Showing posts with label Odd Marshall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Odd Marshall. Show all posts

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Odd Marshall - Bill Kirchen - Jenn Grant - The Corner Laughers

Odd Marshall - Seconds (Album).

Odd Marshall has officially released his sophomore album Seconds, an eight-song roots rock extravaganza, with the emphasis on rock. Seconds expands Marshall’s sonic palette, blending indie rock, folk-rock, and alt-country while leaning into a distinctly ’90s-influenced sound. The album features Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn—who also produced and mixed the record—along with contributions from Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee, Mathias Schneeberger of The Afghan Whigs, drummer Denny Weston Jr. (KT Tunstall) and bassist Jon Ossman (Chris Botti).

When planning Seconds, the follow-up to his 2024 debut Sand & Glue, Odd Marshall was turned down by a prominent Canadian producer, prompting him to ask, “Who else did I like when I was 14?”

The answer that immediately sprang to mind was the band Blind Melon so, with nothing to lose, he found a contact, sent a cold email with demos attached, and in no time he was chatting with Thorn who agreed to take the reins and bring in his six-string partner Stevens, marking the first time they have worked together outside of Blind Melon. What was initially intended to be an EP quickly blossomed into a full eight-song album once Odd Marshall dug into his song bag and pulled out a few more that could showcase the immense talent in the room.


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Photo - Bob Minkin
Bill Kirchen - Cat Out Of The Bag.

To let a cat out of the bag supposedly means letting something slip, like a secret. But for Bill Kirchen, it means escape, as in freedom — from confinement, convention … even gravity. Freedom to hit the road and play rock ‘n’ roll. That’s the energy driving the title track of Kirchen’s new album, Cat Out of the Bag, which showcases the six-string master — dubbed Titan of the Telecaster by Guitar Player magazine — at his gusto-grabbing best. “That's a good-to-be-alive song,” says Kirchen of the album’s opening track. “It’s a celebration of getting through the worst of the pandemic unscathed, getting back on the road and affirming our belief that the kids are alright.”

The Austin-based guitarist, singer and songwriter confirms his lust for life — and offers up his lyrically referenced “rock ’n’ roll soul” — in several songs exhibiting the rockabilly-meets-honky-tonk style that earned him his “titan” status (as well as a Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy nomination for the chicken-pickin’ song, “Poultry in Motion”). 

The music flowing from Kirchen’s roots-loving heart to his ever-nimble fingers also blends boogie-woogie, jazz, jump blues, Western swing, country, folk and other idioms; yes, he was playing Americana before it had a name. In fact, he helped pioneer the genre, way back when he co-founded what he calls his “hippie country band”: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. Back in the ‘70s, Kirchen’s twangalicious, fret-sizzling guitar riffs drove that band’s version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” to No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen Co-founder is to release the album Cat Out of the Bag on May 22, 2026 via Last Music, Co.


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Jenn Grant - Queen Of The Strait (Album).

This weekend acclaimed singer-songwriter Jenn Grant releases new album Queen of the Strait, and shares the heartfelt new video for her latest single, "Gonna Be Free," co-starring her beloved dog, Bird. "Gonna Be Free" was filmed on the frozen lake near her home in Lake Echo, NS, the video captures the stillness and quiet resilience that shape the song's spirit.

"Shapes and symbols have always held important significance to me," Grant shares. "I use them in my art when I'm painting, as well as in my daily life, to actively cultivate hope, magic and strength. My first postpartum story was all about me finding my feet again. It was a great challenge, but it also brought me growth and a new perspective on what really matters to me. This pattern of symbols revealed in the snow represents the values I hold dear. Deep thanks to tattoo artist Jason Francis at Super Rad Not Bad Tattoos in Bedford, NS, for gifting me this piece. Shout-out to Bird, my beautiful co-star and forever sweet baby girl. You are the queen of my life."

After a 20-year career, this marks the first time Grant has fully realized her dream production. The tour promises a cinematic, immersive experience featuring a live band, curated film sequences, and interpretive movement, bringing the emotional landscape of the album vividly to life. Jenn Grant's new album Queen of the Strait stands as her most personal work to date — a deeply cinematic exploration of love, loss, and transformation. 



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The Corner Laughers - Dusking.

Indie-pop darlings The Corner Laughers return with their first new album in over five years, Concerns of Wasp and Willow, on Big Stir Records out on March 27, 2026 The band's sixth full-length release and the keenly-awaited follow up to 2020's critically-hailed Temescal Telegraph, the new record balances sunshine and shadow in the band's distinctive style and resonates with wit, whimsy and bewitching melodies. Already previewed by the hit indie singles “Rainbow Cardigan” and last year's “Dark Matter,” the band released their third single, “Dusking,” this weekend.

The musicians on "Dusking" include Karla Kane (vocals), Khoi Huynh (bass, keyboard), KC Bowman (guitar, backing vocals, and Charlie Crabtree (drums).Karla Kane offers some insight into the song's inspiration: A little slice of life – of an evening scene, walking through San Francisco, awaiting public transportation, and taking a Caltrain journey down the Peninsula, watching and pondering the world going by in the fading light outside the windows. More literal and linear (maybe because it follows a path and then a train track!) than usual for me. It was a song started in situ, a stream-of-consciousness – I really just started singing the opening lines as they unfolded in real time (also the case with the second “dusking” song, “Larkspur Landing”). We’re big public transportation advocates, and it’s not always easy to get around that way. The Bay Area is also an incredibly expensive place to live, which makes things difficult for artists. There’s always a sort of wistful romance in train journeys and songs about trains. 

Khoi Huynh's input on "Dusking": Karla handed me a vocal-only demo of “Dusking” and asked me to add some instrumentation. To emphasize the train theme, I thought it should have a hypnotic rhythm track. I took inspiration from the music of my younger years, specifically the 1986 “Pretty In Pink” soundtrack. Some elements from my over-the-top 80s synth demo can be heard on the final recording. Still, Charlie’s precision drumming and KC’s sunset-over-the-Pacific-Ocean surf guitar really took it into another realm. 


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Sunday, 8 February 2026

Alice Costelloe - Sam Paige - Violent Vickie - Izzi Stone - Odd Marshall

Alice Costelloe - Move On With The Year (Album).

London singer-songwriter Alice Costelloe releases her debut album 'Move On With The Year' via Moshi Moshi Records. With the album release comes the announcement of a new autumn headline tour, with new dates in Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, London and Bristol. To mark the album's release, Alice plays a stripped back in-store set at Rough Trade Denmark Street on 11th February, before headline shows in Huddersfield, Sheffield, Sidney and Sunderland later this month - and two sold-out London shows on 3rd and 4th March. 

Over the past year, Alice Costelloe has emerged as one of the UK’s most quietly commanding new songwriters. With endorsements from BBC 6 Music's Steve Lamacq, Craig Charles, Lauren Laverne, Nick Grimshaw, Nemone and Iggy Pop plus sustained praise from press tastemakers including The Guardian ("Riveting"), MOJO Magazine ("Moving solo debut of dark, surreal art-pop"), Loud And Quiet ("Remarkable"), DIY ("Fizzing with nostalgic warmth"), Wonderland, NME, CLASH, Dork, The Line of Best Fit and many more. Her growing profile has been mirrored on the road, with extensive UK and European touring that has seen her support Gengahr and Lael Neale on dates across the UK as well as joining Future Islands in Europe, alongside sold-out London headline shows of her own and appearances at key tastemaker festivals such as The Great Escape and Live At Leeds.

Rooted in the long shadow of her estranged father’s addiction, debut album 'Move On With The Year' captures the quiet work of unlearning and repair. Produced by Mike Lindsay (one half of LUMP with Laura Marling) in his Margate studio, the album is a fragile, fearless act of creative detangling - art-pop that listens closely to the noise left by parental addiction and emotional absence, then patiently rebuilds something strange and beautifully self-assured.

Moving beyond the cool precision of her indie-rock roots fronting Big Deal, she and Lindsay shaped a world of mellotron drones, fluttering flutes, warped synths and stumbling pianos, with sonic references sitting somewhere between Julia Jacklin, Cate Le Bon, Weyes Blood, Julia Holter, Joni Mitchell and Andy Shauf.


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Sam Paige - Growing Pains.

Sam Paige returns with “Growing Pains,” a raw and relatable country pop track that captures the overwhelming feeling of trying to keep up with life as it speeds forward. The song centers on the emotional whiplash of growing up, building a future, searching for direction, and realizing that life doesn’t always come with clear answers.

The chorus encapsulates this tension with vivid imagery, comparing growing pains to forces that are impossible to ignore: “Like a storm that won’t let you sleep / like a fire that burns all you see / like a match with that gasoline / growing pains, yeah they cut so deep."  These metaphors feel familiar yet effective, grounding the song in emotions many listeners will recognize. It’s a hook that lingers because it’s honest.

Musically, “Growing Pains” leans into a fresh sound with a hopeful, polished production that contrasts the weight of its lyrics. Paige’s vocal delivery carries a quiet vulnerability, allowing the lyrics to take center stage. There’s a sense that she’s letting listeners in on thoughts usually kept to herself, and that intimacy is one of the song’s greatest strengths.

The track closes on a particularly poignant note: “It ain’t any easier / with all the time that’s passing / in fact I got less answers now / and more questions I’m asking.” Rather than offering resolution, Paige embraces uncertainty. With “Growing Pains,” Sam Paige continues to prove she isn’t afraid to confront the uncomfortable parts of life.


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Violent Vickie - High.

"If Gary Numan, John Maus, and Fiona Apple had a baby, it might sound like Violent Vickie's HIGH—poppy synths and driving beats beneath sultry, commanding vocals. “HIGH” is a darkly seductive track celebrating human touch". It's been a while since we last featured Vickie, and High makes it a very welcome return to the riot grrrrl's gorgeous style of music!

Violent Vickie is a West Palm Beach, FL-based producer, synth player, and singer.  Formerly based out of Los Angeles, Violent Vickie blends the sounds of darkwave, synth-pop, post-punk, witch house, and riot grrrrl to create a spooky, grungy, danceable and epic sound with ethereal and tongue ’n cheek vocals that is all her own.  

Violent Vickie’s influences range from Crystal Castles and Grimes to Bjork and Bikini Kill to Siouxsie and The Banshees and Aphex Twin.  Violent Vickie’s songs have been remixed by Fragrance, Kontravoid  and she recently shared the stage with Stabbing Westward, Forever Grey, Assemblage 23, and Aurelio Voltaire and played Absolution Fest along with Glass Spells. Violent Vickie has also toured with Hanin Elias of Atari Teenage Riot and shared the stage with Pastel Ghost, Trans X, and Missing Persons.

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Izzi Stone - 9 Camels.

avantgarde pop artist Izzi Stone proudly presents her new single, “9 Camels”. Rooted in themes of love, resilience, and transformation, the new single is now available on all major streaming platforms.

Existing at the intersection of neo-soul, jazz-inflected R & B, and avantgarde music, Izzi Stone’s sound is defined less by genre than by atmosphere and intent. Adopting theatrical influences from predecessors such as David Bowie, Fiona Apple, and St. Vincent, Izzi’s songwriting casts unique and immersive experiences upon its audiences. Her new single, “9 Camels” focuses on the importance of connecting with yourself and others, in order to effectively navigate through periods of uncertainty and hardships. Rooted in jazz and avant-garde influences, Stone blends sultry restraint with forward optimism—creating an intimate, timeless, and powerful world.

Paired with the single’s release on digital platforms comes an exciting video set in the desert, featuring psychedelic visuals and computer-generated camels. As Izzi Stone serenades us throughout this landscape, we get a further taste of the power her creative psyche holds. Creating a simple, yet memorable scene, the imagery in the video helps mirror the overall motifs and themes that the track stands for.


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Odd Marshall - On My Way.

Odd Marshall shares “On My Way,” the latest preview of his sophomore album Seconds, out March 6. A laid-back, melodic rocker, "On My Way" provides a counterpoint to Odd Marshall's previous hard-driving single "Outta Here" by leaning into longing, distance, and the quiet ache of unfinished love.

Seconds expands Marshall’s sonic palette, blending indie rock, folk-rock, and alt-country while leaning into a distinctly ’90s-influenced sound. The album features Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn—who also produced and mixed the record—along with contributions from Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee and Mathias Schneeberger of The Afghan Whigs.

Built around an unhurried groove, “On My Way” draws from real experience. While living in New York, Marshall entered into a relationship that was tested when he took a job aboard a ship traveling through the Panama Canal. A re-route around South America extended the journey by months, ultimately unraveling the relationship.

Still, Odd Marshall is happy with how "On My Way" commemorates the first meeting with the soon-to-be love of his life on a hot summer night in Brooklyn. "I begged her to have a drink with me and we popped into The Manhattan Inn for a pint of Guinness with a scoop of VanLeeuwen ice cream. I changed that to wine in the song for poetic license, but it's true that I believe she paid for it." He adds, "This is a part of my newer, simpler style of writing which came out of playing crowded bars where people really make you work for their attention. There's no better way to do that than a mid-tempo song with big fat cowboy chords."


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Friday, 6 February 2026

molto morbidi - The Tammy Shine - Odd Marshall - Ruby James - Pranatricks - MONT LOSER

molto morbidi - To Watch the Ducks Go.

French artist Swan Wisnia, under her solo project molto morbidi, announces her second album Maybe Marcel for release on April 17th via No Salad Records, sharing a first look with single ‘To Watch The Ducks Go’. An experimental album forged in both tenderness and turmoil, combining art / weird pop and baroque pop, the album moves between the intimate and raw to the playful and inventive, creating a universe that is at once dark and hopeful. First single ‘To Watch The Ducks Go’, streaming now, reminds us that we are nothing but a passing moment in the infinite cycle of nature.

The album follows last year’s three track EP Chocolate Ashtray and molto morbidi’s 2024 debut album String Cheese Theory, which garnered support from BBC Radio 6’s Deb Grant, Tom Ravenscroft, Steve Lamacq, Amy Lamé and Gideon Coe, and featured UK alt-pop artist Ed Dowie and French improv legend Quentin Rollet.

Written and recorded between January and June 2025, her brand new offering emerged during a period of profound difficulty, as Wisnia’s mother was hospitalised following a severe stroke. Traveling frequently between Bordeaux and her home in Le Mans, Wisnia found solace in creating music, immersing herself in sound to process her emotions. “The only thing I was really able to do was make music. It would throw me into a universe of sound where I could focus on something I could control,” she says. “Oddly enough, I have really fond memories of that period, despite being psychologically quite fragile.” 


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The Tammy Shine - Speed Date.

We have the new solo single and video Speed Date by indiepop legend and lifer Tammy Ealom of the band Dressy Bessy. It's been 6 years since the last Dressy Bessy album, but this time Tammy is back under a new name The Tammy Shine with an album she wrote, recorded, and mixed all herself.

On February 20, 2026, one of indie rock’s most enduring and vibrant figures will reintroduce herself to the world. Tammy Ealom, best known as the snarling frontwoman and creative force behind Denver’s legendary Dressy Bessy, presents her debut solo album The Tammy Shine, Ok Shine Ok. Released via HHBTM Records, the album marks a pivotal moment in Ealom’s three-decade career. Ok Shine Ok is the first time she has taken complete command—writing, performing, engineering, producing, and mixing the record entirely on her own.

Fans of Dressy Bessy will still find the undeniable hooks and melodic sensibilities that are Ealom’s trademark. However, they will also discover a new depth—a vulnerability that comes from the singular approach and the confidence of a woman who has lived through the changing tides of the music industry and emerged even stronger.

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Odd Marshall - On My Way.

Odd Marshall shares “On My Way,” the latest preview of his sophomore album Seconds, out March 6. A laid-back, melodic rocker, "On My Way" provides a counterpoint to Odd Marshall's previous hard-driving single "Outta Here" by leaning into longing, distance, and the quiet ache of unfinished love.

Seconds expands Marshall’s sonic palette, blending indie rock, folk-rock, and alt-country while leaning into a distinctly ’90s-influenced sound. The album features Blind Melon guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn—who also produced and mixed the record—along with contributions from Foo Fighters keyboardist Rami Jaffee and Mathias Schneeberger of The Afghan Whigs.

Built around an unhurried groove, “On My Way” draws from real experience. While living in New York, Marshall entered into a relationship that was tested when he took a job aboard a ship traveling through the Panama Canal. A re-route around South America extended the journey by months, ultimately unraveling the relationship.

Still, Odd Marshall is happy with how "On My Way" commemorates the first meeting with the soon-to-be love of his life on a hot summer night in Brooklyn. "I begged her to have a drink with me and we popped into The Manhattan Inn for a pint of Guinness with a scoop of VanLeeuwen ice cream. I changed that to wine in the song for poetic license, but it's true that I believe she paid for it."


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Ruby James – Bumble Bee (feat. Rosie Flores).

“Bumble Bee” launches forthcoming album 'Call It Rock & Roll' with a fearless nod to the roots of rock and roll. Originally made famous by LaVern Baker in the mid-1950s, Ruby James reclaims the song with grit, groove, and modern swagger, transforming a vintage rhythm-and-blues burner into a high-voltage rock and roll statement.

The reinvention took shape when longtime collaborators locked into an unstoppable groove. Bassist Harmoni Kelley helped drive the track’s pulse, pushing the low end into fuzzed-out territory, while baritone guitar from David Jimenez added weight and shadow. The rhythm refuses to let go. The track truly took flight when guitar legend Rosie Flores stepped in. Rosie Flores brings a sonic sting into the groove and kicks the song into overdrive, earning her the nickname “The Red Hornet” inside Ruby’s inner circle.

Ruby and Rosie’s connection runs deep. The two first crossed paths in Austin more than a decade ago, sharing stages, residencies, and late-night sets at the Continental Club, where rhythm and blues, soul, and rock and roll collided nightly. Though they’d played countless shows together over the years, “Bumble Bee” marks their first true studio collaboration.

“I’ve always loved ‘Bumble Bee,’ and I’m still surprised by how many people have never heard it,” says James. “When I started recording again, my producer Kyle Crusham and I knew it could become something ferocious if we reimagined it. Once the groove locked in and Rosie stepped in, everything took flight. This felt like the perfect way to kick off a new chapter for me, with my mentor right there beside me.”


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Pranatricks - Courtenay’s Eyes.

Pranatricks returns today February 6, 2026 with Courtenay’s Eyes, a new indie alt-rock single arriving alongside an official video. The track follows Islands of the Sun and lands at a moment of real momentum, as anticipation continues to build for the forthcoming album Infiniteness—recently named one of Exclaim!’s 58 Most Anticipated Canadian Albums of 2026. 

Built on charging guitars and a steady sense of forward motion, Courtenay’s Eyes channels urgency without tipping into aggression. A looping, melodic scream weaves through the track as emotional texture, underscoring a song that grapples with empathy, judgment, and our shared humanity. Written in response to a formative moment tied to the artist’s community work in Courtenay, BC, the song reflects on how easily people are reduced to isolated moments instead of being seen as whole lives.

The accompanying video leans away from literal storytelling, favouring abstract, atmospheric imagery that centres internal experience—watching, feeling, and choosing compassion. By resisting spectacle or dramatization, the visuals echo the song’s central question and let the emotional weight linger.  Together, Courtenay’s Eyes pushes further into the emotional and sonic territory hinted at on Islands of the Sun, pointing toward a more urgent indie alt-rock edge while holding tight to the introspective core that defines Pranatricks’ work.


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MONT LOSER - Confessional.

The title track "Confessional" Mont Loser's first album out on April 17th via Géographie has been shared today. Finally, a band that lives up to its name. A deformed creature born from the depths of a late-night Parisian haze, half kamikaze, half blood-drunk bat: MONT LOSER invites you to dive headfirst into the void of a rock scene that always seems to rise from its ashes, when we sometimes wish it would stay dead.

Moving forward as if the outside world didn't exist, the Parisian trio staggers away from the flocks of retro-flavoured, nostalgia-marketed bands with some sort of drunken grace. 

MONT LOSER scooped up some grunge, noise rock, goth and industrial dregs to shake up a deliciously unruly bottom shelf cocktail. Chicago, Seattle, Belleville? 1980, 1991 or 2025? The time machine’s broken, the phone screens are cracked and the curtains drawn. Nothing more logical for a band born out of a post-COVID afterparty. Two dissonant guitars constantly at war, drums swinging between punk precision and post-hardcore violence, all carried by three voices merging into one chaotic choir.

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The Orielles - Emily Nenni - Birds Flying Backwards - Hunter Morris / Mountain of Youth

The Orielles - Only You Left (Album). The Orielles new album Only You Left is officially released today March 11 via Heavenly Recordings. “...