Chris Pellnat is a songwriter from Hudson, NY, USA. In addition to solo work and collaborations, he also plays electric guitar in the band, The Warp/The Weft.
His new album released a few days ago is called 'Crossing'. Chris explains why that's the album title.
"Why Crossing”?
Crossing the line
Crossing over
Crossing the rubicon
Crossing the divide...
"You get the idea: This album is about moving on to something new and unexpected - musically, spiritually and as part of the natural arc of life. But it’s not a dreary lecture - it playfully upends indie norms in a distinctive way, with lots of dulcimer, vibraphone and guitars."
Chris and the band The Warp/The Weft have been featured here a number of times in the past. I never tire of hearing new music from either party, the freshness, creativity and warmth is always notable. Although these day's I rarely comment on new material (it's a given that I like it - see the comments on the top of the sidebar), I'm happy to make Chris Pellnat and the new album an exception.
Lorette West, MB's folk-pop musician Kevin Roy Kratsch — known professionally as the cosmic Canadian balladeer that is Mister K — has just released his debut album, In Event of Moon Disaster, and single “Tamarack” — available now!
To celebrate, Mister K has recorded a live, acoustic rendition of the song from the comfort of his own backyard in the region of Lorette West. The powerful performance of “Tamarack” features the aspiring musician’s wife Avery on backup vocals and guitar — and their adorable bulldog Luna, for emotional support.
Mister K points out that one of the sonic “easter eggs” found in the new album comes from his little canine companion; every time the word “moon” is sung on In Event of Moon Disaster, Luna rings a bell.
“If you listen hard enough,” he adds.
Overall, In Event of Moon Disaster is described as a musical journey through highs and lows, or “a pendulum swung through the hardship of darker days” (like the song), according to Mister K. Inspired by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it’s ultimately about overcoming adversity, emerging from the darkness and finding the light at the end of the tunnel; or even some sense of hope.
“I saw an angel in the marble and I carved till I set him free” – a Michelangelo quote that would be etched in my mind as I started on my new journey in sobriety. A journey that, at first, would reveal the painful truth about myself and then reveal the genuine beauty and generosity of others. Finally with all my desperation and vulnerability revealed and all my substantial failures confessed, I could be free. Free to have others lead me, free to have others teach me, free to start over.
The album, Real Love, is in part about that spiritual journey and in part about the rediscovery of music and art. I wrote these songs to help me heal and to help me grow. “Emotionally insecure, wrought with fear, anger and self-doubt…all of it, buried under an ego designed to deceive and manipulate the truth of who I was to others and to myself” – this is the harsh and critical self-analysis where the story of Real Love begins.
Addiction and alcoholism defined almost my entire adult life. They were the tools I would use to self-medicate from a disease I didn’t know existed, or at least one that I couldn’t dare admit to having. A disease that eventually, would destroy, from the outside in, everything I ever knew or cared about. My family, my friends, my career, until it had nothing else to destroy but me. By the end of the chaos, with everything and everyone that was ever important to me, injured and gone, I was left with one critical question. How do I move on from here?
The answer was one step at a time with the encouragement and generosity of friends. The potential that my story could perhaps help others, as others had helped me, fuelled me as I embarked on this recording project to tell my story. Not a story about rags to riches or infamy to greatness but just one of hope. For all those that have or still wander the depths of chaos and despair, the self-destructive calamity that is addiction, as I have, there is a way out of that darkness, there is light, there is hope. There is that angel in all of us. This is my story of Real Love.
For the second and third singles of her new album and video series The St Buryan Sessions, Cornwall-based singer-songwriter Sarah McQuaid delves deep into her back catalog to resurrect “Charlie’s Gone Home”, the first original song she ever recorded as a solo artist, then jumps forward again with “The Day Of Wrath, That Day”, a powerful instrumental composition for electric guitar.
Originally recorded on her 1997 debut album When Two Lovers Meet, “Charlie’s Gone Home” wasn’t a brand new song even then, Sarah recalls. “I’d actually written it back when I was still living in Philadelphia, so it would have been the late 1980s or early 90s. I can remember very clearly the day I wrote it – back in those days I was still thinking of myself not as a songwriter but as a folksinger who happened to write an occasional song when inspiration struck, so to speak.
“I remember reading an interview with some poet whose name I can’t remember, where she said that when she felt a new poem starting to arrive it was like an oncoming train, and she had to rush to her desk to be there ready with pen and paper when the train pulled in to the station.
“Well, this song hit me exactly like an oncoming train, only one that was barrelling along at full steam with whistles blaring. It really knocked me for six, and I remember just sitting on the sofa crying and trying to wipe the tears off my guitar so they didn’t mark the finish – not because it was a sad song but just from the overwhelming emotional impact of writing it.
“It’s been kind of a special song for me ever since, and a lot of people have told me it’s a special song for them, too – at least two different people said ‘Well, I hope “Charlie’s Gone Home” is going to be on it’ as soon as I told them about the project.”
From Joce: Allow my new single "Cross My Heart" to transport you to summertime. This will be one to listen to at max volume, driving in the car on a comfy summer night.
When I was first starting to write my own music, it was very tame and folky, just me and an acoustic guitar. I really wanted to explore other genres, and started listening to some Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, Earl Hooker to feel that sound that comes from an old soul. And all of a sudden, this straight blues idea came to mind, and I said "Damn! I gotta get on this!"
It was a fantastic experience working with Erin Costelo and Colin Buchanan (Paper Lions) on this song. In my day-to-day life I am very easy-going, almost to a fault. When it came time to say "yes" or "no" or "I don't like that" during recording, I struggled a bit. But I learned very quickly that only I know what I want it to sound like, and nobody is going to know if I don’t tell them!
Glasgow-based Folk outfit The Gracious Losers have done the near-impossible, cutting a full record with a 15-piece band. As one-man acoustic shows and sparse live sets dominate the musical landscape, Gracious Losers, headed by songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Lilley, have succeeded in draping listeners in a full-bodied orchestral experience on their new album “Six Road Ends,” while leaving ample room for vulnerable stripped-down moments and opportunities to get down.
The Gracious Losers are a 9-piece supergroup, featuring members of Sister John, Thrum, God Help the Girl, The Parsonage, Sporting Hero and the Berie Big Band, The Gracious Losers draw on their shared and disparate musical influences including celtic folk, 70s psychedelia, and outlaw country. The album title, 'Six Road Ends' refers to an arcane place in Northern Ireland, where six rural roads haphazardly converged at one perilous junction. The crossing no longer exists, and thus has assumed a mythical quality despite once being very real - a place of stuckness, hesitation, and risk. Lilley’s intricate songwriting reflects these themes, feeling at times planted in an intersection and at others moving lightspeed toward uncertainty.
The lead single “Loath to Leave,'' premiering on Here Comes the Flood, follows the throughline of impermanence with a lightly plodding funk groove, unexpectedly melancholy lyrics, and decaying organ frills alluding to a peaceful evaporation. Wailing slide guitar propels listeners along as the track evolves through what feels like time and space. The track’s video underscores the detachment from spacetime, as Lilley and vocalist Amanda McKeown fluctuate freely between chairs in a “perpetual state of magic” before disappearing altogether. The duo can be seen in a state of waiting in a liminal living-room, passing the time by checking watches or kicking the ground, before resolving the tension created by transitional moments with a sense of relief.
With precision, drive, and wit, three-piece garage rock band, Crocodyle, has a unique ability to articulate the otherwise inexplicable.
Coming off the release of their last single, “I Feel Good,” which set the internet positively abuzz last summer, Crocodyle is dropping their newest track, “Passenger Seat,” along with its accompanying video. “This song is a direct address to all your special someones,” shares Crocodyle.
“Whoever makes you feel like the coolest version of yourself, whoever is the easiest to laugh with, whoever feels best by your side. It’s nice to have somebody who you know you can run to when nobody else makes sense, and ‘Passenger Seat’ is a rocker dedicated to whoever that is for you.”
The video for “Passenger seat” was filmed in and around residential Nashville under the artistic guidance of Seth Endelman. Endelman is a Nashville-based videographer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and label owner.
“Passenger Seat” is the latest single from Crocodyle’s forthcoming EP, Sharing a Twin Bed, which is set for release in April. Sharing a Twin Bed was produced by Lincoln Parish, the former lead guitarist for Cage the Elephant. Parish left Cage the Elephant in 2013 to follow his passion for producing.
“Crocodyle hits every note that defines punk rock for me,” says Parish. “Their music is young, energetic and fun whilst still maintaining pop sensibilities of artists well beyond their years, I’m excited to see what’s next for these dudes!”
Crocodyle has played in cities all over the US and toured the UK, making a stop in Ireland. Spotted at a small club in Dublin, they were invited to do two sets at Ireland's "Coachella," Electric Picnic, headlined by Kendrick Lamar and The Prodigy.
Norway’s Anne Lise Frøkedal announces her third album ‘Flora’ and shares first single, the expansive sun-kissed indie-folk of SØN.
Previously known as simply Frøkedal, the new extended name Frøkedal & Family pays homage to the communal groove of the new album ‘Flora’ which was very much a collective affair. Anne Lise Frøkedal describes it as a record of “nature and awakening,” one that explores the human race’s inherent restlessness and ability to find connections, and through the alchemy of the album’s creation - with Anne Lise and her band playing for 10 days straight in the studio – the connection she desired was met with amazing results. An album full of songs created through the shared passion of playing together – an experience that was magical, organic, and intuitive with human connectivity at its very core. As Anne Lise explains “’Flora’ does not worry about being heartfelt and unfiltered. ‘Flora’ let loneliness and fear, hope and nature grow wild. It is the dream of the connection we all long for.”
Though originally from a small misty village on the west coast of Norway, Anne Lise’s musical background is one of well-crafted indie, she is part of the collective I Was A King and was previously in Harrys Gym. That full-bodied band sound sits alongside deep-rooted folk in ‘Flora’ creating a sonic experience of folk-pop with skyward eyes and insatiable grooves.
The first single SØN nods to Anne Lise indie heritage with its chiming guitar, described by Anne Lise as “a pop-protest” and a song that “turns its back on the light and conventions in pursuit of a new truth.”
Frøkedal has previously released two albums ‘Hold On Dreamer’ (2016) and ‘How We Made It’ (2018) via Propeller Recordings to much critical acclaim across Europe and America, securing fans in the likes of New York Times and Pitchfork. In the UK Frøkedal’s accolades include being named ‘One to Watch’ by the Independent and ‘Breaking Act’ by Sunday Times Culture, with glowing coverage across Uncut, The Line of Best Fit , DIY and CLASH - among many others. At radio Frøkedal has had huge support at BBC 6 Music with fans in Mark Riley and Lauren Laverne (Recommends).
‘Flora’ was written by Anne Lise Frøkedal but fully brought to life by Anne Lise and ‘the Family’– Olav Christer Rossebø, Ingeleiv Berstad, Erlend Ringseth, Elisabeth Mørland Nesset and Olaf Olsen. It was produced by Anne Lise Frøkedal and co-produced by Bård Ingebrigtsen who also recorded and mixed the record at Amper Tone. It was mastered by George Tanderø.
Detroit Country Rock trio, Whiskey Fixx, have released their fourth single "Broken" premiering yesterday on ProCountryMusic.com, now available on all digital download and streaming platforms. Since the band’s first release in 2018, they have been nominated for Best New Song, Best Country Vocalist, Outstanding Country Artist Group, and Outstanding Country Band at the Detroit Music Awards.
Whiskey Fixx deftly incorporates every aspect of country gold, including a catchy melody, relatable lyrics, and more than a hint of melancholy into their latest single, “Broken.” Though upbeat, the single tackles some rather serious subject matter. The newly released ballad is an antidote for broken hearts stumbling through recovery. The song is a powerful anthem of the struggle to mend one’s heart after it is shattered, regardless of the sentiments about healing that are seldom solicited.
Rather than relying on typical country hallmarks, such as Silverados and star-filled skies, Whiskey Fixx successfully focuses on broken glass, bones, and hearts without utilizing the genre’s typical flair. Lead singer Heather Nicole’s velvet-soft voice is accentuated by strumming acoustic guitars and a decidedly unique set of lyrics.
Like any great, sad country song, Whiskey Fixx’s latest release can accompany a whiskey and Coke, a long drive out of town, or a night staring at the ceiling and questioning the what-if’s that led to the present moment of uncertainty. With mellow banjo, rock-infused guitar, and pitch-perfect harmonies, there's something for every taste. The message conveyed by the lyrics is one that listeners of all walks of life will find relatable.
Lead singer, Heather Nicole, says, "When I was writing this song, I was in a lot of pain. It seemed as if it was the situation I was dealing with was hopeless and broken. I feel that this song really has the potential to hit people. Everyone has heartache for some reason or another. We often hear people say their experiences made them better, but I don't know if people ever wonder why. I think this song digs deeper and makes you take a look at yourself and see the changes."
The GRAMMY-nominated Nashville star Ashley Monroe announces her fifth studio album Rosegold which will be released on April 30 via Mountainrose Sparrow/Thirty Tigers. Today, Monroe released the video for the album’s first single "Drive," which was co-written with Niko Moon and Mikey Reaves, who co-produced the song with Monroe.
"I had this chorus and idea when I went in to write with Mikey Reaves and Niko Moon on September 10 (my birthday)," explains Monroe. "I told them my dad/other angels always send special songs on my birthday. It didn’t take long into the session until we knew we were on to a special one. I always imagine me singing this while driving on a desert highway."
Written and recorded over the past two years, the record finds Monroe pushing her sound in bold new directions, layering lush vocal harmonies atop dreamy, synthesized soundscapes and sensual, intoxicating beats. Rather than make demos of songs that appear on Rosegold, Monroe tracked and co-produced the album a-song-at-a-time, bringing ideas into writing sessions and inviting her collaborators — Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift, Lady A), Mikey Reaves (Maren Morris, Needtobreathe), Jake Mitchell (Ashley McBryde, Luke Bryan), Jordan Reynolds (Maddie & Tae, Dan + Shay), Ben West (Maddie & Tae, Lady A), and longtime producer/co-writer Tyler Cain (who co-wrote "Has Anybody Ever Told You" with Ashley) — to help build and produce full tracks in the studio.
"Every move we made was instinctive," says Monroe, "but it was also intentional. I found myself wanting to see how drastic the change from a verse to a chorus could be, or looking for places where the beat could drop out and then give you chills when it comes back in."
Heady power pop trio Portable Radio announce the release of their debut eponymous LP on March 12th 2021 on Crimson Crow Records. Lead track and first single Hot Toddy, out now, introduces the album with its ethereal brooding pop arrangement...
Hot Toddy is the first single from and first song on Portable Radio’s eponymous debut album. It is a statement of intent for the band, a power pop love song about wanting hope and happiness, which in these crazy times who wouldn’t want to fantasise about? The band wear their influences on their sleeves; Toddy being a reference to Todd Rundgren, whose penchant for melodic hooks and luscious multi-tracked harmonies are present throughout.
The trio - Phil Anderson, Mof Gimmers & Robyn Gibson, released the debut Portable Radio EP (produced by Jim Noir) in 2020 loaded with killer hooks, washes of dreamy harmonies, and just a shrinking of cynicism because no-one is impervious to the all encompassing weirdness of the last couple of years.
Beginning as a duo, Phil had cut his teeth in the Beep Seals and MOf was a DJ and student of pop; the two created a clutch of songs that were filled with uplifting, rich harmonies - stirring power pop inspired by Todd Rundgren, Wings, Carole King, Electric Light Orchestra and, of course, The Beach Boys.
Clara Jones is a mainstay of the Montreal music scene, having played everything from JazzFest to Osheaga with the indy-trio, Motel Raphael. After nearly a decade of work, including two studio albums and two North American tours with the band, for the first time, Clara Jones is breaking out as a solo artist, with her single Ordinary Person, a deep and emotional examination of the human experience.
Clara Jones’s music asks honest questions about what it means to live in a world in transition. It taps into social anxieties and reckons with the fact that ordinary people are just along for the ride.
Clara Jones provides a space for everybody. Her country-folk background inspires deeper dives into her music’s subject matter, with a focus on lyrical depth. But, most importantly, her songs are fun and energetic.
One of the most distinctive features of bluegrass is the way that an artist’s vocal prowess is frequently paired with instrumental virtuosity. Carley Arrowood fits comfortably in that mold, for while she’s a compelling singer, she’s also a powerful fiddle player who’s studied generations of bluegrass stylists and forged those influences into a style that’s all her own.
For her first Mountain Home Music Company single of 2021, Arrowood is offering her distinctive take on an enduring classic, “Ducks On The Millpond.” Though it shares its name with an old-time tune, this “Ducks” traces its lineage back to a 1975 recording by Kenny Baker, Bill Monroe’s longest-tenured fiddler and a member of the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Even so, Arrowood’s version comes from a more recent example.
“I’ve been playing this tune since I was 15 years old,” she says. “Just a green bluegrass fiddler taking lessons with Bryan McDowell. He had my mom order all these albums by different fiddlers for me to listen to and study their different styles, and one of them was Aubrey Haynie’s Bluegrass Fiddle Album — still one of my favorite fiddle albums ever. ‘Ducks on the Millpond’ instantly became a favorite, and I remember trying to learn exactly what Aubrey did. When we recorded it, we made it our own by creating an arrangement of multiple split breaks, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! It’s so much fun, and I hope y’all enjoy our take on this great tune!”
With a stellar group that includes musical partner Daniel Thrailkill on guitar, five-time IBMA Banjo Player of the Year, Kristin Scott Benson, mandolinist Wayne Benson and bass player Paul Watson, Arrowood attacks the tune with a strong bow arm and vibrant tone in classic fiddle-and-banjo style before giving way to an intricate succession of handoffs from one player to the next. The result is a neatly kaleidoscopic unfolding that brings a uniquely elegant energy to one of the most popular tunes in the bluegrass fiddle repertoire. Coming on the heels of Arrowood’s first hit song, “Ducks On The Millpond” is a refreshing reminder that she’s not just a fine singer, but an instrumental force to be reckoned with, too.
Nashville songwriter Sara Bug (the name is an old family nickname due to her diminutive stature) describes herself this way, with her usual wry humor: World's finest southern-kitsch artist. born in Mississippi, raised in Louisiana, stuck in Nashville. Her songs balance that humor with deep feeling, which lets them hit hard and stay light at the same time. Add in her distinctive and fantastic vocals (occasionally sounding quite a bit like Dolly Parton, as on country standout "Back in Nashville") and you have a terrific new artist to watch. Her second single is "Die With You" .
The ten songs on Sara Bug’s forthcoming self-titled debut album were not meant to be shared. A culmination of seven years of her life, these songs were journal entries that reckoned with defining herself. Growing up in New Orleans, Bug imagined herself to be a successful songwriter. “I was so deep in the music. ‘Oh, I'm going to be a famous musician. When I get out of high school, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to go have a career in music,’” she explains. “I think I held on to that for so long, I had finally kind of let go, like that pressure. Now it was just fun.” This eponymous project embodies Bug’s journey away from the expectations of others and her younger self, allowing her creative freedom.
Sara Bug opens with a lush, symphonic ballad about desire. “My whole life through, I want to die with you,” she sings tenderly on “Die With You.” Romantic and a bit morbid, Bug opens with the oldest song on the album and takes us to that time when the urgency of her happiness began pushing against the pressure of others’ approval. It's easy to get lost in the dreamy guitar strums and sturdy bass lines, Bug’s voice sharp and clear against the country-psych rock combination. A close listen reveals that Bug is letting the listener into the most poignant moments of the past years with sincerity and ease. She takes us on reflective motorcycle rides, whether literal or desired, for “Rosebank” and “Ride On Sundys.” She details the loss of a family member and a trip back home from her then-residence in New York on “Lotta Pride.” Inspired by the detailed storytelling of Dolly Parton and Neil Young, Bug leads across state lines and along her timeline of personal growth with unconventional, vivid song structures.
After moving to Nashville in 2013, the pressure of perfecting a craft in a notoriously famous city for honing musical skills only added mountains of stress. “I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be awesome. I'm going to be around other musicians all the time, it's going to be inspiring and force me to work harder on my music.’ It kind of had the opposite effect for me unexpectedly,” she admits. “It feels hard sometimes to do your craft and your thing in a real way without feeling super judged or feeling if you're not at a certain level your art doesn't matter. And honestly, that's part of the reason I kind of grew apart from the idea of even making music at all. I didn't like the pressure in Nashville that I felt when I first moved there.”
As the album comes to a close we’re left with an ending and a new beginning. “Lift this weight off my shoulder, stop believing that my beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder,” she sings on “The Beholder.” Here, we’re witness to Bug accepting and working through insecurity. But the closer “Back In Nashville” mocks the pressure that led Sara Bug to initially question her musical chops. “I told myself, I wanted to write a cheesy country song about not wanting to be in like the most country city in the United States,” she laughs. Sara Bug captures a weird, but integral period of growth for the pensive musician. Her debut defines a period of questioning that Bug conquered in order to realize that music is exactly what she should be doing. That letting go can be a new kind of permission. - Margaret Farrell.
I Ya Toyah has released her latest single, Out of Order.’ The track, written, produced, and performed by I Ya Toyah and produced, mixed and mastered by Nick Palazzo, is available on all streaming platforms on February 12th. The music video for the first single, was filmed by Joel Lopez of Lumbra Productions.
‘Out of Order is the first of 5 singles of her sophomore EP, titled the same name. The EP is set to release on March 26th exclusively on bandcamp, June 18th on all streaming services, and is available for pre-order on bandcamp. Everyone who pre-orders instantly gets the streaming and download access to Out of Order the single, as well as another single in February.
This latest single features I Ya Toyah's powerful, sensual vocals, expressive lyrics, melodic guitars, aggressive synths and deep, resonating drum beats, which all come together to paint a vision of disturbia and a dystopian reality full of chaos, pain, and hope.
“I couldn't hold back, I gave it all. All my pandemic moods processed through my brain and ended up here to explode, both sonically and visually. I wrote it feeling these emotions and being unable to share them as we all used to- through the togetherness, a hug, and live music experience, says I Ya Toyah of her latest single. In the future, the pandemic will be over, but the need for this connection will remain. I hope this song will be a reminder of how we survived this dark time, and how fragile yet strong we all are- even when we are out of order.
I Ya Toyah is currently awaiting new tour dates confirmations with Stabbing Westward and her Northwest US and Canadian tour, as they got postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic spread.
Big Little Lions have been described as ‘a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop’. Prolific songwriting, infectious folk-pop style, and an offbeat, memorable live show. This award winning duo consists of Helen Austin and Paul Otten who, despite living thousands of miles apart, have found a way to connect and create music together.
Despite being in two different countries, they have found common ground to share their message. Call it destiny, or call it fate, call it a necessary progression for these modern times. Helen lives in British Columbia, Canada and Paul lives in Cincinnati, OH.
But the distance provides the necessity to create in a new way. Using technology as their ally and their differences as their strength. Their monthy single releases are their way of getting through this pandemic while all the usual album cyle release plans don’t make sense anymore. Their music is jam-packed with emotion and tight harmonies, the sound of two people working side-by-side.
The Pink Stones will release their debut album Introducing...The Pink Stones on April 9th via the New West Records imprint Normaltown Records. The 10-song set was produced by Henry Barbe (Drive-By Truckers, Deerhunter) and was recorded at Chase Park Transduction and the Barn in Athens, GA. Mixing elements of classic cosmic country, raucous rock’n’roll & indie rock, and fresh humor & heartaches, The Pink Stones are authoring a new chapter in the annals of Cosmic American Music and are within a new wave of young artists from the same college town that gave the world R.E.M., The B-52’s, Drive-By Truckers, Pylon, The Elephant 6 Recording Company, Widespread Panic, Vic Chesnutt, The Whigs, and more.
Frontman Hunter Pinkston explains that the track is “a metaphorical ballad” saying, “I wrote it in my first apartment in Athens. I was living alone and feeling pretty lonely—that ‘not a lot of friends in a new town’ sorta feeling that comes from moving away from home and losing people in the transition...It’s about ‘killing’ those feelings and memories that make you feel alone or lonely, while still being able to dig them back up when need be.”
Under The Radar previously premiered the video for the first single, “Blueberry Dream," saying the band "...conjures an other-worldly mix of country, indie, and barn-storming rock on their upcoming debut...The Pink Stones already are a fresh, left-of-field addition to the world of cosmic country." Naming the song one of the best of the week upon its release, Rolling Stone Country said “Athens, Georgia band The Pink Stones mine their town’s grand tradition of Southern jangle along with the swirl of cosmic country on 'Blueberry Dream,' from their upcoming debut Introducing… the Pink Stones. But rather than merely imitating those styles, the group injects them with something fresh and youthful, giving 'Blueberry Dream' a breezy, slacker-rock feel that hits like a ray of candy-coated sunshine."
Especially notable on Introducing...The Pink Stones is the band’s ability to intertwine joy, heartache and self-deprecating humor in songs. It’s a classic hat trick of country music that is all too easy to overplay and seem forced by modern Americana aspirants, but one which the band crafts perfectly. The end result is a fresh and exciting debut album from a great band.
While their average age is only 25, the band also features the music veteran John Neff, one of the founding members of the Drive-By Truckers, bringing his experience and sense of legacy to the group. The Pink Stones are Hunter Pinkston (Vocals, Guitar), Will Anderson (Piano, Vocals), Adam Wayton (Bass), Logan Brammer (Guitar, Vocals), John Neff (Pedal Steel), Jack Colclough (Drums).
We have a haunting new single from singer/songwriter Megan Wyler. Her first in seven years, the song is featured as the title music for Amazon Video’s new series Tell Me Your Secrets which is premiering on Friday. It starts off slow, ultimately building to a climactic crescendo that is so so satisfying.
A California native, Wyler released her 2013 debut Through The Noise while living in London. The album was praised by the likes of Nowness, Songwriting Magazine, Indie Shuffle who described her sound as “incredibly moving and luscious,” and Clash Magazine who called her music “subtle, delicate and very beautiful.”
For “The Calling” Wyler reunited with Through The Noise producer Adem Ilhan (Fridge, Silver Columns) as well as Grammy Award-winning mixer Mark Rankin (Adele, Florence + The Machine, Harry Styles), and multi-award-winning composer/producer Peter Raeburn (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast) who co-wrote the song.The song also features Alex Thomas on drums (Air, Anna Calvi, John Cale), and Matt Sweeney on guitar (Johnny Cash, Bonnie Prince Billy, Catpower). You can find more info in the press release below.
Tara was the singer/guitarist in early noughties Sydney band Guddling. After spending several years in the wilderness honing her hunting skills and dabbling in electronic music as Noot Records, she has returned to the thing she loves best.
She tells us "Lockdown hasn't been all bad - I've had a chance to crank out another rollicking tune and have a second album on the way! (I am trapped in Lisbon for the pandemic - wild, right?!)"
Tara's brand new song 'Bubble Girl', was recorded in Lisbon by Leopoldo Lopes at Sound Pressure Studios, using a virtual Aussie drummer Miles Thomas, with Tara on bass, guitar and vox. She say's "I wanted it to be fast and energetic to shake off the pandemic blues".
A true creative chameleon and seasoned traveler, Marie-Clo is a born performer who ropes her audiences into a feverish pitch in both official languages; thanks to “hooked on phonics”. Singer-songwriter and dancer, her eclectic indie pop tackles current themes & conscious lyrics, but also conjures a colourful and enchanted world.
Marie-Clo began her artistic career on stages worldwide performing in musicals, but honed in soon thereafter on her true passion project, music. She is currently promoting the first of three EP’s which will make up her full-length english album entitled Shell(e). A conceptual feminist narrative, it is slated to be fully released in 2021, produced by Polaris shortlisted drummer/ producer Olivier Fairfield (Fet Nat, Timber Timbre, Leif Vollebek), with the support of the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and FACTOR.
In 2017, Marie-Clo won TFO’s pan-Canadian tv search for francophone artists Planète BRBR and was given carte blanche to participate at the Granby International Song Festival 2018, as well as at the Petite- Vallée Song Festival 2018. Following these, Aero chocolates bought her song “Sablier” for a 52-week run national commercial in which she stars.
She celebrated the independent release of her debut EP Faune which has since been playing on numerous radio stations across Canada, on Sirius xm, and joined numerous editorial playlists on Spotify. Radio-Canada named her Ontario’s number one artist to discover in 2018 as part of a 13-artist list, Canada wide, for each province & territory. Her latest single Red Flag topped CBC (#2) & Sirius XM’ (#4) top 10 charts for many consecutive months & was featured as a Sirius XM exclusive single. She recently had the pleasure of playing Ottawa’s Bluesfest, the National Arts Center, Place des arts in Montréal & opening for Ariane Moffatt.
Wild Pink's highly anticipated album A Billion Little Lights, is due out this Friday on Royal Mountain Records. On "Pacific City", Ross delivers a slice of pitch-perfect, anthemic indie featuring shimmering steel guitar and soaring saxophone. A rumination on self-acceptance and patience, of giving yourself time and space, he explains the meaning behind the track: "Pacific City is named after the city in Oregon and I was watching Heat a lot while writing it. I wanted to write a few songs with a conventional song structure on this album and this was one of them - we spent a lot of time on the drum tones and used a Yamaha RX21 drum machine. The song is about time passing and realizing you’re not the same person you used to be."
On Wild Pink’s third album and first for Royal Mountain Records, A Billion Little Lights, Ross explores the dichotomy of finally achieving emotional security—of accepting the love and peace he deprived himself of in his twenties—while also feeling existentially smaller and more directionless than ever before. The record is a two-pronged triumph: an extraordinary reflection on the human condition presented through the sharpest, grandest, and most captivating songs Wild Pink have ever composed.
The band, which is rounded out by bassist T.C. Brownell and drummer Dan Keegan, formed in New York City in 2015 and put out a handful of EP’s before releasing their critically acclaimed self-titled debut in 2017. It was a sophisticated showing for a band’s first album, but it was the striking maturation of Yolk In The Fur that established Wild Pink’s unique sound: a glistening variety of pastoral indie-rock akin to The War On Drugs, Death Cab For Cutie, and Kurt Vile, but informed by classic American rock poets like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. The album received glowing praise from Pitchfork (a score of 8.1), Billboard, NPR, Stereogum, and Uproxx, the latter deeming them “one of indie’s best emerging bands.”
Genghis Tron have shared a new song titled “Ritual Circle” from their highly-anticipated Dream Weapon full-length. Hamilton Jordan comments, "When writing and recording this album, one of our aims was to create a deep sonic world the listener can really get lost in. 'Ritual Circle' embodies that for me—it still takes me to another place whenever I listen. Find some headphones, turn it up, and zone out."
The band’s first new studio outing in over a decade, Genghis Tron’s Hamilton Jordan and Michael Sochynsky are now joined by two new collaborators: vocalist Tony Wolski and Sumac/Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn. Together, the lineup perfects the unique mix of extreme rock and electronic music Genghis Tron has pioneered over their storied career. A melding of hypnotic rhythms and densely layered synth soundscapes, Dream Weapon was recorded and produced alongside long-time collaborator Kurt Ballou at God City Studio in Salem, Massachusetts, with additional production and engineering by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), JJ Heath (Rain City Recorders) and was mastered by Heba Kadry.
Lyrically and conceptually, Dream Weapon picks up where 2008's heralded LP Board Up The House left off. “That album’s closing track, ‘Relief,’ was about how humans have become a burden to the planet, and how Earth will endure long after we’re gone,” Jordan explains. “There is sadness at the end, but some relief—and beauty—too. Dream Weapon is, loosely, an album-length meditation on that theme.”
From the ethereal, almost robotic vocal phrasings accompanying the industrial attack of “Pyrocene,” to the chaotic, pulse-pounding drumming acrobatics and cyclical guitar patterns in the album’s triumphant title track, Dream Weapon is not just a nod to Genghis Tron’s celebrated past as a metal/progressive/experimental outfit. The new album redefines what these genres, sounds, and musical elements can achieve. Dream Weapon is a record that captures Genghis Tron at a matured, focused state; the ebbs and flows of the album are just as hard-hitting as they are dreamy, soaring, and meditative.
Seasoned Genghis Tron listeners will find Dream Weapon to be both excitingly fresh and reassuringly familiar. “Though it sounds a bit different than our previous albums, I don't think we approached Dream Weapon any differently than the others,” Jordan explains. “Michael and I take years to write and trade demos, with about 80% of our ideas landing on the cutting-room floor. Once we have a rough song idea we both like, we write dozens of drafts of a song over months before we end up with a final demo.”
Imagine Elliot Smith hanging out with Tom Petty in the back of Neil Young’s van while listening to Sparklehorse.
Acid-laced pop Sunfields is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jason Kent. Although the quartet was born in 2009, three quarters of its members have been playing music on and off together since they were teens. Their tunes carry a classy bombast of chamber rock, the intimacy of a singer songwriter, and the easy-breeziness of vintage pop with some psychedelic undertones thrown in.
Since their formation, Sunfields have toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe. Their fourth album, made in isolation, will be out March 12th, 2021 on Elephants on Parade.
PALACE IN THE SUN (2010) was once described as “…full of stunning imagery, coupled with swooping guitars and harmonizing that the Eagles would be proud of…the most overlooked album of 2010.”
Their sophomore, HABITAT (2014) was described as “…blossoming like a field of poppies in a rainy English field.”
MONO MONO (2017) “An album that catches you from the outset and its beauty is that it has many layers that reveal themselves after every listen.”
The New Orleans-based six-piece band Sweet Crude announced Dualité: have a new double A-side singles series where the group will release pairs of songs where one is sung in Louisiana French and the other in English. In celebration of Mardi Gras, the band released the first installment today with two brand new songs “La Rêveuse” and “Under New Moons.”
“Tours? Nope. Money? Broke. Launch a blitz of bilingual bangers in 2021 because we can? Putain ouais (hell yeah, and pardon our Louisiana French),” explains singer Sam Craft. “Through confinement and a lack of gigs, we’ve steadily built up a loyal Patreon following with whom we’ve been streaming and chatting on a regular basis. They’ve been inspiring us to keep going and to write like crazy. We show them brand new ideas, they give us feedback, and we are now self-producing and self-recording a whole new body of work for approximately zero dollars. Dualité is the result, or really the start, of this new frontier. The first two tracks to kick things off showcase our French and our English sides. We remain dedicated as ever to creating new avenues to celebrate our Louisiana roots.”
“‘La Rêveuse’ (The Dreamer) is an all-French song and carries the premise that we are all living in someone else's dream. In the song, our dreamer is likened to a little kid playing on the beach, building sandcastles and romping around. Unbeknownst to our baby-god, we are actually all denizens of her temporary sand creations and are at the mercy of all her arbitrary whims. It could kinda explain why everything is so dang weird all the time. Not exactly being conspiracy theorists, we wanted the music to have a certain tongue-in-cheek bounce to it, while maintaining the drama of COVID-induced desperation.”
“Meanwhile, ‘Under New Moons’ is a reality check. On a stream one day, our fans offered us the prompt to write a song about self-care during lockdown. We narrowed that idea down to the moments in life when the best self-care is to disengage from that person (place or thing) that provokes all your worst habits. This moody, minor-key bop takes you on a push-and-pull emotional journey.”
‘Indies of the World’, the new single by SWANSEA SOUND, is a call to arms. Its aim is to revitalise the Global Pop Underground, making it strong enough to vanquish the corporate behemoth. OK, it’s just a limited release 7” single. But the revolution has to start somewhere.
Hue Williams and Amelia Fletcher of the Pooh Sticks were reunited a few months ago on the first SWANSEA SOUND single, ‘Corporate Indie Band’. It attracted lots of interest and airplay and sold out in a few hours. Since then, second single ‘I Sold My Soul on eBay’ has been released as a one-off (on eBay) and played on many radio stations.
‘Indies of the World’ will be released simultaneously on four different Indie Labels of the World. There’s no need to buy an expensive import: It will not be released on Spotify, Apple Music or other corporate streamers.
‘Indies of the World’ is for record-lovers, indie dancefloors, non-corporate radio shows, and the flourishing online indie DJ/blogging scene. Flipside ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’ is a duet in which feckless male Hue is berated by nonplussed female partner Amelia. It’s like ‘C is the Heavenly Option’ after a lovers’ tiff.
From Rob & Amelia - The song and the video are a celebration of ‘indie’ in its most meaningful sense, i.e. independence from corporate control, with a DIY attitude to playing, recording, releasing records and making videos.
The video was made by Amelia and Rob, using the 7” single sleeve art by Welsh artist Catrin Saran James. Swansea Sound started during lockdown, so the band are used to sending each other bits of music, ideas for songs and video footage. It will be a strange and disconcerting moment when they are finally able to meet.
Indies of the World is the first release on new UK label Skep Wax, but it’s also coming out on sister labels Formosa Punk in Japan, HHBTM in the USA and Lavender Sweep in Wales. It’s available digitally on Bandcamp, but isn’t on Spotify or Apple or any the other corporate streamers because they aren’t sisters, they are ogres.
MF Tomlinson, the project of London-based Australian singer-songwriter Michael Tomlinson, today releases new single "Them Apples" – the second track to be heard from Tomlinson's upcoming debut album Strange Time, out April 9th.
Quickly following his debut EP 'Last Days of Rome', Strange Time was written slap-bang in the middle of 2020; Tomlinson, confined to his home, created a stripped-back home studio set up and the songs immediately began to flow.
Central to the album is new single "Them Apples" – a psychedelic seven-minute treatise on modern paranoia and social media addiction, taking in elements of acid-folk, chamber-pop and progressive rock along the way.
The song floats on glistening organ and bluesy guitars as Tomlinson contemplates how “even when we’re really here, half of us hangs in the air.” Guest vocalist Connie Chatwin (Sam Smith, dodie) takes up the choric role, playing the voices of morbid-yet-irresistible headlines, singing sweetly to him about SOS notes found in cheap clothes from Bangladesh, and the Venetians losing their city to rising tides, dragging him deeper into the doomscroll. As the opus descends into a beautiful clutter of flute, sax and noodling guitar that mirror his overwhelmed mind, Chatwin’s mellifluous tones turn into cackles as Tomlinson finds himself powerless to resist the screen, begging “talk to me world, tell me everything.”
At almost 8 minutes long, it's the album's undeniable centrepiece, both stylistically and thematically. Speaking on the themes behind the song, Tomlinson explains: "Originally it was because Viljam (Nybacka, co-writer of the song) asked me, what have you been doing? I said 'I can't remember, I've been so busy'. I thought that was intriguing - the intensity of life rendering each day featureless. Then the pandemic hit and everyday really was the same! I knew then that this was one of those - a song about EVERYTHING all at once, a real rabbit hole."
Adding further context to Connie Chatwin's Greek Chorus-inspired backing vocals, Tomlinson explains: "They are tweets, feeds, stories from phones and various other devices. They are the voices in our heads that only we can hear as we go about our daily lives, inaudible to others outside of our personalised versions of reality on our screens. The meditative chorus lyric is the reason for the season, the compulsion and anxiety to find the answers and validations that we want from the world through the portals that we carry around with us."
The track's video is "a reflection of the hyperreality of 2020" – according to director Tomas Jef. Shot on a digital camera and then processed through analogue video equipment; custom-built video effects machines and redundant BBC Studios-salvaged broadcasting equipment, Jef went on to say: "All this time we spent indoors staring at screens, the whole year was like one blurry memory with a weird sense of time passing slow and fast at the same time. Different scenes in the video suggest the contrasting worlds between imagination and reality."
"Them Apples" also features contributions from guitarist Angus James and clarinet from Joe Connor. Its sound palette is part-inspired by seminal British folk band Trees' second album On The Shore, and Tomlinson's time playing in the On The Shore Band alongside members of Trees, Metronomy and Friendly Fires.
Eric Bolander has officially released the music video for “Cold Men” -- chronicling the Blackjewel Miners protests in Harlan County, Kentucky in response to owed back pay.
This new single, produced by regular Bolander collaborator Duane Lundy (Sturgill Simpson, Ringo Starr) in Lexington, Kentucky, is a natural transition in Bolander’s catalog as a deeply-emotional protest song in an ever-tumultuous world. While it is based in the realities of a specific event, it serves as a cathartic microcosm of the pain so many have felt in the past year.
Sonically, Bolander’s music gallops through the crossroads of John Moreland and Bruce Springsteen (circa Devils & Dust), from rollicking explorations of struggle and its broken remnants to bitter, cynical prayers.
Bolander’s sensitivity to the human condition stems primarily from humble roots in the small eastern Kentucky town of Garrison, stretching at the edge of the Appalachian foothills and running along the Ohio River Valley. Growing up in a low income household instilled within him a sense of hard work and fighting for what he wanted in life. His mother was a homemaker (whose family had ties to several bluegrass legends) and his father a union carpenter and construction worker, both pivotal forces behind his early development.
Silly Boy Blue shares her brand new single “The Riddle” today, February 15th. Silly Boy Blue (real name, Ana Benabdelkarim) is a singer-songwriter and producer from Nantes, France who was recently snapped up by Columbia France. The new single is exemplary of her adventurous and emotive songwriting and stirring vocals. It follows her previous single, “Goodbye”, which showed a more pop side of the young musicians’ talent; Ana’s vocals shine and soar with the yearning lyrics, whilst the production holds a melodic, pulsing beat.
“The Riddle talks about someone I never could decode. I wrote this song to remember to always keep focusing on hope, that there is always a place where we feel like we belong. Hence the chorus' mantra "Somewhere, you could be fine somewhere, you have to find somewhere, he's not the one". To finally find your own bedroom, where you feel safe” says Silly Boy Blue of the song.
For the accompanying video, Ana headed to the subways of Prague. She says, “In the music video we aimed to translate this absolutely crazy feeling about obsession, that no one besides you can stop, and when you realize it's time to let go. It takes place in Prague, Czech Republic, and it was the most intense two shooting nights of my life - continuously getting down the escalators for several hours- it most likely got close to the frenzy state I felt while writing the song.”
Silly Boy Blue is a young singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer based in Paris, who started her music career in the band Pégase. Ana now embodies her music through her solo work, choosing to name her project “Silly Boy Blue” after the David Bowie song that tells the story about a boy who breaks all the rules. Playing with light and shade, Silly Boy Blue sings teen pop anthems and breakup songs and has a passion for 90’s music, movies, and style. Silly Boy Blue recently appeared on YouTube channel COLORS, featuring on Isaac Delusion’s show. She has just finished her debut album, which is set for release this year.
Western Column is the songwriting project of Glasgow based DIY musician Christopher Devine (Dutch Wine/Stock Manager) whose second single ‘Hear not Say’ is due for release via Negative Hope Records on February 12th 2021.
‘Hear not Say’ gives delicious guitar-centric layers of feeling with a shoegaze bent, as Devine’s dreamer vocals float over a driven guitar wall that spills over with a momentum that will have you wanting to listen again.
Following on from sun drenched debut single ‘Golde’, ‘Hear not Say’ is the perfect follow up as Devine continues to build a name for himself as a solo artist
“Having only been the third song I’ve entirely written myself, I feel like I’m still finding my feet and trying different things to see what sticks. “This track was a good bit of fun trying out ideas and more than anything it was a really good learning experience.”
‘Hear not Say’ was recorded, mixed and mastered Melissa Brisbane, who also provides guest vocals on the track.
Your favorite Brooklyn gentlemen have donned suits and returned with a love song for the acid lounge. The gin-soaked single "Dry Martini" goes down easy, stirred with a blend of reverb-addled guitars, candlelit-drums, and sultry vocals
"Dry Martini" conjures forlorn feelings of a love so close you can taste it, and yet so irresistibly out of reach -- "Far beyond the horizon you'll find / a never ending lie / to hold on to."
Dry Martini gently drifts into view, the vocals exude some late night bluesy emotion, the music is restrained yet somehow ups the intensity of the piece. Red Sun Radio may be new to our ears however the song feels like an old friend, one to share a few drinks with, maybe Gin, although I'll settle for some Bourbon or a large single malt Scotch.
Helsinki-based ethereal storyteller GEA has announced the release of her haunting, timely new single/music video "Truth Between the Lies", out February 12 via Fragity Records. GEA's powerful lyrics encourage us to seek out the truth, especially when it's not easy to do so. With what's happening in the world right now, the timing of this release is not a coincidence. Musically, "Truth Between the Lies" is ominous, electro-infused dream pop with touches of menace and beauty.
When I wrote this song I had no idea how relevant this message would be now, when it is being released. We can't pretend that constant lying wouldn't have a profound impact on our society and souls. Truth is an absolute necessity. Truth will set us free!
Truth Between the Lies is a song about the bad things we do when we think no one is watching. It's about the lifestyle where people close their eyes about immoral things, and think they'll get away with them. It's about the dangerous sense of comfort and false sense of safety we get from money, career and consumption. It's about our planet not being able to carry the weight of our choices any more. It's about everyone's soul mission wanting to be manifested instead of focusing on doing what brings the easiest income. It's about the truth running eternally through our veins no matter how much we would benefit from the lie.
The stunning animated music video for "Truth Between the Lies" is brought to life by BYNEW (Producer) and Raimi Nikkari (Animator).
Samantha Margret writes music for the girl who wants to own her history, her body, and her feelings. Samantha likes big jewelry and every kind of fruit she’s ever tasted, and she’s a conscientious journaler. Her ballads tell stories about acceptance and showcase her soulful voice, and her pop songs are not afraid of a good time. She tries to never write the same song twice, and is always up for a giggle.
Samantha gets her second first name from her great grandmother. Margret was born with a second “a” in her name, but she gave it up after falling in love with a traveling salesman who had only seven letters in his name. Did she want them to match? Did he dislike the letter “a”? Three generations later, Samantha was born on the same day and given the same name with the same odd spelling. As she grew up in San Francisco, struggling to convince teachers she was spelling her name correctly, Samantha took to poetry and songwriting. She learned by copying Sara Bareilles songs on the piano at school, and by writing songs instead of going outside. Did the gift of a missing “a” lead to the wordplay Samantha uses in her music to this day? Probably not, but who can really say?
Her compelling EP delivers powerful vocals with a passionate and sentimental look into her past with love. The melancholic ballad "Mine" revels in the revisit of heartbreak and betrayal, while “Negative Space” delves deep into the absence of someone you love with the mixture of sweetness, pain, and nostalgia.
"Everything has two sides—every great personality trait comes with a few bad habits, every good feeling eventually gives way to an equal opposite; that's what I believe. And, every holiday has space for celebration and sadness. This EP is my gift to people who want to settle into Valentine's day with a little heartbreak this year." - Samantha Margret
Reclaiming for a new generation the poetry of Dylan, the stark beauty and unhinged Rock and Roll of mid-70s John Cale, and Badfinger's melancholic timeless songcraft, this is Bandicoot. Their sound flows like post-industrial blues through Swansea's rain-soaked concrete streets.
Bandicoot have earned a ferocious reputation, thanks to their raucous, overflowing live shows that spin euphorically from post-punk and krautrock to glam stomp and art-pop sensuality at the drop of a note.
‘Dark Too Long’ is Bandicoot‘s debut single on Libertino, a song they describe as a “frenzied cry of desperation from the depths of excess and loneliness, influenced by the driving rhythms of NEU! and Can.”
"Bandicoot are wired instinctively to the cathartic screams of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, the lustful danger of The Velvet Underground, and CAN's cinematic propulsion. They are the art-house provocateurs of Warhol's Factory brought to life on Swansea's rainy streets" - Libertino
