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| Photo - Andy Bilinski |
Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Ben Arnold has announced that his new album XI will come out on September 26 via ALP Recordings. Produced by Shane Smith (Los Lobos, Amos Lee), the roots-rock record finds the longtime musician bridging the gap between personal insights and universal statements. Along with the announcement, he released the first single “Catch The Lightning,” which combines anthemic heartland rock with early ‘90s power pop to reflect on Arnold’s decades-spanning journey so far. He also shared the official music video, which utilizes Artificial Intelligence to portray Arnold’s experience growing up in Center City Philadelphia, falling in love with music and doing whatever it takes to make it work.
“‘Catch The Lightning’ was the last song sung and mixed for XI, and it obviously came not just from my own nostalgia, but also a sort of self-helpy viewpoint,” shares Arnold. “Slowly acknowledging the possibility that if I allow in all the colors of the rainbow, after all the shit storms, then maybe I can walk the path forward with a little more ease and satisfaction. It's probably the most orchestrated song on the record, and I couldn't be more thankful for my buddies Shane Smith and Barrie Maguire who helped me to get my vision more into focus.”
Arnold wrote the songs on this record between his hometown of Philadelphia and hotel rooms in upstate New York where he began traveling every month to visit his terminally ill mother. The grief and introspection of this experience found Arnold turning his gaze both inward and outward, penning songs about the personal battles he was facing himself as well as tracks about the current state of our country that live in the same world as the folk protest songs of the 1960s. No matter which category they fall into, they all feel pertinent to this specific time in Arnold’s life. Sonically, the album finds Arnold pulling from folk, blues, soul, rock & roll and classic pop for a distinctly American sound – taking inspiration across musical traditions, genres, time periods and places.
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| Photo - JCPenney |
Ezra Bell, one of the 21st century’s most organically successful folk/Americana bands, has released the official music video for their single “Tommy’s Lullaby.” The somber track was first released in August 2024 just weeks before the unexpected death of the band’s lead singer and lyricist Ben Wuamett.
Since their inception over a decade ago, Ezra Bell has created its own sound featuring an unusual mix of street-hard lyrics with folk-pop and Americana sounds sprinkled with elements of rock, blues, jazz, and R&B.
“The song is a conversation with God,” shares the band. “Tommy, our bass player, came up with that beautiful bass part and Ben's words just started flowing. The music video captures the loneliness that hides in plain sight. Even in a room full of people, we are often alone. God's message to us: a love like ours is better from a distance.”
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Pearly* - Not So Sweet.
Pearly’s cathartic title-track second single, ‘Not So Sweet’ navigates the feeling of realising a person is not always as good as they appear to be. While lyrics were written by a 17-year-old Phaedra it sat for years until guitarist Joel put it to one of his proudest musical compositions, finally completing the song, giving the song the depth Pearly* felt it deserved.
Early "Dunedin Sound" influences — especially that of The Clean — caught producer Nick Roughan’s (Skeptics) ear, realising that Pearly* were on to something special. Not So Sweet is a moody, magnetic contrast to Superglue, and is accompanied by a music video directed by Kieran J. Dodd with assistance from Cooper Sharplin, with Matilda Macandrew on DOP duties.
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Larches began as the project of Jacob Cona, a musician from Athens, GA raised on Elephant 6, R.E.M., and the B-52’s.
What was originally started as a band to perform the debut album, “Attack of the Telephones,” Larches has turned into a collaborative creative endeavor with Adrian Franco and Robby Fox.
The band are touring this summer to promote their self-titled EP. Their recorded material aims to capture the energy found playing live together up and down the Pacific Northwest.
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