Review: Sudden Death of Stars - All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown

I've been a fan of Sudden Death of Stars since I caught their debut album Getting Up, Going Down and it
was a real pleasure to catch them live in December in Rennes last year, one of the (many) highlights of the visit to the city during the Transmusicales and Bars en Trans events.

It doesn't get much better than a great band in a packed venue in front of a local crowd.

So I was looking forward to their new release, All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown, which came out last month on Ample Play Records. Although when you look forward to a release there's always a bit of a worry that it doesn't quite live up to expectations.

But no worries here, this collection hits the spot and more.

The Void opens with a languid early Pink Floyd feel, all sitars and wide spaces, but the's a more muscular garage vibe to other tracks.

It's a psychedelic collection for sure, but Sudden Death of Stars don't get too hung up on recreating the past.
Nor are they too worried about whether or not it's what the 2014 hipster feels they should be listening too either. It's playful and fun, exactly like it should be.

All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown stand as a colourful and imaginative work of any time, whether in the West Coast of the USA in 1965 or on the West Coast of France in 2015.

Time to get an order in for a copy on vinyl.

Fingers crossed that their next one is a double or triple vinyl full-on concept album.

Sudden Death of Stars: Live in the UK

This weekend and next week sees audience in the UK getting the chance to see one of France's finest new
bands live, with Sudden Death of Stars playing a number of dates across the UK.

The Rennes-based psych pop act are playing ahead of the release of their new album All Unrevealed Parts of the Unknown on March 11.

It's their second album, and it comes out on Ample Play Records, a label set up by Tjinder Singh and Ben Ayres of Cornershop.

I saw them live in December in Rennes during the Bars en Trans festival, and their carefully-crafted studio work certainly retains its charm in a live environment.

They are in Liverpool at the Shipping Forecast tonight, Feb 28, Edinburgh The Wee Red Bar on Saturday March 1 and in Glasgow at Stereo on Sunday March 2.

Dates continue at Manchester Band on the Wall on March 4, Bristol on March 5 and London's The Old Blue Last on March 6.

They play Halifax Doghouse on March 7 and Preston The Ferret on March 8 before heading over to France, where they play a number of shows including one in Paris at Espace B on March 14, and homecoming show at the 1988 Live CLub in Rennes on March 15.

Beat Mark: Breeezing!

A cracking tune by Paris-based four piece Beat Mark, the single Breeezing! released exactly a year ago
today.

Breeezing! sounds like a classic song you've been aware of for ages but have only just heard properly for the first time.  There's something familiar about it that you just can't put your finger on, but it's uniquely fresh at the same time.

The track comes  from their album Howls of Joy which came out on February last year on Ample Play records, a label founded by Tjinder Singh & Ben Ayres from Cornershop.

Apparently Tjinder came across the band entirely by chance during a  holiday in Paris.

More recently they released a split  festive single with Sudden Death of Stars just before Christmas, Beat Mark providing the song Christmas Blossom.  They are currently working  on new material, hopefully we'll hear more before too long.

The Sudden Death of Stars: Inside Out and Halcyon Days

Two new tracks from the forthcoming Sudden Death of Stars album, which is due out on March 10.

The band, from Rennes, were one of the bands I was lucky enough to catch live on my recent visit to the city, when they played as part of the Bars en Trans festival, an event that takes place in bars and nighclubs across the city at the same time as the Rencontres Trans Musicales festival at the Liberté and Parc Expo events.

Bars en Trans was a much lower key event, but with a vigorous lineup of acts at a wide variety of venues.

While the acts may not have been as widely known as the likes of Stromae,  the smaller venues gave a much-deserved platform for emerging talent.

Sudden Death of Stars were one of the bands I managed to catch,  and I have to say I was pretty surprised as I was listening to them towards the end of 2012, never imagining I'd have the chance to catch them live on their home turf a year later.  A real pleasure.

Anyway, their new album -their second- All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown comes out on Ample Play Records, with live shows in Liverpool (Feb 28) and March (March 4). They play in Paris on Friday March 14 and in Rennes at the 1988 Live club in March 15 if you're lucky enough to be in the area.

You can listen to two tracks here on the Quietus website.