Northwest Music News – 3 Dec: Kiran Leonard, Howes

Kiran Leonard signs to Moshi Moshi; previews second LP with 16-minute track

While Bowler Hat Soup, his 2013 LP for Hand of Glory Records, was undoubtedly ambitious, the then teenage Kiran Leonard managed to pack his litany of influences into short, sharp bursts that were digestible enough to find their way onto the radio – Marc Riley and 6 Music particularly keen fans. One might've expected then that, having this week announced his signing to Moshi Moshi, the Saddleworth-based multi-instrumentalist would continue to burrow a path towards the taste of BBC Music's producers; however Leonard appears to have done the opposite, debuting a mighty 16 minute-long track that pulls in everything from Cap 'n' Jazz and the Enablers, to moments of solo disquiet and rough, raw drone as it marauds over several sections, before winding down breathlessly and off-balance. It promises much for his forthcoming LP, Grapefruit, which comes out in March next year.

Debut album from techno producer Howes on the way

It's been a long wait for Manchester-based techno protege Howes debut album, after the 22 year-old initially caught the imagination with debut EP TD-W700 on Melodic Records in 2013. It looks like being worth the wait though, and Melodic have just announced that Howes' 3.5 Degrees will be released to the world on 15 Jan, revealing the first track from it in the process. Overeen is an advancement on the producer's fledgling work in many ways, some of the teenage exuberance of old may have gone, but more consideration doesn't necessarily mean less fun, with the track built around, uhh, melodic intricacies to fill out across a buoyant rhythm that gradually ups the ante. 

Groves feature on new split 12"

Previously featured early in the year for the scything post-hardcore of Frack The Shit Out Of It, south Manchester-dwelling trio Groves have a split 12" out this coming weekend with Leeds noise rockers Pink Rick. You can have a listen to their side of it below, which operates at a sinister chug, leaning more towards the grungier spectrum of the group's reliably grizzled sound. 

Songs For Walter's debut LP getting a release on Akoustik Anarkhy

A fixture within Manchester's folk and independent scene for a number of years, Songs For Walter – the moniker of Laurie Hulme — has finally gained a vinyl release through long-standing local indie Akoustik Anarkhy in collaboration with Bleeding Gold and Microcultures. Coming out on Jan 22, the album is a collection of songs written about his Grandad, recalling curious tales from brushes with communism to his scepticism of space travel. It's no surprise that Hulme is putting on a night in homage to Smog / Bill Callahan next week, because his own material drips with the influence of the stalwart American songwriter. 

Digital Crate Digging

Locean – Traine (Tesla Tapes)

For those who've caught them live over the past two years, the ever-evolving collective of Locean have been one of the most thrilling, uncompromising live bands on the Manchester circuit. Based around the poetry of Roy Fischer prize winning poet Lauren Bolger, the group constantly stand at the abyss of drone rock, shows either visceral presentations in riff-laden fury, or spiralling off towards more eseoteric and experimental plains, always with the sense – and yet never quite – of implosion. Traine is a snapshot of what was supposedly a pretty mighty recording session with producer John Tatlock, and does an impressive job at capturing the unpredictable chaos of the group across its 27 minutes.