IPX No. 3
The Heavy Blinkers &
Orwell

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What the press have said:

The Heavy Blinkers, Better Weather:
"Twelve slices of melodic melancholia from Canadian sunshine popsters who occupy emotional ground between Dusty In Memphis and late-period Beach Boys.
Better Weather is an album of sophisticated white soul, simply recorded but brimming with ingenious arrangements and complex harmonic blends ." - Uncut

"The Heavy Blinkers manage to infuse their obviously Wilson-inspired pop with an edge that stands to compliment, not rely on, their influences. The beautiful vocal interplay between Ruth Minnikin, Jason McIsaac and Andrew Watt being one of the most appealing aspects of the album, but surely not its sole worth. The jazzy swing of one of the album's few ballads, "I Used to be a Design," is a stunning addition, as is the e6-ish charge of single "Helicopter Blues." - Coke Machine Glow

Orwell, Following Days / Des Lendemains:
"Orwell operate in that chilled pop setting that seems to demand elegantly worn-out suits, semi-expensive drinks and a casually sedated crowd -- and, with typical French charm, still retaining both some sort of substance and warmth. How on earth do they do that? Well, Orwell's manner is playing great pop melodies rendered with laid back gentleness and a solid sense of pure pop perfectionism that always leave room for spontaneity and melodic looseness.
Check out opening cut and first single "Toutes les nouvelles parlent d'hier," a shimmering slab of pop sparkling with casual brilliance and easiness. " - Ink19

"With their first album, following days , Nancy-based band Orwell joins the soft revolution. Like Moon Safari -era Air, the threesome makes '60s-influenced pop with analogue electronic ornamentations. Orwell is more traditionalist than its compatriots, though; the group eschews Air's meandering instrumentals for vocal-based songs. Orwell doesn't share Air's ironic distance, either, revealing a sincerity that sometimes seems lacking in Gallic retro-pop. Orwell certainly wears its affection for the past on its sleeve: " Toutes les nouvelles parlent d'hier ", the album's opener, loosely translates as, "All the news is about yesterday". The track is a pastiche of '60s pop sounds, from its percussive handclaps, to its swelling strings and moody psychedelic harmonies. Throughout the album, Orwell continues to draw on classic pop, creating a dreamy, warm sound that's comforting and familiar." - Pop Matters