Two Spot Gobi
Album: The Sun Will Rise
Label: Independent
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.twospotgobi.com

Second studio album from the Brighton based alternative pop band recorded over two months in the heat of the 2011 Californian summer.

Their rise to wider recognition came as a result of intervention from no less than Jason Mraz, who after spotting them playing in a Plymouth bar back in 2007 took them on his extensive US and European tours as openers for his shows in 2009.

The latest album 'The Sun Will Rise' is produced by the legendary producer Niko Bolas, whose past collaborations have been with with Neil Young, Regina Spektor and John Mayer.

The album is a well produced mix of soulful 'feelgood' pop, breezy in the main breezy with a few laidback moments. Think Jack Johnson meets Coldplay and you're in the ball park.

Two tracks previously released as singles are included on the album 'You Make it Easy' and 'Guiding Star'.

The tracks featured on 'The Sun Will Rise' capture Two Spot Gobi at most creative. The band were given free rein in the studio while in California and when not recording, spent their time surfing and relaxing at the beach. "The tracks are breezy and laidback, so it made so much sense to record it in such a mellow atmosphere and at our own pace," frontman James Robinson explains. "Our time in Oceanside was pure magic, it was a defining moment for us, we literally lived and breathed the record and you definitely hear it in the finished product."

The band recently embarked upon a tour of secondary schools, playing shows and providing music workshops for the students. Teaching young people about the ongoing role music can play in their lives, Two Spot Gobi have been overwhelmed with the response from the students and staff who have been blown away by the generosity of the group, the unusual line up of instruments, including cello and trumpet, and the impact they have as positive role models. The band plan on embarking on a full schools later this year.

Phil Carter