This week’s edition of ‘New Releases Round-Up’ features the talents of local singer-songwriter ‘Michael Reddington’, Leeds-based rockers ‘Wuzi’ and ‘Thee Telepaths’, who will be performing at ‘Nightfish’ later this week.
First up ‘The Man I Used to Be’ by ‘Michael Reddington’, who has been enjoying some success recently in the ‘Future Sound of Nottingham 2017’ competition. Despite him just missing out on a place in the final, Reddington has built up quite a fan-base and has released this new song at the perfect time. The song starts as a plaintive piano ballad, which gives Reddington’s vocals a chance to shine in the subdued verses. Acoustic and electric guitars join the pack for the chorus, which swells and soars in all the right places. A string section adds to the emotive nature of the song and reinforces his Beatles-esque vibe that is alluded to in the title. ‘The Man I Used to Be’ boasts some grand production that evokes the beautiful sound of the 1960s and could be just the song for the closing credits of any TV drama. Michael certainly hasn’t lost his melodic flair and this new release is sure to please any fan of the aforementioned ‘Fab Four’, those Manc scoundrels ‘Oasis’, or ‘Verve’ devotees.
Michael Reddington
‘Wuzi’ are up next, with their soon-to-be-releases single ‘DD’. The quartet are an alternative rock band with a hint of psychedelia thrown in for good measure. ‘DD’ kicks things off with a phased guitar part, giving the song a trippy feel that many alternative rock songs are sorely missing these days. This is only reinforced by the spacey vocals, courtesy of Callum Smith, which take on a grittier nature as the song progresses. The washed-out tone of the song is overtaken by a fuzzed-up riff, which is hell-bent on making itself heard. You have Tom Baker to thank for that – no, not Dr. Who, although I’m sure that time-travelling, possible medical professional would love this song. The rhythm section, made up of Arthur Davies on bass and Elliot Marsters on drums, provides a nice groove for the song and is sure to have any head-banger… well, headbanging! A noisy outro brings the song home and will certainly intrigue those who miss the Layne Staley days of ‘Alice in Chains’. They can remedy that loss with ‘DD’, which is as much grunge as it is psychedelia. A music video for the single is soon to follow and will be self-released 22nd May. In the meantime, they’re playing the ‘DIY Stage’ at the ‘Live at Leeds’ festival, so check them out if you can.
Wuzi
‘War in My Head’ by ‘Thee Telepaths’ is third on ‘New Releases Round-Up’. Taken from their new E.P ‘Neon Spiral’, the song is a slice of fuzzy psychedelia and is sure to please any ‘King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’ fan. The song takes many turns in its 6-minute run and employs the motorik rhythms made famous by ‘Kraftwerk’, ‘Neu’ and ‘Can’. Starting out with a dreamy guitar part and a beat that sounds like someone bashing on a drum made of glass (don’t worry ‘St. Anger’ haters though, it’s good), the song soon introduces a fuzz-laden guitar line that dominates the chorus. The vocals are drenched in reverb, meaning they don’t overpower the song and become part of the hazy sonority. A breakdown middle-section lets the bass guitar bounce along nicely and is followed by a fluid, wah-infused, guitar solo that sets heads spinning. An explosive sound signals the final section of the song and suddenly the tempo is ramped up, giving a euphoric feel to this hypnotic outro. A shimmering howl of feedback runs through to the end and is accompanied by some strange guitar sounds, one of which sounds uncannily like Pac-Man. They’re one of the featured bands at this week’s ‘Nightfish’ and will not disappoint any Psychedelic Rock, Heavy Metal or Punk fans.
Thee Telepaths
If this article has piqued your interest, then why not head over to our official Facebook page and give us a like. If you’ve got any upcoming releases that you’d like to submit for review, then feel free to drop us a message on the page or get into direct contact with either myself or Will Robinson.
By Oliver Cobbin
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