2015 - Out Of Our Inbox - June - Four

Starting off this new music round up with The Phantom Sound. The background information goes as follows - Marisa is currently completing her first solo album. Her influences include artists from the late 70s and early 80s punk and new wave movements such as David Bowie, Roxy Music, Blondie, The Ramones, and Duran Duran. She is creating powerful, emotional, and honest songs inspired from that era, and combines it with rock in a new way.

She’s been fortunate to work with several excellent and accomplished artists on this album. Ken Stringfellow of the Posies, Big Star, and R.E.M. is producing the album as well as playing on it. Clem Burke, drummer of Blondie, plays on several of the tracks and Pierre DeReeder, bass player from Rilo Kiley, also contributes, among other talented musicians. Her single,"Get to Me", has already won the top voted song on Charlie Ashcroft's Audition Show, and has had various radio play around the U.S.. She wrote and recorded this album in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, and Paris. Marisa calls herself The Phantom Sound. Originally from Los Angeles, she now resides in London, England.

OK so the influences are there and Clem Burke's distinctive drumming style is unmissable. Whilst I would question the punk/new wave credentials of some of the cited influences, at the end of the day it's about the music. 'Get To Me' works, as it does not pretend to be anything other than a song with some retro styling. Marisa adds her own interpretation and a punchy song is the result. Website Here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Background on Crystal Cities - they was born from the ashes of, pop anthem rock band, Jefferson. After a non-prosperous label signing, Jefferson lost their momentum and briefly considered breaking up. Though these guys seem to have an unbreakable bond, tougher than an old leather jacket. Thank Goodness, their friendship and mutual, musical respect are a bond that prevailed. Crystal Cities was born on a balmy January night in the garage of Geoff Rana’s house, in Sydney’s Inner West. They were jamming an older original song, Cut Me Loose and by starting in a different key after a long session, it revealed a chilled, stripped back and eerily, ethereal version of the once energy driven track. This is the new sound that inspired Crystal Cities to become just that!

Crystal Cities is a fresh take on the melodic pop that Geoff writes. This is a less is more kind of sound, introducing a part of Geoff’s vocal register we haven't heard before. Lead singer, Geoff Rana, is a prolific songwriter and a respected part of the Nashville Songwriters association.

Oh this is such a fine song. Plenty of room on Beehive Candy for good melodic pop, the sort that leaves you wanting more and that's what we have with Crystal Cities.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What we are told about The Pinstripe Pigeon Band - They began as a modest, yet ambitious studio project, incorporating production values inspired by Jon Hopkins, Nile Rogers and Cut Chemist, but this quickly developed into a seven-strong pop force, releasing five well-received EPs throughout 2013/14.

The band's latest material showcases intelligent sophisti-pop, electronica, funkadelia and anthemic rock. The lyrics lovingly articulate personal experiences while finding humour in political and social despair. Kirsty's impassioned vocals hark back to Aretha at her most bombastic and Dusty at her most delicate.

The band has the benefit of two keyboardists, one melodically inventive Stevie Wonder/Oscar Peterson-esqe pianist and another more classical, akin to?Ludvico Einaudi, both complimenting each other perfectly. The energised live show is characterised by rousing intent, hitting a resonant chord with each new audience. The band grabbed the attention of local media with BBC Introducing Lancashire showcasing a live radio session and BBC Cumbria playing a live recording of the group at Carlisle Music City.

The featured song falls I guess somewhere between sophisticated pop and anthemic rock, something that doesn't always grab my attention, however this really is classy music. Well produced as would be expected after their introduction above, a good song well worth featuring.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next up we have Milo McMahon. Milo sent us a message recently and this is what he had to say.

Today, I'm announcing my new EP, "Who I Knew" that'll be supported by a tour across Canada and Europe. The EP is out July 14th. The songs blend aspects of alt folk, surf core, and what my treeplanting buddies call screef rock. My music is derived from my transatlantic upbringing - from my early years in Ireland to my summers plugging trees in northern Canada.

Nearly 5 years ago, I made the full-time commitment to my musical career by moving from Dublin to Toronto, eventually settling in Montreal. This record will be my third release following the critically accliamed 'Big City Hustle LP' and 'Gone Too Long', an EP featuring collaborations with members of Blood and Glass, Suuns and producer Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene) where I was able to compound my existing qualities with likeminded and talented artists.

Well am I pleased you contacted Beehive Candy Milo! This is one beautiful song and you have also opened up my world to 'screef rock'. Long may this genre continue and flourish, if the featured song 'Caveman' is anything to go by, it deserves to. Website Here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I might have done well to call this Australia week on Beehive Candy, with the amount of new music featured from that part of the world, however I have a feeling the good music may keep on coming so lets just enjoy it all.

Tin Can Radio return from a two year hiatus and do so in fine form with the release of their single Blind Paradise; a psych-pop gem, brightly coloured with the sweetness of airy vocal drones, punctuated with layers of heavy guitars and rolling psych-jams.

The single sees Tin Can Radio emerge from their song-drought, fresh faced and boasting a new sound, setting the tone and anticipation for their forthcoming Mosaic EP. Recorded with Konstantin Kersting at Airlock studios and then polished by Simon Irving of Double Eye studio, these recordings forge a new sonic grounding for the band.

A fantastic song to finish this round up, Tin Can Radio are definitely creative and capture that spark that just sets a song on fire. If this is the result of a song-drought then such droughts are to be welcomed.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quality Not Quantity - Four On Thursday

On An On - 'It's Not Over'. Sometimes videos really can add something to a song. The music stands on it's own, the video just takes you somewhere, a kind of journey, oh enough words, give it a viewing and brighten up your day!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Presenting Welsh folk-rock duo Zervas & Pepper. I am reliably informed that - They make the phenomenally chilled-out old Laurel Canyon sound along the lines of Mamas and the Papas, The Byrds, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The new album Abstract Heart is the perfect soundtrack to summer driving.

Actually some fair comparisons perhaps, I would add they make very good Welsh folk come country come rock music. Add to that that interest is picking up in the UK with mainstream radio airplay and Mojo magazine giving them the big thumbs up, the quality of their music is setting them apart. More Here.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Australia again! Lauren Valentine we are told - is a playful singer/songwriter, who entered the Melbourne music scene in 2011 and has been gigging around some prestigious local venues ever since. Her live show, which blends a quirky sense of fun with catchy and original indie-pop songs, has been featured in Stonnington’s ArtsBurst Festival 2012, Short + Sweet Festival 2011 and 2012, and Melbourne Fringe Festival 2013. Since then she has been hard at work in the studio recording her debut single ‘Limbs’.

Lauren's unique sound combines ethereal layered harmonies and quirky looped rhythms to create a catalogue of hooky tracks that can best be described as romantic, charming, and theatrical, with a pop edge.

Another song where the time and thought for the supporting video has in my opinion paid off. That said this song would have been featured on the strength of the song. Yes that word quirky again, but done well quirky works, well it does for me.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is Beehive Candy's fifth Australian artist featured in just two articles. I therefore claim my free all expenses paid month long holiday down under for services rendered to Australian culture. No? Oh well the artist - Lanks. - As Melbourne producer Lanks prepares for his EP tour, he's gifted another teaser, this time with reference to a small miracle of nature.

Will Cuming aka Lanks explains 'Aurelia' is an unrequited love story, inspired by Aurelia, the moon jellyfish, which is illuminated and animated each night by the moon. It lasts until daybreak, when it lays dormant, awaiting it's return.

'Aurelia' marks the third and final single from Lanks EP 'Banquet', out Friday July 3 when he also kicks off his seven date tour at Boardriders, Coolangatta.

I hear a hint of Thom Yorke in the vocals, not a copy or styling just a similarity and one that really adds to the featured song. Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An Australian Triple Play? - Why Not!

All about Edie Green - Straight off the back of a sold out launch and a hot 4 out of 5 review from The Music for their EP 'New Heavy', Perth's Edie Green are ready to spread their gooey brand of indie rock to ears across Australia.

Their sonic melting pot is a result of uninhibited jam sessions comprising of jazz trained drummer Tyler, glam-rock/funk guitarist Conor, metal-minded bassist Elliot and folk/neo-soul singer Sophie. Together they produce an eclectic and dynamic sound that flirts from blues-rock to funk-folk. 

The first single born from this collaboration, 'Southern Palms', featured on Triple J Unearthed and earned the number 1 position on Twin Cities' Live n ’Local top 50 songs of 2013, also resulting in TV ad syncs. In the same year, Edie Green won the WA leg of the National Campus Band Competition and took out second place at the National final held in Canberra. They were then also selected as an Australian finalist in the RAW Independent Artists Musicians Award for 2013.

What can we say? Gooey blues-rock and funky folk, how outrageous this shouldn't work, but it does. Bags of energy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow and powerful, an excellent selection of songs, if you like the featured track, go get the EP, simple as that!

Live Dates:
June 27 - RTRFM's Winter Music Festival, Swan Lounge, Fremantle.
July 11 - Axiom Festival, Rosemount Hotel, North Perth.
July 25 - Oddfellow, Fremantle.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And all about Tenderhooks - first came the songs, written across nine countries in hotels, on trains and buses, and in the bedrooms of their creator Dan Durack. After a few years there were enough songs to make an album – a sprawling but branded collection built on Durack’s depth of love and knowledge of music. At that point beyond the limitations of one man and one guitar, the songs that had become an album became a band. In 2012 Durack returned to his West Australian home of Perth from a decade-long European exile, and Tenderhooks were born.

Recorded in 2014 at SquareJaw Studios in Perth, Western Australia, I Weakened At The Weekend is the first single from Tenderhooks’ self-titled debut album, released in June 2015. A veteran from much-loved Perth rock ensemble Three Orange Whips, Durack brought Tenderhooks to life using personnel he grew up alongside in his local scene. In a city like Perth, that means some spectacular talent. Co-produced by Luke Steele (the genius and voice behind Empire Of The Sun and The Sleepy Jackson) the Tenderhooks album features some of Perth’s finest, most accredited musicians. Old mates, now at the top of their game.

Oh this is such an annoyingly catchy tune, you know the sort, play it loads because it's just right and then 'boom' it gets stuck in your head. Oh well the sacrifices we make, hitting repeat as I write. Seriously, they have that infectious thing going on.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And finally all about Wallflower - Following the critical acclaim of their breakthrough single, Canberra band Wallflower return to the public eye with the feel good indie banger of the year “Fabricated”. The first single off their debut EP and direct lyrical follow up to their breakthrough single Ambien, “Fabricated” is hand claps, oohs and ahhs, silky guitars, signature skeez and the realisation that life can be a bit shit sometimes, but that’s okay.

Formed late in 2013, Wallflower have gone on to become a marquee act of the Canberra music industry and a hidden secret of the capitals leafy streets. Falling somewhere between Kanye West, Jinja Safari and Coldplay, Wallflower are an eclectic band carving their own sound and have already built a dedicated and ever growing fan base. Named as one of Triple J Unearthed’s top 10 bands you missed in 2014, it’s time for Wallflower to leave the comfort of Canberra and become the band square in the middle of the nation’s consciousness for 2015.

Having spent months between the iconic Studios 301 in Sydney, Abbey Road in London and Studio Sixty- Eight; “Fabricated” is a patchwork creation from renowned producer Simon Todkill (Matt Corby, The Griswolds), Matt Barnes (Coda Conduct, PJ Michael) and front-man Henry Waldren.

This song gently develops, however from the opening chords you know you are in for style and quality. Great harmonies, superb musicianship, if your gonna do super cool you have to have that 'something' Wallflower 'have it' so we can enjoy it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alabama Shakes - Live at Ziggy's 2011 (Internet Archive)

Another gem from the Internet Archive. This is Alabama Shakes back on the 13th November 2011 live at Ziggy's, Winston Salem, NC. The band opened for Drive-By Truckers who declared themselves fans of the band and invited them on stage to perform 'Everybody Needs Love' that evening.

Alabama Shakes is an American roots rock band formed in Athens, Alabama, in 2009. The group consists of lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, keyboard player Ben Tanner, and drummer Steve Johnson. The group received three nominations for the 2013 Grammy Awards: Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance for "Hold On", and Best Recording Package for their debut album, Boys & Girls.

With Glastonbury Festival happening this week in Somerset, England, Alabama Shakes are due on The Pyramid Stage around 2.30pm on Friday afternoon so I will be checking out the BBC coverage and hopefully enjoying some of their set. The band are touring Europe and then North America this summer/autumn more details on their website Here.

Recording Details: Neumann ak40 > lc3 > km100 (din) > Lunatec V3 > Edirol R-44 @ 24/48, location: front right corner of sbd cage just roc transfer: SDHC card > PC > wavelab 6.1 > cd wave > traders little helper (flac level 8), all editing (fades, Crystal Resampler (high), dither w/ iZotope Ozone 4) done in wavelab 6.1, recorded and transferred by Gordon Wilson.

Sound Quality: Exceptional - like being there.

Set List:

01. Hold On

02. Hang Loose

03. Goin to The Party

04. I Found You

05. Worry'n Blues

06. Boys And Girls

07. Be Mine

08. Hurricane Strut

09. I Ain't The Same No More

10. Rise To The Sun

11. You Ain't Alone

12. The Shakes

Comments: This recording is from the Internet Archive (archive.org).

download link in comments.

Another Sunday - Another Alternative Take

Michael Plunkett has this to say about his music - I have created my own style of electronic music which mixes aggressive big hitter drops with the sing along parts influenced by Southern California punk rock.

Well with a mixture like that I was curious and needed to listen and mighty pleased am I that I did. Check out the track Nick Diaz, and his Facebook page is Here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quoting now - JayKode’s infectious productions combine elements of trap, hip hop, and future bass, differentiated by his classically trained background. His versatility is unmatched, exemplified by a medley of remixes and originals associated with vastly different genres. Each release has gradually developed an inimitable sound known as “classical bass”. “Beehive” is the sonic representation of JayKode’s entire body of work, as well as his dedication to creating something new.

Well if you are going to call a track 'Beehive' the least we can do is give it a listen. This is a maelstrom of a number, like a mini overture, you just have to listen all the way through, wonderful.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here we go a quoting again - Rodney Cromwell is releasing his debut LP 'Age of Anxiety' on Happy Robots Records, introducing the modern electronic lover to some epic retro future synth music.  Strongly influenced by artists such as OMD, New Order, and Kraftwerk, this music equally embraces synthpop and indiepop. It's no wonder he has gained solid support from the likes of Malcolm Holmes (OMD) and Rusty Egan (Visage, Rich Kids) on this release. Made almost entirely on vintage gear, ‘Age of Anxiety’ is an album that evokes the synthpop sound of the 70’s and 80’s while still being forward looking and sounding fresh. Krautrock rhythms combine with melodic bass lines, the chimes of toy instruments, the bleeps of antique moogs, ARPs and vintage synths, while the songs still maintain a classic pop format. 

This is a really fine album, yes there are a number of 'retro' references in the words above, however I would emphasise the 'forward looking and fresh' comments. Halfway through the year and this may well be one of my top favourites for 2015. Bandcamp HERE.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First the promo words - Los Angeles based duo, Magic Bronson, continues to make inspiring music with an almost indescribable sound. Between Matthew Lieberman’s impressive live bass and Michael Nicastro’s expressive, raspy voice, Magic Bronson has perfected something that notably stands out amongst today’s garden-variety dance and electronic tracks.

The duo is releasing a bundle of remixes, which includes satisfyingly different takes on “All Night Dog Fight (Selector Science Remix)”  “Fences (MyKill Remix)” and “Go Get It (Selector Science Remix).” In addition, the band is gearing up for the release of a brand new single - Levitate (ft. Collaj).

There is a lot of enthusiasm for this duo and no wonder, they craft high quality original material, along with their remixes. This is a stylish play again track. Website Here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------