Lawn Chair - Lanterns On The Lake - Dutch Uncles - Orchard Sky

Lawn Chair - Punkrock Band.

Ever since their stage debut in late 2021, German-American art punk band Lawn Chair have relentlessly rehearsed, recorded and played shows, including appearances at showcase festivals such as Reeperbahn and Waves Vienna. The band, fronted by Seattle-born Claudia Schlutius, has quickly gained recognition in the German indie scene with a guitar-driven energetic sound, Schlutius’ powerful stage presence and meticulous songwriting. Last month, the band released ‘Sunset Heartbreak’, a single that has garnered the group early support from the likes of BBC Radio 6 Music and DIY as well as comparisons to bands like Gustaf & Bodega.

On their new single ‘Punkrock Band’ Claudia Schlutius says: “Don’t we all sometimes just want to start a band and live the glamorous life of rock stars cruising the streams of showbiz? Probably not, which is why the maddeningly cheerful acoustic guitars in all their glory of the 90s contrast the ambition the lyrics provide. Looking at you Michael Stipe,” she continues.

After releasing a self-produced debut EP in the spring of 2022, Lawn Chair returned to the studio in the autumn to record their follow-up. Eat The Beans And Wear The Jeans! was recorded with the help of esteemed producer Olaf Opal  (The Notwist) and L.A.-based mixer Chris Coady (Beach House, Future Islands, TV On The Radio), who helped take the songs to the next level. The new songs present a new and interesting twist to timeless topics like unrequited love, the despondent boredom growing up in the countryside and the hardships of show business. With this new EP Lawn Chair are underscoring their rightful ambitions to a much larger audience.

Lawn Chair · Punkrock Band

======================================================================

Lanterns On The Lake - String Theory.

With their much-anticipated new album Versions Of Us due out June 2nd via Bella Union, Lanterns On The Lake now reveal their epic new single, “String Theory”. With Radiohead’s Philip Selway delivering a bravura performance on drums and vocalist singer Hazel Wilde one of her most powerful vocal turns, the track is arguably the dynamic standout from this career-best album.

Commenting on the track singer and songwriter Hazel Wilde says: “String Theory is a song about reflecting on what might have been and might, in some way, still be. It finds beauty and solace in the multiverse theory and the idea that out there somewhere, vibrating on their own frequency, exists another fully realized version of yourself where your story turned out differently.”

Lanterns On The Lake previously released the single “The Likes Of Us” and also recently shared a stunning live version of the track recorded at The Old Church in Northumberland.

======================================================================

Dutch Uncles - Damascenes.

Dutch Uncles, Manchester’s much-revered electro art rock quartet, have just released their long-awaited sixth album, True Entertainment, via Memphis Industries to widespread worldwide acclaim. Album standout "Damascenes" is this week released as a single alongside a new visualiser with behind the scenes studio footage, coinciding with the announcement of further tour dates and a headline slot at this year's Twisterella Festival in Middlesbrough.

"Damascenes" marries future funk synth vibes with a truly magnificent vocal from Duncan Wallis (with added BV's from Everything Everything's Jonathan Higgs). Lyrically, it borrows from The Simpsons, specifically an episode where Lisa considers that angels might indeed exist after visiting an archeology exhibition...

Vocalist/lyricist Duncan Wallis discussed the lyrical inspiration behind the song: "This definitely felt like the song we broke ground for the album with. The demo is worlds, if not galaxies, away from the finished product musically speaking (electric drums provided the only rhythm as I recall, and not a guitar in sight, just synths), and lyrically I found myself right at the beginning again, clumsily trying to straddle two ideas: one Simpsons based, the other personal; both of which were just too righteous to give up.

"On the one hand, I could retell the story of Lisa Simpson coming round to the possible existence of Angels after discovering a skeleton on an archaeology exhibition. "At the same time I could journal a weekend away of soul searching in Glasgow, beginning and ending in its transcendent Central Railway station (there is indeed a piano in there – or was at least), which was topped off by a chance encounter with the then leader of the Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, just days before the election was determined on the way home. A truly life affirming scenario and one hell of a hangover cure."

======================================================================

Orchard Sky - Rollin' 7's (Live).

Blurring the lines between Southern Rock, Soul and Country, Orchard Sky's fresh new sound comes from a combination of Krystle Dos Santos's powerful vocals, and the hard driving work of lead guitarist Mitch Smith and bassist Andreas Wegner.

Dually based in Vancouver and Edmonton, Orchard Sky’s self-titled debut EP -- out now on all digital platforms -- includes their latest single “Rollin’ 7s” (featuring Clayton Bellamy of the Road Hammers), a blend of lipstick, dynamite and the roll of the dice. Already finding a home at Canadian Country Radio, “Rollin’ 7s” is a foot-stomping track that demands turning the dial up to eleven.

It follows on the heels of Orchard Sky’s 2022 single “Canadian Party Song” an instant country-rock anthem that Rogers SportsNet deployed as a the soundtrack to last year’s NHL playoff series between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. As SportsNet Music Supervisor Carson Illidge said, “It makes my job very easy when I’m pitched such great songs. This one’s a ripper.” Along with other heart-pumping tracks such as “Flashbang” and “Honest,” Orchard Sky’s EP delivers a sound guaranteed to fire up your soul.

Since Smith and Wegner teamed with Dos Santos early in 2022, everything has fallen into place. What Krystle brought to the band was not only her stunning voice, but also a creative energy that she’s previously displayed as a solo artist and stage performer. Along with earning two Western Canadian Music Awards, she has appeared in productions of Dreamgirls, The Chelsea Hotel: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen, and her own cabaret-style musical, Hey Viola!, a tribute to Canadian Civil Rights heroine Viola Desmond.

======================================================================

Güero - Part Time Signals - Paradox Arcade - William The Conqueror

Güero - Mind's Eye.

Sacramento quartet Güero have released their latest single “Mind’s Eye”  in advance of their sophomore full-length album, Wednesdays, arriving this Friday, April 7 via Dutch Records. The guys once again tapped director Paul Bates to bring the song to life with a video.

Discussing “Mind’s Eye,” guitarist/vocalist Rik Krull noted, "We played this song for a while never really trying to tame it. When we play live in the greater Sacramento area, we tend to play a 2-3 hour set. During one of our gigs we had some time to fill and played 'Mind’s Eye' knowing we could jam it awhile. It ended up being an epic rendition, one that will never be played that way again. Luckily, we have, Russell our scribe who caught it on his phone.

Maybe because we weren’t really thinking it needed to be anything specific, everyone’s part just fell into place, perfectly. Some of those things we played that night were developed into the recorded version since we were able to draw from Russell’s recording. We really like how we added the mellow beginning to the song and how, Mike changes to the four on the floor during the second verse.  It’s the little things about this song that we have grown to love."

Güero announced Wednesdays in January with the “Streams of Light” single, which Under the Radar called it, "a lost classic reemerging from a forgotten corner of the radio.” The album was recorded live at Pus Cavern Studios in Sacramento with ace recording engineer Joe Johnson and further elevated by Oakland producer and fellow musician, Akiyoshi Ehara (The Seshen, Geographer); who amping up and dialing down dynamics added greater tones, higher fidelity, heavy delays and string arrangements.

======================================================================

Part Time Signals - The Man.

Part Time Signals is the brand new project formed by Sock vocalist and guitarist Jacob Church. The band came together initially by taking demo seeds written by Jacob, which were then planted into a musical garden when introduced to a live band setting. Part Time Signals features the talents of Sam Barnes (bass), Gavin Jenkins (drums) and Michael Blanchfield (keys).

The first taste of music from the band, The Man, is released across all digital platforms today April 5th. The track was recorded at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, mixed by Sam Barnes and mastered by Eddie Al-Shakarchi.

Jacob explains the meaning behind the song: “The Man is whoever you want it to be. Maybe it's that delivery driver throwing your parcel about, maybe it's your landlord increasing your rent, maybe it's the Tory government. Perhaps all of the above?”. Catch Part Time Signals performing live at Porters, Cardiff on 26th April.



======================================================================

Paradox Arcade - The World That We Know.

The Guelph-based indie music and art project Paradox Arcade recently released its debut single, “The World That We Know” (RCS Records), a song of hope that calls out the illusions that cause division and inspires people to look beyond to the better world we can all create.

“Each of us in our own way reaches for a better world,” says Xristopher Bland (often simply called ‘X’), composer and author of the song and creator of the song’s cover art called The Reaching. “Even if we can’t see it or fall to the doubts and opinions of others, we know it’s there.”

Mixed and mastered by Alastair Sims (Barenaked Ladies, The Trews, Arkells), the song also reflects the present state of the world, characterized by Oxfam as a decidedly broken world of “extreme inequality. Yet as powerless, disenfranchised, or cast out as many may understandably feel, Xris points out what others have said before.

“The world that we know is not the world we can know. One simple act like saying no to something helps change the world because even the smallest of stones cast into an ocean causes ripples. That’s what this song is. It’s a ripple that moves to the language of repair and healing by calling out the deceptions that separate us, the orchestrations of conflict, and the noise that fragments our innate knowing of who we really are. It’s reawakening call to equity, equality, and peace.”

======================================================================

William The Conqueror - Somebody Else.

William The Conqueror will release their new album ‘Excuse Me While I Vanish’ through Chrysalis Records on 28th July. Produced by the band in a playground of vintage gear and mixed by Barny Barnicott (Arctic Monkeys, Sam Fender, Kasabian), the resulting album's ten tracks marry earworm tunes with insistent, imperious, soaring rock shapes, punctuated by chorus hooks that are simultaneously nuanced and anthemic. ‘Excuse Me While I Vanish’ is the follow-up to 2021’s critically-acclaimed album, ‘Maverick Thinker’, and will be available on multiple vinyl formats, CD and streaming platforms. William The Conqueror today unveil new track ’Somebody Else’ with an accompanying video filmed at Marshall Studios.

"Somebody Else came from a very specific memory of not knowing which version of myself I was supposed to be playing,” explains frontman Ruarri Joseph. “An identity crisis in real-time. It's so cathartic to play. Harry's drums absolutely beast along. He has a way of finding that extra gear just when you think it can't possibly go any higher.”

‘Excuse Me While I Vanish’, very nearly didn’t happen. Following the imposition of lockdown restrictions, Joseph found himself cocooned at home in Cornwall, ruminating on an uncertain creative future, watching on as his wife Mandy, a valiant mental health social worker, engaged with the all-too-real dilemmas of the pandemic-riven here and now. Her example motivated Joseph to become a temporary care worker, an experience which would provide renewed focus and influence the songwriting on the new album.

“My wife was insomniac for the first six months of lockdown, which made it impossible for me to moan or grieve the fact that everything I’d been working on for the last five years had come to a standstill. It was a much-needed perspective and made me realise what a selfish undertaking William had been – navel-gazing with my head in the clouds when what people needed was boots firmly on the ground, preferably on the feet of someone like Mandy.”

William The Conqueror's fourth album finds the indie-rock trio firing on all cylinders as Joseph confronts the thin line between creativity and madness, inspired by compassion for the real-life angels of the world. Ruarri’s compelling semi-spoken vocals and swamp-blues-Seattle-scuzz guitars are propelled by the rhythm section of Naomi Holmes (bass) and Harry Harding (drums) as ‘Excuse Me While I Vanish’ delivers an effortlessly winning blend of melody and ensemble dynamics, the most accomplished and undeniable William The Conqueror album to date.

======================================================================

Glass Forest - Chris Emmert - Special Friend

Glass Forest - Can't Just Walk Away.

Vancouver-based Glass Forest is an indie-pop group composed of Nick Owen (vocals/keys), Stephen Clarke (bass/beats) and Abby Wale (vocals). They have gained a reputation for euphoric live shows that blend electronic dance elements with atmospheric soundscapes. Their debut EP is anticipated in May 2023.

"Can't Just Walk Away" was written about the emotional hardships following the fallout of a previous relationship; specifically, between band members Nick and Abby.

It was a uniquely honest process writing and recording the single as they directly confronted the traumas. Oddly healing, it gave space to address and work through past issues, broaching subjects rarely discussed by ex romantic partners.

======================================================================

Chris Emmert - Say My Love.

Nashville Americana singer-songwriter Chris Emmert has officially released his latest single, "Say My Love", on all streaming platforms this weekend. The track marks Emmert's second release of 2023, following his debut single "Lets Go Out Tonight". Both tracks will appear on Emmert's June 23rd debut EP Introducing Chris Emmert.

Emmert, on the single: This is one of the last songs I decided to put on the EP. It was a staple in my set for about the last year or so, and was a song audience members would often cite as a favorite after my performances. It’s a simple song with a honest message and an upbeat swing about it. I think everybody likes when a tune is easy to understand and feels good. One of my heroes, Hank Cochran, always said, “make it short, make it sweet, and make it rhyme.” So, I think for those reasons this song works and vibes with folks.

We recorded this song live, only going back to overdub my guitar and vocals. All of the arrangements were developed organically in the studio. I told the players to simply play what they were feeling. I think that fostered a really unique and original sound for all the songs, which was my ultimate goal in producing this EP.

======================================================================

Special Friend - Bête.

Special Friend (American Erica Ashleson and French Guillaume Siracusa) are a duo with a sound that’s somehow minimal and epic. She drums, he plays guitar, their voices harmonise, a bontempi organ slips in almost unnoticed - and suddenly you find yourself lost in the huge landscape of a song.

Bête is one of many great tracks on the album – insistent, catchy, yet mysterious and elusive.  Erica and Guillaume switch effortlessly from English to French in their songs but the melodies are so entrancing you often don’t notice the change.  The lyrics lie in wait for you, and they are powerful (Bête is about the self-destructiveness of our species), but the music will seduce you first.

You may be reminded of Yo La Tengo, the Delgados or, when the volume goes up, Quasi and Galaxie 500. But Special Friend bring something new, something special!

Based in Paris, they’ve built a strong following in France, and the new album looks set to introduce them to the wider audience they deserve. The video for Bête is a good introduction to the band; it was filmed in the summer at Studio Heat in Montreuil, where the album was recorded.

======================================================================

Rodney Crowell - Meredith Moon - Cosmic Bull

Rodney Crowell - Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly.

Rodney Crowell will release The Chicago Sessions on May 5, 2023, via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by Jeff Tweedy and recorded by Tom Schick at Wilco’s Loft in Chicago. The masterful, cross-generational collaboration follows Crowell’s acclaimed 2021 album Triage. Hailed by Rolling Stone as a “country music trailblazer” and by The New York Times as an artist whose songwriting “gets better and sharper with age,” Crowell delivers an incisive, engaging collection that balances careful craftsmanship with joyful liberation at every turn. Sounding both fresh and familiar, it’s among Crowell’s very best work.

As Jeff Tweedy puts it, “The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I’ve always loved. In my estimation, it’s as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that.”

This week, Crowell released the video for the album highlight “Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly.” Of the song, Crowell says, “‘Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly’ is something I wrote a while back with Sarah Buxton and Jedd Hughes, both of whom appear on the record. Jedd and I were sitting around with guitars in our hands when he started playing the basic chord pattern. I’m pretty sure the title sprang from something Ben Vaughn said to me back when we were writing ‘When Losers Rule The World,’ but I haven’t had the nerve to ask. Ben, if you read this, I wish you could’ve been there. If you feel left out, you can have my portion of the proceeds and I’ll take credit for putting Jeff Tweedy in charge of overseeing a pretty dang decent recording of the song. Much love, Rodney.”

======================================================================

Meredith Moon - Constellations (Album).

Growing up in a musical family is not uncommon for many emerging artists, but for Meredith Moon, living in the shadow of her father Gordon Lightfoot’s spotlight, the expectations were onerous. So for the past decade Meredith kept a low profile, taking time to develop her songwriting, avoiding the Lightfoot association, practicing and performing her songs in folk clubs and online forums incognito, wherever there was an appreciative audience to be found. And there were many.

Now signed to the acclaimed Canadian roots music label True North Records and acknowledging the marketing demands of the music industry, has resulted in the forthcoming global album release of Constellations, a 10-song collection that showcases Meredith’s unique voice and captivating lyrics, wrapped in an raw neo-traditional folk sound.

A five-Time Mariposa Folk Festival performer, hiding her lineage with the simple description as a “multi-instrumentalist songwriter,” Meredith’s songs are crafted in a true storyteller's fashion. She has been described as a 'gem' among the Old-Time music scene for her unusual expression of the genre, combining influences of folk-punk with traditional Appalachian step-rhythms and banjo.

======================================================================

Cosmic Bull - Hangin' in the I.P.

Hangin' in the I.P. was released back in February but deserves to be heard albeit a little late. This collection of songs that Cosmic Bull band leader Mark Vickery collaborated on with multi-instrumentalist/producer Paul Von Mertens, known for his work with Brian Wilson, Mavis Staples, Stereolab, The Sea and Cake, Broken Social Scene, and Wilco.

Hangin' in the I.P. follows a handful of singles and the 27X2 EP, all of which were released last year.

Chicago's Cosmic Bull is the latest project from scene vet Mark Vickery, whose earliest band Word Bongo played the city's top venues including Metro and Double Door. Vickery was also a live guest vocalist for Chicago mainstays Liquid Soul before joining the acid jazz/trip-hop groove collective Zo (which eventually morphed into the band Sumo), who took over Liquid Soul's popular Sunday night residency at Elbo Room.

======================================================================