Azrock and Pogo
Ripon, England, United Kingdom
Music
Press
These are some of the comments from the SliceThePie reviewing scouts:
------ I’ll Wait Here ------
“There is nothing to hold this track back – it is good, saleable and has every likelihood of being a smash hit.”
“That voice is so heartfelt, I felt very emotional after listening to this song. The effect is just overwhelming.”
“The whole song is beautiful.”
“This is an awesome track.”
“Once the vocals start this song takes on a truly beautiful appearance, stunning.”
“Great song, great voice, loved this one, really stood out from the crowd and nice to have something which I really enjoyed, reminds me of Kate Bush meets Portishead.”
“With an awesome female voice comes an awesome song.”
“This song really is a theatrical piece of music, it’s a whole event from start to end and you have to listen to it closely to appreciate it, it’s a wonderful performance musically but more so vocally.”
------ Wha Cha Gonna Do? ------
“Fallen in love with this band. Incredible vocalist. So individual and lyrically strong. Nothing like this in the music scene at the moment and should take it by storm.”
“What a sexual beginning that makes want to sway my hips around. I really like the jazz vibe I am getting, it`s like I am in the club listening to this band live. Recording quality is great and you can see that this band is very talented and one of the few bands on the slice the pie that has something unique and marketable.”
“What can I say apart from brilliant. You have the makings of a star. Great singing, excellent backing music with a great rhythm and the lyrics are really good and have nice hooks.”
“Main vocal sounds great. I like the powerful sounding voice you have. Really rocks the speakers! The melody is catchy and is one I could listen to repeatedly. Love the song.”
“Sounded awesome!”
“A beautiful and sensual female vocal that opens this song is getting better every time I hear it. Real talent and MTV material is what this band has.”
“The arrangement is brilliant, a great overall performance.”
------ Forbidden Love ------
“This song is steamy and soft like an incantation. If there was a song that epitomised a love potion, this would be it.”
“First class professional sound - commercial enough - but also edgy - great songwriting, production and recording - hard to believe you need to be on STP - surely you are on tour and have a deal - tip for you - great song.”
“The artist has this voice that can creep into the ears of the audience and really fall for it.”
“This is great success for the band because this vibe is very hard to get.”
“The vocals simply rock!”
“I think this band may have something a bit special.”
“An excellent song. The vocals are amazing. The track really flows and the tempo is brilliant. Fantastic song.”
“Heart-throbbing music. I am loving it.”
“Everything about this song is fantastic.”
- SliceThePie.com
By Steve
A big chunky slice of warm piano and some soft strings pave the way for the most fantastic vocal in the intro to 'I'll Wait Here' from Azrock and Pogo.
In it's entirety, this song has the hallmarks of a Massive Attack tune with a hauntingly sparse musical track and the most beautiful female lead vocal you're ever likely to hear.
This song is as good as it gets and you really need to hear it to truly appreciate how fantastic this song really is. - http://www.the-mag.me.uk/Music/Articles/Item/Azrock-and-Pogo-Ill-Wait-Here/
Spanning from grandiose, bombastic instrumentation to ambient electronic grooves, rugged guitar riffs and sumptuous vocals that combine moments of sweeping emotionality with sultry passages redolent of contemporary R’N’B, London based conceptual duo Azrock and Pogo seemingly have few qualms about flouting convention; whether it be in musical style, business model, or that sadly crucial consideration in our current musical climate, image. In a move that would scarcely have seemed anachronistic in the prog-dominated age of lengthy concept albums and twenty minute flute solos, Azrock and Pogo plan to release their music in conjunction with an ongoing narrative concerning the exploits of the two eponymous fictional characters, as they journey through a dystopian near future world, searching for love and inspiration in a hopeless, dying land. (Or at least that’s how I’ve viewed their prospective tale, doubtlessly there’s a degree of personal interpretation involved.)
While the music is of course central to the band’s audacious masterplan, ‘I’ll Wait Here,’ ‘Wha’cha Gonna Do?’ and ‘Forbidden Love’ show an ability to move, emote and energize which could well see them graduate from the underground in the future to squint in the blinding light of mainstream recognition; and as their grasp on musical fundamentals is impressive, it’s hard to see them failing as long as they are prepared to expend the time and hard graft required to continue the lengthy climb. It’s unlikely to appeal to all, but a cult audience is all but guaranteed for the band’s formative years, and as for the future? We can only speculate. One small piece of advice though... don’t bet against them.
by Rob S - http://www.rockpulse.co.uk/azrockreview.html
"Delicately classical piano, muted rock guitar, electro synths and delightfully etherial vocals (with a range and timbre reminiscent of early Kate Bush) soar effortlessly over beautifully rendered production values, creating vast cinematic soundscapes. Azrock & Pogo have taken the classic 90's 'Bristol Sound' and worked it up a gear. With all the down-tempo flava you'd expect but with an 'electro-pop-meets-Tricky' twist. However, just as you're riding the 'mellow city' train, they pull into 'funk central station' and the vocals whack you with as much gutsy power as you can handle, with a massive brass section in tow. This is a band that just makes you want to set your iPod to 'repeat' as you bask in its sexy vocals and infectious, chilled, funky groove. Delicious. One of the most impressive and slick sounding bands I've heard in a while. Astonishing they're not signed yet! (but I suspect it won't be for long)."
Jools Slater. The Fox's Den Show. Vixen101. (101.8FM) - http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=104548608&blogId=517369837
Discography
They have a three songs EP available featuring the songs:
--- I'll Wait Here
--- Wha'Cha Gonna Do?
--- Forbidden Love.
I'll Wait Here was awarded finalist position in the 2009 UK Songwriting Contest (ie - top 2% of over 6,000 songs), as well as making the final five of the September 2009 world-wide 'Song Of The Year' contest (top 0.3%).
They are currently featured in a www.slicethepie.com fundraising showcase (top ten rated bands out of thousands) and are top of the fundraising leaderboard, expected to reach full finance to produce their album by early 2010.
These achievements are all the more astounding considering they didn't exist a year ago! Discover more about the world of Azrock and Pogo at www.azrockandpogo.co.uk.
Photos
Bio
Ice-cool trip-hop grooves, hauntingly beautiful lullabies, super-funky dance and strutting hard rock, all created in a studio hundreds of feet under London by an eccentric grim-reaper lookalike inventor and a beautiful homeless orphan girl with the voice of an angel. You will love Azrock and Pogo!
Their enchanting and imaginatively illustrated story is posted to their website a chapter at a time. Their songs are born from and build on the story and they have the first of many music videos in pre-production, which will tie all the music, story, characters and imagery together with stunning animation.
If that wasn't enough they also have a unique approach to the business side of the industry. Fans can invest in their productions (currently fundraising is well under way for their debut album) and in return get a stake in all Azrock & Pogo's activities (album and single sales digital & physical, vinyl sales, publishing, synchronisation, licensing, merchandising, film rights, etc). In this way they hope to have life long love affairs with their fans and live and die by their approval.
The music speaks for itself and has the notable quality of having universal appeal (all age-groups, all genres) while still being original and inspiring.
Links