BLESSING FORCE

Now, I don't like to brag but I first wrote about Trophy Wife waaay before the blogs blew up over his new single 'Microlite' last month. Anyone would think I just followed Foals on Twitter and wrote about their recommendations but I like to think of myself as more like an indie Inspector Morse, snooping out the finest Oxford has to offer.

I also wrote about Pet Moon too and whilst I'm loathe to make this post about some sort of Oxford scene (I'm sure that's been cooked up in a magazine office as we speak) it certainly seems that there are a lot of bands emerging from the sleepy, academic city.

Loosely grouped under the collective name of Blessing Force, these bands are based in Oxford and often writing and recording in the basement/ studio where Foals wrote this years 'Total Life Forever'.

Many of these Blessing Force associated bands, including Chad Valley come from the fall out from mid-noughties bands like Youthmovies and Jonquil. Hugo Manuel is a member of the latter and is also the man behind the samplers and is crafting a very English take on the sepia tinted sounds of Toro Y Moi and Washed Out. Have a listen to his track 'Portugese Solid Summer' below:



Then there is Fixers who combine the floaty, ephemeral qualities of Animal Collective with a broad and epic scope that could see them break out and become a properly big deal. Or sell four albums and play a few Barfly shows, whatever. They're great.



Also tied up in this big collective, creative free for all are Solid Gold Dragons, Neon Pulse and Rhosyn who are all well worth checking out.

Finally, this is the new Trophy Wife track mentioned earlier. Released via Moshi Moshi in November the track got its official video this week which looks like this:



Img: Maran Celeste

BLESSING FORCE