Friday, 30 June 2017

Tastes Like Chicken - A Valley Son - Moses Guest - San Mei - Ian Randall Thornton - Basement Revolver

Tastes Like Chicken - Bottle In My Hand.

Background - With America’s dependency on alcohol and opioids at an alarming all-time high, few artists have dared to address the complicated issue. South Carolina’s Tastes Like Chickenhave bravely attempted to fill that void with the release of their poignant and soulful new single “Bottle in My Hand. Recently voted Best Band in the Pee Dee by the readers of Florence’s The Morning News, “Bottle in My Hand” is proof that Tastes Like Chicken know firsthand the struggles associated with the destructive cycle of dependency.

According to songwriter Lance Shirley, “Bottle in My Hand” laments the dependent relationship people often form with alcohol: “The song is about drinking to make your problems go away. Although it may be a temporary fix, it usually ends up compounding the problem or bringing about new problems.”

“Bottle in My Hand” is told from the perspective of someone who is going through this vicious cycle. It could be wrecking their relationship, career, or something else, but they keep coming back to it. Shirley knew the dangerous cycle of alcohol dependency well enough that he quit drinking two years ago. Founded by brothers Lance and Chad Shirley, Tastes Like Chicken feature tight musicianship, pristine vocal harmonies, and an eclectic sound that is heavily influenced by a myriad genres of music, including jazz, R&B, country, soul, and gospel.

Since forming in Florence, Tastes Like Chicken have become a fixture on the regional music scene by playing over 200 shows and festivals a year. The band’s 2012 debut Don’t Tempt Me remains a hot commodity among their dedicated fanbase. Tastes Like Chicken have shared the stage with Sister Hazel, Lee Brice, and Edwin McCain. The band is set to release their new album Heartaches and Hangovers today June 30. Website here, Facebook here

There is a country rock feel to 'Bottle In My Hand' a meaningful song that I'm sure will resonate with those who have had a battle with the bottle at some point in their life. Beyond that it's also a beautifully crafted song with high quality musicianship and vocals, that are delivered with passion and feeling.

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A Valley Son - Leaving Is Easy.

Background - Brooklyn’s soulful Southern rockers A Valley Son, have announced their debut full-length But The World Moves (out September 8th), along with sharing the fiery lead single “Leaving Is Easy.” 

But The World Moves is the follow-up to A Valley Son’s critically-acclaimed debut Sunset Park EP that came out in January, solidifying the band as one that puts songwriting, emotion and musicianship back at the forefront. The band’s new album reflects on frontman Trey Powell's childhood growing up in the rural tidal plains of eastern Virginia, where he was surrounded by little more than farmland and the two rivers that carved out the Middle Peninsula. Powell felt shut in, restless, reckless… with such little outside cultural or mental stimulation things felt grim, and he responded accordingly, and, often, destructively. 

These are not a collection of somber acoustic ruminations, but raucous, rowdy, careening tunes that pull heavily from the Southern soul, rock and gospel tradition that each of the members grew up on. Just like with their electric, freewheeling live performances, the band sets a tone from the first track that tries to transport the listener back and forth between the past and the present seamlessly, in the hopes that the line between memory and reality are blurred. Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

If you like your rock'n'roll natural, energised and gritty then 'Leaving Is Easy' is all of that. It's Southern rock, Brooklyn style and it works!

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Moses Guest - Light.

Background - Frontman Graham Guest states of the new single "I wrote "Light" in Summer/Fall 2015.  It came to me right along with "Black Road."  My daughter, Edie (9 years old) helped me with it a lot, telling me to keep certain parts and get rid of others.  It's about the all-too-common (at least for me) experience of being really excited about something or someone, then thinking that thing or person is maybe not cool at all, and finally thinking there just no way to be sure."

Moses Guest has been creating quite a name for themselves in recent years. They have shared the stage with several high-profile acts including Moe., Steve Miller Band, JGB, Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise, Jayhawks, Lisa Loeb, Colonel Bruce Hampton & the Fiji Mariners to name a few.

For Light, the studio focus is evident. The record marks the line-up’s twentieth anniversary and is their first album release since 2007’s Best Laid Plans. The super-tight, super-polished performances and arrangements hearken back to Moses Guest’s 2002 self-titled release. Website here, Facebook here.

'Light' is a feast of rhythmic, tight and super refined rock, with hints of blues and jazz. Professional and polished it certainly is, however there is enough feeling and heart to give it some edge.

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San Mei - Necessary.

Background - San Mei shares the stunning title-track from her forthcoming debut EP, 'Necessary'. Following the success of previous single releases, 'Rewind', and 'Until You Feel Good', a music video and an east coast tour, the Gold Coast multi-instrumentalist is has been gathering some serious momentum. 

'Necessary' takes San Mei's electric vocals and sculpts them into harmonic arrangements, layered against fuzzy guitar riffs. The track grooves its way into a soaring alt-rock ballad of eclectic instrumental arrangements and enchanting vocal orchestration. The track revolves lyrical around the need to treat those around you with kindness - in San Mei's own words: 'Everyone has stuff going on - happy, sad, trying. The song is about acknowledging that and just trying to be good to other people, because you don't know always know where they're at.'

San Mei has shared stages with Evar Klar, Polish Club, Elliphant and performed at the The Mountain Goat Valley Crawl just in the last six months. Adding to her growth the 'Until You Feel Good' east coast tour witnessed a solid progression of in San Mei's development as an artist.  She's also received props from the likes of  NME, Indie Shuffle, Nylon Mag and triple j - where she also gained spot rotation for previous single 'Rewind'. 'Necessary' single and EP is out July 14th. Facebook here.

Third time around on Beehive Candy for San Mei, who continues to impress, this time with 'Necessary'. Last time we said of her music, "Beautiful dreamy and sweeping vocals are supported by a rhythmic indie pop soundtrack." With the latest song I might switch pop over to rock, beyond that it's another delicious song.

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Ian Randall Thornton - Who Are We.

Background - Songwriter Ian Randall Thornton, is gearing up to release his proper debut album Lineage (due August 25th). “Who Are We” is an apt first offering from Lineage, in that it plunges straight into the theme of the record, while simultaneously representing its diverse musical scope. This track, much like the album itself, is about family and heritage, and the tension between honoring the past and embracing the future. So much of who we are is directly influenced by our inherited family culture, for better or for worse. Family teaches us how to walk, eat, judge, behave, and how to perceive and communicate with the world around us. "Who Are We" delves into the process of valuing what is beautiful in our family and cultural inheritance, while weeding out the aspects that can hold us back from growth and progress; in hopes to bestow an even greater inheritance to future generations.

Ian Randall Thornton’s sound echoes with a history beyond his years. At age 7, Thornton delved into classical music, and through his adolescence expanded his palate through involvement in different types of bands in his hometown of Norfolk, VA, from thrash punk to folk to post-rock. His current musical expression resides in a delicate balance between Americana, timeless folk, and progressive post-rock. His sound provides a unique tension: the balance of remembering the past and hoping unabashedly for the future. Each song on Lineage flows from one to the next like movements in a symphony, ideas weaving incandescently throughout. 

Sparks of world influence and folk traditions light up different tracks, such as the African influences heard in the fretless banjo dancing through “Philadelphia,” and distinctly Appalachian influences mixed with sounds of hope and history in “Dance Upon the Tables.” With “See You Through,” an ode written from a father to his daughter, the album comes to a crescendo of three part harmonies and a unique combination of Asian and Appalachian melodic influences. One could see this as a soundtrack to the film of Thornton’s life experiences, carrying secrets of friendship, made from family and for family. Its concept carries a definitive story of the golden threads of family history. In this Thornton finds purpose, writing odes to generations past, with songs such as “See You Through” serving as a guidepost for generations to come. Website here, Facebook here.

Some delicate acoustic guitar playing provides a fine backdrop for Ian Randell Thornton's notable vocals on 'Who We Are'. As the rhythm kicks in the song moves up a notch and some fine melodic vibes unfold. It's one of eleven tracks on the new album, and I have to say they are all at least as good as the featured song, with a few real gems along the way.

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Basement Revolver - Tree Trunks.

Background - 'Tree Trunks' follows the success of last year's EP and debut single 'Johnny'. Their new EP 'Agatha' is out July 21st on on Yellow K Records (U.S.) and fear of missing out records (U.K.).

The EP has had a lasting impact, racking up over 800,000+ plays on Spotify and nearly 100,000 plays on SoundCloud. ‘Johnny’ and their second single ‘Words’ reached the higher echelon of the Hype Machine chart, while the EP has made various ‘best of 2016’ listings around the blogger community. 

Lead singer Chrisy Hurn on the new single: "Tree trunks was written when I started experiencing panic attacks for the first time, and my increasing need to find a professional who could help me to find better ways to cope. It also tries to mirror how I imagine the environment feels sometimes - and how the environment is tied to many people's mental health. I was very fortunate to find the help that I needed and I would encourage everyone to go after the mental health resources that are available to them." Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

Last years debut single 'Johnny' really did standout from the crowd, since then we have featured Basement Revolver a couple of more time and now we have 'Tree Trunks' to share. This is a band that can consistently deliver beautiful, melodic, emotional songs with incredibly large hooks, fabulous!

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Wednesday, 28 June 2017

GREY \\ WATER - The fin. - Tom Rosenthal - Guts - Tom Walters

GREY \\ WATER - Jimmy.

Background - GREY \\ WATER is a culmination of close friends blending their influences to create one distinct sound. 

As a band they wanted to create a song that challenged them to maintained their DIY spirit, while recording new material at a studio for the first time. To delve into a variety of creative processes. 

Lead singer Charlotte Grace Victoria's thoughts on the song: "I feel as though the story of Jimmy and his significant other reflects the same idea. On the surface, there is a couple in the midst of honeymoon love, yet along with that, there is an undertone of the pressure to change and evolve into something new." Facebook here.

Some brisk and bright guitar lead music introduces 'Jimmy'. When the beautiful vocals join in, the songs emotional feel deepens, and the melodic hooks really dig in.

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The fin. - Pale Blue.

Background - Arriving just in time for the start of summer proper, ‘Pale Blue’ is a sun-bleached slice of disco-tinged lysergia akin to Currents era Tame Impala. Yuto Uchino’s infectious melodies have a hint of Bee Gees’ irresistibility about them, and his impressive full-bodied production approach builds towering walls of synth and funk guitars around his hooks. The organic and electronic elements warp and merge tactfully to make a heady musical trip. It’s the second track to be taken from new album following ‘Afterglow’, the LP is expected to land next year. 
  
The fin. are a group comprised of Yuto Uchino (vocals and synths), Ryosuke Odagaki (guitar), and Kaoru Nakazawa (drums / bass). Since their formation in 2012 as an extension of Yuto’s musical vision (he wrote and recorded their initial records in his bedroom), they’ve performed to thousands of rapturous fans at major festivals including Fuji Rock, SXSW and Rising Sun. Staking their claim on America in 2015, they embarked on a major tour there, which included a performance at SXSW, before signing to Lost In The Manor the same year to release their debut UK EP ‘Night Time’. Last year’s ‘Through The Deep’ EP was a cleverly refined follow-up and it prefaced their decision to move to London that autumn. 

Their tenure here has seen them develop themselves artistically through collaborations writing, recording, and touring with a wealth of British artists and producers like Brad Spence, All We Are, Ten Fe, Circa Waves, Last Shadow Puppets, Petite Noir, FEWS, Anchorsong, Slow Dance and many more. They’ve just finished a world tour that included the UK, Japan, USA, China, Thailand and Malaysia along with a showcase at SXSW and another to come at The Great Escape. Praise has built quickly around the group and they’ve achieved over two million Spotify plays for their stylish Europhile blend of synth-pop, chillwave and dream-pop, complete with English lyrics addressing universal themes of everyday uncertainties. Latest single ‘Afterglow’ will be remixed by FEWS and Anchorsong (a huge fan of the band having played at their all-nighter parties in East London), and with it they’re evidently reaching the zenith of their artistic maturity, making vital and exciting new music for the road ahead. Pertinently, The fin. are a reflection of the idea that music is rooted in feeling and not borders. Facebook here.

Our third feature for The fin. who first came to my notice getting on for a couple of years ago. New track 'Pale Blue' has a hint of classic disco hidden amongst the bands excellent melodic sensibilities and a clever arrangement that allows both vocals, harmonies and the fine musicianship, all to shine.

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Tom Rosenthal - Take Over.

Background - Tom Rosenthal has this to say about his new music video ‘The video is about a couple meeting on a train for the first time and the starting of a romantic spark that prompts the male character to give the female character a pineapple but it's a magic pineapple... Hannah is an incredible animator with a style totally unique to her and I've been lucky enough to work with her for a few years now. Our previous collaborations have been viewed over 4 million times so something must be right!'

With songs featuring on a number of TV soundtracks (‘Skins’, ‘Hard Knocks’, 'Kid Poker'), major films including 'Comet', 'Anesthesia' and 'The Odyssey' (2016) as well as Vodafone’s official campaign, Rosenthal has seen his audience grow firmly, promptly and rapidly with more and more demand for his music.

It is worth mentioning that he’s achieved all this fully on his own and without any help from a manager, record label, publisher, booking agent, PR or PA. Subsequently his YouTube channel, showcasing his award-winning music videos (which he’s won for Best Video at the European Independent Film Festival 2017), has now amassed well over 30 million views and his Spotify streams well over 60 million…

Now he’s just released his much-anticipated new album ‘Fenn’. Sonically it fits high up there with the likes of Bon Iver, James Vincent McMorrow and Father John Misty.

The album 'Fenn' was written and recorded following the birth of his 2nd child (named Fenn) and is his most ambitious project to date. Having previously stuck to simple acoustic instrumentation, here Rosenthal expands into the world of trumpets, choirs, and 1970's Moogs. Comprised of 15 varied tracks, 'Fenn' was composed as an antidote to the troubled and shifting times of 2016. So apart from 'P.A.S.T.A', here we find songs ranging from reflections on modern man's coffee habits (‘What's Getting You Down, James?’), to songs simply focused on rising above it all (‘Throw The Fear, It Won't Be Me’).

Conclusion? Tom Rosenthal is an odd pearl worthy of your attention, so sharpen your ears, put your headphones on and let the music do the rest. Facebook here.

I think it's eminently fair to say I'm just a little late to the party when it comes to Tom Rosenthal. 'Take Over' being my first conscious listen to his music, leaves me urgently checking out his other material. A fabulous song!


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Guts - Everybody Wants to Be a Star (feat. Wolfgang).

Background - The energy levels are spiking into the red with Guts latest fuzzy retro synth infested groove cut ‘Everybody Wants To Be A Star’ (ft. Wolfgang). With a plethora of guests and varied palette of sounds encompassing afro, soul, jazz, funk, hip hop and more, the French producer is aiming to ‘Stop The Violence’ and instead create a world of pure joyous united vibes with their new EP of the same title.

The unpredictable nature of life for a band with members scattered around the globe have forced Guts to give his line-up a shake to start their various tours in the best possible conditions. A Brand New Revolution!

So Leron Thomas gave way to Wolfgang Volburn, who is also lead vocalist of The Ephemerals. Mary May climbed onto Lorine Chia’s throne. Beat Assaillant plucked a mic from the air that was still burning from the flow of Von Pea. With Florian Pellissier remains riveted to the keyboards, versatile Greg F. on the guitar and Nico Rajao on drums, Guts has gobbled up the miles and bestrode stage after stage at the head of a revitalised live band.

New recruits had kept enhancing the well-practised repertoire with their vibes, redefining some of the contours, adding a bit more soul here or a lightness of touch there. Their impact was so great, in fact, that changing line-ups have become part of the band’s identity.

Galvanized by this new alchemy, Guts and his new-look live band stopped off in the studio to compose and record some new tracks which he has brought together on Stop the Violence, a five-track record that’s more like a mini-album than a simple EP.

High on this regenerating juice, energy levels spiking into the red, Ain’t Perfect, Pick Me Up, Everybody Wants to Be a Star, Drummer’s Delight and the title track light up boxes marked soul, afro, disco and jazz, brighten a groove carpeted with retro-funky keyboards and the brass of Cotonete, Heavenly Sweetness’s resident jazz-funk specialists.

Two birds with one stone, since Guts and his live band will obviously use Stop the Violence to set the stage ablaze after burning up people’s decks. Label website here, Facebook here.

Mixing retro synth styles and more modern musical sounds 'Everybody Wants to Be a Star (feat. Wolfgang)' is a buoyant, upbeat and very catchy song. A perfect summer soundtrack song, to dance or listen to.


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Tom Walters - Marlborough.

Background - Tom Walters is an up-and-coming folk-rock artist based in the inner suburbs of Sydney. Walters has spent the last year crafting a catalogue of catchy, riff-based tunes to be released as an EP in the near future. The music is a blend of John Butler-esque finger-style guitar, acoustic pop sentiments in the realm of Ed Sheeran, and some classic rock and roll vibes to keep things fun!

Walters has a simple mission; “write songs that have a heart and a hook.” 

‘Marlborough’ is the debut single for Tom Walters. The song was first demoed in February at One Flight Up Studios in St Peters along with a handful of other tracks. In April, Walters was back in the studio to start tracking Marlborough for single release. The song was produced by head engineer Adam Barns at One Flight Up. Walters also enlisted the help of ‘Stormbird’ drummer Nedad Teofilovic as a session player during the recording process. The recording was completed in early May with additional vocals, guitars, synths, and percussion laid down to fill out the track.

Tom says on the creation of the track, “‘Marlborough’ began when I was still living at home. My Dad was teaching himself how to play ‘The Rain Song’ by Led Zeppelin on my guitar, so he kept tuning it in this bizarre open style tuning. Sometimes I couldn’t be bothered to tune it back so I would just jam with it in this open tuning and sure enough, some interesting riffs started to flow out of me, including the main ‘Marlborough’ riff. I felt as though I understood the instrument better in this new open tuning and song after song started tumbling out of me and my guitar.” 

‘Marlborough’ is a melting pot of Tom Walters’ musical influences. The acoustic guitar riff is then layered over with gritty electric guitars, simple attacking rock grooves on the drums, and some synths to add depth to the sound.

The vocals move from single layer melodies to increasingly rich harmonies as the song progresses. Lyrically the song is about finding comfort in a person, losing that person, and then finding new comfort in activities and substances that offer short term healing but perhaps will prove damaging in the long term. Tom Walters can be found playing at the Town Hall Hotel in Newtown, Sydney Wednesday nights. Bandcamp here.

Apart from the fact that it's the other side of the world to me, I could quite happily spend my Wednesday evening at The Town Hall Hotel listening to Tom Walters. With his stated mission being to “write songs that have a heart and a hook.” featured song 'Marlborough' suggests he is well on target to achieve that goal.

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Tuesday, 27 June 2017

Premiere: Squarehead - Thought Fractals (EP)

Squarehead - Perties (Thought Fractals EP).

Background - Squarehead is the stage name of Melbourne music producer Tobi Yamamoto. After playing bass guitar for various Australian independent artists, including 2010 Triple J Unearthed winners Blud, Tobi ventured into the world of production with Squarehead in 2011.

Since releasing their 2013 debut release ‘Fables’, Squarehead have performed along side many of Melbourne's most creative recent exports such as ALTA, Andras Fox, Halcyon Drive, Rat & Co, Willow Beats and Yeo; including billing at the boutique festivals Inca Roads, Castle Music Festival and Paradise Music Festival.

Their long awaited subsequent release ‘Two-Track’ in 2015 received much attention from local radio stations such as PBS, SYN, and RRR, as well as platforms like Soundcloud, where it totalled over 19 thousand listens.

Squarehead is often seen in the Melbourne live scene as a trio, with a combination of live instruments and electronic samples, combining the raw energy of a band with the meticulous layering of electronic music production.

‘Thought Fractals’ was self-produced and mastered by Adam Dempsey from Deluxe Studios. The new EP shows a refined, mature side to Squarehead’s epic instrumental pieces, whilst maintaining the uniqueness observed in their previous releases. Facebook here, Bandcamp here.

'Perties' is the second of five instrumentals on 'Thought Fractals' the brand new EP from Squarehead. From the outset I was impressed with this EP, it's awash with rich layers of melodic synths, dynamic beats, and not surprisingly some bass guitar, alongside an eclectic mixture of additional sounds. Different musical directions are explored, some catchy hooks and vibrant melodic moments are never far away. If you asked me to define the genre, I would say electronic to keep things simple, in reality it's considerably more than that, so lets just add Fabulous.

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Monday, 26 June 2017

Guided by Voices - Parsons Rocket Project - 1403

Guided by Voices - Just To Show You.

Background - Guided by Voices new album How Do You Spell Heaven is set for release on 11 August 2017. Guided By Voices is on a roll. You could argue, but please don't because I have a headache, that GBV is never not on a roll, that Robert Pollard's output plows past the word "prolific" like prolific is standing still in a snowbank; and that's true, but this new version of the band (Doug Gillard, Bobby Bare Jr, Mark Shue, Kevin March) has given Pollard new tools to complement his song-hammer. Thus, ergo, quod erat demonstrandum: roll. 

Hot on the heels of the smothered-in-plaudits double album August By Cake comes this hot and heavy fifteen-tune long player, a melody-dense thwack to the earholes that will both energize you and deplete your body of its remaining music-appreciation enzymes. Recorded by the band in New York, and by Bob in Ohio, How Do You Spell Heaven capitalizes on the current incarnation's tour-buffed shine without sacrificing eternal GBV verities such as but not limited to: off-kilter rhythmic jolts; krazy chords; purposefully imperfect harmonies; and fragmented structures that start and stop on a coin of small denomination and go somewhere else, and quickly.

For example: Leadoff track "The Birthday Democrats" features a surfeit of pop hooks and swaggering sure-footed wordplay before dissolving like a perfect dream into Beatles-esque sound collage. "King 007" starts off like an acoustic demo from Tommy before shifting gears into a galloping riff-driven hyperspace guitar battle, before pivoting back to some kind of weirdo hybrid of the two… and then stops short just when you think you've got the thing pinned down. "Pearly Gates Smoke Machine" opens like the best thing Marc Bolan never wrote and then stubbornly refuses to cohere into an actual song, instead serving as a platform for some entertainingly normcore guitar pyrotechnics, while "How To Murder A Man" channels David Bowie channeling Scott Walker. Is this enough? Is it ever? How about "Nothing Gets You Real," a deceptively straightforward breezy number that sounds like Pollard looking back at his life-in-rock and nodding, with a melancholy smile, at past versions of himself. It'll make you cry, if you have a human heart.

There's more, much more, but you know that already. The easiest, laziest way to sum up Guided By Voices' latest album, the move we can't fail to resist making, is the most obvious: How do you spell heaven? Shout it from the rafters: G-B-V. Website here, Facebook here, live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page.

I just do not know how Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices, continue to be so inspired, creative and able to produce the quality and quantity of music, that has spanned their career. For me the new song 'Just To Show You' sits somewhere in the alt rock genre, it's melodic and devoid of any unnecessary extras, and at the same time fresh and pleasing. Another album is on it's way, and once again I am full of anticipation.

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Parsons Rocket Project - Exit Launch.

Background - Atlanta-based Parsons Rocket Project has announced they will be releasing their self-titled debut EP in August. Comprised of six tracks, this is a beautiful mixed bag of dream-gaze, indie rock and space rock. For now, they are previewing their first single 'Exit Launch', which occupies a sweet spot between Blonde Redhead, My Bloody Valentine, Bowery Electric and Slowdive.

Parsons Rocket Project takes its name from American rocket propulsion engineer, chemist, and occultist Jack Parsons.  The band formed in 2015 when drummer, lyricist, and titular figurehead Jody Hasty started collaborating with bassist Paul Curry, guitarist Jeff Holt, and multi-instrumentalist producer/engineer Benjamin Price at Studilaroche in Atlanta. They were later joiined by K. Michelle Dubois on vocals.

The band laid down the tracks for this album in the very studio where Benjamin Price has also worked on releases by Gang of Four and The Hives, among others. The album was mastered by Joe Lambert (Lou Reed, Animal Collective, The National, Hot Chip, Deerhunter, Panda Bear, Washed Out).

his debut EP represents a significant moment in time for the band, who were challenged to overcome very real struggles involving drug abuse, a terrible automobile accident, and the low-level daily drama of domesticity. Some of the ambient and psychedelic exploration is rooted in real trauma – both physical and emotional – while some of it is celebratory in nature, rooted in the unique awareness of a temporary conscious being in our universe.

'Parsons Rocket Project' will be released digitally on August 11, with vinyl to follow via the New Texture label. The digiital version already available for pre-order via Bandcamp here, Facebook here.

'Exit Launch' is the first of six tracks on the bands debut EP due in August. The band are clearly comfortable and capable of taking songs in different directions, whilst maintaining a core overall sound or style, that is easily identifiable as theirs. The featured song is a fine indicator of Parsons Rocket Project quality and imaginative music, the EP adds more depth and substance, as debut's go, this is something for the band to be proud of.

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1403 - Tonight.

Background - East London-based singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer 1403 has been something of an enigma over the past few years. 

Popping up in various guises writing and collaborating with artists such as Sasha, Disturbing London's G-FrSH and Cypress Hill to name a few, he has also contributed to various film scores and advertising campaigns across a wide range of genres and styles.

During this time, he was introduced to Grammy Award Winning Philadelphia based producer Joe ͚The Butcher͛ Nicolo (Fugees, Billy Joel, Lauryn Hill). The pair quickly formed a unique bond which has seen 1403 travel to the US on several occasions over the past couple of years to transform his solo demos into studio recordings.​ Facebook here.

'Tonight' mixes intimate vocals and initially, a stripped back acoustic musical soundtrack. As the arrangement builds, it adds another layer of melody, whilst supporting those beautiful and enticing vocals. The overall effect is wonderful, this is a track that suggests some very good music will follow.

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Anna Smyrk - ZOCO - Howling Bells - TCBYML

Photo - Michelle Grace Hunder Anna Smyrk - This is a Drill . Naarm/Melbourne based singer-songwriter Anna Smyrk shares a poignant moment o...