Storm Ridden

This Spring is the moment of the British rock bands - Bastille and the 1975 to name a few personal favourites. Independent bands are always my port of call when looking for new music and Storm Ridden are latest Brit-band to step into the spotlight. Based in Wolverhampton, Storm Ridden is a four-piece who are influenced old school rock like Black Sabbath with an added a pinch of blues flavour, creating an eclectic style of music that is difficult to place. This band is proving that rock 'n' roll music isn't best left to the oldies and with the right amount of modern touches, is still totally relevant. 

The group are made up of lead guitar Ryan, bassist Luke, drummer Alex and vocalist Tom and were formed in the Summer of 2013. Tom has a really unusual voice which really adds to the uniqueness of the band - I really love his vocal style as it's unlike anything I've ever come across before in the modern music scene.  The guitar is spot on, with some really catchy riffs. The bass nails a focal part in the intro In The Summerhouse and drums add a strong rhythm to the songs, giving them a heavier edge. Storm Ridden play the kind of music that fans of heavier rock 'n' roll and even metal are bound to love but those who are into to a more current vibe will enjoy too. 

It's not for everyone, but for you guys who love old school tunes and are on the lookout for new band that will conjure up nostalgic feelings of the glory days of rock yet still keep things fresh, you should definitely check out these guys.

Check out their video for In The Summerhouse below

You'll enjoy if you like

Black Sabbath ♦ Guns & Roses ♦ Iron Maiden

Check out their Facebook
& Soundcloud

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What I'm Listening to .. Of Monsters and Men

Did anyone else read the book Of Mice and Men at GCSE? No? Well it doesn't matter, because this band has nothing to do with it.

They're actually an Icelandic six-piece folk band, which admittedly doesn't actually sound that appealing, but trust me, you'll love them.

Great styling too, don't you think?

Chances are, a lot of you will have already heard their debut single, Little Talks, but if you haven't, you need to right now. What I like so much about this song is that it's good, proper music, it's utterly catchy without the bleeps and bloops you get in 'songs' to these days. I think it actually has a kinda ska feel to it, because of the brass instruments used.

I also love the music video. I happened upon it whilst channel flicking the other day and was entranced - it's deliciously gothic and reminds me of that book, Where the Wild things are. I'm drawn to weird things, so I immediately jumped on Google and looked into the group.

The members are: Singer/guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer/guitarist Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, guitarist Brynjar Leifsson, drummer Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, piano/accordion player Árni Guðjónsson, and bassist Kristján Páll Kristjánsson, but they also recruited trumpet player Ragnhildur Gunnarsdótti into the mix for their 2012 tour. Props to anyone who can pronounce their names. 

Here's a live version of the song too, how beautiful Ragnar's voice? Swoooooon 

Trumpet solo! The music industry needs more trumpets, fer serious.

I only wish I'd discovered them sooner, I've been looking for some new music to listen too for quite some time so I'm seriously gonna get their album! Incidentally, if you guys are listening to some cool jamz at the moment, drop me some names, my iPod needs something fresh. 

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You'll like this group if you enjoy:

♦ Mumford and sons ♦ Ellie Goulding ♦ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Chucking another song out to you, Dirty Paws.

Their album, My Head is an Animal, is out now.