Favours - Maybe April - The Room In The Wood

Favours - In The Night.

Background - Favours are a band that that you will never hear from…unless we need something. Born out of personal rediscovery, we sing of the delightful fantasies and harsh realities of adulthood. How fitting that we practice in an office space after hours.

“In The Night” is a ballad for those stuck in an unfulfilling cycle of repetition. Recorded with Josh Korody (Dilly Dally, Weaves) at Candle Recording Studio, it’s about escaping from the banality of the day and longing for the dreams that seem just out of reach. Dreams of star-crossed lovers destined to meet in another world, or those who do meet and cannot be together, tearing them apart at the seams.

The eerie, cult vibes of “In The Night” were brought to life in a house abandoned for over two decades. Having a blank canvas and the ability to conjure up any world we wanted allowed us to dream up the weirdest one possible. Influenced by stills from our favourite Criterion films and the Sannyasins of Oregon, we created a utopia dominated by women in baby blue.  An unsuspecting and innocent teen enters a new world where he is doomed to serve these enchantresses forever. FACEBOOK.

The videos has plenty of ingredients that sync just right with the song 'In The Night', however this is a fine musical piece that packs plenty of intrigue and atmosphere, to the point where with or without the imagery, Favours new ballad is hard to resist. 


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Maybe April - You Were My Young.

Background - Nashville-based indie country/Americana trio Maybe April (Alaina Stacey, Katy DuBois, Kristen Castro) have released a music video for their new track, “You Were My Young,” which is the first single from their upcoming debut album due out this fall. Wide Open Country premiered the Colling Films-directed video yesterday, stating, “Built on the trio’s folk instrumentation and airy vocals, ‘You Were My Young’ is a nostalgic look at the highs and lows of your first real love.” Of the single, Maybe April offered, “It’s a special song for us, because when we were 17 and 18 the three of us first connected over our first heartbreaks.”

Filmed partly on a high school auditorium stage and with lead actors who are both actual high school students, the video chronicles the innocent bliss of being 17 and in love, the seemingly tragic end of your last teenage summer together, and the feeling years later when you reminisce about the relationship that prepared your heart for the romances of your 20s. Paste Magazine also featured the “reflective” video, adding, “The song is warm with familiarity and Stacey’s lead vocals wind through smoothly, even as the couple in the video drifts apart...The balmy three-part harmonies give the vocals depth while creating a feeling of solidarity in the song’s lyrical journey.” Additionally, The Boot included “You Were My Young” in today’s roundup of their favorite country music videos of the week. The track is available digitally everywhere today and the video can be viewed/shared now at the link below.

A dynamic trio of impressive songwriters, vocalists, and multi-instrumentalists who share roles as frontwomen, Maybe April was recently named one of 2018’s "Rising Acts" by CMT for their “soul-stirring three-part harmonies” that are "as alluring as their lyrics." The group first met at a music industry camp in Nashville in 2012, where they penned a song together that would take them to Los Angeles for a special performance during Grammy week, along with Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Allen Shamblin, J.D. Souther, and Joy Williams (of the Civil Wars), among others. They have since opened for Brandy Clark and Sarah Jarosz, as well as made appearances at Pilgrimage Music Festival and IBMA's Wide Open Bluegrass Festival. WEBSITE.

The Americana genre is an expansive place where 'You Were My Young' comfortably fits, perhaps it's becoming a lazy catch all, for anything from traditional roots music through to more modern country styles (and all places in between). It's therefore easier just to focus on the fabulous vocals, harmonies and uncomplicated acoustic backdrop, all of which are delicious, at the very least.


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The Room In The Wood - Greedy Stars.

Background - Liverpool-based The Room in the Wood have announced 'Greedy Stars' as the second single off their self-titled debut album, complete with a new video edited by Helen Stringer. This LP represents the first time band members Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson have worked together since their post-punk band The Room split back in 1985. Reunited as The Room in the Wood, this past year has seen them write over 30 new songs. Together with collaborator and ace drummer Colin George Lamont, they developed and honed these ideas down to this 11-track offering.

Released via A Turntable Friend Records, this album comes hot on the trail of their 'Magical Thinking' EP. While this album is being released on vinyl, the CD and digital versions include 'Vermillion Sands' as a bonus track.

This album was recorded with Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band) at his Liverpool Arc studio and features contributions by drummers Colin George Lamont (Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan) and Jake Woodward (Peter Perrett).

This new material has been an exciting voyage of musical exploration in a new fruitful and prolific tandem. Jackson’s lyrical storytelling combines with Cavanagh’s exquisite guitar-stylings, making for a fine blend of post-punk pop, gritty blues-folk, and velvety ballads, variously influenced by Russian fairy tales, Francis Bacon, dead oceans, swimming pool bridges and unanswered prayers. This is eerie space-folk meets bluesy-glam-punk – an eclectic mix of styles, prioritising melodic storytelling and lots of strum and twang. FACEBOOK.

Classic cinema meets a far more modern musical style with 'Greedy Stars' a song that straddles genres, doing so with heart and feeling. Add in some thoughtful lyrical foundations, plus melodic hooks and the track makes a perfect tease for The Room In The Wood's reunion album.


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The Callas With Lee Ranaldo - NewTown - Mother Mink

The Callas With Lee Ranaldo - Acid Books.

Background - The Callas' latest single with Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo, "Acid Books" is out this week with its taut, post-punk grooves and hypnotic, scuzzed-up guitar lines, The Callas will find favor with fans of The Velvet Underground, The Horrors, and Neu!.

Meet The Callas…Led by brothers Lakis and Aris Ionas, the pair helm a Greek-based art, film and music collective, as well as hosting art and music events at their studio/performance space in Athens–the Velvet Room. As a band, The Callas feature Aris on guitar/vocals, Lakis on bass/vocals, as well as Chrysanthi Tsoukala on drums/vocals and Marilena Petridou on percussion. In 2016, the group collaborated with Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth) on a soundtrack for their film The Great Eastern, and they have teamed up once again on The Callas upcoming LP Trouble and Desire due out October 26th via Inner Ear Records/Dirty Water Records. Discussing their work together, Ranaldo explains:

"Our collaboration took off quickly and was such a natural fit - we speak the same language and the performances we’ve done together have been a total blast! I love the community of artists that they have gathered around them, and I hope we will do more collaborations in the future”.

Acid Books” is our first listen in on The Callas upcoming album and it’s a post-punk burner brimming with frenzied energy. Opening with a swirl of droning ambiance and the rhetorical question, “Do you sleep at night?”, the track quickly launches headlong into a fever of activity. With the anxious pulse of a hard-driving bassline to lead the way, and punctuated by terse outbursts of guitar, The Callas pack a tightly wound sonic punch. Narrated by a vocal interplay between the group’s male and female members, and featuring the tumult of a shout-along chorus, the band’s dense gravity of sound will have you pumping your fist in triumph even as it drags you in a downward spiral with its dark undertow. WEBSITE.

A low key introduction with spoken words is the calm before the storm on 'Acid Books' which erupts into punk infused rock and roll with a battery of hooks to dig in deep, as the band deliver their lively brand of post art punk.

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Newtown - Heart of Stone.

Background - NewTown continues to journey into their own progressive acoustic music with this stylistic Tyler Childers song, “Heart of Stone.”

Following the release of “Naomi Wise,” “Heart of Stone” is about a woman who does what she has to do to survive when hard times strike. The choppy, image-filled poetic lines sung by NewTown’s Kati Penn Williams paint a picture that leaves a mystery as to whether the “Heart of Stone” is one of cruelty, strength or both. Her delivery is both wayward and delicate and fitting to the restlessness of the lyrics from Childers, who is quickly becoming an acclaimed Roots Country songwriter.

This song continues the release of singles off the band’s upcoming release, NewTown, Old World, a selection of material that expresses the group’s talent for adding modern elements to traditional music. “Heart of Stone” is an example of how NewTown and their contemporaries are transforming and rejuvenating traditional southern music for the modern age. It’s a skilled blending of the conventional and the current.

“After I heard the song the first time, I couldn’t get the melody out of my head the rest of the day, so that put this one at the top of the list for me,” says Kati Penn Williams. “We hope you enjoy our groovy arrangement of this one.” WEBSITE.

Following on from 'Naomi Wise' a song we featured at the end of May we now have 'Heart Of Stone' another gorgeous slice of traditionally based Americana. Expect superb vocals and a fabulous musical backdrop, something NewTown do with seeming ease.


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Mother Mink - Coconut.

Background - The new single Coconut is a Pina colada oozing psych indie explosion from theatric electro popband Mother Mink. "Experiment and hit making is not two separate issues for us", says Mother Mink.

As usual, when Mother Mink releases new material there are dozens of fresh influences baked into the mix. This time, the inspiration comes from the tropical paradises but the band's sound is still distinct with rough drum loops, bit crushed synthesizers and Johan Axelsson’s sub baritone saxophone. And like that wasn’t enough, on top of this Mother Mink also spices things up with the charismatic singer Fanny Wistrands’s soulful voice.

Coconut is all about the exotic dream of the tropics. The tune is a comment on the blown up expectations of the perfect vacation that prevails in today’s western society. The tune is about how tourism really can destroy a country.

In the end, it’s a heads up to seizing the day and be happy with what you have! Happiness is all around you, not only on a tropical beach at the other side of the world. WEBSITE.

In Beehive Candy land we have been enduring something of a very sunny heatwave for the past few weeks, and a song such as 'Coconut' seems quite appropriate, with it's compelling summer charm. It might not be the tropics here, but I will settle for the sentiments of the bands song, a stay at home vacation is hot enough anyway this year. 


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Tiny Eyes - Hannah Scott - ElectroBluesSociety feat Jan Hidding

Tiny Eyes - Just Saying.

Background - When your songwriting theme is love it can often feel like a road too well travelled. From the rose-tinted idealisation of new love, to the emotional tempest of love lost, we’ve heard the story retold in countless variations; we get the picture. Enter Tiny Eyes with his latest song ‘Just Saying’, the first single to be taken from his forthcoming debut album, released next year. ‘Just Saying’ is about the less documented side of our strongest emotion. 

It’s about the banal and the familiar, the quotidian journeys we go through with our lovers from sunrise to sunset, through mild annoyance to peaceable reconciliation, and then into bed again to repeat tomorrow. Featuring his partner Martha Bean on backing vocals, and made entirely at home on his trademark old 20’s piano with percussion patched together on a laptop, it’s a sonically adventurous ode to reality that endears itself to the listener through Tiny Eyes’ unique observational storytelling.

After cutting his teeth as the frontman of an angst-rock band for a few years, Tiny Eyes auteur Joel Evans met his partner (singer/songwriter Martha Bean) and found himself mellowing out. Feeling disconnected from the angst-ridden world of thrashing guitars his band drifted apart. It was around that time that he’d acquired an upright piano from the 1920’s. Taking to the instrument like a bird to flight, he quickly found a new musical voice and tonality that harmonised with his maturing tastes. 

Tiny Eyes is a one-man band from Leicester, a singer and producer who’s reared himself on the understated elegance of lovelorn balladeers from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. By turns evoking Lennon, Tom Waits, Elliot Smith, Flaming Lips and Andy Schauf, Tiny Eyes is a brilliant and unique new sound. Last year, the release of his brilliant and original self-titled debut EP set out his MO clearly: he is a narrative songwriter in the classic sense, employing clever turns of phrase and vivid imagery to weave imaginatively fertile and provocative yarns into his music. TWITTER.

'Just Saying' is one of those songs that establishes itself in the opening seconds, with a simple melody, desirable musical backdrop and vocals that are just so enticing and likable. It reminds me in part of Mercury Rev, but hey, any comparison to said band should be seen as a very positive complement.


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Hannah Scott - Pieces Of The Night.

Background - Originally from Ipswich and the daughter of an artist, Hannah Scott draws much of the inspiration for her music from her affinity with Italy. A year living and working on an olive press in rural Tuscany, provided the backdrop to her early work and she has found her musical home with creative partner Stefano Della Casa who she met in London but may well have met years earlier when regularly passing through the train station Stefano was working in!

When Hannah and Stefano began making music together, they realised that they had an incredible connection, despite coming from very different backgrounds. Stefano had a difficult upbringing and a troubled early adult life, while Hannah was lucky to have a supportive, happy childhood. Hannah has had her own difficulties following the recent diagnosis of a form of arthritis which causes severe joint pain and fatigue. Both artists, firmly believe that their musical collaboration has provided an outlet to support each other through difficult times.

“Around the time of my diagnosis we had quite a lot of shows and Stefano literally had to help me on and off the stage! He still insists on carrying all our equipment when we’re on the road which makes us laugh because he ends up looking like a porter and people must think I’m some kind of superstar refusing to pull my weight!” -  Hannah Scott

Stefano adds, “I was going through a pretty low patch while we were writing this record with no job and very little money and I’ll alwaChys remember Hannah turning up on my doorstep bringing groceries, even though she could hardly walk.” - Stefano

Their musical journey has also proved fruitful. Previous releases were supported by Bob Harris and Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2. They’ve also been featured by MOJO, Songwriting Magazine and as ‘New Band of The Day’ in The Guardian. Hannah has opened for artists including Seth Lakeman and 10cc.

Stefano has recently signed to Ultra Music Publishing and the pair are now working between London and Italy. The result of their work is a new album, “Pieces Of The Night”, a collection of songs that expertly combines organic, live elements, with classy electronica and stunning production. Lyrically, they’re honest songs about the human condition and human connection in an increasingly hectic world. The album ranges from stunning instrumental performances such as ‘Boy In The Frame’, to crystalline electronica soundscapes in ‘Pieces of The Night’. The two artists have struck a perfect balance between Hannah’s traditional songwriting craft and Stefano’s exquisite synth-rich production style. TWITTER. 

The melodic and distinct vocals of Hannah Scott are the focal point of 'Pieces Of The Night' the title track from the new album. The musical arrangement is carefully crafted, adding more depth and energy without distraction. It's also loaded with hooks, and typifies the quality and creativity the album is crammed full of.


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ElectroBluesSociety feat Jan Hidding - All The Way Down.

Background - In December 2017 Cuban Heels singer Jan Hidding did a recording session with ElectroBluesSociety and here is the third track from that session. This time another original and new song. This new single will be released digital only and will be available on all major download and streaming platforms.

ElectroBluesSociety is a new duo mixing electronics with raw vintage live sounds. Both of the musicians have been active in the European blues/roots scene for more then 30 years and in this new project they like to mix that experience with current technologies and other musical styles. The musical input from this new duo ranges from Alan Lomax to Roxy Music and from Charlie Parker to Led Zeppelin. On stage you will find computers, a double bass, foot pedals, vintage amps, guitars, midi controllers, an old drumkit and lots of cables. All of this handled by the two band members.

JASPER MORTIER – drums, bass, mainly known as bass player but lately he found a new passion: playing drums !!  Over the last ten years Jasper worked with numerous great artists like Preston Shannon, ‘Sax’ Gordon Beadle, Monti Amundson, Philip Walker, Candye Kane, Melvin Taylor, Sherman Robertson, Terry Evans, Long John Hunter, Eddy Clearwater, Toni Lynn Washington, Paul Oscher, Doug Jay, Boo Boo Davis, Byther Smith, Boyd Small, and many others. Right now is is the bass player of the Jimmy Reiter Band.

JAN MITTENDORP – guitar, buttons, Since 1993 touring Europe with USA artists like:  Percy Strother, Smokey Wilson , Byther Smith, Burton Gaar, Roy Roberts, Larry Garner, Boo Boo Davis, Erskine Oglesby, Jody Williams, Roscoe Chenier, Clara McDaniel, Boyd Small, Billy Jones, Hosea Leavy, Percy Strother, Harrison Kennedy and many others.  In 2009 with Boo Boo Davis among others at Montreux Jazz Festival and Peer Bluesfestival. TWITTER.

We have featured ElectroBluesSociety just once before back in December 2016. I think it fair to say that the second feature has been worth the wait. 'All The Way Down' has the deep rich vocals of Jan Hidding where his natural blues singing is fabulous, the backing music is stripped back with a potent blues guitar and drums and just a small glimpse of electro sounds.

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Team Picture - Edan Archer - Odetta Hartman - Natalie Holmes

Team Picture - EVE.

Background - The six-piece Leeds-based Team Picture have just shared the video for their ltd. edition 7" single 'EVE' - released on Come Play With Me. 'EVE' is a re-working of a track by fellow Leeds trio, Laminate Pet Animal. Recorded and released initially under the band’s alias, ‘Group Photograph’ for West Yorkshire-based label, Come Play With Me, the new video arrives hot off the back of their recent 6 Music-supported mini-album, ‘Recital’, and just ahead of a headline at Camden Assembly Hall on July 27, 2018 for Come Play With Me/War Child.

“We chose to mangle 'Eve' after sharing one side of a 7" with Laminate Pet Animal's original, excellent, version of the song,” says Team Picture frontman, Josh. “We didn't bother trying to recreate the original because we knew we had nowhere near enough bloopy and bleepy machinery, so we came at it as a re-imagining of the source material.”

Speaking about the video for ‘EVE’, visual artist and director of the clip, Theresa Steinmetz says: “The video references the important topic of mental illness using the routines of three women as the narrative. I worked with light, contrast and tempo in the footage to emphasise mood changes and frustrations. I wanted to bring up, and contribute to the conversation of depression, as it is a topic that’s often forgotten.”

On June 1, 2018, Team Picture released their acclaimed Matt Peel-produced (Menace Beach, Eagulls) debut mini-album, 'Recital' - the band supported the release with a debut headline tour, ticking off a date at Leeds' Brudenell Social Club, and further dates at The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City,  and Hit The North. Since forming in 2016, the group have earned praise at Radio 1, Radio X, and 6 Music, alongside ticking off support slots with the likes of Parquet Courts, Psychic Ills, The Orielles, Wire, and Ulrika Spacek. We’ll have more new music and live dates from Team Picture to come later in 2018. WEBSITE.

Following on from the song '(I Want Your) Life Hack' which we shared last month and described as  "a creative song where power and eccentricity come together" we now have 'EVE' a piece that differs considerably. There is something of a core band sound that is present, however the tone is a little more sombre, but again intriguing and hypnotically attractive. 


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Edan Archer - Bad Imitation Of Something Good.

Background - Florida-bred Nashville-based alt-country songcrafter Edan Archer has unleashed a brand new tune--a carefree Tom Petty-esque ode to being liberated from others' ideas and assumptions about ourselves. The song shines a bright rock n' roll spotlight on the absurdity of people trying to change each other. "Basically, this car ain't changing directions," explains Archer. "So, you can either stand back or get in."

“The sentiment behind this song is that 'to hell with it' feeling when you just accept yourself as you are. I came up with the phrase 'bad imitation of something good' to describe when others don’t really see you; they see a bad version of what they think you should be. Specifically, this song is about love and relationships, and priorities: does he see me as the feminine force of nature that I am, or does he see me as someone who can’t put the toothpaste cap on right?”

Archer's swampy sensibilities come through loud and clear, her voice is sultry as sweet tea and crackles like the ever-present heat lightning of her Everglades upbringing. All moonshine and honey, Archer combines rock and country with her roots in Appalachian folk as she gets gritty with guitar magic and casts spells with intimate ballads and finger picking, alternate tunings, and rich effects. There is more music on the way, so keep Edan Archer on your radar. WEBSITE.

'Bad Imitation Of Something Good' is a feisty and lively Americana song that mixes country and rock and roll together, whilst retaining the separate character of both genres. It's also sing along and catchy stuff.

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Odetta Hartman - Widow's Peak.

Background - NYC artist Odetta Hartman releases her new album 'Old Rockhounds Never Die' through Memphis Industries on 10th August.

Following the release of first two singles 'Misery' and 'Sweet Teeth', Odetta has now unveiled new track 'Widow's Peak'. 'Widow’s Peak' begins as a dusty banjo dirge but soon opens up into a sublime wall of sound comprised of strings, drum machines and deep bass. A sonically diverse palette of sounds that only Odetta Hartman can conjure up. Odetta says about the track: “Sometimes lightning strikes and an entire song reveals itself in an instant. Sometimes I feel like a vessel, channeling stories from beyond, and this spooky tale certainly sounds like it came from another world. With the intention of playing a fiddle solo, I sound-checked the violin in multiple rooms. Thanks to a happy accident, we played back all of the test takes together and fell in love with the wall of sound. At the end, we featured a prayer call & street sounds from our walk through Fez. Of all the songs on the record, I am most proud of this composition.”

'Old Rockhounds Never Die' is a bonanza of beautiful contradictions: intimate yet fiercely internationalist, spiritual and yet tangible, sweet and also sexy. It convenes with the ghosts of the past while marching relentlessly forwards.

Drawn from experiences as far-flung as riding a train from San Francisco to Chicago with an old-style, rootin'-tootin' cowboy for company ('Cowboy Song'), to experiencing the intense natural beauty of Icelandic waterfalls ('Dettifoss'), it’s a record that taps into the musical traditions of the past while being a collection of songs about living in the moment.

Raised by pioneering parents on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, NYC, Odetta’s milieu was a “colourful culture of artistry,” that included early exposure to community activism, renegade film screenings, poetry readings and trips to CBGB's. Inchoate punk and hip hop were aural wallpaper, as were the 45s spinning in the household jukebox featuring her dad’s extensive collection of soul and afrobeat records, as well as her Appalachian mother’s classic country selections. A classically trained violinist with a penchant for back-porch banjo, Odetta combines these variegated sounds of her childhood with her personal passion for folk music and the musicological legacy of Alan Lomax. Lomax is writ large on 'Old Rockhounds...' at least in spirit anyway. Odetta plays all the instruments on this and her debut '222'. TWITTER.
 
Our second feature in less than a month for Odetta Hartman and 'Widow's Peak' is a softer and much slower affair. The delicious and well described "cowboy soul" gently oozes through again adding distinction and hooks throughout.

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Natalie Holmes - Hideout (Live Piano Session).

Background - Top 10 iTunes singer-songwriter Natalie Holmes has just unveiled a stunning live piano session video of her new single ‘Hideout’. Bristol-based singer/songwriter Natalie Holmes writes lilting, haunting and yet somehow invigorating pop, with honey toned vocals and an incredible depth to every song. An independent artist building her fan base entirely from scratch, she kick-started her musical career by uploading songs and now has over a million hits on YouTube, thousands of subscribers and a loyal following on social media. Although just into her twenties, Natalie has clocked up four successful EP’s: The Simplest Things, Child, Over & Out and her most recent release, Calm Places, all of which featured in the iTunes and Top 10 Singer/Songwriter Charts.

In 2016, Natalie was asked to accompany trance legends ‘Above & Beyond’ as the new female vocalist on their Acoustic II world tour, performing to sold out audiences at the Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall and Sydney Opera House to name a few. Since Over & Out, Natalie has been writing and making plans for her next solo release, taking time to hone her sound before making her comeback. On top of the A&B tour, the last 12 months have seen her travelling all over Europe, showcasing her existing material to a new audience and trialing new songs.

Described as one of the most consistently astounding new songwriters the music world has seen in ages, Natalie admits that her latest EP, Calm Places, marks a real milestone in her life, where she realised the importance of sitting back and taking care of yourself, making time for all the things and people you love. Listeners have said that she’s coming back with a new edge of maturity on every release, transforming her music into something truly new and unexpected. WEBSITE.

I have added the studio version of 'Hideout' alongside the live piano session, both are superb, it' no wonder the attention Natalie Holmes has received. If her material is new to you, enjoy exploring her previous EP's, and join the large crowd of folk looking forward to more.

 
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