Van Bellman - Mirny Mine

Van Bellman - Gold & Blue.

The new single from gritty indie pop artist is entitled ‘Gold & Blue’, the single is a story of hope, faith and companionship in a world of turmoil and distractions. Showcasing infectious melodies, soaring gang vocals and driving drums that all build into an anthemic chorus, 'Gold & Blue' fills you with optimism, a fitting yin to the dark first single’s yang.

Van Bellman is the brainchild of Brooklyn-based musician Zac Taylor. You may have seen him playing guitar on TV with multi-platinum band American Authors, or perhaps carrying your luggage at the Gansevoort Hotel on Park Avenue a few years back. And maybe you didn’t hear, but he doesn’t shine shoes anymore. Instead, Taylor has been cultivating this new project and is now ready to present it to the world. An eclectic mix of bluesy rock and indie pop, Van Bellman’s music was written with purpose.

The second single “Gold & Blue” is a story of hope, faith and companionship in a world of turmoil and distractions. "I like that it’s a bit concrete and a bit abstract as far as what the colors or themes could represent,” confides Taylor. "For me, it’s a hopeful message of sticking together through bitter trials and tribulations, cutting through the noise of the modern world to really listen to someone.” Showcasing infectious melodies, soaring gang vocals and driving drums that all build into an anthemic chorus, “Gold & Blue” fills you with optimism, a fitting yin to the dark first single’s yang.

The NYC music scene has shaped Taylor into a respected collaborator, hired gun, and songwriter. Van Bellman is the byproduct of all of these experiences. You have no patience for a whole record. No one does. So the Van Bellman tunes are coming at you one by one. TWITTER. 

Striking, melodic and overflowing with resplendent hooks 'Gold & Blue' is an impressive indie pop song, that has one of those sing along choruses that is just so infectious.


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Mirny Mine - Dream / The Other Part.

Mirny Mine's debut album 'The Other Part' is a cinematic journey into the darker parts of dream pop, which is very suitable now, while the fall begins to get its hooks into us. Annas dark voice leads us through shoegazey bits where you hear both parts of sixties pop and new wave. Sometimes, you get a whiff of a more gothic Lana Del Ray just to be replaced by the spirit of English new wave queen Danielle Dax.

But all with a distinctive own sound and expression. It is not strange that Mirny Mine's music is cinematic because Anna Sundström, the woman behind the name, is already an established photo artist/photographer. And the desolate and barren parts in the music has obviously taken inspiration from Annas home island Gotland. 

Beside photography, the multi-instrumentalist Anna  (she plays almost everything on this album) has always played music and finally, she had put together a collection of songs that she felt were ready to share with everyone. We are very pleased that she chose Novoton to do it because we have always enjoyed Annas music a lot and are convinced that this is the first step on a long journey with much more amazing music.  BANDCAMP.

Two songs from the new Mirny Mine album 'Dream' and the title track 'The Other Part' which between them give a good feel for this intriguing collection of songs. Brooding and expansive the album is a mixture of slow shadowy dream pop that combines with elements of Goth Rock and well crafted and layered sounds. The overall effect is both moving and thought provoking as the music impacts on your own imagination and emotions. 


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Rosie Carney - Louise Lemón - The Thin Cherries

Rosie Carney - Zoey.

Irish singer-songwriter Rosie Carney’s brand new single, “Zoey” is now available. The song follows the recent release of “Orchid” and “Thousand" (feat. Lisa Hannigan) which have collectively been streamed over 3 million times on Spotify since September. The tracks will appear on Carney’s highly anticipated, deeply personal debut album, Bare, which comes out January 25 via Akira Records.

With her full-length debut still to come, Carney’s music has already been streamed over 18 million times, and she currently has over 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Of “Zoey” specifically, Carney says, “Every time we pulled the project up I would just call it the ‘Zoey Deschanel’ song. It was a joke at first, only because the song painted scenes of a rainy-day romance in my head. I kept seeing the final scenes of 500 Days of Summer in a loop, and I just remember feeling so melancholy, which is a feeling I quite enjoy. I wanted to make it feel like a warm blanket for people to hide under whilst listening. 

The long-awaited Bare is the product of personal struggles Carney endured while navigating a rapid rise in the music industry at a young age. Discovered and signed to Universal Music’s Polydor at the age of 16, she fought to assert herself creatively within a large commercial system—facing pressure to co-write and even change her name—while simultaneously grappling with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder borne from personal trauma. By 18 she was dropped by the label without ever releasing a song, and ultimately left the major label system entirely. Throughout it all, the one constant has been her songwriting, which is both cathartic and empowering. 

Carney was born in Hampshire, England and at 10 years old moved to Donegal on the northwest coast of Ireland. Inspired by the rugged and picturesque landscapes of her new home, she began writing music. In 2013 she received widespread attention with a performance on Ireland’s leading live music TV series “Other Voices.” That same year she played London’s Bushstock, the first of many high profile festival billings including Latitude in the U.K., Electric Picnic in Ireland, Seven Layers in Amsterdam and SXSW in Austin. She recently supported Haux on a 28-date tour of 12 countries, including the U.S. and Canada, and is currently on tour in the U.K. and Europe. TWITTER.

We are now into double figures in terms of how many times we have featured Rosie Carney on Beehive Candy. 'Zoey' is yet another beautiful song, with a delicate soothing vibe, the occasional background harmonies are sublime, the album is just weeks away.

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Louise Lemón - Not Enough.

Following on from last year’s critically praised debut album ‘Purge’, Louise Lemón returns with new single ‘Not Enough’ taken from her highly anticipated new album A Broken Heart Is An Open Heart due for release in March 2019. The Swedish ‘Death gospel’ artist’s jaw-dropping vocals are backed by delicate piano, reverb drenched percussion on the new track, building to a climax with fuzz-drenched guitars and pounding drums. On the subject matter of the song, Louise tells us that "Not Enough is a song about staying in a relationship that you know already ended. When you're in something so destructive but still just can't let go."

Experimenting with instrumentation and production since her last full-length, Lemón is a rejuvenated presence on her new album, taking cues from the 60s and 70s psych-rock and soul era to influence her songwriting, channelling the sultry vibes of the early Fleetwood Mac-era. Louise will showcase the new material live with shows lined up at Eurosonic and Roadburn Festivals, along with a European tour with Sólstafir.

Produced and mixed alongside regular collaborator Randall Dunn (Sunn O)))/Myrkur/Chelsea Wolfe) in Copenhagen and New York, the record was exclusively recorded using vintage microphones and amplifiers to create the most organic sound, with each track recorded live in the studio.

Speaking about the new album, Louise added, “I wanted to make it this album both darker and brighter. We've used far cleaner sounds than ever before, concentrating on creating darkness in new ways. The songwriting has been very focused. I’ve evolved as a woman and with my writing I’ve explored new feelings, going further and deeper in to the ways I’ve felt and the situations life's brought me to. It was such a blessing to be able to work with my band so closely, they are very much a part of the soundscape and we couldn’t be happier to have had Randall Dunn produce it.” WEBSITE.

Following on from the song 'Cross' which we shared back in October Louis Lemon is back with 'Not Enough'. The Death Gospel description remains relevant and saves me from trying to think up another expression for this expansive and alluring music.

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The Thin Cherries - On Moose Island (album).

Chicago’s The Thin Cherries, which features members of The Luck of Eden Hall, The Streets on Fire, Belmondos and Phenomenal Cat, have dropped their sophomore album On Moose Island.

The Thin Cherries on Moose Island, incorporate elements of baroque rock, synth pop, shoegaze and folk. The Thin Cherries is the newest musical project founded by scene vets Steven Delisi and Mark Lofgren.

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Delisi is a musician with a background in theater and film production. His former band, Phenomenal Cat, blended his pop/punk sensibilities with the folk influences of his band mates. Songwriter/vocalist/bassist Lofgren is one of the founders of psychedelic pop/rock mainstays The Luck of Eden Hall, who have toured Europe and released music on a variety of independent labels, including Headspin Records and Fruits de Mer Records. In 2014 he released his solo debut, The Past Perfect.

The band is rounded out by multi-instrumentalist Darren Shepherd, keyboardist Birdie Soti, drummer Gabriel Palomo and vocalist Sophie Senard. FACEBOOK.

The new 'On Moose Island' album covers a good number of genre styles, doing so with class both musically and through the distinct and highly engaging vocals. It's one of those collections that has a consistent overall sound and yet manages to keep you guessing as to what direction they will take next. From indie rock to more folk orientated numbers, plus some psychedelic flourishes this is an album to hear in full.

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Crooked Ghost - Living Hour - Love Canon - Pastis

Crooked Ghost - Sleepwalker.

Dreamy post-punk rockers Crooked Ghost have announced that their new album 'Skeleton House' will be released on CD on November 23, followed by a limited edition 12" vinyl release in February 2019. Ahead of this, the Asheville, NC outfit presents their 'Sleepwalker' single, accompanied by a video, directed by Rome Widenhouse.

"Skeleton House' is the band's sophomore long-play - a dark and hazy dreamscape of lush and angular melody, with a stark lyrical rawness touching upon such subjects as addiction, trauma, loss, superstition, and everything that gets left behind after a catastrophic event. The album consists of eight tracks, ranging from dreamy and playful to anguished and harrowing. Billowing vocal patterns weave intricate stories between shimmering guitar crescendos, cascading synths and mathematical percussion.

This album follows up their debut LP 'Strange Burial Rituals', released in March 2017. This new offering has two distinct halves: the first is lighter, the second darker. The whole thing plays out like a story, or rather, two opposite stories that are intertwined.

"The song 'Sleepwalker' was one of the first written for the new album, and everything about it just worked. The song itself is in reference to addiction and a dissolution of ones sense of self; self-medicating and numbness. I wanted to bring light to something dark, yet still tell an honest story. Something about this song has always stood out for us, says frontman Ray Clark. FACEBOOK.

If your new to Crooked Ghost then 'Sleepwalker' gives a good indication of the bands overall sound, albeit they can and are sometimes a little more moody and atmospheric and on occasion lyrically quite dark. That they are creative and often intriguing in the direction they take, adds a level of expectation for each track in this collection.


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Living Hour - Bottom Step.

Winnipeg’s Living Hour recently announced its sophomore LP, Softer Faces, due out March 1 via Kanine Records. A follow-up to their highly-praised 2016 S/T debut, it features the haunting, ethereal vocals of lead singer Sam Sarty accompanied by lush, expansive instrumentation.

The band shared a first taste of their new record with hazy, hypnotic leading single “Bottom Step”, and now they’ve released a lyric video for the track. NPR says "Bottom Step" “softly but assertively navigates the feeling of rejection, accented by delicate synth and brass. The song's accompanying visuals expand upon the protagonist's yearning for solitude, as Sarty enjoys a solo swim.”

The band has announce tour dates for early 2019, including performances in Saskatoon, Calgary, Rossland, and Edmonton before heading to Austin for SXSW. Full tour dates can be found below.

Living Hour has been expanding since their humble basement beginnings in 2015. Now a quintet, rounded out by Gil Carroll (guitar), Adam Soloway (guitar, vocals), Alex Chochinov (drums, trumpet, orangelle), and Brett Ticzon (bass, vocals), Living Hour’s emotive vocals, intricate harmonies, with dreamy washes of guitar, bass, keys, and horns sees the band pulling from many genres to create their own diverse vibe that's intimate, honest, and vulnerable. WEBSITE.

Beautifully dreamy and melodic 'Bottom Step' is awash with emotion and feeling. The layers of sound slowly develop, with a feeling of calmness that comes from the refined arrangement and soothing vocals.


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Love Canon - Graceland (Live with Lauren Balthrop).

Continuing to feature selected songs from their Cover Story album, Love Canon releases a live video of "Graceland." Filmed live at Eugenia Hall with the Bluegrass Situation in Nashville, Tennessee, the song features the band along with Lauren Balthrop's accompaniment vocals.

Known for their sophisticated and energetic Grass-infused covers of iconic 80’s-era pop and rock songs, the band backs the smoky vocals of Jesse Harper and Balthrop with the positive bounce of the original song but with the athletic instrumental breaks Love Canon is known for.

Lead singer and guitarist Jesse Harper says, “I have always been a fan of Paul Simon. Graceland is one of those records I have played over and over again. It’s been in heavy rotation on my stereo for at least 20 years. I love the songwriting and the musicianship. I think this tune fits with bluegrass instrumentation particularly well, and it was beyond fun getting to jam with Mike Barnett (fiddle) and Lauren Balthrop (vocals) on this tune.” 

Nothing is hidden in this live take of the Paul Simon classic, which allows the nimble dynamics of Love Canon’s playing and singing to shine as it does on the album, released from from Organic Records in July of this year. SPOTIFY, Lauren Balthrop WEBSITE.

We don't often feature cover versions on Beehive Candy however this version of  'Graceland' just has to be shared. An outstanding song is given a refreshing makeover where bluegrass and dual vocals give the piece a pleasing feel, so now I have two splendid versions of a timeless song.


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Pastis - Valour Valour.

'Valour Valour' is the second single of the Finnish rock n roll band 'Pastis' upcoming debut LP 'Circles' (release 8th February 2019). 

It was recorded and co-produced by the award-winning producer Lauri Eloranta, and it also features trumpet virtuoso Antero Priha who has performed with the likes of Ray Charles, Carla Bley and Freddie Hubbard.

The band created great excitement with their first single 'Amazon' (released 13th June 2018) and have established themselves as one the most promising Finnish rock n roll bands to attract an international audience. FACEBOOK.

'Valour Valour' has all the quality and subtly modern musical production techniques allow for, and yet it has sixties pop and rock vibes coursing right through it. Add to that just how very catchy indeed compelling this song is and Pastis new album cannot come soon enough!

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Moon Panda - Jacko Hooper - Emma Charles

Moon Panda - Gun.

Moon Panda, the moniker under which Californian songwriter Maddy Myers and Danish guitarist Gustav Moltke collaborate - have announced a brand new single 'Gun' to follow their critically acclaimed debut track 'Rabbit' released earlier in the year.

The lyrics on new track, 'Gun', outline the darker thoughts within "the capricious human mind", says Myers. 'Gun' was produced by established engineer Tom Biller who has worked on records such as Warpaint’s The Fool and Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine, to Elliott Smith’s From a Basement on a Hill, and Beck’s track Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime from the OST of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

“To help represent the ever-changing, ever-fickle human mind we used a changing time signature - the verse is in 6/8 and the chorus switches to 4/4. It's not incredibly noticeable but I think it disrupts the sway of the song a bit and switches you into a new rhythm," says songwriter Myers.

The sounds of Portishead, Men I Trust, Mitski, Beach House, and Angel Olsen have been key to the formation of Moon Panda, as well as the idea of a "big, lush forest surrounded by the cosmos, filled with giant creatures - a space jungle", which remains a intriguing, evocative image to songwriter Myers.

Animals have always been an important presence in her life, as Myers actually grew up on a ranch, "raising lambs, pigs, steer, horses, etc and I'd always bring my guitar. I definitely spent more of my youth hanging out with animals than with people." WEBSITE.

Back in July we featured 'Rabbit' by Moon Panda and the new single 'Gun' makes for a welcome and pleasing return. The distinct vocals are once again alluring and the music imaginative with plenty of creative thought clearly present.

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Jacko Hooper - The Long Road.

Together We’re Lost is the third EP release from Brighton singer-songwriter Jacko Hooper. Following a year of writing and taking a step back from performing live, Jacko returns with an EP written and recorded from his bedroom with the help from life long friend and Producer, Josh Trinnaman (Whose mixing credits include Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, RY X and his own Brighton-based IDM/Jazz/Electronic outfit Luo).

With a limited edition run of CDRs being made available via Jacko’s boutique record label and promotions company Folklore Sessions, there will, as always with Hooper’s releases be an opportunity to not just stream the record digitally but get something much more personal which his devoted army of followers will enjoy once again.

Recorded off the back of Folklore Vol.1, a 4-track EP released with fellow musicians and friends Bess Atwell, George Ogilvie & Oktoba, Together We’re Lost tells a story of personifying emotions and situations that Jacko has found himself in, especially over the last year. A constant inner dialogue between his fears, anxieties and ‘logical thinking’ soon turned into words and melody that found themselves needing to be expressed, sticking with what Hooper is most well known for - true emotion and honesty. Essentially, the record covers two primary topics, loneliness and frustration. As ever Jacko’s own brutally honest experiences form the forward drive throughout, however the true purpose of his music isn’t ever his own story but the new ones created from it.

“I don’t feel that the original story of why I wrote the song is necessarily the most important thing, I think the fact people can listen to it and all of a sudden it becomes a different story with a totally different meaning is the best thing of all, to be able to connect to it people need it to be their story, not mine”, Says Jacko. With Together We’re Lost showcasing true emotion and honesty, Jacko Hopes that more stories are created for his very own. TWITTER.

A gentle folk song 'The Long Road' demonstrates that Jacko Hooper can really sing, in this case with notable sensitivity and feeling. Enriched even further by a musical arrangement that develops slowly into something quite special, my only complaint is that this track could have gone on for a whole lot longer.

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Emma Charles - Comfort in The Chaos.

Just released is a new video for the Doug Schadt-produced song by up and coming singer songwriter Emma Charles. Titled “Comfort in the Chaos,” the new single is the follow up to her recent song “Far From Here” (also produced by Schadt).  

The mid-tempo song pairs Charles’ soaring vocals over a sophisticatedly minimal acoustic accompaniment. Emma Charles’ striking vocal clarity and sophisticated songwriting chops pair perfectly with Schadt’s trademark dynamic production.  Schadt is best known for his work with rock pop phenom Maggie Rogers.

Emma Charles, a newly relocated resident of Los Angeles, began her career with a slew of well-received singles as Emma Charleston early on as she studied at the Berklee College of Music.  Says Atwood Magazine of her 2017 single “Volcano”: “There’s an airy warmth erupting from Emma Charleston’s ‘Volcano,’ its subtle hues and subdued musical flavors gently twisting together as the artist opens her soul and lets words and emotion spill forth.”  

Emma Charles recently graduated and is now honing her image and style for a full time music career based out of LA.  She’ll continue working with Schadt on new songs in 2019 and will be embarking on a spring tour.

With a sensitive and beautifully arranged musical backdrop Emma Charles vocals have room to shine and they do that with stylish grace on 'Comfort in The Chaos'. A natural pop song that is both catchy and exudes real talent, it's paired with a refined video that does justice to the track.


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