Genre Wander: Kristin Hersh - Slow Hollows - Fabels - Brandish - Glenn Meling

Kristin Hersh - Soma Gone Slapstick.

Background promo - The incredibly gifted singer/songwriter and author Kristin Hersh has announced the first single "Soma Gone Slapstick" from her forthcoming solo effort “Wyatt at the Coyote Palace”. This double CD/ book combination will be released by Omnibus Press in the UK, Australia and New Zealand on October 28, 2016 and in the USA and Canada on November 11, 2016.

"I heard Soma move through seasons: fall on the rebound, a manic spring, a cruel winter, and through places: California, Chicago, New Orleans, a protest march in Koreatown. When I finished, it was dawn, my engineer and I had coffee and I walked home through fat flakes falling down instead of sideways. Goofy + falling + precise + muscular = soma with a healthy dose of slapstick," says Kristin Hersh, who currently resides in Rhode Island.

‘Wyatt’ is the third release in the ground-breaking book-CD format that Hersh began with her previous solo album “Crooked” and Throwing Muses’ 2013 release “Purgatory/Paradise”.  Since sharing essays and tour diaries on her own website, she has published the critically acclaimed “Paradoxical Undressing” in the UK (released as “Rat Girl”in the USA), a children’s book “Toby Snax,” and “Don’t Suck, Don’t Die,” a personal account of her long friendship with the late Vic Chesnutt, which earned her rave reviews.

“Wyatt” is a collection of true stories and songs of love and loss, combining Hersh’s humour with the pains and travails of a life spent constantly in motion. Defined by potent guitars, addictive melodies and poignant lyrics, this release is a serious sign of strength and depth, bringing the listener into what the BBC calls Hersh's "dark and dizzy world."

In November, she returns to the UK and Ireland for a rare solo acoustic tour in support of her new release, with an additional date just added in London due to popular demand. Her subsequent U.S. tour kicks off in Seattle on November 29. “An Evening with Kristin Hersh” celebrates her endless creativity with readings and songs spanning her entire career. Full tour details here.

Kristin Hersh continues to be a creative and fascinating artist. 'Soma Gone Slapstick' mixes acoustic and understated indie rock in an intriguing manner, one that provides the ideal backdrop for her vocals, and a fine teaser for the next release.

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Slow Hollows - Last Dance.

Background - Slow Hollows have shared the second track "Last Dance" from their upcoming album.  Romantic is due November 4 on Danger Collective Records.

Romantic is the forthcoming release from Los Angeles based post-pop band Slow Hollows. Written over the span of a few months between 2015 to 2016, Romantic is meant to serve as a response to the previous record Atelophobia. Austin Feinstein, the creative influence behind the project, wrote the songs from the album during his senior year of high school. Facebook here.

Upcoming Tour Dates
10-09-16 - Seattle, WA - Chop Suey*
10-11-16 - Reno, NV - Holland Project*
10-12-16 - San Francisco, CA - Rickshaw Stop (early/late shows)*
10-13-16 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory*
10-23-16 - Orange County, CA - Beach Goth
11-04-16 - Los Angeles, CA - Teragram Ballroom
* = w/ Beach Fossils.

We featured Slow Hollows at the beginning of the month however follow up song 'Last Dance' is a good one and well worth the share. There are some additional tour dates now as mentioned above. The track is a nicely paced alt rock song and again the vocals impress as does the bands really tight feel.

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Fabels - Silent Language.

Background - Following on from 2013’s experimental debut album ‘Zimmer’, Sydney art-rock duo Fabels have just released ‘Hi’, a collection of eight eclectic songs intended and guaranteed to take the listener down a path less travelled.

Highly original and sonically challenging to describe, Fabels main stock in trade could be painted as intense guitar-loop based atmospheric electro-psyche-pop. But beneath the haunting vocals, the sonic squalls, the thoughtful vignettes and at times evocative refrains, lurks an authentic old-school punk ethos. Not the clichéd mass-marketed music of recent times, but an artful individuality and innovation that lies at the heart of the true ethic.

With recent Australian shows tucked under their belt, Fabels have now set up camp in Berlin as they prepare for their upcoming European tour. Already boasting a diverse short history of overseas adventures, Fabels have performed at venues across Germany and Sweden, at art galleries in Milan, former Soviet spy bases in East Berlin and at much loved dope cafes in Amsterdam. Fabels are well on track to keep stamping their individuality on psyched-out experimental music globally. ‘Hi’ featuring the single ‘Silent Language’ is out now via all good digital retailers and CD via Bandcamp. Facebook here. 

'Silent Language' slips and slides between genres and with an overall psyche-rock feel to it. It's a deliciously non conformist piece of music that seemingly just kicks off and wanders where it feels is right, love it!

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Brandish - Running.

Background - Two years after Brandish registered a momentary blip on the radar with ‘The Ellyse Perry Song’, the Launceston comedy band has returned - with slightly more attitude and some sexy activewear.

The band’s first offering from their forthcoming debut Self-Titled EP is ‘Running’, showcasing long-time mates, Hamish Geale (vocals, guitar, keys) Brent Jacobson (lead guitar), Rob O’Brien (drums) and Ryan Goodger (bass) at their creative best. ‘Running’ pairs jangly guitar riffs with juicy urban imagery.

Recorded, mixed and mastered by part-time producer Doug Briton in a bedroom studio in Launceston, ‘Running’ sees the band step away from its fondness of guitar-driven alternative pop to explore the foreign world of hip-hop. "The lyrics have a bit of attitude so we were keen to put some hip-hop vibes into this one," Geale said. "We'd always used traditional drums up until now so it felt like this song was the perfect track to try out some electronic percussion for a change."

Deciding that the song needed female vocals to make the chorus sparkle, the band considered names like Beyonce and Taylor Swift before eventually settling on Geale’s sister Victoria, who also happens to be quite good at singing. "We tossed around names like Sia and Adele but in the end my sister was the best option and also was the only one who returned calls from our manager,” says Geale.

With lyrics such as "I'm born to win, I ain't born to lose, if life's a 10k I'm Hicham El Guerrouj", ‘Running’ doubles as a quasi-motivational backing track to all those times you managed to hustle into something you thought you'd be too late for. “Running” will be in Digital Stores on the 30th of September Brandish’s Self-Titled EP will be released 14th of October 2016. Facebook here.

Lyrically superb and musically melodic (and very catchy) 'Running' mixes humour and fine pop, and does it to a very high and impressive standard. The video adds to the charm and in all honesty I'm left wanting more!

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Glenn Meling - Brother Jonathan (Album Version).

Background - Glenn Meling, 44,is an independent artist, songwriter and producer from Oslo. He has lived in Australia, United Kingdom and Norway, making music from an early age. Whilst living in London studying and performing solo gigs, he met sound engineer Steve Honest and made the album ‘Sometimes a Bigger Heart’ (2009). He had previously made the album  ‘Melingrad’ (2007) in a Norwegian boathouse in one of the fjords near  Bergen. ‘Minnesota’ will be his third album.

Glenn became interested in the journeys of his countrymen after travelling extensively in the States  where the influence of the Norwegian settlers continues to this day.  In the 1800s the American midwest became a popular destination for the settlers and today you’ll find collages like St. Olaf in Minnesota which is an institution that studies Norwegian heritage and immigration. Also, the famous Joel and Ethan Cohen-film Fargo, has been inspirational and something that sparked an interest in the subject.

Lead single "Brother Jonathan" is about migration to America in the 19th century, when Brother Jonathan was a term used by immigrants to refer to the USA. Brother Jonathan, which predates the more widely known phrase Uncle Sam, personifies the spirit of the new nation in the eyes of the Europeans who left their homelands behind for a fresh start across the Atlantic. The album Minnesota release date: October 14,2016. Website here.

'Brother Jonathan' is a powerful and very beautiful song. Musical production is of a very high standard and the vocals and harmonies just add so much more. Totally impressed and looking forward to hearing the album.

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Quality Not Quantity: Scarlett Saunders - Bouquet

Scarlett Saunders - I Should Know.

Background promo - About ‘I Should Know’ Scarlett plays her darkest hand. The sultry vocal stylings and direct address to her father are reminiscent of Lykke Li. “Are you stupid enough to touch her with your love?” goes the hook atop warm synths and clean minimal production. In Scarlett’s words it’s about “the initial anger and confusion that my father was going out with someone who was exactly the same age as me and also 19 years old at the time.

About Blue Again EP Poignancy simmers beneath ‘Blue Again’, the new EP by Felixstowe artist Scarlett Saunders. On the one hand it’s a pop record - the immediacy of the music makes this much obvious. On the other, it’s something literary and harder to define; a probing exploration of love lost and time passing. It’s a record that is just as much at home in a casual pop lover’s library as it is in the most zealous followers of leftfield music.

About Scarlett Saunders Creative polymath Scarlett Saunders is an old school artist. Kickstarting her days by painting on foraged wood, she then makes her way to acting school for a twelve hour stretch before going home and working late into the night by channelling her remaining creative energy into wonderfully poetic pop music. For Scarlett, all mediums of creativity reflexively bleed into her work. Music is one of several mediums open to her, all of which are tended and watered with equal dedication. Her fixation with art stems not from any ego-flattering preoccupation with being an artiste or celebrity. She entertains no highfalutin dreams of top 40 stardom. Instead it stems from something much purer; a driving need to express herself purely to entertain and enrich her life. Growing up in a house where her mother didn’t believe in TV or games as a form of entertainment, she would sing or read to occupy herself. The result, as manifested in her music, is a close emotional connection to her subject matter. Music and lyricism are as natural to her as eating or breathing. On her debut EP ‘Blue Again’ she goes some way to prove that, producing four graceful and lyrical compositions that explore human relationships and remembrances. With writing as concise and direct as hers, all the world will surely be her stage.

We featured a track from the Blue Again EP back in June however the opportunity to share 'I Should Know' is to good to miss. Back in June I said "it's hard to pigeonhole her music" and this song remains pretty leftfield pop as well. I'm told that Scarlett is getting attention from the music business alongside some encouraging reviews, all of which is understandable with songs this good.

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Bouquet - All Living Rooms.

Background - LA minimal pop duo Bouquet release their latest single "All Living Rooms." The track will be featured in an upcoming episode from the third season of Transparent.

Bouquet is a minimal electronic duo formed in Los Angeles in 2013. Members Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs (vocals/guitar) and Max Foreman (vocals/synthesizer) take an approach to pop songwriting influenced by early electronic post punk and 70s folk, constructing a world of surrealist imagery with emotional acuity.

Carolyn is a visual artist, chorus director, and recently created the score for a Cartoon Network short; Max is an experimental composer and music professor. The two bonded over a shared love of boundary pushing artists such as Sly & the Family Stone, Laurie Anderson, The Raincoats, Yoko Ono, Suicide, Gal Costa, Julee Cruise, Silver Apples, and Throbbing Gristle. In 2015 Bouquet released their debut EP In A Dream on Ulrike/Folktale Records. Using a palette of vocal harmonies, analog electronics and thundering guitars, In A Dream invites the listener into Bouquet’s uncanny universe, where clocks strike backwards and dust fills trophy cups.

Since 2013, Bouquet has performed live with acts such as Zola Jesus, Deradoorian, Chris Cohen, Tinariwen, SOAK, Ariel Pink, EMA, Eileen Myles, Lower Dens, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Nite Jewel, Geneva Jacuzzi, and Mt. Eerie, at venues such as Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Art Basel Miami; and All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival, UK, curated by TV on the Radio. Live shows often incorporate visual elements created by Carolyn and collaborators including JJ Stratford, Dawn Garcia, and Ry Rocklen. Bouquet is currently planning to release their debut full length LP, Spellbreaker – mixed with Cole Marsden Greif-Neill – the end of 2016.

Tour Dates (more TBA):
10/3 Los Angeles, CA - Skylight Books for Rad Women Worldwide book launch
11/03 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios *
11/05 Seattle, WA - Barboza *

11/09 Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Theater *
* = w/ Chris Cohen

For a minimalist pop duo the new song 'All Living Rooms' sounds quite expansive and full of atmosphere. Gently melodic and with charming vocals this is, one very tasteful track.

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More On Monday: March and Beauty - Jackson Dyer - Alyssa Bonagura - Port Juvee - Poster Children

March and Beauty - Stay.

Background promo - Austin's March and Beauty are thrilled to share their music video for "Stay" off their recently released Summer Said EP.

March and Beauty is an indie rock foursome based in Austin made up of Terri Dittmar (vocals/bass), Tim Dittmar (drums), Sean Mullens (guitar), and Paul Stautinger (guitar). They independently released their Summer Said EP on September 5th. Recorded at OHM Recording Facility with Chico Jones, the EP moves from folky dream pop to darker shoegaze and explores the importance of being young at heart. March and Beauty takes pride in that they don't use any synthesizers. Every ambient drone, weird crash, and beautiful swell are done live with guitars using analog effects!

This Fall, March and Beauty will be bringing their Summer Said EP across Texas, making stops in Austin, San Marcos, Houston, and Dallas. Please check below for additional show information. March and Beauty will also be releasing a full length in early 2017. Bandcamp here.

'Stay' is more at the folky dream pop end of the bands spectrum, with its laid back and melodic feel and Terri Dittmar's soothing vocals and very honest and natural feel.

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Jackson Dyer - Projection, Abstraction.

Background - Australian singer, songwriter and producer Jackson Dyer released his third and final single "Projection Abstraction" on September 23rd, ahead of his Compartments EP (due out 21 Oct). This single follows on from "The Absolute", and "Steal Away".

"Fortunately, I’ve been involved in the music industry for a few years now and I have the luxury of being able to pursue music as a songwriter and performer. However, I’m often left questioning the disconnect between the music industry and the “real world”. The reality of being a musician, especially a solo songwriter, is that you spend many hours in the studio or on the road alone, living parallel to everyday life. It’s so easy to fall into what others expect of you, diluting or doubting your motivations and sometimes I wonder if I’m just a parody of myself or a typical musician. This song is about those emotions that I think many of us feel at harder times in our lives and careers".

Upcoming EP Compartments is a distinct culmination of many months spent in the studio focusing on his songwriting and production, and indicates a mature new sound for the talented young artist.

Jackson Dyer first arrived in Berlin, his newfound home, just over three years ago. The vibrant city has offered the Australian singer-songwriter an array of opportunities, where he has progressed from playing his indie-folk and soul infused songs on the streets to sharing the stage with the likes of Grammy­ nominated acts Hozier and Hiatus Kaiyote.

Over the last few years Dyer has toured extensively throughout Europe in support of Berlin’s indie/folk outfit Mighty Oaks, performed to over 3000 people in Munich as the opening act for Jamie Cullum, and played at a host of European festivals. Facebook here.

Jackson Dyer demonstrates his fine vocals with 'Projection, Abstraction' a melodic and atmospheric song. The drums are well up in the overall mix giving the song a distinctive sound, one that actually works very well.

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Alyssa Bonagura - Rebel.

Background - Powerful lyricist Alyssa Bonagura is celebrating the release of her highly anticipated solo project, Road Less Traveled, available now on iTunes. Currently sitting at No. 11 on the Country iTunes Chart, the album showcases Alyssa's soulful prowess as a singer-songwriter, with the ability to deliver moving messages and hard-hitting vocals that resonate with listeners and solidify her as an artist with a path to carve all her own.

Road Less Traveled is composed of ten original tracks (five of which were solely written by Alyssa herself), including the hit single, "Rebel", whose video recently aired on CMT Music, that highlight her authentic songwriting style and impressive vocal tenacity. Recorded live at Petti Sound in Nashville, Tenn. and produced entirely by Alyssa and Mark Petaccia, the album also displays her multi-instrumental talents, featuring her on the acoustic guitar, piano, ukulele, lap steel, electric guitar, bass, B3 and harmonica.

"The love that was put into this record is immeasurable. I am so beyond proud of it and grateful to all of my friends who helped make this dream a reality," says the soulful songwriter. "I'm so proud to be carrying the torch in country music from my mom and dad. This music is my entire heart and soul and I can't wait for people to hear it." Described as a "project of love" that brought her closest friends and family from the underground music community together to create meaningful music, Road Less Traveled presents Alyssa as a solo artist in her truest form to date. She is set to perform on the ASCAP Shady Grove Stage presented by City Winery at the Pilgrimage Festival on Sunday, and will host an album release party at 3rd & Lindsley next week on Sept. 28.
 
This daughter of country music (her parents being RCA country recording artists, Baillie & The Boys) has already been named "A fixture on Nashville's Indie singer-songwriter scene" by Rolling Stone while the Bee Gees' Robin Gibb said she is "Stunning, Original, A future star in the making. Alyssa has evolved into a songwriting seamstress for a number of artists including Steven Tyler ("I Make My Own Sunshine"), Jessie James Decker ("Lights Down Low") and Jana Kramer ("Circles"). The six-stringed songstress now looks forward to taking her fans on a solo journey with music that she, and the industry, fully believes in. Website here.

'Rebel' unfolds as a gentle vocal and piano lead song, with a sensitive musical arrangement, that helps the track build into something quite powerful. It's country music with a more modern and very natural style throughout.

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Port Juvee - Double Vision.

Background - Canadian post punk outfit Port Juvee share new single “Double Vision,” from forthcoming album Crimewave (November 4th, 2016). “Double Vision” sets the pace of the album with it's ramshackle post-punk urgency and underlying dark verve, encapsulating the feel of prowling around the shadowy downtown of Calgary at night.

Port Juvee may call the plains of Canada home, but they are no stranger to international success. Having played a multitude of festivals including CMJ, Sled Island X-Fest and Rifflandia, the fivesome has also supported DIIV, Titus Andronicus, Twin Peaks, Sticky Fingers, Bleachers and The Orwells on tour. The band also slipped into the global spotlight in 2014 when tracks from their Revenge EP were featured in Herschel Supply Company’s Spring ad campaign.

Although Port Juvee embody a sound that is equally indebted to New York City post-punk and California surf garage, the band's stomping grounds are in Calgary. An isolated city that thrives on extremes, the huge vacant buildings downtown take on an eerie feeling after dark and inhabit a post-apocalyptic vibe. This, combined with the band's obsession with gritty 80’s films in the vein of John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, are the essence and source of inspiration for their energetic post punk sound.

Written and recorded in Calgary during a transformative time for the band, Crimewave is Port Juvee's third studio release and their most dizzying assortment yet. Produced by the band with help from Justin Gerrish (Vampire Weekend “Contra”), Crimewave moves seamlessly through the lackadaisical punk of "Bleached Out Soda Pop," "Trapped Under Water’s" pounding garage rhythms and the 80’s-inspired escapism of the title track. Bandcamp here.

With a tight beat and wailing guitars setting the backdrop and post punk vocals sitting well in the mix  'Double Vision' is a blast of sounds from the past, with a modern slant, plenty of feeling, and bags of energy.

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Poster Children - If You See Kay (March 1989 Blanket demo).

Background - Recorded by Steve Albini in 1990, Daisychain Reaction is a raw blast of Midwestern post-punk from the heyday of indie rock. It includes Poster Children’s most well-known song “If You See Kay.” The album was released on Twin/Tone Records in 1991 and re-released in 1992 on Sire Records in the US and Creation Records in the UK. It has been unavailable on vinyl since.

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Daisychain Reaction‘s release, Lotuspool Records is proud to present the definitive vinyl edition of this early ’90s classic, available on Sept. 30th. The album’s twelve songs have been remastered from the original tapes and cut to lacquer by Bob Weston of Chicago Mastering Service and pressed onto 180 gram black vinyl. You can pre-order it right now, right here.

The package features a 12-page retro fanzine with a new, exclusive essay by Jon Fine (author of Your Band Sucks) and reflections on the making of the album by members of the band. In addition, a digital download card for three previously unreleased tracks (an early version of “Where We Live” from the Albini Flower Plower sessions and 1989 demo versions of “If You See Kay” and “Where We Live”) is included.

Poster Children will be touring the US in the fall of 2016:
09/29 – Brooklyn, NY – St. Vitus
09/30 – Washington DC – DC9
10/1 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
10/2 – Boston, MA – Great Scott
10/12 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
10/13 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
10/14 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
10/15 – Seattle, WA – Barboza
10/16 – Vancouver, BC – The Cobalt
11/23 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s (2 Shows).

'If You See Kay (March 1989 Blanket demo)' is one of three bonus tracks with the reissue. Full of raw intensity the track erupts with power, as it drags us back to a quarter of a century ago. As for the album, well it has stood the test of time, the sheer energy and post punk indie vibes come through as fresh today as they did originally.

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Beehive Candy Talking To - Jen Baron

A week ago we featured singer and songwriter Jen Baron and her composition 'Til I've Got You.

Since then we have had the opportunity to ask her some questions, and of course being Beehive Candy use this, as a valid reason to share another song, in this instance 'Joy Machine' a much rockier piece and a really good one at that!

The major labels have been slow adopters of all things Internet, do you think they now 'get it'? - I definitely see their presence on platforms like Sound Cloud and Instagram. It's a great way for them to promote their artists. I think we'll only see more engagement in the future.

Live gigs or selling music, whats the lucrative one these days? - As a songwriter and producer, I'm rarely out there playing live music. The last time I played live was for a Girls Rock SB benefit concert. For me, I'm focused on licensing my music and working with artists directly to cover the songs I write. What I love about the landscape of the millennial music industry is there are so many options for artists to get their music out there.

Can music still influence people on mass, like the "protest songs" of the sixties, and if so, in a positive manner? - Wow - that's such a good and thought provoking question! I would like to say yes and believe that exists, but honestly I don't know if music is the catalyst for change anymore. It seems like the power of social media has taken it's place in a big way. I wish music was still a driving force of political activism - I know the punk scene still uses it in that way.....but that is usually more underground.

How does a song writer go about getting others to perform their material these days? - All I can do is speak from my own personal experience. I asked people I knew for a lot of advice starting out. I think industry folks are just inundated with artists wanting them to listen to their material and help give them a leg up, but asking for advice - I think it's less daunting. I keep every response I've ever received in an email folder and I frequently go back and look at peoples comments . I focus on forming meaningful relationships. I stay open to critique and always, always try and remember those pieces of critique when I'm writing. I work hard. However hard I expect a publisher or management team to work for me and run the material, I expect even more of myself. From the outside the music industry looks like a locked kingdom - but if you take the time to form the relationships, be open to advice, and really work on your craft, you'll start to see the doors open.

What's the future of music radio in the age of streaming Spotify, Itunes etc? - I rarely stream music. I have an 11-year-old who lives by streaming services like Spotify though. There is something I just love about radio: great DJ's and personalities, contests.. oh my god there was seriously nothing better than winning a pair of concert tickets as a teen! If I heard one of my songs on Pandora I'd be like, " that's cool!", but if my song was charting on the radio -- I would flip out! I think radio still has such a strong place in our future.

Whats the best thing you have got out of the music industry (and the worst)? - The best thing are the wonderful people I've met. I've had the opportunity to work with incredible song writers and industry professionals who have become like family to me over the years. The worst thing? hmm.. I think in the beginning hearing critique from music bloggers especially was hard. Now I look back - and I considered a bad review someone saying " such a great song, just needs some work on the production"  - and it would just gut me. Now I'm like, "cool - i'm gonna focus on a killer production for this track".

What motivates you to write songs? - Heartbreak. mine or others. I'm an overly empathetic person, which as a songwriter gives me a really unique ability to tell stories that are not my own, but still have the emotional underbelly of a first hand experience. My kid says I only know how to write sad songs, so then I wrote " She Looks Like Katy Perry " just to prove him wrong.

Tell us a little about the Girls Rock project? - Girls Rock SB is a non-profit I founded that empowers girls through music education, creative expression and performance. I started it in 2012 with 29 girls enrolled and today we serve over 500 girls between the ages of 7-17 years old a year. It's just the coolest curriculum: girls sign up to learn to play either drums, bass, guitar, vocals, or keys, they form a band, are mentored by our all-female staff, and spend 10 weeks in our after school program or a week in our summer camps writing an original song, recording it and performing it to a sold out crowd. Last year girls in our program wrote 81 original songs!! Two years ago we expanded our program to include a photography and film track, journalism track and sleep away camp for our teens. Girls are gaining important leadership skills and learning to work in a team, supporting each other instead of tearing each other down. We're changing the world and the coolest thing is we are part of a much larger network of like-minded non-profits who share the same mission. Want to talk about music influencing political change - it's rad!

Can musicians, songwriters, survive professionally long term these days? - I sure hope so. Ha! I think the best thing to do is surround yourself with a creative team you believe in and who believe in you.
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Globetrotting: Bitter's Kiss - Miss Max - Blue House - TVRQUOISE - PLGRMS - Chain Wallet

Bitter's Kiss - My God.

Background bio - Bitter's Kiss is primarily a vehicle for singer/songwriter Chloe Baker to showcase her talents.  Chloe grew up in a home filled with music, with a father who maintained a studio, a guitar collection and a band, and has been active in musical theatre for years.  Chloe currently attends High Tech, an arts academy in North Bergen, NJ.  Chloe has been serious about writing music for around a year, and has worked with her father to record and produce her music over the past several months.  

The reception has been incredibly positive, with a lot of encouragement to take her efforts to the next level.  Chloe uses songwriting as a diary and a means of exploring her world.  The track The Rope, for example, examines her feelings about the suicide of a distant cousin from a very religious background and the importance of staying true to one's identity and finding something personally significant to make life meaningful.  Another song, Too Far Too Fast, is a reaction to watching her older sister go off to college and noting how quickly time passes. The magic of Bakers work though is that despite this sad and often strange world she still manages to find hope. Website here.

The song 'My God' has been around for a few months however the video is new. The film brings the lyrics to life, and asks a reasonable question regarding what religion is about. Well we are about music and this is one fine song, as regards religion, all I will add is, the truth is out there...

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Miss Max - Gypsy Heart.

Background promo - Hailing from the remote one street tourist town of Coral Bay in Western Australia, barefooted folk songstress Miss Max recently crowned “Best of the North West” has captured the beauty of the nomadic travellers lifestyle with her new track ‘Gypsy Heart’.

Miss Max recently opened the 2016 North West Festival Weekender for the likes of Xavier Rudd, Sarah Blasko and The Rubens. Her debut EP has been capturing hearts since its release at the beginning of the year, her story telling shines in the single 'Gypsy Heart' capturing the beauty of the nomadic travellers’ lifestyle. “‘Gypsy Heart’ is a song to inspire those who haven't quiet found themselves, to travel and to live there lives for themselves and not others, its based on the spirit of the travellers I've met working in tourism and the nomadic lifestyle in which they and myself follow,” says Miss Max about the track.

In July, Miss Max started an Australia wide tour in her big blue van to promote her EP "Gypsea Heart". The tour began back down in Margaret River, and she is currently heading north following the WA coastline towards Darwin, down the middle through Alice Springs to the Eyre Peninsula and Adelaide, then across to Melbourne and up the coast through Sydney and Brisbane.

At the beginning of the tour, Miss Max was announced the winner of the local artist competition 'Best of the North West', seeing her open the 2016 North West Festival weekend in Port Hedland late August and with the re-release of her inspiring track 'Gypsy Heart' she is set to catapult onto festival line ups around the country. The track ‘Gypsy Heart’ was recorded and produced by the talented Dave Mann, in his custom built shipping container studio on his self sufficient farm in the heart of Margaret River. Dave is a seasoned gypsy and songwriter himself and features in the track with his soulful harmonies. Website here. Upcoming Show: 14th Oct - Port Lincoln Hotel.

Miss Max has a really pleasing and melodic voice, that is just right for modern folk music. 'Gypsy Heart' is a wispy and engaging song, that feels quite personal, whilst also having something of a mood lift within it.

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Blue House - Albert Played The Euphonium.

Background - “John the Unready” is one of two tracks that the duo, James Howard and Ursula Russell, released on September 9th via Canvasclub, Canvasback’s imprint for singles by up and coming musicians. The side B, "Albert Plays The Euphonium."

The band, comprised of James Howard and Ursula Russell, makes music that is subtle, elliptical, and ambiguous - rarely an obvious beast. They present us with a world of haunted pop — songs about people just departed, places just left, and events just witnessed.

Leaving no stone unturned, Blue House willfully explore the intricacies of pop, with an emphasis on poetics and quality songwriting. The fragile balance of atmospherics and presence in their music lends an understated and entrancing numerousness throughout it.

This Canvasclub release comes ahead of Suppose, the duo's debut full-length, out worldwide on September 30th via Whipped Cream Records (UK). Facebook here.

'Albert Played The Euphonium' is one of those song titles that gets you halfway to being featured on Beehive Candy even before a listen. In actual fact this is a delightful song, that gently delivers a fine melody alongside calming vocals. This one is a quite addictive, you have been warned!

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TVRQUOISE - Liar and the Fighter.

Background - Faye Wellman, a Michigan native, is a vocalist and writer living in Los Angeles, CA. Faye merges musical and emotional intuition with her education in music, performance, and writing to compose lyrics and inspired melodies. 

Matt Hogan (NY) is a multi-instrumentalist and producer living in Los Angeles, CA. With a background in classical upright bass, Matt combines his love of free flowing expressive musicianship with a mix of ethereal textures, electronic beats, and dream pop.

The two met during their studies at Berklee College of Music in Boston. Two years later, on the California Coast, TVRQUOISE officially emerged with a sound best defined by color.

TVRQUOISE’s debut EP reveals tender moments from half a decade. Faye’s lyrics derive from residencies, travels, and encounters in places such as Boston, Michigan, New York City, San Francisco, Mexico, and Belize. From Paralyzed Legs, a piece revealing the subconscious thoughts surrounding a captive relationship, to Calling Out, a track echoing the constant struggle between being a wanderlust and seeking lasting human connection, the trying pivot from youth to adulthood is present. 

The project’s name was derived from a train of fateful events and the power of the turquoise stone. Turquoise paves way for strength, wholeness, and truth. Turquoise aids in self-forgiveness, self-acceptance, and the release of useless regrets. Turquoise provides protection and the recognition of beauty, enabling new beginnings. TVRQUOISE is the electro-dreampop project of Faye Wellman and Matt Hogan. Website here.

'Liar and the Fighter' slowly builds into a dreamy and quite calming song. The vocals are smooth and beautifully immersed in the musical flow. It's electro dream pop, with a subtle hint of shoegaze somewhere within the mix.

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PLGRMS - Gemini.

Background - “Accepting defeat from that little voice of persuasion in your head and becoming attached to the alter ego; it can feel like someone else is in control of you. You become a vessel of thoughts and feelings that aren't necessarily your own, and you get to escape for a while.” Gemini. The man with two personalities, the twin, the alter ego.

We all have that desire to give in to the little voice on our shoulder, not caring about what may happen. This is the sentiment behind new single ‘Gemini’ from Australian duo PLGRMS, released 23rd November via London-based singles club 0E0E.

‘Gemini’ stands up to its name in sound and lyrics, showing another side to the duo through a darker, more brooding sound compared to previous singles. 'Gemini' is a bit darker and slinkier’ explains Jonathan Bowden, one half of the Australian duo alongside singer-songwriter Jacob Pearson. “While 'Gemini' still harbours elements of the previous singles, we were keen to give it its own distinct flavour…'Gemini' was a real team effort between both Jake and I and our producer, Ross James.”

PLGRMS’ newest offering follows previous singles ‘Fools And Their Gold’, and debut ‘Pieces’, which have collectively garnered 3million streams so far on Spotify/Apple, 150k SoundCloud and 20k Shazam. PLGRMS is the Sydney-based duo of singer-songwriter Jacob Pearson and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jonathan Bowden. Facebook here.

The superb vocals on 'Gemini' immediately grabbed my attention. Musically it's a sophisticated electro soundtrack, and combined together it's one very good song.

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Chain Wallet - Faded Fight.

Background - It can’t be denied that there is something sorrowful behind the Bergen-based, lo-fi dream/psych pop trio Chain Wallet, and they can’t hide that their music suits the environment wherein it was created. It may be a cliché that it always rains in the band’s hometown, but when you play Chain Wallet’s self-titled debut album, it’s not too difficult imagine the mist hanging heavily over their dystopian vision of Bergen.

The band's Frode Boris talks about the new video: "It is a video about liminality and the paradox of hedonism. It was directed by our talented chum Kristian Engelsen. We have worked with him in the past, on the video for “Stuck In The Fall”. The girl is Maria, a young photographer and energy drink enthusiast. The video was in fact conceived when the director wanted to get a free tattoo from her. There are so many people in this video, and they all belong to an emerging scene celebrating creativity."

Even though feelings of nostalgia and melancholy lurk in the Scandinavian shadows, it’s not difficult to find indie-pop gold in its purest form, glittering below the heavy layers of synth and reverb. Tracks like ‘Shade’ and ‘Abroad’ have an up-tempo urgency to them which calls to mind bands like Motorama, whereas other dreamy psych ballads like ‘Muted Colours’ and ‘Stuck In The Fall’ occupy a rich and hazy middle ground between Diiv and Wild Nothing. Though Chain Wallet may not have many genre colleagues in Norway, they easily join the ranks behind international indie counterparts like Twin Shadow or Beach Fossils.

On their debut album, Chain Wallet explore themes of betrayal, idleness and crushed dreams against the backdrop of an existential breakdown. Wrapped in the shimmer and haze of the lo-fi soundscape that they conjure, the album is loosely based in the same universe, and portrays different aspects of the quarter-life crisis. Self-titled debut album out Oct 7th via Jansen Plateproduksjon. Facebook here.

'Faded Fight' has a paced psych pop vibe running right through it. The vocals and the music flow along well together, with the mix and production bringing out the best of both. At the very least it's a good appetiser for Octobers album release.

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