BEEHIVE CANDY

Thursday, 27 September 2012

2012Candy - September

Background: The Peach Kings, Texan Paige McClain Wood and Californian Steven Trezevant Dies, recently released their new EP Handsome Moves (September 6, 2012).

They describe their sound as "gypsydelic," which is just what it sounds like. Stemming from their inability to choose one genre of music to play, they coined the term in order to reflect their own personal view of the band. "Gypsy-" because they were inspired by playing outdoors and "-delic" because it contains just a hint of strange. Paige and Steven are strongly influenced by visuals in cinema and fashion. In fact, Drew Barrymore discovered their music and selected them to be a part of her Spring Music Preview spread for V Magazine, alongside the likes of Mayer Hawthorne, M83, Spank Rock, Warpaint, and The Drums.

The duo fill the gap between upbeat rock and downtempo electronic, with comparisons being made to The Black Keys, Mazzy Star and The XX. Similarities can also be drawn to Little Dragon, and how they do so much with so little. They draw their sound and inspiration from the smoky smooth crackle of blues, folk, and soul vinyls as well as the hypodermic tones synthesized in various beat laboratories across the globe. Stripped down, The Peach Kings' power is derived from Paige's hauntingly sensual vocals combined with Steven's complementary rhythm and picking.

2012Candy Say's: Delightfully upbeat with great harmonies this is just one standout song from the EP, if you like this, you will love the rest.

Featured Track: Fisherman (mp3). Web: Official HERE.

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Background: Recording as Steffaloo, Los Angeles native Steph Thompson has in a very short time captivated indie music fans with releases in two distinct styles. Her 2011 self-released debut, Meet Me In Montauk, and her 2012 Mush full-length, Would You Stay, surround the beauty that bursts from her songs with acoustic guitar, ukulele, piano, simple percussion and lots of white noise. The feel is intimate bedroom pop, as if the songs are her way of finding the courage to stop her heart from swallowing her whole.

Praise has been swift to come her way, with performances at SXSW, CMJ, FMLY Fest, glowing reviews, notice in the Los Angeles Times, and her very own Daytrotter Session. In addition to Steffaloo's stripped-down solo material, she has teamed up with a number of acclaimed electronic producers as a guest on their albums. Her work with Blackbird Blackbird, Sun Glitters, Teen Daze, Chrome Sparks and others has been featured in important outlets including The Fader and introduced a whole new fanbase to her work. Whether releasing emotional solo meditations or collaborating with cutting-edge electronic producers, Steffaloo is set to become an artist of note.

2012Candy Say's: Dreamy vocals work there magic over sublimely crafted instrumentation and the lyrics tend to draw you in around the second listen.

Featured Track: Would You Stay (player only). Web: Official HERE.

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Background: British artist Emoticonman has been creating electronic music for a number of years and can be loosely described as psychedelic. With the odd nod towards Aphex Twin and similar, the music can both excite, challenge and draw you in to the mixture of rhythms and carefully crafted layers of sound.

Some simple melodic instrumental pieces compete with energised soundscapes, occasional and intriguing lyrics and on occasional outright hostile assaults on your audio senses.

Listening to Emoticonman over the last few years has been described as "following a journey of musical exploration - where nothing can be ruled out". The intriguing thing is you never know quite what to expect. With much of the self released material now available at the artists site, this is your chance to enjoy some fine electronic explorations. (The featured song is yet to be released).

2012Candy Say's: We chose this instrumental piece partly as it's an exclusive for ourselves, but more importantly we just love the way it builds and flows. This is just one aspect of Emoticonman, believe us there is so much more!

Featured Track: Wandering Off The Path (player only) Web: Official HERE.

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Background: Portland, Oregon-based duo Jenn Rawling & Basho Parks are continuing to tour in support of their debut full-length, Take The Air (Waterbug Records), by setting out on another national tour.

Jenn Rawling, ace songstress and vintage American folk and old-time country singer, joins masterful string player & harmony singer Basho Parks in a partnership of formidable musical talent and palpable sympathy. Their music marries musical and lyrical imagery, with repetitive figures that subtly shift accent and meaning like sunlight gleaming from a stream. The result is an emotionally rich recording which unfolds more gifts with each listen. There's a flowing kindness at the heart of this music; more than a nod to our barn-raising ancestors; and a formal mastery of the song form whereby the inevitable continues to amaze. Recorded and produced with Skyler Norwood (Blind Pilot, Horse Feathers) at Miracle Lake Studios, the duo pared down a fistful of songs to the ten that comprise Take The Air. This album will get in your head and heart, and you won't mind a bit. Using both stripped down and lush instrumentation,Take The Air reels the listener in with its delicate subtlety and glowing warmth. This is superb artistry and the effect is profound.

A rare songwriter whose varied and distinctive melodies carry the story, Rawling's tunes can trace the motions and calls of birds and, in "Gather it Up," the determined, seemingly desultory motion of honey bees, echoed and elaborated by Parks' evocative violin. A melodic section's end in "Whistle Bird" soars headlong into a new feeling; "Little Swallow" sashays in its groove like an old string band mainstay: Basho's fiddle calls up a little bit of "Cotton-Eyed Joe," daring all within earshot to give it up, to join in and dance like fools. "Leaving So Soon" captures the suddenness of a relationship loss by reaching the chorus so quickly we haven't got time to prepare for it. We are waiting for more of the verse, each time, but like the person who left the author, it's not there. And we feel it. "Lonely Owl," "Gather it Up" and "Tidal" are cousin to the ecstatic nature poetry of Mary Oliver. Jenn Rawling's songs don't connect the dots. They leap, and the intuitive connections she makes are so true that she takes us with her. Each track stands individually on its own, together forming a collection of work both captivating and full of heart.

Jenn and Basho met while contributing their musical talent to bands around Portland over the past few years. Both were recovering from potentially career-ending wrist injuries, but had almost simultaneously decided to play music again. Discovering these common loves propelled the folk-duo to become romantically and musically inseparable, and now they're taking it all on the road with a great dane and a van. "Ours is a story of triumph in the face of adversity. Real phoenix-rising kind of stuff," chuckles Parks.

Happy to call the Pacific Northwest home, the two revel in its natural scenery and draw much from the flora and fauna of this region. Wisconsin-born Rawling spent many summers working atop a firetower in the Mt. Hood wilderness. Wrapped in that isolation, Jenn was able to give focused attention to songwriting. She is an artist governed by intuition, tapped into the poetry of human life, who bides her time painting, gardening, cooking and admiring salamanders. "[I'm] inspired by nature's seasons, and these are my love songs to the moon and stars, ballads to the birth of flowers, and human expressions of love and loss," she explains.

9/28/12 - Boats & Bluegrass Festival - Winona, MN
9/29/12 - Boats & Bluegrass Festival - Winona, MN
10/4/12 - Wisconsin Public Radio - Madison, WI
10/5/12 - Huebschman Barn - Platteville,WI
10/6/12 - Musical Offering - Evanston, IL
10/11/12 - Folk Alliance Midwest - St. Louis, MO
10/12/12 - Folk Alliance Midwest - St. Louis, MO
10/13/12 - Folk Alliance Midwest - St. Louis, MO
10/14/12 - Folk Alliance Midwest - St. Louis, MO
10/15/12 - Barking Spider Tavern - Cleveland, OH
10/17/12 - Club Helsinki - Hudson, NY
10/19/12 - WERU Radio - Ellsworth, ME
10/20/12 - 430 Bayside - Ellsworth, ME
10/27/12 - Circling the Square Press - Gardiner, ME
11/2/12 - The Listening Room - Fargo, ND
11/3/12 - tba - Minneapolis, MN
11/8/12 - Luna Cafe - De Pere, WI
11/10/12 - Lakeshore Fellowship - ManItowac, WI
11/16/12 - Cafe Carpe - Ft. Atkinson, WI
11/24/12 - Trempeleau Hotel - Trempealeau, WI
11/29/12 - Avogadro's - Ft. Collins, CO
12/1/12 - tba - Denver, CO
12/2/12 - The Helm - Colorado Springs, CO

2012Candy Say's: Wonderfully produced and simply beautiful music, we could say more, however we will let the song do the talking (or singing...).

Featured Track: Gather It (mp3). Web: Official HERE.

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Background: Boston-based indie-rock quartet Mean Creek have announced their Fall tour of the U.S. supporting Counting Crows. Marking the band's second stint with Counting Crows, the tour will begin on Tuesday, October 23 in Port Chester, NY, at The Capitol Theatre and will take in 14 evenings across the U.S., culminating in an appearance at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA, on Saturday, November 24. Prior to the tour, the band will be performing as part of this year's CMJ Music Marathon from October 17-19. Mean Creek will be on the road in support of its soon-to-be-released sophomore album titled Youth Companion.

Youth Companion, an album that was recorded at 1867 Recording Studio by Chris McLaughlin, producer of the band's acclaimed debut album, The Sky (Or The Underground), will be released through Old Flame Records on October 16th.

Building its name and acquiring a presence that has led to the band becoming a household name in their native Boston, the four members of Mean Creek - Chris Keene (lead vocals/guitar), Aurore Ounjian (guitar/vocals), Erik Wormwood (bass), and Mikey Holland (drums) - delved into their newest musical project with the assurance and conviction that comes from knowing their legitimate place in the world. Recently named "Best Boston Band" by the readers of The Boston Phoenix for the second straight year in a row and taking home the coveted "Album/EP of the Year" for their John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile)-produced Hemophiliac EP at the 2011 Boston Music Awards, Mean Creek have their sights set on impacting the nation as they have in their hometown with Youth Companion, the band's most focused and biggest-sounding work to date.

Mean Creek will be performing at this year's CMJ Music Marathon as well as touring the U.S. supporting Counting Crows during October and through all of November. Tour dates below.

October
11 - Allston, MA - Brighton Music Hall (Youth Companion release show)
17 - New York, NY - CMJ - Fontana's - Pirate! showcase
18 - New York, NY - CMJ - Pianos - Old Flame Records showcase
19 - New York, NY - CMJ - Bowery Electric - The Outlaw Roadshow showcase
23 - Port Chester, NY - The Capitol Theatre
25 - New York, NY - Roseland Ballroom
26 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
28 - Charlottesville, VA - nTelos Wireless Pavilion

November
01 - Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park Amphiteater
04 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
07 - New Orleans, LA - Mahalia Jackson Theatre
09 - Thackerville, OK - Winstar Casino
10 - Austin, TX - Stubb's
12 - Houston, TX - Bayou Music Center
14 - Albuqerque, NM - Kiva Auditorium
16 - Tucson, AZ - AVA Amphiteatre
20 - San Francisco, CA - Nob Hill Masonic Center
24 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

2012Candy Say's: This is a powerful and anthem orientated song, that avoids the trap of becoming cluttered with to much going on. It's just great music.

Featured Track: Young and Wild (mp3). Web: Official HERE.

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Background: Along with his band the Coastal Quartet, Nova Scotia’s young and hungry jazz mastermind Will Fisher (The Will Fisher Coastal Quartet) has been nominated for a 2012 Music Nova Scotia Award. The group’s debut album Portage earned them a nomination in the Jazz Recording of the Year category. Winners will be announced on November 11, during Nova Scotia Music Week festivities in Liverpool. Prior to the Awards, the quartet will be on the road, giving fans at The Rex in Toronto and Avant Garde Bar in Ottawa a taste of Portage live, leading up to its much-anticipated release on October 28.

Blending contemporary jazz with world and roots influences to create a distinctive sound, The Will Fisher Coastal Quartet’s Portage features an exciting line-up of Canadian jazz artists including Jon Challoner (trumpet), Mikko Hilden (guitar), Mike Downes (bass), and special album guests Nancy Walker & Matt Giffin (piano) and has received strong feedback from jazz critics across North America.

Named a "young, bright light on the cusp of a great career” by CBC Radio, Will has performed with a wide range of artists across Canada and the United States, including Nancy Walker, Kieran Overs, Kirk MacDonald, Bernie Senensky, Nathan Hiltz, Craig Wagner, Jennah Barry, Ian Sherwood, Aidan Knight, and a Canada-wide tour with Coco Love Alcorn, to name a few.

A multi-recipient of the Emerging Music Business Grants from the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, Will has received numerous provincial and national awards including the 2008 CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award and the 2008 Chico Berardi Award (Nova Scotia Talent Trust).

2012Candy Say's: It's the likes of Will Fisher that have helped me overcome my somewhat blinkered view of 'jazz' music. This is simply wonderful, could be late night in a club, or pulling back the curtains for a new day.

Featured Track: The Great Karoo (player only) Web: Official HERE.

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Background: Little People is the moniker of UK based downtempo electronic musician Laurent Clerc. He returns with his second full length album We Are But Hunks Of Wood on Youth & Progress Records. Along the lines of DJ Shadow, RJD2 and Four Tet, Little People plays downtempo, intelligent electronic music. Part beats, bleeps and real live instrumentation, this new record falls in a place where Bonobo and Explosions in the Sky would hypothetically meet. Having followed an unconventional route to success, thanks to in no small part to Pandora radio generating him huge amounts of exposure, he has seemingly existed outside of traditional promotional channels.

This new album comes a whole 6 years after his first album (Mickey Mouse Operation) was released on Illicit Recordings. His debut, an accomplished ode to late 90's instrumental hip hop, has gone on to be in the iTunes Top 30 selling electronic albums in the US for the last 2 years.

We are But Hunks of Wood is a sonic leap forward for Little People, which establishes him as a key proponent of the downtempo electronic music scene. Having initially come from the world of instrumental hip hop where tracks are often more akin to just sketches or interesting ideas, Laurent Clerc's pieces are fully fledged songs whose arrangements create a sense of mood and movement, effortlessly going from nuanced electronic patterns to soaring string arrangements over the course of the journey. This is no beat tape.

2012Candy Say's: Having rightly sung the praises of Emoticonman earlier, we are reminded that Little People has produced one incredible piece of music. Love the expression 'down tempo electronic', this is just so well thought out and a joy for the ears.

Featured Track: Aldgate Patterns (mp3). Web: Official HERE.

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Background: The Bloody Angle are a four-piece southern-fried swamp rock band, with a touch of Americana and just a hint of country. Made up of Matt Singleton, Jason Butler, Dustin Bugg and Brian Temples, the Bloody Angle was first formed when Singleton and Butler got together in early 2011. Their style features gritty guitars, lap-steel, and finger-picking, as well as vocal harmonies and traditional keyboard tones.

The eponymous debut album will be available October 16, 2012. The album was recorded entirely in the analog realm, at producer-songwriter Matt Singleton’s studio in the Central Virginia countryside. “We wanted to produce a record that was warm, immediate, and spontaneous,” said Singleton. “This album was a direct backlash against the modern style of making music... no edits, no grid, no auto-tune. We wrote and performed together in the studio, and captured the songs to tape as they came out, warts and all.”

The Bloody Angle is named after a section of the confederate line at the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, during the Civil War. The fighting there was particularly intense, with over 18,000 men killed or injured in a 24 hour period of hand-to-hand combat. “We wanted the name to be on the dark side, to have some local roots, and have an element of southern history.” says Singleton. “In fact, one of the first songs I wrote when we started working on this project was an illustration of this battle, from a young confederate soldiers point of view. It ended up being the first song on the record.”

After over a year in the studio, the band is excited about the upcoming release, and future live performances.

“We have all been doing this a long time,” says Singleton. “The chemistry is there. It’s been a long time coming, and we are pretty proud of this record. We can’t wait until it drops, and we hit the stage to bring it live.”

2012Candy Say's: They only had to describe themselves as a "southern-fried swamp rock band" and we were intrigued. It's a bit like The Allman Brothers and The Black Crowes giving a history lesson, this is just so clever and we are hooked on the whole swamp rock thing.

Featured Track: Bloody Angle (mp3). Web: Official HERE.

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Background: Freight train rockers Jerzey Street Band have just made their US debut with the release of their striking new album, Breaking Radio Silence on September 18th, 2012. These Brit rockers will be right at home in the States; their comforting Americana anthems conjure images of convertible top-down car rides, lost loves, and most importantly, give you the warm & fuzzy feeling of returning home after being away for far too long.

Chaneling tinges of Tom Petty during his Mudcrutch days, the track seamlessly straddles the line between melancholy and uplifting:
“… I don’t ever feel at home, thought this world was mine to roam.”/ “We all shiver to the bone, gotta make it on your own” / “We’re all crazy too.”
The song has a heartening familiarity about it, as if it might be an Eagles song you heard at a party that one time.

Hailing from Manchester's bubbling creative melting pot, the Jerzey Street septet has had a long and eventful journey to this point in their career. Not fitting into any current fashions or genres, the quality of their music alone has earned them support slots with many musical legends including Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Blackfoot, Alabama 3, Sandi Thom, John Allen and Wishbone Ash. High profile shows, the release of their album in the UK and support from the likes of Maverick Magazine, Bearded Magazine, and BBC Radio 2's Bob Harris have enabled them to grow and cultivate a highly diverse fan-base spanning the UK.

Jerzey Street Band’s tasteful use of pedal steel guitar, dobro and harmonica on Breaking Radio Silence truly raises the bar for rock music in America and makes this band of Brits stand out. It’s a myriad of traditional sounds played with refreshing style; a must hear for fans of Counting Crows, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. Jump on board the freight train and rock..

2012Candy Say's: It's the fact they are from Manchester, England and not New Jersey that grabbed my attention first, thankfully the music delivers and this is no hype thing. Last time I was in Manchester it rained so at least the weather is in the right place (you need to live in Britain to fully get that).

Featured Track: Pale Blue River (mp3). Web: Official HERE.

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Listen:

Thursday, 13 September 2012

Tift Merritt - WFMU Session 2012

This is Tift Merritt live at WFMU on the Shrunken Planets programme originally broadcast on May 26th 2012. The engineer for this session was Stu Rutherford and the performance was recorded May 12th 2012. One point of interest was the song After Today, Tift hadn't planned on playing the song for this session, but added it on the spur of the moment.

Tift Merritt began her professional career with her band The Carbines playing small clubs in Chapel Hill and Raleigh such as The Cave, Cat's Cradle, and the front porch of the General Store in Bynum, NC. In 1998, The Carbines released a 7-inch single "Jukejoint Girl" b/w "Cowboy". In 1999, Merritt made a guest appearance on a seven-song EP on the by Yep Roc label with the Two Dollar Pistols, led by John Howie, Jr. The record was called The Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt. The EP featured two original tunes and five cover songs. In 2000, she won MerleFest's Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, found a manager, and signed a contract with Lost Highway Records.

In 2002, Merritt released her debut album, Bramble Rose, containing eleven original songs recorded with her long-time band and produced by Ethan Johns. The record landed on the top ten lists for both Time and the The New Yorker, and was called the best debut of the year in any genre by the Associated Press. A song from the album, "Trouble Over Me", was featured in writer Nick Hornby's 31 Songs. While touring to promote Bramble Rose, Merritt opened for fellow North Carolinian Ryan Adams, who had helped her secure her first management and record contracts.

Her new album Travelling Alone in due for release shortly on October 2nd, 2012.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@256kbps.

Genre: Country, Folk.

Set: Full session.

Set List:

1. Sweet Spot
2. Feel of the World
3. All the Reasons We Don't Have to Fight
4. Travelling Alone
5. Small Talk Relations
6. After Today

Web: Official HERE.

(download link in comments below).

Thursday, 30 August 2012

2012Candy - August Round Up

Background: Latenight Weeknight Records joins forces with Plastic Sound Supply to release Brim Liski's latest release, The Repetitions EP, available now.

Comprised of members from A Shoreline Dream (USA), CacheFlowe (USA) and Jap Jap (Netherlands), Brim Liski began as an asynchronous and eclectic trans-continental studio project. Recording in each others' studios over the past 5 years, the 3 producers have collaborated in multiple capacities, with the result sitting plainly between their unique styles as an audio Venn diagram. The end of 2011 saw the group take their sound to the stage, with two guitars, vocals, synthesizers, laptop beats and custom audio-reactive visuals.

The Repetitions is a cinematic, shoegaze and electronic sound inspired by the cosmos. With driving electronic beats as the foundation beneath layers of reverb-drenched guitars, synths and vocals, the recordings convey the steady beauty of cosmic destruction and rebirth.

At times both uplifting and melancholy, the new Brim Liski sound describes vast intergalactic travel, distant astronomical events, and the universal connection to the human spirit. The remixes by Sean Byrd and CacheFlowe expand on the Brim Liski sound, delving deeper into a technological future with experimental, offbeat, minimal and future bass renditions.

2012Candy Reckons: Both powerful and at times calm music that can capture your imagination and make you feel like your on a journey, the featured track really does have a cosmic feel to it.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Supermassive. (MP3).

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Background: Anna Haas, the fiery and theatrical singer / songwriter / entertainer extraordinaire, sizzles with the physical release of her debut album “Crazy Is” due to hit the streets on September 18, 2012. With red-hot moxie to match her crimson tresses, Anna Haas is a triple threat whose dramatic appeal scintillates on her debut album through unabashed lyrics and electrifying vocals.

“Crazy Is” is a timeless yet modern tapestry of stories and musings blending lyrical sarcasm, intelligent metaphor and absolute vulnerability. The songs shift in subject matter from a secret affair and tragic loss to the use of an illegal substance and the imagined loneliness of Marilyn Monroe. Crazy Is is a thrilling mix of the cities and artists that inspire Haas, and her signature, expressive voice is the crux that a legion of instrumentation swarms around: heavy, soulful piano, ripping guitar solos, ambient synthesizers, bluesy pedal steel, funky horns, and a symphony of strings.

Supported primarily by fans through fundraising website Kickstarter.com, Crazy Is took Haas nearly two years to prepare, record and package. The album was recorded in multiple studios throughout Nashville and New York to create the best sounds for each instrument, using more than 27 of some of the most renowned and Grammy award-winning musicians, who each, stylistically, bring elements of their respective genres to the record, resulting in a wildly original musical creation.

To support the September 18th physical release of Crazy Is, Anna Haas will be playing select US show dates in New York City and Atlanta. Known for her eye-popping and consistently unpredictable live performances that entail dramatics such as fearlessly entering the audience or subtle dance moves, Haas’ live shows prove to be full-fledged sensory experiences.

2012Candy Reckons: Quirky in a very good way, a little bit Regina Spektor meets Cyndi Lauper in a musical, and just so good.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Maypole. (MP3).

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Background: Ukulele-toting, British songstress Sophie Madeleine is gearing up for the U.S. release of her sophomore album, The Rhythm You Started, due September 11th on Xtra Mile Recordings/ILG. Praised by Time Out for her "sweetly plucked, romantic ditties," Madeleine's star has been steadily rising since her self-released debut, 2009's Love.Life.Ukulele.

An experimentation with rhythm, The Rhythm You Started is a refreshing mix of timeless folk-pop songwriting with an uplifting indie synth edge. The multi-instrumentalist seamlessly weaves percussion loops and drum machines together with ukulele, violin, and sweet vocal harmonies. This summery blend is tied together by her disarming vocal. Its feather-light vibrato complements vivid metaphors and hook-laden melodies.

After self-producing the 10-track album from her living room in Brighton, Madeleine sought out the mixing expertise of esteemed producer Danton Supple. His previous credits include Coldplay, Thirteen Senses, Tenderfoot and Electric Soft Parade.

Prior to signing with Xtra Mile, Madeleine sold out a limited run of The Rhythm You Started, personally mailing copies to fans in 27 countries on five continents. The single, "Oil & Gold," has already been played on BBC Radio 2 by Steve Lamacq. She also recently supported Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals, Neon Neon) at his headlining show at New York's legendary Mercury Lounge.

2012Candy Reckons: It's the likes of Sophie Madeleine that give popular music hope beyond the factory produced chart bilge that seems to dominate the pop airwaves these days. Great song with superb ukelele to boot.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Oil & Gold (Play Below).

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Background: High on a mountain over a sea of clouds, singer-songwriter Aimee Wilson heard a song.

“I lived alone on the east brow of Lookout Mountain and had a lot of time to write,” Wilson recalls, looking back over the genesis of Unto Us the Sun (release: August 28, 2012). “I didn’t quite know what I was writing at the time. I was literally parallel to the clouds, and it was all fairly subliminal, carrying both the darkness and that burst of praise you find in nature.”

Composing on both sitar and guitar, and inspired by the Sacred Harp tradition, Wilson’s music bursts with fresh sounds and vivid engagement with one of America’s oldest musical traditions and with a deeply felt spirituality. She has cut her own path through the wilderness, through the rocky corridors of Philly women’s safe havens (audible in songs like “Royalene”) or the woods and streams of the rural South.

Joined by instruments from the Chinese erhu fiddle to the hurdy gurdy, along with a full Sacred Harp-style vocal ensemble, Wilson’s lush, second full-length album ebbs and flows, united by her delicate yet urgent voice and straightforward, poetic lyrical visions. In complex, globally inflected songs, she chronicles nature’s vivid outbursts, our shared struggles for hope and connection, and the paradoxes that birth real joy.

She and her full ensemble will perform to celebrate their collaboration in Philadelphia and New York this September.

2012Candy Reckons: Now this is refreshingly different and yet highly accessible. Thin Shoes really is just one dimension of this album one that if you like this song you really should delve further.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Thin Shoes (Play Below).

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Background: Brisbane dark pop outfit, Love Like Hate, have independently released their debut EP, Rabbit Hole, available now.

Love Like Hate is composed of Heather Cheketri (vocals, guitar) and Sonja Ter Horst (piano), who combine their complementary writing styles to carve a unique niche within the landscape of emerging Australian artists.

The band echoes emotional, honest and instinctive rock, blended with free-form arrangements and hints of early post punk, delicate piano swings and melodies that pay tribute to some of music’s most notables – Pat Benetar, Joan Jett, and Patti Smith – although they have still managed to etch a unique, modern sound.

They recorded the five-song EP during 2011 with producer Lachlan Mitchel (The Jezabels), which delivers the single "21," a coming of age song that combines hauntingly dark lyrical undertones of egocentric scene kids with flowing, upbeat music.

2012Candy Reckons: There are some good bands coming out of Australia these days, these are Beehives current favorites and this is one great song.

Website: Official HERE. Song: 21. (MP3).

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Background: Seven years ago NYC-based singer-songwriter/producer/multi-instrumentalist David Bronson left a burgeoning New York indie rock band to begin a necessary calling: the realization of a 22-song autobiographical concept record that had overtaken his interior life. Collectively titled The Long Lost Story, the project is a two-installment narrative chronicling a Pandora’s box of an emotional journey, originally stemming from a failed relationship that destabilized David and thrust him into a slate-cleaning, introspective quest. This June he releases Story, the 11-track second half of the project; its prequel The Long Lost will be released at a later date.

“The project started in the aftermath of a traumatic relationship and it became a retelling of my own journey getting through that; really a metaphor of growth. But, over time, it also became very much about the completion of the thing itself, ‘Can I do this?’ It became all consuming, and a real test, of sorts,” David explains of the project’s dual emotional trajectories.

Story sets sail with the following opening lyric from “The Turns”: You told me it was too much/ I said that's exactly how I want it, so/ We, although nothing could be gained, gave it everything just the same/ So we grabbed on tight and held fast just like a child/ And watched the best idea so quickly turn the worst one, though/ In those few hundred times you gave to me the whole, the full inside, a single lifetime.

It’s a telling entrance to a richly detailed and layered album experience in that it reveals David’s sense of commitment — romantic and idealistic — and hints at the ways in which this amorous resilience unravels into a transformative existential crisis. It’s a daunting conceptual undertaking: using the arc of a relationship as a metaphor not only for the scope of an entire life's development, but also for the complex and difficult process of completing a highly personal artistic project.

2012Candy Reckons: This song just grows and grows and sends wonderful shivers down my back, it's close your eyes and drift into the music time..

Website: Official HERE. Song: Unending (Underture). (MP3).

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Background: Wisconsin's Blessed Feathers is set to release Peaceful Beasts in an Ocean of Weeds on October 9. The album will be released as hand-numbered, limited-edition digital vinyl discs. All pre-orders of the album placed before street date will receive a free copy of the new Summer/Fall 2012 issue of frontman Donivan Berube's literary zine, Sleeping in a Torn Quilt / Dreaming of Gold. The forthcoming issue features stories, poems, essays and artwork by Blake Mills, Thor Harris of Shearwater & Swans, Colin Caulfield of Young Man, Jacquelyn Beaupre (of Blessed Feathers) and many others. Blessed Feathers will embark on midwest and east coast tour this fall which will include a stop at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. Dates will be announced shortly.

West Bend is a Southeast Wisconsin town where the Milwaukee River shifts directions, angling to suddenly head West. It's also the home of Blessed Feathers, a duo that initiated when Donivan Berube's life similarly altered course. Hailing from Lakeland, Florida he left home at 17, driving 36 hours from the Florida sunshine into a Wisconsin blizzard. Berube found work in a restaurant in West Bend where he met Jacquelyn Beaupre, who is now his partner in both music and life.

Blessed Feathers arose from Beaupre's solo material, which Berube produced while living on a farm in Farmington, WI in 2009. Originally he was only interested in augmenting her songwriting, bolstering the organic, folk-inspired tracks with additional instrumentation and vocal harmonies, but slowly the duo began constructing songs together, each bringing their own stylistic tendencies to the table. "We didn't really have a plan set in our minds," Berube says of the music.

The pair played their first show at a West Bend bookstore in April of 2010 at a meeting of the Fireside Books' Poetry Club, building a reputation in the surrounding towns. Their stock of songs grew, all captured via a laptop and microphone in their bedroom. In mid-2012, however, Blessed Feathers selected their best five tracks to record with producer Kevin McMahon (Real Estate, Titus Andronicus, The Walkmen) at his studio in New Paltz, NY. The songs, which comprise the band's debut EP, Peaceful Beasts in an Ocean of Weeds, encapsulate Berube and Beaupre's collective experiences, aiming to capture both their emotional and geographic journeys.

2012Candy Reckons: 'Alt country-ish' with some kind off sing along feel to it, this song has some kind of hypnotic rhythm that just pleases.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Hey All You Floridians. (MP3).

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Background: Los Angeles-based quartet Leftover Cuties is smiling big after their song was chosen to be a part of the Summer Olympic Games. The band’s cheerful tune “Smile Big” debuted in a Samsung Galaxy S III commercial during the Opening Ceremony on July 27th, and will continue airing throughout the games.

"We are thrilled that our song was chosen for this unique ad and honored that it is airing during such an important time as the Olympics,” says singer Shirli McAllen. “It still feels surreal.”

“Smile Big” highlights the Leftover Cuties signature noir-pop sound, showcasing ukulele, brushed drums, double bass, and trumpet. The placement was made working in conjunction with NYC based licensing partner The Music Playground.

Leftover Cuties is currently in the studio working on their forthcoming album with producer Jake Sinclair (Weezer, Pink, Butch Walker) which is due out early 2013. The band recently released an all-covers EP called Departures boasting special arrangements of favorites like “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga and “Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" by Bob Dylan. Departures followed their critically acclaimed debut Game Called Life EP which features the breakout title track and theme song to the Showtime hit series The Big C, as well as their album Places To Go, which was helmed by producer Tony Berg (Peter Gabriel, Pete Yorn).

Singer Shirli McAllen’s velvety vocals combine seamlessly with Austin Nicholsen (bass), Stuart Johnson (drums), and Mike Bolger (keys, horns, accordion) in a way that pays homage to the sophisticated, sultry sounds of yesteryear while embracing the tones of today. Music Connection Magazine raves, “Leftover Cuties are a talented group with a unique sound to call their own, one that separates them from the vast sea of bands on the scene.” Influential Los Angeles radio station KCRW lauds the band’s “sultry crooning, tender melodies, and bittersweet lyrics,” and Examiner.com praises, “In a world where style is too often held in higher regard than talent, Leftover Cuties are the real deal. Their sound is a refreshing breath of air.”

2012Candy Reckons: Uplifting and echoing times gone by, whilst oozing feel good vibes, surely that's good enough?

Website: Official HERE. Song: Smile Big. (MP3).

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Background: Boston-based Air Traffic Controller's sophomore album, Nordo is out now on Sugarpop Records.

Boston's Air Traffic Controller is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Dave Munro who spent time in the U.S. Navy serving as a real-life air traffic controller. Munro sent home 4-track demos he had written and recorded during his deployment. After his enlistment was up, Munro returned to hometown Boston and discovered an impressive number of fans, prompting the genesis of the aptly named band Air Traffic Controller.

The Boston-based six-piece creates refreshing, modern day, indie rock sound resembling The Decemberists, and fuses its compositions with unforgettable pop sensibilities in the vein of Petty, McCartney and Springsteen. Munro keeps it honest, with autobiographical lyrics and well-crafted storytelling reminiscent of classic singer/songwriters such as Paul Simon and Cat Stevens.

Having a home-run success on Kickstarter and raising over $12k to support the production of Nordo. The team once again teamed up with producer Bleu and made a brilliant indie pop record that can call up musical references to Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons and Brendan Benson. Taking advantage of band member Steve Scott's experience with composing, the band went the distance and recorded with a forty-piece orchestra on the song "Blame." This new album also features band member Casey Sullivan singing on two duets "You Know Me" and "Any Way."

2012Candy Reckons: Reminds me of 'They Might Be Giants' at first and then takes a nice twist and turn with excellent harmonies.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Hurry My Hearts On Fire. (MP3).

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Background: Alt pop-rock band Belmont Lights highly anticipated debut EP Telegraphs is now available for purchase on iTunes and Bandcamp.

Hailing from sunny San Diego, the band was formed in 2009 after frontman Isaiah Blas won San Diego's Songwriting Competition, earning a spot on the House of Blues SD main stage. These young men are no strangers to modern musicianship - the band spent two years playing up-and-down the West Coast, honing their soaring, melodic sound, all the while garnering interest from numerous industry officials. Two EPs and one name change later, the group is ready to hit the mainstream in a big way. The band re-entered the studio in March 2012 and the resulting EP Telegraphs serves as a five-track piece of proof that these guys are destined for a very big stadium filled future. The quartet made their official debut as Belmont Lights in July 2012. From the eerily familiar first single, "Halfway", to the hauntingly beautiful "Young and A Memory", Belmont Lights demonstrate an incredible ability to stand out from the crowd in a genre that too often sounds like variations on the same tired theme.

Telegraphs was recorded at LA's very own historic Westlake Recording Studios under producer Alejandro Barajas, engineered by Michael Sanchez and mixed by Mike Ault of Ault Sound. Mastered by Robert Vosgien (Etta James, Demi Lovato, Saosin, Sick Puppies) at Capitol Records, the album has already gained a five-star rating on iTunes in the month since its release. At the helm of it all, Jeremy Lopez is the bands executive producer and is leading their A&R efforts. The release lives up to its title, as from start to finish it delivers an ambient journey through the inner workings of relationships and the human heart. Isaiah Blas's warm vocals coupled with the smooth, driving instrumentation create an overall very enjoyable experience. The EP as a whole practically drips with nostalgia, and by the end of it you're left feeling like you just came home, in the best way. As previously stated, this delightful journey is now available on iTunes and is sure to be an excellent addition to the catalogue's of even the most discriminating ears. The group will be touring California throughout September in support of Telegraphs.

2012Candy Reckons: A very promising band, with a sound that comes across as if they had been together for years, oh and the music is pretty fine to say the least, another band to watch out for.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Halfway. (Play Below).

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Background: Award-winning songwriter and recording artist, Michael Zapruder has announced the release of Pink Thunder, a collection of free-verse pop art-songs, including contributions from 23 poets, three engineers, and a few dozen musicians. The album will be released on October 16th via The Kora Records. What began as a bus tour that brought together hundreds of American poets has been recorded and remixed into a dynamic collection of poem-songs. Pink Thunder features instrumental contributions from over forty musicians and poems from Noelle Kocot, James Tate, Bob Hicok, Mary Ruefle, D.A. Powell, Dara Wier, Joshua Beckman, and Valzhyna Mort.

Potent with weird, funny, and singular possibilities, Pink Thunder presents a poetic experiment to see what happens if poems are sung instead of spoken, when words are surrounded by music instead of silence. The album has already been featured on the Poetry Society of America's blog and in performance at the New School's Tishman Auditorium for the Festival of New American Poets.

With three solo records and four US tours under his belt, Michael Zapruder has been covered by Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, SPIN, MAGNET, Washington Post, and many more.

2012Candy Reckons: This is one fabulous song that kinda reached out and grabbed my attention from the first nano second onward, and the build is sublime.

Website: Official HERE. Song: Florida. (MP3).

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Thursday, 16 August 2012

Arlo Guthrie - New York, 1966

This is Arlo Guthrie very early in his musical career live at Gerdes Folk City, Greenwich Village, New York City, back in 1966. Founded by Mike Porco and regarded by many as the original Centre of Folk Music, (a coffeehouse in Greenwich Village where everyone who was anyone in folk music used to play) you can find out more about this long gone venue here.

This recording features an early live version of Alice's Restaurant where the spoken part is totally different from the eventual album version, with nothing about the littering or the draft, but just an ad-lib about how the song would spread all over the world once the crowd at Gerdes that night started singing it.

Arlo Guthrie was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie and his wife Marjorie Mazia Guthrie. Regarding his most famous work "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a talking blues song that lasts 18 minutes and 34 seconds in its original recorded version, Arlo Guthrie has pointed out that this was also the exact length of one of the famous gaps in Richard Nixon's Watergate tapes. He has been known to spin the story out to forty-five minutes in concert. The Alice in the song is Alice Brock, who had been librarian at Arlo's boarding school in town before opening her restaurant, and who now runs an art gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

The song lampoons the Vietnam War draft. However, Guthrie stated in a 2009 interview with Ron Bennington that the song is more an "anti-stupidity" song than an anti-war song, adding that it is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie is called up for a draft examination, and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine, and clean-up order for littering and creating a public nuisance on Thanksgiving Day in 1965, when Arlo was 18 years old. Alice and her restaurant make up the recurrent refrain, but barely figure in the story. On the DVD commentary for the 1969 movie, Guthrie states that the events presented in the song all actually happened.

For a short period of time after its release in 1967, "Alice's Restaurant" was heavily played on U.S. college and counter-culture radio stations. It became a symbol of the late 1960s and for many it defined an attitude and lifestyle that were lived out across the country in the ensuing years. Its leisurely, sassy finger-picking acoustic guitar and rambling lyrics were widely memorized and played by irreverent youth. Many stations across the States have made playing "Alice's Restaurant" a Thanksgiving Day tradition.
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A 1969 film, directed and co-written by Arthur Penn, was based on the true story told in the song, but with the addition of a large number of fictional scenes. This film, also called Alice's Restaurant, featured Arlo portraying himself. The part of his father Woody Guthrie, who had died in 1967, was played by an actor, Joseph Boley. Despite its popularity, the song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is not always featured on the set list of any given performance.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Good mono mp3@192kbps.

Genre: Folk, blues.

Set: Full set.

Set List:

1. Alice's Restaurant
2. Talk
3. Buffalo Skinners
4. Talk
5. Try Me One More Time
6. Talk
7. Roll On, Columbia
8. Talk
9. San Francisco Bay Blues

Web: Official HERE.

Reloaded August 2015 see comments.

Thursday, 2 August 2012

The Wedding Present - Austin Texas USA 2012

This is The Wedding Present performing live at the WFMU showcase event in Austin Texas.

WFMU held a showcase independent of the SXSW Festival at the great Beerland in Austin TX on March 17th. It was a six band event featuring Electric Jellyfish, Death of Samantha, The Wedding Present, Supreme Dicks, Xray Eyeballs and The Men. They aired sets live over WFMU (91.1/90.1-FM NY/NJ) with a stream at wfmu.org. The gig was then made available at the Free Music Archive where WFMU are a curator.

The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms. Throughout their career, they have been led by vocalist and guitarist David Gedge, the band's only constant member. A new Wedding Present album, 'Valentina' was released in March 2012. Shortly before its release, guitarist Graeme Ramsay left the band after six years, and was replaced by Patrick Alexander (ex-The Young Playthings and The Pipettes). In April 2012 The Wedding Present toured Australia for the first time, playing concerts in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne.

Two songs from the new album are performed in this set.

Source: Soundboard.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@256kbps.

Genre: Indie rock, indie pop.

Set: WFMU broadcast set.

Set List:

1. Brassneck
2. Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now
3. Back A Bit Stop
4. Deer Caught In The Headlights
5. You're Dead
6. You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends
7. Dalliance
8. Corduroy
9. Don't Talk Just Kiss

Web: Official HERE.

(download link in comments below).

Thursday, 26 July 2012

2012Candy - July - Catch Up Time !

Background: Life...set to a dance beat. The credo that New York indie electronic pop band The Mystic Underground are guided by as they create their brand of bedsit drama set against an electronic canvas of beats and bangers. The duo of Vladimir Valette (the singing and the writing) and Benedetto Socci (the composing and the producing) are fully engaged and primed to herald a new beginning in electronic pop music with a new EP entitled 'Dreamers And Lovers'

Hailing from the bustling Williamsburg district in Brooklyn, New York, an area constantly finding itself at odds with the sprawling metropolis that is Manhattan just across the bridge, The Mystic Underground's latest is a pre-emptive strike against the stale and staid state of pop music that surrounds them. Finding little satisfaction in simply regurgitating dance beats for yet another jilted generation, this duo is writing the soundtrack for a new breed of pop music fan. A return to proper songwriting, a return to what made us all turn up the volume on our radios upon that fresh new sound.

'Dreamers And Lovers' features the booming anthem 'Discord And Panic' which has previously garnered substantial blog acclaim as well as being featured on the BBC 6 Music programme 'Introducing with Tom Robinson'. It also features the new track, the wistful 'Remember Me' which upon its release has already drawn more listeners into the world of The Mystic Underground. The song is currently available as a free download on the band's Facebook page.

Synths and sass. The Mystic Underground aim to be your new favourite band.

2012Candy Comments: This may well appeal from fans of OMD through to David Bowie. There is enough originality to carry the whole thing off.

Website: Official HERE. Listen: Remember Me. (mp3).
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Background: What started out as an experimental cross-breed of Jam Bands and Prog Rock turned raw Rock n’ Roll, grew into a force stronger than Jonathan and Bradley from Female Demand expected. Out of the ashes of fizzled musical projects begun rehearsal and the first songs that the band would ever write together.

Finding themselves as both individual musicians and as a band, the group had quickly become excited about the future, as they wrote more songs and sought out to play anywhere and everywhere in the Houston music circuit. Rocking as hard as the could at every show, the proved their worth both as a band and as performers.

People were naturally drawn to Female Demand’s stage approach as every show is filled with plenty of energy and loudness created by just two guys with a drum set and a bass rig. After 6 months of playing around Texas, the band ventured to the unknown territory of Los Angeles, CA, to create their 4-track EP with producer Manny Nieto (HEALTH, The Breeders, Los Lobos).

After only 3 days of recording and mixing, the band had completed their first self-titled EP. After a successful 2010 release, the group decided to expand their fanbase by booking their own tour to play 10 different states and 15 different cities in the U.S.. By the time late 2010 came, Female Demand was ready to get back into the studio again to blow the doors off of everything you know about Rock n’ Roll.

With one bass and one drum kit, the band worked on their first full length LP, Outside the Universe. Consisting of ten tracks, the album shows Female Demand’s expansion of their style of experimental noise rock with the incorporation of vocals by both Johnathan and Bradley. Already being compared to Death from Above 1979 early on, Female Demand has enough ammunition to take over the world. Outside the Universe was released on June 26th. It’s time to hear what all the fuss is about and open your eyes.

2012Candy Comments: If you need a massive blast of sound that has you rocking rather than grating your teeth, this works. Not for the easy listening fan.

Listen: Paint Your Brains With My House. (mp3).
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Background: Dangling Teeth, the sophomore album from Kelli Scarr out now, is rooted in the traditions of American folk, shot through with wanderlust and campfire warmth.

The album sees the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter (an Emmy winning composer and former vocalist for Moby) coming into her own. Recorded live in Woodstock, NY and mixed to tape by Adam Lasus (Yo La Tengo, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) and Joe Rogers (The Shivers, Noah And The MegaFauna), Dangling Teethfeatures Scott Metzger on guitar, Andrew Southern on bass, Taylor Floreth on drums, Jo Schornikow on piano / organ, string arrangements by Daniel Brantigan and the country sway of Jonathan Lam's pedal steel among others.

2012Candy Comments: Superb quality acoustic Americana that has both wonderful vocals and incredible accompanying musicianship.

Website: Official HERE. Listen: Dangling Teeth (mp3).
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Mint Juleps, the latest full length album from the two-time Juno Award nominee Jeremy Fisher, was released on Tuesday, July 3, through Hidden Pony Records.

The fifth album by the Canadian, acoustic singer-songwriter, Jeremy Fisher returns to his folk-drenched musical roots and brings you to the lazy excitement of summer. This acoustic-driven full length journeys through Fisher's coy, sweet lyricism and the handpicked covers by the likes of Greg Brown and Jean Leloup.

Recorded off the studio floor, this album not only became a challenge for Fisher, but it gave the record an unremarkable shadow of simplicity. This simplicity shines through in songs like "Built to Last" where Fisher crafts an irresistible melody next to a subtle parable that calls for people to embrace a simple kind of life.

With Mint Juleps, Jeremy Fisher provided himself a challenge, yet was still able to capture his most honest and carefree lyrics and melodies. He has been able to develop a great record from start to finish, and has built a career that is sure to last.

2012Candy Comments: Your feet not tapping? see a doctor immediately! As the promo said "carefree & full of melody".

Website: Facebook HERE. Listen: Built To Last. (mp3).
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Background: Where hi-fi swagger meets low-fi sway, Skipping Girl Vinegar have carved out their own heart warming, hobo-pop aesthetic that is testament to the band's old-world authenticity and song craft. Lead single "Chase the Sun" has caught a lot of people's attention with its critically acclaimed 'Monkey in Space' film clip that has enjoyed extensive play on Australian music television and being awarded 'Rage clip of the week'. The EP was mixed in Nashville by legendary indie US producer Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Missy Higgins) and in London by renowned mix engineer Adrian Bushby (Ben Kweller, Gomez, Foo Fighters).

Skipping Girl Vinegar has supported The Lemonheads and Angus & Julia Stone and are one of Australia's most talked about bands. Skipping Girl Vinegar's Chase the Sun EP hints at the depth of what is to come from this Australian five-piece.

2012Candy Comments: The harmonies are strong and work wonders over some very appealing anthemic and energised music.

Website: Official HERE. Listen: Chase The Sun. (mp3).
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Background: Conceived during their first US tour, Pressed And return with Hyper Thistle, their second EP of processed vocal and complex electronic experiments. The release is a bridge between their sound-defining debut, Imbue Up, and the more performance driven sound of their recent Daytrotter Session which is infusing the music they are working on for their first full-length.

The tone is quickly set as a chopped vocal and double-time break beat propel the EP forward. Chiming guitars interplay with delays and propulsive percussion before cutting to a slice of glitched out hip-hop that throws out the rules to transcend all well-worn electronic micro-genres. Ambiance creeps back into the fold with ethereal atmospherics and light drum-and-bass beats until a demented vocal chop and equilibrium throwing groove changes the mood completely. Finally pitched down vocals complete with higher register electronic wizardry creating something both future-sounding and soulful. With their second release Pressed And once again prove that they refuse to be trapped by tradition of genre in their quest for electronic bliss.

2012Candy Comments: How dare the accompanying promo to this say 'ethereal atmospherics', and leave me to come up with another expression that sums the music up.

Website: Official HERE. Listen: Andross To Aneki. (mp3).
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Background: Talk Normal's sophomore LP Sunshine, out this fall on Joyful Noise Recordings, the Brooklyn duo unveil songs that sparkle with melody and dissonance. Jarring rhythms and feedback-drenched guitar tones lace Sunshine's nine surprisingly songful tunes - creating a sound informed by their predecessors (Cocteau Twins, Velvet Underground, Laurie Anderson & Creatures).

Unlike traditional noisy-rock, Talk Normal's Sunshine is steeped in melody, albeit unconventional melody. Sweet-sounding female vocals are present throughout, sometimes as sung lyrics and sometimes as instruments themselves. Ambro & Register's combined voices often volley back and forth, each providing equal contributions to vocals, lyrics, and instrumentation - meticulously orchestrating not only the arrangements, but also the tonality of each collected sound. As Pitchfork describes: "(their) vocals can handle both desperate screech and matter-of-fact detachment somewhere between Karen O and Kim Gordon." Combined with Register's flowing, nearly-drony riffs and Ambro's finely choreographed beats, the end result is a natural sonic cohesion. Maybe not the sunshine you're used to, but rays within which you'll want to bask.

2012Candy Comments: Somebody mentioned the Cocteau Twins and I was interested straight away. There could be many other references for Talk Normal, give them a break and take the wholesale originality as the reference point.

Website: Official HERE. Listen: Bad Date. (mp3).
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Background: The Black Cadillacs are a 6-piece rock & roll band from Knoxville, TN made up of Will Horton, Philip Anderson, Matthew Hyrka, John Phillips, Kevin Hyfantis and Adam Bonomo. Over the last 3 years they have been working hard to hone their sound and live performance, and have made a name for themselves in the Knoxville region. Their sophomore album Run was released through Young Giant on June 5, 2012.

They draw upon a diverse group of influences from classic bands like The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Pink Floyd to more modern bands like My Morning Jacket, The Black Keys, and Jack White. The Black Cadillacs have melded together their many influences to create an album full of strong guitar melodies that are matched with catchy lyrics, which will have you singing along in no time.

Describing their single "Classic Fool" off of Run, Jason Harrison of Sirens of Decay wrote, "This is a band that sometimes delves into the lowest of lows, but they have a good fu##in' time doing it. 'Classic Fool' begins on that some solitary island, Horton's vocals carrying wistfully while the melody finds its feet. The guitars find their horses at the midway point with a bit of help from some beautiful organ accompaniment and 'Classic Fool' really hits its stride."

2012Candy Comments: OK the names are clearly similar and I reckon there is a nod and a wink to The Black Crowes, that said, this most definitely is The Black Cadillacs and boy do they rock.

Website: Official HERE. Listen: Choke. (mp3).
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Background: The Raveonettes have premiered their first single "She Owns The Streets" - from their upcoming album "Observator" out September 11th on Vice Records.

Inspired by their surroundings, The Raveonettes have always been able to capture the experiences and emotions of every day life. "She Owns The Streets" is a perfect example of this.

Songwriter Sune Rose Wagner says, "The real people I'd met and experiences I had over the last year in NY and Venice, CA all bled into these new songs. 'She Owns The Streets' for example is about a New York City street dancer. I've noticed her before dancing wildly on Bowery, running crazily in the street among the cabs and horrified passers-by. A friend of mine introduced me to her and we struck up a friendship. In 20 minutes I had written a song about the pleasures and pitfalls of being perceived as either a drug-crazed girl or an insane individual, simply because she dares to defy the laws of civility and conformity. Isolation can be a wonderful thing, but it doesn't afford you this kind of inspiration."

2012Candy Comments: Top quality indie rock with super backing harmonies over a lifting song, would you expect less from these people?

Website: Official HERE. Listen: She Owns The Streets. (mp3).
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Background: Making Marks, from Oslo, Norway are the latest addition to Fika Recordings label. After 5 years as My Little Pony, they’ve slimmed down to a 4 piece to become Making Marks. They’ve gigged with the likes of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Asobi Seksu and Marit Larsen, toured extensively around Europe and the USA, including appearances at SXSW.

The debut single from Making Marks, Ticket Machine, will be released by Fika Recordings in October 2012 on 7″ vinyl. They’ll be in the UK playing some shows in September – full details to come. A full length album is due in the spring of 2013.

2012Candy Comments: Looking forward to hearing more from Making Marks based on the strength of this song. I still reckon there is something in Scandinavian water that produces such great indie music.

Website: tumblr HERE. Listen: Hard To Be Good. (mp3).
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Background: The Jelly Project has already garnered the ultimate accolade a young band could ask for... biker cred.

Motorcycle gangs flock to see this band tear it up. Outlaws and hipsters alike seem to be smitten with Jelly, a fiery young twin cities girl who's voice and stage presence echo the great Janis Joplin, and her band of burly, bearded boys who lay down the funk like their life depends on it. The fact that this rag tag group stumbled into writing some of the most poignant and moving rock of 2012 should be duly noted.

2012Candy Comments: I think you should draw any comparisons with Janis Joplin with real caution. There are some similarities but this is good enough to stand on it's own feet, decades on and this type of craft still has wide appeal.

Website: reverbnation HERE. Listen: Crazy World. (mp3).
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