Blonde Redhead - This Is The Number Of Times I Said I Will But Didn't (4 Track Demo).
Background - Blonde Redhead has always produced at a furious rate, and the early years of the band were some of their most fruitful, with two excellent albums on Steve Shelley's wonderful but short-lived label imprint Smells Like Records, as well as a handful of stand-alone singles which all contained album-worthy tracks. Numero Group has lovingly compiled this release to document this period in the band's history - these singles are all long out of print and the albums are being made available on vinyl for the first time ever (having originally been issued in that weird period around 1995 where some labels were CD-only).
Weighing in at 37 tracks, Masculin Féminin compiles the band’s first two albums for Steve Shelley’s Smells Like Records (self-titled and La Mia Via Violenta), their period singles, extant demos, and radio performances across four LPs or two CDs. Dozens of previously unpublished photographs illustrate two lengthy essays on this essential New York band’s formative years.
Tour Dates: 10/11 – New York, NY – The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph 10/13 – Washington DC – The Howard TheatrE 10/14 – Durham, NC – RJ Reynolds Industries Theater
Featured song 'This Is The Number Of Times I Said I Will But Didn't' is the second track from the forthcoming release we have featured you can find our June feature (here). Having had a chance to listen to the whole collection now, I am reminded just how good the band were at that time. Beyond the original album re-issues we have something of an eclectic assortment of songs. There are a couple of 4 track demos plus the featured song, KCRW session material, 7 inch single releases, an outtake and other rarities. This is all fascinating and makes an excellent account of the period, alongside the two original album releases. Genre wise, its a mixture of indie rock, post punk, and just plain out there alternative rock songs. This was for many of us, our introduction to the band some twenty years ago, somehow I envy those who may hear their material for the first time through this release. It's still as vibrant, passionate and natural, enjoy!
Background promo - LA powerpop songwriter Fatal Jamz will release his sophomore album 'Coverboy' on September 30 via Lolipop Records. Fatal Jamz' Marion Belle has long been one of LA’s most whispered about cult stars. Lauded by punk legends Steve Jones, Kim Fowley, Don Bolles and more, he has helped keep the frontman alive with a voice linked to the feral and lush past of rocknroll. His early aughties groups The Drugs, and later Bowery Beasts put him on the map as a flamboyant torch singer, but it was 2013’s underground anthems Rookie and One of the Girls that established him as a seminal pop auteur. Without a doubt the music behind his Johnny Thunders-esque image has cast a shadow on his generation, while he has fallen, uncategorizable, through the industry cracks for almost a decade. Until now.
"Fatal Jamz was born out of a desperation to keep pursuing music at a time when almost all seemed lost for me," Belle says. “I was working with Autistic kids and had given up my day job. I was eventually living off of everyone around me, and felt pretty much rejected by the path I had chosen.” With a small budget he hooked up with bass savant Dan Horne (Beachwood Sparks, The Lily's) and recorded Fatal Jamz’ debut ‘Vol.1’ at Horne's Lone Palm studio in Echo Park. The album was later released on Portland's infamous Gnar label, as well as Burger Records, but despite critical acclaim the group was unable to tour. In 2014 the music found it's way to Cullen Omori of Smith Westerns who became an overnight devotee and asked the band to support their Western Sky Tour with Sky Ferreira. My girlfriend and I had a trip to Europe planned and that turned out to be a turning point for me. She found this book in the Roughtrade shop in London called Bowie in Berlin that I read on trains while we were traveling, all about the albums he made with Iggy and Eno, that fertile time, and I had the idea to make my own trilogy, but about L.A. and my journey there as a lead singer.”
On February 8th 2016, Lolipop Records released Obsession, a limited edition EP, mixed by New Wave legend Gavin McKillop (Echo & the Bunnymen, Adam Ant, Heaven 17) which sold out overnight. In June, 17 & Hung, an EP produced with reclusive ingenue Evan Collins Conway (Holy Shit) was released on San Francisco weirdo label Death Records. With the upcoming release of 'Coverboy', a manifesto recorded over 3 years in a skid row penthouse, and the first taste of his Lead Singer Trilogy, Belle and cohorts open up the gates on a sunlit inferno where today’s starlets and ravishing poor boys play for glory.
'Jean Paul Gaultier' has all the vital power pop ingredients. Upbeat, melodic and distinct in sound, it also has that "little something" that L.A. seems to add to this type of song. With an album due late September, this track sets things up nicely.
Background in brief - Nashville-based indie rock favourites have just released “Catherine in Moonlight,” a sparkling anthem that’s the first single off their newest project, a forthcoming collection of songs that will have staggered release dates throughout the band members’ upcoming senior year of college. The band met as college students after moving to Nashville, Tennessee, having arrived there from different parts of the USA. Live Dates: Aug 27 2016 - Exit/In Nashville, TN Sep 16 2016 - Concerts on the Dock Huntsville, AL.
Bright sounding guitars launch 'Catherine in Moonlight' and as the vocals and band fully kick in, the whole thing just shines. Melodic indie rock, with really pleasing vocals and harmonies, this is one very good song.
Background - Solid Effort are five young men (Amaan, Harry, Nick, Patrick and Phanos) from Australia creating scrappy, high energy tunes that come with a laid back coastal sensibility. Taking time between Sydney and Wollongong (south coast New South Wales), Solid Effort have been working on their self-characterised genre of "leisure punk" since forming last year. "Too Far Gone" is their new single and first on Popfrenzy Records.
Solid Effort's 2015 debut EP, "Ballad of Bulli" was created, recorded and dedicated to guitarist, Patrick's garage secured them praise in press, radio play and a three show EP launch.
Fitting between the frantic pace of Minuteman and the soft, woozy synth of kraut hero's, Solid Effort's live performance makes for exciting viewing - with the band often going off script, repeating a well liked melody, or extending the never-ending finale of their barraging anthem "Automatic Wives". Over the last eighteen months, they've supported home-grown heroes, Hockey Dad, The Pinheads, Palms, Gooch Palms and The Goon Sax as well as international indie familiars, Fat White Family, Alvvays and The Courtneys. More recently, Solid Effort have once again taken to Patrick's garage and are working on their debut LP to be released in 2017.
There is something of a classic indie rock feel to 'Too Far Gone'. The vocals swagger with rock attitude over the rich guitar fronted soundtrack, that in itself swirls around, and before you know it, the songs over! Oh well play it again (and again)...
Background promo - Cardiff-based DIY pop imprint Odd Box Records are releasing the brilliant new 7" - Coco Sleeps Around - from Oxford's insatiable Rainbow Reservoir. With the full EP to be released September 10th the band are now sharing the title-track from the new record.
Despite being a relatively new band this is melodic power-pop at it's absolute best and is sure to thrust the band into popular acclaim. On one side the track is sublime, quirky pop but there's a feisty, angst-ridden undercurrent beneath the track. If you're a fan of Tullycraft, Cars Can Be Flue, Waxahatchee and Horowitz then this will definitely be your bag. Vocalist Angela was asked to describe their wistful pop, explaining that "it's punk in spirit and upbeat, has lots of rhythm, and can be romantic but with a dark side".
From the first note 'Coco Sleeps Around' demands attention. Rainbow Reservoir create a measure of punk angst surrounded by melodic hooks, feisty vocals and good old no nonsense rock. The four song EP is more of the bands most welcome and addictive music.
Background - Latvian synth-pop trio, Audience Killers, release the music video for their next single, "Patterns". The track is from the group's debut album, Floating Islands, which was released in May 2016.
Audience Killers create a fluid blend of synth-pop and electro-pop that often draws comparisons to Mew and Passion Pit. Their debut album Floating Islands delivers this and more with warm, inviting synths, dreamy guitar lines, and ethereal vocals. Petrovs's striking falsetto is sure to bring to mind flashes of M83's Anthony Gonzalez. Lyrically, Floating Islands acknowledges the idea that one person has the ability to affect the lives of many with positivity and inclination.
Childhood friends Normunds Petrovs (vocals/guitar) and Arletta Supe (keyboards/backing vocals) only began writing and making music in 2009. Rounding out the trio, Petrovs and Supe met Edgars Oplucans (drums) during a live studio session in early 2010 and swiftly released their first two singles.
Audience Killers then released their debut EP Footprints And Heart in July 2012 and have since performed across much of Europe at The Great Escape, Reeperbahn Music Festival, and Tallinn Music Week, and released a standalone single, "Two Bare Feet," to much acclaim. This year's debut album release marks a major step for the promising Latvian band.
'Patterns' is a dreamy, atmospheric song that gently glides along, slowly building momentum until it becomes a melodic and vibrant piece (almost a case of three songs in one). The music video really is an ideal match.
Background from the band - I'm a bit of a sap, I love the idea of Love. Is there true love? Do we create this love based on instincts or fantasies, or is love itself an instinct? When it comes to how love is created, I don't mind any which way, I'm just happy to have experienced, or at least to have witnessed it. I wanted to try to capture that with a warm music video shot on film, giving the impression of a long lost burgeoning romance captured on warm film, maybe found in a dusty box, on a dusty shelf somewhere, to be viewed with a smile, as a reminder, a vignette of the very thing that drives us. Our debut album comes out on September 16th via The Hand, we're calling it 'Welcome To The Future'.
Sunshine & the Blue Moon choose to experiment not only with sound, but mood as well, expanding their aural landscape beyond common signifiers. Blending influences and ideas from across genres and eras spanning from early blues, folk and country, to 60's rock and soul, through eclectic 90's grooves. One listen may place you on a rural road with your sweetheart, feeling the summer breeze as it rolls through the trembling leaves. While another might place you in a pulsing dream wanting nothing more than to escape the hot city streets, to shake and dance the through the night.
One of nine songs on the debut album, 'Sunshine & Lucy' gives a flavour of where the band go with their music, it's certainly not the only style you will hear though. For example the following song (Depression) is a mixture of funk, blues and energy. What's consistent is the really tight musicianship and some exceptional vocal styles. As debut albums go, this is of a very high standard, the band have set expectations high, and I reckon they will deliver on that.
Background - Anna of the North is the music project of Norwegian singer Anna Lotterud and her producer Brady. She has just got off tour with Kygo and is a staple on Spotify playlists. Originally from a small town north of Oslo, it was in Melbourne that she met Brady, and gained the Anna of the North moniker. Two songs The Dreamer and Baby, have gained the top spot on Hype Machine, establishing a sizable listenership and following. The new song 'Us' confirms that Anna of the North are far more than a one two hit wonder! Live Date: Sep 20th 2016 - The Lexington, London, United Kingdom.
'Us' is a smooth electro song with a hypnotic groove and Anna Lotterud wonderful vocals. In what is a crowded part of the music world, Anna Of The North stand out, in part because they focus on the key ingredients of the song and deliver an uncluttered and yet expansive pop sound.
Background bio - The Furious Seasons "look west" biography "David Steinhart's been a perennial cottage industry goldmine for those who carry torches for soft, finely crafted, windswept pop. David writes and sings warm, literate, sober, preoccupied folk pop, always well-crafted..." Jack Rabid/The Big Takeover "David is still one of my nominations for best relationship lyricist, but he's become one of the rare ones to let adulthood and marriage inform songs that would previously have capitalised on failure and youth." The War Against Silence
The Furious Seasons' 5th release, "look west" is a perfect departure from last years lush and orchestrated "My Love is Strong". With "look west" David Steinhart's penchant for catchy melodies and story line lyrics are still firmly intact but this time they are tackled by an acoustic trio that highlights the stories and creates a warmth that David and his brother Jeff haven't achieved since the early days of their mid 80's band Pop Art. Jeff Steinhart plays a stand up bass for the first time in his career and guitarist Paul Nelson's agile solo's and harmonies helps "look west" create a sound all it's own. Not folk in the traditional sense, the folk/pop album soars with deep personal stories and melodies that will stay with you for long stretches.
This is Steinhart's 21st album in total and although his previous bands Pop Art and Smart Brown Handbag often dabbled in acoustic presentations, this is the first album to go all in on the concept. The album concept was born out of months of 3 piece shows played in Southern California, including shows in support of John Hiatt, David Lindley and A.J. Croce. Scott Campbell recorded a few of the tracks live in a home studio in Hollywood set up for Shelby Lynne. Tim Boland at White Light Studios in North Hollywood recorded the lion share of the album.
On "My Terrible Song" Steinhart sings about wanting something so badly that you lose track of what's important in the process. On Summer Flame Steinhart writes about the passage of time while looking back on opportunities missed. "You were a summer flame/ so blue and warm and deep/ wishes and whims I had that have drifted off to sleep/ were light and alive while you were mine to keep/ when the sun was still on my face." The mood lightens on "Sadly Matched" a song about a man who loves Los Angeles so much that he's willing to let his dream girl move away without him. "Now your memory plays like a movie with a melancholy end/ and I play the part of the villain with a stance I can't defend/ but as I look to the future on this Christmas day/ it's 80 degrees here on the beach and I think I'll be ok. "look west" is like those beautiful Los Angeles days, warm, breezy and imbued with California feeling.
'Longshot' encapsulates the overall craftsmanship and creativity that has gone into the bands fifth release (and David Steinhart's twenty first album) 'Look West'. The album was released last month, so apologies for the delay, this work is however, way to good to overlook. Iv'e included the full promo piece above for two reasons. First of all it's a very honest representation of the album, and secondly, it's written considerably better than I could put it. For those unfamiliar with The Furious Seasons and to help position them it's worth mentioning, that they are playing with Donovan for his Sunshine Superman Tour at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills on October 8, 2016. They've also recently opened for John Hiatt, David Lindley and A.J. Croce. For me this a collection of adorable songs, delivered with sensitivity, the music is first class as are the wonderful lyrics and their superbly matched delivery.
Background promo - Hailing from Sydney but now residing in London, producer/songwriter Craig Beck, aka Skybaby Siren, has been an established artist and writer for years. After finally deciding to start investing in his own music, he began releasing tracks periodically as an outlet from his usual work producing music for others. A multi-instrumentalist he see's the value in collaborating with singer-songwriters to enhance the music he composes and hopes that this somehow strikes a chord with music lovers.
Skybaby Siren’s latest release is ‘Day by Day’, featuring the vocal stylings of Elia and showcasing what the band self-describes as their brand of Sonic Psychedelic Rock Pop. It’s a sleekly produced track, that shows off the act’s typically 80’s influenced style, with hints of the serene pop of modern dream rockers DIIV. Elia’s cool vocals float through the song, ushering in the infectious harmonies of the track’s smooth chorus.
‘Day By Day’ is about being in a relationship where one person is more ahead with feelings than the other. It's about wanting to stay in the relationship but getting scared and wanting to control the pace.
The previous release, ‘I Love Everything About You’ - was cowritten and was the first Skybaby Siren track to feature Elia. Elia is a singer/songwriter from Melbourne. A graduate of the Australian Institute of Music, Elia's music style is mellow electro containing influences of Contemporary Jazz and Popular music. Since her first release in 2013, Elia has been composing all genres focusing mainly on top line work. It was through this work she began collaborating with Skybaby Siren.
The band not only are releasing this brand new single, but an accompanying music video. The promo video explores the life of Neon, a young agoraphobic girl who lives "day by day" in a wardrobe taken care of by her very loving and understanding boyfriend Sam. Frustrated by the lack of human touch and the need to want to help Neon find her happy place Sam devises a very clever and cute solution to encourage Neon out of her little tiny house. (View here).
'Day By Day' definitely benefits from the inclusion of Elia on vocals, on what is a smooth, catchy pop/rock song. It's a collaboration that works, leaving us with a polished melodic piece.
Background - 'Whirlwind' is the third single from the ever-evolving new record by A Shoreline Dream, which is being released song by song before its completion. This new track dives into the harsh reality of the constant changes occurring around us and the fact that everything continues to speed forward throughout our short lives. Originating in Barnum, Colorado, A Shoreline Dream is Ryan Policky (vocalist/guitarist/producer) and Erik Jeffries (guitar). Together, the two crafted this latest 'Whirlwind'.
With the recent death of singer Ryan Policky's father, and a murder occuring right next door to where A Shoreline Dream writes, practices and records, the motivation to finish and release this track was high on the band's to-do list for the summer. Riding a fine line between alternative rock, goth and post-punk and with a bass heavy overtone, the song dips and dives into layers of guitars and vocal chants, heavily influenced by the changing of seasons, and the speed of life for this band now celebrating its 10th year of music experimentation.
As autumn comes and the release of 'Whirlwind' hits, new music will be developed that brings in the next wave of what’s to soon become A Shoreline Dream’s first vinyl album. A Shoreline Dream makes what is best described as “progressive shoegaze”, combining lush sampled textures, organic instrumentation and vocals layered like a synth. Their sound is an invigorating mixture of sounds from the likes of Bauhaus, Ride and Sigur Rós mixed with early Dead Can Dance.
Over the past decade, the band has produced numerous acclaimed releases under their own label (Latenight Weeknight Records) and has intensively collaborating with legends such as Ulrich Schnauss and Mark Kramer. Recently they landed distribution by cult UK indie label Rocket Girl Records while recording with Ulrich in Leytonstone, and have also remixed an Engineers' song for progressive label gods K-Scope.
It's been a few years since we featured A Shoreline Dream, the song 'Whirlwind' confirms their consistent status of creating sonic delights. They can develop something nearing a wall of sound, and yet leave enough room for melodic hooks, that for me ensures a compulsive second listen.
Background - 'Skyscraper' is the closing track off the band’s new album Stage Four, out September 16. In addition to front man Jeremy Bolm singing melody, the song also features guest vocals by acclaimed singer-songwriter Julien Baker.
As Jeremy Bolm explains “I'm a Leonard Cohen fanatic, and I feel he figured out early that his range can be brought to life with the accompaniment of a beautiful female voice over his. So taking a page from his book I asked Julien to join me on the track. I adore Julien and her talent. I couldn't have been more excited when she was down to do it.”
'Stage Four' is the band’s follow-up to their 2013 critically-admired album 'Is Survived By…' . It was recorded in Studio City, California with producer Brad Wood. Fans can pre-order 'Stage Four' at toucheamore.com and receive previously released tracks 'Palm Dreams' and 'Displacement' as instant downloads. Pre-order bundles are also available at toucheamore.com.
Since forming across 2007 and 2008, the Burbank, California band’s sound, with its melodic sonic assault and impassioned vocals, has grown tighter and more refined throughout their upward-moving career. Lead singer Jeremy Bolm, guitarists Nick Steinhardt and Clayton Stevens, bassist Tyler Kirby, and drummer Elliot Babin have created a trajectory for themselves through hard work and dedication. And now with Stage Four, their fourth and biggest album to date, they are cementing their status as one of rock music’s most talented, relatable, and visceral acts.
'Skyscraper' may have a hint of Leonard Cohen about it vocally and the inclusion of Julien Baker is a master-stroke, however this is an original song in it's own right. It is also a massive tease as we have to wait another four weeks for the album.
Background - Singer/Songwriter John K. Samson Enlists The Rhythm Section From His Renowned Band The Weakerthans For Much of His Second Solo Album, Winter Wheat, Available From Epitaph/ANTI, October 21st, 2016.
Inspired by the search for connection and community, his hometown of Winnipeg, and our individual and collective struggles with addictions to drugs, screens, and fossil fuels, John K. Samson’s new full-length album, Winter Wheat, is a sprawling, masterful and timely work by a writer at the peak of his powers.
Winter Wheat was produced in garages and homes through a Winnipeg winter by Samson’s partner and collaborator, Christine Fellows, and his Weakerthans co-founder and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Jason Tait, and mixed in the spring in Toronto by Robbie Lackritz (Bahamas, Feist). The spare and thoughtful arrangements also feature Greg Smith of The Weakerthans on electric bass, Ashley Au on double and electric bass, Leanne Zacharias on cello, and Shotgun Jimmie on electric guitar.
Several of the 15 songs, most directly Select All Delete, Vampire Alberta Blues, and VPW 13 Blues, are inspired by Neil Young’s enduring 1974 album On the Beach, and that record’s honest and unvarnished spirit is evident throughout Winter Wheat. Postdoc Blues follows an aging student struggling to maintain faith in the possibility of a better world, while Fellow Traveller is loosely based on the life of the British art critic and Soviet spy Anthony Blunt. 150 years of Winnipeg’s history is revealed in the two and a half minutes of Oldest Oak at Brookside, and Samson’s recurring characters Virtute the cat and her troubled human companion (from The Weakerthans songs Plea from a Cat Named Virtute and Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure) make their final appearances in 17th Street Treatment Centre and Virtute at Rest.
Like the crop itself, which is planted in the fall, sprouts, goes dormant through months of snow and rises in the spring, Winter Wheat is a determined, beautiful, resilient response to difficult and extraordinary times.
'Postdoc Blues' certainly suggests that we are in for something a little special with the October album release 'Winter Wheat'. The song is gently melodic, and has a crisp, defined sound allowing all elements to shine.
Background from the band - 'O Zephyr' is about the best example of what Ptarmigan is as a band. In the track, acoustic instruments like banjo and mandolin are layered and blended with synthesized and electronic textures. This rich layering is what we are constantly trying to achieve as a band. Lyrically, the song is my attempt to come to terms with the source of my musical creations and inspiration. I think of art as a sort of palimpsest, that is, a manuscript that is constantly written, wiped of its contents, re-written, but on which the traces of previous creations remain. I don't think of any music as purely original, but interesting re-imaginations or tapestries of previous cultural creations. I think we've sort of learned to embrace our nerdiness as a band, which is pretty critical to understanding our music. We are all really inspired by fantasy and mythology and this definitely comes out in our music. There is a certain epicness to it, though we really try to maintain a level of good aesthetic taste. (August 26th release date, Eastern Canada tour planned for October). Release shows: Aug 26, 2016 - The Spill - Peterborough, ON w/ Nick Procyshyn Aug 27, 2016 - Burdock Music Hall - Toronto, ON w/ Isla Craig Sept 1, 2016 - Baltimore House - Hamilton, ON w/ Grey \ Water and Dizzy
I have to say I can't help but agree with the sentiments in the second paragraph above regarding the originality of music in general. 'O Zephyr' therefore does pretty well in that it does have some unique attributes, and more importantly is one fine song. Maybe it's time for us all to embrace our nerdiness, if it leads to high quality music....
Blonde Redhead - This Is The Number Of Times I Said I Will But Didn't (4 Track Demo).
