Background promo - Having recorded a cracking new album, Papillon, which won him 3 South Australian songwriting awards, and previously opened for nationally celebrated artists (including Diesel and Jeff Lang), Ben Ford-Davies releases his latest single ‘Vitruvian Man’.
Recorded and produced by Nigel Grummet, Ronnie Taheny, and Ben Ford-Davies at Hiball Studios. ‘Vitruvian Man’ is based on the concept of Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing of a perfectly uniform man and the idea that all his perfection is based largely on his connection with a universal formula.
Having made three different starts in three different states over the last decade, Ben has just returned from a successful debut 28-date tour of Europe. Teaming up with the Europe-based dynamo, singer songwriter Ronnie Taheny, his life has turned around and his career has been revitalised.
“Vitruvian Man is a great achievement for me as far as writing goes. I’m moving forward into a more contemporary realm and I am really loving the process and the journey.” - Ben-Ford Davies
It was in 1999 that Ford-Davies first left Adelaide to spend 2 years busking around Australia before settling in the idyllic tropical town of Port Douglas for the next seven. In 2009, Melbourne’s promising original scene beckoned and Ford-Davies followed. Those years gave us the In The City EP - 5 well honed and diverse tracks as well as his carefully accrued local audiences, his honed stagecraft and his songwriting skills; skills that can be observed on his aforementioned first full-length, semi-acoustic release; Papillon (2015).
Ben Ford-Davies will be touring Melbourne later in the year and then Europe early next year. “Vitruvian Man” by Ben Ford-Davies will be released 23rd of September 2016.
'Vitruvian Man' is a fine song and something of a modern folk ballad. Beyond Ben Ford-Davies gutsy vocals, the musical arrangement adds further layers and creates a melodic atmosphere. Totally play me again material.
Background - Australian artist/producer Woodes has released the striking new video to her acclaimed hit single "The Thaw." Shot on location in Lake Mountain in collaboration with Josh Harris (Welcome The Machines), the clip showcases the unique wintery Australian mountains juxtaposing the trees with ice and snow.
Woodes explains her inspiration, "I wanted to shoot on location where it was possible. Shooting on location provides an array of new variables to work with, the main one being the weather, which we had to closely monitor in order to shoot up so high with drones. My favourite part is the final shot. It looks like a movie, a game or a painting but it is entirely natural and unedited. It gives a full scope of the beauty of those mountains, all built in layers on the horizon, covered in mist."
Woodes also worked with choreographer Courtney Hale to create flowing movement, which complimented her vision for the track. "For me personally I got to dance and incorporate movement to compliment my song. This was a great learning process, I found muscles I didn't quite know existed till after the shoot."
The music video for 'The Thaw' follows Beehive Candy featuring the song back in July. Woodes really does have a creative streak and releasing a video interpretation seems a good enough excuse to feature the song again.
Background promo - Shane Scheib is an indie artist based in Nashville, Tennessee. His music expertly blurs the lines between the energy of alternative rock and the verve of indie-pop.
A creative and forward-thinking performer, Shane is known to produce music with an open heart and an open mind, bridging the gaps between clever arrangements and emotional lyrical wit. His distinctive guitar playing is also the result of lots of labour and dedication: when he was 13, Shane fell in love with the mastery and incredible ability of Stevie Ray Vaughn. He watched the bluesman's legendary live performances on video repeatedly, eventually mastering the blues and rock formula. Later, he took it to the next level as a trained jazz guitarist with a versatile mindset, incorporating influences as diverse as folk, pop and rock into his music.
Shane Scheib’s music is a lot like his humor: it’s witty, playful, and a little introspective at the same time. In his own words, “Fast Friends sounds like Bono Imagined Dragons while playing guitars that had White Stripes and Silversun Pickups; it was Fun.”
One of the most striking and endearing features of Shane's sound is definitely his ability to create songs that are challenging and diverse, yet extremely catchy and easy to relate to for a broad palette of listeners.
Shane's upcoming EP, "Fast Friends", will be released on September 13th, and it will be available through iTunes and Spotify.
First track on the new EP 'Fast Friends' the song 'Run' gives you a good idea of what's in store. Musically it leans more towards, energetic indie rock, with one or two more pop influenced moments. There are plenty of hooks and Shane has an ear for melody, that keeps everything quite accessible, without being to format driven. Overall it's a pleasing EP.
Background - Fresh Snow, an acclaimed instrumental kraut-noise-psych rock quartet, are back with their second full-length album, ‘ONE’. Recorded with Graham Walsh, in a rural Ontario barn, ‘ONE‘ arrives less than a year after their 2015 EP ‘WON’, via Hand Drawn Dracula (Beliefs, Doomsquad, Etiquette) on September 9th, 2016.
With ‘ONE’, Fresh Snow pushes their own boundaries further than ever, creating something more confrontational, yet more accessible, than anything they’ve done before. The band describes ‘ONE’ as an album that is both structured and instinctual, made without ego or fear of alienating its listeners. Noise and texture is always prevalent, however minimalism is newly explored in places throughout the album, alongside electronic treatments, and English / French vocals.
After a split 7″ with SubPop artists Metz (2012), Fresh Snow earned critical acclaim with their 2013 debut album, ‘I’, and landed on the cover of Now Magazine, as well as being listed for the esteemed Polaris Music Prize, and making numerous year end best of lists. Brooklyn Vegan described Fresh Snow’s music as “mutant, motorik psych,” which the Toronto Star’s Ben Rayner also called “transcendental” and “overwhelming in the best sense possible.”
Fresh Snow’s inventive live shows – performances within pods or around projection screens, leading audiences from one room to another mid-show – are legend to those already in-the-know. They’ve performed alongside groups as diverse as Atlas Sound, Tim Hecker, The Pop Group and Ratking, as well as forming a one-off blisteringly loud band with Metz (FrETZ).
As Fresh Snow continue their journey through the ROYGBIV colour wheel – ‘I’ is red; ‘WON’ is orange; and ‘ONE’ is a yellow cover, the distinctive sonic elements that are the band’s trademarks continue to evolve, strengthen and feedback. ONE is filled with dissonance, stillness, intrigue and molten noise, as Fresh Snow continue to look for the beauty that is found in extremes.
Tour Dates: Sept 10 Hamilton, ON - Supercrawl Festival Sept 22 Toronto, ON - Ontario Place - Small World Fest
'I Can't Die' is one of nine tracks from the 'ONE' album, and is something of a mini epic in it's own right. The album is a fascinating collection of instrumental pieces, with an almost constant theme, in that you just do not know what's gonna come next. Part experimental, the band move from kraut rock to more psychedelic moments, sometimes full on noise rock, and yet everything flows and the melodic moments are just wonderful. Highly creative and enjoyable.
Background - The lyric video was shot entirely at the Scarborough Bluffs in Toronto and was created using a series of cinemagraphs. The video team partnered with Flixel to bring these still images to life. The video was filmed by the incredible team at Public Space Productions. "The Villain" comes from Brooklyn's new album “These Paper Wings”. Out September 9th.
“The Villain” captures the idea of regaining strength and power in a situation where I felt trapped and silenced. As women we are often taught to take full responsibility for uncomfortable situations we find ourselves in regardless of whether we have control or agency within them. When a toxic or abusive relationship breaks down- there are a lot of complicated feelings that come with it. With this song, I wanted to express all of those different angles, but most importantly I wanted to tell a story that presented strength and the ability to overcome. I am not only writing for me here; I am also writing for the startling number of women in my life who I know can relate. Through the lyric video, I wanted to showcase imagery that made me feel strong and powerful, but beautiful at the same time. - Brooklyn Doran.
'The Villain' is the second song we have featured from Brooklyn Doran in recent months and it is another engaging song from the debut 7-track album "These Paper Wings" released in September 2016. Full of melodic numbers and the beautiful vocals of Brooklyn, it's a collection of thoughtfully written material, where the attention to detail ensures seven very individual and absorbing tracks.
Background - Alex Bent is a 22 year-old singer-songwriter from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Emptiness is Bent’s musical expression. Alex Bent is the Emptiness and the Emptiness lives in him. Far from being a blank void, the Emptiness is vast, expansive, textured and nuanced. Intoxicated on emotion, earnestness, longing and poignancy, Alex Bent + the Emptiness are distinctive yet inseparable parts of a whole.
The album was written at a time where he chose to be reclusive out of fear of being hurt or humiliated. He found comfort in creating songs that took the stories he saw in his head and painted them into reality. Alex hopes others may listen and find a similar escape within these songs.
Taken from the new album "Dead, In The Water", 'Paper Mask '16' is the opening track, and as I was not sure which one to feature, it seems a good enough starting point for Beehive Candy. Alex describes his music as "Dark Piano Pop" and in those three words he pretty much sum's the new album up. Deep and sometimes emotional material, may sound like hard going, however the pop element really does lift the material up enough, through melody, a good choice of additional sounds, and a gentleness that soothes. In fact it is because of that, I find myself dipping back into the album, to enjoy a little escape of my own.
Background - Nashville alternative group Birdtalker has announced it will support The Saint Johns on tour this September. As a duo, Zack and Dani Green of Birdtalker will kick off the tour in Birmingham, AL on 9/7, and close out the shows on 9/30 in St. Louis, MO. See above for a full list of dates. This tour follows the release of Birdtalker's debut EP, Just This, which was released on 8/19. The Wild Honey Pie premiered the EP, saying that even when the band, "...delve[s] into more uncertain and strained subject matter, they’ll still remind you to 'put what’s heavy behind' and that we 'don’t need no mournful sounds.' Simply put, you feel lighter by the end of this EP than before you began listening." A few months after marrying, the band’s founders Zack and Dani Green began writing songs together. Neither had pursued music before, however, after finishing their first song together, each felt an electric surge and from that point on there was no turning back. Friends in Nashville began to take notice of the duo’s original tracks, and Birdtalker quickly grew into a five-piece ensemble. Just This EP reflects different themes of adulthood, touching on the evolution of the pair’s marriage, to prioritising what is most important in one’s life. The six-song EP was recorded in Nashville at Glass Onion Recording Studio with co-producers JD Tiner (Erin Rae) and Dan Fernandez (Great Peacock). In its brief time performing together as a band, Birdtalker has had notable appearances in Nashville opening for The Strumbellas, Escondido, and Marc Scibilia.
Announcing their tour dates seems a reasonable enough excuse to feature another song from Birdtalker's new EP and this time it's 'Graveclothes'. Another reason is the fact that all six songs on the EP are just so good!
Background promo - Gaining BBC Radio 1 play with your debut single release is a pretty astonishing boost for anyone, but 20 year old Welsh/Bajan artist Kizzy Crawford, is not one to rest on her laurels. Her solo career began just three years ago and she is on a mission - a mixed race Welsh speaking artist proud of her background and determined to make her mark by fusing bilingual soul-folk jazz. Kizzy’s already getting national recognition for her work; in addition to airplay on Huw Stephens show on BBC Radio 1, she’s had plays on BBC 6Music, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru as well as live TV performances on S4C, Children in Need for BBC 1 and the 6 Nations advert campaign. Not surprisingly, she was won awards too,-the 'Brwydr Y Bandiau' at the National Eisteddfod 2013 and a Welsh Singer-Songwriter competition receiving money to record her first EP 'Temporary Zone' with Amy Wadge (Ed Sheeran co-writer). Over the last three years, Kizzy has developed an increasing sophistication to her songwriting and performance, which is complimented by her soaring voice that boasts both range and charisma. Her forthcoming double A side single release showcases her writing and performance to perfection. In 2014, Kizzy signed to publishing company BDi / Bucks Music and she was then selected as a BBC Horizons 12 Artist which included the opportunity to perform a live session at BBC Maida Vale. Kizzy was also a featured artist with Gwilym Simcock for a BBC Radio 4 music programme and she was invited to perform on The Verbs ‘Young Talent’ programme for BBC Radio 3. Kizzy is the youngest singer songwriter to have her work selected for ‘set pieces’ for the Welsh examining board (WJEC) for their A Level Music syllabus, for the year 2016/17. Her compositions will stand side by side with Gruff Rhys, Super Furry Animals and the Manic Street Preachers and will include the songs Gerridae and Jungle, which was released on August 26th 2016.
'Gerridae' demonstrates just why Kizzy Crawford has been getting noticed in the UK. The featured song reminds me in part of earlier Maria Muldaur material, not so much in the composition, but that there is a sense of playfulness, and real personality shining through. The accompanying song 'Jungle' confirms further that Kizzy does not sit in any particular genre, which is absolutely fine, especially when the music is this good!
Background - Dirty Sole is the dynamic indie electronic group formed in 2001, rooted from the storied & significant musical history of their hometown, Chicago. It didn’t take long to get noticed, as their first release was signed by dance music pioneers Derrick Carter & Luke Solomon for their Classic Music (UK) label. The record went on with multiple chart placements, alongside the icons of the era, Basement Jazz & Roni Size.
The duo followed with a string of releases and global hits that saw their unique blend of house, funk and techno appear on labels such as Yousef’s Carioca imprint (UK) and Phil Week’s Robsoul Recordings (FR), and leveraged their forward-thinking sound with major brands like Nike & Toyota.
The pair has since been head down in the studio at work on their latest single featuring a remix from DFA’s The Juan MacLean, and their sophomore album, FWD Motion. Still keeping their eyes and ears looking towards the sounds of the future, the new LP marks a crisp beginning, blending elements of electronic, synth pop, dance, and hip-hop with featured artists Lyrics Born, Foremost Poets, Jon Von Letscher and James Curd.
With melodic and quite powerful vocals 'Owning It' thumps along with a creative and intricate electronic background. Indeed the vocals are well up in the mix and drive the song along as much as the rhythm, all of which makes the album due in December, one to keep in mind.
Background - Mercy released her new single a couple of days back, “Depth Charges.” It is a love song with a submarine warfare theme. Yes, that’s right: submarine warfare. “It’s a playful song about watching and waiting to be noticed by the one you love,” explained Mercy. “That translates in the song to lurking below the waves in a submarine.”
“Depth Charges” comes on the heels of Mercy’s five-song 2016 “Mercy EP” that showcased the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter’s beautiful, soulful voice and unique style: “I think people will enjoy ‘Depth Charges’,” said Mercy. “It’s a fun song, but with attitude too. Folks who liked the ‘Mercy EP’ will feel right at home with this new song.”
I'm all for imagination and different ideas, and a song like 'Depth Charges' ticks those boxes. Add in some fun and for me, your on to a winner. Musically understated the song skips along with Mercy's vocals charming their way into my ears.
Background - Originally from Tyler, Texas, BeLL’s career so far has consisted of writing for other artists, including Natalie Imbruglia & The Script’s Danny O’Donoghue, & having songs in the media including a Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial & TV shows like Vampire Diaries & Pretty Little Liars. Now residing in Los Angeles, she learned the ropes behind the scenes collaborating with heavy-hitter producer/songwriters like the renowned Giorgio Moroder (Daft Punk) & David Hodges (Kelly Clarkson, 5 Seconds of Summer). In the meantime, BeLL volunteered as a keys instructor at LA's Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls & at Awaken Arts, teaching songwriting to at-risk youth girls.
Known for her live shows consisting of all-female musicians, her upcoming cover of REM’s “Losing My Religion” was a collaborative effort between BeLL & AG, a female producer known for the recent haunting rendition of Ciara’s cover of “Paint it Black&r dquo; featured in Billboard & Rolling Stone. “Having an all-female crew for the music video was icing on the cake. It created a safe space for the actors to focus on the art & message behind the song and be completely raw rather than focusing on sex appeal,” BeLL recalls. The editing for the video was completed when the horrific shootings in Orlando were announced, thus prompting BeLL to decide to donate a portion of the streaming proceeds to the National Center for Victims of Crime. “The song took on a much deeper meaning then. It’s heartbreaking when people distort & use religion to justify violence & malevolent hatred.” BeLL is excited to share her interpretation of REM’s song with the world.
'Losing My Religion' is such an iconic REM song, that you have to take it in a different direction, if you are going to cover it, which thankfully is exactly what BeLL has done. It's not only a slower version, there is a more sultry vocal feel, and the music takes on a darker, marching anthem manner. Whilst it's hard not to 'hear' the original, this really is a good reworking.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Australia - Breathe In.
Background - Sydney based 5 piece, Australia (the band, not the country) have this week announced a run of tour dates around their upcoming Bigsound appearances and in celebration of their new single ‘Breathe In’ and it’s accompanying video.
‘Breathe In’ is the most recent single to be taken from the band’s debut album ‘Portraits of People, Places and Movies’ which they released independently in early 2016. Toeing the lines between pub rock and new wave, the music of Australia is fearlessly imaginative, undeniably danceable and yes, quintessentially Australian. Front man Guy Fenech’s melancholic howls are matched by his subtle baritone croon and punctuate the pulsating synths and angular guitars.
In the spirit of their name, which conjures an echo of the 1980’s Australian pub rock scene, the band’s live show is raw and immediate, cheeky and charming – oscillating between hypnotic driving indie rock and lush cavernous synth pop while overwhelmingly characterized by a group whose genuine love for playing live (and each other) is infectious to no end. It is no surprise then that Australia have been invited to showcase at this year’s Bigsound music conference in Brisbane.
Live Dates: Fr1 2 Sep - Moonshine, Manly Wed 7 Sep - BIGSOUND, Brisbane Fri 9 Sep - The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay Sat 10 Sep - The Pier, Port Macquarie Fri 16 Sep - The Chippendale Hotel, Sydney Thu 22 Sep - Rad Bar, Wollongong Thu 29 Sep - Karova Lounge, Ballarat Fri 30 Sep - The Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne.
'Breathe In' is the latest single from the ‘Portraits of People, Places and Movies’ album, and it typifies the quality, power and imagination this band have. It's a driving rock song, where each member of the band comes across as commited to grabbing your attention, with energy and natural, refined rock'n'roll.
Background promo - “Learning to kill is a matter of habit, the more you have done it the better you’re at it… They’re just objects and shadows, not women and men. Learning to kill is a natural thing.” It’s a lyric that carries as much weight today as it did in 2012, when the song was prohibited from play on Israeli Army radio station Galatz. Penned by author Alona Kimhi – on account of first-hand testimonies from West Bank IDF soldiers – and performed by Izhar Ashdot, ‘A Matter Of Habit’ is the latest track reworked by Norwegian singer/songwriter MODDI on forthcoming album ‘Unsongs’.
In the case of ‘A Matter Of Habit’, Galatz justified the ban saying: “we should avoid celebrating a song that demonizes our soldiers”. However, delve a little deeper and the focus shifts to wider moral perspectives.
“A Matter of Habit may have been written about a particular conflict, but it carries a universal message: that anyone can become an oppressor,” Moddi explains. “It says something bigger about not just Israel, but the entire Western World. Everyone recognises the feeling of numbness that comes from being exposed to violence and death every day. We see it in the news, we hear about it on the radio. In the end it just passes as background noise. We don’t feel empathy anymore, just a growing fear that the same thing might happen to us one day.
The album aims to uncover a collection of 12 songs that have, at one stage or another, been banned or suppressed, with the attempts to silence them as mild as an airplay ban and as brutal as a murder. ‘Unsongs’ is released Friday, September 16 via Propeller Recordings.
I am delighted to feature another track from the soon to be released 'Unsongs' album. There is a short video documentary to accompany 'A Matter Of Habit' which is included below. Having had a chance to listen to all twelve songs on the album, I have to say this is a truly exceptional musical collection. Moddi has a distinctive and beautifully sensitive voice, and the musical arrangement behind each song is constructed with great care and detail. A collection of twelve banned protest songs is a fairly powerful thing in it's own right, the really incredible thing fo me, is how Moddi has interepted them and breathed so much new life and heart felt intensity into them. One of the best albums for me this year. Moddi has tour dates lined up across Europe, details are available here.
Background promo - Canadian alternative rock band Hawking have released their latest single "Comfortable". The track boasts themes of loss and fear while showcasing the group's signature intense percussion and complex vocals.
"Comfortable" is a meaningful title for the band because it's about the desire to feel comfort at the end of the day. It's about defining and finding comfort, whether that's emotionally, financially, physically, or creating your own version of feeling at peace. The song was written by lead singer Tom Vanderkam while on a plane to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Maddie Phillips, who stars as the heroine in the music video.
Vanderkam reflects on the track, "'Comfortable' is about having someone that you love and depend on ripped away from you. Whether that’s a breakup or the death/deterioration of a family member or what have you, we’ve all known that sorrow. Lyrically, the song is interesting because it can be from the perspective of either party – the person losing someone, or the person who’s becoming lost."
Hawking is a progressive alternative foursome from Vancouver, Canada. They released their Hawking EP in July 2015 and recently embarked on a 50-date tour across North America. The EP was immediately met with an onslaught of acclamatory reviews from indie tastemaker publications. The group strives to keep their songs as enigmatic as they are catchy; combining powerful, evocative vocals with melodic hooks, angular guitar riffs and a liberatingly adventurous rhythm section. As the Canadian music mavericks continue to take the scene by storm, Hawking is driven to make passionate, real, and memorable music for many years to come.
The mixture of vocals and harmonies works well on 'Comfortable', add to that the funky clear rhythm, and layered synth sounds and you have both a pleasing and punchy song.
Background - Ablebody is an LA-based duo comprised of identical twins Christoph and Anton Hochheim (members of The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart + The Depreciation Guild). They've been quietly releasing music under this moniker since 2013, self-releasing an EP and 7" single, crafting remixes and demoing original material as well as a myriad of covers. This week they share the single "Gaucho" . Drawing from the raw grandeur of the 60's, the melodicism of soft 70s pop and the sophisticated side of romantic 80s synth pop, Ablebody stand suspended between decades; students of the past but far from retro fetishists. Their musical prowess is evident but the songwriting remains tastefully direct at all times, with arrangements that bend and move in surprising ways but tastefully blanket the overarching sentiment of the songs in a way that we rarely hear in this decade.
The duo have recently taken their sound from the bedroom to the studio, working with producer/engineer Kenny Gilmore (Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti) to craft songs with a more visceral edge than they've explored in the past. Daniel Rosenbaum (Pomar) and Jordan Sabolick (Mt. Ossa) have joined the duo to help bring the songs to life and add new dimension to the live dynamic.
Their debut full length record Adult Contemporaries will be released by Lolipop Records on October 14, 2016.
Tour Dates: September 9 - Pomona,CA - Acerogami - with Sea Lions, Foliage October 18 - Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Theater [Record release show] - with Winter
'Gaucho' is the second song we have featured from Ablebody this year, and continues the dynamic and synthy sounds that are both melodic and funky. If the album maintains these standards the twins deserve to be noticed.
Ben Ford-Davies - Vitruvian Man.
