2010FM - October Edition Two

It's been a busy few days and a considerable amount of new music came our way pretty much as soon as the last 2010FM feature was published. To keep on top of all the great tunes that have arrived this is yet another bumper helping of what we have enjoyed listening to.

Starting this time around at a rather gentle pace with Joshua English who has roots in both Portland, Oregon and Boston Massachusetts. Culling inspiration from Raymond Carver, perpetual motion, and oceans of black coffee, his new record, 'Lay Bare Your Bones', presents a unique brand of cynicism and leads a novel exploration of life's ironies.

With influences spanning Sam Cooke to Public Enemy, Joshua English's forthcoming release reveals core
threads of Brit-folk weaved over stylistic leanings akin to Chuck Ragan and Billy Bragg. Whether the
understated and meandering beauty of “Nickel In” or the over-caffeinated, somebody-done-somebody- wrong sensibility of “River Rising Quickly,” this collection of songs is woven together tightly, in the classic tradition of a cohesive LP.

It ain't all as gentle as the featured song but from what we have heard it is one quality album.

Featured Track: Nickels In.
Website: Official.
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Glass Vaults is a Wellington, New Zealand based two-piece who use a mixture of washed textures, ambient and atmospheric sound scape's and an amalgamation of programmed and live drums. Both born in the rural Manawatu, Richard Larsen and Rowan Pierce met at university in Wellington where they began experimenting with music under the name Vaults. Having recently graduated and undergone a name change to Glass Vaults, the pair are using their time to work on writing and shaping their sound under this guise.

The Glass EP is the pairs’ first release and was recorded on Rowan’s grandmothers farm in March 2010. They then teamed up with friend Bevan Smith (Signer, Over the Atlantic, The Ruby Suns) to produce the recordings into the final release. The Glass EP is an initial marrying of the pairs’ ambient, looped soundscapes fused with minimal lyrical content and structured songwriting. Glass Vaults successfully "deliver a fully realized EP buoyed by the peerless semblance of potential; rare that music can at once sound so wistful, but look forward with such promise" (Jonathan Shedletzky). JUKBOXR Records will release the Glass EP for the first time outside of NZ with a limited vinyl run out November 1st.

Well that's the official promo info and more to the point we are loving their music - superb.

Featured Track: Forget Me Not.
Website: MySpace.
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Brooklyn’s My Other Friend is set to release their debut album Burning Bright Tonight, with wide distribution on October 25th. The album which was originally self-released digitally in late July is already starting to gain the attention of leading taste makers such as CMJ.

Burning Bright Tonight was produced by Kevin McMahon (The Walkmen, The French Kicks) and is comprised of brooding, well-crafted pop songs with layers of textural melody. Meanwhile, the boyfriend-girlfriend-best friend trio has been busy on the road playing with the likes of Titus Andronicus, Bear Hands, The Beets, and Drink Up Buttercup since July.

Getting to the point I really like this band, their promo material goes on to talk about the reasons behind some of the material including dealing with disaster and missing the one you love, I say just listen they are great.

Featured Track: Beast.
Website: Official.
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Sometimes we get sent a little teaser in this case just 'peep it'.

Bikini are totally new to me.

I know nothing about them but like this tune enough so that they get a mention and that's all, because I just ain't got the time to dig a little more..

Oh apparently it's out in November.

Featured Track: A Cheerlaeder.
Website: MySpace.
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Eleganza is the debut EP from the Los Angeles indie group Blonde Summer. Singer Chris Pope and guitarist Matt Reid slipped away from the glitz and glam of LA and found inspiration in 60's surf rock and the desert rat locals of Joshua Tree while crafting Eleganza's collection of drifter-esque indie rock songs.

Blonde Summer teamed up with Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart, Admiral Radley) at The Ship studio to create the "indie rock bliss" that would become Eleganza. The 5-song EP kicks off with the dance worthy "Cathode Ray," which immediately sets the tone of this promising debut. Chris Pope's vocals on "Scared You'll Get Hurt" float as if they've got wings and the musicianship of "Blonde" is reminiscent of 90s indie rock pioneers, The Pixies.

There's a nice vibe running through the featured track that takes it beyond 'comfortable indie format' and the guitar work builds in a manner that suggest these guys can move beyond the safe confines of pop.

Featured Track: Cathode.
Website: Official.
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The "Do You Ever?" single by Summer Library was released on October 4th and has already garnered some internet buzz and positive reviews.

Summer Library is the solo work of Patrick Kelly from New Rochelle, NY. After a stint in a Pavement-inspired indie rock band, Patrick began recording as Summer Library, which takes its influence and direction from bands such as Galaxie 500, Brighter and Rocketship. The Swedish-sounding A-side is backed with “Past The Railroad Tracks,” which sounds as if someone might have snuck a synthesizer into a Field Mice song. Jangly guitars and catchy melodies pervade these two tracks.

It's available for free over at February Records and is absolutely worth a listen. I hate doing the whole age thing but this guy musically shows a maturity way beyond his years and I hope a lot of people keep an eye (or ear) out for more from Summer Library!

Featured Track: Do You Ever.
Website: February Records.
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We are loving the layers of vocals from Scattered Trees and hope you do as well.

Background as follows - Scattered Trees is a dapper, young group of artists who grew up together in the outskirts of Chicago. Some of the members share last names, albeit for different reasons. They are the kind of friends who can separate and come back together at ease, entertained by a constellation of conversations and the familiarity of each other’s voices. As is the case with any ambitious set of individuals aspirations beyond their hometown, as they grew, Scattered Trees spent more and more time apart until it seemed the norm. Just when it appeared life had separated them for good, tragedy struck, a death, and Scattered Trees came back together, recording an album emblazoned with the sincerity and beauty that only the most terrible of times can yield.

This fall, the first singles from this record will be made available to purchase. In the coming months a short, multi-part documentary will be released telling Scattered Trees’ tale in a far more intimate way than a band bio ever could.

Featured Track: A Conversation about Death on New Years Eve.
Website: Official.
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Shamelessly ripping the promo material here, but if its good enough for KEXP it's good enough for us (and actually that's an under statement - check this out!).

Dave Einmo’s Head Like a Kite is keeping busy and re-releasing its highly successful Dreams Suspend Night on November 9th through Roll Call Records.  The album, which was re-mastered by Dave Cooley (Dangermouse, Silversun Pickups, Prefuse 73) will include bonus track “Diamond Paint” which features polar opposites, Asya of indie-pop duo Smoosh and Tilson of The Saturday Nights resulting in an airy yet hard hitting pop meets hip-hop piece. This will be Head Like a Kite’s third musical effort and their debut with Roll Call Records. Dreams Suspend Night pushes the limit of electronic music, combining dance, hip-hop, and rock into one neatly wrapped package.

The creative monsoon that is Head Like A Kite started pouring down upon Einmo in 2006 when he began to fuse progressive electronic music with sensible pop melodies. Einmo crafted a 2-step recording approach that begins with challenging pop songwriting, followed by his own tracking with live instruments. Once the foundation is in place, Einmo transforms into a producer/DJ, slicing and sampling his own instrumental tracks before peppering the recordings with guests.  Like The Wizard of Oz – Dave Einmo is one man in a control booth turning knobs to create something that feels much larger. However unlike the film, when Einmo steps out of the booth and onto the stage, he is just as magical.

Dreams Suspend Night features multiple musicians and vocalists including: Smoosh, Her Space Holiday, Boom Bip (Neon Neon), Tilson of The Saturday Nights, and members of The Long Winters and Swervedriver. The indie-centric artists that have united to perform on Einmo’s Dreams Suspend Night have truly created a broad musical platform that blends hip-hop, indie rock, and electro-pop so elegantly. Consequently there is a unique musical personality that saturates Dreams Suspend Night, as the music is engaging, beat-driven, thoughtful, but most of all, fun.

The original record was released independently by Head Like a Kite in May and has already reached #1 at Seattle powerhouse radio station, KEXP.  The band is garnering praise from elite publications like the Los Angeles Times and the London Times, and continue to win over audiences across the globe with their adrenaline fueled stage show.

Featured Track: Diamond Paint.
Website: Official.
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After a quiet hiatus in the last year, Brooklyn’s dreamy electronic duo Home Video have re surged with melodies blazing to launch their highly anticipated latest opus ‘The Automatic Process’ to be released on November 16th.

Some background - Home Video are Collin Ruffino and David Gross, transplants from the misunderstood landscape of New Orleans, now living in the brooding brownstones of Brooklyn, New York. Here they revel in a self-created world of references to Edward Gorey, Massive Attack, The Brothers Quay, Smashing Pumpkins, and a dusting of Chopin, references that they have been collecting for nearly ten years.

OK so I did not write that but it is quite poetic and the music is damn fine so just listen and enjoy and if you do check em out some more!

Featured Track: Every Love That Ever Was.
Website: Official.
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We here at the Beehive love a bit of hype for British bands in the USA so here's some for The Lines !!

‘There aren't really many good bands coming out of Wolverhampton, just one great band called the Lines’ – Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin

‘The fever has only just started’ – The Fly

‘Making big noises in more ways than one, blasting out of Wolverhampton’  – Steve Lamacq - Radio One Top5

They’re infectious, loved by Led Zeppelin, unabated Rock n Roll and hitting the USA with their throngs of British fans literally flying over to witness the buzz for their debut US Tour. These boys are going to be big.

Coming straight off their storming UK tour releasing their stellar self-titled album and selling out 1200 capacity venues, as well as all copies of the album on the release date at HMV, The Lines are definitely an international act to keep your eye on. Having toured with fellow Brit-Rock outfits Babyshambles, Supergrass, The Charlatans and Editors, and making huge headway on the airwaves with EP track ‘Domino Effect’ reaching Top 10 in the Indie Charts, it’s not hard to believe the fever is going to hit America hard when these boys rock out New York.

A couple of gigs still to go, so check them out if you are local.

23 Oct - THE LIVING ROOM - 1am
w. Paul and the Patients, SoKo, Kris Gruen and Ferraby Lionheart

24 Oct - ARLENE’S GROCERY - 11pm
w. Smile Smile, The Nifty Shrimp, Red River and Dan Maxwell and the Turnpike Sailors

Featured Track: Tracey.
Website: Official.
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Lights on Moscow are Hazel Wilde (Aorta)  and Justin Lockey (songs) and like their sound, their influences are big and small.

Hazel;  slyly  singing songs subdued and confessional,  gentle Fuzzy, major-chord fizz. Blistering. quasi-psychedelic ruminations, guitar drones

Justin;  bashing melodies that collide with an undercurrent of sad chiming and celestial sweet spots

Together their music explodes into hallucinatory Indie noise pop hinting blues and folk.

Well that's what the info we received says's and on the strength of this song who are we to argue. As we rip through this round up please don't think that just a few words for some artists means they are somewhat lesser on our scale of liking. Light Of Moscow being a case in point - nothing could be further from the truth.

Featured Track: Lord Let Me Know.
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Rising Brooklyn act Mon Khmer (pronounced: Mohn-Kmair) is set to release their debut EP, Birthplace on October 19th via High Scores Recordings. Tiding listeners over until their forthcoming debut LP, the six track EP contains the highlights of their short but fruitful two years together. Playing alongside acts like Bear in Heaven, Secret Machines, and Micachu & the Shapes, Mon Khmer have been captivating listeners sending them into a groove/trance/dance mode thanks to their tribal relentless and hypnotic rhythms that are legitimately hard to resist with their refined yet unclassifiable sound.  Some have made attempts, like Death and Taxes who wrote “You can easily parse out an influence of Battles in their sound for it was breezy and punchy, and their pool of effects pedals kept people’s ears perked up throughout.” 

The band’s unusual name derives from a family of languages that exist in Eastern Asia, called Mon Khmer. The worldliness of the name is quite fitting taking into account the wide array of influences that co-exist with each member.  Having met in Boston, the four friends found home in Brooklyn and formed Mon Khmer, following a summer of session work that included Hammarsing (Vocals/Guitars) joining Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes) on a world tour. With Hammarsing’s departure, the remaining members of Mon Khmer kept busy with equally as exciting side-projects; Dave Cole (drums) is also a member of Rubblebucket while Matt Scheiner (bass/synths/vocals) splits his time with other Brooklyn band Oberhofer and Elias Meister (guitar) spends time playing in various jazz side projects.

Featured Track: Birthplace.
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Right then this is what others have said about The Sheepdogs and we would also like to add The Allman Brothers and The Black Crowes as additional references!

"Rolling and tumbling out of the flatlands of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the Sheepdogs play classic rock-a-boogie, with shaggy-haired deference to the likes of Humble Pie, the Faces, and Blind Faith, all the while quietly harboring the musical chops to saunter away from their comfort zone when the mood takes them" – Popmatters

"The final product is equal parts blue-eyed soul and boogie rock, and carries DNA from such AOR staples as CCR, The James Gang, The Rascals and Humble Pie" – My Old Kentucky Blog

"Learn & Burn is a carefully-written, timeless record." – CHARTattack.

However many comparisons are made this band have their own strong identity and are in our always humble opinion superb rockers who deserve your attention. We are also told - Shaggy, bearded and born to rock is one way to describe this group of grooving roustabouts hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The Sheepdogs’ third record Learn and Burn, on which each track gushes of impeccable 70s classic rock sound, has just been re-released on vinyl. The band’s grooving melodies and dueling guitar riffs transcend generations with their double helix of rock revival and contemporary flair. 

Tour Dates:

Nov. 9th- Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Café, 12pm
Nov. 9th- Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint, 9pm
Nov. 10th- San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop, 9:30pm

Featured Track: I Dont Know.
Website: MySpace.
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Those nice people at Hidden Shoal Recordings announced a few days ago the release of new single ‘King Of All The Moves’ by Australian lo-fi rock magician Toby Richardson.

They went on to say (and we concur) In his inimitable bent rock stylings Richardson has produced another irreverent indie rock ‘n’ roll gem. ‘King Of All The Moves’ is like a garage band falling endlessly down a cartoon staircase. The track pays homage to dirty rock while turning it inside out and painting it with jelly. The songs skewed melodicism, married with Richardson's innate sense of song craft, creates a soundtrack to some unimaginable ‘70s cop show filled with sequins, half-naked dancers and possibly a dolphin.  ‘King Of All The Moves’ is irrepressible dance music for the PCP crowd.

Whats more ‘King Of All The Moves’ is available for free download from the Hidden Shoal Store however we have it here on Beehive Candy as well. The track is lifted from the upcoming 5 track EP The Stones and the Rabbits out on 2nd December 2010. Toby Richardson's debut EP Golden Days and album Evergreen are also available through Hidden Shoal. Check this guy out soon!

Featured Track: King Of All The Moves.
Website: MySpace.
Buy: Hidden Shoals Store.
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We finish this edition on a high with Vermont's Bow Thayer and Perfect Trainwreck who are set to release their sophomore album, Bottom of the Sky, on November 16th.

Recorded in the studio of longtime collaborator and friend, Levon Helm (drummer of The Band, and legendary solo artist), Bottom of the Sky showcases the band’s seamless melding of alt-folk, rock, and bluegrass, making for an easy comparison to Blitzen Trapper, the Drive-by Truckers, and the Felice Brothers.

Some more background for you - For Bottom of the Sky, Bow Thayer & Perfect Trainwreck worked alongside Justin Guip (Engineer on Levon’s Grammy-winning albums, Dirt Farmer and Electric Dirt) for a second time, to recreate the magic he helped capture on the band’s 2008 self-titled debut. The new album showcases Bow’s recent exploration of his beloved Deering electric banjo and effects boxes to create tones unlike any other.

While the exact date of Bow Thayer & Perfect Trainwreck’s conception is up for debate, the group did bud from former band, Elbow, a trio of Boston musicians that drew inspiration from the delta blues. Although Elbow disbanded in the early 2000s, member Bow Thayer went on to record numerous solo albums, one of which features Levon Helm on drums and Morphine’s Dana Colley on sax, while bassist Jeremy Curtis hit the road playing with the likes of Booker T and Howie Day. After their adventures concluded, Bow and Jeremy found their way back to one another and continued to jam, adding Jeff Berlin on drums, Chris McGandy on steel guitar, and James Rohr on the keys, forming what is now known as the Perfect Trainwreck.

A great song from a talented and crafted band that deserve to be noticed far and wide, some tour dates below!

10/31 Cambridge, MA @ Atwood’s Tavern
11/13 Lebanon, HH @ Lebanon Opera House (Local Legends 2010)
11/20 White River Junction, VT @ Tupelo Music Hall (Album Release Show!)
12/04 Northhampton, MA @ The Basement 

Featured Track: Bottom Of The Sky. 
Website: Official.
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Featured Tracks:

Jeff Buckley - Various Sessions 1994 - 95

This is another selection of radio sessions and promotional appearances by Jeff Buckley mainly in support of the album Grace and the associated touring.

These short sets along with the further insight we can gain from the various (even shorter) interviews help add further insight into the man whose brief musical career continues to please and move so many people.

Jeff comes across as really enjoying these sessions and I wonder if it is because of the time in his life when he could just turn up at a cafe and play without any hype or crowds of expectant fans.

I mention this because of the brief December 1996 'tour' where he appeared on his "phantom solo tour" of cafés in the Northeast  in December 1996, appearing under a series of aliases such as The Crackrobats, Possessed by Elves, Topless America, Martha & the Nicotines, and A Puppet Show Named Julio.

By way of justification Jeff Buckley posted a note on his Internet site stating that he missed the anonymity of playing in cafes and local bars - 'There was a time in my life not too long ago when I could show up in a cafe and simply do what I do, make music, learn from performing my music, explore what it means to me, i.e., have fun while I irritate and/or entertain an audience who don't know me or what I am about. In this situation I have that precious and irreplaceable luxury of failure, of risk, of surrender. I worked very hard to get this kind of thing together, this work forum. I loved it and then I missed it when it disappeared. All I am doing is reclaiming it'.

Source: FM Radio Broadcasts.

Sound Quality: Majority good stereo mp3@160 - 224kbps (see set lists). 

Genre: Acoustic, folk rock, alt rock.

Session: Promotional appearances for radio & music stores.  

Set Lists:

Live on 99X Atlanta (Atlanta Session), September 1994 (very good quality).

01. Last Goodbye
02. So Real
03. Mojo Pin
04. Grace
05. Lover, You Should've Come Over

Live at Waterloo Records, Austin 1994 (average - good quality).

01. Tuning
02. So Real
03. Last Goodbye
04. Grace
05. Lover, You Should've Come Over

'Just Passing Through' April 16th 1995 Washington & Baltimore's 99.1 WHFS (excellent quality).

01. Intro
02. Last Goodbye
03. Lover You Should've Come Over
04. Interview
05. So Real
06. Station ID
07. Interview
08. Grace
09. Station ID and closing words.

Jeff Buckley, live on KROQ 2nd May 1995 (very good quality).

01 Interview
02 Last Goodbye
03 Interview
04 Interview
05 So Real
06 Interview 

KFOG Session, May 4th 1995 (very good quality).

01. Interview
02. All That I Ask - Last Goodbye
03. Grace
04. DJ comments 

Live at The Rooftop Cafe Melbourne 31st September 1995 (FM session, OK quality).

01. Intro
02. Last Goodbye
03. Grace
04. All That I Ask
05. Lover, You Should've Come Over
06. Interview

Website: Official HERE.

Comments:

Jeff often managed to give a unique feel to each song he played, maybe because of his mood or issues as basic as a soar throat which leaves the Atlanta 99X session with quite mellow vocals in places. What is really nice is to hear the upbeat and happy interviews and a performer that always put his heart into every performance.

New file link in comments below - Re-uploaded 2012 (Stealth project).

The Faces - Ohh La La Rehearsals and Outtakes

This is a small collection of studio session and rehearsal material from The Faces during the recording of Ohh La La at some point between September 1972 and January 1973.

There is always a story behind the recording of an album and in this case we are quoting wikipedia ( so excuse any errors) - With his career in the stratosphere due to successes from his solo albums, Rod Stewart  became increasingly distanced from his band mates, who were by the time of the album's recording little more than his backing group in concerts. As a result, according to Ian McLagan, Ooh La La was "Ronnie (Lane)'s  album", Stewart distracted enough to have missed the first fortnight's worth of sessions. The album's recording would be plagued by Stewart's absence. Nonetheless, producer Glyn Johns held the group together, helping to placate tensions as he had with the Beatles during their Get Back  sessions and helping the group to record a strong album in the style of its predecessor as opposed to the group's first two releases, which were self-produced and rather lengthy.

Shortly after the album's release, Stewart reported to New Musical Express that he felt that Ooh La La was a "stinking rotten album", later making things worse by telling Rolling Stone that what he had actually said was that the group was capable of "doing a better album than we've done". The rest of the group was understandably hurt by the comments. Ronnie Lane, especially hurt and not looking forward to being even more increasingly relegated to the sidelines, quit in June and was replaced shortly thereafter by former Free bassist Tetsu Yamauchi. The group recorded three subsequent singles, but never again recorded an album, disbanding in late 1975. 

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.

Genre: Rock, blues rock.

Session: Studio rehearsals & outtakes.

Set List:

1. My Fault
2. Flags & Banners (Instrumental)
3. Ooh La La (Instrumental)
4. Glad & Sorry
5. Silicone Grown
6. Cindy Incidentally
7. If I'm On The Late Side
8. Borstal Boys
9. Just Another Honky

Website: Official HERE.

Comments:

The recent reunion of The Faces with Ronnie Wood, Ian McLaglan and Kenney Jones being joined by Mick Hucknall and Glen Matlock, has surprisingly received some positive press in the UK. Mick Hucknall has apparently done a great job in replacing Rod Stewart. It will be intersting to see how this continues to develop.

Reloaded 25/May/2015 - download link in comments.

2010FM - October Edition One

Another bumper edition of 2010FM so no waffle just the background to the bands and one or to opinions, take it as read regarding each artist that if we include them, we like them!

Unsolved Mysteries start us off this time around and just makes our spirit soar, superb music that is full of fun, energy and is very very catchy. The official stuff says's - Marc Jacobs designer by day, BMX rider by trade, and all around energized front man, Jon Lynn draws his inspiration from everything weird that you barely recall from childhood memories and channels it into his spangly electro-pop group Unsolved Mysteries. Originally starting off as a solo-project in 2004, Unsolved Mysteries eventually expanded to include producer Colin Alexander and guitarists Bryan Keller and James Chapman, to further groom their sound to the chiseled, mystic dance pop that it is today.

The latest full-length album, Tragic Trouble is a collection of warped pop songs with tints of The Radio Dept’s hazy electro, New Order’s synth-rock and the Cocteau Twin’s dream pop. Ranging from the crack-catchy, whistle ditty “You Only Live Once” to the textured space anthems like “Pen15”, Tragic Trouble has garnered major hand claps from both national publications such as Nylon Magazine and W Magazine as well as international acclaim with a front page of MTV Brazil website. Tragic Trouble is for sale at Marc Jacobs stores across the US and Europe.

Featured Track: Pen 15.
Website: MySpace. Buy: Tragic Trouble [Explicit]
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Alfa, aka Zak Aldridge, has been hard at work over the last year working on his debut EP, which is nearing completion. Recently, to coincide with the recent releases of his two latest remixes, he gave us a brand new original track 'Sky Patrol'.

I do not know much about Alfa beyond the info provided with this superb instrumental piece, we do however really look forward to hearing more. Info tells us - A unique evolution of electro, Alfa's music is music for the car, for your headphones, and for late nights with late night girls. A focus on melody and crisp production separates Alfa from his contemporaries, who seem much more interested in either going as heavy as possible, or washing out their sounds as much as possible.

Sky Patrol itself is Alfa's first original release since his songs that were on Binary's compilation, LA Lights. Sky Patrol is just a small taste of what you can expect from his EP. Zak has been working with various singers, guitarists, and session players while crafting the songs for the release. Your not going to be able to keep still to this track even if dance is not your bag!

Featured Track: Sky Patrol.
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Jason Poe is new to the Beehive and I like the sound of this guy. We are informed that - In April of 2010, Jason embarked on a songwriting exercise of writing, recording and producing seven songs in seven days, and releasing them immediately to his fans. The results were seven inspiring, well-structured pop gems. This nose to the grindstone exercise proved Jason's dedication to arranging a genuine original song, and allowing his fans access to a true and fresh songwriting experience.

Two of Jason's "7 in 7" songs will be featured on the new album "Now is the Winter," which takes it's title from the opening line of Shakespeare's "Richard III" - "Now is the winter of our discontent." The title alludes to the themes of discontent and hope which weave themselves through each track on the album.

Jason’s songwriting abilities have won him loyal fans ranging from his roots in the Midwest to Austin, Texas, the live music capitol of the world. Producer CJ Eiriksson (U2, Matchbox Twenty, Jack’s Mannequin) is now working with Jason to help him fine tune his first solo album which will be released in the fall of 2010.

Keep an ear out for Jason, this is well crafted music with some superb hooks and quality production.

Featured Track: Black Clouds.
Website: Official.
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I will be totally up front and say that I struggle with most hip hop and rap music. I realise just how popular it is, I guess that for some reason I could never make the jump from reggae Motown and soul to this genre.

However Gangstagrass have absolutely bridged some of the gap and have left me both fascinated and intrigued. I just love this incredible mix of styles and rather than ramble on heres the story in full.

Gangstagrass, was just nominated for an Emmy for the theme song of the hit FX series: Justified. The show stars award winning actor Timothy Olyphant and features the song “Long Hard Times to Come”, written exclusively for the show by Gangstagrass!

Sometimes you just know what has to be done and you can’t put it off any longer. History has to be made and there is no other way to do it than to just jump in the deep end and start swimming. In the summer of 2007, Brooklyn based producer, singer, and songwriter Rench was at such a crossroad. He had been producing honky-tonk infused trip-hop albums of his own material for several years, and had also developed a stable of NYC emcees that were recording at his studio.

All along he had an idea in the back of his head that just wouldn’t go away – take rap vocals, add beats, along with classic bluegrass for all the instrumentation and call it Gangstagrass. You see Rench had always had a love for both country music and hip-hop. As a kid growing up in Southern California, Rench spent recess breakdancing to Run-DMC on cardboard boxes and evenings hearing his father’s country and bluegrass records. It turns out he was not alone.

Rench took the dive. He cancelled all other plans and spent the next month sequestered in his basement studio, several boxes from his classic bluegrass album collection by his side. The rappers he had worked with had no idea about the likes of Ralph Stanley, Bill Monroe or the Carter Family, but agreed nonetheless to let Rench use their vocals. He emerged with what is now known as Gangstagrass: Volume 1, a 22 track epic album of heavy hip-hop rhymes perfectly blended with old-time banjo riffs and bluesy Dobro slides. Rench promptly offered the whole album as a free download. Over the next two years word of the “Volume 1” spread like wildfire and the consensus was, you may not think country music and hip-hop music could go together. Think again.

After several hundred thousand downloads the Gangstagrass sound was clawing its way onto the American musical landscape. In early 2010, the free album got into the hands of the producers of a new FX show titled Justified. The show follows Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), who is a throwback law man, complete with a Stetson hat, cowboy boots, and a semi-automatic pistol in his hip holster. The producers felt that Rench’s music fit the “Wild West meets modern-day society” theme of the show, and asked Rench to create a new Gangstagrass track for the show’s opening theme music.

Rench worked with Bronx native and younger brother of early hip-hop stars Special K (Treacherous Three) and T La Rock (“It’s Yours”), T.O.N.E-z (an emcee featured on several tracks of Gangstagrass: Volume 1) to create “Long Hard Times To Come” for the Justified theme song. At this time there were to be no bluegrass samples – the instrumentation would come from live bluegrass musicians. Rench assembled an all-star team of pickers to join him at his Brooklyn studio and re-create the Gangstagrass sound. The live instrumentation far surpassed what Rench had made before. The hip-hop/bluegrass hybrid had truly come to fruition.

Work began immediately on a full length album featuring the full-on, no holds barred sound of hot bluegrass (Matt Check on banjo, Todd Livingston on Dobro, Jason Cade on fiddle) and T.O.N.E-z’s raw Bronx rhymes. In May 2010 the album Lightning On The Strings, Thunder On The Mic was released to the eager ears of fans across the country that had searched out the makers of Justified’s theme song. A few months later, “Long Hard Times To Come” was recognized with an Emmy nomination (Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music), and the cat was out of the bag. Gangstagrass had staked its claim among American music genres.

Although country music and hip-hop are perceived to be diametrically opposed music styles, the appeal of Gangstagrass is easy to understand. Gangstagrass was born out of a sincere love for good music and an “I just don’t give a f##k” attitude towards sonic boundaries.

“If you just pay attention to the charts, you get this idea that there is black music and white music, as if different genres serve two completely separate audiences. That’s just not true,” says Rench. “There are a lot of people out there with Hank Williams and Jay-Z on their mp3 player.” Gangstagrass is not just for big hip-hop or country fans. It is also for fans of good music of all types, who aren’t afraid to transcend the habit of musical segregation. Gangstagrass is true blue American music that is here to stay.

Featured Track: Put Your Hands Up High.
Website: Official.
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The Real Nasty have been busy since we first mentioned them back in June. When I was asked recently to take a listen to their new album and perhaps give them another mention my rather grumpy attitude was 'it had better be good then'.

It is and I am more than pleased to be able to share a track of my choice from the new album.

As a reminder - The Real Nasty is a power trio based out of the San Francisco Bay Area known for their ability to flow from country to rock with a raw force that leaves audiences reeling. Their huge sound and large repertoire is bolstered by the unique instrumentation of upright bass, guitar, and cajon (an Afro-Cuban box drum) and their music offers a fresh approach that “stomps through the same fields once occupied by Led Zeppelin and Johnny Cash, [with] even some Pixies-esque weirdness to keep everyone on their toes”(SF Weekly).

The new album titled 'Strangers and Friends' hit the streets just a few days back on October 8th - if you like the featured track you will not be disappointed!

Featured Track: Girl On The Mountain.
Website: MySpace.
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I am seriously enjoying listening to SJ Tucker. A mixture of folk, blues, Celtic and comedy I know that I will be looking to get hold of far more than the introductory songs recently provided.

Some background as follows - “Without our songs and stories, we are nothing.” This one phrase tells you what you need to know about SJ Tucker. Multi-instrumentalist, road warrior, front woman, back office bard, songwriter and rallying point; yes, she is all of these things. More than most, though, more than anything, she is a storyteller. She is the voice of lore at the campfire and the sharp laughter of modern myth, a vanguard of the Mythpunk movement with a gypsy Celtic folk rock sound that cannot be ignored. With one hand on her art and the other held out to you, she is songs and stories, community and wit.

A fascinating hybrid of geography and experience, SJ Tucker is a constant musical journey woman born to the sticky, mean delta humidity of Dumas, Arkansas. In that same swirling, sweltering air, Tucker’s musical education began at the age of 3 when her grandfather brought home an LP of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour and dropped the needle on her Fisher-Price toy record player. Bound to the The Beatles from that moment on, her love for music grew with church choir and piano in elementary school, guitar and songwriting in high school, and her first singer/songwriter performance at the age of 17.

The featured track is just one dimension of SJ Tucker and she does indeed span the genres mentioned above, check her out soon!


Featured Track: Salad Of Doom.
Website: Official.
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I do not know much about Cock and Swan beyond the fact that I really like the track we can share below, the info that came with it (copied below) and most importantly how much I want to hear more!

Johnny and Ola started making music together in 2003, on a Tascam 4-track in a tiny bedroom in Bothell, Washington.  They now write and record in a white brick bunker by the river.  Their music is inspired by old analog synthesizers, unplanned samples, giant vintage bass drums, and faded colors.  Bands in a similar frame of mind include Boards of Canada and Mum.  Others have said that “Cock and Swan's heavy electronics and keyboard/bass grooves reference Tortoise, Portishead and Brian Eno.” (Erik Neumann, The Seattle Weekly)  They often produce, record and play live with other Dandelion Gold artists, such as Shana Cleveland (of The Curious Mystery, K Records) and Brad Dunn  (founding member of The Curious Mystery).

Featured Track: Stash.
Website: MySpace.
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Mutual Benefit aka Jordan Lee plays off kilter pop songs backed by a wide variety of sounds including homemade electronics, banjo, expired bacon bits percussion and overambitious harmonies. The music sounds a bit like Sufjan Stevens if he had been dropping acid with the Velvet Underground instead of going to church. Spider Heaven, Mutual Benefits' newest release, was recorded and inspired by parks, basements, and attics in rural Ohio where Jordan transplanted to from Austin, TX. When not experimenting with sound and thought, Jordan also happily runs a DIY tape label and radio show called Kassette Klub. Spider Heaven will be available digitally on October 5th and on cassette October 12th (comes with a free digital download upon purchase and also includes the Drifting EP). Each tape sleeve is handmade by the artist and features one-of-a-kind art collaged from thrift store children's books and vintage National Geographic magazines.

I have only heard one song from the new album 'Spider Heaven' however in order to try and tempt you to also consider the benefits of obtaining the Drifting EP I have featured a song from that.

Featured Track: Here.
Website: Kassette Klub.
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OK the promo says's 'Fresh off their wild and raucous 2008 release, One Shoe Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Portland, Oregon’s The Ascetic Junkies are back with a new LP, This Cage Has No Bottom. Maintaining their endearing blend of pop-infused folk tunes, the new record is a rough and rowdy barn dance of a record, showcasing what is at the core of the Junkies magic: Matt Harmon and Kali Giaritta’s raw and infectious harmonies.'

We say this is superb music that makes us smile and feel good. Some excellent harmonies and crafted musicianship but above all else it just feels like they are enjoying every moment despite the heavily callused-fingers and soar throats we are told they suffered making this fine music.

Featured track: Get What You Want Get What You Need.
Website: MySpace.
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Another band that are new to me are Roman Photos and I have to say I just love the layers and mood of the featured track. So here is some background - Roman Photos have crafted a sound that is by turn a romantic yet urban blend of various kinds of electronic music. Taking cues from genres like disco, synth-pop, techno and trip-hop, they bring emotion to a genre more known for atmospheres and rhythm. The band recently released a free digital EP as well a 7” on Army of Bad Luck (run by Josh from Deerhunter) and will see the release of the Decline/These Arms 7” via Double Phantom Records on December 7th.

"Here’s what’s cool about this: the wistful vocals that float effortlessly above the music, the buzzing density of the entire song, the warm thump drawn out from minimal techno and into a more rock-based world. “Decline” works because of its low-key unpretentious aspirations. It could easily be just another hazy dance track in a year full of hazy dance tracks, but the attention to detail—the little key pings and surprisingly confident vocals make it stand out." -- The Fader.

Roman Photos are: David Mansfield (Vox/Drums/Percussion/Electronics), Chris Daresta (Bass/Keyboards), Drew Haddon (Keybaords/ Electronics), Allen Taylor (Keyboards/ Electronics).

Featured Track: Decline.
Website: MySpace.
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I am really looking forward to the release of the new album by Jonah based on the couple of tracks I have heard so far and feel my usual embarrassed self for not knowing all about them considering how long they have been about and just how good their music is! 

Official promo tells us the following - Portland, Oregon's Jonah has been a familiar name among the city's ever changing music scene for almost ten years. The band's latest full length, The Wonder and the Thrill, stands strong as their truest and most accessible recording to date, to be released nationally on November 9th, 2010.

Like most artists, Jonah has evolved over the years. The Wonder and the Thrill reveals a departure from the band's Brit-pop origins, unveiling a somewhat simpler and softer approach to their arrangements, instrumentation and overall recording. Front man Henry Curl delivers skillfully delicate and yet sometimes prodigious choruses, delicately threaded over, around and through warm, understated harmonies that are reminiscent of Travis front man Fran Healy or maybe Matt Hales of Aqualung fame. These elements maybe most evident on the opening track "Please Let Go," while "Bees" shines bright as a catchy, upbeat anthem that will satisfy both loyal fans and new listeners. Not to be completely missed however is Jonah's signature blend of careening guitars and brimming choruses. These elements are fewer and farther between on The Wonder and the Thrill, giving the record a greater sense of spaciousness and poise.

Featured Track: Please Let Go.
Website: Official.
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RAUSCH has been studying, writing, practicing, performing, and otherwise living music relentlessly ever since the day his parents all but wrote him off as a pianist at eight years of age. This obsession recently landed him a degree from the prestigious Ithaca College School of Music in New York, where he won recognition as concerto competition finalist with Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. A diverse following began to build as his tireless vision of resuscitating rock and roll collided headfirst with his obligations to “serious music.” For the encore of an ambitious recital on the eve of his 21st birthday, his 13-piece band joined him in tribute to Guns N Roses. November Rain took a classical music school to tears.

We are also told - Following this artistic triumph, RAUSCH took on the real world. He played countless gigs and submerged himself into all things music. Fresh off the heels of an internship with Sony Music Studios, he received the title of “Manager of the Year” at age 25 (the youngest to ever achieve this honor), as top producer at a highly respected Steinway & Sons piano retailer. From academia to corporate America, he learned much about the inner-workings of the music industry. In the end, all this first-hand experience only reinforced the urgency in chasing a life-long vision.

Having been listening to RAUSCH for the first time today whilst putting this feature together his inclusion became an absolute must. Superb keyboards, piano and guitar, excellent compositions and a real personal feel have left me just wanting to hear more.

Featured Track: It Happens.
Website: Official.
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We finish this addition on a high and after some terrific new music from a variety genres and very talented people that is no mean achievement!

Hailing from Iceland For a Minor Reflection comprises of four 20-year-olds from Reykjavík, Iceland. Their music is best described as energetic, melodious post-rock, though being the natural creative visionaries they are, the band expand and even subvert their style with almost every song.

Starting life as a hard rock duo in a tiny garage in Reykjavík, Iceland, For a Minor Reflection (FaMR) morphed into an indie rock trio (for a week or so) and a blues quartet (for a little longer) before finally arriving at their current incarnation: instrumental post-rockers du jour.
We are also told - Back in 2007, the quartet struck up a fan base with their self-produced debut album Reistu þig við, sólin er komin á loft... (Rise, the sun’s up...), a mesmerizing, hour-long tapestry featuring six songs and recorded over a weekend in their friend’s studio. This record, as well as their energetic live shows, earned them a slew of accolades, including favourable comparisons to Explosions in the Sky, Caspain and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Their fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós even described them as “a band with the potential to out Mogwai”.

Following a scintillating live performance at 2007’s Iceland Airwaves, FaMR were invited to undertake a two-week 2008 tour in the USA and Canada. Later in the same year the band were invited to do 15 dates with Sigur Rós on a European tour and used the opportunity to release their album on iTunes, as well as selling it on the tour. The band sold out on the 2000 albums they manufactured bringing the total sales figures of this modest demo recorded in a home studio to 5000 copies.

Needless to say the tour with Sigur Rós attracted the attention of a lot of promoters which landed them a showcase slot at Eurosonic at the start of 2009 and a months headline tour in Europe early summer last year Spending the rest of the summer writing a new album FaMR chose the Sigur Ros studio in Iceland to record 10 new songs with LA producer Scott Hackwith. The album is is called ‘Höldum í átt að óreiðu’ (Heading towards chaos).

This is superb music and I can only wonder over what is in the water in Iceland (beyond an endless supply of ice) that gives artists from their such creative talent!

Featured Track: Kastljos.
Website: Official.
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Featured Tracks:

Ten Years After - San Francisco 1971

I was first introduced to Ten Years After through their third album Stonedhenge way back in 1969. Although the album itself was quite experimental for some reason it 'registered' with me and their following four albums became firm favorites of mine and still get an airing from time to time these days.

Ten Years After may have reached a wider audience as a result of Woodstock, however one way or another they would have broken through with their explosive mixture of rock'n'roll, blues and exceptional musicianship.

This is Ten Years After live at the Winterland, San Francisco, California back on the 30th April 1971.

Alvin Lee may have been the photographers favorite and his guitar playing is astonishing however TYA were always a band and listening to this concert I am reminded of just how much each member contributed to the overall mixtures of styles and creativity. There is even a drum solo (what would a rock gig in the early seventies have been without the obligatory drum solo and a tiny bit of self indulgence by each band member).

This recording is another one that has 'escaped' from Wolfgang's Vault where you can go and listen to this and so many other fabulous concerts for free and stream them if you prefer not to download this copy.

Quoting from Wolfgang's Vault 'Shortly after recording this show, the band would leave Decca Records, the label who had signed them in 1967, and move to Columbia's corporate home. Columbia would take the band in a more radio friendly/pop driven direction (hence, the hit single "I'd Love To Change The World"). Frustrated with the popular music trend, Alvin Lee left the band, which disbanded soon after the second Columbia release in 1974'.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps 

Genre: Blues-rock, British blues, rock and roll, hard rock, jazz rock.

Set: Full Set.

Set List:

01 Love Like A Man
02 No Title
03 Once There Was A Time
04 Slow Blues In C
05 San Francisco Special Express
06 One Of These Days
07 She Lies In The Morning
08 I'm Going Home
09 Sweet Little Sixteen

Website: Official Site HERE. Wolfgang's Vault HERE.

Comments:

Alvin Lee - lead vocals, guitar
Chick Churchill - organ
Leo Lyons - bass
Ric Lee - drums

Download links (two) in comments below.

Nico and Tangerine Dream - France 1974

This is Nico & Tangerine Dream recorded live at the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Reims, France, way back on the 13th December 1974. This recording was sourced from the a broadcast of the event on France Inter Radio and has been widely circulated as a silver CD boot.

The majority of this recording is of Nico performing solo with a Harmonium (she was the supporting artist) however over time Tangerine Dream seem to have been 'upped' considerably in the credits. The venues audio characteristics along with Nico's haunting style have a significant effect on this recording that as a result produced music of a timeless and fascinating nature.

About.com included this event in a list of 10 Infamous Concerts and had the following to say:

'Tangerine Dream —those krautrock  innovators turned new-age synth wallpaperists— picked an amazing venue for a show in December, 1974: Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral; which had historically hosted the coronations of French Kings. Unfortunately, the promoter of the gig got a little swept up in the grandeur, overselling the show so blatantly that the crowd, when eventually crammed in, couldn't move; leading to audience members urinating where they stood. The Catholic Church was apoplectic, and banned concert events in Cathedrals for eternity. The show's legacy grows over the years thanks to a bootleg of opener Nico, playing her haunted, pump-organ dirges in a house whose natural reverb makes them sound like the ghostliest hymns'.

Source: FM Radio.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps 

Genre: Avant-garde, experimental, Krautrock. 

Set: Full Nico set

Set List:

01. Janitor Of Lunacy
02. The falconer
03. Valley Of The Kings
04. The End
05. Abschied
06. Mutterlein
07. Frozen Warnings
08. You Forget To Answer
09. We've Got The Gold
10. No One Is There
11. Ari's Song
12. Atmospherics

Website: Site dedicated to Nico HERE. Tangerine Dream Official HERE.

Comments:

Nico - pump organ, vocals
Edgar Froese - keyboards
Christopher Franke - keyboards
Peter Baumann - keyboards

Reloaded 25/May/2015 - download link in comments.

Mogwai - Denver Colorado 2006

For lovers of instrumental music this is a stunning concert from Mogwai recorded live at The Gothic Theatre, Denver, Colorado, USA, back on the 3rd May 2006.

Audio quality is superb and would pass comfortably as an official release. Five of the tracks are from the album 'Mr Beast' which was released just two months earlier on March 6th, 2006.

For those of you new or unfamiliar with Mogwai, they are a Scottish post-rock band, who formed in 1995 in Glasgow. Wikipedia rather clinically states 'the band typically composes lengthy guitar-based instrumental pieces that feature dynamic contrast, melodic bass guitar lines, and heavy use of distortion and effects'.

They do occasionally sing and track eight 'Cody' is a beautiful example of this dimension, however these guys are so good, that they just draw you into their layers and textures in every piece.

Their style has been influenced by bands including MC5, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Fugazi, and post-rock pioneers Slint. During 2004, the band supported tours by two major influences, Pixies and The Cure. Mogwai's style has easily identifiable connections to genres like shoegazing, art rock and occasionally instrumental metal. Barry Burns once stated in an interview with Chillville that he and the rest of the band don't like the categorization of post-rock because he believes it over analyses everything.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@variable 200kbps plus.

Genre: Post Rock, and just brilliant!

Set: Full set

Set List:

01. Intro
02. Yes! I Am a Long Way from Home
03. Hunted By A Freak
04. Friend of the Night
05. Helicon 2
06. Acid Food
07. I Know You Are But What Am I?
08. Cody
09. We're No Here
10. Stanley Kubrick
11. Travel Is Dangerous
12. You Don't Know Jesus
13. Helicon 1
14. Glasgow Mega Snake
15. My Father, My King

Website: Official HERE.

Comments:

Mogwai are - Stuart Braithwaite (electric guitar, vocals), John Cummings (electric guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (electric guitar, piano, synthesiser, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drum kit).

Download link in comments below.

2010FM - September Edition Three

The final selection for September and a shed load of great music to cover, so plenty of copying from PR material to give some background on the artists, as is always the case take it as read that we like and recommend checking out these people.

The Phantom Band was pulled together from all four corners of Scotland, settling on Glasgow as PB HQ. Duncan Marquiss (guitar), Gerry Hart (bass), Andy Wake (keyboards), Rick Anthony (vocals) and Greg Sinclair (guitars) are a volatile cabal of creative contradictions: a disorientating amalgam of music, art and performance that defies categorisation and provides an object lesson in how to forge something distinct and unique from well-worn sources. Checkmate Savage won plaudits from the mainstream music press and the indie blogs alike, finding famous fans in Peter Buck and comic artist Frank Quitely, while the influential music emporium Piccadilly Records named it their album of the year.

Their new album may be The Wants, but what do The Phantom Band want for? “Survival.  For this album to lead to another after it, that's all. We think it's better than the last one, and if anyone agrees with us then brilliant, they can hop aboard. Those who disagree can hop aboard too, but they're sailing at the stern.”

This is a superb band and the featured track is just one dimension of them. On October 19th Chemikal Underground release The Phantom Band's album “The Wants”.

Featured Track: Walls.
Website: Official.
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Way Slow is a new series curated by Lefse Records. While maintaining the basic structures of a formal record label, they are embracing creativity in everything from artist sound to packaging. Each release will be a unique creation from start to finish.

Many of the artists are going to be releasing material that is well outside of their normal sound, some will be collaborations, some will be from parts of the world where most of us will never see. Alongside digital downloads, they will be offering limited edition cd’s, cassettes, and even vinyl in some cases.

All physical products will be hand wrapped/sewn/carved individually for every release and presented as a heartwarming package of beautiful sound.

Volume One comes from Banjo or Freakout on October 12th and will continue indefinitely. Other artists already on board are: Ganglians, Sonny Smith, Houses/Teen Daze, Phaseone, The Traditionist, Aloha Tigers, Sunnybrook, Algodon Egipcio, Brothertiger, Tape Deck Mountain, Solter, and Black Glass.

Featured Track: Over There.
Website: Lefse Records, Pre Order.
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LA-based songwriter Lelia Broussard, originally from the bayous of South Louisiana, is set to unleash her third full-length release, ‘MASQUERADE’ (November 2nd, Self-Release). With masterful production by Dan Romer (Ingrid Michaelson, Jenny Owen Youngs), the album boasts an intriguing collection of driving folk/pop gems, bringing to mind a cross between Jenny Lewis and Jonatha Brooke. Already, considerable buzz is building around ‘Masquerade’ with the early spread of “Satellite” and “Shoot For The Moon” among the songwriter’s fiercely loyal fan base.  Most recently, The Deli Magazine nominated Lelia for their Los Angeles “Artist of the Month” poll, and “Satellite” was prominently featured on powerhouse NPR AAA station WXPN's blog.

Over the course of her career, Lelia has collaborated with A-List producers including Rob Fusari (Lady Gaga, Whitney Houston Destiny's Child), Dave Trumfio (Wilco, My Morning Jacket, Built to Spill) and Marshall Altman (Kate Voegle, Marc Broussard).  Her songs have been featured on hit television shows such as CBS' Joan of Arcadia NBC’s Men In Trees, and MTV's The Hills  as well as a few small independent films. In 2008, Lelia signed a publishing deal with Rondor Universal Music Group. Lelia’s strong grass roots fan base recently raised over $15,000 to help fund her new record and pushed her to be one of the most successful music projects on the popular indie fundraising site, Kickstarter.

This is a great pop song and more than enough reason  to check out more of her music.

Featured Track: Satellite.
Website: Official.
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Birthday Boys are Graeme Kennedy (vocals, guitar), Jordan Mack (vocals, guitar), Jeremy Boyd (vocals, bass), and Matt Paige (drums). Based in Peterborough, Ontario, the band formed in 2008. They have since built a strong following with their debut album, 'Bad Blood' (recorded at Steve Albini's studio in Chicago with engineer Greg Norman - Built To Spill, Guided By Voices - and mixed by Jason Martin - Cold War Kids, The Drums) and their powerful live show.

Since the release of ‘Bad Blood’ Birthday Boys have been playing a steady circuit of shows in New York City, Montreal, Toronto, and several other Southern Ontario cities.

They have a new EP is called, "Tin Head" and consists of six songs that were recorded in an abandoned log cabin on Emerald Isle Ontario. The EP will be available on itunes, tunecore, and many other online distribution sites on October 1st.

Birthday Boys are about to head out on a Coast to coast Canadian tour, and are planning a very ambitious project while on the road. They will be writing a new song everyday of the tour, and filming a performance of the new song every night. Those who follow Birthday Boys  on twitter (twitter.com/birthdayboys) will be sent a message revealing the time and location of the filming, and are welcome to come out and participate in the performance of the song. The videos will then be posted daily at www.birthdayboysmusic.com/30songs.

Featured Track: Tin Head.
Website: Official.
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Simon Fagan is not our typical Irish singer songwriter. Blending elements of gospel and folk with acoustic rock, Simon and band produce a big Americana sound. He's opened for both Lionel Richie and Smokey Robinson and has sold out shows in Ireland, The UK and Egypt.

2009 saw Simon tour heavily throughout Ireland and the UK, performing on no fewer then nine primetime BBC radio shows in the UK, Newstalk’s Weekend Blend and Today with Pat Kenny on RTE radio in Ireland. Fagan even ventured as far as Egypt, where he and his band not only performed sold out shows in Cairo, Sharm El Sheik and Dahab, but also invited to appear on national TV and Radio. He has previously opened for Lionel Richie, Smokey Robinson and more recently at Laura Izibor’s sold out Tripod show in Dublin.

With a new album released in May of this year Simon has been receiving accolades both in Ireland and the US. ‘Outside Looking In’ was named Album Of The Week by RTE, while individual songs have also been gaining attention. ‘Never Really Cried’ picked up Best Performance at this years International Songwriting Competition, chosen from 15,000 entries; ‘Damn Honey’ was named Song of the Month with Songwriter Universe in April and ‘Water’s Edge’ has just been selected for Paste Magazine’s August CD Sampler.

We here at Beehive Candy feel embarrassed that we have only recently come across Simon and hope to make amends by featuring one of his great songs here.

Featured Track: Tired Of Tryin.
Website: Official.
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New York's Backwords recently released their new psych-folk album 'Quilt' on September 7th and in support of it, are touring around the USA.

A couple of quotes to help put us all in the picture,

"Just as the album title would suggest, the music is extremely warm and puts you right at home next to your favorite quilt your grandmother made you as a child." -- The Noise Is...

"...with vocals that sound like they were ripped from a Beach Boys track laying on top of instrumentals that have that charming, lo-fi quality that sounds like it was recorded in a friend’s basement." -- NY Press.

Tour dates include:

10/02/10, Saturday @ Mocha Madness, Pocatello, ID
10/04/10, Monday @ House Show (342 Monroe Street), Eugene, OR
10/06/10, Wednesday @ The Maltese, Chico, CA
10/07/10, Thursday @ The Stork Club, Oakland, CA
10/11/10, Monday @ Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
10/13/10, Wednesday @ Laughing Goat, Boulder, CO
11/14/10, Sunday @ Circle Bar, New Orleans, LA
11/19/10, Friday @ Homegrown Cafe, Newark, DE
11/06/10, Saturday @ Gillie's, Blacksburg, VA
11/07/10, Sunday @ Snug Harbor, Charlotte, NE
11/08/10, Monday @ Acoustic Coffee House, Johnson City, TN
11/09/10, Tuesday @ The Basement, Nashville, TN

Featured Track: And Then Sigh.
Website: Official.
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I like this intro to Pancake Breakfast and boy do I like the song (always helps if you want to be featured around here).

Times are hard. Folks want to see and hear something that makes them feel better, or at least different. Pancake Breakfast  is attempting to do just that. The nine, hardworking Northwesterners hailing from Portland, OR, have played memorable sets at festivals like Portland's Pick-a-thon and the Sisters Folk Festival to local house shows, bar gigs and campfire hootenannies with one goal: to send people home from their shows with a song in their head and a good story to tell the next morning. Doing just that, the nine-piece has begun to make a name for themselves with their eclectic blend of down-home folk, working-man singalong rock and south-of-the-border ballads.

Having locked themselves away for the past few months in a studio cabin near Mt. Adams with Producer Mike Coykendyll (M. Ward, She & Him, Blitzen Trapper, Bright Eyes), Pancake Breakfast has emerged with a impressive debut that maintains the vibrancy of their live shows while showcasing the intricate dynamism they share as a talented nine-piece. That's not it, though. The band wanted to take it a step further. So they have enlisted 12 different directors  to make an originally produced video to accompany each track which will be released near the release date of the record. The record will be released nationally (USA) on October 19th, 2010.

Featured Track: Little Bird.
Website: Official.
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Without wanting to take anything away from the other artists featured in this edition of 2010FM, this is without doubt my favorite song presented this time around.

Honeymoon is a new collaboration between singer/songwriters Lauren Shera, Andrea Blunt, Christina Bailey, and Sara Bollwinkel. These four young women, with accompaniment from Matt Bailey on drums and Matt Bollwinkel on bass, have come together to combine their exquisite talents and eclectic influences, creating a sound all their own.

Combining elements of traditional folk and americana with an indie rock and pop sensibility, honeymoon utilizes their various talents comprising four part harmonies, acoustic guitars, violins, accordion, piano, banjo, and ukulele.

More info from their website tells us - Each of the four front women have had great accomplishments and successes between their solo careers and various incarnations of the group in other projects; Lauren Shera tours nationally and has appeared with artists such as Nanci Griffith, Ray LaMontagne, and Billy Bragg. Andrea Blunt has built a name for herself both as a solo act and with several bands including indie hip-hop artist MC Lars, with whom she has appeared at venues such as the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the Shoreline Amphitheater in San Jose. Christina Bailey and Sara Bollwinkel began their careers as solo artists, writing songs and singing in successful a capella groups and choirs, and later combined forces when they founded the indie-rock group Big American Family, which went on to open for AA Bondy, Truth & Salvage Co., and Carney

It is a rarity and a privilege to see artists of this depth coming together to create something so fresh and unencumbered, without ego or pretense but for the sheer love of creating, playing, and performing music together. The band’s stunning privilege to see artists of this depth coming together to create something so fresh and unencumbered, without ego or pretense but for the sheer love of creating, playing, and performing music together. The band’s stunning repertoire includes original songs from each leading lady, a few familiar cover tunes, and intricate band originals. With voices that command your attention and instrumentals that will give you chills, combined with their undeniable chemistry on stage, honeymoon creates a one-of-a-kind listening experience that is not to be missed.

Beehive Candy genuinely feels privileged to introduce this band to anyone yet to hear them, and to those already in the know - Why are you not shouting about them from your roof tops? Wonderful music.

Featured Track: Processional.
Website: Official.
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OK lets crank it up a little for them there visitors who like their music a little more on the rocking side (I will never make it as a DJ).

Quoting - It's not quite appropriate to pigeonhole Abby Gogo  as a shoegaze band and the garage rock shoe doesn't quite fit either. Rather, twin brothers Bon and Jon Alinson and company traverse an expansive middle ground where '60s pop sensibilities are tempered by elusive feelings of melancholy and elation. Previously releasing a split single with Carnivores in summer of 2009 on Double Phantom, Abby Gogo  are now set to release their first full length on November 30, 2010.

The grinding intonations of every guitar tone and distant voice are captured with clarity, illustrating jagged sonic textures that serve the long bouts of repetition in "Louder Than Dreams" and "Come On," rather than dirtying them up. Each song streamlines the group's sound without compromising how much a crest of feedback and distortion can underscore the strung-out sense of beauty evoked. "Glass" is an instant heartbreaker, with layers of slurred melody and ill-defined nostalgia that defies the murky nature of such influences as Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine. There's good variety as well, which is hard to pull off when you're lost in the grooves of such deep cuts.

Featured Track: Louder Than Dreams.
Website: MySpace.
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Another band new to Beehive Candy and reminding us of the Cocteau Twins in a very positive way, that said they are definative in their own right City Of Satellites have a considerable amount to offer.

The sublime opening track from their debut album Machine Is My Animal, ‘BMX’ unfolds in a magisterial swirl of synths and hovering atmospherics, driven by Thomas Diakomichalis’ propulsive, detailed drumming and Jarrod Manuel’s pure vocal tones. Part misty paean to lost youth, part anthem for a better future, ‘BMX’ is premium 21st-century pop. Others have already discovered and enjoyed this band, a few quotes therefore seem appropriate - - -

“One of the most unabashedly shoegaze-y albums in recent memory… City Of Satellites’ Jarrod Manual and Thomas Diakomichalis have tuned their ears to the expansive dream-pop of the classic 4AD roster and the likeminded M83, relishing the elastic reach of spidery rhythms and unmoored melodies… There’s an almost austere sheen to Machine Is My Animal, such that we’re never bombarded but gently seduced and swayed. It’s a beautiful feeling.” – Cyclic Defrost

“What elevates City Of Satellites’ dream pop above others’ takes on the style is the urgency driving the nine songs on Machine Is My Animal … shoegaze is an obvious wellspring for the group, but one also hears traces of both ’80s synth-pop (OMD, for example) and New Wave in City Of Satellites’ pristine, analogue sound.” – Textura

“City of Satellites have crafted an album filled with dense space and fueled by vintage synthesizers and melodically rich vocals…. the production values on the record rival that of heavyweights M83 and Aphex Twin.” – Drum Media

"Australia’s new finest dream-pop duo ascend to orbit." – Rave Magazine

Featured Track: BMX. 
Website: Official.
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Singer-Songwriter Savio Rego was born in Bombay, India and raised in San Jose, California. Having left behind a successful career in Banking, this Californian singer-songwriter has gone back to his first love – music. Savio started playing guitar at the age of 13. As a self-taught guitarist, his playing evolved over the years. The first song he learned was "Patience" by Guns N' Roses.

Savio's style contains a breadth of influences – from R & B, blues, soul, pop, jazz to rock, electronica and house music. His songs are seductive, there’s no question about it.....featuring lyrics revealing open lust and melodies leading straight into hooky choruses. He can breeze through songs with his soothing style leaving listeners yearning for more.

Savio Rego's self-penned, self-produced record "All I Want sold over 2,000 copies here on myspace in 3 months since its release, on the back of little more than word of mouth. It's the kind of pop record that music lovers wish there were more of. It is a singer-songwriter’s record, but contains all the best elements of blues, jazz, soul, chill and folk. Yet his poignant lyrics and catchy melodies will also satisfy the discerning end of the pop market.

His debut "All I Want" is the perfect example of a record made by someone who does not see music defined by rigid genres. Savio Rego's music has been in rotation at several NPR, Satellite Radio and Internet Radio stations. So take a listen, "All I Want" is all you’ll need to make your personal CD collection a lot more exciting.

A superb way to finish up this 2010FM round up we hope Savio Rego reaches a wider audience and continues to produce music of this quality.

Featured Track: Senorita All I Want.
Website: Official. 
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