The Holidays present Golden Sky - a sun-drenched tune that channels warm nights and cloudless skies. The song blends wild percussion, sing-a-long chant choruses, falsetto vocals and squawking guitars into an action-packed, yet equally sublime journey. B-side Heavy Feathers complements the lead track perfectly. A little more downbeat than the elation of Golden Sky, Heavy Feathers is a dreamy, hazy come-down evoking the relaxed atmosphere of The Caribbean.
With tribal chants travelling alongside steady percussion and then exploding with a cosmic breakdown, Gold Canary could very well be likened to David Byrne and Fela Kuti holding hands in space. The b-side, Vintage Books draws on inspiration from the great melody makers of our time, with inventive pop melodies and old-time girl/boy harmonies from an era when pop music was pure and, well, just made you smile.
The band lurch in to Pop Crimes as if dragging a rain soaked body across a muddy field. The ghosts of Lee Hazlewood, Snatch, Sergio Leone, The Shangri-Las and nameless guys from a never known chain gang watch on. Within the first few breaths, Howard references Stalin, Calvary and genocide, whilst razoring guitar lines, the current crop of post-punk revisionists could only fantasize about.
(I Know) A Girl Called Jonny sees Jonnine Standish from HTRK sidle up to the microphone for a duet that will melt even the coldest of hearts. It’s a glorious missing link between the New York girl group sound and the street smarts of Suicide.
‘Voice Of Paradise’ is the Crayon Fields’ first UK release and a vital precursor to their highly anticipated second album ‘All The Pleasures Of The World’, set for release in mid 2009. Recorded in the clouds, ‘Voice Of Paradise’ is a love song that rings out in the natural reverb of heaven and features a choir of bewitched soprano voices, a string quartet and a four-octave guitar solo. Meanwhile, wistful B-side ‘So Much Time’ decorates the tender thump of mid tempo drum machine with delicate guitar melodies, seductive basslines and glistening organ flourishes.
theredsunband's The Eagle is officially Passport-approved and has its UK visa issued in the form of a 7" and download on September 29.
The Eagle is a punchy, dark rock song with tight harmonies, yet it still retains a dreamy, atmospheric feel. At just over two minutes, it is perfectly succinct. B-side Like An Arrow is smart and melodic, with the haziness of Mazzy Star and the pop sensibility of The Shins.
Psychedelic and beat influenced Australian four-piece The Silents are the next band to release a 7" single on The Passport Label. "23" is a brooding song with dizzying harmonies bleeding into tripped-out garage-rock. Dark corners are explored and uncovered, and past, present and future collide head-on. With swinging beats, barking guitars and weaving harmonies, The Silents channel their delusional thoughts into that age-old musical smoke signal, the Pop Song.
Hailing from Perth, The Panics are set to be Australia's next big export. The double A-side single Don't Fight It/Get Us Home is released on March 31st on The Passport Label.
Don't Fight It is a horn-driven pop classic with glorious 60s strings and harmonies. Get Us Home has a darker feel with uneasy, brooding arrangements set against the vast Australian landscape. Here are two great songs from a band brimming with commercial potential and set to take the world by storm.
In order to represent the entire nation of Australia and not just Melbourne, THE PASSPORT LABEL selected a band all the way from Perth, in the far west of the country, for the 7” imprint’s third release. The rather sensational song You Are A Casino is taken from the band’s ambitious self-titled debut, which raised the eyebrows of more than a few Australian music connoisseurs.
THE PASSPORT LABEL's second release (VISA002) came from Melbourne's undeniably fantastic CHILDREN COLLIDE - Frozen Armies is out on very limited 7" now. The single is distributed in the UK through our good friends Forte and is still available from selected independent record stores and also directly through The Passport Label website.
THE PASSPORT LABEL's initial release (VISA001) was a limited 7" vinyl pressing of No Way Out by Melbourne-based LOVE OF DIAGRAMS. The single gained radio play from Radio 1/6Music's Steve Lamacq and XFM's John Kennedy. Having supported the 7" release with a week of well received London shows, LOVE OF DIAGRAMS headed off to Chicago to record a new album with Bob Weston.