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Showing posts from February 28, 2016

Genre Wander: Exploded View - Kate Brown - Rosie Carney - Future Haunts

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Exploded View – No More Parties in the Attic. Background promo - At SXSW, Mexico City/Berlin-based, Exploded View will be unveiled by US Label, Sacred Bones, fronted by German/Bristol political- journalist-turned-musician/singer Anika who released her self-titled debut album in collaboration with Geoff Barrow’s Invada imprint and Stones Throw to critical acclaim in 2010. LA Times said “Anika phrases syllables with precise Teutonic reserve, as severe and numbing as a Bavarian winter." This new project was created during the rehearsal sessions for Anika's Mexican live debut back in March 2014.  An unexpected partnership formed between Annika and local producers, Martin Thulin (Crocodiles producer) synth-head Hugo Quezada (Robota) and Riotboy sweetheart Hector Melgarejo (Jessy Bulbo / Nos llamamos) to form Exploded View. The four musicians discovered a new sound, several steps removed from the krautrock-isms of Henderson’s previous work  during their rehearsals and live perfo

Power & Punk: Mad Anthony - Hound.

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Mad Anthony - Haunt Me feat. Tom Pappas of Superdrag. Background promo - The ferocious three-piece, Mad Anthony are about to live up to their name, as long as you subscribe to the commonwealth definition of "mad". Expelling the antiquated and tired traditional album cycle, these three lunatics decided, after being excited by all their work and collaborations, that they will release a brand new song every week... for 52 weeks. The Mad Anthology is a culmination of everything that the band has ever accomplished and envisioned. The project involves dozens of friends, producers, colleagues, peers, and collaborators from all over the continent. The daunting undertaking, although created out of an avalanche of excitement and content, is an interesting business move that screams "2016"; an era in the music business where the public are less and less interested in the traditional cycle of releasing a long player and then waiting potentially years to hear another. That

Heidemann - I’m So In Love (From The Forthcoming Detectives EP)

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Heidemann - I’m So In Love (feat. Nancy Whang). Background promo -  Heidemann is the solo project of NY-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Monika Heidemann. When not performing and touring as Heidemann, she plays synthesizers in The Juan MacLean and was formerly the lead singer of NYC’s electronic-pop band, Xylos. Heidemann performs minimalist pop songs with electric bass, synthesizers and pulsing analog drum machines supporting her fearlessly intimate vocals. After releasing her acclaimed solo debut Orphan EP in September 2014, Heidemann is now gearing up to release her new Detectives EP - (out April 8th through Vienna's Fabrique Records), which includes the lead single “I’m So In Love,“ featuring lead vocals from Nancy Whang (LCD Soundsystem and The Juan MacLean). The forthcoming EP 'Detectives' has five tracks including one remix of the opening song. This really is minimalist pop, however it's also pretty powerful. Enticing vocals are supported by some very

Tuesday's Two: Great News - Jess And The Bandits

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Great News - Secrets. Background promo - Hailing from the same hometown as pop prodigy Aurora, with the psychedelic swagger of Sweden’s YAST, Great News spread waves of hazy pop/rock with innate Nordic nous. Acid-drenched ‘Secrets’ follows back-to-back singles 'Love Her’ and ‘Diamonds’; preceded by nonchalant debut cut ‘The Blind’ – an effort applauded in native Norway, resulting in a legendary sold out debut concert in one of Bergen's most popular music venues and landing the band in multiple “Ones To Watch 2016” lists. “Secrets is about the feeling you get when you can’t get what you want, and being unable to tell anyone about it,” explains vocalist and guitarist Even Kjelby. “Sometimes it’s just really unfair. It builds up inside, and it becomes a part of you. A young, naive mind being coloured by different events, good or bad,” he says. Great News – also consisting Ole Einarsen (bass) and Lars Platou (drums) – formed on a kindred whim of playing as many gigs as pos

Leap Year Delights: Kit - Reverieme

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Kit - How Hard. Background promo - Kit returns with her second single, “How Hard”, following the success of her last. “Goodbye”, released in June 2015, was spun on triple j Good Nights, 2015 with Richard Kingsmill and Home & Hosed with Dom Alessio. It featured for 2 weeks in the AMRAP charts, reaching number 3 overall, and held the number 1 spot on triple j unearthed for 3 weeks.  “How Hard” being released this February via Marshmallow Pavement Records is a R&B-infused, pulsing track, characterised by the undeniable strength of Kate Watt’s vocals. Finding inspiration to create the song through retelling the experiences of those closest to her, Kate found catharsis of her own.  “The track originated from a drunken night with a best mate, and her experiences of never-ending heartbreak with an on- again-off-again partner. I wanted so badly to tell her to walk away, but I could see how much she loved this person. I used the words of a poem she shared with me to fuel the song

Baskerville Jones - So Right (From The Forthcoming EP Mile 1)

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Baskerville Jones - So Right. Background bio - Born in Nashville, Tennessee, soul-singing Baskerville Jones left her hometown and moved to Los Angeles to pursue her musical aspirations.  She began gaining attention doing background vocals for prominent artists and touring and performing with seven-member ensemble The Rebirth, all the while forming musical partnerships that landed her on stage and screen nationally and internationally. In 2012 she was featured on the single "Born to Flow" from Morehouse Records recording artist Groove Junkies, which made the Top 20 on Soulful House Music Charts. As a lead vocalist of the soul, jazz & funk fusion band The Rebirth, Baskerville's vocal contributions are interwoven in the band's sophomore album "Being Thru the Eyes of a Child." Their single "This is Coming To?" landed in the top 5 of UK Soul Charts, which kicked off the success overseas of the album. Over time, she has acquired a slew of cred

Quality Not Quantity: Jessica Rotter - Em George - Hannah Lou Clark

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Jessica Rotter - Pray For Rain. Background words - Jessica Rotter is able to transcend creative boundaries and defy what's expected of a modern female musician. The songstress' voice has been heard across multiple genres, from movies, TV shows and commercials to backing vocals and collaborations with other artists—all in addition to her original songs. The list of artists she has worked with reads like a who's who of the music industry today: Daft Punk, Carole King, Alicia Keys, Sam Smith, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and others. Rotter's family roots are steeped in music, with her grandfather writing songs for Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. With this background, Rotter describes herself as a "musical storyteller" with classical training from Pepperdine University in opera, musical theatre, and directing for theatre and film. She is just as comfortable using her voice in a major feature film (credits include Pitch Perfect 1 & 2 and Frozen) as she is p