Talkboy - Jenn Vix - Nathan & Jessie - Jacko Hooper

Talkboy return for a fourth time on Beehive Candy, this time with 'Wasting Time' another gorgeous indie pop (with a touch of rock) song, firing melodic hooks in all directions! We featured Jenn Vix a couple of times in 2017 and she is back with a new E.P '6' of which we can share the video for 'Ride' the first song in the collection and a good indicator of the quality of her highly engaging electro pop. We have two wonderful songs from Nathan & Jessie whose mixing of jazz, folk, country and more is simply incredible, expect up-skilled talent, you won't be disappointed. First featured here in November last year Jacko Hooper is back with a video for 'Sidelines' and for a change we have added some reviews from others, equally impressed by his material and vocal ability.

Talkboy - Wasting Time.

Taking things up a notch with sparkling new anthem Wasting Time, Leeds sextet Talkboy reaffirm their budding status as one of Yorkshire’s most exciting indie prospects ahead of their debut EP release this summer.

Joining forces with Leeds label Come Play With Me and LAB Records, the band’s fourth single features a glittering array of melting harmonies nestled within their trademark euphoric walls of noise, qualities that have already attracted widespread acclaim from the likes of The Line Of Best Fit, Dork and Clash over the last twelve months.

With the underlying influences of contemporaries Alvvays, The Big Moon and Sunflower Bean evident within their own unique style, the fledgling six-piece have so far ticked off supports alongside Our Girl, Another Sky and Bully, with a growing number of festival appearances (Blue Dot, Live At Leeds, Y Not, Long Divison) slated for the summer months where their soaring live reputation strongly comes to the fore.

Speaking ahead of their fourth release, Talkboy revealed: “It’s the catch-22 situation we often tend to find ourselves in – that we should enjoy ourselves as much as we can whilst we’re young, but at the same time, there is an over-riding feeing that you are wasting your time and you have the future to consider. It’s a juxtaposition of coming to terms with added responsibilities whilst trying to make the most of the present”.

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Jenn Vix - Ride.

Jenn Vix's brand new EP 6 is due out on May 3rd via Umbrella Music Co.

6 is a really fun journey through the electropop genre, featuring slower and chiller tracks such as “The Mask of Charon," as well as more bombastic dance jams such as “Rover," which is my personal favorite track, it's such a banger. There's also the instrumental closer, "Valentine," which is really unique and helps show how talented Jenn is at producing.

Jenn also has a massive, personal, and complicated yet inspiring life story that I couldn't possibly do justice in this email. She was homeless in NYC from 14-17, shes a domestic violence/sexual assault survivor, she had a near death experience due to emergency rooms denying her care.

These are subjects that Jenn has written about before as well, some of them have even inspired songs on the EP, and they are topics Jenn is hoping to talk about so she can share her experiences and potentially help others going through similar situations.


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Nathan & Jessie - You're The Star / A History On Lost Art.

The music of SoCal duo Nathan and Jessie is as unique as the two individuals who create it, brimming with eclecticism, spontaneity and timeless charisma. They swing hard and serenade gently, singing fluidly in 3 languages, oscillating from bittersweet jazz folk to country blues without missing a beat.

Nathan & Jessie are chronic world travelers, drawing inspiration from all they’ve encounter on their wayfaring journey. They have played in dive bars around the California desert, in the streets of New Orleans, on the subways of NYC, and listening rooms rooms and performing arts centers across the globe including Mexico City and Paris. Along the way, they’ve picked up awards for ‘Best Blues’ and ‘Best Country’ Song at the Temecula Valley Music Awards, recorded live sessions for Acoustic Guitar Magazine and Nashville’s WMOT Roots Radio, and played alongside folk luminaries like Handmade Moments and Dustbowl Revival.

Their sophomore release, You’re the Star, is the follow-up to their incredibly self-assured 2018 debut, That’ll Never Be Me. Many of the songs on the new LP were crafted late at night while on tour. Tired and cold, often with nowhere to go, fingerpicking and singing to a new city, Nathan & Jessie comforted each other with their music. That warmth and sense of well-being can be felt in the resulting recordings. It’s if Django Reinhardt and Peggy Lee decided to pull their material from the Great American Songbook - it’s chock full of style, yet there is little pretense with these two. They are simply sharing their lives through their music and, fortunately for us, these two individuals lead their lives in a very unique way.


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Jacko Hooper - Sidelines.

'Sentimental, wistful and touching, Jacko Hooper is a one-man songwriting machine with a painfully beautiful voice that is bound to move even those with the coldest hearts.' - Another Lazy Sunday

'One of our favourite singer-songwriters this year. With a dedicated army of followers around the world and a voice recalling the late Jeff Buckley, we predict huge things for next year... - Source Magazine

"Jacko Hooper is without doubt one of the best artist to feature on Balcony TV to date,his live performance is gripping and intense and his songs stay with you long after the show, catchy melodies and clever chord structures...he is one to watch." - BalconyTV.


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Stalking Like Candy - Joe Rusi - Belle Miners - Jenn Vix

Stalking Like Candy - Can You See The Light.

Background - Stalking Like Candy are celestial beings, transcended from the ennui of terrestrial life. Indomitable. Their latest single Can You See The Light builds on the Cyberpunk universe of movies like Blade Runner and books like Neuromancer. It tells the tale of a street urchin from neo-Tokyo, her rise out of the slums, and the nostalgia she retains for the neon alleyways of her childhood.

Stalking Like Candy combines a Pixies post-punk ethos with synths, beats, raps, and soaring melodies and harmonies. The lineup is Thida G (vox, synths, samples), Dr J (aka Jamie Q) (vox, guitar, synths, ukulele and stuff), Gabe (vox, bass), and Aleŝ ‘jazz hands’ Svoboda (drums). The band grew out of Locos, a covers band that’s been demolishing the Coogee covers scene since early 2016. Stalking mostly plays originals, but they love reinterpreting a few classics to really get the crowd pumping. You’ll see.

Can You See The Light was born on a rainy winter’s morning when Jamie Q was playing around on his son’s ukulele. The song lay dormant for a year before exploding into a Cyberpunk, synth-pop extravaganza in late 2016, when Thida G added her uplifting vocals to the intro and choruses.

The track is set in neo-Tokyo. It tells the tale of a street urchin who watches the rockets arcing over the city on their way to Sky Wheel, a space station like Freeside in Gibson’s Neuromancer. The girl is mentored by Yukio, a down-on-his-luck exec who’s living out of a pod in Shinjuku. In time she makes it out of the slums to herself walk on Sky Wheel. But she can’t forget her roots – the neon alleyways of her youth are forever her home. The messianic cry, Can You See The Light, refers to seeing the flames of the rocket boosters – they are the only light that can be seen in the night sky. But the ignorant slum dwellers think these flames are a sign from God. The children’s voices that shout back ‘Yes, I can see the light!’ speak of hope for a better life. In the video clip, the band cruises the night-time city streets on their rollerblades, the lights of the city mirrored in the neon light-up wheels of their blades. This aesthetic is reminiscent of the glowing umbrella handles in the original Blade Runner.

The song was co-produced by Jamie Q and Syd Green at MonoNest, and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound. While the Moog analogue synths are a big part of the track, the coolest aspect is the intro and chorus vocals that were run through a Leslie rotating speaker. This gives them their shimmering, old-world quality, which is of course what Cyberpunk is all about – the cutting edge mixed with the archaic. The greatest challenge in recording the track was getting the acoustic guitar just right – exploiting its percussive qualities, but not losing the chords themselves. FACEBOOK.

'Can You See The Light' has a bright synthy & guitar driven vibe that contrasts beautifully with the determined vocals and vibrant harmonies.


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Joe Rusi - À Tout Le Monde From New Orleans.

Background - Joe Rusi is out with his 2nd solo album ”À Tout le Monde from…” (BIGHCD1703) on Big H Records (CD and digital). This is the follow up to the album ”Who I Am” which was nominated for Norwegian Grammy/Spellemann in 2015.

”À Tout le Monde From…” is also recorded in New Orleans with legends like Doug Belote (drums), John Papa Gros (piano), Cyril Neville (The Meters), Mark Mullins & the Levee Horns and George Porter Jr (bass, the Meters) in the rhythm section. Arne Skage Jr. (Reidar Larsen and Rita Eriksen) has produced this soulful album recorded at the Music Shed in New Orleans in the late summer of 2017. Joe Rusi is fronting the band with his impeccable guitar playing and soulful vocals. His performance really makes this an album that that stands out from the crowd, brimming with New Orleans vibe and swampy grooves.

Joe started out on violin when he was 6 years old, picked up the guitar at 10 and became a professsional musician at 15. In 2001 he relocated to Flekkefjord on the Norwegian West Coast and has been a force to be reckon with ever since. He has become a favourite on the local club scene and on Norwegian festivals. He also did a US tour back in 2012. Off stage he teaches music at Lundheim Folkehøgskole.

"Joe Rusi's guitar playing is simply great." Rick Peckham (Assistant Chair of the Guitar Department, Berklee College of Music) Since 2013 Joe has had his own radio show ”Blues with Rusi” on Radio Kvinesdal (local station). He has recieved the ”Celebrity Scholarship” from Berklee Collage of Music with Masters Certificate in Songwriting and Guitar (with Steve Vai, Paul Simon, Herbie Hancock and Mark Mothersbaugh in the jury). FACEBOOK.

Rich with New Orleans flavours 'À Tout Le Monde From New Orleans' is a gorgeous funky, soulful, blues song with some fabulous musicianship throughout. There is a respectful nod towards Dr John here, however Joe Rusi really does carve out his own signature style on what is a fabulous album. 


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Belle Miners - Night Flight.

Background - Glorious folk-pop trio Belle Miners have released a stunning music clip to accompany their latest single, 'Night Flight'.

Taken from their 10-track debut album Powerful Owl, Canadian friends and musicians Felicia Harding and Marina Avros and Australian-based Jaime Jackett blend beautifully into the starry night sky of the Kimberley in outback Western Australia. Their soaring harmonies and delicate instrumentation pop against a sparkling violet vision of moonlit horizons and Magpie geese flying to roost over a blood-red sunset.

The video captures the emotion behind the song's lyrics and deep personal meaning for Jaime, as well as the strong connection Belle Miners have with Australia's birds and the freedom of its landscape. "I imagined myself as a spirit, having left my body, soaring out into the vast expanse beyond our blue-green planet, flying through the cool air like I always wished I could as a child", says Jaime.

The birds were filmed by Simon Mustoe (Belle Miners Manager and founder of Wildiaries) and Nick Hayward (whose most famous work includes the Lyrebird sequence from Attenborough's Life of Birds). The footage was originally collected over 150 days, for a tourism series about Australia's people, nature and places - and even includes a film about Broome Bird Observatory where Jaime now works.

Jaime's reasons for thinking about death are deeply personal - she spent 11 years with a brain stem tumour deemed inoperable. Fortunately, one of the world's leading brain surgeons Dr. Charles Teo removed the tumour and Jaime is now cancer free. The song serves as a powerful and poignant reminder to never give up. Belle Miners will take their songs and stories on tour around Australia in January. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

We first featured the Belle Miners back in September and now we have another fine song 'Night Flight'. Last time we described their music as "melodic and with delicious vocals and harmonies", well that is obviously a hallmark of the trio. The bands Australia tour details can be found on their website.


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Jenn Vix - Complicated Man (Into The Veldt Mix).

Background -  Alternative singer-singwriter Jenn Vix phas teamed up with Danny Chavis of shoegaze pioneers The Veldt to present the 'Into The Veldt Mix' of 'Complicated'. Featured on her new ‘Unlocked’ EP, this new version is trippy with psychedelic underpinnings and a very urban gazey vibe.

Here Danny Chavis re-envisions this song, contributing guitar and other instrumentation. As a principal member of The Veldt, he has a rich history of collaborations with the likes of TV On The Radio, Mos Def and Lady Miss Kier (Deee-Lite), and touring with Phantogram, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Pixies, Throwing Muses, Echo & The Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, Manic Street Preachers, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Oasis, Chuck D, Living Colour, and Schooly D.

The accompanying video for this track was directed, produced and edited by Renan DeAraujo, a 27 year old, Brazilian filmmaker who loves to tell stories with light and rhythm. The video features Jenn Vix herself, along with actor Michael French. Not long ago, Vix presented the new video for the original version of 'Complicated Man', working with the same team.

"My interpretation was to put Jenn's personality on the screen, and in particular, the overall feeling of the trck; a mysterious and delicate mood, at the same time. I was trying to express the character's point of view," says DeAraujo.

Based in Rhode Island, Vix is an solo electronic-rock recording artist, songwriter, producer and recording engineer, who has, over the years, ventured into other genres including alternative rock, trip hop, darkwave, modern new wave and electro-industrial.

We featured the original version of  'Complicated Man' back in October and now we have 'Complicated Man (Into The Veldt Mix)' We described the 'Unlocked EP' as "an imaginative, creative collection of material" something this version of the song (which is also part of the EP) helps put more light on.


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The Fluids - Coyote Run - Jenn Vix - The Limiñanas

The Fluids - Sign N' Drive.

Background -  “Sign N’ Drive” is the frenetic and addictive second single that The Fluids have shared from their forthcoming debut album No Kidding! (out October 27th via Axis Mundi Records. Self-proclaimed as America’s Newest Band™, The Fluids were introduced to the world earlier this month with their undeniable, critically-acclaimed debut single “Creatures”, which the New York Times said "...vibrates with the giddy energy of the city’s early-2000s rock scene — the sound is tight, the vibe is loose, the singer’s accent is adopted.”

With their debut full-length, No Kidding! flying high as their banner, The Fluids are storming the front lines of cultural trendsetting with ripping guitar solos and saddlebags filled with tequila sodas, calamari, and what they claim to be the best pot in the city (based on how great this album is, I’m inclined to believe them?!).

The band has drawn apt comparisons to everyone from the Talking Heads and Berlin-era Bowie, to The Modern Lovers and Echo & The Bunnymen. No Kidding! was produced by Matthew "Pickles" Iwanusa of Caveman, and sounds like it could've come out in the late 70's and become an instant no-wave/post-punk classic, but here we are in 2017 with one of the best albums of the year that we can call our own. Facebook here.

Loud upbeat guitar driven rock music is juxtaposed by some beautifully frenetic vocals on 'Sign N' Drive', a powerful slice of alt rock, with the emphasis very much on ALT.

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Coyote Run - Love From Far Away.

Background - Kasie Shahbaz (Coyote Run) is a multi-instrumentalist from Southern California who by middle school, obsessed with heavy prog rock, and by adult life spent all her nights roaming the hills listening to folk singers under full moonlight. 

Her music is some culmination of those experiences. Inspired mainly by religious experience in nature and in relationships, her music wanes between punk angst and psychedelic ecstasy. She currently resides in Los Angeles, Berlin, and New York where she hides from the city and records herself.

This record was recorded at Shabaz's home in Los Angeles, on porch steps at her parents house in Oceanside, and mostly at a home studio on Catalina Island. It is a sonic elegy of heartbreak, desperation, relief, surrender, and transcendent, sometimes personal, love. In folk jaunts, it lightens and celebrates the simple weight of longing. In driving breakdowns, it tries to break through entrapment. And in psychedelic plateaus, it may find periods of rest. Look out for Coyote Run's upcoming album, "Infinite Disappearance of Fear" dropping this fall. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

'Love From Far Away' mixes dreamy & melodic vocals plus imaginative harmonies, alongside a laid back soundtrack that leans towards psychedelic rock music. Collectively the layers of sound are gorgeous.

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Jenn Vix - Complicated Man.

Background - Alternative singer-singwriter Jenn Vix has announced she will release her new EP ‘Unlocked’ on October 20, preceded by the first single ‘Complicated Man’ released last Friday.

Based in Rhode Island, Vix is an American solo electronic-rock recording artist, songwriter, producer and recording engineer, who has, over the years, ventured into other genres including alternative rock, trip hop, darkwave, modern new wave and electro-industrial.

This five-track release sees Vix at her best. With weighty lyrics surrounding personally challenging experiences, her vocal delivery on ‘Complicated Man’ has earned her comparisons to Shirley Manson of Garbage.

“Complicated Man is about covert and or destructive relationships. This EP is inspired by feelings I had when I became ill, and I almost died due to a misdiagnosis, then surgery, and how I made it through it. It also deals with thoughts and feelings I had about people who were in my life at the time of this experience,” explains Jenn Vix.

“I wanted to explore different sounds, and it felt good to do so. After my illness, it took me a year and a half to be able to even listen to music again. Change is scary, but it can also be refreshing. I recently had to burn a few bridges, but they say that the brightest light can come from the bridges you burn. I agree.”

This album involves John Ashton, original guitarist of The Psychedelic Furs, who appears on the track ‘Unlocked’. He previously collaborated with Jenn Vix on two tracks (‘The Woman with No Fear’ and ‘Weirdo’) on her five-track EP ‘Strange Buildings’. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

The second of five tracks on the 'Unlocked' EP is the new single 'Complicated Man'. There is a remix of the featured single and the title track really is something that fans of The Psychedelic Furs ought to check out. That said this is very much Jenn Vix's show & it's an imaginative, creative collection of material.

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The Limiñanas - Istanbul is Sleepy (feat. Anton Newcombe).

Background - French psych duo The Limiñanas have released their new single ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ through Because Music. Featuring Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and produced at his Berlin studio, the single is taken from their ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ EP out 17th November.

Reflecting on the single and their collaboration with Newcombe, Lionel explained, “’Istanbul Is Sleepy’ is like the classic dream where you become the hero, the Captain Blood or Midnight Sultan(??). The one who rescues and seduces Maureen O’Hara or Ava Gardner. Anton is singing and playing guitar on the track. He was inspired, in particular, by The Cult during their ‘Rain’ period. Last year, Mojo magazine asked us to record a cover for a special Kinks tribute. 

We chose ‘Two Sisters’. Marie and I were thinking for the vocal part it would be great to approach Anton Newcombe, having opened for The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Le Trianon in Paris. The work began like that. We had an album to record and we decided to finish it with him. During the Christmas week we took our demos, flew to Berlin and recorded at Anton’s studio. Six days later we had a finished album”.

One of France’s most beloved treasures, The Limiñanas are Marie (drums/vocals) and Lionel (guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals). Hailing from Perpignan, the duo straddles the boundary between psych, shoegaze, and yé-yé. With hazy, reverb-laden hooks, combined at times with noisy distortion, and fronted by effortlessly cool vocals, reminiscent of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot, the band is at once timeless and quintessentially French. Website here, Facebook here.

Psych music through & through, the music video just adds to the feeling and mood that 'Istanbul is Sleepy' creates. Dark and hypnotic waves of sound are taken even deeper with the vocals, it's a song that could well appeal to Goth music fans of times gone by.

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