2010FM March Mega Catch Up (Three).

A backlog of music to go through has focused my mind somewhat, and I have to say as I set about another batch today, I was all set up to be remorseless with the delete key.

Trouble is one of the first bands I checked out was Codeine Velvet Club who have absolutely delighted me, I just love their music, and if you are in 'skip through mode' please at least give these folk a listen!

They have raised the bar for this edition so perhaps a few others failed to get a look in as a result however as you will notice plenty of other pretty good tunes have also surfaced.

As regards Codeine Velvet Club the new musical project from The Fratellis’ Jon Lawler (AKA Jon Fratelli) and singer - songwriter Lou Hickey, they release their self-titled U.S. debut April 6th on Dangerbird Records. The album is available for digital purchase now.

The collaboration began when Jon Lawler, taking a break from whirlwind touring and recording with The Fratellis, teamed up with Lou Hickey to work on a track – the jazz-noir, big-band duet titled “Vanity Kills” – for her record. The song inspired the duo to embark on a full-fledged project together. The resulting album features an elegant orchestral score written by Mick Cooke of Belle & Sebastian, backing vocals by the Gospel Truth Choir and strings parts recorded by renowned classical musicians, including legendary trumpeter Derek Watkins.

The group celebrates Jon Lawler and Lou Hickey’s shared love of ’60s boy-girl duets, dramatic orchestral pop and dark postwar Hollywood and Las Vegas romanticism. Lawler drew inspiration for the album’s dark energy and vampish edge from his time spent in Hollywood. He described his vision for Codeine Velvet Club’s album as sounding like ‘60s soundtrack composer (and James Bond theme-tune creator) John Barry “playing with a rock ‘n roll band.”

Listen:
'Hollywood'



Website: Official, MySpace.
Buy MP3: Codeine Velvet Club
____________________

Flugente, the solo project for former The Blam front man Jerry Adler, has just released his second album 'Flugente 2'.

This is stripped down and raw where the musical focus is on unadorned Americana, a captivating blend of folk, alt-country, and pop. If you like anyone from Bob Dylan to Lucinda Williams I think there might be a place in your music collection for this guy.

Continuing the narrative that traces a path from Woodie Guthrie through modern day artists such as The Felice Brothers, Flugente is a testament to just how far American acoustic music has come as we enter the second decade of the 21st Century. With strikingly poetic lyrics, captivating, almost whispered harmonies, and twanging finger picked guitar, I have to say I think this guy deserves a lot of attention.

Listen:
'People Come From All Around' and 'It's Not Just the Summer that's Ending'.



Website: MySpace.
Buy MP3: Flugente 2
____________________

It's my opinion that bands and artists coming out of Canada over the last decade have gained a much larger amount of recognition and following thanks to the web and music sites however at the end of the day the fundamental bottom line has to be the quality of the music and the heartbeat of the act.

Dropping out of college to pursue his rock and roll dreams, lead singer Ben Fox collaborated with old friends and new friends to create the brooding sound and style of Toronto's Dinosaur Bones.

With Ben Fox on vocals, Branko Scekic on bass, Dave Wickland on keys, Lucas Fredette on drums, and Joel Clifton on guitar, the Canadian group transformed their unpolished music into a sound filled with haunting synth layers, powerful rhythm, and contemplative lyrics. Playing alongside artists like Crystal Antlers, Malajube, Hey Rosetta!, Arkells, Born Ruffians, and more, Dinosaur Bones quickly impressed audiences by their melancholic, yet ambitious show. After gaining praise and attention from Canada’s top media outlets, including Toronto’s 102.1 The Edge, the group collaborated with producer Jon Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Arkells) and Giant Studios to record their debut full-length.

These indie rockers recently played Billboard’s SXSW showcase at the Billboard Bungalow.

Listen:
'Ice Hotels and Royalty'.



Website: MySpace.
Buy: Dinosaur Bones
____________________

Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group have formed a partnership with Trans Records, Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie's new label.

Chris Walla's first signing is The Lonely Forest. Based in the small town of Anacortes, WA, The Lonely Forest have taken the northwest by storm behind their independently released album We Sing The Body Electric!.

The band's shows in and around the Seattle and Portland areas have built a strong fan base culminating with sold out shows at Seattle's Showbox Theatre last year and a coveted slot at the northwest's premiere festival this May, Sasquatch.

The Lonely Forest - John Van Deusen (Vox/Guitar/Piano), Braydn Krueger (Percussion), Eric Sturgeon (Bass), Tony Ruland (Guitar) - is set to record their debut album for Trans with Chris Walla at studios in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland throughout April and May with the album slated for a late summer or early autumn release.

Beehive Candy got all excited when the band were selected for KEXP's 'Song Of The Day' feature, which just happens also to be featured here for your pleasure.

Listen:
'We Sing In Time'



Website: MySpace.
____________________

The following are just to good to miss out on, so in no particular order and forgive me for some copying from press releases as I try and get up to date, here are a few outstanding acts to check out.

Borrowed Eyes are a band that truly must be seen live to fully grasp the depths of their sound. Their soulful outlaw folk-fused bluesy southern rock amalgamation is easier heard than described, and the band puts on a hell of a show to say the least.

Led by the charismatic front man Danny Wood (formerly of …And You Will Know us by the Trail of Dead), Borrowed Eyes plays a blend of Americana, folk, and roots music with the intensity of a punk or metal band, and their passion for their style is apparent during the energetic jamming sections. Their sound is highly conceptual with a distinct vibe and theme, but stylistically never overthrows their music and its all around fun, soulful, and powerful breed of pure rock and roll.

Listen:
'Slaves'



Website: MySpace.
Buy MP3: Some Demons You Can Share With Others
____________________

Beehive Candy receive an email and all it tells us is....

My name is Rich Jacques.
I have band called Right The Stars.
We were recently heard on One Tree Hill.
We'll soon be heard in the new Brooke Shields and Brendan Frasier movie called Furry Vengeance. and...of course...I have a new record...

It just happens to be extremely good

Listen:
'We Got It All'


____________________

This remix of Neon Indian's "Mind, Drips" comes from Chattanooga's Summer Dregs. Summer Dregs is the result of Carl Cadwell collaborating with musicians of greater talent to make better music than any of the contributors could alone. On their new record From Gold to Green it manifests itself as delicious, dark, semi-sweet electro-pop for fans of Passion Pit, Dntel/Postal Service, and the aforementioned Neon Indian.

Tour plans for later this year are underway for Summer Dregs, and Neon Indian can be caught pretty much anywhere music is played including SXSW, Bonnaroo, and Sasquatch to name just a few.

Listen:
'Mind Drips'



Website: Summerdregs, Neon Indian.
____________________

Finally Jordon Corey sent Beehive Candy a nice little message a couple of weeks back, we quote:

Hi Beehive Candy,

I recently had the opportunity to make some music with talented producers (Brandon Howard) and writers (Stacy Barthe) in the industry and was wondering what you, and or your audience thought of it. I just released my first single "Truth" and I will be releasing 5 new songs in the coming months.

Check out Jordon Corey's website with 'Truth' available to stream HERE. It's a really good song, and I hope we hear much more from her in the future.

Pink Floyd - Meddler (London) 1971

This is Pink Floyd recorded live on the 30th September, 1971, at the BBC’s Paris Theatre, in London UK. Recorded for the John Peel Show, part of the concert was subsequently broadcast on the 12th of October 1971 on BBC Radio One.

This was the first time two songs from the then new album Meddle were performed for the BBC (Echoes & One of These Days), and Nick Mason's vocal debut in the band is characteristically commented on by host John Peel.

The version of 'Meddle' is quite funky and raw in a good kinda way. 'Fat Old Sun' is transformed into something quite special in this performance.

A number of CD boots have been circulated down the years including both through 'Swinging Pig' & 'Harvested 'Records'.

The Harvested version is complete and is probably the best boot version (from which this is sourced) and was put together from the sources below to become the full concert again.

Source: BBC Rock Hour transcription disc (show #214) / Westwood One CD / 2nd Generation WNEW recording.

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@160kbps.

Genre: Progressive rock, Psychedelic rock.

Set: Full Set.

Set List:

01. Fat Old Sun
02. One Of These Days
03. Echoes
04. Embryo
05. Blues

Website: Official.

Comments:

The John Peel Show was only 55 minutes long. “Embryo” and “Blues” were never broadcast originally in the UK. They were only aired on WNEW-FM, New York City, USA sometime in 1971.

This WNEW portion was broadcast only once, unfortunately, and features the station’s call sign (“This is WNEW…”) in the middle of Embryo. As a result of this all earlier versions of Embryo in circulation either have a rough (or very smooth) edit, or contain the call sign. The 1971 show are rebroadcast nearly every year in the USA on the “King Biscuit Flour Hour.” However, it is a combination version of the two shows and is incomplete.

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

Sisters Of Mercy - Trans Europe Excess 1985

This is a soundboard recording of the Sisters Of Mercy recorded live at Kolingsborg, Stockholm, Sweden, back on the 17th May 1985, and subsequently released through semi official (or at least loop hole in international law specialist label) KTS Records.

There are a number of recordings from various gigs from the Trans Europe Excess tour in circulation, this one is possibly the most popular as the sound quality does the band justice, and KTS were pretty good at getting hold of soundboard & stereo FM material.

In terms of performance and considering the stresses and strains on the band at this time the performance is spot on, seemingly warming up after the first two or three songs.

Source: Soundboard

Sound Quality: Very good stereo mp3@320kbps.

Genre: Rock, Goth Rock.

Set: Edited Set (not far off full gig).

Set List:

01. First And Last And Always
02. Body And Soul
03. Marian
04. No Time To Cry
05. Possession
06. Walk Away
07. Emma
08. Amphetamine Logic
09. A Rock And A Hard Place
10. Floorshow
11. Alice
12. Gimme Shelter
13. Ghostrider

Website: Official.

Comments:

This is another KTS (Kiss The Stone - KTS-068) silver CD bootleg that as previously mentioned were released through 'loop holes' in local Italian laws for a few years. As always with KTS releases the sound quality is very good, however as most of the KTS releases were on a single CD the concert is edited to around 60 plus minutes.

Download link in comments below or click on the picture.

2010FM March Mega Catch Up (Two).

You can accuse me of blatant promotion when it comes to Seasick Steve, in fact I will insist that anyone not already in the know, check him out immediately and hereby order all fans without a copy of his latest album (Man From Another Time) to purchase a copy right now! (OK hopefully you get the point..).

Born in Oakland, CA, Seasick Steve ran away from home at age of 13. He spent his adolescence living rough, grabbing work where an underage labourer could find it. By 16, he was busking and starting to become the musician that close to fifty years later emerged as Seasick Steve. Through this journey, his feet took him through Europe, back to the U.S., and then ultimately back overseas.

While living in the Pacific-Northwest, he opened a small studio in Olympia producing albums for acts as diverse as Bikini Kill and Modest Mouse, and found some success in the Washington music scene. In 2001, at the insistence of his wife, he returned to Oslo with his three sons (he has five children). In 2003, he recorded his first album under the moniker Seasick Steve, titled Cheap; which began to establish a foothold in the UK for him.

With momentum in hand, devastation struck when in 2004 he suffered a heart attack. While home and finding a way of life he could sustain post-heart attack, his wife pressed him to start recording on his 4-track. Those sessions would become the 2006 release, Dog House Music; which was independently released on the Bronzerat label (200,000+ copies sold). His follow up album, I Started Out With Nothin’ And I Still Got Most Of It Left, found Seasick Steve landing his first platinum album and critical success overseas.

Focusing on a “live” analogue sound, the new album, Man From Another Time was produced, written, recorded and engineered by Seasick Steve, with the assistance of engineer Roy Williams.

Listen:
'Diddley Bo'



Website: Official and MySpace.
Buy: (Amazon UK)Man From Another Time.

The U.S. release of Seasick Steve’s Man From Another Time is through Ryko on March 30th, 2010.

The Black Atlantic are from Groningen (The Netherlands), They are an acoustic pop quartet, formed around singer-songwriter and former Shai Hulud front man, Geert van der Velde.

The band’s folk influenced sound is reminiscent of Bon Iver or Sigur Rós. The band pairs lush, dreamy melodies with softly layered vocal harmonies and minimal percussion.

Exuding formidable intimacy and heartfelt urgency, the Black Atlantic are (according to their promo) contenders to be one of the biggest surprises of 2010. I would not be surprised if this happens, put quite simply, I find their music both soothing and moving, as much as I have given Seasick Steve an unashamed plug I heartily recommend giving this band a listen.

AOL Spinner described their sound as “ethereal and evocative”, while Slam Magazine called it “bright and refreshing”, and Drive Wayferer Drive hailed it as “lovely without being precious, ambitious without being alienating”.

Listen:
'Heirloom'



Website: Official. MySpace.
Buy (mp3): Reverence for Fallen Trees

The Black Atlantic are heading out to Austin, TX to perform at the 2010 South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) this week. This will mark their maiden trip to SXSW After their five-day stint at SXSW, the band will embark upon a spring tour of the US, making stops at major cities including New York and Chicago.

OK I am going to blast through a few other artist that have come the Beehive way in recent weeks and who have made us look up and take notice!

Zachary "Ulysses Campbell" Wilson is a product of the DIY generation and proud of it. He records primarily on an 8 track, edits with freeware, and plays shows whenever a party is happening. Sometimes there may be two other guys playing with him, sometimes it’s just Ulysses Campbell solo - but it’s always high energy; which in itself mirrors the frantic style of Ulysses Campbell. While maintaining basic pop instincts, Ulysses whirls through an ever changing thrash of electro, drum n bass, 8-bit, dub step, and all around ill beats.

Standout track "Dinosaur Hunting" begins with a bit of a Mt. Eerie/Microphones feel, and about halfway through the beat drops in true Ulysses style. The song was written mere hours before his departure on his six month journey in South Africa; his mood well captured in the vocals and musical progression.

Listen:
'Dinosaur Hunting'


____________________

Recently nominated for Ireland's Choice Music Prize, Belfast's And So I Watch You From Afar are heading across the pond for SXSW as part of their huge Euro/American tour.

They cut their teeth touring around Europe for an incredible 170 shows in 2009 alone, including the Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium and the Novarock Festival in Austria. The year also saw the release of their debut full length and EP in Europe with upcoming street dates yet to be determined in the US. For fans of Explosions in the Sky this will be the band to watch.

Listen:
'The Voiceless'



Website: MySpace.
____________________

FlyinFisch, the new project of modern-day-renaissance-man Adrian Fischer, is set to release its self-titled debut album on March 19th. With each song representing a unique exploration into the experiences and cultural influences that have formed his musical identity, Fischer’s new album is a sonic journey that should not be missed. With tour dates throughout February to support the upcoming release, Adrian is pleased to be hitting the road again, and introducing his material to new audiences.

If you try to pinpoint where Adrian has been the last ten years, you’ll notice that he hasn’t stayed in one place for very long. Having lived everywhere from Venezuela to New York City, and many places in between, Adrian Fischer’s story is one of travel, exploration, and evolution. The resulting musical sound is as difficult to characterize as Adrian is – influenced by the tones and sounds of each place he has lived, his style is a blend of classical, reggae, pop, and afro-Caribbean influences, with each element representing a snapshot in his decade-long journey.

In FlyinFisch’s debut album, Adrian has brilliantly fused his influences into one solid and united offering. While still clearly referencing the cultures and sounds that inform his music, Adrian has now moved a step further, developing a sound that is uniquely his own. With an interest in the natural world linking many of the songs together, and a desire to promote what Adrian calls “positive consciousness” providing the album’s context, FlyinFisch’s first offering is meant to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages and cultures, who will hopefully be brought together by Adrian’s message of unity and love.

Listen:
'Blueberry Oats'



Website: MySpace.
__________________

San Diego's Tropical Depression (Jordan Thomas and Joe Campesino) have played in a variety of bands together before deciding to form their current indie electronic two-piece, but are already on their third album release in four years. Their sound has been described as "grunge, electronic, nu-gaze, and a hint of 90s emo" by The FMLY.

Their band consists of a twelve string guitar, bass, electronics and vocals. "As multi-instrumentalists we both usually come to the table with ideas," says Thomas, "and follow the songs wherever they go. The single best thing about being in a two piece band is direct one-on-one collaboration." Tropical Depression has just released the album Years On Years (November 2009), which was recorded and produced by Pall Jenkins (The Black Heart Procession, Three Mile Pilot).

Listen:
'Walls'



Website: MySpace.