A must-have compilation of carefully selected ‘quiet(ER)’ songs from the roster at Engineer Records. With a track list of eighteen songs, there is much for any listener to take in, which is not difficult when you have the likes of Chuck Ragan, Mikee J Reds, The Satellite Year and The Lion and the Wolf coming up with alternative versions of previously issued songs. Such sterling efforts can be identified via Elemae’s ‘Slow’, through to Mikee J Reds almost chipper melody trying its hardest to part the storm clouds considering the frankness of the lyrics “I don’t want to hear your voice anymore”. If such close confessionary tales happens to be your ticket in order to deal with life’s disappointments, then Ryan Mills melodic and robust ‘Asleep Forever’ could just be the ticket, or failing that the fragile rhythm of ‘AWOL’ by Her Only Presence. Having tried on several occasions to avoid using the term ’emo’ due to the various comical elements such a label conjures up, for those in the know when it comes to such emotional matters, then this collection of songs of a more acoustic nature makes for essential listening because there is a rich seam of talent from start to finish when it comes to ‘Lamp Light The Fire’.

A new album from composer, beat maker and producer Phi Bui makes its way on to the Eilean roster by the name of ‘Unnoticed Moments’. From his base in San Francisco, CA, Phi Bui has created an intricate web of sounds by capturing numerous pops and clicks that can be heard from everyday living, to the cutting and pasting of snippets of music taken from styles ranging from jazz, hip-hop and classical music for example. The results are impressive with, in particular, ‘Helping’ successfully combining a jazz rhythm with cut up beats lifted from a modern sounding era, and one that rubs coarsely against the smoother textures of the aforementioned jazz instrumentation. A demonstration of further influences arrives via the operatic vocals and looped beats of ‘Doubt’, which aptly expresses its title. There are ethereal qualities attached to the likes of ‘Birth’ which nags with its constant static interference, to the clearer yet still fragile  ‘A Klee’. There is greater range here in relation to some of Phi Bui’s contemporaries as the oriental twist of ‘Une Femme’ throws a curveball with its broad strokes of sound thrown sharply across its canvass, only to be interrupted by the banging and clashing of metal objects at various intervals. It is in those ‘Unnoticed Moments’ that seemingly much is going on, which is expertly brought to our attention via Phi Bui’s latest creation. Top marks indeed.

Located in Forssa, Finland, you will find a four-piece band by the name of Womack. Rather than this being a new project, Womack has been in existence since 2010, with one EP, ‘Year Of The Dog’ (2011), and album, ‘Prehab’ (2014), to their name. This, however, is about to change with the release of a brand new long player ‘Strays’, which arrives after a line-up change that saw drummer Jasak Leino depart as well as a change in musical direction for the time being at least. The inspiration for this newfound direction of a pared back sound came from the band’s live performances where they received a flood of positive responses from their fans. Such encouragement led to Womack incorporating this acoustic sound in their latest record ‘Strays’, and the results are impressive. From the gradual climb of opening song ‘Ain’t No Thing’ where Henrik Haarlo’s vocal really captures the moody atmosphere of the song rather well, to the fuller sound of ‘Stumble On’ which is emphasised by use of Hammond organ more or less throughout. ‘Snakebites’ shows off Womack’s knack for song writing with clever lyrics reflecting various guises of betrayal during this mid-tempo number. There is a definite live feel to ‘Home Brew’ as it sounds raw in its execution both musically and emotionally, before giving way to the far greater band involvement of album highlights ‘Light Up The Stage’ and ‘Flight To The Sun’. It appears that Womack’s supporters were definitely on to something when giving their full support to a largely acoustic album as ‘Strays’ is full of detail and never loses its edge due to the enthusiasm and energy of its band members.

First hearing of The Muddies debut album ‘First Blood’, the feelings were of a band who certainly like to have fun, and no how to achieve such an objective. Stemming from Vaajakoski in Finland, The Muddies is a rock band with a high level of energy, and one that possesses influences from a variety of classic rock bands such as AC/DC, Motörhead, Dr. Feelgood, The Hives and, as far as the humour goes, Aerosmith. The first signs of this merriment can be found in the song titles with examples such as ‘Cougar Hunter’, ‘Wacko Wacko’ and ‘Don’t Touch Your..’ certainly failing to adhere to any form of political correctness found in the current era. This is largely down to The Muddies ideals residing in a 70s – 80s time capsule, where certain points of view were part of the furniture when it came to the genre of rock music. Times have changed, however. Despite any misgivings here, the band’s noise is far from stuck in a bygone era because The Muddies ramp up their sound to give it a fresh feel. Part of the excitement surrounding The Muddies goes back to the previously mentioned energy at the centre of this rock quartet, which is captured expertly by the rockin’ guitars and Rolling Stones ‘Sympathy For The Devil’ backing vocals during the aforementioned ‘Cougar Hunter’, which can be interpreted a couple of ways if you think about it. Much later, there is the riveting ‘Shaken Not Stirred’ that will peel back your eardrums, to the in-your-face attitude and highly addictive beat of ‘I Want Something’. The key to all of this however, lies with the excellent ‘River’ where the guitars excel once more, and the band dig deeper in terms of the lyrics. On the evidence of this first album, The Muddies is a band here to stay, and ‘First Blood’ is just the start.

Quite possibly new to a lot of music lovers residing on the outskirts of Scandinavia, but Norwegian singer-songwriter Kari Harneshaug has been plying her musical trade in these very parts for some considerable time. Back with a new album ‘We Were Closer To The End’ is actually Kari Harneshaug’s third long player. With the recording of the album being guided by producer Karl Gøsta Klaseie, the actual recording sessions involved a novel idea by allowing those totally smitten with the song writing of Kari Harneshaug a unique opportunity to watch this talent at work in the recording studio. Whether such company inspired the vocal performances found on the latest record is only known to Kari Harneshaug herself, but what the listener is treated to here is an at times hauntingly beautiful (there we go again!) set of vocal performances, with previous single ‘Wild One’ being the benchmark and ‘The Signs Have Been Telling Me’ not too far behind, and, in other places, a different turn with the influence of PJ Harvey via ‘For Our Love’ and ditto ‘The Great Sea’. But there are other ideas at work, with the spacious ‘When The Days Creep Up On Us’ that fills its gaps with light electronics and standard instrumentation that plays out a patient rhythm. The driftwood expression of the album’s title track is suggestive of a former relationship, and expertly delivered by all musicians involved. The name Kari Harneshaug should be more familiar once the word spreads of the stirring and melancholic beauty of ‘We Were Closer To The End’ reaches further afield because it really is rather magnificent.

What sounds like a full band is actually the result of two individuals, Carly Comando and Tom Patterson, who knit together a sound that can best be described as poppy indie rock, but one that reveals associations to the looser and rougher edges of a punk and hardcore basement scene. Trading under the name Slingshot Dakota, the duo exert their experience via an 88-key digital piano that makes use of multiple effects pedals, and then backed by the drums of Tom Patterson, to come up with their first new material since 2012’s ‘Dark Hearts’. With Carly Comando controlling the electronics and supplying the vocals, the noise emanating from Slingshot Dakota’s new long player is highly impressive, especially when hearing the scorched (guitar) lines and rumbling backbeat of opening song, ‘You’. The rhythm driving ‘Monocacy’ is dark and rich to the point of almost drowning Comando’s vocals, but in the same instance shows the strengths of this duo lying in their musicality, which they certainly turn to their advantage here. Any imperfections held in the vocal however, which is kind of the point considering the duo’s backgrounds to the formerly mentioned punk scenes, soon disappears once ‘Stay’ enters the fray and reveals a singer in full command on a somewhat melancholic note. Sadness really can be therapeutic! The distorted electronics and pounding drums of ‘Paycheck’ is another awe-inspiring effort in sound, and no doubt will be an absolute killer live. But if you’re looking to get even closer to the innermost feelings of Slingshot Dakota, then the sore and stripped back ‘Too Much’ is as close as it gets, and further reason why the album ‘Break’ deserves every chance of reaching a wider audience.