Five Favourites: Hannah Schneider

Having been big fans of Danish artist Hannah Schneider (also of duo AyOwA) for some time now, we were super excited to welcome the release of her latest album (her first solo release in seven years), Ocean Letters. A collection of immersive, celestial soundscapes, it perfectly showcases Schneider’s ability to bathe your ears in a euphoric, soothing grace as her rich, crystalline vocals ripple with a dreamy ethereal haze. A blissful sonic accompaniment to calm the senses as the temperatures drop and the darkness draws in.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Ocean Letters, we caught up with Hannah Schneider to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. See below for her choice of her five favourite albums.

Beach House – Teen Dream
As a surprise to no-one, Beach House is a huge inspiration for me, and this is one of my favourite albums ever. The songwriting is off the charts amazing – wild, advanced and still it seems you can hum along to every one of the tunes. Many of the texts and titles have such a suspense in them, and they each create a scene or a story that catches your attention. And then of course, the sound. I have always been extremely inspired by their hazy dream pop sound with significant guitar lines, drum machines and beautiful vocals, and on my album Ocean Letters in particular I go all the way on a few songs in my Beach House tribute. The demo for ‘The World’s Gone Still Now’ from my album was even called “beach house vibes” before it got its real title after my friend and magic guitar player Anna had come and laid down the guitar parts on it! 

Hania Rani – Esja
For me, Hania Rani is a fairly new acquaintance, but I have been very inspired by her in my work with this album. From the sound of the piano, to the simple and yet complex compositions, and the sparse layers that still create such a full sound and beautiful cinematic scenes. This music gives such space for imagination, and that’s what I have been trying to create with my album as well. 

Portishead – Portishead 
I don’t think there’s a time in my life where I haven’t listened to Portishead. It’s a constant source of inspiration, how they make such intense music without shouting at the listener. Such slow paces, such minimalist productions, simple chord structures, and yet the melody and Beth Gibbons’ voice is so wild – complex and completely vulnerable, and unnerving, at the same time. I am forever inspired by their way of orchestrating music and making suspense and drama, and the way they dare to combine musical genres in their music has been a big inspiration for my album as well.

Emilie Nicholas- Tranquille Emile
Norway is the country with the most happening right now music wise in Scandinavia I think. One of the first in this new wave of interesting artists is Emile Nicholas, and I love her way of creating new R’n’B/soul with such a distinct Nordic flavour. Interesting melodies, beautiful instrumentation and Emilie’s million dollar vocals on top – wow, how she can create lines that amazes! I just gave in to this album, and have enjoyed it very much while creating my own album. I think I have also let myself be inspired by the gospel-ish chord changes in some of her songs, and in my song ‘It’s The Season’ I have let myself dive in to the slow more soulful chords and musical phrasings.

Agnes Obel – Myopia
This album is a true masterpiece of orchestration and melodies – such beautiful compositions, and Agnes Obel’s magical voice on top. There is such a cinematic quality to all her albums, and this has been a great inspiration to my album, Ocean Letters. Her albums also seem very conceptual thematically and sound wise, and this is something I have also approached in my work with Ocean Letters.


Massive thanks to Hannah Schneider for sharing her Five Favourites with us!

Ocean Letters, the new album from Hannah Schneider, is out now via Midnight Confessions.

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LIVE: Alvvays @ Islington Assembly Hall, 07.10.22

A rainy Friday night in North London and what better way to soothe our dampened spirits than with some shimmering surf-pop sounds…

Thankfully, we arrive at the springy-floored Islington Assembly Hall in time to catch support act Lande Hekt. Though you may know her from her band Muncie Girls, her debut solo album, Going To Hell, was one of my favourites of last year and live, her songs are no less special. Starting off with a few captivating solo offerings, Hekt treats us to beautifully heartfelt songs covering themes ranging from the struggles of coming out, to comforting times with her cat Lola. With a lilting musicality and stirring, luscious vocals, she kicks off our evening with a collection of shimmering soundscapes, all delivered with a raw emotion.

Having been a huge fan of Canadian band Alvvays since falling in love with their self-titled debut album upon its release in 2014, I’m not quite sure why I’ve not yet seen them live, and so it’s with an apprehensive excitement that I await their arrival to the stage – that feeling of having waited so long for something, that you can’t help but worry that it won’t live up to your high expectations…

However, I’m soon to be proved wrong as Molly Rankin and co. take to the stage amidst a sea of adoring cheers filling the packed out venue (it’s the most busy I’ve ever experienced it and I’m a little miffed about being stuck behind one of the tallest people I’ve ever seen, but I’ll try not to dwell on that…). As they kick off the set with the dreamy musicality of second album Antisocialites‘ opening track ‘In Undertow’, I’m instantly immersed in the sparkling splendour of Alvvays’ trademark swirling surf-pop energy. And I feel very lucky to witness the band’s shiny new line-up (with the addition Sheridan Riley and Abbey Blackwell now forming the seamless rhythm section) first hand.

Introducing themselves, Rankin oozes an infectious sense of excitement as she tells us that today is the day of release for their brand new album, Blue Rev, and informs us that the set will consist of some newer songs from the record, as well as “some oldies – gotta include those crowd pleasers too!” before diving into one of said new tracks, ‘Very Online Guy’. With a more synth-driven sound than previous offerings, it fizzes with a whirring energy alongside Rankin’s rippling crystalline vocals.


And from new to old as the band flow smoothly into the first track from their 2014 debut, ‘Adult Diversion’. Propelled by lilting hooks and a buoyant, uplifting energy, the large crowd sway along with a joyous sense of unity to Rankin’s luscious vocal tones, as the raw power of Riley’s thrashing beats shines through. Twinkling with a whimsical allure, ‘Plimsoll Punks’ proves to be another crowd favourite before perhaps the band’s most famous song ‘Archie Marry Me’ sees each and every one of us sing along to each and every word, and I find myself getting quite emotional; the track’s dreamy grace and twinkling romanticism holding a special place in my heart (it was even featured on my wedding playlist), and – despite not being able to see the stage – live, it is every bit as beautiful as I could have hoped for.

Interspersed between the shimmering musical offerings, Rankin interacts with the crowd, oozing an endearing charm – apologising for her lack of vocal strength which is feeling strained as they come to the end of their tour, and receiving mixed reactions as she shares that she was going to wear an Arsenal jersey to the show. However, despite her apologies, her vocals glisten with a soaring majesty throughout truly captivating renditions of ‘Dreams Tonite’ and ‘Party Police’ to draw the set to a close.

After we cautiously make our way to the back of the room, Alvvays return to the stage for a very welcome encore of old favourites. After the sparkling emotion of ‘Atop A Cake’ shimmers with a scintillating allure, the band offer the final track of the night, another one from their debut album, ‘Next Of Kin’ – a perfectly euphoric way to end what has been a blissfully exquisite experience (and it seems my apprehension of being disappointed was totally unfounded).

Mari Lane
@marimindles

Photo Credit: Eleanor Petry

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Track Of The Day: Alaskalaska – ‘Glass’

Painting a sonic picture of mystery and gloom, South London’s ALASKALASKA brings a beautiful eeriness in latest single ‘Glass’. Taken from their new album release Still Life, it oozes a resistant spirit whilst confronting the question: “Do we work to live or live to work?”, pondering the unhealthy relationships we have with work and the societal expectations that come with it. 

ALASKALASKA uses a theme of choice to depict the coercive correspondence of hustle culture in ‘Glass’. Although mid-paced, everything about ‘Glass’ feels demanding while it requests our undivided attention as the track intensifies. Hypnotic synth pads and a crisp drum beat kick off ‘Glass’ with immediate sophistication that soon introduces Lucinda’s effortlessly cool vocals, the flow with. nonchalant grace while delivering their critical take on societal norms. Luncinda’s lyrics to speak for themselves, leaving room for listeners to reflect on themselves and consider their unique roles in the need to grind. 

Building from an indie-electronica base, ALASKALASKA seems to handpick elements of the genre solely to serve the disposition of ‘Glass’, whilst drawing on influence from artists such as Porches and Tame Impala to execute the track’s story. The lyrical concepts and rich mix of eclectic sounds make boundaries limitless, inspiring us to expand our philosophy on genre and society. If ‘Glass’ is just one avenue for ALASKALASKA, Still Life is certain to be a compelling journey in its entirety.

Still Life, the new album from ALASKALASKA, is out now via Marathon Artists. And catch ALASKALASKA live, currently on tour supporting Porridge Radio – details here.

Jill Goyeau
@jillybxxn

Photo Credit: Tami Aftab

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Five Favourites: Princess Chelsea

Having been creating her signature dreamy indie-pop for eleven years now, New Zealand artist Princess Chelsea has just released her fifth album Everything Is Going To Be Alright. Tinged with an early noughties shimmering nostalgia, it’s a poignant collection of cinematic soundscapes that twinkle with an ethereal splendour and captivating raw emotion.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the release of Everything Is Going To Be Alright, we caught up with Princess Chelsea to ask about the music that has inspired her the most. See below for their choices of their five favourite songs, and be sure to watch the cute new video for album track ‘Love Is More‘ at the bottom of this feature.

Marianne Faithfull – ‘Morning Sun’
This is from Marianne Faithfull’s early period and it’s an undiscovered gem, I suppose! It sounds very ‘English’ to me in a good way. It’s a beautiful track – the harps and her beautiful slightly monotonous eerie vocals (a little bit reminiscent of Nico). Marianne always was a total queen and her vocals from this early 1960s period of her career are quite different to her later more widely known work. As an artist she is a fascinating character who really got dealt a tough blow by music press and public who were very judgemental of her for any ‘mistakes’ (aka not being perfect) in her private life. After being London’s golden girl for a few years, she disappeared into a world of addiction and complicated experiences only to re-emerge over twenty years later with just as amazing music (Broken English being her comeback album). My track ‘Time‘ is heavily influenced by early Marianne Faithfull and English pop in the way I produced and arranged it – and I actually covered this song on my 2016 album Aftertouch.  

The Bats – ‘Sir Queen’
In the 1980s Flying Nun Records was formed in the South Island of New Zealand in Christchurch by Roger Shepherd, although it is associated more with an even more southern city Dunedin, when somebody coined the term “The Dunedin Sound” to describe the jangly guitar pop style of some of the bands on the label who were heavily influenced by the open chords of the Velvet Underground. Seminal acts The Clean, The Chills, The Verlaines, and The Bats made jangly guitar pop music that proved to be heavily influential internationally and still is. Kaye Woodward from The Bats is one of the most interesting “indie rock” (lol) guitarists I’ve had the pleasure of listening to and her work with The Bats as displayed on ‘Sir Queen’ from their classic album Daddy’s Highway is emotive, particular and loose at the same time. I’ve been a fan of The Bats and many of the early Flying Nun acts since I was a teenager, and any guitar work I do (or make other people do, haha)  is greatly influenced by these bands whose style of playing is far more important than technical prowess. My song ‘Love Is More’ from my new album is definitely influenced by Kaye Woodward’s trademark ‘bendy’ guitar playing.

Jane’s Addiction – ‘Jane Says’ (Live from Kettle Whistle)
Jane’s Addiction are a truly weird band that don’t really fit into any kind of genre. In the 1990s in LA they were junkie surfers that made heavy rock music influenced by Led Zeppelin, but it was also glam, arty and truly ‘alternative’ – influenced by I imagine a whole lot of esoteric music. Frontman Perry Farrell would wail and leap around on the stage like some kind of androgenous mad puppet. While totally unintentional I think my track ‘The Forest‘ certainly reminds me of Jane’s Addiction sometimes which isn’t really surprising seeing as it’s my first truly ‘rock’ song and they were my first favourite ‘rock’ band. The live version of ‘Jane Says’ with its massive drum sound, and Farrell’s vocals sailing over the top – plus the addition of steel drums – make for a truly original yet totally rocking melodic band. I think somehow and always Jane’s Addiction will always influence my live performance.

The Gun Club – ‘Sex Beat’
The Gun Club is a band I discovered as a teenager and their guitar sound in particular is something I’ve always loved – it’s punk, but it’s also got tonality of country music with tremolo, twang and a lot of reverb. Their later albums would sound more shoegazey and shiny (Mother Juno), but the first album is a great example of the county / punk influence of this wonderful band. I think a lot of guitar tones on ‘We Kick Around’ remind me of the Gun Club. The solo on ‘I Don’t Know You‘ is by my friend Vincent HL who plays on this track and is a huge Gun Club fan.

Fleetwood Mac – ‘What Makes You Think You’re The One’
After years of listening to Fleetwood Mac, I started repetitively listening to deep cuts from the double album Tusk which followed their massive album Rumours and was a critical yet commercial kind of flop (well a flop for Fleetwood Mac – it still sold millions). Lindsay Buckingham was probably doing way too much cocaine during this period and there are a lot of great what I call “weird Lyndsay Buckingham songs” dispersed throughout Tusk. I think he was maybe listening to a lot of punk music at the time and was trying to insert some of that energy into Fleetwood Mac which may have been perceived as soft rock for moms and dads or something by then. And there’s nothing wrong with that haha. His vocal performance on this track and a lot of the backing vocal loops all over Tusk, and also on the album Tango In The Night (‘Family Man’ is a great example of this) definitely influenced my track ‘I Don’t Know You’ and a lot of my backing vocal ideas in general. When I sing “I DONT KNOW!”, I am 100% channeling Lyndsay – intentionally and quite overtly.

Massive thanks to Princess Chelsea for sharing her Five Favourites with us! Watch the video for latest single ‘Love Is More’ here:


Everything Is Going To Be Alright, the fifth album from Princess Chelsea, is out now via Lil Chief Records.

Photo Credit: Frances Carter

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