Midweek Quality: Georgia Reed - RonjoV

Georgia Reed - Waiting For You To Run.

Background promo - Perth’s Georgia Reed gives us her debut single ‘Waiting For You To Run’.

Drawing influence from leading female vocalists in the industry, Georgia creates her fierce and brooding signature sound, a cross between the likes of The Jezabels, Florence & The Machine and Lana Del Rey. She is no stranger to her city, having an extensive live music apprenticeship of Perth’s bars and basements, and in 2015 adorning billboards around WA as a face of The Bigger Picture Campaign.

Produced by James Newhouse at Reel2Real Studios and Mastered by Grammy Award Winner William Bowden at King Willy Sound (Gotye, Little May, Empire Of The Sun, Children Collide), ‘Waiting For You To Run’ tells the story of a relationship’s looming demise, a story intensified by the emerging artists vocals.

Waiting For You To Run is about two people denying the inevitable end of a relationship. It’s like they say, when you say it out loud it becomes real. They are both waiting on each other to run.” Waiting For You To Run by Georgia Reed will be released 8th of April 2016.

Upcoming Shows:
22nd April 2016 - The Odd Fellow, Fremantle WA

Comparisons can be made, so it's refreshing when an artist cites a couple of influences and upon listening, they are both relevant and fair. Funnily enough I thought of a totally different artist when I first listened to 'Waiting For You To Run' who in my book, is even better than the ones mentioned in the promo (and yes it's all down to personal taste). Anyway, this is one very good song and Georgia Reed has really made it fly, a case of wanting to hear more, which is always positive.

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RonjoV - Ronjoism.

Background promo & bio - Ronjo V’s new album is a eclectic, haunting yet stoic examination of the world. The music is a down home flavor of classic alternative; mix in the production skills that would make even the most experienced producers listen over and over again to learn their secrets and you have Ronjo V.

So who is the mysterious Ronjo V? The artist is actually composed of two compassionate yet laid back men residing in notorious Austin, Texas. Ryan Joseph and Keith Morgan have been musical partners in crime since their college years in Arkansas. Driven by the shared dream of living their lives in the studio creating music, the two relocated to Austin and opened 5th Street Studios.

Now the two are focused on developing the sound of Ronjo V and we can definitely hear this in their latest releases! Greeting our ears is Ronjo V. A proportionate mix of the haunting sounds of the Arctic Monkeys and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ronjo V introduces us to an innovative sound. Ronjo V takes us on a chordal journey not only through their writing but also their engineer and mixing skills.

Through their music we can hear all of the musicianship that is Ronjo V. The control of the guitar, how the vocals sit so nostalgically in the mix, and the texture of the harmonic instruments touch even the most eclectic listeners. The sincerity of their drives us to seek more and the rawness pulls us back to the first track we listened to.

Ronjo V has released four titled tracks to introduce his sound to the alternative rock scene. Slow Motion, Bury the Fools, Dying Wish and Unfriend create an atmospheric environment for listeners.

The wavering effect of the instruments, the effect of the vocals, the bedding of bass and the dampened kit create a mellow, almost haunting atmosphere. Simple instrumentation but the mix, the subtle writing and the honesty of the music itself takes it to a whole new level!

This is a generous three song share from RonjoV, considering the quality of their music. So in the spirit of fairness, I can say we conviction that the remainder of the songs are equally as good and in one case outstanding. I don't think they are trying to copy anyone, however everyone from Radiohead through to those mentioned above and more, seem worthy benchmarks for the bands music. To say the least, I am really impressed.

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Tuesday Two: Terence Jack - Mira Aasma

Terence Jack - Eastern Rise.

Background words from Terence Jack - I've partnered with former band mate and fellow Vancouverite Daniel Klenner (We Are the City, Tourist Company, Hey Ocean) to co-produce my new EP. We have always had a dynamic synergy and chemistry which can be heard in the song’s triumphant verses and serene chorus.

We started messing around with piano sounds when we came up with the staccato piano line that helped carry the song. We both jumped out of our chairs and knew that it was perfect for the song.

After touring Canada by way of train and a South East Asia tour this previous winter, I'm looking at touring the new record “Never Get Back” coast-to-coast across Canada accompanied by a full band this Spring.

One of six quite individual and varied songs on 'Never Get Back' the featured single 'Eastern Rise' gives a really good feel for the music of Terence Jack. Musically the collection is hard to put in any one genre, sometimes it's a little folk orientated, then maybe alt rock, or even indie. Whatever, this is a really fine collection of songs. 'Eastern Rise' is but a flavour of what's in store, if you are in Canada, keep an eye out for tour dates.


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Mira Aasma - Whale Song.

Background promo words - It’s hard to believe that at the age of just nineteen, Gothenburg born vocalist Mira Aasma’s music is filled with such maturity and grace. The compelling sound of her voice has made her comparable to other celebrated artists including Florence and the Machine. Mira’s previous single Ghost started getting her music noticed in her home country, Sweden. Additionally, in the UK she began receiving more attention-with multiple plays on Amazing Radio. Mira continues to demonstrate her talent as she not only written but also arranged and produced all of the songs on her upcoming EP, Stereoscope.

During Whale Song, the electronic beats combined with the soothing vocals produce a unique track that can be compared to music by notable artists including Daughter and London Grammar. The pace quickens towards the end of the song whilst the drumbeat accelerates, very MS MR-esque, which leaves the listener captivated and engaged throughout.

Mira Aasma is an artist worth watching out for, as 2016 already looks promising for her. Whale Song will be released on the 8th April 2016 on Birds Records.

'Whale Song' has a moody deep vibe as it opens, allowing Mira Aasma to quickly stamp her vocal accreditation on the song. With powerful vocals and an ever developing soundtrack and electronic beats, the song makes for an excellent introduction to the music of Mira, to the point that the song ends quite triumphantly, almost as if to say "see? I told you this was good".

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Quality Not Quantity: Kwesi Foraes - Indus Rush - Gideon Blue

Kwesi Foraes - Pentacle 13.

Background promo - Twenty-three year old Kwesi Foraes, a folk-soul singer-songwriter, grew up in Long Beach California where he submersed himself early on into the music scene studying, folk, rock n roll, and blues.  Foraes spent years experimenting with different music styles and bands.  But after a surge of 3 family deaths all within a year, Foraes faced a hard internal battle while struggling to overcome his personal demons that almost took his own life.

Kwesi Foraes, at a point with few options of release, searched for an escape & sense of truth in his music and found it like never before in darkest and most raw pockets of folk, expressing himself at the most vulnerable and visceral levels, embracing all truth and confronting all ills head on.  Writing in trances of personal experiences and vivid encounters with spirits of his past, Foraes dedicated the last 4 years to bringing a perspective that is rooted far beyond just the music.

This is the second song to be shared from Kwesi Foraes eagerly awaited five track EP. 'Pentacle 13' is raw with emotion, and both vocally and musically delicious. Except from the words above I know nothing more about Kwesi, this wonderful song will ensure I try to learn more.

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Indus Rush - Romany Days.

Background promo - ‘Indus Rush’ is the brainchild of musician and producer, Stephen Whitby, recorded with session players from around the World, and mixed down and produced by Steve in his Dalbeattie Studio.

The single ‘Romany Days’ was written when Steve was 17 or 18, whilst at school in Dover, UK, after studying Thomas Hardy for his A levels, hence the reference to the Reddleman, reddle being the sticks and twigs collected in bundles and carried on the back of wandering collectors. The song started off as a folk song but gradually transformed into a Romantic rock song over the years. It exudes a dreamy romantic view of life and society in those heady days, also describing the pleasures of drinking, friendship, and the beauty of the surrounding natural views such a Traveler’s life would witness.

“Romany Days’ is the first single from the album “Tales & Anecdotes From the Waterfall”, which will be Indus Rush's second album of Rock songs, Orchestrations and Tunes, and features Swede Bjorn Dahlberg on Piano and Clarinet, and Max Saidi on Drums.

Stephen has spent the last 30 years travelling across the world and playing with a variety of famous musicians (including Adrian Fisher from Sparks, David Glasper and Ian “Spike” Spice from Breathe, Sparko from Doctor Feelgood and Mathew Kelly of Kingfish & The Grateful Dead) on a glorious beachfront setting called Secret Garden, on Koh Samui, in the Gulf of Thailand. He moved back to Scotland in 2008.

Indus Rush previous singles, ‘The Market Place / Mandingo’, and ‘Crackin’ Up’ have enjoyed a lot of airplay and interest, and have been particularly well received in the U.S., together with compilation tracks 'Waterfall Dance' and 'The Love Ambassedors'.

The well chosen inclusion of clarinet and piano gives the song 'Romany Days' that little something that makes a song stand out, in the ever crowded music world. With a pleasing melody and story telling style vocals, everything is refreshing and quite absorbing.

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Gideon Blue - Star.

Background promo - Scottish born but Winchester based UK Indie Artist Gideon Blue writes Indie Pop/Rock with an upbeat tempo.

2011 was the changing point in his musical career where he decided to go solo after years of playing in bands. He decided that he wanted the artistic freedom that goes hand in hand with being a solo artist. Inspired by this new found autonomy Gideon recorded a glut of new material and produced a video for fan favorite - Girl in the Cab.

His most recent project is the ‘STAR’ EP which includes the Songs ‘Move On’, “Summertime’ and ‘Girl in the Cab’; collating recent songs from the last two years in preparation of his new album where you can get a sneak preview of some of those tracks if you buy the EP.

His influences include Bauhaus for original Goth/Arthouse Rock, Doves, Radiohead - experimental Indie Pop, Bluetones - melodic, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, T-Rex and most recently Two Door Cinema Club, Bombay Bicycle Club and the Vaccines.

Collaboration with TeleFunken and Sonic Minds providing vocals and guitar have proved rewarding experiences – so much so that as well as writing and recording his own music he’s also heading in the direction of Indie songwriter and producer, currently working with other artists that need help in writing songs and building melodies/music to go with their ideas.

The recently released STAR EP with title track featured below, is often bright and upbeat, however it can and does mix differing styles and emotions. Musical influences cited above left me uncertain on quite what to expect, however it's fair to say Gideon Blue has plenty of uniqueness, and is not a clone of others ideas. Based on this the album should be a good one.

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Genre Mix Up: The Person & The People - Emily Rodgers - Grieving

The Person & The People - Hot Summer Nights.

Background bio - For nearly a decade The Person and The People have been a fixture in the Twin Cities’ “indie” scene and their experience is evident not only in their enchanting, nuanced live performances but also in their seemingly endless arsenal of catchy rock songs. Based on their past releases and their ability to navigate seamlessly from crunchy, beer-drinking guitar riffs to wistful ballads to angsty break-up songs, one can truly expect anything from their upcoming release Dark and Low.

The album promises to be collection of infectious melodies, dreamy hooks, punch-drunk guitar riffs, and sharp, relatable lyrics that poke fun at themes like society, love, and self-doubt. This creates delicate balance between everyday realism and confident farce. There are moments when we feel caught between the pull of the past and the promise of the future. Dark and Low stands on this precipice, draws a deep breath, and takes the next step. For The Person & The People, it’s fine. Album release date: Friday, April 22, 2016.

'Dark and Low' is a cracking album. 'Hot Summer Nights' the third of eleven tracks on the new release, is but a toe in the water of this fine collection of songs. The band crank things up on some songs, whilst on others there is a more leisurely and confident rock'n'roll swagger. But always there's the layered guitar riffs and melodies. If you like the featured track, I reckon you will be delighted with the album.

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Emily Rodgers - No Last Call.

Background promo - It’s clear from note one of Emily Rodgers’ new album, Two Years: she’s up to something a little different. Different from her past records, but different especially from so many of her contemporaries. In a world of indie-folk sameness, where epic and bombastic are the rule, Rodgers is deliberate and intense, quiet and bookish. And it's in its very quiet intensity that her music commands a listener’s full attention.

On paper, Rodgers’ music might seem like it would add up to folk or alt-country: A band with guitars, a pedal steel, some fiddles here and there. But on listening, you’re as likely to pick up on an undercurrent of shoegaze, chamber pop, even post-rock on Two Years. The violins oscillate under Rodgers’ melodies, more Dirty Three than country. The pedal steel soars. Rodgers’ voice, beautiful and world-weary, echoes.

On Two Years, her first album since 2009’s Bright Day, Rodgers worked with legendary producer Kramer, who was responsible for the sounds of first-generation shoegaze and slow-core innovators like Galaxie 500 and Low. (Kramer mixed and mastered Bright Day, and returned as producer this time around; he also produced two videos from the new album.) It’s fair to look at the album as a product of Rodgers’ unconventional writing -- she’s an English professor, and looks to literary sources for inspiration -- and Kramer’s sonic genius. Low comes to mind as a reference point; so does Tara Jane O’Neil.

That Two Years is her first recording in nearly seven betrays the fact that Rodgers isn’t rushing things. Song by song, she avoids the temptation to try to cram too many words into a phrase; there’s a deliberate confidence in her delivery. Rodgers takes her words seriously, and wants you to, too. (And not just her own words -- the album closes with a haunting, otherworldly cover of Neil Young’s “I Believe In You” that turns the original on its head.)

Make no mistake: Emily Rodgers’ songs generally aren’t happy. But in their contemplative melancholy, there’s a thread of fearlessness. Uplift and bombast may be the rage these days, but as Emily Rodgers makes clear, there’s something to be said for courage, contemplation and taking the time to let the words set in. Why create more of the same when something a little different can turn out this beautiful? Emily Rodgers "Two Years" (Misra Records) Release Date June 10th, 2016.

First of ten songs on the forthcoming album 'No Last Call' sets the standard on what is a treasure trove of beautiful songs. The songs don't so much switch across genres, but rather they melt them together. There is a feast of instruments, each one ideally suited for the melodies and the emotion of the songs. There may have been a lengthy gap since her last album, however if the material is going to be this good, then Emily Rodgers music is well worth the wait.

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Grieving - No Sleep.

Background promo - Grieving are a new band from Cambridge, playing direct, twisting indie-punk. The band played their first shows over the last couple of months, alongside the likes of Tellison and the much buzzed about Muncie Girls and have recorded six songs with Matty Moon (Bloody Knees, Lonely The Brave) set for release as a series of singles over the coming year.

In debt to the likes of Dismemberment Plan, Jets To Brazil, Drive Like Jehu and elsewhere the lo-fi pop of Guided By Voices, Bob Mould etc. you can hear the anxious, anthemic indie-punk of “No Sleep”.

Bassist Jack Hurst told The Fader: “No Sleep is one of the first songs we wrote as a band. It came together real naturally and I think we all knew when we left the rehearsal room with it finished that we had something there. Lyrically it’s about a previous bout of insomnia, how it can burden and disorientate you, especially as you get that little bit older and responsibilities weigh down on you further. There’s no time for a muddled head anymore. Zopiclone, referenced in the second verse, is a “nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic agent” according to Wikipedia. It works. Do not operate heavy machinery the next day.”

Straight down the line indie punk - no flowers in vases here, just good old honest bad attitude guitar riffs. Vocals give the song it's individual identity. A refreshing reminder that a few chords and plenty of energy can do wonders.

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Weekend Wonders: Hege Nesset - Sykoya

Hege Nesset - Faces.

Background - Hege Nesset is a Norwegian vocalist based in Liverpool, UK. Strongly influenced by blues and jazz as well as pop and electronica, she cites musical theatre and gospel music as shaping her voice.

Hege has already earned attention on national TV in Norway, performing with Venke Knutson, a Norwegian pop artist. She's a versatile backing singer performing with two Liverpool based bands, as well as doing session work and top lining.

'We Are' (Haig Records 29 April 2016) marks Hege's debut as a solo artist. The record showcases her distinctive vocals, carried by a delicate melody and brought to life with soaring harmonies.

The featured track 'Faces' gives a flavour of what to expect from the forthcoming single 'We Are'. Hege has already gained considerable experience in singing and has a charming versatile voice that deserves to be heard in it's own right, hopefully that's all about to happen.

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Sykoya - Closer.

Background words - Sykoya may be new to the scene, but are already receiving high praise for their distinctive sound and timeless mixture of indie electronic and dream pop tracks. Drawing comparisons to the likes of London Grammar, The XX and Massive Attack, the London based trio have made a lasting impression with their rhythmic electronics, melodic synths and the ever haunting vocals of front woman, Anna Marcella. Her voice will cast you under a spell as the music ebbs and flows seamlessly from light to dark, catching the listener between wanting to dance and sit in soft reflection.

Whilst excitement builds for their upcoming EP release on 21st May, the band have earned a featured spot on Tom Robinson's 'Fresh on the Net' and radio rotation around the UK and US.

Live Dates:
12th April - The Boiler Room- Guilford
13th April - The Underbelly - London
23rd April - The Deaf Institute - Manchester
21st May - EP release show - The Finsbury - London

The five track EP due in May really does showcase Sykoya as ones to watch out for, in 2016. Their atmospheric brand of electronic music, along with the impressive and mood matching vocals of Anna Marcella are a powerful combination. Comparisons there may be, however there is also a lot of creativity and commitment, giving the band a compelling and very attractive sound.

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