Brand Spanking New: Pocket Satellite, ‘Paper Aviator’ EP

Front cover of the ‘Paper Aviator’ EP

Folk-rock band Pocket Satellite are a complicated mix of numbers; one band, five members from four different cities playing 15 instruments. They met at an open mic night, and the band was born over hot chocolate on a quiet Thursday evening in Sheffield. Sounds like a quaint ending of a Richard Curtis rom-com.

It was just the beginning though, and the new-found band released their debut EP, Toy Train, in spring 2010, and now their follow-up EP Paper Aviator will be released to the masses on January 17.

The six track EP has some real gems on it, and refreshingly experiments with different tones, speeds and instruments – well, they do have 15 to choose from. What About Snowglobes combines beautifully delicate vocals and pretty instrumentals to really give a sense of festivity and nostalgia, while Man On a Boat instantly launches into an energetic thigh-slapping hoe-down.

In a sea of folk-rock bands around at the moment, these guys genuinely seem to be a little bit different, and the ethereal vocal work on all of the tracks is just amazing to listen to.

Give a click and check out Pocket Satellite’s track Man On a Boat, for FREE!

Review: Aaron Shanley ‘Let The Sun In’

Aaron Shanley's album artwork

Adding to the folk-rock ranks that seem to be slowly taking over the world, artist Aaron Shanley, has released a new album, Let The Sun In.

Aaron, hailing from Belfast, is has released the record through Love Gum Records; his own independent label. Not bad work considering he’s still only 20 years old.

As for the album itself, there is a lot of what you might expect from a folk-rock record; acoustic guitars, tambourines and catchy melodies. Aaron’s unfussy vocals mix well with the varied instrumentals, and if gentle folk-rock is what you’re into, it definitely delivers.

Track Sarah Rose is perhaps not the strongest starting point for the album, but as the tracks progress there are some promising Damien Rice-mixed-with-The Shins moments; Cotton Fields, Today I and Let The Sun In are endearingly pretty.

So far, title track Let The Sun In is the only one to be released so far, which, with its gentle acoustic guitar and piano accompaniment is incredibly chilled out, with some nice mixed vocal harmonies. The lyrics are refreshing, conjuring up nostalgic, ethereal images that fit the mellow mood of the song. It’s a good soundtrack for a lazy Sunday morning in bed.

After touring the U.S and Canada this summer, Aaron has got more time on the tour bus to look forward to with a UK tour coming up soon.

To keep up to date on what he’s up to, follow Aaron on Twitter.