Wharf Cat Records have just announced L.A.-based songwriter Gracie Horse as the newest addition to their roster, and shared a music video for her recent single "What I'm Missing." Gracie Horse was a founding member of Boston based rock band Fat Creeps, and has contributed to albums by Alex Izenberg (his latest, I'm Not Here), Color Green, and Jonny Kosmo (who also produced "What I'm Missing").
“What I'm Missing,” is expansive, a world inside of a song. It’s cosmic country: there are shitty motels and perfect vocal harmonies. True crime sleuths, hours spent rotting on the Internet, and poignant allusions to working in healthcare during the pandemic. “Now everyone’s spooked/at the Motel 6/eatin’ dive bar wings/in a hazmat suit,” she sings in one particularly evocative line. It’s a stunning song: all keys, crisp pedal steel.
About the track, Gracie writes: "When I moved to California I was very homesick for a long time, and the pandemic didn’t help. I missed my old friends and family and all the stuff we used to get into. I tried to go out and make new friends but I am really shy and at times it was such a disaster, it was hard to connect with people here- there is sort of a cultural difference between east and west coast for sure-how people talk and socialize. I started to get pretty attached to the nostalgia of my life back in Massachusetts.
Two time Grammy nominated, Canadian artist, producer and songwriter Laura Roy is back with a brand new release 'Odyssey', the second single off of her newly announced EP to be released in March. This is Laura’s debut release after receiving two Grammy nominations as a contributing songwriter on Doja Cat's 'Planet Her' album in 2022.
Laura received recent support from BBC Radio, CBC Radio and Spotify Editorial Playlists: Chilled R&B Weekly, Fresh Finds, New Music Friday, R&B Weekly, R&B Fresh Finds & R&B Rising.
Produced and written with UK artist/producer Geo Jordan, this stunning new track features driving drums, emotive guitar riffs, soaring, soulful vocals and impactful lyricism. Her voice has been described as “gentle lava”. Raw, pure, vulnerable and soulful.
Miracles is a delicate ballad in which the pantheon of musical inspirations of Certain Animals is amply showcased. It is a song with a positive feel and a melancholy undertone, going from cheerful honkytonk piano to moody strings and back again.
Certain Animals sings about the eternal balancing act between hope and fear about what tomorrow will bring, and does so with a magical musical mix that lies between the poppy work of Electric Light Orchestra and the vaudeville numbers of Queen from the 1970s. Miracles, like the band itself, always tries to bring a loving touch and shares her love for music with the listener with this lushly orchestrated and pop song peppered with McCartnian melodic bass lines.
Certain Animals has now reached a larger audience in their home country of the Netherlands. The band has already been invited twice to play songs live on national TV and numerous times on national radio.
'All Is Over Now' proves that Certain Animals dares to become more and more personal, and is less anxious to show her true colours. What emerges is sometimes soft, sometimes sweet and longing for a recent past. Smooth and polished, like the late seventies period from which the song borrows inspiration, but always with an edge.
With vintage artistry and a Wurlitzer which would have suited a Supertramp record, the band describes the drifting apart of two lovers, without forgetting to shine a positive light on such a situation.
Incredible close-harmony, befitting The Beach Boys or The Beatles, and falsetto choirs echoing the sound of Electric Light Orchestra records, are complemented by an array of musical talent in the form of clarinets, flugel horn and a Hammond organ. All dressing this track up to perfection.
After mourning a loss and nearly drowning in nostalgia, Certain Animals breaks free in the final phrase and closes the song with tasteful Baroque themes, played vigorously on trumpet and fuzz-guitar. Thus paying homage to the band Focus and lifting the spirit of the listener after an emotional journey. With the release of their last two singles Midnight TV and Angels In Disguise, Certain Animals has now reached a larger audience in their home country of the Netherlands. The band has already been invited twice to play songs live on national TV.
Son Parapluie - Paris n'existe pas (feat. Isobel Campbell).
Just released is a unique and wonderful set of songs entitled Paris n’existe pas by Son Parapluie (Translation: Paris Does not Exist by My Umbrella) through a partnership between French label Europop 2000 and American cohort 80 Proof Records. This project, a reverie of a classic era in French music featuring a fascinating, unexpected combination of performers, will be initially released on digital and limited-edition CD with a crowdfunded vinyl version. A unique NFT single with exclusive art and music will also be released.
Son Parapluie originates with Jérôme Didelot of the band Orwell, who has released a string of artful pop albums over the past two decades including 2020’s Parcelle brillante. Didelot wrote these new songs to evoke the late the 60’s Paris of Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin. Isobel Campbell (Belle & Sebastian, Mark Lanegan duet albums) leads the sterling cast as featured guest vocalist. Jah Wobble (PiL, Invaders of the Heart), Martin Carr (The Boo Radleys, Brave Captain), and noted French engineer/producer Yann Arnaud also appear providing remixes of songs from the project. Japanese singer Sugar Me rounds out the performer list singing on an alternate version of one of the songs.
Famed French artist Charles Berberian (known for his comic books, multiple movie posters and magazine covers including The New Yorker) created original artwork for the album cover, as well as second unique piece that will be available only via an NFT single.
The lead song and title track, an aching masterpiece of gentle French pop, explores Paris as metaphor. A place steeped in dreams and fantasies that are unattainable for all but a very few. Does this Paris exist? Peut-être. Peut-être pas. The album launched globally on 3rd June via all major digital platforms and compact disc on Amazon, Bandcamp, and select record stores in Europe through Europop 2000 and Belgian label Hot Puma and North America via 80 Proof Records.
Art Moore, a new project from Taylor Vick (best known as the songwriter behind Boy Scouts) and Ezra Furman collaborators Sam Durkes and Trevor Brooks, are announcing their signing to ANTI- and the release of their debut single "Snowy."
Durkes, Brooks and Vick first set out to collaborate with the intended goal of pitching their music for film and television projects. Durkes, a member of Furman’s band, had just completed work on Furman’s soundtrack for the Netflix series Sex Education and knew Brooks through his own work with Furman. The pair were already familiar with Vick, who had established herself as a prolific cult solo artist with Boy Scouts, and asked if she would be interested in assisting for their gestational soundtrack project. The idea of Art Moore, as a band, or Art Moore was still a ways away.
“We all met up at the studio, and it was never even like, ‘Let’s be a band’, that was never a thing,” recalls Durkes. “It was more like, ‘Let’s write for movies and art projects’ — let’s think of a movie scene or a photograph or still image and see if we can write some shit around it to see if we can pitch it.”
Decamping to a studio in Oakland in January 2020, it quickly became clear that the three musicians worked well together. They fell into an easy rhythm: Brooks and Durkes would work on a track from the instrumental demos they had made together, while Vick sat outside, writing melodies and lyrics. When she was done, she would come inside, lay down what she had written, and the process would repeat. The trio’s remarkable efficiency gave them confidence that they could work on something with more depth than what had been the projects initial scope.
“Four songs in, I think, after the first recording session, we realized it was going well, and it was pretty efficient,” says Brooks. “Making music with both Sam and Taylor has always been so easy. I record other artists, and it’s pretty rare to be so quickly on the same page with people. We don't have to say much — we kind of get where each other is coming from. It happens way too easily.”
Martin Leary is an indie rock and alternative artist based in Glasgow. Releasing debut EP “The Fear” in late 2019, Martin became a bit of a studio artist working in the HQ Glasgow, with producer and owner Gregor McPhie, through lockdown releasing “All in Good Time EP” and various singles such as “
Both official music videos for “Angel” and “Sleeps Alone” were shortlisted on the Weekender Music Video of the Year for 2021 and 2020 respectively. These can be streamed on Youtube channel.
After playing various semi acoustic gigs with Calum Doherty joining on lead guitar towards the gig of 2021. The pair are now joined with JP (bass) and Craig Lennon (drums) to complete a full band ready for gigging. Debut gig as a band will be in Glasgow - Audio - 4th of June.
Grief begins as a piano ballad based on classical songwriters, where, as it turns out, the venom is in his tail. Echoes of Abbey Road and fragments of Electric Light Orchestra merge into an extremely warm track, about a romance that has gone cold.
Beatlesque choirs sing that sometimes love means letting go. With their hearts on their toes, and both feet firmly rooted in the old-fashioned concept of just making good songs, Certain Animals march on to a crescendo of harpsichord and glockenspiel to finally play the final chord on a piano that, like the song of love, has not withstood the times.
With the release of their last two singles Midnight TV and Angels In Disguise, Certain Animals has now reached a larger audience in their home country of the Netherlands. The band has already been invited twice to play songs live on national TV.
Hold On, Sun King and Younger Than Now, the first three singles have also been very well received by the media internationally. The singles were added to playlists on national radio stations. In Belgium single Younger Than Now was on the playlist of national radio VRT 2 and played on Studio Brussel the national pop station.
In the US and the UK you still can hear all singles on Amazing Radio USA and Amazing Radio UK. Other countries where Certain Animals' music was played on radio are: the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Belgium, Croatia, Canada, USA, Jamaica, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Poland.
Continuing an arc of lyrically evocative and sonically adventurous single releases so far in 2022, Fe Salomon, returns with a brand new track: “All Or Nothing”. Released on 20th April, the new single finds the rising solo artist conjuring a cinematic alternative/pop masterclass from painterly reminiscence. Taking the listener back to a period strewn with precarious paths, toxic friendships and difficult choices, it’s a song that ultimately finds Salomon summoning strength from sour times.
“‘All Or Nothing’ is a song about a shared journey coming to an end” affirms Fe. “It’s inspired by a group of friends. Friendships that were often toxic, yet comforting and familiar. Set in the imagery of walking from the Holloway Road in London, to the east coast of England with the hope of turning over a new chapter.”
With her back against the wall and faced with the decision to go “All Or Nothing”; Fe’s gamble has evidently paid-off in dividends, with this resultant single making for a richly rewarding listen, laced with a resonant emotional gravity.
Initially written in a hotel room, the track was fully finished in 2021 with the assistance of esteemed classical arranger: Johnny Parry, of whom Fe was once a member of the Johnny Parry Trio with. Featuring soaring classical strings and makeshift drum kits, the track’s stuttering percussives owe their origins to household kitchen curiosities including woks and pans; offering a delectably avant-garde counterpoint to the track’s lush orchestral stylings.
Minneapolis-based quartet, Palm Friends are sharing their new single, "Hidden Perks" which comes as the first preview of their new EP, The Delivery out via Forged Artifacts on March 24. A stunning intro to the new release, outlined with warm, fuzzy guitars and quietly confident vocals, it follows the band's 2019 debut EP, Nice Weather coming mixed and mastered by Ben Etter (Deerhunter, Cate Le Bon).
Palm Friends first came together as a means of healing. After his brother passed away, guitarist and singer Jesse Pedersen moved from New York back home to Minnesota to be with his family. As part of the grieving process, he called up some of his high school friends and asked if they wanted to start a band. With Jon Lindquist on drums, Will Bunton on bass and Jesse on guitar and vocals, the band quickly recorded their debut EP. The result was an ebullient indie rock six-song burst, the sound of a band in its early stages having a blast together. Soon after, Shawnna Stennes joined, and the final Palm Friends lineup was solidified.
The band wrote most of The Delivery together over quarantine before recording in three ten-hour sessions at The Terrarium in Minnesota. The result is a truly collaborative effort, on a songwriting level but then also on a deeper, emotional level. As a songwriting duo, Jesse and Shawnna play off of each other’s strengths, from Jesse’s indie rock songcraft to Shawnna’s warm yet melancholic lyrics but as a full group, this is really a collaboration centered around healing and friendship.
Album opener “Hidden Perks” is an older track, originally written by Jesse while he was still living in New York. Jesse gave the song to Shawnna, who rewrote the lyrics and melody, changing the nature and feel, balancing joy with a tinge of sadness and an understanding of the difficulties of the world but a determination to find happiness wherever it’s available. Over a mid-tempo indie-rock beat, Shawnna sings, “I fight time in the back of my head/ Trying to make me boring.”
“‘Hidden Perks’ is about how I figured that as I got older I would become a better and better version of myself because I would learn more and learn more lessons,” says Shawnna. “And I came to realize I was really admiring my former self and striving to be someone I was before.”
With its first release in 2022, Certain Animals cheerfully opens its eyes and takes a look at the past. Driven by the Hammond organ, the band recalls its childhood memories.
Uninhibited, with an open mind and framed by pointed guitar riffs and a finely funky Wurlitzer, Certain Animals tells a three-part story as if it came from one mouth. Simple but effective: from sweet-voiced solitude to guitar harmonies that would not have been unworthy of the Allman brothers, and from pinprick to exploding reverb tank. Angels In Disguise strikes a balance between vintage and modern.
From the past to the present, the song takes the listener through a musical whirlwind and the accompanying unexpected beauty that man can encounter.
Hold On, Sun King, Younger Than Now and Midnight TV, the first four singles from Certain Animals' upcoming second album have been very well received by the media in their home country of the Netherlands and abroad. The singles have been added to playlists and have been played very regularly on national radio stations. The singles were all in the Top 3 of the alternative charts on Dutch national radio. Sun King was also heard in the Dutch edition of the very popular TV program The Bachelor. In Belgium previous single Younger Than Now is currently on the playlist of national radio VRT 2 and can be heard on Studio Brussel the national pop station.
Atop Jo Schornikow’s piano is an altar filled with pieces from the Nashville-based, Melbourne by way of NYC-bred artist’s life: a life that led her from jazz bars to church organs, performing on tour around the world with her partner Matthew Houck of Phosphorescent, and home to their two children - pieces that were once housed in dusty boxes when she lost her sense of self.
Today, Jo announces her new album ALTAR, out May 20 via Keeled Scales, named as a tribute to the thread that ties together and celebrates all her various selves. The title also nods to its homophone’s definition of 'change' and the German translation of its truncate meaning ‘elder.’ It’s a joyously vulnerable pronouncement of her purposeful presence, a protean spirit transmitted. The seeds of this album were tended to by Jo throughout loud, intense years of heavy touring, and quiet, intense years of early motherhood, growing through whatever cracks were found in those dual foundations.
To celebrate the announcement, Jo releases “Visions,” a rousing song in the tradition of Tom Petty-inspired by an ominous cosmic confluence of events that makes peace with impermanence as the only constant. It’s paired with a video shot under a surprise severe weather warning at a small-town Tennessee fair, directed by Noah Hanson.
About God's Country, Thomas says simply: "This song's about driving around rural Florida"
Thomas Dollbaum was born and grew up in Tampa, Florida. In 2015, Thomas moved to New Orleans to study at University of New Orleans for his masters in poetry.
While in New Orleans, Thomas worked as a carpenter and began writing the songs that eventually became Wellswood. The album was recorded over many sessions during the pandemic in New Orleans in an old hotel suite turned recording studio by friend and fellow musician Matthew Seferian.
Thomas still resides In New Orleans, running his own carpentry business.
Jess Locke has shared 'Fool' and it's a hook filled indie pop song with some grittier rock attitude alongside. === Sandtimer return just a month after we featured 'Different Seas' with another new track entitled 'Three Cars' a stunning indie folk piece. === Certain Animals make their seventh appearance here in less than a year such is the calibre of the music and the newest alt rock song 'Too Long' keeps the momentum going. === Eleni Drake has released 'Melbourne Blues' ahead of her E.P ‘Vanilla Sky’ and it's a beautiful example of what to expect. === Crawford Mack shares 'Depends On Where You Stand' which is a striking singer songwriter track with refined vocals and a fabulous musical arrangement. === Godcaster cut to the chase with 'All the Feral Girls In The Universe' a feisty track and if the video and title doesn't grab your attention the song is just as amazing.
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Jess Locke - Fool.
Melbourne artist Jess Locke is known for penning indie pop tracks that are at times subtle and full of melancholy, at times delivered with an acerbic tongue, but always steeped heavily in narrative. As premiered by triple j's Home & Hosed, new offering in ‘Fool’ is simple and raw, seeking to partner dirty grunge guitars, a fuzzy lead, gritty vocals and a punchy rhythm section. With the new track comes the announcement that Locke has inked a deal with cherished Melbourne label Dot Dash, of which artists such as Gena Rose Bruce, Methyl Ethel and Donny Benét call home.
Revealed by The Music, Jess Locke shares "I'm so excited to be signing with Dot Dash. I'm a big fan of the artists on the label and I couldn't be happier about becoming part of the family.'"
Dot Dash Recordings & Remote Control Records' Head of Label & Promotions, Sweetie Zamora adds "It’s an absolute joy to officially welcome Jess to the Dot Dash Recordings family. She’s been part of the extended Remote Control family since 2017 and we’ve long admired her dedication to songwriting, art and gluten-free vegan baked goods. The forthcoming music from Jess, Chris and Jim floored us and we’re immensely proud that they’ve trusted us to share it with the world."
“Is this the best you can do? You look like a fool” by Locke’s own admission this is as acid as her tongue gets. Delivered with irony, ‘Fool’, gives voice to real feelings of disappointment in people and in the way they treat each other, the way some set about to divide and exploit when threatened.
Of the track Locke asserts: “I originally imagined the chorus being sung by the Earth, or some other omniscient entity, to humans, like a loving parent to a wayward teenager - not angry, just disappointed. Although I wrote the song more than a year ago, I feel like it could have been written as a soundtrack to 2020”.
‘Did he sell his soul so he could buy it back somewhere down the track?’
Three Cars is the next single from indie-folk group Sandtimer. Featuring on their upcoming album, Running In Sunlight, it is a stripped back reflection on materialism and the illusions it can create. With warm three part harmonies, intricately woven guitars and an ambient brass accompaniment, this song draws on classic and contemporary folk elements.
Regarding Three Cars, vocalist and guitarist Rob Sword said: “Some time ago I saw three sports cars in someone’s drive. They had personalised number plates and were parked in ascending numerical order. Seeing this made me think about what the owner might have sacrificed of their own freedom and happiness to acquire these status symbols.”
The album Running in Sunlight, which will be released this October, sees the band take a loose and immediate approach to the creative process, with the songs being written and recorded over a short timeframe, with sparser instrumentation than their previous music.
“This album isn’t about anthems,” says Simon Thomas, vocalist and guitarist. “It’s our attempt at exploring the raw edges of the climate we live in- the uncomfortable parts as well as the beauty. We wanted to give ourselves space to do this intimately and honestly.”
Without warning, new Certain Animals single Too Long takes you along a torrent of scraps of memories. Carried on a Chicago shuffle, the song roars past topics such as politics, religion, alienation and domestic disputes at the speed of a steam train. With abrasive vocal cords and an expanding lung capacity you will be swept away on an inner adventure, with Dylan-esque poetry as a backdrop. When the distorted guitar parts seem to glow like coal in that steam train, it suddenly stops. And whispering and almost vulnerable the band muses about the freedom that life as a musician brings, only to stoke the fire even more to end the journey with three-part vocals!
Dutch band Certain Animals serves you melodic rock filled with vocal harmonies. The members aren't afraid to show which records they've been listening to. Musical titans from the '60s and '70s are spinning on their turntable on a daily basis. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Electric Light Orchestra are regular companions in their musical life, but also the fuzzy and phasey sounds of contemporary bands like Tame Impala influence the music of Certain Animals.
Without being stuck in the past and with a critical view on the present, the band brings you their intriguing sound which makes for an energetic live show filled with intimate moments and explosive bursts of energy.
In less then three years, the band managed to build a strong live reputation by playing shows on major Dutch festivals in famous venues all over the country, and they also performed across the border in Belgium and Germany.
Eleni recently signed to Ninja Tune and is set to make her latest release with her delicately crafted new EP ‘Vanilla Sky’. The first single ‘Melbourne Blues’ is out today 24th July.
Written by Eleni and produced by Frank Colucci (Tom Grennan, Rose Gray, Dan Caplen), 'Melbourne Blues' is the first single from the rising Eleni Drake's upcoming EP (due this Sept).
Coming on like The War on Drugs played by Crazy Horse, with music direction by Yo La Tengo and fronted by Lana Del Rey, 'Melbourne Blues' is a raw and empowered ballad, influenced as much by Laurel Canyon as it is Lauren Hill. Previous support from Spotify UK, US and JP (Soultronic, Fresh Finds, Monday Spin, Cintra.net).
"I never really know whether I want to gravitate more towards melancholy jazz ballads, or stick to that "demo-esque" rock influenced indie music... so i thought, fuck it, why not completely offend both genres”.
Crawford Mack is not your average new artist. His fellow Glaswegians would argue that he is not particularly new for starters, given his regular live performances across the city. With his debut solo album set to drop in the fall, the singer-songwriter teases listeners with new offering ‘Depends On Where You Stand.'
Crawford’s music and lyrics are drawn from a voracious appetite for reading as wide a variety of literature - from pulp to classics. Intimately involved in all aspects of his art; Crawford is not just a composer and lyricist, but a video and art director, the whole focused on the perfect expression of his musical vision.
Upcoming single ‘Depends On Where You Stand’ was recorded during sessions for his debut album in Antwerp. An exercise in powerful subtlety, the gracious track weaves a string led melody of guitars and violins around the tale of two former lovers struggling to find a middle ground of communication. It is simple, effective and affecting.
Elaborating on his interpretation of the track, Crawford tells us: “Two former lovers meet together in an art gallery and they’re out of awkward pleasantries to exchange. No amount of hastily formed opinions on the artwork displayed can drown out what they are neglecting to discuss. They play-out a Hollywood-esq sequence of trying not to be caught sneaking a glance, whilst attempting to give each other enough space by dancing around each other at a pace that is as excruciating as it is conspicuous.”
Rising from the underground river of primordial goo that runs between New York City and Philadelphia and ascending toward some unknown ethereal plane beyond our comprehension, comes to us the revelatory debut of music and mythos from Godcaster, Long Haired Locusts.
The venerated and shining troupe of David McFaul (keys), Von Lee (flute, vox), Lindsay Dobbs (trombone, vox), Bruce Ebersole (bass guitar), Sam Pickard (drums), and Judson Kolk (vox, guitar) transmit a brand of devout, sassy rock and pop that thrashes through stages of blissful, comforting highs and devastating lows, preaching the convergence of the holy and the heretical.
Songs like “All the Feral Girls in the Universe” naturally builds upon an undeniably danceable composition until it reaches, like the album as a whole reaches, a phenomenally euphoric peak.
Market Junction will release their latest album, 'Burning Bridges', on August 7 and ahead of that they have shared 'Nebraska' a song where the vocals are fabulous and the musicianship comfortably on a par. === As this is our sixth feature for the Dutch band Certain Animals I guess it's safe to say we like them and new song 'TV' sees them keeping up the momentum with another fine rocker. === We featured their debut single back in March and Brighton based band The Brave Faces are back with 'Lots Of Nights Out' which is another solid indie rock song, that stands out both musically and vocally.
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Market Junction - Nebraska.
Of the song, Matt says: "Home is not a place. It is a connection to another person. When you lose those people, you feel uprooted, disconnected, and lost. Being out on the road is hard on a relationship, yet the constant war inside us wages between the dreams we chase and the people we love. Sometimes the road wins and we are left with nothing but our own wanderlust."
Market Junction. Not a place as the name implies but rather the name of a band that has engaged fans with their songs of love and loss since 2012 when they released their freshman effort, Heroes Have Gravestones.
In 2011, Matt Parrish gifted friend and fellow songcrafter Justin Lofton a vinyl pressing of Ray LaMontagne’s God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise for his birthday and the fires of inspiration were ignited. The pair set out on a journey to create the kind of music they not only loved to listen to but music that they loved to play. Since those early days, the band soon expanded its lineup to include Taylor Hilyard on bass guitar and Michael Blattel on drums, sharing stages with Cory Morrow, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jack Ingram, Radney Foster and more.
“We’ve done nothing the conventional way”, says Parrish. “It’s taken us nine years to figure out who we are and what direction we want to take our careers,” adds Lofton. The combination of lyrical prowess and Lofton’s fretboard mastery has resulted in a sound that is rooted in place and time, but that transcends both. While the band has found success in their beloved home state of Texas, they are ready to show the rest of the world what they can do.
The wait will have been well worth it for Americana music fans across the country - Market Junction will release their latest LP, Burning Bridges, on August 7, 2020. This collection of songs tells one story, one of a young man learning about love and its consequences. Sometimes the heartbreak spurs the traveling, and other times the traveling is the cause of the heartbreak. Either way, Burning Bridges will break your heart in the best kind of way, and have you reaching for the keys.
The new Certain Animals single TV opens with a phaser-turned drum fill, followed by an epic double guitar harmony with a battery-powered fuzzbox set to the max. Flanked by a rhythm section consisting of congas, bongos and grunting bass that wouldn't look out of place on an obscure soul record, Certain Animals are telling a story about two sides of the media medal. On the one hand, uptempo and full of bravado: the media magnates and internet giants who look forward to a glorious future where your sins are forgiven, as long as you stick to the screen. On the other hand, harmonious and melancholic: the memory of simpler times, with two or three television channels and a more sincere look. With their single TV, Certain Animals capture the ambivalent feelings they have about the contemporary media in just under five minutes.
Dutch band Certain Animals serves you melodic rock filled with vocal harmonies. The members aren't afraid to show which records they've been listening to. Musical titans from the '60s and '70s are spinning on their turntable on a daily basis. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Electric Light Orchestra are regular companions in their musical life, but also the fuzzy and phasey sounds of contemporary bands like Tame Impala influence the music of Certain Animals.
Without being stuck in the past and with a critical view on the present, the band brings you their intriguing sound which makes for an energetic live show filled with intimate moments and explosive bursts of energy. In less then three years, the band managed to build a strong live reputation by playing shows on major Dutch festivals in famous venues all over the country, and they also performed across the border in Belgium and Germany.
While busy touring, band members Thijs van Leeuwen (vocals, guitars), Niels-Jan van Dijk (bass, vocals) and Kees Braam (drums, vocals) managed to build their own recording studio at a former red light district in the port of Rotterdam. At their home base the trio writes, produces and mixes their music single-handedly.
The album release had to be postponed until September, but no worries, Certain Animals got you covered this summer! The last two singles of Certain Animals were picked up by UK's Amazing Radio - the only station in the world playing 100% new and emerging music. Single 'Tangerine' even made it to #5 in The Amazing Chart!
The Brave Faces, Brighton post-punk/indie band, have released their second single, ‘Lots of Nights Out’. Influenced by 80s post-punk, shoegaze and contemporary indie, The Brave Faces push forward bristling melodies and sweeping soundscapes. Wiry, melodic guitars layer driving industrial drums.
The band’s new single, 'Lots of Nights Out', bursts straight out of the gate with two intertwining guitar lines. Complementing and competing, the two create a frantic indie soundscape while bass and drums combine to keep the peace. The chorus’ catchy hook is deceptively bright and poppy, distracting from the tension and exhaustion expressed in the lyrics. In the track’s penultimate offering, the lyrical tone switches up and delivers a mantra to reassure: ‘just give it time, time will heal, it’ll be okay’. The song sets out to take you through many different headspaces before setting you up to do it all again.
“‘Lots of Nights Out’ is about getting to an age by which you’d always thought you’d have it all figured out, but you still haven't. You're in pain, you’re worried about getting old and you feel directionless.” says the band’s lead vocalist, Darrell.
“It explores and critiques the only ‘medication’ I had at my disposal at that time of my life: going out and getting drunk. It’s from the perspective of someone reflecting on their lifestyle, talking about the time they spend trying to escape and impress other people. This track is about taking a step back and seeing this mentality for what it was to me — fun, but ultimately exhausting and damaging. The end of the song tries to encourage anyone in a bad spot that things can and do get better”.
Julia P. new song 'Walking On By' has a gorgeous country and bluegrass feel coursing through it along with a beautiful musical arrangement. === TodayBlackieBlueBird have released their new album 'Goodbye in July' comprising of eleven refined dream pop tracks each vying for attention. === Certain Animals make their fifth appearance on Beehive Candy in less that a year with 'Love, Space & Time' where their fabulous sixties vibes are once again enticing. === We have the full album from Jed streaming below, it's entitled 'Black Gold Texas Tea' and has nine creative instrumental tracks that cover a good number of styles and genres. === Brighton, England's The Brave Faces have released their debut single 'In The Dark' and it's a really impressive piece that more than suggests the band are one's to listen out for. === Bethany Ferrie has a new lyric video for the extremely catchy and melodic song 'Stayed'. === The Dream Syndicate return just weeks after sharing 'Black Light' with another superb song entitled 'The Longing' the band might have been around for thirty years but this is just so fresh. === Boxes new song is entitled 'Electric Lights' where the Manchester, England band demonstrate a clear talent and ability to create some absolutely stunning country rock.
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Julia P. - Walking On By.
It's never too late to start playing the banjo! Julia P. Hersheimer first got noticed in 1991 with her Twin Peaks Forever cassette. Thereafter many albums, EP's and projects followed. She shared the stage with Paul Weller, toured with dEUS and Daryll-Ann, was featured on the internationally acclaimed Eurosonic Noorderslag showcase festival, on famous Dutch festivals like Crossing Border and Lowlands, and on Dutch national TV.
In 2017 Julia P. released the ‘Summer EP’ to international acclaim - four sunny tunes about beaches and waves - and in that same year the ultimate Christmas tune ‘Christmas Is Calling’, which rode high in the alternative Christmas charts.
Julia P. always wanted to play the banjo. It took her 53 (!) years to finally buy one and take lessons.
New single Walking On By is the first banjo recording and it has a definite jingle jangle country/bluegrass vibe, somewhere in between Mumford & Sons and Gillian Welch. It is a song about the longing for long gone times when the sun always seemed to shine and life was peaceful and innocent.
Copenhagen's dream pop duo BlackieBlueBird return with their second album "Goodbye in July". BlackieBlueBird are the vocalist Heidi Lindahl and the composer Nils Lassen; together they create delicate torch songs of reverb and echo that captivate the listener with resonating guitars, wailing harmonicas, maudlin mandolins and a choir of lonely mermaids that sporadically embraces Heidi's golden voice. The echoes of love and longing, hellos and deceiving goodbyes live within her unique and clear vibrato.
BlackieBlueBird are now back with their second album "Goodbye in July" which leverages the dreamy romanticism but preserves the melancholy of their first work. Lead by the delicate and enchanting voice of Heidi Lindahl "Goodbye in July" comprises 11 songs of desire, love, life, and losses written by the experienced composer Nils Lassen.
The duo received great reviews worldwide for their debut album "Ghost River", where their sound has been compared to Nick Cave's "Murder Ballads" and Enya.
All songs are written and produced by Nils Lassen. The album is a cooperation among T&E Records, Poisonic, and Aenaos Records. "Goodbye in July" will be released on Vinyl, CD, and as a download on 27th of March 2020.
New single Love, Space & Time is a loving, psychedelic trip along the earliest childhood memories to the currently found feeling of unity of Certain Animals. Hhinting to Creedence Clearwater Revival, A reverberated intro easily glides into a droning riff which could have been taken from an unused B-side of The Beatles' Rubber Soul or Revolver.
Three-part harmony vocals smoothly narrate the cosmic fortune and innocence of early youth. Tastefully accompanied by a cowbell, the chorus blasts away with an exclamation full of ambition and perseverance, a driving force of the band. Love, Space & Time is a characteristic example of the new Certain Animals: polyphonic and melodic, but always with an edge.
Dutch band Certain Animals serves you melodic rock filled with vocal harmonies. The members aren't afraid to show which records they've been listening to. Musical titans from the '60s and '70s are spinning on their turntable on a daily basis. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Electric Light Orchestra are regular companions in their musical life, but also the fuzzy and phasey sounds of contemporary bands like Tame Impala influence the music of Certain Animals.
Without being stuck in the past and with a critical view on the present, the band brings you their intriguing sound which makes for an energetic live show filled with intimate moments and explosive bursts of energy.
27th March sees the release of the debut album from Jed called "Black Gold Texas Tea". Jed is Jed Stephens a multi instrumentalist with a passion for electronic music of all kinds, his music is a mix of electro, techno, D&B, house and ambient.
He has been a song writer, producer and performer for many years, previous bands include Bass Bandits and Exchange, he is currently in the North West UK based Synthpop covers band Elektrio.
Jed's musical influences range from Sibelius and Bartok through to the Chemical Brothers and Orbital, via The Beatles, Kraftwerk, New Order, 808 State, Frankie Knuckles, Arthur Baker and Vince Clarke. Those old enough to remember The Beverley Hillbillies will recognise the derivation of the album title!
The music on the debut is modern electronic combining the best of elements of techno with the soundtrack feel of John Carpenter, Vangelis or Jarre. Using the best in modern electronic gear he creates stunning tracks which combine epic sounds with dance rhythms. His live show, complete with laser lighting rig, is stunning, a guaranteed dance fest for anyone who attends.
THE BRAVE FACES, Brighton post-punk/indie band, have released their debut single, ‘In the Dark’, with a video to follow.
Influenced by 80s post-punk, shoegaze and contemporary indie, THE BRAVE FACES push forward bristling melodies and sweeping soundscapes. Wiry, melodic guitars layer driving industrial drums. Their first single, 'In the Dark', features glimmering chords, dreamy synths and palm-muted melodies - providing a stark soundscape for the singer’s cold commentary. The backing singer’s reverberating falsetto adds to the overarching feeling of uneasy catchiness.
“In the Dark explores power within a relationship,” says the band. “They’re delivered from the perspective of someone offering up fumbled clichés as apologies, desperately trying to save face after the latest in a series of breaches of trust.”
‘In the Dark’ is the first of three tracks recorded by THE BRAVE FACES with Dave ‘Izumi’ Lynch (Toploader, Jake Bugg, The Magic Numbers) at Echo Zoo Studios in Eastbourne. THE BRAVE FACES will release their next two tracks, ‘Lots of Nights Out’ and ‘It Takes a While’, throughout 2020, alongside a string of live performances around Brighton and London. ‘In the Dark’ was mastered by sound engineer Pete Maher, who has previously worked with U2, Pixies and Nick Cave.
Starting from sending voice notes to her friends in her bedroom as a teen, it’s only in the past year that Bethany has started releasing music and gigging wherever she can. With just her and an acoustic guitar, Bethany brings her pop music to life with hints of Fleetwood Mac, Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran setting her apart from her contemporaries.
About the track: “I had broken pieces of a chorus in my head for weeks. I was at a time in my life where I felt really alone and distant from everyone, and the song actually ended up taking a lot longer to finish because I’m not used to being honest with myself. It’s made up of a lot of little different things; different people, different headspaces.
I think when I was younger, with any kind of relationship with someone, I thought I’d have it forever. Now I’m much more hesitant, I have a voice in the back of my head saying, “okay, this is good. So when does it end?” It’s kind of the moment when you’re getting on with your day and then you see something or hear a song and it takes you back to a time or a person. It just takes that split second to send you back.
I have this little thing on my keyring that someone once gave me and I never took it off. It’s sort of like I still carry them around, but I forget it’s even there until I notice it. Having the guitar through the bridge puts me into that headspace of letting music fill an awkward silence. I kept it instrumental because sometimes you can say too much. I feel ‘Stayed’ is the start of me coming into my own sound as an artist
When The Dream Syndicate emerged in the early 80s, front man Steve Wynn declared, “We’re playing music we want to hear because nobody else is doing it.” He added, “I’ll compromise on what I eat or where I sleep, but I won’t compromise on what music I play.” Both were true, and although their template of Velvet Underground meets Crazy Horse may seem commonplace today (and let’s not forget, the Syndicate spawned many imitators), their raw twin guitar, bass and drums approach was not common during an era when slick, polished MTV bands ruled.
Thirty years later The Dream Syndicate have announced their third album for ANTI-, The Universe Inside, which will be released on 10th April. They have now shared the video for new single 'The Longing', a cryptic clip that explores yearning, memories and the passage of time.
“A friend of mine once said, ‘You ought to write a song about longing,’” lead singer and songwriter Steve Wynn explained of the song’s titling. “This was a few years back but it stuck with me and when I was listening to minutes 20 through 28 of the improvisation that became The Universe Inside I knew that the suggestion had finally found its proper home. This section of music - that followed in real time the part that became “The Regulator” - felt so mournful and lost and adrift and confused, much like longing itself. You think you know where it’s at? The longing is stronger than that. Our resident visual interpreter David Dalglish picked up on that feeling for a video that connected hauntingly to that feeling of distance and memory. And now? Suddenly it all feels very much of the moment. A chasm, sleepless for day and days, rootless, unsettled and alone. All that’s left is the longing.”
This album could have been called The Art of The Improvisers – The Dream Syndicate were in a Richmond studio after midnight working out ideas when Stephen McCarthy dropped by and became a catalyst for uncharted exploration. In one session, they recorded 80 continuous minutes of soundscapes. Wynn took that raw tape back to his NYC home and played the shit out of it and thought, “My god, there’s an album here, damn it!”
From the band - We're a country rock band based in Manchester, UK. We're a band all about those lyrics, harmonies and riffs.
We can't not make music, i'd be lost without it, inspiration include Luke Combs, Old Domino, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton etc (the list goes on) - we're country but with an English feel, there's a growing scene here in England and we want to be at the forefront of it!
The track Electric Lights is about going on a journey and the fear of being stuck in the same place or situation for too long.
Less than a month since we featured the video for 'Stolen Flesh' Mechanimal return with another video this time for 'Scavengers' a fabulous electro industrial piece with incredible spoken vocals. === Certain Animals return for a fourth time in six months with 'Tangerine' where the Dutch band share some superb sixties vibes. === Brielle Ansems has just shared 'Ironside' a beautiful indie folk song that is refined and beautifully arranged. === It's been a year since we first came across Vilma Flood and so it's a welcome return to Beehive Candy with her new song 'End', another Scandinavian Americana piece that is totally captivating.
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Mechanimal - Scavengers.
With a stunning mix of post-punk, electro and industrial, Greece's ‘drone n roll’ project Mechanimal (Giannis Papaioanou, Freddie Faulkenberry) have just released their new album Crux (out January 27) via Inner Ear Records. And now, they are following it up with a new video for the LP's, "Scavengers". Directed by Gerasimos Domenikos.
It's the second video the band have released to promote the album, following last month's video for "Stolen Flesh".
Mechanimal’s last record was 2016’s "Delta Pi Delta". In June last year they released "White Flag" single which marked the return of original singer Freddie back on vocals with his characteristic spoken word.
Dutch band Certain Animals serves you melodic rock filled with vocal harmonies. The members aren't afraid to show which records they've been listening to. Musical giants from the '60s and '70s are spinning on their turntable on a daily basis. The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Electric Light Orchestra are regular companions in their musical life, but also the fuzzy and phasey sounds of contemporary bands like Tame Impala influence the music of Certain Animals.
Without being stuck in the past and with a critical view on the present, the band brings you their intriguing sound which makes for an energetic live show filled with intimate moments and explosive bursts of energy. In less then three years, the band managed to build a strong live reputation by playing shows on major Dutch festivals in famous venues all over the country, and they also performed across the border in Belgium and Germany.
While busy touring, band members Thijs van Leeuwen (vocals, guitars), Niels-Jan van Dijk (bass, vocals) and Kees Braam (drums, vocals) managed to build their own recording studio at a former red light district in the port of Rotterdam. At their home base the trio writes, produces and mixes their music single-handedly, working towards the release of their debut album scheduled for spring 2020.
New single Tangerine is a harmonic blend of polyphony, taken straight out of black-and-white images of London in the sixties. The era when The Kinks and The Beatles could be found there in the wild. Just like their idols, Certain Animals used whirling twelve-string guitars and a lovely grunting Höfner violin bass in their recordings. Tangerine evokes the atmosphere of the hip incrowd of the time and describes an obsessive romance with a royal touch. That obsessiveness is delivered sweetly, but - just like the song - spins out of control eventually. One of Certain Animals' more gentle songs from their upcoming debut album shows a different side of the band: a side that is not afraid to combine beautiful poppy melodies with a craving for the past, and on top of that three-part harmony vocals.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario and raised in Montague, PEI, Brielle Ansems has grown up with music on her lips and a creativity fostered by Prince Edward Island’s artistic community. As an avid reader, writer, and a recent graduate of Holland College School of Performing Arts Theatre Performance program, her lyric-focused music fuses folk sensibilities with pop and r&b influences to create an emotionally charged, poetic experience for her audiences.
Brielle gained recognition early in her journey with the 2011 SOCAN sponsored songwriting competition, Soundwaves’ So You Think You’ve Got the Beat, the winning of which resulted in a showcase in that year’s ECMA proceedings as well as recording time with well-known musician and producer David Rashed. Notable performances over the years have included both opening for, and sharing the stage with the likes of Ben Caplan, Liam Corcoran, Tim Chaisson, Matthew Barber, and Adyn Townes.
As well as her work in the music industry, Brielle has also earned recognition in the Island acting world, making her professional theatre debut in the 2018 season of the Watermark Theatre. Her debut album, This New Hurricane, is planned for a 2020 release.
Vilma Flood had her breakthrough on the Scandinavian Americana scene last year when her album "Moodswinger" got raving reviews.
Often compared to Karen Dalton, Sophie Zelmani and Mary Margaret O'Hara the artist still held her own space and vibe. Short stories all delivered with Flood's extra ordinary vocals.
"End" is the first single off of a forthcoming album , again produced by Tobias Fröberg, and the release coincides with her biggest headline show yet at Fasching in Stockholm.
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