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“Neon Neon is basically a fantasy pop group, within which we get to turn all our super-synthetic fantasies into musical realities.”

Dots & Dashes talk Feltrinelli’s legacy, radical live representations and Mid Century Modern Nightmares with Gruff Rhys & Boom Bip.

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‘The so-called tree-huggers’ opting to depict the things coated in verdant green leafage is perhaps demonstrative of the regenerated optimism innately located within Fade, and they’re at their virescent best when songs from said album are wafted up and over the rolling tiers of the Barbican Hall. Though as each wears on, as with each and every year some more autumnal hues befall the room and as such, there’s a naturalisation as well as a neutrality to it all – every song is destined to come to its natural conclusion as is every year, every marriage, and so too every life. Though the message purveyed is one of enjoying all these sorts of things while they last and as they tease: “What are you going to do? We’re all waiting for you” as Two Trains chugs on blithely, who are we to go against the grain? As sat deep in what seems a flowerbed, Kaplan’s vocal assumes an earthy quality as though only too aware, and indeed at peace with from whence it came and to where it’ll one day return. It’s familiar as the forever insistent thudding of internal organs to have lived with you since the day you were first born, and there is consequently a firm closeness robustly rooted to it.’

Dots & Dashes review the gloriously well attuned London return of Yo La Tengo.

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“Upon a summer wind there’s a certain melody/ Takes me back to the place that I know, down on the beach.”

So sung Chris Rea back in the summer of ‘86, and on a given weekend of May 2013 the melodies perfuming the littoral airs of Brighton are sure to be that bit more dulcet still. The first wave of acts announced to play this year’s edition of what is – at least to our ears – the UK’s finest metropolitan festival, The Great Escape, caused something of a tempestuous stir as the likes of Darkstar, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Mac DeMarco and Indians were all swizzled in. Though as another deluge of bleeding-edge artists tumble on in this morning like florid ichor in the shark pool, the fervour is surely only to be furthered.

Taking place over the weekend of May 16th–18th, there’s an unmistakably oceanic vibe to many of the monikers to have been newly swept in: from epic Helsinki prog practitioners Big Wave Riders to the polychromatic down under pop of Deep Sea Arcade; Catfish and the Bottlemen to Foam Lake, there’s an unfathomable abyss of thalassic influence in there. So too with Girls In Hawaii, the previously confirmed Cloud Boat, Mutiny On The Bounty, Is Tropical, SHARKS and Lab Coast all in on the deal elsewhere, if you’re angling for a slot on the 2014 bill, you could seemingly do worse than to derive inspiration from time whiled away down on the beach.

Though if you’re left scratching at some of the above as though you’ve an infinity of sand granules down your proverbials, then there are some rather more familiar (and still loosely shoreline-styled) names submerged in an ever expanding bill. Fresh from this week releasing our album of the year thus far in Untogether, Raphaelle Standell-Preston and Alex Cowan who combine in becoming Blue Hawaii are due a beyond rare UK appearance that may yet transpire to be their début on our esteemed shores. And breaking free from Captured Tracks confines along with DeMarco and indeed Beach Fossils is Zachary Cole Smith, whose DIIV return having shaken things up rather vigorously last time around. Further scuzz is scheduled to ooze from every pore of their fellow Brooklyn rabble-rousers Parquet Courts, while the soothing coos of soon to be omnipresently cherished soul trio London Grammar and rimy Norwegian songstress Susanne Sundfør ought to add a little tranquility to the invigorating turbulence on offer elsewhere.

The full line up thus far for this year’s edition now looks somewhere along the lines of the below:

1975 & A Tribe Called Red & A.A. Wallace & Allah-Las & AlunaGeorge & Andy Shauf & Arcane Roots & Atlas Genius & Awaken I Am & Babe & The Balconies & Bastille & Beach Fossils & Bear’s Den & Big Wave Riders & Billy Bragg & Blackeye & Blaudzun & Blue Hawaii & Brodka & Brooke Candy & Cairo Pythian & Cairo Knife Fight & Caitlin Park & Catfish and the Bottlemen & [Champagne] & Charlie Straight & Childhood & Christine And The Queen & CHVRCHES & Cloud Boat & Concrete Knives & Cousins & Cub Scouts & Dan Croll & Dancing Years & Daniel Drumz & Darkstar & David Rodigan & Deep Sea Arcade & Del Barber & Diane & DIIV & Dingus Khan & Dinosaur Pile-Up & Drenge & Dune & Eagulls & Echo And The Empress & Ed Harcourt & Eddi Front & Elisapie & Eliza And The Bear & Eye Emma Jedi & Farao & Fimber Bravo & Findlay & Fist City & Foam Lake & Gallops & Girls in Hawaii & Golden Fable & Hactivist & Highasakite & Houndmouth & How To Dress Well & Humans & Hungry Kids Of Hungary & Husky Rescue & Iggy Azalea & Indiana & Indians & Is Tropical & Jacco Gardner & Jackie Onassis & Jagwar Ma & Jenny Hval & Joe Banfi & Kamp! & Kimberly Ann & King Krule & KINS & Kodaline & Lab Coast & Lawrence Arabia & Lewis Watson & Little Green Cars & London Grammar & Lord Huron & LostAlone & Lowell & Luke Sital-Singh & Mac DeMarco & Made In Japan & Marika Hackman & Marmozets & Mausi & Mazes & Mel Parsons & Mikal Cronin & Mø & Mo Kenney & Monophona & Mutiny On The Bounty & Murder By Death & Murmansk & Neighbourhood Youth & Nick Mulvey & NO CEREMONY/// & ON AN ON & Only Real & Owlle & Parlour & Parquet Courts & Phantom & Phosphorescent & PINKUNOIZU & Plaster & Portasound & Rah Rah & Rainy Milo & Rebekka Karijord & Royal Canoe & Rubik & Ruen Brothers & Ryan Keen & Saint Michel & San Zhi & Sarah MacDougall & Say Yes Dog & Scrufizzer & SHARKS & Skaters & Skip&Die & sleepmakeswaves & Snakadaktal & Spectres & Stevie Neale & Stonefield & Story Books & Susanne Sundfør & Superfood & Sweet Baboo & Swim Deep & Syron & Tall Ships & Teleman & Temples & The Black Heart Rebellion & The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster & The Elwins & The Griswolds & The Hounds Below & The Midnight Beast & The Naturals & The Neighbourhood & The Other Tribe & The Strypes & The Trouble With Templeton & The Upskirts & Three Trapped Tigers & Thumpers & Title Fight & To Kill A King & Toddla T & Tom Odell & Tomorrow’s World & Towns & très.B & Tripwires & Troumaca & Unknown Mortal Orchestra & UNNO & Velcro Hooks & Velociraptor & Wall. & Warm Myth & White Fence & Wolf Alice & Woods & Yan Wagner & Young Rival & Your Favourite Enemies.

The Great Escape takes place between May 16th–18th in a plethora of venues throughout Brighton. Further information is available on the official festival site, with a wide variety of ticketing options available here. DIIV on into a select playlist below, too.

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‘Despite the sibling synergy Ben and Tom share, in allowing others in – whether that be Kieran, or indeed Neneh Cherry – they’re only boosting their craft toward ever greater creative apices.’

Dots & Dashes review RocketNumberNine live in Islington alongside Four Tet.