Wednesday, 1 July 2020

Aaron Burdett - Ceder - Rex - Carmanah - The Highway Women

Aaron Burdett latest single 'Dirt Poor' has now had a video added, the song itself is a refined mixture of Americana and folk, the imagery adding even more to the story line. === Ceder has shared a new and dreamy song 'Closer' her indie pop sensibilities are superb as is the production on this track. === Rex have now released their self titles E.P 'Rex' comprising of five tracks, we have already shared a couple of them, the full collection living up to all the high expectations. === We have already featured two songs by Carmanah this year and now we have 'Stand Up' taken from their forthcoming album 'Iris', the melodic and beautiful vibes are once again present and wonderful. === The Highway Women have a brand new video for 'Shake The Dust' which came out a week or so back, the bands vocal harmonies and mixed vocals are simply stunning.
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Aaron Burdett - Dirt Poor.

Aaron Burdett has released a video for his song "Dirt Poor". The latest single from the award-winning songwriter, "Dirt Poor" is recorded with a lean, yet irresistibly rhythmic acoustic sound. It’s an authentic, clear-eyed but loving look at the distance between yesterday and today.

“This new video for ‘Dirt Poor’ is shot at my childhood home, where my folks still live. It includes old scrapbook photos of my family and their friends, interspersed with shots of my daughter playing in the same places and in the same way my brothers and I did back in the ’80s'. "To me, this song at depth is about nostalgia and aging and time. Things are totally different now, but also the same as they were way back when. As hard as it is to remember to do, we should all try to cherish the moment we’re in now, today. It may well be what we’re looking back on years down the road as the ‘good old days.’ Hope you enjoy it!”

Aaron Burdett’s lyrics are soul-touching, intelligent, witty, and poetic all at once, while his music style is a seamless blend of Americana, country, blues, bluegrass, and folk.

Aaron is listed as one of the Top 10 most important musicians of western North Carolina by WNC Magazine, alongside such greats as Doc Watson, Steep Canyon Rangers, and The Avett Brothers. He has also received critical acclaim as a songwriter, Most recently winning the grand prize in the folk category of the USA Songwriting Contest with “A Couple Broken Windows” from his latest album Refuge (2018). His new single “Rockefeller” is one of three finalists in the bluegrass category In the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest for 2020 (postponed until 2021).

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Ceder - Closer.

Ceder, 25, is a Swedish singer/songwriter and producer. She writes honest indie-pop with ear-catching melodies.

The ambient textures paired with her dynamic and vulnerable voice takes you on an emotional trip amplified by the creative arrangement and production choices.

"Closer" is a chill indie-pop song based on harmonies and emotions. It's about when you're seeing someone but the timing is off. You want that person closer, but if you do, you might fall in love. Written and produced by the Swedish artist and producer, Ced.


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Rex - Rex (E.P).

Known for post punk, new wave and Spanish rhythms, the Amsterdam-based band Rex explore topics on the darker side of life. In a chaotic whirlwind of lost love, loneliness and companionship, the band are soon to release their self-titled debut EP ‘Rex’ which will be available from 26th June 2020.

Despite sharing the same influential interests from the likes of The Bad Seeds, Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen, the bands idiosyncratic sound stems from their own musical backgrounds. Frontman, and guitarist Jonathan Rex was born with flamenco in his blood, while Drummer Nout Kooij was raised as a die-hard punk, and Bass player Sara Elzinga was introduced to blues music before she could walk.

Opener ‘Palaces’ embraces love and death and the many facets in-between; the band say, “it’s the sorrow of loss and powerlessness you feel when someone close to you steps out, and how to continue on with your dreams.”

‘Lovers Like We Used To Be’ is a sensational blend of mellifluous guitar riffs and lead singer Jonathan’s robust vocals. Subjected around hopeless romanticism and resentment, they tell us “It’s a story that happens on a certain night, when you think it’s better to leave a person because all that you have done together is repetitive. You’re left feeling frustrated, but soon realise that it’s your own patterns that causes the friction.”

Elsewhere on in the record, focus post-punk track ‘hondje’ is a story told through the perspective of a dog and the bittersweet relationship that he shares with his companion. Discussing further, they say “The dog’s best friend has returned to him after time apart; someone he has really missed. Although the dog is glad to his friend, something is different. He follows his owner to the same bars and then a tragedy occurs. Together they want a change, but then he realizes it’s too late.”

Dark ballad ‘Dm’ deals with a troublesome male calling for his lost lover. Expanding on the story, Rex say “His lover tells him that they can only be together if he chooses to cross the ‘other side’ where she will be waiting for him. Knowing that he will have to cross the river to the land of the dead, insanity starts to creep in.” While ‘Punk por buleria’ wrestles between desire and aversion. Explaining further, the band tell us: “It’s like being trapped in a game; where you can only escape by playing it. There are no winners or losers, but you’re still attracted to it, whilst loathing it. It makes you feel a deep loneliness."


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Carmanah - Stand Up.

Like the rainforests from which their name derives, the steady beat of the west coast can be found in the sound of Carmanah. The band’s first album, Speak in Rhythms produced two #1 CBC Music tracks, setting the tone for their west coast sound.

With one album behind them and one ahead, Carmanah crafts a vintage blend of the intuitive and the technical; a blend that lies somewhere among roots, rock and blues — all seamlessly woven together by Laura Mina Mitic’s soulfully luminous vocals.

The band just released a new single from their upcoming album, Iris. “Stand Up” is a kind of lullaby for anyone who sometimes feels like the world is weighing them down.

The track was intended to be a little cheeky, but the song was also written as a simple wish for love to prevail and for all the haters to just sit down and listen.


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The Highway Women - Shake The Dust.

The Highway Women release a new music video for their most recent single “Shake The Dust” which released on June 19, 2020.  The all-women band are following the release of their stunning single with an equally compelling video for their fans.

The music video for "Shake The Dust" is a triumphant call to action completing their 3 song trilogy of the Highway Women's music journey in the music industry. "Stand Up and Fight" inspires the listener to find their voice and courageously fight for what they believe in. "God Made Me Right" is a beautiful statement of victory that everyone is beautiful and perfectly made. "Shake The Dust" completes the message of empowerment and encourages action in making their mission and dreams come true.

“In the newly released music video for “Shake the Dust”, the Highway Women tell the story of how they have indeed, shaken the dust, and pursued the life they wanted. This video points out that following your dream isn’t always easy but it’s always worth it. The group showcases the reliance on faith they have to walk into the great unknowns as the lyrics “sometimes it takes a leap of faith” play over the image of them joining together in prayer. It is a beautiful visual addition that enhances the musicality and lyrics in “Shake the Dust”.

Shake the Dust is a call to action for every former prom queen, previous football quarterback, and anyone who has ever been apprehensive to follow a dream. In contrast to previous releases this song is meant to intimately come alongside listeners and gently say "you can do this". Featuring familiar acoustic guitar sounds and powerful electric guitar riffs this single blends musical elements that echo its lyrical message." - Aria Mae (Music Update Central).

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Monday, 29 June 2020

Westberg - Sam Valdez - Maps & His Mothball Fleet

Westberg have released 'Simple' today and the duo are powerful and hard to ignore from the opening moments with the clarity of their sound, along with a good few hooks throughout the track. === Sam Valdez has been featured here a couple of times in the past and her new song 'Clean' reminded me immediately of just why, her music exudes natural passion and addictive vibes. === Maps & His Mothball Fleet have also released a new single today with the charming 'Coastal Living' and it's a song that has elements of yacht rock alongside some deeper more emotional and absorbing features.
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Westberg - Simple.

Westberg, the Gen X duo of Ariel Westberg and Scott Bruzenak (aka Noisecastle III), wanted to get back to simple. That didn’t mean their usual experimentation was off the table: they collected melodic fragments and blended some of their hallmark eclectic harmonic detours that still ended up in several songs on the resultant album, Boomer Studies, due out Sept 18.

The first single off the album, coincidentally titled “Simple” is a generous reflection on aging gracefully, by a musical collaboration still a long way from being done creating surprises for their listeners. “Simple” is released today June 29.

Focused on pure, classic American songwriting, Westberg and RIAA-certified multi-platinum pop/electronic producer Bruzenak decidedly went “negative but nice this time around.” The former latchkey kids know how to raid their mental closets for musical shoebox memories. The conspicuous result on this album is the song, “Simple,” which features the multi ranging Westberg’s intentionally “bone dry” vocals strolling through a canopy of big guitar exclamation points that will be familiar to Tom Petty fans.

Though Westberg often surprises by taking on characters and tones in her songs as the music shifts gears, here she summons the easy strains emanating through the suburbs from a car radio in the 90’s to channel innocence and plain love of our time. Recognizing the duo’s inclination to complicate and layer, Westberg chose a quieter, lyrical intimacy to relate: In my younger days / I had a lot of things to say / And I’d do it all the hard way / Didn’t care if it was complicated/ Didn’t care if I was compensated.


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Sam Valdez - Clean.

Sam Valdez shares, "Clean is a love song in a way but it’s more about being drawn to self destruction. It’s about finding comfort in uncertainty and appreciating the darker qualities in someone as well as the good."

Sam Valdez’s immersive indie-rock sensibility reflects her childhood growing up at the edge of the Nevada desert, and her formative musical experiences as a child violinist. The mystery, beauty, and haunting quality of desert life has shaped the LA-based artist’s sense of dreamy textures, and her flair for abstract but emotive lyrics. Classical music’s majesty has informed her imaginative arrangements, and cinematic sense of dynamics.

Sam has melded in an intriguing blend of shoe-gaze, Americana, indie-rock, and pop into a signature aesthetic. Select career highlights thus far include garnering rave reviews in Clash Music, Consequence of Sound, and Earmilk; earning heavy rotation from KCRW for multiple singles; and opening tours for Stella Donnelly, Cayucas, and Giant Rooks.

“I’ve always tried to write from the most genuine place that I can, but, lately, and with this record, I’ve been working on sharing more sides of my views and emotions,” Sam details.

A feeling of 1960s nostalgic balladry courses through many of thesongs on Sam’s debut. She says:”  Melancholic, comforting and thought provoking is what I look forin music and what I feel and hope comes across in mine.” The album’s first single, “Toothache,” is a reverb-dipped slow burner glowering with sensual vocals and a twist on a breakup narrative. Here, the feeling is a longing to reconnect with one’s sense of self post romantic rupture.


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Maps & His Mothball Fleet - Coastal Living.

Maps & His Mothball Fleet announces the release of the yacht rock single “Coastal Living” on June 29. The sun-drenched boy-girl harmonies flirt at summer romance within a melodic haze. “Coastal Living” is the first single off the upcoming album, GULF, due out on August 21 on Azteca Records.

Matt Wanamaker, the heart behind Maps & His Mothball Fleet wrote and recorded the vocals, percussion, and some acoustic guitar for a number of songs on a combination of his phone and handheld tape dictation while working overseas in Afghanistan in 2013. When he went back to sea again in 2018 he wrote over 50 more songs. “Coastal Living” is a warm sea salt kissed single born from those demos. Hayley Richardson joins Wanamaker in a bright call-and-response harmony telling the story of a beach hermit surprised with a love note from a lost love, urging him to take a risk and pursue her. Wanamaker paints a picture from a musical pallet shaded in sunset hues.

As the world tiptoes into a post-pandemic way of life, feelings of anxiety and hesitation are amplified by distance from family and friends. Wanamaker experienced all of these emotions in international isolation. While feelings of isolation might not be unfamiliar for those in the military, the feeling of trying to reconnect afterward is. He explains, “The album describes the feeling of physical separation I had while away and the distance that I was trying to deal with upon coming home.” The album is called GULF not only because it was written along the Gulf of Mexico and the Persian Gulf, but to describe that tangible separation and the ravine of emotional distance that come along with it.

The songs on GULF remain centered on a particular lo-fi aesthetic, prompted by the time and place for which it was recorded as much as by when it was embellished. These homespun nuances become an honest first-person account hidden by the melodies and stories that Wanamaker managed to produce all alone at night…once again adrift at sea.


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Sunday, 28 June 2020

Geoff Gibbons - Feng Suave - The Danberrys

Geoff Gibbons new song 'Keep On Driving' has just been shared, we have to go back to November 2017 for our last feature, however this is a wonderful reminder of his talented song writing and beautiful delivery. ===  Dutch duo Feng Suave have a new E.P 'Warping Youth' comprising of six wonderful tracks where timeless soulful moments and exquisite bedroom pop merge and create something very special. === The Danberrys make their third appearance here this year with the new single 'Undertow' ahead of next months album release and again the duos varied Americana, is simply gorgeous.
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Geoff Gibbons - Keep On Driving.

Vancouver-based Roots/Folk Rock artist Geoff Gibbons is a true storyteller, armed with that rare narrative combination of humility, compassion, and troubador wisdom. His songs are melodic and wholly relatable.

Much like Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen's music, when Geoff Gibbons writes songs, they somehow seem destined for the open road. His new single "Keep on Driving", out now on all platforms, speaks on a theme that most of us have experienced.

About "Keep on Driving": In these times of uncertainty “Keep On Driving” is a longing for freedom. Caught in the well-worn circle of day to day survival… I wondered what would happen if I didn’t turn in the driveway and just kept going. It speaks to life in general.. The smallest move or gesture can completely change the direction of a life. We forget we have control over those moves every minute.. as fear and comfort often hold us where we are.


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Feng Suave - Warping Youth (E.P).

Dutch duo Feng Suave have just released their new EP 'Warping Youth'. The Amsterdam-hailing ensemble consisting Daniël Schoemaker and Daniël de Jong toe the line between Bill Withers-esque ‘70s soul and quarter-life crisis bedroom-pop.

2020 has seen the Dutch dyad release a string of impressive singles. "Toking, Dozing" and "Maybe Another Time" - the first two tastes of the new EP, secured support from Billboard, Complex, Notion and Lauren Laverne on BBC 6 Music.

Feng Suave are as well-versed with the greats as with current contemporaries like HOMESHAKE or Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Like a lens flare, these influences of the old and new refract and form their own heavily evocative and hazy marque of hypnagogic pop. Previous releases were championed by Iggy Pop on his BBC 6 Music show during their 2019 tour with Khruangbin (their self-titled debut EP in 2017 which featured tracks "Sink Into The Floor" and "Honey, There’s No Time", followed by standalone single "Venus Flytrap" in 2018).

Vaulting their original brand of bedroom-pop and arming themselves with razor-sharp wit on some of the themes on the forthcoming EP, Feng Suave are both lyrically intimate and sardonic. On the new EP, 'Warping Youth', the band said; “We aimed at distancing ourselves from the contemporary ‘bedroom’ sound of our first releases and tried to stay true to the music we like, listen to and admire the most; more organic-sounding, classic songs. Thematically, the songs are about coming of age and the directionless wandering through adolescence that comes with it.”


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The Danberrys - Undertow.

Nashville’s The Danberrys are somehow both charmingly old-world and very much of this moment. The married couple’s rich pastoral blues and muscly folk evoke the big-hearted storytelling of pioneering giants like the Carter Family but could only come now, as a mixed offshoot of roots music’s ever-growing family tree.

In 2009, the two recorded singer/guitarist DeBerry DeBerry’s original material together on a whim, and The Danberrys were born. More than a decade later, six Independent Music Award nominations, including two nods for best Americana album and one for best EP, punctuate their résumé. Their 2016 LP Give & Receive earned serious acclaim, and the pair’s fourth album, Shine, sails past the high expectations that ensued. Produced by ace drummer Marco Giovino (Band of Joy, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller) and executive produced by Brian Brinkerhoff, Shine captures the Danberrys’ fiercely guarded independence––and revels in it. Singer Daniel Daniel’s commanding voice roars low and high––an ideally nuanced partner for DeBerry’s subtly virtuosic guitar playing. For the first time in their career, the two co-wrote every song together, pulling in the help of a third songwriter on a handful of the tracks.

Their unforced creative approach is on triumphant display on Shine, the twelve-song collection reveals a pair of artists putting years of passionate study in bluegrass, blues, funk, folk, gospel, and pop to brilliant use: conversational stories and metaphorical sketches of the natural world rest on beds of complex bluesy folk. “I’ve always loved music that makes you guess what it’s about,” Daniel says. “We want our songs to be vague enough that they could be interpreted to mean different things.”

“We could spell it out,” DeBerry adds. “But we’re bored with the obvious.”

The title track kicks off the album with moody, guitar-punched swagger. Darkness sets the stage only to give way to the light Daniel and DeBerry refuse to stop seeking. “The song is a reminder––a daily mantra,” Daniel says. “How do you get through today and continue to grow and let go of all the things from your past that want to keep you down and keep you from being who you really are in the world?” Beginning with only Daniel’s voice, which is soon joined by DeBerry’s somber electric guitar, “The Mountain” addresses similar life-affirming themes. The incomparable Darrell Scott adds backing vocals to the track, which grooves as it soars.


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Saturday, 27 June 2020

Hermitess - Mark Lofgren - Wyatt C. Louis - Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards

Hermitess has just shared 'Followers' along with a video. We have to go back to 2017 since we last crossed paths, however the new song is exquisite and a good reintroduction to the very talented musician Jennifer Crighton. === Mark Lofgren has released a new album 'Black Moon Book' which is streaming in full below, along with a video for one of the tracks 'You Are Just Not Alone' which makes for a good feel for this bedroom pop (and more) collection. === Wyatt C. Louis just released 'Dancing With Sue' and it's a beautifully flowing Americana song where soulful vibes and refined musicianship rub shoulders. === Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards were featured last month and they are back with another new song 'Typhoon' and again their mixture of roots and folk music is wonderfully crafted and just plain beautiful.
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Hermitess - Followers.

Hermitess is the solo project of songwriter, visual artist and harpist Jennifer Crighton. Dreaming simultaneously in music and images, her projects are often approached with the sensibility of curator, intent on a carefully imagined collection of collaborators, stories and set pieces. Sonically, layered orchestral textures, choral voices, and pedal driven magic conjuring a fever dream.

Delicate harp lines loop and tangle into an intricate latticework of rhythm and melody, while unfamiliar sounds and unplaceable textures enrich the arrangements. Over this sonic foundation, Crighton sings in the voice of her adopted character, the words part story and part incantation. The lyrics question and caution the listener, walking the line between dreams and nightmares.

Jennifer studied Jazz music at Vancouver Island University before finishing a degree in drawing with a focus on performative art at Alberta University of Arts. While finishing her degree she put on DIY immersive shows and hosted numerous touring bands under the guise of the Summerwood Warren, later embarking on a tour of house venues down the coast of California with orchestral indie pop band The Consonant C. She went on to perform with Deadhorse/Devonian Gardens, touring Canada and the US. In 2017 she released the self titled Hermitess LP which she wrote in an isolated cabin during a residency Northern Michigan, and recorded with John Hornak at Audities Studio in Bearspaw Alberta.

The Tower EP is the Hermitess’s follow-up to the sparse and crystalline self titled, Recorded during a residency at the National Music Center with Elisa Pangsaeng producing, it inhabits a world considerably less removed from society, sharing all the mixed emotions and misgivings of navigating an industrialized modern world.

Still apparent is the rich cast of musical collaborators featuring unique instrumentation, and a particular knack for writing songs that conjure timely cinematic parables of life.

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Mark Lofgren - Black Moon Book (Album).

Mark Lofgren's second solo effort Black Moon Book is out now and streaming at Bandcamp.

Like most musicians operating under the new normal, Mark Lofgren (The Luck of Eden Hall, The Thin Cherries) has been spending time in his home studio crafting intimate recordings.

Black Moon Book, an album of exquisite bedroom pop that touches on memory, isolation and, most explicitly, the healing power of hope and love, follows his 2014 solo debut, The Past Perfect.

Lofgren is one of the founders of psychedelic pop/rock mainstays The Luck of Eden Hall, who have toured Europe and released music on a variety of independent labels, including Headspin Records and Fruits de Mer Records.


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Wyatt C. Louis - Dancing With Sue.

Wyatt C. Louis is a Cree-Métis folk singer-songwriter, based in Moh’kinstsís (Calgary). He has made an impact on the eclectic city with songs built from soaring melodies, railroad-like finger picking and quiet, haunting vocals and lyrical phrasing.

Dark, rustic tales meld folk and soulful blues to tell tales of love, loss and the journey home. They’re beautiful, subtle creations that juxtapose emotions, striking imagery and experiences that charm and envelop listeners. The sweet and intimate EP On a Journey for the Long Run (2017), had earned him airplay on CBC, CKUA and campus radio across Canada.

Louis’ upcoming release, “Dancing With Sue,” evokes the feeling of nostalgia, and yearning for the times in our lives where we feel the happiest and most free. Captured effortlessly through warm tones and colourful song writing.

The song is dedicated to supportive friends whom he met through various music collectives. “Dancing with Sue” is the first piece of Louis’ new album coming in fall 2020, released via Canadian label, Slow Weather.


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Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards - Typhoon.

Expanding on the boundaries of what an indie-folk band can be, Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards add a lightness and pop sensibility on their upcoming album, BITTER BETTER. This week, they're premiering a video for their song "Typhoon," which was filmed during album sessions in Cortese adopted home of Ghent, Belgium.

BITTER BETTER will be released on July 17 on Compass Records, with the band joining The Mountain Goats for fall US dates. A stunning lesson in all the ways string instruments can be played – bowed, plucked, percussively – combined with lush vocal harmonies, BITTER BETTER showcases Cortese and multi-instrumentalist producer Sam Kassirer (Lula Wiles, Lake Street Dive) striving to capture the most adventurous approach to each moment. The result is an album that incorporates dance-worthy foundational grooves, synth, and loops to push the boundaries of the genre.

“Everything is so heavy in the world right now,” Cortese says, who’s been living in Belgium the past two years. “When someone comes to our show, listens to this album, or hears one of the songs, I want it to feel like relief and release.”

When it came time to record, the band and Kassirer joined forces with  percussionist and engineer D. James Goodwin; together they completely dismantled the idea of how a string band “should” sound.

“There was a lot to feel hopeless about, big political changes and taking to the streets to protest. Friends had been marching weekly since January 20th and I could see our energy and optimism waning. I wanted to remind us to take care of ourselves and reconnect with hope and joy as the longer days returned.”

While the album’s 11 tracks provide relief and release, they also encourage self-examination and personal discovery—the work that is necessary to sustain the energy needed to keep striving, to connect, and to continue to make our complicated world a better place. With BITTER BETTER, Laura Cortese & The Dance Cards throw out the rule book, creating a beautifully vivid, musically unexpected canvas from their refreshingly unconventional perspective.

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Friday, 26 June 2020

Vilde - NKOS - Tali Shear - Hannah Scott - Freak Heat Waves

Vilde have just released their new album 'Atopia' which is streaming in full below along with 'Splutter' taken from the collection, a song that makes for a fine indicator of the wonderful quality and beauty that is present throughout the album. === NKOS are carving out a very distinctive and appealing musical style which is reinforced by their new single and video for 'BOW (Brave Old World)'. === Tali Shear shares 'Fool' a song that suggests this young London singer songwriter is capable of producing both natural and intrinsically personal and gorgeous music. === Hannah Scott makes her fourth appearance on Beehive Candy with her brand new song '98' and again she easily meets indeed exceeds expectations with a beautiful and up-building song. === Finally today we have Freak Heat Waves with 'Nothing Lasts Forever' where the Canadian post-punk/electronic duo are enticing, hard to categorize yet gripping and addictive.
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Vilde - Atopia (Album).

Vilde is the musical project of Thomas Savage. Birthed in Stockholm in 2016, Thomas’ goal has been to release one album per year for the indefinite future. This began with the monthly single release campaign culminating in 12 songs comprising Study/Dance in 2017, followed by 2018’s Thud and Fidget At The Podium in 2019. On schedule, the 4th LP, entitled Atopia is due June 25th.

Thomas writes of the theme, "Without actively considering where the subject matter of this record would go, it sort of drifted predominantly towards the topic of death. It’s one of the most interesting and fascinating laws of the universe, but is universally difficult to discuss. I wonder whether the suppression of the topic in society is hindering our ability to be our most human selves. Once I’d made the record I was able to step away and evaluate the bigger picture of what it was. I feel like it sort of lulls you into a sense of comfort and safety and then quietly whispers concepts of love and death into your ear. I’d love it if this was something you could listen to in your own time and space, but then come to the show and pulse with it.”

The album was written over roughly 12 months across several countries, during a somewhat nomadic time for Thomas.

On the process Thomas writes, "I realised I’d become a bit too comfortable with my recording software. I’d open it up, then start writing parts and throwing them all in. Often I felt the songs had become a sort of frankenstein, shred and glued. I wanted to step away from that process this time. So I began to simply sing ideas into my phone. By the time it came to producing the album, I had around a hundred scraps amassed in my phone’s ‘voice recorder’. So the recording/mixing process which often takes 9 months took barely 2. From there I went in with David Pye [Wild Beasts, Dido] in Norwich for additional mixing, and sent it off to Eric James [Dame Joan Sutherland, Faithless, James Holden] for mastering.”


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NKOS - BOW (Brave Old World).

An international collective conceived after dark, NKOS were always set to tickle the fancy of the global synth-loving, indie-electronica community and their debut single did just that... ‘Little Miss Numb’ was much shared, streamed and even bought(!), it filled dark dance floors, was loved by reviewers, adored by new fans and blogged about like welcoming an old friend home. Not bad considering they haven’t even shared a band picture yet and they are spread around Europe with limited studio time together.

Single number 2 is the dystopian ‘BOW (Brave Old World)’. Despite the title and theme of the song, this was not recorded during the lockdown, it was instead made out of endless phone calls and file sharing between Flavio and Chris Shape, as well as recording sessions scattered over the years with the full band starting as early as 2014. The long, antsy intro sets the path for a track with a title and a set of lyrics perfectly fitting in the current climate even if produced in much ‘better days’. The video, written and directed by the talented Zidrunas Ilgauscas was shot in London last year.

NKOS are Flavio Manieri, Chris Shape, Nancy Natali and Marcus Billeri. They blend lush vocals, production savvy, old school musicianship & dj skills into a real live band. Drawn together through a love of all things 4AD and a good night out, they are where trip hop meets the dance floor, and where electronica meets indie. The end results move seamlessly “from light to dark and minimal to maximal” says Flavio. Where ‘Little Miss Numb was dark, ’BOW’ in its own way it’s probably even darker.

NKOS have just finished the final mixing and mastering of their debut album ‘From Dust To Life’ with a release date set for October on Beatbuzz Records. Very limited edition will be available for pre-order once BOW is out. More formats will be announced soon.

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Tali Shear - Fool.

From Tali - I’m Tali Shear, a young singer-songwriter from London. To be completely (and hopefully refreshingly) honest, I’m an independent musician just trying to share my music with people willing to listen and with quite limited help/budget.

I’m so excited to be releasing a new single ‘Fool’ on the 26th of June and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get in touch with some blogs I’ve come across and have taken a particularly personal interest in. Its a slow, ballad-like pop song about feeling like a fool after being mistreated by someone you fell for.

A bit about me, after the two previous releases in the last two years, I received some great feedback and a big growth in my following. I had a radio interview on Vibe 107.6 and have performed in some great venues across London. My voice and songs have also been compared to the likes of Adele on numerous occasions.


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Hannah Scott - 98.

London-Based independent artist Hannah Scott is fast cementing her place as one of the country’s most exciting new songwriters, with her emotive songs and striking voice. 9 8, the second single from her forthcoming album, showcases her powerful and personal storytelling.

The song recounts how at the age of 98, Hannah’s paternal Grandmother has made peace with her own mortality, not something many of us will get the chance to do. It is also a reminder that there is still pleasure to be found in the small things as long as she is alive.

Co-written and produced with long-standing creative partner Stefano Della Casa (Ultra Music Publishing), 98 expertly combines organic, live elements with electronic sounds. The two artists have struck a perfect balance between Hannah’s traditional songwriting craft and Stefano’s unique cinematic production.

Recent highlights for the pair include being awarded funding by Help Musicians UK to go towards the production of the album, opening for Madeleine Peyroux to an audience of 2000 at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre and travelling across Ireland with Paddy Casey to open shows for him in Dublin and in a tiny Irish speaking village near Galway! Their music has also been featured on BBC Radio 2 including a live session with Dermot O’Leary, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, The Guardian, MOJO and Clash Magazine.


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Freak Heat Waves - Nothing Lasts Forever.

Canadian post-punk/electronic duo, Freak Heat Waves have just shared ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ a fuzzy, psychedelic cut lifted from the forthcoming record, Zap The Planet which is out September 4 on Telephone Explosion.

Zap The Planet follows 2018's Beyond XXXL that found tips at Brooklyn Vegan and FADER and also found Freak Heat Waves opening for the likes of Suuns, Preoccupations, Odonis Odonis, Mattiel and more. The duo, who now live at opposing ends of the country in Montréal and Vancouver, initially hail from the Midwestern Canadian prairies before relocating to Victoria, BC where they cut their teeth, earning acclaim for their early cassette tapes and blistering DIY performances.

New single, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ swims in warm hues of psychedelia; arresting baselines are tugged around smoggy vocals and twinkling guitar segments to find the pair once again harnessing their lysergic connotations. “The writing and recording of this track was pretty off the cuff,” says the band. “We wanted to make something that would be really light and laid back, and then also make it a bit kitschy and over the top. At its element, ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’ is an offhand bedroom pop song."

When not touring, the band frequently relocated, adapted and diversified, trading instruments and forging a path-less-followed approach to writing music. As new instruments started to come into the fold, the studio process became more dynamic with the pair – never the type to rest on their laurels – adopting avant-garde recording techniques, experimental sound design and orchestrations that utilized legendary effects, drum machines and synths. Tireless curiosity fuelled the duo as they merged their original sound with discoveries and seemingly disparate influences – the distance between Montreal, QC and Victoria, BC has only helped fuel innovation too.

No Freak Heat Waves record has followed a singular path and no two are alike. Each album is an evolution in musical direction, songwriting and conceptualization. With Zap the Planet, (their second album on Tele- phone Explosion) the duo has manifested more of their intrinsically unique vision and become more pronounced in their unhinged artistic process. The follow up to 2017’s Beyond XXXL finds the Freaks taking a fearless, inventive leap to create the greatest departure from their previous work.

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Wednesday, 24 June 2020

Another Sky - Chris Bell - Hannah Frances - Shuffalo

Another Sky have shared 'Fell In Love With The City' and announced their debut album will be released in August, the song itself is a mixture of refined indie rock and some notable vocals from Catrin Vincent. === Chris Bell has been active in the music industry for some time and now he has shared a new song entitled 'Whispering Town' which exudes both quality and heart. === Hannah Frances is a new artist from Melbourne, Australia and her first single from a forthcoming E.P is the rather special 'Wolf' which more than hints some fine new songs on are there way. === Alt rock band Shuffalo share 'Stay On Me' which is one of those tracks that stand out in a crowded musical genre.
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Another Sky - Fell In Love With The City.

Another Sky have announced the release of their debut album I Slept On The Floor, due for release on August 7th via Missing Piece Records / Fiction. They have also released their brand new single “Fell In Love With The City,” by far their most ambitious and euphoric track to date.

On “Fell In Love With The City,” Catrin Vincent (vocalist / lyricist) had to say: "I hate breakup songs. I don't know why, it’s the most universal feeling. Maybe because the world has so many of them. Moving to London was a dramatic shift from small-town life where it didn’t even occur to me I could do music, where this vision of me as a housewife who never amounted to anything felt inescapable, in to a bigger world, of people from all over, of new ideas and a new version of myself.”

On the music video, which was directed by Vincent herself: “We asked if any of our fans had an old mini DV tape camera, and they came through (thanks so much Peter Kavanagh, Victoria Wai and Henry Kenyon). We tried to capture the excitement of being on the road for the first time, replicating the feeling of moving to London seven years ago. “Fell In Love With The City” is the second song we ever wrote as a band and we wanted to make a video that embodied the way you'd film a partner, but you're filming a city instead".

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Chris Bell - Whispering Town.

Chris Bell has been writing and recording music since the late 90’s. Born in Dunnville, ON, his introduction onto the Canadian music landscape happened via his high school, post hardcore band Chore. They released three full length albums for Sonic Unyon Records and after extensive touring and studio time with Chore, Bell began venturing out into the solo realm releasing his first independent record, Time Between Failures, in 2001.

The formation of Alive and Living after Chore disbanded in 2004, was an even further extension of this softer, more folk oriented approach and kept Bell busy writing, recording. Alive and Living released an ep called PLO in 2004 and toured extensively in Eastern Canada. More recently Bell has been touring and recording, as the bassist, with the eastern Canadian rock band Wintersleep. Appearing on the band’s last release, In The Land Of, Bell shifted his role from the bands live sound engineer and tour manager to band member. He has worked with many prominent Canadian acts as a live sound engineer; Broken Social Scene, Stars, Basia Bulat, Arkells and the aforementioned Wintersleep to name a few.

These many projects and varying roles have led Chris to his most recent project, self-produced, Division Street. The album touches on all of Bell’s previous sensibilities while offering the most immediately accessible songwriting and multi-faceted production values to be heard in his already high quality body of work. It is the culmination of his years as a budding and driven musician/producer into a finely balanced song cycle that, while bouncing between folk rock and hard rock, coheres into a listening experience that captivates, soothes and gets the toes tapping throughout the track listing.

Having the freedom to work on the album entirely independently and free of any deadlines or technical challenges means that the listener is rewarded with multiple layers of lush vocal harmony, an eclectic range of percussive elements and, as always, Bell’s trademark guitar work making these songs impossible to forget, even after just one listen.


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Hannah Frances - Wolf.

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Hannah Frances, is a new name on the music scene and is now inspiring major interest thanks to her beautiful and captivating music.

“Wolf” is the first single from her forthcoming EP and showcases her melodic sound that has gotten critics and fans raving. “Wolf encompasses strong feelings associated with betrayal - we all know a wolf who wears sheep’s clothes”, says Hannah.

Hannah Frances’ music has been described as ‘a sweet and dark musical terrain that traverses folk, pop and the sounds of the singer-songwriter generation of artists who trail blazed out of Greenwich Village in the 60’s’.

Having cut her teeth in open mic nights and backyard concerts around Melbourne, Hannah has now moved her career onto support performances for local and international artists. Melbourne may be a long way from the famous New York region that spawned many musical storytellers, but its echo can be heard loud and clear in Hannah’s intoxicating blend.

Hannah cites Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac and Lana Del Rey as major influences on her unique music style - which is both haunting and hypnotising – and a quality that comes with the stamp of longevity.

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Shuffalo - Stay On Me.

Introduction from Shuffalo - Our new single, "Stay On Me," was inspired by the narrative of portals in iconic stories we grew up on: Chronicles of Narnia, Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland.

"Stay On Me" is available everywhere now, inviting you to choose your own adventure as it pulls you into another world and takes you on a journey. The song explores many important topics such as climate change, mortality salience, love, and the fight for a better tomorrow.

The mood starts off slow before it falls down the rabbit hole, two lovers (in a dangerous time) walking down a dirty alley with bursting neon and vines crawling through the cracks while nature takes back the city. The song travels with the pair as they question their past, live in the moment, and explore future challenges.


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Monday, 22 June 2020

Hey Elbow - Sergeant Buzfuz

Hey Elbow have released 'Nurture/Aptitude' a song that sees the Swedish Dream Pop band drift into a more powerful and deeper sound which becomes increasingly irresistible. === Sergeant Buzfuz share 'There's Idiots, Then There's Idiots With Money' accompanied with a video, the bands slick no nonsense approach mixes natural rock and cutting lyrics together, doing so with finesse.
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Hey Elbow - Nurture/Aptitude.

After returning earlier this year to release their captivating single ‘Missit’, Swedish dream-pop outfit Hey Elbow are back once again to share another wonderfully broad and ethereal offering, ‘Nurture/Aptitude’, lifted from their forthcoming full-length ‘WE THREE’.

Created around a loop the band recorded by mistake, ‘Nurture/Aptitude’ sees the group deliver a wonderfully warm and enticing return that manages to juggle deep and emotive atmosphere with a cacophonous symphony of drums and synths. Taking cues from their usually sweeping output, this newest cut sees them showcase a bright and energetic direction as they look to ready us for their highly-anticipated third album ‘WE THREE’, arriving on the 18th September via Adrian Recordings..

Speaking about the new release, the band said, "’Nurture/Aptitude’ is a somewhat catchy track coming from us. The song is based on a loop that we recorded by mistake in the rehearsal place. It was a vocal harmony that by accident was cut to a super short segment at the same time as a coffee cup crashed into a microphone. We can’t really remember but the loop disappeared and we panicked. A few months later in the studio the loop suddenly appeared and we could include it on the recording. It is a pop tune but needed a frame. We did a longer intro and an ambient outro. So it became an Hey Elbow song. For the impatient listener, we also did a convenient but lazy edit.”


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Sergeant Buzfuz - There's Idiots, Then There's Idiots With Money.

Since writing the last Sergeant Buzfuz album, 2015's "Balloons For Thin Linda", songwriter Joe Murphy has lost both parents, got married, been a victim of a smear campaign (as a whistle blowing union rep), co-founded charity QQF (a theatre company for adults with special needs) and relocated to his native Sheffield.  Joe has also continued to co-run Blang, the DIT* label he started in 2005 (including working on the first album from ex-Fall members Brix & The Extricated) and has worked part-time in special needs schools in London and Sheffield to fund the recording of "Fox Pop" (out 3rd July).

"Balloons For Thin Linda" received positive press but life events got in the way of much live promotion. The band recruited Joss on bass, Stu on slide guitar and Polly on backing vocals and released the "Humble Pie" EP in 2017. The debut album from the new line-up is finally here. It's the seventh Buzfuz album. It's got tunes bursting out all over the place, lyrics from the head, heart and fist and is rich in variety with two-minute pop songs, ballads, post-punk, freakbeat and strands of the band's Celtic DNA.

Opening track ‘There’s Idiots, Then There’s Idiots With Money’ “is about me imagining I'm attending one of those Mansion House dinners where the Chancellor gets summoned to report to the City.” Says Joe. It’s a stomping working class anthem that quickly gets under the skin with intricately woven shuffling guitars and percussion that make way for a psychedelic flute solo. Second track ‘Theresa McKee’ is a refreshing lively blast of pop peppered with mandolin and acoustic guitar, showing off the band’s more folky roots with finesse.

Other album highlights include ‘Who Art In Seven Hills’, a clever and humorous re-work of The Lord’s Prayer replacing names and places with those of Joe’s native Sheffield (a la Ian Dury's Bus Driver's Prayer). The interlude makes way for the jollity off-kilter harmonies of quirky ‘Rare & Racy’, a busker-esque jam about a second hand record/book shop in Sheffield which had to close when the Council, having to obey new Tory Government planning laws, approved the property owner's plans to turn the building into flats.

‘Fill In The Blanks’ and ‘Rear View Mirror’ are other great moments of raw and instantly familiar catchy classic punk on this album which celebrates real lives and real musicianship through the band’s own unique lens. The album, with its Squeeze & Kinks like anti-folk chant singalongs and storytelling is a perfectly crafted antidote to chart pop, Brexit and the current state of the world. It’s fun and meaningful and a constantly surprising delight from this band who are well sewn into the fabric of the UK music scene.

Buzfuz have played three live 6 Music sessions for Marc Riley and Tom Robinson and had lots of radio support from Gideon Coe as well as press acclaim across the board including from the likes of NME who described them as ‘Universally Charming’.

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Sunday, 21 June 2020

Julian Taylor - Rosa Ama - The Mojo Slide - The Purple Shoes

Julian Taylor has just released his new album 'The Ridge' and from the opening moments of the title track I just felt I was in for something quite special. Julian's vocals are something to envy, as he surrounds himself with fabulous backing vocals and excellent musicianship on what could be loosely described as Americana at it's finest. === Electronic synth pop duo Rosa Ama have shared 'Oku (Night Version)' and it's a smooth, danceable and seductive song. === From The Mojo Slide we have 'Good Times' which is a potent alt rocker, the vocals are notable as the band deliver some tight, gritty rock. == We have two of the twelve tracks that make up The Purple Shoes new album (Small Town Fairy Tales) namely 'Melody's Eyes' and 'Strange'. Both give a good representation of this very fine album that travels from alt rock to folk and plenty of other excellent musical destinations.
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Julian Taylor - The Ridge (Album).

My grandparents used to live in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, on a beautiful piece of farmland surrounded by the Golden Ears Provincial Park, as well as the Fraser and Alouette Rivers. When I close my eyes and think of my happy place, that is where my mind takes me.

I wrote “The Ridge” to contemplate what life was like back in my grandparents’ day and what life is like now. My grandfather was Mohawk and my step-grandmother cared for me like her own.

She was quite brave to take that on because there was a lot of prejudice back then, which still exists today. This song is my way of pointing out the importance of innocence in a world that is divided.

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Rosa Ama - Oku (Night Version).

Electronic synth-pop duo Rosa Ama share “Oku” (Night Version) on Casablanca Sunset Records.

On Oku Night, the duo navigates between smooth synth pop and funky house. Their cleverly crafted creation is highlighted by Harks’ buoyant soft falsetto vocal and Vhyce’s euphoric Ibiza inspired beats. Each delivering their own unique melodies melded together into one bouncy and groovy house single.

The release comes after sharing both of their previous Rosa Ama singles, “Ethers” and “Lost on the People,” on Casablanca Sunset. The ‘Day Version’ of Oku was also released in July of last summer on Kitsuné Musique as their debut single.


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The Mojo Slide - Good Times.

The Mojo Slide is a group of musicians, hailing from Cambridgeshire, united in their passion for blues-inspired alternative music.

Formed in 2011, they released their debut album 'Twist Your Bones' in November 2015 on DO IT Records. The album features a contemporary mixture of classic rock 'n' roll, and blues rooted alternative rock. They have had radio play on BBC, Absolute and Planet Rock, amongst others, and have since signed with Nub Records.

The Mojo Slide are:

Mark Wilks (vocals)
Mike Fenna (lead guitar)
Matt Legg (rhythm guitar)
Danny Savage (bass guitar)
Michael Graham (drums)

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The Purple Shoes - Melody's Eyes / Strange.

Though they may sound like they’ve stepped straight out of 1968, The Purple Shoes are very much artists of 2020, their timeless mix of deftly-crafted melodies, jaw-dropping harmonies and story-telling lyrics combining into the heady swirl of Small Town Fairy Tales, their brand-new album is out now! Comprising singer Marie Dance; singer and guitarist, Michael Bickers and aided and abetted by double-bassist Richard Dadson and Stomp legend, Theseus Gerard on drums and household percussion, The South coast of England’s best-kept musical secret is shortly to let loose on a world which is sure to embrace the folk-rock dreamworld The Purple Shoes seem to have plucked straight out of the minds of some of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 1960s and 70s.

Meeting by pure chance after her three-year experience in Thailand and a collection of half-completed songs, Marie Dance and Michael Bickers’ musical union in picturesque Shoreham-by-Sea feels like the culmination of a journey of not only miles but eras. Their spine tingling harmonies immediately bring to mind classic acts such as Simon & Garfunkel and Fleetwood Mac and their songwriting would easily lead you to believe you were listening to songs from the booming counterculture of the Sixties. To reinforce their rock n roll ideals, they travelled the UK and Ireland (in their now deceased Ford Focus, “Athelstan”!), honing their onstage craft and wowing fans, their interaction with audiences becoming as well-loved as their songs. Eschewing pedals and studio effects, The Purple Shoes’ sound is made all the more breath-taking by its truth and honesty – their songs live and breathe in the moment, capturing the sheer majesty of their harmonies and the earworm grooves which come courtesy of Dadson and Gerard, the latter making his name as percussionist and choreographer of world-famous percussion troupe, Stomp.

Small Town Fairy Tales is a collection of 12 songs written over the past two years and, as the title suggests, tells the story of life and love in a recognisable locale of characters we all see in our own lives. Relatable, uplifting and perfect escapism from our current locked-down lives, Small Town Fairy Tales is an invitation to have fun, unwind and remember why you fell in love with music in the first place.



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Penny & The Pits - Electric Litany - Lydia Luce - Ketch Secor - The Happy Fits

Photo - Nicole Cecile Holland Penny & The Pits - Headcrusher. Penny & The Pits have just shared "Headcrusher" along with ...