Glass Ankle - Fragments EP

 

Driven by the stellar songwriting of Greg Jackson, Manchester's Glass Ankle make dreamy and ornate sounding indie-folk music. Earnest and lovingly crafted, Fragments EP showcases their knack for delivering the kind of grand dynamic surges, starry melodies and rich orchestral washes made popular by the likes of The Bends era Radiohead and The Boxer Rebellion. It's a winning formula that shines through on tracks like the sultry, guitar-led, Secondary Now.

Brimming with sonic splendor, Unlike You follows suit. Its folky motif rolls and sways, patiently building towards a soothing and hauntingly plush chorus. Embellished by a swell of strings. Jackson's angelic, plaintive voice sits pretty, cajoling you to stop whatever it is you're doing and pay close attention. Packing a blissful hook that sticks in your head and seduces you back for more - this is kingly music befitting of a variety of moods.

Fragments EP is available to buy/stream here.

Cocteau Twins - The Spangle Maker EP

Throughout the eighties and nineties Cocteau Twins produced some of the most exquisite dream pop you'll ever hear; an early flagship band for the influential 4AD label, the impact of their heavenly and unique music never ceases to inspire. 

Cocteau Twins - The Spangle Maker (4AD, 1984). Despite being thirty years old, the shimmering dynamic magic of the EP's title track and the staggeringly addictive, hook-laden pop-punch of Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops still astounds and captivates. The haunting Pepper-Tree rounds things off in fine majestic style with its slow-creeping atmospherics and ethereal splendor. The heavily effected wash and chime of Robin Guthrie's guitars and Simon Raymonde's melodic, throbbing basslines combine to provide the perfect accompaniment for Elizabeth Fraser's angelic, soaring voice and impressionistic, cryptic phrasing style - no-one sounds like this. Indulge your senses and escape this mortal coil for a few brief, wonderful moments.