Genre Wander: Wildhoney - Birdtalker - Eight Bit Tiger - Georgia Ruth - Katie Burden

Wildhoney - Horror Movie.

Background - Four great bands, two great labels and two continents meet on this stellar mini-LP. Frequent collaborators Slumberland Records and Fortuna POP! team up to bring you 'Continental Drift,' a smashing eight song sampler of some of the finest pop out there in 2016.

Baltimore's Wildhoney have been making music together since 2011, forging a fresh sound from raw materials of shoegaze, punk and good old indiepop. 2015 saw the release of their debut LP and follow-up EP, and now we've snagged two top-quality exclusive tunes for this compilation.

'Continental Drift' is out August 26 [pre-order] featuring tracks from Wildhoney, Mercury Girls, The Spook School & Tigercats.

Wildhoney Tour Dates:
7/15 Boston, MA @ The Democracy Center w/ Literature, Bent Shapes
7/16 Philly, PA @ PhilaMoca w/ Literature, Hurry, Free Cake for Every Creature
8/12 Raleigh, NC @ Ruby Deluxe w/ Jenny Besets and Essex Muro
8/13 Atlanta, GA @ Wrecking Ball Fest w/ L7, Deerhunter, Ceremony, Turnover and more
8/14 Richmond, Va @ Gallery 5 w/ Big Baby and Christi
8/26 Baltimore, MD @ The Crown w/ Soul Cannon, Creepoid, Flasher and Shinji

'Horror Movie' is a nice slice of dreamy indie pop. It's one of two songs on the forthcoming "mini sampler" album, and considering who they are sharing space with, this could well be a pretty special collection of songs.

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Birdtalker - Heavy.

Background - Nashville alternative group Birdtalker has released its debut single, "Heavy," and announced the release of its debut EP, Just This.

Since releasing on June 24, "Heavy" has amassed over 240k streams at Spotify, debuting at #19 on the Global Viral Chart, and #26 on the U.S. Viral Chart. "Heavy is about embracing vulnerability and choosing to act from a place no longer tethered to resent, doubt, or insecurity," reflects Birdtalker's Zack Green. "It’s about choosing to live from a place of acceptance and peace over fear." The group's debut six-song EP, Just This, was recorded in Nashville at Glass Onion Recording Studio with co-producers JD Tiner (Erin Rae) and Dan Fernandez (Great Peacock), and will be independently released on August 19.

Birdtalker began with Zack and Dani Green, a newlywed couple, writing a few songs together in their spare time. Friends in Nashville began to take notice, and the duo quickly grew into a five-piece. In its brief time performing together Birdtalker has had notable appearances opening for The Strumbellas and Escondido. Looking ahead, the band will announce an EP release show in Nashville in support of Just This EP. 

'Heavy' is the single release and the second track out of six on the forthcoming EP. This is a fabulous song, with stand out harmonies and a beautifully delivered soundtrack. Powerful and emotional alt rock, the EP is keenly awaited.

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Eight Bit Tiger - Move Dance Feel

Background bio - “We don’t do things the easy way” is somewhat of an understatement for the intercontinental electronic band Eight Bit Tiger. With their new record Move Dance Feel, the band has shown that making a great album is no longer constrained to physical proximity, but can be accomplished in the cloud.

Inspired by the funk band Chic and pop legend Michael Jackson, Eight Bit Tiger has taken a strong influence from the annals of music history. The band’s sound is a mixture of 70s funk and 80s inspired electropop combining signature bass lines with vintage synth sounds.

Eight Bit Tiger was formed in 2011 in Chicago, USA by the Widman brothers Erik and Kent who were at the time transitioning from their indie rock roots. Following great praise of their debut album, the band changed course when Erik moved to Stockholm, Sweden in 2012. Determined to keep the music alive, the brothers built two recording studios in their respective apartments 6888 kilometers apart (for American readers, that’s 75328 football fields). The music had now left the physical plane and entered the digital cloud. Sonic experiments and song ideas were sent back and forth, like synapses between neurons, ultimately leading to the creation of Move Dance Feel, three years in the making.

The new album harkens to an era of high tops, colorful leg warmers, and dreams where anything was possible. Simultaneously, the human factor is counterbalanced by a glimpse into the sonic future from a 80s perspective, where robots have taken over and created a sound of their own. While the band’s previous release Parallel Synchronized Randomness sounded more like a rock band wading into the shallow end of the electronic music pool, Move Dance Feel, is a synth-heavy swan dive into the deep end.

Well if the song 'Move Dance, Feel' has done anything for me, it's made me feel younger than I am. It's one of seven sonic delights that ooze retro sounds, thanks to the vintage synths in part, but mainly due to the infectious enthusiasm behind each song.

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Georgia Ruth - The Doldrums.

Background - Welsh singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Georgia Ruth has announced a new album Fossil Scale, due for release on October 7, 2016 via Navigator Records. The record is the follow up to 2013’s Welsh Music Prize winning Week Of Pines - a feat Georgia never contemplated she’d achieve for her critically acclaimed, bilingual debut album. The record prompted The  Guardian to tip her as ‘One of the British folk discoveries of the year’, with Georgia going  on to be twice nominated in the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, alongside radio support across Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music. UK live dates to support the release of Fossil Scale are expected to be announced shortly.

Switching out her previous go-to writing tool - the harp - for a piano in search of a more expansive yet ambient sound, Georgia headed into the familiar setting of Snowdonia’s Bryn Derwen Studio in January 2015, to lay down the foundations of what would become Fossil Scale. When the sale of the studio just 5 days into recording threw plans awry, recording time was then split between studios in London and Cardiff – in the case of the latter, at friends and collaborators Manic Street Preachers’ Faster Studios (Georgia sung on ‘Divine Youth’, a track that featured on the Manics’ Futurology album). The album was finally pieced together in Mwnci Studios, co-produced with Italian producer Marta Salogni (Phil Selway, Eliot Sumner) and long-time collaborator David Wrench (Caribou, Bat For Lashes) some 11 months after those initial sessions began.

'The Doldrums' is a such a wonderful song. The gentle understated musical soundtrack, has glimpses of it's own beauty, and provides the perfect foundations for Georgia Ruth's exquisite vocals. The album Fossil Scale is released on October 7 via Navigator Records, definately one for the must have list.

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Katie Burden - I Can See It Clear.

Background bio - Katie Burden’s stylized atmospheric rock and shamanistic delivery often conjure up the ghost of Jim Morrison but in a modern context, falls somewhere between Bat for Lashes and Joan As Police Woman.

After being raised in a small hippy town in Colorado, Burden spent her formative years bouncing around NYC and later San Francisco. In 2012 she moved to LA and after attending a meditation retreat, synchronistically fell in with a group of blue chip musicians including drummer/producer Norm Block (Mark Lanagan, Sweethead and Jenny Lee of Warpaint) and guitarist Jen Turner of Here We Go Magic and Exclamation Pony.

Katie happened to have hundreds of song sketches recorded as voice memos on her phone and after she played them for her new friends there was no looking back.  Block stepped into the role of producer while Turner helped flesh out the recordings that became Burden's debut EP My Blind Eye. The 5 song set was released on Norm’s Cautionary Tail label and was met with critical kudos from Buzzbands LA, Impose and a video premiere on USA Today who noted the debut had a “mysterious, experimental appeal.” The EP also made a fan of Jenny Lee (Warpaint) who asked Katie to sing backup vocals on her newest LP right on!

Katie toured My Blind Eye up and down the West Coast, being welcomed into major musical hotspots including The Deer Lodge in Ojai, Hotel Utah in San Fran and El Cid back in LA where she opened for Jenny Lee. Upon her return she felt pulled back into the studio where she began tracking her follow up full length, Strange Moon, with her now tightly-knit band of collaborators. The dark and moody undercurrents of the new material called for Burden to dig deeper into her emotional well, something that she struggled with when performing the songs. “I have a hard time feeling emotions sometimes” the songwriter notes. “Art makes me less afraid to feel and also less alone.”

'I Can See It Clear' is from the forthcoming album Strange Moon, that is being released via Cautionary Tail on September 16. The featured song has a very haunting alternative feel to it, making it difficult to catagorize in any one genre. The above bio's decription of the music being akin to "Bat for Lashes and Joan As Police Woman" becomes apparently clear as the song progresses. Whatever... it's a must play again (and again) song for me.


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Globe Trotting: Joe Nisbet Jr - Late Hala - Cameron James Henderson - Georgia Reed

Joe Nisbet Jr - 'Judge Not'

Background promo - Following his critically lauded first album (The Gospel According To Mr Niz), KFM Records is delighted to announce the release of Joe Nisbet Jr's first self-penned song, "Judge Not" on Monday 18th July.

"The positive things people said about the first album gave me the confidence to start writing and recording my own material, which turns out to have a different sound, but doesn't stray far from the usual obsessions - good times, regrets, early r'n'b, drinking, and a bad attitude to authority.

Given the nature of the lyric, I knew the song had to be urgent and honest, so we recorded it very quickly and very live with a group of good friends who just happen to be brilliant musicians - they contributed a level of personality and attitude that you don't often get in the studio - and I think that comes across - although it sounds like a badly behaved gospel meeting in a New Orleans hip-hop club, it's actually a punk record at heart."

“Judge Not just got my bones, makes me happy. I don't why, but I'm crazy in love with this song. I can't remember when something last made me feel so happ!!! Tell your friend,it's such a wonderful song, I haven't danced alone like this in years!!!xxxxx   I got to stop playing it or I'll wear it out...just one more time though....here we go again.....”

As it says above 'Judge Not' is Joe Nisbet Jr's first self penned song, and wow what a superb start! It's got the hooks, melody, upbeat feel good vibes and every other expression I so often use, to describe a song like this. "Follow that" I think to myself, and somehow I reckon Joe may very well do so. 

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Late Hala - Good Thing.

Background  - Late Hala are a Psychedelic/Rock band from London formed in 2015.

Late Hala are cousins Dan and Alexi from London town who started playing guitars together at an early age through a mutual love of the blues scale. Unfortunately life got in the way and a ten year break ensued until 2015 when they both found themselves living in East London.

Using Fuzzy Guitars, Pianos, Delay Pedals, Xylophones, Organs, Samples and accidentally recorded police sirens they created their debut EP 'Dark Clouds'. According to the bands Facebook page, they are now in the process of recording their debut album. 

'Good Thing' is a brand new song from Late Hala, and what a fine song it is. The psychedelic vibes are there from the start, along with something of a sixties American West Coast feel, in part due to the harmonies, and a pretty cool achievement for a band from my old home, London. It's always a grand thing when a song ends leaving you wanting to hear more and Late Hala have done that for me!

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Cameron James Henderson - Lifeboat.

 Background promo - Sydney based blues-folk troubadour Cameron James Henderson is pleased to announce the arrival of his debut album 'Storm Rollin’ In'. No stranger to the stage or studio via his many contributions to the work of others, 'Storm Rollin’ In' follows Henderson’s first venture into solo territory after 2014’s well received 'Distorted Hope Blues'.

Recorded in the Blue Mountains inside a solar powered cabin deep in the bush, the new twelve track collection was produced by much loved folk-artist and good pal Chris Gillespie. Dynamically moving from stomping band tracks to Dylan-esque finger pickers, the record features minimalist arrangements mixed with spontaneous elements of rain, birds and other mountain sounds picked up during the sessions. 'Lifeboat', with its signature pulsing guitar lick, is the first single to be lifted that embodies the raw ‘in the moment’ production and honest feel that reflects Henderson’s piercing songwriting style. Cameron says of the track “Lifeboat is about broken relationships and the frustration of not being able to fully understand someone you love. It looks forward to a time when the brokenness of this world will exist no longer and hopes for the lifeboat to arrive to save us from the rising waterline.”

Boasting a resume that includes forming the psych-surf blues band ‘Dubious Blues Trio’, who released an album in 2014 with the instrumental cut 'Shoemound' airing on triple j, Henderson also composes for film while keeping his chops up with Zombie Cats, Chris Gillespie, Sam Newton, Lyre Byrdland and the Mogadishu Family Band. With a string of launch shows in New South Wales, Canberra and Victoria this week Cameron James Henderson is well and truly set for a busy Spring and Summer. 'Storm Rollin’ In' is out July 15 via all good digital retailers and on CD via Bandcamp.

Thursday July 14 @ Smith's Alternative, Canberra (9pm, $10)
Friday July 15 @ Goulburn Club, Goulburn w/ Joe Conroy (7.30pm, $10)
Saturday July 16 @ Gold Dust Lounge, Bendigo (9pm, Free)
Sunday July 17 @ Golden Vine Hotel - 'Ewes, Brews, Stews & Blues, Bendigo (12.30pm, $15).

The clarity between guitar and vocals makes 'Lifeboat' something quite special. I love the power within the song despite the initially understated soundtrack. Cameron's vocals are just right for a song like this and the developing blues feel as the song progresses, is for me, the icing on the cake.


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Georgia Reed - Helen.

Background - ‘Helen’, the intense, dark and immersive new single from Perth’s Georgia Reed tells the story of a young girl spiralling headlong into hopeless despair.

Written from an outsider’s perspective, the song’s lyrics, “I can’t save you tonight” pave the way for its thundering climax, and further showcase her fierce and brooding signature sound introduced in her previous release ‘Waiting For You To Run’.

“It’s a sad song really, she’s drowning and she can’t see it,” says Georgia.

‘Waiting For You To Run’, Georgia’s debut single, saw her receive fervent support and airplay at triple j and triple j Unearthed Radio. Following a hugely successful launch show to a sold out crowd at The Odd Fellow in Fremantle, Georgia went on to grace the stage as support for the likes of Olympia, triple j’s KLP and Stillwater Giants.

Produced by James Newhouse at Reel2Real Studios and Mastered by Grammy Award Winner William Bowden at King Willy Sound (Gotye, Little May, Empire Of The Sun, Children Collide), ‘Helen’ is a story of lost hope, lost control and a young lost soul.

Second time around on Beehive Candy this year for Georgia Reed, this time with the new song 'Helen', which is due for release on the 5th of August 2016. Georgia has wonderfully distinct vocals and she makes full use of her range with this powerful song. The song may be intense and dark in part, but it builds into a storm of emotion, with anthemic dimensions, love it.

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Genre Wander: Giant Head Collective - Emma Cook - Tempesst

Giant Head Collective - This Time I'll Fight.

Background - Giant Head Collective are a group of musicians who have come together to write and perform a unique crossover style of music.  We blend Americana and Rock with a Celtic undertone. Our philosophy is, that no matter what we do, it has to have a strong sense of melody.  

One minute you could close your eyes and think you are in Seattle, and then travelling via the Appalachian Mountains across the Atlantic to Scotland.  If you love to listen to music that takes you on a musical journey, then please check us out. 

Our journey is a long one and we would love your company along the way! Members: Mark Breingan - Guitar, Brian Robinson - Pipes & Mandolin, Colin Rodger - Vocals, Allister Weir - Bass, Scott Dawson - Drums. Bands Website Here.

From the bands latest album 9 Tales (released last month), we feature the song 'This Time I'll Fight'. This is such a fine album comprising of course of nine songs, that the band describe as, a blend of Americana, Seattle Rock and Celtic Rock. The band have clearly worked hard in developing their sound which really does defy categorising, however one things for sure, they create consistently good music, as the album ably demonstrates.

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Emma Cook - Sixteen.

Background bio - Emma Cook knows what it means to struggle. The Toronto indie-folk singer was well on her way to making a name for herself before a falling tree branch caused a serious head injury and forced her to take a hiatus from music to focus on recovery. After a three year battle with Post-Concussive Syndrome, Emma is releasing a two-part EP this summer and fall of 2016. The first installment, Counting Sheep, showcases Emma’s storytelling ability and beautifully expressive voice. Produced by Mitch Girio (Emma-Lee’s Never Just a Dream) and supported by amazing guest musicians Gary Craig (Kathleen Edwards, Jann Arden), Christine Bougie (Justin Rutledge) and Bryden Baird (Feist), the EP leaves us wanting more, so it’s a good thing that the 2nd installment will be available in a few months. The cover of Counting Sheep, in stores now, shows a single tree branch, an ode to the artists ongoing fight to recover from her injuries and the power of music to get us through the hardest of times.

Before her injury, Emma had logged over 100 shows across Canada, the US and the UK and had official showcases at NXNE, CMW & Indie Week. She was a 2008 Toronto Independent Music Awards nominee and received an Ontario Arts Council grant to record her second album “Hit & Run.” Written and co-produced by Emma, both of her albums have garnered fantastic reviews and sought the attention of campus radio, CBC and the Verge on XM Satellite Radio. The Ontario Arts Council again backed the young artist, awarding her an International touring grant which took her from Toronto down to Mississippi and back in Feb and March 2009, with stops at SXSW, and NYC’s famed Bitter End.

In early 2016 Emma began writing songs again. “They just started pouring out of me” she said, “I am channeling all of my loss and frustration, all of the pain and hardship of the last few years.” Emma will be going into the studio to record later this year and hopes to release her third full length album in 2017. Bandcamp page Here.

The EP 'Counting Sheep' opens with the beautiful song 'Sixteen'.  Emma has an infectious voice and pens thoughtful and engaging lyrics. Musically the songs just glide along, in part because of the skilled musicians and also the terrific production. As a foretaste of what might be on her third album, this is a teasingly good collection of songs.

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Tempesst - Broke Down Blues.

Background promo - Far from the poor man blues such title would suggest, Tempesst approach their latest with reckless abandon and full-bodied revelry. Following back-to-back #bangers, ‘Tidal Wave’ and ‘Too Slow’, new single ‘Broke Down Blues’ celebrates the strange euphoria encountered at breaking point, or somewhere thereafter. Down and out, but richer for it.

“It’s an ode of sorts,” explains vocalist Toma Banjanin. “It’s meant to feel more liberated and triumphant than a whining, entitled artist crying about not having any money. It doesn't represent breaking point, it's celebrating what's already broken.” Since ‘breaking’ onto the scene mid–2015, Tempesst have worked their way up the proverbial ladder; hotly tipped, ones-to-watch-listed and publicly adored by the likes of Noisey/VICE, DIY, NME, Drowned In Sound, BBC Radio 6 Music (Lauren Laverne), Radio X (Maz Tappuni, Communion Presents) and triple j.

Fresh from The Great Escape, NME Awards 2016, Live At Leeds, Liverpool Sound City, Bushstock Festival and recent tours with Albert Hammond Jr and Gary Clark Jr, Tempesst announce a new London headline at Moth Club on September 29. It follows two sold out shows (their first ever headlines), the latest of which called on support from Tame Impala’s Jay Watson under his solo moniker GUM.

There is a little bit of swaggering confidence with the song 'Broke Down Blues', and that's understandable as it's got so much going for it. Melody and hooks galore and a chorus line that just takes it all up another level, and a massive feel good factor makes for one very good song.

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Monday Double: Kyle Britton - Gringo Star

Kyle Britton - Riddle.

Background bio - Inspired by the quiet musings of troublesome love and the path to understanding, the emotionally evocative music of indie-folk singer-songwriter, Kyle Britton, epitomises storytelling in its truest fashion. Britton’s distinctive sound combines undeniable dark undertones with roving melodies and atmospheric refrains, offering a unique experience for his listeners.


“Riddle”, the first of two singles, is a song detailing the demise of a poisonous love affair and the enduring pain that follows. “Never able to accept love again, every man who she came across from then on was in for a world of pain and heartbreak”, confides Britton. As the song builds, the Belle Epoque-inspired strings render the listener to a melodic montage.

On “Villain”, Britton successfully demonstrates diversity as both a lyricist and performer. The dramatic self-confession, encapsulates its audience through the use of defiance against typical folk arrangements, opening us up to our ‘villainous’ side.

Britton enlisted help from Los Angeles’ most seasoned musicians including Kyle Crane on Drums (Daniel Lanois, Elle King) and renowned violist, Ginny Luke (Rihanna, Dave Matthews Band). Famed engineer, Darryl Swann (Macy Gray), made sure to highlight Britton's warm and natural vocals.

Perhaps it was growing up in a military family which led to Britton's desire for non-conformity and individuality. Britton expressed on his father's influence "I grew up with my dad telling me that if music is not evoking an emotional response it's not doing its job."  The EP is a demonstration of Britton’s continuous hard work towards his childhood dream. His natural dedication has led him from ‘fake-playing’ his 7-year-old rendition of Def Leppard’s ‘Pour some sugar on me’ to creating an EP that actively analyses his decisions in life, whilst convincing us to do the same. Riddle was released July 8th worldwide.

'Riddle' may be a song about (and we quote) "the demise of a poisonous love affair and the enduring pain that follows", it's also a very touching and beautiful song, that showcases the musical and vocal talent of Kyle Britton. It's also just one aspect of his songwriting and music on the four track EP, which I have to say is quite exceptional.

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Gringo Star - Heading South.

Background promo - Nevado Music is thrilled to welcome Atlanta, GA psych-rockers Gringo Star to their expanding label roster. Gringo Star will release The Sides And In Between on August 26. Gringo Star’s Nick Furglueles told Pure Volume, “‘Rotten' to me, is about not letting societal standards prevent you from doing or expressing how you want and not waiting till it's too late to do what you love.” He adds, “It's about an establishment designed to keep people in check, and dismantling that establishment.”

Gringo Star are insouciant explorers, tossing the paddles overboard and drifting on the currents of their lackadaisical curiosity across a rippling sonic ocean, out to the far edges of rock & roll. Shots pulsing from a vintage Leslie speaker, their guitars, keys and vocals create the psychoactive ingredients of their echo-slathered, doo-wop-indebted indie gems; psychedelic garage bangers, gritty R&B shuffles and spaghetti western weirdness. Taking cues from Santo & Johnny, The Stooges, Ritchie Valens, Marc Bolan, Percy Faith, Sam Cooke, the men working on the chain gang—uh! ah!—they’re all here, their electric ghosts reaching across time, tapping Gringo Star on the shoulder like the crossroads devil to Robert Johnson, bestowing secrets, passing torches.

If you know a little about brothers Nick and Peter Furgiueles’ roots, it all makes sense. “Our grandad started out in radio in the ’40s and ’50s in Columbus, GA.,” Nick explains. “He was a huge promoter of R&B back when it was still super segregated, and he was playing black music and putting on shows with Little Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers, a lot of Gospel shows. So we grew up hearing all these stories, listening to all this music. Our grandfather was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame posthumously. And my grandma—all her photo albums are like Jackie Wilson shirtless backstage, hanging out.” Not to mention how Nick and Peter used to raid their parents’ record collections, cutting their teeth on the likes of Buddy Holly, The Animals and The Kinks. “Our favorite music comes from the ’50s,” Peter says, “and that music influenced all the ’60s bands we like.”

The band has toured relentlessly across the U.S. and Europe building a diehard underground following while sharing bills with everyone from Cat Power and Feist to The Black Angels and Weezer, and also touring with Wavves, Best Coast, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead and fellow Atlantans The Black Lips.

'Heading South' is but a flavour of Gringo Star. The band have a very distinctive sound that they take in many different directions. One consistent feature is the hooks within their songs, another is the difficulty in placing the band in any particular genre (which is a plus). The album is consistently appealing across all ten tracks and well worth checking out.

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Sunday Four: Canary - David Nyro - The Attics - The By Gods

Canary - Burning Man.

Background promo - Melbourne's Canary have just released their second studio album I Am Lion, to be followed by a three-date album tour.

I Am Lion, self-produced by bassist Isaac Barter & the band as a whole, is "emotionally and thematically heavy". The release was born out of a particularly intense breakup that frontman & songwriter Matthew Kenneally struggled through. Each song is the embodiment of an emotional state that Kenneally lived & breathed at some point during the aftermath of this poignant life event. The breadth of humanity's capability to be bitter & ugly is openly on display, dichotomously captured in deceptively peaceful, refined ways in tracks such as 'Smile' or 'Last Resort'.

In many ways, Kenneally acknowledges that I Am Lion is somewhat of an extension of the themes he previously explored in debut album Dear Universe. And how could it not be? Canary's first LP explored the bass notes of that which makes us human: self-loathing, heartache, frustration. But I Am Lion is underpinned by a more solid musical vision, aided by the ever-present choir lending chops to the record. The vitality that drives even the most dulcet of tracks on I Am Lion forward is a result of the three days Canary spent holed up in Greg Walkers' (Machine Translations) home studio in Gippsland, recording every track live.

'Fickle Heart', the current single from I Am Lion, quickly gathered accolades from sources online including Rolling Stone Australia and cutting edge US blog Indie Shuffle. Also showered with praise from the airwaves, triple j gave 'Fickle Heart' its official radio premiere, Double J called it a "perfect balance of big and brash, and subtle and tuneful moments" and adding it to rotation alongside taste-making Sydney station FBi radio. They've supported acts such as Saskwatch, LANKS, Ainslie Wills & Hein Cooper and are set to embark on their I Am Lion tour with dates in Victoria and New South Wales.
 
Tour Dates:
Fri Aug 12 - World Bar, Sydney, NSW w/ special guests
Fri Aug 26 - The Workers Club, Geelong, VIC w/ special guests
Sat Sept 03 - The Toff In Town, Melbourne, VIC w/ special guests.

'I Am Lion' is a really good album that sees Canary mix their musical styles with the featured song 'Burning Man' demonstrating the softer side of the band. Musically the band are totally capable of exploring and delivering ideas and vocally everything just combines in a beautiful manner. This is an album and band that really do deserve to be heard.

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David Nyro - Happiness.

Background - With the release of “Writer of Wrongs, Singer of Songs,” modern pop’s poignant poet, the soulful singer/songwriter David Nyro, shares six immaculately produced folk pop confections.  A prolific writer whose retro pop has earned him comparisons to Jackson Browne and Don Henley, Nyro (pronounced “nee-ro”) has connected with audiences through his stories of discovery, love, and loss. Nyro’s EP was recorded at legendary Robert Lang Studios (Nirvana, Death Cab for Cutie) and mastered by Grammy winner Tom Coyne (Adele, Beyonce).

With many of today’s music listeners investing in vinyl records after having rediscovered the magical charm and simplicity of 1960s and ’70s pop and rock, the time is now right for David Nyro. Much like the prominent songwriters of decades past, Nyro has recruited some of today’s most talented and reputable singers and musicians to collaborate on his project. Collaborators on Nyro’s newest songs include vocalist Mycle Wastman (The Voice), violinist Andrew Joslyn (Macklemore), drummer Ben Smith (Heart), bassist Garey Shelton (BB King, James Brown), and drummer Jeff Kathan (Paul Rodgers).

'Happiness' is one of six quite delicious songs on 'Writer of Wrongs, Singer of Songs'. David Nyro pens incredibly beautiful music, and collaborates with some very talented individuals, to ensure the final product does justice to the material.

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The Attics - Bluffing.

Background - The Attics release their new single “Bluffing” - a bright yet hazy picture of adventure in their most addictive release to date.

In 2016, a whimsical return to the band’s beginnings sees The Attics once again embracing electronic elements that bring to mind future pop and 80s synth-driven ballads. Guitars jangle over infectious bass hooks while soft programmed electronica sounds and hip-hop style beats are blended into pop music that’s informed by the past, yet forward thinking. This is pop songwriting buried in swirling reverberations begging to be played under flickering disco lights.

Based in the country town of Colac in South-West Victoria, The Attics formed in 2011 dropping a dark and moody indie rock EP based around the minimal electronic music Cameron Wade had been producing on his computer. Since then, the band has tumbled endlessly through change. If one thing has remained a constant, it’s the importance of the melody around which their songs are formed.

Returning to the studio The Attics have once again teamed up with Isaac Barter (Canary, Life Is Better Blonde) to record, mix and master their latest effort. With an EP on the not-too-distant horizon, “Bluffing” points to the future for the band. Swaggering vocal delivery and warm production lend a sense of comfort to the track, that’s otherwise sitting somewhere other-worldly. Sonically a step forward, but surely only the first of many more to come. A string of headline dates will be announced in support of The Attics dreamy new single, “Bluffing”. The live show will hit a bunch of regional centres through Victoria as well as Melbourne and Sydney stop-offs.

Second time around on Beehive Candy for The Attics, who continue to impress in a very big way. This is a musically upbeat song, with vocals and harmonies ensuring the bands distinctive sound. There is also a confidence in the bands performance that suggests they are comfortable with what they are doing, even when that includes testing out alternative ideas.

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The By Gods - Where Do You Come From.

Background - If it feels like Nashville’s The By Gods are trying to drill through your skull to plant their hook-laden songs in your grey matter, that’s precisely the point. Squalls of feedback interrupting repetitive chords signaling the return to a chorus, it’s what we’ve come to recognize as the formula; a recipe for loud/quiet/loud. On their latest outing, Phone Calls, The By Gods have bucked such formulae by purposely pushing the repetition.

The By Gods, composed of Tye Hammonds and husband and wife duo, Natalie and George Pauley, sound at times to meld into a single organism. This is certainly the result of their skills being honed by a steady touring regimen. Tightening the screws an extra turn on an already tight unit seems to have allowed the band to loosen up; favoring mid-tempo chugging to a frantic burnout.

Despite the vibrance of the music there’s a vein of anger masked behind the songs’ hooks, like a polite smile to accompany a middle finger. The chorus of the title track “Phone Calls” - “Please pick up my phone calls… Please pick up my phone calls.” invokes the image of a phone ringing in another room, like an itch you can’t scratch, as the song gradually builds into a fury. The song “Good Lie” wraps a bitter pill in a sweet melody as it serves up an admonishment of the age-old annoyance of the “humble brag”, a phenomena that has only worsened with the advent of the ability to curate, via social media, how others see your life.

Phone Calls is the third release in as many years from the Nashville-based band and the second as a trio. The EP manages to capture the urgency of their live show as expertly recorded by Mike Purcell (Lees Of Memory, Tom Pappas Collection, Hurts To Laugh) at County Q in Nashville.

'Where Do You Come From' is the first of four songs on the 'Phone Calls' EP. The trio pound out the guitar and vocal hooks, with bass and drums powering the message home. It's good old raw, no nonsense rock music, delivered with passion and feeling.

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Helen Henderson - London (Album)

Helen Henderson - Windows Of Gold.

Background promo - Kiwi born L.A. based singer/songwriter Helen Henderson is pleased to announce the release of London – a collection of beautifully crafted, honest folk/rock offerings penned and recorded in London in the 70’s, capturing the special time and energy of a bygone era.

 Arriving in London as a young woman with just fifty pounds in her pocket and relying on the kindness of ex-pat NZ friends, Henderson was introduced to Nigel Grainge who signed her to Ensign Records – home to The Boomtown Rats, The Water Boys and Sinead O’Connor.

With the help of some of London’s top session musicians, Henderson recorded a selection of songs at Advision Studios, the home of many a hit record. These tracks captured the attention of Geffen Records in Los Angeles. The only artist signed to Geffen’s new label at that time was John Lennon. Henderson flew to LA in November 1980 to meet with Geffen, only to be stalled and deeply shocked by the death of John Lennon on December 8th.

Henderson recalls, “Rock and roll suffered a huge blow. Nothing would ever be the same. My world turned upside down. As the dust settled I put down roots in LA.” Henderson rewrote ‘River’ and ‘Chameleon Woman’ in LA and rerecorded them plus ‘Anyone’s Baby’ at Phantom Vox Studios in Hollywood with such esteemed LA musicians as friend and guitarist Doug Pettibone. “It was challenging but gratifying to revisit the songs here in LA and breathe new life into them”, says Henderson. The songs on London have a pure, uncontrived quality and conjure the likes of Sandy Denny, Sharon O’Neill and Chrissie Hynde.

London is now available for purchase on CD Baby and all good digital outlets. Physical copies are available from Bandcamp.

'Windows Of Gold' is the second of ten songs on the London album. This is a fine collection of songs, with plenty of emphasis on rock. There are three gentler folk ballads, whilst the majority of songs certainly test rock music's borders from blues orientated rock'n'roll, through to country rock. Helen Henderson delivers the vocals with real quality, above a very high class soundtrack. Despite originally being written in the 1970's there is a consistent freshness and quite timeless feel across the collection.

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Weekend Wonders: Vorsen - Transviolet - Maddy O'Neal - Basement Revolver

Vorsen - Take Your Mark.

Background - From elegantly smooth acoustic tones to powerful blues-soaked choruses, its no surprise Vorsen is turning heads across the country with their diverse yet distinguished sound. The Perth four-piece combine warm smokey vocals with organic intimate melodies to create heart-on-your-sleeve tracks to the likening of acts such as Matt Corby, Of Monsters and Men and John Butler. Despite being tucked between a variety of genres, Vorsen’s characteristic blend of blues/rock tied in with their energetic and devoted live performances have given them a bold name in the local music scene.

Vorsen’s debut self-titled EP was a stunning insight into the sheer range of the bands sound. Their single “Hurricane” from the album was featured in the Top 5 on the triple j Unearthed roots chart for weeks and was well received both online and by radio across the country.

Following the release of their debut self-titled EP comes the lively follow-up track ‘Take Your Mark”. The single has been captured and produced beautifully by engineer Andy Lawson (Eskimo Joe, Gyroscope) at Debaser Studio, and mastered by legend William Bowden (Gotye, Paul Dempsey). “Take Your Mark” represents a perfect fusion of their multi-genre tastes, a lively blend of twangy acoustic guitars, thunderous kick drums, dreamy vocal harmonies and even a horns section. “Take Your Mark” is a beautifully crafted piece that is both polished yet natural with soaring vocal hooks and driving guitar lines, an exceptional follow-up release. Catch their single launch at the Odd Fellow in Fremantle (August 6th) or Eastern States tour mid September.

We featured Vorsen a while back and the new song 'Take Your Mark' definitely deserves a feature. The song has a natural folk rock feel to it, with the vocals and harmonies driving the melody, above the lively and spirited music.

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Transviolet - LA Love.

Background - The band will be playing the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK this summer, along with Taste of Chicago tonight. They will play their first headlining hometown show at Neon Gold's Popshop in Los Angeles, as well, and will be joining dreampop three-piece LANY on tour this fall.

Transviolet was formed in New York and is now based in Los Angeles. McTaggart explains their choice of name, noting, "We were sitting around the living room with books on mythology and poetry one day, determined to pick a band name (as this had been no easy task for us). Judah came across this poem by Charles Bukowski called 'When The Violets Roar At The Sun.' It goes, 'They've got us in a cage, ruined of grace and senses, and the heart roars like a lion at what they've done to us...' It spoke to me so plainly about how we (the band) felt about the world, how our own apathy has led us to this haphazard way of existing - devoid of reason or purpose, just fumbling around the streets with our heads in our phones, passively falling into the future without any real stake in it. We want to be active in designing our future. We believe that our generation can learn to live mindfully, and peacefully and evolve, thus 'trans' as in short for 'transcendence'. To sum it up, Transviolet is transcendence into a new, violet awareness. We loved that idea, so it stuck."

The band released a self-titled EP last fall and closed out 2015 with one million Spotify listeners, who played a staggering 20 years' worth of the band's songs. Three songs from the EP - "New Bohemia," "Girls Your Age" and "Bloodstream" - have all ranked in Hype Machine's Top 5 and climbed into the Top 15 (or higher) on Spotify's Global Viral charts.

'LA Love' is a refreshing and beautiful pop come rock song. With hooks and vibes like this, it's hardly surprising that the band are already the centre of so much attention.

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Maddy O'Neal - Just A Glimpse.

Background - Maddy O'Neal saw her debut solo effort "No Master Plan" resonate with fans and industry peers alike. Available today is the second single off her forthcoming 'Introspect' LP in "Just A Glimpse". Boasting a visual aesthetic that's directly linked to her music, Maddy O'Neal brings listeners on a visceral, emotive auditory experience. One that showcases the inspirations behind 'Introspect' one release at a time.

'Just A Glimpse' oscillates between a brooding, hypnotic bassline and rhythmic harmonies that introduce piano key strokes, horns and more. The eclectic production is a testament to her classically trained background and multi-faceted skill set.

Maddy is determined to become a female leader in a male dominated live electronic genre. Maddy’s rock n’ roll family roots and growing appetite for old-school hip-hop, give her a versatility that sets her apart from other artists in the scene.

It’s this versatility, paired with her meticulous ear and effortless mixing style that allows Maddy to connect with her audience. By incorporating influences from across the genre board, Maddy’s production are full of melodic overtones, driven basslines, and jazzy hip-hop. Laying her heart and soul out every time she hits the stage, her undeniable passion gives her a massive appeal that any music junkie can relate to. 

' Just A Glimpse' is a vibrant electronic piece, that really does showcase the talent of Maddy O'Neal. With a dominant beat at it's core, other sounds and instruments circle around, creating as much intrigue as it does involuntary foot movement. 

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Basement Revolver - Lake, Steel, Oil.

Background - "These songs were all written at a point in my life where I was experiencing a change in identity. Lyrically, there was a lot of looking back and processing the life and experiences I had been through. As a band we chose these songs in particular because they are some of our favourites from that time and they all share a similar mentality and tone. These are the songs that helped to shape and make us." - Chrisy Hurn

Hamilton, Ontario’s Basement Revolver plays introspective and emotional indie rock music, reminiscent of The Pixies and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The drone of the city haunts front woman Chrisy Hurn: stories woven with factory skylines and gritty streets are sung in a voice pure as water, flowing down high escarpment walls. The heavy lines of bass/synth player Nimal Agalawatte and drummer Brandon Munro are bedrock for Hurn's ethereal and immediate guitar work. Developed song craft and infectious rhythms will have you following Basement Revolver into feelings you never knew you had.

Basement Revolver has shared the stage with We Are The City, HIGHS, Dave Monks and Evening Hymns, among others. They are set to release their debut EP in July of 2016.

Basement Revolver are fast becoming Beehive Candy's "house band" with the song 'Lake, Steel, Oil' becoming the band's third feature from us this year! Well we have said a whole lot of wonderful things about their music already, so this time round I will just gently urge you to check them out.

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Genre Wander: SixTwoSeven - LOVEYOU - The Inconsistent Jukebox Feat Ang Kerfoot

SixTwoSeven - Wreckless Soul.

Background promo - Seattle staples, SixTwoSeven are headed out on a West Coast tour this Summer in support of their new record, Some Other's Day, due out August 5th Produced by the infamous Jack Endino (Nirvana), the group impress both on the record and on stage, as they head through cities such as Los Angeles an Portland for the upcoming dates. Currently the band is also sharing their new single, "Wreckless Soul," which sets the tone for the album and tour.

The record shares alternative elements with an indie twist. The group create a stunning debut that is a whirlwind of guitars and vocal perfection.Writing songs has long been the way that frontman Greg Bilderback has expressed himself. Though he’s performed in various band over the years, and has had the sense since he was little that he was a born entertainer, his path to rock ’n’ roll frontman had been circuitous.

Tour Dates:
August 9 -  Le Voyeur - Olympia, WA
August 11 - Johnny V’s Bar - San Jose, CA
August 13 -  The Mint LA -  Los Angeles, CA
August 14 -  Art Share LA - Los Angeles, CA
August 18 - The Analog Theater and Café - Portland, OR.

'Wreckless Soul' has that classic indie rock feel to it. Guitars are tight and precise as is the blistering rhythm section, whilst the vocals are expressive and deliver a sub three minute rock'n'roller.

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LOVEYOU - Outed The Time.

Background promo - Andrew Stogel took some time away from the outside world after a personal and painful time, and drifted into a dream-pop realm of his own creation. He’s emerged with the band, LOVEYOU.

On the group’s debut, Sparkle & Crush, tucked beneath darkly majestic hooks and hazy shoegaze atmospherics is shrouded enlightenment. These anthems for the introspective helped him through a transformative time. Pull back the mystical layers of sound and meaning of the group’s debut, and there is the raw-nerve emotionality of LOVEYOU’s enigmatic principal songwriter. Stogel recounts, “At the time of recording this album, EP, I felt that my music and how I could affect myself and others with it was a defining force that reanimated me in the face of some personal tragedies. I’m hoping it might have a positive impact on someone.”

His steady ally is drummer and multi-instrumentalist DK, who appears consistently on many tracks and is a charter member of the group’s five-piece live lineup. Sparkle & Crush is a majestic 8-song debut that beneath oblique wordplay offers intimate personal revelation. “Art is healing, for me the intrinsic value of making music comes first. Despite the cluttered feelings and ideas I have about my songs, I would come to realize that they were the right responses to how I was feeling when I wrote them,” he says.

The album bursts open with the jangly Beatles-esque “I Want To (Make You Feel Happiness)” which captures the essence of Stogel’s melancholy pop. The hooks are huge, but there is a sweet longing beneath the sugar high. The sleepy psychedelic confessional “Awake At Last” is a blissed out journey into self-realization that’s both tragic and triumphant. “Outed The Time” is a coming of age song about harsh realities forcing you to go within, look at your life, and make brave changes.  Other standouts include the shoegaze pop of “Your Love Is,” and heavy-lidded closing track, “Fuzzy Logic” For Stogel, his journey in music is inseparable from his growth as a person. Filled with epiphanies and new hope from Sparkle & Crush, he’s already preparing another entry of mind-altering pop.

One of eight very strong songs, 'Outed The Time' from the debut 'Sparkle & Crush' needs a couple of plays to grasp the vocals and absorb the superb musicianship. The band can and do vary the styles and pace of songs, whilst maintaining an overall consistent sound. In all fairness the above overview of the album from the promo we received, is a very fair summary, of a very fine collection of songs.

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The Inconsistent Jukebox Feat Ang Kerfoot - Bold Ego Fledgling.

Background promo - The Inconsistent Jukebox has announced the forthcoming release of a new single ‘Bold Ego Fledgling’, which features vocals by Las Vegas-based Ang Kerfoot, via UK indie label Supersonic Media.

The Inconsistent Jukebox is the solo project of Barry Snaith. This is the Pandora’s Box giving rise to his work with incredible artists from all over the world and engaged in various creative genres - music, paint, surrealist human art, motion graphics, dance and video. As a guitarist, Snaith has toured, gigged and recorded with the likes of The Ramones, Chrissie Hynde, Johnny Thunders, and David Johannsen. As a solo artist, he writes and produces soundscapes that have been used in fashion shows, the UK’s first ever digital fiction installation and much more.

His most recent collaboration, released in June via German boutique label Emerald & Doreen Recordings, is the ‘Radio Boom’ single with Jonathan L, internationally known for decades as a radio show presenter and 2015 Euro DJ Personality of the Year award. Almost impossible to slot into a neat little ‘genre’ box, it’s fair to say that ‘Bold Ego Fledgling’ dishes up a stunning slab of gritty idiosyncratic electro rock, combining distorted glitchy guitars with Kerfoot’s deadpan spoken word turned vocals.

'Bold Ego Fledgling' is musical art. It's a wall of hypnotic sounds, that are wonderfully layered together. In the right mood, with the volume belting the song out, it's a total aural delight.

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Midweek Double: Cling - Saints Patience

Cling - The Maze.

Background - Cling are an Essex based duo who formed in 2006 and consist of Susi Lavender (Vocals) and Gerald Patient on Programming and Production. Cling came to recognition from their music making appearances in the cult favourite "Welcome To The Scene". Cling pushed harder, and in 2007, started playing live at some of the top music venues in Europe!

Cling released their music video "Beyond Your Dreams" which gathered 47K hits on YouTube in under 2 weeks and the duo then proceeded to have their music used in adverts for ASICS Europe (JD Sports trainer advert)  and North Face Clothing. Cling's latest release was produced at Cling studio, Essex and is a Drum and Bass Influenced track entitled "The Maze" which is available as a free download via Soundcloud. Cling is a band that has accomplished many feats in their career; some milestones major, others personal.

Whilst Drum & Bass may not feature heavily on Beehive Candy 'The Maze' just grabbed my attention. On this specific song Susi Lavender's vocals remind me in part of Debbie Harry in her heyday, and the juxtaposition of her vocals and the superbly produced soundtrack make for something very special. The good news is it's a great song and nobody need witness me trying to dance to it!

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Saints Patience - Break of Dawn.

Background words - About ‘Break Of Dawn’ Appropriately for a song of such positive intent – the championing of taking risks, living life to the full and immersing yourself in the present – ‘Break Of Dawn’ revolves around a supremely uplifting chorus that will inspire many a communal singalong. This addictive classic-rock anthem kicks off with a choppy guitar riff straight out of a Keith Richards masterclass, to which strident drums, rolling bass and potent synths are expertly attached. Singer Mudibu’s lung-busting, heart-lifting soul vocal implores us to “dance until the sun will rise” as ‘Break Of Dawn’ erupts into an arms-aloft, arena-sized behemoth given a contemporary electro-funk edge by swathes of overdriven synthesizer.

About Saints Patience “We’ve created something epic, something exciting and captivating.” Essentially the project of two London-based musicians, multi-instrumentalist Spencer and vocalist Mudibu, Saints Patience place melody and groove front and centre in a thrilling audio format that mixes the classic and the contemporary by following the lead of such timeless artists as Queen, Otis Redding, Led Zeppelin and The Wailers. Their songs are cohesive amalgamations of Spencer’s prolific guitar jams and improv sessions in his home studio, which Mudibu, formerly of Mantilla, Lostchild and The Jezebel Sextet, enhances via his rich and powerful voice. This intuitive pair – “You know it’s good when you just look at each other and smile” – have now collected the best of their writings into a vibrant full-length album (to be released later in 2016), recorded using minimal gear at Spencer’s studio and thus exuding a fresh and dynamic analogue vibe. All this as Saints Patience are recruiting additional band members to perform the artisanal instrumental parts in a live setting and take this charismatic show on the road. As Mudibu says of the process, “When everything comes together, I know it and feel it running through me." Rest assured that everything is definitely coming together for Saints Patience, and it is coming together apace. Consider ‘Break Of Dawn’ your introduction.

'Break of Dawn' has all the hallmarks of a two man rock outfit, with an intense and powerful sound, great clarity between the instruments and a considerable amount of energy. This is a potent song, the vocals are just so right for this type of music, and for me, this is a real barnstormer.

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Quality Not Quantity: The Swagger - Digging Roots

The Swagger - EP.

Background promo - The Swagger, an original London grit-rock band, has announced their forthcoming debut EP, which was produced by Graham Bonnar (Swervedriver / The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and recorded at the renowned Konk Studios (founded by Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks) in North London. Slated for release digitally and on CD on July 22, this EP features four tracks from the arsenal of songs they've been performing around the UK. They've picked these particular tracks from an archive of about 100 they've written to date.

Hailing from Hornsey, North London, The Swagger originally formed in March 2012. The band is now made up of two brothers - Lee Stevens (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Paul Stevens (lead guitar, back vocals), along with mates Will O’Connell (bass guitar) and Roger Malaquias (drums). The band originally recorded the demos at Tigersonic Studios (Holloway, North London) in late 2015 with co-producer Felix Macintosh, and pretty soon found their way to Konk Studios in Hornsey, North London to record with engineer Josh Green and guitar tech Brendan Quinn. Both The Swagger and The Kinks are local to this area.

The Swagger are among the few bands privileged enough to record at Konk Studios with bands like The Stone Roses, The Kooks, Blur, Franz Ferdinand, Bombay Bicycle Club, Elvis Costello, Steve Winwood, and the Bee Gees having recorded here over the years. The Swagger's debut EP was mixed and mastered by Pat Collier (Vibrators) at Perry Vale Studios in South London. Neil Barrie designed the EP artwork, website and logo. The Swagger will be heading back into the studio at the end of 2016 to start work on their debut album, which is planned for release in 2017. In the meantime, they will be playing various gigs, including the Musicians Against Homelessness concert being organized by legendary Creation Records’ boss Alan Mcgee.

July 23 - The Cavendish Arms, 128 Hartington Road, Stockwell, London
August 27 - The Islington, 1 Tolpuddle Street, Angel, London
October 1 - Musicians Against Homelessness, organized by Alan Mcgee @ T.Chances, Tottenham High Road, London.

Four really good songs on the debut EP suggests The Swagger have a considerable amount of talent, ideas and an already well developed grit rock sound. The band are upfront about their influences which range from The Kinks to The Who via plenty of other bands, however I keep the references short, so as not to diminish the bands superb debut, featured in full below.

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Digging Roots - For the Light.

Background promo - Digging Roots has an answer to the gun violence plaguing the world today: more love, more truth, more music. “I think we can use the word ‘epidemic’ when it comes to gun violence in society today,” says Singer ShoShona Kish of Digging Roots whose powerful and inspirational new video AK-47 calls for an end to violence and oppression through love and understanding.

Digging Roots is a post-psychedelic-blues group, consisting of husband and wife duo Raven Kanatakta and ShoShona Kish, whose music is a love making blend of roots-rock-reggae & hip-hop-blues. Formed in 2004, the duo released their first album Seeds in 2006. The album was a nominee for the Aboriginal Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2007. They followed with We Are in 2009, which featured collaborations with Tanya Tagaq, DJ Bear Witness of A Tribe Called Red and Kinnie Starr, who also co-produced the album. We Are won the Juno Award for Aboriginal Album of the Year in 2010. Their most recent third album, For The Light was also was nominated for a Juno Award and the single 'Hwy 17' was awarded the Cobalt Prize for original blues composition at the Maple Blues Awards in Canada. Digging Roots has toured across Canada, the US, Mexico, Europe and recently performed in Australia with highlight performances at the Sydney Opera House and the famous Bryon Bay Bluesfest.

“There’s an Anishinabek word in the chant at the end of the song that distills it all for me,” says ShoShona, “Nizoogide’e”, it means “My heart is a stronghold.” AK-47 is about opening fire on hate, oppression and violence, both lateral and physical. Not with bullets and guns but with the full force of love. Cynics might say that we’re naive but to me it’s the only rational way forward. This song is a proposition that its time to stop oppression and the violence against one another, against ourselves and against the land.” The song AK-47 is available for public download on iTunes. 

2016 Canadian Summer tour dates include:
July 8, Cultura Festival, Toronto, ON
July 9-10 2016, Northern Lights Festival Boréal, Sudbury, ON
July 16, 2016, Wild Mountain Music Festival, Hinton, AB
July 23, 2016, Great Northern Arts Festival, Inuvik, NT
August 4, 2016, Montreal First Peoples Festival, Montréal, QC
August 5-7, 2016, Edmonton Folk Festival, Edmonton, AB
August 10, 2016, TBA, Winnipeg, MB
August 19-21, 2016, Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival, Salmon Arm, BC

The video for AK-47 is featured on our BeeVids page and is really worth a look and listen. Also however, I was struck by how good their current album is, and wanted to feature a track from that as well. The band adopt differing styles and genres with ease, keeping the listener in expectation of whats next. Rootsy acoustic blues competes with anything from psychedelic to reggae influences. All in all it's a great listen, and albeit a late discovery for me, but nonetheless a good one.

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Monday Double: JP Klipspringer - Todd Dorigo

JP Klipspringer - Can't Be (Album Edit).

Background promo - Melbourne songwriter and producer JP Klipspringer returns with his biggest effort of 2016, the infectious and sinister pop-ballad “Can’t Be”.

2015 saw Klipspringer release his second EP, Din Deafening, with lead single “I Blame Carl Weathers” enjoying solid airtime on triple j and other community stations across Australia. Two mini east-coast tours later and Klipspringer’s music is gaining the attention of more and more punters nation- wide.

Produced by local stalwart Simon Lam (Kllo, I’lls), “Can’t Be” demonstrates Klipspringer’s keen ability to craft arresting and dynamic indie tunes. Partially inspired by the first season of cult US television series True Detective, and written after backpacking through America’s southern states in 2014, “Can’t Be” is equal parts sugar and melancholy; a story of lust and malevolent intentions set in the overbearing heat of New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Can’t Be” is a fresh cut from Klipspringer’s debut full-length album, set for release in September 2016. Details of a national tour to celebrate the release of the album are to be shared in the coming months. “Can’t Be” will be released 15th of July 2016.

'Can't Be' is one of those must play again songs for me. It's melodic and develops a really dreamy vibe, or is that me not understanding what the prearranged signal is (you have to listen). Production is spot on and JP's vocals are a real treat.

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Todd Dorigo - Backdrop To Boredom.

Background promo - It’s the small town blues like perhaps we’ve not heard it before – ever so slightly narcissistic, but with the sink or swim swagger that saw Todd Dorigo land in the big smoke. He emerges with new single ‘Backdrop To Boredom’, with its opening refrain – “Long live me…Time to leave” – serving one hell of an introduction to Dorigo’s booming baritone and steadfast backbeat. Stream/embed ‘Backdrop To Boredom’ below...

“The song was written at a time when I left my home town up north for London,” he explains. “Middlewich wasn’t exactly the melting pot of creativity and I had been playing in Manchester and Liverpool for years cutting my teeth. Everyone seemed to be on the well-trodden path to stability, and I wasn’t really interested. “Chasing my passion for music seemed like two-fingers up to my education and to any well-intended guidance I’d ever received. At the time, I think I was so desperate to shake things up and make things happen that the thought of comfort frustrated me as it suggested a lack of movement or progression.”

Born of modest Middlewich, ‘Backdrop To Boredom’ soundtracks the new Burberry campaign launching this month, in which Dorigo also features. It’s not the first time he’s flirted with high-end fashion, having (somewhat reluctantly) fallen into a Vogue shoot alongside Suki Waterhouse when she saw him sound-checking before a show at The Troubadour in London. ‘Backdrop To Boredom’ marks Todd Dorigo’s first official release, via London-based singles club 0E0E (pronounced ‘Naughty Naughty’) and hints to the forthcoming release of a debut EP later this year.

'Backdrop To Boredom' showcases Todd's distinctive and pleasing baritone vocals. It's also a very good rock song, with a thumping bassline and drums along with super tight guitar playing.

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Quality Not Quantity: Scatter Factory - Yassassin - Tammy

Scatter Factory - Out the Blocks.

Background -  Scatter Factory presents the new single 'Out The Blocks' from the forthcoming self-titled debut album. Set for release via Flecktone Recordings, this track delivers us a motorik, ghostly and infectious roller-skate bass groove.

This is the solo project of Will Foster, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and arranger who was a member of acclaimed art-pop band Delicatessen, as well as Top 40 hit-scoring Lodger in the 1990s. He has since written string arrangements for acts under Simon Raymonde’s guardianship, been a touring keyboardist / guitarist with Martina Topley-Bird, Brett Anderson/ Bernard Butler reunion vehicle The Tears, and Heather Nova.  Since 2008, Will has been regularly touring and recording as keyboardist with The Fratellis. Foster neatly sums up his shift in position: “I’m still in the background – but now there’s nobody else there with me.”

Suede’s Brett Anderson, with whom he toured in support of his solo album, describes Scatter Factory's music as “beautiful stuff”. Scatter Factory is an eloquent instrumental album that manages to be both vividly imagistic and intriguingly open-ended, playing as a set piece while ranging across pastoral tranquillity, cosmic spookiness and indeterminate dread. Composed, played, produced and mixed by Foster at his home in Oxford, this album features an array of electronica, pianos, guitars and percussion, while also making imaginative use of field recordings and treated sounds.

‘Scatter Factory’ is a non-prescriptive record that poses more questions than it provides answers and artist James Marsh, renowned for his Talk Talk album covers, has responded to this with a striking, retro-futurist graphic design for the cover artwork. It’s bold and dynamic in a way that befits someone flying solo for the first time, even if they are obscured by clouds. From the nine tracks featured on the LP, one other track ‘PowWow’ (edited version) is available for free download and streaming on Bandcamp. Its mix of light-filled lyricism and downright eeriness illustrates Foster’s knack for shifting mood, as well as pace and tone.

As of July 22, ‘Scatter Factory’ will be widely available through digital stores and also as a handsome digipak CD.

From the forthcomingg self titled album we have 'Out the Blocks', a piece of music than merges elements of Neu!, Kraftwerk and even Can, and yet still has plenty of vibrant originality. This is an incredible album, and whilst I'm name dropping you can comfortably add Vangelis and Mercury Rev into the equation. Some of the music is gently melodic, other tracks leaning towards experimental ideas without being self indulgent, and beyond that you have the steady hypnotic beat of early Krautrock. Collectively this is simply wonderful music, and a must listen for anyone who has a taste for any of the above artists.  

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Yassassin - Social Politics.

Background - Kinetic quintet Yassassin are probably the kind of colourful chaos that you need right about now. With all guns blazing, no exceptions made and nothing left unsaid, Yassassin premiere their debut single ‘Social Politics’. The single is mixed by Margo Broom (Fat White Family, Telegram) and will be available as a limited free download and then released via Enate Records (distributed by PIAS) on all digital platforms in July.

Following successful stints in other bands including The History of Apple Pie and LUST, Yassassin combine insistent, loud-mouthed guitars and throaty bass murmurs with ear-dwelling, pop perfection.

The single is a true reflection of the girls’ ideologies and doing things the Yassassin way. Extrapolating further, they suggest that: ''Social Politics is about standing up to the bullies, both in personal life and in today's society. It's about not always fitting the norm but daring to go your own way. It’s about rebelling against the ‘zombie scene,’ which could be either a social clique where only certain people are accepted, or a society where racism is becoming more glaringly visible.” After just stepping out of the studio with producer Dave Allen (The Cure, Neneh Cherry, Depeche Mode), the band are set to release their debut EP later in the year.

Tuesday 9th August - The Waiting Room, London (w/ Labradoor).

'Social Politics' is a totally likeable indie rock, come jangle pop song. Vocals are part raw and part refined and the harmonies just add melody and beautiful hooks. With a message in the lyrics, and upbeat energy it's one very fine single.

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Tammy - Hated It (With You).

Background - Two people, one name and a wholly captivating style is the simplest way to describe the breakthrough Sex-Folk duo, Tammy. Members Aaron and Brooke, who met for the first time at a New York bar called Ioana, possess the kind of undeniable chemistry that brings to mind some of the most beloved American folk duos, like Simon & Garfunkel and Dylan and Baez. Aaron’s bouncy acoustic riffs provide the perfect backdrop for Brooke’s sweet yet sultry, honey-soaked vocals, giving Tammy its truly original and unforgettable sound.

Today, Tammy reveals their debut single, "Hated It (With You)." Of inspiration for the candid single, Tammy says, "Brooke had a bad breakup and they starting writing hate songs to make her feel better.” “Hated It” is about trying to forget the bad, walking in the sunshine, and ultimately, moving on. The bridge presents the man who has been left behind, admitting to his loneliness and distress, in a rare moment of clarity. The response of the woman is fittingly unforgiving. She only offers the hopeful image of her pink shoes, along with the simple admission that she "really f##kin' hates you."

Influenced by everyone from Burt Bacharach to Nirvana, both Aaron and Brooke began developing their musicality at the age of four. Now, as Tammy, they draw inspiration from their experiences as New Yorkers. And as Brooke puts it, “We can’t wait to keep singing and writing songs about love, hate and making out.”

Oh what a timeless and beautiful song 'Hated It (With You)' is. It's hard to know what to add beyond the press release above, which is refreshingly accurate. It's a pristine modern folk/pop song with plenty of natural emotion and feeling.

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