I Hate You Just Kidding - Christopher Pellnat - Janileigh Cohen - Line & Circle - Vern Matz

I Hate You Just Kidding - Smokestacks.

Background - Jeremy and Jessi Brock are the husband & wife songwriting duo known as I Hate You Just Kidding. They started making music together shortly after meeting and formally formed the project in 2009.

Their music has been featured in film/television and commercials, and they have gone on several national tours, leaving two EPs and one full-length album in their wake.

Upon releasing their debut "Days Grow Longer" in 2011, I Hate You Just Kidding began writing a follow up. However, the touring life sometimes takes a few detours. After a 5 year hiatus, the sophomore album “Constellations” will be released on Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2018. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Live: Nov 15th 2017 - The Satellite, Los Angeles, CA.

'Smokestacks' is a tuneful catchy indie song. It's starts out as uncomplicated pop that occasionally builds into a more of a rock track, either way it addictive & gorgeous.

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Christopher Pellnat - Honey Venom Wings.

Background - Christopher Pellnat is a singer-songwriter from Hudson, NY, USA. Chris also collaborates with other musicians - for example, Mercy Weiss. He also play electric guitar in the Poughkeepsie, NY-based band, The Warp/The Weft.

His brand new album is called “Honey Venom Wings”, and is available now through Bandcamp. Talking about the new collection of material Christopher states "this album is not your typical singer-songwriter fare - it veers off into many directions that I hope you will find interesting".

You can find and hear some of Christopher Pellnat's collaborations with Mercy Weiss on her Bandcamp page (here). The Warp/The Weft's website is (here). More from Chris Pellnat on FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

We have featured Christopher Pellnat with Mercy Weiss and also The Warp/The Weft in fact this is our fourth feature for Chris including those combinations. I have chose to feature the title track from 'Honey Venom Wings' simply because it sits somewhere in the middle of the differing directions the album takes. Some tracks are more personal or intimate sounding and overall it is definitely up there with his other collaborations.

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Janileigh Cohen - Same Old Road.

Background - Bolton folk singer-songwriter Janileigh Cohen has released her new single Same Old Road this week through Funnel Music, which follows recent single Sister.

Same Old Road is captivatingly unique, yet almost sounds like a song you’ve heard before, with a warming vocal that pulls you in tightly like an old friend that you don’t want to leave. Backed simply by piano and violin, Janiliegh’s raw and intimate voice does all of the talking in this delicate and emotive track. Janileigh says;

"During the time I composed this song, I was not putting my music online or playing live so it was a song for myself to let out how I was feeling. I had a musical dream and this song helped cement the fact I wanted a career in music. I’d never really composed a song on piano until Same Old Road and it felt like it really came from the heart.”

Same Old Road follows recent single release Sister, previously self-released EP As a Child and cover of Blues Run The Game, which featured on the US TV drama This Is Us and has over 150,00 plays on Spotify.

Vocally and lyrically miles ahead of her young years, Janileigh writes on both piano and guitar, with a sound influenced by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Her lyrics tell a personal story; exposing the joy, disillusionment, confusion and romance of life. Janileigh has honed her craft busking in her Northern hometown and around Europe, along with performing at open-mic nights, and is a must-see live. FACEBOOK.

We featured the song 'Sister' a few weeks back and the new single 'Same Old Road' is another absolutely beautiful release, last time I stated " I try to avoid writing this to often however Janileigh Cohen is definitely one to watch out for in the months to come." I am even more convinced that is the case now!

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Line & Circle - Vicious Folly.

Background - Ohio-born, Los Angeles-based Line & Circle will follow up their acclaimed singles and debut LP with their new EP Vicious Folly, due December 1st via Grand Gallop. This week they share the title track. At a moment when societal divisions seem increasingly tense and tribalistic, Vicious Folly explores a belief the Romans held centuries ago: homo homini lupus — man is a wolf to man. Whether the conflicts here are romantic ("Man Uncouth"), ideological ("Vicious Folly"), or familial ("Who Runs Wild"), the songs contemplate the disquieting idea that man himself is his own greatest threat.

Vicious Folly brings the resulting emotional complexity to life by expanding on the band's characteristically moody but vibrant color palette. Interweaving bass clarinet pulses and distorted tape loops move underneath minimalist patterns of chiming guitar and bass melody counterpoint. Singer/guitarist Brian J. Cohen's dramatic tenor pulls across the songs' brisk rhythmic foundations, which are more unhinged here than in previous releases.

The bulk of the record was tracked live to tape in one day at Los Angeles' Vox Studios with Michael Harris (Angel Olsen's My Woman), with additional sessions in various warehouses, bedrooms, and backhouse studios around the band's Echo Park neighborhood. The project was mixed with frequent collaborator Jonathan Low (The National, The War On Drugs) at Aaron Dessner of The National's Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York.

Vicious Folly's cover features Peter Flötner's 16th century hand-painted playing cards from post-Reformation Germany. Flötner used his cards to depict and denounce the perceived greed, gluttony, and folly of his time. That the imagery strikes a chord today — as it surely did then — is either deeply comforting, or incredibly disconcerting, depending on your information filter. FACEBOOK, BANDCAMP.

Less than a month since we shared 'Man Uncouth' along comes 'Vicious Folly' from Line & Circle. The vocals slowly emerge from within the mix, as the band play some dynamic guitar lead rhythmic music that carries the power.

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Vern Matz - Trampolines.

Background - Indie rock trio Vern Matz share the lead track off their forthcoming self titled debut LP, due out January 2018. Vern Matz is comprised of guitarist and singer Danny Belgrad, pianist Michael Lituchy, and drummer Noah Silvestry. 

Not only are they bandmates, they are also all students together at Yale University. Speaking on "Trampolines," the band states, "At its core, Trampolines is a nostalgic piece that yearns for something that never really existed. It's like driving through a suburban town and feeling a longing for a time and place that you never experienced. You know you can't have it, you never did -- it's just this feeling of reaching out."

The EP was born out of several road trips between New Haven and Philadelphia. In a lot of ways, the EP is about Vern Matz coming of age - as individuals and as a band. Faced with finding a place in the world, the EP is about fleeing from those decisions and trying to ground themselves. Vern Matz says of the record, "Much of the EP is an expression of a feeling of displacement and an attempt to restore a sense of wholeness.

There's a lot of confusion and nervousness in the fact that you don't know what needs to be restored. We looked backwards a lot to resolve that uneasiness and got very swept up in nostalgia." The Vern Matz EP was recorded at Miner Street Recordings, produced and mixed by Matt Poirier, and mastered by Greg Calbi and Ryan Schwabe. FACEBOOK.

The distinct and engaging vocals are notable from the beginning on 'Trampolines'. The musical arrangement is refined and quite beautiful. This one is set to get quite a few personal plays, if the album is half this good, it will still be a must have.

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Broads - Big Bill

Broads - Climbs (ft. Milly Hirst).

Background - British electronic duo Broads have announced that they'll be releasing their new album 'Field Theory' in the new year.  But for now, they present the first single from that 11-track album, called  'Climbs', which features mesmerizing vocals from Milly Hirst, who also co-wrote this track with band members James Ferguson and Mark Jennings.

Mainstays of the Norwich music scene, Broads deliver a variety of music - always delicious - ranging from synth-pop bliss to a hybrid fusion of genres straddling the divide between ambient drone, post-rock and shoegaze. Broads takes a fascinating approach with this album, tastefully showcasing completely different sides of their musical spectrum.

‘Climbs’ recalls Melody’s Echo Chamber and Broadcast, while 'The Lecht' brings to mind both Mogwai and Boards of Canada. 'Mixed Ability Sequencing' most strongly aligns with My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, leaving you hanging with less than minute of pure guitar reverie, while 'Habitats' brings the duo delightfully close to New Order territory.

After several releases as a solo artist, James Ferguson says Broads’ dynamics started to change with the release of the ‘Hellas’ LP (Jan 2016), undergoing a kind of sonic breakthrough with Mark now joining James for live shows and co-writing one of its tracks ‘Soft Homo’ – the first time Broads had really arrived at their now-signature sound, marrying droning, lo-fi synths and slow build through repetition with straightforward electronics. FACEBOOK.

'Climbs' is a good indicator of  'Field Theory' the album due in the new year. Although the featured song has the additional benefit of Milly Hirst's gorgeous vocals, the duo are creative and adventurous across all eleven tracks, allowing their imagination and creative minds to develop some very engaging music.

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Big Bill - Pharmacy.

Background - Austin's favorite punks, Big Bill, have been busy gearing up to release their debut LP, "Stand By Your Bill." We get the first gift and glimpse from that new LP with the release of their video for "Pharmacy,"

“Pharmacy” was originally an acoustic country demo that members, Alex and Eric, put together. It eventually became simpler and accompanied by more aggressive, shouting vocals. The track is the narration of a person afraid to admit any vulnerability, thinking that doing so will do him in. Instead the ridiculous solution offered is to avoid admitting you're sick, and avoid taking medicine. It's a steady progression from the pharmacy, to the infirmary, to the mortuary, and finally to the cemetery. Maybe a bit morbid, maybe a bit strange, but guaranteed to be stuck in your head. 

Big Bill is a punk band made up of brothers Eric and Cody Braden, Alan Lauer, and Alex Riegelman. The band formed in 2011, when Eric moved back to Texas from New York, and Cody finished college in Houston, though the seed for the band was planted years earlier, when the Braden brothers were in high school. Eric and Cody wrote countless songs together despite being untrained in music, and made entire “albums” of bizarre homespun folk, found sounds, and bad jokes. Even in Big Bill’s current, slightly more professional compositions, the element of the outsider artist that set them and their sound apart lives on.

Big Bill's debut LP, Stand By Your Bill will be available worldwide on November 17. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

Vocals with plenty of punk attitude are accompanied by a guitar lead no nonsense rock groove on 'Pharmacy'. At just over two minutes a second play is almost mandatory, whilst the video suggests Big Bill have a good sense of humour and fun.


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The Limiñanas - Jacob Thomas Jr. - Fever High

The Limiñanas - Shadow People (feat. Emmanuelle Seigner).

Background - French psych duo The Limiñanas have released a new track taken from their ‘Istanbul Is Sleepy’ EP out 17th November. Featuring acclaimed French accress Emmanuelle Seigner, 'Shadow People' was recorded in The Limiñanas' home studio in the South of France, and finished at The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Anton Newcombe's studio in Berlin.

Lionel from the band explains: "The shadow people are an American myth, they are described as furtive apparitions, comparable to ghosts observable from the corner of the eye. These "spirits" accompany throughout your all life, a sort of paranormal glue stuck to you... Emmanuelle came to visit us in the South of France, and we asked her to sing "Shadow People" with Renaud Picard, the singer from Hair and the Iotas.

We recorded it in just a few minutes over an afternoon...". Emmanuelle Seigner added: "A friend introduced me to The Limiñanas, I was in love with their Music. Three days before our first meeting, Lionel Limiñana called me and offered me to sing on one song off their new album. He sent me 'Shadow People'. Then we recorded directly at their home, it was fast, easy and pretty natural". FACEBOOK.

We first featured The Limiñanas around six weeks ago, & following quickly after we now have 'Shadow People'. Last time we mentioned that the song was psych through & through, with the latest track there is more melodic sound and the mixture of vocals adds to a catchy & richly layered piece.


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Jacob Thomas Jr. - Running Through My Mind.

Background - Nashville artist Jacob Thomas Jr. has released "Running Through My Mind," the second single from his upcoming LP, Electric Sex, out February 16, 2018 on Summer Dress Music. "I wanted to write about my divorce, but I’ve never been someone who’s able to articulate thoughts and feelings while I’m in the midst of extreme emotional situations," reflects Jacob. "I find it more beneficial to wait until there is some time and space to gain perspective. ‘Running through My Mind’ is hard to talk about. It’s one of those songs that reminds me of a period in my life when I was a person that I no longer am. It’s not a cryptic or vaguely written song. It’s about as straight forward as a song can get.”

Jacob’s debut album, Original Sin (2014), was a solo-acoustic dive into his past that explored the path that brought him to Nashville in 2008. On that brutally honest debut, we learned about his dramatic shift from Louisiana pastor to Nashville musician. After being fired by his own Parrish for spending too much time performing in bars, Thomas made the incredibly difficult decision to leave his wife and pursue music full-time in Nashville. If the bare-boned songs on Original Sin shone a light on Thomas' ability to pack a punch with little more than an acoustic guitar and a gorgeously ragged voice, then Electric Sex — full of heartfelt, anthemic anthems about getting laid, getting lost and getting left behind — shows the full range of his abilities. Electric Sex explores his life after the church, with Thomas telling us, “At 25 years old I said ‘f it all,’ and this album is me trying to reclaim my sexual identity after years of growing up in the church.”

10 years into his professional music career Thomas has played out with some of Nashville’s best country/rock artists including Rayland Baxter, Uncle Kracker, Sonia Leigh, Randy Montana, Logan Mize, Elise Davis, Goodbye June, and Danielle Bradbery to name a few. However, on Electric Sex he's a frontman, leading a studio band whose members include pedal steel wiz Drew Belk (Billy Currington, Midland), producer and keyboardist Jason Morant, bass player Jason Harris and drummer Jake Finch. Together, they make a sound that nods to rock & roll's biggest moments — from Fleetwood Mac to ELO to Silverchair's Diorama — while still pushing into new territory. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

'Running Through My Mind' is one of those songs where less is more. Heartfelt, personal vocals that are full of emotional intensity, are backed by a beautiful musical arrangement that slowly builds adding to the mood.

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Fever High - Casting My Spell.

Background - Brooklyn's Fever High released their long-awaited full length album FHNY. The duo - multi-instrumentalists Reni Lane and Anna Nordeen - made their debut with last year's critically acclaimed All Work EP.

FHNY continues the band's collaboration with Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne, Ivy) who also produced the All Work EP. Reni says, "After releasing All Work, we entered a new stage where we really honed our sound, lyrics, and mood... the new batch of songs takes everything to the next level." Adds Anna, "We want to sing about things we really feel and have fun at the same time."

After releasing the All Work EP, Fever High began to play live, with Adam and drummer Brad Wentworth joining Anna and Reni onstage for a run of club shows, as well as a string of dates supporting synthpop pioneers Book Of Love. They found radio support from influential stations like Los Angeles' KCRW and Austin's KUTX, and their songs showed up in numerous films and TV shows, including the CW comedy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Netflix’s To The Bone, and three songs in the 2017 film Fun Mom Dinner. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

The opening piano chords had me interested, then when the vocals kicked in 'Casting My Spell' had me hooked. The production quality gives away that this is a more recent song, the style however is timeless & gorgeous.


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Sad Palace - Ali Murray - The Tates

Sad Palace - Melody Crux.

Background - South Coast quartet Sad Palace unveil their latest single, Melody Crux, its was release via Kissability on November 10th. Brimful of grooving attitude, the single is a continuation of the icy pop Sad Palace have already made their name with, just three sharp releases into their career. Fizzing organs and piercing alt.rock guitars sit atop jazzy breaks, delivered seamlessly by the rhythm section, whilst imperious vocals deliver commanding hooks, breaking at times into infectious falsetto. 

If the track is channelling late night vibes, then here’s why: 'Most of the lyrics were written on a night out, sometimes you go out partying for the night when you really shouldn't. It's a weird feeling, being out dancing and drinking, and then realising you're just not in the mood.The music stays really upbeat as the words slowly deteriorate with the night, because the night doesn't care about your feelings, it goes on anyway.'

Sad Palace’s previous single Frostbeat was released on limited edition tape as part of International Cassette Store Day earlier this year, a move echoing their sonic combination of retro and contemporary influences.

With online acclaim building, invites to perform at the exclusive Sofar Sounds sessions and another glacial diamon under their belt, Sad Palace look set to break beyond their small town constraints, possessing the creativity and ambition to level-up to national indie stalwarts. Melody Crux will be available on all streaming and downloading services from 10th November. WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

'Melody Crux' is a refreshing and sprightly song where the band are clearly putting their hearts into the music. It might be Indie or Alt something, it's certainly a breezy pleasing song.

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Ali Murray - Only Wind.

Background - Ali Murray has just released a new EP called 'Only Wind'. Musically it's kind of atmospheric folk, influenced by the dark hills and barren moorlands...and the general harshness, beauty and sadness of remote Scottish island life. He will also be following up the EP with a full-length album sometime soon.

”Ali Murray is a songwriter/musician hailing from the cold and rainy Isle of Lewis in northern Scotland. Equal parts grandiose and humble, effervescent and melancholy, spatial and solitary, Ali’s dark blend of acoustic folk, atmospheric post-rock, and dream pop is as beautifully depressing as it is introspectively invigorating.

His lyrics, which speak of longing, loss, and various degrees of emotional turmoil we can all relate to in some way, speak volumes themselves but are also wonderfully complimented by moving melodies and expansive soundscapes; Ali proves himself to be a creator of an incredibly vast array of sound for a single person. An artistic channeler of all spectral ranges of human emotion, Ali Murray will appeal to any and all folks looking for that faint, but visible light at the end of the tunnel.” - Kevin Berk. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.

The title track and one of four on the EP 'Only Wind' is typical of the refined and high standard of music Ali Murray creates. On the featured song Stephanie Ratcliff adds some beautiful additional vocals. It's worth noting however, that as a solo artist Ali is more than capable of filling all voids, and some.

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The Tates - Water.

Background - ‘Water’, the brand new single by Welsh Indie / Pop five piece 'The Tates', has been eagerly anticipate after the success of the band’s debut release ‘Electric Girl’. The song was supported by Huw Stephens, BBC Introducing, Radio 1 and gained Amazing radio playlisting as well as being A-listed on BBC Radio Wales.

Energized by their summer tour in support of ‘Electric Girl’ a confident and inspired band returned to the studio in Cardiff to work with producer Steffan Pringle (Estrons, Himalayas, Future Of The Left) again. They emerged with a sense of purpose with a song that will redefine 'The Tates' as the torch-bearers of a new sound, a sound that ranges from The Libertines’ poetic raw energy to the death disco of early New Order and the fuzzed day-glow pop melodies of MGMT. Lyrically ‘Water’ asks a poetic question exploring themes of nature over nurture, as Tom the guitarist explains: “Are the flaws that we share with our parents who we are, or have we learnt from them?
                                              
Are we free to be the people we want to be or are we trapped by our genetic makeup and our immediate environment and society?” It is testament to the band that with their unwavering belief in the pop song they are in full control of their chosen genre - they make the pop song theirs. 'The Tates' build from the ground up, step by step until they can reach the stars. FACEBOOK.

'Water' is vibrant and feisty. Vocals and harmonies are bright, and supported by a determined and delicious musical arrangement. Whatever it is in their 'Water' it's definitely a mood lifter!

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I'm With Her - Robin Martin - Soho Rezanejad - Jason S. Matuskiewicz - Empathy Test - Willie Breeding

I'm With Her - See You Around.

Background - I'm With Her, the band of Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz, and Aoife O'Donovan, have announced the release of their full-length debut, See You Around, out February 16, 2018. “See You Around”, the title track from the album, is available everywhere now. Co-produced by Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Laura Marling, Paul McCartney) and the band and recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Bath, England, See You Around is a 12 track LP filled with finespun narratives and breathtaking harmonies – full track listing is below. Additionally, I’m With Her has announced an international headlining tour that will kick off in March 2018 and bring the band to major cities across the world including Los Angeles, Paris, London, and more.

See You Around presents a warmly textured, yet stripped-down sound layered with lush guitar tones and crystalline harmonies. The album is comprised of 11 originals, penned by the band in Los Angeles and Vermont, plus the never before released Gillian Welch-penned “Hundred Miles.” With each member playing guitar and handling various aspects of the instrumentation— including fiddle and ukulele for Watkins, mandolin and banjo for Jarosz, piano and synth for O’Donovan—the band cut most of the album live, performing just a few feet away from each other in the tracking room. All through See You Around, I’m With Her exhibits a refined musicality that reflects their deep musical roots.

After years of crossing paths in their intersecting scenes, I’m With Her came together by happenstance for an off-the-cuff performance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival during the summer of 2014.The multi-Grammy-Award-winners have individually released nine solo efforts, co-founded two seminal bands (Nickel Creek and Crooked Still), and contributed to critically acclaimed albums from a host of esteemed artists. The band has garnered tremendous acclaim for their unique blend of instrumental interplay and indelible harmonies.

"We all feel immensely fortunate to be in this band together,” says I’m With Her. “As longtime friends and fans of each other’s music, it’s been wonderful to realise that writing and collaborating together fits so seamlessly into our lives. And now, we’re so excited to get to tour and share the work we’ve done as a band with our debut album, See You Around." WEBSITE, FACEBOOK.

UK Tour Dates: 
Jan 30 London, UK @ Bush Hall
May 11 Belfast, UK @ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival
May 12 Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's
May 14 Gateshead, UK @ Sage Two
May 15 Manchester, UK @ Band On The Wall
May 16 Bristol, UK @ The Station
May 17 London, UK @ Union Chapel

I'm With Her just oozes class with 'See You Around'. The music is highly crafted yet restrained allowing the superb vocals & harmonies to hold centre stage. February feels like a long time to wait for the album, this song suggests it will be worth each week.


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Robin Martin - Drunk On You.

Background - Robin Martin is a recording artist from Northern Ireland. While making a living from cover bands, Robin always had a passion for American country music. “The first singers voice I remember as a child was Willie Nelson singing "Yesterdays Wine" while traveling to the north coast to visit family.”

Robins influences include Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and more recently, Chris Stapleton, Zac Brown Band and Brad Paisley!

Robin has recently teamed up with the very talented song writer and producer Paul Mahon from Croc Recording Studio' to record his song "Drunk On You" After shooting the video Robin and Paul decided that this would be a partnership worth pursuing.

“With the help of my beautiful wife Karen, we will share our love of country music with anyone who wants to share the journey with us." FACEBOOK.

American country music has travelled well across the Atlantic to Northern Ireland care of Robin Martin. 'Drunk On You' is a natural helping of classic Americana, considering how many folk from Ireland made the journey west decades ago, music like this might well be part of Irelands heritage.


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Soho Rezanejad - Greed Wears a Disarming Face.

Background - 'Greed Wears A Disarming Face' is the first track to be released from Soho Rezanejad's debut album 'Six Archetypes', which is due out 19th January 2018 via Silicone Records.

The single marks the first in a series of videos, which will be themed around a different Archetype from the record. Speaking about the concept, Soho says "“The first passage in the video relates to the record’s overarching narrative and title, Six Archetypes. Apple seeds rest in my hand while I sleep, searching for my mother in a dream — a reference to the orphan complex that Carl Jung writes about. He thought that children orphan themselves by abandoning their heritage for the pursuit of a particular quest, one which in no way fits their parents' or caretakers' expectations.

In a different sense, one can become orphaned from society. An idea or ideology can become so common that the mass establishes a system of expectations: one person's idea becomes the people's image. So what choice do we have other than to be orphans? I am drawn to this archetype because it possesses qualities shared by all visionaries of the world. Inasmuch as the orphan relates to being alone, it's also about the obsession for breaking and challenging systems.”

Soho Rezanejad’s Six Archetypes is an exploration of humanity’s essential postures, and a bold statement of the artist’s range. The album is at once an opera and intimate ledger. Like in any good theatre, gestures within this album suspend not only reality, but a division between the universal and the particular. FACEBOOK.

A thought provoking song title such as 'Greed Wears a Disarming Face' left me hoping for something a little different. A rhythmic and atmospheric piece with gorgeous & almost pleading vocals, above a dark and sombre soundtrack, yes this is a little different, it's pretty special as well.


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Jason S. Matuskiewicz - Battle Born.

Background from Jason S. Matuskiewicz - Here's a song from yours truly, me, Jason S. Matuskiewicz, Esq. This is a song about similar formative trials--experiences that are, in a way, mutual to my girlfriend and me. It was written while she was undergoing intensive chemotherapy and was essentially bed ridden for the majority of the time. 

To watch someone that you don't just love but love more than you ever imagined yourself capable of loving someone is a profoundly challenging experience. My only outlet is song. So, I wrote an EP and this is the opening track. And my friend let me record it at the studio he heads.

This song explores the alt folk and alternative styles that I have always loved, but band members have not embraced as much as I have, which is the magic and the frustration of collaboration. It also features Adam Kruckenburg, my band mate in Shapes on Tape, and Justin Craig, our producer, who produced the track and drums on it.

The major third garners The Pixies comparisons, my team of experts has determined. I hope you like it.  FACEBOOK.

'Battle Born' may have come from extreme and difficult circumstances, I suppose from an artistic point of view, that situation fuelled the emotional charge in the vocals, and passion across the song. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not, I guess plenty of music has come from intense pain and concern. If this seems a little deep, it's because a relative & friend faces this treatment very soon. Art from angst, on reflection this is a fine song.

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Empathy Test - All It Takes.

Background - Empathy Test shares new LP track "All It Takes".  Empathy Test will be releasing two LPs, Safe From Harm and Losing Touch (Remastered), next Friday, November 17th, both of which contain remastered versions of previously released material as well as brand new tracks. You can pre-order the LPs here.

Empathy Test was formed in 2013 by childhood friends Isaac Howlett and Adam Relf. Sharing a mutual love for all things sci-fi, the London-based duo draw inspiration from ‘80s movie soundtracks, ‘90s guitar bands and underground dance music. Their name, borrowed from Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi masterpiece, Blade Runner, gives a clue to the DNA of a band that, since its conception just three years ago, has self-released a string of meticulously layered, life-affirming Synthpop tracks that have won them both critical acclaim a legion of dedicated fans worldwide.

The twin debut albums, Safe From Harm and Losing Touch, represent the culmination of four years' work from Howlett and Relf, who, in a now wholly over saturated synth scene, have used their considerable talents to form an enthralling, standalone identity. Starting out with the dark, melancholy nightscapes of early tracks like their debut, ‘Losing Touch’, which has now had over half a million plays on Spotify, the duo's sound has continuously evolved, propelling them towards the genre-defying territory reserved for the likes of other UK acts like Editors, Hurts and White Lies.

Fiercely independent, the band remains unsigned, having already turned down their fair share of record deals in favour of crowdfunding their twin debut albums via PledgeMusic. The hugely successful campaign is now 600% funded and counting, showing the huge weight of support they have behind them. Despite the lack of label-backing, they’re also turning in the kind of Spotify streams you would expect from the latest industry-backed buzz band, with their last single Bare My Soul already having racked up 85K+ plays. BANDCAMP, FACEBOOK.

We featured Empathy Test less than a month ago, however 'All It Takes' is gorgeous and deserves to be shared immediately. Electronic pop of a very high calibre.

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Willie Breeding - Prague Spring ft. Caitlin Rose.

Background - Kentucky based newcomer Willie Breeding will release his debut album ‘Big Sky’ in early 2018.  With influences ranging from Lee Hazlewood to The Strokes, Marty Robbins to A Tribe Called Quest, "Big Sky" is first and foremost an album of well-crafted tunes. The melodies are rich and wavy, complementing well the lyrics of someone torn between their years in New York City, and their generations in Kentucky.

The first single to be take from, ‘Prague Spring’, features a guest vocal from Caitlin Rose.

Detailing the story behind ‘Prague Spring’ he explains "One night in Prague, 1962, the son of the Italian ambassador met an actress they called, “The Czech Bridgette Bardot”.  Their adventures were like a black and white noir. Bullets were drunk out of martini glasses. Official diplomatic vehicles were stolen.  14 years later, my wife was born"

"I knew I wanted to make these stories into a song.  The melody came first, but it was a hard story to tell in song form, and I didn't want it to be spelled out and specific like a folk song. I just wanted it to evoke what I imagined the feeling to be. I called Caitlin because she's one of my favorite lyricists, and I thought she would enjoy the story. I felt too close to the material working on it myself. Later, when I was showing my wife the lyrics Caitlin and I had written, she instantly came up with the last line of the song, which I took as a good omen" FACEBOOK.

With an eclectic range of influences mentioned above Willie Breeding set expectations high and with the help of Caitlin Rose on 'Prague Spring' delivers a fabulous song. If the pass mark is wanting to hear more, then it's A+ and as soon as possible please.

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