In 2010, Jamison, the person behind Teen Daze, had no idea what Four More Years would bring. That debut EP, a collection of blissful home recordings, was the work of a carefree 24 year-old. By 2012, things had changed, as they tend to do: relationships dissolved, illness affected his family, windows for outward communication were closing. The gravity of it all made for constant output; he reached for futuristic utopia with All Of Us, Together, found a devotional sanctuary inside The Inner Mansions, and embraced hibernation on Glacier. In hindsight, this was an artist coping through various forms of introverted escapism.
While proud of the material, Jamison sought to break this cycle when approaching the next record. He knew it would take a few leaps of faith, most directly: out of his bedroom... out of his comfort zone. For the first time, he gave up some control, inviting the input of others. Bearing over 30 demos, Jamison joined one of his musical heroes John Vanderslice at Tiny Telephone, his all-analog studio in San Francisco. Beyond the immediate sonic advantages of recording to tape, the sessions with Vanderslice and co-producer Simon Bridgefoot encouraged a new positivity and confidence to his craft.
Teen Daze has a distinctive sound and Jamison clearly has a talent for writing and developing music and lyrics. The album both surprised and pleased me, the featured song is just one of many fine tracks on this release.
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Background - Up and coming musician Sky Jones has released her debut self-titled EP, and her latest track ‘Linger’.‘Linger’ is described by Sky as “an anthem of heartbreak”; it’s real, raw, passionate and heavy, and has a melody that is hard to let go of. Written and produced right in her own home with the help of a close friend, the creation of this track is a “really deep personal song” for Sky. It’s a track where the lyrics flew freely and Sky has been amazed how the track “just came together”.
Said of the production of the song, “I had a definite plan of how I wanted it to sound, but I let my friend have a go with it and when I heard what she did with it I was like, oh my goodness, so we continued working on it, and here we are.” This single is due to be added to her next album which she is currently writing and recording.
The fresh Auckland, NZ based songstress crafts powerful and emotional tones, described as “that dark kind, like Florence and the Machine.” Her brilliantly strong voice and heartfelt stories she tells in her songs leave your skin tingling; Sky’s music has been said to be “brooding and deep lyrically and emotionally but engulfing musically and big." Website Here.
Sky Jones has one powerful voice and yet somehow it does not dominate over the music but rather compliments the soundtrack. In my opinion this is a really mature and well produced song, it is emotionally charged and given enough exposure could be really successful.
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After two well received mixtapes, the music of Color Collage (Formerly Leann Grimes) is once again shifting gears. The current focus of the project is taking the indie pop songwriting aspects of Now You See Them and applying them to the mid-fi, dusty electronic sound of Color Collage. The result is something that Conerty is currently describing as "Electronic Doo Wop", and is a fresh sound that is unlike anything floating around at the moment. Facebook page Here.
Having heard just three songs from this album, I am totally hooked on Color Collage's music and cannot wait to hear more. 'Electronic Doo Wop' is a fantastic description for some really creative and 'must here more' music. '2048' was on the EP and is on the album, this is one gem of a song, there will be more! Keep an eye on their Facebook page for tour details.
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Fitzgerald and Grund are building off the success of Stolen Jars' self-titled album released in 2011. The single off that album, "Driving," was featured in an international Apple iPad commercial and was awarded Song of the Week by Alt Mag. Their sophomore album Kept is decidedly more ambitious. Fitzgerald composed and layered tracks in his bedroom, tinkering to ensure precision. He and Grund then worked together to build vocal melodies around the tracks.
Over the course of the last year, Stolen Jars has been performing regularly in the Northeast, including shows with Sofar Sounds, at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn, and at Brandeis College's Springfest where they opened for St. Lucia, ILOVEMAKONNEN and Jessie J. In addition, Fitzgerald has been working as a film composer on features such as The Rewrite (2015) and Hard Sell (2015).
Tour Dates:
7/23 - Pianos - New York, NY
8/5 - AS220 - Providence, RI
8/7 - Elvis Guesthouse - New York, NY (Album Release show)
8/15 - The Space - New Haven, CT
8/28 - Arlene's Grocery - New York, NY
8/29 - All Sounds - Bloomfield, NJ
There is a saying in Britain "you wait ages for a bus and then three come along together". Well I may not have been waiting ages for some really appealing music, but going through those chosen for this feature, I can't help but feel spoilt by the sheer quality and Stolen Jars really are part of that. They are a musical delight.
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"The song came out sounding like a young Michael Jackson threw a block party on Sesame Street with Elton John and Elmo jamming out on the keys. It's such a blast to play live, I love seeing people from different walks of life jumping around together, this track really gets the crowd moving." Says Kendall, Lead Guitarist. Kurt's catchy piano lines paired with Kendall's cheerful skanks imbue the air with an infectiously playful vibe. Sam and Anson make the wheels on the big groove bus go round with a rock-solid funky rhythm while Luke conducts the whole occasion with a powerful golden tone and some mean, lean tambourine.
Timber Bones have spread the love from Brisbane to Byron Bay and now all the way down to Melbourne. Inspired by classic music icons such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and almost all of the others the Bones Boys are avid lovers of all music. More recently their talents have been cultivated by bands such as Half Moon Run, Band of Skulls, Delicate Steve and Tame Impala. An "electrifying" live show will have you on your feet moving and grooving, rubbing shoulders with future friends. Timber Bones are currently planning a tour from Melbourne all the way up to the Sunshine Coast this summer. Keep your ears up and the beers cold, it's not to be missed. “Walking Through The Fire” by Timber Bones will be released 24th July 2015.
Just in case I have been to gentle on your ears in this round up we can go up tempo with Timber Bones. There is an 'upbeat freshness' to this song and an undeniable party feel, all in all a great way to finish any new music feature.
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