The Fine Art Society
Modern Day (Single)
The Fine Art Society are a Derby/Nottingham based band. Forming a few years back now, the band have seen a changing line-up, but always keeping founding members Matt Turner and Ben Marshall, most recently inviting drummer Rob Leedell to the mix. The bands new single ‘Modern Day’ initially brings to mind influences from such powerhouse indie outfits as Bloc Party and The Strokes, featuring a simple but catchy chord progression and a bouncy rhythm section. This sound gets a little heavier in the choruses and features the repetition of the line “welcome to the modern day’, creating a memorable moment that i’m sure will be sung back to them at a gig soon. My favourite part of this song comes in the form of the “Breakdown” section, taking me back to my hardcore-punk/metal days listening to Gallows, Parkway Drive, Every Time I Die and many more. This sections changes the dynamics of the song, keeping the sound fresh and the listeners engaged. Overall this is a fantastic edition to The Fine Art Society’s already quite eclectic catalogue.
JJ Lovegrove
Ghost (Single)
JJ Lovegrove is a solo artist from Nottingham. JJ’s new single ‘Ghost’ lives up to it’s name in tone, displaying a haunting sound throughout, mainly showcased through the reverb driven guitar melodies and pulsating kick drum. The vocal performance suites the instrumentation perfectly, providing dynamically delicate and strong moments when the track requires it, with a style not too dissimilar to that of Florence Welch. ‘Ghost’ builds up with some additional percussion, synths and what sounds like reversed backing vocals, which adds energy to the song and the sense of something building until its climactic end. JJ Lovegrove has a really interesting sound here and something I believe may be unique to her, so we can’t wait to hear more.
Jimi Mack
Thin Line (Single)
Jimi Mack is a Belfast born musician, currently residing in Nottingham. Jimi’s influences span from folk to jazz to psychedelia, elements of which can be heard throughout his new single ‘Thin Line’. Jimi’s new single has layers upon layers of beautiful instrumentation, the main feature being the folk influenced finger-style guitar, keeping the basis of the song flowing well, along with the simple but effective drum beat. Extra quick moments of banjo & lap-steel add depth the overall sound of ‘Thin Line’, keeping the listeners attention. Jimi’s silky smooth vocal tone and pitch perfect performance weave seamlessly amongst this instrumentation. Jimi Mack has been releasing some mesmerising music recently, ‘Thin Line’ continuing that winning streak.
Sketchy Record Reviews 