Six Of The Best: Joan As Police Woman & Benjamin Lazar Davis - The Cut Losses - James Parry - Harlea - Laurel - SIANspheric

Joan As Police Woman & Benjamin Lazar Davis - Magic Lamp.

Background promo - Brooklyn based Joan As Police Woman and Benjamin Lazar Davis will release Let It Be You on Oct 21 via Reveal Records/BFD/RED Distribution. The band will celebrate the album's release at The Good Room in Greenpoint on 10/26. Also on the bill is another of Ben's projects, Cuddle Magic.

Initially announced under the moniker ‘2001’ the duo released a pair of partner videos directed by Benjamin Gregory featuring Fred Armisen (SNL, Portlandia); one for the song “Overloaded” with Ben on lead vocals and “Broke Me In Two” featuring Joan on lead.

A deeply soulful artist, Joan As Police Woman (Joan Wasser) has famously worked with Antony (Anohni), Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed and David Sylvian. Benjamin is a talented multi-instrumentalist who currently performs with his band Cuddle Magic, Okkervil River, and Bridget Kearney (Lake Street Dive). Joan and Ben met each other after separate trips to Africa; Ethiopia for Joan as part of Damon Albarn’s Africa Express,  and West Africa for Lazar to study traditional music. They initially bonded over Central African Republic Pygmy musical patterns and wrote this album together loosely inspired by this music. The band recently performed at the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn Festival.

The band will be touring Europe in November and December. Performing with a full band, Joan As Police Woman and Benjamin Lazar Davis will showcase songs from the new album and re-imagine recordings from the four previous Joan As Police Woman albums (Real Life, To Survive, The Deep Field, The Classic). Click Here for a full list of dates. Joan As Police Woman website here, Benjamin Lazar Davis here.

With artists of this calibre 'Magic Lamp' ought to be one fine song, and for me it's all of that. Stripped back to the vital musical ingredients the duo bring the vocals to the fore, and allow the steady rhythm, to sit nicely behind the melodic singing.

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The Cut Losses - My Valentine.

Background - Emerging shoegaze artist The Cut Losses put out a dreamy new single My Valentine. Self taught from the drum kit in Rock Band, Patrick McWilliams was a high school student playing drums for local bands, soon transitioning into the multi-instrumentalist virtuoso creator of the solo project The Cut Losses. Outcasted in his fine arts high school for having weird music tastes, the young Patrick McWilliams soon emerged as a unique voice, dominating numerous battle of the bands competitions, radio contests, and establishing a name for himself as a musician before the age of 17. 

He possessed only two albums growing up: a Beatles “Greatest Hits” album, and The Beach Boys “Endless Summer,” establishing his musical foundation which emphasises the power of melody and harmony as a song’s driving force. As he exposed himself to more music, he consistently found himself making connections to these two foundational albums, particularly in bands with psychedelic references such as Tame Impala and MGMT. He additionally enjoys experimenting with electronic music. As a result, his music is described as a hybrid of 70s Psychedelic, 80s Electronic, and Motown Revival.

More than sonic influences however, The Cut Losses most remembers the feeling of isolation in their youth, and through their music hope to provide a voice for unity and acceptance. Drenched in the love for 80s music, The Cut Losses wants their music to get people to dance again, instilling fast paced tempo behind the dreamy textures and evocative lyrics touching on themes of isolation, fear of insanity, and acceptance. The two together, they hope, will inspire people to embrace all the weirdness the world has to offer.

From being pulled on stage to sing with Surfer Blood, to signing with Cedar Street Records, The Cut Losses’s musical journey has been filled with exciting, unexpected moments. Gaining hype and traction from blogs, and their opening spot for LA surf-punks Together PANGEA in both 2014 and 2015, The Cut Losses are now developing their debut album with internationally acclaimed producer Felix Fung this year. Facebook here.

I was give a choice of two songs to feature and went with 'My Valentine' as I really like the arrangement and production. With sweet chorus harmonies and the vocals immersed in a swirl of sounds, it's sometimes psychedelic feel is quite appealing.

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James Parry - Young Emotions.

Background - James Parry lives in Hobart, Tasmania and writes independent pop songs. After playing in bands throughout high school, he released his first solo EP, Eastern Shores, in 2008, followed by his first album, Almost At The Ivory, in 2011. James is now excited to announce his latest album In The Lights. Sweet and juicy guitar riffs, de: drums and uplifting organ support James’ straight-shooting vocals, which tell a nostalgic tale of heady young love with a dark twist. Young Emotions is the opening track from In The Lights, and ripples from its story reach the furthest corners of the concept album.

James has supported artists including Alex Lloyd, The Gin Club, Leah Flanagan, Jackson Dyer and Ryan Downey, and a review of Almost At The Ivory declared that James’, “signature voice and passionate harmonies have led him to become a solid gold chip in the Tasmanian wedge of Australian independent artists.”  

Inspired by what an ace drum line could do for a recording such as Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, he used his search for the right recorded drum sound to pick a studio and settled on Toyland in Northcote, better known for heavy rock recording. The final mixing was finished at Head Gap Studio in Preston, where the likes of fellow Tassie-tinged successes Courtney Barnett, Ivy St and Augie March have also been seen. The recorded tracks were carefully mixed to find the light but definite pop sound for which James was aiming. “Young Emotions” will be in Digital Stores on the 30th of September James Parry’s Album In The Lights will be released 14th of October 2016. Website here.

Musically 'Young Emotions' is bright and breezy, with James Parry's vocals bringing in some heart and soul. As introductions go this is really positive stuff, story telling lyrics and an excellent musical arrangement, indicate the album could well be a splendid one.

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Harlea - Miss Me.

Background - Birmingham born, North London raised Harlea is set to raise hell with her first offering. ‘Miss Me’ introduces a sound that pushes against conformity – music with relatable themes, played with real instruments, to pop arrangements.

The track opens with a jaw-breaking riff that instantly sets it apart from a current trend of mood-based, playlist friendly pop songs. Harlea’s distinctly British vocal reveals razor sharp lyrics, which culminate in a siren call “What do you feel when you’re not with me, is your body cold, do you miss me?”.

Harlea explains, “The song is about the intense pleasure you get from a relationship, regardless of its consequences. Giving in to an obsession, it describes the reckless abandon with which you are drawn in. 'Miss Me' expresses an emotional addiction which is felt when you are separated - even a destructive relationship can pale next to the pain of not being together." With blues inspired riffs and female-lead, incessantly catchy pop melodies, ‘Miss Me’ serves as a fitting introduction to a major new artist. Facebook here.

'Miss Me' kicks off with some feisty riffs and an expansive rock sound. Harlea's vocals mix gritty rock'n'roll moments, alongside melodic an softer choruses. The song suggests we are in for some good and interesting material to come.

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Laurel - Hurricane.

Background - Southampton-raised, 22 year old London-based singer, songwriter and producer Laurel Arnell-Cullen is to release her Park EP, and has signed to iconic English independent label Counter Records (an imprint of Ninja Tune). Brand new track 'Hurricane', taken from the EP, made its radio debut recently courtesy of Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1. The Park EP was written, performed, recorded, produced and mixed by Laurel in her East London bedroom based studio. The first taster; 'Hurricane' demonstrates a maturity of sound beyond her 22 years, her breathy vocals sitting atop exquisite melodies with heartfelt, intimate delivery.

It follows the release of singles 'Life Worth Living' and 'San Francisco', which Laurel released on her label Theia earlier in the year. The tracks saw her garner a wealth of support from BBC Radio 1, Beats1, Apple, Spotify, New York Times, The Guardian, and many more, reaching Top 3 on Hype Machine's Popular Chart and surpassing half a million plays in under a month - her Spotify listener figures are in excess of 300k every month.

With a debut album scheduled for early 2017, Park EP further enhances Laurel’s position as a phenomenal new talent, mixing raw organic production with striking yet touching songwriting and powerfully enchanting vocals, (Out 18th Nov on Counter Records). Website here. Laurel has played numerous live shows over the summer and has recently announced her very first UK headline tour, to take place this November. Dates as follows:

23rd Nov - Crofters Rights, Bristol
24th Nov - Green Door Store, Brighton
25th Nov - Eagle Inn, Manchester
26th Nov - The Attic @ The Garage, Glasgow
27th Nov - Think Tank Underground, Newcastle
29th Nov - Brudenell Games Room, Leeds
30th Nov - Servant Jazz Quarters, London.

With such a distinct and appealing voice and songs as good (and heartfelt)  as 'Hurricane', it's no surprise that Laurel is clocking up big numbers on the listening front. One to watch out for, if ever there was.

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SIANspheric - I Have It (Edit).

Background from the band - 'I Have It' is the first single off the upcoming SIANspheric album "Writing The Future in Letters Of Fire". Coincidence or not, "I Have It" translates to "Yo La Tengo" ... and the song does have the flavour of those indie heroes. The song features local friends Earth, Wind and Choir and their soaring vocals on the choruses, it's probably our most ambitious song to date.

On the topic of perhaps the longest gestating album title of all-time (we were selling "Writing the Future in Letters of Fire" t-shirts in 2010), that title is a reference from American Gods by Neil Gaiman... just as our previous album "The Sound of the Colour of the Sun" is from Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland. Literary references have played an important role in our lyrics and song titles as well... "Ending is Better than Mending" is from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, "No Space" is via No Logo by Naomi Klein and "This All Happened" is from the book of the same name by Michael Winter.

And it's our pleasure to also announce that our debut album 'Somnium' from 1995 will be released on vinyl for the first time. A 20th anniversary surprise... after the 20th anniversary has passed... we're old. Website here.

If there is a hint of Yo La Tengo in the song 'I Have It', then I would consider it as fine seasoning that just brings out the flavour. Dreamy and absorbing, the vocals and music interact beautifully as does the choir. I am left anticipating the new album, that said as it's taken this long, I reckon I can handle a few more weeks.

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Weekend Wonders: Grog - Rue Snider - Henry Jamison - Red Rosamond - Robbie Miller

Grog - Guiding Light.

Background from Grog - “The video for Guiding Light has an extra resonance due to the timing, circumstances and location of its creation. It was shot against blackened and ash covered landscapes in the aftermath of the Sand Fire, named after the Sand Canyon area where I live, east of LA’s Santa Clarita Valley. It consumed thousands of acres and came within two miles of my house, directly after the day I received news of Al’s passing. You could say my whole world had turned to ash.

Previously, I’d spent a week in London visiting Al in intensive care. My mind was filled with dark visions of the destructive nature of sepsis and the harsh, cruel way in which nature often devastates and yet continues to give birth to new life, new beginnings. When the Sand Fire was finally under control I had an overwhelming urge to shoot something; maybe it was about the effort to create something, to try to let something out, or just to feel the ash and dirt on my skin.

It wasn’t until I returned from my second trip to the UK for Al’s funeral that I shot the rest of the scenic footage and the areas I explored still resonated strongly with my emotional state. No matter how massive your loss, how heavy your heart, every challenge is an opportunity to rise to your light, to take the unique familiar goodness that you miss so much and recognise it in others, and in yourself. It’s still there in your heart.

Change is the very nature of all things, and though I detest what has happened, I will be changed by Al’s death, and I must guide that change towards positivity and growth.” Guiding Light - Release: 14 October 2016. Website here.

'Guiding Light' is the second song we have featured by Grog and she continues to impress, even with a more sombre and deeper piece like this. It's a reflective and serious track, which considers the sudden passing of her close friend and Die So Fluid drummer Al Fletcher.

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Rue Snider - Stories.

Background - Folk-punk/Americana singer songwriter Rue Snider will release his second solo album, Broken Window, October 7, 2016. Three singles preceded the album; “Blackout,” “Blue Skies and Telephone Poles,” and “Stories.” “Stories,” a fan favourite, was a featured new release on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter homepage.

Broken Window was written in the midst of Rue’s transition from being a full time drinker to living as a sober person. The album moves from nihilism to hope over the course of its 36 hook-filled minutes. The songs’ instrumentation including jangly electric guitars, fiddle, and organ help to offset some of the darker lyrical content. Light overcoming dark is central to the album’s theme both in subject matter and tone.

"I try to be transparent in songs about a lot of the dark corners and trying moments in my life in an effort to encourage people to move past fear,” says Rue. “This record gets into a lot of the grittiness of alcoholism and becoming sober. The songs take a serious look at death and embracing the fact that life is finite as inspiration to live better."

Rue Snider has toured America extensively for three years in support of his debut full length album Leaving To Returning and single releases, The New New Colossus and Never Met A Girl I Didn’t Love. He has made appearances at SXSW and Folk Alliance International, and shared the stage with Tom Maxwell (Squirrel Nut Zippers), Tropic of Pisces, Superhuman Happiness, Benjamin Scheuer ("The Lion"), Blue Healer, Donna Missal, and Walter Salas-Humara (the Silos). He is currently on the road in support of Broken Window. Website here.

Rue Snider has distinct and engaging vocals as 'Stories' demonstrates. Not surprising the track is something of a story, which has an Americana feel running throughout. It's typical of the overall quality of the three singles released so far, and the forthcoming album. It's definitely worth checking all his material out.

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Henry Jamison - Dallas Love Field.

Background - “Dallas Love Field” follows Henry’s previous two singles, the endearing “Real Peach” and its ethereal follow-up, “Through A Glass”, both of which just eclipsed a combined one million streams on Spotify in the past month alone… not bad for a brand-new songwriter!

The stand-out debut called The Rains EP, is coming out on October 14th through the UK label, Akira Records. The songs that comprise the The Rains show a central interest in exploring inner worlds, observing their treasures and holding none in contempt. He was also perhaps predisposed to songwriting, having come from a long line of poets and songwriters… his distant grandfather was the 14th century English poet John Gower (friend to Chaucer and Richard II) and his great-great-great-great grandfather was George Frederick Root, the most popular songwriter of the Civil War era. Facebook here.

Live dates:
10/01 - Portland, ME - Waking Windows Festival
10/04 - Burlington, VT - Signal Kitchen (w/ Vetiver)
11/01 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall (Communion Presents) 

We featured 'Real Peach' from the EP back in mid August and described 'The Rains' EP from which 'Dallas Love Field' also comes as follows. Comprising of five beautiful songs, thoughtful words sung with tenderness are accompanied by an understated and predominately acoustic soundtrack. Melodic through and through, and with delicate harmonies, the EP really is something quite special.

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Red Rosamond - Damn.

Background and obviously very private message from Red - Dear Mike , I am driven by love.  I am inspired by the emotionally authentic - the passionate, the bold, the determined - and the flawed. I grew up listening to stars like Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Al Green & Tina Turner. Inspired by their work, every song I write I aim to be true.

'Damn' is about the power play between two people. The magnetism, the seduction… It’s about desire and heartbreak, about someone who has a hold on you.

We all have that one that got away and this is our soundtrack, my love letter to you. x Red.

I mean, how can I resist with a message like that! Actually 'Damn' is one very good song and well worth a feature in it's own right. A powerful pop song with Red's vocals and the potent musical soundtrack both challenging and complementing each other, it is a grand song through and through. Facebook here.

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Robbie Miller - Road

Background - Off the back of a breakthrough 2016, Robbie Miller's musical evolution continues to grow with his upcoming second EP Closer To Home (out 28 October), to be supported by a tri-state launch tour announced today.

This past year has been quite the journey for Robbie Miller, with his singles ‘The Pain’ and 'Road' both picked up for rotation on triple j, national support tours alongside Josh Pyke and Dustin Tebbutt, a gig with Michael Franti and a stellar Bigsound showcase. Capping off an already impressive year, Miller is packing up to hit the pavement once more in support of his second EP, the weight of his growing accolades behind him and an endlessly promising future ahead.

Miller's follow-up to debut EP The Faster The Blood Slows is an atmospheric and emotionally immersive experience. Closer To Home isn't just headphone music at its finest – it bares all with close, poignant moments, dramatic highs and all that falls in between. So effortlessly does Miller intimately blend all these sonic shades does he bring his uniquely raw voice to the stage, a vocal strength of which has been described “to make your knees weak”.

Miller's sound has undeniably changed since the world first met him. Recorded in various locations from a Kyogle country cabin to a Melbourne studio with Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy, Alex Lahey, Ali Barter), Closer To Home is the dawning of a new era for Miller. His melding of alternative electronic sensibilities with his folk origins is flawless, further proving himself as a talent to watch. Closer To Home (EP) is released on Friday October 28, with a launch tour across three states beginning in Brisbane. Facebook here.

'Road' is the first of five really fine songs on the forthcoming 'Closer To Home' EP. Robbie has an engaging and melodic voice, that works so well with the smooth and sensitively crafted electronic background.

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BeeVids: Sunshine & The Blue Moon - Royal Canoe - Skinny Girl Diet

Sunshine & The Blue Moon - Welcome to the Future.

Background from the band - News on the detrimental effects that our collective human selves wreak upon our poor planet always get's my mind turning. I notice others are less inclined to want to listen to, or talk about these stories because they're often told to us in a harsh, stark doomsday kind of way, so I thought maybe I would try to write the tragedies into a less alarmist, more upbeat hopeful song, maybe listeners will absorb it and think about it with a more positive tone.

The way the recording ended up, with the horns and bombast, just made me think of some strange long-lost educational TV show, and that's the direction we tried to take with the video. Our debut album is out now via The Hand! Bandcamp here.

'Welcome to the Future' is a clever and massively catchy indie rock song. The video adds some colour and fun to the whole thing, the song is more than enough on it's own, so a double helping of delight is ensured.

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Royal Canoe - Bicycle.

Background - Juno Award nominated Royal Canoe have just released sophomore album Something Got Lost Between Here and the Orbit via Embassy of Music (EU), Moorworks (Japan) and Nevado Music.

The band have since followed up with a wonderfully quirky visual accompaniment to 'Bicycle'. The animated video by Matea Radic and  Bill Acheson perfectly complements the band's wildly creative take on music, and will have you smiling and/or uncontrollably tapping your feet.

Royal Canoe has always had an intensively rhythmic heart and that is more the case than ever. Their lyrics grow organically out of an addictive percussive flow and the unique topography of each track. Reinforcing their vocal and percussive core allowed them to be more adventurous with experimentation; more determined in their ongoing pursuit of the elusive musicality that can be found in collisions between digital and analogue worlds. In addition to their their usual buffet of synthesisers, effects pedals and homemade samples, late nights lead to to rabbit-holes of attaching contact mics to water bottles to play them like percussion instruments and convoluting synths through beluga whale field recordings. Website here.

If you like genre defying music then 'Bicycle' may well be a real treat for your ears. The video adds another dimension to the song, which is just so vibrant and engaging. Superbly different!

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Skinny Girl Diet - Bored.

Background - Skinny Girl Diet debut new video "Bored" off their upcoming debut LP "Heavy Flow" and announce USA vinyl pre-order. (HHBTM Records). One of the most eagerly anticipated albums in years, Skinny Girl Diet’s Heavy Flow is already getting regular play on BBC Radio 6 (by Iggy Pop, no less) and the London band’s been featured in just about every music blog/magazine you can imagine. 

The band won’t even be old enough to drink during their upcoming US tour, and yet Delilah Holiday, Ursula Holiday, and Amelia Cutler have been doing this for almost six years now.. SGD is raw, bleeding, and beautiful, a perfect convergence of Angela Carter and Angela Davis and The Powerpuff Girls. Inspired by punk and grunge and being alive & awake in the 21st century, their debut album—self-released in the UK so they can control the product, released in the US on HHBTM Records b/c it’s the only label you can trust—is as cathartic & angry & moving as anything we’ve heard in a long time. ‘OK’ may be the best song ever written about watching a loved one struggle through depression.

'Bored' typifies the bands uncompromising musical stance, as they continue to impress with their brand of grungy punk. Forty years on from the UK punk explosion and Skinny Girl Diet bring a fresh new and urgent sound, ensuring there is life a plenty in the genre today.

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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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