Posts

Showing posts from December 4, 2016

More Weekend Wonders: Grammar - Colin Onderdonk - Artificial Pleasure - American Dreamer - The Blinding Lights

Image
Grammar - Michigan. Background - “Michigan” is the second single from Massachusetts-based Grammar. Barrie Lindsay played and recorded all the parts in her bedroom studio in the summer of 2016. She started writing the song after rewatching the Virgin Suicides, and she was thinking about what the movie would sound and feel like as a song. She wanted to capture the movie’s saturated, dreamy, 1970s-inspired production. After she finished the song and took it to New York to work with the producer Billy Pavone, they ran the tracks. The track was produced written and recorded by Barrie Lindsay, produced by Billy Pavone (Wet, St. Lucia, Delorean) and Barrie Lindsay, and engineered by Josh Bonati (Mac Demarco, Sufjan Stevens)." Grammar is an alternative pop group created by multi-instrumentalist Barrie Lindsay of Boston in 2015. The band started as a home recording project of Lindsay, who writes, records, and produces the music.  The band’s first release, the single “Americana”, was fea

Weekend Wonders: Elouise - The Tiger & Me - Honeymilk - Gutxi Bibang - Eleven North

Image
Elouise - Silent Night. Background - Fueled by a sordid real-life backdrop of good old fashioned suicides, murders, and alcoholic depravity followed by church on Sunday, Elouise is an eccentric collaboration of Los Angeles-based musicians who came together to create an ominous, raw and cinematic genre of music they identify as Blackgrass. It is the sound of sin and salvation mixed in a dark cocktail with a taste of Bluegrass, a black symphonic sound and weary emotional vocals that tell original tales of struggle and re-imagine songs from our collective Americana consciousness. Elouise is back with their menacing Blackgrass rendition of the Holiday classic “Silent Night” and are offering a free download for the month of December. Website here . Move aside seasonal slush, no room for sentimental songs here today. This is how you do 'Silent Night', followed by a large measure of Bourbon and ice (I'm guessing that's an acceptable brew for alcoholic depravity)... ---

Triple Treasure: Asia i Koty - Every Kid Knows - Circus Devils

Image
Asia i Koty - I'm Gonna Use My Claws. Background - The second album entitled “Sing” was released on 2 April 2016 on Nasiono Records label that Bielawska has been associated with from the very beginning of her career. As the title indicates, this album is about singing and vocals play a major role in it. Asia i Koty intertwines various musical inspirations here, among which one can sense the spirit of Angel Olsen, Cat Power or Julianna Barwick. The music is based on the sound of an electric guitar but Joanna Bielawska also reaches for an acoustic guitar, piano, loops her instruments or enhances them with a subtle beat. The artist states that this album is about the importance of singing songs in her life and about a constant struggle with herself, about the barriers we create for ourselves: “Sing” is a chronicle of my battle with depression, pathologically low self-esteem and persisting lack of faith in myself. The songs were written without any prior planning – they are the resu

Midweek Muse: Hana Oceans - Hollow Everdaze - Ministry - Samson's Delilah

Image
Hana Oceans - Invincible Borders. Background - Hana Oceans has released her first, highly acclaimed single 'Invincible Borders'​ from her forthcoming EP. Hana from Gothenburg, Sweden, started making music after gaining inspiration whilst travelling the world at a young age. Hana is fiercely passionate about art, and committed to inspiring people through her music, Hana began studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston prior to releasing her critically acclaimed debut EP “Dust” in 2015. Hana's incredible voice coupled with her ability to write powerful and melodic songs led to Spotify announcing her as one of their featured artists within their 'Spotlight 2016' campaign. Hana now has a growing international fan base which has contributed to over 2 million digital streams on Spotify ​alone. Up until the day that Hana started making music she had felt lost at sea with all of her ideas, emotions and creativity. On finding her calling Hana has developed a strong co

Genre Wander: Tammy - Seldom Few - James Sayer - Ivey - Linnea Olsson

Image
Tammy - Doing Something Right. Background - Indie-folk duo Tammy share their newest tune, "Doing Something Right". The irresistible track is off Tammy's upcoming LP titled This set for release December 16, 2016. "We had grown accustomed to writing songs about breakups and unrequited love and after a while, realized that we should write about the other side of love, the good side of it I guess...it's a song about appreciating a new love and that feeling of trusting that it's gonna last. We went a little further in the country direction than we usually do with this one. That vibe seemed to suit the lyrics. We recorded it with Andrew Oedel at Connecticut College where we held the sessions for the whole record. They had an upright bass and this song is the only one we did with that bass," says Tammy of "Doing Something Right". 2016 has been an exciting year for Tammy. "Hated It (With You)", the lead single off This was given high prais

Monday Marvels: Firebug - Thom Worth - Allo Darlin'

Image
Firebug - Strange Days. Background - More than ever, Americans are searching for the type of escapism that can rescue them from the polarising economic, political, and social chaos of today’s world. Luckily, New Orleans psychedelic indie rockers Firebug have provided a most welcome refuge with their optimistic and soaring new single “Strange Days.”Set for a December 2 release, “Strange Days” is the third song taken from Firebug’s upcoming full-length album, Homeostasis. Co-produced by Chris Goss (Queens of The Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys), Homeostasis is set for a late December release. More information on Homeostasis and Firebug is available on the band’s official website here .   Frontwoman Juliette Tworsey describes “Strange Days” as “the perspective of an onlooker who has a strong desire for escapism from the daily woes and struggles of the average person.” The song is a “step back from a world that appears, on the surface, to be increasingly polarized.” With typical Firebug optim

Quality And Quantity: Torgeir Waldemars - Highasakite - The Little Kicks - Fleurie

Image
Torgeir Waldemars - Sylvia (Southern People). Background - Torgeir Waldemar took the Norwegian people and music press by surprise with his eponymous debut album in 2014. Who had thought that the black-clad, long-haired and bearded man would deliver an album that captivated and moved us as much as it did. An acoustic masterpiece that sounded like it came straight from the rehearsal room of a young troubadour from Laurel Canyon in the seventies. While his previous album cultivated a pure, acoustic sound, we get more rock music this time, and for Torgeir Waldemar nothing is more natural. With his background as a guitar hero in various rock bands, it was only a question of time before distorted tones would assert themselves in his solo career. No Offending Borders is a gloriously composite work with both dead honest acoustic laments and grandiose rock songs. But the record is so much more than that, and for Torgeir this is a document that shows the seriousness we meet in our everyday