Your Weekend Listening Upgrade

Winters End - Mayfair.

Their Bio informs us of the following - Comprised of siblings Marissa and Christopher Pinto Winters End are a Sydney-based indie, electronic band. Formed in October 2011their follow-up release to their debut EP Staircase (2012) was their single Walls. 

Released in July 2014 Walls received plays extensively by community radio stations Australia wide, and also received airplay on FBi radio and Triple M in Sydney. Walls continues to be played internationally in the UK, Netherlands, USA and Canada. Walls' success also saw Winters End invited to perform at two international music festivals in Canada and LA in October and November 2014.

Winters End are back and ready for 2015. Their 80s-inspired electronic sounds encompass all tastes and all ages. Make sure you seize your chance to see this dynamic sibling-duo while they're back home in Sydney! They are undertaking a national tour between September and December. 

This is a powerful and stirring song. Others have likened Winters End to Florence and The Machine, MS MR, and The XX, a reasonable enough viewpoint, however I reckon this song stands on it's own strength, one that deserves much wider attention.

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Fleurie - Sparks.

Part of Fleurie's Bio reads - "Fleurie." The name is French. The singer is American. And the music — a dreamy, cinematic pop sound that sweeps, swoons, and soars — creates its own geography.

On her new EP, Arrows, Fleurie balances herself between two different worlds: one, an organic place where pianos twinkle and vocals flutter; the other, a digital place where electronic drums, synthesisers and computer programming meet. It's a sound that's simultaneously human and electronic, simple and orchestral, poppy and artsy. Tying everything is Fleurie's voice, the production of Matt Stanfield (session player for Kelly Clarkson, Plumb and Jars of Clay) and the mixing work of Dave Schiffman (Haim, Charli XCX, Brandon Flowers), who teamed up to frame Fleurie's voice in layers of digital beats and synth pads.

When it came time to record Arrows, Fleurie was happy to dismantle her songs — many of which she'd written during her stay in Sydney, Australia — and piece them back together again. Time signatures were changed. Pianos were swapped out for synthesisers. Arrangements worthy of the coffeehouse were replaced by production geared toward the arena. The goal was to highlight her melodies while still pushing the envelope. Working with Stanfield and session musicians like drummer Fred Eltringham (the Wallflowers, Dixie Chicks), she created an EP that tackles everyday concerns — the struggle to make a difference in life, the need to be loved, the pang of pain — in otherworldly ways. "Hope, Where Have You Gone" makes occasional use of a Vocoder, mixing Fleurie's natural voice with a digitally-doctored counterpart, while "Fire in my Bones" rides a groove partially made by banging pots and pans.

'Sparks' is the second track from Fleurie's upcoming EP, Arrows, which will be independently released on September 4th. She has gentle silken vocals that really do 'glide' quite beautifully over a feature rich soundtrack. Well that's my take of this really catchy song.

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Gracie and Rachel - Tiptoe.

Background - Brooklyn-based duo, Gracie and Rachel are thrilled to announce that they will be supporting much-loved Dangerbird Records artist, Holly Miranda on her upcoming tour of these United States.

The announcement comes just a few weeks after a successful one-off run for Gracie (Coates, who plays the piano and sings) and Rachel (Ruggles, who plays the violin) that included an opening slot with fave Colin Stetson in Chicago, a jaunt down to Rock Island, IL for a Daytrotter session (posting August 24th), and a homecoming headliner at NYC’s Rockwood Music Hall.

The duo also played a packed out show at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco returning to their Bay Area roots (G and R hail from Berkeley), and airplay from taste makers KCRW prompted a well-attended LA show at the world famous Hotel Café a few days later.

Hard-to-please music press have been concurrently putting their arms around Gracie and Rachel. Those who have had the pleasure of seeing a live show are hit at once with the depth of the songwriting and endless width of their talent. WNYC Soundcheck in their track premiere for “Tiptoe,” for instance, nailed it by saying, “The two play off each other not only musically but mentally. Different shades of the same emotion appear simultaneously on their faces and flow through their instruments. A tangled and intimate connection between the two is apparent on stage and will no doubt imprint on their upcoming debut.” Here’s more.

The coming months are sure to see a flurry of activity and attention around Gracie and Rachel, but most immediately, here are those tour dates we mentioned (with Holly Miranda):

Tour dates:

Tue, Sep 15 - Rock N Roll Hotel - DC - with Holly Miranda
Fri, Sep 18 - Mercury Lounge - NYC - with Holly Miranda
Sat, Sep 19 - Great Scott - Boston, MA - with Holly Miranda
Tue, Sep 22 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA - with Holly Miranda
Wed, Sep 23 - The Loving Touch - Ferndale, MI - with Holly Miranda 
Thu, Sep 24 - Schubas Tavern - Chicago, IL - with Holly Miranda
Fri, Sep 25 - The Frequency - Madison, WI - with Holly Miranda
Sat, Sep 26 - 7th St. Entry - Minneapolis, MN - with Holly Miranda
Tue,Sep  29 - The Sunset - Seattle, WA - with Holly Miranda
Wed, Sep 30 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR - with Holly Miranda
Fri, Oct 2 - Bottom Of The Hill - San Francisco, CA - with Holly Miranda
Sat, Oct 3 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA - with Holly Miranda
Sun, Oct 4 - The Merrow - San Diego, CA - with Holly Miranda
Wed, Oct 14 - Rockwood Music Hall - NYC - CMJ/Deli Magazine Showcase
Tue, Nov 3 - Rockwood Music Hall - NYC - Communion Residency
Thu, Nov 12 - The Midland Theatre - Newark, OH.

The vocals are lush and captivating and that's just half the story. Strings and piano and a driving beat make 'Tiptoe' a pretty special song, the reprise just emphasises the point. Genuinely leaves me wanting more.

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Quality Not Quantity - Five We Like

Buffalo Sunn - Told You So.

Background - Five-piece Rock/Alternative band based in Dublin, Ireland,  incorporates sounds from the 60s, right up to the present day, mixing big reverb-laden harmonies with carefully placed guitars to take the listener on an epic journey. "Told You So" was produced by Grammy Award winner Pat McCarthy (U2, Counting Crows, R.E.M.). Their first single, "By Your Side" earned global airplay, which included over 450 spins at KKDO Radio 94.7 Sacramento.

Performed at multiple festivals and industry showcases including CMW (Canada), Music Matters Asia (Singapore), Liverpool Sound City (UK), Glasgowbury (UK), Hard Working Class Heroes (IE), CMJ (New York), SXSW (Austin, TX) and the Passport Approved Tour (Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento and more).

I am pretty certain Beehive Candy included Buffalo Sunn in a feature a couple of years back, in which case they are consistently very good. This is one of those tunes that grabbed me in the first few seconds, hopefully it will have the same effect on you.

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Doctor Goddard - Without Love.

Background - Doctor Goddard is a rock band from the Blue Mountains, NSW who “fuse old school Jim Morrison-esque indie rock with distinctly contemporary sounds and production.” (Lachlan Wyllie, 90.3FM) Singles “Do You Ever” and “The Bar’s All Covered In Lies” off their debut EP received national airplay on Triple J and have been likened by critics to acts such as The War On Drugs, Pink Floyd and Tame Impala. 

The band formed after brothers Mikael Sandström (vocals, guitar) and Nicholas Sandström (drums) met Cleveland, Ohio local Chris Seaman (bass) at a uni poker tournament in 2013 and bonded over a communal love of rock, late night card games and blues music. 

The trio began honing their sound shortly before landing the support with The Preatures for their Is This How You Feel Sydney Tour in which time Doctor Goddard formed a friendship with producer Jack Moffitt (guitarist for The Preatures) who recorded their first EP in the summer of 2014 and their new single “Without Love”. Since the EP’s release in August 2014 and after playing gigs all over Sydney with bands such as Flyying Colours, I Know Leopard, Spookyland, Peking Duck, Sticky Fingers and Richard in Your Mind, Doctor Goddard has been complimented on its rich sound, raw live energy and kinetic rhythms. 

“Without Love” was written and recorded live by Doctor Goddard over a 2 day session in the summer of 2015 and mixed at The Preatures studio, Doldrums. Lyrically about love and music a modern edge bleeds into Without Love whilst also saluting the ghosts of the west coast blues/rock scene in 1970's America.

OK so the vocal style is pure Jim Morrison & on this track the music and production is not far off The Doors at any moment. Thankfully they do it so well and with enough passion, that if nothing else, it makes up for the rapid demise of their forerunners, ("when the music's over - turn off the lights").


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Idgy Dean - Ominous Harminus.

Background - Considered one of the most enigmatic performers in Brooklyn, Idgy Dean has satiated those who have been demanding more from the one woman hurricane. Blending instinctual tribal-esque rhythms (that she blasts out herself on stage and then loops) with Kate Bush-ian late night siren howling, Idgy Dean has accomplished what almost nobody is able to do today by creating a trademark brand of pop that almost certainly cannot be pigeon holed. 

The new single, "Ominous Harminus" (the title track off the hyper personal LP out on September 18th) almost sounds like what a new waver in 1986 would write if inspired by 1960s movies about neanderthals. It's worth a listen, and much like the single's predecessors "The Indian Squirrel Dance" and "Bang Bang Sun" it has many of us hooked immediately.

This is refreshingly different in a very positive manner. The 'wall of sound' rhythms compete with Idgy's vocals, neither drowning out the other, just beating along together in this minor epic, excellent.

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Aerials - Burn Burn Burn (from the EP 'Restless')

Background - Fresh off the stage supporting adrenaline rockers Dead Letter Circus, Brisbane's Aerials are set to unleash their sophomore EP, 'Restless'. Starting the year to capacity crowds at Melbourne's Rock the Bay, local hang Black Bear Lodge and a national run supporting Jericco on their 'Machine Made The Animal' tour, Aerials will be returning to the road with their own run of shows this spring, promising a lot sweat, strobes and riffs.

With Forrester Savell (Karnivool) returning to the desk, title-track and new single 'Restless' is a seductively sinister story packaged as a blinding-bright assault to the dance floor. The soon to be released David Lynch inspired video delves into an underground world of fetish, obsession and surrealism.

2014 was a break from the road, but a breakthrough as a band, following a week together in the wilderness to pen new material. A contradiction to the environment, the forthcoming EP is a collection of chaotic but cohesive pop with synthesized riffery and crunching beats, laced with the soaring and commanding croons of vocalist Jackson Walkden-Brown. The EP's teaser track 'Symptoms' received another Highly Commended Award from Q-Music in the Rock category.

The 'Restless' EP is available for pre-order via iTunes and bandcamp now and will be released September 4 via MGM.

This is one energy packed rock come wild pop EP. I have to say each track impressed me with their get on and enjoy it vibe. If you like the featured track the EP is one for your collection.

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Naives - Horizon.

Background - Marc, a talented player of many instruments and former singer of the French band Megasushi (Paris 2006-1012) met Lapo, an italian-London based  producer and bass player (Frost, Fanny Games), in 2012. They established the core of tribal-tropical-indie-dance outfit N-A-I-V-E-S in East-London. Josh Gimber (Sons & Lovers, Alpines, Ellie Goulding) joined the band in 2014 as a session drummer, and finally permanent drummer Benji (ex Mausi) joined the band in 2015. 

N-A-I-V-E-S mix hook laden synths with big beat drums, to create charming electro pop bites, as fresh as they are unique. Their first single WIGO was released in February and the video hit 150.000 views (HERE). They supported Friendly Fires, Is Tropical, Reptile Youth, Goldie, Tessla Boy, Hot Sugar, Slow Magic, We Have Band, Mystery Jets and played a few crowded headline shows in Europe (Rome, Barcelona, Paris).

Gary Crowley played several tracks of the band in his show BBC London 94.9, they did a session for Radio Reprezent and they won an Auditions with Charlie Ashcroft on Amazing Radio.

There are so many good things going on with this song, the vocals and harmonies seemingly fly above an intense, yet bright and light soundtrack. Fresh and unique are fair words to describe this.


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Thursdays Canadian Triple Play

The Boxcar Boys - Hindustan (from the album - Cicada Ball).

Background - The Boxcar Boys create their distinct, energetic and at times maudlin sound by weaving together a captivating bevy of folk traditions, Dixieland jazz and Klezmer performed with a good ole time New Orleans spirit. Their presence on the Canadian music scene over the last 5 years, including 2 full length albums Don’t Be Blue (2011) and Rye Whiskey (2012) has earned them a Canadian Folk Music Award nomination as well as a place on EJazzNews list of Best Canadian Jazz Bands.

This Toronto based six piece is comprised of clarinetist John Williams, violinist Laura C. Bates, trombonist Karl Silveira, accordionist Kelsey McNulty, sousaphonist Rob Teehan and washboard player Justin Ruppel.   The band’s close-knit dynamic is clear on their third full length album, Cicada Ball which will waltz you across genres with whimsy and humour and dip you back in time. The title track of the album is a sonic interpretation of Cicadas giving up their tireless singing in the heat of the summer to instead throw down and party.  In the spirit of celebration, the Boxcar Boys included some talented friends on selected tracks throughout the album including Lotus Wight on vocals and cello banjo (Sheesham and Lotus), Adrian Gross on mandolin (The Slocan Ramblers) and Michael Eckert on dobro (The Double Cuts).

The album launch and official release party will be marked by a hoedown and concert at the Burdock Music Hall in Toronto on September 11th. Canadian bluegrass super-band, The Slocan Ramblers will ready the stage and warm up the dancers. The Boxcar Boys will follow this release with an east coast tour in mid-late September including a performance at the notorious Deep Roots Music Festival. Upcoming tour dates include:

9/11 - Burdock Music Hall (Toronto ON)
9/19 - Boscawen Inn (Lunenburg, NS)
9/20 - Parrsboro Music Hall (Parrsboro ON)
9/22 - Baba's Lounge (Charlottetown PEI)
9/23 - Red Herring Pub (Saint Andrews, NB)
9/24 - Cafe Cempoal (Halifax, NS)
9/25 - 9/27- Deep Roots Music Fest (Wolfville, NS)
9/28 - All City Music Program (Halifax, NS)
9/29 - The Townhouse (Antigonish, NS)
9/30 - House Concert (Cape Breton ON)

What's not to like about this band and this album. It's refreshing, timeless, has a blend of styles that can charm your socks off, and the musicians create something quite sublime.


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Grounders - Bloor Street And Pressure.

Background - This spring, the Toronto-based band - Andrew Davis (vocals and guitar), Daniel Busheikin (keyboards), Mike Searle (Bass) and Evan Lewis (guitar) - released their first full-length album, a collection of dense and intricate pop music under the gauzy veil of krautrock and psychedelia. In the time between releasing the Wreck of a Smile EP in 2013 and laying demos for their debut album, Grounders rediscovered their love for classic pop music, an appreciation that had waned over the years as they became obsessed with circumventing the conventional. They listened to pop staples like David Bowie and Devo, and revisited old favorites like Velvet Underground, Neu! and the Zombies. When Grounders finally came up for air, they had a newfound love for pop and a glut of ideas for a debut LP.

Meanwhile, Meditation for Dummies and David Lynch's self-help guide Catching the Big Fish, on transcendental meditation and the creative process, were passed around the van while touring through North America. As Davis's interest in meditation increased, his lyrics began to reflect his search for serenity and inner peace. The album came to life in two distinct spaces: Davis's bedroom in Toronto's sleepy High Park neighbourhood; and a spacious two-car garage packed with vintage gear from various pawn shops and second-hand stores across the country.

After recruiting DIANA's Kieran Adams to handle drums, the band headed into the studio with longtime pal Marcel Ramagnano (Born Ruffians, Absolutely Free) to record. Months of tracking, tinkering and layering later, Grounders enlisted the incomparable David Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Holy F) to give each song the bombastic, fried analog treatment he's become known for.

Tour dates:

8/21 Sudbury @ The Townhouse
8/22 North Bay @ Raven and Republic
9/10 Toronto @ The Silver Dollar 
9/14 Winnipeg @ The Handsome Daughter
9/15 Saskatoon @ Vangelis
9/16 Edmonton @ Wunderbar
9/17 Calgary @ Broken City
9/18 Revelstoke @ Harvest Festival
9/19-9/20 Victoria @ Rifflandia
9/22 Vancouver @ The Media Club
9/23 Bellingham @ The Shakedown
9/24 Seattle @ Rendezvous
9/25 Eugene @ Luckey's
9/26 Portland @ White Eagle
10/1-10/2 San Francisco @ Culture Collide Festival
10/8  Los Angeles, CA @ Culture Collide Festival
10/11 Denver @ Moe's
10/13 Chicago @ Schubas
10/14 Pittsburgh @ Spirit
10/20 Boston @ Great Scott
10/23 Moncton, NB @ Plan B
10/24-10/26 Halifax Pop Explosion

There is a real indie rock feel going on here, no harm in that, for me what sets the band apart, as demonstrated on the featured track, is the delicious guitar sound that works off so well against the vocals.

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Nick Diamonds - Witch Window.

Background - Nick Thorburn (aka Nick Diamonds) is a Canadian musician, composer and producer best known for starting and co-fronting the cult indie rock band The Unicorns when he was still a teenager. The band's first full-length album Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone? was named one of the Top 10 Albums by Pitchfork in 2003, receiving critical praise from around the world. After only one year of touring, the band imploded on stage in Texas in 2004, due to internal friction. Thorburn immediately went on to form the band Islands, signing with Anti- Records and eventually releasing 5 full length studio albums and touring the world, with appearances at festivals as diverse as Coachella, Primavera Sound and La Route Du Rock. 

Over the years Thorburn has released more records, collaborating with various artists on projects like Mister Heavenly (with Honus Honus of Man Man), El-P, Human Highway, Reefer, and others. While City Of Quartz is Diamonds' first solo release since 2011's highly-praised I Am An Attic, he's kept busy fronting Islands, playing 2014's reunion shows with his first band The Unicorns, and contributing the theme and original music to the hit podcast "Serial."

Tour Dates:

8/22: Montauk, NY @ Sole East   
9/4: Tucson, AZ @ The Flycatcher
9/5: Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge
9/6: El Paso, TX @ Bowie Feathers
9/8: Austin, TX @ Holy Mountain
9/9: New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
9/13: Washington, DC @ DC9
9/14: Allston, MA @ Great Scott
9/15: Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
9/16: New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
9/17: Philadelphia, PA @ The Boot & Saddle
9/18: Hudson, NY @ The Half Moon
9/19: Montreal, QC @ Rialto Hall (POP Montreal)
9/20: Toronto, ON @ The Mod Club Theater
9/23: Fort Wayne, IN @ The Brass Rail
9/24: Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
9/25: Cincinnati, OH @ MidPoint Music Festival
9/26: Champaign, IL @ Mike and Molly's (Pygmalion Festival)
9/27: Iowa City, IA @ The Blue Moose Tap
9/29: Denver, CO @ Hi Dive
9/30: Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
10/1: Boise, ID @ The Watercooler
10/2: Seattle, WA @ Barboza
10/3: Portland, OR @ Bunk Bar
10/4: Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
10/6: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
10/7: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place
10/9: Los Angeles, CA @ Culture Collide
10/10: San Diego, CA @ Bar Pink

There is something playful in the music that contrasts head on with the lyrics in the featured track. It's got so many hooks that playing it again is unavoidable.


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Wednesday's Selection - Three Fine Contenders

Luna Sands - Wake Me From Sleep.

Background - Luna Sands began as a studio project in late 2012, and after reworking and refining their sound for two years, they have completed recording their debut album "Tales of Night” in 2014. The first half of 2015 has seen Luna Sands demonstrate their style of psych grunge across prominent Brisbane venues such as The Zoo, The Triffid, and The Brightside. Now they are releasing their third single ‘Wake Me From Sleep’ through Sydney based label The A&R Department. The song wake me from sleep was recorded in 2014 at Recording Oasis, Taliebudgera Valley, Gold Coast, as well as Alchemix Studios, South Brisbane. The song was produced, and mixed by Rob Sharpe, and mastered by DOMC Mastering, Margate, QLD.

The song takes on the concept of dreaming, and being truly alive in our dreams. Front man of Luna Sands, Allen Ellis explained his inspiration for the song as:

“In a place some call the dreaming, between the borderlines of the awake and slumber you may find your lucid self. Here you are released to live out your dreams and desires where unrequited love and deeper longings are made perfect. How you get here may require a spell of medicine, a kiss from hades and for others the hand of midnight! Returning to your daily routine a tired reality sets in which suggests that maybe we are sleepers waiting to feel awake, made only possible in our dreams.”

A gentle song for a band described as psych grunge, this has more of an indie ballad meets alt rock feel to it, whatever it's a catchy little tune and the vocals are just right.

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The Demon Parade - She's Dope.

Background - Almost a Melbourne institution in their own right, let alone the gigging and recording mentors of many of Melbourne's world conquering psychedelic garage bands; The Demon Parade have a brand spanking new EP, Stone Circles, released earlier this month.

Bringing it all back home to the sound of their first homemade demos at the turn of the decade, which would see them hand-picked by the likes of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Swervedriver for tour supports, the new tracks see the band eschewing the dense and layered production of previous releases, deliberately keeping the knob twiddling behind the studio desk to a minimum. Instead, they've focused on song structures and creating a cohesive narrative between the songs to deliver their most fully formed release yet.

Inspired by the ancient stone circles of Southern Africa, which some researchers believe were used to create free energy with mind boggling frequencies and electro-magnetic fields more than 300,000 years ago; the EP ties together otherworldly, interstellar drones with sharp dirty guitar hooks. ‘She's Dope' extends a backwards glance to the pretty girl hanging out with Brian Jones in Marrakesh, front man Michael Badger wringing eastern mysticism out of a boy meets girl raga that's as old as time.

The featured track from the EP has a classic almost 60's psychedelic vibe to it (maybe Traffic's 'Hole In My Shoe') Having said that, the EP takes us in different directions with some harder edged songs and fine harmonies.

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Century Thief - Pillar - from the album 'Reverie'.

Background from the band - We've taken a collective approach to our new album 'Reverie' it features songs from four different members. These songs show a lot of diversity without comprimising on the unity that binds it all together. 'Reverie is out September 10th
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The studio allowed us to experiment as a band and brought us closer together as a unit. We ended up with a 13 song album about fighting stagnation. It’s an honest attempt to understand the boredom and comfort of unhealthy situations, poisonous loves, cruel social structures, doubt and dead end routines.

There’s a resistance to action that prefers a daydream. Although there is frustration in this, there is also solace in community that makes it more of a celebration of the struggle and our ability to persevere through love and acknowledgement. The music is sometimes upbeat, sometimes somber, and occasionally veers into manic noise, but we loved making it and we hope you'll enjoy listening to it.

There's only so much one song can provide as an idea of what an album might sound like. So 'Pillar' is just a hint of what amounts to a really fine collection of tracks. The songs take you in different directions, styles and vocals. If you like 'Pillar' then I have no hesitation in recommending the whole album.

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