Early collaborations with the likes of Kanye sent Kickdrums profile into the stratosphere.
Penttila and Fitts, 25 and 26 respectively, both born and raised in New York State are rapidly making a deep impression on the contemporary hip hop scene. Very quickly they have made their mark as absolutely dedicated and hardworking studio producers, the efforts are paying off and everyone, including the likes of 50cent and Kanye want to work with them.
The Kickdrums trademark has become genre-busting experimentation, achieved by their long hours in the darkened studio bunker (sometimes up to 100 a week), this experimentation stems from their diverse taste in music that extends way beyond rap and which will ultimately push them yet further into the public domain.
With accolades flowing in as fast as collaborations, it wont be long til The Kick Drums are a household name. Check out Things Work Out for some flash back motown-esque soul.
The Kickdrums trademark has become genre-busting experimentation, achieved by their long hours in the darkened studio bunker (sometimes up to 100 a week), this experimentation stems from their diverse taste in music that extends way beyond rap and which will ultimately push them yet further into the public domain.
With accolades flowing in as fast as collaborations, it wont be long til The Kick Drums are a household name. Check out Things Work Out for some flash back motown-esque soul.
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Nailing jelly to a wall… deadpan retro celt-pop
Rain’s coming, so they say. So, something easy on the stomach, with agreeable celtic-folk melodic undertones. ‘Oh you want to be a writer.. fantastic idea’, sings Glasgow-born Tracyanne Campbell in ‘Swans’, the latest in the current sometimes-Scottish Exposure series.
Her encouragement is welcome on a day like today, the bright sunshine now faded to grey. Well, the clue’s in the title of their latest album release, ‘My Maudlin Career’, invoking the foolish sentimentality of the drunkard, but the delivery is squeaky-clean, the vocals deeply controlled and spot on throughout. Sometimes a little Beach Boys, a kind of retro-pop adventure, sufficiently dead pan and self-aware to get away with it.
‘French Navy’ seems to bounce along in a slightly twee manner. But scratch a little, listen a little and it’s all about trying to keep a grip on the giddy delirium of the start of a relationship. Nailing jelly to a wall, in other words. A bit like making a full-time career out of being a musician, most likely.
So, a gratifying story of a band putting in the hours and getting what they deserve in the end. If that’s not something to lighten up our Fridays, then I don’t know what to do.
Jari Haapalainen produced the band for the albums and sealed their fate as a band acclaimed by mainstream critics, after John Peel’s determined showcasing efforts over the years. Deservedly so, all in all, and a degree of mainstream acceptability is nothing to hold against them.
There are some moments where they threaten to disappear into female-vocalist-pop-horror land, and some lyrics that shake us from our reveries for their sheer unacceptable nature (‘I look deep within myself, I got scared at just how hard I fell’).
More often, though, their lyrics resonate. ‘Oh James, you broke me, I thought I knew you well’ captures perfectly the painfully mysterious nature of love and relationships and Campbell reassures us that she’s living in the same world that we are.
Her encouragement is welcome on a day like today, the bright sunshine now faded to grey. Well, the clue’s in the title of their latest album release, ‘My Maudlin Career’, invoking the foolish sentimentality of the drunkard, but the delivery is squeaky-clean, the vocals deeply controlled and spot on throughout. Sometimes a little Beach Boys, a kind of retro-pop adventure, sufficiently dead pan and self-aware to get away with it.
‘French Navy’ seems to bounce along in a slightly twee manner. But scratch a little, listen a little and it’s all about trying to keep a grip on the giddy delirium of the start of a relationship. Nailing jelly to a wall, in other words. A bit like making a full-time career out of being a musician, most likely.
So, a gratifying story of a band putting in the hours and getting what they deserve in the end. If that’s not something to lighten up our Fridays, then I don’t know what to do.
Jari Haapalainen produced the band for the albums and sealed their fate as a band acclaimed by mainstream critics, after John Peel’s determined showcasing efforts over the years. Deservedly so, all in all, and a degree of mainstream acceptability is nothing to hold against them.
There are some moments where they threaten to disappear into female-vocalist-pop-horror land, and some lyrics that shake us from our reveries for their sheer unacceptable nature (‘I look deep within myself, I got scared at just how hard I fell’).
More often, though, their lyrics resonate. ‘Oh James, you broke me, I thought I knew you well’ captures perfectly the painfully mysterious nature of love and relationships and Campbell reassures us that she’s living in the same world that we are.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Daniel Cross runs Record-Play, he set it up around 7 years ago and thinks music is for hippies.Dan Garber... East London promoter, impresario, general man about town and champion of the world.
We have made this weekly new music bulletin to introduce you to some of the best breaking new bands we have found from going to gigs, browsing around the internet, reading music press or from demo's sent.
ABOUT RECORD-PLAY
We are a music consultancy that supports brands, film makers, ad agencies and producers in finding and licensing music for their productions. We also develop content and design music based marketing plans for brand application. Our clients include some of the biggest high street brands and most respected directors in the industry, check out showreel for more info.ABOUT THE MUSIC HUB
In conjunction with some of the world's best indie labels, we have launched the Music Hub. A fixed rate, one stop sourcing and licensing resource.Collaborating labels include: Tirk, Sunday Best, Illicit, Breakin' Bread, Altered Vibes, People in the Sky, Nuphonic, 5mm, Splank, Central Control and more. If you are looking for high quality independent music that can be licensed immediately at a low fixed rate then visit the site.