Midweek Muse: Linnea Olsson - Blueprint Blue - Tempesst - Astrid Gnosis - Emma Charleston

Linnea Olsson - Hall Of Tragedy

Background - The fantasy pop cellist Linnea Olsson drops her new official video for 2nd EP single 'Hall Of Tragedy' Out Now. Having worked with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Sting, Ane Brun and Maia Hirasawa, Linnea leaves no doubt regarding the high level of her talent and musicianship. 

Being supported by The New York Times as well as The 405, Linnea's sonic journey within the "cello driven fantasy pop" continues. "Hall Of Tragedy" is Linnea's second single, taken from her forth-coming EP called "For Show", and the official video is yet again another creative thing done by Linnea in its entirety. The EP will be coming out 24th February. Facebook here.

Combining Cello and keyboards the opening of 'Hall Of Tragedy' sets the scene for Linnea's distinct and creative vocals, using them to great effect on this atmospheric song.

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Blueprint Blue - You And Me.

Background - Blueprint Blue discovered 'You and Me' and the incredible story behind the song, when Mairead Nash, manager of Florence and the Machine, asked the band to perform at her wedding.

Originally recorded in 1970 by long forgotten soul band Penny and Quarters, 'You and Me' came to prominence in 2010 after an unreleased demo of the song was used in the film 'Blue Valentine' at the request of its star Ryan Gosling. The track, which underpins Gosling's on screen relationship with Michelle Williams, had surfaced after a Chicago based reissue label had unearthed it on cassette at a yard sale.

 Blueprint Blue are ex Scum members Huw Webb (bass) and and Melissa Rigby (drums) who are joined by Elliot Hayward on vocals and guitar. They formed in 2013, united by a love of The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, and Jackson Browne. Having already been championed by Tim Burgess of The Charlatans and James Hoare of Ultimate Painting, as well as receiving UK and international airplay and coverage, the band will be playing this year's SXSW music festival. A Pledge campaign to support their appearance at SXSW has reached 78% of its target. Support here.

The band play London's Lexington on March 9th with support from DJs Rhys Webb (The Horrors) and Bahamian Moor, where they'll be launching their EP 'Flying Machine'. Facebook here.

'You And Me' is a melodic indie pop track with a bright and catchy vibe running throughout, and with a chorus line that just adds so many more hooks.


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Tempesst - Sunflower Lady.

Background - “Hey you, don’t you know who I am?” – it’s a brazen taunt that echoes the boyish fantasies of tempestuous Australian twins Toma and Andy Banjanin, and that of their new single 'Sunflower Lady'. Now based in London - the duo pull together influences from across the board on 'Sunflower Lady'; a kaleidoscopic daydream fusing the psych-rock tendencies of fellow countrymen Tame Impala or King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard, with the wit and humour of folk troubadours like Father John Misty and Matthew E. White.

“Sunflower Lady is about being under the spell of a girl,” explains vocalist Toma Banjanin. “You'd do anything to have her - so I had to write a song about it.” Speaking a little more on the idea behind the video, Andy Banjamin said: "Originally the idea was to feature my cat Riley as the star of the video but he was very unhappy that I took him out of the house. So after hours of chasing him around the studio we ended up only getting one shot with him and then decided to take turns dancing in front of the camera. There you have it."

It’s been a big year for Tempesst – now joined by band of brothers Eric Weber (guitars), Jesse Hutchence (bass) and Kane Reynolds (keys) – including back-to-back showcases (The Great Escape, NME Awards, Live At Leeds), festivals (Bushstock, Southsea Fest, Hackney Wonderland) and live dates alongside Mystery Jets, The Veils, Albert Hammond Jr and GUM (Jay Watson, Tame Impala). Fresh from their biggest London headline to date at The Moth Club, Tempesst saw out 2016 with a sold out December UK Tour in support of The Temper Trap. Tempesst now head out on another UK tour of their own - see our tour page for details. Facebook here.

Last time we featured Tempesst the comment "a little bit of swaggering confidence" felt appropriate and with the music video for 'Sunflower Lady' I reckon it's worth repeating. The band create an expansive and timeless rock sound and a very good one at that.

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Astrid Gnosis - Severe Delays.

Background - Visual and sound artist Astrid Gnosis explores social and emotional collapse through her work — a heady mix of abstract textures, fractured beats, cinematic atmospherics, twisted melodies and off-the-wall vocals.

Now living and working in London, Astrid began writing music when she was just 13 years old. She's crafted sonic installations for exhibitions and art performances, alone and collaborating with other artists. She’s made the soundtracks and sound design for a number of short films, the most recent of which will be shown at the London Short Film Festival 2017.

 “Music alone is a vessel, it diplomatically drives consciousness into reflection. Words seemed to limit this journey” she continues “but increasingly I felt the urge to narrow my language, and incorporate more violence into music”, she says, “because for me it is vital to speak of the anger and hopes of my generation, and it is now we’re most angry.”

‘Agnosis’, a conceptual six-track EP is about “tacit conflict and subsequent collapse”, painting a greying, dystopian picture of where our futures might be headed. “ Agnosis means ignorance in greek, this EP is the first part of a cognitive map of fear, strength, faith, fate, love and hate.” Astrid Gnosis ‘Agnosis’ (music/is/for/losers) Release Date: 24th February 2017. Bandcamp (pre-order) here.

If your looking for something a little different then 'Severe Delays' could well fit that category. Abstract it may well be, the track develops into a more cohesive piece and for me is another example of music and art combining without any pretentious nonsense. EP eagerly awaited!

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Emma Charleston - Falling.

Background - At a time when seemingly everyone is releasing music online and aspiring to full-time careers in the music industry, even today’s most talented artists consider distinguishing themselves a daunting task. On her new single “Falling,”folk pop singer-songwriter Emma Charleston captures both the angst and the optimism of an extraordinarily gifted musician in an overly saturated market. Based at the prestigious and intensely competitive Berklee College of Music, the multi-instrumentalist Charleston delivers a dreamy ballad of a tune that touches on themes of self-doubt, determination, and individuality. “Falling” will be available digitally on February 17 via iTunes, Spotify and other online sites.

According to Charleston, “Falling” originated in the rough and tumble world of a challenging Berklee classroom: “I wrote this song after an exceptionally difficult day of classes. It was a day that pushed me as both an artist and a person. I went through the day feeling like I had to compare myself to other aspiring artists.” With feelings of self-doubt creeping in, Charleston allowed herself to express her feelings in a way that was both musically and emotionally healing.

However, as the songwriting process evolved, “Falling” turned into a hopeful ode to persistence and self-confidence: “In the end, “Falling” became a song about finding yourself in a world of people just like you. It’s an urgent reminder that you have to retain your individuality and find your own way.” Facebook here.

Emma Charleston has a vibrant and melodic voice that is just so suited to a song like 'Falling'. Folk pop with an acoustic soundtrack, it's Emma's vocals that drive the melody, this is a charming song.

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Genre Wander: The Tigerlilies - Topanga - Sinners & Saints - Bokito

The Tigerlilies - Shipwrecked.

Background - The style set forth by the Buzzcocks, Cheap Trick and The Ramones is alive and well in the hands of The Tigerlilies - Cincinnati’s sole practitioners of post punk power pop. Brothers Pat (vocals, guitar) and Steve (vocals, drums) Hennessy spearhead the band which includes Brian Driscoll (bass) and Brendan Bogosian (lead guitar). Together they have played countless shows around Ohio, serving as support for Violent Femmes, Joan Jett, Paul Weller, Guided By Voices and Superchunk, and attaining a sizable and appreciative following along the way. The past decade has seen the release of many singles and albums on independent Midwestern labels such as Atavistic, Violently Hip and Mono-cat 7, chalking up a total of four full lengths which showcase The Tigerlilies economic blend of punk, 60’s soul and garage rock.

The band is following up their 2016 critically acclaimed 123456 EP with an old fashioned 7-inch single release, “Lovers Du” / “Shipwrecked”, tracked at the historic Herzog Studio Space in Cincinnati. The single will drop digitally and on vinyl early 2017 and will be released on Sir Gregory Records out of Ashville, NC. The label, run by Greg Mills, is known for its deep catalog of US and UK-based psych & garage rock.

Both sides of the 7” deal with the ephemeral nature of love and life, often capturing such weighty subjects through the lens of pop culture. “These things are important to us because they represent a shared human experience” asserts Pat. “Hearing them reflected in song can bring people together, make them feel uplifted, reflective and just better.” This is a sentiment which has been echoed by their fan base who have expressed how The Tigerlilies music has helped them through depressing and even suicidal times. It’s seems the band’s retro, revved up rock, which often comes with a care free veneer, has a deep effect on people’s lives. Website here, Facebook here.

'Shipwrecked' is a powerful guitar rocker where the vocals are loud and ideally matched for what is unpretentious blast of rock'n'roll.

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Topanga - Life's A Coma.

Background - Los Angeles indie pop group Topanga is thrilled to have released their debut EP Midnight Jungle. Titled after the nickname the group bestowed upon LA after dark, the EP was written throughout late 2015 and early 2016, and is inspired by two lifetimes of experience in the strange city. They then brought the EP to their friend Mike Malchicoff (who helped engineer Kanye’s The Life of Pablo) and experimented with the right mix of sounds and synths in order to create the perfect concoction. The final result is a dreamy six-part album that both meditates on fantasies of the past, and navigates the strange realities of the present.

Topanga was started by Derek Brambles and Eric Johnson, former members of the now-defunct group The King’s English. Both these men draw inspiration from a wide variety of musical figures, ranging from Miike Snow and Tame Impala, to Kendrick Lamar and David Bryne; however, they both reserve a special place in their hearts for Paul McCartney’s RAM and David Bowie’s Hunky Dory, going so far as to have “1971” tattooed on them to commemorate their year of release. Website here, Facebook here.

With rhythmic beats at the fore 'Life's A Coma' is a powerful track with the vocals also playing a key part in driving the song along. The 360 video is an additional treat, giving even more potency to a feisty song.

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Sinners & Saints - Promise Land.

Background - Americana duo Sinners & Saints share their new single "Promise Land," an upbeat track featuring dulcet harmonies, a swinging bass line and bright harmonica. The track comes to us from the duo's forthcoming second full-length album On The Other Side, available March 10th via Silent Uproar.

Sometimes you need a friend to laugh with and sometimes you need a friend to cry with. The two-man band Sinners & Saints, from Charlotte, NC, fits the bill for both. Whether they’re crooning about heartbreak or tearing it up with joyful abandon, you’ll feel happier for having listened. Perry Fowler and Mark Baran infuse their acoustic, country-tinged tunes with compelling harmonies and foot-powered percussion on repurposed drums from an abandoned kit.

Since the band’s formation in 2011, the band has shared the stage up and down the east coast with the likes of Flogging Molly, Shovels and Rope, Robert Earl Keen, Daniel Romano, St Paul & the Broken Bones, SUSTO, Sun Kil Moon, Bombadil, and many others. On The Other Side will be available on March 10th, 2017. Upcoming tour dates on Beehive Candy tour page. Website here, Facebook here.

Americana with a hint of more traditional country vibes, is notable on the featured song 'Promise Land'. The album takes the listener into a varied collection of Americana ideas and tunes, with the duo keeping it interesting and enjoyable with differing styles and plenty of catchy tracks.

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Bokito - Better At Getting Worse.

Background - Peddling an uproarious blend of rock, soca, funk and roots, London-based five-piece Bokito have coined a phrase for their unique genre mashup: tropical indie. Anyone fortunate enough to have witnessed the group’s jaw-dropping live sets, where edgy grooves and unforgettable hooks are delivered as if every show is a sun-baked carnival, would relate to this label. Though much of the attention naturally falls on singer Moses – a man whose extraordinary voice is married to eye-popping stage-front shape-throwing that proves a catalyst for the audience to follow suit – the vice-like tightness and melodious flourishes of the band, comprising Jody (bass), Joe (guitar), Tom (drums) and Sam (keys/percussion), are equally essential. Bokito take inspiration from such diverse sources as J Dilla, Jeff Buckley, Fela Kuti, Justin Timberlake and Queens of the Stone Age to bring a little of the rousing celtic spirit of Moses’ Irish homeland to London’s global soundscape. The thrilling results proved irresistible to Lost In The Manor Records, which added Bokito to its roster as a signing sure to put a rocket under 2017.

Though an unequivocal dancehall classic, a booming amalgam of Afro-funk and indie, ‘Better At Getting Worse’ is something of a cautionary insight to the male psyche. Frontman Moses explains: “The song is primarily aimed at men and their own handling of their emotions... and how useless most of them are at it. But we men are talented at one thing, which is suppressing everything and moulding it into a smile.” Indeed, one listen to ‘Better At Getting Worse’ and it’s hard not to crack a grin the size of an alpine crevasse, right from the song’s swirling organ-and-guitar refrain soaring across an angular calypso rhythm, to its absolutely astral chorus, a spine-tingler of a hook that finds Moses proclaiming “Everyone thinks I’m better but really I’m just getting better… better at getting worse”. Produced by Bradley Spencer and Alex Beitzke in London’s Fish Tank studios, and mastered by legendary Grammy-nominated engineer Greg Calbi, ‘Better At Getting Worse’ is a characteristically compelling first salvo from a band who have a rich seam of ready singles in waiting. Facebook here.

There is a funky upbeat groove right from the very start and singer Moses just rides above the band, delivering delicious vocals throughout 'Better At Getting Worse'.

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Monday Mix: People Flavor - Rousseau - Spiral Stairs

People Flavor - Shake Well.

Background - People Flavor have shared their new track "Shake Well", out now on Dangerbird Records.  "Shake Well" is the first single from People Flavor in Dangerbird's Microdose series.

People Flavor is a four-piece rock band from Montebello, California. While new on the scene, the band can trace its genesis back to a teenaged solo project dreamt up by frontman Fernando Andrade,  along with best bro Byron Turner joining the process soon after. The pair then recruited high school cronies Giovanni Padilla and Andrew Valdez, to become the collaborative effort they are today.   Since rounding out the lineup in 2015,  People Flavor have been busy playing shows at house parties, DIY venues and some of Los Angeles’ most notable musical mainstays such as The Bootleg Theater, CIA, and Los Globos.

Continually crafted through the writing and recording process, their distinct sound incorporates jazz chords with post and dance-punk elements, delivering it all with 80’s new wave sensibility. The boys are heavily influenced by slinky Spanish rock and the refined cool of British tunes, evoking a likeness to both an Hispanic Duran Duran and early Radiohead. Contrasting with their dance-inducing grooves, the lyrics tend to focus on the more melancholic aspects of life and love, magically manipulating you into feeling good about being sad. Ultimately, People Flavor is a sonic experiment in self-expression geared towards finding yourself in others and finding the others in yourself.

'Shake Well' is a bright indie rock song with jangly guitars, fresh and pleasing vocals alongside a catchy melodic vibe. It's short, sharp and attention grabbing!

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Rousseau - Desert Road.

Background - Following a set of critically acclaimed singles in 2016, New Zealand electro songstress Rousseau keeps the momentum going in 2017, announcing her latest single, “Desert Road,” out now worldwide. The track is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that instantly grabs you from the first listen.

Growing up in Auckland, Rousseau spent hours listening to classical music and opera, or The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – the only pop music her parents owned. Her relationship with songwriting began when a neighbor introduced her to Lauryn Hill, OutKast, and the acoustic guitar.  In high school she won national recognition for her songwriting and musicianship, before studying economics and philosophy at university.

Since making her debut last year with her single "Petra Says", Rousseau has gained a following in her native New Zealand with over 400K+ streams on Spotify alone in just a few short months, a spot on Spotify Aus/NZ's coveted New Music Friday playlist and music sites and blogs around the world. "Desert Road" marks her latest release building up anticipation for her debut EP "hello, i know you're busy", out April 2017. Described as making "whip-smart...confessional dark pop" by Wonky Sensitive, keep your eye on Rousseau as one of your new favorite discoveries of 2017.

Rousseau declares herself an imperfect everywoman. Her raw honesty and satirical take on working life immediately mark her songwriting out as something special.  This fearlessness, mixed with her pop sensibility and layered, slow-burning production, defines Rousseau. She’s a subversive pop artist, tackling female stereotypes, twenty-something angst and the human condition, sometimes all in the same song. Website here, Facebook here.

Rousseau's vocals can be intimate and personal, however they can also convey a sense of concern and feeling, in a dramatic and engaging manner. 'Desert Road' has a musical soundtrack that mixes low key moments alongside powerful and expansive parts and collectively lead to a superb song.

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Spiral Stairs - Dundee Man.

Background - Spiral Stairs (Pavement's Scott Kannberg) will release his second album under that name, Doris and the Daggers, on March 24 on the Nine Mile label in the US, on Domino in Europe  and on Coolin' By Sound in Australia / New Zealand. He has now shared the second single from the album "Dundee Man".

The album features guest appearances from Matt Berninger of The National, Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew and Justin Peroff, Kelley Stoltz and Shudder To Think's Adam Wade. Spiral Stairs has also launched a Pledge Music campaign where fans will have the option of buying archival Pavement and Preston School of Industry merch and memorabilia (or a DJ set, private show, trip to IKEA or a round of golf with Scott) along with their pre-order of Doris and the Daggers.

The Real Feel – the Pavement guitarist and Preston School Of Industry leader’s 3rd album (and first as Spiral Stairs) – arrived in 2009, just as Pavement were announcing a hugely successful burst of reunion shows through 2010. “Then, after the Pavement shows, I moved with my wife to go live in a house in the country near Brisbane, in Australia,” the amiable Scott remembers, of those years of seeming inactivity. “Then we had a kid, and that sort of got in the way. I tried to do music, but all of a sudden it was two years later and I’m mowing my lawn and tending my garden.” Website here, Bandcamp (pre order) here. Tour dates on Beehive Candy Tour page.

We featured the first single from the forthcoming album last month. 'Dundee Man' is another fine track and more than hints we are in for a good album. With a tight and yet relaxed sound, the musicians are clearly up for delivering some fresh rock vibes, which underpin the vocals, allowing Scott Kannberg to reach out to an audience way beyond Pavements core fans.

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Sundays Alternative Take: Pale Honey - Myles Manley - Ida Wenøe - Happy Camper - ALIA

Pale Honey - Why Do I Always Feel This Way.

Background - Kicking off with a Swedish headline tour and much-anticipated sweaty days in the studio, 2017 is set to be Pale Honey’s year. Having wrapped up their praised debut album release, the self-titled ‘Pale Honey’ (May 2015) with live shows across Europe including sold-out shows in the UK, the band is ready to unleash rising danger upon the world with a new album set for release later this year. With the single release ‘Real Thing’ (October 2016) the band gave listeners a hint of what to expect from their upcoming album

Where 'Real Thing' paired fervent guitar and drums, on 'Why Do I Always Feel This Way' Pale Honey switch their focus to synthesizers and vocals bursting with yearning. Recorded with producer Anders Lagerfors in Nacksving Studios in their hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. Lyrics of love, jealousy and denial are elegantly driven by singer Tuva Lodmark in a way that it is sure to leave no heart untouched. Tour dates on our tour page. Facebook here.

There is a fine mix between minimal synths (albeit pretty potent) and vocals on 'Why Do I Always Feel This Way'. The musical layers gently build as does the emotion and atmosphere, without losing the stripped back feel.

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Myles Manley - Relax; Enjoy Your Night Upon The Town.

Background - "Relax; Enjoy your night upon the town!" with this utterance Myles Manley is being at once both sincere and fatalistic. "I always knew I was the best!" says the dashing and supercilious young artist with a smile, "but at certain points I realise that that might not really be the case. It is always the case though." Myles Manley makes idiosyncratic folk music on guitar with rhythms and colours snatched from various places, most recently Eric B and Rakim, Micachu and The Shapes, Moondog, The Clash's Sandinista, Jinx Lennon, Frankie Cosmos, etc. "I started listening to a lot of early hiphop for some reason and what I loved about it was the clunkiness of the sounds, and the excitement you can hear at a whole new world of opportunities. I bought an MPC and started making idiot beats late at night that I'd write songs to. I've always had an ear for weird rhythms and I was able to make stuff that you'd never come up with rehearsing in a room with a drummer."

Myles Manley was born in northern England and lived in a few places there until his family moved to Sligo, Ireland, where he became the village indie boy. "I'm in love with songs. What I am seeking in my music is naivety and deliciousness; what I find is also an escape from anxiety. And if you want to really hear it, imagine early days, running round a dead, shithole town at 4am in August, with a person you haven't kissed, want to kiss and will never kiss. No power. Night night." "Relax; enjoy your night upon the town" is set for release on February 17th via Dublin's Little L Records, available on 7" and all major digital platforms. See our tour dates page for live dates. Bandcamp pre order here, website here.

After a minute or so of watching the video I still wasn't sure whether to feature 'Relax; Enjoy Your Night Upon The Town'. Something drew me back for another watch and listen, and I have to say I am now totally hooked on this song. Having watched and listened to a couple of other songs by Myles, I think I get it, whatever I love it.

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Ida Wenøe - Lyla.

Background - A new track Lyla taken from Danish artist Ida Wenøe's (pronounced EE-da ven-O) debut solo release Time Of Ghosts (April 7th) has been shared. While she has an obvious appreciation of Americana, Ida's sound is very definitely laced with more English undertones: the kind of sound Edward Woodward might have heard downstairs in the local inn had the Wicker Man been filmed in a remote Danish village, while Sarah Lund scoured for clues in her jumper. Like the best of the Nordic Noir leaving the Danish mainland, the recordings are at once both sonically pure and grimy; there’s a shared loneliness that makes you feel that you’re not at all; and all the while there is an honesty to the songwriting that tugs at your sleeve.

While still fronting the much-feted Boho Dancer, 2014 brought a successful collaboration with Dangers of The Sea, a series of sold out supports in Denmark with Teitur, and a spate of tremendously well received shows both in London and at The Great Escape in Brighton. Now, with a deep breath in her crystal lungs those two brilliant, oxidised copper green eyes flickered across the mixing desk once more as she recorded her debut solo record Time Of Ghosts, reunited with producer Jonas Tranberg who recorded Boho’s first EP. Website here, Facebook here, see our tour dates page for live dates.

'Lyla' is a gentle uncomplicated song with beautiful vocals and a melodic feel throughout. I'm beginning to wonder if Americana has something going on with Scandinavia, the synergies are definitely there, no complaints from me whatever the situation.

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Happy Camper - Easy Way Out.

Background - Happy Camper announces its long-awaited return in 2017 with a brand new album: Gravity. First single ‘Easy Way Out’ released on Excelsior Recordings.

‘Easy Way Out’ represents a significant stylistic shift for Happy Camper, without sacrificing that unmistakable combination of pop levity and powerful subject matter. "‘Easy Way Out’ describes that moment when you lose your own intuition. Something that appears safe and ordinary at first, then suddenly feels very foreign and strange. Within these moments, it becomes harder and harder to assess your next move. Whereas someone from the outside looking in often has a better read on things,” says Job Roggeveen, founder and songwriter of Happy Camper.

Happy Camper is a band and multimedia-project founded by Dutch musician, producer, composer, animator and graphic designer Job Roggeveen. With an extensive cast of guest musicians Happy Camper released two albums brimmed with gleaming and sonorous pop, tunes heavily inspired by chansons and film soundtracks. Subsequently, Happy Camper manifested into a comprehensive, awe-inspiring audiovisual live experience, comprised of up to twenty musicians.Website here, Facebook here.

A bright and breezy vibe runs throughout 'Easy Way Out' whilst the lyrics concentrate on a more vulnerable question. It's pop and very good pop music at that, surely that's enough boxes ticked for one song.

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ALIA - Feminine Medicine™ Volume 1.

Background - ALIA is the visionary behind Feminine Medicine™, a series of collaborative original music albums and stage shows that brings more feminine voices to electronic dance music. After years performing in the festival scene, ALIA set out to co-create with her favorite female artists when she noticed that few other women were being featured on electronic music stages, and that only 3 of the Top 100 DJs in the world are female. Volume 1 of Feminine Medicine features ALIA’s collaborations with numerous other female musicians including revered bass music producer Imagika Om, and revered indie vocalists Heather Christie and Ixchel Prisma.

"I have been working on the music for this project for the last two years. I am so excited to finally share it with you! I really want to thank the incredible women and men I collaborated with on the music for this album, especially Imagika Om, Heather Christie, Tara Divina, Ixchel Prisma, Amma Li Grace and Theo Grace of Entheo, Liquid Love Drops, Eden and Ilan of Amadora, Kaia Ra, and Chris James aka Pattern Disrupt, who spent countless hours in the studio with me. What a beautiful journey we took together". Website here, Facebook here.

The first track 'Madre' on 'Feminine Medicine™ Volume 1' had me instantly hooked and the following pieces are a phenomenal collection of ideas, crafted together to provide something very special. Thankfully I can feature them all. I personally feel that this beautiful musical collection will appeal well beyond traditional EDM fans, potentially from Gong to Vangelis, or Hawkwind to Leftfield. Enjoy!

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Saturday Seven: Neville Staple - Beatrix Players - Black Dough - A Treehouse Wait - The Routes - Nozart - Josephs Coat

Neville Staple - Return Of Judge Roughneck.

Background - On February 17, legendary Specials and Fun Boy Three founding member Neville Staple will be releasing his new studio album ‘Return of Judge Roughneck’ via Cleopatra Records. This double LP features brilliant new re-workings of classic Jamaican cuts, some brand new material, and a few gems from Neville’s past, along with a bonus dub album offering serious bass-bin shaking mixes.

Known as The Original Rudeboy, Neville Staple is a Jamaican-born British singer credited with changing the face of pop music not only once but twice. His 35-year career in the music business is well documented, from the early days with The Coventry Automatics, The Specials and Fun Boy Three to collaboration with Ranking Roger in The Special Beat and various other collaborations during his solo career from the 90s until the present day.

About his musical legacy, Neville Staple comments: “The way we brought it was mixing Jamaican music with the English style, which was actually punk at the time. Now most people are into ska, they listen to all the people that we talked about that they might not have listened to before... This has happened again and again with the different waves of ska. I am hearing lots more young bands now also putting their own spin on ska – some with dance music and some with a rock beat. It's all good. The music just makes you want to dance. Even when singing about tough times, every-day things or bad things, the beat and the rhythm makes you want to move!" The Neville Staple Band is playing shows all around the UK in late winter and spring in support of ‘Return of Judge Roughneck’. Website here, Facebook here.

The Original Rudeboy has returned with a new album and if featured song 'Return Of Judge Roughneck' is anything to go by, we are in for some seriously special ska sounds. Once again Neville Staple reminds us of just how important his role in both The Specials and his other projects were.

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Beatrix Players - Molehill.

Background - Following their single 'Lady Of The Lake'; London-trio Beatrix Players have announced their debut album Magnified will be released on March 31st. Beatrix Players are a London-based all-female trio who make florid, adventurous music that operates at the interface between folk, singer-songwriter acoustica, prog and quasi-classical baroque chamber pop. 

There is a light, translucent quality to the music, and yet when it is not being hushed and reverent, it has the attack and thrust, the surging dynamism, of rock. It can be soft and intimate, but it can also be fiery and intense, epic and immense. There are tempestuous passages in their music that you can imagine being delivered by traditional rock instrumentation but it is the very absence of guitars and drums that means that there is nobody out there quite like Beatrix Players.

Through their enchantingly dark and evocative melodies, expansive arrangements and empowered orchestral sound Beatrix Players tell stories of real life and fantasy. Citing influences as diverse as Michael Nyman and Regina Spektor and drawing comparisons to the likes of Kate Bush and Einaudi Ludovico. In 2015 the band (Amy Birks, Jess Kennedy and Amanda Alvarez) took their unique sound – a beautiful combination of vocals, piano and cello – into the studio to record their self-produced debut album, which has been mixed by two-time BBC Folk Award winner, Jim Moray. Website here.

One of thirteen exquisite and intricately crafted songs on the new album, the featured track & video for 'Molehill' is our second chance to share some of Beatrix Players music. 'Magnified' is a wonderful collection of material that, drifts across genres from folk to chamber music and a good number of styles in between. Vocals and harmonies are on a par with the musical arrangements, this is an album I would seriously recommend if the featured song appeals to you.

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Black Dough - Nighty Night.

Background - Black Dough was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden back in 2013 – and shortly upon that the four piece recorded their debut EP, ”first punch!”. Since then Black Dough has been playing constantly, visiting clubs and festivals all over the world – from Dublin, Ireland to Rabat, Morocco. Sporting a sound hard to define, the experimental unit has been called everything from jazz punk to voodoo rock. With the release of ”Freaky Family”, the band’s new full length album due to May 2017, Miranda Raeder – front person and composer – decides to label it experimental rock. Beautiful, dissonant, heavy and dirty.

I have a thing for the strange and dramatic. When I write a song  I see pictures in front of me like a film. I create a mood in harmonies, lyrics and expression. The music should  fairly be treated as a play in 8 acts.  The story is you as a listener, you create the frames but I provoke them.  It’s not ‘easy listening’ music, you will feel it.

Miranda is the center of the group. She writes all the material and also directs the band’s music videos, but the Black Dough sound first and foremost stems from the four musicians of the unit playing together. Black Dough is a band with 4 members and the sound requires that all 4 of us are involved. I write all the music and decide roughly how it will sound but we rehearse and form the songs together and in that process we all contribute. Website here, Facebook here.

'Nighty Night' immediately gained my attention with fabulous vocals that tease out so much more than just the lyrics, and interact so well with an equally distinct and pleasing soundtrack.  

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A Treehouse Wait - Waves.

Background - A Treehouse Wait would now like to invite you to check out the video of their new single 'Waves'. Waves is taken from the album Interludes.

After spending a month in the USA, being the opening act for a Swedish folksinger, singer and songwriter Jenny Wahlström plucked up the courage to put the songs down on paper and record the songs she didn’t think she’d ever share with the rest of the world. A Treehouse Wait was born.

The music is mostly inspired by the things one is so familiar with, but mostly would not talk about. Like empty city streets during the summer. Or when anxiety leaves. Giving up your love or the fear of leaving home. It’s not all beautiful, but it’s all life. And sharing that experience, the music suddenly creates a place for you to be, and you know that someone else has been there, too. Facebook here.

Our second feature for A Treehouse Wait, this time for the new video and single 'Waves'. With this particular song Jenny Wahlstrom's vocals seemingly move from vulnerable to powerful and back again. Melodic, gentle and full of atmosphere this is one beautiful track.

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The Routes - No Permanence.

Background - The Routes always seem to be do something different stylistically on every record they release; from their largely R&B influenced debut album “Left My Mind”, to the playful US garage drenched “Alligator”, to the Strummin’ Mental madness of the “Instrumentals” album, right up until “Skeletons” in 2016 which saw them on more of a modern garage punk trip. It doesn’t seem to matter what they do, and who plays in the band; it still unmistakably sounds like The Routes .

“In This Perfect Hell”, the fifth album by The Routes, brings you ten original songs. No filler and no covers. From the start, you can tell it’s not going to be your stereotypical garage album. This time The Routes seemed have strayed far from your average garage bands comfort zone. They have stripped everything right down in the playing department, with leader Chris Jack playing pretty much everything apart from the drums.

The stripping down seems to have the opposite effect, of creating a huge, thick, heavy wall of sound. The nasty Japanese fuzz pedals, and very simple guitar leads stab through the wall, and stick into your brain. It’s not exactly your typical garage, it’s not exactly psych; it’s not exactly any one thing in particular. Is this a mutant musical manifestation of Chris Jack’s musical taste? One wonders if he opened the floodgates on his musical tastes and just let it all come through.

The brain penetrating heavy fuzz, and Maureen Tucker-esque rhythm of opening track “Thousand Forgotten Dreams”, instantly tells you we are again on a new, different tangent. The hypnotic guitars are actually not unreminiscent of early Spacemen 3 or Jesus and Mary Chain. “Worry” sounds like it could be the cover of a long lost Tamrons acetate, being played by The Fall. You have catchy up-tempo lyrically playful numbers like “Peeling Face” and “Housework In My Head”, sounding like The Kinks meet The Modern Lovers, meet Guided By Voices; “Something Slipped Through My Window” and “Oblivious”, again see the band in fine songwriting form, with The Routes Acetone organ resurrected. Website here, Facebook here.

The video reminds me of an early Pink Floyd performance, however that's where comparisons must stop. 'No Permanence' is a feisty rock'n'roll number with fuzzy and vibrant guitars, loud and proud vocals and a driving rhythm.

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Nozart - Puppet.

Background - Nozart is a cinematic post-rock project lead by composer/pianist/producer Noah Kellman, based in New York City. He grew up in Syracuse, NY, where he often sat at the top of the staircase in his home, listening to his father play a variety of pieces by Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart. 

By age 5, his father had taught him most of these pieces by ear. When he was 10-years-old, Kellman heard Duke Ellington for the first time and began studying jazz intensively.

While building his skill as a jazz pianist, Kellman was constantly composing and producing songs. Kellman's musical foundation stems partly from his long devotion to jazz. He was often inspired by the story-like musical nature of the collaborations between pianist Brad Mehldau and composer Jon Brion. Other important influences come from classical music and soundtrack composers, including greats such as John Williams, Danny Elfman, Stravinsky and Ravel. Website here, Facebook here.

Despite Noah Kellman's musical upbringing 'Puppet' is a long way from any classical or jazz genre. However as is often to be expected with those a fore mentioned styles originality is here and in abundance. Post rock is a reasonable label, it's also accessible, and the vocals tend to give the whole piece a consistent sound, whilst the music dips into different places, adding layers of sound.

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Josephs Coat - Breathe.

Background - Josephs Coat is the new project by multi-instrumentalists and song writers Abe and Ben Camden. Together they have founded a number of bands over the last 15 years, each being an integral part of the musical journey they boys have been on. 2017 finds the band on the cusp of releasing their second EP, and they could not be happier with the direction it has taken them.

‘Breathe’, the first offering from the upcoming EP is a lyrical celebration of new love, with the verse spilling a message of reassurance, before leading into a triumphant chorus were the vocalist gloats over his new-found situation. With a funk driven pulse through this track, it maintains its rock thread with an infectious vocal melody that will get stuck in your head for days.

After spending a few years apart exploring separate parts of what the east coast of Australia had to offer, the Camden brothers decided it was time to get back in the studio and do what they enjoy most. So, in 2014 the sessions began for their debut EP titled The Black Ocean, and were recorded at Love Street Studio on the Gold Coast. They both decided to call Coffs Harbour home again. Between surfs and catching up on good times with family and friends, the year was spent launching their genre defying sound. Which is a unique, alternative take on funky blues, hints of jazz, with a tasty twist of reggae rock grooves. Best to be heard to understand the marvellously eclectic sounds being projected into your ears.

Playing some prestigious and vibrant venues such as The Basement in Sydney, to the great northern in Byron Bay. The list of artists that the Brothers have together shared the stage with kept growing, Adding Jebediah, Sea Legs, Tired Lion to a list of previous artists such as Cog, Grinspoon, Dead Letter Circus and The Butterfly Effect. With appearances at festivals such as Turtle Fest in Bellingen with Mark Seymor, Katie Noonan. And The Banana Field Festival in Coffs Coast with Illy, British India, Phil Jamison, Art Vs Science, and with Sea Legs at the Falls Festival pre-party in Byron Bay. Facebook here.

At first 'Breathe' seems to tease the listener as to which particular direction the song is going to take. It settles on a funky alt rock style and throws up enough hooks to keep my attention, and settle on another listen.

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