5 Notts Albums to Listen to This June

Hallouminati
Tonight is Heavy
Album (Batov Records)

Do you like music that sounds like the climax of a nineties Guy Ritchie film? Do you like feeling like you're at a Sicilian mafia wedding? Or standing in line for a pirate-themed kiddy's ride? Fuggeddabouddit, that's just the intro track. The album's second track quickly drops into a very busy dub-carnival number, with rolling drums and plenty of brass fanfare. Close your eyes and you could be dancing the streets of Rio or riding a unicycle while juggling fireballs with a bunch of clowns. Unafraid of exploring different sounds from across the world, Hallouminati stray between Middle Eastern, Balkan and Brazilian flavours seamlessly. Trumpet flares are present throughout the album, alongside the electric guitar and strums of the bouzouki by main man, Emilious Georgiou-Pavli. His vocals also get a switch-up, moving from bursts of rapid singing to spoken verses in The Bufdoon. But this purposeful racket enjoys some softer moments too, like the percussion on Koqatwo, which isn’t dissimilar to the sound of a metal spoon being tapped delicately on the base of a glass; it’s a delight for the eardrums. As is normally the case with party-starting bands like Hallouminati, there are a couple of reggae and ska numbers in there which would make fantastic driving tunes. The variety of styles demonstrates Hallouminati’s musicianship and understanding of what makes a cracking album. In all, these tunes do bits to convince us to quit our day jobs and join a circus. Meet you in the big top. Ashwin Balu and Emily Thursfield

Lone
Ambivert Tools Volume Three
EP (R&S Records)

Producer extraordinaire Matt Cutler is now three EPs deep in to his Ambivert Tools series that sees him creating breezy, atmospheric house crafted specifically with the dancefloor in mind. The two tracks on this instalment throw back to the halcyon days of dance music. The psychedelic, trance-like Temples is based around a clattering breakbeat percussive sample which Lone uses to build an array of textures upon; pulsating and shimmering synth lines shoot across the track like rapid-firing synapses, while the eastern-flavoured flute sample that weaves in and out gives it that authentic-nineties, one-love, new-age, partying-out-in-a-field vibe. Hyper Seconds continues the woozy throwback rave; a mind-spangling kaleidoscope of synth lines lift the song further and further upwards towards some sort of euphoric utopia in the sky before piledriving back down to earth and crash landing with a satisfying bludgeoning close. Paul Klotschkow

Monumentals
Irregular Head
Album (Self-released)

When Cult of Dom Keller took a break in 2017 after touring their third album, two of its members, Ryan and Neil, decided to use the downtime to try out some new ideas and flex their creative muscles. From listening to Irregular Head, it’s obvious that the time away from their main band has opened up a whole new avenue of musical ideas to explore. Based around a loose concept of soundtracking imaginary films – specifically those of the David Lynch variety – Irregular Head is a far-out and far-reaching musical journey that explores the outer galaxies of the musical cosmos, referencing musical genres like krautrock, drone and primitive electronica. However, many of the songs, such as the glowing Berliner, drift and float within their own worlds, unmoored from conventional structures. A refreshing and rewarding listen for those with an adventurous ear, Monumentals feel like they could become something more than a side-project. Paul Klotschkow

Nadia Rae
YOLO
EP (Self-released)

YOLO cements Nadia Rae’s reputation as one of Nottingham’s finest r’n’b and soul singers. This EP has got it all, taking the listener along on her musical journey from upbeat groove through to the emotional highs and lows she experiences along the way. The control and passion in Nadia’s voice is admirable, and as a listener, it is impossible not to share in her experiences; we feel the power and devotion behind every single word. Nadia’s music is well made; she produces a soulful balance of classic r ‘n’ b style backing beats and rhythms, blended with her own vocals. In particular, Good Love has an incredibly catchy rhythm – it would fit right in as a late night club track, all the way to a chill out tune for the car playlist. Nadia Rae is a name you have to watch; she’s making Nottingham proud. Rachael Halaburda

You Want Fox
Reverse The Curse
Album (Inflight Music Distribution)

Look online and you’ll see a bunch of lazy comparisons about this band. The worst being that You Want Fox “are a female Royal Blood.” You Want Fox are as musically close to the cap-wearing H&M blues-rock of Royal Blood as they are to a sack of spuds. Yes, they may be a two-piece made up of drums and guitar, but that’s where the comparison ends. You Want Fox’s pedigree – they were formally the rhythm section in snarling punk band The Smears – means that on Reverse The Curse, the band’s debut album, they combine punk’s bratty attitude with their obvious love for pop; especially evident on the breezy, sugar rush of recent single Low Low Low. Elsewhere, Fright Night marries their grungy fuzz to a seventies chug, while Begin The Beginning’s droning rumble is a welcome change of tempo towards the end. Paul Klotschkow