Derw - Shelley Thomas - Slow Soak - Dolls - Katie Boeck

Derw have released 'Ble Cei Di Ddod I Lawr' today, the Welsh language song conveys genuine emotion and the musical arrangement is stylish and a fine accompaniment. === Shelley Thomas shares 'Mirror' a piece that's described as world chamber pop (a good description), it's refined, imaginative and gorgeous. === Slow Soak impressed us back in May and today's release 'Moon' sees the band deliver another stunning indie rocker. === Dolls have released their 'Eggshells' E.P online today from which we have a video for 'Hot Bodies' that typifies this delicious indie rock collection. === Katie Boeck shares 'Making Some Room', a personal song that is sung with notable passion, her refined vocals immersed in a superb musical backdrop.
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Derw - Ble Cei Di Ddod I Lawr.

Derw started as a project between songwriter Dafydd Dabson and his mum Anna Georgina, a lyricist, after they got to the final of S4C songwriting competition Can i Gymru in 2018 and decided to keep writing together. The band is fronted by Welsh/Iranian singer Elin Fouladi and their debut EP 'Yr Unig Rhai Sy'n Cofio' involves musicians from Welsh acts Zervas and Pepper, Afrocluster and Codewalkers.

Drawing on chamber pop influences like The National and Elbow, the band has a strong connection with the past and their family history and is named after Anna's father - Derwas. Their family is full of interesting stories and 'Yr Unig Rhai Sy'n Cofio' (The Only Ones Who Remember) is about making sure these stories are recorded and remembered.

The track 'Mikhail' is about a friend Derwas met while studying in Jerusalem in 1926. Mikhail grew up in Russia and his father was part of the imperial navy. One night in 1917, when Mikhail was nine and his mother was away, the Bolsheviks came to his house, took his father into another room and shot him. Mikhail then moved to Palestine with his mother and, when he was 19, met Derwas, a student from Oxford. They then spent years exploring the wilderness together and trying to find peace.

The lyrics for 'Silver', the final track of the EP, are taken from a poem written by Anna's mother in the 1930s. She loved writing and had notebooks full of poetry she'd written. She tried several times to get them published but never managed it so it gives Anna and Dafydd a huge amount of pleasure to be able to make use of one of them now.

Derw’s first single, ‘Dau Gam’, came out in May on CEG Records. It was made ‘Track of the Week’ on BBC Radio Cymru as well as getting airplay on BBC Radio Wales.

Derw · Derw - Ble Cei Di Ddod i Lawr

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Shelley Thomas - Mirror.

World Chamber Pop performer-composer Shelley Thomas is set to release her new single, “Mirror” on August 28th, 2020. “Mirror” explores duality and shadow psychology in the quest for integration of the true self, interlacing diverse threads of culture through sounds of oud, qanun, piano, drums, bass, violin, and cello from a ten piece microtonal chamber ensemble.

The self-produced track was recorded by Jesse Selleck and Eric Oulundsen at Banyan Studios.

Shelley Thomas blends elements of Balkan, Arabic, Hindustani, West African, Pop-Soul and Classical styles with cinematic arrangements and emotive power to create a new genre called World Chamber Pop.

Having studied and performed World Music and voice in over fifteen languages for the last sixteen years, Shelley Thomas is no stranger to the arts.

Shelley Thomas · Mirror

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Slow Soak - Moon.

Close your eyes. And suddenly it comes back: the magic moment from the last weekend in July when Slow Soak played a concert on a roof in their hometown Basel. Romantic red evening sun. Long shadows. Cool drinks. In this atmosphere Slow Soak's haunting songs developed their magic.

They're inspired by heroes of the indie folk scene such as Conor Oberst and David Bazan, as well as by Radiohead.

But sun was out yesterday. Now the «Moon» is shining again. Slow Soak are a Who's Who of the Basel indie scene: featuring members of Don't Kill The Beast or the (now disbanded) Sheila She Loves You – two names that which known far beyond the cantonal borders.

Do you see any possibility of including «Moon» into your program and introduce Slow Soak? We are convinced that whoever writes such an intense song deserves to be heard. The band is available for interviews and live sessions.

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Dolls - Hot Bodies.

The 2-piece, comprising Jade (guitar and vocals) and Bel (drums and vocals) packed out Rough Trade East in London to launch their first EP ‘Pop The Bubble’, however in current circumstances will be operating solely online for this release, in part because Jade is in home town of London and Bel is back in Spain. The EP was produced and mixed by Margo Broom at Hermitage Studio Works in North London.

Jade explains that the ‘Eggshells EP’ is more auto-biographical than Dolls have ever been in the past and that it is “about the struggles that we have faced in our 20’s. Losing friends, creepy men, the strive for perfectionism and day-to-day anxiety. We have written about what we feel is really important as we get older. Musically we have evolved with this EP and although the gritty garage rock is still there we’ve broadened our sound with synths, percussion and multiple vocal layers.”

The “Eggshells EP”, was released as part of Love Record Stores Day alongside releases from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Oasis, Caribou, Belle and Sebastian, Beach House, New Order, Jungle and John Grant.  Head of Doll’s label Mondo & Death Waltz Spencer Hickman explains “We're thrilled to be releasing the new Dolls EP on limited edition vinyl for the Love Record Stores event on June 20th. Record stores are suffering right now and this event is a great way for the music community to come together safely  & without worry, celebrate music culture and help stores through a difficult finical time”.

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Katie Boeck - Making Some Room.

"Making Some Room is about rebirth and personal transformation, about the moment after you hit rock bottom. I wrote this song in Nashville (with my friend Cheyenne Medders) after the death of my father, the birth of my son, and the dissolution of my marriage. This series of major life events triggered a dark night of the soul and landed me in such a state of codependency and victim consciousness I didn't know how to get myself out of.

I knew I would never be happy until I cleared space for new patterns of thinking and that meant I had to stop grieving the life I wished I'd had, and start creating the one I wanted. I made a commitment to never abandon myself or my dream again.  Stepping into an entirely new vision for my life-free from anyone else's limiting expectations-I gave my heart and mind permission to soar."

Katie Boeck has careened through several musical careers in the past decade. Shortly after graduating from UCLA with a degree in Musical Theater, Katie Boeck formed a band and began playing open mic nights on Sunset Boulevard and LA's West Side. This led to a surreal gig as the lead singer of an all-female Bollywood-Pop group that spent several months touring across India--an Eat, Pray, Love-esque experience that inspired her first EP, Speaking of You.

Her acting career took her to NYC with the cast of Deaf West Theater Company's production of Duncan Sheik's musical, Spring Awakening, sharing the starring role of Wendla with deaf actress Sandra Mae Frank, for whom she voiced, sang and played guitar, garnering television features on Late Night With Seth Meyers, NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, and culminating in a Tony Nomination for Best Revival of a Musical and a performance at the 2016 Tony Awards. She was featured performing her acoustic rendition of Ave Maria in the final season of HBO's critically acclaimed television show The Newsroom.

She’s known to audiences in LA, Nashville and in NYC where she’s become a regular with Broadway Sings and Élan Artists and in 2018 made her Carnegie Hall debut. Her song What Are We Waiting For was covered by Tony-winner Leslie Odom Jr. and performed at Lincoln Center. Katie resides in Nashville, TN with her 3 year old son.

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Linaire - Falcon Jane - Peach Kelli Pop

Linaire shares her beautiful new song 'No Part Of Me Ever Dies' where her vocals glisten above a sublime musical arrangement. We have to go back to 2016 when Anna Atkinson last graced our pages, her new manifestation as Linaire leaves me keenly waiting for more.  === Falcon Jane appeared on Beehive Candy a couple of times in 2018 and we are delighted to feature the new song 'The Other Moon' a melodic and dreamy piece. === Peach Kelli Pop have released 'Cut Me Off' and it's a catchy albeit quite short song that nonetheless digs some refreshing musical hooks in deep.
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Linaire - No Part Of Me Ever Dies.

Linaire is an album of ten tracks that luxuriate in the deceleration of time and allow for listeners to embrace complicated and conflicting emotions. It is an invitation to acceptance in an atmosphere created by moments both somber and warm. Anna Atkinson’s self-titled debut as Linaire finds the Montreal-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer in a state of reflection, constructing room for herself and the listener to work through complex feelings surrounding circumstances of love, time, lineage, and loss.

For Atkinson, the adoption of the name Linaire signals a setting forth onto a new path of exploration and self-expression. She builds her musical worlds from layers of airy synthesizers, Omnichord, strings, and drum machines, approaching beauty and discomfort in a manner both direct and honest. Peeking into her soul and pushing her own boundaries, Atkinson uses lyrical repetition to slow down and magnify ephemeral moments, while the album’s thoughtful  instrumentation creates a sense of limitlessness to the atmosphere of each song. Each of these ten succinct and subtely engrossing tracks—none running longer than six-minutes—seems to contain a life beyond its lyrics. This is perhaps best demonstrated on songs like “No Part of Me Ever Dies” or “Best I Can,” which address the complex relationship of the past to the present, without ignoring the future, and all the while focusing less on ideas of resolution than on trying to understand the questions raised—the final line of ”Best I Can” rings through the ambiance like both a mantra and a summation: “wasting nothing.”

The methodical crafting of each sonic gesture on Linaire reflects the patient recording and production of the album by Atkinson and Alexander MacSween (drum machines & additional keyboards) at OBORO in Montreal in the Winter of 2019. From the fluttering electronics of “Snowshoe” to the luminous vocals on “The Inside, The Outside,” the music of Linaire breathes, floats and flowers, offering a space of welcoming and recognition, while enveloping listeners in a transcendent auditory experience, never letting them fall.

Atkinson guides listeners with a soft and gentle hand that soothes and makes a way for an unimpeded journey of emotional confrontation, naturally gliding them toward new possibilites. She weaves soundscapes that focus one’s energy on taking time, “wasting nothing,” allowing those who enter to do the same.

"No Part of Me Ever Dies is about accepting one’s most difficult emotions - the old lonesome ones that feel endless and overwhelming. The song also serves as a reminder that these states eventually pass, and that they pass more easily once they are embraced."

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Falcon Jane - The Other Moon.

Ontario-based project Falcon Jane – the moniker for primary songwriter of the group, Sara May – are to release their soaring new single, ‘The Other Moon’ via Pittsburgh-based label, Darling Recordings on August 26, 2020.

‘The Other Moon’, which is lifted from a larger body of material set to come from Sara May further down the line, finds the artist exploring deeply sentimental and personal themes, from death to memory, and the miscommunication that can take place between generations. May has a penchant for unpacking these emotions in succinct and comprehensible forms, making something so personal and idiosyncratic to her feel so familiar to the rest of us. Much of May’s forthcoming work found its source of inspiration in early 2019 when her songwriting synched up with a string of deaths that occurred in her immediate family; ‘The Other Moon’ pays a touching testament to her Nonna with May lacing the track’s stark honesty with swooning guitar and her enchanting vocal palette, a sound that co-director, van Olm visualized as May’s DIY journey through space.

Speaking about the new track, May says: “‘The Other Moon’ is a letter and tribute to my late Nonna whose death inspired me to start recording this album. Despite being from two completely different generations, and speaking two different languages, my Nonna and I had a very special connection. We understood each other and cared about each other, even if we couldn’t find the words to express it. My Nonna would always cheekily joke about her own death, and through her broken English, she claimed that when she died she’d be going to “The Other Moon”.

“This song is not a story about a happy-go-lucky relationship between grandmother and granddaughter,” May continues. “It accurately depicts the contrasting dynamic of a very loving friendship mixed with a lifelong trauma-ridden miscommunication. The big hole in my heart, the black cloud over our love. This song feels like the message I always wanted to send to her; pushing through the darkness to find the deep love we shared and continue to share now.”

The new single positions itself as a breathtakingly honest release from Falcon Jane, allowing her vulnerability to take center stage. We’ll have more information further new music shortly.

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Peach Kelli Pop - Cut Me Off.

Peach Kelli Pop is a musical project conceived of by songwriter Allie Hanlon, who has unveiled the first single from her upcoming EP.
Peach Kelli Pop has gained notoriety for the band's catchy melodies that bring to mind American female pop music singing groups of the late 50s and early 60s, but peel back a layer of saccharine film from her tunes and there is always a lot more to discover. "Searching for it in myself, this is eating up my mind and health", is the opening line of the single, previewing some of the angst that is floating just below the surface of the twee harmonies.

"This song is about lacking the strength to walk away from a situation you know is harmful to you." says Hanlon of the track. "It's about really wanting a relationship to work (whether it be romantic or a friendship) and hanging on, but knowing deep down that it won't work out."

In 2009, in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada, Hanlon taught herself to play guitar and bass, arrange songs and record them. The band is now based in Southern California, after Hanlon relocated in 2013. Peach Kelli Pop has toured extensively both domestically and internationally, making frequent trips to Japan. With four full-length releases and a handful of singles under her belt, Peach Kelli Pop is back with her Lucky Star EP on October 7th via Lauren Records. The EP features 4 brand new songs, including a cover of "Sing And Pretty" by Tokyo's The Pat Pats.

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Hannah Georgas - Westberg - Dusker

Hannah Georgas makes her fourth appearance here this year with 'Easy' and it's another beautifully crafted song that allows her superb vocals to shine. === Westberg shared 'Simple' with us back in June and return with 'Nostalgia' where the duo are again impressive with this creatively arranged song. === Dusker share 'Quality Papers' ahead of E.P 2' set for release this coming Friday, the song itself is a magnificent mixture of alt rock with more than a little punk feeling.
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Hannah Georgas - Easy.

On September 4th Hannah Georgas who, over the years has been an active touring member of The National and Kathleen Edward's backing band, will release her new LP All That Emotion on Brassland and Arts & Crafts. Produced by Aaron Dessner, founding member of The National and producer of Taylor Swift's latest LP folklore, the album has already attracted an enthusiastic critical response with the mesmeric lead single "Dreams," the calmly enveloping "Just A Phase" and  pre-announce singles "That Emotion" and "Same Mistakes," earning praise from many outlets.

Today, Georgas is sharing her final single from the LP, a slow-burning synth pop gem entitled "Easy." Introduced by pulsing arpeggiators and a subtle blend of electronic drums and organic percussion, the track builds towards a glittering crescendo, with Georgas' weaving in and out of harmonized vocal parts as she chronicles a search for closure at the end of a relationship.

“I was going through a break up around the time that I wrote this song and I felt like I kept searching for some sort of closure or definitive ending to the relationship," says Georgas. "I found myself feeling frustrated that I couldn’t communicate well with this person and whenever I tried to reach out I was left feeling more alone in the end. I was going through this hard time and it felt like they found it easy to let it go.”

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Westberg - Nostalgia.

“Westberg,” the Gen X duo of Ariel Westberg and Scott Bruzenak (aka Noisecastle III) announce the upcoming single, “Nostalgia” due out August 24. The single represents a dusty tale of isolation in the middle of Los Angeles, the backdrop for the midlife crisis that unfolds within the rest of their EP. The EP, Boomer Studies is due for release on September 18.

The duo approaches “Nostalgia” with the stain of cynicism. The lyric, “Nostalgia just ain’t what it use to be” threads a thematic discontent while the appearance of Townes Van Zandt’s well-to-do doppleganger is symbolic of the decay of nostalgia itself.  They say, “We wrote this in his shadow, with nods to the bitter tone and dopamine-starved prose.”

Having met as classical music majors “in the weirdest school in the U.S.,”  Evergreen State College, the two Angelenos had explored Avant-Garde, jazz, rock, electro-folk, chamber pop and trip-hop. But Boomer Studies was a chance to strip it down and reflect. Their 2006 self-titled album received accolades from Nic Harcourt and continues to receive support on KCRW.

Westberg · Nostalgia

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Dusker - Quality Papers.

An emotive, loud-quiet-loud cut from their four-track cassette, “Quality Papers” is Dusker’s magnum opus from their new work. Befitting their forerunners Cap’n Jazz and Rites of Spring, the longest piece of the record is by no means meandering into nowhere – it’s concise, powerful… emotional. Did we mention it’s emotive yet?

“EP 2” has already seen coverage at home and abroad – BBC Radio Nottingham featured first single “Leo” on their Introducing show, along with airplay from freeform radio show Aural Delights.

Japanese blog Warszawa and UK based music website Backseat Mafia have also featured the band, with Craig Young from Backseat Mafia going as far as to say the EP “… take(s) you right back to the late 90s (...) Exceptional punk vocals and drenched in delicious feedback."

“EP 2” is available for pre-order on cassette tape and digitally from MUZAI Records ahead of its official release August 28th 2020.

MUZAI Records · Dusker - Quality Papers

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Speaker Face - Anna Krantz - Carley Arrowood - Rachel Angel - 88/89

Speaker Face just released 'Work Friends' and it's a glorious concoction of instruments, electronics and musical styles . === Anna Krantz shares 'We Could Be High' where refined music, deep digging hooks and timeless ballad vibes naturally come together. === From Carley Arrowood we have some imaginative Americana, superb vocals and refined musicianship in the form of 'Goin' Home Comin' On'. === Rachel Angel has just released her new E.P titled 'Highway Songs'. It's a collection of five tracks, broadly described as country folk, the depth and beauty of this E.P cannot be over stated. === From London we have the duo 88/89 with 'Hit Me' a song that mixes classic synth pop and psychedelic trappings together, along with a mass of catchy moments.
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Speaker Face - Work Friends.

Speaker Face is an award winning earthy electronic band that melds the sounds of nature and machines. Combining acoustic instruments, voice and wilderness sounds with computers and synths, Speaker Face creates beats and sonic landscapes that immerse the listener in melody, groove and mood.

The palette of sound created by Trent Freeman’s layers of rhodes and violin, and Eric Wright’s atmospheric production and beats, are topped with the hauntingly honest voice of Ruby Randall.

Whether it’s a star-lit forest dance stage, an acoustically perfect soft seat theatre or the immersion of your headphones, the musical experience of Speaker Face is transportative and fully consuming.

Their latest album, Crescent, is reshaping the notion of genre, and captures the future of indie music within the building blocks of ancient sounds.

Speaker Face · Work Friends

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Anna Krantz - We Could Be High.

“Listen to your heart this time, come tomorrow we could be high” Anna Krantz. ‘We Could Be High’ was written on a Zoom call during the recent global lockdown. Anna Krantz, like many writers, had her reservations about collaborating over the internet for the first time, yet when all other options become suddenly stripped away, creatives get creative.

She explains, “I couldn’t write about the experience of being separated from my family and friends, in a city I had only recently moved to and had barely begun to call home when the world shut down. I wasn’t ready to tap into those layered and conflicting emotions. I wanted… no, I needed to write a song which gave me hope. A song which lifted my spirits when I sang it.”

Simon Johnson, who also co-produced the song, was the perfect choice to collaborate with on this rootsy foot tapper. He recorded his guitar parts at his home studio in The New Forest, England. Heavily influenced by her years spent in Nashville, Krantz was keen to capture elements of Americana. Though London born and bred she has a penchant for timeless American melodies and has been compared by old friends like Ed Sheeran as sounding as resplendent on record and live, as artists such as Sheryl Crow, Rickie Lee Jones, Carole King and Sara Bareilles.

Now based in Dublin, the gift of modern technology once again presented itself. Krantz contacted Nashville based drummer, Adam Box (Brothers Osborne) and Nashville based keys player, Dave Cohen (Carrie Underwood, Steven Tyler, Reba McEntire) knowing they both had their own private setups to record in. Keeping everything at an acceptable social distance!

She confides, “It felt fun to set ourselves the challenge of making this recording a global effort during a time when no one could be in the same room.”

Krantz recorded her vocals at her new home studio in Southern Ireland. She painted the artwork on a canvas delivered by Amazon and an easel hand crafted by her boyfriend out of scrap wood from the shed because, there was, of course, no way of going out for art supplies.

Mixed by one of Krantz’s go to sound wizards, Richie Biggs (The Civil Wars, The Lone Bellow) at his studio in LA, ‘We Could Be High’ is a song about taking a leap of faith in the hopes of finding the ultimate high. Be it love for another, love for oneself or simply inner calm and connection. Life favours the brave and this song is a reminder to be the bravest version of ourselves, no matter how high the risk.

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Carley Arrowood - Goin' Home Comin' On.

Carley Arrowood is on a journey. Already, it’s taken her onto the stage of the Grand Ole Opry with an acclaimed touring act and into a new role as a singer, songwriter and fiddler recording for the Mountain Home label. Now, following the release of her self-penned ballad, “Dear Juliana” and a celtic-flavored gospel original, “Ballad of Calvary,” she’s taking a quick side trip for a little reunion and renewal in her third single, “Goin’ Home Comin’ On.”

Penned by a trio of writers that includes Jenee Fleenor — the reigning Country Music Association Musician of the Year (and the first woman to win the award) — alongside veteran songwriter Charley Stefl (“The Fool,” “All Aboard”) and producer-bassist (and award-winning songwriter) Jon Weisberger, the song is a lively portrait of a young woman homeward bound for a weekend visit.  As Carley explains, she connected immediately with its theme when she heard it.

“The feeling of a ‘Goin’ Home Comin’ On’ is one in a million,” she notes. “You start that long drive, with your suitcase in the back seat (and maybe your fiddle too) and you start thinking about everybody you’re gonna see and all the things you’re gonna do. That’s the story this song tells with its rootsy, cheerful, nostalgic vibe. The first time I heard it there were vivid memories that came to mind.”

Arrowood is joined by a stellar band that includes bluegrass power couple Kristin Scott Benson (banjo) and Wayne Benson (mandolin), guitarist and harmony singer Daniel Thrailkill — and, fittingly, her sister Autumn. “When we were little girls,” Carley recalls, “my sister Autumn and I would run to our dad when he got home from work — racing to see who would get the first hug. So when I heard the line about running to daddy, I immediately knew Autumn had to sing harmony with me on it!”

Yet while she’s surrounded by a strong group of players, Arrowood’s confident performance keeps her expressive, empathetic voice and commanding fiddle work at center stage from the song’s explosive start through its energetic closing refrain. And though it’s filled with the virtuosity and down-home sentiments of bluegrass, “Goin’ Home Comin’ On” has a distinct country flavor in its varied rhythms and unfolding arrangement.

In fact, when you get down to it, to say Arrowood is on a journey may actually be a bit of a misdirection — for judging by the mature, fully-realized quality of her music, Carley Arrowood has already arrived at a place that makes her one of the fastest rising and meaningful female roots music artists today.

Syntax Creative · Carley Arrowood - "Goin' Home Comin' On"

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Rachel Angel - Highway Songs (E.P).

When Rachel Angel sings “I wanna be a renegade,” she is speaking to the experience of personal transformation and resilience, like putting on a protective coat of armor to meet the world with grace and courage. While the songs on the EP were inspired by the spirit of outlaw country, her sense of the outlaw is metaphorical rather than literal. These songs are about taking the unconventional artists' path and staring in the face of danger, fear, and pain.

On her latest EP Highway Songs, the country-folk troubadour takes the listener on a wild journey—physical, emotional, spiritual, and everywhere in between. These songs were written in the midst of a harrowing time for Angel— she was physically sick with an auto-immune disease, self-quarantined in her Brooklyn apartment, writing at a feverish pace. At the time, She was experiencing a lot of catastrophic anxiety and chronic health problems, feeling both mentally and physically all out of sorts. As she began writing the songs that would become Highway Songs, she embarked on a family trip to Mexico, with the disquieting notion that something bad was going to happen, but couldn’t determine if it was anxiety or a premonition. Within the first week of being there, they experienced a 7.1 earthquake in Mexico City—buildings around them fell, power lines went down, and everything closed. But despite feeling frightened and immediately wanting to leave, Angel decided that pushing through the discomfort would ultimately build strength.

After her harrowing experience in Mexico, Angel spent the remainder of the year touring different cities on the east coast, in the UK, and traveling around for various events and building a new sense of resilience. She was listening to a lot of outlaw country, the spirit of which filled her with a feeling of vibrancy and bravery. She finished writing and recording the content of “Highway Songs” during a breaking point and crisis period in her life, right before making her way to the other side. Angel ultimately left New York City for her hometown of Miami in need of great healing and has since been on a spiritual journey, grounding herself and writing more music to heal and nourish herself and her listeners.

Rachel Angel · Highway Songs

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88/89 - Hit Me.

Hailing from London, Jack (born in 88) and Michael (born in 89) began carving out a space between synth-pop and psychedelic rock creating a sonic landscape with no boundaries.

The duo deliver a nostalgic and psychedelic single capturing the high points of being in love. Vocally the track is evocative of bands like The Temper Trap, while the soundscape of synths and guitars are resonant with 80s neo-psychedelia and modern synth-pop bands like MGMT.

88/89 is a hybrid of synths, guitar riffs and sentimentalism. Formed in London, Jack and Michael are carving out a space between synth-pop and psychedelic rock creating a sonic landscape with no boundaries.

Jack and Michael met when both of them were trying to start again creatively - Jack after leaving Sissy and the Blisters and Michael after putting his acting career behind. Jack played some of his music to Michael in a car and then they only grew from there. They quickly realised that they are like Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire, yin and yang.

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Xanthe Alexis - Garrett Owen

Xanthe Alexis has released her new album 'The Offering' and we have two more songs from it namely 'Moon' and 'The Heart Needs Time' both of which typify this fabulous album. === Garrett Owen shares 'No One To Save You' following on from 'These Modern Times' which we featured in July and again the Texas singer songwriter delivers another refined slice of Americana.
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Xanthe Alexis -Moon / The Heart Needs Time.

Xanthe Alexis' new album The Offering, out this weekend, is simply stunning, from her goosebump-inducing voice to her personal and vulnerable writing; and from the indie-folk production that encompasses acoustic guitar as much as drum machines to the radical empathy she practices in her life and art.

Like so many of her songwriting sisters and brothers in a year of lockdown, Xanthe Alexis has been awaiting the summer day she can give her second album, The Offering, to a revolutionizing world. The accomplished Colorado musician was just breaking into the national scene as the world shifted under our feet in early 2020. Her experience as both a trauma therapist and a single mother of two allowed her to weather the subsequent storm with unusual grace. Even from lockdown, Alexis has offered friends and fans daily affirmations of power and hope on social media – commodities that are rare in these times of vindictive language.

The passionate and strident tracks on The Offering reflect her wise responses to this new world shorn of pretense and masquerade. Her writing on the album also springs from the aftermath of heartbreak so the music functions both to heal others after hard-won lessons in moving forward herself. She sings, “It’s going to leave you hungry, kisses just like medicine, there and then gone again, here inside The Offering, tell me what you need.”

Alexis has noticed a distinct change in what her fans want from songwriters. In the almost four years since the 2016 election, she witnessed a need for a more authentic voice within the confounding politics and more passion in equal doses. Songs like “Siren” are meant to acknowledge anxiety while bringing a soothing hope for those living in fear. Alexis has found herself reflecting on her own newfound sobriety and writing about her journey towards healing. The songs are personally vulnerable and bring a broader context to living bravely, during fearful times. The recording sessions for The Offering began in 2019 under the tutelage of Conor Bourgal, founder of Colorado Springs group Changing Colors, and a proficient sound engineer. He worked closely with Alexis to accentuate what really mattered in these songs and to develop an indie-folk sound that draws as much from indie rock drum styles as from acoustic guitars, but always hangs back to let her stunning voice take the fore.

Alexis is unmistakable for her powerful voice and enchanting lyrics. The singular aura of magic surrounding her is a reflection, in equal measure, of her birth in the Superstition Mountains in Mesa, Arizona. Her childhood was steeped in the mysticism of blended cultures and gave her a passion and sensitivity for the unseen world of Spirit. She also experienced the effects of being treated as an “other” in America. Finding her own voice in activism, at the peaceful protests for Water Protection at Standing Rock, in her work as a Natural Healer in her community and now, in the ongoing movement for racial justice. Her Mother introduced her to the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell and Ella Fitzgerald at an early age, and she began writing songs just before her beloved sister died of heart disease. This gave Xanthe an additional window into the depth of pain and the need for a language in which we can speak the expanse of human emotion.

Xanthe Alexis · The Heart Needs Time

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Garrett Owen - No One To Save You.

We have a fabulous new song from Texas troubadour Garrett Owen that's called "No One To Save You".

The song is about the hardships that result from a life lived on the road, inspired by a breakup he endured while on tour with Parker Millsap. The single is the newest from his forthcoming LP Quiet Lives out September 18th.

Garrett's songwriting comes from a unique viewpoint, and understandably so -- he grew up the son of missionaries in Africa, with the kind of wildlife in his backyard we'd have to pay admission to see here. His adolescence was spent playing music and being grounded in nature.

In his late teens, the family relocated back to Texas, and Garrett struggled to fit into the culture - the pain and despair from which caused him to attempt suicide. From those experiences, Garrett has learned lessons and grown both personally and musically, all on beautiful display in the grooves of Quiet Lives.

Garrett Owen · No One To Save You

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