BEEHIVE CANDY

I had not heard of Logan Lynn prior to a promo arriving in the mailbox a couple of weeks back. Anyhow Logan Lynn was signed to The Dandy Warhols’ record label, “Beat The World” Records a short while back and released his third full length record, “From Pillar To Post” on line a couple of weeks ago (alongside a 4-Volume Remix EP collection called “Blood In The Water”, which features Remixes by Styrofoam, Boy In Static, The Gentry, Ariake Waveband, Y-Tron, and MANY more). Early reviews of From Pillar To Post have drawn wide comparisons, ranging from The Postal Service, to M83, Lykke Li, Cut Copy, Ladytron, Goldfrapp and even indie rockers, Metric . URB Magazine proclaimed, “Sonically adventurous, yet possessing the pop sensibilities that lesser artists would forsake in the name of artsiness, Lynn is set to become the new golden boy of sensitive electro-pop.” Having listened I can see the comparisons, and thankfully I would also add he has a definitive style of his own and if any of t

I am told that Darla Farmer "arose from the kind of disenchantment one can only experience when living in the musical mold known as Nashville. This septet is a rousing douse of musical Discordia, who makes it their goal to sonically please, displease, and please again. Inspired by Tom Waits, The Blood Brothers, Man Man and other musical outfits alike, their arrangements include guitar, bass, drums and vocals, topped with a blasting horn section, piano and violin. Using this instrumentation to their advantage, Darla Farmer is simultaneously tumultuous and triumphant; chaotic and organized" Well having listened to them live I would have to say that's a fairly accurate summary of the whole thing, and to add my own opinion, they are best listened to fully awake otherwise you might miss something ! Listen: 'The Strangler Fig' & 'The Quotient' (both live). MP3's: HERE . Website: MySpace Buy: Rewiring The Electric Forest Darla Farmer’s first full-len

I like The Postmarks . I have always had a liking for female vocals on pop, rock, indie you name it. However it only works if the music is good, the ideas great, and the whole thing pretty much top dollar. An American band that can play with a strong retro sound, hints of France and England, well now that's just plain teasing! Their new album 'Memoirs at the End of the World' was recently released, and gets the mighty Beehive approval. The mixture of classic pop sound, with sweeping orchestration does it for me. A little more detail: 'The Postmarks are led by Tel Aviv born female singer/songwriter Tim Yehezkely, a beautiful, yet inscrutable individual possessed of a soft-textured voice that's simultaneously seductive and detached. Memoirs is the follow up to the band's 2007 debut self-titled album and 2008 covers album entitled By The Numbers . The band has a headlining tour under the ir belt, played Lollapalooza in 2007 and has toured with Múm, The Appl

According to their press release 'New York’s As Tall As Lions ’ hard work has paid off in spades. Their heavy touring history and solid fanbase has helped land them the coveted direct support slot to MUTEMATH’s 35-date “Armistice Tour,” this Fall, starting September 22 nd in Cincinnati , OH' . “This is a great tour, we have been waiting for one like this,” said ATAL frontman, Dan Nigro. “MUTEMATH writes intelligent songs and has a passionate audience, and we like to think that we do too.” OK so I give them a listen, not sure what to expect from a band name dropping another as part of the promotion. Well getting straight to the point, I am impressed. They have the ability to both rock, and take it a little more gently, the songs are crafted in layers that certainly please my taste, so they get a share on the Beehive! Dont take my word for it, check em out. Listen: 'Circles'. MP3: HERE . Website: My Space HERE Official HERE . Purchase: Amazon UK The new album &#

OK it's a double header today, with a second Beehive Candy recommendation, and this is superb (I know, in my opinion). A little record label called Casa Nueva based in Boston, USA, recently put out their first release, King Wilkie Present: The Wilkie Family Singers by the acclaimed Brooklyn-based stringband King Wilkie. I'll quote the press release because as I listen again to the album now, this kind of summarises matters.. "It’s a cinematic concept album, consisting of songs written and recorded by the fictional, dysfunctional Wilkie family as part of a music therapy program spearheaded by the mysterious Dr. Art. This haunting backdrop is brought to life with music that draws from clattering, rustic stringband sounds, while adding more contemporary and eccentric overtones – from shimmering electric guitars to wheezing, Salvation Army brass. Special guests include Robyn Hitchcock, Peter Rowan, Abigail Washburn, Sam Parton (The Be Good Tanyas), David Bromberg, and John Mc

A quick update on one of my favorite new bands First Aid Kit . The band are touring throughout August and have just launched their new website This Is First Aid Kit . They are also recording and filming various covers following on from a very feisty version of Fleet Foxes 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song' some months back. You are invited to suggest songs for them to perform and can do this through their website. So far covered are Buffy Sainte-Marie's classic 'Universal Soldier', Johnny Cash's 'Walk The Line' and most recent a version of Graham Nash's 'Simple Man'. All can be viewed and listened to over at their new site. Listen: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song: MP3: HERE . From the debut 'Drunken Trees' EP check out the excellent 'Cross Oceans'. Finally if you are at an event that includes First Aid Kit on the bill, don't be surprised if they turn up elsewhere for an impromptu session this summer!

I may be a little late in on The Dimes , who are based in Portland, Oregon, and made quite a splash with their 2007 debut release, The Silent Generation, getting praise and from everyone from SPIN and Magnet Magazines... to USA Today and NPR... and a ton of blogs including Large Hearted Boy, KEXP, Three Imaginary Girls, Pampelmoose and many others. Having received some promo material back in June, I kinda lost site of this one until I decided to spend some time going through each mail, and am I pleased I listened to their 'New England' EP ! Based on real stories and events born of and around Boston, Massachusetts, the four song EP is rich with texture and a consistent pastoral thread, complete with mandolins, acoustic guitars, stomps, claps, banjos, melodicas and more pop-laden harmonies than you'll know what to do with. The record reveals a glimpse of the latest material from The Dimes, as they wrap up a new full-length record based of the same themes, due out August 2009.

I still read several of the UK music press publications every month, and have built up a personal list of music sites, that have reliably led me to discover highly enjoyable new music on a regular basis. Along with that, one of the perks of running this music website, is the material from promoters, agencies, and bands themselves, that come this way. I select new music to share on a simple criteria, either I like it (another perk), it complements the live material, or finally, it adds to the diversity of music on Beehive Candy. There's a selection of all of the above in this months recommendations, nicely mixed up, see what you think. Camera Obscura . OK this is easy, I love the very excellent Scottish band Camera Obscura, and am a little late in encouraging some more interest in their latest album (released back in April). The new album 'My Maudlin Career' is their fourth and continues to present some wonderful indie pop songs, crafted in a very definitive and warm style.

Having failed in April to present any new music recommendations, I will try and make up for that this month, so hopefully this is just part one. I first came across The Mummers late last year, and thought to myself, I must keep an eye on this act, and promptly forgot all about them. To my delight I was reminded with their appearance last month on Later With Jools Holland (BBC2 TV). Since then I have listened to everything available from them, and cannot recommend them highly enough. Fronted by the delightful Raissa (Khan-Panni), and with a superb collection of musicians , I would be surprised and very disappointed if The Mummers do not get much wider recognition this year. From Brighton, England check out The Mummers ! Listen: MP3: March Of The Dawn . Web Link: Official Site , MySpace . Buy: The Mummers Descending Ivory are an three piece all girl group from Uppsala, Sweden, who I discovered through Swedesplease, a site that continues to throw up so many great new and not so new act

Having taken a rather long break from this site for the latter part of last year, I still have a rather sizable backlog of musical recommendations to share, however lets start with something brand spanking new ! Pree , (pictured) led by May Tabol (formerly of Le Loup) emerged onto the DC (USA) music scene with a 'string of compelling and intimate shows' during the summer of 2008. The Washington Post describe them as 'a cross between Joanna Newsom and Modest Mouse' , for my part I would also relate them to Regina Spektor, however all of that said, they have a unique sound, and to put it simply, having listened to their forthcoming release last night, they are superb. Their debut release 'A Chopping Block' (5 song EP), is officially released on March 24th. Take a listen to 'In The Parlor' for a flavour of this exciting band. Listen: MP3: In The Parlor Web Link: My Space Pre-Order - Kora Records Amazing Baby are currently mixing their debut album in New

During December & early January a number of music sites and magazines, indulge in the 'best of' the year passing, often with top 10's 20's 50's and so on. Nothing wrong with all that, indeed it can be a great way of discovering bands and artists that otherwise may pass you by. This got me thinking about some of the issues recently, regarding whole postings being deleted on various music sites (including this one) thanks to our friends in big record companies. I took a quick look through the latter part of 2008, to remind myself of some of the bands and artists that I had discovered thanks in particular to other music bloggers. Yes some are now already 'established', some yet to release an album, however I wonder if I would have given them any attention if it was not for those enthusiastic postings. The chances of a lot of these artists getting prime time exposure on UK radio, is limited, and in some cases any exposure is unlikely, for the profit driven,