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And so there was a convergence of two talents. Jemaur Tayle (Shelleyan Orphan) and Boris Williams (The Cure) are friends who were brought together by their love of music, which spawned the project Vamberator. Originally, Tayle had been working on a solo album, but had to endure the passing of long time Shelleyan Orphan bandmate Caroline Crawely, then found he had lost focus. Over the years, Tayle had toured with The Cure, and developed camaraderie with Williams. He helped fan the flame of the muse called music, and together brough to fruition, the debut album called “Age of Loneliness.”

The intro track is also a previous single, called “I used to be Lou Reed,” and like the namesake, it has a huge personality, with a complimentary brass section heralding in your immersive baptism for the slightly off the wall Vamberator. Tayle’s vocals are far more smooth than anything Reed ever laid done, but the elements of funk and experimentation are all there, with the idea that we have to find our own place in the universe and our own groove.

Title track, “Age of Loneliness,” is a wonderful mixture of soul sister groove and 60s Haight-Ashbury flower power, tinged with childish wonder. An amalgamation of classical and counter-culture rock, and it just works. At the other end of the scale is “I Need Contact,” and it is a slow piece, crisp and clear, that drags you to your knees with the sheer weight of the bleak sentiment. Another single is the delightful “Creature in my House,” that see-saws with that guitar riff, and lurches with the rolling drums from Williams. So one has to ask, is the creature a real creature, or is it staring out through the eyes of Tayle?

“Imps” is the latest single, and, oddly enough, the last track on the album. It reminds me of the 90s, when bands like Primal Scream and The Stone Roses were hitting their straps, but also paying homage to 60s/70s soul, and artists like The Rolling Stones and Kinks. Maybe this is the true meaning of the album. The loneliness we feel stems from a yearning for something more.. something tangible that is comfortable, which could be places, objects, sounds and people. We delve into our library of memories to find that comfort and Vamberator have set “Age of Loneliness” as a touchstone of influences and what drives them to embark forth, adding their own spin on what they love. It is an album that can be enjoyed by the musician’s musician, and, yet, it is full of soul, brilliant chorus’ and a quirkiness that can capture the average music lover’s imagination. A beautiful friendship between Tayle and Williams has borne a bounty in the form of “Age of Loneliness.”

Age of loneliness | Vamberator

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Aaargh, I am running late and I need to show you a single from Bologna band The Peripheries! Out on Three Hands Records, “Colder Than Your Smile” came out in the beginning of June, from members Wiz (vocals), Udo (bass), Flaminia (the monster from the north), Giorgia (visuals), Morgana (beats, tailoring) and Arnar (guitars, keys, vocals). By the way, Flaminia sounds uber cool, like she is a wildling.

The track is doused in a pall of electronic fuzz, and the synths run wistfully, much lighter giving a great contrast to the wonderfully deep bass. Wiz is the lead vocalist here and his performance makes you feel all the one sided love whilst wearing all the cruelty.

The incongruency of the electronics and guitars is really great, kind of a throw-back to the early 2000s EBM music. I really like The Peripheries style and “Colder Than Your Smile” is brilliantly dark and a delight to listen to.

Colder than your smile (Sophistry remix) | The Peripheries (bandcamp.com)

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What happens when we have Boris Williams, best known as a part of The Cure and Jem Tayle who was one half of the now defunct Shellyan Orphan, join forces? It seems we get a Vamberator with the debut single “Sleep the Giant of Sleeps,” which is the first taste of the soon to follow full length album Age of Loneliness, out on Unifaun Productions.

For a moment, at the beginning, you are taken aback at some of the first musical notes, which could be mistaken for the baying of the Loch Ness Monster… well that might be an exaggeration, but it is kind of cool and launches into a rolling myriad of rhythms, piano, guitar and electronics. There is the amazing taste of a classical element throughout and Tayle’s vocals exude a confidence and perhaps a certain weariness, which lends itself to the theme of the song about the pursuit of hopes and dreams, but they are forever, seemingly, out of reach.

The duo are joined by Charlie Jones on bass and Joe Nye supplying backing vocals for “Sleep the Giant of Sleeps” and it is really a damn fine song. You might ask why and I will say this. Any track you can listen to multiple times, and you find new and exciting things within, is a treasure I find pure joy in, plus the more I replayed “Sleep the Giant of Sleeps,” the more I was sucked into it. Avoid disappointment and check out Vamberator.

Sleep the Giant of sleeps | Vamberator (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/Vamberator/

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Maybe our existence is really in the matrix and we are an illusion in the memory banks of a computer, and just maybe those awful relationships and people could be reduced to “JUNK FILE” fodder. Italian band, HORROR FOR BREAKFAST are Lily B. and Louis M., who have been creating music together under this moniker since 2023, and “JUNK FILE” is their second single.

The sounds of pouring rain and winds, brings forth the images of a bleak and grey day, compounded by the initial lone chimes. In creeps the synths, which take on the tune, building the anticipation, especially when the guitar joins in. The vocals beckon you to your doom by deletion because you don’t fit the normal programme.

It is kind of like toned down versions of Lacuna Coil meets Garbage, a catchy and sexy track that could have people swaying on the dance floor. So if alt+control+delete isn’t working for you, then you can hit “JUNK FILE” by HORROR FOR BREAKFAST.

JUNK FILE | HORROR FOR BREAKFAST (bandcamp.com)

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JUNK FILE by HORROR FOR BREAKFAST (soundcloud.com)

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Mobile phones have become a staple of modern living. We constantly check them and break into a cold sweat when we cannot find them. New Zealand’s Frau Knotz, explores our dependence on social media, though the single “Cellular,” as more and more people live their lives online rather than in the real world, and where popularity is the acknowledgement of others on these platforms.

There is a delicacy about “Cellular,” and maybe it is something to do with the lack of a rhythm section, relying on the piano to carry the music, but it is also in the vocals, a blatant honesty. You can hear the British early 80s, post-punk influence in the track, where there is a purity of simplicity and passion, giving the song a core of undeniable strength.

Mizaan Turner is a fourteen year old dancer from Taranaki, and it was they who choreographed the video for the single, making the video for Frau Knotz, aka Lauren Nottingham, an alluring affair. Mobile phones are a marvel that have definitely changed a lot of things for the better, and yet, as “Cellular” soulfully points out, it has also caused isolation, anxiety and changed the way we see ourselves in relation to the world..

Cellular | Frau Knotz (bandcamp.com)

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http://www.muzic.net.nz/artists/5473

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Deep Sleep Atlantic are back with their second single “Blue“, which was released on May the 12th. Travis Marc and Daniel Perez are changing things up with the addition of saxophone by guest musician Dave Mouton.

Photo by Mikey Valencia

There is a plodding nature to the beginning of the track, a kind of going through the moves of daily life, while the vocals reach out, seemingly putting on a happy face. A song about depression, when you can no longer face the day. It really takes off in the chorus, and the culprit of this misery is revealed. The saxophone is absolutely mesmerising.

The music video has its premiere on the 19th of May, but in the meantime, you can enjoy listening to “Blue” or sites like Bandcamp and Spotify. This track is definitely nothing like the first single, “Bipolar Tendencies“, which had a far more darker edge, where as “Blue” has embraced that New Orleans’ grass roots soul and blues, and mixed it with an 80s pop swagger of say Duran Duran or Japan. Touch the “Blue” with Deep Sleep Atlantic.

▶︎ Blue | Deep Sleep Atlantic (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/deepsleepatlantic?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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May 5th saw the latest single for Irish lads, Arctic Lights, made available to the public on Bandcamp and May the 12th for other streaming platforms. Edward Butt and Liam O’Callaghan are Arctic Lights, and “Somebody” is the name of the track.

Do you chance to dance with the Devil when the music stops? Those rich indie tones of the jaunty guitar, combined with a decent paced rhythm, are the backdrop to the succulent vocals. Their logic is, if you release the inner beast, there is a time that the music on the dancefloor will stop and then you are going to have to dance with the Devil. There is always a price to pay. Everything that Arctic Lights has so far released, have been indie pop/rock jewels, and “Somebody” is no different.

Somebody | Arctic Lights (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/ArcticLightsCork

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The Yets are the dream pop duo, Robin Wilson (vocals, keyboards, lyrics), and Craig Anderson Snook (guitar, everything else), who are based in South Carolina Their self-titled debut EP has given us the new single, “A Letter To A Boy“.

In a different era, before social media and text messages, one often wrote long letters of love. The wistful and dreamy guitar jangle echo’s back in time, while the vocals sweetly give you an insight into her heart and how much this boy means to her as a mother. The keyboards are an understated accomplice to the beautiful guitar flourishes, as Wilson reminds the lad that no matter what, he is forever her beloved.

The guitar work and the ethereal nature really does give this track that Cocteau Twins delightful ambience, though there is something I cannot quite put my finger on, that definitely makes it sound not quintessentially British, which is great. I love the guitar and the vocals, more so that The Yets have their own niche sound that sets them apart

The Yets | The Yets (bandcamp.com)

https://www.facebook.com/theyets?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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LMX has released his third album, Habits & Addictions, on the Meshwork Music label, as of October the 28th. Keep in mind that this German electro-pop musician isn’t even twenty yet…….

There is occasionally, a harder edge to this music than you think. “Addiction” has elements of industrial experimentation, while the circling fragile sadness of “Not Made For This” is in the morose synths even with the constant paced rhythm.

There are beautiful synth lines in the spiralling “More Time” with almost an 80s feel to it, then you have a kind of ambient euro dance thing going on with “That Summer“. The heart rending “Stay” is yet another facet of the performer and writer, with such a simple track that bares his soul. In all, there are ten tracks, all flourishing these incredible electronics and lyrics.

I know that it is the current rage to use those vocal modulation thingies to give the singing that echoing tone but I’m not a great fan of it, especially when you can hear the fact they can sing. I really wanted to hear LMX without it, however I’m sure maybe it’s just one of my foibles and I am fairly certain there is a multitude out there that absolutely love it. Other than that little quibble, it’s a really excellent dark pop album and some tracks did become embedded into the old brain box, refusing to leave.

LMX is going to have a long future in the music scene, if this is to go by and he does have a great pedigree, being the son of X Marks The Pedwalk’s ESTEFANÍA and SEVREN NI-ARB, who also helped produce this album. Habits & Addictions is emotion filled, raw and yet, in the end, looking for the light, LMX might become your addiction.

https://lmxmusic.bandcamp.com/album/habits-addictions

https://www.facebook.com/meshwork.music?mibextid=ZbWKwL

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When I received an email from someone called Emperor Of Ice Cream…. well my eyebrows did go up a fair way. I was to find out that this is not a person, but rather a collective, from Cork in Ireland and they were releasing their newest single, “Winter Pages“, on November the 18th. John ‘Haggis’ Hegarty (vocals), Graham Finn (guitar), Edward Butt (bass) and Colum Young (drums) are the Emperor Of Ice Cream, and they are on the label, FIFA Records. These guys have been a thing since the early 90s but are only put out their debut album in 2020, which came out under the title, No Sound Ever Dies.

A chiming wall of guitar embraces your senses, dragging away your thoughts and the singing is as sweet as the nicest of memories of love, entangles you in the sonic web of glorious noise. They reach into a place where longing and loss are powerful body blows, leaving you in the cold.

Wow. Just ohmygod….wow. You would never think anyone calling themselves Emperor Of Ice Cream would sound like that. They truly did blow me away with that one song. Utterly beautiful in both lyrics and musically. Shoegaze, when done correctly, is magical and in many ways, these guys remind me of early Ride, whom I consider to have been the pinnacle of creating amazing walls of tone and sighing harmonics that take you away to some other place. Play it, play it, play it and then play it again. The Emperor Of Ice Cream has gifted you “Winter Pages“.

Winter Pages | Emperor of Ice Cream (bandcamp.com)

Emperor of Ice Cream | Cork | Facebook

FIFA Records – Forever In Financial Arrears | Cork | Facebook