Michael Nau and the Mighty Thread - When.
Background - Michael Nau will release his new, full band album ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ through Full Time Hobby on 3rd August. ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’ is the follow-up to last year’s critically acclaimed album ‘Some Twist’ and its extension ‘The Load’ EP.
Following the release of singles 'Less Than Positive', 'Funny In Real Life' and 'You You', the band have now shared a video for album track 'When'. “The video is just a bunch of old (public-domain) home movie footage that I liked and I’ve been trying to assemble in different ways,” says The Mighty Thread drummer and 'When' video creator Graeme Gibson. “Good people moments. I found that editing visuals is a bit different than audio so I enlisted the help of an experienced documentary editor Emilee Booher to put the footage to good use.”
“There was a musical language that we created; something without a guiding pattern that you could really just jump into and see where things could go,” Michael Nau says of the process of recording ‘Michael Nau & The Mighty Thread’. He’s wildly poetic, especially when recounting his dedication to music, and the work that led to this particular collection of delicately passionate songs. “These things became the vehicle by which we traveled, giving us reason to spend most of our lives in a van of uncertainty.”
The sprawling new album was recorded in guitarist Benny Yurco’s one-bedroom apartment in downtown Burlington, Vermont. Nau and his collaborators had a cool little set up going in Yurco’s spot — drums and bass took over the bedroom, the guitar amp in the bathroom, Nau’s vocals and piano in the living room, and a vibraphone in the kitchen. It’s the first time one of Nau’s records happened all in one place, and “it feels most like a band record than ever before”. Nau and this particular group of musicians held it down together as a true team, which is why Nau named the record in their honour. FACEBOOK.
We have already featured 'Less Than Positive' and 'Funny In Real Life' and without hesitation the inclusion of the album track 'When' makes it three songs this year from Michael Nau and The Mighty Thread. It's another refined song, catchy from the opening moments, the bands natural Americana feel is there, along with something of a classic sixties vibe. The video works so well, adding a vintage dimension that complements the musics overall feel.
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Dot Dash - Proto Retro (Album).
Background - Dot Dash’s new album Proto Retro, the band’s sixth long player, is out now on The Beautiful Music. It’s the label’s 42nd release. Proto Retro was recorded at Inner Ear and The Bastille in Arlington, Virginia and produced by Geoff Sanoff (Lloyd Cole, Darlene Love, Television.)
Coming off of 2016’s amped-up, fuzzed-out Searchlights, the 12 track Proto Retro sees Dot Dash taking a poppier, janglier direction but one that retains the punky, garagey energy that has marked the band’s previous releases.
Dot Dash is a Washington D.C.-based trio -- Terry Banks (guitar & vocals), Hunter Bennett (bass), and Danny Ingram (drums.) Ex-bands within the Dot Dash orbit include power-poppy indie rockers Julie Ocean; harDCore pioneers Youth Brigade and The Untouchables; indiepoppers The Saturday People, Tree Fort Angst, Glo-Worm, and St. Christopher; plus Swervedriver and Strange Boutique.
Along the way, Dot Dash has played shows with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Richard Lloyd (ex-Television), The B-52s, The Monochrome Set, The Psychedelic Furs, The Chameleons, The Dickies, Ash, Hugh Cornwell (ex-Stranglers), The Clientele, Stiff Little Fingers, The Godfathers, The Bats, Ian Hunter (ex-Mott The Hoople), The Fleshtones, Urge Overkill, Glen Matlock (ex-Sex Pistols), The Drums, Ultimate Painting, The Trashcan Sinatras, Sylvain Sylvain (ex-New York Dolls), Drivin'n'Cryin, Frankie Rose, Tommy Keene, The Empty Hearts, Wussy, Matt Pond PA, Moon Duo, Terry Malts, Soulside, Jack Grisham (TSOL), Wax Idols, Chris Stamey (ex-dB’s), Allo Darlin', The Supersuckers, Adam Franklin (Swervedriver), X___X, The Explorers Club, D.O.A., Elf Power, Stevie Jackson (Belle & Sebastian), Eternal Summers & lots of other rocking combos. TWITTER.
Commencing with 'Unfair Weather' a two minute blast of garage rock, the album 'Proto Retro' does indeed see the trio include some notable jangle pop sensibilities alongside plenty of "play me again" hooks across the album. We featured Dot Dash once before back in January 2017, with a track from each of the five previous albums, having spoken highly of them on that occasion, let's just say that album number six, ups the stakes even further (and some!).
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Joey Sweeney & The Neon Grease - Polaroids On The Floor.
Background - The new single Polaroids On The Floor, is another joyfully raucous cut from their new album Catholic School, which is coming out September 7th.
Their new album Catholic School is so steeped in dad-rock influence (and lots of sax) that it’s wearing a Members Only jacket and trying to get a job working for the city. The album’s also a joint release between Burnt Toast Vinyl and The Giving Groove, who will be donating half of ALL profits to Rock To The Future, a 501(c)3 organization that provides music education for Philadelphia’s underserved youth, at no cost to them or their families. Rock to the Future aims to empower individuals and strengthen communities through programs that ignite passion and creativity, support academic achievement, and improve self-esteem... definitely a great cause to get behind!
Joey Sweeney is a Philadelphia-based songwriter who has been writing songs and prose since in the 1980s. His songs and records have received widespread critical acclaim over the years; of his last record with The Trouble With Sweeney, Fishtown Briefcase.
Joey Sweeney’s songwriting draws inspiration from sources as disparate as 1970s Philly nightlife folklore and Denis Johnson’s The Incognito Lounge. In their new songs, chiming guitars, classic rock sax solos and rainy bedroom Velvet Underground listening sessions all blend together. In these songs are little stories of triumph over dirty circumstance and grace under pressure, with the friendship of an urban family “street band” woven throughout. BANDCAMP.
'Polaroids On The Floor' is our second feature for the new album following 'And Soon' back in June. With plenty of passion in the vocals and an upbeat and positive musical backdrop, the song is something of a classic soul, fused with rock and roll epic!
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Showing posts with label Dot Dash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dot Dash. Show all posts
Thursday, 2 August 2018
Sunday, 29 January 2017
Six On Sunday: Oddnesse - Los Colognes - Dot Dash - No Joy - Winstons - The Forgotten Ghost

Background - Fresh off the success of her first single “Somewhere Somehow”, which was recently featured on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds” and Apple Music’s “Isolation” playlists, Oddnesse dropped her second single entitled “Incoming Call”.
The project began as a studio collaboration between musician Rebeca Arango and producer Grey Goon. The two east-coast expats had arrived independently in Los Angeles plagued by ghosts of old bands, with many gigs at the Cake Shop under their belts and expensive degrees in music on their linked-ins. They both shared a vision for infectious beautiful music with a dark, heavy groove and as friends occasionally dropped by the studio with contributions, the band was born.
Both singles are taken from Oddnesse’s debut self-titled EP that will be released later this Spring via Myster Music. Facebook here. Buy here.
The music on 'Incoming Call' is a swirling, layered and creative feast of sounds. Add in the rhythmic vocals, and we have one very addictive and intriguing song.
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Background - Nashville based Los Colognes have just announced their third album The Wave, out May 12th via Big Deal Media / Thirty Tigers. One of the highest and rarest aspirations in popular music is to reach for the transcendental, to access the spirit. On The Wave, Los Colognes succeeds at this – in breaking through the confines of everyday pop song lyricism to tell a holistic story. It’s not a concept piece, but it’s a brooding and joyful song cycle filled with philosophical rumination, effortless hooks, inspiring musicianship, and expansive arrangements. It’s an album perfectly suited of the current zeitgeist of unease and hope.
Guitarist/singer Jay Rutherford opines in “Flying Apart” - ‘Nobody believed / We’re all just hoping / Floating down streams.” It’s a song that invokes “the wave” metaphor of the album’s title, while churning through its own sonic sea of shimmering keyboards and guitars anchored by drummer Aaron Mortenson. The music evokes any of the best moments of late seventies or mid eighties FM radio while never being weighed down by the specter of influence. Los Colognes are a young band who have managed to forge their own sound while channeling the best sonic worlds of the decades past. Website here, Facebook here. Tour dates on the next page.
The first track from forthcoming album 'The Wave' is the song 'Flying Apart'. After a brief wall of sound intro, we are into a melodic, upbeat soundtrack with vocals adding in some additional feeling. As a taste of what's to come, then it's job done, I'm hooked.
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Background - Over the last five years Washington D.C.-based Dot Dash has had five albums released, all via Canadian indie label The Beautiful Music. The band have a newly released free-for-download 5-song Dot Dash digital e.p. This comprises of five songs, one from each album.
Dot Dash has played shows with The B-52s, Tommy Keene, The Fleshtones, Ash, The Psychedelic Furs, The Chameleons, The Dickies, Hugh Cornwell, The Monochrome Set, Ian Hunter, Stiff Little Fingers, Glen Matlock, The Bats, Sylvain Sylvain, The Godfathers, Wussy, Urge Overkill, The Drums, The Trashcan Sinatras, Frankie Rose, The Clientele, Drivin'n'Cryin', The Empty Hearts, Matt Pond PA, Jack Grisham, Moon Duo, Chris Stamey, Wax Idols, The Explorers Club, Allo Darlin', The Supersuckers, Stevie Jackson, and lots of other rocking combos.
Washington Post: “Everything we've ever read about Dot Dash plays up the group's collective resume: Singer/guitarist Terry Banks was in St. Christopher and the Saturday People before teaming up with bassist Hunter Bennett in acclaimed indie-rock band Julie Ocean; guitarist Steve Hansgen played bass for hardcore legends Minor Threat and Government Issue, and then the mod group Modest Proposal; drummer Danny Ingram co-founded harDCore band Youth Brigade. Very impressive. But we're more interested in the music, a retro cocktail that recalls the yearning indie-pop of Sarah Records; the '80s neo-Byrds jangle of R.E.M., Orange Juice and other seminal college radio artists, and the tight, throbbing basslines and slashing guitars that evoke the Jam and the Clash." Facebook here.
The new EP '5/5/5' with one track each from the bands five albums released so far, is a good way to get to know their music. These are no copycats, they consistently create indie rock & pop (and more), of a high calibre, and the comparisons above are at best references of their quality. Checking out who they have performed with along the way, says a lot more.
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Background - For most listeners, No Joy are a standout from the shoegaze revival, that wall of noise lead by its two female band members Jasamine White-Gluz and Laura Lloyd and their long headbanging blonde locks. In a 2011 Blackbook piece on the band’s detached yet visceral live show, the writer coyly commented “they are playing with their backs to the audience…shy girls.”
For years, principal songwriter and lead vocalist Jasamine White-Gluz was that shy girl. It translated onto their albums (her voice was never too high in the mixes, constantly obscured by layers of guitar) as well as their live shows (instead of standing center stage in the shows, she opted to stay hidden in the corner of the stage). With the latest effort Creep EP, (Street Date, February 24th, 2017) White-Gluz is starting to shed those insecurities and bring a revived spirit to who we know as No Joy.
As the principal writer of their past catalog, White-Gluz steers the material on Creep in new directions, drawing on varied influences ranging from Industrial to New Age. With co-writer and producer Jorge Elbrecht (Violens, Ariel Pink, Tamaryn, Lansing-Dreiden), the pair create a soundscape that is both familiar and fresh. Tracked in Montreal at Hotel 2 Tango and in White-Gluz’s Little Italy apartment, the sound is huge. Dynamic juxtapositions of dark and light, feminine and virile are cemented together with their signature earworm hooks. No Joy are challenging themselves by distancing from the traditional rock band formula, creating a new live show to accompany the release.
By taking control of their new direction, it’s the beginning of a new era for No Joy. Facebook here. See out Tour page for live dates. Amazon here.
From the forthcoming EP we have 'Califone', a jangly and melodic track. With the shoegaze vibe a little more understated, the vocals and musicianship really standout, an indicator of the quality and growing confidence to be found on the new release.
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Winstons - Without You.
Background - Winstons have released a new single "Without You". It will be part of a release slated to come out later this year. The band released two EP's in 2015 entitled 'Turpentine' & 'Black Dust'. The new single came out on Friday via Grand Jury.
Winstons is a garage-soul duo out of Virginia, residing in Brooklyn. They do love songs, blue songs, and dance songs with drums, guitar, harmonies, and a harmonica. Their live show is raw and earnest, with a dynamic juxtaposing devotion and depravity. Their sound has drawn comparisons to Screaming' Jay Hawkins and The Cramps. They self-released two EPs in 2015. Website here, Facebook here. Buy track here.
As genre crossovers go, garage soul was bound to be a must listen for myself. 'Without You' is all of that and more. The vocals are just so naturally soulful and genuine, whilst the guitar rock vibes make a surprisingly suitable musical soundtrack. Winston's have got something special going on here.
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Background - Clown is Melbourne based, Scottish born, James Henderson’s 5th solo studio album and his debut under the pseudonym, The Forgotten Ghost. He composed all the instrumentation and enlisted some very talented friends to assist with the final recording.
‘Too Close To The Sun’ is the first preview of the forthcoming album. Ambitious and beautiful instrumentation characterises the new single, akin to the most lush tracks on Elliott Smith’s XO. James’ delicate falsetto carries a haunting melody through the song, ranging in atmosphere from intimacy to epic strokes.
Clown was recorded over the course of one year and was engineered and co-produced by Peter Camilleri (brother of Jo Camilleri) who has worked with artists such as the Black Sorrows, Jo Jo Zep, Renay Geyer and Paul Kelly. Clown was recorded in various locations across Melbourne including the famous Buckland room in Melbourne’s Arts Centre (home to the MSO) and was mastered by Peter Mew at Abbey Road Studios. Peter was chosen to master the record due to his work with David Bowie and the Beatles. “I feel very privileged to have been able to work with Peter, his knowledge and experience have added a beautiful sparkle to the finished recording”, says James.
At the beginning of 2016 James set out with intention of moving The Forgotten Ghost from a solo project into a band and slowly amassed a collective of very talented musicians. With the addition of Kirsty Morphet’s stunning voice and beautiful piano, Cam Pretipino’s solidifying bass and Conrad Tracey’s thoughtful drums, the live performances so far have been extremely well received. ‘Too Close To The Sun’ by The Forgotten Ghost will be released 3rd of February 2017. Website here, Facebook here.
'Too Close To The Sun' almost tiptoes into being. James Henderson’s falsetto vocals emerge against a piano soundtrack and we build towards a fuller and delightfully arranged piece. Melodic and refined this is a superb song.
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