Friday, August 23, 2013

Listen: Barley Legal Tracks from Best Friends, Whale Belly and Pistols & Pints

What kind of music do you offer up when a barley legal escort stops by for a meal? Something that can be enjoyed by best friends.

What better songs to enjoy between best friends than those anthemic ones created by the English band Best Friends? No brainer right? I started with the fuzzy flip on the Best Friends forthcoming AA-side, “Nosebleeds”. This song is a speedy one. It represents the hour with the barley escort that goes way too fast. From the first sounds of bass and guitar, you can immediately hear the long term playability that this track offers. "Nosebleeds" is a bit more raw than its single counterpart. But sometimes a barley legal escort brings out the raw in you. It doesn’t disappoint. The AA-side single will officially be released on the 19th of September through Art Is Hard Records. Best Friends will support the release with a set of UK tour dates, including release shows at Tipsy Bar in London and a hometown party in Sheffield at The Great Gatsby in September. The more mature sounding but no less anthemic flip side single is “Happy Anniversary”. This one is a slow riser (more yeast than barley) that takes its time meandering towards its destination. Sometimes you feel rushed, sometimes you just want to relax and enjoy the scenery:

"Nosebleeds":



"Happy Anniversary":




After seeing my barley companion out the door, I wanted to take a moment and appreciate the beauty of what just happened while simultaneously embracing the sadness that comes with any great hour coming to an end. I needed something introspective. Something that captured the depressing feeling that was slowly creeping in. Whale Belly’s “Earthy Eyes” was my go to. It sounds a bit like traditional folk music that has been gently pressed through a big band cheese cloth. While the music is spot on, a bit spooky in parts, searing and beautiful in others, it is really the lyrics that stand out. Throughout the song there are admissions that “outside is sunny, inside is dark” which holds on to the sad side of things. Thankfully it is delivered in a way that is almost upbeat and certainly charming. It says to the listener that even though I may be lip serving sadness, there is also a reason to be positive. Things aren’t as bad as they seem. They can (and probably will) get better. “Earthy Eyes” is the focus
single off the band’s upcoming I Was Once a Bird album.




 This weekend I shared Pistols & Pints remix of “Nature” by Walla. Seems they have a killer edit version of the remix as well. After you're ready to shake free from the introspection, turn this on to dance.


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