Monday, 10 February 2025

The Hengles - Books of Moods

The Hengles - Cover Up (Album).

Experience a trip down memory lane with The Hengles' latest album, Cover Up. This Dutch indie band revitalizes classic hits from The Move, Golden Earrings, and The Kinks. With their unique energetic style, The Hengles breathe new life into these rock and roll classics. Cover Up is essential for enthusiasts of indie and classic rock. Ensure you add this dynamic album to your collection.

Amsterdam based band The Hengles, boasting a history of 5 years, have successfully launched 22 singles, 3 EPs, and two albums. A new album with their own original material, as we've come to expect from them, is currently in the works, with a planned release this fall.

1.Useless Information - Original by The Move
2. That Day - Original by Golden Earrings
3. Hidden Persuaders - Original by Reverend And The Makers
4. Ivory Tower - Original by The Long Riders
5. This Time Tomorrow - Original by The Kinks
6. Sarah Smiles - Original by Bram Tchaikovsky
7. Jessica - Original by Adam Green
8. On The Way Home - Original by Neil Young

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Books of Moods - Space (Part 1).

Books of Moods is an indie art-rock project born in Paris, led by Hugo Sailer.

Drawing inspiration from iconic acts like The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, David Bowie, and Arcade Fire, the project merges the sounds of the '60s, '70s, and early 2000s.

With dreamy, nostalgic melodies, Books of Moods invites listeners into a world shaped by dreams, landscapes, travels, and encounters.

Each song offers a tranquil escape, creating vivid stories that encourage relaxation and reflection, like a musical "Madeleine de Proust."


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Sunday, 9 February 2025

Jetstream Pony - Denuit - Moe Joe

Jetstream Pony - Bubblegum Nothingness.

The UK dreampop supergroup Jetstream Pony are back with a new single / video "Bubblegum Nothingness. " This first single is a blast of shambling pop goodness ala Shop Assistants, Heavenly, and a touch of the Primitives. Their new album 'Bowerbirds and Blue Things' comes out on March 28th, 2025.

Jetstream Pony are based in Brighton/Croydon UK, and come from a love of post-punk and power-pop, featuring Beth Arzy (The Luxembourg Signal/Trembling Blue Stars/Aberdeen) on vocals and percussion, Shaun Charman (The Wedding Present/The Popguns/The Fireworks) on guitar and vocals, Kerry Boettcher on bass and Tom Levesley on drums, recently joined by Mark Matthews (The Dentists/The Treasures of Mexico) on guitar.

The band released their debut single "Like You Less"/"Had Enough" in late 2017 on Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten to enthusiastic reviews and radio play around the world, including BBC6 Music. Two sold out singles followed along with gigs around the UK and Europe, leading to the self-titled debut album on KUS/Shelflife in May 2020. The album received fantastic reviews, selling out two pressings before reissue (twice) by Spinout Nuggets and rmaking many best-of-year lists. Mini-album "Misplaced Words" and single "Sixes and Sevens" developed the sound, balancing indie-pop with something darker - twelve string guitar and harmonies, but also heavy bass and sometimes a two drummer rhythm section.

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Denuit - TEARS fall.

"TEARS fall, the delicate dance between strength and vulnerability, joy and sorrow". In the stillness of a hotel room, after the echoes of a show had faded, TEARS fall was born.  Written in the warmth of Brazil, this song is a quiet reflection on the fragility of life and love — how both can be breathtakingly beautiful and yet heartbreakingly fleeting. It’s a song that holds the bittersweet truth of our existence—the delicate dance between strength and vulnerability, joy and sorrow. A powerful, aching reminder of the poetry in every moment, even when it slips through our fingers.

"TEARS fall" unveils itself with a music video directed by the duo, immersing viewers in a world where pop imagery meets gothic aesthetics—a perfect reflection of their musical identity. Their sound blends contrasts: warm and cold, pop and synthwave, tenderness and violence. This video adds another layer to their ever-evolving artistic universe, which is already captivating thousands of fans across France, Germany, and South America. Their vision extends beyond music, shining through a unique line of t-shirts, jackets, jewelry, and pins that embodies their signature chiaroscuro light and shadow.

Step into the shadows with Denuit, where Darkwave collides with Electro Pop in a sound they call Night- Wave. Picture the raw pulse of Perturbator fused with the dreamy glow of La Femme, wrapped in lyrics that glide between English and French. Fueled by passion and a spark of light in the darkness, this duo creates music that pulls you under with hypnotic beats and haunting vocals, only to lift you back up with moments of shimmering beauty. Denuit is more than music—it’s a dive into the night, wild and immersive, with a balance of edge and revelation.


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Moe Joe - Happy With My Volksie.

Founded in June 2020 by Sarp Keskiner (TR) and Jan Mittendorp (NL), Bone Union Records aims at documenting a neglected musical scene in Turkey not just by releasing archival material from mid-90’s to this date; but also releasing brand new materials of Turkish artists.

Though the scope of the releases mainly are based on recordings of traditional and urban blues acts; the range of releases vary with inclusion of folk, funk, dub, noise, free improvised music and electronica works of artists that are looking for a new perspective by expanding the limits of experimentation on fundamentals of blues. Thus, taking a mission of supporting unique musical efforts based on creative collaborations, the label aims at establishing a common ground for mutual cultural exchange based on music between Netherlands and Turkey.

This time Moe Joe, saluted and praised as “the ever first traditional electric blues band founded in Turkey” brings a raunchy approach to its interpretation to urban blues. Recorded live in 2008; this unreleased original composition of the band stands out as a concrete example of its quest to urbanize their sound, though this recording also stands as a sample of their keen precision on conserving their trad essentials.


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Saturday, 8 February 2025

Zanna Black - Smoke and Mirrors Sound System - Remy Garrison - The Names - The Inciters

Zanna Black - This Town.

With melancholic guitar and the loveliest vocals, Zanna Black lets out into the world her latest single, ‘This Town’ and its wistful music video on February 7th.

Zanna Black as a solo act has been sharing her tenacious tunes with the world since 2022, but she’s been active in the musical space for years, touring with her various bands around Brisbane where they rule live venues. Her sweet tone and dreamy songwriting has led to her music being used in TV and movies, with 'Down To The Waterside' used in the Canadian TV series ‘Hockey Wives’ and the 2016 film ‘Burns Point’.

Her latest single, ‘This Town’ is nothing short of magical, a wistful indie afternoon. The song takes on layers reminiscent of singing in a round, echoing and mingling together in a summertime haze, Zanna Black’s sweet voice seeming angelic, her Australian accent playing wonderfully with her sweet voice to contribute a folksy serenity to the song. Weaving throughout the song is Zanna Black’s skillful, moody guitar that brings everything together like pieces of a puzzle.

The bittersweet music video captures the feeling of summer in a small town. Though the song is peaceful and tranquil, it’s tinged with sadness. A paper boat is carried around, contrasted against imagery of rolling waves until it’s finally set free on the water, barrelling down a brook as Zanna pilots the ship, her band playing behind her.


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Smoke and Mirrors Sound System - Return of the Numbers (Album).

Here it is! The follow-up to one of the most exciting releases in the ska/reggae scene over the last 5 years, 2021’s Strength in Numbers by the powerhouse all-star musical collective Smoke and Mirrors Sound System! Return of the Numbers features bandleader and ska scene legend John Roy of the long-running San Diego, CA, band Unsteady, bringing us a strong collection of 10 tunes. And like in Strength, he has scoured the ska, reggae, and rocksteady scene worldwide to assemble a mind-blowing roster of talent.

Forty-eight (!!!) different musicians make up the rotating lineup of this project. Live favorites include Roy’s longtime Unsteady bandmates Kevin Hewitt on the Hammond organ and Doug Shaffer on trumpet, as well as Mobtown’s bassie Jeffrey Govan. From East Coast players like Agent Jay Nugent (Slackers) and Buford O’Sullivan (Scofflaws, Skatalites, Easy Star Allstars), to West Coast musicians like Fritz Zar (Steady 45s), Korey Horn (Aggrolites, Gogol Bordello), Robert Sotelo (Allentons, Arise Roots), and Roger Rivas (Aggrolites), and even down to Brazil with the legendary Victor Rice of the Scofflaws and New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, as well as his own solo work. The guest list is truly staggering. Just take a look at these credits!

Return of the Numbers runs the gamut of traditional ska, rocksteady, early reggae, roots, and lovers rock, all with the soul that infuses the songs you remember from Unsteady and the previous Smoke and Mirrors releases. It’s all here, from the uptempo, scorching ska of album opener “Eight Hours a Day” to the reggae of “Gettin’ Through It” featuring a blistering trombone solo from Scott Kisinger! Side one closer “Mala Salud” even incorporates Latin flavor to their roots sound and features spaghetti western guitar from Brian Jordan, tenor sax virtuosity of Dave Hillyard (The Slackers), as well as accordion from Ali Culotta (Stop The Presses, Rude Girl Revue)—not an instrument commonly used in Jamaican roots music, but it all fits together so organically.

Side two opener, “Nothing to Lose,” is a beautiful roots reggae tune featuring East Coast ska legends Dunia Best (Agent 99, Rude Girl Revue) and Mark Lyn (The Slackers), as well as former Stubborn All-Stars bassist Sheldon Gregg and West Coast stalwarts like The Allentons' Chris Stoefen on trombone. The soulful reggae of “Scroll On By” is another highlight here, featuring a wonderful vocal performance by I-Peace Unikue (Eastern Standard Time) as well as guitars from Agent Jay Nugent (The Slackers) and Andrew Bauer (Steady Ups). Kelly DiFilippo (The Loving Paupers) sings the fantastic tune “Motive,” one of your humble narrator’s favorite tracks on the album. The hits just keep coming nonstop on this record.

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Remy Garrison - Delusional.

Country pop songstress Remy Garrison releases the official music video for her buzzing single "Delusional," Crafted alongside frequent co-writers Shane Yoder and Mark Siegel, "Delusional" delves into the familiar plight of romantic misadventures and the comedic yet fruitless efforts to fix a flawed partner. Known for her sharp songwriting and engaging narratives, Garrison transforms an everyday story of misguided affection into a relatable and spirited anthem.

Garrison describes the track's theme, saying, “For me, being a bit 'Delusional' in love feels universally relatable. It seems many of us, especially women, have found ourselves with the unmistakably wrong person yet stayed, thinking 'we could fix 'em, right?' This song is my tongue-in-cheek self-reflection.”
 
The release of the "Delusional" music video brings a visual dimension that perfectly captures the song's lively essence and emotional resonance, making it an essential addition to Garrison's burgeoning repertoire. The video serves as a vivid showcase of her evolving artistic identity and her ability to blend lyrical depth with infectious rhythms.
 
Garrison has been named an Artist To Watch by both Sweety High and LADYGUNN, signaling her rising status in the country music industry. Since her impactful debut with the EP “Southern Luxury” in 2023, which has accumulated over three million streams, Garrison's unique sound and authentic storytelling have captivated an ever-growing fanbase.

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The Names - Encore! (Album).

Who better than the legendary Belgian post-punk and new wave pioneers THE NAMES to release a new album titled “Encore!”? This much-anticipated album stands as a testament to their unbreakable commitment to an ever-evolving sound. Since 1977, they’ve stayed true to their unique, eclectic style, captivating fans across the globe who continuously clamor for more.
 
Emerging from the iconic Factory Records alongside JOY DIVISION and NEW ORDER, THE NAMES have etched their place in music history. With a cult following and a sound that remains as invigorating as ever, “Encore!” continues their journey, offering a fresh milestone in their timeless discography.
 
Launched with the electrifying “Volume” EP and the bold “Far From the Factories” single, “Encore!” is a sonic tapestry where vintage echoes of the early ’80s meet explorations into futuristic soundscapes. Tracks like “Last Train From Nowhere,” “Touch Touch Touch,” and “Watching For The New World” carry the spirit of the 1980s, while “Sunny Side” and “Inadequacy” channel a nostalgic 1960s vibe. Unexpected gems like “Apophenia,” “Laudanum,” and “Swimming With Brian Jones” highlight their experimental side, while intimate tracks like “Mei Mei” and “A Walk With Miss J” bring moments of reflection. The title track “Encore!” feels like an anthem for the ages, echoing long after the last note.


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The Inciters - Bring Back the Weekend.

Santa Cruz's sensational soul stompers The Inciters are back with an exciting new release on Pirates Press Records! This time around, the band have a new recording of the title track from their acclaimed 2023 full length Bring Back the Weekend, backed with the combo putting their unmistakable stamp on Nolan Porter's 1972 Northern Soul classic, "If I Could Only Be Sure."

The single is available for pre-order now on 7” Colored Vinyl, and the band have just released the video for the A-side, directed by Matt Eskew of Generation X Ray! Click here to watch the video.

Not only that, this fabulous new single comes with a special edition 12-page full color comic book companion, with the lyrics to the A-side represented in vibrant illustrations courtesy of tattoo artist Gerald Stryker, in collaboration with The Inciters' Rick Kendrick!

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Friday, 7 February 2025

Denielle Bassels - Victoria Akua - Steph Cameron - Tobacco City - Bambara

Denielle Bassels - Songbird.

Canadian JUNO-nominated powerhouse vocalist Denielle Bassels releases a new single, "Songbird," a haunting and introspective ballad that explores the complexity of love, loss, and societal judgement. Releasing on February 7th, 2025, on all platforms, "Songbird" is the third offering from Bassels' forthcoming album It Goes Like This, and once again showcases her dynamic range as a singer and songwriter.

"Songbird" finds jazz/blues chanteuse extraordinaire Denielle Bassels crossing arbitrary genre boundaries with a gorgeous foray into a folk ballad with country vibes. In an astonishingly beautiful and tender vocal performance, Bassels tells the story of a seemingly joyful songbird by day who becomes a lonesome wolf by night. It encapsulates the emotional turmoil of losing a deeply troubled partner, and the burden of mourning in silence. The melodic turns and vocal harmonies from Bridgette Anderson are stunning; Drew Jurecka's string arrangement is heartbreaking; and Ewan Farncombe's brief organ solo is as engaging as it is subtle.

"'Songbird' tells the story of a relationship with a person whose struggles with addiction led to their untimely passing," says Bassels. "It's meant to evoke a quiet, profound sense of mourning – an unspoken grief that remains unsolved in the face of social stigma."

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Photo - Camilla Vodstrup Øverup
Victoria Akua - Radical Self Love.

Released today 'Radical Self Love', is the second single of artist Victoria Akua from Copenhagen, Denmark. Victoria describes her music as a genre mix of indie pop, folky singer-songwriter and meditative music.

Victoria Akua on her new single: "Like leaves falling from the trees in autumn, I’m reminded of the natural cycles within us. Not all of them are easy, but each one is essential. Radical self-love means embracing every part of ourselves – not just the ones we find easy to love, but also the ones we believe are unlovable."

Victoria's music is based on her own journey, which began at a young age, searching for more balance and a deeper peace and understanding within herself. In a hectic world where it is so easy to be pulled in many directions, she wants to find ways to stay centered with an open heart in the hope that her music can support others on their own paths. The intention of the music is to have a nourishing, calming and healing effect. Music that comes from the heart and that reflects and creates inner peace, trust and self-love - and connects us. Her music is inspired by the rhythms and cycles of nature, healthy and nurturing connections between people and creating spaces for expression, creativity and loving energy. Through the simplicity of the music, the listener is invited directly into a calm cocoon where breathing becomes deeper and the mind can rest.


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Photo - Andrew Bromell
Steph Cameron - Rain.

Polaris Music Prize nominee Steph Cameron returns with "Rain", the first offering from her highly anticipated third studio album, ‘Blood Moon,’ out later this year via Neon Moon Records. Accompanied by a striking new music video, the single finds the Saskatoon-born artist expanding her sonic palette, weaving elements of indie Americana into her signature folk roots.

A hauntingly poetic ballad, “Rain” blurs the lines between longing and memory, its evocative lyrics carried by a melody as fleeting as the wind. Rich in atmosphere and emotional depth, the track showcases Cameron’s arresting lyricism and emotive vocal delivery, elevated by the skillful production and mixing of John Raham and engineering work by Mike Lefebvre. Cameron’s hands-on approach to the production ensures a sound that is both intimate and exquisitely polished.

“Rain is the first song I wrote in this genre—a significant departure from the sparse, revivalist folk music I’m known for,” Cameron shares. “This song allowed me to be playful with vocals and structure them in a more layered way than I have in previous recordings. Rain is about the dissipation of the soul and the search for those we’ve loved and lost. It reflects on connecting with those who have passed by finding them in the earth, the elements, and the natural world.”


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Photo - Hannah Bailey
Tobacco City - Bougainvillea.

There's plenty of country influence around these days, but few contemporary bands hit the sweet spot for me the way Tobacco City does. The wry humor, the mundanity and the heartbreak all in equal measure make them real torch bearers for classic country songwriting the way I've always loved it. Today we're sharing second and final single Bougainvillea, along with a beautiful video for it.

In Chris Coleslaw's words: “Bougainvillea is my favorite song on the album. It’s another nostalgia trip about the time in your younger years when you are free to be stupid and silly with very little consequence. Those days of excess were wild and illuminating but eventually times have to keep changing but the view from the heights of those times never changes.”

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Bambara - Letters From Sing Sing.

Bambara’s new single "Letters From Sing Sing" is out today! This classic Bambara rager drops with a video by Jason Miller featuring Wife Erath and the band. The video captures the grim madness of the track’s narrator, depicting a scene that fits neatly within Birthmarks’ intricate, multi-generational story arc.

Birthmarks (out 3/14) emerges directly from the band’s favored aesthetics and themes, but captures them with a new sense of sonic adventurousness and thematic subtlety, resulting in a collection of songs that are somehow both the band’s most apocalyptic and most poignant. Produced by Graham Sutton (Bark Psychosis, These New Puritans) and the band, Birthmarks is a wild, musically adventurous suite of songs that follows a host of lost characters caught in a cycle of love, violence and rebirth.


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The Hengles - Books of Moods

The Hengles - Cover Up (Album). Experience a trip down memory lane with The Hengles' latest album, Cover Up. This Dutch indie band revi...