Thursday 23 October 2014

The Landed - "The Landed" EP


We are super excited to have a chance to review the debut EP from 4 piece The Landed, now it has…well…’landed’.
 
The lads from Essex; David, Dan and both the Pauls, have a had a fantastic 18 months or so, with plays on Radio 1 and completing a hefty tour of universities, and have now completed their self-titled debut EP, “The Landed”.
 
The album incorporates blues and acoustic sounds, with wide ranging vocals that fans have loved for so long.
 
Each track is beautifully and carefully crafted, with its own unique feel and rhythm yet still achieves the same end result, a joyous and uplifting experience you could come back to again and again. I defy anyone to not feel happy and summery after listening to this record.
 
“Stone Man” opens the album and straight away The Landed's familiar sound comes through, a gentle, rising and falling tempo with a relaxed feeling to it. It eases you into the album, and leaves you with desire for more.
 
“Snakes and Ladders” follows and is perhaps my personal favourite track, with the feeling of a social divide that's been created and unhappiness at this. The feeling that the current establishment does not serve its purpose. I've heard songs with this message before, we all have, there are loads of them, but this is different. Like every other track on the album, it's not thrown in your face. It has a message, but it's a powerful enough message to be carried with soul and subtlety, which to me speaks louder than someone preaching.
 
Following up is “Things to Talk About”, which is smooth and melodic, with heartfelt lyrics. You get the feeling that these are not just lyrics to a song for The Landed, but the deeper thoughts and feelings which are being portrayed.
 
"Taking You Out” and “Amazing Suzie” both follow a similar pattern, with a wonderful, smooth blues sound that invites you just to tap along to with a massive smile on your face.
 
The final tack “Fly” rounds the album off superbly. It continues with the same vibe and feeling of the previous tracks. It has that enticing smoothness that's just such a joy to listen to.
 
The Landed have put together a fine debut album, which I know I will be listening to again, it's 22 minutes of rhythm and blues that you can come back to over and over. Great job guys! Just one thing... Don't leave it long until you record another one!
 
We're certainly looking forward to seeing these guys live on our first live show, coming up next month, you can find out more about this by heading over to theampsession.co.uk and if you want to find out more about The Landed, check out their website for information on the EP and tour dates.
 
- Chris

Thursday 16 October 2014

THE AMP SESSION LIVE!

The Amp Session is heading out on the road for the first time, delivering some of the best in new, unsigned talent to The Good Ship in Kilburn on 15th November.
 
We are an online radio show, which promotes unsigned bands and artists across a range of genres, and we can confirm the show will be headlined by Peerless Pirates and will also feature performances from The Landed and Rival Empires.
 
Founder of The Amp Session, and presenter of our regular show, Shell Thomas said: “We can't wait to hit the road with some of the best new acts around.
 
“There is so much talent out there, and for us to be able to support some of these artist and bring them to the attention of a new audience is fantastic and we hope it will lead to more acts coming through in the next few years, who otherwise might get left behind.”
 
Earlybird tickets are available online for £4 or £5 on the door.
 
Remember to like The Amp Session on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more updates and announcements.
 
Tune in to www.theampsession.co.uk for the best in new, unsigned music.

Kerrie Masters - "One" EP

A few weeks ago, we had a lovely evening at the launch of Kerrie Master's debut EP “One”, and since then we've been spinning it pretty regularly here at Amp Session Towers, so we thought we'd let you know what we think!

It's been quite some 12 months or so for Kerrie, the singer/songwriter from Colchester, winning a talent show in Essex and even performing at Wembley Arena, but it's debut EP “One” which is the chocolate sprinkles on the icing on the cake.

Kerrie's acoustic, laid back sound resonates through each track and creates a real toe tapping vibe, trust me, the big toe on my right foot aches from tapping along to every single track.

Songs like “That's What You Said” and “Justified” have the feeling of a break up, but not of sorrow, just of disappointment. We've all experienced that feeling of “That's it?” but walking away thinking, “Thank God that's over”, a message which shines through on these tracks.

However, it's "Poppyfields" that stands out as a very personal track. You get the feeling Kerrie's speaking from the heart here about her breaking through and getting out of the nine to five job and the daily, even weekly routine, that lacks the excitement that only comes with performing. 

“One” is easy listening at it's best, this is an EP that you can throw on and just chill out to, it's the sort of thing you can listen to with a date, and even the sort of thing you can put on at Sunday lunch with your mum. Trust me, I did!

I'm a big fan of the EP, it's a collection of well put together tracks, that come together to create one fantastic EP. We love it here at The Amp Session and recommend you pick up a copy, or if you fancy seeing Kerrie Masters live, you can check out her tour dates on her website.

- Chris