BEEHIVE CANDY

The final selection for September and a shed load of great music to cover, so plenty of copying from PR material to give some background on the artists, as is always the case take it as read that we like and recommend checking out these people. The Phantom Band was pulled together from all four corners of Scotland, settling on Glasgow as PB HQ. Duncan Marquiss (guitar), Gerry Hart (bass), Andy Wake (keyboards), Rick Anthony (vocals) and Greg Sinclair (guitars) are a volatile cabal of creative contradictions: a disorientating amalgam of music, art and performance that defies categorisation and provides an object lesson in how to forge something distinct and unique from well-worn sources. Checkmate Savage won plaudits from the mainstream music press and the indie blogs alike, finding famous fans in Peter Buck and comic artist Frank Quitely, while the influential music emporium Piccadilly Records named it their album of the year. Their new album may be The Wants, but what do The Phan

The second September edition is all over the place in a positive sort of way. Loads of different styles and moods from both new and established artists and we start with someone with real style and class. Grammy nominated Sylvia Bennett , (and we quote) the timeless smooth jazz and pop vocalist sings of love with a warmth, clarity and spirit that is enveloping and tender, showcasing the depth of her skill, talent and experience. She's sung with Lionel Hampton and she's sung for presidents - all with a singular style and intimacy that is hers and hers alone. Quoting some more however it's all pretty much 'on the nail' - 'Sylvia Bennett's big break came in the 1980's, when legendary vibraphonist (and National Arts Award Winner) Lionel Hampton took Sylvia under his wing and made her the first female singer to record with him in thirty years. She recounts, “Lionel validated me as a performer and inspired me to be the best singer I can be. He made me re

Well we are a little slow of the mark this month bringing you a selection of new music, so thats our current excuse for rushing headlong through eight great new selections of music that really do take us in different directions. We start very gently with a track from 'Under The Sodium Lights' which is Drew Sullivan’s Slow Dancing Society latest ambient epic. We are told that "The album feels like a distillation of the three stunning releases that preceded it – and as such is Sullivan’s finest work to date. The delicate interplay between focused melodic details and blurred washes of sound draws the listener into a hypnotic state, where the waking world and the world of sleep cascade in and out of balance". Or to put it another way it's a great selection of music that fans of ambient and mood music should love and a wider selection of people should also check out! Under The Sodium Lights sees its official release on 30 September 2010 through Australian label

No let up in great new music coming our way, here's the third and final 2010FM edition for August, that in our increasingly 'trade mark style' we will now gallop through.  We are advised that featured track ‘Winter Weeds’ "contains all the ingredients that make Liam Singer ’s music so utterly beautiful and unique. With its striking minimalism and melancholic romanticism, the track swoons and sways. Singer’s piano and vocal interweave with the heavenly backing vocals of Boxharp’s Wendy Allen, all topped off with Scott Solter’s masterful production". The track is a taster of Liam Singers forthcoming album, Dislocatia. "Full of fantastical song-stories, the album carries the listener skyward like a clockwork cloud. In Liam Singer's music, the prosaic and the magical are two sides of the same dusty coin. Dislocatia is out through Hidden Shoal on October 5th". This is a gorgeous gentle start to this 2010FM edition, we look forward to hearing more from

We are struggling to keep up with all the new music coming our way again at the moment, so this is another batch of what we really like right now, with more planned to follow soon. For speed, where we think it's appropriate we have shamelessly copied and pasted from the accompanying publicity material. New York's maestro of shadowy lounge tinged pop Rich Bennett is back with a follow up to his stunning 2008 album Music for Underwater Supermarkets. Influenced by the classic exotica of Martin Denny, the aching folk-pop of Fleet Foxes, and the conceptual sweep of The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle, Bennett's latest work On Holiday  is brimming with subtly dark, breezy melodies and the buoyant vocals of both Bennett and Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Pronsky. From the gorgeous "ride on top a pop cloud" single ‘Misty Valley’ to the delicious minor key melancholy of  ‘Night Part 2’, On Holiday is as intoxicating as it is playful. The album is out now through A