Lusterlit - Red Spot Rhythm Section

It's been a couple of years since we last shared a song from Lusterlit (time flies and all of that) so it's a big welcome back especially as their new song 'Squealer' is just so good. It's something of a departure from the last song share however it's still something special as the rhythm and vocal passion simmer together wonderfully. ===== Another band serving up some original and creative vibes are Red Spot Rhythm Section who recently shared a couple of imaginative and hook filled tunes, namely 'Hard To Give Thanks' and 'Foundation'.

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Lusterlit - Squealer.

With their songs created for Bushwick Book Club, BBC founder, Susan Hwang and BBC contributor and producer, Charlie Nieland, have joined forces to perform as the new, literature-inspired duo—Lusterlit. Both vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, Charlie and Susan alternate lead vocals and harmonies while supporting each other on guitar, bass, synth, traditional Korean drum and accordion.

Squealer features Marlon Cherry on percussion and was originally performed with him and Wes Spaulding for a Bushwick Book Club / Parsnip Ship collaboration in Long Island City right before elections in 2019. Inspired by George Orwell's ANIMAL FARM - lyrics:

"You do not imagine we pigs
are doing this in selfishness and privilege.
It’s for you day and night we grapple.
It’s for you we drink that milk and eat those apples.
I detest them myself.
Our sole object is preserving our health.
If we fail in our duty and fall flat,
do you know what would happen? Yes, Jones would come back."

You do not want Jones to Come Back.

Are all the revolutions doomed?
The power returning to the few.
Boxer is as good as glue
when you let them lie to you.

Dream of a utopia
trying to hold on to the hope that you
can make the world you want if you avoid the traps.
Can the answer be as simple as that?

You do not want want Jones to come back.
Some animals are more equal than others.

They’ll distract with songs and ceremony,
spinning truth and changing history.
Pigs squeal fear and distraction.
Readjustments not reductions.

Don’t listen to the pig squeal
telling you the hunger in your belly isn’t real.
Fear and distraction from what you know is true.
He’ll squeal a reality of lies to you.
Who will you listen to.

Chorus
You do not want want Jones to come back.
Some animals are more equal than others.
Four legs good two legs bad...

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Red Spot Rhythm Section - Hard To Give Thanks / Foundation.

The brainchild of Chicago-based musician and multimedia artist Joshua Siegal, Red Spot Rhythm Section fuses folk, indie rock and World Beat on the new single "Hard to Give Thanks" B/W "Foundation."

In March of 2020, the Red Spot Rhythm Section went into the studio to begin recording a new two-song single, but unfortunately the studio’s doors had to close - along with most businesses - before the end of the month. Undaunted, the group continued to work with the engineer and guest artists remotely, while recording additional parts at their home.

The single features the guest talents of Shane Jonas (Akasha, Lowdown Brass Band) on vocals, Mike Bruno (Spare Parts) on drums, and Michael Bizar (AJ Croce) on lead guitar.

“Hard To Give Thanks” is a short but rollicking tune with an outlaw-country back-beat and a melancholy message. “Foundation” is a love letter to the future with a jammy feel and world-music overtones. "Hard To Give Thanks" / "Foundation" is a result of the love, effort, and hope of everyone involved.

Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Percussion - Josh Siegal
Vocals - Shane Jonas
Lead Guitar - Michael Bizar
Drums - Mike Bruno
Engineer - Doug Bistrow
Master - Rollin Weary
Cover Art - Shannon Belock
Words & Music by Red Spot Rhythm Section
Produced by Red Spot Rhythm Section

Red Spot Rhythm Section · Hard To Give Thanks / Foundation

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Kai Strauss - Grace Gillespie - Rosie Carney - WeatheredMan and The Noise

Kai Strauss shares the title song for his forthcoming album 'In My Prime'. Comprising of eleven tracks this is a powerful, high quality collection of stylish blues and blues rock material ===== Grace Gillespie is back with her beautiful, personal and gently melodic song 'The Child' making it appearance number five this year. ===== Rosie Carney is another regular here and long may that continue as she presents another song from Radiohead's 'The Bends album this time we have 'Black Star' where to say she puts her own mark on it is something of an understatement. ===== WeatheredMan and The Noise have released 'Natural Force' and the band serve up some feisty, hook filled rock that has plenty of depth and layers considering there's just two of them.

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Kai Strauss - In My Prime.

After 25 years on the scene Kai Strauss is no longer “just another guitar player from Europe”. First as musical mastermind in Memo Gonzalez’ Bluescasters and later under his own name, Kai has built himself a reputation of a purveyor of authentic blues traditions. He gets his inspirations from all the great players and does not restrict himself to just one type of blues.

His versatility does not get in the way from consistency in style and quality. And after receiving many awards for his previous releases we dare say that “In My Prime” is yet another step up in his already impressive body of work.

He pays tribute to his musical heroes, mostly from the 70’s giving his own twist to their characteristics and with his ever soul filled voice.

His previous albums have been best sellers in the European blues community and have been lauded with great reviews all over Europe. We did not believe it possible but now are convinced that Kai Strauss and his fabulous band have delivered yet a better album than anything they released to date. The new album In My Prime is due out November 27th 2020.

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Grace Gillespie - The Child.

Grace Gillespie is a London-based artist and producer originally from Devon, who spent much of 2017 touring as part of the live line-up for 4AD’s Pixx. In 2019 Grace received PRS’s WMM funding and consequently released her debut EP ‘Pretending,’ which garnered support from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Clash and Earmilk. This year she has received support from the ‘Help Musicians’ ‘Do it Differently’ award, and is using this to release an EP in the autumn. 

 Some of her notable live shows include supporting James Morrison at Dingwalls, Camden and headlining the folk stage at Tipping Point festival in Newcastle. Her first two singles found their way onto Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’ playlist and received extensive support from Apple Music, appearing on their ‘A-List’ and ‘Best of the Week’ playlists, as well as backing from NME, Crack In The Road and The Wild Honey Pie. Her most recent singles have been playlisted on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Folk’,‘Garden Indie’ & ‘The Lovely Little Playlist’. 

She has received radio plays from BBC 6 music as well as being a featured artist on BBC Introducing London. Her early demo of ‘Restoration’ saw her tipped to Q Magazine by Newton Faulkner and brought her to the attention of Kaleidoscope, who worked with her to produce her first solo releases in 2018. Her sound takes influences from the folk, alternative and dream-pop traditions, providing a backdrop to her intriguing vocal melodies, shifting harmonies and introspective lyricism.

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Rosie Carney - Black Star.

Rosie Carney shares "Black Star" in advance of releasing her ambitious quarantine project covering Radiohead's seminal mental health album The Bends in its entirety. The tracks follow her stunning interpretation of "Bones" which found strong support from many music sites.

As with "Bones", "Black Star" is shared today as a home-made video shot in Carney's beautiful rural home-county of Donegal, Ireland. "One of my favourite things about this song is the non-sugar coated realness of it", she explains.

"It’s very bleak and sad when you start to realise a relationship is on its way out. I feel like everyone has been in that situation where you just kind of aimlessly fill your day with crap to distract yourself from thinking about someone (even though you are the whole time). Throughout the record I tried to keep as many songs in their original key as possible, but when I started learning Black Star, I wanted it to feel like I was almost talking in the verses, so I purposely lowered it to the point it was nearly uncomfortable for me to sing. The words are so direct and bleak and honest I didn’t want to risk them going unheard."

Tackling a ground-breaking stretch of pop history requires tact and dedication to make it your own. Rosie Carney’s personal connection to the music brings to bear her stunning take of The Bends. Co-produced by Rosie and JMAC (Luz, Haux), the project is a poetic example of things coming full circle - it’s not the first time Carney’s battles have dovetailed with her love of Radiohead. She recalls going to see them as a teenager and having an anxiety attack in the arena. She blacked out and woke up in the first aid room and covering the band has acted a a form of therapy, as, like so many others this year, her original career plans and mental health were derailed by the pandemic.

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WeatheredMan and The Noise - Natural Force.

Simon Bradshaw (AKA WeatheredMan) is a performer, writer and producer currently working out of a number of studios across the north of England. After many years of various bands and projects, he has accumulated support from all the UK’s premier tastemakers (NME, Q, Mojo, Lamacq, Jo Whiley, Zane Lowe, Peter Hook and his treasured John Peel session), completed mulitiple US and European tours (including 3 trips to SXSW) and has synched songs to films and TV shows such as Snatch and Gossip Girl. Still recording as WeatheredMan, last year his many volumes of varied output were recognised when he was nominated as Best UK Solo Artist and for Best UK Song by the indie bible Pure M (alongside luminaries such as Zayn Malik, Kate Tempest, Adam Ant and Gaz Coombes). As producer he has recently worked with K-Pop all stars “Super M” on their next single due out later this year.

After a successful EP in 2019 (C-30 Duets Vol 1) and a Christmas single, WeatheredMan now presents his 2 piece rock band – WeatheredMan and the Noise –and their new single, “Natural Force”. It’s raw. It’s loud. It’s 2 men who should know better, playing as if their lives depended on it.

WeatheredMan says, “This is a song about finding out that somebody doesn't love you anymore. The sentiment is not of course an original one but my experience certainly was. A brutal unstripping of everything I thought I knew. I mean let's face it...I'm going to write a few more like this...

Musically it's a 2 piece rock band playing as if their lives depended on it. Recorded pretty much live and in the room. It doesn't mess around.”

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Bear of Bombay - GIUNGLA - Tempesst

Bear of Bombay shares 'Night Tree' the first single excerpt from his 'Something Stranger', debut EP. Lorenzo Parisini has been creating electronic and dream-wave music for sometime and it's good to hear plenty of his originality and vibrancy is still fresh and present. ===== GIUNGLA has just released 'Walk On The Ceiling'. The project of Milan based artist Ema Drei, this is a smooth, rhythmic and striking track. ===== We first featured Tempesst in July 2016 and a number of times since. Taking a little look back at our older features and noticing the number of hits for their new piece 'Walk on the Water' this would appear to be a real and deserved breakthrough song, it's nice to have been a small part of that journey.

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Bear of Bombay - Night Tree.

'Night Tree', is the first single excerpt from 'Something Stranger', debut EP by electronic / dream-wave project Bear of Bombay (Milan-based artist Lorenzo Parisini). 

Active in the Italian underground scene since the 90s and after having played at major festivals, sharing the stage with the likes of Mark Gardener (Ride), Lorenzo Parisini now starts a new course characterized by ethereal electric guitars and synth carpets, rhythmic loops and minimal harmonies, giving birth to a very personal hybrid of psychedelia, electronica, shoegaze and new wave.

The obscure electropop ride 'Night Tree' is the first single excerpt from the EP 'Something Stranger' is now available.

Here and there Bear of Bombay music may remind of bands like LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, The Notwist and The Vacant Lots; but at the end of the day, this is an extremely original piece of art, remetabolizing new wave, 90s and 2000s indie-rock, contemporary psych-pop, dreampop, shoegaze and indietronica in a very personal way. 

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GIUNGLA - Walk On The Ceiling.

GIUNGLA is the project of Milan based artist Ema Drei. ‘Giungla’ means ‘jungle’ in Italian and it’s in this sort of tangled-happy-place, where Ema’s minimal pop songs come alive with in your face attitude.

New single, ‘Walk On The Ceiling’, was recorded in 2019 in London with esteemed producer Andrew Savours (My Bloody Valentine, The Kills, Black Country New Road). “Working with Andy in his studio was cool because throughout his career he has worked with some of the musicians who made me fall in love with my instrument (especially Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs)” explains Drei. “We tried to create a sound that was modern but timeless with a main focus on guitar”.

Collaboration is key for GIUNGLA, an artist who likes to take inspiration from other creative mediums and channel it into her own work. Whilst on the hunt for artwork for her forthcoming E.P, thanks to curator Tommaso Speretta, Ema had the pleasure of meeting with Swedish painter Sophie Westerlind at her studio in Venice where she first saw the painting ‘Martina’s Flowers’. A close up from which would go on to become the cover art for new single ‘Walk On The Ceiling’. “I chose this painting because its brushstrokes, full of matter and movement, immediately felt right for my music, but also because of the story behind it” says Ema.

Before experiencing lockdown in Venice, Westerlind had never painted flowers, but due to the new restrictions she found herself yearning for a connection with nature and flowers became a symbol of that. Thanks to a tip-off from a friend, Martina, Westerlind managed to find a woman who sold flowers and met her in an alley behind Campo Santa Margherita to buy a bouquet. “Before giving me the flowers she wanted me to smell the perfume, then she told me to hurry back to Giudecca as if we had just exchanged something forbidden. While I was walking back to my studio a lady in the street saw me and shouted at me 'where did you find those flowers ?!' Painting them felt like doing something very precious and secret” she explained.

‘Walk On The Ceiling’ similarly presents an intimate and delicate dimension, inspired by late nights spent writing notes and thoughts on her phone, head under the covers and the light of the screen in her hands. “I like to think of the phone light as a candle to be protected and given to someone special” says Ema. “The perspective is upside down, as if those who stay awake at night to write were in another reality; it is about the beauty of looking for a bit of mystery and magic even in a protected and domestic environment, trying to be braver than you are during the day”.

GIUNGLA · Walk On The Ceiling

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Tempesst - Walk on the Water.

London via Australia folk/psych rockers Tempesst today announce their new single "Walk on the Water", released alongside a stunning new video shot in the mountains of Snowdonia. "Walk on the Water" is lifted from the band's recently released debut album Must Be A Dream, via their own label Pony Recordings.

Directed by the band's drummer Andy Banjanin, the video places the band in the heights of Snowdonia. Speaking on the video, Banjanin said: "We drove up to Snowdonia just the five of us, to hang out and shoot the video last winter. On the first day after we hiked up the mountain with all of our instruments and filming gear, we finally arrive at this incredibly beautiful lake just under Snowdon and set up ready to shoot the first scene. We were on the side of a mountain and I had a remote for the camera so I could operate it from the drums but it was about 50m away. Over the course of the first take, literally the very first shot, the weather changes from clear at the beginning of the song to full blizzard by the bridge. None of us know what to do so we just keep going until the song finishes before freaking out and packing everything up soaked and freezing. We didn’t get any more filming done that day, but it turned out to be the best shot of the video."

A wide-eyed excursion of folk-tinged psychedelia with nods to Spiritualized, Galaxie 500, the Flaming Lips and the Beach Boys, Must Be A Dream is a dense, sun-kissed record that explores themes of identity, purpose, ageing, love, loss, substance abuse, the death of loved ones and remembering the beauty beneath it all.

Consisting of Sunshine Coast, Australia born twin brothers Toma (vocals, guitars) and Andy Banjanin (drums); the band is rounded out by fellow Australian’s Kane Reynolds (keys) and Blake Misipeka (bass), and Swiss/American guitarist Eric Weber.

Now all residing in London where debut album Must Be A Dream was written and recorded, Tempesst have become well known for their sweeping, psych-touched indie rock - touring previously with the likes of Pond, The Temper Trap, Albert Hammond Jr, Jet and widely lauded by the likes of Lauren Laverne (BBC 6Music), Jack Saunders (BBC R1), Noisey, DIY Magazine, The Financial Times, Clash Magazine, NME, The Line Of Best Fit, Beats Per Minute and more.

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Turkey The Bird - Golden Bear - Peter Cat - HMS Morris

Turkey The Bird were first featured here back in September and they return today with 'Art and Design' where their refreshing bright and stylish brand of indie pop impresses again. ===== Golden Bear have today released their new album 'Dear Texas'. The album mixes Texan country rock with Americana and both the musicianship and natural vocals ensure this is a great collection of songs. ===== Peter Cat has released the new album 'The Saccharine Underground' from which we have two tracks, namely 'SO STR8' and 'The Big House'. Musically the band cover considerable territory including post-punk, glam rock, baroque pop and synth-pop, so treat these two really fine songs as but a glimpse of the whole. ===== HMS Morris make their fourth appearance on Beehive Candy this year with today's single release 'Partypooper' and once again this versatile duo are on splendid and upbeat form.

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Turkey The Bird - Art and Design.

Turkey The Bird is New Zealand's answer to Simon & Garfunkel (if '&' was a musician too). Catchy folk songs with stunning rich melodies and effortless smooth lyrics. Songs that tell uplifting stories about love and life. You can hear them on their new single 'Art and Design'.

The bearded trio is spread around the globe, creating beautiful three part harmonies and toe tapping rhythms: Andre Manella from Switzerland is on guitar, bass and percussion. Adrian Whelan from Ireland is on guitar, bass and spoons, and Sol Bear Coulton, the token kiwi, on Banjo.

This tasty folk-pop-track called «Art and Design» blends a simple tapestry of lyrics with a very catchy melody, the message conveying  the concept of art and design to a shape and form. Looking through a camera lens while travelling through time, «there's a right way and a wrong way you can view a piece of art», the band says. The track reflects on the complexity and simplicity of art and design in the real world.

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Golden Bear - Dear Texas (Album).

Golden Bear is excited to announce the release of their new album, Dear Texas. As the title implies, the album is a love letter to the band’s home state. All of the songs were written and recorded during the quarantine, with band members contributing their parts from their homes.

Dear Texas takes listeners on a journey across Texas from the west Texas plains through the hill country, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The album’s songs convey a yearning to get on the road, remember past adventures, and to create new ones.

Chris Gregory on making Dear Texas: For years I thought there needed to be a song about Port Aransas, a city which so many Texans love. One day in March, I was sitting on the couch with my guitar, watching “Magnum PI”, and the riff came to me. I wrote the song in about 10 minutes. For fun, I recorded it and sent the song to my buddy Scott, who added some pedal steel and sent it back to me. I was blown away by his contribution, and decided we needed to do a whole album in this style, and inspired by this state.

Listeners (Texan or otherwise) are sure to enjoy the landscapes, characters, stories, and atmosphere found throughout Dear Texas.

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Peter Cat - SO STR8 / The Big House.

Recorded over a two-year period at Glasgow’s Green Door Studios, and mixed by production wunderkind Chris McCrory of Catholic Action, The Saccharine Underground showcases an audiophile's staunch commitment to the analogue form. All songs were recorded to tape, and no digital instrumentation whatsoever was used.

The album's title invokes the genre of baroque pop prevalent in the American pop music of late 1 960s and early 70s, otherwise described as ‘cowboy psychedelia’.

It sums up the contradiction that lies at the heart of the record, in which melodic and textural sweetness is yoked into the service of a wry, dry songwriting style,
narrating stories of awkwardness, failure and foolishness which are oddly life-affirming.

The Saccharine Underground is a sonically ambitious first album, tossing together post-punk, glam rock, baroque pop and synth-pop into a swirling forty-minute cabaret. Lead singer and songwriter Graham Neil Gillespie gives coherence to these diverse compositions with his arch, bass-baritone vocal style, reminiscent of Bowie and Bryan Ferry´s artier turns.

Peter Cat · The Big House

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HMS Morris - Partypooper.

Following the release of ‘Babanod’, ‘Poetry’ and ‘Myfyrwyr Rhyngwladol’ earlier in the year, HMS Morris are back with the fourth and final single in the series, ‘Partypooper’, will be released on November 6th.

Songwriter Heledd Watkins explains Partypooper’s origins thus: ‘It’s a response to the mental highs and lows of being a musician – or any kind of human person really. A great deal of us struggle with a little internal partypooper, a malignant imp who likes to wait until we’re at our happiest before screwing up her mean little face and blowing mightily on her shit-horn of doubt and regret, leaving our ears ringing and our confidence in tatters as she skips gleefully away. She’s not above putting the boot in when you’re down either; during the downtime in between gigs, or as you’re reading a crap review of a record you spent the last year perfecting, or when you see a hype band flying past at 100 miles an hour to New Music Friday-land or some equally alluring destination. We all have one. We all deal with them in different ways. Here’s hoping that mine has a fear of high-tempo Latin numbers with horns and distorted wailing.’

Partypooper features guest appearances from the superb Owain Gruffudd and Gwyn Owen from Band Pres Llareggub (Owain also arranged the brass). Iestyn Jones is on drums. It was recorded at St Peter’s and Fitzhamon Studio in Cardiff, and Stiwdio Sain in Llandwrog.

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