Flights of Helios - Factory(Remixes)

Hello. We are perilously close to Monday aren't we? We're teetering over the Monday Manhole, possibly about to fall in, unless we steady ourselves with a cup of tea and a Bakewell Finger.

Anyway, with that in mind, I'm bringing you a bit of a blog update on one of my favourite acts, to see us into the new working week.

Regular reader(s) will be aware that for some time now I've been championing Oxford drone pop act Flights of Helios, because they are, quite frankly, the canine's appendages. Before you go any further, I'd like you to take a moment to go and read my previous posts/mentions of the band and to acquaint yourselves with their frankly immense sound. You can do that here: FLIGHTS OF HELIOS.

Those brill bods at PinDrop have alerted me to the fact that their brilliant single from last year "Factory" has had some stellar remixes and I'm happy to be featuring these on the blog today.

You can listen in to the various tracks on their soundcloud page here:

soundcloud.com/flights-of-helios/sets/factory-remixes

And I highly suggest you do.

The guys were my Band of 2014 and their subsequent release "Succubus" was just as fantastic. So if, like me, you're patiently waiting for their next musical outing, you've got these great remixes to keep you going - each of them offers a really different sound and chance to hear the track in a totally different light. You can also watch the original video to the single on the Soundcloud page too.

If that's whetted your musical whistles, then all you need to do is head on over to their Bandcamp page

flightsofhelios.bandcamp.com/

And give them your support.

thegeneral's 2014 Round Up Award Ceremony With Optional Sausage On A Stick

It's that time of year again, the time of year literally no-one has been eagerly waiting for. Perhaps even less of you than that. It's time to once again put the champagne on ice (Yorkshire Tea in the pot), to roll out the red carpet (this year, a rather fetching off cut of carpet from "Beige Monstrosities R-US") and artfully arrange the snackettes in a bowl on the coffee table.

It's "thegeneral's 2014 Annual Round Up Award Ceremony With Optional Sausage On A Stick" and although last year's will take some beating (several of the bands have yet to get over me doing that impression of Judy Finnegan - and I'm still waiting for Matt Berninger to come and whisk me off my feet), we're going to carry on manfully and see what treats are in store for some of the bands and acts I've really loved this year.

Let us get cracking with some festive cheer...

The Best of The Best In Genres:

Best Bit of Prog-Rock Goodness For 2014

Rob Reed - Sanctuary



Released in July this year, this was a superb paean to Reed's fascination with Mike Oldfield, A wonderful, original composition, which took in elements of Tubular Bells, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn and Incantations, this quickly became my most listened to album of the summer and garnered much critical acclaim for Robert. A thoroughly engaging and beautifully composed listen.

You can read my original post HERE

You can buy "Sanctuary" from HERE

Best Bit of Trippy Electronica for 2014

Ninetails -  Radiant Hex



Liverpool's Ninetails have undergone something of a brilliant transformation since they released their initial EPs back in 2012, they've gone from a frankly marvellous and original complex guitar sound to a band that are now not afraid to experiment with soundscapes, trippiness and ambient delights. This was far and away my favourite bit of electronic tinged goodness this year and hopefully there'll be more to come from them in the not too distant future.

You can read my original post HERE

You can listen to "Radiant Hex" HERE

Best Punky Punks of 2014

Cross Wires - Assembly/Your History Defaced



Punk is such a contentious genre and many bands claim to fit into it, while being about as subversive as a Marks and Spencer's Mushroom Quiche. Cross Wires are a proper bona-fide punk outfit that really capture the essence of the music, yet still retain their own identity. "Assembly" was one of the best EPs I heard this year, without a doubt and it should be high up on any self respecting punk's playlist.

You can read my original posts HERE

You can listen to Cross Wires HERE

Best Shoegazers Since My Bloody Valentine Award 

Mutes - MPDG



Mutes. Lovely lovely Mutes. When I heard their EP "MPDG" earlier this year it took me back to a time when my hair was long, my clothes were black and I walked around with a permanent air of ennui about me (though that might be last week if you listen to most of my friends). Mutes have brought the gentle art of shoegazing back with a 21st century twist, "MPDG" was an EP of lovely contrasts, great songs and beautifully thought out music. One to watch in 2015.

You can read my original post HERE

You can listen to Mutes HERE

The Folk Me (!) Alt-Country Award

Blair Dunlop - House of Jacks



I'm a big folk music fan, weaned on it from my youngest years - bands like Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention were some of my fondest and earliest musical memories and Blair Dunlop carries on than fine tradition, and puts his own spin on a genre that is often misunderstood. "House of Jacks" is a superb album, one for well initiated folkies, but also one for people who don't know much about the genre and want a good initiation - it's alt-country tinged brilliance shows Blair to be a very talented singer/songwriter/musician. More please, Blair, in 2015.

You can read my original post HERE

You can listen to Blair HERE

The Best of The Best Best Best Best

Most Missed Forevs, Like

Tusk



Tusk. Gone but nevs forgotten. There isn't much more to say. I thought I was bereft when Blank Maps split up, but I'll miss these guys heaps. There's still lots of time to catch up on their witty brilliance and musical aceness, so I heartily suggest that although they've gone, you click on my linkies and get acquainted. They were a brilliant band, much missed but hoping they'll return in some way, shape or form in the coming year or two.

You can read my posts about Tusk HERE

You can listen to Tusk HERE

Best Single of 2014

The Everglows - Sugary Sun



The Everglows have become an oft-featured fixture on these pages the last few months, but "Sugary Sun" was definitely my single of the year. I loved it for it's psychedelic tinged awesomeness, it imbued the 60s without turning into a pastiche. This is one of those tracks that makes you glad to be alive. I'm expecting great things from them next year.

You can read my posts on The Everglows HERE

You can listen to The Everglows HERE

Best EP of 2014

Static Future - Assembly



This EP was a very very welcome late musical addition to the year, I'd so loved the band's last single "Marseille" and this release "Assembly", coming earlier in December is just as wonderful. Static Future are a band of great talent, I love their slightly ska-y, punky, syncopated rhythms and strong vocals. They should be getting much more attention than they are - so make it your mission to add them to your playlists in 2015.

You can read my posts on Static Future HERE

You can listen to Static Future HERE

Best Album of 2014

Co-pilgrim - Plumes



Co-pilgrim were one of the loveliest discoveries I made this year and now I've found them I'm hooked. "Plumes" is a genuinely brilliant album, full of simply stunning harmonies and wistful melancholia. Reminiscent of bands like Teenage Fanclub, yet ploughing their own furrow in an effortlessly stylish way. This is a record I've played over and over and I'm really looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.

You can read my post on Co-pilgrim HERE

You can listen to Co-pilgrim HERE

Best Band of 2014

Flights of Helios



Easily my favourite act of the year. Flights of Helios have been a real joy to listen to. Their single "Factory", released in March is one of the best songs I've heard in years (the bassline at the start is IMMENSE) and they followed it up in fine style with a third outing called "Succubus" just in time for Halloween, which was equally captivating. They're a band that I'm going to continue to champion heartily and that really do deserve great success. A worthy winner.

You can read my posts on Flights of Helios HERE

You can listen to Flights of Helios HERE

So there you have it, thegeneral's blog of the year awards are complete - and it's now time for me to take a little break into the new year.

Every single band (whether featured in this review or not) have been a joy to feature on these pages through the last twelve months, and I've really enjoyed hearing from, listening to and writing about some genuinely outstanding music during 2014. Here's hoping 2015 is just as brilliant. I'm sure it will be.

It just remains for me to wish you all a safe, happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year - see you in January.

Much love
thegeneral

Flights of Helios - Succubus

Hello and Happy the day after "National Shut Your Door, Turn All The Lights Off And Pretend You're Not In So Kids Don't Hassle You For Sweets Day". Yes, I'm a misanthrope. No, I don't care.

I'm not so much of a misanthrope that I don't want to share music with you all and I'm back today to share with you a new release from one of my most very favourite and oft featured on these blog pages groups - Flights of Helios. If you'd like to read my previous features about them - follow this link: HERE.

Firstly, go to their bandcamp page and have a listen to their new single "Succubus", which was released yesterday:

flightsofhelios.bandcamp.com/

It's yet another wonderful song from a really underrated band and it follows on in splendid fashion from their last release "Factory", which is a major contender for my song of the year. I love the intensity of their music, I love their basslines and I love the delicately morose quality to everything they do. This is a song that starts slowly and fades with an intensely catchy drone. It's backed by the ambient and trippy "Palemoonlight" which provides a brilliant contrast - short, sweet, light and airy.

"Succubus" is a perfect song for this time of year and it's well worth a few moments of your time and a download if you want something to accompany the drawing in of the nights and the autumn season.

You can find out more about the band here

http://flightsofhelios.co.uk/

and you can follow them on The Twitters here:

https://twitter.com/FlightsofHelios

Do it.

Flights of Helios - Factory

Welcome to the weekend and a brand new blog to see it in (well, technically speaking we're halfway through aren't we, but sod convention, I've been awake for nearly two days)

I have a right gem and a half for you today, you lucky buggers. Those of you who pay attention to this page on a regular basis (and I know there's at least one of you, and that you do have all your own teeth) will remember that way back in December last year, I featured a mini-series of acts from PinDrop Publicity, based in Oxford. One of those was the frankly awesomesauce Flights of Helios. I adored their last single and was so pleased to get an e-mail this week asking me to feature their newest gramaphone recording.

First of all, as always, the necessaries, here's the link to their bandcamp page so you can listen for yourself:

flightsofhelios.bandcamp.com/

It's a wonderful sound. It starts off slowly, but opens into an almost Neu! like Motorik beat, reminiscent of Krautrock - a driving, pulsing rhythm, in part reminding me of "Hallogallo" from their eponymously titled album. The vocal is, in the nicest possible way, delicately downbeat. It's full of pathos, it feels achingly drawn - with a Curtis-esque like sense of emotion. As the track progresses it moves into fuzzy distortion, into the realms of drone-pop, it's a track of many different layers, which on paper shouldn't work, but in reality, does. I felt as though it was really familiar after only one listen, after a few it felt like it was something I'd known for years. I genuinely love these guys and think that this is probably my favourite track of theirs to date.

There is also an accompanying video to go with the single, which I highly recommend you watch. It was shot by friend of the band Liam Martin and features members of the Awkward Actors group:

Flights of Helios - Factory

Please if you can, give this new single from Flight of Helios a moment of your time, and also go back, read my previous post and visit their last single "Star//Crows", also highly worth investing your time and money in.

Flights of Helios - Star//Crows

Are you absolutely bloody shattered and can't wait to crawl into your bed? I am. It's not even approaching duvet time yet. If you're feeling tiredfractiousmondayesque then what you need is some lovely music to make it all better and, would you Adam and believe it - I've got JUST the thing.

First of all, a speshul announcement. Over the next week or two thegeneral is running a series of posts in conjunction with PinDrop Publicity. You can have a look at their interwebspage HERE. I've been lucky enough to be sent four absolutely cracking acts to share with you - each of them very different, so hopefully there will be something to suit the musical tastes of anyone who reads these pages. Unless you only like Val Doonican. Then you're possibly a bit fucked.

Anyway, tonight I'd like to share with you the first of these acts and we're starting on a right big high, so we are.

Flights of Helios. There we are, straight in...first of all the necessaries. Here's the link to their bandcamp page so you can check their music out for yourself:

flightsofhelios.bandcamp.com/

The band describe themselves as "ambient cosmic folk drone pop" and yep, that's really pretty apt. These two songs are pretty glorious and kind of provide a nice backdrop to a chilled out evening if you've been feeling a bit brittle and worn out.

The first track "Stars" is an ethereal stonker. The vocals and harmonies work so well together - there's a nice feeling of space, of dream like trippinesss to it as well. It's nicely paced and you feel like your shoulders are going to drop when you listen to it, like you can breathe properly and shut your eyes. I often feel that on here I don't cover enough electronica - and it's a genre of music I really adore. This kind of nicely addresses that.

The second track "Crows" follows in a similar vein, of the two tracks, it's got a slightly more insistent percussive element to it, an industrial feel - kind of like a mellowed out Cabaret Voltaire. Half way through it picks up pace and turns into something a bit more unexpected, it opens out, it gets noisy, frantic and becomes a harder soundscape. A nice contrast to the opener.

Of course, you know what I'm going to say - you need to give these guys your support. If you buy this single from bandcamp they'll put the proceeds towards creating their debut album and I think that's a great thing that really should be encouraged. So, Flights of Helios, I insist you put them on your to-listen-to-list. Go go go.