XTRA MILE HIGH CLUB VOL. 5: SMOKIN' (SIGNED VS UNSIGNED) OUT 11 AUGUST 2014

Xtra Mile Recordings will release Xtra Mile High Club Vol. 5: Smokin’ (Signed vs Unsigned) - the fifth installment of the critically acclaimed label compilation series - on 11 August 2014. 

Split into two halves, this digital only compilation features almost every act on Xtra Mile Recordings’ roster on ‘Side A’ and an unsigned act of their choosing on ‘Side B’.

Showcasing the diversity of Xtra Mile’s musical leanings, Side A features the caustic title track from Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!; the cannonball barrage of Möngöl Hörde’s ‘Blistering Blue Barnacles’; the unmistakable roots groove of Sonic Boom Six’s ‘A Little Bit of Reggae’, and the unplugged wordplay of Ben Marwood’s ‘They Will Float Your Body Out To Sea’. You’ll get pop highs off of Rob Lynch, gruff bluntness from Beans On Toast, and synth-laden pop from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. You’ll hear from our newer signees like Billy the Kid and one of our oldest friends, Jamie Lenman. The whole spectrum.

Our acts are always discovering new music and ‘Side B’ - in keeping with Xtra Mile’s constant search and support for new and unsigned acts - comprises their recommendations of emerging artists. Included are the sublime Spring Offensive, The Lion & the Wolf, The Karma Party, Toucans, Grace Petrie & the Benefits Culture, Little Rob and The Mob and many, many more.

Joining the unsigned half of the compilation are International Departures who won the final spot with their track ‘Give Me Something’, voted for by our dedicated Xtra Mile Street Team from hundreds of entries sent to us last month. Like bumping into a dear friend unexpectedly, it turns out Henry Carden – formerly of Dartz! alongside William Anderson of current XMR band, Algiers – is the man behind International Departures.

The artwork is a snapshot taken of an active volcano and is in keeping with all previous plane/sky/space themed XMHC volume front covers. This naturally gave rise to the so-obvious-it’s-not-even-funny compilation title: Smokin’.

Look out for an XMR Hub feature which will include our bands’ reasons for choosing their unsigned counterparts and other fun Smokin’ related things.

The Xtra Mile High Club series, proudly shows off the breadth of talent on its eclectic roster. Welcome to the club… 

Full tracklisting is below:

Side A – Xtra Mile                                             

1. Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
2. Cheap Girls - Man In Question
3. Northcote - Counting Down The Days
4. Ben Marwood - They Will Float Your Body Out To Sea (Alternate Version)
5. Rob Lynch - My Friends and I
6. Billy the Kid - Yet
7. To Kill A King - Cold Skin
8. Algiers - Little Friction
9. Retrospective Soundtrack Players - Smart Girls For Talking, Morons For Dancing (Live) 
10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - As Always
11. Mull Historical Society - Why Do They Go So Soon (Home Demo)
12. Beans On Toast - Sold Out Shows
13. Crazy Arm - Black Canyon
14. Jon Snodgrass - "Song For The Groom's Friend, the friend who is the actual guy conducting the ceremony” (Exclusive Version)
15. Chris T-T & The Hoodrats - A Beaten Drum (piano version, live at St Paul's Lifestyle)
16. Franz Nicolay & The Cut Ups - To Us, The Beautiful
17. Drag The River - Marooned
18. Sonic Boom Six - A Little Bit Of Reggae
19. Jamie Lenman - Shower of Scorn
20. Oxygen Thief - con.script.shun
21. Möngöl Hörde - Blistering Blue Barnacles

Side B - Unsigned

1. The Frankl Project - A Day At The Races
2. Failures’ Union - Hard To Sea
3. Kayleigh Goldsworthy - Tennessee
4. Quiet Quiet Band - Hunter's Moon
5. The Lion & the Wolf - Ghosts On Trinity
6. PJ Bond - I'm In A Bad Way
7. Spring Offensive - Speak 
8. Toucans – Welcome To Lovers House
9. CG Whitear - Tokyo Drizzle
10. International Departures - Give Me Something (XMR competition winners)
11. Sorren Maclean - Either Way (feat. Roddy Woomble)
12. Little Rob and The Mob - Oaths
13. Brunel - Score Sheet
14. Gasoline Heart - Love Let Her Go
15. Grace Petrie & The Benefits Culture - The Redundancy Hymn
16. Emilyn Brodsky - Someone Belongs Here
17. Jonathan Coody - I Just Gotta Know
18. The Karma Party - World War
19. CeCe - These Four Walls
20. Strange Planes - Sharpen Your Teeth
21. Samoans - The Moth

MONGOL HORDE UK TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED // ALBUM OUT NOW

MONGOL HORDE IS MORE THAN A BAND. MONGOL HORDE IS A MOVEMENT. MONGOL HORDE IS AN INVASION. 

That's not actually true. Möngöl Hörde is a band. We don't really want to talk about it. 

Mongol Horde's self-titled first album is out now. Listen to opening track 'Make Way' here and ‘Blistering Blue Barnacles’ here. 

Enjoy it, or don't. Stop fucking asking questions.

Catch them on tour on the following dates:

Support from Palehorse and Oxygen Thief

JUNE
19 Birmingham @ The Institute - Library
20 Newcsatle @ Academy 2
21 Leeds @ Cockpit
22 Bristol @ Fleece
23 Portsmouth @ Wedgewood Rooms
25 London @ Garage
27 Nottingham @ Rock City Basement
28 Manchester @ Academy 3
29 Glasgow @ King Tuts

AUGUST
22-24 Reading/Leeds Festival

Mongol Horde, the album, features the tracks ‘Casual Threats From Weekend Hardmen’, ‘How The Communists Ruined Christmas’ and current track ‘Blistering Blue Barnacles’. It is available on CD, download and limited edition white vinyl.

Buy the album at the following retail outlets:

Xtra Mile / iTunes / Amazon / Banquet

mongolhorde.co.uk

OXYGEN THIEF "SHOW US YOUR TEES" VIDEO PROJECT

There are good videos and there are bad videos. And then, there are REALLY good videos that are usually simple, fun and a firm, memorable statement to boot.

In his new clip for 'Badge of Dishonour', Barry Dolan (AKA Oxygen Thief) wears every band t-shirt and hoodie he owns, crafting a rapid-fire journey of his musical tastes using only his (no doubt chiselled) torso. You can watch the video exclusively at Punktastic - check it out there!

Barry Dolan, on his lonesome.

There's some insanely good stuff in the video, from the 'Ugly Organ'-era Cursive hoodie and t-shirt combo to a highly appropriate, classic "the only person in my band is me" Frank Turner tee. He even dons an Xtra Mile 10 t-shirt, just to show all other clothes how it's done.

A lot of the fun is in spotting which bands he likes that you also happen to think are great: Brand New, glassjaw, Desaparacidos, Möngöl Hörde, Reuben, Say Anything and Ben Marwood caught my attention.

Which got us thinking: perhaps you lot have a killer band t-shirt collection between you? There's an astonishing amount of merch on show in Barry's clip, and the only way we can beat this prolific sartorial feat, really, is if we gather footage of all of YOU clad in your favourite band merch.

Whether you use Instagram or Vine, record/photo yourself posing in your best or most obscure or disarmingly-garish band coverings, use the hashtag #OTShirts, and we'll combine them into one supreme effort to beat Barry's impressive throw down. Share them with us on Facebook and Twitter (@Xtra_Mile / @XMRUSA), and on Instagram (@xtramilerecordings) and we'll gather them into one amalgam of awesome at a later date on XMR Hub. We bet you all look lovely.

Barry doesn't expect to be beaten by any one person of course, but we'd be impressed if you can match or exceed Barry's number of separate merch items on your own. Do you reckon you can trump Barry's Xtra Mile collection (it's pretty lame, considering)? How many of Barry's t-shirts do you own as well? Wanna do a mirror image of the video and compare?  We'd like to see those too, if you can.

Together, we can create the best video ever made. Seriously. Let's do this!

OXYGEN THIEF TO RELEASE NEW ACOUSTIC EP ON 24 MARCH // NEW SOLO AND FULL-BAND TOUR DATES

Oxygen Thief returns to his acoustic roots with new 5-track EP One Day This Will All Be Fields released through Xtra Mile Recordings on 24th March 2014.

Following his first full-band release Accidents Do Not Happen, They Are Caused in December 2013, Barry Dolan (AKA Oxygen Thief) has switched to his previous (dis)comfort zone of "one man genre" aggressive acoustic riffery. Armed with over an album's worth of new songs, he chose five to lead the charge ahead of a full record, likely to follow in the summer.

“Some of the tracks will end up being re-interpreted by the band in the same way that older ones were for ADNHTAC, while the rest will only be on the EP. In a way, I see the acoustic recordings as being the ‘proper’ versions of the songs, and anything we do with them later on will be embellishments. When we started the band, we agreed that I wouldn’t change anything about the way I wrote; all the songs would start out solo acoustic, I’d perform and record them that way, and we would then see where switching to electric guitar would take them.”

— Barry Dolan

Those buying the CD edition, or downloading directly from Xtra Mile Recordings, will receive two bonus tracks - a cover of 'Suckerpunch' by The Wildhearts ("my favourite song ever, containing my favourite riff ever" - Barry) and live favourite 'On Your Easy Marks, Get Set, Go', a tale of political frustration and ideological betrayal in the form of a furious singalong.

The new EP was recorded at The Old Blacksmith's Studios, where the full-band mini-album was birthed. It's a contrast from the early days of recording solo at home, the preferred studio for the three-way split EP ('!@*#' or 'Exclamation At Asterisk Hash') in 2009 with Ben Marwood and Jim Lockey, and Oxygen Thief's first foray with Xtra Mile. Since that frothing introduction, Barry has taken his furious steel-string slashing on tour with Frank Turner, Jamie Lenman, Ben Marwood, Jonah Matranga and punctuated festival lineups at T in the Park, 2000Trees and ArcTanGent.

Oxygen Thief has also announced a prized support slot, with full-band, for InMe in May, to add to Barry's solo shows in March and April.

InMe dates

MAY
09 Southampton @ Talking Heads
10 Plymouth @ White Rabbit
11 Bristol @ The Fleece
12 Birmingham @ The Flapper
13 Nottingham @ Rock City
14 Glasgow @ Audio
15 Sheffield @ Corporation
16 Manchester @ Sound Control
17 London @ Islington Academy

@oxygenthiefyeah / www.facebook.com/oxygenthief666 / www.oxygenthiefmusic.com