‘Something For The Weekend?’

RECORD OF THE WEEK

HOT on the heels of the critically acclaimed single ‘She Knows A Place,’ young Derby-based indie band MARSEILLE, have wasted no time in releasing their second single of 2022. 

“Forget It All” gets its digital release today and along with ‘She Knows A Place,’ will be included on the band’s upcoming EP to be released in May.

The new single shows off the many sides Marseille have in their repertoire. ‘Forget It All’ is heavily influenced by Liverpool’s ‘60’s Merseybeat and 90’s Britpop. The La’s played acoustic tinged ‘60’s influenced pop and over 30 years later Marseille have added their own interpretation of the music from those times. In ‘Forget It All’ they have delivered a melodic and heart-warming track with a bittersweet lyric that’s going to wiggle its way into your head – and prove difficult to remove.

“This tune is quite meaningful to Will Brown (fellow bandmember) and me,” said Marseille guitarist Joe Labram.

“It was written about people who are stuck in their ways and aren’t willing to change for the better. We all know people like that don’t we? The song is very much inspired by John Power’s ‘Cast’ and the ‘La’s.’ John and Lee Mavers song writing is second to none.”

Despite Covid-19 disrupting the music scene in 2021, Marseille kept busy, releasing their debut single, aptly entitled ‘Worlds Gone Mad’ and two further releases, ‘Shout It Out Loud,’ and ‘State of Mind.’

In February 2022 the band upped the ante releasing ‘She Knows A Place,’ which caught the eye – and ears – of Birmingham’s ADR Records. The band were promptly signed and ‘Forget It All’ is the label’s first release. 

MARSEILLE social media: 

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/MarseilleBandOfficial 

Instagram:   https://www.instagram.com/marseilleband

Twitter:        https://twitter.com/marseilleband

Spotify:        https://open.spotify.com/artist/0CKzwR7ixevIfFPRD9NnbM

T W O

OUT of Missouri’s Grain Valley comes the sound of THE DARREN HOLLAND PROJECT, with husband-and-wife team Darren and Cheryl Holland providing the sturdy foundations for their musical curio that somehow manages to convince you to explore their sound further.

“Yes, we are a team, but I am the writer,” said Darren Holland.

“Cheryl gets the pleasure of being woke up at 2am because I feel I have come up with something cool and she actually listens. She is the one I trust to put her voice, her style, musicianship, her mark into the sound that we call the DHP.

“We also have Barb Wilmoth on drums, percussion and additional back-up vocals and Andy Oxman, our producer.

“I am influenced by every sound that has ever passed by. I could say, Queen, the Doors, The Weekend, Poison, STYX, Justin Timberlake, Adel, The Muse, 21 Pilots, The Black Keys, and George Winston.

“Or I could say, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Bee Gees, NIN, Eminem, Faith No More, Pink Floyd, Chris Cornell, Katy Perry, Neil Young, Neil Diamond, Taylor Swift, and Imagine Dragons. As I said, everyone mainstream and every indie band and every sound that I have ever heard has influenced me. Except Justin Bieber.

“Lyrically I write about life, the good, the bad and the ugly. I write the story of everyone I know, everyone I meet and some I miss. I write about the sex, the drugs, and the mental issues we all have at times. My stories can be viewed differently by each person who listens and that it touches.”

With four releases already under their belts, the DHP are close to finalising album number five, scheduled for release later this year.

“Our first album, ‘Delirium,’ released in 2018, was done at ‘Soundworks Recording,’ Blue Springs Missouri and produced by Andy Oxman. It was all programmed drums and Cheryl playing some percussion but done well I must say. It tends to show a more Americana version of us. We found the depths of the sound of our backups on this one, and used some instruments we hadn’t before, ukulele from me and flute from Cheryl.

“But things changed when we recorded our second album, ‘Sanctify,’ and we did not want to use programs as drums anymore, so we bought a five-piece drum kit with all the hardware. Cheryl had said she always wanted to play drums and now she had them. I also picked up a Yamaha MODX keyboard to make a sound difference. Cheryl played drums on a lot of that album but there were also a few songs where we brought in her teacher Barb Wilmoth, from Kansas City.

“The third and fourth albums, ‘Kiss Me Like You Mean It,’ and ‘That Weekend in July,’ were both recorded in our house. Covid had shut the world down, but we used a mix of both electronic and acoustic drums to create a sound that is unique, yet commercial.

“And next for us is our fifth album, ‘Vibe Mutha Vibe.’ It is a 10-song release and includes the track ‘Tag Along’ which is about my oldest son’s addictions and how sometimes hope comes from finding the little things.”

Sanctify | The Darren Holland Project (bandcamp.com)

T H R E E

THERE’S a subtle hint of ‘The Boss’ within PADJO DOLAN’S new single, ‘Rings of Saturn,’ which will be aiming to emulate the success of previous releases – ‘Blunder,’ and ‘Hazel Eyes’ – by heading to the top of the iTunes Rock Charts.

Driven by a slick, pulsing drumbeat, the song contains a lush tapestry of guitar and piano, laced with a sweet string accompaniment, as it heads to its full-bloodied, anthemic closing.

‘Rings of Saturn’ is a story about Dolan’s experience of buying his first car as a teenager, and cruising around the backroads of his hometown immersed within a feeling of complete freedom. “I had bought this Japanese import, totally illegal on the road,” he said.

“I tore up the road, day and night, my girlfriend in the car beside me – it was a moment of magic. As for the name, about Saturn? I felt so free I could have been in outer space. Life is short, and those moments of magic are what make it worth living. You find yourself immersed in the moment, totally present, almost an out of body experience.”

Dolan grew up in the picturesque surroundings of County Clare, in the west of Ireland and has written songs tirelessly since his teenager years.

Having honed the skillset required to be an effective artist, he began writing and recording and before long his debut album ready. The year was 2020, the timing tragic. But Dolan had created an album nevertheless that now stands as a testament to his perseverance.

TWITTER: @padjodolan

F O U R

INDIE-FOLK songstress JO BETH YOUNG announces the official release of ‘Adversity,’ the second single – and first music video – from her upcoming album, ‘Broken Spells,’ released via Wildness Rising Records.

Continuing a ‘new electro-folk theme,’ the song explores the Buddhist principles of ending the war within and includes a chant to goddess of compassion Kuan Yin, with the video, filmed on The Burren in the West of Ireland, also shamanic teacher, Miska Chaska. 

“’Adversity’ was written after I had spent some time revisiting Buddhist and Shaolin principles and practises in 2021,” said Young.

“I love and very much believe the philosophy that we must be the change we wish to see in the world and that to end the violence outside, we must find a way to end it within. The idea is that when we find that balance between dark and light, Yin, and Yang, then the light/presence within us becomes indestructible.

“I wanted to acknowledge the hardness of doing that when the world itself can seem so hard and difficult to manoeuvre in. I chose to include a mantra to goddess of compassion and love, Kuan Yin, whose story is a moving and powerful example of overcoming persecution, violence and judgement. I originally wanted two female voices on the track to show this duality but chose instead to do that visually in the music video instead.”

The track also features Fields of the Nephilim guitarist Peter Yates and Devon-based cellist Ben Roberts (Abrasive Trees, Evi Vine).

Jo Beth Young released her debut album (under the moniker Talitha Rise) in 2018, ‘An Abandoned Orchid House,’ and her second, ‘Strangers,’ (under RISE) a year later. Since then, she has recorded with, and opened for, a Chris Difford, Renaissance, Boo Hewerdine, Erik Visser and Shriekback.

WEBSITE: Home (jobethyoung.com)

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