Air Castles
Encyclopedia
Air Castles is a British
indie pop
band, based in London
, England
, formed in 2008.
, Max Mansson. Produced by Magnus Lindberg of Cult Of Luna
, the debut EP
, Night and Day, was released later that year on Mansson's own label Winter Hymns Records. The Guardian
described the release as "spirited, piano driven melancholia...well worth hearing". The music magazine, Rock Sound
, labelled the debut effort "fantastic", and referred to it as "sublime crystalline indie ... that will appeal to fans of Jeniferever, Sigur Rós, Death Cab For Cutie and Band of Horses alike". Their track, "Broken Watches", was used in the DVS Skate & Create 2009 skateboard video, attracting a following on YouTube
.
Encouraged by the positive response to the EP, Mansson started writing new songs for an album, while establishing a live set-up together with Luke South and Jonathan Rogers, both of whom now form the band together with Mansson.
Air Castles have performed alongside Shout Out Louds
, Peter Bjorn and John
, Shearwater
, The Pipettes
, and toured Europe in 2011 with the Swedish indie pop
band, Last Days of April
. Air Castles performed at Glastonbury Festival
in 2011, as one of the bands invited to play the BBC Introducing
stage.
Their debut album, Lights, was recorded in 2010, and all instruments and vocals featured were performed by Mansson, apart from drums and percussion which were by Magnus Lindberg. The album was produced by Mansson and Lindberg, at Tonteknik Recording in Umeå
, Sweden
.
'Gold' is the first single to be taken from the album, and was released on 12 September 2011 on Winter Hymns Records.
Air Castles is on the roster of international artist booking agency Pitch & Smith, and Mansson signed a publishing contract
in 2011 with Mars Music AB.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band, based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, formed in 2008.
History
Air Castles started as the solo project of then 19-year-old Swedish-born singer-songwriterSinger-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, Max Mansson. Produced by Magnus Lindberg of Cult Of Luna
Cult of Luna
Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå. They formed from the remnants of a Umeå hardcore punk band called Eclipse in 1998. They slowly garnered critical appreciation and underground popularity with early releases Cult of Luna and The Beyond ; however, it is 2004's Salvation that can...
, the debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Night and Day, was released later that year on Mansson's own label Winter Hymns Records. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described the release as "spirited, piano driven melancholia...well worth hearing". The music magazine, Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
, labelled the debut effort "fantastic", and referred to it as "sublime crystalline indie ... that will appeal to fans of Jeniferever, Sigur Rós, Death Cab For Cutie and Band of Horses alike". Their track, "Broken Watches", was used in the DVS Skate & Create 2009 skateboard video, attracting a following on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Encouraged by the positive response to the EP, Mansson started writing new songs for an album, while establishing a live set-up together with Luke South and Jonathan Rogers, both of whom now form the band together with Mansson.
Air Castles have performed alongside Shout Out Louds
Shout Out Louds
Shout Out Louds are an indie rock band from Stockholm, Sweden.The group has toured with bands such as The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Magic Numbers, The Rosebuds, The Essex Green, and Johnossi...
, Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John
Peter Bjorn and John are a Swedish indie rock band, formed in Stockholm in 1999 and named after the first names of the band's members: Peter Morén , Björn Yttling and John Eriksson .They are best known for the 2006 single "Young Folks", which...
, Shearwater
Shearwater
Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 30 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus...
, The Pipettes
The Pipettes
The Pipettes are a British indie pop girl group formed in 2003 in Brighton by "svengali" Robert "Monster Bobby" Barry. The group has released two albums, We Are the Pipettes, and Earth vs...
, and toured Europe in 2011 with the Swedish indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band, Last Days of April
Last Days of April
-History:Last Days of April formed in 1996. The band found some underground success with their first demo release. A full-length was issued in 1997, then an EP on Bad Taste Records in 1998. Their sophomore effort, Rainmaker, was released in both Europe and Japan , and the group toured with The...
. Air Castles performed at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in 2011, as one of the bands invited to play the BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing
BBC Introducing is the brand for new music programmes across the BBC radio stations, showcasing unsigned, self signed and other emerging musical talent primarily from the UK. Launched in 2007 the Introducing brand brings programming from across the BBC under a unified brand with each show retaining...
stage.
Their debut album, Lights, was recorded in 2010, and all instruments and vocals featured were performed by Mansson, apart from drums and percussion which were by Magnus Lindberg. The album was produced by Mansson and Lindberg, at Tonteknik Recording in Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
'Gold' is the first single to be taken from the album, and was released on 12 September 2011 on Winter Hymns Records.
Air Castles is on the roster of international artist booking agency Pitch & Smith, and Mansson signed a publishing contract
Publishing contract
A publishing contract is a legal contract between a publisher and a writer or author , to publish written material by the writer or author...
in 2011 with Mars Music AB.
Discography
- Night and Day EP (Winter Hymns Records, 2008)
- Gold - single (Winter Hymns Records, 2011)