Thursday, 17 January 2019

William the Conqueror - Natalie Shay - Eerie Wanda - Business of Dreams - I Was a King - Hawksley Workman

Our catching up for January 2019 continues with Beehive Candy Lite part two.

William the Conqueror - Looking For The Cure.

Looking for the Cure is a song about redemption. It's raw, laid-bare song-writing but with an acerbic wit and an overall cathartic effect that turns a dark experience into something more hopeful, even joyous. As frontman Ruarri Joseph expands:

“'Looking for the Cure' started out as a mournful ballad about witnessing the process of recovery from addiction: the tragedy of searching for something that doesn’t exist. Then it dawned on me that if you're looking, at least it means you're alive to do so, and that’s a cure in itself.”


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Natalie Shay - Yesterday.

Natalie Shay is a 20 year old multi award-winning, indie pop/rock artist from North London. Deemed as one of London’s hottest emerging talents and having already acquired an impressive array of awards, Shay is ready to launch herself into the forefront of the industry, with her highly anticipated upcoming release.

As a classically trained guitarist from the age of five, Shay's outstanding talents soon found herself accepted into the prestigious BRIT school, known for producing such prodigies as Adele, Jessie J and Katy B. Shay credits her time at the famed BRIT school for encouraging her independence, “It allows student’s to develop creatively and socially so that they are prepared for the world once they graduate”, explains Shay.


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Eerie Wanda - Pet Town.

Eerie Wanda shares the title track from its upcoming sophomore LP, Pet Town. The video was filmed partially at the Nine Lives Cat Cafe in Indianapolis, IN over the holidays. Pet Town is out Jan. 25 on Joyful Noise.

Eerie Wanda is the brainchild of audio and visual artist Marina Tadic. Born to Croatian parents in the former Yugoslavia, Marina became a political refugee when she was just 6 years old. Forced to leave their home due to the Bosnian war, Marina’s parents sought asylum in the Netherlands- which is where Marina grew into an adult, became an accomplished artist, and where she still resides.


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Business of Dreams - Keep The Blues Away.

Corey Cunningham's Business of Dreams is all about emotional catharsis. When his father passed away a few years ago, Cunningham took leave from his long-running Bay Area/LA musical partnerships Magic Bullets and Terry Malts to return to his home state of Tennessee to grieve and confront his past.

Making music to cope with this loss resulted in Business of Dreams' lovely eponymous debut album, an unexpected pop pleasure that wound up on Bandcamp's and Raven Sings The Blues' year-end lists for 2017. Soon the live version of Business Of Dreams took shape as Cunningham opened for Rogue Wave on a national tour and played scores of local shows with Frankie Rose, Real Estate and many others.

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I Was a King - Bubble.

Originating from the windswept, moody southwestern coast of Norway, I Was A King are living proof that the sweetest pop songs can be cultivated and thrive in the oddest places.

I Was A King are announcing the release of new album Slow Century, out March 8th via Coastal Town Recordings. With the album announcement the band also released a new single 'Bubble'.

 Led by singers and guitarists Frode Strømstad and Anne Lise Frøkedal, whose united vocals melt into one extraterrestrial voice, their new album Slow Century is the result of a close collaboration with Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) - who produced the new album.


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Hawksley Workman – Lazy.

I’ve always had this constant hunger to innovate, reevaluate what I do, and keep remaking it to confuse myself and maybe confuse my audience. This time, I’m just committing to writing focused and honest songs, which feels like the most interesting thing I can do right now.

“Lazy” is the latest single off of Median Age Wasteland, my upcoming new record. It’s an exploration of love and memories. Childlike images of winter and school portables give way to a lover's proclamation of staying awake and staying the course. The profound decision of love meets the feeling of love.







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Wednesday, 16 January 2019

Beehive Candy Lite presents: Someone - The Wave Pictures - Light Wheel - Nick Waterhouse - Late TV - Sister Sparrow

A new year, a delayed return, and a different approach, something along the lines of "Beehive Candy Lite". There are numerous reasons for altering our approach, circumstances change, we are now a very lean setup, and with so much to instantly stream and new music playlists tailored to personal listening habits, just how relevant we can remain, well time will tell. One advantage we have is our ever growing international range of new music sources.

It's a given that Beehive Candy only shares music they genuinely like and sometimes can't help but love.

So the new approach will see us morph into a more playlist orientated style. Less words, if the artist or band are featured then please consider that our full endorsement, our recommendation to check their music out.

Our hope is that we can expand your musical world by curating a wide variety of great new music and artists from around the world.  So by way of a catch up here's whats pleased our ears, so far this year - part one.
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Someone - Pull It Together.

Multi-disciplinary Amsterdam artist Someone, AKA Tessa Rose Jackson, releases her new single Pull It Together via [PIAS] Recordings. A stunning slice of infectious psych-pop, equally indebted to Tame Impala or early 90s French electronica pioneers Air, it is the first single taken from her upcoming new EP Orbit, the follow up to last year’s Chain Reaction EP.
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The Wave Pictures - Shelly.

The Wave Pictures are delighted to share the video for their new single “Shelly”, which is taken from their recent album Look Inside Your Heart (out now via Moshi Moshi). Singer and guitarist Dave Tattersall describes the track as, “A love song in the laid back style of late 70s Grateful Dead only with even better lyrics.”






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Light Wheel - Answers.

Light Wheel is a musical act from Austin, Texas formed by vocalist/songwriter Tyagaraja and producer Evan Dunivan. Their music is marked by colorful soundscapes and eclectic rhythms, anchored by powerful, dynamic vocals. It is aesthetic pop music with touches of R&B grooves and Electronic flair. Their upcoming debut full length record, "See Through" will be released in January of 2019. Light Wheel started playing live in December of 2017, debuting at the Day for Night Festival, featuring Bjork, Aphex Twin, Run the Jewels, and more. Live, Light Wheel is a four piece act, accompanied by drummer Ethan Yeager and bassist Michael Sanders.

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Nick Waterhouse - Song For Winners.

Los Angeles-based musician Nick Waterhouse has announced his new self-titled album set for March 8th release via Innovative Leisure. Following 2016’s 'Never Twice' which was hailed by Vogue as “the second coming of soul” and earned Nick a performance on 'Later' with Jools Holland, the new album was recorded at LA’s legendary Electro-Vox Recorders, and co-produced with Paul Butler (Michael Kiwanuka, St. Paul and the Broken Bones), with backing from a heavy bevy of friends and session players including Bart Davenport, percussionist Andres Renteria (Flying Lotus, Father John Misty), flutist Ricky Washington (Kamasi’s dad), and saxophonists Paula Henderson (Gogol Bordello) and Mando Dorame (JD McPherson).
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Late TV - Great Gulfs.

Amidst the cultural detritus of television’s after hours rises a freaky new street beat played by London’s Late TV. Culling influences from jazz cats and art rockers, B-movies and trash television, via Lynch and Tarantino, Late TV are the moonlighting house band for a surreal all-night dream club where the intangible dance floor shifts and folds to become the set piece of a talk show beamed onto the farthest reaches of your channel selector. Helmed by Luke J Novak, who hails from the slabbed post-industrial backwater of Kidderminster, Late TV originates from a folk noir group formed by Luke and Richard ‘The Showman’ Bowman, a drummer whose restless search for groove quickly outgrew their genre. Joined by Chicago’s jazz fusion obsessed Ryan Szanyi on bass, Parisian keyboard maestro Martin Coxall,  tenor sax player Evesham Nicholas, and Liverpool's Matthew Halsall on trumpet, their new outfit Late TV harks back to a time when music was all fearless fusion and intractable improvisation.


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Sister Sparrow - Gold.

Sister Sparrow (nee Arleigh Kincheloe) has released “Gold,” the video for the title track of her recent album and announced the first leg of her 2019 tour. “Gold” is currently being spun on numerous influential radio stations nationwide, including Sirius XM The Spectrum’s Shortlist and Jam On, WFUV (NYC), WXPN (Philadelphia), and WRLT (Nashville), and was recently named Song of The Day on The Current (Minneapolis).











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Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Beehive Candy Are Taking A Break

Thank you to everyone who have visited Beehive Candy this year and for those who have been with us for even longer.

We need a break from music blogging and with new music slowing down considerably for the next couple of weeks, now seems like as good a time as any.

Sunday, 16 December 2018

Klara Zubonja - Babyteeth - The Stone MG's - Wes Hollywood

Klara Zubonja - The Winds Of Life.

Klara Zubonja, an alt-pop singer-songwriter who forms a distinct sound of her own, prepares to ascend with her latest single The Winds Of Life. Since the release of Klara’s debut album Stuck Between in late 2016, her sound has continued to grow and evolve, leading to Zubonja’s brand new EP Eye To Eye.

Like the entirety of the EP, The Winds Of Life is also about meeting oneself eye to eye, facing all facets that lie within, and learning how to go with the flow of it all. The track ventures into the contrasting aspects of oneself; the light, the dark. The song expresses various tempo and time signature changes, as Klara explores and reminds you of those ups and downs in life, but also nudges you to ride the wave, and let those winds of life carry you far.

“It’s about having the courage to face yourself, gently, and learn to flow, despite it all. Remembering that it’s okay to have darker days and darker aspects of yourself, and accepting that in yourself. It’s all part of the bigger plan, if only you trust within it.” - Klara Zubonja

The Melbourne artist approaches pop’s light-footed bop with underlying hints of experimental soul, jazz and psych. Immersed in traditional Croatian singing and dancing culture from a young age, she moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Music degree and found success amongst National and community radio with her debut album Stuck Between in 2016.

Klara Zubonja draws inspiration from her eclectic background in European folk music and combines this with her broad knowledge of various contemporary and independent musical traditions. A world exploding with colour, conceptually theatrical and thematically provocative, The Winds Of Life rises amongst the heady realms of emphatic and intelligent alt-pop and secures her as a contemporary of Montaigne and Jaala.


Alt pop seems to cover a lot of bases however 'The Winds Of Life' fits that label almost perfectly. Melodic & with plenty of hooks, the intricate musical backdrop and Klara's remarkable vocals add the "Alt" doing so with especial beauty.


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Babyteeth - Cocoon.

The new single from Babyteeth "Cocoon", is the third from the London based 5 piece, who with every release gets stronger and bolder.  Another banger, it follows the success of "Shame" which saw them garner new fans in Radio 1 and Kerrang Magazine, who featured the band, not once, but twice in so many months. 

Influenced by grunge and punk rock and inspired by strong female artists and role models, "Cocoon" arrives to rock the alternative world with Babyteeth’s signature guitar sound. Reminiscent of your best loved 90's rock bands, yet filtered through huge, exhilarating modern production, Babyteeth are certain to become your new favourite band for 2019 and beyond.  The new track not only makes an audio statement but a strong lyrical one to boot.  "Cocoon is about how we’re sometimes addicted to making bad choices because they’re the more exciting. It’s also about how powerful it can be to decide to feel gratitude for all the shitty experiences, as they’ve turned you into a stronger version of yourself. It’s about personal rebirth, and remaking"

These sentiments reflect in the bands video. In order to contribute to the eerie dark feeling of the song, it was shot in black and white, inside a 70’s time capsule- like, retro workingmen's club in North London. The video features various imagery around the theme of death and rebirth  -"Lot's of it is hidden if you take a closer look", says the band, which will prompt you to watch it over and over. Babyteeth loved getting to “destroy a load of stuff”, despite it resulting in two of the members setting themselves on fire accidentally!  Never give a band a can of lighter fluid is the real lesson here.

The video also hints at just how explosive Babyteeth are live.  It's no wonder they were Live At Leeds 'Ones To Watch' and have supported the likes of The Naked and Famous and The Pearl Harts. The band is in demand and will finish the year as fast and furious as they started it when they support Adam Ant at a sold out Roundhouse in Camden on the 19th December.


'Cocoon' opens with a slacker rock feel before powering up into something far more potent as Babyteeth display some impressive rock and roll credentials. The video works as intended, certainly giving me some 70's London pubs and clubs flashbacks, those were the days eh?


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The Stone MG's - I Need You.

Rodney James and S.J. Warman would make great neighbors in the country, where the effort of respect is as easy as a passing nod on a dusty backroad. In a Hells Kitchen fifth-floor walk-up, they would eat each other alive.

Personalities clashing like two cars on a dim lit street make The Stone MG’s what they are. On one side of the fence is a fierce reverence for the story; The other prays to the piety of performance. But they come together in a room where Otis Redding and the MC5 find common ground. Regardless of where you find yourself, all they ask is that you listen close, and maybe, just maybe, if they’ve done their job, you’ll understand what they’re all about.

 ’I Need You” is about addiction. The song takes us on the journey of addiction as it takes over, corrupting and distorting reality for the user. When Rodney James sings “Shelter undercover,  desire never satisfied,” the background vocals personify the persuasiveness of the addiction: “If you scream you love me, I’ll be your whore and give you the only thing worth dying for.


I was fascinated by the "Otis Redding and MC5 finding common ground" expression mentioned in the promo for 'I Need You' and it actually makes sense. Soulful vocals and primal garage rock vibes collide and combine wonderfully, this almost pleads to be played over and over!


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Wes Hollywood - Dynamite.

Wes Hollywood has a new album out and it's Dynamite.

Imagine Ray Davies and Elvis Costello having a punch-up in the front row of a Cheap Trick concert... 


it's exactly what your thinking... 

explosive Midwestern Power Pop steeped in 60's British Invasion and 70's New Wave.

Additionally, the surplus of hits spilled over onto an equally Amazing four - song e.p. You might even hear traces of The Cars, Bram Tchaikovsky, The Plimsouls or John Lennon.


'Dynamite' comprises of twelve tracks that have everything Wes Hollywood suggests in his brief resume above. Gorgeous sixties vibes some notable seventies new wave influences are all present and it is fair to say given a refined twist where pop sensibilities cram in endless hooks.

The vocals lend themselves to the musical styles, this is good music that deserves a large audience and plenty of attention.

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Dance Lessons - Worn Through - MK Naomi

Dance Lessons - Hurricane. London’s jazz-pop futurists Dance Lessons have announced the release of their hotly anticipated debut album Begi...