Canola Tenderfoot
'The Light Still Flickers'
(Self-Released EP 2009)

A welcome return for one of B365's personal favourites, Canola Tenderfoot follow up their debut album Winning Is For Losers with a free EP available from their website. The ethereal sound they honed on that release is surprisingly toughened up here; it's evident there's been some serious work undertaken in galvanising the beats of producer Owen Canola. On Lock Out this works very well, with the sensual vocals of Viki Canola snaking around frenetic drumwork and buzzing keys, yet still reflecting the sparse, candlelit warmth prevalent on their debut.

Nothing Set In Stone harks back to the Canlola Tenderfoot of old, with breathless shards of vocal and melody intertwined in a looping groove that more acerbic critics might label indicative of the genre that dare not speak its name, t**p h*p. But if you strip away the accumulated baggage that comes with a name like that, what are we left with? Simply put, Canola Tenderfoot reference the finer elements of downtempo electronica and twist it into their own strange shapes, and it sounds all the better for it.

Whilst Nothing Set In Stone and Play On might sit with the more orthodox material from their debut, Lock Out and Vilnius speak of a fresh direction which is maybe thanks in part to Owen's growing confidence as a producer through other remix projects. With a sharper, darker approach to beats and vocals, both these tracks are definitely the stronger of the four presented here. If you haven't picked up their debut album it comes highly recommended, and in the meantime download this EP to get to know the Canola Tenderfoot way.




Canola Tenderfoot - Vilnius (Version)



Canola Tenderfoot - Play On



Canola Tenderfoot - Lock Out



Canola Tenderfoot - Nothing Set In Stone

DOWNLOADS

Canola Tenderfoot - Vilnius (Version)
Canola Tenderfoot - Play On
Canola Tenderfoot - Lock Out
Canola Tenderfoot - Nothing Set In Stone

Full EP Zip file with all four tracks and artwork

FFI: Canola Tenderfoot Website

BUY: Canola Tenderfoot - Winning Is For Losers

There's been a wealth of amazing material coming through recently from various corners of Bristol so here's a lickle BUG round up of some of the best albums and mixtapes coming through at the moment.

CANOLA TENDERFOOT - "Winning Is For Losers"

No stranger to these pages, and this has been out since late last year, but it deserves another mention as it's such a beautiful album - everything about it is perfect, the atmosphere, the vocals, the production - don't sleep on this gem!

Buy via Malicious Damage Records

Buy via iTunes



KOAST - "The Koast Is Clear"

This one has been a long time coming, but well worth the wait...Bristol's Hip Hop heritage is strong and is enjoying a bit of a renaissance at the moment; one of the main MCs pushing things forward is KOAST. Simply put this is one of the best Hip Hop releases for a while, forget about local pride or bias...every single track on here in terms of beats and lyrics is pitch perfect - an incredible effort from an artist who has been paying his dues for a long time, surely his time is now.

Download via Chemical Records


B'TOL & JAGOS - "Something's What We've Done"

Another artist with a long pedigree in the game has also come good with their long-awaited release, B'Tol & Jagos again prove why Bristol has such a strong reputation in Hip Hop circles. A genuinely engaging album (which is getting rarer in this genre of music), the production is on point and both the subject matter and delivery is constantly impressive. A high benchmark set for others to follow!

Download via Chemical Records

AWKWARD - "Atomic Lock"

Absolutely without doubt one of the true figureheads of Bristol Hip Hop, Awkward has been deep in the business for many an year and is still standing tall, still hitting hard with jaw-dropping music. Here he drops latest offering "Atomic Lock" - a totally free download LP which is amazing quality from start to finish. You have zero excuse not to get on this - so click the link and get those beats!

Download it for free!

PHAELEH - "Inside E.P."

Another BUG favourite releases his debut effort and it's fundamentally some of the best dubstep you'll hear all year. A producer with a really unique sound, Phaeleh is going to be huge, it's just a matter of time. Bristol is so far ahead of the game in dubstep production it's not even in this century anymore.

Buy via Chemical Records

Buy via Digital Tunes

Also keep an eye out for the release of the "Emancipation EP" from Grime's best young MC, BUGGSY. We'll let you know when that's dropping....should be soon!

A little heads up for those who like something to feast their eyes on as well as their ears. BUG is a big fan of the mighty Canola Tenderfoot, who after a lot of hard work are on the cusp of releasing their fantastic debut album "Winning Is For Losers" on Malicious Damage Records. So to celebrate, they're hosting an album launch party at SOHO on 10/11/07 which will have on display videos exclusively made by a huge roster of talented local film-makers, one for each song on the album. Canola Tenderfoot will be taking to the decks as well to keep your ears warm, alongside Jon Kennedy amongst others. Make sure you purchase yourself a copy of the album on it's release from Monday, and here for your enjoyment is a few stills from the video David Wright did for the band. Doors open at 9pm, £3 entry.