2015 - Out Of Our Inbox - July - Three

YOKOTA - Minimal Background - At 21 years old, singer-songwriter-producer YOKOTA, has released her indie-pop single 'Blindside' fusing elements of elements of soul, jazz and hip hop to create her her poppy brass fueled single.

Currently recording in her home studio on Sydney's north side, YOKOTA's debut EP is set to thread these common elements and will be unleashed later in 2015.

So this really has to be a case of letting the music do the talking, which is fine. Actually it's a whole lot more than fine as I am sure you will find out, so give this totally enjoyable song a listen.

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The Bulls - Background - The Bulls, Anna Bulbrook of The Airborne Toxic Event (and sometimes Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes) and Marc Sallis of The Duke Spirit, are sharing the title track off their new record Small Problems, today in advance of the song's release Friday and the full EP on August 28th.

The two musicians had run into one another several times on the touring circuit over the past few years, and finally pulled the cord on a collaboration once the topics of the subversive albums of the 80s new wave scene, and the 90s shoegaze that followed it. After the release of their debut single "Come Unwound" and the apparent adoption of the new outfit by both artists' fan bases, the EP became a "must have" by fans and a "must do" by Bulbrook and Sallis.

The Bulls will be headlining the renowned Monday Night residency at Los Angeles' The Satellite in August. The five free Monday Night shows will support the release of Small Problems.

A little bit more dream pop than shoegaze, this is an enticing taster for the EP to come. 

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Drinks - Background Bio and being Thrilled - Birth Records & Heavenly Recordings are thrilled to announce the signing of Drinks, the new project from Cate Le Bon and Tim Presley, aka White Fence, whose album Hermits On Holiday will be released August 21. "Tim, do I like that dog?" A strange question, a queer query, an odd ask. The answer surely already known unless one mind knows the other. Which would appear to be the case with Cate and Tim. With Tim and Cate. 

Cate, born in West Wales, raised under the shadow of a woolen mill, dressed by the field and by the rain. Tim, from San Francisco, grew under and over the bridges and streets, combed by corners and by concrete. 

A more different musical upbringing you couldn't dream up. One a black thread strung through the eye of American hardcore, she a shard of glass tapped through a solid wall. Loop the thread around the shard and you have pendular device for predicting the sex. Will it be a boy or a girl?

They both like to drink, coffee mostly and sometimes each other. And once the drinks are drunk out it comes. The mud slicks and the plates click. Drinks is a solo project, not a collaboration. It has one mouth, one set of lungs, one mind and four legs. Drinks are the sound of hermits on holiday, having the time of each others lives.

I cannot easily describe this song. I like it otherwise I would not feature it, actually I like it tons, especially the way it develops and grows. Nope still can't describe it, please listen.

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Joni In The Moon - Background - Joni In The Moon’s mesmerising aural flights have been turning heads skywards, with multiple songs nominated for WAM Song Of The Year awards, triple j kudos rolling in and strong community radio airplay around Australia. Yet their upcoming single War & Porn is set to spin them into an interstellar orbit, stargazing siblings Joni and Josh Hogan’s otherworldly take on folktronica and world beats moving in a more heavy synth/electro pop direction, yet with a heavenly dose of experimentation to keep things uniquely ‘The Moon’s.

Whilst based in Perth, it’s easy to get lost in Joni In The Moon’s infinitely layered universe and wonder what planet they’re from. War & Porn’s evolution in sound is also matched by more politically and socially charged directions than previous work. As Joni explains, “War & Porn is my reaction to how awful it feels watching the news and feeling powerless to help. It's about first-world problem guilt, and the personal battle I go through comparing my own white privilege against global atrocities. It's the issue I have with a western media saturated with sex and violence, and how that infects the minds of our youths who then grow up to perpetrate such things.

A thought provoking song, sadly so much of western media seems to have become desensitised treating sex and violence as comodities to trade in. Serious subject, excellent musical piece, the lyrics speak volumes.

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Jess Penner - Brief Bio - Jess Penner is a cheerful and cheeky, creatively ADD artist from Los Angeles. Raised on a banana farm in Hawaii; Jess is also a dinner party throwing, hen raising, people loving, thrift store shopping, self professed tomboy who hates musicals and tilapia but secretly loves painfully slow BBC miniseries and booty dancing alone in her bedroom.  Since signing her first record deal at age 15 - Jess has spent the last 18 years making a career as a professional musician via touring, album sales, licensing deals, and working as a songwriter / producer.

Her new record, "Good Times" is officially out and about. Most of the songs on this project are super fun, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the process of making them.

Always like to hear some upbeat songs and Jess Penner delivers. This six track EP is a must for anyone who knows her music and a fine intro for the rest. The final song (I Walk This Road) also shows off her softer side, however lets finish with 'Good Times' (Beehive Candy's permission to dance granted).

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Sundays Minimalist Alternative Take

Paul Mac "Anechoic [Everybody's Singing]" (feat. Tim Derricourt) - Love Club vs Stereogamous.

I tried a little experiment. I had an idea for a song called 'Anechoic'. I was looking for a collaborator to bounce ideas off. One of my favourite whimsical vocalists is Tim Derricourt (Dappled Cities). We workshopped the concept and came up with a kind of choir of lovers leaving planet Earth, singing in space where no-one can hear you, but it feels good. Letting go and drifting into the unknown. Or something like that! It made sense at the time.

Dark and light, broody and moody and upbeat all rolled into one. Official website (here).

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Hardkiss - Revolution (Hardkiss Remixes)

The new Hardkiss single Revolution is a calling to arms to citizens who are tired and sick of the apathy and complacency in our collective hearts. There's so much at stake now. We need to rise above the profane and blasé. Fight your own personal revolution. Go to war with the mundane. Welcome to the revolution!

In the 1990's Hardkiss were a defining force in the infiltration of dance music in the USA. At a time when the mainstream were spellbound by Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Hardkiss were a breath of fresh air. Their vinyl releases and DJ sets lifted the spirits and opened the doors to a shift in taste and attitude.  Referenced in hush tones by Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers and Sasha, Hardkiss were the early revolutionaries of DJ culture and EDM.

I took the Robbie Hardkiss Mix one of four on this single, lively and fresh each mix is as distinct as you would expect, quality stuff. Facebook (here).

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True Science - Pedestal

Perth indie-electronic act True Science lift the bar with their latest single Pedestal. The result of a recent trip to Los Angeles with funding thanks to the Department of Culture and the Arts in WA, and by invitation from Songs Publishing (Lorde, M83), the recording process saw the band work alongside some of the best in the business. Lead singer Vive Oldham recorded the vocals with renowned voice producer Suzy Shinn, while the music was produced by LA based Patrick Giles. It was then mastered by Don Bartley at Benchmark in NSW.

Pedestal follows True Science’s previous single Soldier further into the world of electronic music, taking inspiration from the experimental chillwave and trip hop of Odesza, Flume and FKA Twigs.
A combination of award winning songwriters and the big voice of Vive Oldham out front, indie-electronic outfit True Science is a collection of scientific minds putting music under the microscope.

Indie - electronic music, transformed by excellent vocals and the music balancing the whole thing, it may be scientific but it has soul. Facebook (here).

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Tribe Society - Pain Told Love (feat. Kiesza)

A brand new collaboration from pop starlet Kiesza and her Lokal Legend labelmates Tribe Society on single "Pain Told Love." "The Kiesza collaboration was totally unplanned. We were all coincidentally in an apartment together for the first time and she had 30 minutes before having get to the airport and fly to England. She had heard a demo of our song “Pain Told Love” and pointed out that she really liked it. She was humming the melody and wee all thought it sounded great. Rami, the mutual connection between both of us said, why don’t you get in the booth and sing down a verse? She nailed it in less than 20 minutes and that was a wrap!"

Atmospheric, beautiful and dreamy, a perfect match.

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Translational Drifts: Moogfest Vol. 1

“Translational Drifts: Moogfest Vol. 1,” is the first EP in a series of free digital recordings that feature contemporary acts reinterpreting seminal electronic music influencers that have shaped past Moogfest line ups. This digital free EP comes in celebration of this week’s Moogfest ‘Save The Date’ announcement in its new location Durham NC. The three-day event will run from May 19-22, 2016. We'd love if you can share this EP with your readers along with the Date for Moogfest 2016.

You have just got to listen to these, it's as simple as that - incredible and free, what a gift!

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And Four More For Saturday

Oakland - As a matter of interest - Following on from last month's sold out single launch for brand new track 'Into The Sea', Perth alt-indie-popsters Oakland are wasting no time with their EP launch of the same name, with proceedings to take place at  Mojo's Bar in Fremantle July 31.

Channeling a love for such universal acts as The National and Arcade Fire, Oakland gigged feverishly last year before settling down with esteemed engineer Andy Lawson (Eskimo Joe, Tired Lion, Our Man in Berlin) to carefully piece together the five track offering. Guided by a refined pop sensibility, the EP features a compelling mix of cavernous reverbs, driving beats and earnestly delivered vocals.

Gathering momentum, crumbling into minimalism, then picking itself back up again, “Into the Sea” as the leading single is both emotionally rich and dynamically engaging, confirming the band’s investment in focused and impactful song writing.

Indie rock like so many music genres, is a crowded place these days. So a stand out song is pretty important, coming up with an outstanding EP is even better, and that's exactly what Oakland have done. Facebook (here).

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The Foreign Films - contacted Beehive Candy and had this to say - I've been working like a mad scientist in the studio, and today I'm very excited to release Side 3 of my double LP! The album "The Record Collector" will be released early 2016.

Each side of the double album represents a time period of approx three months. The album, literally, was a year-long experiment in song writing starting on my birthday.

Side 3 is a juxtaposition of diverse influences I hold dear! The music I've loved growing up has subconsciously made its way into these songs; 60s British, French and West Coast Pop, Vintage soul, 70s singer songwriter and a touch of Art/Prog and even New Wave.

You don't have to be a mad scientist to be featured on Beehive Candy, but it helps... I do not know what I expected when I first started to listen to 'Side 3' but it was not something as polished and just so exciting as this. Somehow Bill aka The Foreign Films, has managed to make a superb 'hotpot' of musical styles that blend and shift seamlessly into each other. Check out more on Bandcamp (here), just one of the songs below.

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Stephen Bradley - and the story goes - Stephen Bradley, who has spent the last 19 years recording and touring the universe with No Doubt, finally has set aside time to release his first solo project called Runaways. Let’s all be grateful he found time, because his new EP is a wildly enjoyable listen. 

Stephen plays horns, keyboards and contributes backing vocals for No Doubt, and on his solo debut all of those talents are broadcast in full colour. Elements of classic R&B/soul, new electronica and big pop are effortlessly combined, resulting in music that people of any age and background can appreciate.

I suppose when you have an introduction such as the one above, expectations are raised. How many band members have stepped out into the spotlight and struggled to own the whole show. In this case however I think it's more a case of why have you taken so long! Just check out the featured song, the class, the whole feel is incredible, the EP offers even greater diversity. Website (here).

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Pete Gardiner - Background - Pete Gardiner is a singer songwriter from Newtownards in Northern Ireland. He’s had a passion for music since the age of 6 when he first heard Slash play the opening three chords of "Knockin’ on Heavens Door". He got his first guitar when he was thirteen and developed a serious passion for rock music as only young teen boys can!

Pete is a true and clever lyricist, it’s in his blood. He writes about his circumstances at any given moment, his relationships with people, doomed romances, news stories that hit him hard and pretty much any thought that comes into his head. His music is strongly influenced by his idols; Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen. As his talents have matured he says of Dylan and Cohen “They are both as endearing as each other, they can take you as far as you are willing to go and then drag you that little bit further and I learn more and more from them everyday”.

For many of his early years Pete worked as a cashier in a bank, playing gigs around local bars at the weekends while also recording a few EP's, which gained a lot of local airplay on regional BBC stations.  Then, discovered by a radio network in the UK, he was signed by, entrepreneur Neil Utley’s label NUA Entertainment, which is chaired by Grammy winner Paul Hardcastle. Pete has just finished recording his debut album with award winning Irish producer Tommy McLaughlin (Villagers/ Soak) mastered at Abbey Road and has moved to London, performing nightly on the London club scene where he has been gigging every night for the past few months crafting his art of performance and excellent song-smithery.

This is real quality singer songwriter music. The lyrics are sharp, observational, even witty and yet having listened to the EP I come away thinking more about the music and songs than the singer, which I think is a good thing. Pete just makes you want to listen, perhaps he wants to make you think which is no bad thing either, even with a love song.

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Five For Friday

Roses and Revolutions - Based in Rochester, New York, Roses and Revolutions are guitarist Matt Merritt and singer Alyssa Coco. Their new EP ‘Torch’ was released this week. Roses and Revolutions' songs have appeared in soundtracks everywhere from MTV and VH1 to Showtime and E!, and they've shared stages with The Head and The Heart, The Lone Bellow and many others.

This is a fine EP. There may only be two of them however they have an expansive sound on some songs. It's also hard to try an pin them into one genre, a mixture of indie pop and folk with a hint of singer songwriter thrown in for good measure. There is a mature feel to the lyrics and the production is spot on. Facebook (here).

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Binary Circus - Background - Binary Circus have brewed up something special with the upcoming release of their latest single ‘Storm’ on the 7th of August 2015. The three piece from Brisbane have been writing up a storm with a new found enthusiasm and direction after settling on a more ‘mature’ sound. Infusing a subtle blues layer to their existing grunge/rock has given the band some breathing space with their song writing, evolving into a more relaxed version of the band.

Recorded at Luna Audio Studios on the Gold Coast, ‘Storm’ in its earliest incarnation was written on a black, toy grand piano in the bedroom of singer/guitarist John’s daughter. Rock’ n Roll! The song then evolved as a collective process between John, brother Darryl Fink (bass) and Greg Birrell (drums) into its final form.

“After writing the main riff, the chorus, melody and lyrics all came together with in the space of a few days which never happens to me. When we rehearsed it as a band it all came together very organically which I guess is where it gets its laid back vibe”. John Fink, singer/guitarist. From start to finish ‘Storm’ builds in energy and purpose, ending in a climactic wall of sound. An alluring song coupled with at times dark lyrics like “natural progression’s not paying attention to what it is letting through”, ‘Storm’ is a testament to the new direction to which Binary Circus have chosen to explore.

This is the only track I have heard from Binary Circus and it's an impressive song. There is a lot stated about the song in the promo words above, I would add that describing this as a mature sound is really appropriate, it's a good one with a bluesy rock feel and some! Facebook (here).

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Copywrite - And we are told - This video is leading into our upcoming album entitled "A Heart of Glass" out August 11th!

None of this record was recorded in a studio. All of this record was only recorded at our own houses in Australia, with our shared collection of audio gear and microphones. We started the record when we were 16, and it was completed a year after high school. The record is extremely personal to us, truly our "high school" record. Occasionally making us cringe in it's pure honesty.

"Philophobia" is a taboo but common fear of love. I found it interesting that it was always about the pain after the relationship, as I had always feared about losing myself to the point it would have to hurt. It seemed everyone who fell in love that I knew completely changed; almost accepting less of themselves and abandoning their ambitions, dying off to simply having a love of their life which I knew was so naive at such an age.

I have to say if you like the music video below the album will please you even more. There is a 'sense of freedom' in the songs that I think comes from not being in a formal recording studio environment. The production is very good, the variety encouraging and the raw energy a delight. Facebook (here).


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Media Jeweler - Background - Media Jeweler arose as a veritable phoenix out of the ashes of a revolving-door big band following an unexpected but celebratory funeral pyre supporting A Hawk and A Hacksaw in LA. Calls were made and within two weeks a leaner and decidedly meaner entity emerged, outlook fresh.

Two years later, their debut albumaims to capture the relentless restlessness of being alive on this increasingly weird and overstimulating planet. It was recorded and mixed in a casual and really quite nice three-day session during the dawn of spring at Machines with Magnets by Seth Manchester and Keith Souza (Battles, Lightning Bolt, etc.). It was mastered a week later by XOQ (Liars, Factory Floor, Martin Gore, etc.) The mood varies drastically on each of the seven tracks that make up the narrative of the album. We celebrated its completion with a few dozen jello shots at the local watering hole where we witnessed a man with a voice like crushed charcoal yell and storm out while Kid Rock's deepest cuts droned.

Please note that Media Jeweler prefers to be referred to as a Rock Band full-stop, jubilantly taking into consideration all the trappings and tropes associated with Rock music. The nuance lost with the variety of modifying adjectives that can precede "Rock" is priceless.

There is a free form swagger to this song and the sense of marching forward as the song builds. Nonconformist however very appealing is the first thought that went through my mind. I think they can comfortably be referred to as a rock band, one with a uniqueness that pleases. Website (here).

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The Woolen Men - Background - The Woolen Men are three - two Oregon natives and a Washingtonian.  They play punk influenced DIY music in the Pac-NW tradition of Dead Moon and the Wipers.  More than a sound or style, that means a kind of work ethic - do-it-yourself and do it a lot.  The band is happiest touring up and down the I-5 or bunkered in their practise space with the cassette 4-track rolling.  And it shows.  Live, the band is thunderous and energetic and the magnetic chemistry of the three of them playing together shines through in the recordings. This week the band announces their sophomore album Temporary Monument on Woodsist Records, due September 4th. 

The Woolen Men are Alex Geddes, Lawton Browning and Raf Spielman.  They live and work in Portland, OR.  Raf previously released an album of solo material under his Polyps moniker for Woodsist's sister label Hello Sunshine.

From the band: "Our hometown has been buried under an avalanche of condos and pointless businesses catering to the newly rich. Noise complaints shut down our shows and pull the plug on countless DIY venues. The places where we lived are being torn down; the rent keeps climbing up. Born too soon or too late, the recession's effect on our youth was as invisible as it it was profound.

Music today is rendered powerless - white noise made in the echo chamber, for the great Smooth Face that gazes once and moves on. So here it comes, some noise from the dustbin. The Internet is sham: Temporary Monument, we made it for ourselves. Look us in the eyes and tell us you're not getting old."

'After The Flood' is the first song I have heard by The Woolen Men and boy does it make me want to hear more. The pay off from touring and experimenting and recording is a fine, fine song from what is now for me, an eagerly awaited album. Facebook (here).

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