whilst keeping afloat in the River Tees testing out their snorkels, although I’ve never actually been lucky enough to see any crocodiles there myself. From the catchiness of upbeat The Lash Of The Whip to the smoother Show Your Feathers and Run, it’s an album well worth checking out.
I heard a ghost 