Background - Bay Area, electro-rock duo, Native Sons, are excited to release their next single, "Say Nothing", from upcoming EP -- Super American. Perfect for a late night drive, "Say Nothing" features bouncing synth tones and eerie, longing vocals. Native Sons were born out of the ashes of blues rock band The Iron Heart. After making waves and playing 2013 Bottle Rock Music & Arts Festival alongside headliners such as the Black Keys and Kings of Leon, members Thomas and Justin decided it was time to follow a new musical journey.
The Native Sons project took a backseat for the time being but was ever present in the hundreds of songs they wrote together of the next 4 years. It wasn’t until June of 2016 Thomas Fine and Justin Altamura decided to re-think their music trajectory. The duo called on friends and industry contacts to put together a roster of producers.
Native Sons – Super American, their debut release, is a mix of pop, dance, electronic and rock. The 7 song EP take the listener through a journey of their past relationships, adventures and past musical history together in an intimate and emotional way. Super American will available online on all major streaming and download services August 4th. Website here, Facebook here.
Gentle rhythmic, melodic synths sit comfortably with the duo's natural rock instincts on 'Say Nothing', a catchy tune with vocals that could front for a mass of genres.
Background - Fresh from taking out WAM’s Blues Song of the Year for his track The Prince (an ode to everyone’s favourite watering hole in Bunbury), Dan Howls has put forward another blistering offering with new single Big Blue Eyes. Dan says of the track “Big Blue Eyes is a song about friends moving away from the wild life you grew up together in. It’s dark but has some cheeky overtones." Making his live debut just last year at W.A’s Nannup Music Festival, Dan performed solo with nothing more than an electric guitar and a stomp on his foot, impressing enough to take away the event’s audience voted Emerging Artist Award. The prize included studio time with James Newhouse (Ash Grunwald, The Kill Devil Hills) which resulted in his first EP’s worth of material. After playing relentlessly throughout Perth and Fremantle for the rest of 2016, Dan headed to Germany to play the first official Kornern Festival as well as nailing a filmed performance for the famed online Cardinal Sessions. Upon his return to Australia Dan launched his ‘Howler’ EP to a sold out crowd at Mojos Bar, with the addition of an explosive backing band made up of Josh Cutler, Callum Sealamb and Julia Weller. Dan Howl’s dark and gritty voice recalls shades of Tom Waits and when on fire with the band also hovers around the territory of Gary Clarke Jr., The Black Keys and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, setting the stage for one of the most menacing and ecstatic live shows going around. With a debut album set to drop this year and plans for national touring underway, Big Blue Eyes will feature amongst other new material being showcased as Dan Howls and his band continue to exorcise one stage at a time. Facebook here.
Some raw and ready rock'n'roll music ensures this song thunders into your life. Add in the gritty vocals and soothing harmonies and 'Big Blue Eyes' immediately registers. Fabulously natural alt rock.
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - Three New Songs.
Background - Since their formation as teenagers 10 years ago, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real have quietly developed into one of America’s most dazzling new live acts, playing hundreds of shows and major festivals all over the world, attracting a deeply devoted underground following. Still, with a bounty of invaluable experience under their belts, nothing foretold the artistic leap of Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real their new, self-titled album, a mesmerizing, emotionally genuine, endlessly rewarding work of cosmic country soul set for release on August 25th, 2017 via Fantasy Records. The band has shared three new tracks from the album, “Find Yourself,” “Forget About Georgia,” and “Set Me Down On A Cloud”. The new album includes 12 Lukas Nelson originals that draw on his country and rock lineage including literate Texas songsmiths like his father and ‘uncles’ Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings, along with the enduring influence of J.J. Cale, The Band, Clapton-era Delaney & Bonnie and of course, his mentor Neil Young.
Young, an essential member of the POTR family, met the band after he caught them at Farm Aid several years back. “Neil got in touch after that, and we started talking by email,” Lukas recounts. “Eventually, he asked us to record with him. We fell in love with each other musically, one thing led to another and we became Neil’s band.” Currently on tour with Sheryl Crow, Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real will be burning up stages throughout 2017 including multiple Outlaw Music Festival dates (with Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, My Morning Jacket, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Margo Price), Austin City Limits Festival, Farm Aid and Milwaukee’s SummerFest. The band is also set for shows alongside Gary Clark Jr. and Nicki Bluhm. Additionally, Lukas Nelson & Promise will headline the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on September 5th. Website here.
Three songs, “Find Yourself,” “Forget About Georgia,” and “Set Me Down On A Cloud” and each one, more than just a little bit special. The new album is a must for me!
Background - New singles label Highland Park, first ever release, is from Brooklyn-based band Plastic Picnic. The label have re-released their killer summer jam, 'Miss It Still', along with a brand new music video. Plastic Picnic is a Brooklyn based band comprised of four Pacific Northwest transplants. The duos – Lute and Panerio, and Hunt and Taylor – developed their styles playing in separate Seattle projects. It wasn’t until moving east that the pairs were brought together by a mutual friend. Instantly compatible, the group shared a taste for lyrically forthright indie rock paired with driving 80's rhythms, sweetly spun melodies and atmospheric synth and guitar work. Website here, Facebook here, Highland Park Records website here.
'Miss It Still' is a breezy indie rocker, that's catchy. pleasing and just right for a warm summers evening, as is the case for me right now, oh for a swim in the sea..
The Heavy Blinkers - The Night And I Are Still So Young.
Background - Canada's Label Obscura is proud to announce the upcoming reissue of one of the best independent pop albums of the early 2000s - 'The Night And I Are Still So Young' by The Heavy Blinkers. This is the first time this classic album will be released on vinyl.
Described by Spin magazine as "one of the greatest bands you've (probably) never heard", The Heavy Blinkers is a five-piece formed in 1998 by Jason Michael MacIsaac and a group of friends, including keyboardist and songwriter Andrew Watt and ethereal vocalist Ruth Minnikin. They are based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. By 2004, the intricate and tightly constructed chamber pop of The Heavy Blinkers had become well known, winning them widespread acclaim, albeit without corresponding commercial success for their self-titled debut release in 2000 and the 'Better Weather' LP in 2002. The band reached a remarkable breakthrough with their fourth album 'The Night and I Are Still So Young' (2004), exhibiting a new maturity in this stunningly orchestrated pop masterpiece. At the time that 'The Night and I Are Still Young' was recorded, The Heavy Blinkers were comprised of Andrew Watt, Greg Fry, Jason MacIsaac, Ruth Minnikin, and Trevor Forbes. MacIsaac is currently the only remaining original member of the band. Two years in the making, this album consolidates the nocturnal orchestrations of the Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev and grafts them onto material akin to 70's era Beach Boys, Harry Nilsson or Randy Newman. This has led to the group gathering fans wide and afar, including Sondre Lerche, Van Dyke Parks and The High Llamas.
The luscious pop songmanship of this album has earned The Heavy Blinkers comparisons with Brian Wilson's best work at his peak, as well as international acclaim and devoted fans. The band's sonic landscape is rich with multi-tracked vocals featuring an affecting interplay between Minnikin, Watt and MacIsaac, combined with a virtual enchanted forest of arrangements. Website here, Facebook here, Label Obscura here.
It's hard to remember just how geographically limited releases could be, in the days before mp3's and the plethora of sites & outlets we have become so accustomed to. 'The Night And I Are Still So Young' certainly came and went without my knowing. Both the title song and the album are just so fabulous, that even if vinyl isn't your thing, go and download and own this work!
Background - Sydney based artist Solomon Harper grew up in the central suburbs of Auckland City listening to the innovators of every genre and era, style and swagger. Influences include Alabama Shakes, Ray Charles and Al Green to name but a few. He is the new father of one bonny baby girl and a gut wrenching new EP, All The Things We Made, featuring the single, ‘Bones’, you’ll want to download yesterday. Solomon’s debut EP, recorded at Linear Recording Studios in the heart of Sydney, sounds like the illegitimate love child of a Soul, Funk and RnB threesome. Solomon’s musical evolution started young drumming for Punk bands in his teens, belting out Pennywise anthems and NoFX fixtures. Discovering Motown magic and smooth soul in his twenties transformed his style from rough and roll to sultry soul. Song writing skill has developed during the course of Solomon’s real world career in the coal fields of composition, tending bar, construction, kitchen dish bitch and all the highs and lows, loves and losses between. Working between colonies he has cut his teeth in the real world jamming with rock royalty in clubs and pubs hosting live performances in Sydney, Auckland and anywhere good sounds are appreciated and encouraged. With tours and guest appearances pending Solomon will soon be upstaging established artists in their home territory, whether in Taihape, Towoomba or Timbuktu. With echoes of Paolo Nutini and shades of Kings of Leon, Solomon delivers an original soul stirring set including ‘Bones’, ‘Devils Son’, ‘Tale of You’, ‘Ghosts’ and ‘All We’ve Got’, all destined to regularly repeat on your MP3 player of choice. Solomon gives his gat’ a voice carved out of the underbelly of street life, the sweet life and occasional strife experienced on both sides of the ditch. His hard work, dedication and grit are etched into every note with love and lust, sweat and beers. Instagram here.
'Bones' is a classy song, the music is tight, mixing elements of blues, rock and soul, and the vocals are earnest, passionate and just right for this style of music.
Tiny Magnetic Pets - Semaphore / Seconds From Sleep.
Background - Dublin's Tiny Magnetic Pets release their new album 'Deluxe / Debris'. It's an LP of pop infused Germanic synthpop featuring two collaborations with ex-Kraftwerk member Wolfgang Flür. Named after the collectable Japanese toy, Tiny Magnetic Pets are unusual on the current Irish music scene. Rather than be influenced by singer / songwriters or indie rock, the inspiration behind their music comes from Bowie’s Berlin period, 70’s krautrock, 80’s synthpop and early disco. With the quintessentially pop vocal delivery of Paula Gilmer, it could be said that Tiny Magnetic Pets operate in uncharted musical water, somewhere between Kylie and Kluster. The band have accrued strong support for their blend of electronic European pop. Ex-Visage member and founder of the Blitz club, Rusty Egan, has been an enthusiastic champion with a remix of their track ‘Control Me’. Another fan is Andy McCluskey from OMD who in 2016 recommended the band “for all lovers of distinctive electronic music”. After opening for NEU! legend Michael Rother at the Electri-City festival in Düsseldorf, they played a blistering show which led to them opening for ex-Kraftwerk member, Wolfgang Flür. That show was a defining moment for Tiny Magnetic Pets, leading to two collaborations with the technopop legend on this new album. “Deluxe/Debris” is a brilliant encapsulation of what they do best. Drifting effortlessly between blasts of perfect pop with songs like ‘Guiding Light’ to ten minute epics such as live favourite, ‘Semaphore’ with its krautrock beat and swirling electronics. ‘Cold War Neon’ is a moody suspenseful instrumental that ideally would soundtrack series two of cold war thriller Deutschland 83. Never afraid to experiment, there are two versions of ‘Here comes the noise’, part one is atmospheric and reflective in a David Bowie Berlin-period way, with part two is like an infectious Pet Shop Boys hit sung by an exuberant Sarah Cracknell. On top of this are the two collaborations with Wolfgang Flür ‘Radio On’ and ‘Never Alone’ both of which give a Germanic seal of approval to the Irish trio’s thrilling electronic excursions. With each track seguing into one another, like side two of Abbey Road or Oxygene, and without ruthlessly pushing all the hits to the start of the record for the sake of Spotify streams, “Deluxe/Debris” harks back to a period when albums were listened to from start to finish. Yet it’s breezy, optimistic take on the electronic pop sound, is reassuringly familiar and effortlessly fresh. “Deluxe/Debris” is the perfect soundtrack for complicated times. Order record here, Facebook here, Bandcamp here.
Eleven minutes of synth centred music that just oozes German influences makes 'Semaphore / Seconds From Sleep' a must hear. Dublin's Tiny Magnetic Pet's have delivered a notable new album with 'Deluxe / Debris' featuring ten masterful songs. It's a collection that may well appeal to lovers of Krautrock, synthpop and even classic disco, whilst maintaining originality and creativity that the band can rightly claim as their own.
Background - Powerpop records should only be released in the Summer. I’m not kidding. It’s an unequivocal, scientific fact that the kind of jangly noise made by your typical powerpop beat combo is best appreciated between late May and early September. Or in the UK, that weekend in mid-August when the drizzle is slightly warmer than usual. Harmonies, big choruses and songs about unrequited love make way more sense in the sunshine. I blame the Beach Boys. The Tearaways have got the timing just right. If you’re looking for something to play in the car on that road trip to the coast, then look no further. Backyard BBQ soundtrack? Ditto. Headphone listening on the beach? Do I need to tell you again? “DW Hofner, Martin Gibson, Ludwig Rickenbacker, Earle Hammond & Vox Fender, ESQ”, in spite of its lumpy title, is distilled, bottled sunshine. And it’s OK to apply it liberally. So, who are the Tearaways? Powerpop royalty, that’s who. They’ve been shaking their Paul McCartney 1966 hairdos since 1981, picking up admirers like Tom Hanks and Rodney Bingenheimer on the way. Even Piers Morgan is a fan. I’m not sure how I feel about that. With all that history they should be damn good, right? They are. And so is this album. This isn't a two bit affair either. Any band with Clem Burke on drums has to be taken seriously and Earle Mankey is involved in the Production. These guys are serious and what they've produced is a mixture of good time sounds with real melody and they've taken chances. All in all, admirable and refreshing. Bandcamp here, website here.
'Bash' is but a small glimpse and taste of The Tearaways new exuberant collection of power pop, that comes with a album title that just sticks in your head (DW Hofner, Martin Gibson, Ludwig Rickenbacker, Earle Hammond & Vox Fender, ESQ) if you get my point. This is fun, highly addictive and buoyant music that fires hooks and catchy themes throughout.
Background - Fiercely independent and at risk of blowing a fuse, Sydney's Wild Honey come through today with new single 'Break Away', the first track off their upcoming debut full-length album. Recorded with Jack Moffitt (The Preatures, Mosquito Coast) and mixed by Doug Boehm (Girls, Dune Rats), 'Break Away' serves as an anthemic call to arms for anyone who feels like they are going through the motions. Frontman and songwriter Thom Moore explains “After my Nan died, I just couldn't seem to adjust. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life working in a job that failed to satisfy me, and really only served to cover the rent. I want to believe there is more to life than that, and it’s up to us to go and make that happen”. And things are definitely happening for the five piece. Emerging with their self-titled debut EP in 2016, Wild Honey's first track 'Eye To Eye' scored solid rotation on triple j and the band hit the road nationally with supports for fellow indie darlings The Belligerents, Hinds and Twin Peaks. Rounding out the year with a performance at Lost Paradise, the band racked up a whopping sixty shows in twelve months. Following it's premiere on triple j's Home & Hosed last night, Wild Honey launch the single at Sydney's Landsdowne Hotel on Saturday July 29. The live appearance is Wild Honey's first headliner for 2017 and a chance for fans to hear a stack of unreleased material from the five piece. Twitter here.
If you like a rousing indie rock song then 'Break Away' should meet most of your needs, complete with some very catchy hooks, plus energy and passion. Not bad for just one song.
Background - "With a name like Playboy Manbaby you’d be forgiven for thinking that these guys had come together solely to soundtrack the current political shitstorm crashing down around our ears from over the pond, but the fact is that they have been rollicking from venue to venue for the best part of a decade. On "Don’t Let It Be"(Lolipop/Dirty Water) however, their third album, they’ve really pushed and refined their modern post-punk-o-rama sound to craft their best record yet. Off the back of the album's first single, "You Can Be A Fascist Too, (released freely last November to coincide with the US election) They seem to have really hit the current mood of half the western world with this tongue in cheek take down of narrow-minded lowest common denominator thinkers, taking a clear and direct shot at the traditional and so-called alt-right. The sparse jittery verses of their latest single and video offering, "Last One Standing" let their mischievous post punk Oingo Boingo stylings jump through to the fore, hammering home that they are no pigeon-holed gabba gabba hey punk band, but rather one with a real playful wit and style that makes Don’t Let It Be an album to keep on coming back to. When a band writes a record that encapsulates a moment, but with such aplomb that it will outlast the changes hopefully to come, you know it has the potential to catapult the underground into living rooms the world over. Ranting and raving at the state of your rut stuck life has rarely sounded like so much fun. The band are fleeing their melting ('at least it's a dry heat') habitat of Phoenix, Arizona - which has felt successive weeks of average temperatures of around 110-115 fahrenheit (43-45 celsius) - seeing one day reaching the 120 mark! (49) They will hit the road on Friday for a twelve night, eleven city, relief trip being dubbed "Heat Escape Tour 2017". Pray tell, they don't bring the weather with them... even if they are a shit-hot band; you'd better be cool enough. Live dates on Beehive Candy's tour news page, website here.
It was back in January that we first featured the unique Playboy Manbaby. 'Last One Standing' is accompanied by a video (West Side Story anyone?) that suitably matches this crazy and massively addictive band.
Background - Ben Bostick is a Carolina-raised, California-based outsider country songwriter, musician, and busker. His influences range from Johnny Cash and Bruce Springsteen to Waylon Jennings and The Band. “A little bit outlaw, a lot of heart, and all authentic country” (Smalands Country Club). Ben Bostick’s debut album has been a long time coming for this 33-year-old. Although his love of music and songwriting started in his early teens, the prospect of making a living from his passion seemed both impossible and sacrilegious. Having grown up off the beaten path in South Carolina, he’d never met a professional musician—plus the thought of desecrating music with money and ambition made him uneasy. At eighteen he left home for a decade of rambling, writing, and odd jobs—roofing houses, working on ranches, working on movie sets, to name a few. He saw the country, met people from all over the world, and lived in New York, Nevada, Washington, Paris, Providence, and Los Angeles. Then one day in LA, on a whim, he went busking on the Santa Monica Pier. That day changed his life. As he wrapped up three hours of playing his original songs to appreciative audiences, he discovered he had a full tip jar. Busking was everything the dying music industry was not: fun, honest, lucrative, and artistically free. A street performer was born. Ben saved his busking money and recorded his debut EP, My Country (2016). No Depression said, “he comes on like an unholy alliance of George Jones and Merle Haggard,” and Jolene called him “the closest thing to a sure bet that I’ve seen in a new artist.” The My Country EP was nominated for an Independent Music Award in the Roots/Country category and earned Ben a spot in the Songwriter Serenade songwriting competition in Moravia, TX. Ben Bostick’s self-titled debut LP is set for release today July 7, 2017. A tour will follow in the fall. Until then, you can find him every Sunday night at the Escondite in downtown LA, tearing through a set of barn burners with his band, The Hellfire Club. Ben Bostick makes his living (and a good one) as a busker on the Santa Monica Pier. Calling his brand of music ‘outsider country’, Bostick explains how he coined the term. “My music doesn’t quite fit with the outlaw label, nor am I trying to imitate the classic artists and alt-country seems to be a genre with its own set of conventions. “ Website here, Facebook here.
One of ten notable songs on Ben Bostick's debut album 'The Juggler' is a rousing and high spirited piece, with a suitable video to match, complete with some cool juggling skills and a delightful stage setting. Ben's vocals are astonishingly addictive, and surrounded by some high quality musicianship. The album mixes more upbeat "outsider country" alongside some rich & powerful ballads. Country music fans (old & new) should love this, however I reckon Ben Bostick will reach well beyond that, to a much broader audience, and on the strength of this collection of music, he deserves to.
Background - Astari Nite have released "The Girl Who Tried", the second single from the "Dreams of Majesty" EP out via Cleopatra Records (U.S.) and Danse Macabre Records (Europe). “The Girl Who Tried” is an instant flashback in time, to the late 80’s, early 90’s dark and goth clubs of London and New York. The track is brimming with with the sounds of synths, backed by a steady, upbeat bass and drum line. While the music of the single is ready to take the dance floors of the world by storm, vocalist Mychael Ghost’s lyrics float eerily over the track, letting the music guide your body while the words speak to the soul. "The Girl Who Tried" is a track heavily inspired by the New Wave dance movement, it's sound being noticeably influenced by acts such as Depeche Mode and New Order. The track was produced and mixed by Howard Melnick (Guitars/ Programing), and mastered by Rees Bridges, (Dirty Vegas, Pete Doherty and Tears for Fears) who has worked the whole “Dreams of Majesty” EP with the band. “The Girl Who Tried is a song about regret and closure. It finalises the story that we began in 2015 when we released The Boy Who Tried. When I close my eyes I picture someone praying while saying these words, however I have no clue if these prayers will ever be answered and by whom to say the least.” -M.G. Astari Nite is continuing their relationship with artist Sandy Holmes (elemental.eyes) for the cover art of the latest EP, which will also embody the ideas expressed by each song on the album. Website here, Facebook here.
We featured Astari Nite three times last year and the new song 'The Girl Who Tried' is certainly worth a share. So far we have stated that the bands music features "tight rhythms and distinct vocals" "high quality post punk or new wave music" and also "layered and refined". So this time lets add, consistently vibrant and good.
Background - A pianist fell in love with a punk girl. People said it wouldn't last. It did. They got married. Then they started a band... Trip to Dover This Dutch indie-electro duo creates their own brand of alternative dance without losing the edge of a real indie-rock song - Guitar vs DJ. Man vs. Woman. Analog vs. Digital. Or more poetically: "Dave Grohl's twin sister meets a Chemical Brother at a concert of The Naked and Famous." Trip to Dover is an alternative indie electro duo from the Netherlands that makes driving, melodic songs with elements of rock, 80’s synthpop and DJ-style electronics. The band was formed in Brighton (UK) by vocalist/guitarist Olga and synth-player Johannes, who moved there after deciding their careers in architecture and politics were not what they were after. Website here, Facebook here.
Some fine rich synths introduce 'Fade Into Gold' and are soon followed by dreamy melodic vocals, and a boisterous rhythm. Put all together and this song is packed with hooks and beauty.
Native Sons - Say Nothing.
Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real - Three New Songs.
Plastic Picnic - Miss It Still.
